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CIOs: I.T. Workers Need Better Tech SkillsBy Kim S. Nash | Posted 2007-05-09 Print
Chief information officers report that their staffs are coming up short on several fronts. Where do they need improvement?
For all the talk of technology professionals needing to improve interpersonal skills, that's not what CIOs are looking for right now.
Technical skills stand out as the spot where the biggest chunk of chief information officers—25%—say their staff could most use improvement, in a survey released this week by recruiter Robert Half Technology. Project management skills run a close second, with 23% of the 1,400 CIOs polled indicating that's where they'd like to see their people improve.
About half as many CIOs—12%—said interpersonal skills could be better.
Technology is a fast-changing field and the most desirable employees will keep their skills current, says Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology in Menlo Park, Calif. But, she says, if employers want to be seen as desirable themselves, they will find ways to offer workers education.
"Professional development programs also can aid a company's recruitment and retention efforts," she notes.
An earlier survey from Robert Half found that it takes, on average, 56 days to fill an open technology position and 87 days to get a new manager hired. Anything companies can do to shrink the time needed to find the right person for a job will keep the information-technology department running smoothly. "Overburdening staff for extended periods of time also can lead to burnout and increased turnover," Lee says.
Other areas CIOs pegged for improvement are verbal and written communication abilities, at 15%, and organizational skills, at 14%. Eight percent indicated something else or didn't know the areas in which their staff could be better.
A small group of lucky CIOs, 3%, said their staff needed to improve nothing.
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© WPMI | Portions are © Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or distributed.
WPMI NBC 15 provides local news, weather forecasts, notices of events and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for Mobile and nearby towns and communities in the Mobile Bay area including, in Alabama: Mobile, Prichard, Saraland, Satsuma, Creola, Bay Minette, Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope, Irvington, Theodore, Tillmans Corner, Semmes, Loxley, Robertsdale, Chunchula, Grand Bay, Bayou La Batre, Point Clear, Foley, Elberta, Lillian, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Atmore, Brewton, McIntosh, Thomasville, Citronelle, Chickasaw, Dauphin Island, Mount Vernon, and Summerdale; in Florida: Perdido Key, Pensacola, Ft Walton Beach, Cantonment, Pace, Brent, Gulf Breeze, and Milton; and in Mississippi: Pascagoula, Moss Point, Gautier, Ocean Springs, and Biloxi.

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In the midst of ongoing uncertainty about the economy, the changing Mid-South agricultural landscape, and input prices, the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show remains a friendly, familiar gathering spot for thousands throughout the southern United States, according to Timothy L. Price, show manager.
"It may seem strange to some to connect a farm show with optimism," he says, "but this event provides opportunity for people to come together and interact with others they have met in previous years to make future plans, while still addressing the pressing decisions of the day.
"The show really invigorates people by offering a first look at new technology, and a first listen to respected analysts who bring information on market potential and marketing techniques."
Set for Feb. 27-28 at the downtown Memphis Cook Convention Center, the 57th annual show is sponsored by the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, with Delta Farm Press as co-sponsor.
More than 20,000 domestic and international decision-makers are expected to attend the event that will have more than 400 exhibitors.
"Last year, a key highlight was the new on-board module cotton picker, an exciting technology for the cotton industry," Price says. "But that debut seems years ago, as farmers have endured a rollercoaster year of record high crop and input prices, as well as weather damage. We're certainly in a very different environment now."
But as it has been for the past 56 years, he notes, the show "is a familiar place where people can bring family, meet long-standing friends and new acquaintances, and talk about the issues of the day, while getting a firsthand look at new, innovative technology that helps address specific farming issues."
The 2009 show will encompass both the familiar and the cutting edge as companies unveil new technologies in seed and crop inputs, as well as equipment updates and new equipment that will make farming easier and potentially more profitable.
"And our informational sessions continue to be a forum for experts in many fields, who are tapped in across the world and can offer farmers the latest insight into developments and issues that will have an impact on their decisions."
Speakers for the ever-popular Ag Update Seminars Friday and Saturday will include Joe Nicosia, who will present the outlook for U.S. and world cotton; Carl Brothers, who will discuss the outlook for rice and wheat; a National Cotton Council representative who will discuss farm bill and legislative issues; and Richard Brock, who will return to headline the Saturday morning session on marketing. A special Saturday seminar is also planned.
Member associations of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association will be holding their annual meeting and other events during the week. They include the Arkansas/Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana Cotton Ginners Associations.
Exhibit hours at the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Visitors who view the exhibit areas are eligible for prizes, which will be awarded each afternoon, including $2,000 in attendance prizes awarded daily.
For additional information, contact Price at (901) 947-3104 or visit the Web site: www.farmandginshow.com


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Leading by example. Inspiring excellence.
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A relational database management system (RDBMS) imposes a fixed schema, so why would I use schema-less and relational database in the same sentence?
I will not write an introduction about what relational database are and what are the differences between them and other storage alternatives and I'll jump directly to the subject: is it be possible to use a row-based storage in a schema-less mode? Or to make it more explicit: is it possible to store free format objects/data in a fixed format?
We have to agree that at the first glance this looks like the eternal hammer hypothesis: give me a hammer and everything will look like a nail. But in this case things are a lot simpler.
So, what is the solution?
Most of the languages support one form or another of object serialization in binary or pure text format. Java has serialization in binary format, Python has marshaling and (c)pickle. Ruby has marshaling too and the list can go on and on. Both Google with protobuf and Facebook with Thrift have proposed their own high performance binary serialization mechanisms. Besides all these existing mechanisms there is also an universal object marshaling protocol: JSON.
By now the solution should become quite obvious: instead of persisting the object by storing it field by field, we would just serialize the whole object with all its properties. Basically, the table will need just 2 fields: an ID and a field that can store our serialized object. Like FriendFeed is doing it (nb Jackrabbit -- the open source implementation of Java Content Repository spec -- was using this solution for quite a while). And if you think this is not the best idea, I'll just say that most (if not all) of the alternative storage solution are using similar storage solutions.
What do you lose?
Referential integrity
Referential integrity in the sense of foreign keys will be lost. You can maintain it at the application level though.
Serialized object in either binary or text format are pretty useless in indexes. So, if you need to search based on specific object properties then you'll have to implement your own solution. For example, Jackrabbit is using Lucene to keep an external index, while FriendFeed is using the database by creating indexes on-request.
What do you win?
A solid storage engine
You don't have to recreate or implement yourself the storage mechanism. The solution will use one that is proved to be solid.
Drivers and Tools
Most of the existing RDBMS are providing additional administration and visualization tools. Not to mention their drivers tested by tons of applications.
Last, but not least, you'll keep any other feature offered by your relational database (f.e. clustering).
I'll not end the post without throwing out the real question:


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The Georgia Southwestern men's soccer team lost 2-1 to West Florida on Monday afternoon at Hurricane Field. Freshman Jamie Kiep scored his first goal of the season and the lone goal for the 'Canes off an assist from junior Michael Moses.
The two teams were scoreless until the 58th minute when Paul Willoughby scored his first goal of the year for West Florida (3-0-1) from just outside the box.
The visiting Argonauts struck again six minutes later when Christian Cabral dribbled through the Hurricane defense and scored his first goal of 2008 from 10 yards out.
GSW cut the lead in half at the 87:12 mark when Moses found Kiep up the middle for the score from eight yards away.
The late pressure from GSW wasn't enough and for a second straight game 2-1 was the final. All six goals over the two-game span have come in the second half.
Sophomore John Scharnikow had six saves for GSW. David McNally stopped one for West Florida. The Argonauts outshot GSW 18-3 and led 8-1 in corner kicks.
With the loss, the Hurricanes finish their season-opening homestand 0-4. GSW hits road for the first time in 2008 and is at St. Leo on Friday for a 7 p.m. match.
PHOTO BY: Chris Fenn


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|2009-06-12, 17:20
|Link #161
Senior Member
Kaname is better, because he is more expirienced.
Ok, for all of you that are comparing Kaname and Zero. Kaname is hundreds to thousands of years old. He is a Kuran ancestor, who was resurrected. This makes him much more older, and wiser than Zero. Comparing Kaname and Zero, is like comparing an ninth grader with a university student.
Both Kaname and Zero are selfish in their own rights.
Kaname treats Yuki better, only because she is his supposed sister. He takes care of her, only because she is his family. He does not share the same feelings with Ruka, who is there for him all the time. Ruka has done, and stayed by Kaname more than Yuki. It's true that Yuki did not have her memory for the most part, but Ruka did more than just stand there. She defended Kaname, and fought to protect him. So, why did Kaname choose Yuki and took care of her? Because, she is family.
Zero is obvious. He was young when he lost his parent's to a pureblood vampire. His brother left him, and went against him because of a pureblood. He was trained from a young age, by the world's best Vampire Hunter to kill the like's of purebloods. So, why is he so arrogant towards Yuki, when she turned out to be a vampire? Because, it run's in his family to be vampire hunter's. He hate's pureblood's, because he hates what happened to his family. Zero may have issues, but he still remembered Yuki during the end of season 2 in a flashback. He will miss out on her, even though it might not look like it.
Since this is a forum about Kaname, let's go back to him. Who wouldn't want to be like him, or with him. He is old, and wise, but in a much younger body. He is a greatly respected figure, who is also much smarter than most of the character's in Vampire Knight. He barely shows any emotions, of the loss of his parent's. He is clearly one of Vampire Knight's most valuable, and strong characters, who shaped the Vampire Knight (Zero) to attack Rido. He is someone, that Zero will never be. The sad part is that he has a sinister future. The main reason why Kaname is so great is because, he was willing to let Yuki go at the end of season 2, even though he waited ten years without her.
Kaname may be a great character, but he is also selfish during times. He let Zero live, only because Zero protected Yuki. He could have saved a lot of level E vampires, before turning, but he did not care for them. His commitment is mostly to Yuki, and that's it.
Hope this explains a lot. Thank you.
I did not use spoiler's, as I summed this all up from anime.
Last edited by HollowScar; 2009-06-12 at 18:05. Reason: Just to add something.
|2009-06-21, 17:04
|Link #163
Senior Member
|2009-06-29, 06:13
|Link #165
Mad Scientist #0000
Kaname IS obessed by Yuki almost more than likewise. For him everything is gray or dark except her. I have a guess that without her he would break or go insane. His feelings to Yukki is not love, but obession. She is the only thing where he can act selfishly. Don't misunderstand. He cares for others to some extends(they're the grey place of mind the dark place is the people he's close to unconcerned, and the red place where his enemies reside. It's just a quick theory of mine) and he really is kind, but have little bonds with them. He really bound to his own rules and his duty, that's hwy he spared Zero's life.
In short he's seemingly an awesome incredible man(it's actually true too), but inside his state is extremely pitifull. any of Zero's suffering a broad daylight compared to Kaname's.
|2009-10-17, 02:50
|Link #167
Senior Member
|2009-11-15, 13:18
|Link #168
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
I think kaname and Yuuki should be together. Kaname is not a bad character at all.
Regarding Sara, her fiance is Ouri not Kaname. I think, Sara is somehow related to Shizuka and came to take revenge on kaname or Ichijou, i.e, Takuma's grandfather must be alive and using sara
|2009-11-15, 13:28
|Link #169
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Kaname is never selfish. He does not hate any1. He
|2009-11-15, 13:33
|Link #170
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
|2009-12-04, 00:38
|Link #171
Senior Member
Let's face it. Kaname is a dark prince, but is actually dark. His conscience revolves around Yuki, whose parents raised him, and took him in, as their own. Other than that, Kaname is a very powerful being, without much struggle, whose goal is to protect Yuki. He also had his fare share of followers, who treated him like the royalty he was. The reason I like him, is because, in the end, he was willing to let go of Yuki, and go on his own way. His obsession with Yuki makes him good for Yuki, but his sinister acts may ultimately lead to a fatal loss, due to the path he chose. To him, everyone is a chess piece, and Yuki is the queen, the most precious, compare to the Knight, Zero, who was more like a powerful tool to him.
Zero, on the other hand, got it really hard. Born in a Vampire Hunter family, he did lose both of his parents, and back-stabbed by his own brother, at such an early age. His brother was like a best friend, and the only known friend in the anime, during his childhood. Imagine, losing someone so close to you at an early age, who back-stabs you, and then disappears. This is what Zero had to endure. He must have ached for revenge all those years, including controlling his Vampire hormones, which is much more tempting than lust. He could not be close to the only person that took him in due to that, and his strict status quo, heightened more by Ichiru's betrayal.
Taking both of these characters at hand, I can tell this much that, Kaname did not care much for Zero, and would have let him turn into a level-E, or even kill him before, if he had to. This was not done, mainly because Yuki's connection to Zero. Zero on the other hand, not only hated Kaname, but hated himself throughout the series. His pain is fueled by gaining the brother he lost contact with, and losing him again. Zero may not treat Yuki well, but at least he knew what good and bad was, to the point of killing himself. He would have kept Yuki the happiest, if his life were not so messed up. He could have been just a human, and lived with her happily. Kaname, will most likely treat her with luxury, but his path is clearly meant to be a tragic one, compared to Zero, who will keep hunting them one by one, until he loses, wins, or gets too old, or weak. His life is not all that glamorous, but as a character, his loss will always be the most tragic. One of the most painful characters in the anime.
|2011-07-03, 15:58
|Link #176
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Spain
I would like to marry him *-* He's perfect T-T Well, I think that he's better in my mind xDD
I don't like the way that he uses Zero, but it's just to protect Yuki... could Zero do the same for her?
Well, in my opinion he's the best character!!!
|2011-12-03, 13:37
|Link #177
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: north carolina
|2012-01-28, 19:53
|Link #180
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: I'm Dancing & Yelling GANBATTE KAGURA! YOU GO GET YOUR WOMAN BACK!!!!! SHIPPING THEM HARD
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You've undoubtedly heard the mantra, "Just follow your passion!" But I have to strongly disagree: I think it's dangerous advice that can lead new entrepreneurs astray.
This is especially true when it comes to choosing a niche product to sell online. Your life-long love of Star Wars figurines doesn't mean it's a great niche to build your new ecommerce store around—sorry, Skywalker. If a thriving business is your goal, you should follow a methodical approach and pick a niche with attributes conducive to online success.
In this short guide I'll share six strategies to help you find a niche and product to sell. I'll also show you how to determine if there's enough demand for your product, and give you a few tools to measure the competitive pressures in those areas.
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6 ways to find a niche product to sell
While you're brainstorming various niches and products to sell, there are a lot of important things to consider. Here are 6 strategies to help you find a product to sell.
1. Accessory-heavy niches
Merchants rarely make much on big-ticket items and will only earn maybe 5 to 10% on products like laptops and TVs. Where they really make their money is on the accessories.
Accessories enjoy significant markups and customers are much less price-sensitive about them. A buyer might shop for weeks to get the best deal on a TV, but wouldn't think twice about dropping $30 on an HDMI cable from the same place. Yet there's a good chance the business made nearly as much profit on the cable as it did on the flatscreen.
When you choose a niche with lots of accessories, you'll enjoy significantly higher profit margins and fewer price-sensitive shoppers.
2. Customers with a passion or problem
It's amazing how much money passionate hobbyists will spend. Mountain bikers will drop hundreds on lightweight accessories to shave a few pounds, and avid fishermen will invest tens of thousands of dollars in boats and related accessories.
Also, if you can offer a product-based solution to a painful problem, you'll find a captive audience eager to buy.
3. The $100 to $200 range
I've found that this price range is an ecommerce "sweet spot." It's large enough to create decent average order value and per-order profit, but small enough that—with a quality, informative website—most customers won't need to personally speak with someone before the sale.
As you grow, being able to generate most of your orders online offers massive efficiency savings versus a phone-heavy approach. But if you're selling products that cost $500 or more, many customers will want personal customer service before pulling out their credit cards.
4. Hard to find locally
If you needed garden equipment, you'd likely head down to your local Home Depot or Lowe's. But where would you go to buy surveillance equipment or magicians' accessories? Probably online. Pick niche products that are hard to find locally, and you'll be able to get in front of the vast majority of your customers as they search online.
While you ideally want something difficult to source locally, you also need to ensure there's ample demand for the product! This can be a fine line to walk, and we'll return to the issue in the competition section below.
5. Low product turnover
If your product line is constantly changing year to year, you'll end up spending valuable time on resources that will soon be outdated. Selling a product line with limited turnover ensures you can invest in an information-rich website that will be viable for years.
6. Consumable or disposable products
Repeat customers are essential to any business, and it's significantly easier to sell to existing customers who trust you than to new prospects. If your product needs to be re-ordered on a regular basis—and you're able to keep your customers happy—you'll be on your way to building a profitable business with recurring revenue.
Finding a great product is only part of the equation. Even a niche fitting all the above criteria would be a poor choice in the face of inadequate demand or crushing competition. Understanding a product's demand, competition and suppliers will be important to making an informed decision.
Is there demand for your niche product?
One of the best ways to measure online demand is with keyword research, which provides data on how many people are searching for a specific term. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, I'd strongly recommend watching this video on how to do keyword research:
It's important to note that you should look for keywords with lots of "long-tail" variations. If we were selling sunglasses, "prescription sunglasses" and "discount Oakley sunglasses" would be examples of long-tail variations. These are important because your primary keyword ("sunglasses," in this example) will only provide a small fraction of your traffic. Even with a #1 ranking in Google, you'll be lucky to receive 30% of the phrase's traffic.
Realistically, most ecommerce sites will receive 80 to 90% of their traffic from long-tail keywords. So the more long-tail variations associated with a primary keyword, the more potential traffic you can generate. As a rule of thumb, I like to see at least 3,000 exact-match local searches for a niche's primary keyword, and ideally a dozen or so long-tail variations. Without sufficient search volume, I won't even bother evaluating a niche on other criteria.
Can your product compete in the market?
You'll need to weigh market demand against the strength of the entrenched competitors. Keywords like "scented candles" and "baby clothes" will have tons of searches, but competing against legions of established businesses in these markets would be extremely difficult, especially for a new business.
To measure competitive pressures, I recommend looking at three metrics for the top 10 businesses listed in Google for your niche.
Inbound links: Using a site like Open Site Explorer, you can see how many other domains are linking to the competition. Top competitors in any niche worth entering will have at least a few hundred inbound links, and this shouldn't scare you away. But if every business has upwards of 1,000 inbound links, you'll need to seriously consider the commitment required to compete.
PageRank: All links aren't created equal, and PageRank is a metric that takes into account the quality of inbound links. It's also a representation of how much authority a page has. Homepages with PageRanks of 3 and 4 are fairly standard and will likely be the minimum point of entry for most viable niches. Trying to outrank sites with PageRanks of 5 or higher will require significantly more work and an SEO campaign dedicated to getting quality backlinks.
Quality of site: This metric might be the most important of the three. Browse the competition's websites and ask yourself: "How likely would I be to purchase from this site?"
If most of the businesses have poorly designed sites with little information, you have an opportunity to compete. But if the niche is flush with professionally designed sites adding loads of value, you're going to have a hard time differentiating your site.
How to source profitable niche products
Having reliable and competent suppliers is a crucial element of launching a new ecommerce store and needs to be a key consideration in the niche selection process.
This is especially true if you'll be dropshipping, as your supplier will be doubling as your warehouse and fulfillment agency. A bad supplier will cause an endless supply of headaches from botched shipments to perpetually out-of-stock items.
I strongly recommend having at least two suppliers for any new ecommerce store. Why is that?
- You're not 100% dependent on a single supplier;
- Higher fulfillment rates and fewer out-of-stock issues with two warehouses;
- Better pricing when suppliers are competing for your business.
Wait! Passion is still essential.
The grand reveal: I wasn't being completely serious when I warned against following your passion. Doing something you're passionate about is crucial to achieving success. The mistake new ecommerce entrepreneurs often make is focusing their passion on the products they sell instead of the process of building a thriving, profitable business.
It doesn't matter if you sell diapers or dentures; if you've built a successful ecommerce business around a great niche product, I promise you'll become passionate about it.
About the author: Andrew Youderian is an ecommerce entrepreneur and owner of numerous online stores using the dropshipping model.
What more advice on finding a product to sell?
- 17 Places Entrepreneurs Go To Find Profitable Product Ideas
- 12 Things to Sell on Shopify (Other than Physical Products)
- The Business of DIY: 10 Things to Make and Sell Online
Ready to launch your online store? Start your free 14-day trial of Shopify—no credit card required.
Join 446,005 entrepreneurs who already have a head start.
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66 comments
June 27 2012, 09:26AM
This is an excellent resource for those thinking about selling online.
June 27 2012, 10:36AM
Thanks Ben! Glad you found it useful.
June 27 2012, 12:12PM
Great way to encourage more spam affiliate marketing sites, private label business and me-too clones. You can already buy pretty much whatever you want online, what we need are places that make you happy about having to shop for XYZ. Your advice will help a few more people make money at the expense of the quality of the internet. Sounds like a great trade-off to me.
June 27 2012, 12:30PM
Sure, it's easy to find a niche related to something you like but the point of the article is that – if you want to build a profitable business – your personal interests shouldn't be the barometer by which you make a decision.
Instead, you should look for a product/niche/problem that is well suited for building successful business around.
June 27 2012, 12:48PM
I don't think its very hard to find a niche in something you really like,but yes you're right that your personal interests / passions shouldn't, as Eric says, "be the barometer by which you make a decision."
Great article! Thanks for sharing Andrew!
June 27 2012, 12:54PM
@Nathan – I think you may have missed the point. The most important thing I emphasize at the beginning of the article is picking a niche where you can ADD VALUE. By definition, this means not creating another "me too" site with cheap, spammy affiliate links.
@Eric – Thanks for reading, but I think you may have lifted that comment. I just left it myself over at HackerNews. ;-)
@Luisa – Thanks! Yep, picking a niche isn't difficult. It's finding one that you think can be profitable. And if you can find one that you initially are passionate about AND has a great chance at being profitable, you're in fantastic shape.
June 27 2012, 12:57PM
Great advice to find a good product to sell!
June 27 2012, 01:28PM
Thanks Janelle! Hope it's helpful.
June 27 2012, 02:47PM
What an excellent resource, pulling in all the relevant info without overwhelming the subject with endless details.
Clipped this to my evernote for later reference!
June 28 2012, 12:39PM
Your point 2 basically contradicts the core theme completely. So you need to zero in on your customer's passions, but your own aren't worth considering? Surely your passions are very likely to intersect with the passions of a customer base? The example of Star Wars figurines is an outlier chosen deliberately to make the point, but things aren't as clear cut as that.
Some of the best products are those that solve your own problems or cater to your own passions, so long as those passions/problems are common enough to support a business.
Maybe a better rule is "follow your passions, so long as you share them with lots of other people who are willing to spend money on them" ;)
June 28 2012, 01:25PM
@Alex – Thanks and very glad it made the Evernote cut!
@Steve – I'd respectfully disagree, because the goals of the two parties (business owner & hobbyist) are different. We're trying to create a successful business, and are intentionally structuring it around a proven demand in the market. The hobbyists are simply following a passion because they enjoy it. Our goal is to build a profitable enterprise. Their goal is enjoyment.
But I DO agree with this following 100%:
"Some of the best products are those that solve your own problems or cater to your own passions, so long as those passions/problems are common enough to support a business."
And if you can find a passion that can support a viable business, that is the ideal situation! But if you can't, I'm simply arguing that if your goal is a profitable business then a successful one based around a product you may not be enamored with is much more desirable than a failed business built on your passion.
June 28 2012, 01:51PM
This is fantastic, thank you Andrew. So much to take from this. First shopify store is launching early August.
June 28 2012, 06:18PM
Inspiring article. Thanks for sharing. Gives some food for thought.
June 29 2012, 09:16AM
Here's what I did:
1) Sold a lot of different stuff on ebay over the years
2) Found a theme of that stuff that met the following criteria:
a) The theme of this stuff sold quickly in the Buy-It-Now selling format
b) Got a good number of bids in the auction format for this kind of stuff
c) Got over-the-top feedback from buyers after the transaction for this stuff and emails from buyers through ebay saying how much they're thrilled to have this stuff they bought (just as I wrote this, I received another one through Amazon)
d) Found reliable suppliers for this stuff
3) Had no qualms about being the go-to person for this stuff, enjoy doing research on it, keeping up with the trends and competing with other websites that sell this stuff.
June 29 2012, 09:57AM
The biggest takeaway for me is that launching a product requires a lot of strategy. Just because you think your homemade salsa is to die for doesn't mean you're going to automatically sell millions of jars the second you create your online storefront. Before you go to market, you have to have a firm grasp of the competition, what makes your salsa different from everything else on the market, and be ready, willing, and be ready, willing, and able to promote the hell out of that salsa using some of the strategies you mentioned.
June 29 2012, 10:31AM
@Gavin & Tommy – Thanks guys! Glad it was helpful.
@Derek – Very cool model! I love how you focused on what worked and systematically created a business strategy using that information. And I'll definitely second the importance of your criteria d – 'finding reliable suppliers'. For any eCommerce business, this is enormously important. Congratulations on building a successful model!
@Shawn – Great point, Shawn. I often tell new store owners that even with an in-demand product, 90% of your success, especially early on, will depend on how effectively you can market your product. And if you're selling a proprietary product that's unknown, you better be able to effectively differentiate as well.
July 02 2012, 11:27AM
Keyword Search
I am sometimes confused with the words "tags" and "keywords". Do these keywords have to be incorporated in the text? how often do they have to show up in your shop,
July 10 2012, 05:29AM
I do think that all of your points are true, but after spending a lot of time researching my niche, doing Google keywords,(including analyzing the niche with Market Samurai) looking at the competition – if I had been "smart" I would have given up on my chosen niche that is based on passion.
I decided to go for it anyway. I decided to count on the fact that I'm a part of a passionate hobby/profession community. (Photography)
To be fair, I will say that my niche isn't a turn-key niche. It took me a year of very hard work to build it to a point where I'm starting to make a fairly decent salary (and I continue to grow). I am doing exactly what I want in life, though and that's very valuable to me.
So I do agree that if your main goal is to quickly start a profitable business, just passion isn't enough. However, if you're willing to do a lot of hard work and be more patient, it is possible to make a go of your passion.
October 26 2012, 09:40PM
Thank you for your direct comments. Your article not only helped me understand the drop ship business, it also helped me make the decision to pursue my dreams.
December 01 2012, 12:13PM
I think you can do both. Your passion doesn't need to be 100% of the business but it should be a part of it. If your loves can't fit into your business maybe you shouldn't be selling things.
Andrew said "And if you can find a passion that can support a viable business, that is the ideal situation! But if you can't, I'm simply arguing that if your goal is a profitable business then a successful one based around a product you may not be enamored with is much more desirable than a failed business built on your passion."
I'd argue that if all you care about is having a successful business, even if you care not about what you are producing, then why bother to live? I followed two of my passions when I started Datsusara, I didn't spend time on complicated MBA style market analysis or research to see how things would go….
"Some of the best products are those that solve your own problems or cater to your own passions, so long as those passions/problems are common enough to support a business."
I'd say you don't need the second part of that statement, after all this is the age of the internet and if you like it you can find 10k others that do at least. I'd argue the Star Wars example would even work, just might not be a million $ biz. But who wants money if you don't love what you do or the products you sell. Not me.
Doing all the strategy and research kills things for me, I simply make a quality product and take care of my customers the old fashioned way, and it works.
Now there is a ton of great advice in this article and it's well written, good job Mark. But I simply couldn't disagree more with the main premise and I think MC is full of it if he claims to believe what he said in the quote.
I say "follow your bliss" (Joseph Campbell), but don't force it.
January 02 2013, 12:14PM
Hi, I like the tips and guidance provided, however, I truly believe that you have to have passion for the product/service that you are providing and also passion for the things you will to do in order to have a thriving business.
I agree that you must ensure that what you are passionate about, has a market.
The reasons I believe Passion is important are:
1) Starting a business and turning it into a thriving business takes alot of work, thus if there is no passion for for the things you have to do (sales, marketing, accounts etc), the new entrepreneur will struggle and possibly give up to soon.
2) If you are not passionate about the product, service or the problem you are intending to solve, then selling will be hard!
3) When the going get tough, the passion pulls you through and keeps you determined to succeed.
Live YOUR Passion
January 06 2013, 01:22AM
Great way to encourage innovation. Understanding the internet market can help innovators/creators to decide where to focus their energies to fill demand. Yes, there are a lot of items available on the internet, but all things have not been invented. This should encourage those who have stand-out ideas to follow through with them. Great cost-effective method to market a new product to thousands of potential buyers.
January 06 2013, 10:56AM
Interesting article. Finding a niche that you are passionate about AND that has "demand" is a way to increase your chances of success. I know personally that some of the products/ideas that I thought were good businesses lacked one thing. For me I found that since I was not passionate enough about the idea I lost focus and went on to the next "big thing". Sustainable passion is key for me and for others. I say follow your passion but make sure you do your research to make sure that there are customers/clients in your niche before you jump in with both feet.
January 29 2013, 11:12PM
thanks alot Andrew,
this was very helpful information i learned alot and i am looking forward to starting my own Ecommerce as well.
January 29 2013, 11:13PM
thanks alot Andrew,
this was very helpful information i learned alot and i am looking forward to starting my own Ecommerce as well.
February 17 2013, 01:47PM
Hello. Great article. Thank you for taking the time to educate people. Question about your adwords video around longtail key words. I'm in the process of researching the appropriate products to sell based through google adwords research. If I pick a product and have many variations of longtail keywords should I include all those longtail keywords in my site content to potentially capture that traffic as well?
thanks much
March 22 2013, 09:33AM
Best advice I have read yet. I have been trying to find a niche for months and am so eager to proceed. Armed with this approach I think I am far more likely to find something.
April 25 2013, 01:32PM
Shhh… Andrew keeps giving away all the secrets! Good stuff, as usual.
April 28 2013, 05:27PM
Great article, Andrew, but I also disagree with half of your premise [though as a marketer I agree it's a great hook!].
In the population of successful 6 and 7 figure entrepreneurs [admittedly, a relatively small club], there are plenty who wake up one day to realise they have no passion for their business. Some even hate it.
I absolutely agree with your criteria for a successful business. I would just content that if you aren't passionate about what you've chosen to focus on, sooner or later the tank will run dry, in more ways than one. I'd rather have both – all day long…
Thanks again, and best wishes from Scotland, Matthew
May 07 2013, 10:41PM
this is a good article,but it is still difficulty to select a good products for selling,as the internationals business becomes much tense than before and if the product is seldom few can be obtained the customer easier than the other industires.that;s what i think
May 11 2013, 01:05PM
The articles are good, but this website www.richardb51.com, has nice articles on Women's Fashions, and it has good products to sell, pruducts such as jewelry, cellphones, Iphones, flip-phones, and much more, checkout it out to see if you like what you see.
July 02 2013, 11:09AM
Great information. Glad i found it.
July 09 2013, 04:53PM
I have a great product which I am trying to market and trying to get it across to all countries and people. Joined recently. Fairly new product but doing exceptionally well. The product is WorldVentures. Great concept not only has great holidays but also rewards you. Please advice all contact to contact me if they are interested.
July 11 2013, 11:36AM
I have been trying to start my own business..I have a good product, however I want to expand and find other products to sell along with my current one. I am very excited to have found your site. Thanks for the information! Do you have any sites that you can recommend that I can go to for products to sell on line?
July 28 2013, 03:37PM
Hi Andrew
could you tell me exactly about meaning the first method that explain in this topic(?Accessory-Heavy Niches)?
August 14 2013, 11:49PM
I'm trying to use the Google AdWords tool, but it doesn't look like the one you are showing. Can you please tell me how to get to that exact tool?
August 22 2013, 09:49PM
Great tips. Thanks.
September 23 2013, 09:17AM
Hello Andrew, Today is my day. I finally sat in front of my computer to learn more about drop shipping. I am so grateful that I come across your site. Andrew, you have given great advice, and have given me confidence in myself to take the first step. thanks again!
October 18 2013, 11:48AM
it's very nice for a salesman from China. I'd like hear more like this from you.
November 07 2013, 10:41AM
Great guide not just for online businesses but for an approach to offline as well. Niche products work online and offline and drive demand.
November 24 2013, 01:48AM
THANK YOU so much for this post, it is helping a lot.
March 07 2014, 09:26AM
Great piece of information. Its enlightening and motivating.
Thanks a bunch
May 11 2014, 03:33PM
Thank you for being a straight shooter. I am looking into this business with some hesitation on trying to find the "perfect" products/niches, but after reading this, I feel a little more comfortable about moving forward.
July 23 2014, 01:39AM
Finding the goods to sell at a good price and ones that
might be hard to find at local stores but be lightweight
and ship in a flatrate box:)
November 05 2014, 02:14PM
I am now a full on fan of Shopify! Thank you for this wonderful resource.
October 01 2015, 05:31AM
I used a combination of my passion and also Trendosaur to find the products with the most potential that hadn't sold in my market yet.
October 18 2015, 12:41AM
Thanks for the article, I'm still trying to search for a product to sell. I'm a professional web designer so I want to find a product that I can make money with. This gives me a good start.
February 12 2016, 10:31AM
I decided that i would focus on quality content for my online magazine http://www.sonarz.com rather than sell a physical product. I have foudn the passive income to generate more returns! But good luck to everyone
February 14 2016, 11:34AM
Thanks for the great advice. It's great that so many people can work from home and spend time with the family, while growing their business.
February 28 2016, 01:18AM
I don't believe it, since when selling a product got so hard??!!!!
Its very simple, you should know the demand approximately, NO ONE KNOWS THE DEMAND!!!!
all this calculations and hard approach people made it of Fear.
Big companies sell their products today because the do commercials no more than that.
They pay for commercial 1 Billion euros and make people buy, very simple. The question is, what's left for smaller business? Well creativity and brains thats it.
All business successful business exciting today, believe me No one made market research and all this shi*, they just love it, their friends love it too, other people STARTED TO LOVE IT!!!….
So it got a PUSH… No need for Fear and no need for market reshit.
Didn't find any simple from this.
Today we have tough days, why? Because big companies are lowering prices so that any small business competing with them, WON'T stand the prices of the competitor… It sad!
In this case it's not business! Its grief..
In a nut shell, we =humans are shi*.
Thanks for your read.
March 16 2016, 07:07PM
Excellent. Thanks
April 07 2016, 08:41PM
Great video. I was wondering if it is free to use the google keyword tool demonstrated.
September 04 2016, 12:01PM
Great video and great article. Thx.
October 25 2016, 08:06AM
Folks, this is great read. If focusing on Canadian market please feel free to use LocoBiz.com to promote your eCommerce site for free. Best used to reach local communities in Canada.
November 04 2016, 06:11PM
it's a really helpful host site……i know many info on this site. thanks Author
January 19 2017, 05:31AM
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March 08 2017, 01:35AM
Whatever where do these people come from? When you have bills to pay and a family to take care who gives a shit about what whiners like you say ,Nathan, wth the gall of some people! Oh poor Nathan doesn't like affiliate sites, boo hoo.
June 27 2012, 12:12PM
Great way to encourage more spam affiliate marketing sites, private label business and me-too clones. You can already buy pretty much whatever you want online, what we need are places that make you happy about having to shop for XYZ. Your advice will help a few more people make money at the expense of the quality of the internet. Sounds like a great trade-off to me.
April 27 2017, 08:43AM
NICE POST guys… just off to share this on Twitter.
Thought I would add my theory into the mix, this is how we choose our male leggings niche:
Have an awesome day :)
June 14 2017, 01:10PM
If you are not running a paid Google AdWords campaign, they no longer allow you to access their Keyword Search Tool. In other words, the video included in this article about how to identify products using the tool appears to be out of date. Please update this article, which is otherwise very helpful, with a new #1 way to do this kind of research. Thank you!
September 12 2017, 03:47AM
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October 16 2017, 01:45AM
Thank you for your blog. I think we all are concerned about what we eat, from where we should purchase our eatables. Keeping in mind the need of quality and quantity of food, farmers are now connected at single platform, selling their fresh food products online to the consumers. For more information you can visit this website(harvestorder.com)
October 20 2017, 07:51AM
Great Blog on finding a good restaurant while travelling. I often eat outside but crazy about cooking my own food. So I was looking for this platform from where I could buy fresh fruits and veggies. And I found this site called harvestorder.com Let me know if you like it or not.
October 23 2017, 03:01AM
Thank you for your blog. I think we all are concerned about what we eat, from where we should purchase our eatables. Keeping in mind the need of quality and quantity of food, farmers are now connected at single platform, selling their fresh food products online to the consumers. For more information you can visit this website(harvestorder.com)
January 04 2018, 08:10AM
wow this is good information about the assortment of a webshop. I am currently doing a research for a webshop. Is it okay if i use this information?
March 25 2018, 10:17AM
Thank you, that video on key words was most helpful. You explained it well,
best regards from England
toria from old and bold – ageing with attitude
October 25 2018, 08:21AM
This article was really helpful. I wouldn't have put much thought into keeping my niche products in the $100 to $200 dollar range or keeping them below the $500 mark. http://www.internetmarketingsecrets.org/link/WealthyAffiliatesMainLink


text:
Sherman Horton, 38, was sitting in a car with a 17-year-old girl about 10:30 p.m. Monday on the 5800 block of West Superior Street when two suspects approached on foot and one fired shots at the car, according to authorities.
DNAinfo.com reports:
Horton, who lives a block away, was hit in the armpit and pronounced dead at West Suburban hospital at 11 p.m., according to cops and the Cook County medical examiners office.
The 17-year-old suffered a graze wound to the buttocks and was in good condition at West Suburban, according to police.
Both suspects fled after the shots were fired, police said.
The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, as was the relationship between the victim and the girl.
Source: http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20121218/austin/man-fatally-shot-austin-near-his-home#ixzz2FPmuog9z


text:
To design a logo for a web based product. This logo will primarily be used on the Vouch4Me.ie website. However it will also be used for brochures and business documentation (letterhead, business cards, invoices, etc.)
Vouch4Me.ie will initially be aimed at the hospitality sector but will ultimately be marketed to a wide range of retail and service sectors.
The tool will be integrated into existing websites and will be customized to reflect their design. For this reason, the logo will not be associated with the end product. It will instead to used to represent the product and market it to website owners and developers.
Brand should represent the following:
- Security / reliability (as online payments will be a key component)
- Easy of setup / integration with customers website
- Efficiency
- Profitable
- Clean design
- Suitable for use both on and offline
- A suitable colour scheme which can be used across all branding for the product
- Orange to be included in colour scheme if possilble
- High quality source files
- The 'V' in 'Vouch', the number '4' and the 'M' in 'Me' to be uppercase
- Item 1...


text:
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text:
Men of the Year: Heroes
Every day, army medic Sergeant Joshua Delgado struggles to save the wounded and dying in Iraq. Read his private journal entries here
With just a small pack of medical supplies, Sergeant Joshua Delgado learned to work fast in the most trying circumstances. As a new breed of medic, he's one of the hundreds of unsung heroes in Iraq, kids with limited medical training who are saving more men on the battlefield than in any other war in American history. Read his private journal entries here, on GQ.com. And pick up the December issue of GQ for Damien Cave's compelling story.
4 June 07
So for two days straight there has been some kind of explosion/attack on the FOB [forward operating base]. On the 4th June two mortars hit the FOB. One hit the TOC [tactical operations center] building and the second hit the back of our substitute platoon sergeant's tent. A small piece of shrapnel was embedded in his left cheek. I went to the aid station to see him, and I started to joke with him when I saw him, because it looked like he cut himself shaving. But that was too close for comfort. On the FOB it used to feel safe, because this is not Iraq, this is our base—but when the rockets or mortars land, it just runs a chill down my back. I give myself one second to accept my fear, but then I have to get back into action and do what is necessary.
5 June 07
Today it was either mortars that hit the TOC or a VBIED [vehicle-borne improvised explosive device] by the gas station. I think it was both, because the building that has the TOC in it shook like there was a direct hit, and the gas station was on fire from some explosion. I was inside S-1 [administrative room] at the time and was like, Damn, not again. I need to get out of here, Bella—just a few more months.…
Turns out that explosion today was just a VBIED. Man, that must have been a lot of explosives, because it exploded at the gas station near ECP 1 [entry control point 1], and it shook the TOC building like something hit it. The distance between the two is about 400500 meters, with two buildings in the way. Not even an hour after I wrote this, a rocket landed just west of the FOB. You know it was intended for us.
6 June 07
Man, I just found out Carissa had to spend the night in the hospital because yesterday she was throwing up all day and vomited some blood. The hospital says it may have been because she vomited so much her esophagus got irritated. But then her systolic blood pressure was at 89 when they checked it, and they can't tell me that is OK. She said we have to wait for the blood and stool test to come back, but she is going be there a second night. It's a good thing she is with her parents right now. To top that, she is thinking about staying in Texas to have the baby, which is not bad, because I want one of our children to be born there, but I suppose I need to feel comfortable knowing that everything will be taken care of, since I'm not there. So I asked her to get all the information about the hospitals and, if she wanted to continue with school, to find out about internet classes. She is really good with having everything she needs in order, so I'm not too worried, but I still think we should talk about it together when she gets all the information she needs. As I was coming out of the MWR [morale, welfare and recreation], I smelled some of the burning trash from Mahmudiya, and it reminded me of burning flesh. You can never forget that smell. For three days after the 19th I could smell it for no reason. Tomorrow we have an early S.P. [starting patrol], I need to get some sleep. I just hope everything turns out all right with Bella.
7 June 07
So today is Cheese's birthday—man, is he going to get it later at the barbecue. These anti-coalition forces are on a timetable; a third straight day they shot at us around 1400. I notice a lot of people are more jumpy; I'm more jumpy. The other day, when we were playing cards, the KBR [Kellogg Brown & Root] guys were setting up their movie area, and that intro for THX surround sound came on, and three of them jumped because of the whistling sound. I would have jumped too, but it didn't sound as distinct as the rockets do. You can hear the rockets fly in, then this little pause and a big thud explosion. As the rocket flies in is when you freeze for that one second to try to hear if it is getting closer to you. Bella sent me an email this morning, so I guess she is out of the hospital, which is a great thing. She wrote she had something to tell me, but I don't know if it is serious or not, so I'll have to wait for a couple hours to call her. Looks like cards tonight and a little ox action.
Well, I was only able to play cards today, because the game took so long, but it was fun. I'm getting a lot better and would have won if Mac didn't come out with some incredible hands today. But while we were playing, the gun line shot a couple counter-fire missions, and we jumped at every one because it sounded like a rocket exploded near us. Yeah, we can laugh about it afterwards, but it really isn't a funny situation to be in. I called Carissa up after the card game because I couldn't get ahold of her earlier. Well, there's good and bad news; good news she is out of the hospital, bad news is that they did find blood in her stool test. OK, I'm going to be a little more worried than I really should be only because, one, she is pregnant and, two, because I am over here and I can't be there to help her out with anything. But I know she'll be OK. We finally chose a name for our son: Jacob Joshua Delgado. Hopefully she doesn't change her mind about the name, because she tends to do that while she's pregnant. The name does roll off the tongue pretty good.
8 June 07
So today was pretty simple, but the SGM [sergeant major] came out with us, so we had to jump through some hoops—so the platoon looks like exceptional soldiers. I'm being a smartass, but it's kind of funny: If a high-ranking individual decides to drop by, people go to great length to make everything perfect when there is really nothing wrong in the first place. Some people in the big M [Mahmudiya] are acting up again; I wish they could all just get along. I feel like a parent disciplining two children who can't get along. Let's hope as time goes by they can see they are all the same people. When we got back to the FOB, I ran to the chow hall to keep them from closing, but no one showed up, so I walked back to the tents, and the SGM was having an AAR [after action review] so I missed some of it by accident. When I got there, he was talking about alternate ways to cross canals, because the anti-coalition forces are planting IEDs [improvised explosive device] on the crossings. So I got to thinking, what if we used the canvas from the cots and the net poles and jerry-rigged it somehow so it is somewhat stable I think I am going to try to build a prototype. But I know the guys would hate to carry it if it actually works, because we have so much gear already. I think it would be a slight burden but at the same time could be a lifesaver. We'll see what happens. After the meeting, we had a Texas hold 'em get-together. The PX [post exchange] finally got restocked, and of course I grabbed the peanut M&M's. I'm waiting till the chow hall has vanilla ice cream so I can mix some M&M's with it. I think I'm going to go to the gym, then watch a movie and call Carissa tonight. I actually have no choice about going to the gym, because Sgt. West is making us go. If we don't go three times a week, we have to get on his gym schedule, and that crazy goes at like 0530 in the morning. Oh, a good thing happened today—no rockets. At least I didn't hear anything.
9 June 07
I'm writing a little early, because we won't be here tonight; we're going on some kind of 24 hour operation out at one of the checkpoints. We'll see if anything interesting happens. The last platoon to walk in that area found an IED on one of the canal crossings, so they already know we've been coming around a lot. I hope we don't set one off. I watched a movie called _Americano _with Joshua Jackson and, I believe, a Spanish-speaking actress named Leonor Varela. Which was a good movie—a little different, but good no matter what. It is set in the present time during the festival known as the Running of the Bulls in Spain. It sort of reminded me of my wife and I, because the main character is trying to find himself and ends up finding the character played by Leonor. She in turn helps him to find love but also himself. When I joined the army, I didn't know who I really was, so I was like the character Joshua Jackson played; I was trying to find myself. I ended up finding my wife while in AIT [Advanced Individual Training] who I fell madly in love with, and she unknowingly helped me to see who I really am. In one scene Leonor told Joshua, "Do what scares you," which is a way she knew he could find himself. She was willing to sacrifice her feelings for him so he may find who he is and be truly happy. Now, that whole end piece can't apply to our current situation, but my wife, knowing that I would be facing danger, did not become selfish and ask me not to deploy. She, like Leonor, sacrificed her feelings for me so that I may finish my time in service knowing I may not return. She knows I signed a contract for a certain number of years, and after that time is up, then we will not have to face these hard times again. So like the actress, my wife did not think of herself first. The curly hair Leonor has also reminds me of my wife, because she has curly hair that I've loved since the first time I saw her with it. But my wife isn't the only one who sacrificed her feelings; any spouse who has seen their loved ones deploy has done this. Some return home and some don't, but it is the courage of the ones back home that keeps us going, to know that we will be back one day, hopefully.
While in the MWR, I've seen this sign up for a while, but it was posted in a response to what someone had written before. It said, "We are all idiots because we are soldiers in the army." I didn't give much thought to it, but as I sat at my computer, I started to think this guy is generalizing us like we are stupid, when we all knew what we were getting into signing up. Why complain about something that you knew was going to happen—being deployed in a combat zone Sure, I don't like to be deployed, and I'm not sure of anyone else who does, but no one forced anybody into signing the dotted line. I'll be honest, there are some people that you wonder how did they ever graduate high school But those are few and far between. The majority of people in the army are intelligent individuals. So I had enough of the sign, and as I was walking out I grabbed it, ripped it apart, and threw it away.
10 June 07
Well, we had a 24-hour mission over at one of the battle positions on Peggy. It was pretty quiet, and then we got a tip saying that there was going to be an attack on us. So instead of doing what we were supposed to do that night, we had to stay at the vehicles. In the morning, we went to look for a sheik to try to convince him to become an ally, I guess. The house we used as an OP [observation post] was NICE; you don't really come upon a house like this out in the country. Supposedly he was in Saddam's air force. We went up north a couple hours later. We've been through this area before but never really searched it, I don't know why. While we were walking through a field, one of our PFCs [private first class] flipped over a small haystack to see what was under it. Sure enough, there was something: He found some shotgun shells, anti-coalition force propaganda, and some kind of spy book that had information on people who were helping us around the area. I'm sure there was more stuff in it, but we couldn't stand around and wait for it to be translated, so we packed it up and started to head south toward the BP [battle position]. As we were walking, we received sniper fire from our northeast. Of course, we couldn't find the guy, because they like to shoot and run. But I do know I will take sniper fire over an IED. Unless it is a good sniper, the odds of someone getting hit is slim. When we got back to the FOB later that evening, I heard a lot of music coming from the motor bay, and I thought they had karaoke night or something. Turns out it was an army band from Liberty. The guys from my truck and I got some to-go plates, and went back to the motor bay and listened to them for a while. They were actually pretty good, and it was a nice change of pace to hear a live band. They sang mainly country and rock songs. When I got back to my tent, some of the guys were watching Three Kings, so I sat and watched it with them, but while we were watching it we heard a loud explosion, and I was like, Here we go again. I grabbed my aid bag from the tent, and we all went outside to see where it landed. Turns out it was Paladins. They had moved onto our FOB a couple days ago, but this was like one of their first times shooting. I swear it sounds like a rocket exploding. But I figured out a way to try to distinguish the sounds: You can hear a rocket fly in with a slight pause, then an explosion (usually they come in twos separated by 1520 seconds); Paladins sound like an explosion and come in pairs also but are very quick; and the gun line, well, it sounds like our regular howitzers. Let's see what tomorrow has in store for us.
11 June 07
I just started to think about the makeup of my platoon; being with these guys long enough, you notice characteristics about them. You have video-game jockeys, the musicians or wannabes (Sleeve, j/k), the gym guys, movie watchers, and internet addicts. Even though there's a wide variety of different people, the funny thing is they all intermix at the same time. You can have a guy who is all about the gym but at the same time can just lie back and watch movies all day or play video games. I think in society people have more in common than they think. We are so busy running around in this fast-paced environment we forget to sit back and smell the roses. If I was a civilian, I probably wouldn't have hung around half these guys, but being here there nothing else to do but interact with each other, and that has showed me that I have more in common with a large number of people than I realized before being in the army. I hope to carry that with me when I get out into the civilian world.
Tonight we may be going out to one of the checkpoints on Tampa; yesterday was a really bad day for one of the American units who have a battle position out there. The unit set up their living quarters and chow-hall room on top of the bridge where they are positioned, and yesterday two VBIEDs exploded under the support beams, which toppled the bridge. They had seven urgent surgical casualties and three soldiers were buried under the rubble, is what I was told. I'm not sure if there was any more KIA [killed in action]. I feel for the families who will be getting the bad news soon.
** 15 June 07**
So another 24 hours gone babysitting the checkpoint. This time there were IAs [Iraqi Army] working to build it up, so that is a plus. I'm hoping just another few days and it will be done. It is an easy job just to sit and watch the bridge for 24 hours, but the problem is sitting in a cramped Humvee for 24 hours. My knees, thighs, and butt start to hurt bad sitting there. I can only imagine the pain some of the other guys feel that are taller than 5' 8". On another note, just sitting in one spot for 24 hours with a couple of guys, a lot of conversation arises. We talked about going on block leave, what jobs we had out in the civilian world, talked about people who we know lie about their life as a civilian. Then there was this moment when one of the guys sort of opened up about his life growing up. Stuff he probably wouldn't tell just to anyone. On our way back to the FOB, I thought I was smelling smoke and saw a little coming from our engine, but I couldn't tell, because it was dusty that day with the high winds. As we were making a turn onto the off ramp, I heard something pop, and my driver yelled, "Shit, fire!" That's when all the smoke came into our faces. We all jumped out of the Humvee, but the parking brake didn't work, so the driver had to jump back in and put the e-brake on. I saw a huge amount of fluid just fall from under the hood, and I yelled for everyone to get the fuck out. I didn't know what it was, and since we had grenade rounds in our truck, if it caught on fire there would be a bunch of explosions. We waited for about 510 minutes before heading back to the truck. It didn't turn out as bad as we first thought. The power steering went out, and I believe the fluid that came out was antifreeze. These trucks are starting to break down, and we are running out of vehicles. We have six for our platoon, but two are gone—either being worked on for breaking down or to get upgrades. One of our trucks that broke down a week before just got finished being worked on, so the original owner went back to his truck and we took the one he had been using. Now the only problem is A/C; we've had this truck before—the model is an 1151. It is like the Cadillac of Humvees, but shrapnel from a rocket that landed about 30 meters from our tents took out the compressor. Man, a truck with no A/C is very bad, especially during the day. I think that was part of the reason I had lost 8 pounds in the beginning of the summer—because we had that truck for a while before getting the one that just broke down. I have to drink at least 78 liters of water so I don't dehydrate in that thing. I'm hoping another truck comes in soon so we can trade out.
24 June 07
I thought today was going to be uneventful, but it turns out Iraq will never be boring. While on a dismount, I saw a lady with close to 30% second/third-degree burns on her body. It looked like they were wounds that happened at least a month or so ago. She had the bandages on her body, but you could see the gaps between them and the skin healing. One of the NCOs [non-commissioned officer] had to shoot a dog because it tried to bite him. The dog had a big hole, and something came out and dangled (I really couldn't tell if it was an intestine or liver or kidney). While I was in the aid station helping one of my guys, two civilian Iraqis had to be seen because they were in a car crash. One guy had a cut across his throat, and the other had massive injuries to the face. I helped out a little bit, but I like to play an assistant role if I'm there, because they have their routines and jobs they each do. When I got done helping with the guy whose throat was cut, I took off my gloves. Then I was told to hold the other guy's head, and it was covered with blood. Luckily I was able to hold him just right, so I didn't get that much blood on me. Note to self: Wear gloves until all casualties leave the aid station. I also found out we are going to stay 48 hours at a checkpoint, which sucks because all the cold water becomes hot on the second day; 24 hours is so much better, whatever. I talked to the chaplain a bit to see what his advice is about my wife's situation. He told me they could send me back, based on my family contingency plan is failing, but than I would be chaptered out of the army. This sucks; the delivery date is so close to when we should be going home (maybe 3 weeks earlier at most)—why can't I just go home early and help my wife He told me we should talk more when I get back from this checkpoint mission so we can brainstorm. I called Carissa afterwards, and she still isn't feeling well. She was supposed to go back to her parents' yesterday (she was staying with her cousin for a little bit), but she started to feel sick. Today, while we were talking, we had to cut the conversation short because she started to feel sick again and had to go to the bathroom. I hope the doctors she's seen before can help her out.
28 June 07
Where the hell did the time go I honestly thought today was the 24th. Well, we were out at a checkpoint for a couple of days. Sometimes it really sucks to be stuck in a truck for 48 hours, but being in that kind of position, you start to think and think and continue to think until you're back in your room, where you have some form of entertainment. While I was in deep thought, I saw a convoy pass by on the highway, and I kind of thought about the bigger picture; at first glance, being stuck at the checkpoint looked like we were being punished, but as I watched the convoys travel back and forth with supplies, you wonder, what would happen if we weren't here Would these guys have a safe route for the area we are covering Would it be laid with IEDs Sometimes while I was up in the turret, some of the guys passing by in their turrets would wave, like saying hi. It sort of made me appreciate what I was actually doing at that time. Then, between some of my thoughts, we started to have a debate, if wearing a rubber while having sex constituted that you were cheating if a person was in a relationship. Yeah, tell me about it—really stupid! But I guess that's what happens when people are totally bored. But I was on the side that any time there is sexual contact, it would be perceived as cheating. So we came to a compromise at the end; in any given relationship, if both parties are allowed to conduct the same activities without the other calling foul, then it would not be looked at as cheating. After that, I started to read some of the books I brought (of course it was during my off time). My wife sent me a really good one; it is called "Christian Family Guide to Parenting a Toddler." I read a lot of parenting books—I think it helps me out. I don't parent based on what the book says but how I personally feel about the situation; I suppose you can call them good helpful guides. It sort of helps me prepare for any given event I wasn't ready for. Hey, I found out we are done with missions on October 31. Hell yeah!—that's freakin' awesome. Of course, I won't be there for my son's birth, but as soon as I get to base, I'm leaving to go pick my family up in Texas. I'm going to try to surprise Carissa, leave a day earlier then what I tell her, drive to her parents' house from the airport, and show up in my dress greens at the door (with a bouquet of flowers, of course). I hope it turns out that way, because I think she would really like it. I forgot to mention that Carissa realized it was the traveling that was making her sick. She talked with her parents, and she decided the best thing was to stay over there, because they could help with Emily.
10 July 07
I thought I was going to die of humidity today. We went to a checkpoint on Peggy and dismounted to some houses to the south of it. As we passed a cornfield, the humidity jumped 150%. I started to sweat and sweat, and it wouldn't stop. When we got to the house, I tried to find a breeze, but there was none. So I went into a room and took all my gear off, including my ACU [army combat uniform] top. I know we are not supposed to do that, but I started to get dizzy and it was hard to breathe, so I had to. I just laid on the floor the whole time the Lt. was talking to the people. Problem was, I kept sweating and it wouldn't stop. It looked like I jumped in a canal. I ran out of water, too, which sucked. Finally we headed back to the BP, and I was ahead of the pack because I didn't want to have to deal with the humidity again. When I got inside my truck, the A/C actually felt cool; now, there was no change to the warm air it blows out—it's just my body was warmer. The whole reason we had to go to the houses south of the BP was because the head of JAM (Jaish al-Mahdi) and the Islamic Army in that area came to the BP and said Al Qaeda was taking over their houses and they wanted our help because they heard about the Sunnis to the northwest and how they were cooperating with the U.S. It's funny how when they are getting their butts kicked, they come to us. One of the soldiers said, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." To show that they were telling the truth, they brought their weapons to the BP and said more will come. If this is at all true, I wonder how long it will last. That's why the Lt. had to talk with the people to see what was going on. I wonder, will this unite the Iraqi people
18 July 07
Today I got extremely pissed off with some things that happened. We were clearing the reed line around what is going to be a new checkpoint. After we were done, we came back on the road, and I saw what looked to be an IED. (It was a half-buried MRE [meals ready to eat] box with a rock on top.) I yelled it out loud and started to move the truck that was closest to it away. After observing it, the decision was made to shoot at it. Nothing happened. Our trucks moved past it to secure more of the road ahead. I had a gut feeling things didn't feel right, so I got out of the truck and gathered the IA soldiers that were with us. We searched for a command wire but didn't find one. The IAs are more familiar with IEDs than we are, so I tried my best to ask if they could look at it closer. They didn't understand, so I called for the translator to speak to them. They told us it is better not to get too close, because they believed it was an IED. The lieutenant told me it wasn't an IED, and I asked him, "Are you 51% sure" He said yes, because nothing happened after we shot at it. He then told me, which got me pissed off, it doesn't matter, 'cause if something happens, oh well. I saw a guy die because of one of these things, and he says oh well. I wasn't allowed to try to uncover it myself. (I wonder why, if it wasn't an IED.) We had repositioned ourselves away from the box when I got the idea of taking a photo of it, but it was too late—we were too far and about to move again. I wish I'd been able to take a photo. So nothing happened. Later I was told by the platoon sergeant I needed to be more tactful when speaking with higher-ranking officers, and even after I explained myself, I was still told I was in the wrong. I have 4 months to survive this place, and I am going to approach the situations I find myself in as needed, with or without being tactful. I made a decision to talk to the 1st sergeant about what went on today. In the end I hope it isn't an IED, because I would rather be wrong than right…. A rocket just missed the FOB and landed to our south. Honestly, I didn't even hear it; I guess my headphones were too loud…. I spoke with the 1st sergeant about what happened, and he told me he understood my concern but that at the time the lieutenant was the commander on ground and he had the final decision. I didn't argue with him, because I knew he was right, but my gut feeling still didn't feel right about the box….
It's been a week or so since the incident, and we headed back to the same spot for the emplacement of a new battle position nearby. I had told one of the squad leaders, "If I see that damn box, I'm opening it up." He thought I was playing, but I was serious. Well, we walked by the spot, and there was no box with a rock on top, but in the same spot the ground had very loose dirt compared to the compacted dirt around it. Doesn't mean anything was buried, but it could be an indication. Anyways, it doesn't matter, because at least there wasn't anything there.
15 Nov 07 (back home)
Well, I got back in the States on Oct 30 (my wife's birthday). It took about seven days altogether to get back because of plane flight delays and travel. I left a week earlier than my platoon, which was cool because I was on the first main body flight home, but I left without my guys and in the care of a medic they didn't know. I knew the medic from AIT, and his NCOs said he was a great medic, so I wasn't too worried, but I felt sort of bad for not staying to the very end with my guys. When I found out the day I was actually leaving for FOB Striker, my wife told me she would be in New York to meet me at the welcome-home ceremony. I was excited to find that her and the kids would be there. She said she wanted to tell me because she knew I would just leave and go home if I thought she was still in Texas—she knows me too well. We got to stop in Shannon, Ireland, for our layover, but we weren't allowed to drink. Oh, well. I went to their duty-free store; it was pretty big. I got Emily (my daughter) an Irish doll and Jacob (our newborn) a little rugby football. For Carissa, I got a Christmas ornament (which is a tradition of ours). It is two doves facing each other with a Christmas tree in between them. When I got to the cashier, I had a bunch of the POG money they use on the FOBs for change, since coins are too heavy to send over. He thought it was money used in the Iraqi economy. I asked if he wanted them, because I wasn't going to use them; he said yeah. Man, the euro sucks, because it's more than the dollar. The stuff I bought was 18 euros; when the cashier switched it to the U.S. dollar, it turned to about $30 bucks. I was able to go on the Internet and check my email, which was pretty cool. I also bought my brother a plane ticket to Texas, because he is going to spend Christmas with us at the in-laws' house. I think it's cool, because we are all going to go hunting, and it should be a lot of fun. I'm happy the Lujans invited him. When we landed at Fort Drum, it was a sight for sore eyes. Everyone was happy/excited/relieved. When we were in formation at the welcome-home ceremony, I spotted Carissa and the kids right away. It took about 10 minutes for the ceremony to end, and I went straight to them. Emily didn't really recognize me, but she came up and gave me a hug. It was funny, because she was looking around to how other people were reacting to me, and she sort of came up and gave me a light hug. She grew so much. Carissa looked beautiful, of course. Jacob looks like a tan version of me when I was a baby. For Halloween, Emily was Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz," and Jacob was the Lion. It has taken Emily a while to get used to me, but when her mommy is around, I become almost obsolete. It's OK, because they only had each other while I was gone for 15 months. It's great to be home, and I take each day one day at a time.


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Windows Puts Microsoft 2 Steps Ahead, Xbox 1 Step Behind
Apr 20, 2012 10:51 AM PT
Microsoft reported higher than expected earnings Thursday, with Windows 7 license sales up despite the company's plan to release a new version of its desktop operating system later this year.
The company's PC division gained 4 percent from a year ago, earning US$4.6 billion in revenue. The gain was in part thanks to an uptick in businesses buying Windows 7 licenses, Microsoft said. Forty percent of enterprise desktop PCs worldwide now run on Windows 7, the company stated.
Overall, Microsoft posted revenue of $17.41 billion for its third fiscal quarter, a 6 percent jump from the year before. Its reported net income of $5.1 billion, or 60 cents per share, compared to $5.23 billion a year ago.
The Entertainment and Devices division at Microsoft, which claims Xbox, Windows Phone and Skype, reported revenue of $1.62 billion, a loss of 16 percent. It also saw a $229 million operating loss, while a year ago it reported a $210 million profit. A steep drop in Xbox sales was partly to blame, although Microsoft reminded investors that the Xbox is still the top-selling console in the U.S.
Lucky No. 7
Microsoft's relatively strong showing in Windows licenses for PCs was especially good news for the company. Various industry leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, have speculated that the rapid ascent of tablet devices such as the iPad and growing reliance on smartphones is taking a chunk out of the market. Microsoft's earnings revealed that there is still a demand for the company's core product, said Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Partners.
"The whole notion that the PC market is dying is overdone," Gillis told the E-Commerce Times. "They're selling a million PCs a day."
Though Microsoft has held fast in the PC sector, it's had less success in mobile markets such as tablets and phones. That could change when Windows 8, the revamped operating system, makes its debut.
The company hasn't announced an official release date for the product but has said it should be out by late this year. The company has already released a public beta of the OS for PCs.
Windows 8's interface is intended to be more easily applied to touch products like tablets, but Thursdays earnings suggest Windows 7 hasn't been forgotten in the run-up to its eventual replacement.
"Microsoft isn't really banking on Windows 8," said Gillis. "They're refreshing a product line. To say they're really banking on Windows 8 for business to improve isn't fair to 7. Forty percent of PCs are running on 7, and there are still plenty of opportunities for it, even while the current refresh continues."
Enterprise is crucial to the continued growth of Windows 7, but the earnings also showed businesses are still content with Microsoft in other areas, said Gillis. The Server & Tools business had a 14 percent increase from a year before, reporting a $4.57 billion revenue on the quarter.
"IT managers say they're the leader in cloud computing, and they're quickly growing in service and tools," said Gillis.
Entertainment Down
In previous quarters, Microsoft had been able to rely on Xbox 360 and Kinect, a sensor device for gaming, for solid gains. Recently, though, the gaming market has made larger strides in mobile areas.
Microsoft sold 1.4 million Xbox consoles in the first three months of the year, a 48 percent drop from a year ago. For customers still looking to play on a console, though, most aren't looking any further than the Xbox 360.
"Xbox is getting a little old, but it's still the No. 1-selling gaming console," said Gillis. "And it's been that way for 15 months straight."
Microsoft acknowledged that the console market is currently weak, but it said its new content partners and experiences for Xbox Live members would keep the product a top seller. Recent moves to provide television entertainment through the Xbox 360 indicate Microsoft is positioning the device as a more centralized entertainment console rather than something used only for gaming.
"The console generation is really old," Ted Pollak, senior gaming analyst at Jon Peddie Research, told the E-Commerce Times. "Gaming is limited, and there are so many choices with connected living room experiences that this form factor is on its way out."
Microsoft didn't respond to our requests for comment on the earnings.


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After suffering through what could best be described as a challenging few years when it comes to supplying corn and soybean seed for U.S. producers, there's a cautious optimism as this year's supply makes its way through the supply chain and ultimately to producers' planters for the 2014 growing season.
"We feel very positive about this year's corn seed supply," says Matthew Brandt, corn pricing lead for Monsanto. "Conditioning and packaging of our seed crops is underway now, and with harvest coming to a close, early indications are that we're hitting and even exceeding our production targets in some hybrids."
Scott Beck, vice president of Beck's Hybrids, says this year's weather patterns were generally favorable, as opposed to the drought and excessive heat experienced last year.
"Our seed supply looks very good, with seed yields and test weights above average," Beck says. "As the seed comes through husk and sort, the seed quality looks excellent, with very little evidence of insect pressure. We were very fortunate this year to have cool temperatures during pollination. Weather conditions were ideal for seed production."
Dan Case, DuPont Pioneer supply planning manager, says, "The cooler-than-normal temp-eratures seemed to delay the progression of the crop about one or two weeks behind what we would expect in a season with normal growing degree unit accumulation. However, this meant that a good majority of the crop flowered under conditions that were much less stressful from a heat standpoint, which lends itself to good pollination and kernel set."
And the late extreme heat, which generally occurred after pollination, actually helped mature the crop and enabled plants to catch up, from a development standpoint.
Soybean seed production is also moving along, although planting delays in some areas of the country may impact final seed production.
"Some areas in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota saw planting delayed beyond normal planting windows," Case says. "But beans are quite resilient; just a little bit of rain at the right time can have a significantly positive impact on the crop, and we have seen that in some areas. The balance of our seed acres looks to be in good shape this year, and I am anticipating good yields and quality."
Hot corn hybrids
It's not surprising that the newest corn genetics and trait packages are in high demand. Producers continue to clamor for the latest product offerings, which is reflected in the early-season bookings. Top on the list are hybrids with multiple modes of pest control, drought resistance and specific trait packages, as well as combined refuge products.
"Syngenta began gearing up production for our trait packages well in advance of the selling season by ramping up production early," says Pat Steiner, head of Syngenta's corn portfolio. "This ramp-up combined with a great growing season should go a long way toward meeting customer demand."
Jeff Hartz, director of marketing at Wyffels Hybrids, is seeing a shift to corn hybrids with dual modes of action. "The dual modes of action provide more durability to the control of pests like corn rootworm. There can be confusion with some technologies over what is required for refuge with each of them," he says. "Products with multiple modes of action both above- and belowground are available in lower refuge-in-bag blends, and a grower is not required to plant any additional structured refuge. They're convenient and protect more acres from more pests."
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Tom Strachota, general manager for Dairyland Seed, says the stacked-trait refuge product lineup is up dramatically for 2014.
"This is the product in greatest demand by growers. We have emphasized these stacks in our production plan, as they are strong genetics which keep refuge and compliance simple for our customers," he says.
Strachota also says there is a smaller, yet firm, demand for conventional hybrids.
Specific soybean products
For soybeans, seed suppliers continue to see increased demand for the newest technology traits combined with the latest genetic packages.
"Across the board, growers are asking for soybeans that will maximize yield under the particular growing conditions and agronomic challenges found in their fields," says Andre Trepanier, DuPont Pioneer senior marketing manager for soybeans. "We have expanded our elite product offerings and trait packages across more maturity zones."
Doug Tigges, soybean product manager with Syngenta, says the latest genetics are normally most popular, "especially when it comes to the newest herbicide-tolerant traits."
Word of advice: Order early
It's advice that's given every year, but bears repeating: To ensure you get the products you want, in the trait and genetic packages you desire for your acreage, order early. Seed companies have product available, but don't be surprised if quantities are limited for some of the newest or most popular product offerings.
"We continue to recommend early ordering to growers who want particular products or technologies," says Chris Garvey, general manager for Mycogen Seeds. "It helps ensure they are able to get the right products to maximize the potential of their acres."
Although a late harvest could delay some seed orders as producers make final evaluations, opening up the lines of communication is a great first step.
"Farmers should talk with their dealers or sales reps and order early to help maximize their ability to get the products that are their first or second choice," Brandt says.
Ordering early also helps producers take advantage of the many early-order discounts offered by the various seed companies. That's nothing new, but the pace of early orders continues to creep earlier and earlier in the fall.
You can also expect a slight price increase in seed next year — in the 3% to 5% range, according to those interviewed — although the increase is weighted more heavily toward the latest offerings. And it's possible that some seed packages will see no price increase compared to last year.
"Overall, the seed price is up over 2013," Strachota says. "But it's not every product. It's a product-by-product change — some are up, and some are equal to last year."


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Rhinitis is a reaction that happens in the eyes, nose, and throat when allergens in the air trigger the release of histamine in the body. Histamine causes itching, swelling, and fluid to build up in the fragile linings of nasal passages, sinuses, and eyelids.
Allergic rhinitis can happen on a seasonal basis or year-round. Year-round allergic rhinitis happens more often in younger children. There is usually a family history of allergic rhinitis.
The most common causes of allergic rhinitis in children are:
Children with asthma are at a higher risk for rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis is a common problem that may be linked to asthma. However, this link is not fully understood. Experts think that since rhinitis makes it hard to breathe through the nose, it is harder for the nose to work normally. Breathing through the mouth does not warm, filter, or humidify the air before it enters the lungs. This can make asthma symptoms worse.
Controlling asthma may help control allergic rhinitis in some children.
The following are the most common symptoms of allergic rhinitis. However, each child may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
Children with year-round allergic rhinitis may also have these symptoms:
The symptoms of allergic rhinitis may look like other conditions or medical problems. Always talk with your child's healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
Your child's healthcare provider will figure out the best treatment for your child based on:
The symptoms of allergic rhinitis sometimes look like other conditions or medical problems. Always see your child's healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
Treatment choices for rhinitis may include:
Preventive measures for avoiding allergic rhinitis include:
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