RT @OLX_portugues Voc� perdeu algo em algum lugar? Algu�m o encontrou, est� na OLX! http://www.olx.com.br
Thursday, April 30, 2009
RT @OLX_English Did you lose your pit bull near Fort Smith, Arkansas? Someone has it on OLX!: http://www.olx.com
RT @FreshAirFund Thinking about being a host family? Read our Summer Stories 2 see what The Fresh Air Fund is all about: http://bit.ly/lHX0
RT @abrahamharrison Free webinar on "Twitter for Business" is starting soon! We have Anamitra Bannerji of Twitter: http://bit.ly/FrOrc
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
RT @FreshAirFund Help cover the cost of a bus ride to Fresh Air camp. It takes just $10! You can easily donate here: http://bit.ly/jvVX
Please Attend My Free Business Twitter Webinar on April 30 at 1PM
On April 30, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT, I will be offering a free webinar on how how to Twitter for business, including lots of case studies and a whole bunch of useful information. The title is How To Use Twitter effectively for business, advocacy and policy and you should probably register now! http://ping.fm/yOk4Y
Register Now for a Free Webinar on Twitter:
http://ping.fm/oqhcY
Hear from Anamitra Bannerji of Twitter and Chris Abraham of Abraham Harrison LLC about how to use Twitter effectively in a professional context.
Twitter is all the rage, with celebrities, politicians and business leaders all jumping on the chance to provide real time information and feedback to their followers. But naysayers have questioned its value as a serious communications tool for change.
Find out the techniques and strategies for effective Twitter use that can make the difference between success and failure, that can dramatically drive up understanding and communication of your message. Learn what to avoid so you don't run into social or legal trouble.
This webinar will provide you with positive techniques to:
* Grow your Twitter audience
* Provide more effective and better 'tweets'
* Get your tweets picked up, passed on and discussed
* Stay focused on core values
Speakers
Chris Abraham, AbrahamHarrison. Chris is President and COO of Abraham Harrison and is a leading expert in online public relations with a focus on blogger outreach, blogger engagement, and Internet reputation management. He is a pioneer in online social networks and publishing.
Anamitra Bannerji, Twitter. Anamitra works on commercial applications of Twitter as part of the Twitter product management team.
Moderator
Owen Linderholm, WebinarAce. Owen is a web content strategy expert specializing in new media, social networking and new approaches to content on the web. He has produced and moderated dozens of webinars for organizations large and small.
This webinar will take place live on Thursday April 30th at 1 PM EST and 10AM PST. It will include audience participation in the form of live polls and a live question and answer session. It will be recorded and the recorded version will be made available within 48 hours for on demand viewing.
http://ping.fm/JTNgA
Register Now for a Free Webinar on Twitter:
http://ping.fm/oqhcY
Hear from Anamitra Bannerji of Twitter and Chris Abraham of Abraham Harrison LLC about how to use Twitter effectively in a professional context.
Twitter is all the rage, with celebrities, politicians and business leaders all jumping on the chance to provide real time information and feedback to their followers. But naysayers have questioned its value as a serious communications tool for change.
Find out the techniques and strategies for effective Twitter use that can make the difference between success and failure, that can dramatically drive up understanding and communication of your message. Learn what to avoid so you don't run into social or legal trouble.
This webinar will provide you with positive techniques to:
* Grow your Twitter audience
* Provide more effective and better 'tweets'
* Get your tweets picked up, passed on and discussed
* Stay focused on core values
Speakers
Chris Abraham, AbrahamHarrison. Chris is President and COO of Abraham Harrison and is a leading expert in online public relations with a focus on blogger outreach, blogger engagement, and Internet reputation management. He is a pioneer in online social networks and publishing.
Anamitra Bannerji, Twitter. Anamitra works on commercial applications of Twitter as part of the Twitter product management team.
Moderator
Owen Linderholm, WebinarAce. Owen is a web content strategy expert specializing in new media, social networking and new approaches to content on the web. He has produced and moderated dozens of webinars for organizations large and small.
This webinar will take place live on Thursday April 30th at 1 PM EST and 10AM PST. It will include audience participation in the form of live polls and a live question and answer session. It will be recorded and the recorded version will be made available within 48 hours for on demand viewing.
http://ping.fm/JTNgA
Please attend my free webinar on "Twitter for Business" tomorrow. I have Anamitra Bannerji of Twitter. Register here: http://bit.ly/FrOrc
RT @FreshAirFund We make donating to help NYC kids easy- 3 steps and you've given summer fun to inner-city children! http://bit.ly/vB7h
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
You're welcome to attend my free Twitter webinar with with Anamitra Bannerji this Thursday at 1 eastern, 10 pacific http://bit.ly/BgvI
RT @FreshAirFund Open your heart to a city child. Donate, volunteer, host or sign up your child with The Fresh Air Fund: http://bit.ly/K8LS
RT @OLX_English Dreaming of a vacation? So are we. That's why we peruse the 3,000 vacation listings on OLX just for fun: http://www.olx.com
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
OLX is the Next Generation Online Classifieds
I heard about OLX when I got on the phone with co-CEO and co-founder, Fabrice Grinda. He laughed and admitted that OLX is the largest free classifieds site no one’s ever heard of. He was right, no-one else I know have ever heard of OLX. Until now, OLX has played the back end to other sites. OLX was the engine behind the Friendster classifieds, for example, amongst many other. OLX is now ready for prime time as it moves boldly into the United States in direct contest with monsters like Craigslist and EBay. This is a burgeoning David and Goliath story.
And, they're rocking out abroad, with a presence in over 80 countries and over 30 languages. Until now, OLX has been a lot like David Hasselhoff, post-Baywatch and pre-America's Got Talent: the Hoff is huge in Europe and so is OLX. And also in Brazil, China, Argentina, Chile, Russia, India, Poland, and others.
While we spoke, I farted around with the OLX site and quickly realized that OLX allowed me to search as geographically widely or as targeted as I wanted, based on city or zip code.
It was simple to search narrowly or broadly, by keyword or category, using check boxes and sliders. If there were too many results, I could slide it down to narrow the results; if there were too few, I could open increase the radius included in the search.
Craigslist limits its searches to cities and tight metro areas. Cities like Washington, DC, include Maryland and Northern Virginia, but not Baltimore or Richmond, although Baltimore is only 45-minutes away via the freeway.
But, no. I have to pop in, and then pop out. There have been attempts that 3rd party online services have made to allow federated search, but Craigslist keeps on shutting it down -- because that's what Craig Newmark of Craigslist does: makes arbitrary decisions that indulge his belief of what is right instead of what people might want and need. Like federated search, for example.
When I have some commerce to do, I have generally pointed by browser to one of three: Amazon, EBay, and Craigslist. When I need something new, I'll grab it on Amazon, but check EBay first. When I am looking for something used, I will check EBay and Craigslist. I will use Craigslist especially to grab something used if that thing is big, like furniture or a bike.
Sadly, there are too many limitations on all of these things and it really depends.
If I want a casual bike for weekend use spent with friends, that's one thing, but if I am looking for a classic Kestrel carbon fiber criterion racer, it is much better to go further afield. To me, Craigslist is best for people who are looking for deals or things that have become commoditized, such as refrigerators, mattresses, and couches.
If you're looking for a replacement piece for a patter of china or if you're looking for that 80s-era Porsche 911 you wanted in Highschool, you'll need to go somewhere else, such as EBay.
OLX is flexible and easy-to-use, offering users -- me -- the sort of simple tools required to be able to fine-tune searches using check boxes, price limiters (high- and low-end), and sliders. I can use it the way I want to, not the way the founders envision.
Same thing goes when it comes to mobile access. In a world of mobile phones and mobile access, it is surprising that most online classifieds and auctioning sites limit their mobile access to just a couple of smart phones like the iPhone. Well, I live on my Blackberry, my Nokia N95, and my soon-to-arrive Android G1, and there's no way to buy and sell via mobile and Craigslist, EBay, and Amazon do not offer non phone-specific, non app-based, mobile WAP interfaces. OLX offers access to all of its services via mobile, accessed via m.olx.com.
Mobile OLX doesn't require an expensive iPhone to access the web interface or download an application, it can be accessed by any phone that can access the web at all, even lower-end phones that can only support very basical browsers. Not only that, but I can easily continue my browsing and searching and listing from my mobile interface with a very similar experience to when I am at my desktop.
Also, there are lots of hidden fees, especially listing fees, hidden in real estate and jobs listings in Craigslist and, of course, listing fees on EBay -- fees that have been growing for the last decade -- the the point where loads of Power Sellers are getting skittish, wanting to pull their listings and find something else, something better. OLX is completely free. I dug further and there are premium listings available for a fee in the English/American market, but this isn't restrictive, this is value-added. The premium listing fee is in addition, not a barrier to listing.
And, admit it, in the world of social media, social networks, and web2.0, Amazon, EBay, and Craigslist haven't changed much in the last decade.
Then there's the obvious and very annoying -- and intentional -- limitations that man and ego, instead of service to customers, have implemented.
On the buyer's side, on one hand, one of the most frustrating things about Craiglist is that each city is insulated from the other -- you just can't search for the stuff you want country-wide; on the other hand, while EBay does allow you to search for stuff anywhere, it is an auction site so you need to be willing to bid or to Buy Now, which doesn't lend itself to the sort of creativity and playfulness that Craigslist tends to produce.
To be honest, if I am searching for listing for things like cars and motorcycles, I want to expand my search to neighboring cities and states. Hell, if I finally decide to buy that 1989 BMW R100GS Adventure Tourer, I am willing to search the entire country for one. The perfect thing of my dreams does not want to necessarily be limited by geography or proximity.
For the perfect thing, I am sure I would go on a road trip or take a flight. A buddy of mine always wanted to own a Ferrari. When he ultimately found the car he wanted to buy, it was almost three-thousand miles away in a barn, well-taken care of and just waiting for him, like a faerie tale.
Even searching for the perfect apartment can be taken to the perfect space, the perfect price, instead of just the perfect place. How could that be, you ask? Well, since I am a virtual worker, working for a virtual company, the quality of my home and the price of the rent or purchase could well be more important to me than whether the car is near the metro or bus line or is necessarily in metro Washington at all.
When I reread the above, I see a trend. OLX seems to be a next-generation online classifieds site because it not only takes Craigslist into the 21st century but it also rolls in some of the great things about Ebay as well, such as the sophisticated tools that allow Ebay's users to limit and expand searches, based on proximity and search terms, and whatnot.
Long story short, OLX isn't revolutionary, it is evolutionary. Craigslist and its cousin Ebay are seriously stunted, unwilling to respond to the needs of its users. "They don't need that -- they don't even know what they need -- why would they need to look outside of their city, this is about community, and I encourage community so I intent to block federated search from my classifieds site," I can hear Craig Newmark saying to his board of directors. Well, while Craig's gloating, Fabrice is innovating, adjusting, evolving, and meeting the needs of his community.
And, when it all comes down to brass tacks, it is about making ends meet. And when it comes to ends meeting, having more choice is better. More in better when it comes to value. In one fell swoop, you can double and triple your reach into not only neighboring cities and states but further afield.
In fact, when you look at Craigslist and see how picked-over all of the listings are by the time I get to it, I should think that OLX is a competitive advantage since it is -- for now, anyway -- the largest free classifieds site no one’s ever heard of, OLX is an undiscovered gem. OLX is like discovering an undiscovered flea market, second-hand store, or consignment store.
All said and done, this is not about revolution or paradigm shifting but it is about bringing buyer to seller and seller to buyer. It is about community and commerce. It is about making connections as completely and as easily as possible in exactly the way that makes it easiest for everyone involved and I honestly believe that OLX fills that bill, be they my client or not.
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And, they're rocking out abroad, with a presence in over 80 countries and over 30 languages. Until now, OLX has been a lot like David Hasselhoff, post-Baywatch and pre-America's Got Talent: the Hoff is huge in Europe and so is OLX. And also in Brazil, China, Argentina, Chile, Russia, India, Poland, and others.
While we spoke, I farted around with the OLX site and quickly realized that OLX allowed me to search as geographically widely or as targeted as I wanted, based on city or zip code.It was simple to search narrowly or broadly, by keyword or category, using check boxes and sliders. If there were too many results, I could slide it down to narrow the results; if there were too few, I could open increase the radius included in the search.
Craigslist limits its searches to cities and tight metro areas. Cities like Washington, DC, include Maryland and Northern Virginia, but not Baltimore or Richmond, although Baltimore is only 45-minutes away via the freeway.
But, no. I have to pop in, and then pop out. There have been attempts that 3rd party online services have made to allow federated search, but Craigslist keeps on shutting it down -- because that's what Craig Newmark of Craigslist does: makes arbitrary decisions that indulge his belief of what is right instead of what people might want and need. Like federated search, for example.
When I have some commerce to do, I have generally pointed by browser to one of three: Amazon, EBay, and Craigslist. When I need something new, I'll grab it on Amazon, but check EBay first. When I am looking for something used, I will check EBay and Craigslist. I will use Craigslist especially to grab something used if that thing is big, like furniture or a bike.
Sadly, there are too many limitations on all of these things and it really depends.
If I want a casual bike for weekend use spent with friends, that's one thing, but if I am looking for a classic Kestrel carbon fiber criterion racer, it is much better to go further afield. To me, Craigslist is best for people who are looking for deals or things that have become commoditized, such as refrigerators, mattresses, and couches.
If you're looking for a replacement piece for a patter of china or if you're looking for that 80s-era Porsche 911 you wanted in Highschool, you'll need to go somewhere else, such as EBay.
OLX is flexible and easy-to-use, offering users -- me -- the sort of simple tools required to be able to fine-tune searches using check boxes, price limiters (high- and low-end), and sliders. I can use it the way I want to, not the way the founders envision.
Same thing goes when it comes to mobile access. In a world of mobile phones and mobile access, it is surprising that most online classifieds and auctioning sites limit their mobile access to just a couple of smart phones like the iPhone. Well, I live on my Blackberry, my Nokia N95, and my soon-to-arrive Android G1, and there's no way to buy and sell via mobile and Craigslist, EBay, and Amazon do not offer non phone-specific, non app-based, mobile WAP interfaces. OLX offers access to all of its services via mobile, accessed via m.olx.com.
Mobile OLX doesn't require an expensive iPhone to access the web interface or download an application, it can be accessed by any phone that can access the web at all, even lower-end phones that can only support very basical browsers. Not only that, but I can easily continue my browsing and searching and listing from my mobile interface with a very similar experience to when I am at my desktop.Also, there are lots of hidden fees, especially listing fees, hidden in real estate and jobs listings in Craigslist and, of course, listing fees on EBay -- fees that have been growing for the last decade -- the the point where loads of Power Sellers are getting skittish, wanting to pull their listings and find something else, something better. OLX is completely free. I dug further and there are premium listings available for a fee in the English/American market, but this isn't restrictive, this is value-added. The premium listing fee is in addition, not a barrier to listing.
And, admit it, in the world of social media, social networks, and web2.0, Amazon, EBay, and Craigslist haven't changed much in the last decade.
Then there's the obvious and very annoying -- and intentional -- limitations that man and ego, instead of service to customers, have implemented.
On the buyer's side, on one hand, one of the most frustrating things about Craiglist is that each city is insulated from the other -- you just can't search for the stuff you want country-wide; on the other hand, while EBay does allow you to search for stuff anywhere, it is an auction site so you need to be willing to bid or to Buy Now, which doesn't lend itself to the sort of creativity and playfulness that Craigslist tends to produce.
To be honest, if I am searching for listing for things like cars and motorcycles, I want to expand my search to neighboring cities and states. Hell, if I finally decide to buy that 1989 BMW R100GS Adventure Tourer, I am willing to search the entire country for one. The perfect thing of my dreams does not want to necessarily be limited by geography or proximity.
For the perfect thing, I am sure I would go on a road trip or take a flight. A buddy of mine always wanted to own a Ferrari. When he ultimately found the car he wanted to buy, it was almost three-thousand miles away in a barn, well-taken care of and just waiting for him, like a faerie tale.
Even searching for the perfect apartment can be taken to the perfect space, the perfect price, instead of just the perfect place. How could that be, you ask? Well, since I am a virtual worker, working for a virtual company, the quality of my home and the price of the rent or purchase could well be more important to me than whether the car is near the metro or bus line or is necessarily in metro Washington at all.
When I reread the above, I see a trend. OLX seems to be a next-generation online classifieds site because it not only takes Craigslist into the 21st century but it also rolls in some of the great things about Ebay as well, such as the sophisticated tools that allow Ebay's users to limit and expand searches, based on proximity and search terms, and whatnot.
Long story short, OLX isn't revolutionary, it is evolutionary. Craigslist and its cousin Ebay are seriously stunted, unwilling to respond to the needs of its users. "They don't need that -- they don't even know what they need -- why would they need to look outside of their city, this is about community, and I encourage community so I intent to block federated search from my classifieds site," I can hear Craig Newmark saying to his board of directors. Well, while Craig's gloating, Fabrice is innovating, adjusting, evolving, and meeting the needs of his community.
And, when it all comes down to brass tacks, it is about making ends meet. And when it comes to ends meeting, having more choice is better. More in better when it comes to value. In one fell swoop, you can double and triple your reach into not only neighboring cities and states but further afield.
In fact, when you look at Craigslist and see how picked-over all of the listings are by the time I get to it, I should think that OLX is a competitive advantage since it is -- for now, anyway -- the largest free classifieds site no one’s ever heard of, OLX is an undiscovered gem. OLX is like discovering an undiscovered flea market, second-hand store, or consignment store.
All said and done, this is not about revolution or paradigm shifting but it is about bringing buyer to seller and seller to buyer. It is about community and commerce. It is about making connections as completely and as easily as possible in exactly the way that makes it easiest for everyone involved and I honestly believe that OLX fills that bill, be they my client or not.
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