Office Live is Live but not Office

Walt Mossberg, of the Wall Street Journal, wrote unenthusiastically recently about the new Microsoft Office Live service, which is aimed at very entry level small businesses trying to create a basic web presence (full disclosure: he compared Homestead favorably to the new service, which is competitive to Homestead).  While their web site solution seems too rudimentary for even the most basic full time business, their integration of simple CRM solutions is really cool.  I’d be curious to hear from the Homestead customers (or potential customers) out there if you’d be interested in basic CRM and database functionality built into your Homestead service.

Unfortunately, the name Office Live leads one to believe that it includes web-based versions of Microsoft’s flagship Office Suite (i.e. Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), which it doesn’t.  At least not yet.  Now that would be a killer app for small businesses, and Homestead would become an ASP/reseller of that in an Internet minute if it every happened.  Of course, they would probably screw up the pricing somehow, and/or make the licensing agreement ridiculously draconian, or pull some other myopic Microsoft move.  But if you’re reading this Bill, take it from a former employee: I think there’s a really big opportunity here.   

 

Comments

[eric butler (moonglum01)]

Well Mr. Richard Allinger, B.A. (are you sure it wasn't B.S.?) That's a very intersting take on Microsoft's Office Live project. I bet you can use cut and paste on their service too, but it might be a premium add on. I was going to suggest you hone your cut and paste skills, especially as you are in college and all, but as you pointed out, 'the end is near' - so unless there's a civil service test in the hereafter it probably isn't really worth the bother.

Now here's a point of discussion that I really would be interested in knowing about....

So Justin - you've got this post - in any normal situation you would delete it out of hand, if for no other reason than it is clearly way off topic... but here's the dilemma - lets say Mr. Richard Allinger B.S. is a Homestead member, and for the sake of argument lets say he's does all the premium services... and has for several years.... What does a CEO of a (not so small as I assumed) business do with the post?

- I teach a class for students on co-ops and internships. This little dilemma will make an interesting discussion topic :)

[Craig Fifield [Office Live Product Manager]]

Hi Justin,

You are right -- Office Live is a tough name right now since we don't offer most of what you can find in Office. Damn those marketing folks!

Nice to see you took some time to try us out though. I like the CRM integration myself, which I think is one of the areas many small businesses need help with.

As for us pricing wrong or being draconian, that could happen, but one thing I'm exicted about with the OL team is the total focus on the customer. In fact some of the missing Office features are missing because very few people have requested them yet.

If this team continues to let OL customers drive development as they are now I think you'll see us grab that big opportunity. I hope anyway! :)

[Justin]

Thanks for the comments on this topic, Craig and Eric. Eric, to answer your question, I deleted the comment because it was clearly inappropriate and I stated in my "why the blog, why the name" post that I welcomed any comments as long as they were topical and respectful. That one was neither, plus it was so long that nobody else could read the comments. I'm sure he will understand, even if it was one of our customers. I believe that doing business is a matter of building respect *two ways* between customer and supplier. There are times when you even need to fire your customers when they violate that respect, and our customers should fire us if we ever violate it (we aspire never to do this).

Craig, thanks for the comment, and let us know when Microsoft is ready to resell an online version of the Office suite.
--jsk

[Carl Senne]

Hello Justin,

I was just searching google for a CRM that could work inside my homestead website and came across CEO Unplugged. I first would like to tell you that your company ROCKS!!!!

I have been an entrepreneur for about 10 years now and I have never seen a faster turn-key system to webdesign! The value you have given me in the first month alone has already been worth 1000 times the investment. Homestead is my web solution for life thanks to you and your team.

I would be interested in an intigrated CRM to work with my websites. I read in your blog that you were wondering if anyone would be interested in that. I represent a group of over 600 Real Estate investors in Chicago and over 10,000 Nation Wide. We are all in need of a great web presence. I would be happy to collaborate with you and become the Bata test for a template type solution to our industry!!!

What's in it for me? A true solution rather than having to deal with multiple companies and software packages to get the same result.

In the past I have had to re-invent the wheel so to speak everytime I start up a new company or grow our services. This is a Huge Pain In The Arse!!! That is why I love Homestead. I can be in full control and make changes at anytime.

All that is missing is a contact manager that will drive the business. Ideally what would assist my business is simple and as follows:
1. A CRM that is accessable online from your back office.
2. A CRM that will automatically load your contacts from submission forms.
3. Simple to use email communication for blast email to clients through your back office.
4. Simple search functions by name or catagory association.
5. Somewhat customizable.

I am very excited about working on this project with you and your team!!! Let's creat massive success together!!!

Sincerely,

Carl Senne,
Real Estate Investor
Entrepreneur
Superpreneur08@yahoo.com
Cell Phone 630 202 2520

[RICHARD ALLINGER]

p.s.s. according to bible prophecy the jewish temple has to be rebuilt a third time, before "jacob's trouble" when russia comes down over israel known as the "70th week of daniel". president bush has said the nuclearization of iran would mean WWIII ! i think that's why pope benedict xvi said at the un in nyc this week he is concerned about power concentrated among just a handful of players.
shalom, brother richard

p.s.s.s ...remember what apostle paul wrote in hebrews
12:14 follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the
lord.
anyone wishing to tour the holyland and jerusalem in
particularly...where jesus's tomb in a garden is and can be visited...many
believe it is the proximity of his crucifixion and burial...here in silence of
a beautiful garden you can meditate on the good lord's death, burial and
resurrection. my personal friend owns a travel agency in jerusalem , his name
is abed w.el hawash, he will handle the round trip all the way and give you
better service and lower rates, which includes everything. you may wish to
write him at: p.o.box 20247 , jerusalem , israel.american contacts
for these holyland tours are myself:mr_allinger@yahoo.com or mr.leo reynolds,
director of the flint bible institute at:810-2326770
prayers, brother richard

[RICHARD ALLINGER]

Hell-o,

The people in Flint , Michigan have
heard the audible voice of G_d the Father Almighty. Also, there has been an
angelic visitation of the high arch-angel Gabriel...he has real big
silver wings going up and pointing upward the back of him. Gabriel has long
jet black hair, the color of raven feathers...he stands 7 feet tall and has
a long white robe on. Gabriel also appears to be barefoot in these
visions of which we cannot photograph. (i.e. see Holy Bible Revelation11:3)

[RICHARD ALLINGER]

herald of his coming
vol.33,no.1;january,1974
what is needed-is a prophet who can disturb the godly-pray that god in these
last terrible moments of this dispensation will send us pleading prophets like
moses,elijah,jeremiah and john the baptist...men who
identify themselves with the sins of the nation!
by evangelist leonard ravenhill
"then the word of the lord came unto me saying, before i formed thee...i
ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. then said i ,ah, lord god! behold, i
cannot
speak: for i am a child: for thou shalt go to all that i shall send thee, and
whatsoever i command thee thou shalt speak. be not afraid of their faces: for i
am with thee to deliver thee, saith the lord.
then the lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth.
and the lord said unto me, behold, i have put my words in thy mouth. see, i
have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and
to pull
down, and to throw down, to build and to plant."jeremiah 1:4-10
when jesus, the son of god, began his ministry, they identified him with
jeremiah. jeremiah had lived 800 years before and yet when jesus came some said
he was "jeremias,or one of the prophets."matt. 16:14.
why was jesus like jeremiah? why was jeremiah like jesus? because jeremiah was
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. there is nothing human to compare
with the lamentations of jeremiah. dante said they were the greatest things he
had ever read.
in the first chapter and the twelfth verse, jeremiah says this in his book of
lamentations, "behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my
sorrow."
in the ninth chapter of jeremiah he begins in the first verse by saying this,
"oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that i
might
weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!"
you can take people as dull as myself and put us through the machinery and
process of a bible school and turn us out like they turn out ford cars in
detroit. every one would be stamped almost with the same thing on them. we
would have almost the same intonation of voice. but only the holy ghost can
make men weep!
jeremiah carried this nation upon his heart. he was a man of sorrows. "oh,
that my head were waters." he was no play actor. he came to this distressed
nation, a selected man of god. he was ordained to be a prophet, not a preacher.
the preacher says almost apologetically, "in my opinion." that is
what the preacher says. the prophet says, "thus saith the lord."
god raised jeremiah up to be against everybody - the priests and the people,
the pastors and the whole population. god made him to pull down and to pull up
and to root out and to destroy. and he had a sense of the magnitude of his
task. that is why he was so burdened. that is why he was a man of sorrows. the
whole nation lay on his heart. and he knew the only need, the only hope of that
nation - was the mercy of god and the nation's return to him.
we do not these days see much burden like this, do we?
it amazes me very often how dry our eyes are. we can see whole nations go down.
we never saw the decline and fall of the roman empire, but we are seeing before
our eyes these days the decline and fall of many nations.
of course, in these days, the whole emphasis is on the love of god. the heart
of the eternal is most wonderfully kind. we picture the father of the prodigal
son, as though god were much kinder than he used to be,
and his justice not quite the same - his anger moderated. as though he can look
upon sin now, and wink at iniquity!
these are the days in which we never say anything nasty
about the folk around us in false doctrines!
it seems the emphasis in the churches these days is not on how much we can
carry, but on how little we can carry - not how much we can do, but how much we
can shrink from doing.
if the midnight hour is just upon us (and who dare to deny it?) and the cry is
about to go up, "behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet
him," how important it is that ere that cry is heard we should be numbered
amongst the wise virgins, with oil in our vessels with our lamps, for when he
does come, it will
be with such startling suddenness, that there will be no time for preparation.
(matthew 25:1-13).
it will be too late to go and buy, even without money and without price, for
the word of god is clear, "behold, i come with rapidity." rev.22:12.
may we all watch, wait, work and pray - for the coming of the lord, and finally
be amongst those who will gladly welcome him on his arrival, and be changed into
his likeness as he appears, and be with him forever!
(eph.5:18; matt. 24:23-51; mark 13:33-37).
sometimes christians do not seem to mind anything about the wickedness around
them. or if they talk about it, it is in a cold and callous and unfeeling way,
as if they despaired of a reformation. they are
disposed to scold at sinners - not to feel the compassion of the son of god for
them. but sometimes the conduct of the wicked drives christians to prayer and
breaks them down and makes them sorrowful and tenderhearted, so that they weep
day and night, and instead of scolding and reproaching them, they pray
earnestly for them. indeed this is a revival begun already. the prevalence of
wickedness is no evidence
at all that there is not going to be a revival. that is often god's time
to work. when the enemy cometh in like a flood, the spirit of the lord lifts up
a standard against him. (isaiah 59:19).

[American Attorneys]

I honestly preffer homestead services, for me is more complete.
thanks for the info I know theres a lot people who thinks the same way as me!