Hey all,

It’s Holiday time!

Although I’m French, I hadn’t been on vacations since April 2005 & I couldn’t stand it anymore (okay, I’m French). In two hours time from now, I’ll be on a plane to Israel. I’m not sure yet if I’ll be able to post anything from there. Not that there’s no Internet connection, but I know a girl that would probably be quite angry if I spent my time writing on my computer

This being said, I have many ideas for you in 2007, amongst these starting to blog about software start-ups of interest. Feel free to send (by e-mail or leaving a comment) your recommendations to me.

Well, it’s time for me to leave you with my 4 favorite videos (fun or songs) related to Israel, as a Christmas (/Hanuka) present. Enjoy!

Hilarious:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FscHi1a4Oo8]

A very realistic scenario on a Tel Aviv beach:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ujMx5w_aPI]

Best Israeli song ever. Pay attention to all the accents – Poland, Russia, Latvia, Romania, Czech Republic, USA, Germany, Morocco, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Yemen,…very few genuine ‘Tsabar’ (native) intonations – Israel is such a melting pot:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caKTyxB1amI]

Allright, the latter was from the 70s…This is how modern Israeli singers look like – definitely more sexy, Shiri Maymon here:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBWwdx9d4_A]

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One the one hand, people tend to more and more use their blog to sell their stuff (see Ouriel – again, thanks to whom I got this business idea), or even look for something through their personal blog.

On the other hand, e-Commerce sales have been booming recently: consumers have acknowledged that transaction security is no longer an issue, plus more and more interesting concept e-stores or e-companies helping supply meet demand have emerged. 2 concrete examples:

• Zlio, which empowers people willing to open their own online store with the appropriate web service tools (zero-inventory or -shipping hassle);
• aStore, a subsidiary of Amazon providing a platform for people to build up their own Amazon e-boutique and integrate it to their own website.

I believe, and I’m not the only one, that we’re just at eCommerce growth is an underlying trend of the world we live in.

If I were Ouriel, or say I would’ve liked to purchase his iTrip (very unlikely: I don’t like closed environments like the one iPod provides, here’s why), it would’ve been cool to have some sort of plug-in, feature, gadget or widget (call it as you like) ready to be integrated onto your blog for people to pay directly – it goes without saying, if the item’s still available – & why not using services like Paypal or Google Checkout.

57 million bloggers (huge market) worldwide spend their time building trust and common ground with their readers, key caracteristics of good bloggers who look for repeat readers (and even better, commentors) rather than one shot visitors. So, instead of advertising and polluting their readers’ environment (for those willing to monetize their time writing), why wouldn’t anyone put on her/his own weblog some items for selling to their readership? Allright, a blog for sure doesn’t have as much traffic as eBay. But I believe trust compensates for traffic, and many supposedly ‘famous’ bloggers could make a hell lot of money through this canal.

Such an initiative, this online payment feature for bloggers (of which business model would be based on commissions as you had already guessed), would also urge the development of a better sense of customer care and retail flair that too few people can claim to be gifted with in Latin and German cultures. This stance is less true in Anglo-Saxon and Arab countries where retailers of all sizes are better perceived socially, and quality of service is printed in most people’s DNA.

As for all business ideas, there’s a lot of room for improvement. This is where you’re coming in leaving challenging comments…The floor is yours!

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