After an extended period of time during which I simply couldn’t trust Gmail’s spam filter to Do The Right Thing, I’m happy to report that for the last few weeks it has been performing exceptionally well.

The first time I learned of the word c-o-l-l-a-b-o-r-a-t-i-o-n, was probably around…uh…I don’t know, maybe around the age of eight. My teacher had a tough time explaining its concept to me during a science project, “Kevin, collaboration is not making your partner do all the work while you tie his shoelaces to the chair!

Online shopping search engine, Smarter.com, has announced a cool new feature: Visual Search Beta. Aimed at those shopping for clothing, Visual Search allows shoppers to select a type of clothing, then search by color using a color-wheel. It’s hard to explain, but easier to demonstrate.

Here are actual comment spams I received on Sunday:

Okay, since I’m apparently in “2006 doom and gloom” mode here’s another observation that I can re-brand as a 2006 prediction.

Google’s explanation about Ford Explorer ads showing up on numerous sites with no automotive-related content said it’s all about the impressions.

SBC Communications has upgraded several features on its Internet Yellow Pages web site.

Los Angeles-based MeziMedia announced its Smarter.com product comparison site will set up operations in Shanghai.

In 2003, venture capitalists and investors dispense over $18 billion to promising young US companies, according to VentureOne and Ernst & Young Quarterly Venture Capital Report. Less documented and reported is venture leasing’s activity and volume.

Online business is probably the fastest growing market on the planet. With over 34 million web pages out there and more being created every day it seems like an almost hopeless prospect for the solo home business owner to achieve any sort of success. Think of the competition…….right? Well, almost.

1) Aim for effectiveness, not neatness. Neatness as an end in itself can even be risky: Putting things away just to clear off your desk can cause you to lose or forget them.

More often than not, when times get tough marketing gets the bullet. In some cases where there has been an incorrect allocation of resources within a company this may be justified. But in most cases it is a mistake. Sometimes a very costly one!

An accountant once told me that he never met anyone who didn’t want to make 30% more money. Whether you want a better lifestyle or to take more vacations, buy a fancy car, spend more time with your family, send your children to college or to give it all away, you could always use more money.

Online, I believe business success is certainly easier to achieve than its brick-and-mortar version. It’s not a free ride and it definitely requires some time let alone work. But on the web, I also believe that one can easily — as that famous clich goes — work smarter instead of harder.

The common suggestion that we “work smarter” instead of harder is a good one. Who wouldn’t want to do that? Often, however, this advice falls short of actually providing information about what it really means or how to apply it. Here are seven surefire ways you can start working smarter today!

The biggest single mistake people who are trying to become successful make is that they try to do it by themselves. That represents the hard way of trying to become successful. The smart way is to get people to help you and the more help you get, the faster you’ll get there. Joe Girard got into the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s “Number-One New Car Salesman” by selling 1,425 cars in one year. What a phenomenal individual accomplishment! The question is, how did he do it?