The Obligatory Blog

Good to get away

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:40:00 +0000

I'm just settling back into my routine after taking the longest real break I've had in at least 5 years.

Ten whole days with no laptop, no internet access, completely free and off the grid. It felt incredibly refreshing. It's tough for a Micro ISV to get away from it all for even a few days, so switching off for a little over a week was great.

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Rafael Chaves launched TextUML Toolkit, a text based modelling tool. Via Blog.
Tim Sullivan launched Spice, a resume management service. Via BoS.
A Perdereau released a beta version of SharpWidgetsUI, a component library for windows forms. Via BoS.
Alex Williams, the end.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

5 tips for coworking with friends, from WWD.
Scared of forming a partnership, from EfCN.
Building an App in 30 days is stupid, from Ian Landsman.
My Bits du Jour experience, from Joe Indie.
The book told me to do it, from Pat Byrne.
Getting started with Adwords, from Dennis Crane.
5 ways to rescue an unproductive day, from WWD.
Progress updates from Phillip, Tim Haughton, DbDesc, Scott Kane, Steve McLeod, Neville Franks.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

The long tail and the Dip, from Seth Godin.
The 9 signs of a 1 hit wonder, from FoundRead.
Advice from a failed startup, from Psychochild.
Risk Aversion, from Cliffski.

Digest Break

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:54:00 +0000

Just a quick note to let you know there won't be a Micro ISV Digest this coming Monday.

Sorry about that.

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Scott Meade launched PlaybookIQ, small business CRM. Via Blog.
Steve McLeod launched Poker Copilot, a poker hand analysis tool. Via BoS.
Steve Cholerton launched SMS Relay, a SMS gateway. Via Blog.
Michael Johnson launched Simple SEO, an SEO tool. Via BoS.
Andrej Fiser launched ManicTime, a project time tracker. Via BoS.
Lisp bigot was looking for feedback on a beta version of Logopus.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

SaaS and the Micro ISV, from Tim Haughton.
Done with simple, from Scott Meade.
How can I take a vacation when running a business, from Startup Spark.
The big bang theory of launching a product, from Instigator.
Startup Advice from George Costanza, from OnStartups.
10 of the biggest platfrom development mistakes, from FoundRead.
The 30 day challenge ended, see who made it. Updates from: tc7, Steve M, Susan, Richie, Rafael, Phillip, mike, Scott, ProjectIffy, Steve C.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

25 reasons users stop using your product, from Andrew Chen.
5 rules of thumb for web workers, from WWD.
And, Battling Imposter Syndrome.
And, Reset your body clock.
Startup Lessons everyone should read, from Instigator.
Level the playing field with Digg, from Skelliewag.
I had that idea years ago, from 37signals.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Norbert Ruessmann launched DevTracer, a trace monitor. Via email.
Jitesh Patil launched Silo, a project management and collaboration tool. Via BoS.
Andrew Stewart launched TaskMate a task and project management system. Via BoS.
Rohan Almeida was looking for feedback on Imsense, an IM management system.
Nick Hebb interviewed on Startup Something.
Dave Collins is offering free adwords consultations.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

Government Whore, and My Story, from Building a Software company.
Postmortem, from Diary of a failed startup.
Building Youtube, on NewTeeVee.
Leveraging OSS as a software developer, from Patrick.
Increasing conversion rates and looking for suggestions, from Software by rob.
The secret to success is perseverance, from Follow Steph.
Last day or so for the 30 day challengers. Here's what Phillip, Mike, Rafael, Bracken, Scott, Steve C, Steve M, ProjectIffy, and Patrick have been up to this week.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

How to do well in a recession, from FoundRead.
No marketing = no sales #1 and #2, from Bruce on Games.
How to avoid being fan boy, from EfCN.
Will gas prices bring back desktop software, from bugninja.
4 contacts every web worker should have, from WWD.
How to play the odds game and win with Digg, from Skelliewag.
Feedback Fail.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Giacomo Guilizzoni launced Balsamiq Mockups, a tool to create GUI mockups. Via BoS, but also featured in an interview on WWD.
Adam M launched Postal Methods, a web service for automating sending post. Via BoS.
Eser was looking for feedback on an algorithmic recommendation engine. Via BoS.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

The joys and challenges of a nomadic software company, from Successful Software.
Lack of focus or too much ambition, from Alex Williams.
Todo lists, from Jon Fox.
Crowdsource testing, from 47hats.
Business strategy for the simple minded, from OnStartups.
The entrepreneur mindset, and why a young entrepreneur should blog, from Startup Spark (there was a lot of activity there last week, might be worth browsing).
Getting started as a web worker is about meeting needs, from WWD.
Data storage and performance, from Ian (six products).
Just a little over a week left for the 30 day challengers, Patrick isn't going to make it, but Scott Kane has been blogging like there's no tomorrow. Other updates: mike, Steve M, Steve C, Richie, Project Iffy, rchaves, Phillip, Benji.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

A 2 part rule for naming your startup, from FoundRead.
New company for a different product? from Andrey Butov.
The inside word on word of mouth marketing, from Guy Kawasaki.
Is it worthy, from Seth Godin.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Adrian McEwen launched Booklert, a service for authors to track their book's on Amazon. Via email.
Tim Harding launched Writers Residence, an online portfolio service for writers. Via BoS.
Can was looking for feedback on Moozey, a new mobile marketing platform. Via BoS.
Andrey Butov started a new Antair blog.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

It doesn't have to be all or nothing, from 37 signals.
Take the leap, from OnStartups.
Easily evaluate your startup idea, from Wil Schroter.
How to use e-junkie without your customers seeing it, from Patrick.
Progress updates from Floyd Price, Stephane Grenier, Carmen Ferrara.
Another week packed with updates from the 30dayers. Here's a selection of meaty posts: Scott, Steve C, Steve M, tc7, Richie, fret1, Patrick, Steve B, rchaves, bracken, mike, Phillip.
On a similar note, Rasmus Lindgren writes about My Walkthroughs, and how he built it in a week.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

2008 design trends, from Web Designer Wall.
Software mistakes, from Steve McConnell.
Economy got you down? from Pam Slim.
Ease you way back into the work week, from WWD.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Late to the party

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:41:00 +0000

The Onion does video now, why didn't anyone tell me before!

Check out the BlockBuster museum

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Richie Hindle launched Entrian Source Search, a code searching plug-in for VS. Via BoS.
Jason Kester launched a beta version of s3Stat, log analysis for Amazon S3. Via BoS.
gvozdok777 launched Leader Task, a task organizer. Via BoS.
Erhard was looking for feedback on BoS.
Thanks to the 30 day challengers for making my job much harder this week. Thanks to Mike for building a convenient list of all the offenders.
Here's a splattering of progress updates from the 30 day challenge: Patrick, Benji, Scott, Mike, tc7, Susan, Richie, Bracken, Steve.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

The panacea for putting things off, from Think Simple Now.
5 tips for focusing on your Micro ISV, from 47hats.
7 uncannily obvious lessons from a product launch, from OnStartups.
Lessons learned selling my Micro ISV, from Software By Rob.
How to quickly test your software before final release, from Dennis Crane.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

6 reasons you shouldn't be a web worker, from WWD.
And, 10 tips for working with the non-tech savvy.
How to be creative when you feel like a brick of concrete, from Pam Slim.
Why you should never publish anything late at night, from Follow Steph.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Last chance for an earlybird discount on the Business of Software conference.
Great interest in the 30 day product challenge, and some great stuff on the new shared 30 day rss feed.
New Micro ISV blog: Tarek Demiati's Mental Procreation.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

These Time sucks will add 3 months to your launch date, from 47hats.
Dreadful early decisions, from Jon Fox.
Create Partners, not Affiliates, from BugNinja.
Affiliates (part 2), from Follow Steph.
How much time can I spend working on my micro isv, from Mental Procreation.
Are you selling your entrepreneurial soul if you take a day job, from EfCN.
Progress updates from Scott Kane, Joel Marcey, Ian (Six Products), Neville Franks.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

How do you say no, from 37signals.
Get out of your mental ghetto, from Pam Slim.
Paypal problems, from Andy Brice.
Advanced Google Analytics, from WorkHappy.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Antair Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:21:00 +0000

We have a fun little contest running over on Pinstack, the prizes are copies of our BlackBerry Call Screener.

Closing time is Monday night and the bonus question is already drawing some interesting answers.

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 26 May 2008 09:30:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

n! launched Puzzle Publisher, a crossword maker. Via BoS.
Kevin Walzer launched Manpower, a man page viewer for the Mac. Via Blog.
Lorenzo launched Buggato, a bug tracker for countries. Via BoS.
Otaku software are offering free software for blog reviews.
A new thirty day product challenge on BoS.
Patrick is doing his own time challenge, starting 1st June. Also on BoS.
The BitsDuJour guys, Nico and Roger, started a new blog: icoBlog.
Adobe opening up Flash.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

HelpSpot's first six months of sales, from Ian Landsman.
The single most important career question, from Software By Rob.
Are affiliates worth it for merchants, from Follow Steph.
From Program to Product, from 47hats.
Also, To reach customers, layer your message.
Free Icons, from Phil Wright.
What about the Business Guy, from KC.
And, What about the Tech Guy.
10 tips to manage a customer crisis, from Jim Logan.
Why Small is beautiful, from 37signals.
Progress updates from Ian Landsman, Ian (Six Products).

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

PR secrets for startups, from TechCrunch.
Improve Bug Triage with User Pain, from Lost Garden.
Choose your manager, from Eric Sink.
Copy that doesn't suck, from Don Wallace.
Why VC funding doesn't equal success, from OnStartups.
How "why startups fail" fails, from 37signals.
The pocket sized guide to blogging, from Skelliewag.
5 lasting rules for negotiating anything, from FoundRead.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

New Release - Blackberry Call Screener 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:35:00 +0000

Antair have released version 2.0 of the BlackBerry Call Screener. This new version represents a major upgrade to the product, while retaining the ease of use of previous releases.

The first major new feature is custom profiles, allowing users to have various different configurations that they can quickly switch between at appropriate times - like "At work", "In a meeting", and "Weekend" profiles. Another major addition is flexible prefix matching for blocking or allowing calls from a certain area code, or a country.

We're very happy with the way the new features have been integrated into the interface, the final product seems simpler and easier to use than ever before.

Antair BlackBerry Call Screener v2.0

If you have a BlackBerry, you can download the demo version from our OTA (Over the Air) site by pointing your device to http://antair.com/ota.

Tags: antair blackberry call screener blacklist

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Scott Karstetter launched Smart To-Do List. Via BoS.
Alain Bocherens launched Slide Effect, a presentation tool. Via BoS.
Alfie John launched a new Rental Property site for New Zealand. Via BoS.
FastSpring launched a new software marketing blog.
Nathan Ridley recommended the 30 day challenge.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

Your idea alone has no value, from Wil Schroter.
Piracy Concerns, from JitBit.
Amazing resource for anti-cracking info, from BugNinja.
Amazon SimpleDB, from Tim Haughton.
Don't keep your day job, from BootStrapMe.
The travelling web worker, from WWD.
Progress update from Patrick McKenzie.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

The Scary List, from Lost Garden.
Why word of mouth doesn't happen, from Seth Godin.
8 commandments for marketing your startup, from FoundRead.
Why a bootstrap entrepreneur raised 17m in venture funding, from Onstartups.
The cultural problem, from gapingvoid.
What would it cost to build this, from Follow Steph.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:15:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Paul launched YesCalculator, a calculator. via BoS.
Give away of the day results on BoS (followup).
BdJ results from Follow Steph.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

Why making a fool of yourself is a good thing, from Neil Davidson.
It's the tech guy, obviously, from KC.
Amazon S3 for Micro ISVs, from 47hats.
Also, Information overload tips for Micro ISVs.
7 steps to speed up your technical support, from Dennis Crane.
Notes from MIT Underground 2008, from OnStartups.
The evolution of a software startup, from Instigator.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

That big project and your relationship, from WWD.
The art of war for entrepreneurs, from Pam Slim.
What do you know? from Seth Godin.
Big Bucks from tiny computing startups, from Information Week.
Aesop's top 7 tips for a happier life, from The Positivity Blog.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Starr Horne's live chat service, ChatSpring, opened for Beta. Via BoS.
AJ launched PDF Merger, a tool for combining PDF files. Via BoS.
Virgil launched Desktop Icons Arranger. Via BoS.
Guy Kawasaki interview on WorkHappy.
DotNetInvoice is for sale.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

Getting customer feedback, from Andy Brice.
1 tip to make your customers love you, from Ben Curtis.
Large vs Pancake buttons, from Praveen Angyan.
How to make it hard to find your startup online, from Onstartups.
How to stop competing, from Micro ISV Asia.
What the recession means for the software business, from Business of Software.
Web Worker 101: Cashflow management, from WWD.
And, How to be a stress free web worker.
Sleep deprivation is not a badge of honor, from 37signals.
Progress update from Ian (six products).

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

Architecture astronauts take over, from Joel Spolsky.
Explaining web working to the uninitiated, from WWD.
And, building a career on bursty work.
Your equity isn't a payment, it's an IOU, from Wil Schroter.
Who's doing what when, from Dr Dobbs.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Dennis Bottaro launched ebay Item ProfitCaster, a profit forecaster for ebay. Via BoS.
Bob on DHH's Startup School presentation.
A Startup-a-week looks interesting.
Andy Brice started a Business of Software FAQ, to try to reduce repeating topics.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

Selling software at retail, from Andy Brice.
Transitioning from client work to products, from 37signals.
The perils of working alone, from Andrew Duffy.
User interface before code, from Joel Marcey.
Focusing on Focus, from 47hats.
What I wish I'd known, from Jon Fox.
The startup lottery, from Dennis Forbes.
Stop waiting for the magical startup fairy, from OnStartups.
Also, Startup School Takeaways.
Lessons from a year in SF, from Andrew Chen.
Are you sure you want to be in SF, from 37signals.
Bootstrapping in bits and pieces, from BootStrapMe.
Progress updates from Joel Marcey, Ian (Six Products), Follow Steph.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

Becoming a lifestyle Entrepreneur, from AnyWired.
The long tail and indie game devs, from Psychochild.
Lessons for weathering a downturn, from FoundRead.
Also, 9 people you meet at Y Combinator.
Change your work hours to get more done, from WWD.
Also, Hands on with Google App Engine.
About Amazon FPS, from Tim Haughton.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Step 2 (rant averted)

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:00:00 +0000

Since changing the hosting over for this domain went smoothly, I decided to transfer the registration away from my current (UK based) registrar. I hate paying 3 times as much for the renewals as I do for other domains, and finally decided it was worth paying more than 2 years renewal fees to wrangle the domain away.

I'll stop there, because Neil Davidson wrote a nice post yesterday that tackles customer lock-in much more eloquently and usefully than any half baked rant about domain transfer out fees ever would.

I'll also spare you my "stuff costs more in europe" ranting, paying nearly $10 a gallon for gas and close to $400 for Rock Band is just awesome... really.

Back Again

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:52:00 +0000

As far as I can tell, everything is back up and running on the new server. Relatively quick and easy. Had to eliminate a few ASP pages because the new host is Unix, but all things considered, not bad at all.

Ch-Ch-Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:15:00 +0000

In the first of several changes to the setup here, I'm going to be moving the hosting of this domain to another host over the next few days. So, if everything goes wrong, this blog might be down for a while. It should be back up and running in time for next monday's digest post, but if not, you have my apologies in advance :).

Future changes may or may not include a change of url for the blog, and a switch to WordPress. That'll depend on how well this goes, and whether I manage to get around to it.

Fingers crossed...

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Simon Shutter launched Schemax Calendar, a group calendar viewer for outlook. Via BoS.
Alexis Christoforides launched Time2Play, an announcement player for small businesses. Via BoS.
Anshuman Mishra launched ivontu, an automated financial news analysis site. Via BoS.
Ken Kaczmarek launched Kirix Strata, a data analysis tool. Via BoS.
Patrick interviewed on Startup Something.
Andy points out a domain name scam.
Registration is open for the Business of Software 2008.
Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood on stackoverflow.com.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

So you want to start a business, from WWD.
What every freelancer should know, from Salon.
What is ALM? from Eric Sink.
How to elicit negative feedback, from Neil Davidson.
The scariest day of a software release, from Follow Steph.
5 mistakes startups make with their logos, from Startup Spark.
Managing technology in a startup, from KC.
What the youngsters are up to and why you should care, from Bob Walsh.
Fostering Innovation, from FoundRead.
Pithy insights on the business of software, from OnStartups.
Progress updates from Ian (six products), Follow Steph, Bob Walsh, Patrick.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

How to get links, subscribers and comments, from Skelliewag.
Do you really have to do anything? from Pam Slim.
Amazon SQS, from Tim Haughton.
Carnival of Business and Entrepreneurship.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Lewis Tan launched Coding FTP, an FTP automation tool. Via BoS.
7thGate launched Turbo Graphix, a 2D plug in for Maya. Via BoS.
Josh launched FretQuiz, a guitar fretboard learning tool. Via BoS.
Another Bits du jour experience shared.
Class of 07 April update.
Nice write ups of Amazon web services from Tim Haughton (S3 & EC2).
Google launched App Engine.
Keith Alperin launched a new Micro ISV related podcast.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

Getting people to link to you, from Patrick.
Eliminating distractions is key, from Bob Walsh.
Funding your web work dream, and
Alternatives to the home office, from WWD.
1 1/2 years, 10 lessons, from Found|Read.
Progress updates from Jon (NGEdit), Follow Steph, Andrew Duffy, Ian (Six Products).

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

10 bloggers share their best post ever, from Skelliewag.
Online activation is inevitable and safe, from Cliffski.
Carnival of business and entrepreneurship.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Andy's been blogging for a year already.
Patrick McKenzie moved his blog to http://www.kalzumeus.com.
Neil has lined up some great speakers for this years business of software conference.
A slow week, but I guess it's tough to make a serious announcement around 1st April.
Jon Chase had an April fools day round up. So did Bruce on Games.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

How can I overcome game development obstacles, from Grey Alien Games.
Things I'd do differently after 2 startups, from Found|Read.
And, Lessons from a serial first timer.
And, Little Decisions Matter - A Lot.
Why you should burn your business plan, from Business of software blog.
Marketing with YouTube, from Tim Haughton.
Plotting your career when you've jumped off the corporate ladder, from WWD.
Cold calling and telemarketing are not the same, from BugNinja.
Progress updates from Steph, Ian (six products).

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

10 things you didn't know about facebook, from Guy Kawasaki.
Why so many dead blogs, from Follow Steph.
Forget the professionals, coach yourself, from Pam Slim.
Carnival of business and entrepreneurship.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:00:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts.

News and Announcements

Ryan Smyth jumped into his Micro ISV (Renegade Minds) full time. Via BoS.
Neo Syne was looking for feedback for Induspreneur, an indian entrepreneur networking site.
Steph released a sample of his new ebook.
47hats promotional postings: Fast Spring and EC Suite. Also, YCombinator for Micro ISVs.
Amazon EC2 now offering static IPs.
Adobe launched Photoshop Express.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

Software startup lessons (part 3), from Lavablast.
7 questions I'd ask a Startup, from OnStartups.
Selling software, from Andrew Clarke.
"Flacking" effectively on a startup budget, from FoundRead.
Choosing a development stack, from Andy Brice.
Giving it up to get more done, from Web Worker Daily.
The making of an indie (part 4), from Joe Indie.
Revisit your design ideas, from Jon Chase.
Helium Foot Site++ plus, from Keith Alperin.
Download sites are useless, from Patrick.
Progress updates from Brian Manley, Neville Franks, Visual Hint, Phil (summary: don't throw away your Mary Poppins gags just yet :)).

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

The psychology of entrepreneurial misjudgment, from pmarca.
Or, shorter version from VentureHacks.
Brain research for Micro ISVs, from 47 hats.
Ev Williams, do as he says and as he does, from FoundRead.
(see Ten Rules for Web Startups)
25 paths to an insanely popular blog, from Skelliewag.
Is it possible to make a living making indie or casual games, from Grey Alien Games.
Core principles for rapidly attaining creative flow, from PSDTuts.
Very short stories, from Wired.
Carnival of Business and Entrepreneurship.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware

Micro ISV Digest

noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Bowman) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:30:00 +0000

A weekly roundup of Micro ISV news, announcements and relevant blog posts. The last section ran away from me a little.

News and Announcements

Brian released Copy 2 Web, a web based clipboard service. Via BoS.
Dan H released RoboShutdown, a system task automation tool. Via BoS.
Craig B launched Introspectrum, a website monitoring system. Via BoS.
Greg launched Verifilter, a compliance assistance service. Via BoS.
Web Worker Daily points to Lefora, free hosted forums.
The venue, date, and pricing for the Business of Software 2008 conference was announced.
Hurry, while stocks last: Andy Brice is on special offer until the end of March.

Relevant Blog Posts and Articles

Software startup lessons Pt 2, from LavaBlast.
How to innovate right now, from Scott Berkun.
The top 5 worst case scenarios for solo entrepreneurs, from Business of Software.
The disruptive micro ISV, from 47hats.
And, PR for Micro ISVs.
Thinking about Micro ISV websites, from Tim Haugton.
Above the fold, from Praveen Angyan.
A foundation or an anchor, from KC.
12 steps to find founder's gold, from FoundRead.
The Codemasters disasters series 1 2 3 4, from Bruce on Games.
Progress updates from Patrick and Brian Manley.

Further (mostly relevant) Reading

How to spark up your media releases, from HomeBizNotes.
Question your work, from 37 signals.
A creative entrepreneur who "gets it", from Pam Slim.
Tidbits from Warren Buffet, from On Startups.
Martian Headsets, from Joel On Software.
A closer look at screenshot pages, from Bugninja.
Animated Gifs, from Andy Brice.
The making of an indie (part 3), from Joe Indie.
On Writing and you, from Skelliewag.
Carnival of Business and Entrepreneurship.
The internet, that'll never take off.

Tags: microisv digest entrepreneurship startups shareware