Freakonomics
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/31 at 03:50 PM |
I read the book 'Freakonomics' several months ago and have been following the blog ever since. The book, written by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, is a fascinating collection of anecdotes and data pointing to some very interesting conclusions which are often very unexpected.
The book's Web site and blog is even more impressive to me. Typically, readers who finish a book move on to the next one for knowledge or entertainment. This approach, though, allows the authors to take the concepts in the book and build a true following around them that lasts much longer. The authors blog about reader comments, current events (and the book's applicability), and new research interests that one of the authors is entertaining. The writing is more than entertaining. The blog (and its use of RSS) are allowing the publisher and authors to build a following (if not a fan base) that perfectly positions them for ancillary product sales or future book releases. This goes well beyond that of a typical book that offers a Web site with an author email address. I'm sure that other authors and publishers are watching this approach. I predict that many will (and should) emulate it in the not-so-distant future.
30 minutes of filler
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Posted By Keith Ort on 10/28 at 03:36 PM |
Last night MTV (remember when that stood for Music Television?) aired a 30 minute townhouse meeting with Bill Gates. The initial concept for it was supposed to have Billy getting hard hitting questions from average kids from NYC. Instead it came off as a scripted and rehearsed sham. I was looking forward to it but instead it was just all abstracts and vagaries that really didn’t show anything interesting. Billy tried to paint a picture of a world by plagiarizing Asimov, Verne, and Gibson. This kind of has me worried. If the one of the men responsible for developing the future is running out of creative ingenuity, who will take the ball and run with it? I have a strong feeling that man is Apple CEO, Steve Jobs.
Finding Face
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/28 at 10:52 AM |
Micro Persuasion's Steve Rubel posted about the up and coming launch of Riya, a photo search site that allows you to search for people within digital photographs.
One of the comments to the post reflected my own initial thoughts: 1) this is a cool idea and 2) is all this really necessary? After pondering this and several other slightly paranoid possibilities, I was intrigued enough to learn more.
After researching the purpose, taking the tour, and reading about its development, I can see how this can be a life-saving (yes, life-saving) tool for digital photographers. But the most convincing reason to use this product was noted in one of Munjal Shah’s blog posts -- After all, it's not too out there to think that we'll all come across our own issues with 31,000 (and counting) digital photos to deal with.
Hurricane Wilma
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/27 at 01:38 PM |
I have been thinking recently about how the damage of Hurricane Wilma seems to be overshadowed by that of Katrina. Understandably, the devastation of Katrina was significantly more severe. But the damage down in South Florida to cities like Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Wellington is more than staggering.
The Palm Beach Post has had excellent coverage of the tragedy. I have been following the story there for the past several days. A recent feature is a still photo slideshow with audio commentary of reporter Justin Gilken. This multimedia editorial gives users an excellent depiction of the disaster without sensationalizing it. I wish more Web sites took the time to give users more than words and pictures. Sometimes you need more than photos and text to communicate emphatically.
Google takes on CraigsList
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/27 at 10:13 AM |
It seems as if it's hard to keep track of all of Google's moves anymore. It's almost an odd week when you don't hear of Google launching a new idea or product as an off-shoot of its search engine.
The latest? Google Base looks like a dead ringer for CraigsList, the popular (and free) home of classified ads on the Internet (owned, in part, by eBay). Although the site seems to be going on and offline for testing, a few folks (like Steve Rubel) have snagged screen shots:
While you might ask 'why' Google might launch this product, I ask 'why not?' It's a fairly straight-forward application for them to develop, they have the largest user base in the world, and plenty of capital to invest. How they monetize this service remains to be seen.
Googling Ghosts and More
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/25 at 04:39 PM |
With less than a week until Halloween, I thought it was time to start getting in the spirit of things (Yes, pun intended). So, here are a few sites I found to help put you in the mood to have a ghostly good time this Halloween season. It's also an example of how important it is to use the right keywords on your Web site. Some might even say it's a matter of life or death. Ok, maybe that's a little drastic, but using the right keywords is definitely important for search engines to allow people to easily find what they're looking for.
- Costume ideas, decorating tips, ghoulish recipes and everything else you need for a fun and creepy Halloween from About.com
- Carving Tips from the Pumpkin Masters
- Graveyard, Lockergnome's Game of the Day to celebrate Halloween
- Sesame Street's Trick or Treat Tips for Children
The WB Brings Podcasting to Viewers
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/21 at 09:55 AM |
Last night I was watching this week's One Tree Hill which mentioned podcasting not once, not twice, but three (!) times. The third time was during the ending which referenced "For more information on Peyton's podcast, visit theWB.com or iTunes now." If you have no idea what this refers to, Peyton's Dad suggested she talk to a therapist so she decided to broadcast her thoughts to the world via podcasting in an effort to clear her head. Listen to Peyton's Podcast.
Anyways, I just thought it was interesting how all the talk about podcasting is spreading in popularity regardless of an individual's positives or negatives on it.
While finding the actual link for the podcast wasn't exactly effortless (iTunes required), the TV/Internet media integration has many benefits: improving ratings, captivating audiences and giving viewers an opportunity to develop a relationship with the characters. Just something to think about for other media avenues as well...
John 3:16
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Posted By Keith Ort on 10/20 at 11:42 AM |
We all can remember the first time we were watching football and saw the computer generated lines seemingly painted on the field indicating the line of scrimmage and the 1st down line. It made watching games at home so much more fun. We could finally ignore John Madden’s senseless mumbling and rambling and actually see if progress was made on a screen pass or if the linebacker caught the fullback for a loss. No more need to have Al Michaels over explain the drama of watching the 2 guys run on field with the chains. We could see it for ourselves, know the ball was placed with 3 inches to spare, and be vindicated (as opposed to being infuriated) by the referee's approval and forward tomahawk motion.
Yes, fall is here now. I finally get to enjoy my HDTV in its most enjoyable form, sports. The 1st BCS rankings of the season are out, the Lombardi trophy does not have its obvious suitor for this season, the Magic are prime to disappoint me yet again, UFC is getting lots of airplay, I can open the house and feel cool air instead of sweltering just by opening the door, and yet we still have the imposing danger of another hurricane. Yes, this is a guy's season of love.
Web Writing Made Easy
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/19 at 04:09 PM |
I was scanning through abstract after abstract of news stories and articles --immediately dismissing two (maybe three) here, selecting one there, ignoring another one a little further down, and so on-- and started thinking about the lack of attention people have when surfing the Web and how different getting, let alone keeping, a visitor's attention has become.
In the middle of this, a client calls to tell me they're having trouble with copy for their Web site and, although they know they really wanted to finish their site asap, they're going to need some time to figure things out. This doesn't surprise me in the least as I've become pretty accustomed to the difficulties clients run into when developing content. I'd even say that it is probably one of the most intimidating tasks a client will come across, even more so than the initial design phase, if it’s done right.
While a client didn't really call me to tell me this in the middle of my thoughts, let's pretend that one did as it is pretty believable this would actually happen. Not to mention that I really wouldn't be surprised with the notification. So, a client tells me they’re having trouble and I respond with some variation of the usual pep talk --don't worry about it, you'll be ok, we offer copywriting services, no? ok, just keep it simple, concise, descriptive, etc.-- but I wondered what other advice there was out there that might be a little more in-depth and useful across the board.
After some searching and yet another episode of sorting through lots of rejects and a few potentials, I finally came to peace with what I felt would provide a decent overview on writing for the Web. Hopefully you will feel the same. If not, well, we do offer copywriting services.
- Effective Web Writing by Crawford Kilian
- What’s Different about Writing for the Web - 8 guidelines by Trenton Moss
- Writing Well for the Web from webreference.com
Change or Progress?
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/19 at 10:20 AM |
This week's Time Magazine cover story features Steve Jobs and a look at Apple's successful yet unconventional business philosophy. What's more interesting, though, is a related story which chronicles a panel discussion of some of today's greatest thinkers about what's 'next' in the future of technology, culture, and society. The article features the likes of Malcolm Gladwell, Moby, and others talking about what lies ahead.
One of the key points that Gladwell makes is that many of the technologies we see emerging (and being popularized) really represent change but not necessarily progress. He uses the evolution in golf technology as an example. Golfers have much better club heads, shafts, grips, metal alloys, and balls at their disposal than ever before. The advancements in technology over the past 5 or 10 years are remarkable. Gladwell's point, though, is that overall golf scores among players remain the same (he doesn't cite a source, but let's assume he's right) despite all of the developments. Change, but not progress.
I think that this is an important distinction that we must consider when looking at new technologies and business tools. Is a particular change intrinsic in nature or does it actually better an end result of some sort? If you take this delineation and apply it to emerging Web tools (or individual Web sites themselves), the challenge of how to develop effective Web sites or campaigns becomes more sophisticated.
The big caveat to this is that some changes, although not necessarily representative of progress, can in fact present tremendous commercial successes. Golf scores may not have gotten better, but the bottom lines of equipment manufacturers have!
Rules of the Game
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/17 at 02:40 PM |
Josh has posted a very interesting run-down of Jakob Nielsen's dos and don'ts for blogs. I think that, like most cultural institutions, rules are only as good as the ways in which they're applied. I think that Jakob Nielsen, who many of you know as the leader in Web usability, has some great rules of thumb for Web developers. Sadly, though, the application of these rules often yields unattractive results. His own Web site, unfortunately, is a classic case.
In working with marketing and communication folks in the area of Web design for years, I know none who would have their Web sites looking this way! I think that the same could be said for blog design as well.
Papa John's Online Ordering
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/13 at 04:56 PM |
I noticed on a Papa John's television ad the other day that the company is pushing online ordering pretty heavily. I got curious and checked out the site to see how it worked. I happen to be a big fan of Papa John's pizza, so I expect to use this site in the future.
It looks to me like the functionality is right on target. While I didn't order anything, I did click through the ordering process to see how I could add toppings, side-items, and otherwise. Looks functional enough.
Overall, though, I was disappointed with the interface. The layout is very overwhelming and standard usability practices seem to have been ignored altogether. Product photography is absent altogether. If you compare this site to other leading shopping sites (like gap.com) you'll see the difference pretty clearly.
This is a case where a bit of fundamental design will (a) make the site more pleasing to customers and (b) generate more revenue for the company. See the difference for yourself:
PapaJohns.com
Gap.com
Hits Trafficking Hits
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/13 at 04:09 PM |
Knowing your Web site's traffic can be a pretty common obsession for many Web site owners and managers across the board. Checking page views, seeing a growth in interest and documenting successes is a great thing to witness and be able to brag about.
But have you ever felt a tiny bit unsure of how to properly use the terminology or respond to a probing question? If so, here's a pretty good article that helps explain common Web analytical terms, what information you need for measuring stats, and how to use it when discussing your Web site.
Once you have the basics under your belt, the next time a discussion about your Web site comes up, you'll be ready.
Trackbacks
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/12 at 05:41 PM |
We were talking internally today about how useful trackbacks can be but how terribly confusing they are. One URL to link to the post. Another URL is required to ping the targeted blog. By the time I have switched in and out of windows and cut and pasted both of the URLs, I've lost my stream of consciousness!
As I've said before, blogging needs to become easier and simpler for the masses.
If you're not sure what a trackback is, check out this post from Stephen Labuda. He does a good job of explaining the concept.
Released from my shackles... almost
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Posted By Keith Ort on 10/12 at 10:13 AM |
Over the years we have been inundated with news stories talking about how Microsoft has a stranglehold on innovation and a total monopoly on the computer market with their Windows operating system. However the same people that clamor for options are ignoring the 400 pound gorilla named Linux. At home I use an older computer (I use my Xbox for gaming so I have no need to upgrade… yet) to do all my web browsing and personal finances. However I got inspired to do something silly so I acted on it. I researched that curious little ape. After trying a few of the 100+ flavors of Linux (most of which are completely and totally free of charge including getting support), I settled on Ubuntu.
Out of the box, it is great. After spending a few hours reading and learning, I noticed the quirks but I also longed for something out of my control. There are so many highly popular Web sites that embed movies into their pages. Normally this would not be an issue however when the embedded file type is that of Windows Media Player, the Web site becomes pretty useless to me until I spend about a day (still riding that learning curve) to get the work arounds running and figured out.
So this brings me to my point, with so many other people researching and trying out Linux, it's popularity growing (just check the shelves of the computer section next time you are in Borders), and the world opening up, why be closed off to a sect of potential customers and clients. Next time you are working on your project, do not ignore a group because it intimidates you. The open source community typically welcomes with open arms those who embrace them. Now its time for me to teach my new friend some tricks.
Darwin's Origins of Technologies
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Posted By Keith Ort on 10/11 at 04:47 PM |
There are a lot of us ubernerds that can remember details of every computer we've ever owned. The first one I had was a Headstart Explorer. I did a lot with that little (in those days) machine including playing Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and Maniac Mansion. Now being only 24, I didn't have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the PC revolution but now I have an opportunity. For roughly the black market value of a kidney and maybe part of the liver, anyone can purchase a pretty complete collection of all the old school computers that helped shape where things are now. Now the only problem is figuring out how to deal with putting 6,000 pounds worth of old computer equipment in my small apartment.
Painful Podcasting
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/11 at 02:48 PM |
I've been doing some research into podcasts lately...not because I am hoping to engage in the medium or even recommend it to clients but because of its recent uptick in popularity. Many know that iTunes built the concept into one of its recent software versions; Yahoo Podcast has been generating a ton of buzz as well.
I checked out NPR's All Things Considered Podcasts, which were great. From what I can tell, they're re-purposed chunks of content from the radio show. The problem, though, is that I found the updates overwhelming to keep up with--15-20 per day. It is a great tool, though, if you happen to miss the show during drive time.
From there, I've started to try out a few others which I won't mention here. I simply chose a few at random that I thought might be interesting based upon their subject matter and a sizable subscriber base.
My main take-away from this experience is that this medium is a long way from being useful. I found much of the content to be rambling, giggly, and wasteful. Much of the interviewing is a bit embarassing to listen to because of the awkward pauses and lack of conversational focus/direction. I have a new appreciation for the Larry King and Jim Rome types of the world!
For now, I'm under the assumption that podcasting is a long way from being critically important. It's an innovative use of technology that empowers the masses, but the lack of polished content is a far cry from the professional on-air content we've grown accustomed to.
Halo Hits Hollywood
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/11 at 10:17 AM |
There are a lot of people in our office alone who will be excited that the rumors are true: Halo will be coming alive as a movie thanks to Peter Jackson's direction. Here's bungie.net's story as well, if you are interested.
For the video game enthusiasts, do you think the movie will live up to the video game's obsession or will one of the two --the movie or the game-- end up losing interest if it is over-hyped and under-delivered?
Yahoo Blog Search
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/11 at 09:29 AM |
There seems to be a whole lot of buzz about Yahoo's new blog search and it's integration with Yahoo News. A search on the term 'earthquake' (try it) gives the user a list of news headlines in the main content window AND a list of relevant blog search results in the right hand column.
Robert Scoble seems fairly unimpressed by the new tool, as does Steve Rubel, but I think this endeavor send an important signal: blog searches have become a true companion to mainstream media. This tool and layout seems to say that loud and clear.
$100 Laptop
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/10 at 04:30 PM |
I first heard of Nicholas Negroponte back in the mid-1990s when I read his book called Being Digital. It was this book that clarified, for me, the difference between bits and atoms. One funny anecdote in the book dealt with the value of his laptop and his dispute with a customs official. The customs official indicated that the value of the laptop was probably about $4,000. His argument, tongue-in-cheek, was that it was really worth over $1Million. She was referring to the atoms (physical makeup of the laptop) and he was referring to the bits (data and intellectual property).
Mr. Negroponte is now, ironically, touting the $100 laptop. In his role as founding Chairman of the MIT Media Lab, a place where a ton of innovation occurs, Negroponte is trying to bring technology to children so that every learner has his/her own laptop.
The Web site does caution that this reality is a long way off, but his successful execution of the project would not surprise me.
Google Feedreader
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/07 at 04:44 PM |
BoingBoing has pointed out that Google has announced the release of a new feedreader. Perhaps they will make RSS subscriptions a bit simpler for the masses?
RSS Needs Help
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/07 at 12:23 PM |
I think that RSS (Really Simple Syndication) needs a makeover. I try to talk with people about RSS and it all seems so overwhelming to non-geeks. Understandably so. The blogging community throws a ton of jargon (feeds, rdf, atom, xml, etc.) at the business community and then seems to complain that business people 'don't get it.'
Aside from that, installing a newsreader (or even signing up for a Bloglines account) is no simple task for a non-tech. Once it's installed or established, subscribing to blogs is no day at the beach. It's simple to those of us who have gotten the hang of it. For those who haven't, the jury is still out on the concept of blogging.
It will be interesting to see if the blogging community is really able to establish some standards for all of this. I'm waiting to see what the likes of Microsoft, Technorati, and Feedburner will do to make this whole process simpler for the masses.
Looks and Smells Like a Blog...
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/05 at 03:28 PM |
...but it's not a blog. David Hornki makes an important distinction between a true blog and a representative one. If you visit the Juicy Fruit blog, you will notice an ongoing diary of two people simultaneously attached to a package of Juicy Fruit gum. The 'blog' chronicles a multi-week battle between the two individuals and uses humor to portray brand insistence to the nth degree.
Although the site is a regularly updated Web site with daily content, it's not a blog. Why not? First of all, the people portrayed are characters/actors, not real consumers. Second, there is no avenue for user commenting or trackbacks--no vehicle for the 'conversation' that is the blogosphere. Third, the content isn't real, it's presumably written by a group of creatives at an ad agency. That's not necessarily a bad thing. And this campaign isn't lacking in humor or cleverness. This just isn't a blog. And understanding what it's not should help marketers conceive what a blog should be.
Interested in seeing how a diary can really take genuine shape? Check out the travel journals at the Visit Pennsylvania tourism Web site. Real people, real stories, and comment facilitation.
Leaving The Flintstones for The Jetsons
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Posted By Keith Ort on 10/05 at 01:28 PM |
The recording industry is focusing on their own full fledged war against thieves and consumers are suffering. However they are a perfect candidate of what happens when a business model antiquates itself over time. In their campaign to "save the artists" and protect copyrights, they are suing people who may or may not be guilty of crimes, instituting protections into cds to prevent copying that affects its compatibility with some cd players, and publicly criticizing both Microsoft and Apple who want to help, all the while, not commenting about the correlation between their reduced output and decreased profits.
In my eyes, the retaliation to the RIAA's campaign shows the power of the Internet. The Internet is giving bands a more direct way to connect with fans and hear their music as showcased by Story of the Year, Weezer, and 1-hit wonders Harvey Danger.
I can only do so much but I must encourage businesses to investigate various technologies before essentially declaring it good or evil. More specifically for us in Web design, technologies such as Flash can be great for the additional pop and wow factor it gives a page. Yet too much Flash can cause long load times for users who tend to be impatient in this evolving world of instant gratification. Just like most things we love to consume such as chocolate and alcohol, use Flash (or any technologies) in moderation.
Google is Going --->Enter Your Idea Here<---
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/05 at 09:31 AM |
Not only have Google's recent adventures been a frequent topic to post on around here, but they are really working hard at spreading the word. Just this past weekend I was looking through Real Simple and saw a feature on Picasa, a photo editing and organizing program of Google - who knew that would be something shared in a women's lifestyle magazine focusing on organization, design and inspiration for everyday lives? Well, obviously not me.
While the online company won't be launching Google Purge to "destroy any information that can't be indexed" anytime soon, there are growing theories on whether the company is "simply exploring different ways to distribute the ads" or "pursuing a much grander plan that ultimately will transform the way people work, communicate, shop, read and even watch TV."
With word out about plans to challenge Microsoft Office and their already long list of tools and services, only those inside the company really know where Google will be tomorrow - leaving the rest of us to fill-in-the-blank.
Viral Marketing
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/05 at 08:56 AM |
Ben McConnell make a good point regarding viral marketing. Ban (deodorant) is running an online campaign to--ironically--develop a campaign. This is not a revolutionary concept in that consumer brands have been using customer-created (or inspired) imagery (think Patagonia) and video (think Nike) for some time.
The key here is in the marketer's thinking. Promotions like this one should be a strategic catalyst for thinking about how to use the Web to generate awareness or reinforce a relationship. In my view, marketers should not limit the effective use of the Web to the concept of a 10 page Web site. Instead, I advocate using the Web's capabilities in innovative ways (like this one) to advance a cause.
Web 2.0
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/04 at 11:46 AM |
I've been seeing a multitude of posts about the concept of Web 2.0. At the same time, I've had a few questions lately from colleagues about what Web 2.0 actually is. The name (Web) with the version number (2.0) seems to imply that the item in question is a commercial piece of software (IE7, Windows xp, etc.). In reality, Web 2.0 is a frame of mind, a concept, a characterization of an approach to community and commerce on the Web.
Tim O'Reilly makes the following comparisons in his very thorough post on the matter.
Web 1.0--> Web2.0
DoubleClick --> Google AdSense
Ofoto --> Flickr
Akamai --> BitTorrent
mp3.com --> Napster
Britannica Online --> Wikipedia
personal websites --> blogging
evite --> upcoming.org and EVDB
domain name speculation --> search engine optimization
page views --> cost per click
screen scraping --> web services
publishing --> participation
content management systems --> wikis
directories (taxonomy) --> tagging ("folksonomy")
stickiness --> syndication
While you may not recognize all of these comparisons, the general correlation of the two lists seems clear: Web 2.0 products, services, and companies are those that are embracing the emerging, successful models of the Web and abandoning the fading, failed approaches that personified the dot-com bust.
Ancillary Blogs
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/04 at 09:57 AM |
Steve Rubel has an interesting post about a new Boeing blog about a particular topic: inflight productivity. "The sub-title for the blog is Tools, Tips, and Techniques for being Productive at 30,000 feet." The latest post on this blog has to do with wireless headphones for one's iPod.
I think that this type of blogging approach is an important one to note. Many companies have general 'corporate blogs' about company happenings, announcements, and events. But topic-oriented blogs like this one present an interesting opportunity for a corporation to provide insight and foster community around a specific area of interest. The benefits of brand association and positioning amidst a topic (i.e. Boeing=productivity) seem significant.
A couple of ideas:
- A real estate developer creating a neighborhood blog for a new condo project
- A lawn pest control company launching a how-to blog about lawn moving and watering
- A municipality starting a community forum blog about a controversial construction project
- A child-focused nonprofit crafting an educational blog about childhood obesity
- A land planning firm starting a diary-like blog about a river clean-up project
We're in the early stages of businesses thinking about blog use. Reminds me of the mid 90s when many would write 101 articles about the Web to marketers. My emphasis to marketers would be to think about blogs from the perspective of topic-centrality, not just as a vehicle for a CEO to share his/her thoughts with the world.
PPC: Making People Feel Good
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/03 at 03:42 PM |
Pay per click ads have never been something that has caught my interest on search results. I understand the reasons, purpose, and actions of the marketing campaign but the forced "Hey, look at me and not those results that appear naturally" just isn't a form of advertising that works for me... meaning I prefer to ignore the ads completely. It's almost like they are the old school car salesman to me - except in reverse as I prefer the old search engine results pages.
What is surprising is that, even with all the negatives that have, can and are happening (price points, fierce competition, fraud issues - and end up leaving PPC participants pondering what just happened), studies are showing that people are feeling better about this particular marketing technique's overall effectiveness.
Perhaps the increasing popularity of media in general will produce marketing techniques that will not only be popular but also effective, unlike the incredibly intrusive idea of the pop-up banner ad (and PPC in my eyes).
Convergence
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/03 at 02:24 PM |
Convergence--the notion that the Web and television will ultimately be one and the same--has long been talked about in the Web world. This New York Times article characterizes Yahoo's position on convergence and the strategic thinking of two of its leaders: Lloyd Braun and Terry Semel (CEO). Perhaps more interestingly, the article talks about Yahoo's 4-pronged competitive strategy:
Semel describes a strategy built on four pillars: First, there is search, of course, to fend off Google, which has become the fastest-growing Internet company around. Next comes community, as he calls the vast growth of content contributed by everyday users and semiprofessionals like bloggers. Third, there is the professionally created content that Braun oversees - made both by Yahoo and other media providers. And last is personalization technology to help users sort through vast choices to find what interests them.
I find the most intriguing element of this strategy to be the content piece. I think that the content (entertainment) piece is one where Yahoo currently surpasses Google. They seem to understand it more fully which come through in the site itself.
I am of the opinion that watching the moves of Yahoo and Google is a wise move for Web marketers. Most know that the two combine for the lion's share of the Web search market. Who better to both (a) understand the behavior of Web users and (b) shape the direction of content.
Blogging for Clarity
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/02 at 03:50 PM |
This post makes a great point regarding the notion that blogging helps one to clarify his/her thoughts. The exercise of writing itself forces a person to refine a stream of consciousness.
I might also extend this to the clarity that a group or team can get from writing and reacting to the posts of others. We've started to see this effect already within our organization. Knowing that my teammates are reading and commenting on my thinking (and vice versa) helps us to contextualize our day-to-day business activities and move forward in concert knowing what the other is thinking.
The pace of the workday doesn't seem to allow for the strategic interaction that success requires. The fact that blog interaction is asynchronous helps us all to find the time. Bill Gates has long talked about asynchronous communication, foretelling at length in his 1995 book The Road Ahead that the citizens of the future (now) would depend on it heavily. Whether you like him or not, he was right. What would today's world be without voice mail, email, and Tivo?
Local Trends
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/02 at 03:27 PM |
A recent article in the New York Times confirms what many have long thought: Google is planning to try its hand in the ISP market. It looks like Google has made a proposal to the city of San Francisco to offer wireless access to the entire citizenry, presumably for some specialty advertising access.
Google Local has already gained some traction as a preferred vehicle for those looking for local businesses, events, and announcements. I can see this new wireless effort dovetailing nicely.
Knowing that Google has almost limitless capital, one can only assume that the Google Local will continue to gain momentum. I know that I hardly ever reach for a big clunky Yellow Pages volume when I'm looking to find a phone number or address. While I'm probably still in the minority in this regard, you have to think the trend is moving in the online direction.
Those industries that have always relied on Yellow Page advertising (i.e. plumbers, pest control companies, etc.) will have to really take note here. In the same way that we hardly ever use travel agents for booking trips, the Yellow Pages itself may be preparing for a swan song.