CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-06 12:45:38 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Was thinking along the same lines as telephony - remember the price gouging for long distance? Sounds like this is a monopoly ready for disruption.

2013-06-06 00:08:39 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

How easy it is to withhold credit. Too easy. 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

[Theodore Roosevelt]

2013-06-03 03:21:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

via +Nat Torkington 

working in a chocolate factory, learning the differences and overlaps between a web startup and an more traditional physical goods business. It’s so much easier to build a sustainable organization around a simple revenue model. There are no tensions between ad partners, distribution sites, engineering, and sales teams. There are fewer points of failure. Instead, everyone is aligned towards a simple goal: make something people want.

2013-05-29 00:53:12 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Why I like to use the "search" box when I'm writing a story. Even as AirBnB has admittedly provided a good alternative to hotels, recent user experiences should be taken into consideration when writing articles on the collaborative economy.

2013-05-27 15:16:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

App potential via +Greg Sterling 

the paper’s annual “top 100 restaurants” guide is a “no-brainer” mobile app. It could quickly become a rival to Yelp (if well done). The Chronicle could also produce the definitive Bay Area events and entertainment app. Local sports coverage (including college sports) and scores could be exploited both online and in mobile app form.

2013-05-27 14:53:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Good case study on Charity:Water tucked into this post via +Frederic Filloux - three principles that make it work:

First, 100% of donations should reach a project.

Principle number two, build a brand, with all the attributes that go with it: Strong visual identity and well-designed web site>

The third and probably the most innovative idea was to rely on simple, proven digital technologies to guarantee complete project traceability. 

2013-05-23 03:22:12 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

influence can be small, subtle and complicated, and often driven by small acts of generosity.

via +Adam Tinworth 

2013-05-23 03:03:34 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

When standards are not set that's where opportunity is.

2013-05-23 01:30:50 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

We had a great conversation about Google+ with +Lynette Young last night at the #IABCPhiladelphia  event - even though I have been publishing for years to social networks, some of which I built and facilitated myself, I learned new things. The fourth step is participating and learning with/from peers. Enough about the "guru" stuff. We're in this together.

2013-05-19 22:51:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

We have newspaper kiosks in Italy as well - I expect the best selling magazines would be about the same biweekly publications, it would be Elle. But for the monthly ones it's Vogue

2013-05-19 13:36:44 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Forced to use a different browser to view YouTube videos for a post on education because Google insists I should sync all channels according to what IT algorithmically wants.  
No, thank you.  On YouTube, I am/remain Conversation Agent. Forcing a path vs. sharing data back with me a non starter.

2013-05-17 17:25:41 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

via +Mark Suster 

We now have an entire industry spun up here of next generation content producers. In just 2 years we’ve gone from garage startups to more than 600 people across just 5 companies: Maker Studios, Machinima, FullScreen, BigFrame and Zefr. And video views now produced and managed by these 5 companies totals more than 4 BILLION per month.

2013-05-16 00:21:21 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Save the date IABC Philadelphia event w +Lynette Young -  May 21, 6PM: How Does Google+ Add up? 

2013-05-16 00:19:02 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Is it me, or does this look a lot like a Facebook page? Just checking - did a double take tonight.

2013-05-12 18:53:25 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

A special thank you to all mothers.

2013-05-08 17:54:57 (0 comments, 5 reshares, 5 +1s)

Save the date IABC Philadelphia event w +Lynette Young -  May 21, 6PM: How Does Google+ Add up? 

2013-05-08 13:14:57 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Want to become a "go-to" in your industry? Start by keeping your promises with employees and customers so you can make better ones. Simple, not easy to do. The alternative is a lot of duplicative effort.

2013-05-08 01:06:19 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

I'm a huge fan of preparing and eating meals together - food is a great excuse/reason to be social.

via +Tim Kastelle 

2013-05-07 23:41:23 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

The retail space is evolving at a very fast rate indeed. 

Hointer store is a microwarehouse, controlled by customers’ mobile phones and our algorithms. It is a store and a distribution center right next to customers, all in one. Compared to stores of traditional retailers, it has a much smaller footprint and takes less people to run. Compared to online retailers, Hointer is much closer to customers, making one hour delivery to the doorstep reality.

2013-05-07 00:36:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

via +tina roth eisenberg - Happy Monday!

“If you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I am not interested in your feedback.”
- Brené Brown 

2013-05-06 02:04:57 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Same area affected by earthquakes last May. 

2013-05-03 20:00:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

hat tip +Tim Kastelle 

We need to start thinking about building the reality of temporary advantages into the way we hire - e.g., looking for flexibility/adaptability, desire to learn/share constantly, and ability to cross domains. Then putting some thought into how teams work together to support development and talent allocation.

1. why it matters
2. what is important
3. how it's done

2013-04-30 14:36:32 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

via @farnamstreet-- resonates with my experience

When I think about the world in which we live and the organizations in which we work, I can’t help but think that few people have the intellectual honesty, time, and discipline required to hold a view.

We have a bias for action and, equally important, a bias for the appearance of knowledge.

When’s the last time you heard someone say I don’t know?

Especially the ending.

2013-04-30 13:06:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I've always said we should use food as an excuse to be social, enjoy each other's company. Comes from my "made in Italy" heritage, I suppose. Which is why I have some plans up my sleeve to wake up this fairly automated online environment with some offline FUN stuff ;-)

2013-04-30 02:34:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Fun and differing POVs in the comments to this article. Highlighting the importance of user research, along with business vision...

2013-04-30 02:14:05 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

via +Adam Tinworth c: +Jonathan Lupo +Jon Ashley 

2013-04-28 18:51:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

via +Doc Searls - thinking about implications for a post. Meanwhile, here are some points that resonated with me.

some important thoughts on Web protocols, in a way a reflection on the relationship people would like to have with content. They want:

shows to live. Also producers and artists and distributors

I've been thinking about the concept of media as canvas and entertainment as the goal. Hence creativity, storytelling, and connection with characters is what we care about.

The Net is an environment built for abundance. You can put all the scarcities you want on it, because an abundance-supporting environment does that.

2013-04-28 14:02:56 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Context and knowledge most important for mobile.

2013-04-24 14:24:38 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Sadly, I am one of them... may be temporary however.

As if Capital One didn't already have one of the worst logos in circulation they have doubled down on both the amount of swooshes and amount of suck with the takeover of ING Direct, a popular online banking service, which was acquired by Capital One in February and has just renamed it Capital One 360. (Please visit the new site so that you can "paint" the new logo). We extend our sincerest condolences to those and their family who now bank with this tragedy.

2013-04-24 14:16:13 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

But they didn't ask customers and when customers provided feedback they did NOTHING with it. Bye, bye.

2. “Don’t crush the butterfly”: Capital One CMO Peter Horst shared how the company incorporated its acquisition of ING Direct into the business and rebranded the unit as Capital One 360. ING Direct had a passionate customer base of savers who did not like big banks and preferred the ING Direct approach of online account management, cafes instead of branches and accessibility instead of attitudes. Knowing that Capital One had things it could learn from ING Direct — and had the potential to ruin what made the online bank beloved by its customers — Capital One’s CEO issued the mandate “don’t crush the butterfly!” (the brand symbol of ING Direct). Lesson: Acquires should be humble enough and astute enough to take time to listen to, learn from and constantly communicate with theacquired company’... more »

2013-04-22 00:41:44 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

As it was with music, as it is with publishing, business models that used to work are in need to rethinking. Building a bridge to what's next is preferable to a cliff.

2013-04-15 23:55:51 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Via +Dan Gillmor 

My thought on the events is a question: "what kind of world are we contributing to creating?" Each one of us. It's worth pondering.

2013-04-14 23:26:01 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Dare I also say avoid poor customer service?

UK-based TransferWise is a service that connects consumers seeking to exchange GBP and EUR (and since November 2012 USD), and avoid bank service fees, high commissions and/ or poor rates. Currencies are exchanged according to the common mid-market rate as reported by worldwide currency markets, rather than traditional retail bank rates, which are usually much worse. Since the company launched in January 2011, users have exchanged over EUR 10 million and saved more than EUR 500,000 in the process.

2013-04-11 23:01:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Heaven forbid you speak from your own experience -- don't you know you've got to have proof you actually did what you did as told by a third party? File under: duh!

2013-04-11 02:27:35 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

and why can't I share from GReader anymore? 

2013-04-08 12:48:07 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

via +Ron Shevlin 

Another question we should ask is "how" are these companies integrating social into their programs? Are the programs rethought taking into account how their customers use each channel and their information needs? 

It goes beyond the "persona" exercise, etc.

2013-04-08 02:48:14 (8 comments, 3 reshares, 7 +1s)

But he's so divorced from the traditional TV ecosystem it could be hard to go back. It's become easier for him to navigate his smartphone than to figure out how to use a TV set-top box and the button-laden remote control.

2013-04-08 00:19:27 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

How does your organization treat people who think differently?

Not how it talks about them. What it does with them.

2013-04-05 00:25:29 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 4 +1s)

The points are just a medium – something that allows us to get the thing that will create enjoyment. But because the points are so easy to measure and compare...

2013-04-05 00:14:08 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

via +David Weinberger 

One result of online privately-owned public spaces is “the wholesale destruction of your wedding photos.” When people lose them in a fire, they are distraught because those photos cannot be replaced. Yet everyday we hear about a startup that “succeeds” by selling out, and then destroying the content that they’d gathered. We’ve all gotten the emails that say: “Good news! 1. We’re getting rich. 2. You’re not. 3. We’re deleting your wedding photos.” They can do this because of the terms of service that none of us read but that give them carte blanche. We tend to look at this as simply the cost of doing business with the site.

But don’t see it that way, Anil urges. “This is actually a battle” against the values of the early Web. In the mid to late 1990s, the social Web arose. There was a time when it was meaningful thing to say thatyou’re a blogger. It was dis... more »

2013-04-02 21:26:13 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 7 +1s)

Creative people thrive on having others impacted by their ideas. Without feedback, their motivation begins to wither and die.

2013-04-01 00:54:35 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

I enjoy learning about the behind the scenes with new designs.

2013-03-28 23:43:06 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

A while back, I also compiled a list of tips for speaking and presenting - http://www.conversationagent.com/2008/07/how-to-give-a-presentation-and-change-the-world.html [includes many resources]

2013-03-28 23:31:57 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Fascinating project!

2013-03-24 22:06:43 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

via +farisyacob - from the book:

Today the marketing function seems to be disappearing from the agency world. There was a time when the marketing people in the agencies were better than their clients. That may not have been true at Proctor, but it was at most of our clients.

2013-03-24 22:02:05 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

via #MondayNote - quoting Scott Adams, Dilbert's creator:

The fields of management/success/leadership are a lot like the finance industry in the sense that much of it is based on confusing correlation and chance with causation. We humans like to feel as if we understand and control our environments. We don’t like to think of ourselves as helpless leaves blowing in the wind of chance. So we clutch at any ridiculous explanation of how things work.

2013-03-22 17:41:01 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

A look back on the evolution of Twitter through business lens, as a tool for customer service, as a social network, what it meant for the community, its love affair with TV, and media use cases.

2013-03-21 01:14:07 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

Appearing as a guest at a big convention like MegaCon is a lot of fun, but it’s also exhausting. People always ask me if my arm or hand or wrist is tired near the end of a long day of signing, and I always tell them the truth: my body never gets tired; it’s my brain that is exhausted. Signing is so much more than, well, signing. It’s listening and engaging and sharing moments and meeting hundreds of people in a relatively short amount of time, doing my best to not rush people while understanding that the person in front of me and the person still waiting behind them may have been in that line for over an hour. It’s drawing out shy kids who are excited to meet me, but don’t know what to say. It’s handling people who can be a little strange — if harmless — who may not know when it’s really time for them to move on. It’s telling someone that I’m sorry, but I can’t sign that thing, or Ican’t pose for that pic... more »

2013-03-20 16:34:57 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 2 +1s)

we interrupt your skipping with the ad you were trying to fast forward through - fascinating.

2013-03-20 13:46:52 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 4 +1s)

Which is how we're finding that taking a break and going out into the world to explore by experimenting are both terrific means to "DO" and make sense of how things work.

Babies are the model of how we learn—not by passive reaction to the environment but by active testing through observation, hypothesis, experiment, and conclusion.