1. Squidoo has 1,800,000 user made different “lenses”.

2 They call their pages “lenses” because each is one person’s focus on something that their interested in, something that matters to them.

3. The entire company is only run by 6 people. The most famous creator is Seth Godin.

4. They are 1 of the top 100 most viewed companies in the United States.

5. They generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual royalties to charities and to their users.

6. Many of the users earn more than $1,000 a year from Squidoo. Some make $10,000. On average a user can make between $4 to $40. And they are many who just use Squidoo to give it to charity.

7. More than 1,000,000 people visit Squidoo everyday.

8. They have a tool called SquidU which is a page where you can get tips for making better lenses.

9. Squidoo is free to use.

10. Their main page has a list of 25 different broad topics including

• Food and Cooking
• Pets and Animals
• Travel and Places
• Weddings
• Parenting and Kids
• Holidays and Celebrations
• Education
• Fashion and  Beauty
• Arts and Design
• Entertainment and Media
• Culture and Society
• Music
• Sports and Recreation
• Cars
• Healthy Living
• Internet
• Relationships and Family
• Nonprofits
• Business and Work
• Computers and Electronics
• Home and Garden
• Hobbies, Games and Toys
• Video Games
• Books, Poetry, and Writing
• And a Squidoo Community

Today, I stumbled on “The stock market is for suckers,” an article in Macleans about the growth of Facebook and some of the interesting investment issues surrounding that company.

Thus far, Facebook has preferred to remain a privately owned company, resisting calls to sell stock on the public market. But investors, who would like to get a piece of the Facebook pie, are itching to sink money into the company. To complicate matters, the SEC mandates that privately-owned companies have less than 500 shareholders or they must become publicly traded, which prevents many people from being able to invest in Facebook.

The solution? Goldman Sachs is working on a deal with Facebook to become a private investor in the company. It then plans to divy up it’s investment and sell it to some of it’s high-profile customers. Facebook gets to comply with SEC regulations, and investors get their chance to sink some money into Facebook. Seems like everybody wins.

Unfortunately, at least according to the analysis in Macleans, stories like this are indicating a massive shift in the way investment happens in America. Companies are becoming more and more wary of going public and are instead working out deals with high-powered investors. This, in turn, hurts the ability of the average American to access investment opportunities.

Will this be a problem long-term? Perhaps only time will tell.

The concept of micro-finance has been around since the 1970′s but it didn’t take off until recently when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Professor Muhammad Yunus who worked to build up a micro-credit system in Bangladesh.

Micro-finance’s success is linked to the soundness of its business model. Unlike most charities which lack focused direction or sustainability, good micro-credit organizations rely on their lenders having sound information about the bowers and a proven system for making sure the borrowers pay back their loans. This type of charity, one based on generating real, measurable results has enticed many philanthropists who want to see their money benefit lives rather than be wasted on organization’s overhead costs.

Kiva has found a way to connect the various lending groups through a community site aimed at making donating easier and connecting lenders and borrowers through the power of the internet. Kiva allows lenders to see pictures and stories of the people they are lending to and see what each borrower intends to do with the money they will receive. Kiva has taken a fragmented industry and found a way to connect it through the creation of an online community. That is the genius of Kiva.

To learn more about the world of micro-finance and micro-credit I would suggest reading “A Billion Bootstraps” by Phil Smith and Eric Thurman.

If you are interested in entrepreneurship of any sort I urge you to check out kiva. Kiva is a place where people can get on the world wide web and help to fund the dreams of entrepreneurs from all over the globe. With a donation (repaid by entrepreneur) as low as 25 dollars, donors are able to help entrepreneurs start there own businesses in order to come out of poverty. This site is a wonderful way to network and help out people around the globe. The best benefit is that it comes at no cost to you seeing that you will get your money refunded in time! This is a wonderful idea! Check is out….

Tomorrow’s Forcast is cloudy with a 95% chance of economic crisis and unemployment moving in by late afternoon.  Are predictions dark and gloomy for nonprofits or will the sun poke its rays through the gloom?

2009 may be shaping up to be the perfect time for people to give to their favorite cause.  While money is in short supply, the stock market is proving to be a fatal investment option, and businesses are laying-off employees, nonprofit organizations are proving their ability to weather the storm. 

Baby boomer and Huffington Post retirement expert Mark Miller wrote last month, “The business world is crumbling all around us, but non-profits have been growing faster than either the business or government sector–and they’re facing a shortage of talent. Best of all, the non-profit sector is gradually waking up to the potential of encore career switchers–people who want to move into new lines of work with meaning in the second half of life.”

Not only are nonprofits recruiting young talent, the outlook for giving might not be as stormy as predicted.  In a survey conducted by Dini Partners, 34 individual major donors, 14 foundations, and 6 philantrhipic corporations were surveyed about their giving to nonprofits in 2009. 

• 64% indicate they will be motivated by the existing relationship with the paritcular institution
• 33% responded that their giving will focus soley on programs that help the poor and those in need
• 50% said that they will limit their giving to fewer projects 

When asked what single factor will have the greatest wieght in their giving decisions in 2009, the  majority again confirmed that an existing relationship with the agency or institution will be of singular importance.  The second and third factors respectively  include the economic or social need of the asking agency or institution and the vision of the agency. 

The money hasn’t dried-up or blown away – nonprofits will just need to spend a little more time developing relationships with donors and supporters.  34% said their giving will be the same as 2008 giving and 5% said their giving will increase.  At least that’s partly sunny…

Kiva is a website that provides loans to entrepreneurs in developing nations.  Anyone can give these people loans, and they make a huge difference for these people and their economy. Some people ask “why should i loan money to these people in developing nations when i can put it in the bank where it is safe and even make interest?”  

When you put your money in the bank or even invest it in “safe” federal bonds, you are recieving miniscule and even decimal amounts of return for your investment.  you wont “make” any money if you loan it to an entrepreneur on Kiva, but you will be making a big difference to them. A woman named Rose Atheino said “Today I’m a very respected women in the community. I have come out of the crowd of women who are looked down upon. Due to the loan that I received… you have made me to be a champion out of nobody.”  your loan makes a big difference in the life of someone who needs the money.

Kiva is not the answer for developing nations to get out of poverty, but by funding individual entrepreneurs, anyone can help make a difference in the lives of these people trying to get thier small business’ runnining.  Kiva- Loans that change lives.