Forbes Column 08: How Amazon Could Change Publishing

Amazon is the 800-pound gorilla in book retail. What if they also became the publisher, and cut out all the middle-men? Read my new Forbes column, How Amazon Could Change Publishing.

Catching Up on Readings: Hydro Alchemy

Since the last catching up list on April 26, you may have accumulated more backlog. What’s with the Yahoo-Microsoft frenzy? Here’s a quick cache of the articles since then that you may want to make sure you read:

Forbes Column 08: Hydro-Alchemy

My new Forbes column, Hydro-Alchemy, discusses the world’s upcoming water crisis and an entrepreneurial venture, Energy Recovery Inc., that is tackling the problem with a Sea Water Reverse Osmosis technology for water desalination. You may have read my interview with Hans Peter Michelet last year. ERI has recently filed to go public.

Forbes Column 08: Lighting The Way In India

I had concluded a previous Forbes column by saying greed is infectious. My new Forbes column, Lighting The Way In India, highlights an entrepreneur who does not give a damn about greed. You have read his interview, perhaps, here.

Adify is Sold

On my Deal Radar 2008 recently was vertical ad network enabler, Adify. They have been sold today for $300 Million to Cox Enterprises, an unlikely buyer. I have written a lot about Adify. You can read my interview last year with CEO Russ Fradin here. The ads that you see on this site are mostly

Read Full Article »

Forbes Column 08: Bootstrap Yourself

My new Forbes column Bootstrap Yourself highlights Silicon Valley’s hottest new trend, Bootstrapping. Great bootstrapping case studies I have covered are Sridhar Vembu, Frank Levinson and Jerry Rawls, Cree Lawson, and Beatrice Tarka. Sridhar, Frank and Jerry did it almost without any outside money, while Cree and Beatrice have done it with very small rounds

Read Full Article »

Vertical Ad Networks: Evolution

Another big funding round in the vertical ad network world: FM raises between $40 and $50M from Oak Investment Partners. Valuation: $200 Million; 2007 Revenue: $25 Million; 2008 Revenue Forecast: $60 Million. Not bad!

Ads on Blogs

Steve Hodson says, “Advertising for bloggers has to change.” There are a number of Ad Networks that are trying to address the issues he raises. I am anxious to see how this plays out. I am now on Forbes, IDG, Washington Post and TheDeal (all powered by Adify, all business blog networks).