citizen Evangelist

A good citizen is well read. Here’s what I’m consuming today:

Agencies are watching as ads go online
Among the teenage video diaries, pet tricks and rejected television pilots circulating on the online video site YouTube, there is another major category of clips: advertisements.

Amazon adds ‘Search Suggestions’
Amazon.com introduced a new feature on Friday, called “Search Suggestions,” that enables users to contribute keywords for items sold on the site.

Give users a Hollywood ending
We can all take a lesson from filmmakers: endings matter. The way we end a conversation, blog post, user experience, presentation, tech support session, chapter, church service, song, whatever… is what they’ll remember most. The end can matter more to users than everything we did before. And the feeling they leave with is the one they might have forever.

Mobile Marketing
Yesterday I received an unexpected message on my cell phone. It was actor Samuel L. Jackson shouting in my ear demanding me to go see Snakes on a Plane, the new movie he’s starring in that’s about–what else–snakes on a…

New Jupiter Report on Ratings & Reviews
Today JupiterResearch released and announced a report on user-generated content for retail specifically the use and impact of ratings and reviews for retailers. We launched our own release with more detail, below

Software’s big fight over small business
SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0 Magazine) — The software that runs businesses’ sales, finance, and operations, has never been the most exciting field - but lately, it’s been downright sleepy. Thanks to a merger frenzy over the last few years, Oracle, SAP, and to a lesser extent Microsoft dominate enterprise software sales to the world’s largest companies, and annual sales growth in this arena has slowed to a 3 percent trickle.

Citizen Evangelist: Buy a product. Join a community. Change the world

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Found an interesting note in RedHerring. Apparently there was a study in 2004 which provided some market feedback on the latest Trends in the software pricing arena.

Some 496 respondents, both vendor executives and enterprises, were surveyed in the September study, Key Trends in Software Pricing and Licensing. Licensing company Macrovision, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), Centralized Electronic Licensing User Group (CELUG), and SoftSummit jointly conducted the survey.

I haven’t received this type of feedback during my experience working in the ASP market for the last 9 years. However, this may be more in line with those software organizations who are making the transition from installed software to hosted models. I wonder what ever came of this study.

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When I was young, I attended a “lab” school. This was essentially a school designed to teach teachers how to teach… and one of the bi-products was that students were taught by teachers in training.

I suppose in the first six years of my life, I was subjected to more testing that most folks face through their entire scholastic program. As a result, I’ve always had an affinity for the various tests that one can be given.

Since I decided to return for my MBA, I’ve taken a couple of these that appear to be gaining greater relevance in my life. The first is the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). Some information on Myers-Briggs can be found here.

As it would turn out, my “Type” is ENTP. There are some descriptions provided here. Of course, this is just a sample of the information that can be found here.

It’s interesting how many ways this information can be used when looking at organizations and their group dynamics. There used to be a number of places where you could go to get access to a free analysis. Those sites appear to have discontinued this offering. I suppose that you can get started here, but there will be some costs. Additionally, I know that you can typically get access to a test through a local university and many HR organizations offer these to their employees as well.

Thank goodness that there are a diversity of perspectives and personalities.

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In the same spirit offered by Charles, I think it is important to be self-reflective and learn from our observations. I tend to get ahead of myself and loose people along the way. Thanks for reminding me that this blog exercise is about more than just me.

As producers, I think we forget this far too often. We get so damn enamored with the toys we’re building that we think that everyone else on the planet should understand the importance of what we’re trying to accomplish. Funny, isn’t it? Charles… I’ll work on it.

Cheryl reinforces this message with her post on designing with the customer in mind. The thing I loved about this was the fact that it touches on two of the areas that I’m most interested in: Crowdsourcing & Personalization. I really do believe that we can all have it our way… the challenge is in making sure that we can get it at prices we can afford.

Peter also does a great job in touching on this point. One method to personalize is to create an experience that is convenient. We are creatures of habit and appreciate the ability to return to the familiar. If the vendor makes that process convenient and enjoyable, we’re continue to patronize those establishments. Now, that is valuable.

It seems that Jared also appreciates personalization of his experience. Reputation systems (such as ratings engines) make it easy for users to discover new products and services. Look for people you know and see what they like. Look for products and sort by those which are most popular. Make my experience relevant by anticipating my needs based upon what I like. Nice. Fun. Easy. That is valuable also.

Now, Tami picks up where Jared failed to go: don’t ask me for information unless you plan on showing me the value. Right on. Aren’t we all just sick to death of the million question surveys that result in absolutely no value? Surveys suck. I say that with confidence even though I continue to go back to them as a discovery tool. We really need to get a better option on the market quickly.

I’m working with Eric on a way to do just that. You know… the key element which seems to be missing in most vendor approaches is reciprocity. The whole belief that if they are going to ask something of me (a customer) they had damned well better be respectful enough to show me the same damn courtesy. I’m sick and tired of “buying” into a solution only to find out that “for a mere ____ extra” I can get what I was thought was included in the purchase.

As Brian points out, the “let’s segment our customer base” process is leading to companies chopping up their customers like a mess of hamburger. That’s a nasty thought isn’t it? While nasty, I think it creates a fairly accurate depiction of what’s going on. When you take a living being.. .an experience, and chop it up that way….. it can’t and won’t survive. Further, if you leave it like that, it gets real ugly really fast.

Isn’t it time that we get real?

We are all part of this community… and the more we try to “Extract Value” before we create it…. the more zero sum game events take place.

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