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Ebay shares are down 15% today which I think is indicative of a steady decline in the over Ebay experience.

The market is smart: analysts at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs cut eBay to “Neutral” from “Buy,” while Lehman and Jefferies both lowered their price target.

Why eBay is Falling Apart at the Seams…

The internet has changed. In the late 90’s and early 00’s, the internet was still relatively new and there was a large degree of novelty. It’s good to understand the two demographics that sell on eBay: (1) legitimate businesses looking for a new avenue of sales, and (2) people attempting to sell their own out-of-favor items.

Ebay hasn’t managed either category well.

The business aspect of selling on eBay has simply become more expensive. Plus, as it’s grown, it is harder and harder to reach the exact right demographic. The web is moving toward smaller and smaller niche markets. Ebay also has trouble resolving conflicts. By now, most serious users have had a bad transaction and it has soured them on the experience somewhat.

As for the large number of people who used it to clear out their garage: they still use it, but they’re aware of other, cheaper alternatives as well - such as Craigslist. Early on, People flocked to eBay just to prove they “got it” and used it in place of traditional avenues - garage sales, donations and trash dumps…

Simply put, eBay is failing to respond to the changing face of the internet.

Ebay is Not Creatively managing their Business.

Okay, so you’re in charge of eBay - what do you do? Revenue is decreasing, you’re getting tons of bad press and the overall experience is suffering. The current answer: “Let’s raise prices!”

Here’s a quote from the stock’s message board:

I am a seller who has pulled back 75% of our sales and have told our account rep it would remain that way until the changed back. MANY SELLERS have pulled back or closed shop all together. Still time to short this as IT WILL go to $20 or less in my opinion.

Go to eBay and click on COMMUNITY and then NEWS. The go to JULY 10th and click on the Line “A Message from Lorrie Norrington: Updates on Feedback”

Two QUOTES from that News Release: (1) When we get something wrong, we want to make it right & (2) Finally, we’re working to resolve other important issues that eBay sellers have raised over the past several months.

Wise Man Say, “Losing customers not good way to make money.”

This is one of the most stylish videos I’ve ever seen. I loved this when I saw it - once - about 15 years ago. Thanks to someone who emailed me (sorry, forgot your name!) I’ve found it again thanks to the post on Grazin in the Grass.

VBA is a hammer. It’s crude, but wonderfully efficient at getting things done. I don’t do a lot of “dirty work” anymore, but part of working at a small company is rolling up your sleeves every once in awhile.

The situation at hand: we have 20,000 XML files that need to have information that is currently contained in an Excel spreadsheet inserted into them. Each file is uniquely named and sitting in the same directory. In fact, I had looped through the files originally to populate the spreadsheet and a co-worker matched the information to certain IDs that needed to be plugged back in…

My fundamental mistake was not thinking through it ahead of time. I looped through the files and inserted the data into the spreadsheet - a row for each file. I also included a guid from the file header (inside file!!!!!!!!) into the spreadsheet. I thought that would be the easiest way create the match when I got the spreadsheet back. (I’m sure those of you deal with data already recognize my mistake.)

I got the file back, went back to reverse my loop and realized I now needed a second nested loop to go through each row of the spreadsheet looking to match the guid….

Because each file is uniquely named, I could’ve written the name of the file into a column and simply looped through the spreadsheet writing the guid to each file with name of Column X.

The worst part of this is that I completely berated a younger coleague a couple years ago for a nearly identical project. His response is the same that mine is now, “hey, it was just a one off project that I was doing on the side.”

Wise Man Say, “Pay Attention to Everything You Do. Little Stuff Matters Too. Otherwise You Will Suck.”

The iPhone is one cool gadget. (I’ve got an iTouch and I love it, but the developer in me has been trying to figure out a way to jump into iPhone development since I first laid eyes on it.)

Fortunately, this notion can now be a reality as the iphone sdk has been released. The implication of a freely available Software Development Kit for the iPhone means that casual developers can now develop cool, fun iPhone applicationss.

If you’ve got the desire to become a budding iPhone SDK Developer, you need to surf on over to http://planet-iphones.com/forums/index.php#10. It’s a great starting place for iPhone SDK Developers. You can download the SDK and discuss all topics about the SDK.

New users can acquaint themselves with the rules about the forums. Developers find it is a great site to work through difficult questions during the development process.It’s also a great site to find out what cool new apps may be coming. Ordinary iPhone users can sign up to the site and find all the new plugins and applications for your iPhone. This includes the latest wallpapers, games and must-have accessories.

My wife went to school in Dallas and I still have a ton of friends in the metro area. She got both her Bachelors in History at SMU and her Masters of Physical Therapy. We were just going through old pictures and I stumbled upon something that made me think of this. If you are looking for a dallas photographer, look no further than Mark Oristano.

He is the best photographer dallas in all of Texas. The cool thing you’ll notice about his photography is that he also caters to professionals. He is a prominent member of the community and he is involved/supports local theatre.

He primarily specializes in the headshot dallas. Mark studied at the New York Institute of Photography, and numerous seminars and workshops in Photoshop. He has also worked and studied with Michael Grecco, one of the country’s top portrait photographers. Michael Grecco works out of Los Angeles, California and specializes in dramatic lighting techniques.

Times are aggressive right now. House prices have tanked, so the corresponding amount of equity has dropped. The result is that the banks NEED to refinance people because - quite simply - they aren’t making their numbers. If you have a home refinance bad credit is easy.

It’s never been easier to do a bad credit home refinance than now. Despite all the doom and gloom on the news, banks are aggressively trying to squeeze people into these newly created government programs. With a couple hours of telephone investment, you should be able to get a much better deal and save yourself a boatload of money in the meantime.

Bad credit mortgage refinance is possible, but you’ll never know until you try. Refinance.com is a great site to get started. They have information specific to your individual state, information about FHA and VA options.

Interest rates are now at a 30 year low, if current interest rates have dropped since you secured your mortgage, you may be able to get a new loan (or ‘refinance’) with a lower interest rate. Refinancing would then reduce your interest costs (unless you plan on increasing the term of the loan) and possibly your monthly payment costs.

So, typically my new year’s resolution is to start the year off with some sort of diet. In recent years, I’ve tried them all - the Atkins revolution, the South Beach Diet, the all banana diet, the porn star diet, the beans and rice diet, the zen buddha diet, the cannibal diet (okay, maybe not that one). My point is - I’ve tried a lot of diets. I’ve also quit a lot diets because they just don’t seem to work. I lose enthusiasm.

The way to lose is weight is to increase output and decrease input. Simple, but easier said than done. Luckily, I found Wuyi tea which is a great way to accomplish both. The tea curbs my appetite so that I don’t find myself dieting and starving myself. It happens naturally. I also get a nice energy kick from the tea. It doesn’t make me jittery or cause my heart to flutter the way some of the other fad items do.

I can’t speak for you, but for me traditional diets just haven’t done the trick. Moreover, I feel like I’m doing something unhealthy - rather than healthy - whenever I embark on a diet. Check out Wuyi tea - it’s inexpensive and may just be the trick you need to shed a couple of those unwanted inches before it is time to take your shirt off at the beach.

Best of luck.

Wise Man Say, “Drink Wuyi before it drinks you.”

A man’s bathroom is like his throne. Or, more appropriately, a man’s toilet is like his throne. It is likely the only place in the world you can actually escape from it all and be in peace. No kids. No wife. No problems.

That is why it is crucially important to keep you bathroom up to date. You can do this by purchasing discount bathroom appliances and fixtures online. I’ve found several stores, but stockblowout.com seems to be the best.

It’s easy and fun to repair and recreate your bathroom. Plus, as you know, doing handiwork is very empowering. Your wife’s eyes will glimmer as she sees your sweaty body removing the putrid wax ring from your old toilet. Okay, maybe not. You get the picture.

Don’t forget to improve your lights. You can find cheap lights online too!

Happy Hunting!

There is a horrible trend among technology guys the world over - elevator etiquette.

There are several root problems: we’re busy, we get deeply engaged in conversations, we are cell phone addicts, we get trapped in thoughts……

1. Let people off the elevator before you crowd into it. Women first - no exception. Hold the door and be polite.

2. If someone is carrying a package, pulling luggage, walking a child - be polite and hold the door for them (even if you have to cover your phone and whisper a polite, “here you go” and continue on). But this brings us to….

3. Don’t talk on your cell phone in an elevator.

4. Watch for rude behavior when your deeply engaged with a coworker and you’re trampling people en route.

5. Don’t EAT on the elevator.

Here is a very cool looking device called the Sony Mylo. It’s been around for about a year. “Mylo” stands for ‘My Life Online’ which is also the name of a now defunct wireless service provider from the early 2000’s (right around the dotcom implosion).

Anyway, this PSP looking device doesn’t play games. That’s right - no games?

And it looks like a cell phone………………………… but it’s not?

No, Sony created a portable wifi gadget the size of a cell phone so that you can carry something else around in your pocket that can do things your existing cell phone can already do???

I don’t get it. What am I missing?