(ARD:TSX-V)

Armada Data is a great Web 2.0 success story.  I don’t mean “Twitter like” success with huge traffic, notoriety and no revenue model.  I mean the kind of company that delivers a real service to real customers for real revenues and profits.

How successful?  Their paying a dividend for god’s sake.  How many Web 2.0 companies are generating revenue, let alone paying dividends to shareholders?

Yes, they are an AGORACOM client and I am horribly conflicted – but I understand running a small and emerging Web 2.0 company as well as anybody and these guys make me jealous.

How successful are they?  Before today’s news, here are the stories I blogged about them.  Keep in mind all of this news has come out in the last 3 weeks.  Most companies would be thrilled to put this news out over an entire year.

The headlines alone should tell you all you need to know – but don’t be lazy and actually dig into these stories:

Nov 5th, 2009 – Reports Record October Results From CarCostCanada.com Division

Oct 30th, 2009 – Posts Record Q1 Results and Plans To Increase Yearly Dividend

Oct 28th, 2009 – Joins AGORACOM 100 With $2.15 Million in Revenue and 3 Consecutive Years of Profitability

All they did today was announce record results from the insurance side of the business.  Yep, that’s right – they have multiple revenue streams.  Armada Data isn’t a Web 2.0 company, their Web 3.0

Congratulations to the entire Armada Data team for a job well done.

September & October 2009 Highlights:

Insurance Services revenues up 46% versus Sept/Oct-2008

• New ACV Insurance service significantly contributing to revenue growth
• ACV market 10 times greater than Armada’s existing 43r insurance service
• ACV targeted roll out to Armada’s 26 existing insurance clients underway
• New ACV Insurance service now being used by 2 Top-10 companies
• Insurance division entering busiest time of the year

Click on link below to read entire press release:

November 18, 2009 - Armada Reports Record Results From Insurance Division

Link to Hub / Link to Profile / Link to Forum

Tags: small-cap, small cap, smallcap, micro-cap, micro cap, microcap, TSX Venture, OTCBB, AGORACOM, Armada Data Corp, online investor relations, electronic shareholder forums, CarCostCanada

• 131,549 investors visited AGORACOM
• They visited just over 775,000 times
• They read 7.9 million pages

What is especially noteworthy is the fact that this audience is 100% dedicated to small and mid-cap companies.  We don’t talk about general market news and mega cap stocks.  100% small and mid cap, so this represents one sizable set of “niche” investors.  Consequently, this bodes well for our upcoming Online Gold & Commodities Conference which is dedicated to emerging resource companies.  Moreover, it opens the door to conferences for other industries such as tech and China in 2010.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support and participation on AGORACOM.

Regards,
George

As many of you know, we are very bullish on the long-term future of Chinese small cap and mid cap companies for two reasons:

1] The obvious reason – China is the fastest growing economy on the planet and nothing is going to slow down its ascent over the next 50 years and beyond. Investing in growth companies there just makes too much sense.

2] Great Results and Valuations - Many Small Cap Chinese Companies are listing in the US (OTCBB, NYSE Alternext and NASDAQ) with great financial results. Unlike many dubious US Small Cap Companies, Chinese Companies don’t seem to believe in losing money or failing to execute in a business plan. As such, 7-digit revenues and profits are very common.

From a valuation point of view, many Chinese companies became a victim of their own success in Q4 2008 and Q1 2009. Why? When the world needed to start liquidating, one of the first places they looked were China where most investors had significant gains to sell into. This resulted in the proverbial baby being thrown out with the bathwater and some great valuations.

TODAY’S FEATURED COMPANY

Artificial Life Inc. – OTC.BB:ALIF

As a leading, full-service provider of mobile broadband 3G technology, mobile participation TV, mobile gaming, content and business applications, Artificial Life provides 2D and 3D multi- and single-player rich-media applications for 3G, 3.5G and 4G network-enabled mobile phones.

On November 10th, the company announced Strong Growth and Earnings for the third quarter of 2009.

Check out the full details below!

Read Full Press Release

China Stocks TV Segment

HIGHLIGHTS

• Revenues for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 were $8,723,481 – a 32% increase Year over Year
  
• Net Income was $3.875 million, equating into $.08 EPS.

MY COMMENTS:

Strong top-line growth in a space that is going to grow for years and years to come – mobile gaming.  I love the fact the company derives revenue from downloads, subscriptions, licensing and bulk resellers.  Most importantly, you can’t ignore the fact ALIF reported 8 cents/share in earnings for the Q.  Extrapolate that out and the company is on an annual run rate of $ .32 EPS – great valuation considering the company is trading around $1.25.

As always, this is my view in a snapshot. It is intended to give you a running start into your research. Now, you have to do your own due diligence to make sure the valuation is not impaired by other factors including balance sheet items, lawsuits or any other negative events.

If you have any comments, I’d love to see them below.

YOUR RESEARCH STARTING POINTS FOR CHINESE SMALL CAP AND MID CAP COMPANIES

We’ve provided investors with two great starting points to research great Chinese small cap and mid cap companies.

1. ChinaSecurities.com – ChinaSecurities.com tracks 250 of the best small cap and mid cap companies trading on North American exchanges. It provides you with the best of the best in two ways. First, the front page lists the best news of the day coming out of the space. It does so by giving you a text view of the best press releases by industry and via Chinese Stocks TV, a 5-minute broadcast every morning just after the open. Chinse Stocks TV is archived, so you can catch up on shows you missed.

Second, if you want to research each of the 250 companies to find candidates for your portfolio, it has a very intuitive directory that lets you quickly review each company on the master list, or parse it out by industry and exchange if you have a particular sector of interest. Cool stuff.

2. Right here on AGORACOM, you can refer to our China category for other featured Chinese Small-Cap Companies. As always, we will disclose any IR relationship with any public company. Given the sheer number of great Chinese Small-Cap Companies out there, you can expect us NOT to have an IR relationship with most of these companies.

Regards,
George

Tags: ChinaSecurities.com, chinese small cap stocks, china, stocks, investments, AGORACOM, online investor relations, Artificial Life Inc.

Earlier today, we proudly announced the launch of our online conference initiative.  We’re starting off that initiative with a bang via our first ever official online conference – The AGORACOM Online Gold and Commodities Conference.  Given the price of gold, oil and other commodities, our timing could not be better.

PRESENTING COMPANIES

The conference will focus on emerging small and mid-cap resource companies who will present by invitation only and are required to have demonstrated excellence through a combination of one or more of the following:

• Experienced management
• Proven reserves via 43-101
• Strong prospective projects via publicly announced drill results
• Balance sheet strength
• Imminent or actual production.

We are limiting the total number of presenting companies to 50.  Currently, over 25 companies have committed to the conference, leaving approximately 25 spots available.  Presenting companies will be active in industries that include precious metals, base metals, rare metals, oil & gas and clean energy technologies.

REASONS TO PRESENT

1.   A built in audience.  Last year, AGORACOM attracted over 1.3 million investors, 7.9 million visits and generated just under 100 million page views. (Full Story).

2.  AGORACOM content partners include GlobeInvestor, AOL, Yahoo Finance and every Blackberry device on the planet.  (Full Details).

3.  Conference presentations will be posted and tagged on the biggest finance and social media sites on the web.

4.  Present to a global audience, not a local audience.

5.  Our keynote speaker lineup is a killer.  See below.

6.  The price.  Contact Us. You will love it.

7.  Your investment.  No travel, hotels and other hard expenses.

8.  Your time.  No time away from work or home.

9.  Your online strategy.  You need an online strategy that extends beyond a basic web page. (Top 10 Reasons Online IR Will Surpass Traditional IR)

10.  Fill in the blank.  I am sure you have at least one great reason.

REASONS TO ATTEND

1.   Participate in a high-quality conference in which you get to watch presentations, interact with CEO’s / IRO’s and listen to great keynote speakers from home.

2.  That’s it ….

3.  … and it’s free  (Register here)

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

A conference is not complete without investors having an opportunity to hear the views of great keynote speakers.  I can tell you that I am simply blown away by the quality of our speakers and so proud they have elected to speak without any form of compensation.  They Our line-up of speakers already includes:

• Peter Grandich – Chief Commentator, AGORACOM.com
• Eric Coffin – Co-Producer of The Hard Rock Analyst
• Barry Ritholtz (Ranked #1 Financial Blogger In The World)
• Paul Kedrosky (Ranked #2 Financial Blogger In The World)
• Gregor Macdonald – A Rising Energy Analyst And Investor

For complete bio’s and links to their work, please visit our keynote speakers page.

That’s all for now folks.  Look for a lot more information over the next 30 days.  Otherwise, save the date and see you there!

Take Me To The Conference Home Page

Regards,
George

Good afternoon to you all.   I am proud to announce that AGORACOM is once again pioneering the online small and mid-cap space by launching online investor conferences.  Moreover, we’re launching the initiative with the AGORACOM Online Gold and Commodities Conference on December 3rd and 4th. 

WHY ONLINE CONFERENCES?

The Logical Unstoppable Trend

The fact that the web delivers information faster, better, more conveniently and more cost-efficiently than traditional vehicles is clear to all of us.  For example, traditional powerhouse media companies (cable and print) that used to generate ridiculous revenues and profits have watched their businesses nearly evaporate over the last 24 months as consumers turn to the web for news, information and entertainment.  AGORACOM itself has caused a massive paradigm shift in Investor Relations by creating a 100% pure online investor relations firm.  Looking forward, you can bet the farm this shift to the web will continue unabated for any medium that is built on delivering information.

As such, it makes perfect sense to create online conferences that eliminate all hurdles to participation.  Now, both retail and institutional investors from anywhere in the world can fully participate by watching presentations and interacting with CEO’s / IRO’s.  Geography, time, travel and money are no longer an issue.  Public companies, on the other hand, can now present their stories to a global audience vs. a local audience – while saving tens of thousands of dollars in hard costs, time and energy.

Best of all, company presentations now have a shelf life that can be measured in months, not days by being hosted on the web.  Search engines will also make sure those presentations continue to reach targeted audiences long after the online conference is complete.

The Irrefutable Data – Retail Investors

Is all this just self-serving lip service?  First, consider the fact that AGORACOM attracted 1.31 million visitors, 7.9 million visits and generated 96 million page views last year.  Small and mid-cap investors are clearly getting their information online.

Second, an AGORACOM survey of investors revealed the following:

• 59.4% of investors do not find conferences to be valuable and get all of their information from the web.
  • 62% of this group stated they get all of their information from the web, as their primary reason
  • 24% of this group stated they would not take time away from work or family as their primary reason
    
• 52% of investors believe there will be fewer (but better) conferences.

In another AGORACOM survey in which over 1,000 investors participated, we found that 78.3% of research into new small-cap investments comes from the web.

The Irrefutable Data – Institutional Investors

An IR Magazine Think Tank of Canada’s 40 leading IRO’s recently met and concluded that Twitter and Blogs are now the primary information source for analysts and institutional investors.

Conclusion

The time has come for an online conference provider to service the needs of the small-cap and mid-cap industry.  AGORACOM is proud to pioneer it and we look forward to having all of you participate.

Regards,
George

(ARD:TSX-V)

Great news from one of our most recent additions to the AGORACOM 100.  The Company’s flagship website CarCostCanada.com experienced the highest traffic, sales, revenue and profits of any October in the division’s history.  This is fresh off the heals of the company’s announcement last week about record Q1 results and an increasing dividend.

As always, assume I am horribly conflicted by the fact Armada is a client – but I love the fact that we have found a Web 2.0 company with real products, clients and revenues.  Web-based companies that can execute by delivering cost-efficiencies to both consumers and business stand an excellent chance of delivering shareholder values for years to come.

There are no guarantees that Armada (or any company) will do that but a combination of both record financial results and record online results is a great start and an even better reason to follow this company closely.

With respect to today’s press release, highlights include:

- CarCostCanada.com new membership sales up 85% versus Oct/08

- Google AdWords and Toronto Star campaigns continue to drive success

- Highest traffic, sales, revenues and profits of any October in division’s history

- Car companies recognizing quality of visitors and increase ad spend

Click on link below to read entire press release:

Nov. 4, 2009 - Armada Reports Record October Results From CarCostCanada Division

Link to Hub / Link to Profile / Link to Forum

Congratulations to Paul and the entire team.

Regards,
George

(ARD: TSX-V)

I am extremely proud to announce that Armada Data (ARD:TSXV) was added to the AGORACOM 100 today.  Why? Because Armada Data is one of the few web-based companies on the TSX Venture Exchange that is actually enjoying great commercial success.  The company has real products, customers, revenues and success.  For example, within a couple of hours of signing Armada Data, I learned that a couple of my employees and our attorney had successfully used their site www.carcostcanada.com to help determine dealer invoice prices on cars they were interested in buying over the past 12 months.  You should also know that 26 Canadian insurance companies use their services, including 8 of the 10 largest.

I’ve provided some highlights about the company that you need to know below.  As always, assume I am horribly conflicted by the fact ARD is an AGORACOM client and do your own due diligence.  The info below should give you a great running start.

DESCRIPTION

A profitable web-enabled Automobile Information Services Company providing accurate and real-time pricing data, to institutional and retail customers on a fee-for-service basis, through developing, owning and operating automotive related websites such as www.carcostcanada.com and providing information services to its clients.

CONNECTING CAR BUYERS AND DEALERS AT THE CHEAPEST PRICE

What does that mean in layman’s terms?  First, let’s talk about the side most of you can relate to – the Retail side.  Via www.carcostcanada.com the company provides consumers with an opportunity to determine dealer invoice pricing on up to 5 different vehicles.  In return, consumers pay $39.95 for a monthly subscription until they presumably decide on a vehicle.  Moreover, the site will actually direct you to dealers that are willing to sell you your precise vehicle for invoice + $500, so that eliminates the need to haggle with dealers. That is a HUGE benefit to consumers that need to save money, get their information quickly via the web and close a deal quickly without having to visit 3 different dealers for a few weekends.

The bonus? The dealer also pays Armada Data a referral fee for saving them the time and expense of having to acquire a new customer.  Anybody not see a service like this only growing in demand over time? Now you know why I love this company and why I believe it has real potential for long-term success.

STREAMLINING INSURANCE CLAIMS

26 Canadian insurance companies, including 8 of the top 10, use Armada Data’s claims outsourcing service that serves to streamline the claims adjustment process.  The company advises that insurance companies save over $1,000 per claim.  Assuming insurance companies will still like the idea of making money in the future, I am going to assume they will only increase using the service over time – unless a better competitor comes along.

THE NUMBERS

It all sounds impressive – and we’re all used to hearing great stories out of small-cap companies – so let’s check the numbers.  For the year ended May 31, 2009:

• Overall revenue grew from $1,732,944 in 2008 to $2,157,900 or an increase of 24.5%
• Declared it’s first dividend of ½ cent per share.  A dividend.  That is not a typo.
• Reported it’s 3rd consecutive year of profitability with net income of $0.01 per share

Increasing top line, dividends and sustained profitability.  True, the numbers aren’t massive but they are very healthy.   More importantly ….

…. THE FUTURE

I like the company for two reasons.  First, it has a proven track record of execution and has reached commercial success given its widespread use on the retail side, as well as, a client role of pretty much every major insurance company in the country.  You just don’t get to this level unless you’ve proven to customers that your products work and are valuable.  If Armada Data can get through the due diligence process of the insurance industry, I am going to take that as all the evidence I need about their products.

Second, what is perhaps even more important is the fact that the trend is their friend.  More people are using the web than ever and we all know that is going to grow.  Yes, the total number of people using the web will technically saturate in a few years – but that is only where this story begins, not ends.  Why? Web use can currently best be described as “wide”.  That means a lot of people are using the web to mainly do the basics.  Surf, network, watch some videos, etc.

However, we are now in the process of web use beginning to go “deep”, meaning that mass group of people is going to incorporate the web further into their lives.  We won’t just research, we’ll be buying more.  We won’t just browse, we’ll be buying more.  We just won’t watch, we’ll be interacting more.  We are going way beyond the desktop and onto mobile.  Having dinner conversation and want to know about real estate prices in a certain area?  You’ll bring it up on the web.  Talking to your buddies about buying a car and need to figure out which one best suits your budget?  Build it and price it on  www.carcostcanada.com before your coffee is done .

CONCLUSION

This is just the way the world is going to go and companies like Armada Data have an opportunity to be the Kings of their space.  Remember, AGORACOM is a Web 2.0 company and look how far we’ve come in just a few short years.  Now think about where we will be in a few years.  There is no stopping the deep web, so you would be well advised to find some companies that will benefit from it.  I think Armada Data is well worth your consideration and I hope this post has provided you with a great starting point.

Armada Data Joins the “AGORACOM 100″ & Launches Online IR & Marketing Program

Link to Hub/ Link to Profile/ Link to Forum

Regards,
George

Image coutesy of Engadget

If you’re a small to mid-cap CEO and still having doubts about the power of online investor relations, then you need not look any further than this quote which came from 40 IROs who gathered at the TMX Broadcast Centre recently in Toronto for the fifth annual IR Magazine Canada Think Tank.

One of the day’s most popular discussions was about social media, with evidence starting to show that Twitter and blogs have taken hold as
primary sources of investment information for analysts and institutional investors. Think tank participants discussed how they’re using
social media technology for both internal and external audiences, and how they’re monitoring social networks for information about their
own company as well as their peers.

Yep, that is a light bulb going off in your head.  Analysts and Institutional Investors are primarily turning to the web for investment information.  Still want to ignore online investor relations?

This is officially the 50th post I have made under my Small-Cap CEO Lessons category, which now means you have 50 irrefutable reasons to conduct online investor relations.  In a nutshell, it is bigger, faster, more efficient, more cost effective, more effective and provides you with a far greater ROI than traditional investor relations.

Regards,
George

AGORACOM client, Intertainment Media, has been making a lot of news lately.  Financing, strategic alliances, mobile, U.S. expansion and – today- a big acquisition by its fine commercial printing subsidiary.  The highlights are below.

As a client of AGORACOM, assume I am horribly conflicted about Intertainment and take a close look at the recent news + today’s news yourself.  I love gold and resources right now – but responsible investing means diversity and you all know how much I love Web 2.0.  Intertainment by far is Canada’s leading small-cap Web 2.0 company, which is why I’m starting to get really excited about the company’s future.

In the meantime, here are the highlights from today’s news, as well as, a link to the full release and other relevant links.

• Intertainment closed on an agreement previously announced to acquire the print and graphic assets, print and graphics clients, programs and equipment of Dye & Durham, a division of The Cartwright Group Ltd., a leader in serving the legal, professional and business markets in Canada for 135 years.

• Today’s Acquisition further establishes Magnum (a wholly owned subsidiary of Intertainment Media) as a leader in the graphics industry, building on the trusted service that it has provided clients for almost 25 years.

• “This acquisition marks a major milestone in the development and growth of Intertainment’s divisional business strategy, integrating traditional businesses into co-operative online and conventional revenue models,” said David Lucatch, CEO of Intertainment Media Inc. “Both increased revenue and the added expertise of Al Monteath will enable Magnum to accelerate its online and on-demand graphics services business, increasing efficiencies and customer benefits, while dovetailing directly into other Intertainment platforms, including itiBiti, providing clients with both online and direct response business solutions.”

Intertainment Media Acquisition Update: Magnum Fine Commercial Printing Closes on Dye & Durham Print and Graphic Asset Purchase

Intertainment Media Inc. IR Hub

Intertainment Media Inc. Profile

Intertainment Media Inc. Discussion Forum

Regards,
George

Tags: small-cap, smallcap, small cap, micro-cap, microcap, micro cap, AGORACOM, Intertainment Media, Web, 2.0, David Lucatch

1. To give you faster access to the great content found on our blog, daily TV show and other content. Many of you limited your experience to specific company HUBS, so it was incumbent on us to give you one click access from those HUBS
   
2. To help you make your user experience even better by providing you with a list of usability tips.
3. To provide you with additional ways of consuming our content.  For example, following us on Twitter, watching our videos on YouTube, etc.
   

To this end, please find enclosed answers to the all important question …

What Changes Were Made To The Site?

• All updates being pulled into Recent Updates Section on Hub’s Home Page

The Recent Updates Box is the box that allows members to quickly view important changes to the HUB.  In the past, we only listed big items such as press releases.  However, given the fact so many members contribute so much more great content (photos, link library, changes to management, etc.) we’ve now upgraded the box to incorporate ANY update made to a HUB.

What you don’t know is this is going to be a very important part of our mobile and Web 2.0 strategy over the next 2-3 months.  Specifically, the more active a group of investors within a HUB, the more information about their company that will be going out to the iPhone, Twitter and other channels that we are building.  More details will be released throughout the summer.

Conclusion – you now have even more ways to get the word out about your HUBS (client and free) and greater incentive to get active on AGORACOM.

• New Algorithm for Vice President, President and Hub Leaders

With our New Upgrade. it is now a requirement that a member holds a minimum rating of 3.0 to attain the rank of Vice President, a minimum rating of 3.3 in order to attain the rank of President, and rating of at least 3.7 to attain the status of Hub Leader within AGORACOM.

We had to implement these changes to make sure the highest ranking members achieved their status from more than just activity points. The rating of fellow members is the ultimate differentiator.

The rank changes are mathematical and objective, and have been applied to AGORACOM retroactively, meaning some of you may have lost a rank. We look forward to hearing from you if you have any questions about your rank.

To this end, you can read the specifics about our rating and ranking system by visiting http://agoracom.com/help-center/ratings-and-ranks.

• Added “Our Sites” Page

The Our sites page allows frequent visitors to our site as well as new ones to discover new ways to interact with the AGORACOM Community through other popular Web 2.0 media. Want to keep up with us on Facebook? Download our daily show into your iPod? Watch our videos on YouTube?

Visit the Our Sites page and connect with us through your secondary Social Media of choice.

Additionally please find links to our other Investor Portals; EuroIR for our many visitors from Europe, and China Securities for those who are looking to invest in fast growing Chinese companies listed on North American exchanges.

• Added “Quick Tips” Page

For your convenience, we have added a page with brief video tutorials about how our site works. We hope this helps new members of AGORACOM familiarize themselves with our sites many functions and features.

Moreover, this should help current AGORACOM members  who may have gotten used to using just a few features of the site and will be happy to discover additional great tools to make their user experience even better.

• Content at the bottom of messages for non-members (not logged in)

For those who visit AGORACOM to simply read material but don’t log in to post information, we have added the following content and hyperlinks at the bottom of each message. Now, you have a plethora of options to consumer our content through various web sites and social media tools.

• AGORACOM Quick Tips box located at the top right hand navigation in all hubs

The Quick Tips box offers members and visitors great insight about our sites features, content within our network,  or even some important albeit quick facts about the AGORACOM 100.  Quick tips rotate with every new page or refresh.

• AGORACOM Daily TV Show box located at the top right hand navigation in all hubs

AGORACOM Small-Cap TV is a daily, fast-paced, edgy report that we broadcast daily at or before the open of trading. AGORACOM Small-Cap TV strictly reports on the best small cap and micro cap news of the day in 3-5 minutes. Many of you weren’t aware of this again due to the fact that many members confined their activities to particular HUBS.  Now, you have one-click access to it.

You can watch AGORACOM TV right from our home page . Or you can watch our show right as it airs at 9:30 by clicking the button in the image below.

• Reformatted Daily TV Show box on front page featuring the networks our show streams from

In addition to watching our show on our homepage, you can now enjoy our daily broadcasts on your favorite video site; or if you are a blogger, embed our shows into your content using any of the networks below our TV player.

Once you use the site for a couple of hours, you’ll see the changes are actually quite small but important from a user experience point of view.

Message read and the Next Message Button

We understand that messages you browse through using the “Next” and/or “Previous” buttons in list view aren’t properly designated. While it is a minor inconvenience at the present time our site developers are still working on a solution. Please continue reporting any issues however minor they could be. If it’s a bug we would very much like to tackle it.

We would like to thank our members who have contacted us over the past few days addressing this issue. Your input has been very important to us.

Thanks again to everyone for their recommendations over the past 3 months and for your help over the past couple of days!

Regards,
George, Paul and The AGORACOM Team