Mid-Week Take Wed 19
About TIme! James over at Redmonk speaks to the evolution of the analyst industry in some of his most recent posts:
We’re going to be following up with a nod to the meme… Taking an editorial stance based on available information. We find new ways to package information so it wil me more appealing – in narratives, for example. Part of RedMonk’s business model is too package information in stories rather than reports.
This is refreshing. Are citizen analysts going to eventually drive traditional industry analysts out of business? I doubt it. But boy is technology going to ignite a more vigourous conversation about what is happening in the industry. Content (analysis) will become more freely available and accessible than it is through the costly models of traditional analysts today – and less linked to their clients (and source of revenue). And the smaller firms such as Redmonk are in a better position – both from an economics and credibility standpoint – to fuel it by driving conversations out of board rooms and into the blogsphere.
If nothing else, Redmonk deserves big points for a) blogging like they do and, b) being so clear about their business model. James’ blog is a must read.
Love Those Zines. I’m an eZine fanatic. Amongst my faves are Cuisine Mag out of New Zealand and Flavorpill (which produces are range of others in the city/design/style category).
Flavorpill’s most recent SF edition points to a new eZine with intriguing design – IntoTheStorm – which it wraps as:
With just about every rag these days offering a Face-like barometer of cool, digital ‘zine Into the Storm offers a refreshing take on style-mag journalism. The clincher is the examination of ideas and concepts rather than gadgets and parties: think Franz Ferdinand on Russian art, Nicholas Hawksmoor’s London churches, and how literature got hip again. Issue two is deliriously self-referential, subtitled “Everything Style Magazines Forgot To Tell You”. Spot-on advice includes how to create a global trend and how to talk your way into a nightclub. (“Create a diversion by faking a drug overdose or screaming class war from a megaphone.”) (KW)
The only drawback to all three (at least from my reading) is the lack of RSS feeds. These would make my life so much easier. Tip for Communicators #4 – RSS every content category you can. Create feeds and feed’em.
Speaking of RSS, take a look at the new news site sponsored Fabrica, the philanthropic arm of Benetton.
Every hour, 10×10 scans the RSS feeds of several leading international news sources, and performs an elaborate process of weighted linguistic analysis on the text contained in their top news stories. After this process, conclusions are automatically drawn about the hour’s most important words. The top 100 words are chosen, along with 100 corresponding images, culled from the source news stories.
Then hop on over to Wordcount an interactive presentation of the 86,800 most frequently used English words created by Number 27. Brilliant work. Ah, what the heck, visit here as well.
That Apple Thing. I’ve been getting lots of comments and questions on my comments on Apple. Here’s an edited response with the caveats a) I’m not a lawyer and b) haven’t been able to get a copy of the lawsuit.
Apple’s Lawsuit, if they continue with it, will be an unfortunate test of who is and isn’t media, fifth amendment rights, and the power of the blogsphere.
Apple’s ‘news power’ comes less from PR itself and mostly from the stunning products and business models it has launched (although they do some pretty smart things). More than anything Apple is riding a wave of innovation and market success – and those of us have been around long enough know that the wave does break at some point. When this happens they might wish they’d banked a little more goodwill in the blogsphere.
Having spent the last 17 years trying to keep products under wraps till launch I do empathize with Apple. But suing journalists for reporting will do nothing to stop this happening again. Sure it’s easier to pick on the little guys but this hardly sets any example for big media (who wouldn’t have been sued if they’d done it). And, I’m not sure the little guys could buy the resulting publicity. So why not focus on re-emphasizing to employees the importance of keeping products under wraps and leave it at that (I would be with Apple if they fired the employee that leaked the information).
The notion of Bloggers as Journalists is worth a longer conversation – in the blogsphere. I don’t think we should confuse the two – although someone can clearly succeed at being both. Nevertheless, they should have the same ‘rights’ to free speech, reporting with perspective, protecting sources etc… Yes! Thanks to Katie Payne for flagging this story on the Bloggs vs. Journalist debate.
That the one company that has so long stood for the right things now stands for limiting free speech is a tragedy. To anyone that owns and Apple and loves the brand, the notion that this is nothing more than a PR stunt is asinine. There are better and more subtle ways of working with the fans that feed you. Forbes said it well:
Apple’s current lawsuit alleges that “Unauthorized disclosure of product news diminishes the interest of both the mainstream and trade media in the launch of a new product.”
Huh?
Can you think of another company whose product news garners more coverage–regardless of unauthorized disclosures–from the geek and mainstream media?
See you later in the week.
News & Views Jan 17
Companies would be so much smarter for using Smart Cards. The Merc has a cover story on the use of Smart Cards by the military – all very similar to my days at Sun (the Smart Cards – not the military). The overall solution was so much better than the conventional badge access used by many corporations. My Java Card – as Sun calls them – allowed me access to the building and also served as my primary security log-on for computing. I just slid it in my Sun Ray and bingo, there was my compute session just like I left it. The WSJ also covers this in today’s Technology Report with a story on the savings resulting from Sun Ray-like technologies. These devices are as much a productivity boon as they are a cost saver.
Looking Back At Apple Week. It’s amazing to me how effective Apple’s PR machine has become. Or maybe how wrapped-up in Apple the media and public is these days. Apple is locked in a seemingly unstoppable positive news cycle.
First, let me say that I’m a die-hard Apple fan and Powerbook user – and I’m nothing like these guys – and I’m not about to switch Skyler! But I found last week’s announcements underwhelming. The new cheap desktop seemed to be a refresh on the Cube – albeit tipped on it’s side, encased in metal and much cheaper (the Cube started at around $1800). This isn’t a cheap desktop though. This is a cheap desktop. Or this. While not many Journalists picked-up on this, the Merc did take a look at iLife and the new iPod shuffle. Neither particularly innovative products. I do like and recommend iPhoto and iTunes but have little interest in the rest of the package and wonder why I am forced to buy them.
It also bugs me that there is still no specific launch date for Tiger and that none of these new products were on display at the Apple Stores over the weekend. From my POV this is a massive marketing oversight. I get the whole “building buzz” thing but believe we’ve moved to an increasingly real-time marketing environment. No one but the die-hard fan (that’s me) is going to keep coming back for second looks. The rest of the market simply moves on. Tip For Communicators #1 – Make Sure People Can (At Least) Experience The Products You Launch! Apple has done a good job of this on the Web, but what’s the point of the Apple store if I can’t experience new products there with all the evangelizing power of the best trained retail team in the business.
Tip For Communicators #2 – Build An Awesome Demo Foundry! Both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs’ demo crashes also continue to be a talking point. One thing I will be eternally grateful of at Sun was the quality of the demo team – they were simply the best. All communications teams should be investing in a ‘demo foundry’ that brings cool technology to life. An in between keynotes they can produce stunning content based on their technical smarts and insight – take a look at Sun’s Science Notes…
Hi-Tech Marketing Confuses Marketers – No Kidding! I’m on a bit of a Merc roll. Great story via AP on how Tech marketing confuses customers.
High-tech companies don’t release products anymore, they provide solutions. And those solutions don’t simply run a program or play a song. Instead, they enable experiences, optimize agility or make people’s passions come alive.
Say what?
Here are some of the worst offending buzzwords highlighted by AP:
Solution: Instead of making a product or offering a service, technology companies “provide solutions.” Whether the solutions solve actual problems is a different matter.
Bandwidth: Technically refers to the capacity of a communications line, but is now used much more broadly. For example, people might say they don’t have enough “personal bandwidth” (translation: time) to do a project.
Paradigm: An example or model.
Scalable: The ability of a computer or system to get bigger, typically as more users are added.
Synergy: Usually means that combining forces produces a better product – although that’s not always the case in the software world. Also seen in reference to corporate mergers.
Robust: Implies that a product is bug-free and will work under rigorous circumstances. In many products, this claim can be debated.
World-class, best-of-breed, bleeding-edge, state-of-the-art: Variations on the claim that this is a unique and superior product.
E-anything: Something that is now being done online or in another electronic space, such as e-commerce or e-mail.
Win-win: A deal where everyone allegedly benefits.
Tip For Communicators #3 – Scan For Hollow Words and Phrases. Take five or so of you most recent press releases, web articles, brochures and scan for the repeat offenders. Circulate the list and get them out of your materials.
The Naked Corporation & Communicator. Interesting opinion piece by Gordon Crovitz of Dow Jones in the WSJ this morning looking at new proposed rules from the SEC that will allow Internet broadcasts of IPO roadshows. Well about time! Technology will continue to drive transparency, leveling the playing field just as it has done before.
In the mid-1800s, James Rothschild foretold the impact of the Internet. His family had become the world’s leading banking institution by setting up offices throughout Europe, gathering intelligence and delivering it in private letters by courier and sometimes by pigeon, tipping one another off to the latest news. They used this confidential information to move local markets. But Rothschild began in the 1850s to complain, “The telegraph is ruining our business.”
Crovitz also makes some interesting points on the nature of financial markets as early adopters:
Technology changes tend to revolutionize the financial industry first because it’s early adapters in the markets who can most easily justify the effort and expense of embracing innovations. Wall Street was the first neighborhood to be “electrified” by Edison, and after the lighting of offices, an early commercial use of electricity was to power ticker machines that sped financial information (often originally transmitted by the telegraph) to traders and brokers…. It may take some time before our culture can adjust to always-on information. James Rothschild called it “a crying shame that the telegraph had been established,” delivering market news even as he took the waters on his summer vacation. “One has too much to think about when bathing, which is not good,” he wrote. Our wired, 24/7 world gives us the unprecedented privilege of limitless access. It also imposes new obligations on us to become more informed and, as regulators yield to the tide of information, to make the most of our new knowledge.
Citizen Journalism Site To Debut. Via Steve, TakeBacktheNews.Com will debut next week.
And then there is this little doozy… My faith has been restored in the media…
Have a great week!
In Hot Water…
This entry falls partly into the big gripe, Tom Peteresque – “why can’t companies be insanely great” or even try category. Having just spent a good hour trying to get someone to take a look at a Heat’n’glow fireplace (glowing so much you could heat Los Gatos) and an AO Smith water heater (glowing too little) my frustration cup overrunneth…
First, their web sites are visually OK. But if they would apply some basic rules they actually might fall into the barely working category (same category as their products):-
1. If I click contact, guess what, I might want to call you. So provide a phone number. I’m not interested in your stupid email forms and then sitting waiting for a response (it’s been six hours now). This same advice goes for all the phone companies – like duh! you think they’d want to encourage more voice and less data traffic… Also, categorize your contact information – not all dealers are ever the same so why should I have to do the leg-work to find one that will work for me.
2. Make sure your fields work. AO Smith’s warranty field just doesn’t work. And make sure they work on multiple browsers. And, don’t overdo them. Make them brain dead simple – like, “what’s your email”, and, “what’s your problem”.
3. Update your site. I mean really update it. Having called dealers listed on both sites only to find out they don’t either service the equipment or are no longer dealers, I can only assume that neither company has the most basic grasp of what is on their site.
Ongoing service needs to be viewed as integral to the brand experience. Post sales is where most of the brand experience happens. My experience of both companies product and service is now so tainted it’s unlikely I would recommend buying either their stock or products. Companies need to realize that while we buy a product we only borrow or rent the brand. I might have to keep what I either inherited or bought – but I don’t have to ever come back to the brand.
Moreover, the Participatory Communications Revolution means that we all now have a voice – the web has been turned into a massive recommendation engine. It’s time more companies focused on recommendation as a measure of success – it’s the metric that can really capture how good you are doing on total brand experience. These guys get an F so far and can have their brands back.
Moving On
Today I announced that I’m moving on from what has been an incredible three years at Sun. When I joined the Company I was handed a huge challenge and together with the team we stepped up to it. All of them – from media and analyst relations through events, marcomm and Diana on the web – can take a lot of credit for helping all those connected to Sun understand that the turnaround is afoot and that Sun is back.
I want to thank all my team – Sun-side and agency-side – for all your support and friendship over the past three years (about ten years in the real world :-). Your kind words over the past day mean a huge amount to me. I am immensely proud of all we’ve done together and the perceptual change we’ve been able to drive in the market. The real story will be told by you as you shine a light on Sun’s successes – and what the new Sun stands for. We’ve built an amazing foundation on which that story can now be told. You are an immensely talented group and I’m certain you will continue to build on our successes and momentum. Take care of each other – I’m proud to have been able to work with you all.
This wasn’t a decision I made lightly. I have huge respect for Scott (and all of Sun’s leadership team) and believe Sun is back on offense, so the time is right for me to make my next move.
This is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times to be a communicator. A confluence of technologies – from blogs and podcasting to wikis and digital media – are radically changing marketing, supply chains and how buyers/consumers make decisions. The web is a platform that is changing forever the way communications occurs (citizens as journalists, commentators and pundits is the earliest sign of this change). New communities of influence are emerging.
It’s also a huge time of personal change for me as Kristen and I look forward to the arrival of a baby girl in April.
So now you’ve got a hint as to where my head is heading… Keep an eye on my blog for announcements.
I’ll also pen a longer note in the coming weeks on my time at Sun and some of the things I learnt. It’s an incredible company staffed and led by some of the brightest minds on earth. It’s a company with the right strategy, and the right leadership – all at the right time. Ok – so not everyone gets this but as the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
Kia Kaha!
Pew Report On Blogging
Worth a read.
By the end of 2004 blogs had established themselves as a key part of online culture. Two surveys by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in November established new contours for the blogosphere: 8 million American adults say they have created blogs; blog readership jumped 58% in 2004 and now stands at 27% of internet users; 5% of internet users say they use RSS aggregators or XML readers to get the news and other information delivered from blogs and content-rich Web sites as it is posted online; and 12% of internet users have posted comments or other material on blogs. Still, 62% of internet users do not know what a blog is.
