Google Street View

This week one subject which hasn’t been able to keep out of the headlines is Google Street View’s UK launch. After a successful launch in other countries like America now thanks to Google you can virtually wonder around some of the biggest cities in the UK. However in the UK its launch has been marred by criticism over the perceived invasion of privacy which this is causing many people to call for it to be shut down.

Now I’m not going to talk about the wrongs or the rights of Google’s latest idea but merely comment on the power of the Internet. Ten or so years ago Google was merely a web based search engine that was starting to build its fan base by providing better and quicker searches than its rivals but through one very basic and simple concept Google has now grown to one of the biggest companies on the net.

In a time of economic crisis it is great to see web companies and web based ideas really gaining attention and still making money. If Google believe in the old phrase that any publicity is good publicity then they will be rubbing their hands together but if nothing else the media backlash shows just how powerful they have become. I also find it interesting to see new company start ups on the net that offer new ideas and new concepts and how they can get the masses interacting with it.

To me the greatest thing about the Internet is that it offers anybody the chance to share a new idea with the world, to make a successful business and to make a name for themselves. I am sure we haven’t got the most out of the internet yet and can’t wait to see more people really pushing the boundaries of what you can achieve using the internet.

Who knows what the next internet craze will be, but if the next ten years are exciting as the last ten then the internet is going to be an exciting place to be.

What do you think about Google Street View? Have you found a good website lately or do you run your own online business? If so we would love to find out about them and you can share your views by going to our topic of the week:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=688

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Dragons' Den

I’ve been looking back over my blogs this week and realised I have never discussed the UK TV programme “Dragons’ Den.” The sixth series has just started on BBC 2 and for those unfamiliar with the concept the programme sees up and coming entrepreneurs and inventors pitching their ideas to a panel of rich investors in the hope of getting one or more of them to invest in to their idea.

I like this programme as it takes you the viewer through the process of pitching an idea and what the experience can be like. So as well as being entertaining it is also educational. It shows you how important your presentation skills are as it is not always the best business ideas that do well but the ones that are well presented normally fair well.

The first episode of the new series also linked in to my many blogs regarding the changing scene of the music industry. The episode saw Peter Jones invest £75,000 in to a band called Hamfatter who had come on to the show looking for money to produce their new album in return for giving away 20% of future profits from music sales. It was brilliant to see a music group go on a business programme and show a different route to success in the music industry. With not even having to have a physical CD in the shops to get in to the top 40 gone are the days where you need a record label to achieve success. With a good product, good promotion and money behind you, you can achieve great things in the music world. Following on from the show Hamfatter have been getting interviews and press coverage everywhere so not only was it a good financial decision but also great for PR.

I enjoy the show as it is very inspiring to see people who have nothing but an idea and a desire to take that idea to the next level putting themselves out there to achieve the next level of success. I think there is an inventor and entrepreneur inside of us all and I love seeing what people from across the UK have come up with and designed. With wages not going up in line cost of living on the whole being an entrepreneur is a way of escaping low salary jobs but with the credit crunch hitting the business world some would argue it is even harder to be an entrepreneur in today’s climate.

Dragons’ Den is a great programme to watch if you are thinking of starting up a business as it will give you some basic ideas and knowledge. Dragons’ Den also provides many talking points which are discussed the next day in work places, schools and the media. It’s good to see what other people thought of ideas and businesses to see if there was something you overlooked. Getting people talking about investment, inventions and enterprise is great and a lot better than people talking about shows like Big Brother and Eastenders.

Do you watch Dragons Den? What do you like about the show? Ever tempted to apply to go on? We want to know and you can share your views by joining in our topic of the week:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=506

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Successful People

This week I wanted to use the blog to talk about successful people and the things I think are stopping successful people being as successful as they could be.

Now one of the most successful businessmen of our generation is Bill Gates. Unlike a celebrity who’s film you may have seen or song you may have heard you are practically guaranteed to have used a bit of software which was made or designed by Bill Gates company Microsoft by the time you are 18. With this success though I bet you don’t talk about him as much as your favourite singer or actor even though he is richer and more successful than that singer or actor.

Now I can’t claim to be an expert on Bill Gates and how he made his money but the one thing I always see in the news is him or his company being stopped from doing something because of some legislation which says he can’t have a monopoly or become too big or strong in the market.

Now I know competition laws and other assorted business laws are put in place to benefit us the consumers and other business owners but I have always found these very restrictive. If one person can build themselves up from nothing and want to conquer an entire business sector I think they should be allowed to. It is not the successful persons fault that they make themselves bigger or more successful that other people in the market. It should be up to other people and other companies to compete and want to get better not having some legislation bringing the successful person down.

People need to be motivated and inspired to succeed not put off by legislation, red tape and bureaucracy. It’s like all the hoops people have to jump through these days to get funding or placements to further their careers. The world is getting tied down in paperwork and political correctness most of which could be ripped away by using common sense and logical ideas.

Going back to finish with Bill Gates, laws and legislations aside it seems that instead of supporting successful people these days successful people are targets for others to bring down or to try and stop from getting further ahead. From the common person to legislation makers we need to all support successful people and support people to give them the chance of being successful.


Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

The Apprentice

Tonight (13/07) sees the finale in the UK of the third series of the popular Apprentice series in which sixteen hopefuls have battled it out in what is called the job interview from hell to gain the six figure contract and the job of being Sir Alan Sugar's apprentice.

We are down to the final two, one being a Cambridge educated Internet entrepreneur Simon Ambrose and the other Pharmaceuticals Sale Manager Kristina Grimes. Both of who have given up their lives and careers in the hope that they would be the last one standing and achieve this life changing opportunity.

The show is designed to bring out the ruthless streak in all the contestants as they are put in to direct conflict with the others in order to save themselves and their own chance of winning in this game of survival. The contestants are picked for the show based on how entertaining they are going to be on TV as at the end of the day this is what it is an entertainment TV programme which needs to bring in ratings. There would be no show and nobody watching if everyone got on happily with each other.

Now say what you will about the show as I know it has its critics who do have very just and correct points about the show but in many ways I am all for it. If to work for Sir Alan Sugar or to work in international business is your dream then going on the show is a very achievable way of making it happen. Many of the contestants have sacrificed high paying jobs and great careers for the opportunity which shows their dedication. It's one thing going on a TV programme if you are in a job you hate or aren't currently in work but to give up something you have been working towards your whole life for this opportunity shows great strength of character to do.

Regardless of who wins or loses most of the candidates will have learnt invaluable skills through the programme and be more equipped to deal with stressful situations, teamwork and being able to go out of their comfort zone. Not many situations in their life will test them to the limits that the Apprentice has and sometimes in order to achieve great things we need to be tested to see how much we want something or how good we really are.

Going on this programme the contestants have sacrificed their own privacy with some candidates now being the subject of attention for many tabloids and magazines but for the contestants to be willing to do this in order to achieve their dreams shows great courage. For all of the contestants that have been eliminated now is the time for the real graft as they use the Apprentice experience and exposure to forge careers for themselves and that's what is so great about a programme like this as it can open up so many opportunities to people that they wouldn't have had if they hadn't gone on the show. Hopefully now the contestants can use the spark of being on the Apprentice and now use that power to go on and achieve even greater things.

To get you in the mood for the Apprentice final we have an interview with Apprentice series 2 star Jo Cameron about her time on the show and what the programme has done for her. So to find out her views and what she has been up to since the programme go to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/experts/index.php?page=article&id=29

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com/