TECHTOWN  

Erik Sherman


4 Steps to Innovate the P&G Way

Don't have the $2 billion R&D budget of P&G? Not to worry. CTO Bruce Brown says any company can master this process.  Read story

Get Your Inbox to Zero: 5 Tricks

Experiencing palpitations when you open your email? It doesn't have to be that way. Here's how to get back in control.  Read story

Are You Still Using Spray and Pray Pricing?

Most retailers still advertise on price, without any data to back it up. That's a race to the bottom--and you're not likely to win.  Read story

Patents? You Don't Need No Stinking Patents!

Your No. 1 job is to get to market and start making money. Here's why protecting your IP should stay off your to-do list.  Read story

Zuckerberg Has a Sugar Daddy. Do You?

Even a 20-something billionaire could use a little help. He just got it from Microsoft--via a huge heap of AOL patents.  Read story

When Old IP Comes Back From the Dead

Deceased rapper Tupac Shakur came back to the stage via hologram. What does that have to do with your IP strategy? Plenty.  Read story

Facebook Ads: Are You Paying More & Getting Less?

Demand has driven ad prices higher even as click-through rates dropped. Have you checked your Facebook performance lately?  Read story

4 Perks Employees Love

Happy employees are productive employees. Use these perks to retain the people you want without breaking the budget.  Read story

There's No Way Instagram Is Worth $1 Billion

The start-up may have pulled down a billion-dollar payday, but that doesn't mean it was worth it.  Read story

First Step to Success: Avoid VCs

Venture capital isn't right for every entrepreneur. Here are a few things to consider before looking for VC backing.  Read story

Want Innovation? Try Bribery

Innovation is critical to the success of modern businesses. But just because you find it of the utmost importance doesn't mean your employees will.  Read story

Fail to Succeed the Google Way

Just because you had a disaster, doesn't mean you'll ultimately fail. In fact, you can learn what you need for eventual success.  Read story

Should You Pay to Launch to a Crowd?

Tech entrepreneurs flock to pricey events for the networking and the potential prize money. But there are cheaper ways to launch to the masses.  Read story

Why the Best Product Doesn't Always Win

Entrepreneurs often think only the best product will let them succeed. But sometimes 'best' isn't what your customers really want.  Read story

Note to Tech Start-ups: Cool Products Aren’t Enough

A hot mobile app that gets attention does not a company make. A better way: Build what people want and find a way to make it pay.  Read story

4 Ways Big Data Can Trick You

Analyzing heaps of data can give you an edge... or make you fall flat on your face. It all depends on how you use the results.  Read story

Google’s Search Changes: Should You Care?

Google's adding more semantic features to its search engine. Here's a reality check on what it might mean for your business.  Read story

4 Principles Apple's Chief Designer Lives By

Jonathan Ive opens up about what makes Apple's design process work. Here's how to make it work at your company too.  Read story

Make Social Commerce Work: 7 Tips

Can you use Facebook and Twitter to sell? Maybe--but it's going to take some experimentation. Here are some ideas to try.  Read story

Facebook vs. Twitter: Old-School Business Models Still Rule

A new Gawker report shows Twitter lagging far behind Facebook in revenue. If the numbers are accurate, they show big trouble.  Read story

Advertising Overload: Are You Guilty?

New research on just how many marketing messages it takes to completely turn off a customer.  Read story

Have Tech Start-ups Lost Their Sense of Fun?

Google & Apple innovate to win--fun has little to do with it. But more whimsy is exactly what young start-ups need.  Read story

How Limbaugh's Gaffe Tainted Unwitting Brands

What if your brand was sucked into a controversy it had nothing to do with? Here's how it happens.  Read story

Facebook Mobile Ads: Don't Believe the Hype

Why you should think twice about an advertising scheme coming from a company that's about to IPO.  Read story

Is Your Social Media Marketing a Turn Off?

Turns out, the line between promoting your brand and cyber-stalking your customers is thinner than you think.  Read story

Fewer Unemployed Execs Want to Be Entrepreneurs

Out-of-work executives and managers prefer the corporate world to entrepreneurship. It's not great news for the economy--but it might be for you.  Read story

Sizing Up the Company on the Other End of the Deal

What if you were negotiating with Apple and didn't know it? Large companies can mask their identities. Here's how to uncover them.  Read story

It’s Time to Shutter Your Facebook Shop

So much for so-called f-commerce. Four reasons why Facebook users aren't buying.  Read story

Hourly Wages? There’s a Lawsuit for That

Chances are, you lack the expertise and tools to navigate the intricate details. Here's how your business might be at risk.  Read story

Why You’re Doing Customer Research All Wrong

Somewhere along the line between brainstorming and testing new ideas in the marketplace, your research is failing. Here's why.  Read story

How Not to Become 'Shark' Bait

'Shark Tank' contestant Megan Cummins learned the hard way what can happen to investor promises. Five ways to make sure it doesn't happen to you.  Read story

5 Ways to Deal With Pushy Tech Vendors

Microsoft, Best Buy, and other tech giants are coming for you, armed with their best sales pitches. Get ready to negotiate.  Read story

Why the World Drinks Espresso

How did coffee go from a cheap commodity to a gourmet drink? You have this man (and several other innovators) to thank.  Read story

How the Super Bowl Shortchanged the Web

Streaming the Super Bowl was smart. Turning it into a second-tier version of the event? Not so much.  Read story

Competing Against Apple's iPad: Crazy or Brilliant?

Most would say you'd have to be crazy. But this Chinese gadgetmaker proves being crazy can make you $100 million a year.  Read story

6 Lessons that Facebook’s IPO Can Teach Entrepreneurs

Few IPOs will be of the size of Facebook's. But the company's path to going public can teach any entrepreneur how to better navigate her own road to getting ...  Read story

Why Your Crowdfunded Campaign Tanked

You launched your idea on Kickstarter... but the crowds (and their wallets) never came. Here's what you did wrong.  Read story

Behavioral Marketing: 4 Huge Myths

For starters, you don't always get what you pay for -- even on data-rich sites like Facebook.  Read story

What Facebook Users Like: 6 Secrets

The social network officially crunched the data. Here's what Facebook users like -- and how to make it work for your brand.  Read story

10 Lies Never to Tell Investors

All the confidence in the world won't convince a VC these statements are true. Here's why these 10 fibs hurt you -- and what to say instead.  Read story