MicroISV Digest

The MicroISV Digest for the week ending September 29th, 2008.

(If you have an announcement of interest to your fellow microISVs, indies or startups, please email me at bob.walsh@47hats.com with the word digest in the subject.)

News and Announcements

• Jesse Smith’s Wholeweal Software, Inc. has shipped its first product: EverybodyInn, an easy-to-use reservations management system for bed-and-breakfasts, guesthouses, and small hotels. (via email)
• Mark Phillip’s Dashboard Zone has released a free WordPress plugin to monitor your blog’s success metrics. (via email)
• Atle Iversen is looking for feedback on PpcSoft’s first desktop Windows application, iKnow and while he’s gotten an earful at the Business of Software Forum, more is appreciated.

Relevant Blog Posts, Videos and Articles

• Scott Carpenter (InvoicePlace) took the time to find and share with the Digest two interesting items: this post, Kiss of Death – Contract Provisions Entrepreneurs Should Avoid at All Costs and this video, When Working Software Is Not Enough: A Story of Project Failure. The latter is a bit long, but if you’ve forgotten why you went into business for yourself, consider it a refresher.
• Running low on user interface inspiration? Check out inspireUX. (Gleefully stolen from the Help menu of Balsamiq Mockups)
• The good news is About Us pages on business web sites have improved over the last five years. The bad news is how does your microISV’s About Us stack up against what Jakob Nielsen (Alertbox) recommends?
• Feel like doing a little homegrown startup analytics? Andrew Chen’s The first 6 steps to homegrowing basic startup analytics is a good place to start.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

• Google is giving away money to startups and social entrepreneurs again, kicking off Project 10 to the 100th. they are ponying up $10 million, will let the public judge the top 100 ideas, with the final five getting funded. Eight categories, deadline is Oct. 20th.

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Tagged as: entrepreneurship, MicroISV Digest, shareware, startups