It's that time again. Sometime over the course of the next 8 months, there will descend to Earth a new, shiny bouncing baby Van Dusen. All hail the next generation--and just when you thought you were still young, this news hits the 'net: Ryan Giggs will be retiring as his best days 'are behind him.' He's 34. Ugh. THAT makes me feel ooooollllllddddd.
But next fall I'll be holding our newest addition on my lap, so I could really care less. Have a great evening y'all and if you're in Florida, don't forget to Vote tomorrow!
-Shawn
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
History Nerd Alert
Read the above article and realize that not only is there nothing new under the sun, but the odds are 'nothing new' was actually invented a long, long time ago.
-Shawn
-Shawn
Nerdly nerd nerd
So if you've been following along for the ride, you should remember that last week a new cell phone was rammed down my throat. Woo-hoo. Yes, script-kiddies, you could cut the excitement with a very rusty knife. I ended up with Verizon VX6800 (8600? who can keep track).
Meh. Yes it has a slick interface. Yes it has a nice, big, readable screen. Yes it has (FINALLY) buttons that are large enough that someone over 25 can use them. But when it's all said and done: meh.
You know what excites me the most: it's supposed to be more reliable than my old Treo. Yup, that's it. Just make a damn phone that works and I'll be happy. Not a single 'new thing' (play movies or music???? BFD.) helps out the business case for the phone at all (yet).
I'm officially old. Now, get off my lawn and get me a glass of iced tea.
-Shawn
Meh. Yes it has a slick interface. Yes it has a nice, big, readable screen. Yes it has (FINALLY) buttons that are large enough that someone over 25 can use them. But when it's all said and done: meh.
You know what excites me the most: it's supposed to be more reliable than my old Treo. Yup, that's it. Just make a damn phone that works and I'll be happy. Not a single 'new thing' (play movies or music???? BFD.) helps out the business case for the phone at all (yet).
I'm officially old. Now, get off my lawn and get me a glass of iced tea.
-Shawn
Friday, February 15, 2008
Technology Blows
We all budget for emergencies. Businesses allocate a reserve fund. Households have their savings accounts. Individuals sock money away under mattresses. All so they can cope when something unexpected happens. After all, when your car dies unexpectedly, it's a financial expenditure that you have to deal with RIGHT NOW.
But what about the time cost? It's nearly impossible to allocate or reserve 'emergency time' to deal with the unexpected. Businesses, if they're large enough, have support staff on-hand to cope with the day-to-day emergencies that crop up (Assuming there's enough volume of them to justify having staff to be on hand to fix them). But what about small businesses, homes and individuals?
Let me give you an example: yesterday morning, my cell phone died. Big deal. Sure, I was off the 'net for 2 hours while I went to the Verizon store and picked up an immediate replacement. 2 hours I can deal with--just work later at night (and I was up until 1:15am, so pardon my grammar!). But then, it took 3 hours to get the phone to sync with my laptop. And my cell's my mobile office--without my contacts and calendar, I might as well be toting around a brick.
It was the extra 3 hours, the unexpected 3 hours, that killed my productivity yesterday. Meetings were postponed and work was moved until the wee hours of the night. We had the 'tech. emergency' fund that covered the expense of the replacement phone (estimate each phone will last 2 years, each computer will last 3 years, most other hardware 2 years, etc...) but there was no way that I could have budgeted 'emergency time,' or was there?
There's a business model in here to be exploited.
-Shawn
But what about the time cost? It's nearly impossible to allocate or reserve 'emergency time' to deal with the unexpected. Businesses, if they're large enough, have support staff on-hand to cope with the day-to-day emergencies that crop up (Assuming there's enough volume of them to justify having staff to be on hand to fix them). But what about small businesses, homes and individuals?
Let me give you an example: yesterday morning, my cell phone died. Big deal. Sure, I was off the 'net for 2 hours while I went to the Verizon store and picked up an immediate replacement. 2 hours I can deal with--just work later at night (and I was up until 1:15am, so pardon my grammar!). But then, it took 3 hours to get the phone to sync with my laptop. And my cell's my mobile office--without my contacts and calendar, I might as well be toting around a brick.
It was the extra 3 hours, the unexpected 3 hours, that killed my productivity yesterday. Meetings were postponed and work was moved until the wee hours of the night. We had the 'tech. emergency' fund that covered the expense of the replacement phone (estimate each phone will last 2 years, each computer will last 3 years, most other hardware 2 years, etc...) but there was no way that I could have budgeted 'emergency time,' or was there?
There's a business model in here to be exploited.
-Shawn
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Social Networking
If you're here, you already know what social networking is. But lately we've seen a significant rise in the number of customers who have 'exhausted traditional marketing outlets' and are looking to 'maximize marketing ROI' (i.e. they want to market their stuff on-line at low cost).
And there goes the bandwagon.
But has it really passed there merchants by? No-one in their area is using the internet to connect to customers (i.e. no local competition) and their services are geographically bound. There are many (still) immature on-line markets that can be segmented down. The start-up and ongoing costs are minimal compared to comparable 'real-world' efforts (where comparable r/l channels exist).
What kills me is that it's only 10 years (ten flippin' years) that we started on-line community building and marketing that customers are actually ASKING for these tools. Must be we didn't market our (At the time) new products and services well enough.
-Shawn
And there goes the bandwagon.
But has it really passed there merchants by? No-one in their area is using the internet to connect to customers (i.e. no local competition) and their services are geographically bound. There are many (still) immature on-line markets that can be segmented down. The start-up and ongoing costs are minimal compared to comparable 'real-world' efforts (where comparable r/l channels exist).
What kills me is that it's only 10 years (ten flippin' years) that we started on-line community building and marketing that customers are actually ASKING for these tools. Must be we didn't market our (At the time) new products and services well enough.
-Shawn
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Music
Really, and what music to you have piped through the office? Is your place a relaxed, classical music suite? Or do your troops work better to light rock? What about the company I visited this morning--all country music, all the time? (And I couldn't wait to get out of there!)
We're eclectic--and quiet. Everyone in an office can play their own tunes. The cubical staff can listen to headphones. And I refuse to pollute the foyer with Enya.
But we will be using country music in the negotiating room in the future.
Later-
Shawn
We're eclectic--and quiet. Everyone in an office can play their own tunes. The cubical staff can listen to headphones. And I refuse to pollute the foyer with Enya.
But we will be using country music in the negotiating room in the future.
Later-
Shawn
Monday, February 11, 2008
Customer Management
Yes, it all comes down to this. Know your customers. Manage your customers.
And I don't mean date them or stalk them, but know their needs and behavior patterns. What motivates them? What factors of influence most strongly affect them? How can you structure your product and services lines in conjunction with your pricing and marketing strategies and tactics to exploit (which is quite the pejorative word) their perceived needs?
SWOT and needs assess. Those two elements will move you closer to your goals than any other element.
later-
Shawn
And I don't mean date them or stalk them, but know their needs and behavior patterns. What motivates them? What factors of influence most strongly affect them? How can you structure your product and services lines in conjunction with your pricing and marketing strategies and tactics to exploit (which is quite the pejorative word) their perceived needs?
SWOT and needs assess. Those two elements will move you closer to your goals than any other element.
later-
Shawn
Friday, February 08, 2008
Another Day
Just another day in sunny Florida. I learned something today--which, by my grandfather's reasoning means that it was a good day--and that was the level of activity which a political party will work with candidates at the various levels within Florida. For example, everyone knows that unless you're in a large metro area, parties really could care less about city commissioners. Sorry kids, them's the breaks.
But unless you're in Dade or Orange or the other SIZABLE counties, the major parties really could give a rat's ass about county commissioners or the other constitutional positions.
Which is moronic.
And here's why. Campaigns live on two things. Money and information. Money can buy the information, educate voters, get your candidate in front of the targeted voters, etc. But it's information that rules the roost. It's information that lets you know WHO are the most effective and motivatable voter blocs. What are their profiles (Demo, psycho, behavioral, etc.)? What are the issues that mater the most to those blocs? Who are the players in those blocs? etc, etc, etc. The tighter you can target each bloc, the more effective your campaigning (marketing) will be.
And that information, my friends, is already in the hands of the major parties. So, spread the love. Grow your roots and work with your local districts. At least, dispense enough information (don't bring up training) to make the local campaigns effective. Information horded and not properly dispensed is opportunity lost.
And get off my lawn. Damn kids.
-Shawn
But unless you're in Dade or Orange or the other SIZABLE counties, the major parties really could give a rat's ass about county commissioners or the other constitutional positions.
Which is moronic.
And here's why. Campaigns live on two things. Money and information. Money can buy the information, educate voters, get your candidate in front of the targeted voters, etc. But it's information that rules the roost. It's information that lets you know WHO are the most effective and motivatable voter blocs. What are their profiles (Demo, psycho, behavioral, etc.)? What are the issues that mater the most to those blocs? Who are the players in those blocs? etc, etc, etc. The tighter you can target each bloc, the more effective your campaigning (marketing) will be.
And that information, my friends, is already in the hands of the major parties. So, spread the love. Grow your roots and work with your local districts. At least, dispense enough information (don't bring up training) to make the local campaigns effective. Information horded and not properly dispensed is opportunity lost.
And get off my lawn. Damn kids.
-Shawn
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Robert Moses
Read 'The Power Broker' by Robert Caro. It's the biography of Robert Moses, one of the most influential and powerful men to control New York State's government apparatus during the twentieth century. It's a study in administrative power, how to find it, grasp it, use it and keep it.
It's also a horrifying example of what the long-range effects can be where there is 'too much' power in one man's hands.
-Shawn
It's also a horrifying example of what the long-range effects can be where there is 'too much' power in one man's hands.
-Shawn
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Football
It's that time of the year again--that's right, it's been 6 years to the day since I proposed to my wife. What? You think anything else really compares to that? Sorry. Not in my world, kiddo.
To all watching tonight, have a great evening and please (dear god, PLEASE) let the game be an interesting one.
-Shawn
To all watching tonight, have a great evening and please (dear god, PLEASE) let the game be an interesting one.
-Shawn
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