Comments on: Global internet portal? Check.

By: Anton Mannering

Anton Mannering — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:43:59 +0000

I’m underwhelmed at the thought of anything has been researched “for 8 years” and “put in well over 6-figures of funding into it” in the web world.
Is this the “New Coke” of Enterprise software? I really hope not for their sake.

By: Ed French:

Ed French: — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:10:55 +0000

Mike- Can’t help wondering if your comments would’ve been stronger if the guy wasn’t ex-Special Forces

By: Allison

Allison — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:59:33 +0000

So any feedback on the launch?

By: Mike Butcher

Mike Butcher — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:53:34 +0000

Paul Walsh – I used the laptop because some people don’t have a Qik phone as yet yet

By: Mike Butcher

Mike Butcher — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:52:34 +0000

UPDATE: I did in fact go along to the presentation and have updated this post.

By: Paul Walsh

Paul Walsh — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:46:21 +0000

Mike, why do you have to use your laptop for interviews? Doesn’t Seesmic support other methods/formats?

Also, tell the chap to speak up next time and remove the tie if he wants to be taken seriously as an entrepreneur today.

By: Mike Butcher

Mike Butcher — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:29:18 +0000

Interview with WorldBizOnline.com {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/4as2kiQ5nc_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”Interview with WorldBizOnline.com ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/wCn1NzdxRf”}}}

By: kosso

kosso — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:04:10 +0000

my web browser is my ‘global internet portal’

By: Gareth Rodger

Gareth Rodger — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:57:42 +0000

Can’t hear the presentation fortunately.

Why don’t you put some headphones in and pop a film on?

By: Geoff Wright

Geoff Wright — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:54:45 +0000

Crikey. *Takes out the noise canceling headphones to check for blood*

By: Mike Butcher

Mike Butcher — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:50:56 +0000

WorldBusinessOnline. Taxonomies and Laser Dentists… {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/GV1xP0thdt_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”WorldBusinessOnline. Taxonomies and Laser Dentists… ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/dSEkzhRmC4″}}}

By: Mike Butcher

Mike Butcher — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:14:20 +0000

I’ll pop along today to their presentation (around lunchtime) and update everybody after.

By: washer

washer — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:20:49 +0000

So did you go to the launch? We eagerly await the news.

By: Jacques le Roux

Jacques le Roux — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:17:15 +0000

So did you go?

By: Stuart Sterzel

Stuart Sterzel — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:15:10 +0000

Dear Mike

Thanks for taking the time to call my company last week, and for your initial comments re Worldbizonline on your blog.

As we briefly discussed on the telephone, it’ll be great if you can attend one of the presentations next week, and then perhaps give some further feedback to your readers.

The presentations next week are only for a small group of invited people, in order to provide a briefing on the site / company prior to it being opened to the public on Monday 12 May. It is for this reason that I asked our Media Liaison colleague not to discuss the matter with anyone prior to the presentations, as I felt that it would not be correct to provide details to some people and not others, prior to the actual presentations themselves.

As our site is not able to be viewed at this time, many of the comments from the readers of your blog are totally understandable, and I would have possibly made similar comments myself had I been in their position iro not having enough information, and not being able to access the site.

I hope, therefore, to be able to present our site and company comprehensively to you next week, in order that you may – if you think it worthwhile to do so – provide further information to your readers.

We too do not like hype and / or hyperbole, (as in press releases, including ours) but sometimes they are necessary if one is to secure attendance at one’s presentation as opposed to any one of the other hundreds of presentations occurring simultaneously. I would like to say though, that we have not made ostentatious claims about our company or site (like “Web 3.0″ – as what does this actually mean, and what substantive difference would it make to product success or failure anyway).

We believe that the only relevant factors in creating a business (of any kind) that can be successful, are thorough research, hard work, attention to detail, identifying core potential markets, and structuring the business model so as to be economically viable, while also providing a compelling reason for potential members to use it (i.e. a good product that is economically viable).

All this being said, you were contacted and invited because you have a reputation for being knowledgeable & experienced, and for telling it like it is – just as you have done in your blog above. My colleagues and I prefer and respect this type of approach, and so we hope to see you there.

Kind regards.

Stuart Sterzel
CEO, Worldbizonline.com Limited

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:18:29 +0000

Mike you should go – and let it teach us all a lesson either way. If they do what they state, then great – you’ll get a scoop. If not, it will be a catalyst for debating the merits of over-hyped, non-sensical, pre-bubble PR methodologies.

By: Kyle MacRae

Kyle MacRae — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:37:06 +0000

“web 3.11″ – funny! I’d have Seesmic’d me lol-ing but the dog ate my webcam

By: Geoffrey McCaleb

Geoffrey McCaleb — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:14:14 +0000

You need to go, for the sheer comedy of it all.

By: Jemima Kiss

Jemima Kiss — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:50:55 +0000

Tempting, but the holding pager does not bode well. Sounds like bad PR to me.

By: Gareth

Gareth — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:09:00 +0000

You should defo go Mike, just for shits and giggles…

By: Doug Monro

Doug Monro — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:36:46 +0000

Wow, sounds like they have succeeded where Google could not … although they haven’t succeeded in getting any local domain names.

a couple of further clues, and a name – Simon Tattershall?
http://whois.domaintools.com/worldbizonline.com

By: Mike Butcher

Mike Butcher — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:58:24 +0000

@ Rodolfo – There is not a professional PR agency attached to this venture as far as I know. (Check!)

@Ted – Nice work – glad to know this might be connected some how with “Rwanda Business Online”. (Check!)

By: liam

liam — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:36:07 +0000

Really ugly and off-putting Holding page? Check.

By: Ted

Ted — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:02:17 +0000

http://www.cutcs.com/wbo.html

anything to add to this, anyone?

By: Ted

Ted — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:57:11 +0000

“mashes up consumer and business target markets”

well, there’s ambitious, and then there’s *ambitious*…