No posts for a whole month. Not one. Not even a follow-up comment on theirs or any other blog.

Could you imagine it? The Technorati 100, the blogosphere's most popular blogs all taking a break from blogging for 1 complete month.

What would happen? Would they still remain in the Top 100 or will they have been replaced because we found time to seek out some different reading material.

Without a doubt, a million (probably an under-estimation) ...maybe a gazillion smaller bloggers would take the opportunity to spruik their wares hoping to attract the bored and restless. Hoping to make the list themselves many would chase links faster than a rabid hyena amidst a herd of frightened gazelle. Yet, would they be able to achieve a spot in the Top 100 in a leadership vacuum over 30 days?

If you take the average number of new blogs linking to Engadget (Ranked #1) everyday (approx. 24) and multiplied that by 31 days in the month, you would only have 744 new links to increase your rating. Not bad if your blog is sitting just below the Top 100 but not enough if you're a newcomer.

Even Cute Overload's daily linking from new blogs (running about 11 per day) shouldn't usurp their 100th ranked spot.

However, the interesting dilemma is that readers may have just created a new blog reading habit over the past 30 days and may not return when the Top 100 begin re-posting.

Or, are they just that good? Would we pine for their return as we do for the next season of Lost?

Posted by Stuart at 12:05 PM | Permalink

Markus Frind, creator of Plenty Of Fish has thrown his hat into the ecommerce ring. Frind currently runs a very lucrative online dating service financed predominantly through Google's Adsense program.

In a post on his Wordpress blog, Frind claims that opportunities exist in monetizing whole online communities. While his methods may seem new and exciting commenters have already pointed out several existing programs.

I, like some of the other commenters, would say to Frind that it's no use just talking about it and slamming those who diss you. Entrepreneurs, real entrepreneurs, don't cry on shoulders but find ways to make their dreams happen. There is always more than one way to skin the proverbial cat and a entrepreneur the size of Frind should have no trouble trying to make these possibilities into a reality.

Less talk - more action Markus.

Posted by Stuart at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

According to this article, "What Caused the Great Depression of the 1930's?", the three main factors that caused it were;

• The over-stimulated economic euphoria of the 1920s.


• The draconian monetary policy pursued by the Federal Reserve Bank from 1930-1933.


• The sudden rise of global protectionism leading to the collapse of world trade. The dramatic rise of income taxes in 1932 may have also prolonged the downturn.

While I'm no economist, I like to consider that I am a realist and that signs for a global slow-down are certainly imminent.

While the world has never again seen a recession as grand as the Great Depression, there have been some hiccups throughout our history; the Japanese slow-down of the '90's and even the stock market crash in 1987 produced some ripples in the economic world. And while legislators have tried to smooth the way forward, evening out the highs and lows of fiscal policy, it seems that many have not seen the economic Tsunami appear on the horizon. At the least, not expecting it so soon.

What is this looming phenomena? Global oil prices.

Petrol here in Australia is already at a high of $1.40+ per litre and the news is that we're heading for a possible $5+ per litre in the short-term. Can you imagine the ramifications of a 350% increase on the most required energy source in western civilization?

The world has now been riding the benefits of a global economy that has been booming for some time. It seems, however, that we didn't expect to see the effects of oil prices for quite a few years yet. And in our apathy we've been caught napping on the beach.

In contrast to the Great Depression we have already encountered the first point of an "over-stimulated economic euphoria". Depending on whether world legislators have a knee-jerk reaction to this problem will describe history's architecture. Already businesses are feeling the effects of high oil prices and it will become very tempting for governments to implement policies that could have devastating effects.

Watch this space...

Posted by Stuart at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Interesting question!

Can money perform actions by itself? Is it not merely pieces of paper and shaped metal alloys? If this is true then how can money be the root of all evil?

I've had many interesting discussions over this topic especially with left-wing socialists who believe that the world would be a better place if we ascribed to an economic system that gives each person equal portions.

By asking this question we're making the assumption that money has some level of influence over the beholder. That in effect, those who earn or have more money are more likely to be "evil" than those who don't. If it were true then we could safely assume that those who have the least amount of money would be the nicest people in the world. Conversely presuming the opposite of wealthy people.

Continue reading "Is money the root of all evil?" »

Posted by Stuart at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I just completed this online personal finance test and am currently in the throes of celebrating after my 6 correct answers - from a possible 12 (you do the math). So, while I passed I'm a little disappointed with the results.

I understand that the judge's decision is final but I'm sure this little test is rigged. Heck...they ask these questions knowing full well that people from all the world are going to have a go and yet they've geared the questions to residents of the US. Typical! It's another shot at the credibility of those who don't reside in America. It's like the "You're-not-good-enough" attitude taken against foreigners while US claims their citizens are better with money.

Well... I'm not impressed and as an advocate for those who don't have a voice I feel I need to fight this one. USA personal finance gurus - I'll see you in court - in Geneva!

Posted by Stuart at 9:28 AM | Permalink

We tread the internet in tip-toe fashion, trying not to clumsily step on anything hazardous to our online health or alerting the attention of unwanted hacker publicity. Why? Because we know that lurking in the not too distant background is the possibility that our identity could be stolen and used innappropriately or credit card details could be used to transact a criminal's spending spree.

We're just trying to download the latest offering from iTunes or pay for a successful auction win on Ebay unaware that the threat is real or that it may be greater than we first assumed. Most internet users, myself included, assume that e-crime is something that happens to other people and optimistically prescribe to the notion that companies are getting better at dealing with these security risks. They're not!

In fact, most online companies while employing a 128bit SSL for their transactions fail to secure the backend of their data, inadvertently creating a back-door for would-be hackers. Now imagine for a second that your data, address, full name, date of birth and credit card details are sitting insitu on some (unfortunately not-so) secure server with the backdoor left wide open. It's like a red-rag to a bull teasing hackers to try their luck.

And who's to blame for the increase in e-crime? Well, while we're pointing the finger it must be directed toward the door of the reigning governments initially. Are they fair dinkum (an Australian colloquialism translated as "genuine") about resolving this type of crime that will inevitably cost the community? There seems to be little that is being legislated in this arena and the resourcing for crime prevention compared to the resourcing of criminals borders on obscure.

My life, like many others, is becoming increasingly dependent on the web. Unfortunately though, it can be that life can be rubbed out quicker on the internet that it can in real life.

Read this article.

Posted by Stuart at 8:43 AM | Permalink

I don't think so, Tim! This is not a new concept for entrepreneurs to head off into the hills exploring the graces of investing in social, environmental and humanitarian betterment. Infact, this is probably the most idealistic theory to expand from someone's unlimited knowledge of human understanding.

In Muhammad Yunus' article Social business entrepreneurs are the solution the author hypothesises that there will be a new world business order consisting of;

-- Well-known and well-established profit maximizing kind, which are devoted to making private gains. (Let us call them profit maximizing enterprises or PME.)

-- Social benefit maximizing kind, which are created to do good to people, not paying any attention to making private gains. I am calling them social business enterprises (SBE).

Shame Muhammad. You forgot that greed makes up the most part of human existence. While PME's are the opposite end of the spectrum SBE's idealise humans as one of complete unselfishness.

If Muhammad's idea were even worth contemplating it would have to sit somewhere in the middle of these two theories. And, if it did, then it's not new. There are many companies who have now incorporated into their charter that profit maximising is not the main goal although it is still very much a part of how the company works. It's no longer the mentality for many companies to pursue profit "at-all-costs."

Many companies are now realising their obligations to society and some have accepted them and operate in ways that support and nurture these kinds of ideals. In my humble opinion, this is the best business model.

Posted by Stuart at 8:11 AM | Permalink

I've just finished reading this article titled Learn To Be Wisely Frugal But Selectively Extravagant! which discusses the merits of living like a pauper while earning an income of the rich and famous.

The author of the article bases their opinion on the assessment of economic cost to the detriment of enjoying the one, and may I remind you - only - life, you'll ever have.

If Warren Buffet, who happens to be the second richest man in the world - ahead of 6 1/2 billion other souls - is still making decisions based on the economic cost to his vast fortune then I pity the poor guy. I think I might actually be richer than he is!

Posted by Stuart at 7:15 AM | Permalink

Have you been missing something lately...like an aunt or an uncle, a second-cousin twice removed? Perhaps you didn't know that they were missing at all. Worse still, even though they've been found to have died recently you can't remember them even being born.

Don't let that stop you when that unsolicited letter from some charlatan attorney reaches your mailbox. It may be carrying the good news that an unknown relative has an unclaimed inheritance waiting for you to pick up just by filling in the form and attaching a cheque for $30. This of course is the essential admin fee for processing the necessary searches just to make sure that the dead aunt was really part of your family.

Continue reading "Is there an unclaimed inheritance waiting for you?" »

Posted by Stuart at 6:57 AM | Permalink

What is happiness? The most ambiguous question posed in the universe apart from "What is love?" is often associated with this question regarding money and whether the more you have the happier you will be. Well, can it? Is happiness for sale? Is there a store at the local shopping centre that trades happiness for some of your hard-earned cash?

Wikipedia define happiness as;

Happiness, pleasure or joy is the emotional state of being happy. The definition of happiness is one of the greatest philosophical quandaries. Proposed definitions include freedom from want and distress, consciousness of the good order of things, assurance of one's place in the universe or society, inner peace, and so forth...

The first proposal in Wikipedia's definition regards this very question, "...freedom from want and distress..." So, if money can free you from want then surely it must be able to buy you happiness! Right?

Continue reading "Can money buy happiness?" »

Posted by Stuart at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My boss forwarded this email to m and it would have been a waste not to have shown it here. I'm unsure as to the author of it but take a read anyway.

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

And the moral is: Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.

Posted by Stuart at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)