Ozone Barter Becomes BarterVista

Ozone Barter has changed its name to Barter Vista. The company is focused in Singapore and the Asian region.

For more information see www.bartervista.com.

High School & College Graduates Want To Be Entrepreneurs

Half of all new college graduates now believe that self-employment is more secure than a full-time job. And with 80% of the U.S. colleges and universities now offering courses on entrepreneurship, 60% of Generation Y business owners consider themselves to be serial entrepreneurs, according to Inc. magazine.

Eighteen to twenty-four-year-olds are starting companies at a faster rate than 35 to 44-year-olds. And 70% of today’s high-schoolers intend to start their own companies, according to a Gallup poll.

IndyStar Publishes Barter Article

Stretching cash in an economic downturn is a popular idea. Examples here show how members of trade exchanges are avoiding dipping into cash reserves and taking out loans. (Click here.)

World Population Will Hit 7 Billion In Four Years

As the global community struggles with finding enough natural resources for today’s population of 6.7 billion people (we hit the 6 billion number in 1999), in a few short years we will hit 7 billion.

The first billion was reached in 1800, and it took 130 years to reach 2 billion. The U.S., presently with 304 million, is the third largest nation after China and India according to the Census Bureau.

Private Jet Fleets Expanding

Fast-growing private aviation company XOJet, started back in 2006 and backed by buyout firm TPG, is expanding with new secured financing of $2.5 billion. XO schedules about 1,000 flights per month.

NetJets, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, is the largest player in the private-aviation industry. With some 750 aircraft, they log over 1,000 flights per day.

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Sino Fibre Signs Joint Venture With European Exchange

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Sino Fibre and German Barter Exchange. Both parties agree that German Barter Exchange (GBE) will become an affiliate of Sino Fibre.

GBE will act as a barter trade-making arm in Germany for the joint venture company, to promote Sino-European barter and to serve as a gateway to processing the transactions to and from China, Germany, and eastern European countries.

Basketball Hall-of-Famer Barters With Comcast SportsNet

Comcast SportsNet New England wanted the best, most-prominent “Laker” to serve as an on-air analyst before the first two games of the National Basketball Association finals. CSN used barter to secure the deal—trading two 30-second spots to Kareem Abdual-Jabbar, which he used to advertise his latest video product. 

Curry Ingredients Bartered For Plastic

In India an enterprising company is bartering with women’s groups, providing ginger and garlic to housewives in exchange for scrap plastics, which are non bio-degradable toxic killers.

Ladies Trade Cosmetics Via Internet Site

Ladies here is your chance to swap cosmetics that you own, but don't use, for ones other members have and you want. We’re talking about name brand cosmetics...the expensive stuff. Members are only responsible for covering the shipping costs for the cosmetics that they are swapping.

MakeUpAlley.com (www.makeupalley.com) allows members to read product reviews or write a review on the products they have used. Interested parties can participate in forums and meet other members, so as to know the people that one might want to trade with later. Membership is free and required.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...06/10/2008

President’s Club Winners At 2008 ITEX Convention Revealed

ITEX’s (www.itex.com) convention recently held in Las Vegas reported its new President’s Club winners. Here are the six brokers who had beaming smiles along with a brand new DELL laptop computer and earned plaques:

Ronnie Graham (Highest Cash Collections)
Duncan Banner (Highest New Member Enrollment)
Peter and Neita Brooks (Highest Net Growth)
John Castoro (Highest Cash CTV)
Shawn Christian (Rookie of Year)
and Jim and Carolyn Young (Brokers of Year)

In addition, Chris Christenson and Philis Santello proudly accepted their 2008 Brokers Choice Award at the convention.

Barter Articles Popping Up

Newspaper article about using barter in tough times appeared in Florida’s Sun-Sentinel on Tuesday, June 3.  Click here

Entrepreneur.com had an interesting article on how to slash startup costs by using barter.  Click here

Microsoft’s Ballmer Foresees No Print Media In 10 Years

In an interview with The Washington Post, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer riffs on the future of media, claiming that in ten years, all media will be delivered over the Internet.

“In the next 10 years, the whole world of media, communications, and advertising are going to be turned upside down — in my opinion,” Ballmer stated. “There will be no media consumption left in 10 years that is not delivered over an IP network. There will be no newspapers, no magazines that are delivered in paper form. Everything gets delivered in an electronic form.”

California Housing Prices Have Biggest U.S. Drop

California is the nation’s worst housing market, with housing prices falling 24.37% annual rate as of late April. (California has held this distinction since May 2007.)

Following California in April price drops are Florida at 17.11%, Nevada 16.61%, Arizona 15.78%, and Ohio 13.41%.

The best growth rate was Utah, up 4.13%, and Montana, up 4.12%.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...06/03/2008

Barter Deal Offers Food Security For Malaysia

Malaysia plans to build a stockpile of 500,000 tons of rice for food security, and is looking to import the staple from India. In exchange they will supply palm oil in a barter transaction.

Peter Chin Fah Kui, Malaysia’s minister of plantation, industries and commodities, told a conference in Mumbai he was likely to meet Indian Farm Minister Sharad Pawar to discuss the possible barter deal, as his country is in short supply of rice, their staple diet, and prices are rising.

Tradia Expands Network In Utah

CEO Matthew Humphreys reports that Tradia will have six full-time franchise operations in the state of Utah. This will be the first time a single group or company outside of Tradia Commerce Network has owned more than 2 of its franchises.

“We’re particularly excited about this expansion because our Utah franchisee is a dedicated and professional organization that brings excellence to our company and the barter/trade industry,” affirmed Humphreys.

For more information on Tradia see http://www.tradia.net.

Barter Those Toys You No Longer Use

Toy Swap (http://www.toyswap.com)is the perfect web site for anyone who has old or new toys that are no longer wanted or played with, and that can be swapped for old or new toys that other Toy Swap members have available for swap with you. Membership is free and required.

Barter Your Skills For One You Need

Do you have a skill that you want to swap in exchange for a skill that someone else would like to barter? SwapaSkill (http://www.swapaskill.com) is a web site for individuals who possess a ability such as artistic, musical, engineer, plumber, electrician...or just about any type of talent that you can think of. Basic membership is free, but there are some costs associated with membership upgrades if you so choose.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...05/27/2008

Globalization Isn’t The Driver For Today’s Accelerating Change

Many people (and companies) around the globe are struggling to adapt to change, which is accelerating. A McKinsey study suggests that today's leading companies—top performers in every industry—drop out of leadership at a rate that is four times greater than in the 1970s.

Years ago you could bust your tail to achieve success, then put your company or career on autopilot and face little risk of upset. That’s not true today. The paradox is that economic turbulence is increasing as the world prospers at levels unimaginable three decades ago.

Globalization gets the blame, especially in election years. But the real driver is technology: cheap processing power, cheap storage and cheap bandwidth. Cheap tech lets entrepreneurs around the world invade established industries for very little money.

If the first entrepreneur fails to storm the castle, a hundred more will follow. There is no shortage of capital ready to fund creative destruction, even with today's credit bottleneck. The only way to slow the rate of change and disruption is to repeal Moore's Law...and that will not happen.

I’ll Trade You My Drawing For Yours

No membership required at SketchSwap.com. Just draw something and once your masterpiece is finished submit your drawing, so you can receive a drawing that someone else has drawn. Personally, I think this is a neat little web site (http://www.sketchswap.com) even though there is not much to it. Sometimes simple is better.

Like Surprises? Swapping Files Might Be Your Bag!

FileSwap (http://www.FileSwap.com) enables visitors to swap computer files, photos, music, wallpapers, audio files, animated icons, videos or even PDF and text files, quickly and simply. Use the browse button to retrieve the file or files that you want to swap, then hit the swap button to continue.

After the file you have selected has been entered into the system, then you will receive a random file that someone else has submitted. Yes, it is kind of like playing the lottery, but your chance of winning something interesting is far better than the lottery.

Remarkable Achievement For Ambitious Chinese

Last week’s announcement on our www.barternewsblog.com, regarding the China Commercial Aircraft Co. being established in Shanghai with a capitalization of $2.7 billion, is stunning.

The Central Government and the Shanghai Government are among the major shareholders as are China’s two main aircraft manufacturing and servicing companies—China Aviation Industry Corp. I & II.

While it’s too early to say when a Chinese-developed jumbo jet will be taking off, it’s yet another remarkable achievement for the ambitious Chinese people.

TV Product Placements Soaring!

Advertisers are concerned about viewers “tivoing” (erasing) their ads. As a result we’re seeing dramatic growth in the use of product placements.

The Nielsen Company reported that product placements for the first quarter of 2008 rose 6% on primetime programming for the eleven measured networks on broadcast. Overall, broadcast television placements rose 39%, while cable television was essentially flat at 1%.

There were 117,976 brand occurrences on cable and broadcast networks in the first three months of the year, according to Nielsen. The most prevalent type on broadcast television was “foreground,” which represented 35% of all product placements. On cable television, “wardrobe” placements were most common, accounting for 32%.

The top 10 prime-time programs on broadcast networks featured 15,404 occurrences in the first three months of this year-compared to 8,893 occurrences in the same time period in 2007.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...05/20/2008

Global Economy Is Soaring

Overall, the global economy has never been more encouraging. Consider that it has more than doubled in size over the last 15 years and is now $54 trillion. In the same period, global trade has grown by 133%.

We see commodity prices at 200 year highs, all a result of soaring global demand...more people eating, drinking, washing, driving and consuming.

Tom Brady Barters Time For Use Of Five New Audi SUVs

The New England Patriots’ star quarterback has agreed to serve three years as honorary chairman of a bike ride sponsored by Audi that raises money for those with intellectual disabilities.

As part of the agreement, Patriots’ offensive linemen Matt Light, Stephen Neal, Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins, and Nick Kaczur will get the use of new Audi Q7 SUVs for the next year.

Two Barter Sites For Book Lovers

Exchange used books with other BookMooch members and “get” the book(s) that you want in return. There is no cost to participate in the BookMooch community. Only pay for the actual shipping of the books that you agree to swap.

Swap paperback books, CDs and DVDs, with other members of Paperback Swap. Membership is currently free. Like with any swapping community, members are responsible for paying the actual shipping cost for the products that they have agreed to swap.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...05/13/2008

What’s The Message Here?

Only three countries in the world do not use the metric system...Liberia, Myanmar and the United States. For America to maintain it’s role in the world, it may be a good idea to think about joining it.

National Federation Of Independent Business (NFIB) Reveals. . .

“Recession fears are spreading and the economy is showing definite signs of slowing, even on Main Street,” confirms NFIB chief economist William Dunkelberg. The NFIB Index of Small Business Optimism rose 1.9 points in April to 91.5 (1986=100). Half of the gain was due to an improved outlook for business conditions 6 months out, and a quarter was from improved earnings trends. At the same time, rising prices are becoming a matter of serious concern.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is the nation’s largest small-business advocacy group, established in 1943.

Financial Markets Worry Former World Bank President

Former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, now an advisor to Citigroup, is pessimistic on the outlook for financial markets. He believes that global bank losses from the credit market crisis could reach $1 trillion.

So far, financial institutions have reported $310 billion in losses resulting from the credit market crisis that began with subprime mortgages in the U.S. According to Wolfensohn there may be $1 trillion worth of losses.

His loss estimate is close to the International Monetary Fund forecast of $945 billion, and he notes that $1 trillion now represents a “consensus estimate” for the losses. The IMF predicts global growth will reach 3.7% this year, the slowest rate since 2003 and down from 4.95% last year.

The European Commission estimates that Europe’s economic growth will slow to 1.5% next year, thanks to the continuation of the credit crisis. That forecast constitutes a 29% decrease from the commission’s previous prediction of 2.1% growth.

Wolfensohn says the damage suffered by financial institutions surpasses any other episode he has witnessed in his 40-year career, largely because of the extent of the overhangs in financial markets. (Challenges to the major institutions are in terms of write-downs and impact on market capitalization.)

Torrid growth in emerging markets such as China and India will cushion the damage for the world economy. The IMF forecasts growth of 9.3% in China this year and 7.9% in India. Emerging markets have enormous internal growth and are expanding in other markets, such as Africa.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...05/06/2008

Builders Use Barter To Pay Bills

In Tampa Bay, Florida, one home builder is out of cash and paying his contractors with vacant building lots, because he has more lots than cash. (Some of the lots sold for $50,000 a year ago.)

Orange County Politician Wants TradeAmericanCard Dollars

Larry Dick, owner of Riddle Appliances, is a 20-year member of TradeAmericanCard and a Republican candidate for the 60th assembly district. The former councilman and water commissioner of Orange is actively seeking donations; he gladly accepts TAC trade dollars.

Homeseekers Barter “Their Services” For Space

For 20 years St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center in Baltimore (MD) has run a matchmaking service, helping Baltimore homeowners with extra space find people looking for a room to rent. They’ve made 1,180 matches—about 60 a year.

Homesharing can be a flexible arrangement. Homeseekers sometimes barter services in exchange for rent. The St. Ambrose Homesharing telephone is (410) 366-6180.

Economists See Banks’ Balance Sheets Dropping $2 Trillion

At a conference sponsored by Brandeis University and the University of Chicago business schools, two economists and two academics estimated that about half the mortgages losses, or about $200 billion, will be borne by banks and other leveraged financial institutions.

For every $1 less in capital, a bank lends roughly $10 less. Thus the $200 in mortgaged losses, will lead them to shrink their balance sheets by about $2 trillion...lending less and selling assets.

South Africans Barter Real Estate

Property developer Ian Meyer’s web site is where real estate property listings will be given a minimum of 60 days global exposure. For more information see: http://www.propertybarter.co.za.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...04/29/2008

ITEX San Diego Goes Green

To help celebrate Earth Day on April 22, the ITEX in San Diego office decided to go green. Rather than printing 700 130-page directories for their members, they will now be e-mailing them instead. Not only is it more environmentally friendly, but it also allows ITEX to provide a more current listing of its local members. A new e-mail directory will be sent every billing cycle to their ITEX members.

San Diego ITEX web site is http://111030.itex.com/

Newspaper Ads + Internet = Sales

According to the Newspaper Association of America, new consumer research, conducted by Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo and commissioned by Google, found that among people who research products and services after seeing them advertised in newspapers 67% use the Internet to find more information, and nearly 70% of them actually make a purchase following their additional research.

BBX Trade Exchange Offers Real Estate Investments

Following a successful listing on the National Stock Exchange of Australia (NSX) in 2006, BBX Property Fund has issued a third prospectus to raise additional funds for property investment to add to their growing portfolio.

Investment in the Property Fund is open to the general public as well as members of the BBX exchange. The prospectus invites investors to apply for up to 2,000,000 Ordinary Shares and up to 8,000,000 B-Class Shares at an issue price of $1.00 each.

To apply for B-Class Shares, an investor must be, or apply to become, a member of the exchange thus being able to secure an investment that is tax effective, when used in conjunction with a self-managed superannuation fund. The company recommends that investors seek independent professional advice in this regard.

The BBX Property Fund is a licensed investment company established to invest in residential and commercial properties in the capital cities and growth centres of Australia and New Zealand.

Pies, Pork & Services Bartered For Homegrown Music

Bryan Moyer Suderman has launched something he calls community supported music. People who buy annual memberships in his company, SmallTall Music, receive regular deliveries of “fresh, homegrown, organic music.” Some members barter pork, pies, photography services, web site assistance and house painting as payment for their memberships.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...04/22/2008

Use Those Gift Cards

Bankruptcy laws do not require companies to redeem their gift certificates, and in an economic downturn you can be sure there will be more bankruptcy filings. So take action now...use those gift cards! (Some companies in bankruptcy will honor their gift cards, others suggest that gift card holders file a claim in bankruptcy court.)

2nd Home—Vacation Spots—Sales Dropping

Surprise, surprise. Speculators are continuing to exit the market with vacation home sales falling 30.6% last year (from 1.07 million to 740,000), according to the National Association of Realtors.

Internet Display Advertising Makes Big Gain

Banner ads and other display ads on the Internet saw big gains in 2007, up 15.9% to $11.3 billion. Ads on network TV dropped by 2% to $22.43 billion. Cable TV jumped 6.5% to $17.84 billion. Newspapers and radio both dropped, 5.6% and 3.5% respectively.

FedEx Sees No Sign of Economic Rebound

FedEx is a diversified transportation company that moves everything from documents to building materials through a network of planes, tractor-trailers, and delivery vehicles. As they move millions of packages daily they are a good barometer for the American economy. FedEx reports that it sees no signs of the U.S. strengthening its economy at this time.

Hilton Olympic Sponsorship Continues

Hilton hotels has renewed sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic Team, which will extend through the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.

The renewal also encompasses the 2010/2012 U.S. Paralympic Team and the 2011 U.S. Pan American Team. Thus extending its long-standing relationship with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...04/15/2008

Ralph Lauren Barters To Become Official Olympic Team Outfitter

Ralph Lauren’s clothing line Polo has signed a contract with the U.S. Olympic Committee to provide outfits for the 1,500 American athletes to be worn at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as other attire (wardrobes) to wear in the Olympic Village. Polo will be supplying their products as an in-kind payment for the Olympic sponsorship.

The Olympic deal will translate into millions in sales of Olympics-branded products that will be carried at Polo boutiques in the U.S. and on the company’s web site starting in mid-July. Department stores will also carry the clothes with 10% of the sales from the Olympics-branded products going to the USOC as royalty payments.

Goldman Sachs CEO Looks At U.S. Economy

Lloyd C. Blankfein, CEO of investment bank Goldman Sachs, believes the economy is in a recession, and won’t return to growth until the end of the year. He typified the economy as the worst in 55 years. On the upside he thinks the credit crisis, which has been hobbling investment banks for nearly a year, is 75% along toward a recovery.

Bartering DVDs & Video Games

SwapSimple.com makes swapping books, DVDs, and video games both easy and simple. List the books, DVDs and video games, simply by entering the UPC code that is printed on the item, or enter the ISBN number that is printed on the back cover of books into the swap listing tools. That’s it...SwapSimple will take care of the rest.

Exchange items with members who are included in your network free. Or pay $1.00 or $2.00 per trade, when swapping with members outside your network. Trades are backed with a 100% money back guarantee. Membership is free and required.

Ad Agencies Cutting Expenses

Concerns about the economy have some ad agencies and media-buying services doing a bit of belt-tightening. Actions taken include slowing the pace of hiring to keeping tight controls on salaries, and trimming various expenses such as not sending staff to award shows.

Advertising agencies have reported that many marketers (their clients) are frozen in fear.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...04/08/2008

Former New Zealand Exchange Owner Amazed With Industry’s Progress

Wes Davis, former owner of a New Zealand trade exchange in the mid-1990s, recently called our offices. He and his wife are now living in Northern California. Davis expressed his amazement when hearing the far-reaching changes that have taken place in the worldwide barter industry.

Barter Your Skills

Do you have a skill that you want to swap in exchange for a skill that someone else can provide? If so, there is a great web site for individuals who possess a skill—artistic, musical, engineer, plumber, electrician, or just about any type of skill imaginable. Whatever you’re looking for can likely be found at Swap-A-Skill (www.swapaskill.com) at one time or another.

Basic membership is free, but there are some costs associated with membership upgrades. Be sure to read the membership agreement, before signing up.

Love Baking? Check This Site Out...

If you are a person who loves baking fresh cookies, cakes and pies, then Bake Space (www.bakespace.com) is the perfect place to be, because its members swap cooking and baking recipes as well as share ideas. Membership is free and required.

Economy & Fuel Will Affect Your Airline Ticket Price

The slowing U.S. economy and surging jet-fuel prices have forced an international trade group to lower its outlook on airline profits for the second time in four months. Domestic carriers are expected to take the biggest earnings hit.

The International Air Transport Association on Tuesday said it expects profits for (both) domestic and foreign carriers to fall to $4.5 billion this year from $5.6 billion in 2007. Several months earlier IATA had lowered its forecast to $5 billion, from a previous estimate of $7.8 billion, due to higher oil prices and credit-market turmoil.

U.S. airlines’ profits are anticipated to fall to $1.8 billion from an estimated $2.8 billion last year. “This could easily turn into a net loss should the current economic environment deteriorate further,” reported IATA.

Continually Cutting Interest Rates Bad Idea

One of the leading economists in the U.S., Brian Wesbury of First Trust Advisors, now says the government’s monetary policy is partly to blame for the ongoing malaise in the financial sector.

Non-stop interest rate cuts over the past few months may have created a perverse incentive for businesses to postpone activity, according to Wesbury. (He says that aggressive rate cutting has been ineffective.)

Without liquidity and capital, financial institutions and trading vehicles are in trouble.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...04/01/2008

Global Carbon Market Undergoing Tremendous Growth

Global trade in carbon dioxide emissions could reach 4.2 billion tons this year, a 56% increase from 2007, according to a report from Point Carbon, an Oslo-based research firm.

The report includes a survey of the carbon market in which more than 70% of respondents predict a global climate agreement by 2012. The global carbon market was worth $60 billion in 2007, an 80% increase over 2006. (The 2008 market is expected to be worth $92 billion.)

U.S. Very Cost-Efficient Place To Operate

The auditing and consulting firm KPMG reveals that the U.S. has moved up on the list of most cost-efficient places around the world to operate a business. The survey which takes place every two years reports that only Mexico and Canada were cheaper. Interestingly, all three countries are members of NAFTA.

Out-Of-Home Digital Forum Scheduled

The Forum, scheduled for April 23 at the Yale Club of New York (50 Vanderbilt Avenue), focuses on the advertising market, media buying, and planning for the burgeoning digital out-of-home video marketplace.

Digital out-of-home media is the fastest growing medium since the Internet. Now a $2 billion industry, it is expected to grow dramatically in the years ahead. Some industry pundits envision a $10 billion market within a decade.

General Electric Believes It’s Time To Take Advantage Of Price Adjustments

General Electric Co., among the country's biggest real estate investors using its own money, will soon be using other people's cash to invest.

In what some experts say is an adventurous move, GE plans to raise cash — $1 billion to $3 billion — from outside investors to begin investing in commercial real estate and other properties through newly established real estate investment funds.

GE will not be bottom-feeding for deeply depressed or foreclosed properties. The company’s strategy is to buy still viable properties at discounts of 10% to 15%.

Chapter 11 Business Filings Spreading In USA

Last year Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings for businesses hit a two-year high of 6,236, according to Jupiter eSources, an Oklahoma company that tracks the data. They report that the pace of filings has accelerated this year. As the credit crisis deepens law firms across the country are betting that bankruptcy work will be their most-promising avenue of growth.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...03/25/2008

Trade Exchange (Barter Company) Offers Revenue Sharing For Referrals

Bill Rosenberg, founder of BarterBing in Hope (RI), has instituted a program where members of his trade exchange can earn a percentage of revenue generated (by service fees) from new referrals they provide to the exchange.

Whitten Enjoying New Role In Life

Larry Whitten, a long time barter industry veteran with the Business Exchange organization, is now retired and enjoying his new role of grandpa. He says hello to his peers and reports that he’s enjoying winters in Florida and summers in Colorado.

Over $43 Million In Lender Offered At Los Angeles Auction

National Home Auction Corporation, a foreclosure and builder close-out auction company, completed another blow-out auction event on Sunday, March 16, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles. The event hosted an energetic and diverse crowd of approximately 2,000 people looking to purchase their first homes, investment properties, and second or vacation homes. A total of 1,065 bids were made on 119 homes during the all-day event.

Older Internet Users Feel Web Advertising & Content Not Relevant

A recent BurstMedia survey of more than 13,000 web users 18 years and older, found that online content providers are not meeting the needs of all age segments. Not surprisingly, a majority of internet users 45 years and older believe online content is focused on younger age segments.

Overall, 52.0% of respondents believe internet content is primarily focused toward people their own age. Not surprisingly, says the study, younger respondents are most likely to say online content is focused on people their age. This is particularly true for the 18-to-24 year and 25-to-34 year segments.

Additionally, 55.7% of respondents 35-to-44 years perceive online content as focused toward their age segment. Few respondents 55 years and older say internet content is primarily focused on people their age.

Creative Television Marketing Will Take Over Telco’s Barter Syndication

Creative Television Marketing (CTM) announced today a major expansion of services to include commercial advertising sales with its agreement to represent Telco Productions’ syndicated barter inventory. CTM will immediately take over all commercial advertising sales for Telco’s Animal Rescue, Dog Tales, and Missing...formerly represented by Tribune Entertainment.

U.S. Consumer Feeling Pinched

By the end of 2007, 36% of consumers’ disposable income went to food, energy and medical care, a bigger chunk of income than at any time since records were first kept in 1960, according to Merrill Lynch.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...03/18/2008

Community Barter In Montana

Have a skill, a service, some goods or some free time you'd like to turn into “community money?” If you’re in the area, contact flatheadbarterhoursExchange@yahoo.com, or P.O. Box 3423, Kalispell, Montana 59903.

China Expects E-Commerce Boom

China has surpassed the United States to become the world’s largest internet market by number of users. The U.S. web population was 216 million at the end of 2007. China’s higher percentage of growth coupled with its 210 million Internet users at the end of 2007, leads estimators into believing it has replaced the U.S. as #1 globally.

E-Commerce is expected to be the next boom sector in China, as businesses take advantage of the mass market of consumers already online.

Google Eyes Display Ad Market

Tim Armstrong, Google’s president of advertising and commerce for North America, says the company would be “disappointed” if it doesn’t attain a “very significant position” in the display ad market over the next two years. Google considers YouTube as the “brightest light” for the company’s display-advertising potential.

YouTube Soon To Be On Television...

TiVo Inc. has revealed that it would deliver videos - from Google Inc’s popular web site YouTube - directly to television screens via its digital video recorders.

TiVo disclosed the service would be available later this year for high-speed Internet subscribers who have TiVo Series3 DVRs. It said that users would be able to log onto their YouTube accounts directly from their TiVo boxes.

Per Capita Income In Vietnam Growing

Last week we reported on the average global per-capita income. While some countries are obviously much higher than others, in Vietnam the economy has been expanding an average of 7.5% yearly since 2000. Their average per-capita income (84 million people) increased to $900 last year from $600 in 2005.

SwapStyle.com Where Cosmetics & Name Brand Fashions Can Be Bartered

SwapStyle.com describes itself as an online fashion swap party where you can barter, sell and buy fashion, accessories, cosmetics, shoes and lots more with people from all around the world at any time, day or night. It can save its members money on the name brand fashions and cosmetics that are normally purchased at retailers at high markups.

Members can also participate in forums and discuss the latest fashion trends and sales. Members are only responsible for paying the actual shipping costs associated with the items that they have traded or sold. Membership is free and required.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...03/11/2008

Africa Barter & South Africa Business Hub

Africa Barter (http://www.africabarter.co.za) and South Africa Business hub (http://www.sabusinesshub.co.za) are cooperating to expand barter awareness in that part of the world.

Dogbarter.com

We found this interesting site where classifieds and ads abound for dogs. (Click here.)

Where’s Your Shredder?

If you have only one shredder, it belongs in the kitchen. That’s according to a Staples study, indicating most junk mail ends up in the kitchen trash, not the office trash.

A Real California Housing Story

Stripped of all the realtors rhetoric that we see in the papers here in Orange County (CA), this real life situation reinforces today’s reality.

There was a real estate auction on March 1, less than 5 miles from where we‘re located, in an equestrian community called Nellie Gail Ranch. The homeowner had previously hosted 40 open houses on his property over an 18-month period without a single offer.

At the auction he sold his five-bedroom, Mediterranean-style house in the Laguna Hills enclave for $900,000 less than his original asking price. The asking price was $2.09 million...the selling price $1.2 million. Five people showed up for the auction.

Internet Growth Linked To High-Speed Connections

By 2012, nearly 33 million U.S. households will have broadband services with speeds of 10 mbps or higher, capable of streaming high-definition video, according to a new Parks Associates’ North American Broadband Market Update.

Many industry experts and economists see a direct link between faster internet connections and the growth of the internet economy. The country still has a way to go, however. At the end of last year, 5.7 million (9%) of U.S. broadband households, had reached the 10 mbps mark.

Global Per Capita Income $8,200

The latest missive from Forbes tells us there are 1,125 billionaires in the world now. Unfortunately, that leaves 6.5 billion or so of us who — according to the unfailingly accurate Central Intelligence Agency — have a global per capita income of $8,200, when using the dollar as a benchmark.

You may be thinking that Sierra Leone’s $530 annual per capita income brings down the class curve, but the U.S. average income is all of $37,500.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...03/04/2008

Bartercard UAE Hires Dubai-based Creative Agencies To Expand Presence

Bartercard UAE, the regional center for Bartercard’s operations in the Middle East, has hired Idea Spice and Content Syndicate with the intent of raising its profile and awareness of the Bartercard network.

Bartercard is looking to sell more franchises for the other emirates—Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and beyond.

Barb Martin Receives Kudos From IMS CEO Don Mardak

International Monetary Systems (OTCBB:INLM) CEO Don Mardak lavished praise upon Barb Martin, the IMS National Sales Manager last week for her efforts in moving the company’s organic sales to new levels.

According to Mardak the efforts of the sales network will be the heart of the company’s future growth. (For more on IMS’s record month of January see the story found later in this issue.) 

Barter Seed Exchange Web Site

In Olympic, Washington, there is a barter/gifting-only seed exchange web site that is looking to build Olympia’s farming and gardening community...one seed at a time. Bartered classes, seeds, information, soil amendments and/or plants are found on this community web site (http://www.olympiaseedexchange.org).

Internet Yellow Pages Usage Growing

Internet Yellow Pages (IYPs) accounted for over half (51%) of all local searches online in December 2007, according to data from the Yellow Pages Association.

On average, 73 million searchers used an IYP each month in 2007, up 16% from the previous year. Meanwhile, print usage (use of the printed Yellow Pages), according to the Association, remained relatively unchanged from 2006.

Small Farmers Find Business Economics Challenging

For a look at how effectively forms of credit, deposit balances, and currency serve as a means of exchange when it comes to the ability of farmers to stay in business—and people being able to acquire food—visit  Click here .

iTunes Battles Wal-mart

Apple’s iTunes has become the second-largest music retailer in the U.S. behind Wal-Mart, distributing the digital music platform (which offers more than 6 million songs from major and independent labels) over the Web and via sales of its iPod portable music players.

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...02/26/2008

More Barter Sites

Two sites found recently are www.teamuphere.com, which reportedly has 2,797 members; www.skillcycle.co.uk a social network for members to exchange skills and services with other members; and www.baitnet.com for fishing sites to barter links with one another. A Long Island (NY) web site for people who live near Nassau and Suffolk county areas is looking for sponsors, www.longislandexchange.com.

Norm Alvis Says Barter Business Is Booming

Norm Alvis of www.edaddywarbucks.com reports to BarterNews that he has done over $10 million in business already in 2008, including millions in barter funding for public companies.

Unique Financing Plan Guarantees Customers

A shop in Boston—Lionette’s Market—and the Garden of Eden restaurant, next door, have been owned by the Lionette family for two generations. (They sell fresh, locally-raised meat and produce.)

Now the brothers Jamey and Robert, managers of the two entities, are making an interesting financial proposal to the South End community to improve their property.

Their plan: Locals who invest $1,000 will get a two-year stipend of $125 per week at the store—a total return of $13,000 in food. For $5,000 the investor gets a $55 weekly stipend for two years. A $2,500 investor gets a 10% discount on store items for two years.

Indonesia Looks To Barter For Military Equipment

Indonesia wants to barter for military equipment from Russia. They also want to establish a maintenance center to work on its Russian-built jets. The proposed deals should, according to Indonesia, also include technology transfer that will increase the production capacity of its own industry.

Harry Schultz Says Financial Tsunami Is Upon Us

Financial radical Harry Schultz says we’re in a derivative crisis and sees the real possibility for new records of hyper-inflation...besting those of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. As inflation hedges he recommends art, commercial property that yields income, and farm land.

Cubans Hoping For Better Economic Conditions With Next Leader

Now that 81-year-old Fidel Castro is retiring (after nearly 50 years as the head of state), Cubans will no doubt expect the next leader to improve economic conditions in a country where monthly pay averages $15.

Yahoo Shareholders Can Expect More, If History Repeats

History isn’t on Microsoft’s side when it comes to its opening offer of $44.3 billion to Yahoo’s shareholders. In 63% of hostile approaches over the past five years, suitors have raised their initial offer. (According to data from FactSet Research Systems.)

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...02/19/2008

Russia’s Astounding Barter Deal With Iraq

Wanting to help Russian companies win contracts with Iraq, Russia has agreed to a most unique barter arrangement. In exchange for launching promising joint projects in the oil and gas and electric-power sectors, Russia has told the Iraq government, “we will write off 93% of what you owe us, or $11.7 billion of your $12.9 billion debt.”

Nearly Everybody Has Shopped Online—Worldwide

According to the latest Nielsen Global Online Survey on internet shopping habits, more than 85% of the world's online population has used the internet to make a purchase. That’s a 40% increase in the past two years. 

When the Nielsen Company conducted its first global survey into internet shopping trends two years ago, approximately 10% of the world's population (627 million) had shopped online. Within two years, this number has increased by approximately 40% to 875 million.

U.S. Small Business Owners Pessimistic

According to a report on CNBC TV (cable business network) the small business sector in the United States is at its lowest level since January 1991, after its biggest decline ever in the