Hi,
Welcome to the November issue of Software Marketing News, an independent voice for software developers. An HTML version can be viewed at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/author-resource-newsletter47.html .

Article Syndication - The Key to Content
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Many webmasters are struggling to find fresh, innovative content, while other savvy webmasters have realized the potential hidden within RSS, and are adopting the technology at a maddening pace. By utilizing RSS, webmasters can tap numerous free content sources with very little effort. RSS is truly a webmaster's key to free content.
http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/article44.html

Bad Marketing Blog
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Dan Veaner, formerly of EmmaSoft has started a new marketing blog. It is quite funny, and tells what NOT to do when marketing. If you know Dan, his personality comes through in the posts. The pet peeves section hits a home run, I can hear Andy Rooney's voice echoing each rant. All of us could learn what not to do, hopefully we can avoid the Bad Marketing Turkey Award!
http://www.badmarketing.biz/

New Software Blog
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There is a new blog for software developers at http://www.microisv.com. As defined by the site, a MicroISV is an independent software vendor. The site is community for independent software developers.

The MicroISV site is looking to profile. If you are a MicroISV owner and would like to be profiled on MicroISV.com, send an email to profile(at)microisv.com. Be sure to include a link to your product site and your personal site.
http://www.microisv.com/archives/2004/10/21/looking-for-microisvs-to-profile/

Software Essays
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Joel Spolsky from Joel on Software is accepting nominations for the "best software essays". Joel is editing a new book: a collection of the best software essays published anywhere -- on the web or in print -- during 2004.

Industry professionals are encouraged to nominate essays by posting a new topic, in the Joel on Software Blog. The title, the author's name, and a URL where the essay can be found should be included in each post.
http://discuss.joelonsoftware.com/default.asp?best04

Digital River
DR purchase prices - Selling up and selling out
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If you are like me, you probably are curious to know what Digital River actually paid for many of their acquisitions. I did a little digging and have posted what I found. When reviewing the figures, bear in mind that any negotiated earn-out figures and non-compete agreements may not be represented in the actual purchase price. In other words if the sellers continue to perform and reach targeted sale figures, they will likely receive bonuses that were negotiated at the time of purchase.
http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/article47.html


Golden Hour - Days to Sale Statistics
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Michael Halls from FileKicker http:www.filekicker.com recently conducted a fascinating statistical study. The study tracked the habits of approximately 2000 purchasers and the relationship between the time of their purchase and download.
Michael's Study -
http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/article45.html

Linked In
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I recently accepted an invitation to join LinkedIn an online networking community. Linked in allows online professionals to virtually network connecting with friends and business aquaintances. Social networking requires effort and attention, and like anything in life, you get out what you put in. The layout of Linked In makes it very easy to scan and search for partners within your network or extended network.

I found myself reading the biographies of developers that I've known for years and realizing just how little I know about them.

Linked In allows you to connect with an extended network through your current contacts and connections. Introductions must be approved (or disapproved) before they are forwarded along to to connection in an extended network.

My network desperately needs attention, but as it grows and I begin delving into virtual networking, I'll be sure to provide my impressions to SMR readers.
Linked In - http://www.linkedin.com

Why I Use Emetrix
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As many of you are aware NotePage is scheduled to a release a new application, FeedForAll on Tuesday. It has been awhile since we have had a brand new release so the last minute scrambling should come as no surprise. On Saturday afternoon, when I was struggling with the custom order pages, and all the "extras" that I wanted to include I emailed Emetrix and to my delight I got a reply! I have to say the level of service Emetrix provides is incomparable, not only did they create my custom pages and provide support on a weekend, they always respond quickly to any inquiries that I have. This is why Emetrix is my primary ecommerce provider!
More info - http://www.emetrix.com

RSS Feed Creation
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NotePage is pleased to announce the release of FeedForAll!.

FeedForAll, a software tool designed to create, edit and publish RSS feeds, has been released by NotePage, Inc. Now, with FeedForAll, webmasters have the ability to create new RSS feeds from scratch, or modify and enhance existing RSS feeds.

RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication, an XML format for distributing news headlines on the Web. RSS has evolved into a popular means to syndicate headlines and share content on the Internet. FeedForAll makes RSS feed creation easy.

The FeedForAll wizard walks new users through the RSS feed setup process, delivering ease of use and conformance to specifications. FeedForAll automatically repairs improperly formatted feeds, guaranteeing that all feeds used with FeedForAll, conform to the RSS specification. FeedForAll can be used to create and maintain an unlimited number of RSS feeds, enabling users to flawlessly maintain and distribute multiple content streams.
More info - http://www.feedforall.com

Product / Technology Reviews
As a test run this month, I'm incorporating some software/technology reviews of items that might be of interest to developers. Please let me know if you find this information valuable and helpful. If there is something you would like to have reviewed let me know.

Getting Rid of Clutter - SurfSaver Review
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I recently decided that it was time to move away from a paper laden office. Now you have to understand my habits, I find something interesting, I print it. When I have time I sort through my stacks of printed material and either dig deeper into items of interest or toss them. Hence my office is constantly in a state of disarray. The first thing I did was to download SurfSaver, a program that claims to save & search web pages instantly. I figured that I would store web pages of interest in SurfSaver rather than printing a copy. I didn't expect the added bonus of being able to search the documents. What I've found is that SurfSaver not only got rid of my huge stacks of paper but that I can now *find* what I'm looking for!

SurfSaver imbeds itself right into Internet Explorer. You simply click a little icon to save the web page into a designated folder. You can index and describe the page to make it easier to find at a later date and time. The settings are customizable, allowing you to optionally save graphics and to determine the depth of links you want saved on each web page.

As I've been using the software the possibilities for expanding the initial intended use have gotten me to thinking. I can save online reviews, archive old versions of websites, capture hardcopies of sites copying content, and easily organize new resources for research projects. I've also decided that SurfSaver is perfect for students doing research, who have difficulty keeping track of bibliographical sources! I guess I need to go order two more copies for my sons! :-) Great software for getting organized, saving time and increasing productivity!!!
SurfSaver - http://www.surfsaver.com

Dr FileFinder
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Mike Callahan has set up "Dr. File Finder Quick Pick" of the week. A "Quick Pick" is a program he has looked at and that he wants to call to the attention of users. It's also one that he plans on doing a full review of down-the-road. FeedForAll made the list last week!

It would appear from web logs that different sites are syndicating Dr File Finder's Quick Pick of the week!

Michael E. Callahan, known around the world as "Dr. File Finder", is regarded as the world's leading expert on shareware. Dr. File Finder works with software programs and developers full-time, and in the average year he evaluates 10,000 programs. Since 1982 he has evaluated over 200,000 software and hardware products. He is an active member of the shareware community and a co-founder of the Shareware Industry Awards Foundation. Mr. Callahan is an honorary member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP), the President of the Educational Software Cooperative (ESC), and the chairman of the Shareware Industry Awards Foundation (SIAF). Dr. File FinderT is also a recipient of the 1993 Shareware Industry Award for lifetime achievement and has been inducted into the ASP Hall of Fame. Mr. Callahan began evaluating software online in 1982 and no one has been at it longer. He currently works doing online PR and marketing for software companies.
Quick Picks -
Dr FileFinder - http://www.drff.com

Software Success Story
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This month's software success story is MicroVision Development's story. MicroVision's story has two unusual twists, lucrative licensing agreements and innovative upsells.
http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/software-success-7.htm

Search Engine News:
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ThreadWatch - I've had a hard time staying on top of all the search engine news and I've come across the following site - ThreadWatch. What is Threadwatch.org? The concept of Threadwatch.org is very simple: Finding the signal amongst the noise of SEO forums and blogs takes too much of what we all value most: TIME. Threadwatch.org cuts through the chatter and produces a clear signal for the time starved professional SEO.
http://www.threadwatch.org

Google Purchase - Google Inc. recently bought the digital map maker Keyhole, extending the search engine with a toolbox that can catalog almost anything in the world reports xinhuanet.com. Keyhole uses 3-D technology to provide faraway or close-up views of a region, neighborhood or specific address.

Froogle - Google has announced that Froogle will be adding an Ad Automator to Froogle where merchants, with over 1000 products who are also AdWords advertisers are invited to try out the beta release of their new ad-producing technology. This seems to be a hybrid of submitting a feed and pay per click ranking, something similar to most other shopping search engines like Shopping.com or Yahoo Search which work on a pay per click basis.

MSN -Microsoft has announced that an MSN-branded tool would be made available before the end of 2004. The tool that will be a Web searching engine will be in beta testing by the end of the year.

Fascinating Quotes by Google's Founder -
- Success is pretty much a crapshoot; there are too many unknown facts in a company's early life to make all the right decisions. But good, quick judgment calls on several fronts help multiply the chances of beating the odds.

- Not even the wise man can see it coming: ``I had no premonition of the things to come,'' Shriram said, about meeting the founders in 1998 for the first time at the office of Stanford University professor Jeff Ullman, when he tested their search engine. For two months, he didn't think any more about it, until they called him.

- It's the people, stupid. Shriram helped co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in the Menlo Park garage by consulting his ``Ram's Book of Mistakes,'' which he said he started eight or nine years ago to help remind him of all the bad decisions he'd made. Bad hiring decisions are the most fatal.
Additional Details - http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/10055239.htm

Upcoming Conferences
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European Shareware Conference - The fourth annual European Shareware Conference is right around the corner and will take place on the 6th and 7th of November 2004 in Strasbourg, France. The conference offers a unique opportunity for developers, distributors and companies providing related services to meet, exchange ideas and build beneficial relationships. http://www.euroconference.org

Thank you - Spread the Word
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Software Marketing News tries to keep developers informed about important industry changes. Software marketing resource is an independent voice for developers. We welcome suggestions and feedback on our articles and information

Thank you for your continued interest in SMR.
Sharon Housley
Software Marketing Resource - http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com
NotePage, Inc. - http://www.notepage.net
Small Business Software - http://www.small-business-software.net