.SG domains are being used for phishing and spamming, which also contains viruses. 1 out of every 20 .sg domain names were thought to be at risk.

The most dangerous country was thought to be Cameroon (.cm), followed by China (.cn). Japan scored the best when it came to security.

Here’s some general info:

Almost anyone can register a .sg / .per.sg – hence easily targeted for spammers

.com.sg – would require a business registration number

.org.sg would require that the society / organisation is registered

.net.sg – would require an IDA SBO licence

.edu.sg – requires the institute to be registered with MOE.

Its amazing how far Facebook has grown over a mere few years, overtaking its predecessor social portal Friendster, and recording an impressive 250million users just months ago.

Looking at the graphical trend from Alexa (see below), if it continues we may be looking at Facebook overtaking Yahoo by March 2010, and then kicking off Google from the top spot 6 months after that.

Facebook Overtakes You Tube

Facebook may overtake Yahoo, and Google within a year

Possible? Honestly I doubt it. Its true that many users are addicted to the games and applications available on Facebook, but as a Facebook user myself, I’m beginning to get bored of whats there to offer on the social networking site. Unless Facebook decides to unleash something more exciting (branching out into a search engine, offering free email accounts, etc), I’d expect to see the graph slowly plateauing out.

As of July 2009, Facebook ranks as the 2nd most popular website in Singapore. Above Google Singapore, and Youtube. Yahoo ranks first among Singaporeans.

I think most of the people that are reading this would have a facebook acount. I’d say out of all my friends, every single one an account. Have you ever wondered why facebook is so popular, and how is it Friendster died out? Quite simple actually, its simply because Facebook utilises the full potential of social marketing concept.

Facebook is like a huge status update site. Other than displaying whatever thoughts you have, any thing that you’ve done / participated on facebook will be displayed as news feeds on your friend’s homepage. For example if I a quiz on “Which Hollywood Celeb Am I”, it will be displayed on all my friend’s homepage, that I’ve taken the quiz. The next thing that will probably happen, is that you’ll see that everyone one else is started to take the same quiz.

Now that’s the power of social marketing, something that Friendster didn’t offer.

In addition to that, Facebook is also an open platform whereby third party developers can leverage on it, and build applications (also known as apps). These apps can be anything from games, to quizzes, or simple software. For example there are apps that link your facebook account to your flickr account. Hence whenever you post photos, there will be a status update to notify your contacts on Facebook.

Its a profitable idea to develop facebook apps. Reason being that you can leverage on the existing platform with millions of members. And if the users like your idea, the application will be spread like wildfire. Everyone will be installing it. Advertisements like Google Adsense can be placed on your application page, and hence it becomes a money churning business.

Again another example of social marketing. Friendster didn’t offer this from the start. They only started allowing 3rd-party apps to be developed long after facebook’s success. Which was probably way too late, and too huge an investment to change the existing Friendster structure.

But having said that, it is often wondered, what is Facebook’s actual monetary value. Its true that they have chalked up 250 million registered users. However till date, everything is free on Facebook. Signing up is free, developing 3rd-party apps leveraging on the Facebook platform is also free.

Over the past year or two, Facebook has also come up with their Advertising program. Similar to that of Adsense, advertisers can put up banners on the portal, and the ads are also targeted according to interest groups. However, I’m sure that revenue channel alone is definitely unable to sustain the high expenses and overhead, from staff wages to server & bandwidth maintenance.

But nevertheless, with the number of users still growing at a healthy rate, I doubt that Facebook will die off anytime soon. More importantly is for the owners to decide how to turn the membership into monetary value.

As the plane took flight, I peered out with anticipation. Little did I know the most boring 4 hours of my life was about to follow. Despite having a stack of magazines as thick as a dictionary, I ran out of them in an hour. The humidity was at 25% and all we had was a 250ml bottle of water. The rest of the passengers were restless and edgy as well. The seats made economy class look good. Food had to be paid for. We were all waiting for the Captain’s magic words – “We’re arriving”. As I get off the plane, I told myself this was unequivocally the worst flight of my life.

Yes, I was on a budget airline. The question is – Why did I, along with 200 other passengers choose to fly budget? (The plane was filled to the brim)

Today’s world is in a stage of progress that has empowered us with mobility our grandfathers never thought would ever exist. We now have planes that have depressurized chambers capable of getting us across the world in less than a day.

Travel is no longer a luxury, but a way of life. A company can no longer feed just on the local markets unless it chooses the path of extinction. Tourism is makes up a crucial chunk of a country’s growth figures, even more so in the case of Singapore. A person who takes up a sport, say scuba diving, is nuts if he decides to stay to do his sport. Mobility has changed the world as it is today, so, can we afford to pay every time we want to go overseas? Consider this – Would a person who goes diving twice a year choose to burn $1000 solely on his travelling expenses? Or would a company who sends its members to a nearby country for a meeting want them to enjoy the exorbitant benefits of business class flights? That’s where budget airlines come in to fill the gap.

It is also no longer just the retired who want to see the world, but amongst the young it is no longer (or probably never) hip to be myopic. It is now not uncommon to hear friends battling out the countries they have been to, or organizing trips together. Despite a huge disparity between the pocket incomes of the young today and the past (increasing at a rate beyond inflation, this is an exemplary point I wished all companies could follow), I still have doubts over them purchasing full fledge air fares.

The economic slowdown and the wave of H1N1 would be the excellent catalyst in the midst of these trends to add another nail in the coffin for full blown commercial air-lines. With impending recession, I really do not think one can afford the luxury of not going budget. Moreover, if I had to endure a short flight, I’d still do it today, economic recession or not. Same goes for most people. We see carriers like Tiger Airways getting a hefty 25% increase in revenue, while SIA almost halved its profits. This trend is likely follow in the years to come, even when the economy picks up.

Consider what someone once told me, “Travelling is not a luxury. People don’t get it. You are there to see the place, not to enjoy the flight.”

Social House is currently the biggest nightspot within a shopping centre when it opens next month, though Sparks at Ngee Ann City (which has since closed down) is more than twice the size. One tends to wonder with the current economic downturn, how long would a club like this last.

Just within Clarke Quay alone, there are probably more than a handful of such places. Ministry of Sound (MOS) was supposed to be a huge hit, but then closed down. With so much competition, and proven failures, I seriously don’t think its wise to start another club, especially such a lavish one.

Its true other clubs don’t provide facilities like having game consoles for customers. But is that all that important to party-goers? Do you go to Zouk to drink and dance, or to charge your iPod? Well, I’d definitely rather play my Nintendo Wii at home rather than behaving like lunatics with friends in public areas.

Honestly even the name “Social House” sounds a little cheesy to me. Sounds like a place for kids to meet up and have bubble tea. Habbo Hotel comes to mind.

According to the article in Forbes Magazine, business-friendly economies like Singapore, which are able to attract entrepreneurs, investors and workers, are ‘in a much better position than others to rebound’ from the economic downturn that has gripped the world.

The three countries ahead of Singapore in the rankings were Denmark, the United States and Canada. 17 Singapore-listed firms also made it to this year’s Forbes Global 2000 list of the world’s 2,000 biggest public firms, ranked by profits, assets, sales and market value. Last year, only 14 firms from Singapore were featured.

Probably the question doesn’t lie with Singapore. Rather the survey criteria is somewhat not comprehensive enough. True, taxes, investor protection, stock market stability, etc are important factors, but how about other criteria such as labour cost, availability of land, competition, etc?

Comparing with countries like China, I think they can easily compete with us in terms of country stability and investor protection. Moreover labour cost is cheap there, even Singapore businesses are outsourcing whatever possible to places like China and India. How often you see Dell, or Toyota setting up assembly plants here?

Is Singapore a country well known of having freedom of expression? How many people were arrested at the Speaker’s Corner in Hong Lim Park since it started? How many opposition parties were jailed, for having said something wrong? Our neighbouring country Malaysia probably has more freedom of expression than us. In fact, is there a stricter government than Singapore’s very own PAP?

Having said that, having free trade, decent tax rates, and political stability does entice many to invest in Singapore, especially to setup a regional headquarter for MNCs. But I find it a little absurd to be listed so high up as one of the best countries to do business in.

Now this is what you call a bargain! The catch though is that you have to travel with SIA. Tourists who want to enjoy the “Faboulous Singapore Stopover” promotion will have to book  the flight from 15 April to 15 May 2009 for travel between 15 April and 30 September 2009.

Still not too bad a deal I’d say, especially if you’re someone who’s already intending to go on a holiday trip, but undecided on the location. Any (normal-minded, kiasu) holiday maker who gets to know of this promotion will immediately plan their getaway to our local sunny island.

On the whole, I think its a good move by STB. By bringing in more tourists, it would be more expenditure in Singapore, thus improving the local economy. However, its a short-term solution, in order for the economy to pick up again other measures will have to be implemented.

You can check out this link for all the full list of terms and conditions. The list of lodging options are separated into different categories so not all the hotels are eligible. But some though 3-stars are pretty decent, like Paramount Hotel (upgraded not too long ago) and Peninsula Excelsior (located just minutes from City Hall), both only at $1 for the first night. If you want to go for something more lavish, hotels like the Ritz only requires a top up of $132, while Amara Sanctuary Resort in Sentosa is just $105.

So spread the word to your overseas friends, and tell them to start packing their bags. One cool suggestion would be ask them to stay at your house for the first night, while we typical Singapore bargain hunters shall go enjoy the hotel privileges… =)

I’ve always liked M1 very much, because of their positioning in the market. Compared to Singtel and Starhub who are seen to be more traditional, tends to attract more mature consumers (PMETs) or corporates. Sometime ago though, M1 kind of rebranded itself with a “surfing in the sun” kind of feel which was targeted more to teenagers, or young adults. I think its quite successful, and most people tend to associate M1, being more hip and cool then the other companies.

Moreover, if memory serves me well, M1 was the very first in Singapore to offer 3G broadband. (correct me if I’m wrong) And about a year or two back, most 3G broadband users in Singapore were all M1 customers.

Today, with the introduction of Prepaid Mobile Broadband, I feel it is another successful strategy to make itself more competitive in the market.

Firstly the demand for Mobile Broadband is increasing by the number every day, and with 3G at its infant-expansion stage, there’s still a lot of room of potential to grow.

Having the serivce prepaid would also mean being able to reach out to tourists in Singapore who are on a short stay. They won’t have to depend on the hotel’s expensive wireless connection, and just like the locals, they can bring out their netbooks or laptops while they’re moving around in Singapore.

Just imagine, being able to check out tourist attractions, bus information, emails, all while on the go in a foreign country. Speaking of which, I think it would be interesting to see M1 (instead of Singtel) to tie up with Singapore Tourist Board on this.

I’ve done a little research and here’s the link to the new eShop.

On first glance, in terms of designs and features that the website offers look very similar, if not identical to the existing one for consumers. Compared to the consumer’s version, the prices of call plans, and mobile phones also rather similar. Take for example Sony Ericsson’s C905 Cybershot phone. Both sites offer the phone at $338 with a iTwo Plus, or iThree Plus plan.

The main difference though is that the Business eShop offers a wider range of plans, which includes plans with a much higher subscription fee but with more free talktime. Premium 1500, and Premium 700.

Back to the topic, I really wonder if there’s a need to seperate the website into consumer and business portals. Imagine the amount of effort involved to setup a seperate entity. Even though most of the design and features are a duplicate, most probably seperate database has to be constructed, and hosted on a seperate server for security reasons.

Alright, I shan’t go into too technical detail here. To what I know the Business eShop caters for companys that make payment using credit cards. As of today, I’m quite sure most companies do not have a corporate credit card. Even if they do, its purely more for entertainment expenses like bringing clients out for dinner. High chance the management would still prefer to issue cheques when making equipment purchasing or service subscription, which allows better auditing.

Honestly, I think its a little too redundant to have an eShop that caters for business users. Especially since Singapore is still very traditional asian society. Moreover whats there to make a big “hoohaa” over this online shop on the Straits Times. Hmm… Singtel too much money to spend, and Straits Times probably not much interesting news these days.

Below is the comparison between the new and old logo:

I think most people (well if not then just me) were expecting a whole new image the new logo would bring out. Afterall, Singapore Press Holdings now has a number of media under them. Just to name a few, The Straits Times, LianHe ZaoBao, and Newpaper are the traditional print press that Singaporeans read for the main source of news daily.

On a lighter note, SPH also encompasses over 30 magazines under their wing with more popular titles like “Female”, “Her World”, “HWM”, “Home & Decor”, and many more. Over recent years, SPH has also expanded its reach to both local and international “netizens”. Their AsiaOne network boats informative websites like straitstimes.com, zaobao.com, while online discussion forums like “Stomp!” has its fair share of young readers. And lets not forget about the recent launch of RazorTV as well.

The above is just a handful of businesses that come under SPH. From a business point of view, I do agree that it is a good time (after 25 years) to revamp and re-launch a new image. But isn’t the new logo a little, hmm.. conservative?

Yep, I think conservative’s the word. With the internet gaining popularity as a medium to reach out to more consumers, I feel that SPH should really look to make its logo more hip and cool. Well of course not too fanciful. It should still keep its clean professional image, but probably lose the rigidness.

For example, I think the blue looks too formal. Sure they can keep the blue, but maybe a different tone? Slightly lighter, skyblue, or even baby blue. The rigid fonts (probably Arial or Times New Roman) looks just too stiff. A little cursive on its edges would probably give it a less formal look.

But really, I think both the new and old logo still have its similarities. With the society consisting more of Gen-X, or Gen-Y people, I feel that maybe something abstract could be conceptualised. Some examples of abstract logo would be like those of Singtel, or Starhub.

Ultimately with the internet being the newage media, and even their newspapers are going online as well, shouldn’t the logo be something a little more “cool & savvy” like?

By the way, here’s the link to the factsheet on the new logo if anyone’s interested.