South Asian Business news and information

This is the age of Internet and anyone/anything can become a big celebrity overnight. This is what has happened to Albert TX, a Texas town for sale on eBay. This town was known to very few people but now it is one of hottest search items in Google according to Google Trends. You may call it a publicity stunt or whatever you like but I would say that this is another classic example of the changing nature of media. International media has not covered it yet that much and I am not sure that if it will hit the headlines of mainstream media houses outside of the US or not. All I can see is that Internet is changing the rules of the media very rapidly.

The story behind Albert TX on eBay

Albert TX is not a big town. In fact, its size is just 12.92 acres. It was established in later half of the 19^th century. So, it has some historical significance. Now, it is up for sale on eBay by its owner.

Yahoo News wrote:

Bobby Cave, owner of a Texas town called Albert, decided this year to sell. Then a friend mentioned the online auction site eBay Inc. Now, with the click of a mouse — and at least $2.5 million — Albert could be yours.

 After spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up and restore the 13-acre town about 50 miles north of San Antonio, Cave said he's ready to move on to his next venture.

"It's a concept. It's one of a kind," said Cave, 47, a real estate agent. "It's more like a piece of art than it is a real estate property. That's why eBay sounded so good to us. It's quirky."

So, you can see that the current owner wants to make profit for his investment. The good thing is that it has Albert has historical significance.

History of Albert and Major Attractions

The history of Albert town goes back to over 100 years. Now, it has hardly any significance in Texas but 100 years ago, Albert was an important town for different reasons. I am quoting from the official website:

In 1892, Albert and Minnie Luckenbach moved their post office twenty miles east to Martinsburg and the little town was promptly renamed Albert, Texas.

The first local school was established in 1891, and in 1897 Postmaster Otto Schumann opened the town’s first general store. By 1900 a new school building was erected and the young Lyndon Baines Johnson walked through its doors in 1920. The Albert Dance Hall was built in 1922 by Max Beckman and featured German brass bands rotating between the Luckenbach, Hye and Weinheimer Dance Halls.

By the early 1950’s the little town of Albert was purchased by Alvin and Marvelene Maenius Jr. who operated the general store. The dancehall continued to provide the community a place for Saturday night dances and frequent social gatherings.

The website of Albert TX

Albert may be a very small town but it has a nice and well designed website. The address of the website is: http://www.alberttexas.com

If you visit the website then you will be impressed with the information it contains. You will be able to know the history. You will also find information about going there and staying. My favorite is the page that contains a lot of pictures. The pictures tell us about peaceful life in Albert.

 
Albert Texas eBay: A Publicity Stunt?

I feel that the idea of sale on eBay is a publicity stunt from the current owner Robert L. Cave and Mr. Cave is totally successful. It has become a hit topic in eBay and Google search. I have to admire Mr. Cave for finding an excellent strategy to promote his business. He made the best use of Internet and the best part is that he could do everything for free. For example, at this moment, many bloggers like me are writing about Albert. He has got a buzz that even many big companies cannot get with their huge budget for marketing and promotional activities.  

5 reasons You Should buy Alberta

The catch is if you have the money. If I had the money then I should make a serious bid to buy Albert. Here are 5 reasons:

1. It has become very famous overnight. Big companies often spend millions of dollars to get this kind of exposure in the media. So, it is a famous place already and you would not have to spend any money for promoting it.
2. Many people will consider visiting this place in future. I would not get too much surprised if any movie director makes a movie on Albert in near future.
3. Many people spend fortunes after paintings and other collectable items. So, why not spend some money after something like Albert.
4. Albert can be a good place to relax for rich people and famous celebrities.
5. You can buy many things if you have money but the opportunity of buying a historical place (with over one hundred years of recorded history) does not come everyday. So, when opportunity knocks in your door then let it come.

Changing style of Business

The story of Albert on eBay is a clear indication of the way business is changing. Of course, at this moment, it is limited to the US and some other rich countries but Internet is spreading all over the world and I am sure that we will hear more stories like this in the coming days from different corners of earth. eBay officials are happy with this bid as this story is bringing a lot of publicity for eBay too.

AP wrote:

Cave said he will even throw in his plan to turn the place into a tourist destination, including plans for a restaurant and cabins.

The eBay auction closes Nov. 23. On Wednesday, about a week after bidding opened, offers topped $300,000. But that was still less than Cave's "reserve price" of $2.5 million, the least he will take for the property.

Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesman, said listing an entire town for auction is very uncommon.

"We always like it when these kinds of things appear on the site because it's fun," Durzy said. "We wish them luck."

What about South Asia?

You know that this blog is about doing business in South Asia. I think that South Asian entrepreneurs have something to learn from this matter. South Asia has one of the earliest civilizations in the world. It has a lot of places with 400-500 years of continuous history. Of course, you cannot buy a historical place in this part of the world but the entrepreneurs can develop natural areas for tourism and earn money. They can also invest in developing the infrastructure of historical places in rural areas in South Asia. South Asian people can take advantage of Internet and promote their historical places in Internet.

In the end, I wish all the best to the owner of Albert TX. I hope that he can get what he is looking for.

Liked this entry? Then, why not support me? Just subscribe the feed of this blog at free of charge, Please.

The eBay link to visit is: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120175767867