10 Stories From the Web to Know About This Week, Nov. 8, 2013 Why Twitter has staying power, a progressive pitch in NYC, play with your pet remotely via Petcube, putting the iPad Air through the ringer, why small businesses should love Bitcoin. This week's notable news and tantalizing tidbits for entrepreneurs.
By Brad Crescenzo •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Why Twitter has staying power, a progressive pitch in NYC, play with your pet remotely via Petcube, putting the iPad Air through the ringer, why small businesses should love Bitcoin, tips from the kings of content marketing… This week's notable news and tantalizing tidbits for entrepreneurs:
1. Why Twitter has staying power: If you've ever wanted to dissect a tweet, don't. Paul Ford, a programmer and the creator of SavePublishing.com, does the work for you. (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Related: Twitter IPO Deserves the Hype, If Not the Investment
2. New York City, a new liberal utopia? NYC's mayoral election yielded a political pole shift, replacing billionaire conservative Michael Bloomberg with a Brooklynite-Democrat Bill de Blasio. Here is what you can expect from the new guy. (Vice)
Related: Twitter IPO Deserves the Hype, If Not the Investment
3. Pet product blows up Kickstarter: Petcube, the San Francisco-based pet-tech startup that lets owners play with their pets while they're away, just secured $251,000 in a 42-day-long crowdfunding campaign that surpassed its goal by $151,000. (Forbes)
Related: Top 100 Crowdfunded Companies
4. Weighing in on the iPad Air: Wired has its hands on the iPad Air, but with a top-end price tag of $929 there's a lot to learn about this new device. (Wired)
5. The CEO's guide to influencing people: Ever wondered how successful people influence others? This study, which polled "thousands of members of the corporate elite" provides the following seven tactics. (LinkedIn Today)
6. Hipster habitats: In a move spurred by both altruism and opportunism, microdevelopers are snapping up unloved properties across the country. Some choose to rent out the refurbished homes while others flip them. (New York Times)
7. Blockbuster finally calls it quits: For a lot of Americans browsing the aisles of Blockbuster was a favorite childhood past time, but the business model was dated. Here are a couple of reasons to care. (The Atlantic)
8. Government shutdown didn't stifle small biz hiring: Despite the government shutdown, small-business owners added more workers per firm in October, erasing the declines of September, according to the National Federation of Independent Business. (Reuters)
Related: People Are Leaving the Workforce in Droves: What it Means for Businesses
9. The kings of content marketing: Ditch the pop-up ad for responsive websites and keep your marketing strategy at the cutting edge. Here are five tips about content marketing from the companies who do it best. (Mashable)
10. Bitcoin, the currency of small business? Small businesses have the most to gain by accepting Bitcoins for goods, suggests some. Although still a confusing concept, the digital currency is quickly becoming more legitimate, more convenient and cheaper than credit cards. (Read Write)
