I’m a technology follower from the early days of the Internet, so a couple of years ago I decided to dive into this new world and check it out (who even heard of blogging or mashups ten years ago). I realized quickly that this new world isn’t just for the social life of Gen-Y – it is a sea change for everyone in business, especially startups.

After any earthquake event, the first thing I try to do is to step back, get the lay of the land, and derive some guidelines for getting around efficiently, while avoiding personal injury (I spent some years in California). Here are the current big three in social networking for business:

1. Facebook is biggest, moving from social to business. Currently, the biggest site in numbers is Facebook with over 500 million active users. 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day. Their primary visitors in the past have been Gen-Y socializers, but the fastest growing segment now is business people, and discussion groups for business, like “Facebook for Business” with 56,250 members.
2. LinkedIn caters to senior business professionals. The largest site traditionally targeted at business people is LinkedIn, with current numbers exceeding 80 million members. This one is a “must” for every serious business professional and executive out there today. You can join groups with your specific interests, participate in discussions or not, and highlight your business.
3. Twitter for business and networking is ‘hot’. This site is for text-messaging on the Internet, with about 100 million unique visitors per month, and was first popular for social updates and gossip. Now it’s the source of business leads and networking for thousands of people, and the source of the breaking world news for everyone. You need to be there.

Obviously, there are many others that you should evaluation, based on your geographic location, type of business, and personal interests. Here is my perspective on a few of them:

• MySpace is for tweens, forget it. The third biggest site (just passed by Twitter) is MySpace, with about 95 million unique visitors per month. They have groups for business and entrepreneurs, but the culture is primarily teen and pre-teen. You will find business advertising there, but minimal business networking.

• It’s not all about numbers. There are many more social networks which have good traction and a more specialized focus in the business networking world. Examples include Ryze, Plaxo, Orkut, RedWire, and Ecademy. In general, their membership is focused by geography, industry, or culture, so the value can be excellent.

• Business networking today starts with social networks. Social networking sites are more effective and efficient than attending all those boring business cocktail mixers and conventions. I’ll even be so bold as to say that if you aren’t on any of these sites, you are way behind the curve in business networking today.

• Protocols for each site are different. There is a hierarchy and a culture to social networking sites on the Internet, just like there always has been with professional business organizations and clubs. There are so many sites, so you need to choose wisely, and learn the rules for each. Most are free, so you can do serious business networking around the world without signing up for any of the fee services.

Maybe because the cost of entry is low, I see a swarm of startups today busy with add-ons, and building new offerings. It’s a brave new world, for me an exciting challenge and fun to explore. But like every good explorer, I’m asking everyone I meet what’s around the next corner. Are you there today, and what do you predict for tomorrow?

Marty Zwilling

Before the trial, SAP admitted that its 2005 acquisition TomorrowNow pirated Oracle’s intellectual property and used it in order to pilfer customers from Oracle. Evidence presented during the trial showed that key SAP executives were aware of what was happening. ““For more than three years, SAP stole thousands of copies of Oracle software and then resold that software and related services to Oracle’s own customers,” said Catz.

The amount of the verdict was the biggest point of contention, as Oracle lawyers pushed for $1.7 billion in damages while SAP legal thought that the number was more in the $40 million range.

According to Bloomberg, the $1.3 billion award is the 23rd largest jury verdict of all time, and the largest amount for a verdict involving copyright, by far overtaking the previous $136 million settlement between the RIAA and Media Group Inc.

Whether the verdict will actually get paid out is a whole other ballgame. An SAP spokesman told Bloomberg that “We are, of course, disappointed by this verdict and will pursue all available options, including post-trial motions and appeal if necessary.”

…noapte alba…

Doua echipe aflate la 400 km distanta au emotii puternice…

…prima rovinieta electronica se va elibera la ora 0…

Dupa un an de munci extreme, dupa doua luni de stres continuu, rovinieta electronica traieste…si traieste destul de bine nu pentru ca asa i-a zis Base ci pentru ca o mana de oameni talentati si pasionati au reusit sa dea viata unui system informatic care a adus statului roman aproape 1 milion de euro in 18 ore.

Nu am voie sa dau prea multe detalii, because of the NDA, dar nu am reusit sa ma abtin in a scrie despre acest proiect pentru a felicita pe cei care au reusit acest lucru…

Acu’ asteptam ca onor guvernantii sa se laude pe sticla si mai asteptam ca incasarile provenite datorita acestui system sa fie investite cu cap si “creieri” in astuparea craterelor existente in vasta infrastructura rutiera ca m-am saturat sa schimb bucse si amortizoare…

Stiti voi…” drumurile noastre toate…”!

Recrutarea este unul dintre cei mai importanti parametrii care stau la baza evolutiei carieristice a oricarui individ. Experienta acumulata in toti acesti ani m-a directionat catre urmatoarea concluzie:  toate rezultatele bune sau lipsa rezultatelor unui angajat au la baza criteriile dupa care am reusit sa identificam punctele tari si punctele slabe ale angajatului inca din momentul recrutarii.

Strategiile de recrutare aplicate de marea majoritate a companiilor se finalizeaza cu un interviu avand o durata medie de 2-3 ore, interviu in urma caruia compania decide daca persoana respectiva indeplineste sau nu cerintele postului pe care ea urmeaza sa fie angajata.

Intrebarea mea este urmatoarea: cum putem evalua un om in numai 3 ore si cum ne dam seama in ce fel acel om va putea performa in postul in care tocmai urmeaza sa-l angajam? Aici apare momentul in care apelam la recomandari incercand sa aflam cat mai multe informatii despre modul in care angajatul a performat in alte companii si exista doar cateva variante de a obtine aceste recomandari:

1. Scrisoare de recomandare. Este un instrument extrem de subiectiv luind in calcul ca angajatul care decide  sa paraseasca o companie, fie obtine scrisoarea de recomandare rugandu-l pe fostul manager direct sa-i dea o “recomandare buna”, fie primeste o recomandare proasta din simplul motiv ca pleaca din compania respectiva.

2. Recomadarea telefonica. Se obtine intr-un mod similar cu scrisoarea de recomandare iar rezultatele nu prea te ajuta pentru ca practic nu ai suficienti parametrii dupa care poti sa iei o decizie.

3. “Recomandari neoficiale” bazate pe informatiile  colegilor care-l stiu pe candidat. Este cea mai buna varianta, dupa parerea mea, datorita faptului ca poti sa evaluezi atat competentele cat si caracterul persoanei respective, aspect deosebit de important in evaluarea integrarii in noua cultura organizationala.

Recomandarile pot fi un instrument extrem de puternic care pot sta la baza dezvoltarii profesionale a unui angajat. Singura problema pe care o identific este ca nu avem posibilitatea sa avem acces la recomandari structurate in jurul unor criterii bine definite, criterii care sa ne dea posibilitatea sa analizam in functie de istoricul carieristic, companie, functie, rol etc.

In momentul de fata suntem aproape de versiunea alpha a unui instrument online, mai exact a unei comunitati online, prin care incercam sa rezolvam problema recomandarilor.

www.hivenet.ro

Cum te poate ajuta HiveNet?
Fie ca esti angajator sau iti cauti un loc de munca, HiveNet te poate ajuta!
Daca ai nevoie de o evaluare obiectiva a performantei profesionale a unei persoane, HiveNet iti ofera informatii complete si relevante, usurandu-ti decizia si ajutandu-te sa eviti inconvenientele generate de angajarea persoanei nepotrivite.
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Foarte interesant conceptul si cred ca poate fi extrem de util pentru multi dintre managerii din ziua de azi, din simplul motiv ca nu exista sisteme de recomandare pe care sa le putem folosi atunci cand recrutam si de cele mai multe ori ne dam seama ca ceea ce scria in CV, indiferent cate teste am dat, nu este in concordanta cu realitatea.

I will follow HiveNet!

De curand, doua stiri m-au bucurat si simt nevoia sa vorbesc despre aceste momente de referinta pentru mandria Romaniei. Sper sa contribui in acest fel la stimularea gandurilor bune pentru oameni care merita si la trezirea sentimentelor pentru valori autentice. Romania are multe de spus in acest sens, iar fiecare dintre noi are datoria morala de a promova faptele si evenimentele care conteaza, de a lasa generatiilor care urmeaza lectii adevarate de viata, de a determina un viitor frumos dintr-un trecut si un prezent fata de care nu avem dreptul sa fim indiferenti.

Vorbeste si tu despre o Romanie de succes! Povesteste despre un eveniment care te-a motivat, care ti-a oferit un exemplu. Vorbeste despre o personalitate sau despre un om simplu care te-a facut sa te simti mandru ca esti roman…

In terms of number of deals, the software industry boasted the most with 144 rounds of funding, according to MoneyTree. However, that represents a relatively low number for the industry— in fact, it’s the lowest number of deals since the fourth quarter of 1995. Meanwhile, VentureSource also noted stagnation in the general Information Technology sector: “IT is losing ground in the venture landscape overall. IT accounted for 32% of the deal flow in the most recent quarter, continuing the downward trend that started in 2005.”

Looking at our Crunchbase data, we have a more bullish take on venture capital funding. According to our data, the total value of venture funding more than doubled to $12.8 billion, from $6 billion for the year ago period. However, as concluded in the other reports, that is a drop from the prior quarter ($15.3 billion for Q4 2009). In total, we recorded 1,201 deals.

Source:  Tech Crunch

”Masurile strategice constand in ralierea rapida la semnalele pietei de software, redimensionarea parametrilor de functionare si reorganizarea la nivel operational, comercial si tehnic, au avut un impact benefic asupra profitului companiei. In aceste conditii, compania The Red Point reuseste in 2009 sa aiba un EBITDA de 16% in comparatie cu cel de 7% din 2008. Statutul de producator de software si ponderea mare pe piata de nisa a software-ului dedicat mediului academic constituie factorii determinanti pentru cresterea profitabilitatii. In conditiile dificile de gestionare a cash-flow-ului aferente unui an guvernat de criza s-a reusit mentinerea unei rate acide apropiata de 1 si a unei  bune capitalizari a companiei, cu o solvabilitate de 1.3 in 2009.” explica Nela Lungu-Constantineanu, CFO al companiei.”

Source: Capital

Source: StartUpProfessionals

Interesant nu-i asa?

Sunt cateva aspecte atat de simple dar extrem de importante pentru un antreprenor si sunt convins ca le constientizam foarte bine dar de multe ori suntem prea ocupati pentru a le pragmatiza.