Right now, I have about 30 subscribers and I'm grateful for every one of you. In the grand scheme of things, Chasing Change is not a widely read blog just yet - and that's OK.
Truth be told, it's taken me some time to figure out what my niche really is.
So here's my niche. Going forward, I'll be focusing the laser on tow things that are very important to me and are hopefully interesting and helpful to you:
Entrepreneurs. I live in Columbus, OH where entrepreneurs are driving change. In 2008, Forbes published a list of the Top 10 Up and Coming Tech Cities. While this was mostly in medical technology and driven by Battelle Memorial Institute's contributions to the market place, Columbus topped the list at number one. With available resources like TechColumbus and the Ohio TechAngels working to create an environment and culture that helps entrepreneurs bring their ideas to reality. I'll be the one tapping into that scene, bringing video interviews with the best and brightest members of Columbus's innovators. You'll also see case studies on how business owners are leveraging new web technology to drive results to their door.
The New Web. Just my opinion - but terms like social media and web 2.0 are going out of style. They no longer work because they are too limiting in terms of their description of how the Internet has changed in recent years. I like New Web as a term because it's all encompassing - it's a reflection of how the web is viewed as a result of people being able to connect with people AND information. That said, 'll talk about things like how Search is changing because of platforms like Twitter and blogs. I'll talk about social networking strategies and ideas for how we can use these new communications tools.
My goal is 4 E's:
Expose - Keep you up to speed on how and what New Web tools are available
Educate - Teach you how you can use these new communication tools and how they can work together for the best results.
Engage - Share ideas and strategies with you so you can find creative ways to adapt them to match your objectives and talk with you about the application.
Examples - Provide you with a platform to post your case studies on what worked, what didn't with your new approach and why. (Guest bloggers are always welcome. Just contact me.)
So there you have it. That's what Chasing Change will be about from now on.
Are you still interested in reading? Is there anything you would suggest as an interesting topic I could write on?
PS. I'm already in process of moving Chasing Change to a Wordpress platform. This is a good move that will provide me with more of the tools I need to make this the best it can be.
I'll let you know when that's official. If you're still on board, you'll need to re-subscribe to that feed to get your updates.
I can't stress enough - I really appreciate you reading...
Chris Brogan posted a link to this video on his blog today. Even when I'm busy, I always take a few minutes to watch these kind of forward thinking clips. Some of the technology I've seen clips and demos of at events, but some is new to me as well. It's worth posting here for you to check out if you didn't see his post.
At any rate, it's entertaining and will get you fired up about all the possibilities that lie ahead. I especially like the shots of the interactive print news paper. I hope that happens sooner rather than later.
Have any favorites? Anything in the video that you would like to see happen?
It's totally worth taking a few minutes out of your day to watch the video below.
Produced by Canadian company SelfBankMobile (a unique approach to mobile-based banking might I add), this montage entitled "The Future of Technology" is a detailed summary of emerging technology and projections on future growth - all laid over a brilliant music bed from Fatboy Slim.
Check it out:
So did they miss anything? What do you think the technology landscape will look like in 2014 and in 2019 and in 2024?
As a follow up to last week's post on the iTunes file sharing application, Mojo, Deutsy Designs developer and founder, Luke Steffen, was kind enough to answer a few of my questions via email.
Here's the interview with Luke:
Thanks for taking some time to give my readers some background on the development of this great application. How did the idea for Mojo come about? When did you start development and why?
The idea for Mojo came about because of discussions between my roommate Robbie and myself. We both were constantly telling each other about new music we liked, but never had an easy way to transfer the music to each other. Before Mojo, in order to transfer music to another person you had very limited options available:
Use some kind of instant messaging file transfer. This usually worked, but required the person with the music to initiate the transfer.
Set up local file sharing via Samba or some other file transfer protocol. Most people I know wouldn't know where to start when it comes to file sharing. Plus there are a lot of other drawbacks for this method.
Put the music on a flash drive and physically give the other person the music. This generally was the method we would use, however it requires you both to be together to make it work
Eventually we decided there had to be a better way to transfer music back and forth over the local network. We began designing Mojo on a trip to visit my cousins in Iowa in late 2005 and haven't stopped since.
What's Mojo's current usage and how quickly is it spreading? What are your plans to bring the application to the greater masses of iTunes users?
Mojo's current usage is a little hard to pinpoint because a large number of people only use Mojo over the local network. The number of people using Mojo over the Internet is much easier to quantify. We have over 100,000 registered users on our Jabber server. Mojo has been growing slowly but steadily over the past couple years. All our current growth has been exclusively based on word of mouth, and we plan on continuing that way for now.
Do you currently partner with Apple? If not, is a potential partnership in the future for Mojo?
No, we do not currently partner with Apple. In fact, Apple will not even post Mojo on their downloads page. This is most likely due to the file sharing nature of Mojo. We are open to possibilities for partnerships in the future, it's just not likely with Apple.
I'm a little confused on how the licensing works. Are you generating revenue today?
There is a free version of Mojo and a Pro version of Mojo. We are generating revenue from the sale of licenses for the Pro version. The free version of Mojo has a few limitations that are removed when you buy a Pro license. The major selling point for Mojo Pro is users are limited to 3 Internet buddies in the free version.
Have you had push back from the IRAA? Led by complaints from Dr. Dre and Metallica, these guys pretty much trashed Napster in the late 90's. Do you see the potential for the same thing to happen with Mojo?
We have not heard anything from the IRAA. There is a big difference between how Mojo works and how other music sharing applications such as Napster, Kazaa and Lime Wire, work. All of those music sharing applications make user's libraries available to every single person on the network. Mojo is a much more private and personal way of sharing music. You only share music with the users you have specifically added to your roster. This creates a much more responsible environment for users to safely find new music through friends and family.
What's the biggest challenge you've faced to date in launching this app?
Our biggest challenge to date has been finding enough time to work on Mojo. Starting out, both Robbie and I were in college and did not have the time or financial resources to work heavily on the project. On the technical side, I would say overcoming NATs to create direct peer-to-peer connections was and still is our biggest challenge. We have made major strides in this area using some cutting edge technologies such as STUNT (a NAT traversal technique).
[end]
I'm grateful that Luke was willing to share some background on his creation!
Have you tried Mojo yet? If so, what do you think? If not, why not?
With all due respect to your achievements and ability to write thought provoking content for one of the largest and most respected business publications today, I feel that you've completely missed the point with your recent article, Web 2.0 is so over. Welcome to Web 3.0.
To me, your article demonstrates a clear lack of clear understanding as to the purpose and relevancy of Web 2.0. While I agree with your perspective on the lag of profitable revenue models related to social media companies such as MySpace and Facebook, here's how I would challenge your perspective:
Have You Shown Up to the Party, Jessi? First and foremost, I always find it interesting to read articles on social media platforms produced by technology experts who have not yet engaged in the social media universe.
Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but a quick search for your name on search.twitter.com shows me that you have not yet created a Twitter profile. Not one single Tweet!?! How then may I ask is it that you feel compelled to offer your opinions on something you obviously have not taken the time to really understand?
Likewise, running a search on Facebook produces the same results. Again, you have no presence, at least none that is visible to the broader network. While it may be your preference to keep profile private, I would argue that doing such limits your understand of the full functionality and capabilities that the platform delivers.
To your defense, I did find your profile in my extended network on MySpace, which is connecting you to a whopping 76 other users. Really? That's all?
And what about Jessi on LinkedIn? I've found you there too, boasting 141 connections and with no relevant content on your professional track record, no recommendations regarding your work, no history - frankly, there's nothing there at all. This is not to say that it doesn't exist. I am certain that you are a sharp, able journalist who has achieved great success in your career. You've simply chosen to not show up to the social media cocktail party.
My point is this: Being a trained journalist, you should know better. How can you begin to offer your readers a perspective on something that you, by your own choice, have not invested the time to fully understand?
Web 2.0 is Not Necessarily About a Revenue Model In the article, you site and abridged version of Tim O'Reilly's 2004 coining the term "Web 2.0". I would ask you then: What in his statement or definition makes mention of any focus on directly relating the web as a platform to a profitable revenue model?
This online social phenomenon is about a shift in the way we as humans connect and communicate with each other. It's the idea of using the web as a platform in an infinite number of ways to reach more audiences, create new opportunities and change the way we as professionals, consumers, and organizations interact. More traditional communication tools are now forced to take a back seat to the Web. I would even project that the more traditional mediums may someday fade into the history books to sit along side tools like the telegraph and Morse Code.
Further, Web 2.0 is still in it's infancy. There is not a right or wrong approach - there are only different ideas and trial and error at this stage of the game.
Because of Web 2.0, We Now Have More Access Than Ever Before So why on earth do Web 2.0 companies need to go public? I will argue that a result of this new mindset of viewing the web as a platform, the reach and access it delivers significantly reduces the need for companies to grow via IPO. It's typical that a successful IPO also brings with it a certain loss of control over the strategic direction of a company. Process and operations can often grind to a halt while management spends valuable time seeking stock holder approval, rather than focusing on driving innovation and efficiency. Is this what has happened with YouTube? Maybe and maybe not?
I believe that the dawn of Web 2.0 has spawned a change in what determines a successful business model. Old stogy organizations that depended on hierarchy and huge overhead (some of which are now approaching Washington with open hands and begging for bail out dollars, might I add) are being replaced with organizations that operate lean, and focus on speed and agility in a dynamic market place. The old models simply cannot keep up.
In your article, you state: "MySpace's projected $600 million revenue in 2008 falls far short of parent News Corp.'s (NWS, Fortune 500) billion-dollar sales target for the site." That is absolutely true. But I challenge you to find a business that in one year, can produce $600 million dollars of annual revenue with a staff of roughly 300 employees.
Further, MySpace now boasts network volume of more than 185 Million users world wide, with an average growth rate of 230 Million users daily. Would you disagree that when Tom Anderson and Chris Dewolfe do figure out a more profitable revenue model (and I believe they will), will they not have a clear marketing advantage as a result of their network's sheer volume?
And further, Web 2.0 is much more vast than the two social platforms you so eloquently mention in your article. What about the influx of personal and company blogs in the past 5 years? What affect on the market place do you believe that has had? What about Wikipedia and it's growing relevance as a research tool populated by the people, for the people? What about social bookmarking sites like Digg and Technorati? Do you use photo sharing sites like Flickr and Shutterfly? How many Niche Networks do you hold profiles on? And what are your perspectives on Open Source application development?
I'm curious, and believe that your readers have a right to know your thoughts on the broader perspective of Web 2.0...
What do You Define as Web 3.0? And finally, not once in your article do you ever take a stab at really offering an opinion as to what the concept of Web 3.0 really is (which is also being called the Semantic Web) .
The truth is that it is all merely speculation at this point. No one really knows what this will entail and how Web 3.0 will shake out. There's no time line and there is certainly no set date as to when and if this the transition from 2.0 to 3.0 will actually happen. All we know to date is that the programming languages and technology that will make this concept a reality "have yet to be implemented or realized."
Again Jessi, I mean you absolutely no disrespect in posting this on Chasing Change, and I welcome you to comment in your defense so that my readers will have an unbiased perspective.
We all welcome your articles and I've found many positive comments on Twitter related to your writing. But in the future, I would caution you to fully investigate what you plan to write about and make sure you cover all the bases.
The question of a potential dot com bust 2.0 has been on my mind for some time. Today you can't throw a stone without hitting some type of new niche social network or start up SaaS.
An example would be Artie Isaac's SpeakerSite. This network recently launched and already almost 700 members who have bought into a platform to connect speakers with audiences at events.
And if you're so inclined, you can do even visit Ning and start your own niche community without too much trouble at all.
Anyone can build groups on LinkedIn and Facebook and Twitter. We can start blogs on any topic we choose. And what's more? There's enough people on the web today that you can find readers who will be interested in just about any fancy you choose to write on.
All this is too cool. But I wonder - will web 2.0 come crashing down similar to the dot com bust almost a decade ago?
In a conversation this week with @DanHarris, a tenured technology guru, I posed the question: So do you think we'll see a dot com bust 2.0?
Dan didn't think so and commented that a major component in the dot com bust of the 90's was related to a lack of infrastructure to support the boom. There simply was just not enough bandwidth to keep up the exponential growth of start web companies and the high demand drove the cost of starting up through the roof. The risk associated with failure was high and extremely costly.
Today we've become much wiser and have more resources available at a fraction of the cost. Failure happens every day, and then new concepts are born again, and the ball keeps rolling.
But Seth Godin writes an interesting perspective, warning us that the internet is almost full. And by almost full he means that we are so bombarded by so many messages online - from social networks to blogs to email et. al. - that in a sense we, as consumers of the content are full.
This Happend to TV How many times do you watch a commercial during your favorite tv show, and not two minutes after the spot has aired, you can't seem to remember the brand or product that the ad was pushing?
We've been bombarded by so many messages over the years via traditional media like television, print and radio that, while these outlets can still be effective means of persuasion when integrated as part of a larger strategy, a huge majority of the messages just don't stick. We stare at the box, glazed over as the content bounces off of our face.
But will history repeat itself? Will the social web (and the web in general for that matter) follow the same pattern of over saturation. Maybe we're already there or getting close. It's tough to keep up with all your favorite blogs. Just keeping tabs on your facebook friends can take hours, even if you only have a few hundred connections.
What do you think?
Worst case scenario: If there were to be a dot com bust 2.0, what would it look like? Would it be challenges with the technology or our ability to consume the messages it delivers?
for Nurun, offers some very though provoking ideas on generating localized content to build a global audience for brands. The article is absolutely worth a read and discusses the strategic approach to content in relation to context, taking in factors such as cultural nuances, as well as technological factors like bandwidth.
What are your thoughts on her approach?
Consumers will seek out brand content, but only if it appeals to them on a local and personal level. That's why your content strategy needs to factor in context as well.
Over a cup of Starbucks with @heycrane this morning, we landed on the subject of discussing different methods that sales and business development gurus can employ on various forms of social media to connect with more people and subsequently, more opportunities to someday sell their stuff.
Sure, not everyone sells products or services. But Just about everyone sells something - ideas, their personal brand, their knowledge and experience, etc.
There are so many platforms and tactics and strategies that will help generate more relationships online. But will business transactions actually happen via social media? Probably not. That was never the intention of web 2.0 IMHO.
This confusion regarding the objectives of the social media universe may be one of the reasons that a fair amount of C-level executives have trouble buying into social networking as a viable alternative to the more traditional approach of "smile and dial" cold calling. In reality, closing business happens in face to face or voice to voice interactions, not online.
C-Levels who are weary of social media applications in business should consider the amount of time and resources that can be saved by having their sales force approach prospects on platforms where the prospects have "opted in" and are receptive to the messages coming their way. Older mediums, like phone and email for example, deliver messages to end users without the garnering their permission. It makes sense then that the mediums that are not in a sense permission-based, would yield lower conversion rates.
You might try this Here is a snapshot of one approach I use that has allowed me to capitalize on the reach and and available data present on social platforms. Is this the only way to do it? Heck no. But does it help open doorways to relationship selling? Absolutely!
Start on Twitter Micro blogging in itself delivers speed and efficiency to the basic concepts of networking - actually, I believe that is it one of the MOST effective ways to network. I use the cocktail party analogy. Picture the Twitterverse as an online networking event that is open 24/7 and free for all to attend. You can come and leave the room as you wish, and you have the ability to make your party or circle of conversation as large or as small as you like.
I'm becoming a proponent of the balanced follower vs following dynamic, i.e. an equal ratio of followers to people you follow portrays a certain sense of street credibility. Follow too many people, and you appear desperate or not fully engaged. Follow too few, and you may appear lofty or disinterested in what others have to say.
Either way, Micro blogging in general creates visibility and access to other people with lightning speed. For the sales and business development professional, not everyone you follow will be in a buying cycle at the time you connect with them, but the technology will automate the delivery of their information and may someday alert you to potential opportunities as they become relevant to the user on the other end.
Tip: So many people get caught up on the technology itself, that we sometimes forget the basic rules of networking:
Don't be pushy. People will ask you for advice when they need it.
Offer to give, give, give and someday you might just receivesomething back. But don't go in expecting to receive anything.
Be legit and honest and ask questions. People will tune you out if push your ideas too hard. Rather, blog about your ideas and then invite the Twitterverse to read if their interested.
Be a connector - listen to what people REALLY need and try to connect them with someone who can deliver it to them, even if it's not your product or service.
Talk about more than just what your selling. Take down your guard. Show people who you really are. This means talking about more than just work and careers and objectives.
Transitioning the relationship to a profile-based platform What Twitter does not deliver is very in depth information on the individual. That's done on purpose. Yes, there are limited user profiles available, and reading peoples Tweets can help frame up background and situations, but more relevant background data can be found robust profile-based networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and the barrage of niche networks out there.
How many of you ever collected baseball cards when you were a kid? Platforms with robust profile functions are really the same concept. As on baseball cards, these networks provide the stats. The difference is that these stats provide a valuable lens into who the other user is, their background, their personality and interests, how they communicate with contacts and friends, etc. Social media has made it possible to learn more than just a batting average so make use of the data that's there. What's more? The data comes straight from the user themselves and can be regularly updated. Keeping tabs on RSS feeds makes it painless to keep tabs on all of this intelligence as the new information comes in. TweetDeck helps as well.
All that said, social media professionals will need to make a gut feeling call as to when it is appropriate to suggest connecting on other networks.
Tip: Having dialog with a potential prospect on Twitter? Suggest that you connect with them elsewhere so you can learn more about each other. Ask them what networks they prefer and how they use them. It's likely that if they are on Twitter, they started out on social media on another platform.
Now take it offline I strongly believe that social media will never replace a handshake. The platforms are merely tools that deliver more efficient ways to gather information and connect people to people.
Tip: The savviest of sellers will recognize when it is time to take the conversations offline and create face-to-face or phone dialog. Social media creates the opportunity to open those doors, but cyberspace will never replace having a cup of coffee and bouncing ideas of a real human being.
So there you have it. This is just one approach to playing the social media game that I've been using.
What are you doing to find success on social media? Are you willing to share it on Chasing Change?
Last week featured a web start up that failed in figuring out how to make money by offering there service. That's both sad and common. So to be positive this week, lets look at a company that seems to have nailed the money part of the start up game. Months ago I wrote about Jott, a service that provides a platform which enabled users' to dictate message via there cell phones, have those messages transcribed to text and then delivered to them via email and SMS.
I became a beta tester around February. For me, Jott made good on it's promises and provided a valuable service that saved significant time and helped me prevent things from slipping through the cracks. Over a few weeks, I found I was averaging between five and seven Jotts a day, using it for both personal reminders and work 'to do's'. Essentially, using Jott provided much more than just easy and efficient reminders - it gave me piece of mind that I wouldn't miss anything important. Make Money: Keep your Customers Around late August to early September, Jott came out of Beta and continued to offer a free version of the platform supported by an ad network, but expanded to offer two additional tiers of service with full capabilities.
I'll admit, when the switch was made I was not a happy camper. As a beta tester, I had been use to the full platform of services including individual emails, the ability to set text and email reminders days out, and access to bolt on modules to link Jott with other applications. In the switch, I was bumped back to the bare bones and felt that I, as an early adopter, should have been "grandfathered in" on the full platform.
To Jott's defense, I did receive multiple emails informing me of the date of the switch and the options that would be available for me to purchase. Knowing my own personal inbox habits (which I would bet is similar to most of you) I do tend to get trigger happy with the delete button when cruising through email sent from services I subscribe too. I'm human, and very busy. While I'm sure folks at Jott were measuring open and click through rates on these emails, an additional push on social networks might have helped to increase awareness. Just my opinion though.
After receiving yet another email from the Jott team regarding the upgrade, I took a chance and emailed Doug Alley, Jott's VP of Business Development with my questions on why they chose the route they did, an some of my opinions on alternative strategies.
Jott Responds Doug was quick to respond with a very professional email and a detailed explanation, siting some very important things to remember about monotozation:
Start ups need to keep there lights on so there services cant stay free forever.
People are willing to pay a reasonable fee for services that provide them with good value and consistent delivery on the promise.
Information Privacy is critical to fostering and keeping adoption high. Monotization from data mining can be a slap in the face to the end users.
I appreciated Doug's fast and professional response. I believe that a companies willingness to address feedback from their customers' speaks volume about their culture and brand. Doug didn't once apologize for the decisions he and his associates made - and that was OK. He stuck to his guns and went to great lengths to support his line thinking.
What Doug did do was respond to a customer who felt neglected and left behind. At a recent transportation marketing conference, I heard Ann Minor site that over 68% of customers leave because they feel like they are not receiving the attention they deserve, where as only 14% leave a provider because they are not satisfied with product or service itself.
The result is that because Doug made an effort to pay attention to my concerns, I upgraded my account and am again a happy customer. And additional features like Outlook plugins, an iPhone app, and Twitter links put the icing on the cake.
Moral of This Story Monotization is not just about developing a pricing structure that works. To be truly successful in growing your revenue and keeping customers, companies need to engage with there customers, really listen, really communicate, and turn them into raving fans of there business.
Then the money will come.
Here's a great article by Read Write Web that Doug turned me on to. What I think is most interesting is the comments from the readers...
It's a shame that it had to end this way, but all start-ups are not created equal. Wil Schroter, in his book, discusses the concept of building backwards and looking at how your business and technology will generate profit in the very early planning stages. I agree with that 100 percent - it costs money to keep the lights on and stay fed.
But so may start up's with great ideas miss this boat. Some developers approach ideas under the guise of "We just want to see if we can develop something really cool. It's not about money." Unfortunately, all too often, that attitude results in those same words being inscribed on those same start up's tombstone months later.
Blog Rush's Obituary My friend and fellow blogger Mike Figliuolo turned me on to Blogrush during a lunch meeting earlier this year. It was a neat concept that would crawl the classify and content of your blog and deliver your feed on other relevant blogs via a sidebar widget. The benefit to individual bloggers was automated exposure to other potentially interested readers, based on a point system rooted in viral spread of the widgets (thus Mike's introduction of Blogrush to me).
Sadly, I received this email message today:
After careful consideration, we have decided to shutdown the BlogRush service. If you have the widget code on your blog you will need to remove it. When BlogRush launched in late-2007 it spread like wildfire all over the Web. Thousands of bloggers were talking about it and the service exploded to become one of the fastest growing free services in the history of the Web.
During the first year of the service it successfully served 3.4 Billion blog post headlines and the BlogRush widget could be found on blogs all over the world; even up until the moment we closed down the service. BlogRush didn't grow without its fair share of problems -- from security issues to abusive users trying to 'game' the system to much lower click-rates than expected.
We also had some problems with trying to fairly control the quality of the network, and in the process made many mistakes in deciding what blogs should stay or go. All of these issues, ultimately, limited the service's full potential. Our team worked very hard to try and build a service that would truly help bloggers of all sizes get free traffic to their blogs. This was our primary focus. Not once did we ever try to monetize the service with ads or anything else. BlogRush never made a single penny in revenue. We wanted to be able to help our users FIRST and then worry about monetizing the service later. Unfortunately, the service didn't work out like we had hoped. (It happens.)
I want to say "Thank You" to all of the great bloggers that at least gave BlogRush a test to see if it would work for them. We sincerely appreciate you giving the service a try. We have received several offers & inquiries about acquiring BlogRush, but we are choosing not to go that route. While many might think this is crazy, we truly feel it's the 'right' thing to do for our users. Believe it or not, it's not always about the money. In fact, BlogRush will have lost a small fortune when it's all said and done, and it was by choice. There were many things we could have done to monetize the service but we wanted to make sure it was going to benefit our users first.
Last but not least I want to say that I hope the failure of this service doesn't in any way discourage other entrepreneurs from coming up with crazy ideas at 4AM (like I did with this one) and from "going for it" to just try and see if something will work. Without trying there can be no success. And as we all know, ideas are worthless without action. The Web wouldn't be what it is today without entrepreneurs trying all sorts of crazy ideas.
On behalf of the entire BlogRush team, we wish the best of luck to everyone with their own blogs, ideas, and crazy ventures.
Moral of the Story Monetizing is not evil and people will pay for a service that provides them value. If the strategy is thought through and executed correctly, you just might get to keep your doors open for a while...
I'm always very cautious when brining up politics. But regardless of where your political affiliations lie, no one can argue that the Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign has paid significant attention to social media as a cornerstone of their strategy.
More than that, his interactive division, branded as Triple O, has done very innovative work in applying, and integrating a variety of online tactics that are new to the political arena including social networking, SEO/SEM social media marketing, SMS, affiliate groups, banner advertisements, viral video, etc. - all leading back to a well designed lead capture form placed on the hompage of his official campaign website, BarakObama.com.
To me this is a hell of an online presence. Fostering peer-to-peer communication in the political arena simply makes sense - Marshall McLuhan's ideas behind his 1967 book: The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects holds ever more true when you take into consideration how much the present day media landscape has evolved. Triple O has embraced the online medium as both a tool and message.
So whats the message of the medium? Here are some of what I take away from his approach.
"Obama is hip and understands my generation."
"Obama is a forward thinker and understands emerging technology"
"Obama cares about what I have to say, and provides me with ways to voice my opinion"
"Obama is on the front lines and recognizes my needs and interests"
"Jeez, I feel like I really know this guy"
The last bullet is what I think is most important. Through use of integrated social media, Barack Obama has become more than just another politician on the television. He's made an effort to become one of the crowed. End users begin to feel a subconscious and personal affiliation to the good Senator. In my mind, that's where the true political benefits of social media are found - emotional relationship building. A common myth is that social media only draws or younger demographics of users, savvy marketers and techno-geeks. But, the reality couldn't be farther from the truth. We know now that all audiences are online to a certain extent. One thing that stands out in the article revolves around the campaign's focus on creating presences on smaller, more targeted ethnic communities such as AsianAve.com, MiGente.com, BlackPlanet.com.
I encourage you to read through this very interesting article on your own and keep an eye on this campaign. The political arena has always had a major hand in driving new uses of media. In my opinion, we're watching a new chapter in the art of influence and communication unfold.
This one has me very excited! Right out of the gate, I will rate this web service as one of the most innovative SaaS applications I've seen in 2008. Following the Wil Schroder start up model, this service uses the Internet to provide a robust solution that alleviates the friction in a human transaction.
With the rise of email and social networks, the old tradition of sending paper cards has fallen by the wayside. Why? Here are some my thoughts:
The Time Investment - the process of sending traditional greeting cards is a long process of hand writing, addressing, and then making a trip to the post office or mail box to send the message.
Higher Costs - take into account the rate of postage, the price of the gas you will to get to and from the store and post office, and that most decent greeting cards can range from $4 to $5 at the store, and it's reasonable to average more than $10 per card in expenses.
Finding the Right Card - the options are limited at your typical retail locations, so you may not be able to find the right fit for the occasion. Yet design and printing custom cards just adds on to the already lengthy time commitment.
SendOutCards has developed a SaaS solution to address all of these negatives, and in my opinion, has done a hell of a job in designing a turn-key solution.
How It Works For a reasonable fee, Send Out Cards allows users to upload a database of contacts, and then design, save and send personalized greeting cards for a variety of special occasions. Users also have the ability to purchase and include gifts along with their cards, which include retail and restarnat gift cards, food items and even books. Users also have the ability to create custom cards by uploading images, logos and photos to be included in the layout.
One of the most interesting features is the ability to include your very own handwriting style in the printed copy. Users have the option to submit characters, punctuation and personal signatures via a provided paper form, which is then be mailed back to Send Out Cards. Once received, Send Out Cards scans the document and creates a personal font for the user and implements it on their account.
The company handles all printing, postage and mailing of the cards, which saves end users considerable amounts of time and energy, encouraging them to once again send tangible greetings to contacts.
Who Can Use This? Send Out Cards is absolutely for everyone - from business professionals conducting client follow up, to busy moms looking for a less time consuming way to send holiday greetings to friends and family. The user interface is friendly and intuitive, and transitions between various screens are quick.
I believe that this unique platform is one for the books, and will have a long life ahead of it. I've already become an avid user of this application, so please feel free to visit my SOC homepage and follow the link at the top if you would like to try sending a free card.
Micro blogging has gained so much traction in 2008 among hipsters, techies and even business professionals. For anyone unfamiliar with the concept, Wikipedia defines micro blogging as this:
Micro-blogging is a form of blogging that allows users to write brief text updates (usually 140 characters) and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user. These messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, email, MP3 or the web.
I've recently become an avid user of the most popular micro blogging site, Twitter. Users of this service create a very brief profile, build a network of their contacts and friends and 'follow' their feeds to receive updates on their contacts updates throughout the day.
A set limit of 140 characters or less for any given message, forces users to keep their messages, or 'Tweets' to a short and manageable length. Users have the ability to target their Tweets towards any of their followers, both on the public forum and via private messages.
So, is micro blogging really viable as a business communication tool?In my opinion, absolutely! Here are a few of the benefits that I have reaped since opening my Twitter account:
Real Time Snap Shots Professionals have busy days. That's a given. Micro blogging allows followers to continuously capture snap shots of your contacts' daily activities .
And because of the manageable nature of of the message length, updates can be sent and read in a matter of seconds. As compared to the amount of time it takes to update a traditional blog post, or even reach out to a contact via email, this concept becomes a very attractive options to the 'movers and shakers'.
Manageable Reading On the side of the readers, micro blogging allows users to consume small amounts of relevant information, including links to other websites, articles, blogs, et al., without the need for a significant time investment. I've personally found that while I have to consciously block out time every day to read up on my favorite online information sources, I keep my Twitter page open all day long, checking it a few times per hour for updates. Open Dialog One thing that has stood out to me occurs every morning when I log on to Twitter for the first time of the day. Users typically announce their log on to the network with a good morning message. Other users typically reply to the greeting welcoming them into the day's discussion.
Open dialog between large networks of people continues throughout the day, and the benefits become evident.
Here's a case example. Yesterday I was scheduled to attend a meeting for a start up technology company I am working on. I was going to be a few minutes late, and no one was answering their cell phones. From my iPhone, I used the Twiterlator Mobile application to access my account, and Tweet my current location and estimated time of arrival. All of my group members all responded immediately, which saved me the embarrassment of an explanation.
All in all, I see a long and vast future for micro-blogging applications. Twitter is one of the first to gain significant adoption, but as always, other similar types of networks will appear in the coming months.
Recently I posted an article on a new presentation software that I've fallen in love with. I'd like to send a cheers to my friend and entrepreneur, JP Adams, for turning me on to this great FastCompany interview with Mitch Grasso, Founder and CEO of SlideRocket.
This flash application is one of the coolest web services that I've seen developed in the last year. The official launch is slated for this July.
Presenting to potential clients is a huge part of my daily activities. The days of delivering the same agency design ed static presentation to everyone are long gone.
Each situation, each client and each opportunity requires elements of customization - especially when you are selling ideas and services.
So what are some of the challenges for business development and sales professionals when crafting that all important sales preso?
How do I customize my presentations quickly and easily, while maintaining the integrity of my company's brand?
With travel costs skyrocketing (along with the cost of just about everything these days), how do I leverage the web to conduct truly effective "virtual meetings"?
When I send a prospect a presentation, or they are viewing from a remote location, how can I tell they are engaged? What metrics can I use?
To date, subscription services such as WebEx have provided desktop sharing solutions which allow parties in various locations to connect via conference call, while the administrator (i.e. the sales person) shares their desktop.
I'm willing to bet that if your a professional, you've sat through these types of meetings. With all due respect to the good people at WebEx and other desktop sharing applications, these solutions are simply...well...clunky.
A New Breed of Presentation Software
Enter SlideRocket! This innovative application has yet to be fully launched, but in my opinion, will change the way that sales presentations are delivered across the globe. From what I can tell, it deliverers on all of the questions listed above, and much more.
In the company's own words:
SlideRocket is a web application that provides everything you need to design professional quality presentations, manage and share libraries of slides and assets, and to deliver presentations in person or remotely over the web.
You can view the product demo here. (Which, might I add, been created by using the SlideRocket software)
Here, SlideRocket CEO Mitch Grasso dives deeper into how this SaaS application can be used.
That's a phrase which I've been hearing frequently, thanks to the vision of four innovative Seattle-based internet entrepreneurs.
Jott.com is a very cool free web-service that provides it's users all the benefits of having a personal assistant, without the financial burden of paying an annual salary. Since it's inception in late 2006, the company has been building a solid foundation in the trade and national press.
Users sign up in a few easy steps, submit a mobile phone number and email address, the system syncs with your phone, and then sends you a call-in number for your speed dial.
When you call, the automated attendant answers with "Who would you like to Jott?" You then speak your message clearly into the phone, select from options on reminders, delivery time and method, Wha-La! Your message is automatically transcribed and sent back to you through the vehicle you've selected.
I was so intrigued, I created an account and have been using it avidly for a about a week. It's particularly handy when a big idea hits while you're driving. My wife is very thankful to the company for improving the safety of our family's road trips.
As of today, I received an email with details on how I can get more use out of the service in terms of list building and mass-Jotting other users. It seems that Jott is doing a remarkable job of marketing this service, as well as providing value to those who sign up.
One question remains. What type of web application is this? Web 2.o? Web 3.0? Something new? Hmmm...
Whatever the case may be, hats off to the creators of this nifty tool!
My Uncle Jurgen, a prominent, super-savvy and retired business executive living in California, just joined my network on LinkeIn.
Here's what's interesting to me. I'd wanted to reach out to him for months now, but was a little apprehensive. We don't see that side of the family all that often. As a matter of fact, the last time we were in the same room was during my great-grandfather's funeral, a few years ago. (Salute, Grossopa!)
Sure - I could have asked others in my immediate family for his email address or phone number. But once I was notified on LinkedIn that he had joined the 20 million other business professionals using the network, I suddenly had a relevant reason to make contact. The awkwardness of the situation disappeared via web 2.0.
In the email thread we traded, Uncle Jurgen ended with this:
I am not really sure what these networks accomplish, so I have been leery of joining, but when relatives and friends ask...
A Powerful Statement
When the message comes from an individual you know and trust, the fear, uncertainty and doubt surrounding the request, (in this case - the adoption of a new technology) is removed.
This premise is the corner stone of viral marketing. By receiving the message from a family member, my Uncle, after long consideration, changed his behavior and created a LinkedIn profile. The messenger, not the message itself, mattered most.
With the goal of becoming more educated on the world of beer, The Columbus Beer Wench invites blog readers to join in her venture towards becoming a beer connoisseur. As of this February, The Wench has been hosting informal beer tastings with local citizens at a various local establishments.
The Beer Wench recently reached out to the owners of Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails for potential collaboration. Known for consistently listening and responding to the wants and needs of its community, Tip Top owners Liz and Tim Lessner jumped at the opportunity to support its local beer loving population.
In turn, Tim Lessner reached out to The Beer Wench for local input on Tip Top’s beer menu.
This past Friday, The Beer Wench met with Tim and Steve, Tip Top bar manager, to brainstorm ideas. The three minds collaborated to create the distinctive concept of a “community inspired beer menu”.
The concept is rather simple. Let Columbus citizens choose the beers they want Tip Top to offer on its beer menu. Let them also choose the ones that should be discontinued.
Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails, in conjunction with The Columbus Beer Wench, invites the citizens of Columbus to explore this new concept on Sunday, April 20th. The inaugural Tip Top “Drink With The Wench” will take place from 5pm until 8pm. The event will cost $15 dollars a head and includes the beer, various appetizers and Tip Top’s infamous sweet potato fries.
Tasters will sample six different beers, three from the current Tip Top menu and three new beers. Each person will have the opportunity to provide input to which of the current beers should be discontinued and which of the new beers should be offered on the Tip Top beer menu. Beers chosen by the group will be featured as local selections. All guests are encouraged to stay and socialize further after the tasting. As always, the kitchen and bar will be open till close.
The Columbus Underground has also volunteered to collaborate as a partner in this effort.
About Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails A tipsy downtown neighborhood bar featuring Ohio Comfort Food, mean whiskey concoctions, draught microbrews, pinball, smiling faces, whiskey, Columbus pride, great local and not-so-local music, Cafe Brioso coffee and delicious pies. Located in the heart of downtown Columbus: The Independent Art Capital of the World! http://www.tiptopcolumbus.com/
About The Columbus Beer Wench The Columbus Beer Wench is a local Columbus based beer blog written by Ashley Routson. With the creation of “Drink With The Wench,” Ashley has been successfully closing the gap between the interactive realms of social media with the real world Columbus community. http://www.thecolumbuswench.wordpress.com
Wil Schroter is a savvy entrepreneur with a laundry list of companies to his name. I've been asking myself how someone, who is roughly six years older than me, can already be so successful.
In search of the answer, I'm about halfway through his book, Go BIG or Go Home.
The title says it all. By examining his own companies, and other internet giants like Google and MySpace, Wil outlines the common elements in a proven business model that allow GoBIG companies to "dominate new markets virtually overnight".
Vision - Think BIG, the way companies like Google, PayPal and Skype do
Growth - Learn how to compress time to grow faster than your competition
Marketing - Position your company as Number One right from Day One
Capital - Forget raising capital, learn how to create capital and leverage what you have today
Management - Leverage your smaller size to run circles around your larger competitors
This book is a fun and easy read, and I recommend it to anyone looking to leverage the speed and scalability of internet businesses.
The interview below will highlight two of Wil's latest projects:
Right now, I have about 30 subscribers and I'm grateful for every one of you. In the grand scheme of things, Chasing Change is not a widely read blog just yet - and that's OK.
