From CNNMoney;
Getting your mind organized – and mapped
“Mind mapping” can help organize your brainstorms. This week, cult favorite Mindjet released a new, online tool for collaborative mapping.
This week Mindjet launched the first online-only version of MindManager, called Mindjet Connect. For $8.99 a month, users can collaborate with co-workers on the same mind map at the same time. A premium version, for $22.49 a month, adds Web conferencing and lets you turn Microsoft Office documents into mind maps.
From MindJet Connect: “Collaborate in real time over the Web. Now you can leverage MindManager on a secure, online environment – allowing you to …read more

Speaking of “Dating Your Prospects” at eBay Live, Seth Godin offers valuable thoughts and suggestions…
Julia Wilkinson tells us the reason Seth asked rhetorically “Why are you not dating your prospects” is “to build communication with them; a way to differentiate yourself from all the other products on the proverbial shelf.”
That isn’t really new news. What he says next isn’t either but it is wisdom surely worth attention;
The other big question he had for the audience was “Is eBay a platform or a job?” As a platform, you can use it to “build something far bigger than you can imagine.

With the new PayPal Widget…
Once again (I guess I’m reading Ina quite a bit eh?) a hat tip to Ina Steiner at Auctionbytes who lets us in on;
Creating MySpace Storefronts with PayPal Widget
“PayPal’s Storefront widget, which launched recently, lets casual sellers easily create virtual storefronts to embed into their blogs or websites. Now PayPal says the widget can be used on the social networking site MySpace. You can select which section of your MySpace page you want it to appear, the “About Me” page, for example, and you can also add a title or a description.”
Great idea! Paul Fredrich at …read more

So, in your browsers address bar you see that the secure site you’ve just signed into has an URL that contains (unencrypted?) the last four digits of your social security number. Then, being the person you are, having a concern about your neighbor’s security if they sign on to the same site, you do an experiment. You alter the last four digits to see if you somehow gain the ability to sign on as someone else.
Well, regardless of whether your experiment works or not, here is the deal;
Computer Crime Laws Chill Discovery of Customer Privacy Threats
“You’d better think twice before …read more

They set it up for what may eventually be revealed as a totally self-centered corporate profit generating attitude but it doesn’t mean that you are required to react with a negative attitude towards their policies!
What they said;
Safe Payments Requirements
Last January, Bill announced that all new sellers would be required to offer PayPal or a merchant credit card as a safe payment option. This requirement gives buyers a higher degree of protection when transacting with sellers who have little or no track record.
This year we’re expanding this requirement to the following sellers:
* a small number of sellers who have the worst …read more

I’m going to take this lesson and learn it to the best of my ability. I’d hope you would also…
In an obviously emotional piece, David Carr writes today about some pathetic cost cutting measures in the newspaper world which have cost some very experienced and compassionate folks their jobs.
Speaking specifically of John Conroy, a veteran reporter for the Chicago Reader, David mentions;
“Mr. Conroy was busy dealing with a flurry of e-mail messages that day because on Thursday, he had been laid off. The Chicago Reader, which had published his work for over 20 years, decided it could no longer afford …read more

I’m beginning to develop a liking for Blogrunner…
A few principles I believe ought to hold true for an online start-up as well as an offline from an article pointed to by Blogrunner;
Inside Entrepreneurship: Don’t let funding challenges derail you
“[The] prospective entrepreneur didn’t understand that adversity is not the same as failure. Tougher challenges require a tougher attitude.
In many ways, the reason why most startup entrepreneurs end up relying on credit cards and personal savings to finance their companies is they give up too soon. Many lose faith because of the frustration associated with pursuing the wrong type of funding source …read more

Special guest author: Laura Spencer (more on Laura at the end of the post)
If you work from home in your boxers (as the title of this blog suggests), you probably realize that it’s becoming increasingly necessary to participate in online communities and social media to generate new business. Yet, that very same online presence that you need to attract and retain business clients can also pose a threat to both your identity and ultimately to your business.
The identity threat to your business comes primarily from the threat that someone else will start using your online identity and/or that it will …read more

Quoting Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff writer;
“CNNMoney.com asked several venture capitalists to reveal what they look for in entrepreneurs before they will even consider investing in their start up. And for the most part, they were all in complete agreement.”
Passion
“Aside from the usual paper trail of credentials, the most important thing is that [entrepreneurs] have a great passion for the idea”
Focus
Beyond a passion for a specific idea, the VCs agreed that “a founder must be seriously committed to making the business a success”
People
Almost as important as the individual driving the business is the team of people backing it up.
Innovation
It may be …read more

I’ll say it again – Live, Honest, Free Commenting Has Positive Results!
Microcosmic as it may be, I believe this exchange between Raj and myself is indicative of the truth behind commenting live, honestly and for free.
What appeared initially, to me, to be a disagreement, evolved into a brief and positively productive conversation within which I learned something about Raj, he learned something about me and we both became able to use this medium to pass along information of value to someone.
Had comments been turned off, or if this had been a static html web page, this would not have happened. …read more