From the barter desk of Bob Meyer…02/12/2008


Lance Armstrong Knows Barter’s Value

Cycling legend Lance Armstrong just completed a major barter agreement with Richard Rosenblatt, the chairman of Demand Media. Together they are creating a new “for-profit” web site that DM will operate…the focus of the site will be on health programs and cancer research.

The barter component: Lance Armstrong (as well as his non-profit foundation) will receive equity stakes in the media firm. And Demand Media will retain all ad revenue created by the new commercial site.


Two More Newbie Barter Sites

Two more trading sites have hit cyberspace…www.GiveNTake.in and www.BegBarterorbuy.com.


Buy & Hold Pays Off For This Investor

Atlanta’s largest bank is shedding a large portion of its 43.6 million Coke holdings. Sun Trust Banks has a nearly century-old financial tie with the Coca-Cola Co. They took Coke public in 1919. Now they’re selling their shares to reap $1 billion!

Wristwatches Improve Restaurant Service

Waiters at some restaurants are beginning to use devices resembling wristwatches to improve customer service. The devices, part of a wireless system devised by ESP Systems, alert waiters when food is standing by or when a new table is ready, among other things.

Diners also have a device at their table for paging their waiter if they need anything. At the end of the night, managers are provided with statistics about each waiter’s service.

Warren Buffett Feels No Sorrow For U.S. Economy Turmoil

According to the billionaire investor Warren Buffett, the woes in the U.S. financial sector are poetic justice for the bankers who designed and sold complex investments that have since gone sour.

The head of Berkshire Hathaway, also known as the “Oracle from Omaha,” says the recent interest rate cuts mean that low-cost funds are readily available. He also thinks that the U.S. dollar will continue to slide until the country can rein in the huge trade deficit. But over time he believes the economy will do very well.


Forty Percent Of Web Users Viewed Newspaper Sites At Year End

According to the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), the average monthly unique audience figures for newspaper web sites grew by more than 3.6 million in 2007…a record year for the industry and an increase of more than 6% over 2006 numbers. Two out of five (40%) web users viewed newspaper sites at year’s end.

To view the current Tuesday Barter Report see: TuesdayReport

Think barter & grow richer, see: Richer

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 at 12:38 pm and is filed under From the Desk of Bob Meyer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.