What’s wrong with eBay? Before I answer this question, you should download this Wharton case study by Dr. Eric Clemons of The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Clemons is one of the world’s most renowned experts on information economics, and this case study is currently being taught at Wharton this semester. It goes into great detail discussing eBay’s current challenges, and I believe you will find it insightful.
Okay back to the question… What’s wrong with eBay?
For those of you that know me, you know that I appreciate inspirational quotes, poems and stories. Life is a complicated journey, and personally, I believe one of the keys to success in life and business is learning from others and their experiences.
As Otto von Bismarck once remarked…
I was recently appointed to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Joint Commission on Technology & Science Cybercrimes Advisory Committee. The general purpose of the advisory committee is to study and advise on key cybercrime issues under consideration by JCOTS and by the Virginia legislature.
The focus for this year’s advisory committee is computer trespass and cell phone spam.
Specifically, we will be studying HB 254 (2006) and HB 1354 (2006) during the 2006 legislative interim. We will work to determine what changes need to be made, if any, to further refine these bills.
HB 254 ammends the Commonwealth’s existing computer tresspass statute by adding three provisions prohibiting certain forms of spyware. In addition to the three provisions, there was a proposed amendment exempting certain software providers from the three spyware provisions.
HB 1354 attempts to prohibit unsolicited text messages (spam) sent to wireless devices in the Commonwealth. However, both the CAN-SPAM Act and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) regulate certain types of messages sent to wireless devices. This advisory committee will need to determine what types of messages the state may regulate and if there is a sufficient need for regulation at this time.
During our first meeting in late July, the Cybercrimes Committee also discussed ideas on how to combat eCommerce fraud, pharming, phishing and MySpace.com safety problems.
I was very impressed by both the legislators and the citizen advisors. There are a lot of smart folks in Virginia thinking, proactively, about how to make the Internet a safer place for all of us, and I will keep you up to date on our work over the course of the year.
The Cybercrimes Advisory Committee consists of the following members:
Virginia Legislators:
Citizen Members:
Related articles on the Internet:
AuctionBytes
AuctionWire
The Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society‘s nationwide walk to raise awareness and funds to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
My wife and I are participating in the Walk in honor of my father-in-law, who lost a valiant struggle with acute leukemia. Douglas P. Lawless was diagnosed with lymphoma almost 16 years ago. At that time, he was told to get his affairs in order and prepare for the worst. However, he was a fighter and under the treatment advice of an expert, he remained healthy and vibrant for another 15 years. During that time, he was able to see his kids get married, hold and watch his three grandchildren grow and, most importantly, spend time and take many trips with his wonderful wife. Mr. Lawless also played a role in helping to get buySAFE funded and launched.
In early 2005, we learned that Mr. Lawless had complications from the chemotherapy required to treat his lymphoma. Last summer, he underwent a stem cell transplant in Boston in an effort to combat these complications. The stem cell transplant was not successful. In the fall, we learned that the complications had morphed into Acute Myeloid Leukemia. There was nothing else the doctors could do and we returned home in October. Mr. Lawless passed away on March 4, 2006. He was 59.
Doug Lawless was a great father and husband, and there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t miss him and think about him. It was his wish to increase funding for research so that others would not have to endure what he did. To honor his wishes, I am participating in The Light The Night Walk to raise awareness and funds to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
Please join our Walk team or make a donation to support my participation in the Light The Night Walk. Details are below. Thank you in advance for your generous support. I sincerely appreciate it.
Join my Light The Night team
Anyone who wants to join my team for the Walk can do so online via this registration form.
Make a personal contribution
If you would simply like to make a donation in support of our Walk, or if you would like to more about why we are walking, you can visit my personal Light The Night homepage.
Walk Information
When: Saturday October 14th, 2006
Where: Freedom Plaza, Washington, D.C.
Who: Anyone who wants to fight cancer is invited to join. There is no particular level of fitness required. The walk is approximately 2.5 miles.
How: The organizers encourage every walker to beat the national average amount ($100) by setting their individual goal to at least $150. Minimum goals/ donations to walk are $25. My personal goal is $1,000.
Why: The need for cures is critical: Every five minutes, someone in this country is diagnosed with blood cancer. Every ten minutes, someone dies. Leukemia is the leading cause of cancer death among children and young adults under the age 20.
Fundraising Rewards: All participants raising $100 or more will receive an illuminated balloon and a T-shirt to wear during the Walk. Walkers raising $300, $500, $1,000, $2,500 or more can receive other exciting gifts. Visit www.lightthenight.org for more gift information.
I spent a few minutes today working on my "Steve Woda LinkedIn Profile". I love LinkedIn, and I like the idea of having an online profile that folks can refer to if they want to get the basics on who you are. I have to be honest though, there are too many of these things out there, and it will be nice when one company has become the defacto standard.
This ties into my favorite subject, portable trust and reputation. The Wall Street Journal discussed portable reputation on 8/2/06, and they mentioned a few of the companies in this space including Trufina and Opinity. This subject is going to get bigger and bigger this next year, and I expect buySAFE will be leading the charge with its portable trust signal, the buySAFE Seal.
Important Portable Trust & Reputation blogs:
buySAFE blog
Trufina blog
Opinity blog
Rapleaf blog
The Northern Virginia Technology Council and Bisnow on Business partner together to publish a terrific weekly email newsletter that includes interviews with Washington’s top entrepreneurs. Well, I was lucky enough to be included this week, and I thought I would share. You can visit Bisnow.com to read the interview. I want to thank Mark Bisnow and Tania Anderson for asking me to participate.
My undergraduate alma mater, Florida Southern College, had its annual homecoming this past weekend, and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it back for the event. However, it did get me thinking about my college experience and what I learned during my four years in Lakeland, Florida.
I think about one of my former professors often. Jeff Wiley taught finance, but the greatest gift he gave me had little to do with finance. One day in class in 1989, Col. Wiley decided to talk about how to be successful. He wanted to share his thoughts about how we would ultimately achieve success beyond the grounds of FSC. He gave each of us a brief handout that provided his view of how to be successful in life, and I thought I would share it with you.
How Do Successful People Get That Way?
1) They have plenty of drive.
2) They accept responsibility cheerfully.
3) They know that success is never an accident.
4) They know that the customer is their real "boss".
5) They look, listen, and learn.
6) They find out if they’re not sure.
7) They set an example to others.
8) They know that the next field only looks greener.
9) They welcome new ideas.
10) They profit by their mistakes.
11) They speak clearly and convincingly.
12) They don’t expect all the credit.
13) They cooperate.
14) They realize that their future is their own responsibility.
15) They think things through…first.
16) They believe that good manners are good business.
17) They know the world does not owe them a living.
18) They are willing to go that "extra mile".
19) They are careful about their finances.
20) They set a goal for themselves.
21) They realize that everything worth having has a price tag.
22) They keep physically and mentally fit.
23) They earnestly want to succeed.
24) They know the value of enthusiasm.
25) They make others feel important.
26) They try to help the "boss".
27) They never "pass the buck".
28) They control their temper.
29) They consider work a privilege, not a chore.
30) They are their own severest critic.
31) They’ve learned that easy does it.
32) They try to cut expenses.
33) They never forget!
Obviously, as flawed humans, none of us will ever be able to live up to all of these ideal attributes. However, Col. Wiley’s advice on how to be a successful person is inspirational to me, and I hope you enjoy it as well. Have a nice weekend!
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