Book Review: GET RICH WITH APPS!

Get Rich with Apps!

GET RICH WITH APPS!
Author: Jesse Feiler
ISBN-13:  9780071700290
Topic:  Business & Economics – Entrepreneur
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010

BUSINESS BOOKS

Review:

This is not a get rich quick book, it takes design, testing and marketing to be successful in this new field.  It's obvious i-Phone and Facebook are new and fertile ground for apps. 

GET RICH WITH APPS! does not discuss codes, but does make a case for how important apps are and how to plan and design their creation.  The book is aimed at the developer who is a would be entrepreneur. 

The book explains how mobile and social apps are different from a larger enterprise application.  For example, Facebook is a closed system and extra steps have to be taken to integrate your app with other frame works such as i-Phone.  Also, mobile and desktop apps are used in different ways by people.

The downside of this book is that most of it is to explain to a less hip to mobile and social audience of developers, if that even exists, and if you are already serious about app development, you are probably deep into Conduit already.  Conduit.com is an additional valuable resource in creating and distributing your apps. The book could also use a stronger web support. Author Jesse Feiler has a great amount of knowledge that could be shared in the form of examples or links to the app community. 

Apps are new and there is much room for growth.  This book is great if you are beginning your path of research.  From a marketing perspective, apps are a great method for marketing, there is much to learn if you are a business person looking to use these new tools in your business and this book is a great introduction.

CONDUIT:  
Although not mentioned in this book, the Conduit community is valuable if you wish to develop apps either for your business or as your business. Conduit is the fastest-growing network of Web and mobile app publishers, with over 260,000 members and their 230 million end-users. The Conduit Network empowers publishers - from global brands to independent developers - to create, exchange and distribute apps, and to collaborate through business partnerships.

Conduit enables publishers to seamlessly encapsulate content and deploy it everywhere, from Web browsers and Community Toolbars to mobile devices across all platforms. Publishers can distribute and exchange their apps directly, or through the Conduit App Marketplace. Conduit-powered apps enhance engagement, retention and monetization beyond the boundaries of the publisher's website.


About the Author

Jesse Feiler provides consulting services to small businesses and non-profits. He is the author of a number of books on FileMaker and Mac OS X as well as on new technologies such as Mashups, Facebook, and Bento. Active in the community, he serves on the boards of HB Studio and HB Playwrights Foundation; he previously served on the board of the Mid-Hudson Library System (including three years as president), founded the Philmont Main Street Committee, and chaired the village’s Comprehensive Plan Board.

Web Site Review: MANTA - Small Business Forum

Web Site Review:  MANTA - Small Business Forum

SPONSOR: Business Books

Manta is the world's largest online community for promoting and connecting small business. With more than one million registered users and 64 million company profiles, business owners and professionals use Manta to promote and differentiate their offerings and "be found" online by customers and prospects.

With Manta, you can do one of two things: write your company profile from scratch or "claim" the profile that Manta has already created for your business. Most do the latter--an easy process of contacting Manta and proving you are who you say you are. Once the profile is yours, you can go ahead and tweak it by adding content. You can include photos of your business as well.  Also, the profile can be used to alert the community to your events, both for recruiting and marketing.


"Manta is a de facto website for those who don't have one and a complementary resource for those who do," says Pam Springer, president and CEO. "It also functions as an online community for small businesses, and as a marketing platform that allows companies to connect with vendors, supplies, partners, and customers." Although Manta is available to any business of any size, the company targets very small players with 10 employees or fewer, says Springer, adding that 43% of Manta's registrants fall into that category.

You can check them out on Facebook: 

DOWNSIDE:  There have been some complaints from Home Business Owners that Manta posts their home address and when the business owner attempts to claim the profile, Manta just creates an alternative profile.  Also, Manta is used primarily by cold calling prospectors and when CEO Pam Springer claims you will connect with vendors, she means they will be cold calling and cold emailing you.  However, Manta is making the directory harder to come by for the prospector, see their blog post here.  A mitigating factor in this case is that it is against the terms and conditions of Manta to blast out cold calls from their list or to mass grab their list with a list grabber.  And the company does seem responsive and aware of unintended consequences.


Promote Your Company: Claim or Add Your Company Profile
It's Free & Easy!
Over 30 million people visit Manta every month. Your potential customers are among them. So, make sure your business stands out.

In just a few minutes of your time, you can claim or add your company profile and tell these potential customers exactly what you want them to know. Your profile can:

• Link to your website.
• Display your logo and business hours.
• Highlight the products and brands you carry.
• Provide links to Twitter and Facebook.
• And much, much more.

Book Review: A SURVIVAL GUIDE TO DEBT

A Survival Guide to Debt

A SURVIVAL GUIDE TO DEBT 
Author: Mitchell Allen
ISBN-13:  9781929774708
Topic:  Business & Economics – Personal Finance
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2009

Review:

Bankruptcy, foreclosure and high credit card debt are all too common today.  But it's not the end of the world. Author of "A Survival Guide to Debt." Mitchell Allen, takes the reader through the three parts of his book in an easy to read and easy to enact way.  He writes clearly and the book is a fast read.  I recommend reading all of it and then going back to study the sections that you need help on and make your list to take action and begin to solve your financial problems.

Part I, "When the Wolf is at the Door," Mitchell explains what to do when the creditors call. How to respond to payment demands, what to say and when to say it. He reviews the "Cease-and-desist" letter. Mitchell provides good tools for the reader to work with like the worksheet for your Assets and Liabilities. Their are several recommendations on where to go for and how to get professional help. Don't get overwhelmed, take action.  Mitchell suggests places to go to get help. There is also a section on debtors legal rights and explanation of credit scores and a sample of a "Credit Dispute" letter.

Part II "Bankruptcy," Mitchell presents a complete tutorial on what, when, and how to file bankruptcy. He devotes the whole of part II to this very important aspect of the debt dilemma. He even goes as far as to give you the website for the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, so that you may be a well educated individual if you opt to go this route.

Part III "Rebuilding process,". Mitchell reviews how to rebuild after a bankruptcy. He provides tips and suggestions on "Personality, Attitude and Money" along with such things as how to rebuild your credit score.  He is right on when supplying "what to watch out for in the way of credit and credit cards." Mitchell concludes his highly informative text with pages of helpful websites; where you can go and find all the answers to most all the questions that you would want answers too.

Mitchell Allen's survival guide is well written and well presented.  The author makes the information available in a helpful and easy to comprehend manner, and unlike some guidebooks you don't need a financial background to decipher it. I would highly recommend this as the "go to" manual for dealing with financial problems and debt.

About the Author

Mitchell L. Allen is the founder, president, and chairman of Debt Education and Certification Foundation (www.debt-foundation.org), a leading provider of personal debt management courses. Courses he helped develop have been used in over 200,000 counseling sessions, and he has personally conducted more than 1,000 interviews with individuals in financial crisis.

Mitchell previously worked for Citigroup and The Associates Financial Corporation as senior director of modeling, where he led a team of economists and statisticians in developing statistical models to predict response, risk, and fraud within various private label credit card portfolios.

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