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Independence

Published July 8, 2008 Uncategorized 0 Comments
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In honor of our recent holiday, I feel it important to discuss something that has a great deal of meaning for all of us: independence. This was mentioned to me by a friend last week (that conversation is another blog post, I’m sure). One of the things I love most about living in New York City is the history. Take Bowling Green, found at the southern tip of Manhattan. Long before there was a tourist magnet (e.g. The Bull), this was a focal point for protests up to and through the Revolution. Looking around NYC, I don’t see that spark of hope and defiance in the eyes of most of my fellow citizens. Many are focused on themselves or maintaing their worldview.

Case in point: Take John Culberson (@johnculberson), a Member of the House who is embroilled in a drama concerning Web communications. For more info, check out: http://culberson.house.gov/

“They are trying to ban my Twitters & every [web communication] from all Congressmen unless each communication has been preapproved/edited/censored.”

I have to ask, is this serious? Are there lawyers running wild in the House of Representatives? Isn’t it time to examine what direction we are taking both as a nation and as individuals? Let’s debate rules for proper exchange of information instead of actually listening to each other.

It’s time we start to think for ourselves and shake up the status quo. Many will be threatened, but what are the alternatives? Look down the road: climate change and competition over shrinking resources will put immense pressure on our society. It’s sink or swim time.

Customer Service: FAIL starring AT&T

Published July 8, 2008 Operations 0 Comments
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I have a monumental story of FAIL to share this evening. I have to give up my svelt x61t, with it’s integrated WWAN, for reasons to be explained in another post. I know I’ll be hit with a termination fee, as the service was setup under my own account. For whatever reason, the $50/month for work-related use wasn’t reimburseable. I also have a few personal lines with AT&T, so I figured they’d do something to make me happy.

Quite the opposite. According to the reps on the other end, there was nothing that they could do. I did get a few “helpful” suggestions:

1. Can you use the service in another computer. “No, it’s integrated,” a fact that no matter how many times I tried to explain, they didn’t quite understand. I routinely explain technology to lawyers, so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t me.

2. Interested in transfering it to someone else at your workplace? lol, sure. I’ll troll the hallway and will ask if anyone wants a WWAN account.

The end result: I cancelled the service and plan on yanking my other lines ASAP. The rep had to get “approval” to terminate service immediately; otherwise, it would have run through the end of the month. Furthermore, I’ve let other people know my disgust, further adding to AT&T’s poor image. Oh, and let’s not forget any future business relationship with AT&T is shot. Clearly this was a massive FAIL for AT&T. Lets offer some suggestions so they might be able to figure out this customer relationship thingy:

1. Get CSRs that actually understand hardware can be integrated. It’s not hard to understand, really.

2. Appreciate the situation around a cancellation; I loved my WWAN and hoped to keep it indefinitely.

The inflexibility of another monolithic corporation cost it a relationship. Inconsequential? Individually, yes, but in the context of both social-Web dynamics and future business, hardly.

Strategic Management

Published June 7, 2008 Operations , Strategy 0 Comments
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My love for twitter has waned a bit, as has my blogging frequency. Why? I’m in the early throws of my first formal seminar. This round focuses on strategic resource management. One of the books we’re using is Strategy Maps by Kaplan and Norton. In the opening chapter, there is a discussion of von Clausewitz, the great military strategist. I’ve been intrigued by his work for years.

The notion of assigning value to the intangible and being able to act on it is extremely powerful. We all know that providng employees with training and a positive work environment benefits the company. I’m beginning to see how it can be measured quantitatively.

This is important on both a micro and macro level. The micro level is easy to identify. As I use tools and approaches that show a causal relationship between intangible resources and strategic goals, my business will succeed. The macro level is a bit of a reach: what is there is a way to demonstrate that social initiatives (foundations, non-profit work and social-based businesses) have a measureable and positive impact on society. Various spiritual belief systems and emerging science speaks of actions - and people - being interdependent. How might markets and investors respond if returns existed beyond pure profit?

Failure to Monetize

Published May 27, 2008 Strategy 0 Comments
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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?

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