I have often wondered ?What is it that makes some online businesses click while others not so much as create any ripple at all?? and more often than not the answer that I came up with was ?The Business Model?. Well, that is very obvious and anyone with some understanding of the internet and business in general would be able to tell you exactly the same thing ? If you put together a true pain point of the consumers with an online service delivery platform that should automatically create a successful online business. In principle it is that simple, but in essence it is much more complex, otherwise you would have a lot more of Flipkarts, Cleartrips, and Naurkris, etc. Apart from the online platform itself (which can be very complex system in most cases) there are a lot of other systems like the order fulfillment, logistics, and supply chain management (to name a few) that make setting up the business ecosystem a very difficult proposition. Discussing the various sub-systems involved in an online business can be the subject of an entire book, so I am not going to venture into that. However, what I am going to discuss during the course of this article is a very important part of the consumer experience in the online business model ? The USER EXPERIENCE. The discussion would be based on my personal experience as a consumer on various e-commerce platforms, my understanding of the online business from my experience as a web analyst in the past and from the many articles and books by experts on the same subject. Hope you enjoy reading it!
?There is a specific reason online companies sometimes clutter their homepage with advertisements ? Ad Revenue. But is it worth risking a good consumer experience? Maybe it is and as a result some of the best companies in the business have such a messy homepage. Maybe in some cases consumers have become accustomed to these kinds of homepages that provide an information overload. I am not going to get into guess estimates to calculate the cost profit analysis of putting up with bad home page experience at the expense of losing new customers who might otherwise have shopped with you. But what I am going to do is share my own experience.?
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I was a loyal customer for makemytrip.com and from when I can remember have always booked my flights home through the same. I even booked hotels for a holiday using the makemytrip.com services. I was really happy with the services, but that was it. There was no WOW factor. One of the reasons for this was the user experience on the site. While it was ok for me to get past the clutter of the site and decide which ticket to book, there was no feature which could help me in ways that I had not thought of. Once in a while I would go to Yatra.com to find out if I am getting the best bargains. It turned out that Yatra was providing the tickets at the same rates. So essentially I was not getting anything extra by using the makemytrip.com services. So why was I sticking to it? The way I see it now is that it was a relationship of convenience and habit. I had become accustomed to the site ? that was it. It was like a relationship where one of the partners is passively looking out, hoping to come across someone better, not wanting to lose what they already have until something better happens.I had heard my friends talking good things about cleartrip.com and decided to visit the site. It was almost like love at first sight. ?
?No clutter. You go to the homepage put in the details and do a simple SEARCH to get the results. As simple as Google search ? no ne ed to look for the search section like in makemytrip.com.
?There are a lot of features where cleartrip outclasses makemytrip. I will just tell you one and the most evident (apart from the simple UI, which I just love).
Once you have started the search process and based on the price you think you want to change the travel date (to get a cheaper ticket), cleartrip provides a feature that is simply AWESOME. Look at the picture to judge for yourself: ?
?BEST FARES IN Month ? This feature makes it easy for me to view the cheapest flight fares during the particular month, no need to do repeated searches. Repeated searches are exactly what you need to do in makemytrip.comBut I couldn?t break off the long term relationship (not exciting though) with makemytrip based on just this feature, now could I? Then the miracle happened ? I was booking my ticket for the summer vacations and had just got a great round trip ticket fare. But as I was going to book it, the unthinkable happened ? Makemytrip informed me that the tickets for that flight were no longer available ? that was it, I had a reason to finally get out of this relationship. Without a moment?s hesitation I packed my bags, logged out and have never logged back into Makemytrip since then. I now book tickets on CLEARTRIP.com
I like their e-tickets better too. Judge for yourself:
And this was Makemytrip?s:
You can clearly see that the timing of the flight is very obvious in the cleartrip tickets whereas it is not so in case of makemytrip.com. And for the love of GOD please don?t show me ads on the ticket. Do you really think anyone reads those? (Okay maybe some customers do)
Well, now all of you might be thinking ? Enough of this UI (user interface) and consumer experience ?gyan? ? how has it affected the business of the two companies?
That is exactly what we are going to look next. Oh, by the way, my dad who is an internet novice thought that it was easier to search for tickets on CLEARTRIP.com than on makemytrip.com ? when I asked why? ? He simply said - ?It looks simpler??
Now I haven?t looked at the financial statements of both the companies (we will have a brief look in a while), but I am sure we can definitely pick up some interesting insights from the search data available from Google.?
Google Insights for Search is an interesting tool that Google provides which can provide some indicative data related to search. For example when I tried comparing the search terms ?makemytrip? and ?cleartrip? for the time period from Jan?06 to Jan?12 in the ?Air Travel? category (this was intended to find the interest level in the two rival companies), Google threw up the following graph:?
To start with if we look at the 2006 data, we find the Cleartrip pretty much started getting its first visits during that time whereas Makemytrip.com was already up and running and hence the big difference in the interest level in the 2 search terms (blue line - makemytrip, red line ? cleartrip). Makemytrip was obviously the goliath and had an unassailable lead at this point. However, thanks to some of the features just mentioned and a host of others that were not discussed, interest level in cleartrip started to rise slowly but steadily until after 2009, the blue and red lines intersected and for some time cleartrip even trumped Makemytrip. Given the constant innovations like the personalized dashboard, cleartrip will certainly become more and more popular at least in the AIR TRAVEL category and this would mean more revenue.?
| Cleartrip.com dashboard ? Another feature I just love ? it has seamless integration with Google calendar as well? ?Associated Press fran drescher scarlett o hara pat sajak vanna white michael robinson joe paterno memorial service taco bell breakfast menu Vatican Newspaper Takes on Melinda Gates and Nestle | Women of ...L?Osservatore Romano, the Holy See?s official daily newspaper, has gone on the offensive against wealthy philanthropic institutions such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Nestle for using their millions to provide?third world women with dangerous forms of contraception and breast milk substitutes.
Speaking about her initiative to CNN, Mrs. Gates confided the difficulty she was facing as a Catholic ?believer? in a Church that prohibits the use of artificial contraception. Galeotti?s article takes issue with Gates? idea that the Church promotes the death of women and children because of their ?misogynous? opposition to contraception, calling the accusation ?unfounded and cheap.? Instead, she points out that? the Church ?agrees with natural birth control methods, that is, with natural methods based on reading the signs and messages sent by the body.? The article points out that ?in some parts of the world? the Billings method ?is seen as a double disadvantage because since it is a simple method that is easy to adopt, women, including the illiterate among them, use it independently and consciously, without the need for mediation.? As Galeotti states: ?The unforgivable original sin inherent in this method is that it is a solution that is completely free. This makes it highly unpopular in the pharmaceutical industry which makes huge profits from the administration of chemical contraception. And this will be guaranteed through Mrs. Gates? philanthropic actions.??
Nestle, which holds about 50 percent of the world?s breast milk substitute market, claims that malnourished mothers are unable to breast feed their infants, even though health organizations say there is no evidence to support these claims. Babies who are bottle-fed are up to 10 times more likely to develop gastro intestinal infections, but in the Third World, where clean water is hard to find, can make these substitutes much more dangerous and even deadly. Boycotts have been launched against Nestle, and a petition campaign that acquired nearly 25,000 signatures was organized by the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) and presented to Melinda Gates on the opening day of a summit on her birth control initiative that she held in London earlier this month. The petition asked her to be open to other points of view on the matter of world poverty rather than to listen only to those who see artificial contraception as the answer. ? All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly?/Women of Grace?? http://www.womenofgrace.com Source: http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/?p=15626 hue jackson alabama football coachella 2012 line up lsu crimson tide crimson tide dixville notch Sunday, July 29, 2012Home Based Business And Income taxes! What You Need To Know ...Providing for your family members is definitely the best objective on most men and women. Before commencing your own home-based company, you must see the pursuing article so that you will have far better know-how about it. Possess the correct equipment to work your small business. Gear that relates to your small business such as a pc or printing device is tax deductible in that the expense happened. To be entitled to a taxes compose away from the equipment must be mostly utilized by the company and needed for your company to operate effectively. Having a home based business can be quite a complicated job if you do not carry it seriously. In order to do well at working from home you ought to outfit the component, have got a room committed for function and operate only, and also a set timetable. This ensures that organization basically takes place if you are in the home. To keep your online business running smoothly, treat it just like a true organization even when you never interact immediately with your superiors or clientele. This simply means taking care of a regular plan each day, becoming reachable 24/7 either by telephone or by Skype, utilizing skilled emails and in many cases getting dressed the part when it enables you to maintain the proper attitude. You will notice the big difference and your consumers will also. Just to be effective in using an online business it is important that you just look for a product or service that you could be powering 100%. It is essential that you will be in deal with the company?s beliefs and policies. It is rather hard to sell a product that you just do not have faith in. You may write off a part of your web monthly bill on your own income taxes if your home-based business is internet based. Be truthful since this will safeguard you in case there is an review. An incredible hint for your own home enterprise is usually to be a confident contributor to online business on the whole by either bringing about message boards or engaged in nearby situations. It may only assist you and your standing if you do all that you can to support the larger culture that you just participate in. Offer you special discounts to your friends and family. They may not be considering what you do initially, but they may possibly look at the opportunity to get low cost merchandise. This will likely encourage them to talk about your small business to your buddies, and possibly even assist you should you need them. One of the things that can guarantee achievement home based based enterprises is marketing. It is vital to let the folks are conscious of your merchandise. With that in mind, it really is good to figure out how much spending budget to work with on providers such as advertising and marketing and printing. Outline that budget and stick to it. A house business is something you can?t just dive into mind initially without having looking. Who knows how far the leap is or what?s on the bottom. By obtaining details such as this, however, you may steer clear of a jump of religious beliefs altogether and make certain that every phase you take is actually a properly-informed step. Authorized Air Max Outlet presents various economical http://www.officieelmaxs.nl today with Quick Shipping and delivery, Protect Checkout & First class Customer Service. Source: http://articlereference.net/sports-2/home-based-business-and-income-taxes-what-you-need-to-know.html elie wiesel giuliana rancic giuliana rancic temptations work hard play hard tim ferriss wmt How to Move Your Brand from Invisible to Visible | Rock The Post ...
Geoffrey Rush the Oscar winning actor said he has strived to accomplish two things in his life??Credibility and Visibility?. If you are a job seeker then standing out is important in securing that next job.?Business owners and entrepreneurs need to be noticed to obtain funding and sell their products and services.?To succeed as a musician and artist your work obtains visibility as it is played, displayed and seen.?Authors have the challenge of writing a book that has to stand out in a mountain of 15 million books that?will be published in 2012.?If you want to stand out, Seth Godin recommends ?Purple Cows? Do something unique and different. Pick YourselfWe live in an age where we have the means and the machines to self publish and self market. Technology is democratising publishing and marketing. The Gutenberg press has been superseded by the digital press. The written word has been set free from the confines of time and space. On a social web ?you don?t need to wait to be picked to publish. You can ?Pick ?yourself?. No longer do authors have to pitch or beg a publisher. Amazon is providing the platform for self publishing. The tools and technologies now allow you to publish short form content in an instant. That could be on Tumblr, Facebook or Google+. Even your smart phone is a publishing machine in your pocket that can publish images and text whether that is on Instagram or Twitter. Emulate then InnovateOnline video adds to the publishing mix which provides the means to communicate with all the power of face to face communication with all its associated subliminal messages. The motivating power of face to face communications is not restricted to the boardroom or the town hall. YouTube is leveraging the transmission of skills that cannot be transmitted just with words. You can?t show someone how to dance with text. Video transmits the non verbal such as facial expressions, gestures, passion and eye contact where serious magic happens. Reading and writing are fairly recent inventions whereas face to face communication has been honed by tens of thousands of years of evolution. ?What Gutenberg did for writing video is doing for face to face communications?. Video enables people to view how something is done, then emulate and finally innovate. Radical OpenessThe hardest part though is being prepared to open up and expose yourself to the world. Content needs to be set free and giving away your secrets is part of this new paradigm of radical?openness! Credibility is achieved through the display of your skills via your content whether it is carried by music, words or video. Visibility is achieved by building online tribes and followers and sharing with them ?your ideas. So what can you do to stand out on a very crowded web? 1. Tap into your passionsSome ?people know from the first awakening of awareness, what they will do for the rest of their life. We all have an inkling of what we love. What keeps you up late at night, what do you read about, what makes you leap into your car and drive for hours? This is your engine room. 2. Leverage your innate abiltiesWhat are you good at? Reading, learning, loving, writing, video production, speaking, cooking or running? This is where you start. Along the way you will discover other skills that you didn?t know you had. 3. Build your SoapboxThis can be a Facebook page, Google+, Tumblr or a WordPress blog. My pulpit of choice is WordPress technology, with my own domain and self hosted. It is mine, I own it and I have control. I like that. Don?t ?hand over the keys of your content hub and home to a social network ?that can banish you without an explanation. Some people have made their home on a Facebook page or Google+. If you are removed (and it has happened and regularly) then I can only wish you good luck in calling their help line. 4. StartThis is where the rubber hits the road. I remember reading a blog post on Hubspot and it said even if you aren?t exactly clear on what you should be publishing ?.just start. This could be writing, creating YouTube videos, posting fashion photos, Publishing images of your art, paper folding or infographics. In short create content. Don?t wait for the design and branding to be perfect. The refinement can happen on the journey as the crowd tells you what works and what doesn?t. Just do it! The magic is in the movement. 5.?Know your audienceUnderstand the persona of the audience(s)who you are targeting.Don?t over complicate this, the audience will become clearer over time. You will hear their voice and see their shadows. You will sense what they want. Just listen. 6. Educate?How to? articles are always popular. It is the fastest growing category on YouTube. Educate with stories.?A story?s power is twofold. It provides knowledge of how to act and inspiration which is the motivation to act. Don?t underestimate people?s desire to learn. 7. InformIn your target niche people want to know what is happening. Keep them up to date with the latest facts, figures and news. Articles that provide?insights into the latest industry news?will keep your audience coming back for more. 8. InspireShow people the potential to change their life and show them a future with potential and let them know that dreams can come true. A vision is vital. 7.?Stay on topicWe are all tempted to go off on tangents. You need to keep asking yourself ?does my audience want to read about this?. You can try new angles but the crowd will tell you via the retweets, Google plus ones, shares, likes and comments what they like and don?t like. Focus is vital. 8. Keep it ?simpleAs you build knowledge through researching, reading and creating you will be hit with the ?Curse of Knowledge?. ?The better we get at generating great ideas?new insights and novel solutions?in our field of expertise, the more unnatural it becomes for us to communicate those ideas clearly. That?s why knowledge is a curse.? So keep the message simple and clear of ?industry speak? and acronyms. 9. Market and promote everywhereCreate a brand and presence on the large vibrant social networks. Publish and promote your content from your blog to as many social network platforms as time and resources allow. Be ?ubiquitous? 10. Build for search enginesGoogle with its latest updates called ?Panda? and ?Penguin? is valuing unique content that receives social votes, whether that is a ?plus one? on Google, a ?Like? on Facebook or a retweet on Twitter. Use WordPress plugins like ?SEO all in one? or ?Yoast? that create search engine friendly titles, descriptions and tags that make it easy for Google to crawl your site and show up in search engine results. 11. Build your tribesTap into the power of reciprocation. Follow people on Twitter and they will follow you back (some of the time). The great content on your homebase (blog) and the essential engagement with your followers will help you build a tribe. Be real and be willing to show the human side of your self. Open the hood and reveal your secrets and the tribe will leap in. 12. Communicate with multi-mediaEveryone learns differently. The younger generation prefers a short video. Baby boomers would rather read an article. The LinkedIn types like powerpoint presentations on Slideshare. Provide the same content in a variety of media. 13. Hone your writing skillsIf you want to write then you need to ?read?. Writing can be learned.?The basics are?vocabulary, tempting headlines and well structured articles. Tempting visuals (eg Infographics) will add a little bit of content contagion. 14. Be relentlessI can?t stress too much how important this is. Producing content once a month isn?t going to cut it. It is like flying plane. Full throttle for takeoff until you reach cruising altitude. How About YouAre you visible online? What has worked for you in getting attention? Is it video or is it writing articles and blog posts? Have you tapped into the power of writing great headlines? Do you need to build a larger and more engaged tribe. Look forward to hearing your stories. ? Permalink:?http://blog.rockthepost.com/?p=5681 (Photo Credit: Flickr?Timitrius) ____________________________________________________________________________________ About the Author.?Jeff Bullas is a blogger, speaker and strategist and works with companies and executives to optimize their online personal and company presence and brand with digital and social media marketing.?The?jeffbullas.com?blog is about social media and online marketing, including Twitter, Blogging, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and inbound and content marketing.?The blog?s focus is to assist business in ?Getting Found Online? in a digital world and helping your company to succeed in a knowledge economy. ipad mini nfl schedule 2012 andrew shaw christina aguilera tupac hologram pulitzer prize winners InsureBlog: FDA Created Cancer Drug Shortage
What does Margaret Hamburg and the FDA have against cancer drugs? Maybe she can't wait for the Obamacare death panels and wants to speed the process along.
This FDA smackdown on generic drugs has led to a shortage of much needed cancer drugs. The report, commissioned by Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), details the dramatic drop in the production of generic injectable drugs since Hamburg was?confirmed?as FDA chief in May 2009. Upon taking office, Hamburg promised an?aggressive effort?to enforce the FDA?s stringent manufacturing standards. In 2010, Hamburg?s officials issued 673 warning letters to drugmakers and other companies: a 42 percent increase from 2009. In 2011, the agency issued 1,720 warning letters: a further increase of 156 percent.So what does Ms. Hamburg know about quality control that her predecessors did not? Good question. ?According to sources with inside information about FDA?s operations, there is a disconnect between the FDA field force, the inspectors who work out of the agency?s district offices, and scientists and other career individuals at FDA headquarters who work on review and compliance functions,? Issa writes. ?According to the Committee?s sources, FDA?s field force does not believe that it is within the scope of their authority to worry about the implications of their actions, even if it means a manufacturer closing a facility or removing manufacturing lines from production.? Sort of a shoot first and ask questions later approach. Wonder how cancer patients feel about this? Ondansetron, a drug used to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, used to cost $3.71 per injection when it was on patent. Within one year after the drug?s patent expired, an injection cost 28 cents.
Why should the FDA care? It isn't their problem. ?in a normal market, whenever you have a shortage, manufacturers can raise prices, in order to restore their incentive to supply more product. But because of Medicare?s 6 percent cap on price increases, suppliers had no ability to raise prices to respond to doctor and patient demand. Government interference in the market place created these shortages. The tag team of Medicare and FDA is squeezing the life out of low cost generic drugs. the recently passed Prescription Drug User Fee Act legislation contains?some language?regarding drug shortages, but again the emphasis is on early warning of shortages, and speeding up FDA reviews, rather than on the real problems: excessive regulatory interference, and Medicare?s price controls. As a former generic-drug CEO says below, ?it seems somewhat ironic that the FDA is being empowered to cure a crisis they may have had a hand in creating.? This is what happens when government officials try to regulate industries about which they have no idea how their actions impact end results. Source: http://insureblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/fda-created-cancer-drug-shortage.html jcpenney loft old navy cyber monday best deals cyber monday best deals brownback brownback Saturday, July 28, 2012Best Home Based Internet Businesses ? The ... - Network Marketing
The internet has become so powerful that people can now earn money through the use of it. This is actually the common trend nowadays. A lot of successful online entrepreneurs can testify to the huge potential of online businesses. There are actually tons of profitable opportunities on the internet. here I have listed some of the best home based internet business opportunities individuals can start with. 1. Become An Affiliate Marketer Affiliate marketing involves promoting the products of companies on the internet. as an affiliate marketer, you have to market these products through your website. This is a commission-based business, meaning that for every recorded sale from your site, you will earn a commission. The more sales you make, the more commissions you are paid. To be successful in this field, you need to master web marketing skills and pay-per click marketing strategies. 2. Engage in Freelance Writing and Blogging Freelance writing is the most popular means of earning money online. This is one of the best home based internet businesses because articles are widely used in promoting all products and services online. There are tons of websites that offer this kind of opportunity. You may opt to make your own blog and turn it into your own money making instrument. 3. Answer Online Surveys This is could be the easiest job to earn money online. You can earn money just by answering surveys. To get qualified on paid surveys, you have to register on a paid survey company website which usually requires a membership fee. once a member, this internet business will definitely bring you earnings. 4. Sell Goods On eBay eBay is a favorite site for the best home based internet business where thrifty buyers usually check for the best deals online. You can either sell your personal goods or look for clients who require assistance in selling their goods on eBay. Try putting your goods in auctions for a better potential for profit. 5. Become a Data Entry Expert Data entry is probably the easiest business in the internet. as long as you are computer literate, then you can work for any data entry job. Since data entry is common online, expect to have bigger competition, but don?t worry, it is still in high demand. The chances of earning money from these ventures is not questionable; however before deciding to pursue any of these home based internet businesses, take time to reflect on how prepared you are to engage in the business. although some people may have earned a fortune in these different areas, not all who tried succeeded. Your success depends on you. Do the work and reap the benefits Best Home Based Internet Businesses ? The Top 5 Today Source: http://mynetworkmarketingadventure.com/best-home-based-internet-businesses-the-top-5-today/ sam houston state university bradley manning whoopi goldberg tebowing tebowing washington wizards rudy Peter Gilbert's book benefits Vermont Humanities ... - blog*spot
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? Arts & Entertainment, Lifestyle, Our Town ? Peter Gilbert?s book benefits Vermont Humanities Council
On Tuesday evening at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier, Wind Ridge Publishing (WRP) and the Vermont Humanities Council celebrated the publication of Peter Gilbert?s book ?I was Thinking?Travels in the World of Ideas.? Gilbert is executive director of the Vermont Humanities Council as well as a regular commentator on Vermont Public Radio. One hundred percent of the author?s earnings as well as 10 percent of WRP?s net profit from the sale of the book will benefit the Vermont Humanities Council. Pre-release copies of the book can be purchased directly online at www.windridgepublishing.com/titles or by calling Lin Stone at WRP, 985-3091. General release of the book is scheduled for early fall. Source: http://shelburnenews.com/?p=2025 waste management two fat ladies dennys kindle fire glen davis kobe bryant a christmas story Source: http://empiricism-chordal.blogspot.com/2012/07/peter-gilbert-book-benefits-vermont.html
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Vatican Insider is reporting that the rare salvo was launched on the front page of the Saturday edition in an editorial by Giulia Galeotti entitled ?The Risks of Philanthropy. Galeotti defines Melinda Gates as being ?slightly off the mark and confused? as well as ?misinformed? in her plans to spend the next eight months, and 450 million Euros, on research into new birth control methods and improved access to contraception. These new ideas will be tested on third world women, primarily those living in Africa.
But that?s not the only issue with which the Vatican newspaper addressed. It also rebuked Nestle for its controversial and dangerous breast milk substitute campaign. As L?Osservatore explains: ?The multinational company notoriously and in a cunning and improper manner supplied African women with free packs of dried milk for their newborn children. These lasted just enough time for the mothers to lose their natural milk. Mothers were then forced to purchase the dried milk, lured by advertisement campaigns which presented breast feeding as barbaric and the artificial method as the modern and civilised alternative; the campaign was furthered through various forms of psychological pressure exercised by elusive doctors and nurses. A need was therefore created in the name of charity and with profit in mind.?
