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technology
February 11, 2008
Customer Centric Organizations – Hype or Innovation?
Many companies talk about being customer focused and selling on value, but where’s the evidence? Too often customer value is expressed, as in value propositions, but lost in execution they become value cliches that don’t set us apart, don't connect us to the customer and don't compel the customer to act. Today, and for the foreseeable future, the driving force of customer relevancy is value, and many companies will see themselves drawing the short end of the stick if they don’t figure out that what is actually required of a company to be truly customer centric is creating value and delivering on the value promise.
Take proposals, for example. I was just with a new client in Europe. This innovative and technically superior corporation had a challenge on their hands. They were driving a value strategy and customer centric messaging throughout their organization but not seeing bottom line results. When we were given sales and marketing collateral such as proposals, white papers, case studies, and a website to review, and conducted multiple interviews, the question we were asking ourselves was, “Where is their customer in this picture?” All this stuff was about the seller…their great achievements and super powerful products and services. We found that 90-plus percent of the content was about them and their solutions. There was a clear disconnect between the customer centric initiative and the organization’s ability to execute a great idea. We see this scenario repeat itself over and over again.
Where's the innovation? We tend to articualte customer-centric and value-added in generic and ultimately meaningless terms. As a self-check, compare your collateral, your proposals, your web sites with two of your best competitors. Shuffle them up and re-assign them. Is there a difference?
Ask yourself, in a customer centric organization, what percentage of the proposal should be about the solution, the solution provider and the future value benefits, and what percentage should be about the potential customer of that solution, their business, objectives, obstacles they face, and the critical issues that need to be resolved?
How does this play out in your company?
The bottom line is: innovation is driven by creating value and if you’ve placed the value strategy in play, why aren’t customers responding? Simply said, if you cannot create and clarify value and connect it to your customer’s world, they will not take action, they will not buy, and your customer centric organization is just smoke and mirrors.
Posted by Jeff Thull at 9:31 PM
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February 9, 2008
Technology: Sharing Breakfast
Yesterday was a fantastic day. :D
I got to meet Kfir Pravda, who was here for a few hours in NYC Friday morning awaiting his connecting flight to Israel. I was familiar with Kfir from blogging as well as our involvement with the Yahoo Videoblogging Group.
We've had interesting discussions about the direction of online video and television, but I never figured I'd meet him in person, since I had no plans to travel to Israel.
Continue reading "Technology: Sharing Breakfast"Posted by Bill Cammack at 5:05 PM
| 1 Comments
February 2, 2008
Technology: How Social is "Social" Media?
Jonny Goldstein interviewed me back in August 2007 on his show Jonny's Par-Tay [link]. Looking at the countdown timer to the end of the show, around -18:00 he asks me "So... Did you feel a little lonely before you got into all the social media stuff?" to which my response was that I'm actually LESS social NOW than I was before...
Continue reading "Technology: How Social is "Social" Media?"Posted by Bill Cammack at 7:39 AM
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Xobni- Taming My Inbox
A few weeks ago I ran into a Beta for a product called Xobni Insite. (Xobni is Inbox spelled backwards). Xobni is another in a long line of email taming tools (NeoPro, TrogBar, Jello.Dashboard, Orgoo, etc). The big difference is this one really works.
Unlike a lot of the “inbox tamers” this one does not try to change the way I work. Instead it augments it. That was the key for me. I ran the Xobni installed, it installs a simple sidebar and starts to catalog all my emails. I have about 6 sets of Personal Folders and Xobni found them all. Once all the emails were cataloged (it only took a few minutes) I was ready to go.
I clicked on my first email in my inbox and here’s what I got
Email analytics
Each sender was ranked by the total amount of emails I sent them and that I received from them
I got a break down of the average time when emails were received by me from that sender. I quickly realized I have too many friends sending me emails at 1:30 am.
Availability Matrix
I love this feature. I have a lot of people who do not have access to my exchange server. With the click of a button, it will send that user a list of my availability times for the next 7 days.
Instant Search
Xobni's instant search allows me to search for someone with my emails.. For example I type in Daniel, I get a Wiki search, all people with Daniel as their name or part of their name and every email with the name Daniel mentioned in the body and/or title.
Quick attachment discovery.
Every attachment, no matter what folder, exchanged with this user is now accessible from the panel.
Threaded conversations
All my conversations with that user in one place. Click a thread and I see the conversation in full without leaving my inbox. I can directly reply or forward from the Xobni bar. It brings my favorite aspect of Gmail to Outlook (finally!)
Phone Numbers
Automatically extracts a contact's phone number from their signature. And supports dialing via Skype directly.
People Connected
This area shows me every person connected via email to that user. What is nice is address I have sent “one-off’s” to are listed here as they were part of communications with that user at some point.
Access to Appointments, Tasks, To-Do’s and Follow-up
All right from the Xobni bar.
The bottom line is the constant toggling between Outlook calendar, inbox, personal folders, and the to-do list is a pain and time consuming. Xobni removes all that. It lets you look for everything from within the sidebar, and correspond with people from it — all without leaving the email you were originally working on.
See it in action for yourself via their You Tube video here or at their site at www.xobni.com. Again, Xobni is still in beta but it’s one to watch and grab when the beta is up. If you do get in, Xobni offers some free invites for your friends. I still have one or two so if you’re interested, email me and I will shoot the first respondents one. Sorry Windows users only. There is no Mac version at this time.
Stephen is Sr. Partner and Network Architect with Odyssey Consulting Group and a Microsoft MVP in Connected Systems.
Posted by Stephen L Rose at 12:45 AM
| 3 Comments
February 1, 2008
Game Changers - Part Two
Last week I mentioned that a perfect storm is about to change the game on our energy future and, therefore, our environment and economy (the elements in this case being climate change; fossil fuel shortages; and epic world-wide competition for energy). I listed three technologies that will allow us to weather this storm, game-changers, and promised two more this week.
Continue reading "Game Changers - Part Two"Posted by Terry Tamminen at 11:51 AM
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January 24, 2008
Technology: Free Market Flying
I guess I shouldn't be surprised the airlines have been fighting tooth and nail over proposals to charge them higher runway fees during rush hours. The idea, called "congestion pricing," is to apply free market incentives that would lead carriers to spread flights throughout the day.
Continue reading "Technology: Free Market Flying"Posted by Robert Buckman at 12:04 PM
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January 22, 2008
MagicJack- It’s Magically Delicious
I have tried it all. Skype, Vonage, even VoIP from my ISP. Still, none were as easy as promised. Skype required me to purchase a expensive USB headset, Vonage required their equipment and my ISP had too many contracts. All I have wanted is true plug and play VoIP with my own telephone.
Then I found MagicJack. MagicJack is a small USB dongle (looks like a thumb drive) that any regular land based phone and a high speed internet connection. Plug the RJ11 line into the phone and into the MagicJack. That is the longest and most complicated part of this whole process. After that, it takes about 2 minutes to setup.
The Magicjack has excellent voice quality that's almost indistinguishable from a land line, and a cost of about $20 (A one time $20 fee for the MagicJack and a $20 a year charge for service)a year for unlimited nationwide service to any land line or cell. Even my Skype after adding a incoming line and voice mail was more expensive.
If this is your first time using the device, you'll have to run through a registration process and choose from a poll of numbers based on area codes. You can even pick an area code from a state or city other then where you live if you like.. You either request a new number or ask to have your existing number ported (there is a $10 surcharge for porting.). Set up your 911 service and your done.
What’s included? Everything most people need. Caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, three way calling, free local and long distance to US and Canada, and voice mail that will works even if you're not online.
It works with Windows and Macs and international calling credits will be available in Feb.
For those with home business trying to keep the cost down or with kids in college, this one is a new brainer.
Check out MagicJack here
Posted by Stephen L Rose at 12:23 AM
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January 18, 2008
But What If We HAVE To Do It?
Record heat waves, melting glaciers, epic droughts - - the climate is changing faster than we once thought possible, which means our response will have to be much more creative and comprehensive than we may have imagined. Just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to suggest slashing greenhouse gases in half by 2020, but what if we have to do it? Does the technology exist? Is there enough money and political will power on earth to commercialize those technologies fast enough?
I’ll let you in on two secrets that could be very profitable for smart entrepreneurs and investors. We could end our fossil fuel addiction within 20 years - - and make a lot of money in the process - - with two basic strategies.
Continue reading "But What If We HAVE To Do It?"Posted by Terry Tamminen at 1:00 PM
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January 11, 2008
Postcards from the Year 2030
Like our ancestors a century ago, who were debating massive transitions - - from horse to horseless, from blocks of ice to Fridgidaires, from carrier pigeons to telephones - - we too are faced with similar monumental choices today. Imagine our children grown to adults, sending us postcards from the year 2030. What world will their images and words convey?
I foresee two likely possibilities based on the world we have created so far. One postcard depicts 2030 in Dickensian terms. World oil supply disrupted by rebellions and social unrest, as people who benefit little from their nation’s resources attack oil pipelines to demand their share, while oil tankers and refineries have become frequent terrorist targets. Unrestrained demand in the U.S., China, and India has created shortages at gas stations as fuel prices double every twenty-four months.
Ford and GM reorganized under bankruptcy protection after decades of producing gas-guzzling vehicles that no one wanted, reduced to selling products made by Chinese companies and adorned with their once-proud American nameplates.
Continue reading "Postcards from the Year 2030"Posted by Terry Tamminen at 1:00 PM
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January 10, 2008
Meetings Unbound and Unwired...Windows Meeting Space
Wouldn’t it be great if next time you had a presentation, if you could just turn on your laptop, hit a button and instantly share your PowerPoint, handouts and more without an internet connection? What if while on a plane, you were able to hold a whiteboard session with a coworker 10 rows away. A true on the fly collaboration tool.
Well, wish no more. If you have not played with Windows Meeting Space, then you have missed out on one of the best features in Vista Business and Vista Ultimate Edition.
Windows Meeting Space is a peer-to-peer application that operates directly between personal computers. No server infrastructure is involved even when you use the application over a corporate LAN or WLAN. Also, Windows Meeting Space is designed to enhance and support spontaneous and informal small-group collaboration (up to 10 concurrent users). It is is designed to help you collaborate from different locations, across corporate boundaries, and on different networks over the Internet.
Some notable features include:
Unlike Live Meeting which is designed to help you collaborate from different locations, across corporate boundaries, and on different networks over the Internet. Meeting Space is an Ad Hoc tool requiring no internet, LAN or WAN access.
It’s secure. Invitations and participant authentication are handled by using certificates derived through a common password exchange and verification between the session creator and the attendees.
In Windows Meeting Space, just like Live Meeting, the initiator can pass control to others.
No more swapping USB drives, all handouts can be shared in the session. When participants add a file to the handouts area, everyone gets a copy
If one group member makes a change to a file and saves it in the session, those changes are replicated immediately for all session members. When participants leave, they can save a "final" copy of the handout to their local hard drives. This alleviates the pain of managing multiple versions. Everyone can have an identical copy that reflects the results of your meeting. Allows for ad hoc chalk talks among participants.
Note- this product required IPv6 to be enabled on your laptop as it utilizes the peer to peer framework.
If you have not played with this tool yet, I encourage you to try it. I am a huge face of Live Meeting and have been using it for several years. If you know Live Meeting, you know how to use Meeting Space.
Let me know what you think and if this has removed some boundaries in your next conference room or outdoor lunch meeting.
Stephen
Stephen is Sr. Partner and Network Architect with Odyssey Consulting Group and a Microsoft MVP for Network Technologies.
Special thanks to my friends at Microsoft for the Meeting Space data sheets.
Posted by Stephen L Rose at 11:37 PM
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January 6, 2008
Technology: Do NOT Tamper With Your Comments!
I told my ex-girlfriend not to lie to me... I mean, she was still my girlfriend at the time, and now she isn't. The reason I told her that was that I was catching her in small, seemingly insignificant lies. VERY VERY small lies... Not even worth telling, to be sure. I explained to her that the most important thing you have in a relationship is trust. Without TRUST, you have nothing at all, because any communication you have with anyone will be tainted... untrustworthy... disbelieved. Lying to me about small things is WORSE than lying to me about important things, because it's not necessary. If your character can't stand up to the smallest criticism and you feel the pressure and need to LIE, then you CERTAINLY don't have the stomach to tell me the truth when it REALLY counts.
WHAT does this have to do with "Technology", you ask?... Because the same holds true in many situations, *including* posting on the internet. The way a lot of blogs are set up, including this one that I'm posting to right now, after the main entry, there's a section for comments. This is the place for viewers/readers to weigh in and let you know if they agree OR disagree with what you said, and why.
Continue reading "Technology: Do NOT Tamper With Your Comments!"Posted by Bill Cammack at 3:50 PM
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January 4, 2008
Technology: Get Lost... On ABC.com
NewTeeVee's Liz Gannes reports that ABC.com recently posted all three seasons of Lost for HD streaming.
Check out Liz's post for more information. This is *certainly* good news for the people that found out about the "Lost" craze late and would like to start from the start and absorb the entire experience.
The season 4 premiere airs on January 31st! :D
Posted by Bill Cammack at 7:34 AM
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Of Comets and Carbon
By Terry Tamminen
What do the horseless carriage, the iPod, and global warming have in common? Once thought fads or fantasy, it turns out that all three are here to stay.
It also turns out that each is more connected to the other than is apparent at first glance, especially when viewed through the lens of 21st century business. In the coming weeks, this blog will take readers on a journey of connecting the dots, from emerging technologies to evolving environmental ethics. I’ll share some insights as I travel the world - - working with inventors, investors, and political visionaries - - offering provocative and profitable ways to shape the future of our planet and our economies.
Corporate social responsibility (“CSR”), especially when it comes to the environment, offers that rare intersection of doing well and doing good at the same time. But environmental CSR (call it “e-CSR”) will be defined in new ways, even with a new language. Growing concern (and regulation) of greenhouse gases, for example, will result in a trillion dollar carbon market within a decade, creating a new global currency that anyone can trade for a profit.
Posted by Terry Tamminen at 1:00 AM
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December 31, 2007
New Mobile Tools
Over the past few months I have been playing with a lot of the new GPS enabled mobile apps. There has been a shift (finally) from ported applications (applications written for the web and ported to mobile) and true mobile designed applications. Here are a few I have had some time to play with and test during my travels.
Windows Live Search for Mobile
I really like this product. With or without a GPS, the WLS is a great add-on to any Blackberry or Windows Mobile Device. WLS offers.
• Ability to either speak or type the location or store your searching for
• GPS directions and centering
• Turn by Turn Directions
• Real Time Traffic Status
• Cheap Gas Locations
• Movie Theater locations, times and reviews
• Category breakdown search for local businesses
• Satellite Images
Google Maps w/ My Location (still in Beta)
This application is smaller and more specific than the WLS. The directions were a bit more accurate but not as many local features integrated like WLS.
• Real Time Traffic
• Turn by Turn directions
• Integrated Search - Local business locations and contact information appear all in one place, integrated on your map.
• Satellite Images
Yahoo Go! is a real stand out in the mobile apps arena. The Yahoo Go! App is nice as it gives you the most used Yahoo features outside of their search in a Mobile designed (not mobile ported) application It is more of a true portal app rather than a local search application. The interface is very stylish and very easy to use. It takes the concept of a portal page and breaks it down into mobile friendly tabs. My only issue with it is it’s not GPS enabled. Maybe in v 3.0.
Here’s the breakdown by tab.
• Integration with Yahoo Calendar, Contacts, and Yahoo Today
• Traffic Watch and Local Search
• Top News Stories and News watch.
• Sports including team watches
• Money and Stock watch.
• Entertainment news and Entertainment watch
• Weather
• Flickr direct view and upload
• Yahoo Mail
All these apps are free and well worth the time for you travelers to download.
Wishing all my readers much health, wealth and happiness in 2008
Stephen
Stephen is Sr. Partner and Network Architect with Odyssey Consulting Group and a Microsoft MVP for Network Technologies.
Posted by Stephen L Rose at 12:07 PM
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December 24, 2007
Technology: Are You A Tech Elitist?
Are *you* a Tech Elitist? If so, how's that workin' for ya?
As it's now Christmas, and we think of The Grinch sitting high on the hill, looking down on all the little people of the village with contempt... Let's consider our own positions in our respective fields and how we've chosen social media sites & groups as well as whom we've chosen to affiliate ourselves with.
There was much change during 2007. More ways to communicate. More social sites to join. More video hosts with their own little gimmicks that made them slightly different from the rest. New video editing software. New storage solutions. New live streaming options....
Continue reading "Technology: Are You A Tech Elitist?"Posted by Bill Cammack at 6:52 PM
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December 21, 2007
Picture Perfect
I had one of the first cell phones with a camera. It would take these tiny, fuzzy photos that you would share with people on a 1 x 1 inch screen that was so small, that the image was nearly incomprehensible.
Now camera phones have gotten better. My new cell phone has a 2 MP camera and actually supports video conferencing but, I have a nice small Cannon that fits in my pocket for those moments to share. So, what else can the camera be used for .
I have found other really good uses for my cell phone camera. If you have others, please comment and share.
1. Take a photo of where you parked. I go to Disneyland with my family alot. The current structure is the largest covered lot in the United States has 7 levels and holds over 750,000 cars. After parking, I take a photo of the sign where I parked. This is also a great tip for airport parking when your returning from that long 5 day trip.
2. Food can labels. Want to go home and do some research on a food? Take a photo of the label
3. Business addresses and hours.I add them to my Outlook when I return home.
4. Shopping. When looking for a good deal on something, I shoot the label and then go home and look it up online. I have the model, price and sku all at my fingertips.
5. Dining. Ever pass a place and say I need to remember about that restaurant next time where thinking about where we should go. Photo it, send an email home and add a entry to your calendar.
6. Hotel rooms. Now that there is no more room keys, they give you that little slip of paper (which I always loose) with your room number. Shoot the room #.
7. Rental Cars. I always shoot a photo of my rental car and the license plate. I forget what I rented and don’t want to start looking for paperwork (which is probably in the glove box of the rental) to remember what I was driving/
8. Shopping list - Low on milk, coffee, etc…Start a photo only shopping list.
9. Take a photo of your bag before you check them. I have a lot of different bags and cannot always remember which ones I took with me on this trip.
10. Gifts. I often see things that I want or that others say they want as a gift. My wife is amazed that something she touched in a store 8 months ago and commented on ends up under the tree at Xmas. I do not have a good memory. I have a camera phone with a lot of memory. And that is good enough for me.
Stephen is Sr. Partner and Network Architect with Odyssey Consulting Group and a Microsoft MVP for Network Technologies.
Posted by Stephen L Rose at 11:54 AM
| 3 Comments
December 19, 2007
Hands Free Voice to Email with Jott
"Hi, this morning I'm using Jott. I'm actually in my car driving about 50 miles an hour, and sending an E-mail/message to myself to remind me of things I need to do today, while it's still fresh in my head. So I no longer have to type and drive at the same time. Note to self: stop typing and driving. Very dangerous. This is a great mobile technology that I am very excited about it, so I'm gonna end the Jott and wait till I get back to my office finish and finish this blog entry."
Jott! I love it. I use it. And best of all…it’s free!
What is Jott? Well, with Jott, you can record free voice messages that are transcribed and sent as text messages or e-mails without having to fumble for a pen or your mobile device.
How can you use it:
I mainly use it to send emails or notes from the car to myself or anyone in my Jott address book.
Now they have added several strategic partners so there are some new features like:
Amazon.com shoppers can use it to create a list of their favorite products using their voice.
For example, a user of the new service, which launched today, could add a voice message about favorite products -- say an Zune or the Heroes DVD Boxed Set and have the results from Amazon.com returned in an e-mail message.
You can use it to add appointments direct to your Google Calendar
Make a shopping list at Remember The Milk
Find out where the speed traps are by saying your location and getting an email back from trapster.com
Maybe just blogging directy to your Wordpress, Blogger, TypePad, or tumblr site.
So…www.jott.com. Check it out and let me know what you think!
Stephen is Sr. Partner and Network Architect with Odyssey Consulting Group and a Microsoft MVP for Network Technologies.
Posted by Stephen L Rose at 11:57 AM
| 2 Comments
December 9, 2007
Shortcut Keys in Vista
The average person could save up to 10 minutes per day by using shortcut keys. From saving and printing to select all, etc... That is one full weeks worth of work per year!
The most forgotten of the shortcut keys is the Windows key. The one that looks lole the Microsoft Windows logo. I love my Windows Key. It is the key that on every laptop I have ever owned, will always get worn off first and was my biggest pet peeve with ThinkPad’s as they did not have a Windows Key for a long time.
What does it do? Why is it so cool you ask?? Well…let me give you…
Stephen’s Top 10 Coolest Little Known Shortcuts featuring the Vista Windows Key in No Particular Order:
Windows + # = Launches shortcut in Quick Launch with the position corresponding to the # entered. ( I LOVE THIS ONE!!)
Windows + Break = Displays system properties
Windows +U= Launches Ease of Access Center
Windows + L = Lock Workstation
Windows + X= Launches Windows Mobility Center ( I use this on my laptop all the time)
Windows + Spacebar = Switches to Sidebar
Windows + G= Cycles through Sidebar Gadgets
Windows + Tab = Aero 3-D Switch view
Windows + Tab+CNTRL= Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Windows Flip 3-D
CNTRL + Windows + F= Search for computers
Enjoy that extra week per year. You owe me.
Stephen
Stephen is Sr. Partner and Network Architect with Odyssey Consulting Group
Posted by Stephen L Rose at 11:05 AM
| 1 Comment
December 6, 2007
I Love My Windows Mobile 6 (believe it...or not)
There are three types of people in the world.
Blackberry users, Treo users and Windows Mobile users.
I have been through all three in my search for the perfect mobile computing solution. I did the Treo 650. It needed plug in's galore to be compatible with my apps. I had the early Blackberry 5810. It was very clunky and reminded me of the old WWII in the field crank em phones, and I had a early version of Windows Mobile which was well… Windows but not Windows enough.
So…I bought a Blackjack early this year with WM5 and was surprised and happy. I became at long last Windows Mobile fan. I just upgraded to the Blackjack II and with it came Windows Mobile 6.
So…is it really better? I am happy to say….it is.
For those of you looking at a WM6 phone…here’s what is new.
• Smart Filter: With Smart Filter in email, simply type the subject, word, name or text you want to search for and VOILA!
• Support for Exchange Server 2007
• Windows Mobile 6 adds a number of hotkeys so you can quickly deal with the email in your mailbox i.e. F for Flag or A for Reply to All
• Support for HTML Email. No more plain text only emails
• Storage Card Encryption
• Improved Calendar including invitees and Accept/Decline status.
• Improved versions of Office Mobile (Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• Improved Mobile IE
• Full version of Windows Live (Formerly Windows Messenger
• Updated Windows Media Player
• And it looks more Vista like
So…if you are searching for a true mobile computing platform, look into Windows Mobile 6.
Enjoy!
Stephen is Sr. Partner and Network Architect with Odyssey Consulting Group
Posted by Stephen L Rose at 11:58 PM
| 1 Comments
November 10, 2007
Technology: Network-Quality Series Developed For The Internet
Chuck Barney, of the Contra Costa Times posted an interesting article on freep.com today, entitled "'Quarterlife' ready for Internet debut".
According to the article, "Quarterlife", a series by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick (creators of the hit TV series "Thirtysomething") is being touted as the first time a "true, network-quality series" has been produced directly for the internet.
Continue reading "Technology: Network-Quality Series Developed For The Internet"Posted by Bill Cammack at 9:44 AM
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November 7, 2007
Technology: Facebook Pages And Social Ads
Facebook launched Facebook Pages today. This makes it easier for businesses, musicians, etc to represent themselves to the Facebook population, and makes it easier for the population to affiliate themselves with or review their favorites.
They have also launched Social Ads, which make use of your self-created affiliations to customize the ads you're likely to see. This is a good idea, since the latest ads I've seen on facebook were for Microsoft Windows (which I don't use), Harvard Business Online (which was down the street from my school, but I didn't go there... except for parties! :D), and Elite Online Dating..... Are they trying to TELL me something? :D
I think this is a great move, since a lot of people now use Facebook as their main source for daily information. It's better to allow people to make business pages inside Facebook than have people search for a link and then go off-site to get the same information.
It's also a great way for companies to enhance their online presence without spamming people's friends lists.
PS - In case you can't find the link to Facebook Pages, go all the way to the bottom of the page and click on Businesses and then you'll get the options, including Facebook Pages.
Or, just click here. :)
--
Bill Cammack
Posted by Bill Cammack at 10:42 AM
| 1 Comment
November 2, 2007
Technology: Google OpenSocial Site Is Live
Google's "OpenSocial" site is live! :D
"OpenSocial provides a common set of APIs for social applications across multiple websites. With standard JavaScript and HTML, developers can create apps that access a social network's friends and update feeds."
Continue reading "Technology: Google OpenSocial Site Is Live"Posted by Bill Cammack at 7:04 AM
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October 22, 2007
Report From Web 2.0: More Creativity In This World Than the "CREATIVE" One
I spent two days at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco last week, but rather than report on the proceedings -- trust me there was no shortage of blogging, Digging, Twittering, Jaikuing going on -- I'd rather comment on the broader theme of the role of creativity in business.
The point is that despite the palpable waves of self-satisfaction, and the echo-chamber of mutually-reinforcing coolness, there is a genuine rush of creativity in the Web 2.0 World that cannot be denied. And I'm talking about creativity in its purest form -- the willing into existence of a new construction, the imagining of new shapes and forms.
Continue reading "Report From Web 2.0: More Creativity In This World Than the "CREATIVE" One"Posted by Adam Hanft at 10:58 AM
| 5 Comments
October 16, 2007
Technology: Are you Monitoring your Pulse?
An early entry to my digital life management has evolved. The friendly or invasive web application that took control of my address book in 2001, Plaxo, is now in its third version -- I should say version 3.0 beta to be Web 2.0 precise. The service was semi useful over the years as a cool way to manage my address book across multiple computers or occasionally look up online and of course learn about the dynamics of my network contact changes/updates like job changes, new cell phone number or a blog launch. My continued passive use of Plaxo over the years soon was sidelined by LinkedIn offered view of the relationships rather then the management of my more then 3,000 contacts or about the 10% of those contacts I regularly communicated with. More importantly, visualizing my network and providing tools to connect me with others I would like to reach. The business social network was born! Fast forward from 2004 to today. Now you, your personal and business contacts have a digital presence or many. The digital bread crumbs of your network are scattered across Flickr, Facebook, Blogs and Social Bookmarks. Plaxo launched its new service, Pulse, a few weeks ago. I began receiving information about the digital activities or lifestreams of my sleepy address book "network" on Plaxo via email. This drove my curiosity to login to Plaxo and customize my settings. Soon, my streams were merged with those of my pals and "my address book was brought to life" just as the Plaxo Pulse marketers had promised. Have you checked the pulse of your network or offered a view into yours?
Posted by Peter Fasano at 1:12 PM
| 1 Comments
October 3, 2007
Technology: Dude... Where's My Twitter Link?
As I reported back on June 28, 2007, Twitter 'ruined my life' [link].
I realize _now_ that there's something that I left out.
Today, Charles Hope twittered... Yes, "twittered"... There's no such thing as a "tweet" or else the app would be named "tweeter".... Anyway... Charles twittered that the "older" link was no longer at the bottom of our Twitter pages. I checked it out, and sure enough, there was no link allowing me to check back past my first page of the most recent posts. I figured that since they're always doing tests and trying to improve how twitter works, it was a programming error and that it would be quickly replaced. Then, someone mentioned an issue with spam, and that the link was deliberately removed in response to it.
Continue reading "Technology: Dude... Where's My Twitter Link?"Posted by Bill Cammack at 4:36 PM
| 1 Comment
September 23, 2007
Technology: Livecasting
My excellent friend ActionGirl hung out with me today. We did a dual-channel livecast using ustream.tv.
Livecasting, if you're not familiar, is one of the newest internet fads, but it's also NOT new. Technology has advanced to the point that the average joe has the ability to broadcast his or her life effortlessly and without cost (except for the obvious costs of computer, webcam, broadband connection, etc).
Continue reading "Technology: Livecasting"Posted by Bill Cammack at 11:54 PM
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September 19, 2007
Back to Nature: Enter Natural Language and Human Powered Search
Have you grown tired of the growing index of search results? Across the search engines of your choice, the results are gathered via keywords, metadata and algorithms.
Now enter two new approaches. Powerset Labs is in early release of its natural language search engine. Via user ratings and natural language search, sites are indexed, scored and delivered. In this case it is a quality result that is the goal rather then quantity. Powerset Powerset launches Powerset Labs at TechCrunch40 If you are not one of th privileged kick the tires at the Tech Crunch 40 this week then you will need to wait for your invite code over the next weeks.
Another approach is offered by Mahalo, the world's first human-powered search engine. Yes - out with the always on spiders and in with the coders that are hand building search result pages for the top 30% of web searches. FC goes behind the servers to talk with founder Jason Calacanis about the venture.
With access to search coming from your TV, mobile, computer and more - do you have a a preferred search for your location or search type or do your rely on the one size fits all approach?
Posted by Peter Fasano at 12:10 AM
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September 9, 2007
Technology: Friends, Acquaintances & Contacts
Kristen "Kroosh" Crusius wrote a post the other day about what's going on in her "Friendiverse"... her universe of friends. Her post reminded me that I had intended to comment about Robert Scoble's videos about how social networks' "friends lists" really work.
Continue reading "Technology: Friends, Acquaintances & Contacts"Posted by Bill Cammack at 7:02 PM
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September 6, 2007
Technology: Personal Expenses
When I was hanging out with Rox (Darling, from beachwalks.tv and barefeetstudios.com) @ BlogHerBiz '07 back in March, something striking [at least to me] occurred. We did the conference thing and hung out for a few hours, and when she checked her in-box, she had *80* new emails.... EIGHTY!!!
I remember being surprised by two things. The first thing was that she had so many new emails in the span of probably four hours. The second was that..... she wasn't surprised by this at all. She looked at her computer screen like "... here we go again..."... like this was something 'regular'.
Continue reading "Technology: Personal Expenses"Posted by Bill Cammack at 9:52 PM
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August 28, 2007
Second Life: Missionary Work for Business
Analyst forecast the rise of Second Life and other virtual worlds worlds to come as dominate consumer and corporate collaborative and community ecosystems of the future.
Gartner Says 80 Percent of Active Internet Users Will Have A "Second Life" in the Virtual World by the End of 2011. This validation of Second Life by Garntner and exploratory work by IBM Business Center and Jesuits venturing into the emerging space is enabling new dialog and clearing other barriers to communication. With community and commerce - how can you avoid delaying being part of this emerging conversation? How will you do business in your other world?
Posted by Peter Fasano at 10:44 AM
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August 26, 2007
Technology: Better Business Through Blogging
I'm unhappy to say that I'm leaving FC Experts just as I was hoping to dig into the topic of the business of blogging.
However I can certainly leave you with a few relevant links on that topic before saying goodbye.
I recently discussed DrJays.com Blog as an excellent example of a fashion retailer posting content about their lines and about the celebrities involved with lines they carry as well as content that's related to youth fashion. DrJays.com has the added benefit of actual celebrity visits that they leverage in a surprisingly tasteful manner given the typical online treatment of such folks.
A related post, ReyShizz The Student: Self Promotion w/A Video Blog, focuses on a young artist's use of a blog to publically develop as an artist while simultaneously marketing himself. It's a nice example of a blog that makes use of a variety of Web 2.0 tools and related services.
For those looking for responses to corporate blogs, Mack Collier of The Viral Garden began a Company Blog Checkup Series over a year ago and it's well worth a look. I'd lost touch with Mack's blog so it was nice to see how his work has developed over time.
And with those few links, I must bid my Fast Company readers adieu.
Special thanks to Lynne d Johnson for bringing me on board.
Feel free to be in touch:
clyde(at)prohiphop(dot)com
Clyde Smith • ProHipHop: Hip Hop Marketing & Business News
Posted by Clyde Smith at 8:53 PM
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July 27, 2007
Technology: Navigating the New Web
You have your bookmarks, maybe even your social tags of your favorite web sites, tools and communities ... you are very connected - or are you? The folks at iA, Japanese strategic design agency, have taken the journey of web trends to entirely new lever with the transit map of the 200 most successful websites with measurement of category, success, popularity, proximity and perspective growth. This clickable map will take you to places you had not imagined! How many stops have you visited and where do you want to go? iA Web Trendmap 2007
Posted by Peter Fasano at 9:48 AM
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July 19, 2007
Technology: Blogging as a Web 2.0 Entry Point or You Still Have Time to Catch the Cluetrain!
Last post I looked at the John Mackey disaster and introduced the idea of blogging as an entry point to Web 2.0, an idea that needs to be clarified before continuing. Rather than attempting to answer the question, "What is Web 2.0", I will focus on some key aspects of blogging for business communicators with a special nod to The Cluetrain Manifesto.
Speaking to humans in a human voice:
Catch the Cluetrain! Even before Web 2.0 the WWW was undermining the monolithic corporate voice and introducing human voices to business communication. Blogging is a great way to develop a human voice, one post at a time, in a relatively controlled environment. You can get into trouble on a blog but you can also discover the joys of building community by joining the conversation.
Posted by Clyde Smith at 12:38 PM
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July 15, 2007
Technology: John Mackey & Blogging as a Web 2.0 Entry Point
The undercover online discussion board activity of Whole Foods' CEO John Mackey is already a great lesson in the challenges faced by corporations in a Web 2.0 communication environment and an excellent place to start my fresh emphasis on the business of blogging.
As a former Whole Foods employee who has deep issues with rich men who profit from progressive rhetoric, I'm viciously biting my tongue to focus on the useful takeaway rather than my very personal response. But I think this current drama is a strong example of how blogging can provide an entry point and focus for understanding Web 2.0 business communication.
Let's break this down and introduce some of the practical aspects of business and blogging that I will pursue in greater detail over time.
Continue reading "Technology: John Mackey & Blogging as a Web 2.0 Entry Point"Posted by Clyde Smith at 11:36 AM
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July 12, 2007
Technology: Cruxy Presents Suzanne Vega (Virtually)
Tomorrow night, (Friday, July 13th, 7pm EST) Cruxy will host a one-of-a-kind event as Suzanne Vega returns to her avatar form for a special virtual listening party in Second Life. Vega will be celebrating the upcoming release of her new album BEAUTY & CRIME, out July 17 on Blue Note. I caught up with Jon Oakes to get the inside story. :)
Continue reading "Technology: Cruxy Presents Suzanne Vega (Virtually)"Posted by Bill Cammack at 9:21 AM
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July 10, 2007
Technology: Road Tripping with Google Maps
I began a summer road trip with my daughters yesterday; driving cross-country to deliver a car to a friend, show the girls the country and see the sites. Well planned for the trip, I have loaded the Toyota Prius with loads of electronics. Most important of these items were my Google Maps equipped Palm Treo 700P and my TomTom Bluetooth GPS Unit .
The purpose of this critical combo was to help me find where in the world I was when I when in a navigational panic. Yes - a GPS would be nice but not in my budget of under $100 and without subscription fees. Besides - I use Google Maps via my Sprint data enabled Treo phone daily - the GPS maps and detail on the units I tested under $400 just do not compare (see the FC March GPS review). I love the ability to complete these Google Map searches in familiar cities and neighborhoods to find the nearest coffee, burrito or whatever faster then searching traditionally via 411 or mobile Google search itself.
Now armed with my makeshift GPS I am able to use my trusty Goolge Maps Mobile in route from Atlanta to Los Angels. After two days the road and out of my familiar "urban saturated" map results, I have found a complete lack my marketing effort by many travel friendly business like hotels and restaurants to better enable search results on the maps. For example, searching for a Hilton Hotel in Arkansas should bring up any of the family of hotels within the Hilton group. This is not the case. Business both large and small can better detail there service offering via the Google Local Business Center or take it to the next level with extending a Paid Search campaign with Local Business Ads to standout in very competitive markets. Of course these techniques are not limited to a Treo and Google - try a search on your mobile and other search engine and map like Yahoo! Mobile or MSN Mobile. The integration of mobile GPS, mapping and this growing area of local search is a great opportunity for marketers and business owners to localize and personalize their place on the map. Have you placed your mark on the map yet?
Posted by Peter Fasano at 2:27 AM
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