Articles

NetStart, a Adelaide-based software developer, appears to have a winner on the table with MenuPad, an iPad app that allows restaurant customers to swipe through screens of food choices and place their order in a wireless, oh-so-geeky way.

With help from an Australian telescope, an international team of scientists extracted data from a quirky little quasar and concluded that cosmic dinosaurs called radio galaxies were far more powerful than originally thought. These mega-black holes sent out radio-emitting jets that transmitted energy to gas that formed the raw material for the creation of stars. Freakin' cool, yeah?

Microsoft Australia is giving away a $25,000 wedding and honeymoon package. The catch -- the groom has to plan the wedding in five days using a PC packed with Microsoft products. And yes, Microsoft Australia sent an application to the bluebloods in Windsor. No word on whether William has applied.

A zoologist-turned-primary teacher who worked to bring real science experiments back into the classroom has received one of the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science. Dr. Matthew McCloskey is the director of studies at Sydney Grammar's Edgecliff Preparatory School. Through his efforts, students in kindergarten through Year Six are taught hands-on science at least once a week.

If you’re a Seinfeld fan, you will remember the demented antics of the bedeviling Kramer with his catch phrase, “Giddyup!” (as in, quicken the pace, quit hesitating and dare yourself to put all that you have into it). In today’s marketing world, marketers have more incentive than ever to dare themselves. It's called inbound marketing.

You’ll hear plenty of SEO specialists and your friendly neighbourhood search engine hobbyists touting the phrase, “Write for people, not search engines”. What a load of crock. What’s the point of writing for visitors if you have none?

Remember when your parents said, “Money doesn't grow on trees” or “A penny saved is a penny earned”? Employees and business owners need to re-visit these old truisms. Carelessness, complacency and failing to ask the right questions of staff and customers has resulted in Australian companies paying dearly in both time and money, according to Catherine DeVrye.

Have your competitors already started singing ‘Tis the Season’ to woo customers? As the battle for shoppers heats up, there’s a better way for retailers to give themselves an added advantage: attracting new customers, generating repeat business, and improving campaign analytics with easy-to-execute mobile marketing programs. Nishma Shah explains three simple methods for targeting mobile users.

Last week, Kevin Lovewell emphasised the importance of undergoing a business valuation, noting how the large share of business value today is based on intangibles off the balance sheet. Here in Part Two, he reviews the specific methods for performing a valuation based on one of two measurements: the physical assets of the company and the cash flows the company provides to the owners.

This is one of the few times that Facebook has created something specifically for the small business sector. It also offers a firm answer to those who still today believe that Facebook is not relevant to their business because they operate in the real world.

One of the most misunderstood areas of online marketing is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). The main aim of SEO is often forgotten: to build traffic from your target audience and increase action on your website. If you understand this, you’re off to a good start. But if your attitude is, “I want to rank first NOW!” you may want to quit while you’re ahead.

Unlike most award programs recognising the achievements of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs, we didn't want the 5over50 to simply provide another round of accolades for the same small set of already well-known industry leaders. Our inaugural 50ver50 winners are five inspiring people who have uprooted their lives to pursue entrepreneurial ventures, out of both passion and necessity.

How much is your business worth? There are some fundamental truths about undertaking a business valuation. In this first of a three-part series, Kevin Lovewell provides a simple explanation of business valuation methodologies and debunks some of the myths surrounding valuation techniques.

If you are like most online entrepreneurs, you're probably obsessing about traffic without giving conversions a second thought. But what most website owners don’t realise is that their profits (what they actually can take home) can be multiplied many fold by giving conversions the attention it deserves.

She’s never attended business school, nor does she have a history of entrepreneurship. While it is easy to question her outlandish costumes, her repetitive child-like lyrics, and her over-the-top media stunts, it is hard to ignore her obvious musical talent and her ability to be at the right place at the right time with the right tune.

Oscar Wilde once said, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” There is one worse thing. And that's leaving a lasting impression that mysteriously makes people not want to even think about you at all.

The music industry's backlash against Auto-Tune is well-documented, though it reportedly endures on countless CDs and on every episode of "Glee." LaDiDa isn't designed to be insidious; it's tech is actually quite cool. The user chooses a musical tempo and style, then serenades the iPhone or iPad. The app uses the voice to compose a melody. Think of it as karaoke in reverse.

Among the CEOs of the nation's top 200 companies, only six are women, according to a recent survey. There are only five female chairwomen in those companies, and just 8 percent of key management positions held by women. And things are unlikely to change soon.

ZenithOptimedia’s "6 Beers of Separation" campaign for Tooheys Extra Dry grabbed a silver award, and Visual Jazz picked up bronze for its “Dance Off 3D” campaign for fashion retailer Jay Jays at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s MIXX Awards in New York.

Earlier this month, Twitter announced a shake-up at the top. CEO and co-founder Evan Williams stepped down and was replaced by COO Richard Costolo. Trouble in tweet-land? If it wants to reach its goal one billion users (and actually make some coin), things will need to change.