Felix Menden, VP Product & Engineering:

There is still a long way to go on the road to convergence. But something tells me mobile Internet will be the next technological wave bringing with it innovative disruption to the online world. Cutting-edge services will be envisioned which may have significant economic impacts. The role mash-ups will play in the future in combination with location information opens up inapprehensible scenarios of the way we will work and live in the future. Driving along the road to convergence, XING is currently the only professional network that also runs on a cell phone demonstrating the innovative power of its platform. XING Mobile is the professional network in the palm of your hand. Just picture the following three situations:

Lost in Lower Manhattan and you quickly need the contact data of your business partner you have met ages ago?

Hot summer nights in Barcelona and you need a Spanish freelance web designer for your project tomorrow?

On a train to Zurich not knowing where to start looking for a new job?

You want your professional network to help you battle these challenges.
You want your network on the go, now!
You want XING Mobile. 

Today we will re-launch XING Mobile, meaning XING will run on your cell phone, PDA or BlackBerry. XING mobile allows you to surf on XING with your mobile device. Just direct your mobile to www.xing.com and you will be redirected to our mobile portal. With new and improved usability for fast and convenient usage we want to give all XING members the power of having their professional network accessible anytime and anywhere. Try it out and find contacts and members with our powerful one-slot-search using your cell phone. Access your address book and surf our Marketplace while sitting on the Spanish Steps in Rome. Read and write private messages and manage your event schedule while waiting at Heathrow.

Watch out next week because we will even add a launcher for your individual cell phone! After the easy installation from the XING Mobile homepage, it will take you just a single click on the XING icon, found in the menu, to log you in. This means you can avoid re-entering your password and username each time you log on to XING Mobile. You will also be able to set your preferred start area and invite your business contacts while on the go. 

The future is a step closer now.

The esteemed Financial Times Deutschland has determined that the U.S. is no longer the be-all and end-all of all things Internet. The newspaper is running a series of articles on innovative Web 2.0 concepts that got their start on European soil, and which are now making waves around the world.

Read the series and find out for yourself what rules govern the European race to catch up with North America, why Web 2.0 is not a bubble, and who the true superstar(t)s of the European web are.

Having introduced Luis from Madrid last time, this time we spoke with Melanie from Shanghai. She tells us about her experiences with Chinese business etiquette and warns us where you might end up if your Mandarin Chinese isn’t quite up to scratch…
Intrigued? Read on to find out more!

1. What do you do professionally?
I actually studied Biomedical Sciences. Now I work for ECS Europe China Solutions GmbH where I'm in charge of Business Development, Marketing & Sales.

2. What exactly does that role entail?
I am responsible for supporting European – and particularly German-based – companies starting up business operations in China. Our company assists them in many aspects of their market entry, from Investment Services, Recruiting, Marketing & Sales and other business-related services.

3. Where do you conduct most of your business?
I currently work most in Eastern China, especially in the Shanghai region.

4. Do meetings differ depending on the towns you are doing business in?
Yes, of course, they vary from town to town, according to their different economic and cultural conditions in different provinces. Western businessmen and women in the big cities can’t go all that wrong – as the people there are generally more open to customs from other parts of the world. If you end up traveling to more remote places, it is well worth researching the ins and outs of local traditions. 
Keep in mind: They might have different ways of expressing themselves, but ultimately they all just want to achieve business success.

5. What do they have in common?
Every town and city is of course interested in developing its local economy, so any deal where there is the potential to promote growth in the region is generally welcomed. It is worth keeping this in the back of your mind when negotiating.

6. It is a well-known fact that business cards in China are offered using both hands. Are there any other customs that are particularly courteous?
Yes, that is usually the polite thing to do. It is customary to give and receive a card before the meeting. Cards are also written in different languages on both sides, so it is customary to present the card with the appropriate side facing up – depending on whether you’re meeting a Chinese or foreign client. A customary gesture at the end of a meeting is to shake hands with your partner(s) and express a wish to keep in touch.

7. What makes a Chinese business dinner unique for you - in comparison with other countries?
It is seen in a very positive light if one shares the same dishes – and can certainly help promote a business relationship. I’m used to dealing with different cultures, but for foreigners in China some things like eating from the same dish as your business partner might take some getting accustomed to. But believe me: It is a very good chance to communicate with them at more length and forms a natural way to deepen the business relationship.

8. What would you recommend as useful topics for small talk in China?
There is an ancient Chinese saying which roughly translates: A wise man will make tools with what comes to hand. In other words: Listen carefully to others at the table and the conservation should flow naturally.

9. What are the most frequent mistakes foreigners make when in China?

They forget that the general rule in China – as indeed anywhere abroad – is "Do in Rome as the Romans do". It is also wise in China to be restrained when it comes to contradicting people, even if you think you are more informed about a certain topic. 

10. You should have seen their faces: Which particularly amusing situations from your previous years on the job spring to mind when you hear this phrase? 
It reminds me of something that happened to one of my German colleagues. One day, he wanted to take a taxi to the Pudong airport — known as "Jichang" in China. Although he thought he could pronounce this in Mandarin, he unfortunately asked the taxi driver to take him to 'Jinqiao'”. So the driver did indeed take him to "Jinqiao" – a town in Pudong, Shanghai, which is about 80 kilometers away!

Mister Wong is looking for a new logo and they are doing it the Web 2.0 way: The social bookmark portal has just launched their “Wong and Only Logo Contest”, calling on web designers and creative types around the world to send in their ideas, with the chance to walk away with $12,000.

Users can vote for their favorite designs, and the top twelve will be given to an international team of design and web experts, who will then pick the top three entries. Making up the total jury of eight is Daniela, who certainly has a lot of experience when it comes to new logos :).

We strongly recommend that you not pass along your XING login data to any other application on other social networks. At present, XING has not yet granted authorization for any application programmed by a third party to request your login data. For your own security, we blocked a XING-sync application which appeared on facebook last night. If you happened to try out the application (i.e., if you typed in your login data), we recommend you change your password immediately.

We do our best to ensure your security on XING, and ask you to do so as well. It´s an honor that you trust our brand with your private data, and that as a result you´re probably more likely to fill in information where the XING brand appears. Please contact us, however, if you see an application and you´re not sure if it is an official and approved XING application.

For those of you who are interested in doing even more in your XING experience, we are currently working on developing an API for the site. In the near future, everyone who wants to use this API to write an application for XING will have to contact us, and will most likely be granted permission. This way we can keep track which members are using this interface, and continue to make sure that your credentials remain secure.

I am a EO member (simply the best Entrepreneur Organization in the world)  since 2001. Twice a year EO members gather together for what we call "Universities" -  Once in a lifeteam learning experiences with great speakers, great venues and really cool people from all over the world. I've been attending over the last years many interessting EO Events like Dubai, Marrakech, LA, Washington, Kuala Lumpur, Zurich and others. This year, for the first time ever EO Germany welcomed over 350 people for a University in Berlin. Marcel Otto Yon, Clemens von Beust, Birgit Hass and Karl Funke hosted the event  and created one of the best Universities ever. The grand finale of the 4 day workshop we had in the famous 1936 Olympic Stadium. 65000 seats for 350 people. If you are an entrepreneur and want to learn from peers make sure that you contact Karl and join EO.

Our first annual report has just won the ARC Award in New York, the world’s largest competition for annual reports. Two thousand companies and organizations from around the globe - including names like IBM or General Motors - were in the running for the ARC Award this year. Our report for the short financial year 2006 won bronze in the category “Interior Design”. We’d like to extend a big thank you to the team from HGB, who did a great job.

You can have a look at the award-winning report as a PDF document by clicking here.

This is for everyone who's thinking about starting a company, everyone who still believes in crazy ideas that will change the world...and of course to everyone who's part of startupweekend Germany, initiated by Cem.

First they ignore you.
Then they laugh at you.
Then you win.

-Ghandi-

Nina says   

PremiumWorld is currently going under the knife and is getting a new facelift! PremiumWorld was launched back in September 2006 and offers exclusive deals from selected national and international partners to all XING premium members.

The new revamped platform has a brand new start page. A special ranking system structures the offers, providing our users with high quality partners and sexier deals. Basic members can also get a taste of the premium world with singular limited offers. We will unveil the new PremiumWorld in the next couple of weeks so…watch this space!

Once again has Facebook defend itself at court level. This time it's about another ominously social software U.S. Patent 6,519,629 (”System for creating a community for users with common interests to interact in”). During our IPO we looked at several US Patents in the areas of six degrees of seperation, community, invitations and general social software and got a few legal opionions.

All legal opinions came to the same conclusion:

Because at least one step of each process preformed by XING is done on a computer located outside of the US, a court of competent jurisdiction should find that neither XING, nor any of its users, have used the claimed method wihtin the US.

In Europe, the software scene is very much opposing any form of software patents. And we as a company support certain initiatives. Software is a key technology that is important to every company, every public administration, and every household. Therefore, everything that makes the software industry ill has effects on the entire organism, on all aspects of the economy and society.

There is a nice quote by Bill Gates (1991):

"If people had understood how patents would be granted when most of today's ideas were invented and had taken out patents, the industry would be at a complete standstill today."

Kick it like Timo!

On saturday Timo and his team will slame the balls into the net and will give veteran´s eleven 1. FC Nürnberg a good dressing down. ..tickets are still available and the weather forecast sounds bombastic.

See you!

Entrepreneurs, software developers and other members of the Ruby on Rails Community will be meeting up on the evening of September 16 in the “Kalkscheune” in Berlin to swap ideas and experiences about the potential of this diverse framework. Entry is free – and, of course, we’ll be catering to veggie tastes as well. XING is one of the sponsors of this event, and its team of engineers will also be at the subsequent RailsConf Europe conference over the days that follow. They programmed XING Marketplace using the Ruby on Rails framework.

By the way: One very good reason for taking part in the conference is that attendees also get preferential treatment when registering for the party :o)

According to the respected US magazine Business 2.0 / CNNMoney.com, we’re still hot. When Business 2.0 identified two dozen cool Web 2.0 companies based outside the United States last year, we were proud to be selected as one of the world’s hottest start-ups.

This year, Business 2.0 asks “Where are they now?” – taking a second look at last’s year selection and naming 10 companies which have since proved to be true “hits”. Check out who’s made the list again :) .