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e_Marketing Blog 2009 Will Be Pivotal for Microsoft 2008 has not been the greatest year for Microsoft, but they have still done surprisingly well in spite of the economic slowdown around the world. In an article from PCWorld called Microsoft's Top Three 2008 Mistakes, Shane O'Neill of CIO.com discusses some of the things that went well for MS, and some that clearly did not. In spite of aggressive marketing by Apple, Mac sales fell 1 percent over the year and Windows PC sales were up 7 percent. Microsoft's grip on the PC market remained firm - with 90% of users running Windows, and 70% of internet browsers using Internet Explorer. One has to think that the bad press MS keeps getting will have to impact these market shares eventually. Although it sure seems like both Apple and Firefox do not understand that their elitist attitude ("we're so much better and smarter than the other 90% of you") is an implicit criticism of the very customer they are trying to reach. 2009 will be a pivotal year for MS as they continue to try to beat off Apple, Google and Mozilla (Firefox). According to the PC Word article Microsoft's biggest mistakes for 2008 were: 1. Poor marketing of Windows Vista - They've been letting Apple get away with bashing Vista for years now. It's just not as bas as the critics say it is, and MS's own lack of promotion reinforces the idea that the critics are right. 2. Letting Apple Build Anti-Vista Momentum - Even though the sales figures may not yet show it in a convincing way, Apple has taken the marketing game away from MS with their constant Vista-bashing. MS has not shown that it can adequately respond. Expensive ads featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld missed the mark. Just recently I saw an ad touting the unique features of Vista in a straight-ahead way. It's about time. 3. The Failed Yahoo Bid - Early in 08 the bid for Yahoo looked like it might be a case of two search losers getting together. The failure of the bid did nothing for MS's image as a "winner" or a company forging into the future. As it turned out it was probably good for MS that Yahoo rejected their offer. Now Yahoo is worth a fraction of what MS offered, Jerry Yang, the big Yahoo opponent of the bid is gone, and new Yahoo investors are now courting MS. MS is still interested in Yahoo's search business, and may very well end up with it in 2009. SmartyPig Social Saving Here's an interesting idea. SmartyPig.com is like an online piggy bank with a social twist. You create an account where you set a specific savings goal. Say you want to save for a new computer. You need $1,000. You create an account and then let your friends and family know what you're saving for. They can make contributions (or not). You can contribute to their accounts too. SmartyPig also has partnered with "top retailers" to offer you deals and cash incentives. It's free and you can even earn interest on your deposits. Free Blog or Your Own Domain? Once you've decided to create your own blog, the first question you have to address is whether you want your blog to be hosted on your own web hosting account or be part of an already established site like wordpress.com, blogger.com, or one of the many other free blogging sites. If you use one of the free "hosted" blogging sites (Wordpress.com, Blogger.com, LiveJournal.com, Blog.com, and many more) you can create a brand new blog in about 15 minutes. When you choose this option you become part of a larger site such as wordpress.com and your address will be something like http://yourtownrealestate.wordpress.com or http://yourtownmoneymanager.blogspot.com The advantage of this approach is that it is fast and cheap. Plus you will get some traction and search engine exposure for your blog because it will be part of a much larger network that gets crawled by the search engines on a regular basis. But in my estimation, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. |
EasyTrainerOnline.com is about online training - basic training courses, articles and demos of online technology that is used for training. Sources for corporate and institutional training programs.Online learning, online education resources. Here's How Cell Phones Make Your Life EasierMay 29, 2006 - Linknet Business News How to reduce your mobile phone costs - Special guide to reduce mobile phone costs. Trade Show Display Rental - The only trade show display source you will ever need. Wedding Photography Toronto - International Wedding Photographer : Lifestyle Wedding Photography : Wedding Photojournalist >> Here's How Cell Phones Make Your Life Easier by Mike YeagerCell phones, the prepaid ones, are the great way to stay within your budget restraints. You will either make an adjustment to how many minutes the prepaid cellular covers, or discipline yourself to use less minutes. Purchasing prepaid cell phones is made very simple, regardless of what their credit situation is. You can purchase a prepaid cell phone without a credit card, without any contract, and without any deposit required. Cell phones are a great way to get connected even if you are far away. If you continue a regular schedule to purchase prepaid cellular service with a company, they will eventually approve you for regular monthly service. Remember that prepaid cell phones do have a higher per-minute cost. A prepaid cellular is a great gift. You are giving a gift of a functional cellular that can be used right away instead of the hassle to activate and register before using. With this gift, the receiver has the choice of continuing with prepaid cell phone service once the airtime runs out or switching to a monthly service plan. Cell phones have some sort of entertainment programs on most new digital, ranging from simple dice-throwing games to memory and logic puzzles. Whether you want to communicate regularly with your family and friends or the cellular phone is a valuable tool for your business, makes little difference to your choice of phones. About The Author - Mike Yeager, Publisher - http://www.a1-cell-phones-4u.com/ - mjy610@hotmail.com
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