Archive for May, 2008

Failure to Monetize

Published May 27, 2008 Strategy 0 Comments
Tags: , , ,

FT.com states the obvious with the article: Web 2.0 fails to produce cash

Many members of the Web 2.0 generation of Internet companies have so far produced little in the way of revenue, despite bringing about some significant changes in on-line behaviour, according to some of the entrepreneurs and financiers behind the movement.

Do social networks change the game? Yes, absolutely. Technology has bridged the gap between manufacturer and consumer through mass customization. Social apps take this one step further and bring a greater degree of “closeness” upstream. Companies looking to succeed must enter the space strategically.

Let’s not forget that simply changing the game is not enough. If you’re not profitable, you’re wasting the time and money of investors. Relying on advertising is what I would consider dangerous ground.

Here’s a radical thought: use a social app to leverage existing services and products. Build off of existing communities and revenue channels in a way that is logical and sustainable.

Migration of Social Apps

Published May 23, 2008 Operations , Strategy 0 Comments
Tags: , ,

Twitter, the poster child of microblogging, conversation and social interaction, is suffering from serious stability issues. You might also say it’s in the process of imploding. Whether the issue is hardware pr application scaling, it’s clear the company is doing a poor job of maintaining service. They need to get to add a few nines to their uptime.

Unfortunately, twitter isn’t the only social/2.0 site to suffer from serious problems. Muxtape is another great site that bombed out this week. Problems might also be related to business issues instead of IT systems. Facebook execs manage to annoy users frequently; we won’t even discuss monetization.

What’s a site to do? Agencies and exisitng brands need to embrace the brilliant ideas found in social/2.0 sites in order to drive business to their sites. Muxtape is a great example… if their site is working (a mixtape site), you’ll see the ability to purchase uploaded songs. User behavior and sales of media would be a boon to any company looking to challenge Apple or Amazon. Comcast is obviously aware of the need to engage the users. I’m still a bit stumped by the acquisition itself. Comcast, wouldn’t it have been easier to simply build your own network?

Hippos Gone Wild

Published May 21, 2008 Marketing , Operations 0 Comments
Tags: , ,

Sorry, this post doesn’t have any adult oriented content (try hornymanatee.com instead).

So why mention hippos? Mya Frazier wrote an article on adage.com: Google’s ‘Analytics Evangelist’ Explains Why Websites ‘Suck’.

Avinash Kaushik thinks one of the reasons why so many websites “suck” today is because of the hippo — as in the “highest paid person’s opinion.”

And, yes, you’re likely a hippo — a successful advertising executive, CMO or brand manager, pulling in a six-figure income, often found pontificating about what does and doesn’t work online.

 So what’s a hippo to do? Instead of diving into the specifics of the Web, establish strategic goals for your organization and task your team with execution. What might be a good strategy? According to Mr Kaushik and other strategists: start a conversation.

Twitter as a Political Communication Channel

Published May 17, 2008 Operations , Strategy , Technology 0 Comments
Tags: , , ,

A senior staffer at a reelection campaign staffer asked: do “you have any suggestions or 
ideas to improve our use of Twitter?” After some thought and consideration I provided the following feedback.

Continue reading ‘Twitter as a Political Communication Channel’

Designing for All Users

Published May 17, 2008 Operations , Technology , Uncategorized 0 Comments
Tags: , ,

I have a few major projects going on at work; most of the work is based on new designs. Feedback received from a review of vendor supplied designs: the fonts were too small.

In designing for all users, take into consideration that not everyone is in their twenties and has perfect eyesight. It isn’t enough to put a type-size changing gadget on a site. Sure, this helps the viewing of text-based copy, but images and flash components are still fixed. Advice: Get to know what older users like and dislike in Web sites. Otherwise, your senior executive might have a bone to pick with a recent design.

Technology and Service

Published May 14, 2008 Operations , Strategy 0 Comments
Tags: , ,

Twitter, blogs or other social apps will not help a business with poor leaders hip. Like my high school photography teach told me: you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

It’s critical to remember that these approaches offer new avenues for communication and service. The notion of twitter providing a “revolution” in community or customer service is ridiculous; as with any other strategy, its dependent on planning and research.

Why am I bucking the trend of industry experts? Because of history, in particular, leaders in professional service industries. Take Joe Flom of Skadden, Arps (a firm I am very fond of for certain reasons): returning client calls and providing excellent service is one of the factors that has made Skadden #1 of the AmLaw list. It’s not the latest technology or marketing-catch phrases: it’s hard work and a belief that service and excellence drives businesses. Read up on Marshall Field, a pioneer of service within the retail space for another great example.

The Web has shortened the distance between the customer and a business. The rise of mass production and large scale economies perhaps is to blame. With technology comes mass customization and immediate feedback on product quality, complaints and praises. When thinking of any technology, look past the technology itself. What we do with those tools to drive business is the most important concept to focus on.

Midweek Update

Published May 14, 2008 Twitter Brand Index 1 Comment
Tags: ,

I just wrapped up the prereq seminar for my MBA program. Talk about intense… volume of reading, countless whitepapers and articles, statistics coursework and ~40 written assignments. I can now tell the difference between a 10K and MRP II and am ready for the start of my first seminar. In looking at my Web experience, I was wondering why I chose the MBA over a technology management degree. Why? A desire to bring about change! Now if only life would calm down a little.

On to the Index! The Twitter Brand Index has received a number of updates over the past week. I’ve started to recieve help from fellow twitter users, in particular Moksh Juneja (@mokshjuneja) and Andy Murdoch (@andymurd) for their international contributions. India has a number of brands online as is the Office of UK Prime Minister. Perhaps we’ll see @whiteHouse in 2009?

Customer Service via Twitter: An Example

Published May 9, 2008 Operations , Technology 0 Comments
Tags: ,

 I’ve seen comments that are skeptical of corporate twitter accounts. In particular: do they hold value beyond promotional channels. One commenter, Twitter me UP, offered a reasonable amount of skepticism:

I don’t know if I buy into how twitter works well with customer service. It sounds like a cheap marketing tool to me.

I believe that a squeaky wheel holds value; apparently, so does Comcast. As evidence of Twitter as a customer service tool, I present the following blog post by @warhawke: Comcast Really Does Care.

 After yesterday’s post Comcast did follow up with me and wanted to try and help and resolve the situation. Up front I have to say the attention & customer service I received was exceptional. This is the way customer service should be, but you shouldn’t have to talk to supervisors or people high up just to get good customer service.

It would have been ideal if the situation could have been resolved without a negative post. Perhaps this has been a valuable lesson for Comcast.

Michigan to Twitter: We Love You

Published May 8, 2008 Operations , Technology 0 Comments

I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered Jennifer Granholm, the Governor of Michigan, had a twitter presence. Today she was joined by John Cherry, the Lt. Governor. What’s going on in Lansing? I decided to poke around… there are a slew of media operations with a twitter presence, plus several universities. The organic growth of both twitter accounts and tweets is exciting, particularly for government agencies.  The ability to connect to people, especially those that we serve, is extremely powerful.

So Michigan, what’s next? Heads of state agencies? Could there be a opening for a Web strategist? ;-)

“Fight the Stupid:” A LinkedIn Q&A

Published May 7, 2008 Operations , Strategy , Technology 0 Comments
Tags: , ,

I found the following thread on linkedin earlier… How many share my skepticism of Web 2.0? It starts off strong:

I’m afraid I’m more than just skeptical of “Web 2.0″… I’m actively derisive of the concept. It just oozes “marketecture” nonsense. What problem does it solve? Whenever someone attempts to describe it succinctly, it evaporates into vagueness.

and ends with:

Fight The Stupid!

I can’t help but think this person is way off base. While “2.0″ is an ill defined and over-used term, the trend it makes an attempt to describe is far from “Stupid.” I’ve written extensively on twitter and blogging as powerful tools to connect with customers. Dell, Best Buy, Zappo are just a few companies that have leveraged “groundswell” to benefit operations and shareholders.

Of the many responses, the following from a CTO summarized the question quite well.

I read this same question, just a bit reworded, in the following cases:

I’m skeptical with client-server architecture, we already have a mainframe.
I’m skeptical about web-services, we already have client-server architecture.
I’m skeptical about distribute processing, we already have a Cray.
I’m skeptical about PCs, we already have pocket calculators.

Corporate execs will see this as an opportunity to establish policies limiting “participation” on “bulletin boards and chat rooms.” I see it as an opportunity to help create an environment for debate and learning. So “2.0″ sucks as a label. Get over it and read “Groundswell.” Savvy executives will use this example to help to have a useful discussion about the future of the Web and business. If business managers simply circle the wagons and say “Nope, 2.0 doesn’t mean anything to our customers” (which I actually hear recently), the game is over. The only question is when.

Next Page »

Subscribe

 Subscribe in a reader

Subscribe to Fluent Simplicity by Email

a

Connect with me on:

Twitter