To my readers and other entrepreneurs- Take it easy with the egg nog and do your best to relax. To the Mind Petals community- We’ve all got big plans for 07 so let’s use this time to recharge right in time to make things happen. I have a feeling we’re all gonna have a pretty crazy and hopefully successful ’07.

Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday!

Being entrepreneurs can sometimes make you forget why we’re really doing what we’re doing. If you’re like me, you’re doing this because you truly believe your creations will help change and improve the world. Too often it becomes too much about raking in the money and checking our AdSense totals. It’s important to take a step back from time to time and open your heart to help those in need today.

I’m currently looking to pick up one or two marketing related books, preferably something that could help out with marketing an Internet company like Walamu.com. I’ve been looking at the reviews for Seth Godin’s books over at Amazon and am not really sure which one of his titles would suit me best. I’m thinking about:

• Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers
• Unleashing the Ideavirus
• All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World
• Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

I’m also looking at a non- Seth Godin title by the name of Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business (Guerrilla Marketing) written by Jay Conrad Levinson.

Anyone know which one of these books would be best suited for me and my efforts in marketing Walamu? Any other suggestions?

I’m now officially 19 years old. It’s kind of bitter sweet, to be honest, being that it’ll be my last year as a teen. Nonetheless, the past six months have been an interesting journey. If you recall, six months ago I wrote my first post on this blog (First Post) and told myself I wanted to see where I would get by the time I was 19. Given that six months is relatively a short period of time, I’m glad of what’s come of them and the many things I’ve learned in the past few months. I think that Walamu, no matter if it succeeds or fails, will always be my entrepreneurial baby and no one ever forgets their first one.

I want to thank the guys over at the Mind Petals Entrepreneur Network, as well as the guys at Young Wealth Weekly, for their continuing support and willingness to help a fellow entrepreneur out. All the members their have been extremely supportive and so have the readers and commenters of this blog. It’s been an exciting journey and I can only hope to continue to grow as a person as well as an entrepreneur. Anyone who is an entrepreneur knows that the learning is never fully completed and that is why I will always be an entrepreneur in the making. I will continue to learn and grow from experiences such as those from the past six months and you will see me continue to be “in the making,” but nevertheless a more experienced and better entrepreneur for it.

As you probably already know, Noah Kagan, over at OkDork.com, has auctioned off an hour of his time on eBay. There are only 24 hours left until the auction ends. Although there are a good number of bids, you can still get in at a decent amount for an hour of Noah’s time. Here’s the link: Buy 1 hour with Noah Kagan from OkDork.com.

His words:

“You can read my bio at NoahKagan.com.

This is for one hour of my time. You can do whatever you want with it. It must be clean;)

My mom said I am a special person and you should help me out so I can move out of her house. She says I am too dirty and leave too many crumbs on the counter.”

So head on over and who knows-you might be the winning bidder.

P.S. Check out our contest winner’s site here.

Classes are in full swing here as I start my sophomore year at Rutgers. That and the fact that my Internet wasn’t being so easy to set up is why I haven’t posted here in a while. I have some catching up to do, especially for Tom who won our contest, and I promise to get on top of that as soon as my Internet is up at my dorm.

If anyone who has emailed me previously about doing a write up, feel free to get in touch with me about doing an interview or answering questions about Walamu now.

Updates soon.

P.S. Check out our contest winner’s site here.

First off, I just want to thank everyone that participated. Walamu’s been getting a good amount attention lately and I can only hope for that to continue.

And without further a due, the winner of the Walamu contest is Tom from www.leftofme.com. It looks like Tom’s site is getting quite a bit of attention and I can even say that I got a few hits from his website that originated from college campuses. So thanks Tom and congratulations! You win the following:

• Everyone of my posts ending with a plug for your site for an entire month.
• A link to your site at a highly visible part of my site for two months.
• A review of your business or site on my blog.
• I will guest blog on your site if you’d like.
• I will offer my opinion on your business for whatever it’s worth.
• RookieTees.com will giveaway a t-shirt of your choice (Hilarious tees, check them out).
• A free rainbow colored spot on WriteonMyBoard.com.

Feel free to send me your shipping details so that RookieTees.com can send you your t-shirt using the contact form or just e-mail me directly at rohailr [at] yahoo . com. Enjoy!

No not tomatoes…read on.

I guess one of the best ways to beat writer’s block is to just keep writing. So as far as business goes some things I’ve been wondering about lately is how online businesses must rely on interactivity. That’s the essential ingredient. It’s the name of the new age when it comes to the Internet. Without it, you don’t have squat. Interactivity is what makes the social networking behemoths what they are today. It’s also what makes eBay the world’s largest auctioning website. I’m not talking about just the ability to “poke” someone on Facebook or send someone a message on MySpace. It’s also about allowing the user to customize their web experience. Customizability is interactivity on the web. When eBay allows you to refine your search, whether it be according to price, date listed, brand, geography, height, weight, or color, that’s interactivity at work. In order to survive on the web, you need the essential ingredient called interactivity.

When you do business on the web, you’re no longer doing business with a flat demographic like you would with a brick-and-mortar store. On the web, you’re literally serving a hugely varying demographic that’s dynamic in so many ways. That’s why customizability (i.e., interactivity) is a must. You’re not just trying to please one demographic, you’re trying to please a million and one. This is why it’s so important to shape your website to suit the masses. This means doing things like allowing your users to refine their search in ways you probably hadn’t thought of.

And now, for making some of my most loyal readers wait so long for an update, I give you the first ever screenshot of WALAMU.com (make sure you magnify it, otherwise it looks fuzzy).

P.S. “Alredy should be “Already.”