A few weeks ago, a funny thing happened on the way to the theater. As much as it pains me to pun so shamefully, it's true: I was in a hurry to get downtown to see a show with some friends. We knew we were in for a night of entertainment, we just didn't realize the main attraction would turn out to be the cab ride over.Before Estaifan Shilaita became a cab driver in Chicago, he was Iraq's national boxing champion. He reigned in the ring from 1968 to 1976. And, he's quick to tell you, he was the goalkeeper for Iraq's football team. But he's also a Christian, which meant he could never represent his country on an international stage. So he left—and Greece ... Continue reading →
Recent reports by Forbes magazine and technology news source Ars Technica say that Internet Explorer from Microsoft Corp. is regaining the lead as the world’s most popular browser. I’m skeptical. I don’t know anyone who uses IE by choice—except maybe my grandparents. So, I polled a roomful of my twenty-something peers who agreed that when it’s up to us, it’s Google Chrome. If we were a Mac crowd, I’d expect the same for Apple Safari. (IPhones and iPads run Safari by default, as do all Macintosh devices.) Only when forced to—for example, when IE is already installed on a company computer—do my friends and I use the Microsoft browser. Then I looked for some evidence to counter the claims of Internet Explorer’s popularity and found ... Continue reading →
Growing up as a young musician in suburbia, I fantasized about being in a band: playing music in front of thousands of people, signing a record contract, enjoying the successes (and excesses) of stardom and celebrity. As I grew older, I began to realize how difficult it would be to achieve that goal. Years later, as I started university and was accepted into VeloCity, Waterloo’s startup incubator, I noticed a lot of familiar dreams. Although their domains are vastly different, startups are just bands for hackers. Like many bands, many startups begin in parents’ garages - serious business in a non-serious atmosphere. Founders (or band members) spend every waking moment together, working hard to perfect their craft and their endeavour. While bands work to perfect ... Continue reading →
One Click Ventures capitalizes on obscure holidays to connect with consumers. On April Fools’ Day 2011, e-mail subscribers to Sunglass Warehouse received this e-mail message: Sunglasses darken your day—moonglasses brighten your night! Only $12.95! Clicking through from the joke e-mail took subscribers to the web site, which was having a 15%-off site-wide sale. Within 24 hours, Sunglass Warehouse’s site experienced its highest click-through rate of 2011 and the most visitors in a day that year. Compared to a typical Sunglass Warehouse e-mail campaign, the e-mail open rate increased 20%, clicks 67% and revenue 24%. Only conversion rate took a hit—down 25%—but One Click Ventures, the e-commerce company that manages Sunglass Warehouse along with eight other brands, guesses that came from amused or curious readers interested ... Continue reading →
