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3 Deadly Mistakes made by SaaS Providers

Getting paying subscribers - that is by far the biggest expense for any SaaS provider. And so that means a SaaS company has to be pretty careful about the way it spends its money.

So what are the three deadly SaaS marketing mistakes? According to the blog, Practical Advice on SaaS Marketing, they are as follows:

Spending Money to Lose Money

Drew Houston of Dropbox learned the hard way what can happen when he decided to do an AdWords campaign. It cost Dropbox $233 to $388 to attract customers. But the product sold for $99. Houston had one word to describe the experience:

"Fail!"

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But what he came away with is a handy equation for the SaaS company thinking about its costs:

CAC>CLV

CAC stands for "customer acquisition costs." CLV is defined as "customer lifetime value."

As Peter Cohen explains, on the CAC side it may be big events, high priced events and clever but way too expensive giveaways. CLV issues may be not turning free subscribers into paying ones.

Houston provides an insightful story about the failure of best practices and the success that comes when you invest in your own community.

Dropbox Startup Lessons Learned

Racing Against the Clock

You can try to make up for the CAC by trying to make up in the long run for your short term losses. This approach means that the SaaS provider has to reduce the CAC costs and make lots of money before the cash gets all burned up

This can be a deadly game but it can work. SucessFactors did it. According to Cohen:

"CAC/annual revenue reached 112% at one point, but over time has come down to a more sustainable 53%. They out-grew the cash burn."

Bailing with a Tea Cup

This is a problem of underspending. Sales and especially, marketing, can be seen as a hindrance. We see it way too often. Antipathy for marketing leads to cynicism and sometimes outright hostility. But it is the sales and marketing who do the heavy lifting. They are responsible for getting the leads and making the sales.

But if there is always the pressure to do it on the cheap then it can lead to problems. The company doesn't have the resources in sales and marketing to get the job done.

Cohen:

"SaaS companies will typically spend much more on sales and marketing as a percentage of revenues than their licensed software brethren. Concur, for example, spends 31% of its annual subscription revenues on sales and marketing, and Salesforce.com spends 54%. For nearly all companies, customer acquisition costs will be the single largest expense on the income statement."

Running a SaaS service is not for the faint of heart. But the geeks in us feel that Dropbox is the best example of a company that built on the loyalty of its early adopters. Word of mouth helped them reach 1 million subscribers - that's something most services never achieve.

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Google debuts app creation program for kids

Ubuntu Tweak

Firefox with antialiasing Part 2

OBIEE 11g Feature: Chart Zoom

Continuing the series on OBIEE 11g new features, today we have another guest blogger to cover the new Chart Zoom feature.

Today's guest blogger is Arun Somayaji, another top OBIEE consultant and thought leader from our BI practice.

OBIEE 11g New Feature Highlight: Chart Zoom

By Arun Somayaji, Principal Consultant, Oracle Consulting

One of the new features of OBIEE 11g is Chart Zoom. Chart Zoom allows the user to zoom to a set of values while in a chart view. Chart View can be used to select a continuous set of values on either the horizontal or vertical axis and then view the chart for just those values. This allows users to select the values of interest and essentially set a context of just those values for further analysis.

To use the Chart Zoom Feature, edit the properties of a chart using the Answers Analysis Editor and check the 'Zoom and Scroll' property in the Canvas tab. As you can see from the screenshot below, the Zoom option is available along the lower left side of the chart.

The Zoom option is available in the left bottom side of the chart.

By selecting the Zoom option, you can then to navigate to Horizontal Axis and then to Zoom In.

Clicking on Zoom In for the Horizontal axis on this chart will allow you to zoom the graph in the Horizontal Direction and view the monthly details more accurately in this case

Selecting the Zoom option on the Vertical Axis which you allow you to navigate to Vertical Axis and then to Zoom In to view the revenue data in more detail.

As you can see, the Chart Zoom is a simple way to control the visualization of your data for maximum impact and effect.

OBIEE 11g New Feature - Hierarchy Columns

Although OBIEE 11g won't be launched for a few days, I'm going to start giving you a sneak peak at some of the features of the upcoming release. I've enlisted the help of some of our top OBIEE consultants who have been working with the product and Oracle Development for a while now.

Sharing his thoughts on the new Hierarchy Columns in this post is guest blogger Doug Ross. Doug is one of our top OBIEE consultants and is a 15 year Oracle veteran.

OBIEE 11g Hierarchy Columns

by Doug Ross

OBIEE 11gR introduces the concept of a “hierarchical column” which allows for encapsulating the presentation of a dimension hierarchy in an Answers analysis report within a single column. The advantage of the hierarchical column is that it offers a better user experience in navigating within a hierarchy. ; ;

In prior releases of OBIEE, navigating through a dimension hierarchy was limited to drilling down from one level to the next which added new columns to the output. For example:

; ; ; ; ; ;

; ;

Clicking on the Type of column header results in adding a new column, "Brand", to the results.

This drilling behavior is still available within OBIEE but OBIEE 11g provides a more powerful method for interacting with the hierarchy by offering the ability to expand and collapse individual levels within the same report column using the plus (+) and minus (-) icons adjacent to the displayed member values.

This screenshot shows how the user selects a hierarchical column in OBIEE 11g Answers. Notice the new icon for the hierarchy column type.

Here are some sample screenshots of the hierarchy column in various states of expansion. Notice how all the drilling occurs within the same column.

There are two basic types of hierarchical columns: level-based and value-based. ; ; As with OBIEE 10g, the hierarchies are configured in the Business Model and Mapping layer of the OBIEE repository (RPD) using the Administration tool. ; ; ; The hierarchies can then be exposed within Subject Areas in the Presentation Layer.

A level-based hierarchy follows the general style where a dimension column serves as the parent to a different child level column. ; ; The product hierarchy in the examples shown above would be an example of a level-based hierarchy.

A value-based hierarchy uses the same dimension column for all levels but relies on other structures in the data model to identify the parent-child relationship. A good example of a value-based hierarchy would be within the employee dimension where the manager to staff relationship exists.

In the screenshot below, the Sales Rep Hierarchy is added to an analysis. The same Sales Rep column is used for all levels of the hierarchy and there are other data elements that define which Sales Rep reports to another Sales Rep. ; ;

Drilling into various Sales Rep values shows the organization reporting hierarchy.

; ;

As you can see, the new hierarchy column feature of OBIEE 11g provides a very powerful way to increase the usefulness of drilling within an Answers analysis view.

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Virtual Box 3.0.2

Back

Yo Frankie!!!

Install VLC 1.0.0 Final

sudo sh -c "echo 'deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/c-korn/vlc/ubuntu jaunty main' >> /etc/apt/sources.list"

For Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex:

sudo sh -c "echo 'deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/c-korn/vlc/ubuntu intrepid main' >> /etc/apt/sources.list"

sudo sh -c "echo 'deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/c-korn/vlc/ubuntu hardy main' >> /etc/apt/sources.list"

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 7613768D

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install vlc vlc-plugin-esd mozilla-plugin-vlc

Webilder

For Ubuntu Hardy (i386, amd64, powerpc of sparc):

deb http://debian.websterwood.com/ hardy main
deb-src http://debian.websterwood.com/ hardy main

   For Ubuntu Feisty (i386, amd64, powerpc of sparc):
   deb http://debian.websterwood.com/ feisty main
deb-src http://debian.websterwood.com/ feisty main

In terminal:

sudo apt-get update

apt-get install webilder webilder-gnome



   

Running Photoshop CS4 with Wine!! Finally

The Future of Location Data, Beyond Social Networking

Data about the geographic locations of people and things will in the near-term future become a massive flow of sensor, satellite and citizen input made freely available to developers through government and other collaboration programs. It will be available in real time, to and from mobile devices, and be machine processed to pick out objects and patterns that can be used as hooks for mashups.

That's the vision of geospatial specialist Matt Ball, articulated in a high-value blog post today titled How will the geospatial data market evolve over the next ten years? The post provides a great look at the way the future may take shape, if current trends unfold as expected.

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"The next ten years," Ball writes, "will be a time of many changes, but will also bring a greater empowerment of the GIS [geographic information systems] user given the amount of available data, with much of it for free."

Volunteered Data

Ball points to Open Street Map as a free, collaborative location platform that "nearly matches that of the commercial providers, and in some cases it surpasses it for accuracy and level of detail."

Open Street Map is a good example of an emerging location platform. See, for example, TopOSM, a collection of topographical maps based on Open Street Map. Blogger Leszek Pawlowicz described the state of that project in detail last month.

Along with web-based volunteered data, mobile is aimed to become a force of deep disruption. Ball puts it very well, like this:

The better location precision of these devices will help greatly in both the collection of accurate geospatial data, and the delivery of helpful location-aware applications. The mobile platforms are quickly dwarfing all other computing platforms in terms of their number, and their pace of innovation. This trend will continue to the point where we have less robust computing platforms, but much greater connectivity to each other and the details that are of interest to us.

Higher-Level Developments

Ball also offers inspiring descriptions of the rise of sensor data, machine processing ("machine learning and automated extraction tools that pull information from data"), real-time data, standards and government mashup contests. (To take a peek into the conversation about remote sensing and machine extraction of geographic entities for mapping, check out this forthcoming conference by the International Cartographic Association in November.)

The resulting landscape is one that could look like this, he says: "The 'app for that' mentality could easily take hold toward a 'data for that' ability, with the software developer orchestrating the different data feeds in order to create custom solutions."

It's an awesome vision of location data as a platform for innovation, something we've discussed before specifically in reference to location based social networks and aerial surveillance video APIs.

Ball believes this will emerge as a key area of specialization, knowledge work and innovation. We're apt to agree, which is why we track developments in location technology closely and so appreciate articulations like Ball's of the space.

Additional reporting by Justin Houk.

Basics of Church Web Design

Firefox with Antialiasing!!!

CBS.com Publicly Testing iPad-Ready Video

CBS.com is experimenting with HTML5 video, the plugin-free video technology supported by Apple mobile devices including the iPhone and iPad. With HTML5 running on the CBS website's back-end, visitors from these and other Internet-connected devices could stream videos without having to install the Adobe Flash plugin, something that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is known to be vehemently against, having penned a public statement giving half a dozen reasons why Apple mobile devices won't include its support.

According to CBSi's SVP and GM of entertainment, Anthony Soohoo, CBS.com plans to reach HTML5 parity with the plugin-based Flash video, but is still trying to find the right mix of tools in order to do so.

How appropriate that these current tests utilize Star Trek Enterprise episodes for the experiments with this futuristic video technology.

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CBS.com Tests HTML5, but Still Not iPad-Ready

Staci Kramer of MocoNews caught up with Soohoo in the hallways of the ongoing video game conference E3 to ask him about the apparently iPad-friendly videos she had inadvertently stumbled upon.

He told her, "What you see right now is a small, little experiment," and one that, as of this moment, appears to only be partly functional in our own tests. Select Star Trek videos now appear with overlaid buttons that read "play video" - an improvement at least over the blank pages informing you that the videos aren't supported on your device. However, click the "play video" button and nothing happens. No Star Trek, no spaceships, nothing but a play arrow button with a line over it.

This isn't the first time CBS.com has been caught running HTML5 video tests on its public site, a decision that either implies limited resources for internal testing or, perhaps, a desire for media attention.

In March of this year, CBS.com ran another HTML5 experiment, just prior to the iPad's release. At that time, numerous bloggers caught glimpse of video tests both on the CBS.com homepage and elsewhere on the site. The captions alongside these videos read, tantalizingly, "iPad - test," giving no doubt as to the reasons why CBS.com was toying with the new technology.

When pressed for comment, CBS.com would only say that the company was "ready to test any idea that brings that content to the widest possible audience."

HTML5 Support Goes Beyond iPad

The iPad's potential to help sites reach the "widest possible audience" is still up for debate. On the one hand, analysts believe Apple will sell 7 to 8 million units this year. And, so far, sales are strong, especially considering the economy and the device's "luxury" status. As of May 31, Apple announced it has sold more than 2 million iPads worldwide in only 60 days. However, not everyone is convinced of the iPad's game-changing potential. News reporter for the blog TechCrunch, Sarah Lacy, recently called the iPad "a beautiful toy," citing survey data from U.K. consulting firm YouGov, which found that the majority of iPad owners (98%) already own another Apple product, a trend that implies, as she sees it, it's a device that does not "reach across the aisle" to attract a wide, mainstream audience.

While that may end up being true for the iPad itself - it's too soon to say - the tablet form factor is being touted as the next major breakthrough in computing. According to the latest Forrester research report, nearly one in four personal computers sold by 2015 will be a tablet. And it's likely that tablets, en masse, will go the way of the iPad when it comes which technologies they will support or reject, especially, for example, battery-intensive plugins like Adobe's Flash. In other words, betting on HTML5-enabled video isn't just a vote for the iPad, it's potentially a vote for computing's future.

We asked CBS.com about this new round of video tests and, this time, received a more informative response. According to a company representative, the Star Trek episodes were part of ongoing experiments, which is why they may have been functional earlier today but are now broken. It's unknown at this time when or if they will work again.

Web Design Doesn't Need To Be Complicated - Remember The Basics

7 Basics of Good Web Design

Web Design Basics - 10 Points to Consider Before You Start

Subtitle Editor

Laying It Out - Some Web Design Basics

Install Deb software from Firefox!

sudo apt-get install apturl

Mockup Theme

The Basics of Web Design

Slim Aluminum Apple Keyboard Fix

# Set default mode for Fn keys on Apple keyboard.
# see also/instead: /etc/sysfs.conf
# valid values 1 or 2. effect is hardware dependant.
# intrepid or earlier:
options hid pb_fnmode=2
# jaunty:
options hid_apple fnmode=2

then update initramfs:

update-initramfs -k `uname -r` -u

Or

sysfs way:

edit /etc/sysfs.conf

add these lines:



# Fix default Fn key behavior on Apple keyboards.
# see also/instead: /etc/modprobe.d/hid_apple.conf
# valid values 1 or 2. effect is hardware dependant.
# this version is for Intrepid or earlier
module/hid/parameters/pb_fnmode = 2
# this version is for Jaunty
module/hid_apple/parameters/fnmode = 2

What to Look For in a Web Design Program

Wine Font smooth!!

Wine with Full antialiasing!!!!!!

sudo apt-get install ttf-mscorefonts-installer