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July 2007 Archives
July 5, 2007
Attention Deficit Interactive Disorder
Within the past week, some of my friends got into a food fight, some others spent their day putting graffiti on walls, and a handful turned into Zombies. If you're in tune with social media, you'll know I'm talking about Facebook. Since the site opened their doors to outside programmers, newsfeeds have been inundated with a slew of notifications that so-and-so added one application while someone else got rid of another.
There is a lot of debate over this issue; depending on what side of the fence you're on, the applications are either the best or worst thing to happen to Facebook (just like when they brought in the newsfeed, or the site redesign). What I find interesting is the inspiration for many of these applications, and the "lifespan" for them.
Haven't I seen this before?
Just in case the "status" bar wasn't enough, you can tell everyone what your mood is. To keep track of your most visited friends' pages, you can have a box of your top friends. Kinda like livejournal's mood setting and MySpace's top friends box. And many of the other applications are derived from the old Memes and quizzes you would find on every livejournal page. This is part of the current general concern that Facebook is diluting its unique position in the social media market. You could say that it's an advantage to bring all these different components together into one place; but on the other hand, if you try to be something to everyone, you'll won't be anything to anyone.
That's SO last month
For every application added, I seem to see an application dropped from friends' pages. Often the same application; as Jim picks it up, Sally ditches it. These little icons seem to stick around only as long as they are novel; once it gets old, it's gone. Often these are even replaced by slightly tweaked versions of themselves. Ditch the "Superpoke" for the "X Me". The cyclical nature makes these seem fairly pointless, really. Why add it if you will only remove it in a week or two? This is especially a nuisance for friends because to use someone else's application, you have to add it yourself.
The slipping point
As time goes by and more applications come and go (along with new social media sites), I think we're soon going to reach the point where Facebook has to solidify its position among social media or lose its place to the newest site. All it takes is to do right what everyone else does wrong, convince a few users to try it out and invite their friends, and the cycle begins anew.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 5, 2007 9:57 PM Permalink
July 6, 2007
Nowhere to hide
Yesterday I wrote about Facebook and its applications, as well as several of the problems with the new system. There is one thing, however, that I did not talk about. The re-emergence of the lack of privacy on Facebook.
After all the fuss about collecting user information, Facebook gave the option to protect your account so that information could not be sent to third parties. Fair enough, problem solved. Right? Well, sorta...until you start dealing with the applications. What turned me right off of them was that in order to use them or sign up for them, you have to consent to having your information shared. So all the privacy protection has just gone out the window.
This is all well and good if you don't mind. But the illusion of privacy on Facebook has been in the news a lot lately, with employees and students getting in a lot of trouble for posting insulting or threatening information on the popular site. There is an endless line of students crying out how their free speech is being silenced. Which is, if you look at the laws (here in Canada at least), complete bullshit. Sure, everyone has the right to free speech. However, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms also states that if you use a right to oppress or suppress another person's rights, you are NOT protected. This is how the laws against hate speech work. So these students have a full right to dislike their teachers or principals, but they do NOT have the right to broadcast it to the world.
Yes, that's right, posting something on Facebook is essentially broadcasting it. This is the internet, a global community. The problem here is that people have yet to understand that with ANY website, especially social networking sites, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy (outside of transactions over secure servers, such as buying online; there you can expect information to be reasonably safe).
I'm not condemning these sites or the people who use them. I'm saying you need to understand the nature of the environment.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 6, 2007 9:59 PM Permalink
July 9, 2007
Opening thoughts
Well, here I am. I'm online, and my type is movable. I've been struggling to move my old entries here, however; it seems blogger has no means of exporting entries, and I'm having a heck of a time with it. So, for the meantime, they will stay where they are.
I like my new home here. Having complete control over design is refreshing. I still have to figure out how to customize the blog to at least resemble the overall site theme; but that's not a priority. Right now it's a matter of getting all pages functional.
So, if you're reading, I'm glad you made it, and I hope to see you again.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 9, 2007 6:43 PM Permalink
Trial and Error
It's both frustrating and familiar that I'm figuring out the workings of Movable Type the same way I figured out HTML, XHTML and CSS: by adding or removing one thing at a time and watching what happens. A slow process, but I think by the end I will have almost gotten the hang of it. In the meantime, we'll just have to watch functionality slowly begin to increase on this site. Stay tuned, folks.
Until next time,
JW
P.S. If you haven't noticed, I'm posting this entry as a test of whether I've gotten this right so far. Fingers crossed!
Posted by JW on July 9, 2007 8:49 PM Permalink
July 10, 2007
Fingers crossed
So I'm proud to say that unless I've missed my guess, we now have full functionality to the blog portion of the site. If I've done my job correctly, then my custom layout will have been applied to all pages (with a few exceptions where it's not necessary to be perfect). Now I can move onto building the rest of the pages. I must admit, while there is a lot of work involved in learning the tags, Movable Type is a very flexible system with a lot of power and functionality behind it.
In the coming weeks, I'll be building the remainder of the pages, adding categories, and moving old entries over. I might have to do the latter manually, which isn't entirely fun, but will allow me a greater deal of control over how it is set up and runs. I hope it will be worth it in the long run. In any case, I hope to get back to blogging in the next week or so. It's been busy at work lately, but I'm confident I can crank out some content for you soon.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 10, 2007 7:52 PM Permalink
July 16, 2007
Whether or not you build it, they will come
Social Media is the new SEO. By which I mean everyone keeps insisting that companies and websites need to get on the bandwagon. And to an extent, I can agree with both sides of the coin: social media and blogging can be helpful to a company, but some companies don't need it or shouldn't venture in yet. However, thanks to the properties of social media, many companies are getting involved without even trying.
For example, there is a Facebook group called 50 Group - For the Great Taste of Labatt 50. This group is not "official", that is, affiliated with Labatt. And it certainly isn't large, particularly by Facebook standards. But it is there, and there is a small group of devoted Labatt 50 drinkers who are dedicated to, as the group's slogan goes, "keeping it classy". When social media takes hold, the public takes over the brand in that domain. For example, by seizing on 50's lack of reputation among young people as a high-end distinguished beer, the group has introduced the ironic tag of 50 being a "classy" beer. As well, the group champions their status as a minority by remarking often that one of the best reasons to drink 50 is because nobody at a party will take your beer.
I have no doubt that these images are nowhere close to the brand image being promoted by Labatt. But it seems to resonate with the drinkers who are part of the group, and is aligned with the tendency of young people to pick up on obscure or non-mainstream products and ideas. Nobody else drinks 50, so it's not cool to drink 50, so it's trendy to drink 50.
In the end, if you're considering a social media campaign, take a quick look; it may have already begun.
Keep it classy.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 16, 2007 11:19 AM Permalink
July 19, 2007
It's worth a shot
Every time I see or hear a new ad for diet pills, online dating, or any of those other products or services that make you wonder aloud, "Does anybody use those?", I often wonder, well, "why WOULD anybody use them?" And the answer comes from one of the great motivators of advertising: desperation.
Let's face it, nobody leaps at the idea of getting diet pills or signing up for an internet-inspired date. It's always something that "other people" do. But often the entire basis of these products is in alleviating a problem that the person can't get rid of or deal with conventionally. Eventually, after deciding that you "just can't lose weight" or "just can't get a date", a new mindset sets in: "It's worth a shot".
Companies that offer these products and services are counting on the last-resorters, those who are fed up with their lack of headway in regards to their latest problem. And they wear them down. It's one thing to be perpetually single; it's another thing entirely to keep being reminded of it by having Lavalife branded all over the internet. The onslaught of diet services on tv and the radio, coupled with the hundreds of images of beautiful people is enough to inspire obsession with weight. So when the "problem" gets drilled into the potential buyer's head so much that it becomes all-consuming, they will do anything to find the solution.
Let's face it. Desperation sells. And in today's "quick fix" consumer mentality, even the least palatable solutions start to look like a good idea. After all, we'll all try anything once.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 19, 2007 1:55 PM Permalink
The business of getting along
I've always been amused by people who talk about books that can improve your business AND personal life, or make metaphors between casual social interaction and business in order to improve one or the other. Not because it's ridiculous, but because it should be obvious. The reason so many life lessons translate well to business and vice versa is because business is just another form of social interaction, just like talking to a friend or writing a letter to a relative.
Really, business is just being social with the goal of persuading. Sales are just a conversation. Direct mail is just a letter. TV ads are just a play. Sure, each has its own rules that define them and set standards and guidelines, but the same can be said for any type of social interaction. In a sales call, you need to be professional and address the needs of the buyer. On a date you need to be polite and showcase yourself as an interesting person. At church you need to be reserved and follow the sermon. At a football game you need to be loud and energetic. And so on, and so on, and so on.
This is why social media has been such a hit with businesses. Why copywriters are starting to do work for individuals. Why the popular self-help books are snapped up by CEOs and regular Joes alike.
It's certainly not helpful to treat your life like a business, nor should you throw conventional wisdom out the window and run your business according to how you run your family. But it's simple to see that many of the same principles apply. I think we need to start recognizing that perhaps these two different spheres of life aren't so different after all.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 19, 2007 2:29 PM Permalink
July 20, 2007
Yes, but...
Two days ago, I got an email from Copywriting.com with their latest blog entry on keeping a swipe file. And today, I got an email from Copyblogger.com with a guest post by Chris Garrett on the dangers of using a swipe file. And the post, according to my feed, was sponsored by none other than (guess who!) Copywriting.com. This is a real example of one of the greatest features of blogs: their social nature.
Bloggers all over the internet have been hailing the conversational style of blogs, how sometimes the best way to write a blog post is to look at something somebody else has just written about, and contribute to the conversation. This creates a web-wide discussion and can serve to spark real debate.
The greatest advantage, however, is that this adds value. Sure, it's one thing to read the copywriting.com article and learn about swipe files; but it's another thing entirely to read that article and then get a primer on how to use a swipe file correctly from Chris G. by way of Brian Clark. This is one way that bloggers form a meaningful relationship. By playing off one another and adding their own expertise to a topic, these bloggers can enhance their readers' experience, increase readership by sharing traffic, and retain subscribers by working together to give readers extra bang for their buck...err...rss feed.
Hardly surprising to see something like this on Brian's site and written by another expert like Chris. Bravo for practicing what they preach.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 20, 2007 12:55 PM Permalink
July 22, 2007
Would you recognize opportunity knocking?
Networking is king. I've said it before, and others with more expertise than I have said it before me. There's a lot of material out there on "how" to network, and network effectively. Qualify the connection, don't dilute yourself, etc. But running on the theme of one of my earlier posts, I contend that effective networking follows from being social. Mostly because you don't necessarily know where a contact is going to come from or lead you. You may be pleasantly surprised. I know I was.
A few weeks ago, I was handed a client who needed computer and internet training. He was a senior, and just couldn't get the hang of his new computer. Since one of our mandates at SC is computer training, I was glad to help out. At first I was a little annoyed; I preferred the business side of things. But I went, and I trained him. I must say I enjoyed our sessions; the best way I could describe this gentleman would be to say he's a character. So naturally, when we waited for something to load or before and after our sessions, we were able to shoot the breeze about things other than the task at hand.
Eventually, the topic of my goals came around. I told him that I liked writing, and wanted to write for advertisements or PR some day. I didn't think much of it. The next session, he told me that he had passed my name on to his son, who works in investor relations and had worked in PR. I was able to set up an informal meeting with him to ask his advice and learn a few things. I came away with some great advice, some concrete tips on how to improve my resumé, and most importantly, the name of an executive at a large PR firm and the instructions to let her know that he had passed her name on to me.
Really, if you want to network, then just be social. Talk to people, learn from them, and stay in touch. Because they might know someone. And at the very least, you get a good conversation out of them.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 22, 2007 11:35 AM Permalink
Are you ready to fail?
You've got that big presentation coming up. You've rehearsed it a thousand times, checked your powerpoint slides meticulously, and you're sure you're going to ace it. But what happens if you don't? Nobody goes into a presentation expecting to fail; but are you prepared for it if you do?
The best laid plans
It's bound to happen. Everybody, at one point or another, falls short. It happens. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on. But for anyone who's ever stood in front of a group of people with a weighty silence hanging in the air, it feels like the end of the world. I know. I've been there. You probably have too. And if you haven't, you will...and maybe you should.
Pobody's nerfect
As I said, it's almost inevitable that at least once, the presentation won't be right. Maybe you forget the powerpoint (or bring the wrong copy). Or the projector doesn't work. Or your client was expecting a much lower cost. Or maybe it was just a bad idea that should have died on the drawing board. Sometimes it's just not in the cards to succeed. That is why you should prepare so that if you ever find yourself in a losing situation you can turn it around.
Try a fire drill
After a particularly embarrassing presentation (thankfully in a classroom setting) of a terrible idea, I was absolutely stunned. I still hesitate to talk about it. I told a relative who's taken a keen interest in my fledgling career (being in nearly the same industry) about it to see what she thought. After she finished laughing at the idea, she told me that I had probably had the best learning experience of my life. She told me that these things happen. And the fact that I got my first taste of it when it didn't matter was a stroke of brilliant luck. In fact, she said, this should be a mandatory activity: present and defend a bad idea. Because if you can learn how to stand up to harsh criticism, shrug off the stress and maybe even spin the idea to make it work, you will be a superstar down the road. Maybe we all need this, in the end. So I encourage you to arrange for a low-consequence environment where you can totally bomb, and learn how to deal with failure.
A painful lesson
I know, this sounds ludicrous. I'm not suggesting you set out to fail. Nor am I implying that any successes so far are dumb luck. What I'm getting at is, sometimes you need to fall off the bike to learn to ride. Sure, you'll scrape your knee and it'll hurt. But if you get past that and get back on, you'll be the better for it. You can recognize the warning signs, you start to learn what makes it go wrong and how to correct for it, and you gain greater confidence for it. I can now tell myself, "that wasn't the end of the world. Move on, get better, and if another presentation goes sour, it's okay. I'll bounce back in the end."
Try it out. Fail once, and learn how not to fail again. Because if you pay attention and focus on the facts instead of the negative, you won't make the same mistake twice.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 22, 2007 5:59 PM Permalink
July 23, 2007
Start doing things on your customer's time
Let's say you provide your customer with a service. Sure, that's what business is all about. And you do your utmost to make sure that they get the very best. But are you working to the beat of your customer's drum, or to your own?
This post may be considered more of a rant than anything, so let me warn you in advance. I want to talk to you about Anti-virus programs.
I have a subscription to one such program (which I will restrain myself from identifying). It's served me well. It stops intrusions and gets rid of unwelcome visitors like trojans and viruses. It does its job, and I'm thankful. But there is one TINY little feature that they omitted, and it's caused me frustration to no end.
Because of the ever-evolving world of viruses (virae?), it is important to update the database of threats regularly. I understand this. My problem is that the company has stripped the program of any user control of updates.
My computer is roughly 5 years old. And it's still working better than many computers do after 3. But it's full of files and doesn't have as much free space and available RAM as it used to. So keeping control of my processes is critical for me. I've stripped out some dead weight, and for the most part, things run smoothly. Then along comes our old friend, Antivirus. SEVERAL times a day, this program insists on checking for updates. Which takes up VAST amounts of CPU usage and memory while it's doing it. So my computer slows to a crawl, and whatever I was doing at the time has to be put on hold. Programs sputter and crash, dvds become choppy and skip, and words I type appear seconds after I type them (that doesn't sound too bad, but I want you to see how much you type in five seconds and understand how far behind that puts you). All so it can update itself. Again. And again. And again.
Now, as I have said before: I know it has to update. I don't begrudge it that. But I am annoyed that I, the user, the person who shelled out money for a subscription, cannot have it on my terms. I am away from my computer for at least 9.5 hours every week day. That's more than a third of every day that I am not using the computer, so I won't mind if it spends all its resources. So I set the program to scan my computer while I'm out at work, then go into hibernation to save energy and stop turning my room into a sauna. Why, why, WHY can't I do the same for the update schedule?
This rant seems way off course, I know. But it's a key example of how sometimes overlooking the simplest thing can drive your customers nuts, and drive them away. Like this program, you might do your job; you might be great at it, you might exceed all of your customers' expectations. But if you inconvenience your customer or don't allow them to do things on their own terms, they won't stick around for long. I know I will be taking my business elsewhere if they don't fix this by the time my subscription lapses.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on July 23, 2007 10:11 PM Permalink
July 25, 2007
The beginning
I'd like to welcome you to Key of J! Now that you've come here from Saturated Market, take off your suit and strap on a guitar. I'm still working on some leading content, but rest assured, this blog will kick off soon! So, just a few more soundchecks and the show should begin.
Thank you and goodnight,
JW
Posted by JW on July 25, 2007 7:36 PM Permalink
July 28, 2007
Cross-contamination
A while ago, while still on my old blog, I wrote a post about how social media sites aren't really in direct competition with each other. Well, I saw something today that has cemented in my mind the idea that many people are perfectly content to be part of several social media sites. Facebook groups devoted to having a Livejournal, and Livejournal groups devoted to having Facebook. And I'm sure the same exists for MySpace.
In normal competitive markets, you don't tend to see that. I'm yet to see a Chevy with the licence plate "LUV FORD". So competition isn't as intense between these sites. But needless to say, there is a, dare I say it, saturation point.
The internet is a big place. There are a lot of people on it, and that number is growing. And so the number of sign-ups for social media is increasing as well. But there are limits. People will only sign on to so many sites. Thanks to both their personal impressions and peer pressure, there are certain sites that a given person will log onto and certain sites they won't. It's usually a balancing act. To decide to join (and stay on) a site, the amount of friends on there and the amount of pressure they're putting on you will have to outweigh your own reservations.
So really, no site can expect to be the only game in town. But it's worth remembering that there's only so much room on the mountain top.
Until next time,
JW
