Media

Skype CEO Sees Growth in Middle East and Asia

Skype CEO Sees Growth in Middle East and Asia. Skype CEO Continues To See Growth In Middle East; Bets Big On Asia

Internet calling service Skype Ltd. Tuesday said that it continues to see growth opportunities in the Middle East despite being banned in parts of the area and is optimistic about the company’s growth potential in Asia.

“There are a couple of governments that officially banned Skype…but what we see in most of the developing world (is that) they are embracing Skype,” Chief Executive Officer Josh Silverman told Dow Jones Newswires.

Silverman is in Singapore to attend the CommunicAsia Conference that began Tuesday.

“I would say, we see growth in the Middle East in general,” Silverman said without getting into details on the ban of the service in the United Arab Emirates.

Currently, Skype cannot be downloaded in Oman, the UAE and Kuwait, although the software can be used if it is previously installed on a computer. The UAE Telecommunication Regulatory Authority said in March that Skype will be allowed to offer a greater range of services in the country if they are partnered with existing licensed telecom operators.

Silverman said that Skype sees strong growth potential in the Asia Pacific as the region has become globally connected due to an increasing number of expatriates and growing international trade.

“Special to Asia is that many people are having their first internet experience on a smart phone. So a big focus of ours is for them to have a really compelling experience,” Silverman said.

Skype has over 500 million registered users around the world and is adding 300,000 users a day. The company aspires to have 100 million personal computers shipped with Skype preloaded in 2011. Silverman declined to give growth projections by region.

Silverman said that his company was keen to offer Skype to BlackBerry and other mobile platforms in Asia. In February, Verizon Wireless announced that it was offering the Skype application on smartphones in the U.S.

On China, Silverman said that Skype’s local partner Tomonline was helping it comply with government regulations and that there was demand from Chinese making cross-border calls.

“We think being part of a global conversation is very important for Chinese citizens, entrepreneurs and Chinese families,” Silverman said.

He would not comment on whether his company plans a listing, saying only that Skype is profitable and has enough money for acquisitions “if it makes sense.”

Sure Seal – Philippine Web Trust Mark

Sure Seal — Promoting Trust for the Filipino Web. One company is making e-commerce much safer for consumers

Check on a U.S.-based Web site that has been allowing or conducting transactions that are above board and credible, and they usually have the logo of a Better Bureau or Verisign on their Home Page. Sure Seal aims to do the same with their Philippine counterparts

Sure Seal, the first Philippine trust mark, addresses this concern by providing a service that verifies the authenticity and legitimacy of a company that has a Web presence and/or an Internet based firm that promotes products and services

The firms that pass their rigorous check get a stamp of approval on their Web site, the Sure Seal mark, which in effect signals to the Pinoy consumer that it’s okay to do business with them

Source: Manila Bulletin

Read Whole Article Here: Sure Seal — Promoting Trust for the Filipino Web

Thailand has a similar Trustmark. Read about Trustmark Thailand e-Commerce Website Certificate here

New Google Analytics Features

SME Magazine (Asia): New Google Analytics Features Increase Effectiveness and ROI. The SME and Entrepreneurship Magazine of Asia has a recent article

“Google Analytics is now more powerful, flexible and intelligent to help marketers, advertising agencies and businesses of all sizes make quicker, smarter decisions on how to get the most business value out of their online marketing campaigns and websites. We believe that more transparency, data and analysis leads to more effective marketing, from sharing content to converting sales to increasing brand engagement,” said Vinoaj Vijeyakumaar, Head of Web Analytics, Google Southeast Asia

These additional features will enhance the tool’s capability to add more power to existing capabilities and provide new flexibility to further customize and adapt Google Analytics according to the needs of marketers, advertising agencies and businesses of all sizes in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

Read the full article here: New Google Analytics Features Increase Effectiveness and ROI

Social Networks for Entrepreneurs

Whether you’re a small businesses SME – SMB in Asia or a Fortune 500 company in a Western country, social networking has the power to expand your brand among both your audience and fellow business owners

For the latter, entrepreneurs can take advantage of specialized social networks to meet, communicate share and partner with others

LinkedIn  is a business social network cementing its position as the top social network for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses with over 50 million users end of 2009

PartnerUp aims to do for small businesses and budding entrepreneurs what MeettheBoss does for executives by providing the opportunity for networking, collaboration and sharing

MeettheBoss narrows the business social network focus to the management level, providing a portal for executives and higher-ups to meet and communicate

• http://entrepreneur-sme.asia/forum

For Asia SME Entrepreneurs we have above linked Asian-based forum where we can exchange ideas about Asian business issues. Go visit and sign-up today … and don’t forget to tell your friends

PR Public Relations for Small Business

Every small business needs some type of PR to make their business a success.

Most of us that have a small business look at PR with either a “I can’t afford a PR firm” or “Why do I need PR in first place” attitude. It all starts with a plan

Your PR Action Plan will contain information unique to your business, but here is what you’ll want to include:

- Media venues you’d like to pursue for a story

- Marketing Messages that are short and tell your story

- Events You Are going to be speaking at or have a booth there to promote

- Newsworthy Stuff About Your Firm

- Any Awards you have won and any partners that might be important

- Timeline for Execution

Asia’s Youngest and Only Self-Made Billionaire

Yoshikazu Tanaka the founder of social networking site Gree

Every Monday morning at ten the young chief executive presides over a staff meeting at his headquarters in Tokyo’s swank Roppongi Hills neighborhood, in which he psychs up his employees to “aim for number one” and overtake their competitors particularly social networking sites Mixi and DENA

Tanaka is one of only three billionaires in Asia under the age of 35 and the only one to have made his own money.

China’s Yang Huiyan, 28, got her stake in real estate developer Country Garden from her father, who runs the firm.

So, too, did Li Zhaohui, 28, also from the mainland, who inherited his steel firm from his late father.)

In fact the only younger self-made billionaire in the world is Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg, 25