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1. The next 15 trends in social networking

There is no hotter trend in the internet, marketing and media space than social networking. What started out as a way for ‘cool kids’ to talk to each other has now become essential part of every company’s marketing strategy.  ...

2. 30 hot entrepreneurs aged 30 and under

They are young, smart and come from industries as diverse as IT, fashion and agriculture. BRAD HOWARTH profiles 30 hot young entrepreneurs aged 30 years and under. By Brad Howarth    

3. Australia’s top web 2.0 entrepreneurs

The search for Australia’s best and brightest web 2.0 entrepreneurs reveals a tangled web of companies, individuals and technologies reports BRAD HOWARTH, tied together through an equally complex web of professional relationships and friendships. By Brad Howarth

4. How do I use social media to shamelessly market my business?

The wonderful world of the web these days (WEB2.0) enables us to touch base with our customers/potential customers in a soft way, build up trust, get creative with content, have the freedom to add and change information on our websites and blogs plus drive traffic to places we want it most - all for the cost of our own time. Social media is one of the most powerful ways to do this right now. Okay, so I'm always looking for quirky and powerful ways to market the business online (an...

5. The power of crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing sites allows SMEs to slash their costs on everything from design work to IT jobs by tapping into global online markets of freelance professionals. As JAMES THOMSON explains, it’s quick, easy and oh-so web 2.0.By James Thomson

6. Social central

Bebo, one of the most popular social networking sites, has 40 million registered members. Founders Michael and Xochi Birch tolk to JACQUI WALKER about web trends and priorities for the future. By Jacqui Walker  

7. Software – hardwired!

Scott Farquhar tells how, with partner Mike Cannon-Brookes, he built the enterprise software house Atlassian to a global operation turning over $22 million. By JACQUI WALKER.

8. The 15 most influential people in Australian IT

They are the titans of Australia's tech sector – the regulators, executives and entrepreneurs who decide the shape of our tech sector. For the second year running, SmartCompany set out to find the 15 most influential people in Australian IT, judging them on criteria such as their involvement across t...

9. Our top 10 digital entrepreneurs

The hardest part about compiling a list of Australia’s digital entrepreneurs was to narrow it to just 10. By BRAD HOWARTH. By Brad HowarthWho are Australia’s emerging digital entrepreneurs, making their mark across the world, ...

10. I need a good feedback tool. Help!

Following on from last time, here's another website feedback tool for you to consider. It's called Kampyle and it's useful because people are able to rate your site and tell you what they really think... (Scary huh!...

11. Life of a bum

Aussie Bum, which is a men’s swimming and underwear company that has gone worldwide very quickly. It started in 2001 and it’s already turning over $20 million. Founder Sean Ashby talks to AMANDA GOME. Sean Ashby is 40, and is famous for...

12. Google changes SEO game once again with home page screenshot

Online businesses are being warned to prepare to change their SEO strategies yet again, with Google launching another update for its search results page which allows users to view a quick preview screenshot of every listed site. Experts warn this change could actually alter how businesses approach online search rankings, but also impacts design. The feature comes after Google has introduced both the Instant and Google Places updates in an attempt to pack in as much information as possibl...

13. Sitepoint: Ideas = exchange = business

Web 2.0 pioneer Mark Harbottle, 35, is changing direction, and has has started another business, 99designs.com, from an idea that grew out of his forums. By AMANDA GOME By Amanda Gome   Web ...

14. The manager’s guide to social media

Once limited to hushed exchanges in the break room, employees have more venues to complain than ever. Web 2.0 tools have created a virtual water cooler and employees' gossip - about everything from how managers handle layoffs to organising company social functions - can instantly reach an opinionated, enabling and often highly reactionary audien...

15. The next 15 trends in social networking

This article first appeared July 14, 2009. There is no hotter trend in the internet, marketing and media space than social networking. What started out as a way for 'cool kids' to talk to each other has now become essential part of every company's marketing strategy. A recent report from analyst firm IDC shows the market for enter...

16. Furniture sells online

Dean Ramler is not only proving that people do buy furniture online but is building a successful business around it. By PATRICK STAFFORDBy Patrick StaffordDesigner furnit...

17. Outlook 2009: What smart companies must do now

In a special end-of-year discussion, SmartCompany editor James Thomson and publisher Amanda Gome take a look at the trends and opportunities that we will emerge in 2009, which promises to be a difficult but exciting year.

18. Bank targets Gen-Y with social networking savings account

An online banking group has managed to combine finance and social networking by allowing users to display their savings goals and status on their Facebook or MySpace page.   US-based company SmartyPig has teamed up with ANZ to deliver what it calls a “virtual bank account,” into which the family and friends of users can also contribute money through the Facebook widget. SmartyPig users flag savings goals in their account of a certain amount. The user can then ch...

19. Nick Holmes à Court

Nick Holmes à Court is the chief executive of BuzzNumbers, a social media monitoring agency that specialises in helping clients analyse how their brand is being discussed on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Holmes à Court, who shares o...

20. Why Pinterest isn’t just another social network

“I’m still trying to understand the whole thing but there must be something to it. It’s really popular!” That’s my sister-in-law writing on Facebook in late January about Pinterest – one of the real up-and-comers in the world of social media. In case you haven’t succumbed, Pinterest is a virtual pin...

21. Social central

Bebo, one of the most popular social networking sites, has 40 million registered members. Founders Michael and Xochi Birch talk to JACQUI WALKER about web trends and priorities for the future. By Jacqui Walker  

22. The digital dozen: Our next wave of entrepreneurs

Each year the technology sector produces a handful of new companies with the potential to go on to make it big. Here are 12 stand-outs. By BRAD HOWARTH.By Brad HowarthEach year the tec...

23. Tweet your way to marketing success

Social networking giant Twitter has grown from an internet gimmick into a full-blown marketing tool. For SMEs, being able to spread your message and sell to millions of people with no cash required is an offer too good to refuse. Twitter may be known as a single website, but really operates as millions of public conversations between users all ...

24. Australia’s best government grants

If there’s one thing businesses like more than winning a new deal, it’s free money. Countless SMEs have been able to accelerate their growth plans, enter new markets and develop new products by accessing much-needed government grants and support programs. But despite the hundreds of grants available for small bus...

25. Australians’ long commutes renew call for flexible working

The average Australian spends 27 minutes getting to work every day and they're stressed, exhausted and certainly not ready to work by the time they get there, a new survey argues. Experts say the survey suggests businesses should consider flexible working practices – including the possibility of working from home – in order to reduce the amount of stress and detractors from morale in the workplace. "It depends on the business," Skye Recruitment co-founder and chief executive...

26. Is your web designer the right person to guide your online p

In this blog some months ago, we attempted to demystify the web industry by providing a framework for web professionals and thereby explaining who was who in the web zoo, and who you should be talking to about your web presence. As the web continues to grow and evolve and new terms are invented for new roles, it's easy for the poor smaller business operator to feel overwhelmed by who exactly they are talking to and exac...

27. How I ran a word-of-mouth campaign

Word-of-mouth marketing firm TGarage was founded by William Saxton, Roger Lowe and Paul Rhodes after they discovered the power of using Web 2.0 in conjunction with traditional marketing techniques. The company offers a number of services including SEO, reputation management and social media marketing. Rhodes says small businesses...

28. It’s her online baby

Find A Babysitter has been such a runaway success that founder Delia Timms says the online model is suitable to many markets. Her online network of carers, which started out with baby steps, is now is driving her company along.

29. Emma Brown

Having trouble managing your time? So am I, but here are some tricks I've learnt to make life a little easier.Reclaiming your timeI’ve just returned from a retreat in the Whitsundays (it’s a hard life!) with a small group of entrepreneu...

30. Rohit Bhargava

Today on Lunch with an Entrepreneur we're talking to social networking expert Rohit Bhargava. He writes the Influential Marketing Blog, ranked by Ad Age as one of the top 50 marketing blogs in the world and is author for Ogilvy Worldwide. He talks to Amanda Gome about social networking, the biggest mistakes businesses have made and some of...

31. Bebo's social science

Social networking is huge, and the name behind one of the biggest, Bebo, is Francisco Cordero. He tells JACQUI WALKER all about the networking revolution and Bebo's place in it. Francisco Cordero (right)...

32. Start-up champion

Ivan Kaye advises and invests in high-tech start-ups, a space shunned by most venture capitalists. By Amanda GomeIvan Kaye is a rare breed in Australia. The former accountant runs advisory company BSI and two venture capital ...

33. Web trends revealed

It's hard to keep up with the latest web trends, but harder still to plan for the future. Sitepoint's Mark Harbottle tells AMANDA GOME what he sees in the telescope. Several readers have posed intriguing questions. See inside for Mark's answers. Email you

34. 30 entrepreneur mistakes

The smartest entrepreneurs still do all the dumb things. Here’s a list - and the lessons.Tougher times are coming. Australians have enjoyed boom conditions for more than 15 years and there is little doubt change lies ahead. But tougher conditions can be...

35. Ford – a strong social media personality

I am a BIG lover of the Ford brand. What they are doing on the social media space simply raises my heart rate above 100BPM! While GM and Chrysler are following a more traditional brand voice, Ford are truly reaping the rewards through their social media strategy. Recently, Scott Monty (head of social media for Ford Motor Company)

36. Australians spent one-third of leisure time online

The average Australian now spends an hour-and-a-half of their leisure time online each day, according to a recent global digital study conducted by market information group TNS.   The Digital World, Digital Life study, which investigated online behaviour, found that Australians spend one-third of their leisure time online. A total of 27,522 people aged 18 to 55 years were interviewed online in 16 countries for the study at the end of 2008. Director of technology res...

37. The new mentoring models

In the post global financial crisis environment, the world of mentoring has changed. Career structures and expectations have been transformed over the last three years and three new models of mentoring have emerged. Reverse mentoring Traditionally, mentoring has been about the older wiser person who has been around the block a f...

38. Amanda Gome

Don’t rush into Web 2.0 – while we love the idea, the consequences can be dire. By Amanda GomeWeb two point uh-oh!It’s extremely unfashionable but I’m calling it: Web 2.0’s days are numbered.

39. What's the one thing I should do to raise capital?

Earlier this week I had a talk with an entrepreneur (we'll call him Ben) who has developed very interesting internet technology in the Web 2.0 space. I think that he's really onto something and he has the perfect experience to take such a company forward. Ben contacted me to get advice on raising equity capital. Ben is very, very passionate about this business, and he certainly convinced me that the technology was in the 'hot and sexy' category Here's how the conversation went...

40. Service Central learns a traffic lesson

Young entrepreneur Danial Ahchow has built a thriving online marketplace of service providers in less than five years. In the midst of a skills shortage, Service Central is now pushing hard into other markets, and plans to double turnover to $16 million nBy Jacqui Walker

41. Gold class

42. How to build online communities

When Alfred Milgrom started Zazz.com.au, he came at the concept armed with an arsenal of experience in building a business online. He tells AMANDA GOME about the next essential element in his success – his community. By Amanda Gome

43. Five biggest mega-trends of 2007… and what’s on for 2008

The movers and shakers had a big year in 2007 – doing business will never be the same. But, as MIKE PRESTON reports, it’s no good getting too comfortable. The trend for next year is for even greater moving and bigger shaking. Stay tuned... By Mike Preston

44. Web 2.0: the new divide

Savvy SMEs are harnessing Web 2.0 to attract and interact with customers. It is technology other firms are ignoring at their peril. By BRAD HOWARTH. By Brad HowarthThe business world is fast dividing between those who “get” Web 2.0 and internet marketing and those who do not. While many businesses are embracing new technology and consumer empowerment, some are being completely left behind, with their heads in the sand. But most busines...

45. Survival of the fittest

IT solutions entrepreneur Dave Stevens found a niche that was underserviced, and has grown his business out of that to a $33 million success. He shares his story with JACQUI WALKER. IT entrepreneur Dave Stevens started Brennan IT and Secure Tele...

46. Online advertising in a downturn

If you haven’t heard it already, the next 12 months are going to be tough for online businsses – especially if your revenue depends in anyway on advertising. But the p...

47. Make it free, and make money

In an increasingly tough economic climate, so many companies are using technology and ideas to create free products and services that it is changing business models and the economy. It even has its own name: Freeconomics. EMILY ROSS explainsBy Emily Ross

48. Web 2.0: Our winning ways

Future Exploration Network’s Ross Dawson tells AMANDA GOME the good news about Australia and web 2.0 – how businesses will benefit, the major trends, and the risks.By Amanda Gome

49. Social science

Social networking is huge, and the name behind one of the biggest, Bebo, is Francisco Cordero. He tells JACQUI WALKER all about the networking revolution and Bebo's place in it. Francisco Cordero...

50. ENTREPRENEUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: Suzi Dafnis

Suzi Dafnis is 41 years old, a marketing guru, and burst on to the BRW Rich List with a worth of $14 million. She founded Pow Wow Events and now runs the Australian Businesswomen's Network.Suzi Dafnis is 41 years old, a marketing guru, and burst on to the BRW Rich List with a worth of $14 million. She founded Pow Wow Events and now runs the Australian Businesswomen's Network.Here are her hopes for 2009.Connect more with my tribe...