SaaS business model

Here's a couple of links [1] [2] to a guy who consults on the SaaS business model.  Since this is essentially what I want to do after I've automated the freelance translation industry, it behooves me to spend some time there.

More generally, the second link is talking about the "SaaS business architecture," and that's exactly one of the things I hope to explore.

Business models based on open source

For later reference.

Freemium

Nice article looking at freemium strategies.

Fix the machine: it will give you an advantage

Fortuitously, I ran across two nice articles about business processes yesterday.  One's by Aaron Swartz, "Fix the machine, not the people" and is just as insightful as he always was.  Part of his Raw Nerve series.

And then we have the bald statement that companies who support remote workers win against those who don't.  Why?  Better documentation and support of processes.  Makes sense!

Blogging strategy

Some lessons from running a tech blog.  Interesting.

MVP must include credit cards

Nice point.  Your MVP is taking credit card payments.

Etsy guy: Real-time analytics ain't all that

Whom the gods would destroy, they first give real-time analytics.  Very nice position post.

Where I'd differ, just a little, is analysis of incoming queries.  I'd like that to be as quick as possible, and since you're not really talking about statistics in this case, statistical significance isn't an issue.  All you want to do is see what kind of things people are interested in which lead them to your content; then you reverse-engineer it to address wider circles of people more specifically.

Data-driven support

The case for workflow as part of customer support.  Obvious points, but ... sometimes not so very obvious as all that.

How to write a BOM

A fascinating post series on specifying things for production at small industrial scale in China (or anywhere).  How It All Works.

Spaced repetition

Add spaced repetition to a lengthy (and configurable) set of very small programming challenges, and you have a programming teaching tool that would probably be pretty useful.

Derek Sivers on Anki for fact memorization.  [Anki] Refers to useful techniques for knowledge structuring for this purpose by Piotr Wozniak.

Probable time for basic system: a week.  For lesson construction: arbitrary - couple of months?

D-U-N-S numbers

A good trick for getting a D&B D-U-N-S number quickly for Apple's iStore.  This is the kind of thing a startup support service would do for you, tricks and all.

RiR: the Process Myth

From Rand's in Repose, a really nice article on how documented processes are intended to preserve the culture of a company, why engineers don't like them, how they should be ready to defend themselves, and so forth.  Good background on why process as she is wrote doesn't always work well for people even though they desperately need it above the level of - well, let's say above the level of zero people in the company.  My company is just me, and I still suffer from lack of process, which is why I'm automating.

But I think it's important to think hard about what process means, how it can be tied to its origin stories better, and how it can be integrated into the human more effectively.  I'm going to have to reread this article a few times.

Post from HBR on why business matters

Well.  They don't actually say why business matters so much as they baldly assert that it's the only thing that does matter.  Actually, from a philosophical viewpoint, there is a lot to scratch your head about in this article, but it's still thought-provoking, so read it.  (Their actual goal is marketing for business school students, I suppose.)

The business world is kind of strange, really.  As a more engineering kind of guy I can't help but be astonished at their self-important gushing, but then on the other hand, as the kind of guy who wishes he had more money, I can't deny that they have most of it.  I can't think of anything better than to automate their jobs out from under them.  (Yeah, I know it's already happening no matter what I do.)