Great video explanation of Twitter

I just came across this video of Jack Dorsey explaining what Twitter is. This is the best I've seen yet. Some of my Twitter updates are displayed on this blog, or you can follow me at www.twitter.com/darrellheaps

If you're a status junkie on Facebook then you will love Twitter (along with the millions already using it). Enjoy.

Jack Dorsey Presents Twitter from biz stone on Vimeo.

SEC levels the playing field for regulation fair disclosure

I just finished a post for the Q4 Blog that outlines a signicant change in the corporate disclosure industry. Rather than rehashing everything here, I'll just point you over to the Q4 Blog for the update:

SEC Guidance enables corporate websites and blogs to be fair disclosure

Couple of other blog posts that make a good read:

SEC OKs websites and blogs for Reg. FD
SEC To Recognize Corporate Blogs as Public Disclosure, What This Means for Wires and Press Releases
SEC To Recognize Corporate Blogs as Public Disclosure. Can We Now Kill the Press Release?
The emerging self-distribution news model

Monitor110 - Post Mortem

Monitor110 is a company that I’ve been tracking for some time. In short, their model was to pull in millions of web sources and apply sentiment analysis on the data to help institutional investors track information across the internet – a next generation Bloomberg if you will.

Last week Monitor110 was shut down when they were unable to sell the business or raise another round of capital. Roger Ehrenberg joined the company in 2005 as CEO and co-led with Jeff Stewart who was the technology head. Roger released a post mortem on his blog ‘information arbitrage’ on Friday. The Seven Deadly Sins Roger writes about are:

1. The lack of a single, "the buck stops here" leader until too late in the game
2. No separation between the technology organization and the product organization
3. Too much PR, too early
4. Too much money
5. Not close enough to the customer
6. Slow to adapt to market reality
7. Disagreement on strategy both within the Company and with the Board
   

This is a great read for anyone who is a part of a start-up. Knowing what can go wrong is critical to making sure you do it right. I highly recommend you read it:

http://www.informationarbitrage.com/2008/07/monitor110-a-po.html

Q4 named as one of Canada's Top 25 up and coming software companies!

Found out this morning that my company Q4 Web Systems has been selected by the Branham Group and Backbone magazine as one of the Branham300 Top 25 Up and Comers.

We've been growing the business for just over 2 years now and it's great to be recognized by the industry. Thanks to everyone who's helped us along the way!

Microsoft Bids 44.6 Billion for Yahoo or $31 a Share

I'm really not a huge Microsoft fan but I just had to post this. Yahoo! has been struggling over the last couple of years trying to restore itself to the early glory days of the web. There is little chance that this offer would have accepted 6 months ago. But today Yahoo! is in trouble and about to be gobbled up by the MFST shark.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080201/microsoft_yahoo.html?.v=1

In a letter to Yahoo's board of directors, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said the company will bid $31 per share, representing a 62 percent premium to Yahoo's closing stock price Thursday, and emphasized that the deal isn't subject to financing.

Microsoft said it sees at least $1 billion cost savings generated by the merger, and intends to offer significant retention packages to Yahoo engineers, key leaders and employees. The software giant said it believes the takeover would receive regulatory clearance and close in the second half of 2008.

Go Tech Go

Last couple of days have been a roller coaster for the markets. The sub prime mess has taken its toll. Last couple of days have been looking good with the major exchanges trading up - but today they ended down.

And then Microsoft became the beaming light of tech by releasing record earnings of 6B on 16B in reveneue. With all the talk of slow down its so good to see MSFT banging it out of the park.

Go tech go.

Trade shows make my feet hurt

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve gone to a couple of conferences, one in Orlando and the other in Whistler. These have been the first conference/trade shows for Q4 where we have exhibited and sponsored aspects of the events. Both of them have gone quite well and we’ve been able to expand our pipeline of sales prospects considerably.

However I have to say that I’m so tired (and we’ve got one more in Colorado next week) and that my feet feel like they constantly hurt. So my big question is what are the solutions for dealing with sore feet? I’ve heard cold water afterwards, changing your insoles, drinking constantly (haha) but nothing seems to work. I think if I can figure out how to keep my feet from hurting I’d be doing alright.

So, if you’ve got a tip let me know – I’m all ears!!