These my micropostings and bookmarks – November 17th from 14:30 to 23:15:
Versions – Mac Subversion Client (SVN) – Is this not a) one of the most be-au-tiful logos for ages, and b) one of the nicest interfaces to subversion on the planet? Wish I’d had this last year when trying to use SVN on a vodafone 3G modem from France… Now, I find myself looking for an excuse to log onto a repository!
Innovation Awards 2008 Shortlist | Events | E-consultancy.com – e-Consultancy announces the shortlists for their Innovation Awards. I’ll be working with the other judges to whittle these down to winners and I’m very much looking forward to that.
These my micropostings and bookmarks – November 13th through November 17th:
FT.com / UK – Letter from Iceland – What a wonderful article from Robert Jackson, an FT journalist living in Icelands since 2003. Clear, moving and thought-provoking.
I have cycled and walked in Iceland and dream weekly of those experiences. This article brings home the issues the Icelandic people are facing in a very human fashion.
“I urge you all to guard that which is most important in the life of every one of us, to protect those values which will survive the storm now beginning. I urge families to talk together and not to allow anxiety to get the upper hand, even though the outlook is grim for many. We need to explain to our children that the world is not on the edge of a precipice, and we all need to find an inner courage to look to the future… Thus with Icelandic optimism, fortitude and solidarity as weapons, we will ride out the storm.
God bless Iceland.”
Asos: net gain – Telegraph – Nice article by Charlie Porter at the Torygraph on ASOS’ business approach, history and USP. Good, pacey read.
Doom-mongering: A 2009 Internet Media Plan – “Down is the new up”, “survival of the quickest” and a ‘cut now not later’ mantra… Nick Denton does a reprise of the Things I Wish I’d Known in 2001 – but with nice charts.
Interesting, if not wholly disinterested post from Nick. It’s always good to be the first, most Grizzly of bears when independent. There’s no doubt though that in the last decade Nick has seen/set the gamut of digital publishing’s highs and lows.
These my micropostings and bookmarks – November 9th through November 11th:
Manage Relationships From Your Inbox | SocialMinder – Finally starting to see services that combine real world behaviour (eg emailing) with static representations of a network (eg lists of contacts). Ideally, a link/API into desktop applications will follow – eg taking an APML profile, or linking to www.rescuetime.com’s desktop monitoring tool… Still, a start’s a start and it’s interesting for that at the very least.
mySociety » Travel-time maps – Interesting multivariate data meeting simplified and useful graphical presentation.
carboncreditz™ – Welcome – Earn ‘carbon creditz’ while you shop (think air miles or nectar points) – to be spent on carbon offsets or ‘green’ things (eg Penguin hand-powered LED torch) and eco-stuff.
Another nice article from the Snow Patrol – a blog worth watching.
J Sainsbury plc – “New breed of ‘Darwinist shopper’ is unearthed by research” – Wonderful example of PR here. Boring story (‘shoppers go for decent-enough own-brand in difficult times’) is re-presented as ‘Darwinism’ – an ‘evolved consumer’ for these difficult times. Classic effort here by agency Cake and Ms Butt the PR person. Leaving aside that individual organisms tend not to evolve (rather, it’s the species as a result of mutations being more apt), or the implicit message that their customers had some space for evolutionary improvements (!) and even the arrant nonsence that there’s a ‘discovery’ of high science in customers’ trading down, this is still a cheeky release. Kudos. Clearly, Cake are to be watched and Sainsbury’s seem to be evolving a sense of humour 😉
The folk at Bazaarvoice have been more diligent and professional than me in their recording of the event. See below a rather nifty ‘showreel’ of the event:
Next up was the always entertaining and often controversial Ian Jindal, Editor-in-Chief of Internet Retailing, discussing the Art of Distraction. Ian painted a vivid picture of where consumer power is heading, a future in which customers own their own web experience and gravitate toward those brands who engage them while also making their lives easier.
Thanks for the kind words and again for a fun event. Still grappling with the ‘basic’ magic tricks though…
In similar vein to Google Finance’s and Plone’s attempts to complete your search string as you type it, showing a dynamic drop down box with an ever-refining list of matches, so too does BabyAge – but with the addition of thumbnails.
On the homepage just type something into the Search box (eg “Britax”) and you’ll see a refined product list complete with product thumbnail.
Now, call me ungrateful, but why not add in a price, the option to filter by ‘in-stock-ness’ or to overlay flashes (eg new in, exclusive, on sale, last few). Indeed, why not allow the ‘slide of a mouse’ to pop up an overlay with a mini-product page? Why not an ‘add to basket’ or ‘buy now’ button?
So – not an evil or inept addition, but rather a “so what” step that leaves me wanting more.
How about “ShoppingDrill” as a new drill-down-and-shop-from-the-searchbar approach?
I really enjoyed speaking on Wednesday at e-consultancy’s FODM conference. This is the 5th iteration of their ‘what’s new in online marketing’ format and the emphasis this year was less on “newness” and more on strategic importance and direction.
The roster of speakers was intimidating and the senior audience (with many clients and contacts) just added to the, ahem, ‘helpful pressure’.
It was a great opportunity to build upon some of the Digital Resolutions and similar best-practice presentations I’ve given this year and look at the underlying trends and emergent opportunites: from data, metadata, microformats, attention data (and my current love, APML), semantic data and towards a time when the data, enlivened by algorithms for use, spacial/place-awareness, contextual triggers and oodles of cunning creates a network effect – changing the nature of future marketing and engagement with customers. Long sentence.
The slides are available slideshare, but since it’s more picture than points I’ve listed some of the key sites and references below.
Nico Macdonald and the BBC have announced The Media Futures Conference, being…
“… a one day exploration of the dynamics and trends shaping the future of media. As well as an opportunity for lively debate, the conference will feature presentations showcasing innovative projects, showing smart thinking in practice and illustrating the scope of what is possible “
The website – Media Futures Conference 2008 – has information on the agenda and speakers (I’m Chairing a session on provocations).
The tickets have already sold out once so if you’re interested in attending I’d suggest you register promptly (Update: there’s also a “Waiting” list available via the ticketing page).
Sweet and rather apt magazine piece on “pottering”. Starting from Monty Don’s recouperation (aided by pottering) the piece makes an opportunity for a bit of comedy (describing that modern phenomenon ‘working at home’ via the metaphor of gardening…) and a more serious point about self-directed, deadline-free work…
This is the more active version of “quality slobbing time” (QST[tm]), which is a more determined, nay total rejection of structured activity. It’s a close relative of “man time” and shares with it the temporary abandonment of personal hygiene, conversation and a balanced diet, but adds in a particular focus on some activity that other people would consider banal or perverse – eg protestations the Under Siege is the best film ever and must be watched. Again. Or channel surfing for CSI repeats.
Potterers and QSTiados will of course claim that either pastime is simply the inverse of the otherwise manic, pressured, hyper-productive Blackberry Lifestyles they lead. Of course it it.
