Republican Branded Reality TV

My personal opinion is that I don't think the Republicans were ever planning on working together and they put in place before the election was won, a hornets nest that they knew would impact our future, but could be controlled if they got in. And considering the behavior of some of them willing to delay and waste everyones time, it just have to wonder if the strategy of the GOP is to create this environment and make us take sides and confuse us into thinking someone is the bad guy. Like Eric Cantor pretending to have short term memory asking Democratic Steny Hoyer the same question over and over again regarding reconciliation rules. The Republican party used that repeatedly when they were the majority. It's a sad day when you have the people who are responsible for crafting legislation, digging their heels pouting like a fifth grader who got cut in the first round of a spelling bee contest and they sit there in the front with their arms crossed and eyes rolling so that they distract the audience away from the rest of the spelling bee. Now I know why in Survivor when they get voted out, they have to immediately leave. Sorry Republicans, but you all are looking like New York from The Flavor Of Love after Pumpkin spit in her face.

United States of Paypal influencing your Elected Officials

This week it looks Like the Paypal Lobby, is pulling the same thing Ebay's Government Relations mainstreet program did. Wonder which piece of legislation they are trying to influence this time around. They flew seven small business owners to Washington DC.

United States of Paypal

The story goes this way:
Paypal flies em in to Capital Hill so they can be the "voice" talking about their small business and oh wait, how wonderful Paypal is to them. Can't forget that. Gotta influence something remember?

"talk about their small businesses and how PayPal is helping them to successfully transact online"

Each met with THEIR Senators and Representatives to discuss their businesses and the safety that PayPal offers to work online. Oh gee, I wonder if they got their deposit accounts raided.

Meet with undisclosed Senators and Representatives of Congress from:
Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, Texas and Utah

Remember United States of Ebay, well try United States of Paypal. I can just imagine which major pieces of legislation they're looking at. According to one Senator, their meeting was on March 10th. Some of the one I called like Republican Senator John Kyle of Arizona apparently they're not able to give out that information as to whether your elected official met anyone on your tax dollars. Newbie Utah (where Paypal has offices) Representative Jason Chaffetz's office had one even better. Off the top of my head I don't know, but we'll have to ask him if we can say.

Why would it be so difficult to just answer whether the lawmaker was part of this meeting.

The attached file names which businesses were there. Notice anything out of the ordinary? Yup, you probably don't see it. That's because you're not supposed to. Shhh It's funny how those special sellers pay off now don't it.


I wonder if this organized event qualifies as a lobbyist activity by the company. Hmm. Your tax dollars at work. Gee March 10, 2010. What else was going on around the Hill? How about the hearing: Regulation of Money Service Businesses before The Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
, which just so happens to be one of the committees I love to watch on c-span.




Left to right featured in the photo: Rob Hendley, Chris Matsakis, Bob Adams,Vipul Shah (PayPal VP), Chris Chapman, Kathy Clarke, Mike Blood, Dale Majors, Travis Ruzicka, Sam Shrauger (PayPal VP), Sam Hendley


How do you feel about special interests?
Do you think that you have access to your Senator or Representative?
Do you find it ironic that a company like Paypal, a subsidary of Ebay, Inc would be so helpful to small businesses?
See any special priviledged sellers mixed in with those everyday Joe's?

Ebay prepares itself for community muggings

Ebay decides paying for advertising is now a piece of software. About a month, maybe two ago they announced their bs "lowest fees" ever major selling change and how you can upgrade to these monthly subscriptions that are now tied to the cost you pay for advertising your product listings. These crazee prices and how you can sign up and upgrade. Then right there buried, was another fork to the spine, that they were going to tie your performance rating to whether you could maintain that advertised fee.

interesting that little tying angle.

Orchestrated mugging if you ask me. Bureaucratic thugs. Considering the current economic conditions and the solicitation calls masked as seller outreach, maybe the sellers will finally crack and they will be heard. Sadly, it will have to be painful til you get to the point where you finally organize. If any small businesses out there has a story to share about the muggings, I'd be interested in hearing it from you (not links where I have to read). I get enough, I'll send me in a little complaint.

Fees:
By using the software you agree to pay all subscription fees, if applicable, owed to eBay in connection with such use as described during the subscription process.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, you acknowledge and agree that eBay may, upon at least 30 days notice to you via email, change your eBay Stores subscription level if you do not meet eBay's then current applicable subscription requirements. Such change may increase or decrease the fees you pay eBay. You may cancel or downgrade your subscription at anytime, but Stores subscriptions are for a minimum 30-day period, and you will be billed for this period even if your subscription level is cancelled or downgraded within this period; subscription fees for subscription cancelled or downgraded after the first 30-day period will be pro-rated.

btw. I didn't get any notices to my accounts. But we all know how on top of notifications that ebay is.

Google Buzz Directory Add me list and Who to Follow

I can't locate any way to see what outlets have an active Google Buzz line but here are a few that I'm seeing. Even if you're an individual and would like a shout out, just msg me over and maybe a blurb about your interests and I'll add it. I'll add more as I have time


Google Buzz profile and link to announcement if any

TechCrunch and HUFF POST WAS ONE OF THE FIRST, KUDOS TO THEM.

https://www.google.com/profiles/huffpostbuzz
http://www.google.com/profiles/TechCrunch

02/11/2010 Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/11/first-on-the-ticker-dccc-launches-a-google-buzz/
http://www.google.com/profiles/dccc.org


2/11 National Republican Senatorial Commitee, http://www.nrsc.org/follow-nrsc.org-on-google-buzz
http://www.google.com/profiles/NRSC.org






2/11/2010 Alliance Defense Fund Now on Google Buzz, www.uslaw.com/law_blogs/?item=716012
http://www.google.com/profiles/alliancedefensefund


2/24/2010 PC Magazine, http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2360445,00.asp
http://www.google.com/profiles/pcmagbuzz


World News CNN's Christiane Amanpour (i love her interviews!)
3/7/10 www.google.com/profiles/christianeamanpourcnn





Noticeably Absent or not Participating
http://www.google.com/profiles/BuzzMarketingNYT Not interested in participating or announcing their presence

500 Rule and Peter Thiel's Facebook IPO, history repeating

I decided to post this because of a disturbing trend in my opinion of media outlets choosing which news to syndicate. This was reported on CNBC over 3 hours ago of, yet no headlines regarding it. Nothing from Dow Jones, WSJ, NYT or any other sites who regularly report about technology or Facebook. But I shouldn't be that surprised. In addition to this story, I wanted to show the similarities between what's happening with Facebook and what happened with Paypal.


On CNBC's Power Lunch this morning Melissa Francis, Dennis Kneale, Brian Shactman, CNBC Silicon Valley Bureau Chief Jim Goldman reported that Facebook may be forced to open up their books and disclose their financials due to a SEC rule, despite CEO Mark Zuckerman saying he was in no rush to file an IPO. Facebook is valued at 11.5 billion dollars

Facebook has been "cagey" about both its financials and ipo plans but according to Jim Goldman "this financial cat & mouse may be coming to a close and you can thank the the 500 investor rule"

Note: I remember when Peter Thiel with Paypal not being in any rush either. You know, Peter Thiel who has his and other former Paypal people invested in Facebook. And valuation questions back then with Paypal? Yup, it's called a quiet period where they couldn't comment.


That rule states that once you have over 500 investors and 10 million in assets, you have to file financials with the SEC. Facebook has been able to skirt that due to two reasons:

First it issues restricted stock units, keeping the actual investors low and it was able to obtain an exemption from the Securities and Exchange Commission regading those restricted shares.

A Facebook spokesperson told Jim Goldman that it was comfortable it had not tripped the 500 rule. Quote "We are comfortable the company is not at risk of tripping the "500 investor" rule"


The problem is, according to Jim Goldman is that these restricted stock units were only issued beginning in 2008, and that the company awarded stock options as late as 2007 to whom appears to be several hundred workers. And that since the SEC issued the exemption, trading in pre-IPO shares on the secondary market has soared, thus putting the exemption in jeopardy.


secondmarket.com tells Goldman that Facebook trading last year totalled 60 million in trading activity on their site. Two months into this year, trading is over 65 million. Just about everyone wants an accurate valution of the company and ipo plans.


DK: Saas Institution, one of the largest private held software companies in the world they released their results their results even though they didn't have to. The only reason to be reluctant to release your results, Jim, is because you don't have any. Maybe Facebook's profits are far less or the losses are far bigger than we realized.

JG: I think that's a really good point, remember we went through this with Google leading up to that companies IPO plans. Everyone was saying that they tripped the 500 rule and Google basically wanted to keep its financials private because they were so extraordinary and they didn't want to tip their hands to all their customers, just how much they were charging and how much it was leading to a rather swollen profit line as we all know since then. I think Facebook is a decidely different story, as you suspect. Revenues? I'm not sure how big they are, nobody seems to know accurately how much the are but we all seem to agree that the profit line is next to non-existent even though this company has been in business for so long. It's going to be a problem for these guys until people get a real idea Note: Paypal was burning through heavy losses too, including breaking the law, facilitating gambling. No risk tools in place until they had to. Chargebacks from fraud, and then seizing customer deposits. Using the stored value to hedge their risk.


DK: The fallout guys, is.. Do we think that facebook now, if it's forced to open up the financials. Do the IPO Jim? Rush up the ipo?

MF: WOW

BS: My question to Dennis or Jim is, why is this such a bad thing. Even if they're not making alot of money, don't you think there would be a huge appetitie for a piece of this company. If the market's healthy?

DK: Aren't we stung by the 2000 bubble, we bought. You know 100 times revenue for pets.com

MF: Obviously not, you have all these people trading this stock on the secondary market. But doesn't that make you a traded stock? I means it's out there, it's traded on the 2nd market. The cats out of the bag

JG: It's definitely out there and it's definitely traded and I think that's gonna problem for these guys if they try to say its not if they say its not, #1. #2,as far as the appetite for this company, we've all been out there for eyeball valuations before. The question now is does Facebook really have a nice strategy of profitability. We'll get that idea when this company opens up its books
the problem is you've got so much interest in this company right now but all that interest is based on promise and not necessary on profits


http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1434981883&play=1

I can only wonder if Peter Thiel plans to do it again, and get his hands on the stored value and when Facebook becomes the gambling parlor when internet gambling gets passed (which is soon, ask California oh hey Meg Whitman!)

Edit to include link back http://www.cnbc.com/id/35764633
----------------------------------
Restricted Stock Units since 2008
Stock options until late 2007
Secondary Maeket activity soaring

Everyone dumpster dive at an Eddie Bauers

Found over at the consumerist today. Apparently an Eddie Bauer outlet store decided not to recycle or donate the clothes but dump 'em in the rubbish

Clothing is the ultimate in being able to be re-used, to have a new life and some of us care about our environment. There's also someone in that same zip code no doubt, that could of used some of Eddie Bauer's hand-me-downs.

Maybe Eddie Bauer might want to get a little corporate consulting on being in tune with their customers. I wonder if shoppers when they look at the price tags at Eddie Bauer will question whether their markups allow them to be so disposable they can't extend any energy to call out for charity pickup or take it to a recycler. Then again, Eddie Bauer may not want to see it online discounted, which is what alot of the retailers have a gripe about

Here's Eddie Bauers corporate office number in case you can make it past a receptionist, tell them you'd like to speak to someone who handles the outlet mall regarding questionable activity. Once you get in, let err rip!

Phone: 425-755-6544
Fax: 425-755-7696
Toll Free: 800-426-6253

If you end up dumpster diving and have any finds, send them our way. We'd be proud to share!

Thomas Wooldridge in your face affiliate spammer

I was utilizing Google Buzz's new search feature and who did i find but Thomas Wooldridge, Mr "internet marketing coach" who spams every social site he can get his hands on. Now Thomas Wooldridge, well I question whether that's really his name, because Mr scum is an affiliate who continually uses "web 2.0" to spam people with his discoveries. Today its his digital keychains, which is timed very well considering the spiffy site he's installed since registering the domain digital-keychains.com last month.
You can report him by using the report link here
And it's not isolated to Google Buzz, just so you know. It's that I saw him here and while GB is still growing, I want to make an example out of him and how his kind ruins it for others who want to enjoy these social sites.

Apparently his new sales pitch of the moment is Digital Keychains,
Up today is his digital keychains, dozens of finds for digital keychains, all spun around with tinyurls and different links that all lead to his website where you can legitimately click and then he gets paid by Ebay.com

That's what these jerks do, spam spam spam. Well here is his information on his business, one of his many man domains. He's allowed to continue to spam by the affiliate programs he signs up with, namely EBAY. Because ebay THRIVES on gawker traffic and clicks. If you have spotted him or one of his websites, just do a comment and let me know. I'll send it all to his Attorney General and the FBI. SKUse me, but I'm not gonna put up with it. I've got form letters and a fax. Keep it up!

What Google Buzz can do is pretty amazing. They can actually shut down these types of spam. With a single report button, Google would know and if they chose, they could put him on their watch list and literally block him from ever showing up on GB or his site from showing up. How's that for technology. Its called PROGRESS