The major objective of most bloggers is to attract and retain readers. For most of the year, I have used Entrecard as a mean to increase my traffic.

Traffic statistics show that Entrecard works. It yields 300 to 500 visitors daily to my blog, which is great. Even if most of these visitors spend only seconds on the site, a fraction of them would link back to their own blog and comment, which is good.

That said, and like most systems, benefiting from Entrecard requires to spend a fair amount of time promoting Entrecard (“dropping”). A “fair amount of time” means between one and two hours a day, seven days a week, which is a lot.

All things considered, I have decided to leave the Entrecard community early next week. It will enable me to post more often and focus more on the content.

I want to thank the bloggers I have met through Entrecard and also the company’s founders for making sure the vast majority of their members would provide with real content, something I found really unique for a Blog directory.

Farewell to my fellow Entrecarders!

Personal | 9 Comments »

While in the bus this morning, I could not help but notice a headline on a newspaper someone was reading, reporting that Goldman Sachs chiefs would not get their bonuses this year.

I did not know these people were still talking about their bonus. So what’s next; a special bonus to the CEOs of GM and Ford to thank them for their hard work and vision?

I hope the new Administration will make sure that the salaries of public companies’ executives are seriously controlled; I mean seriously, not like the drastic measures the current Administration was supposed to take after the Enron and WorldCom scandals.

Talking about GM and Ford, there is one thing I cannot understand, and may be some of you can help me there.

In this country, there is a growing consumer demand for cars with a better mileage per gallon, and for small cars, easier to drive and park in urban areas. In San Francisco where I live, the Toyota Prius has become the most popular car. In addition, I can now witness in the city the growing success of the Mercedes Smart, a very small car that has been extremely popular in Europe for years. As we all know, neither Toyota nor Daimler Benz are US companies.

Here is what I cannot understand. Both Ford and GM already have urban cars with mileage above 40 miles a gallon, which have been very successful for years in Europe, a fiercely competitive market! The Ford Fiesta and Ka, most Opel models (a German brand owned by GM) keep getting rave reviews.

I can understand that some US consumers still want to stick to their giant SUV, but why ignore best selling categories, and let foreign cars fill the gap, especially when the 2 US giants have models they could start marketing immediately?

It seems to me that both GM and Ford should start (re)thinking their marketing in the USA very seriously.

Remi
www.outsourcing-vsc.com

Business, Personal | 3 Comments »

That’s it. The dark years of the Bush Administration are getting to an end. In January, we will finally have a driver in the driver’s seat!

First and foremost, it is good news for US small businesses. What we need is a wealthy economy, not an economy geared exclusively towards the wealthy. President-elect Obama’s vision goes beyond tax cuts to stimulate the economy, and that is good.

Regarding the impact on outsourcing, it is important to differentiate between the various industries. As NASSCOM rightfully noted, “when Obama was referring to outsourcing in context of migration of jobs, he was mostly referring to the manufacturing sector. Information Technology is different, since there is a shortage of talents in the USA. By providing US companies with much needed resources at affordable cost, offshore destinations can contribute to the growth of US economy.”

Yes, we can!

Business, China | 7 Comments »