“Widgets” are cool. So cool in fact, that even Grandma can now write custom Facebook apps in minutes.

According to the almighty Wikipedia, a “Widget” is a portable chunk of code that can be installed and executed within any separate HTML based web page by an end user without requiring additional compilation.

But more importantly, a Widget, and the brand new breed of Widget Building sites popping up everywhere, are tools that allow non-technical people like myself to create very cool applications that make others say “Man, your pretty technical!”…. :->

My current favorite is Widgebox. If you take a few minutes to learn how the site works, you will be creating very cool Widgets in minutes. And keep in mind, this site is made for non-techies, so learning to use it is just following logical prompts. Basic functionality is free, and for a $30/yr or so annual upgrade, you get a bit more.

To illustrate how you might use a site like this, I created a widget called the PartnerPoint Social Mashup widget. Since I knew how the site worked, It took me less then 10 minutes from start to finish to create this custom widget, AND import it into Facebook as a custom Facebook application.

Creating the widget was pretty straight forward, but the way Widgetbox creates Facebook applications is very cool.

When you install a Facebook application you follow a series of steps filling out forms which point to your application wherever it may be running. This process can be a bit confusing if you haven’t done it before. The way the Widgetbox deals with this is by pulling up your Facebook page within a small window, and giving you step by step instructions on the page surrounding this window, making it full proof. Here is what it looks like:

Example – Introducing for the first time in Public – The PartnerPoint Social Mashup

As I mentioned above, to illustrate how you might use this, I created an example called the PartnerPoint Social Mashup. This little widget simply aggregates content from various sources around a keyword that I can change at anytime. I call this keyword the Spotlight of the Day. Currently, my Spotlight of the Day is “Microsoft Dynamics”. The widget looks like this:

Each tab across the top pulls content from different sources based on a simple key phrase:

• Tweets – pulls Tweets from Twitter with the hashtag “Microsoft Dynamics”
• Videos – pulls videos from YouTube with the tag “Microsoft Dynamics”
• Photos – pulls pictures from Flickr with the tag “Microsoft Dynamics”
• Blog Posts – pulls blog posts from WordPress that contain the key phrase “Microsoft Dynamics”

If you’d like to see the Widget I created as an example, you can:

• Install the Facebook App HERE (you can easily delete it later), OR
• If we’re friends on Facebook, you can see the app in action on my profile without having to install it HERE, OR
• You can see the widget in action on our site HERE

Good luck!

The article reprinted below first ran in the September 2006 issue of SMB Partner Channel Magazine, and since I have been asked similar questions recently, I pulled it out and went thru it, and I believe alot of it is still appropriate today. So I thought I would re-post it in hopes that any of you looking to understand better the potential in your Microsoft Partnership may get some value from it.

“This partnership stinks! I’ve been a partner for a year now and Microsoft hasn’t sent me one opportunity!” I hear this a lot. Many partners fully expect that once they sign up for the Microsoft Partner program, they will soon find it difficult to handle the flood of opportunities Microsoft sends their way. Not only is this a fallacy, it shouldn’t be expected.

Inappropriate expectations from your partnership withMicrosoft can cause great frustration for you and your team. They can also cause you to miss out on great opportunities that this partnership can present you.

Should Microsoft send lots of leads to its partner community? Sure they should, and they do. But remember, Microsoft has over 300,000 partners worldwide.

Before I discuss tactical ideas for leveraging better your partnership with Microsoft, I’d like to review why you should partner with Microsoft in the first place. You should NOT sign up for the Microsoft Partner Program because you expect leads or sales support. Just as you should with any other Product Manufacturer (though I do realize they call themselves a Solutions company), you should choose to become a Microsoft Partner because:

• They make the products that your customers are asking for, OR
• They make products that make it easier for you to develop cost-effective solutions for your customers, OR
• They make products that integrate better with the business productivity applications (e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets) that most of your clients spend 80% of every day using, OR
• They make the products that will allow you to maximize the growth of your top and bottom line financial goals, OR
• They provide a robust partner program that will support your team as your firm grows
• And so on….. get the idea?

Basically, if you expect that Microsoft makes and supports the products, and you sell the products and support the customers, then you’re off to a realistic start. Then, whatever sales support you might get will be icing on the cake.

Now that your expectations are properly set, does this mean you should rule out using your partnership with Microsoft as a Sales and Marketing tool? Definitely not. On the contrary, it could be one of the most valuable sales resources you have access to, as long as you understand that you get out of it what you put into it, and it is not an automatic entitlement of being a partner.

Microsoft’s ability and willingness to pump money and programs into new marketing initiatives is unparalleled. This gives them the ability to create rapid market demand across many new product lines, which in turn creates sales opportunities for their partners since very little product is sold directly from Microsoft.

Microsoft’s dependence on Partners has grown over the years. As they grew from just Windows and Office to other diverse product lines, they learned that customers buy Solutions more than they buy just a Product. Also, they tend to buy these Solutions from their Trusted Advisors, which is guess who? The Partner community. Microsoft realizes this, and has put into place an enormous number of programs designed to help partners grow their businesses. Not so much because they care about your business, which they do of course, but more because that is how they will sell more product, which is what the game is all about.

There are Readiness programs (training), customer incentives, rebates, funded pilot programs, co-branded direct mail programs, joint telemarketing programs, and much, much more, all of which are free, or very reasonably priced for qualified partners. But because of the large number of partners they have, and the diverse types of products and partners they have, Microsoft demands quite a bit from the partners selected to engage with for these programs. These programs will not work without a partner who is committed to the program, and who is willing to invest time and resources into the program. So, Microsoft uses partner engagement programs to filter and find partners who qualify. The key for you is to do everything you can to become one of these “Qualified” partners.

So, you’ve become a partner for the correct reasons, and you are willing to commit the time and resources into becoming an Engaged partner…. what should you expect?

I think you should expect a lot. I believe that firms that are “highly engaged” with their appropriate Microsoft Team have elevated their status to Certified or Gold Certified. They have engaged in strategic (read: Not Every One) joint marketing efforts and business development programs with Microsoft. It is not uncommon to see 50% or more of their revenue as “Microsoft Influenced revenue.” Now the trick question: “What does Microsoft Influenced mean?”

I define Microsoft Influenced revenue as revenue that is materially affected by your relationship with Microsoft, versus simply a lead given to you by Microsoft. I realize that this is a broad definition, but I think you should look at your relationship with Microsoft in a very broad sense. Examples of Microsoft Influenced revenue would be:

• Contracts you won where Microsoft joined your team for the proposal as a sub, or provided proposal preparation support in the form of competitive information, proposal templates, etc
• Contracts you won from a Joint Marketing program with Microsoft, such as their direct mail campaign
• Contracts you won from a Call blitz held at a local Microsoft Office
• Contracts you won because the client wanted the best local partner, and when they called the local Microsoft office, Microsoft gave them a list that contained your firm.
• Contracts you won because the client wanted a Microsoft solution, and chose you over your competition because you were a Certified Partner
• Contracts you won because the client preferred a.NET solution and your competition bid a competing solution (they created the Market demand with their Marketing Air Cover, or general consumer marketing to drive product adoption)

So, do you have to become a highly engaged partner to be successful as a Microsoft Partner? Absolutely not. If you have a strong sales force, and a large customer base, there is a good chance there are some Microsoft products your customers want, and by simply becoming a Registered partner, you should be able to sell and support them just fine. In other words, if you don’t need more from the partnership, there is no requirement to invest more.

However, if you are interested in investing in your relationship with Microsoft in order to maximize the value of your partnership, here are a few things to consider:

• Elevate your Partner Level as much as possible. The basic levels are Registered, Certified and Gold Certified. You don’t have to be Gold Certified to be successful, but the further elevated you are, the better exposure you will have to Microsoft people and programs. I recommend that you simply review the requirements for each level, and see where you fit in, or where you can get to without changing your current business too much, and strive for that level.
• Get engaged with the appropriate team. Whether it is the Public Sector Team, the Enterprise Team, or the SMS&P Team, find the appropriate one(s) and begin to get into their local engagement programs. These programs willvary, but they all seem to have programs that identify “Qualified” partners whom they rely on for marketing programs.
• Give before you get. I have found that it is best to begin a new relationship with a “strategic” (read: someone who can help you get new business) person inside of Microsoft by introducing yourself to him while also mentioning a recent Win your team had that you know he/she would want to know about. This is much more enticing than “Hi, I’m Bob. Can you give me some leads?”
• Build and Maintain personal relationships. This is where the true value from any Microsoft engagement effort will come from. Programs can be effective, but Microsoft employees who know you, trust you, and view you as a committed and qualified partner, will yield more value over time than all of the programs combined
• Read, filter, prioritize. The more engaged you become with Microsoft, the more communications and opportunities you will get from Microsoft. It is important to be strategic and focused as you review these and not try to do everything. Lack of focus can cause a flurry of unproductive activity. Choose the team that provides the best opportunity for you. Choose your Competency and Industry focus if applicable. Then, use these to filter your communications and opportunities to find those that best justify your valuable time and resources.
• Don’t be afraid of MCS. Though this is becoming less and less of an issue, many Partners seem to be afraid of MCS (Microsoft Consulting Services), or see them as a competitor. I guess to the really big guys, they might be. But to the rest of us, they can be one of the biggest areas of opportunities for Partners. MCS seems to always have more work than they can handle, and they rely on Partners for most of the actual production work. If you get an opportunity from an MCS rep, chances are the contract is already in place, and your people can begin billing the next day. No proposals, bidding, etc…

In summary, a Microsoft Partnership can be a very valuable asset if expectations are set appropriately and a strategic plan is put in place to leverage the partnership productively. And I think the value is only going to grow. Microsoft is releasing more new product releases this year then ever in the history of the company. This will create more marketing programs, which will create more customer demand, which will create more new exciting opportunities for all of us!!!

Brian S. Ocheltree is the founder of PartnerPoint(www.partnerpoint.com), one of the largest and most active online communities of Microsoft Partners with over 11,000members worldwide. You can reach Brian at brian@partnerpoint.com

People I have worked with have complained for years about listening to me rave about a product called FolderShare which I used, and still use, extensively. Foldershare was bought by Microsoft and is now Microsoft Live Sync. I believe there are many other options for seamless file syncing out there now, but I continue to be a huge fan of, and completely dependent upon Microsoft Live Sync every day.

The concept is simple. You download the Live Sync app on each computer you want to sync files with. You then setup a folder on any machine that you want to share, and choose which machines should share these files. That’s it. Once setup, Live Sync will keep all files in those folders synced, in the background. Here are some of the ways I use it:

• I don’t know about you, but these days I have a ton of PCs I use. I have two PCs at work, three at home, and two laptops including one Macbook (It integrated the Mac seamlessly). I have Live Sync setup to share my Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos (on some… large file sizes..) on each of these. So, no matter what PC I am using, I have all of my files there, even ones that were created minutes earlier on another machine. This is something that I have gotten so used to that I take it for granted every day.
• I use it to easily share pictures with family members. I loaded it on my Dad’s PC, and shared with him our Pictures folders so that he gets all of our pictures as soon as they are saved to any of our PCs. I then set his screen saver to be the Slideshow, and had the Slideshow pull from the Shared Picture directory so his screen saver was our latest family pictures.
• I use it allow me to use iTunes on multiple machines and always have access to all of my songs, audio books, and movies no matter which machine they were added from.

Anyway, you should check it out. I think it is free (I am ashamed to say I am not sure if I’m getting billed… :-O). FolderShare was free but I expected Microsoft to eventually start charging or put a limit on it once they bought it, but I don’t think they have yet.

Also, there seem to be other Microsoft products that do similar things like:

• Microsoft Live Mesh – Seems like maybe this is Live Sync with the addition of storage in the cloud as well… not sure though
• Microsoft Office Groove – More for collaboration with other parties on docs stored on your or their local machine



Think back to the last time you had to buy a new computer. How much work did you go through, installing new applications and setting up email? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could simply take your old system, copy it onto a new piece of hardware, and start running your new computer instantly?

Virtualization helps you do just that. Virtual Machine (VM) technologies such as the Microsoft Hyper-V Server allow you to run several operating systems simultaneously on a single workstation or server. Here are a few of the many benefits to virtualization:

• greater flexibility
• reduced cost of operations
• more energy-efficient
• requires less physical space
• maintenance is cheaper
• less hardware to maintain
• less software to upgrade

If you’re still unsure about virtualization, just think back to that last time you bought a new computer. Think about the time it took, and the pain involved. Are you convinced yet?
The cost savings may not be as great as an enterprise-run data center, but the benefits still far outweigh any costs. Don’t let the thought of change intimidate you. Virtual IT experts like Responza will gladly help you to implement the most cost-effective virtualization strategy.

Posted By:
Kim Zanini
Responza
Kimz@responza.com
www.responza.com

“I truly wish Microsoft would make it easier for me to be the MSFT evangelist that I am…. Just found out that my (relatively) brand new Vista PC that I keep perfectly current with all updates cannot be ‘upgraded’ to Win7. Instead, I have to do a full install, and loose all of my apps and settings, which I will not do…”

This update was a result of my recent effort to upgrade one of my workstations to Win7. And, it seems that my hast to jump into the upgrade without the slightest research caused me to buy the incorrect version of Win7, which caused the issue mentioned above.

Microsoft provides quite a few resources to help avoid this problem, which can be easily found with the slightest effort. For example:

• They have created the Windows7 Upgrade Adviser app, which you can find here: http://tinyurl.com/yfz3kzd
  
  This app runs on your desktop and lets you know if your machine can handle Win7, and what version you should buy, which would have solved my issue. Here is my results page, which clearly states that “You can upgrade to 32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium or Ultimate”, and of course I bought Windows7 Professional.

  

Your Affinity Network

There is a non-traditional source of referrals that we don’t often consider. I call it your “Affinity Network.” These are your natural, everyday cultural, geographic, and special-interest connections that can lead to new and increased sales.

Think about people you know, with whom you share the same cultural background (or geographic area or country). There is an affinity – a connection – among those with a common custom, perspective, or manner. In the United States, the South, the Midwest, New England … each has its own social, business, and historical culture. People from these locations often share a certain manner of speech, approach, or perspective. Think about it: Tapping into this Referral Network can provide a natural connection to new networks and new business-development opportunities.

What about others who share the same political agenda or passion for travel or sports? You feel an immediate connection to them – a natural liking, inclination, or feeling of identification.

Tap into this connection and build your referral business through your new Referral Network.

The Cultural Connector

Cultural connections can be a powerful lever in creating new sales opportunities. Think of a British businessman working for a company in the United States. The company has an important sales lead in the United Kingdom. Who would this company send to explore the new opportunity? Given the choice, it wouldn’t be someone from Texas or New York or Asia or Latin America. Smart sales execs would send the Brit, because he would more likely be perceived as “one of them.” This immediate network connection could potentially seal the sale. The sales approach, conversation, and tempo of new business development would more likely be in keeping with the client’s culture. Familiarity breeds comfort, breeds trust, breeds new sales opportunities.

I was working with the Asia-Pacific sales group of a large organization. I needed to know more about the cultural nuances involved in building relationships and referrals in that part of the world. That part wasn’t difficult to discover; I simply asked the client for some background. My biggest challenge was to make an immediate connection with the group. I began by telling them that I was fortunate enough to have made a trip to China a few months before and that I had learned two words in Mandarin – “hello” and “thank you.” I recited those two words, and they all laughed and said that my accent was really good. We connected immediately.

The Travel Connector

Travel is one of the greatest connectors. No matter what your nationality, if you are traveling in another country, you immediately gravitate to people “from home.” One of my hobbies is hiking. My sister and I travel together every year – typically on great outdoor excursions. Recently, we traveled to Patagonia. We stayed at a fabulous lodge and went on organized hikes twice a day. On our last day, I was hiking with a couple from New England. It turns out that I was familiar with the man’s industry and, in fact, I was good friends with one of the key leaders in his professional networking association. We exchanged cards (yes, I always carry business cards) and I continue to stay in touch. In fact, I might hear from him when he reads this newsletter.

The Sports Connector

And what about sports? It’s not just a “guy thing.” Before I visit a client in any city in the world, I find out how the local professional sports teams are doing. We can exult if they’re doing well and commiserate if they’re doing poorly. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, cricket … there’s something going on all year long. And if you’re traveling in the Midwestern United States, know your college ball!

Get Human, Get Personal

You get the picture; if you can establish a common interest, the networking connection is immediate … and significant. The faster you can tap into the various connections you have, the faster you will become accepted and build your new Referral Network.

In this era of distinctly social networking, the more personal and human your connection with people is, the more valued the connection will be. Your new Referral Network will become a powerful source of new sales for you. Your sales prospecting will never be the same.

Tap into your Referral Network: Leverage your personal network and connections to propel your sales!

Posted By:
Joanne Black
joanne@nomorecoldcalling.com

http://www.nomorecoldcalling.com

However, they have changed the policy it seems and the changes is awesome.  Now, when they find a copyrighted song, instead of removing the audio track for the video, they simply display an ad at the bottom listing the Title, Artist, and a button to allow the viewer to buy the song.  Another great example of an Ad-driven model that is a Win-Win for everyone….

Check out THIS very cool presentation of The Story of Bill Gates, from the folks at TalkPoint. In addition to being a Great story and video piece, the multi0media presentation is very cool…

Microsoft® Volume Licensing solutions provide the most flexible, cost effective way to give your clients access to the latest Windows desktop technologies.  Whether they want you to help them upgrade to Windows 7, have access to advanced technologies like Windows 7 Enterprise and the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, or deploy emerging virtualization scenarios, there is a Volume Licensing program that is right for each of your customers.

Volume Activation

Windows product activation is a set of technologies enabling your clients to confirm that their copy of Windows is properly licensed.   Product activation is required for all editions of Windows 7.

Volume Activation allows your enterprise customers to automate the activation process and make it transparent to their individual users.  Volume Activation applies to computers that are covered under a Volume Licensing program, and for any of your clients that are using Volume Licensing media that was first introduced with Windows Vista.  This licensing media has now been enhanced in Windows 7 and it is used strictly as a tool for activation.  It is not tied to license invoicing or billing.

Volume Activation provides two models for completing activations: Key Management Service (KMS) and Multiple Activation Key (MAK).  KMS allows organizations to activate computers within through an internally hosted service (KMS).   MAK, by comparison, activates computers on a one-time basis by using the hosted activation services provided by Microsoft.  Your customers can use either or both key types to activate computers in their environments.

Get Genuine Options

Learn about Microsoft Genuine!  Microsoft Windows upgrades are designed to upgrade previously acquired, qualified licenses.  The best and most cost-effective way to acquire full Windows licenses is through preinstalled licenses on a new PC.  However, if you discover counterfeit or pirated software or a non-qualified operating system on your client’s computers… they may be out of license compliance.   There are solutions available through Microsoft Volume Licensing that you can recommend to help your customers remedy this situation.

Note that to purchase the correct Windows licenses through Volume Licensing, the Get Genuine Windows Agreement (GGWA) has two options: GGWA for Small and Medium Organizations, and GGWA for Large Organizations.

Posted By:Jim Karl
redmondpm@hotmail.com

I am also looking whether MS Online services could be integrated with a MS Office Live Small Business website, and especially within each client portal in a MS Office Live Small Business website.  If a vendor out there has software for doing this, I definitely would consider buying such a platform.

Please call me or email me asap.

Posted By:
Toon Six
ToonSIx@intercs.com
Internet Customer Solution
www.intercs.com