Natalie Chandler

We won’t hold it against you if you find wireless networking a bit of a head-scratcher. All this talk of WiFi, WiMAX, Bluetooth, 3G, 802.11, 802.16… What the huh? We're glad you asked.

Research analysts Gartner may not be the first company that comes to mind when you think of cool. Despite this, it recently released its 2011 Cool Vendors research series, recognising vendors delivering innovative technologies and services. In what seems to be developing into a patriotic-pride inducing trend, five Australian companies made the grade, including Peoplestreme, Hagrid Solutions, C3 Business Solutions, Totally Optimized Projects, and Virtual Ark.

Earlier this year, accounting software provider MYOB partnered up with Google to provide free websites, domains and hosting to small businesses in Australia using its MYOB Atlas website creation tool. Now, in what appears to be a game of business-model-swapsies, domain and hosting company Netregistry has teamed up with Reach Accounting to offer free cloud-based accounting software. So, MYOB is offering free internet services to win paying accounting customers, while Netregistry is offering free accounting services to win paying internet customers. What the!?

Brand creation’s a slippery little sucker. The second you get the lay of the land, the rules change. Again. Fortunately new Australian business Remarqueble has come up with a simple way to do just that. The Melbourne-based company has built some very clever technology that’s helping small-to-medium enterprises and large law firms alike to stake their branding claim in an increasingly digital landscape.

Earlier this week, Australian company Dealised, which peddles group-buying platforms, pocketed a cool $5 million in funding from global big-wig SingTel Innov8 and Perth-based venture capital firm Yuuwa Capital LP to assist with its development and international expansion. We've said it before and we'll say it again: In the event of a gold rush, don't start digging. Start selling shovels!

When your family and friends are scattered across the globe, your phone bill can quickly become the stuff of nightmares.

Poor old Bluetooth. For a while now it’s been misappropriated by loud, shouty types stomping up the high street fog-horning ‘Buy! Buy! SELL!’ into their ear pieces. We here at Anthill -- with a liberal dollop of help from the delightful folk at Intel -- would like to reclaim Bluetooth as much more than just a conduit for idiots.

Outsourcing big kahuna Freelancer.com has finally signaled its intent to muscle in on 99design’s graphic design crowdsourcing turf, stumping up US$20,000 in cash-money for creative types. Has Australia become the new global crowdsourcing hub?

Small business owners have enough on their plates without adding IT woes to the mix – that’s why Intel recommends you have a back-up disaster plan in place so that you can minimise downtime should your technology take a tumble.

Price your product or service incorrectly and you’ll soon find yourself in a right pickle. Too high and potential customers will scamper for the door. Too low and you’re locked in to a loss maker. Traditional cost-plus pricing and value-based pricing can seem like a heady mix of math and magic. But now there’s a third option: crowdsourcing.

The only foolproof way to keep your info from being permanently available to the other WWW – the whole wide world – is to make sure it doesn’t get uploaded in the first place. Remember: those Schoolies snaps of you with sick in your hair might nibble you on the buttocks when you run for parliament further down the line.

As tempting as it is to confirm whether there’s $5 squillion sitting in the bank account of some nice old reverend from foreign climes who’s devoted his life to poor children and very cute puppies, we both know this one pongs to high heaven of over-ripe spam. But the good news is there are a number of precautions you can take to avoid scams, protect your personal information, and keep your email address safe.

Looking to offload your ‘so last season’ gadgetry and wouldn’t mind pocketing some dosh in the process? New Melbourne-based business ReGadget was recently launched to offer real cash money for an assortment of out-of-date techtastic goodies, including mobile phones. Sound frivolous? Australia is responsible for exporting e-waste to China, India and other Asian countries at an estimated worth of $20 million per annum.

Bold statement alert: Everybody lives by selling something. Why then do so many of us leave the sales process to chance? It’s interesting that the majority of Australian business leaders - whether from big business or the SME sector - all experience similar challenges with sales planning, sales prospecting and sales communication. Many businesses lack robust sales processes for its products, services and people - this is a big business blunder.

As anyone who’s had the flu knows, viruses are no walk in the park. Then spare a thought for your poor old computer, which may be at risk of picking up bugs from other infected systems and passing them on – if you haven’t protected it.

Crowd-funding, while nothing new globally, is still in its infancy in Oz. Provided it can remain on the good side of Australia’s consumer protection laws, it has the potential to go gangbusters in traditionally underfunded segments, like the arts.

Would you buy a car without researching it first? Nopes, us neither. How about a house? Ditto.

For many sales and marketing professionals, customer complaints are one of their biggest bugbears. While it’s never nice to be on the receiving end of aggro, most of the time it can be diffused (or avoided altogether) if the relationship is handled properly from the outset.

There are few fully paid up members of the ‘We Heart Gillard’ fan club among Australia’s small-to-medium enterprises, according to the April MYOB Business Monitor special report, which has found that a mere 23% would vote for the Prime Minister and her peeps if an election was held in the near future.

Being a member of Generation Y sure ain’t cheap. According to a new study by credit card big-wig American Express, Australians aged 18-24 have been priced out of owning assets that previous generations took as a given. Instead, they’re opting for the more wallet friendly renting, loaning and swapping.