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Friday, January 7, 2011

Making Money Quickly

Fragmentation. Curation. Recommendations. Take your pick: Android is getting all three, compliments of a new Amazon-run application marketplace due to launch later this year. Today, Amazon has launched the developer-facing part of the store, inviting devs to submit their applications so that they’re ready when the app store is ready for its consumer debut later this year (Amazon isn’t giving a firm date on the full launch). The developer portal is at http://developer.amazon.com.

We reported on this impending news back in September, so it isn’t a huge surprise. But it’s going to bring some very interesting dynamics to the way Android applications are purchased and distributed. In some senses, this is the Android equivalent of Apple’s App Store — even more so than Google’s official Android Market.

I spoke with Aaron Rubenson, category leader for Amazon Mobile Services, and

Ameesh Paleja, general manager for the Engineering Division of Mobile Services, about the new store, and it clearly has the potential to be a big deal.

First, some background for those who don’t follow Android too closely. All Google-endorsed Android devices ship with the Android Market, along with a suite of other Google-made applications like Gmail. Android Market is a lot like Apple’s App Store with a few key differences: it doesn’t have an approval system, so developers can quickly submit and iterate on their applications. It also tends to have a lot of junky applications that Apple would reject — things that crash on launch on certain devices, or apps with that occasionally have features that don’t work as expected. While Google’s terms do require descriptions to be accurate, the general attitude is to let the market decide what works, and it surfaces the top rated applications (most of the time) while letting the junk sink.

Amazon is taking an approach that is more in line with Apple’s. Developers who wish to appear on Amazon’s store have to get approval (Amazon says that the process is currently taking about a week). And Amazon is going to have slightly more stringent guidelines: your application has to work properly (i.e. it can’t crash right off the bat) and it has to do what you say it does. It also has to be safe. Android Market has many of these same requirements, but the difference here is that Amazon checks apps before they’re deployed to its store, while Google does so after problematic applications are reported.

However, unlike Apple’s screening policies (which were largely a mystery for years and are still pretty wishy-washy), Amazon says it’s going to take a more liberal stance as far as what’s allowed on the store. Porn and illegal apps are not allowed, but your satire apps should be okay. And developers won’t have to make any changes to their .apk files, either — it sounds like you can upload the same ones to both Google’s and Amazon’s marketplaces (neither has any exclusivity requirements).

The biggest departure from the mobile app stores we’ve grown accustomed to involves pricing. Unlike Apple’s App Store and Android Market, where developers can set their price to whatever they’d like, Amazon retains full control over how it wants to price your application. The setup is a bit confusing: upon submitting your application, you can set a ‘List Price’, which is the price you’d normally sell it at. Amazon will use a variety of market factors to determine what price it wants to use, and you get a 70% cut of the proceeds of each sale (which is the industry standard). In the event that Amazon steeply discounts your application, or offers it for free, you’re guaranteed to get 20% of the List Price.

The bottom line here is that Amazon will be offering discounts on some applications (possibly making them much cheaper than the same application on Android Market or elsewhere). That sounds like it could be a recipe for frustration for some developers, but Rubenson and Paleja say that they’re going to do everything they can to maximize the amount of money developers make, and that sometimes that involves adjusting pricing. They also say that Amazon has an incentive to keep developers happy — and that developers can remove their apps from the store with ten day’s notice. We’ll have to wait and see if the system works.

So why, aside from these pricing differences, would consumers want to use this Amazon App Store at all? There are a few answers to that question.

The first is that there are manufacturers making Android devices that decide not to partner with Google to offer the official suite of Google applications (including Android Market). Amazon is happy to offer their store to these manufacturers, and it will work on any Android device version 1.6 or up. So if, for example, Facebook releases its own flavor of Android down the line, they could include Amazon’s App Store.

Reason number two: Amazon says that it can offer recommendations using the technology that already exists on Amazon.com. This includes the obvious example of showing applications that are similar to each other, but Amazon will also be looking for correlations between physical products and apps — it might start recommending a popular baseball app to someone browsing for a baseball bat, for example. And it’s going to be promoting these applications as users browse Amazon.com.

Amazon says it’s premature to talk about what the store itself will look like, but they did share a few details about the consumer experience. First, payments unsurprisingly will be done using Amazon’s one-click payment system (which already has tens of millions of credit cards on file), though developers can integrate whatever transaction system they want into the app itself.

Customers will be able to browse through applications from their phone or on Amazon.com using their desktop computers, and they’ll be able to ‘send’ applications they buy to their mobile device. This sounds similar to what Google showed off at Google I/O, but with one minor caveat: the apps won’t actually be pushed and installed immediately, it sounds like you’ll have to fire up the Amazon application to do that.

So how will people actually get access to this Amazon marketplace from their Android device? This is going to prove a bit tricky for some users — Amazon will offer a walkthrough instructing users on how to do this, but it will require you dig into the settings menu on the device and allow installation from “Unknown Sources”. It’s easy to find if you know what you’re doing, but it sounds a bit scary. However, Amazon is also in talks with various partners, and we’ll likely be seeing plenty of applications shipping with the market pre-installed.

Now, Amazon isn’t the only company that’s making alternative Android App Stores — Verizon is also doing one of its own, and there will surely be more to follow. But Amazon is in a position to establish itself as the de facto non-Google App Store — and that could prove to be very important. As Kevin Marks wrote recently (and we discussed further), Android is going to increasingly fragment into flavors that aren’t as closely tied to Google, and we’ll start seeing more alternative versions of the core ‘Google Apps’. Amazon’s App Store would fit in nicely as one part of this alternative suite.

This will also bring pricing battles over the same applications into the equation (which hasn’t really been possible when app distribution is monopolized by a single storefront). And, yes, it could lead to some user confusion, though Amazon has a strong incentive to keep this as straightforward as it can.

Make no mistake — this isn’t going to replace Google’s Android Market by any means. Google’s store will have better international support for some time (Amazon is US-only at launch) and it will still be shipping on plenty of phones by default. But given how many Android devices are going to be out there in the near future (they’re activating over 300,000 a day), there’s certainly going to be enough customers to keep more than one store in business.

I asked a few times about timing for the consumer launch but couldn’t get anything more specific than “this year”. However, the team did say that the mobile storefront is being built with tablets in mind, so my guess is that we can expect this to launch after Android tablets running Honeycomb are on the market (which will probably be around April or later).

I asked the Amazon team how Google felt about the launch — there was an audible chuckle, and they said something about Android being on an amazing growth trajectory and that they were fond of its openness.

Reached for comment, Google gave this statement:

Android is an open platform – and entities other than Google are free to create their own content and marketplaces, much like the web.

I bet they’re thrilled.

Gridlock or Trench Warfare?
January 6, 2011
By John R. Taylor, Jr.
Chief Investment Officer, FX Concepts

It seems almost impossible to compose a rational outlook for the world markets in this New Year without analyzing the political situation in Washington, but so many others seem to have sidestepped this elephant – appropriately the symbol of the Republican Party – that is taking up so much of the room. That’s a big mistake, as we believe that both the growth rate of the US economy and the course of global equity prices and other risk assets are hugely dependent upon the course of US politics in the next few months. The general nonchalance regarding Washington’s knotty political situation seems to derive from the historical fact that things tend to go rather well when the power in Washington is so diffuse that no one party has the power to move things in any direction at all. With gridlock, there will be no change, no new policies or programs that will upset the operation of the country, the real world, so we worker-bees can just ignore those news-hounds down there and keep the economy running. Gridlock has also been very helpful elsewhere, keeping many countries operating successfully over the years. Some examples that pop quickly to mind include Belgium – which hardly ever has a government at all – Italy – where the administrators are the only ones at work – and Japan – much like the Italians, but the politicians are probably less important and the administrators more competent. Unfortunately, caretaker governments and gridlock are far more successful when general economic conditions are good; when things turn nasty and decisions are needed, avoiding them or being so sclerotic that making them is impossible can be a very bad idea. We disagree with those who think that gridlock will be a good thing. From our point of view, even if the economy does chug along at 4%, gridlock is very dangerous.

For the next two years, trench warfare could be more likely than gridlock. I wish that we were like the British and could have another election quickly – like a few months from now, after we see how these guys work together – to roll the dice again. Back in 1950, when Labour was just barely holding on to power in London with a majority of five and decisions were difficult to make, they were gone by 1951, and the country went Conservative and off on a new tack. I choose that point in time to broadly compare the changes made by the Attlee Labour government, elected in 1945, with those of Obama. The Labour social and economic changes verged on the revolutionary, including the establishment of the National Health Service. Although the Obama administration’s health care overhaul was minor compared to Attlee’s universal creation, the American reaction appears to be more negative than the British one. The Labour expansion of government also dwarfed that under Obama, and despite much posturing, the Conservatives left most of the Labour directives alone. The 112th Congress just began today, but House Republicans have already laid out plans that are aimed at rolling back or not funding as many of the Obama programs as they can. As the Democrats control the Senate and the President has the veto as well, the programs are likely to survive the House challenges. However, these divisive tactics assure that pleasantries will be hard to come by in the Congress during the next year. Even the Fed looks like it will be dragged into this mud. If some decisions are necessary – the financial crises in state and municipal financing comes to mind – who is going to make the compromises to get the job done? God help the US if it goes into a recession and some real economic decisions, benefiting the workers or supplying capital or spending money, need to be made. It will be almost impossible to get a decision. Trench warfare is what we see and a deep recession is what we fear. Even growth below 2.5% would be very problematic and a big disappointment for the markets. Although we see equities down significantly, the dollar should rally and commodities decline as the US economy slows.

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'Breaking Dawn' News: Producer Explains How They Plan to Tackle ...

'Vampires doing kicks.' 'Soft porn.' 'A crime against our audience.' 'Newlywed tension.' Fear not, Twi-hards, your beloved movie franchise will not.

YouTube - DESKTOP NEWS!!

WHHHAATTT?? The internet isn't woking here in the hotel, so today's show is all the news stories that I have saved on my desktop :) MY FACEBOOK: http://Faceb...

Small Business News: Small Biz Funding Fundamentals

Will raising capital your small business be easier in 2011 than it was in 2010? Well, some sources say that funding may be loosening up but be assured that.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Making Money Working

What will happen to the US economy in 2011? If you're referring to profits of big corporations and Wall Street, next year is likely to be a good one. But if you're referring to average American workers, far from good.

The two American economies -- the Big Money economy and the Average Working Family economy -- will continue to diverge. Corporate profits will continue to rise, as will the stock market. But typical wages will go nowhere, joblessness will remain high, the ranks of the long-term unemployed will continue to rise, the housing recovery will remain stalled, and consumer confidence will sag.

The big disconnect between corporate profits and jobs is likely to continue because America's big businesses are depending less and less on U.S. sales and U.S. workers. Their big profits are coming from two sources: (1) growing sales in China, India, and other fast-growing countries, and (2) slimmed-down US payrolls.

In a typical recovery, profits lead to more hiring. That's because in a typical recovery, American consumers head back to the malls -- and their buying justifies more hires. Not this time. All the hype about Christmas sales over the last few weeks masked the fact that American consumers demanded bargain-basement prices. And the price-cutting dramatically reduced sellers' margins. In short, profits aren't coming from American consumers -- and profits won't be coming from American consumers in 2011.

Most Americans don't have the dough. They're still deep in debt, can't borrow against their homes, and have to start saving for retirement.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is rising because of foreign sales. General Motors is now making more cars in China than in the US, and two-thirds of its total sales are coming from abroad. When it went public last month it boasted that soon almost half its cars will be made around the world where labor is less than $15 an hour.

Walmart isn't doing especially well in America but Walmart International is booming. And Walmart is hiring like mad outside the US.

General Electric is keeping its payrolls down in the US but plans to invest half a billion dollars in Brazil and hire 1,000 Brazilians, and invest $2 billion in China.

Corporate America is in a V-shaped recovery. That's great news for investors and everyone whose savings are mainly in stocks and bonds. It's also great news for executives and Wall Street traders, whose pay is linked to stock prices. All can expect a banner 2011.

But most American workers are trapped in an L-shaped recovery. That's bad news for the Main Streets and small businesses in 2011. It's also a bad omen for home prices and sales, and everyone whose savings are mainly in their homes.

Home prices in major metropolitan areas sank last month, the third straight month-to-month drop. I expect home price declines to continue next year. We're in a double-dip housing market, largely because unemployment remains so bad that millions of Americans can't pay their mortgages.

None of this bodes well for US employment next year. I expect the official unemployment rate to remain around 9 percent.

In other words, whether 2011 is a great year economically depends which economy you're in - the one that's rising with the profits of big business and Wall Street, or the one that will continue to struggle with few jobs and lousy wages.

Sadly, the next Congress is unlikely to do much to reverse any of this. Most Republicans and too many Democrats are dependent on corporate America and Wall Street. Their version of tax reform is to cut taxes on the wealthy and on big corporations, and either raise them on everyone else (sale and property taxes are already on the rise) or cut spending on programs working families depend on.

At some point, perhaps, the disconnect between America's two economies will become so big and so obvious it can no longer be ignored. Progressives, enlightened Tea Partiers, Independents, organized labor, minorities, and the young form a new progressive movement designed to reconnect America.

One can always hope.

Robert Reich is the author of Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future, now in bookstores. This post originally appeared at RobertReich.org.

Microsoft plans to introduce a special version of Windows for low-power mobile devices like tablets at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show, according to multiple reports.

The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg claim to have both heard that Microsoft will discuss a version of Windows that supports mobile ARM chips and other low-power processors. The Journal adds that the new Windows OS isn’t expected to be available for two years.

My instant reaction to these reports: WTF?

Microsoft already has a new version of Windows designed for mobile devices: Windows Phone 7. The company hired new executives, spent million of dollars on development facilities, rethought its entire mobile strategy and took an entire year to whip up a touch-friendly mobile OS from scratch.

In terms of power and features, Windows Phone 7 hasn’t caught up with Android or iOS yet, but it’s a solid start. It’s certainly more fit for tabletization than the desktop Windows. There are many reasons why a Windows 7– based tablet makes no sense.

Windows Phone 7 is also light-years ahead of Microsoft’s previous mobile OS, Windows Mobile, to say nothing of Windows CE, Microsoft’s first mobile OS, which lives on as an “embedded” OS powering hospital devices, manufacturing equipment, point-of-sale devices, and the like.

So why in the world would Microsoft throw more money and talent at a new mobile version of Windows when it’s already made great progress on a newer, better one?

I like the well-informed Mary Jo Foley’s skeptical interpretation of the news. She thinks that Microsoft will announce a new version of Windows Embedded Compact, a trimmed-down version of Windows CE made especially for enterprise devices. That OS, which is currently in beta, already runs on ARM, and might make a suitable platform for Windows-powered tablets, especially the kind attached to your UPS driver’s barcode scanner.

Among other points, Foley notes that the timing is right, and that Microsoft announced tablet partners earlier this year who are already in the business of making Windows Embedded Compact devices.

That outcome would make a lot more sense to me, and if Foley’s right, Microsoft’s “tablet” news won’t be as exciting for the average gadget geek aching for a Microsoft-powered iPad competitor (unless you have a urinary tract disorder).

See Also:

7 Reasons You Won't Want a Windows 7 Slate

It's Not Easy to Make a Tablet, Stantum Slate PC Proves

Microsoft Touts Home Entertainment at CES Keynote

HP's Windows 7 Slate Strikes at the iPad

Official: HP Slate Will Run WebOS

Photo: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talks up the goods at CES 2010.

Jon Snyder/Wired.com

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

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How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

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Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

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How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

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How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

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Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

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How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

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Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

surface encounters noblesville
surface encounters

Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

surface encounters macomb
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Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

surface encounters rock tops
surface encounters rock tops

Helen Thomas Joins Falls Church News-Press | ARLnow.com

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to write a column for the Falls Church News-Press. Thomas was a.

Small Business News: Recommitting To Social Media in 2011

How important will social media be to small business in 2011? Likely even more important than it was in 2010. Let's face it. Social media gives small business.

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Making Money Online Forum

Every startup needs to understand that the customer paradigm has dramatically shifted over the past two years with pervasive social networks and smartphones. The customer base is no longer a mass audience that can be driven by mass media, but a dynamic network of individual customers who interact with each other, and expect to interact with you as a business.

If your business doesn’t connect with your customers, individually and as a community, demanding customers will not only ignore you, but will actively keep other customers away. According to the 2009 Tribalization of Business Study by Deloitte Development, one third of all online communities now launched by businesses fail to engage even a hundred participants.

A new book by David L. Rogers, titled The Network is Your Customer, elaborates on this paradigm shift, and outlines the following five key strategies to thrive in this digital age, prioritized from the most basic to the most complex in value to the customer:

Access to your business from the relevant network of customers. Every organization today faces the expectations of an always-on world. To compete, startups must find ways to provide customers an easier, faster, more pervasive connection to digital networks, via mobile as well as the Internet.
Engage customers with relevant and valuable content. In an environment of media overload and rampant ad-skipping, startups that want to engage customer networks need to create content that customers actually want to consume. Funny videos and worthless give-aways won’t make your website go “viral” these days.
Customize your interactions to meet unique customer needs. You need to give customers the tools to customize products, services, and content to suit their needs and interests, to engage them more deeply, add value, and differentiate your offering from competitors.
Connect to the customer in your communication. Join in conversations with customers who are already shaping brand perception and sharing their ideas and opinions on the Web. Conversations may be on existing social media, or on your own brand forum established specifically for this purpose.
Collaborate with customers on shared goals. One of the most powerful ways to engage customer networks is to invite them to collaborate with your startup on shared goals and projects. This requires the right balance of motivators (love, glory, and money), and the right balance of bottoms-up versus top-down control.

Many businesses that seem to understand the new paradigm still fall for some common mistakes, like the following, that can blunt the effectiveness of their efforts:

Infatuation with technology. Founders too often see a list of the latest hot tools, and go after them, without first making the proper analysis and connect to relevant customers. The best tools, if not relevant or used incorrectly, can’t save you.
Lack of customer insight. Startups launch plans without taking the time to understand the networked behavior of their customers, or the drivers for that behavior.
Lack of clear objectives. Without a clear scope and vision, efforts become unfocused, lack impact, and are impossible to measure. Everyone on the team has to be involved and on board, or the efforts will be fragmented.

This book outlines a good process for planning and implementing a customer network strategy to match your customers, your business, and your objectives – whether you need to drive sales, reduce costs, gain customer insight, or build breakthrough products and services.

The bottom line is that today, whatever your goals and whatever your business, the network is your customer. Connect to it and win customers.

Marty Zwilling

Politico said he wasn’t, now Fox News (and Frum Forum) say he is. To help you process this news, read Ed’s post from this morning about Obama potentially spending a cool billion on the 2012 campaign and then have a look at Jay Cost’s graph of Republican fundraising over the last four cycles. Said Cost, believing that Steele was set to bow out, “In the end, this is what did Michael Steele in. He could not raise the money, and that just will not do moving forward.”

Or will it?

Ending weeks of rumors that he would not seek a second term, Steele plans to throw his hat into the ring during a conference call with RNC members at 7:30 p.m. ET, the sources said. Steele is said to be amused by false reports of his retirement and intentionally kept his plans secret for the last month in order to flush out competitors for the post, Fox has learned.

During Steele’s tenure, Republicans picked up 63 House seats in last month’s elections, the biggest gain in more than seven decades. But Steele has been dogged by criticism from some Republicans who see him as prone to missteps.

Criticism of Steele has helped lead to a crowded field of challengers seeking to head the RNC. Among those who have officially announced they are in the race are Saul Anuzis, a committee member from Michigan who ran and lost to Steele in 2009, and Reince Priebus of Wisconsin, a former member of Steele’s inner circle, along with former Luxembourg Ambassador Anne Wagner.

So that explains why he didn’t show up at the RNC chair debate: He was lying low, cagily making it look like he wouldn’t run again so that, er … more contenders would jump into the race. Frum Forum’s whip count puts him at around 45-60 votes in the first round of balloting, with 85 needed to win; several of his former aides and allies (Reince Priebus, Gentry Collins, etc) are in the race as challengers, so a key question will be what happens to their supporters if/when they’re eliminated in the first few rounds. Are those supporters so disgruntled with Steele that they’ll gravitate to a consensus alternative, like Saul Anuzis? Or are they actually clubby RNC insiders who prefer Priebus and Collins to Steele but will resort to the chairman as a next best option if their preference is eliminated? Or will some outsider with fundraising appeal, like Norm Coleman, sweep in to provide yet another alternative?

There are only two reasons to conceivably back Steele, as I see it. One: The GOP did, after all, win 63 seats on his watch, and he’s been lying low enough over the last few months that at least it looks like the gaffe-o-rama phase of his chairmanship is finally over. All of which is well and good, but in that case I urge you to follow the link up top and eyeball Cost’s graph again. The question isn’t whether the GOP did well this year, it’s whether it could have done better if the RNC had been flush with cash. Gentry Collins argued that poor fundraising might have cost Republicans an extra two dozen House seats, but given that he’s now challenging Steele for the chairman’s position, take that estimate for what it’s worth. Two: If you believe that, in an age of online donations and targeted giving to campaigns, the RNC will never again be relevant the way it once was, then maybe it’s better to keep Steele in place. It’ll avoid a nasty public squabble between pro-Steele factions, led by Palin, and anti-Steele factions like the “Bush establishment,” and it’ll spare us the spectacle of Steele doing interviews to dump on the GOP after he loses. Plus, if Steele’s reelected, Republican outside groups are bound to start planning way ahead to pick up the slack in case the RNC can’t get its act together to fulfill its traditional fundraising and GOTV roles. No one cares about the RNC as an organization, only that its functions are being done and done well by some conservative outfit. If Steele’s reelected, it means that some other outfit or outfits will be pressured to step up. Inconvenient, but not fatal. I think.

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News - Racing Post

MONET'S GARDEN the popular chasing veteran who took his third Old Roan Chase this season has been retired and is battling for his life due to an infection in his hoof.

Google News et Al: More Popular News Source than TV | Search ...

Where do you get your news? Certainly, newspapers have faded out as a top resource. However, if you answered from TV news programs, you're part of a group.

NFL Draft news: Attack of the Underclassmen! « DC Pro Sports Report

The FanSided.com Sports Network dishes out non-stop sports news and views on your favorite teams and topics. This isn't your granddaddy's sports news either -- it's the up-to-the-minute, unfiltered sports content the modern sports fan ...

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Making Money on Internet

Fishing for compliments is something of a misdemeanor in most social circles — unless your circle is the Internet and you’re fishing with a shiny, new vanity app.

ThreeWords.me is making the rounds this week. It’s a simple app that lets you solicit three-word responses from your friends around the web. Each respondent simply goes to your unique ThreeWords.me URL and enters three words about you.

Your friends can also add comments along with their three words, and you can reply to any entries. In your dashboard, you can see which words people entered the most.

You might get a lot of complimentary words, but be warned, o ye of little self-confidence: The app allows for anonymous commenting, so steel yourself for trolls, profanity and put-downs. You can delete any of the entries at your discretion. You can also choose to make all your responses private.

The premise is ever so grade school, which adds to the app’s charm. While ThreeWords.me is without question a slightly narcissistic game aimed squarely at the perpetually insecure social media scene, it’s nevertheless cute and catching on like wildfire through class='blippr-nobr'>Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter and class='blippr-nobr'>Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook.

Its UI is simple, as well. You get to upload a background image and profile photo; other than that, the pages are decidedly bare-bones and lacking in the design department. Then again, the design isn’t what matters about this app; getting people to talk about — and hopefully compliment — you is what drives traffic to the pages in this case.

*Words blurred to preserve the author’s lingering sense of humility.

You can connect the app to Facebook, but sadly, you can’t use Facebook or Twitter to find your friends who are also using the app. You’ll have to do that part manually, a major shortcoming that’s likely holding the app back quite a bit in terms of adoption and growth.

ThreeWords.me puts us in mind of Formspringclass="blippr-nobr">FormSpring, Facto and a slew of other vanity apps we’ve been watching lately.

The app was created by college freshman Mark Bao, a teenager who’s been trying his hand at web-based entrepreneurialism for quite some time already. While we don’t see ThreeWords.me as a money-making endeavor right now, we’re sure the exposure can’t hurt.

Have you tried ThreeWords.me yet or seen others in your circle using it? Let us know what you think in the comments.

For more Social Media coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Mediaclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Media channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

I’ve often wondered if the early Web pioneers had it all to do over again if Web companies would have put less of an emphasis on free.

People have been conditioned against paying for services or content on the Web, and the Web elite only have each other to blame. For all the talk of Web companies getting users first and “figuring out” how to make money later, the only two jaw-droppingly, multi-billion-dollar, innovative new ways to advertise online have been Google’s paid search ads and Groupon’s solution to unlocking local ad dollars on a mass scale. Those who win big–like Google– just perpetuate the cult of free content and services as a way of spoiling would be competitors. Witness a big disconnect between popularity and money. Exhibit A: Yahoo.

As a result, Netflix and Match.com are two of the only companies to have figured out ways to build large, lucrative subscription businesses online. Meanwhile, LinkedIn is one of the only Web 2.0 companies that has created a huge business with a freemium business model.

But on the mobile Web it’s a do-over, and it’s a totally different playbook from FREE! People are conditioned to pay for stuff over phones in a way they aren’t online, and they’re not flinching. According to Citibank’s US Internet Stock 2011 Playbook released today, Apple will generated as much as $2 billion in gross app revenue in 2011. For perspective, that’s about the same size as Citibank’s estimate for the entire online video advertising market next year, nevermind way more people watch YouTube than have an iPhone and it’s been in the cultural zeitgeist longer.

The report also cites Gartner’s estimates that the total app market was around $4 billion in 2010 and should grow to a whopping $27 billion by 2013. The biggest driver is smart phone penetration, the impact of which Citibank compares to the spread of broadband on the computer-based Internet in the early 2000s. Globally, smart phone unit sales grew 53% in 2010, and Citibank expects it to grow 29% in 2011 and stay in the mid-20% growth range through 2013.

Several years ago, it was controversial to say that a fledgling product called Android — not the hyped up purchase of YouTube– would be Google’s best bet at another hit on the scale of paid search. Android is already making $1 billion in revenues with an indirect monetization strategy, and Citibank expects that could double next year– not only eclipsing YouTube but the entire online video category. Now calling Android Google’s future is almost a cliche. Good thing Google hedged its bets.

robert shumake detroit

Study: US Bumblebee Population in Sharp Decline - AOL News

The population of bumblebees in the United States is in a kind of free fall, dropping 96 percent over the past two decades, according to a new study that has scientists alarmed. Four species of bumblebees are in a rapid decline, ...

Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger News - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our news of Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger.

Pink Floyd Re-Signs With EMI: Good News for the Band or the Label?

Progressive rock legends Pink Floyd have re-signed with their longtime record label EMI.

robert shumake detroit

Study: US Bumblebee Population in Sharp Decline - AOL News

Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger News - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our news of Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger.

Pink Floyd Re-Signs With EMI: Good News for the Band or the Label?

Progressive rock legends Pink Floyd have re-signed with their longtime record label EMI.

robert shumake detroit

Fishing for compliments is something of a misdemeanor in most social circles — unless your circle is the Internet and you’re fishing with a shiny, new vanity app.

Your friends can also add comments along with their three words, and you can reply to any entries. In your dashboard, you can see which words people entered the most.

*Words blurred to preserve the author’s lingering sense of humility.

ThreeWords.me puts us in mind of Formspringclass="blippr-nobr">FormSpring, Facto and a slew of other vanity apps we’ve been watching lately.

Have you tried ThreeWords.me yet or seen others in your circle using it? Let us know what you think in the comments.

For more Social Media coverage:

I’ve often wondered if the early Web pioneers had it all to do over again if Web companies would have put less of an emphasis on free.

robert shumake

Study: US Bumblebee Population in Sharp Decline - AOL News

Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger News - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our news of Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger.

Pink Floyd Re-Signs With EMI: Good News for the Band or the Label?

Progressive rock legends Pink Floyd have re-signed with their longtime record label EMI.

robert shumake

Study: US Bumblebee Population in Sharp Decline - AOL News

Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger News - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our news of Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger.

Pink Floyd Re-Signs With EMI: Good News for the Band or the Label?

Progressive rock legends Pink Floyd have re-signed with their longtime record label EMI.

robert shumake

Internet is a great invention after Fire and a Wheel. It has reached to every corner of the world. This is also known as World Wide Web i.e. www in short. It has affected every individual's life. After its invention it has reached present position in a very short span of time say, 10 to 15 years. Now, every learned person is involved with it. Internet became popular in a very short span because of its speed in exchanging information worldwide.

Peoples around the world are linked with the internet in many different ways; some want to get latest news, log in to their e-mail a/c to check mails, get a bit of knowledge required for the thesis, see films, download songs, download documents, sending files, sending messages and many, many more ways. We can say that the use of the Internet depends upon the person who uses it. Of all these purposes, the one which is very unique and same in terms of importance and that is, Earning Money Online!

Internet is the vast sea of knowledge. One can find many ways to get best information online. Provided that, he should be familiar with this scenario. This is because every good thing has some minus points too! Scammers also are present on the Internet. The main purpose of these scammers is to misguide the user and earn money he deposits online. The language used on the websites of this type is very influential and powerful it easily attracts our attention and makes us fall pray to the scam!! So beware while surfing the net for Money.

There are so many websites available for earning money on the Internet as Pay to Click, Pay to Read E-Mail, Pay to Write Contents, Pay to Sending E-mails, Pay to Submit Photographs, Pay to submit Artworks and even paid for attending surveys. As much one involves with these sites so much they engulf him. One requires his consciousness while surfing these websites. One is required to be alert to keep himself away from the promises offered on these sites to make a fraud.

Roughly, we can say that there are hundreds of Websites available on the Internet which offer activities for Making Money Online. The process of all Websites is same. Every Websites asks its user to register for its program. Registration process means making your gateway into the program. It means creating your Log-In ID and a Password. These two terms are very valuable for you hence, you should not disclose it to anyone. Programs are mentioned above. After Registering you can start doing activities directly or in some cases, you have to confirm your registration from your e-mail account by clicking on the the link provided into your e-mail account. It is advised here that you should have a registered E-mail id with either Pay-Pal, AlertPay or Moneybookers as the case may be. This will add smoothness to withdraw amount when you reach the minimum payout limit. When you request your money withdrawal your request may be processed between from 01 day to 60 days and you may have to pay some amount to your processing company as commission.

From the whole information above, you may have got a rough idea about earning money on the Internet. By using your consciousness and applying your knowledge you will be able to find out the one which is most suitable for you; so go ahead and start now! We wish you every success and happy earning!!In today's world Internet is available in every field. Each individual with good exposure to the net can surf all around. The purposes are different. Peoples surf the the for Information, Entertainment, News, Study & Earning Money.

robert shumake detroit

Study: US Bumblebee Population in Sharp Decline - AOL News

Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger News - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our news of Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger.

Pink Floyd Re-Signs With EMI: Good News for the Band or the Label?

Progressive rock legends Pink Floyd have re-signed with their longtime record label EMI.

robert shumake

robert shumake detroit

Fishing for compliments is something of a misdemeanor in most social circles — unless your circle is the Internet and you’re fishing with a shiny, new vanity app.

Your friends can also add comments along with their three words, and you can reply to any entries. In your dashboard, you can see which words people entered the most.

*Words blurred to preserve the author’s lingering sense of humility.

ThreeWords.me puts us in mind of Formspringclass="blippr-nobr">FormSpring, Facto and a slew of other vanity apps we’ve been watching lately.

Have you tried ThreeWords.me yet or seen others in your circle using it? Let us know what you think in the comments.

For more Social Media coverage:

I’ve often wondered if the early Web pioneers had it all to do over again if Web companies would have put less of an emphasis on free.

robert shumake detroit

Study: US Bumblebee Population in Sharp Decline - AOL News

Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger News - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our news of Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger.

Pink Floyd Re-Signs With EMI: Good News for the Band or the Label?

Progressive rock legends Pink Floyd have re-signed with their longtime record label EMI.

robert shumake

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Who's Making Money

As soon as I heard that LeAnn and Eddie Cibrian had “officially” gotten engaged, my first thought was that Brandi Glanville was probably sitting somewhere with a stiff drink, and that I hoped one of her friends took away her car keys. Well, one of Brandi’s friends has “told all” about Brandi’s reaction to Us Weekly, and while Brandi sounds a little toasty, she thankfully doesn’t sound full-on hammered.

Guess Brandi Glanville won’t be sending a bottle of champagne to her ex-husband Eddie Cibrian and his brand-new fiancee LeAnn Rimes.

An insider close to Glanville — whose marriage to the actor went down in flames last year following his affair with Rimes — tells UsMagazine.com what she thinks of Cibrian’s engagement to the 28-year-old singer, announced Monday.

“Brandi knew this was coming for a while, but after everything she’s been through since finding out, she couldn’t care less. LeAnn has gotten exactly what she wanted from the get go,” the source says. Us Weekly was first to break the story of Rimes and Cibrian’s affair, which began on the set of their 2009 Lifetime flick Northern Lights.

Former model Glanville was married to Cibrian, 38, for 8 years, and they have two sons together: Mason, 7, and Jake, 3. Their divorce was finalized in August; Rimes’ 7-year marriage to Dean Sheremet official ended this time last year. (Sheremet himself is engaged to girlfriend Sarah Silver.)

The insider continues: “[Brandi] never wanted Eddie back, so it didn’t matter if they got engaged, broke up or whatever. But now he’s LeAnn’s problem.”

The source warns: “She can wonder what he’s doing on those boys-only trips, who he’s always texting, who’s at his poker nights. As long as she continues to be good to her two boys, it doesn’t matter to Brandi.”

Mason and Jake moved in with their dad into Rimes’ Malibu home over the summer. “LeAnn should keep her eyes open,” the insider says. “A tiger never loses his stripes.”

[From Us Weekly]

Fortunately, Brandi seems to have given an actual statement to E! News, which E! folded into their coverage of LeAnn’s engagement. Quite honestly, I absolutely adore this E! story - it manages to achieve the gold standard of bitchiness. You many remember, E! News claimed (correctly) that LeAnn and Eddie have been engaged for a couple of months now, but that they were waiting to announce it for a big payday from People Magazine. Here’s the story:

In case you somehow missed our exclusive scoop last month, LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian are finally making it official.

After cheating on their respective spouses last year, then splitting with them on their way to shacking up together, the controversial couple has finally copped to being betrothed.

“For those who haven’t read, Eddie and I got engaged over the holidays. That’s the news. It’s for real this tine and the first time EVER!” she tweeted.

Like tell us something we don’t already know.

E! News was the first to report last month that Cibrian, 37, actually popped the question around Halloween and that Rimes, 28, gleefully accepted, according to extremely close family sources.

But with the news leaking out before they were ready to go public (and costing them a big-money deal with a glossy), the twosome got “pissed” and tried to deny their engagement.

We’re happy to hear the country crooner is singing a different tune now.

“It was nice to have our little secret for us our families and friend’s a few days! So excited to now share the wonderful news with our fans,” she added.

A few days, huh? Not according to the ex-CSI: Miami star’s former missus, Brandi Glanville, the mother of his two children whom he divorced in September.

“They’ve been engaged forever, but I continue to wish them congratulations and luck!” Glanville told E! News.

Cibrian’s publicist also confirmed today’s good news. And just for good measure so people know that it’s for real this time, LeAnn made sure she was spotted Monday strolling a Malibu beach with Eddie wearing a diamond ring. The platinum sparker is a 5-carat oval diamond set in rose gold fleur-de-lis connected to the band.

“We are extremely excited and look forward to a beautiful future. It’s been an incredible last few days,” Rimes tweeted. “I was shocked!!! We are blessed, our families are so happy and our lives are filled with love.”

Best of luck (again) to the happy couple.

[From E! News]

A great read. It’s funny and bitchy and there’s a healthy dose of nastiness. Perfect for this story. I love that LeAnn pissed off E! News, and that E! is holding a grudge. LeAnn isn’t important enough to suck up to.

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/> [style="text-decoration: underline;">Ed. note: This post is authored by Evan Jowers and Robert Kinney of Kinney Recruiting, sponsor of the Asia Chronicles. Kinney has made more placements of U.S. associates and partners in Asia than any other firm in the past four years. You can reach them by email: asia at kinneyrecruiting dot com.]

Evan Jowers here, with a quick post before the New Year holiday. As you know from our recent posts, Robert Kinney and I have continued our pattern this year of traveling to Hong Kong / China to meet personally with clients and learn of openings (six trips each this year – ouch). Alexis Lamb of course is permanently based in our Hong Kong office and Yuliya Vinokurova travels to Asia periodically from her base in Russia. As a result of our availability to firms and more importantly our success in placing more US attorneys in Asia than any other recruiting firm, we are on top of many US associate openings at present in Hong Kong/China.

As you know from recent posts, we have many current openings for Mandarin fluent cap markets and M&A US associates (too numerous to list here). As the year winds to a close, we wanted to list in one place a description of some of our more unusual openings for US associates at top US and UK firms in Hong Kong / China:

Hong Kong – native Korean fluent private equity fund formation US associate; 2 to 5 years experience

Shanghai – native Mandarin fluent IP transactional US associate; mid to senior level

Hong Kong or Singapore – US securities / high yield / M&A mix US associate (English only ok); 4 to 7 years experience (the successful candidate will have his/her choice of Hong Kong or Singapore location)

Hong Kong – native Korean fluent private equity M&A US associate; 2 to 6 years experience

Hong Kong, Beijing or Shanghai – native Mandarin fluent US senior capital markets associate for counsel or partner role (several openings); very senior associate with top firm experience in China and NYC preferred

Hong Kong – native Korean fluent project finance US associate; 3 to 6 years experience

Beijing – native Mandarin fluent finance associate; junior to mid-level (multiple openings)id="more-50781">

Hong Kong – leveraged / acquisition finance; Hong Kong, UK or US qualification; Mandarin preferred; 2 to 5 years experienced

Hong Kong – acquisition finance US associate / counsel (English only fine, but Mandarin a nice bonus); senior associate / counsel level

Hong Kong – US project finance associate; Mandarin preferred; 3 to 6 years experience

Beijing – native Mandarin fluent project finance senior US attorney; counsel to partner level

Beijing – native Mandarin fluent fund formation / corporate mix US associate; 2 to 5 years experience

Hong Kong – fund formation US associate (Mandarin preferred, but English only ok); 2 to 8 years experience (several openings)

Hong Kong – cap markets US associate (English only ok); mid-level

Hong Kong – native Mandarin fluent banking / finance US associate; 2 to 5 years experience (several openings)

Hong Kong – FCPA / white collar / litigation US associate (Mandarin preferred but not required); mid-level experience

Hong Kong – US or UK qualified regulatory/anti-corruption associate (English-only OK); mid to senior level experience

Hong Kong – native Korean fluent US cap markets / M&A associates; junior to senior levels (several openings)

Hong Kong – native Korean fluent M&A US associate; 2 to 4 years experience

Hong Kong – senior cap markets US associate (English only ok) for Pan Asia practice with strong Philippines and India focus; 5 to 9 years experience

Hong Kong (and eventually Seoul) – native Korean fluent US senior cap markets / M&A associate for counsel or partner role (multiple openings)

Hong Kong – Mandarin fluent senior banking US associate; 6 to 10 years of experience

Hong Kong – Mandarin fluent derivatives and structured finance US associate; mid to senior level

Hong Kong – Mandarin fluent energy / LNG US associate; 3 to 5 years experience

The US and UK biglaw associate lateral hiring market in Hong Kong / China continues to pick up. We are expecting a mini-boom of US associate hiring in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Singapore during the first quarter of ’11. The reason is twofold: a) Hong Kong / China has been a very busy market for more than a year now and most firms are understaffed; and b) numerous US and UK firms in Hong Kong / China have, for the first time since mid ’08, a full “green light” from their global firm management to make US associate lateral hires.

Some of our clients, for example, were able to make one hire here and there during ’10 in Hong Kong / China, but were not able to obtain a full green light to hire as needed by any means (getting clearance from firm management to make each hire was understandably a long process, due to the still shaky US and Europe markets). Recently, some of these firms have been given clearance to hire multiple US associates in Hong Kong / China, in some cases as many as 7 to 10, with most top US and UK firms planning to hire at least 2 in early ’11. While the hiring markets in US and Europe are still shaky, firms’ global management can no longer ignore the long run of heavy deal flow in Hong Kong / China and their offices and partners in the region being understaffed. Naturally, in an end of calendar year period, where budgets for the following year are figured out, the full green lights for Hong Kong / China lateral hiring are coming in bunches recently.

The interview process in ’10 in Asia has been mostly long-winded due to the abundance of great candidates on the market, most firms having to go through a long process internally to get clearance to give an offer, and firms knowing their competitors are also not moving quickly with offers. In the first quarter of ’11, we are expecting firms in Hong Kong / China to move a lot quicker with US associate hiring process and also be a little less selective because of the larger number of openings putting pressure on the market. Some partners have had serious staffing pressures throughout ’10 and they are going to want to hire quickly now that they have the clearance to do so.

If you would like to learn more about these or other openings and / or the Asia markets in general, as always please feel free to contact us at asia@kinneyrecruiting.com.

We would like to wish all of our readers a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!

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