True Internetentrepreneurs behind Netlog, knew what to do….find a new business: TWOO.Com ! A new succes?!

They had a dream….building the largest social network in the world….but they didn’t cound on Mark Zuckerberg to have the same idea, so Netlog (Belgian social network) founders had a bit of a downturn the last years when Facebook concurred the world of social networks and Netlog didn’t….BUT as good entrepreneurs they knew what to do! Find a new and better product to concur the world, and so TWOO.com was founded, and is on his way to concur the world, maybe not in social media but in dating, although they call it “social discovery).

Law and Internet

It’s hard-working in the flat world being Google and Apple.

After the iTunes and Apple got into a fight over subscriptions through the flat world, it’s Google who’s facing (new) charges (again) from (Belgian) publishers – copiepresse to be precise.
It’s an appeal on the primary charge where Google used headers and pictures from the news sites and -papers on the Google News site, without paying any copyrights or prior permission.  This is an interesting case…since a lot of people do this, and not only Google….because what will happen if Google looses this appeal?

The Belgian Judge will probably ask the European Court of Justice for advice, which makes this a European case, and therefore the outcome will have a European scope.  Google has already lost the initial case, and has a exception in the US when it comes to using titles and pictures in the newssite….Google makes a strong case when telling that they only want to generate traffic to the news sites with this service! Publishers say they lose out on advertising revenue, because they don’t click-through….

Again this is more a struggle for the free Internet…what’s on the net is free to be used. It’s a ‘socialnomics’ web off course! Where people will generate more content on their own blogs, profiles, forums, fan pages, …., using other sources (i.e. Newspapers). Are we going to charge them as well? The social Internet is generating as much news through their social media, being as accurate as traditional (news)media! I think it’s time the traditional media start rethinking their business model! But then again….it’s also time for a flat world law system which deals with this problems in the whole of the flat world (worldwide!).

The Daily – a New newspapermodel?

You must have noticed it…somewhere or somehow….
Newscorp launched its digital only newspaper – The Daily – in cooperation with Apple, made to fit the iPad exclusively! So what’s new…it’s more then a newspaper, it’s a multimedia newsservice where their is integration on text, images, movies, … it looks like a good newsite brought to your iPad. It looks bright, news is divided into different sections, it’s interactive (even in the games section)…and the added value to your written text off course (bright HD pictures, video, comment sections, ….). Small downside…it’s cloud based so everything has got to be downloaded, and isn’t stored permanently (and when you’re using a 3G network it might get slow….watching a video). But that’s just a minor side note.

BUT is all worth the fuzz….we might not have a government in Belgium, but we shure have a some good newssite “de redactie” where images, text and multimedia are brougth together….for free!   So what’s the big fuzz about. Is this realy the next big thing for a newspaper….is this the way to survive for the classical newspaper business?

The certainly are in need of a new business model….that’s for sure. If I look at the iPad apps from my newspapers (De Standaard, Het Nieuwsblad, De Tijd – I know all in Dutch), they don’t look that flashy, and are just a copy of the paper version with some added up to date news….

You can share your ideas on this new “revolution” through the comment section!

(Picture source: www.pocked-lint.com)

E-Commerce finally hip!

Online sales are growing, while mobile sales are the future!

Every month 90 new e-businesses open up shop (in Belgium). Slowly we’re getting there….While the cultural and travel business already explored the Flat World as their new retail channel, it’s time for every business to open up shop in the Flat World. In a small country like Belgium it can be the next big market….or a way to deal with traffic jams, severe weather, ….or other ways that might obstruct your normal shop business. 
Their have been some cases (look at my Webvan case under the education section – temporarily unavailable) where it didn’t work out for the ordinary retail to switch to the flat world. Nowadays it’s a different story….online retail is trustworthy, and makes life easy…espacially when time is getting scarce and the world is at your fingertips.

In the last 2 years online shopping has grown over 50% in Belgium and statistics show that this isn’t a Belgium only trend, and the future still looks bright!

But then again, you have to look for new opportunities….mobile is the next big thing if you’re looking for sales.   Only 1% of today’s online shoppers say that mobile is their primary buying channel….but look how fast it’s growing! Be shure you don’t miss this train, but be aware of the dangers (secure lines, paid check out, ….)

A Morgan Stanley survey shows that Mobile will overtake Desktop in the near future!

(Graph Source: www.internetretailer.com)

Tweet for Life

Each year their’s a big charity in Belgium called Music for Life, where 3 presentators go in to a glass house to make radio for 6 days without food. This year the cause they are supporting is orphan’s of AIDS parents. The radio station, Studio Brussel, stimulates their listerners to collect and donate money to this cause through activities.

To support this cause there is also the action: Tweet for life (sorry it’s only in Dutch) where you can support the campaign by pressing “twee mee”. You have to register and on december 22th you recieve an email of what to tweet, because companies can by your tweet. The highest bid is on de page on de right!

So support the campaign and Tweet for life!

Twussel – a twitter trip through Brussel (Belgium Capital)

A couple of days ago this article caught my attention.

Twitter through Brussels Trip
Posted on October 26, 2010 (De Standaard)

“On wednesday october 27, 2010Saskia Videler brings a visit to Brussels. Nothing special really, were it not guided by Videler tips they get from users of the social networking site Twitter.
Videler will visit the city on Wednesday only visiting sites recommended by its users from Twitter. [...]

Throughout the day Videler will tweet about her location and the things she visits. Twitter users can send her some extra tips about restaurants, museums and shops in the area.

Who wants to follow the adventures of Videler, can visit the Twitter account of Saskia Videler. Who wants to send in tips, the # hashtag twussel use.”

Today (November 6, 2010) the Twussel of Brussels was published in De Standaard. Interesting to read how she got a realy personel visit of Brussels, visited sites new to her (and me), found athenticity, … and figured out that the Brussels is a realy warm Twitter community.

It’s a different way of traveling or visiting a place, city or country! A beautiful way on how the network and social media society (web 2.0 – web 3.0) are forming a world 2.0 – 3.0.  I believe this is an example on how the new social interaction takes place in the new 2.0 era.  Although we don’t know each other, we interconnect with one another through different social media.

If you are a ducth native speaker you can read the blog of Sakia at http://www.saskiablogt.be/ and discover the Twussel visit.

Let this story inspire you to also take on a twitter visit to a place, city or county you want to visit. You can share your experiences through the comment section of this post! Good Luck!