In one of the largest sales yet of virtual property in an online game, a Miami resident refinanced his real home to buy a virtual space station for $100,000. He plans to call his space resort, in the game Project Entropia, “Club Neverdie.” 

What is virtual real estate you ask? Forget waterfront condos and zen gardens. Domain names, the virtual real estate of the Web, can deliver far better returns. Here is an interesting story in Business 2.0 about buying domains:

But the way domainers look at it, they own the property. “And if you own the real estate,” Rabin says, “people are going to wind up there at some point.” Soon, he figures, Wall Street at large will begin to catch on, providing opportunities to tap into the public markets. Then big Internet players like Rupert Murdoch or Barry Diller could buy out the domain owners. Some even speculate that Google or Yahoo — or Microsoft, which is entering the paid search business — will roll up the domainers, cutting out a layer and serving up the type-in traffic directly to their advertisers.

Virtual real estate is not boom or bust; it’s here to stay. Grab a shovel and stake your claim. Even the guy in Miami who owns club “Neverdie” will make his money back from the online business.

Related: Oldest Websites on the Internet

We all know Google is the bomb, but how many of you know what a Google Bomb is? From Wikipedia:

A Google bomb is an attempt to influence the ranking of a given page in results returned by the Google search engine. Due to the way that Google’s PageRank algorithm works, a page will be ranked higher if the sites that link to that page all use consistent anchor text. A Google bomb is created if a large number of sites link to the page in this manner.

Let’s give it a try. Search Google for [miserable failure]. You see the first result is George W. Bush’s bio on the White House site. That my friends, is a Google bomb.

It appears that some Florida bloggers are trying to bomb talk show host Bill O’Reilly with a [terrorist supporter] search.  They are urging other bloggers to link to Bill O’Reilly website from text saying ‘terrorist sympathizer’. Ha, it worked.

Why are these Florida bloggers wielding their mighty sword? O’Reilly recently joked that terrorists should bomb San Francisco’s Coit Tower.

Via: Infomaniac

Online daters sue Yahoo and Match.com for fraud. From MSNBC:

Yahoo Inc.’s personals service is accused of posting profiles of fictitious potential dating partners on its Web site to make it look as though many more singles subscribe to the service than actually do.

If you’ve ever looked at some of these sites it’s so obvious:

22 year old swimsuit model with a LUST for life,
seeks computer gamer to SPICE UP HER LIFE.
Turn ons: XBox, Bang Bus, and Pollo Tropical.
Turn offs: spending money.

I’ve heard that most dating sites pull this scam from one degree or another.

Coincidently, today I added a list of Miami Dating Services to our Yellow Pages. I only listed two companies. I looked around, but every local dating service that I found looked like a big scam to me. So, I listed It’s Just Lunch; that is a company that screens potential matches and sets up lunch dates for you. The other company is much more risque; it’s an online dating site called Swingers Date Club - and it’s for adults only.

Ahhh, for research purposes, I visited SDC and carefully inspected a number of member profiles, and most of them look legit. Like ebay, members can validate other members so you can weed out any fakes.

But you can be the judge for yourself. SDC offers a free 14-day trial. You can come back and post your comments about how you like their service, and wheather or not you think their members are real or fake.

For a trial membership, please signup here. If you do, Michelle and I will receive a small referral fee, and it will graciously be used to help pay for our honeymoon. Yes, I said honeymoon. I’m not sure how a post about Yahoo’s Online Dating Scam ended up here, but it seems like as good a place as any to announce our wedding 

Okay, I’m the luckest guy in the world. I got the beautiful girl who knows how to spice up my life.

Miami-Dade County’s economic development office has said Bodaclick.com is opening an office in Miami-Dade. The Spanish wedding portal will use their new office to target the North American and Latin American markets and run operations in the United States.

“Along with its proximity and access to the Latin American markets, Miami-Dade was an ideal location for our office because of the hotels and resorts that attract many weddings,” said Ignacio Vega, Bodaclick chief executive officer. “Since our services are offered in both English and Spanish, Miami-Dade provides the diverse workforce necessary to make our website successful throughout North and Latin America.”

Over the next three years, Bodaclick plans to hire 10 full-time employees and make a capital investment of $700,000. The company is to occupy 1,000 square feet of office space on Coral Way.

Via: Beacon Council

Related stories:
• Miami Weddings
• Marriage Tax Benifits

Sun Microsystems and Google plan to announce a collaborative effort to offer a MS Office killer free office suite that could shift personal computing out of Microsoft’s domain and into Google’s.  Acording to ZDNet News:

“Details won’t emerge publicly until Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Sun CEO Scott McNealy take the stage on Tuesday at a news conference in Mountain View, Calif. But one strong possibility is a partnership that could help shift personal computing out of Microsoft’s domain and into Google’s.”

Graywolf‘s comment at Threadwatch nails it:

“You want this web based operating system don’t you? The hate is swelling in you now. Build your Google browser. Use it. Microsoft is unarmed. Strike them down with it. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment, you make yourself more evil.

Update: Google agreed to promote Open Office & Sun’s other open source software. When asked how, Eric Schmidt said that they have not yet stated. SEOBook asks:”what is the point of the press frenzy?

“Google also said they are extending their server partnership with Sun, but again would not specify any details.

Sun is to bundle the Google toolbar with Java.

A reporter asked what is so special about this toolbar bundling partnership and Eric Schmidt said the vastness of it.

Did and Yahoo! & Adobe make a huge public speech in their toolbar partnership? Nope.

You got to wonder how long the media will keep having a frenzy response to non event stories from Google.

Sun’s stock has already given back most of today’s gains and looks to soon give back some of yesterday’s gains.”

A college kid bought the domain name [milliondollarhomepage.com]. He’s selling ad space on the site. But here’s the twist: he’s selling it off in 10x10 pixel blocks.  He wants a million dollars for college.

There’s a million pixels on the home page and he’s selling each pixel for a dollar. The site is guaranteed to be live for at least the next 5 years. Quite a few people have taken him up on his offer.

I like the site. How many pixels do we need for MiamiBeach411? Or, should we choose somthing more eye-catching like: SEXY MIAMI! After seeing the stiff competition on this million dollar web site, I would choose the later.

Via: Blogoscoped

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States.

“Phishing” is an identity theft scam that uses fraudulent email to “lure” others into providing confidential information.

How do cyber criminals obtain this confidential information? One of the easiest ways is to trick you into furnishing it with an email scam that appears to come from a trusted source. Here is how the phishing scam typically works:

The criminal sends you an official looking email that appears to be from a known and trusted financial institution.

The email attempts to trick you into providing confidential information.

It may use words such as “security notice” or “urgent notice from billing” or it may lead you to believe your account is about to be closed.

Always be suspicious of email that refer to your financial accounts and prompt you to reply quickly.

Ask yourself, “is this email unexpected and is it asking for confidential information?”

If the answer is “yes”, do no respond to it.

Use a telephone number you know to be correct and call the organization it appears to be from.

You can also forward the email to the Federal Trade Commission at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

And you can learn more on cyber identity theft by calling: (877) 438-4338, (877) IDTHEFT

If your identity has been stolen and you need protection, the Federal Trade Commission offers help on what to do.

Barry Diller sacks Jeeves:

“InterActiveCorp. is dropping, Jeeves, the butler who doubles as the mascot of its recently acquired Ask Jeeves online search business.

The New York-based online empire, which acquired Ask Jeeves for $1.9 billion in July, plans to rebrand the Web site as Ask.com, CEO Barry Diller said Wednesday at an investment conference.”

Via: TheStreet

WiFi is an popular technology that is used to provide high-speed wireless Internet access in homes, business and public spaces like airports and coffee shops.

Online search leader Google is preparing to launch a wireless Internet service, Google WiFi, according to several pages found on the company’s website.

The FAQ at Google Secure Access says:

“If you choose to use Google Secure Access, your internet traffic will be encrypted and sent through Google’s servers to the Internet. The data that is received will then be encrypted and sent back through our servers to your computer. Your privacy is important to us, we strongly encourage you to read our Privacy Policy to be fully informed about how your privacy is protected.”

Google Secure Access is free. Which means that it could compete with AOL, MSN, and Yahoo.

The FAQ also says that the Google Secure Access service is in “beta,” meaning that the company does not consider it a fully finished product

Via: WebmasterWorld

Relates stories: WiFi Security Tips

Automobile dealers are an interesting group, sometimes we need some car buying advice.

1.  Select a dealer who is close to you geographically. If you need to return the car in for service, being close to the dealer with save you time.

2.  If you have a particular model in mind do research prior to visiting dealer.  I personally like autotrader.com

3.  Peruse car dealership before/after hours, looking for cleanliness and general orderliness.

4.  Shop at non peak hours.  I find weekday mornings are best. 

5.  Ask to meet the manager and/or general manager prior to negotiations.

6.  Make sure your vehicle is clean and orderly if you wish to trade it in.

7.  Leave the kids at home if they will distract you from your mission.

#8.  Remain friendly and ask what is the lowest price they will accept.

9.  Trust your instincts.

10.  Don’t be afraid to buy; that’s what you went there for isn’t it?

Questions, comments or further car buying advice is welcome.

They say the best things in life are free; here’s hoping our free credit reports fit in that catagory.

Starting September 1, consumers in 14 East Coast states join the rest of the country in qualifying for a free annual credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

The free reports were mandated by Congress in The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA), which requires the nationwide credit bureaus to provide consumers with a free copy of their credit report, at their request, once every 12 months.

Consumers who want to access their free credit file disclosure, commonly called a credit report,  can go to AnnualCreditReport.com.

“The right to receive a free credit report is an important new tool for consumers,” said Deborah Platt Majoras, Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. “Not only does checking the credit report give consumers a valuable snapshot of their credit histories, it permits them to detect and correct errors, and spot and stop identity theft.”

I like what Chairperson Majoras says about decting errors and stopping identity theft.

When a bank runs your credit, you get the banks interpretation of the report, but if you run a credit report yourself, you can see the findings, and address any errors.

Questions and or comments regarding free credit reports will be answered promptly.

Since the chief here added a very handy home appraisal tool to the site; and since he asked me my opinion of it,  here is my review of the Miami home appraisal tool.

Perhaps in the future we can “review” other products or items of interest which could lead to contraversy/insight.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. 

Here is what I like about this appraisal tool:  Lets say Mr. and Mrs. Buyer are out shopping for a home; and, as most home shoppers do, they’re driving by some properties which may be of interest to them.  As they drive by a beautiful property, they jot down the address. 

When they return to a computer, they enter the address of the beautiful property..and ..walla they now have: a legal description, square footage, year built, the date the property last sold, and very importantly the amount it last sold for.

Now, the Buyers can determine with some expertise whether or not they wish to contact the owner, or their real estate agent for a viewing.

The only down side to the appraisal tool is the fact that it cannot produce an appraised value.  Appraised values can only be done by comparison of the property to 3 sold properties and that’s a process unto itself. 

One other drawback is that this tool can only be used for properties in Miami-Dade County.

Any questions or comments concerning the home appraisal tool will be responded to promptly.

Since as a culture we’re dedicated to improvement, why not discuss: credit score improvement.

It’s important to note that raising your credit score is a bit like losing weight:  It takes time and there is no quick fix.  In fact, quick-fix efforts can backfire. 

Here is some credit score improvement information:

Payment History Tips
Pay your bills on time. Delinquent payments and collections can have a major negative impact on your score. If you have missed payments, get current and stay current

The longer you pay your bills on time the better your score.

Be aware that paying off a collection account will not remove it from your credit report. It will stay on your report for seven years.

If you are having trouble making ends meet, contact your creditors or see a legitimate credit counselor. This won’t improve your score immediately; but, if you begin to manage your credit and pay on time, your score will improve over time.

Amount Owed Tips
Keep balances low on credit cards and other “relvolving credit”. High outstanding balances can affect a credit score.

Pay off debt rather than moving it around. The most effective way to improve a score in this area is by paying down revolving credit. In fact, owing the
same amount but having fewer open accounts may reduce a credit score.

Do not close unused credit cards as a short-term strategy of rasing a credit score.

Do not open new credit cards that you don’t need (to increase your available credit). This approach can backfire and actually lower a credit score.

Length of History Tips
If you have managed credit for a short time, do not open numberous new accounts too rapidly. New accounts will lower an average account age which could have a negative effect on a score if there is not adequate amounts of other credit information.  Rapid account build up can be viewed as increased risk.

Note that closing an account does not make it disappear. A closed account will show up on a credit report.  It may be considered for scoring purposes.

It’s OK to request and check your own credit report. This will not affect a credit score as long as the report is ordered directly from the credit reporting agency.

Information and Questions regarding credit score improvement will be answered promptly.

Also see:
FTC - What is Credit Scoring

We have a post in our News section that addresses the growing Hispanic Media influence.

The post comments on how Hispanics are becoming the largest minority group in the United States, representing an estimated $700 billion a year in buying power, and how advertisers and media companies from TV and the Web are scrambling to appeal to them.

There are some rumors floating around Silicon Valley that Google is planning launch Google Finance sometime in September. Although this is unconfirmed, the word is Google wants to replicate the Yahoo Finance Portal, but do it even better. Goolge has been in talks with data vendor Revere Data, a San Francisco company—which provides the data and analytics on U.S. public companies for this type of service.

Paid Content says:

“Finance information is a very search and data centric operation, something that would fit well into the mix, and add to that alerting capabilities across the Google spectrum, and you can see the potential to push the limits here”.