In the business world, “adapt or die” is a truism. The ubiquity of the Internet is altering—in some cases, radically upending—the models for all sorts of industries. Exhibit A: the current turmoil in print journalism.
While sources say employees of The Advocate are on pins and needles as they await word on what the pending sale of the family-owned newspaper will mean to them, the man who may soon be their boss has at least some reassurances for them. "In my opinion that place has all the resources and all the people that it needs to compete," says New Orleans businessman John Georges, who last week signed a letter of intent to acquire the paper. "There are some great people who work there." Georges, who was at LSU's E. J. Ourso College of Business this morning for the kickoff of Lemonade Day Louisiana, says if and when the sale is finalized, he will do the same thing at The Advocate that he has done at all the companies Georges Enterprises has acquired over the years. "When we acquire a company, we enhance them," he says. "We make them competitive by giving them the resources they need to compete." Many publishing companies around the country are selling or closing their newspapers...
Local entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to expand their reach with the help of online tools, mobile apps and social media are invited to attend a free two-hour workshop in Baton Rouge on Monday evening. The "Digital Marketing Strategies for the Future of Business—Web, Mobile Apps, Email" workshop is the first of five slated to take place as part of the Next Level Training Education Series, which is a part of the Business with Baton Rouge initiative by Mayor Kip Holden's office. Future workshops will focus on OSHA compliance, business branding and human resource strategies, among other topics, and will be held each month through June. Monday's event is being held at the Bluebonnet Library Branch and will begin at 6 p.m. It will include a presentation by Orhan McMillan, managing partner of dezinsInteractive, a local company that specializes in Web design, marketing and brand management. You can get complete details on Monday's workshop, as well as on other workshops...
IdeaCrossing, a free online community meant to help entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and service providers connect with each other, was rolled out in late January in Baton Rouge.
Technology is supposed to make our lives easier—and our businesses more efficient. But if you're a small business owner, you may feel more overwhelmed than enlightened by the rapidly expanding number of mobile devices, apps and so-called business solutions proffered online and peddled by traditional telecommunications and IT companies.
In an article appearing in the Columbia Journalism Review today, David Manship, publisher of The Advocate, says the Baton Rouge newspaper has increased its New Orleans circulation to about 23,500 since launching an edition in the Crescent City in October. About 16,000 of those are daily subscribers, the article states, adding: “Both are strong numbers for such a young paper, and it's hard to imagine that many or most of them aren't coming at the expense of The Times-Picayune.” However, The Times-Picayune is also reporting increased circulation since reducing its publishing schedule to three days weekly in October and increasing its online efforts—which prompted The Advocate to try to muscle in on the New Orleans market. “We haven't even had time to figure out what it's costing us to be in New Orleans yet,” Manship says. The...
Too big to jail? When the Justice Department announced its record $1.9 billion settlement against British bank HSBC last week, prosecutors called it a powerful blow to a dysfunctional institution accused of laundering money for Iran, Libya and Mexico's murderous drug cartels. But to some former federal prosecutors, it is only the latest case in which the government stopped short of bringing criminal money-laundering charges against a big bank or its executives, at least in part on the rationale that such prosecutions could be devastating enough to cause such banks to fail. They're calling it "too big to jail." Read the full story here.
There's little more than two weeks left to make your nominations for the 2013 Business Awards and Hall of Fame, presented by Business Report and Junior Achievement. The awards annually honor a Business Hall of Fame Laureate for a lifetime of achievement; Company of the Year, with one award going to a business with 100 employees or more and another going to one with fewer than 100 employees; Young Businessperson of the Year, which goes to someone 40 or younger; and Businessperson of the Year. You can nominate your company, yourself, a client, vendor or friend online here. Nominations will close at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31. Winners will be profiled in a March issue of Business Report and will be honored at a March 19 banquet held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and sponsored by Franklin and Capital One Bank.
Could any place be more appropriate than south Louisiana to film a series about the high-stakes nature of college football? Doubtful, though that isn't why Fox Digital Studios chose Baton Rouge as the location to shoot and produce its newest digital video series, Suit Up, now playing on Yahoo. Rather, it was the state's movie industry tax credits and the experience of Baton Rouge-based Digital FX, which co-produced the series with Fox, that brought the deal here. "This is the kind of stuff we'd love to do more of," says Greg Milneck, president of Digital FX, which provided camera crews, office space, and editing services to Fox for the production. "It was a low-budget job, but we really believe it represents the future of video production." A trailer for the series, which you can check out here, shows several scenes that locals will recognize, including an aerial view of the LSU campus and several shots of Tiger...
Louisiana today became the fifth state to implement the Microsoft IT Academy Program at all public high schools across the state, the Louisiana Department of Education says. The program provides students and teachers with "real-world technology skills needed to thrive in the 21st century global economy" via access to online learning content, official Microsoft course materials, and instructor resources and support materials that include lesson plans, software licenses, and professional, industry-recognized certifications. There are more than 10,000 Microsoft IT Academy Program members in over 160 countries. The first phase of Louisiana's program is being implemented in 21 school districts today, including East Baton Rouge Parish. All remaining public high schools will implement the program by the end of the fall semester.
In the latest example of the rapidly changing landscape of local media, NOLA Media Group—the company that publishes The Times-Picayune and nola.com—is expanding its online product into the Baton Rouge market. Word of that development comes just weeks after The Advocate announced it will expand its circulation in New Orleans this fall, when The Times-Picayune reduces its print publication to three days a week. Officials with Nola Media Group did not return calls seeking comment, but sources familiar with the plan say the company is staffing up locally and will be increasing its online coverage of Baton Rouge news, sports and politics. A post on the company's website says as much. An online ad for a “managing producer, Baton Rouge” says, “this is an entrepreneurial effort to significantly expand our footprint in a growing and vibrant city that offers a journalistically compelling mix of politics, sports and breaking news.”
In the latest example of the rapidly changing landscape of local media, NOLA Media Group—the company that publishes The Times-Picayune and nola.com—is expanding its online product into the Baton Rouge market. Word of that development comes just weeks after The Advocate announced it will expand its circulation in New Orleans this fall, when The Times-Picayune reduces its print publication to three days a week. Officials with NOLA Media Group did not return calls seeking comment, but sources familiar with the plan say the company is staffing up locally and will be increasing its online coverage of Baton Rouge news, sports and politics. A post on the company's website says as much. An online ad for a "managing producer, Baton Rouge," says, "This is an entrepreneurial effort to significantly expand our footprint in a growing and vibrant city that offers a journalistically compelling mix of politics, sports and breaking news. You will step in as a main...
East Baton Rouge Assessor Brian Wilson is sending out notices of property reassessments the week of Aug. 13, but homeowners will also have the opportunity to go online and inspect their assessments at ebrpa.org. It's unclear how soon this year's reassessments will be posted to the website, but they will be available on a permanent basis. For immediate information on a reassessment, Wilson says homeowners can call his office at 389-3920. Beginning Aug. 24, home and property owners can visit the assessor's office through Sept. 7 to view reassessments on the books. Wilson says owners can appeal their assessment if they believe it is unfair or does not include property damage. When appealing, residents go before the Metro Council, which serves as a midlevel appeals panel for challenges to tax assessments. Wilson has not made a preliminary estimate of how much the reassessment could net in tax revenue for municipalities. It's difficult to figure how taxes relate to certain properties,...
Almost two-thirds of world leaders have joined the Twitterverse where President Barack Obama and his tweet on gay marriage are the most popular to date, says a new study released today. But the rise in so-called ‘‘Twiplomacy’’ resembles something of an echo chamber, according to an analysis of 264 government accounts in 125 countries that the PR firm Burson-Marsteller describes as the first-ever global study of world leaders on Twitter. Some 264 world leaders now have a Twitter account, and the researchers believe that 30 of them do their own tweeting. Altogether they have sent more than 350,000 tweets to almost 52 million followers, the study shows. But about a third of them don’t follow each other and dozens of them don’t even follow any other Twitterers. The data, gathered in July, looked at more than 30 variables such as tweets, retweets and hashtags. Luefkens said Twitter was not involved in any way in the study. Read the full story
When General Motors announced in May it was eliminating its $10 million Facebook advertising budget, it sent shock waves through the world of marketing. It also forced companies big and small, local and nationwide, to examine the effectiveness of their own social media sites as platforms for marketing and advertising.
Google will sell a small tablet computer bearing its brand in a challenge to Amazon's Kindle Fire. The Nexus 7 is designed specifically for Google Play, the online store that sells movies, music, books, apps and other content—the things Amazon.com Inc. also sells for its tablet computer. Both tablets have screens that measure 7 inches diagonally, smaller than the nearly 10 inches on Apple Inc.'s popular iPad. The Nexus 7 will also be light, at about 0.75 pound, compared with the Kindle Fire's 0.9 pound. The iPad weighs 1.44 pounds. The Nexus 7 will begin shipping in mid-July starting at $199—the same price as the Kindle Fire. By contrast, iPads start at $499. Customers can start ordering it through Google today, initially in the United States, Canada and Australia. The Nexus 7 will run the next version of Google Inc.'s Android operating system, called Jelly Bean. In a keynote to open its annual conference in San Francisco for computer programmers, Google also announced...
POSITION: Inventors and co-founders COMPANY: Yellow Jacket WHAT THEY DO: Design and retail stun guns that are disguised as cell phone covers REVENUE: Froom hopes to initially sell 5,000 units online with pledges of $100 NEXT GOAL: Currently the Yellow Jacket is designed to fit iPhone 4s and earlier models, including most smartphones. But the goal is to design taser guns that cover most major brands of cell phones.
Brave new world
In the business world, “adapt or die” is a truism. The ubiquity of the Internet is altering—in some cases, radically upending—the models for all sorts of industries. Exhibit A: the current turmoil in print journalism.
Georges says 'Advocate' has all the resources, people it needs to compete
While sources say employees of The Advocate are on pins and needles as they await word on what the pending sale of the family-owned newspaper will mean to them, the man who may soon be their boss has at least some reassurances for them. "In my opinion that place has all the resources and all the people that it needs to compete," says New Orleans businessman John Georges, who last week signed a letter of intent to acquire the paper. "There are some great people who work there." Georges, who was at LSU's E. J. Ourso College of Business this morning for the kickoff of Lemonade Day Louisiana, says if and when the sale is finalized, he will do the same thing at The Advocate that he has done at all the companies Georges Enterprises has acquired over the years. "When we acquire a company, we enhance them," he says. "We make them competitive by giving them the resources they need to compete." Many publishing companies around the country are selling or closing their newspapers...
Series of workshops for local entrepreneurs kicks off Monday
Local entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to expand their reach with the help of online tools, mobile apps and social media are invited to attend a free two-hour workshop in Baton Rouge on Monday evening. The "Digital Marketing Strategies for the Future of Business—Web, Mobile Apps, Email" workshop is the first of five slated to take place as part of the Next Level Training Education Series, which is a part of the Business with Baton Rouge initiative by Mayor Kip Holden's office. Future workshops will focus on OSHA compliance, business branding and human resource strategies, among other topics, and will be held each month through June. Monday's event is being held at the Bluebonnet Library Branch and will begin at 6 p.m. It will include a presentation by Orhan McMillan, managing partner of dezinsInteractive, a local company that specializes in Web design, marketing and brand management. You can get complete details on Monday's workshop, as well as on other workshops...
Online entrepreneurs
IdeaCrossing, a free online community meant to help entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and service providers connect with each other, was rolled out in late January in Baton Rouge.
Blue versus red
Baton Rouge and New Orleans have often engaged in a war of words, but new competitors insist they have not entered a newspaper war.
Is there an app for that?
Technology is supposed to make our lives easier—and our businesses more efficient. But if you're a small business owner, you may feel more overwhelmed than enlightened by the rapidly expanding number of mobile devices, apps and so-called business solutions proffered online and peddled by traditional telecommunications and IT companies.
'Advocate' publisher: New Orleans circulation at 23,500
In an article appearing in the Columbia Journalism Review today, David Manship, publisher of The Advocate, says the Baton Rouge newspaper has increased its New Orleans circulation to about 23,500 since launching an edition in the Crescent City in October. About 16,000 of those are daily subscribers, the article states, adding: “Both are strong numbers for such a young paper, and it's hard to imagine that many or most of them aren't coming at the expense of The Times-Picayune.” However, The Times-Picayune is also reporting increased circulation since reducing its publishing schedule to three days weekly in October and increasing its online efforts—which prompted The Advocate to try to muscle in on the New Orleans market. “We haven't even had time to figure out what it's costing us to be in New Orleans yet,” Manship says. The...
News roundup: HSBC execs avoid laundering charges … Developers worry about new rules for phone apps … Google launches online Dead Sea Scrolls library
Too big to jail? When the Justice Department announced its record $1.9 billion settlement against British bank HSBC last week, prosecutors called it a powerful blow to a dysfunctional institution accused of laundering money for Iran, Libya and Mexico's murderous drug cartels. But to some former federal prosecutors, it is only the latest case in which the government stopped short of bringing criminal money-laundering charges against a big bank or its executives, at least in part on the rationale that such prosecutions could be devastating enough to cause such banks to fail. They're calling it "too big to jail." Read the full story here.
Deadline nearing to nominate for 2013 Business Awards and Hall of Fame
There's little more than two weeks left to make your nominations for the 2013 Business Awards and Hall of Fame, presented by Business Report and Junior Achievement. The awards annually honor a Business Hall of Fame Laureate for a lifetime of achievement; Company of the Year, with one award going to a business with 100 employees or more and another going to one with fewer than 100 employees; Young Businessperson of the Year, which goes to someone 40 or younger; and Businessperson of the Year. You can nominate your company, yourself, a client, vendor or friend online here. Nominations will close at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31. Winners will be profiled in a March issue of Business Report and will be honored at a March 19 banquet held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and sponsored by Franklin and Capital One Bank.
B.R. firm has heavy hand in new Web series 'Suit Up'
Could any place be more appropriate than south Louisiana to film a series about the high-stakes nature of college football? Doubtful, though that isn't why Fox Digital Studios chose Baton Rouge as the location to shoot and produce its newest digital video series, Suit Up, now playing on Yahoo. Rather, it was the state's movie industry tax credits and the experience of Baton Rouge-based Digital FX, which co-produced the series with Fox, that brought the deal here. "This is the kind of stuff we'd love to do more of," says Greg Milneck, president of Digital FX, which provided camera crews, office space, and editing services to Fox for the production. "It was a low-budget job, but we really believe it represents the future of video production." A trailer for the series, which you can check out here, shows several scenes that locals will recognize, including an aerial view of the LSU campus and several shots of Tiger...
Louisiana launches Microsoft IT Academy at public high schools
Louisiana today became the fifth state to implement the Microsoft IT Academy Program at all public high schools across the state, the Louisiana Department of Education says. The program provides students and teachers with "real-world technology skills needed to thrive in the 21st century global economy" via access to online learning content, official Microsoft course materials, and instructor resources and support materials that include lesson plans, software licenses, and professional, industry-recognized certifications. There are more than 10,000 Microsoft IT Academy Program members in over 160 countries. The first phase of Louisiana's program is being implemented in 21 school districts today, including East Baton Rouge Parish. All remaining public high schools will implement the program by the end of the fall semester.
Nola.com expands B.R. presence
In the latest example of the rapidly changing landscape of local media, NOLA Media Group—the company that publishes The Times-Picayune and nola.com—is expanding its online product into the Baton Rouge market. Word of that development comes just weeks after The Advocate announced it will expand its circulation in New Orleans this fall, when The Times-Picayune reduces its print publication to three days a week. Officials with Nola Media Group did not return calls seeking comment, but sources familiar with the plan say the company is staffing up locally and will be increasing its online coverage of Baton Rouge news, sports and politics. A post on the company's website says as much. An online ad for a “managing producer, Baton Rouge” says, “this is an entrepreneurial effort to significantly expand our footprint in a growing and vibrant city that offers a journalistically compelling mix of politics, sports and breaking news.”
NOLA.com adding Baton Rouge reporters
In the latest example of the rapidly changing landscape of local media, NOLA Media Group—the company that publishes The Times-Picayune and nola.com—is expanding its online product into the Baton Rouge market. Word of that development comes just weeks after The Advocate announced it will expand its circulation in New Orleans this fall, when The Times-Picayune reduces its print publication to three days a week. Officials with NOLA Media Group did not return calls seeking comment, but sources familiar with the plan say the company is staffing up locally and will be increasing its online coverage of Baton Rouge news, sports and politics. A post on the company's website says as much. An online ad for a "managing producer, Baton Rouge," says, "This is an entrepreneurial effort to significantly expand our footprint in a growing and vibrant city that offers a journalistically compelling mix of politics, sports and breaking news. You will step in as a main...
Assessments online
East Baton Rouge Assessor Brian Wilson is sending out notices of property reassessments the week of Aug. 13, but homeowners will also have the opportunity to go online and inspect their assessments at ebrpa.org. It's unclear how soon this year's reassessments will be posted to the website, but they will be available on a permanent basis. For immediate information on a reassessment, Wilson says homeowners can call his office at 389-3920. Beginning Aug. 24, home and property owners can visit the assessor's office through Sept. 7 to view reassessments on the books. Wilson says owners can appeal their assessment if they believe it is unfair or does not include property damage. When appealing, residents go before the Metro Council, which serves as a midlevel appeals panel for challenges to tax assessments. Wilson has not made a preliminary estimate of how much the reassessment could net in tax revenue for municipalities. It's difficult to figure how taxes relate to certain properties,...
Tweet this: Study finds limits to new ‘Twiplomacy’
Almost two-thirds of world leaders have joined the Twitterverse where President Barack Obama and his tweet on gay marriage are the most popular to date, says a new study released today. But the rise in so-called ‘‘Twiplomacy’’ resembles something of an echo chamber, according to an analysis of 264 government accounts in 125 countries that the PR firm Burson-Marsteller describes as the first-ever global study of world leaders on Twitter. Some 264 world leaders now have a Twitter account, and the researchers believe that 30 of them do their own tweeting. Altogether they have sent more than 350,000 tweets to almost 52 million followers, the study shows. But about a third of them don’t follow each other and dozens of them don’t even follow any other Twitterers. The data, gathered in July, looked at more than 30 variables such as tweets, retweets and hashtags. Luefkens said Twitter was not involved in any way in the study. Read the full story
Going social
When General Motors announced in May it was eliminating its $10 million Facebook advertising budget, it sent shock waves through the world of marketing. It also forced companies big and small, local and nationwide, to examine the effectiveness of their own social media sites as platforms for marketing and advertising.
Google to sell small tablet that challenges Kindle Fire
Google will sell a small tablet computer bearing its brand in a challenge to Amazon's Kindle Fire. The Nexus 7 is designed specifically for Google Play, the online store that sells movies, music, books, apps and other content—the things Amazon.com Inc. also sells for its tablet computer. Both tablets have screens that measure 7 inches diagonally, smaller than the nearly 10 inches on Apple Inc.'s popular iPad. The Nexus 7 will also be light, at about 0.75 pound, compared with the Kindle Fire's 0.9 pound. The iPad weighs 1.44 pounds. The Nexus 7 will begin shipping in mid-July starting at $199—the same price as the Kindle Fire. By contrast, iPads start at $499. Customers can start ordering it through Google today, initially in the United States, Canada and Australia. The Nexus 7 will run the next version of Google Inc.'s Android operating system, called Jelly Bean. In a keynote to open its annual conference in San Francisco for computer programmers, Google also announced...
Seth Froom & Sean Simone
POSITION: Inventors and co-founders
COMPANY: Yellow Jacket
WHAT THEY DO: Design and retail stun guns that are disguised as cell phone covers
REVENUE: Froom hopes to initially sell 5,000 units online with pledges of $100
NEXT GOAL: Currently the Yellow Jacket is designed to fit iPhone 4s and earlier models, including most smartphones. But the goal is to design taser guns that cover most major brands of cell phones.