Any entrepreneur considering building a website needs to strongly consider making it mobile friendly. Having a site that is designed to be viewed on a big AND small screen is now more important than ever. With the prevalence of iPhones, Android, and Blackberry phones among most target markets, the likelihood of a potential user visiting via mobile devise is tremendous. The real question is whether or not your site will be up to their standards.

Do you have the mindset you will need to design and keep track of such a site? If not, I would suggest you go over to LimeCuda and read their article about The Mobile Future of Your Business. The concepts, such as having realistic expectations, keeping track of statistics, having goals for mobile based usage, taking the time to gain an accurate understanding of what your users are looking for, are all familiar to the internet entrepreneur. But, that being said, there are some unique ways to implement the ideas.

Some individuals within the gaming industry have found a new way to make money. Offer your games for free.

The concept of Free to Play, or FTP, games on the internet is gaining momentum. The idea is simple and has been around for a long time in various formats. Open up a version of your game to the casual and more serous gamming public for free. Let them experience the fantastic world of gameplay you spent months to years creating. Then, once they have seen how enjoyable the game is, let them know that they can get an even better experience by paying a few dollars. There are just some items that are too hard to come by or some areas that are off limits that can be accessed via a simple payment of real money.

Finally, once you have gotten your customer base used to the idea of paying real money, something like $2.00 dollars for a thousand Mana, increase the offer. Make harder to find items and charge more. It does not matter that only a few will take the plunge and splurge for that uniquely colored party hat -some will. And, when your user base is in the millions, the ability to generate thousands a month is easily within your grasp. It is no wonder there has been a large shift to catering to the casual gamier.

According to a tech crunch article, Apple is working on a location based app through the star up Pirq. Pirq is basically a better version of Groupon. The idea here is that Pirq is able to offer its customers with deals that they do not have to pay for up front like with Groupon. This is accomplished by proprietary technology which allows member restaurants and venders to update the deals they are offering in real time.  Currently this partnership with perk is offered and a perk (pun intended) to apple’s employees in the bay area. I am not sure exactly how this system works but it seems that employees walk into a certain member and use their smart phone to redeem the coupon. Tech crunch says that this is achieved through, “location-based technology, and a Microsoft Tag code to redeem the discounts.”

The potential for location based technology is astounding. Through this it could be possible for companies to make dynamic tour or coupon apps. Imagine going to a new city, and having no idea what to do there. Pull out your iphone and open up an app and suddenly you have access to deals and events many residents of the city don’t know about. Is anyone else somewhat disturbed out by the fact that apple would know where you were, possibly to within a few feet at all times? While I do not suggest that apple is actually big brother, however it may be his predecessor. This type of willing volunteering of information can very easily be misused, possible even hijacked by government and other organizations. It is common already in many CSI style shows to use cell phones to track criminals, we must understand that they only reason that they don’t use that technology against law abiding citizens, is that it is against the law. If we elect politicians focused solely on protection and acquisition of power and status, who then put their supporters into power who do not respect the rule of law, what is to stop them from misusing technology?

I like technology. I think it is highly useful and one of the greatest achievements of mankind. I do however worry about the progressive nature of American society. Just because and idea is new, does not mean it is right. At the same time just because an idea is a tradition, does not mean it is a correct one. New technology generally does more than old technology. And generally that is a good thing. However that function is not always good. The Atomic bomb was more effective than black powder at eliminating human lives, which is not a good function. In summary do not reject or accept a technology or an idea, because of its age. Always take everything with a grain of salt. Taking a moment to think may be the difference between liberty and autocracy.

Kickstarter is changing how creative ideas are funded. For example, Pebble raised more than $3,000,000 in just over four days for their E-Paper Watch. The owners of Pebble didn’t have to turn to venture capitalists or dilute their holdings through another offering of shares in order to receive funding; they financed their project with pre-orders.

Although most projects aren’t receiving $3 million on Kickstarter, it’s a great place for entrepreneurs to attain some funding for specific ideas.

Justin Kazmark, Kickstarter’s communications director, offers some advice to entrepreneurs:

Funding must be for a specific project – “Clearly articulate what it is you’re trying to accomplish in a way that inspires people to want to back it.”

Projects must give something in return – “Come up with a compelling rewards structure that brings you closer to your audience. Projects that offer behind-the-scenes access are very compelling, and that’s part of the Kickstarter experience.”

Projects should expand your support base – “Don’t be afraid to get the word out to your friends and family and networks.”

Source: “Pebble Raises $3 Million+ in Four Days, What Kickstarter Means for Entrepreneurs”

There are many cool iPhone apps out there, but one I find really interesting is Roamler. How it works – Roamler pays Roamlers (Roamler users) to perform work related tasks for the businesses partnering with it. Basically, Roamlers are a mobile workforce. There is one catch: Roamler is currently only available in Amsterdam and parts of the United Kingdom. Regardless, the idea is still really fascinating. There is a company based in California called Gigwalk that is very similar. Check out the video to see what Roamler is all about –

One of the recurring themes I have noticed with a lot of online stores is the implementation of outlets. This is especially prevalent with outdoor stores like REI, Evo, Backcountry, etc. The outlet section allows the company to move older and odd sized products out of their inventory, but it also allows customers to find high-quality equipment at a fraction of the price if they are willing to wait for the newer versions to come out. Many of these outlets give discounts up to 65% off and a minimum of 30% off. The main reason why I enjoy this feature is that it provides easier search-ability within the price range I am looking to spend. Plus it works as a marketing ploy by giving the sales perception. I would have to say that for any online retail store, the use and implementation of an outlet section helps clean up the website as well as helps you as the ownder sort through your inventory with greater convenience and move inventories faster as well. So, the question remains, why haven’t you made an outlet section yet?