Today’s post is about a great example of how you can fail and leave users feeling good about you. I signed up for a new web service after I read about it on a tech blog. I won’t tell you the name but in short it’s something that syncs all of your contact information together in one place. When you have as many “places” as I do, and the accompanying contacts, this is a great thing to have. If it worked. And it didn’t. But here’s why I’m OK about that. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: September 2010
See Me, Pay Me
MSNBC Digital did something really interesting yesterday and it raised a couple of questions in my mind. On the one hand, they’re making a powerful statement about the accountability possible with digital advertising. On the other hand they might be raising a number of issues for their corporate cousins in other media. But let’s review what they’ve done and I’ll let you decide. Continue reading
Filed under digital media
It’s Not My Problem
Isn’t finger-pointing annoying? Especially when it’s coupled with a shrug of the shoulders and a dismissive attitude? I think it is. Of course, it’s kind of ironic that in raising the issue I’m actually pointing a finger at it, but too bad (he said, shrugging his shoulders and being dismissive).
But it’s a serious issue, especially as the technology we use to run our businesses (or upon which we build the entire enterprise) gets more complicated and providers become intertwined. Here’s what set me off. Continue reading
Filed under digital media, Helpful Hints
Warm Sushi
This post may seem kind of familiar since I’ve written on this topic before. However, since businesses keep screwing up customer service, I’ll keep writing about it in the hopes that someone notices and asks themselves if they’re doing it correctly. If nothing else, it lets me vent and keeps my head from exploding!
Friday night was going to be a quiet night of a little take out and catching up on all the Netflix stuff we have sitting around. Yes, we still get the DVD‘s even though we do stream movies through the Xbox too. Strangely, the technology worked perfectly within our plan – it was the take out that killed us. Let me review. Continue reading
Filed under Consulting, food, Helpful Hints
Screwing It Up
We’ve made it to the end of another week and so we’ll do a quick riff on food. Of course it leads to something business-related but you’re used to that by now, right?
I love the “Eat This Not That” books. I also get their daily news blast and today’s was kind of fun. It’s all about the worst chicken dishes in America. That would be from a nutritional point of view and not a comment on flavor, by the way. You can leaf through the dishes (along with some suggested alternatives) here but let’s think about something else in the process. Continue reading
Filed under Thinking Aloud
Helicoptering Away Your Privacy
I was trying to explain Foursquare to someone this morning. The issue on which we got focused was not so much is it a game or is it a social utility (It’s a floor wax! It’s a dessert topping! – if you don’t get that, search Shimmer Floor Wax). The issue we kept discussing was privacy. In fact the discussion expanded into a broader one inclusive of Facebook, Twitter, and most other social media and I had a thought I’d like to share. Continue reading
Filed under Thinking Aloud
Red Light, Green Light
Ah, the joys of driving. You’d think that when folks get behind the wheel they’d actually try to appreciate them instead of doing a dozen other things that distract them. I was reminded of this again this morning as I came back from the dentist (great way to start the day, I know) and came to a series of red lights. Now, I admit I’m from the “anyone driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac” school of thinking. However, this morning brought out another thought and of course there’s a business link to it. Continue reading
Filed under digital media, Helpful Hints