Insight Community

When the subprime crunch hit the mortgage industry, there were some who felt that it would be a good thing for tech stocks, as investors would start to park their money in the tech world again. Everyone knew it could still directly impact some firms that had financial exposure, such as the troubles E*Trade is now experiencing. However, it certainly comes as a surprise to many to hear that EchoStar, provider of the DISH Network satellite TV service, is facing increasing churn due to the subprime mess. Since EchoStar often targeted the low end of the market, the feeling is that its customers may be disproportionately hit by foreclosures and subprime-related issues.

This could serve as a proxy for other "hidden" subprime problem tech companies. Are there other publicly traded companies who most people wouldn't normally associate with mortgages who may be impacted by the trouble in the mortgage industry? For each company you name, please describe why you think they're likely to be impacted by the troubles in the mortgage industry.

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular issues here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each challenge will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

Apple has received some publicity for its plans to support third party applications for the iPhone, with Apple noting that the iPhone platform will try to protect its users from malware. As mobile phones adopt "real" Internet browsers and applications that offer a desktop-like experience, the concerns for mobile phone security will presumably become more prominent. So what kind of security threats should mobile phone users be aware of -- before the mobile malware onslaught really occurs? Don't restrict the discussion to the iPhone -- Bluetooth threats, WiFi insecurity, and all sorts of phone malware should be addressed.

Note: The top insights for this issue will be selected as they are submitted. So there is no exact deadline for submissions, but the earlier you submit, the earlier LetsTalk can review your work. For example, it's possible that LetsTalk may select the first three entries. However, no submissions will be accepted after the expiration date.

Google has received quite a bit of attention for the beginnings of its office productivity suite that can operate collaboratively online (as well as offline with Google Gears). But there are already several non-Microsoft office suites that are much more mature than Google's current office apps. However, by adding the weight of its brand to the Web2.0 productivity market, Google has apparently stolen the "thunder" of the upstarts who were pitching stones at Microsoft. As one of these alternative office suite developers,

1) What are the weaknesses of Google Docs & Spreadsheets?

2) How does a smaller office software firm promote itself with two giants in the same arena?

Mashups have been an integral aspect of web 2.0, since the concept started to emerge, but they've been somewhat limited. For one thing, mashups have typically required some technical knowledge, which cuts off most users. Also, many of them are formulaic, e.g. Craiglist + Flickr or Google Maps plus a list of Starbucks locations. The upshot is that for the typical user, there's been very little ability to develop mashups of one's own liking.

But now a number of companies, both startups and established internet vendors, are trying to expand this area. Yahoo has its Pipes service, and Microsoft has released a similar service, dubbed PopFly. Google is also testing its Google Mashup Editor. Then there are a number of startups focusing on this space specifically, such as Teqlo and Coghead. Former Microsoft exec Charles Simonyi is also working on something in this area, although so far it's been pretty quiet.

Looking down the road, how is this space likely to play out? What can we realistically expect a non-technical amateur to be capable of? What needs to happen, from a technological perspective, before non-technical users are able to create robust software? Or are non-technical users consigned to being only capable of simple, pre-designed mashups? At what point does the emergence of these DIY applications start to have an impact in both the enterprise and on traditional software vendors. If this is going to have an impact on software vendors, what can they do to facilitate and profit from this trend? Don't limit your responses to these questions. Support your predictions with quantitative data, if applicable.

As a Fortune 500 company considering a consumer-focused branding campaign that incorporates user-generated content, we are an office equipment and services provider looking to maximize the benefits of an online video campaign using YouTube and other online video communities. Obviously, we are aiming for a fresh and vibrant (and perhaps viral) response, but we also realize there may be somewhat negative portrayals of our brand.

1) Given our broad audience of consumers, how can we best encourage positive entries and on-message responses? Suggest online venues where the prevailing tone is upbeat -- or virtual locations that should be avoided if they are known to be too crass. How can these characterizations be determined?

2) Suggest creative ways to promote the collected video materials, after the submission period is officially over, that leverage online communities.

3) Other than ignoring or deleting content that may be negative, how should we handle submissions that are not entirely favorable to our brand?

There's been a lot of talk about the governance, risk and compliance (GRC) market lately, with companies like SAP making a big push into the space. When talking about GRC people often fall back on talking about Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, as that's been a key part of it. Certain compliance deadlines have been pushed back for smaller companies, but small-cap companies may wish to anticipate GRC issues before they hit with full force. How do you see the market for GRC solutions changing for small-cap companies over the next 3 to 5 years?

If you were advising a private equity group that had an interest in consumer telecommunication services, where would you invest in the next 6 months? What areas have at least double-digit growth potential? Restrict your responses to North America.

The nimble development teams that create small and useful mini-apps sometimes face a point when acquisition by a much larger software firm is desirable. A moderate-sized blog tool firm is looking for the track records of its potential suitors (eg. Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, IAC, etc) for dealing with culture clashes and maintaining the usefulness of its products post-acquisition. From an insider's perspective, personal experiences and cautionary tales are welcome. From a users' viewpoint, describe how your loyalty to an acquired service was affected after your favorite widget-like software was bought.

Two big topics these days are SaaS and wireless. Obviously the two are on a converging path. Already, Blackberry email is considered an essential wireless SaaS offering. What other opportunities do you see coming into this space. If you were investing in wireless Saas, where do you think the biggest opportunities are today?

The computer security game seems like a continuous tug o' war, with security firms reacting to each new trick from malicious hackers. Can there be a better way to design security so that we're not always one step behind?

Salesforce.com recently launched their Apex programming language for developing on-demand applications to run on their hosted environment. Is this a compelling offering? If not, why not? If so, why? What might you use it for?

Cisco has recently purchased two different sets of social networking technology (FiveAcross and assets from Tribe.net). What do you think Cisco's strategy or thought process is in making these acquisitions?

Wireless broadband is coming in one format or another. When the world shifted from dialup to broadband, it opened up plenty of new applications and uses (many of which were not widely foreseen). What new and different uses will widespread wireless broadband allow? Will they be bottom up (designed by users) or top down (designed by carriers) and why?