Last week we asked has the Canadian dollar being so strong against the US dollar had any effect on your business and 60% said it has had no effect. This weeks question is…

Twitter has certainly become very popular this past little while and it seems like everybody is “tweeting” these days. We’ve already talked about using Twitter for business, but did you know that you can automatically post your Twitter updates (“tweets”) on your blog? It’s actually a very straightforward process.

First, you’ll want to go to the Twitter and log into your account. From there, you will be presented with the standard homepage containing all of the recent tweets from the people you are following. If you look over to the sidebar on the right, you’ll first see your name and avatar. Below this is a section called “currently”, which displays your most recent Twitter update.

Just below “currently”, you’ll see a text box that reads “Put your updates on your site!” Click on that. You will then be presented with a few options. If you want to integrate your Twitter updates onto your WordPress blog, select “Other”, which is the last option on the list.

You can choose between Flash or HTML/Javascript. Of the Flash options, there is a widget that shows just your updates and there is another option that shows the updates of all your friends. It’s up to you whether you want to use Flash or Javascript, but the Javascript option is probably more universally compatible.

For the HTML/Javascript option, you will be offered two areas of customization. First, you can adjust the number of updates shown. This can range from just your most recent Twitter update to showing 20 tweets. Second, you can change the title of the Twitter update section. From here, you just copy and paste the code into where you want your Twitter updates to be displayed. Most people will throw it into the sidebar some place. The text from the Twitter updates will automatically take on the CSS properties of your blog. You can see this in action over at Beyond the Rhetoric.

Happy tweeting!

Are you a twitter user in Vancouver? Want to meet other Vancouver twitter users? The first ever YVR TweetUp is being held to get together and meet face to face with other twitter users. twitter is a great way to network and now you can put a face and voice to those other local people you have been talking to online.

When is the event happening?
Thursday, April 17, 2008 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Where is it happening?
UVA Wine Bar – 900 Seymour Street - Vancouver

Registration
To register for this event you need to have a Facebook account and sign-up here.

You might have a great idea for a new business, but you just don’t have the capital to get it started. Whether it be a new restaurant or an online service, you probably need some money before you get that business up and running. When it comes to a situation like this, you might have to look to the bank for a business loan.

As you can imagine, the bank isn’t going to throw money around to anyone who asks for it. It is up to you to convince them that you are worthy of a loan, and nearly all business loans require a well-detailed business plan. There are a few tutorials on the web that walk you through the process of creating a business plan, but here are a few key pointers that you’ll want to keep in mind.

First of all, you’ll want to start with a statement of purpose. This explains to the bank what your business will do and how it will do it. The statement of purpose should be very brief, but descriptive enough for the banker to know what’s going on. Typically, a statement of purpose is 25 words or less. After this, you’ll want to explain how the business will work and why it will be successful. What makes you special? What is it about your business that will ensure its profitability. This is also the section where you will name the owners and/or shareholders.

After this introduction, you can get into the meat and potatoes of your business plan, outlining the products and services, describing the target customer base, identifying the market and the competition, and listing the managers and their credentials. You will also want to provide projected financial statements so that the bank has a good idea of how much revenue you’re expecting and how high the costs will be, as well as the projected cash-flow.

Any supporting documents can come in very handy as well. This could be from potential clients and suppliers, for example.

I am still getting emails from people asking if we are really renaming to YellowFur.com. Sorry for those that fell for our April Fools joke, no need to worry but we will be keeping our great domain and brand BlueFur.com.

Now that we own YellowFur.com I was thinking that we could create a sister site with a new service. I have been doing some research on providing VPN services. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. The way a VPN works is it allows you to connect to a remote network so that you can then surf the Internet from that server.

Why would anyone want to use that service? I have found a few sites, especially movie, TV and music sites that prohibit Canadians from viewing content based on having a Canadian IP. If I were to connect to a US based VPN I could then surf to these sites without any issue and view the content. There is a downside to VPN in that there is usually a reason why those sites are blocking access (legal issues). There is also the concern that someone would be using the VPN to spam, phish or do some illegal behavior. We have the ability to phone verify customers automated so those doing illegal behavior can be curbed.

With those factors in mind what do you think of us offering a VPN service?

Pricing would be in the $10 per month range which would include a secure VPN with a dedicated IP on a server in the US. We would have a 50% off coupon for BlueFur.com customers bringing the price in around $5 per month. I am curious to see what you think of this type of service before we continue with any internal testing.

What other services could we brand with YellowFur.com if not this?

There’s a good chance that you’ve heard about the Asus Eee PC. It seems like the public has fallen in love with the subnotebook, because it offers a great level of productivity in an incredible compact package. Asus is getting ready to release a nine-inch version of the Eee PC soon, but they’re not going to alone in that segment of the market anymore.

Competing devices are starting to pop up from all sorts of companies. We’re getting ready for devices like the Everex Cloudbook, but one of the more notable upcoming releases is the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC. Taking on a form factor similar to the 9-inch Asus Eee PC 900, the HP Mini-Note is a mini notebook PC.

On an official level, HP is saying that this small computer is targeting the student population, but it will surely win over a few fans in the general population as well. The anodized aluminum shell helps to keep the sub-notebook safe and the 8.9-inch WXGA display is scratch-resistant too.

Features include integrated Wi-Fi, security and multimedia applications, and a “clear coating over the Durakeys to protect the printed characters.” Look for the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC to launch soon with a starting price of $499.