ETD: 917 Don't go paperless; Local Search; Online Survey for
Manufacturers, Importers, Distributors
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post at gapent.com
Thu Sep 1 13:16:49 GMT 2005
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0917 September 1, 2005
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem at gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] Don't go paperless
[3] Local Search
[4] Online Survey for Manufacturers, Importers, Distributors
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
I read an interesting article where the author
suggests that we back up all of our media with
paper documents, which is contrary to what we all
seem to do now. I wrote something today that
identifies some issues, which I do see needs a
solution from an intelligent entrepreneur. What do you think?
Today we have more information on local searches,
including an appeal for help.
Quinn Halford and Matthew Kalash, editors of
Gifts & Dec Direct are looking for help
completing a survey for 2006
forecasting. Complete the survey, as it will be
interesting to see the results.
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem at gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] Don't go paperless
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In an article distributed by Universal Press
Syndicate, the author stated that digitalization
may be good, but what do you do when the recorded
output gets damaged, i.e., Cultural Suicide via
Digitalization. Apparently experts are wondering
whether CDs will last 20 years.
There is also that issue of compatibility and
interchangeability, i.e., differing operating
systems conflict within the same program,
obsolescence, etc. At one time Word Star was the
premier word processor. Then came WordPerfect,
and now Word. Over 70 million users has Louts
Notes as their "operating system" and now folks
are switching to platforms that are easier to
maintain and deploy changes, e.g., MS .NET.
So what do companies do who have massive amounts
of data stored in these old platforms? One of
the larger CPA firms is the largest user of Lotus
Notes, and they are not trying to convert to
.NET. They have tens of millions of documents
and programs in Lotus Notes! And they are not alone.
So what does one do? The author suggests paper
backup, which is contrary to today's thin king of
a paperless society. He doesn't look at the fact
that paper can be destroyed by fire and general
decay. And the issue of looking up something is horrendous.
So, I ask our readers, what is it we need? If
the recording devices we now have may not last
over the long haul, what do we do? (Remember the
8MM movies we all had? They have to be moved to
DVD soon, as they dry out and may be lost). What
do we do about program/operating system compatibility issues?
IMHO, this is a real need now, and perhaps an
opportunity for an entrepreneur to devise a simple and cost-effective solution.
George
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[3] Local Search
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Our Moderator's wrote...
> John, it sound marvelous. The issue as I see it, is you need angels who
> can fund this to bring it to market. It is not an easy concept to sell.
> I only consider 3-4 projects at one time (even though I may look at 15-20
> projects). Right now I have two and am talking to two others that sound
> very interesting. One is acting as CEO for a well-funded Chinese company
"The best way to predict the future, is to invent it" -- Alan Kay
George, what are you going to say when you talk
about the local search revolution, that you were
importing Chinese Silk? That was Marco Polo's
schtick. Why not do something a bit more You?
How much funding in needed to roll this bus out
of the barn? Not much! Google had to re-invent
the bus. The ISP already owns this bus, so no
need to re-invent Google. The passengers are
already trying to get there, but the buses keep
delivering him to the wrong state, never mind the
wrong street. All you do, is sell the ticket.
You're a travel broker, not the tour bus operator, nor store owner.
Just put a little gleam in the ISP's eye, hand
him a schedule of local shops/stops, and we're
off! No oil changes, tune-ups, new tires, or
anything. You don't even have to pay the bus driver!
Remember, George, I like to print the operations
manual on the back of a business card. This one's that simple!
Of course, marketing is a longer term strategy.
And yes, it does take money to develop the longer
term plan, franchise it nationwide (if
franchising it makes sense), etc. But with a few
sharp salesmen, you can probably get the first
few passengers on the bus to pay for the roll of tickets and make it run.
I keep feeling that I am the inventor of the
screwdriver, initially known as a piano assembly
tool, saying to everyone, 'come on folks; you can
use this to fasten wood everywhere, especially
where you need to take it apart later. Superior strength and un-do-ability!'
Meanwhile, all I keep hearing is the incessant
pounding of nails in the background...
Come on, George, let's at least discuss this one.
Anyone else???
-javilk- mall-net.com
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+++ [Moderator's Comments] +++
You may be right about how easy and practical it
is John, but it is not for me at this point. One
of the big issues folks have is what it really
takes to get products to market. You may have
the next best thing to sliced bread, but if
people don't know about it, they don't want
it. Most companies are in business to make
money, not be innovative. They don't want to
take chances, as long as they are making money.
Unfortunately, the days of working out of your
garage, are long gone, as are the expectations of
sums of money being poured into new
ventures. Yours is probably a great concept, and
I would suggest that you ask yourself some critical questions:
1. Why would somebody (ISP) want to use an
untested product with their customers, when they have products that work now?
2. Why would a salesman want to sell a product
that will be free to the end user (as is Google)?
3. Where do you make money with this?
To me it is a needed product, but not something I
can spend time with right now.
George
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[4] Online Survey for Manufacturers, Importers, Distributors
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Gifts & Decorative Accessories needs your help to
identify the most important market trends for
2006 by completing our online survey. Results
will appear in the December 2005 issue of G&DA,
in time to guide retailers as they go to market.
Your answers will be combined with others from
across the industry to provide a composite view;
no individual company information will be
published. (You may have received a faxed version
of the questionnaire — please complete either
one.) It’s simple! It’s quick! The deadline is
September 17! We look forward to hearing from
you. Please click here to complete the survey...
http://www.researchtodayonline.com/data/GDATrendsSvy05.htm
Quinn Halford, Editor In Chief
Matthew Kalash, Managing Editor
Gifts & Dec Direct
www.giftanddec.com
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