The RatRaceRebellion.com Blog

An "Instant Storefront" for Your Blog or Website

Bloggers and website owners have struggled with diminished ad revenue as the recession continues to bite and competition spreads. (To paraphrase a presidential-candidate question, "Who among us doesn't have a blog?") Now, a new service lets you add a storefront to your web property "in 15 minutes flat."

Vendr (caveat, we ourselves haven't tried it) reportedly lets you take credit cards and handle transactions through PayPal and Google Checkout, and you can sell both physical and digital goods. A monthly or annual fee applies.

Also in the new-apps-for-commerce trend, a San Francisco-based service, Payvment (in beta), lets you sell stuff straight from your Facebook page. 

(We got wind of both of these from Springwise, a great resource for new trends and stimulating entrepreneurial ideas.)

As cool as these apps might be, one last piece of advice. Commercial success still comes down to sales and marketing. A mediocre concept with great marketing will almost always trump a good concept with poor marketing. The Go-Viral Fairy may bop a lucky few with her wand now and then, but you can't depend on her to pay your bills. 

 

"Local will be King" -- Newspapers Shifting to Dynamic Local Content

The Washington Post is beefing up its local offerings online, as print media generally reconfigures itself to compete with the Net's up-to-the-second relevance, cell-phone accessibility and Facebook-goosed interactivity. (A

Work-wise, this spells opportunity for bloggers and other freelancers (and topsy-turvydom for staff journalists, editors, proofreaders and other folks accustomed to employee status), but you can also expect continuing turmoil as late-to-the-game print brands contend with outfits like AOL's Patch.com (hiring home-based "local" writers and editors across the US) and even About.com, which for years now has been installing "Guides" to tell all about various cities coast to coast.

Advice for job seekers? Polish your writing skills, coax forth and pep-talk the entrepreneur inside you (the days of "employment" are numbered), and always sail close to the online wind.