ChaosScenario

Ambivalence is the price of innovation

At a recent professional gathering, our speaker disparaged the "best practices" argument because, as professionals, we should advise to aim for something better than what everyone else is doing. "Best practices" is the entry fee. Innovation is the goal. I understand her point, but there are instances (particularly amidst the group of interface and application designers and developers she was speaking to), when "best practices" do indeed have an important role in building a company's brand.

When a Best Practice Isn't Enough

(Excerpted from an email to Cece Solomon-Lee)
In the late 19th century, Alexander Graham Bell offered to sell his telephone patent to Western Union for $100,000. They refused, believing the telephone to be a novelty — a kids toy — and focused on more "practical" pursuits such as multiplexing telegraph lines. Two  years later, they would have paid $25 million for Bell’s patent.

At the time, Western Union — and everyone else for that matter — knew so completely that the infrastructure did not support everyone having a telephone line run to their home, that they could not imagine the potential for Bell's device.

Buying into such unproven technology was not a "best practice," and as a result, they missed out on a huge opportunity -- perhaps THE opportunity of the century.

When a Best Practice Is a Best Practice

Graphical user interfaces built for the public — in websites or applications — present a challenge not unlike Western Union's, because of the need for differentiation, each one has unique properties.

Since normally the user is seeking the content he hopes to get on your site and because he visits a lot of sites, he doesn't want to learn a brand new interface each time. That would take too long to be useful.

The challenge, then, is to give each user something that is familiar without being ordinary. That is where "best practices" prove their utility and how good interface designers earn their money.

Many times decision-makers at companies charged with shepherding the website redesign process favor glitz and pizazz in the interface in order to differentiate themselves from their competitors. However, their efforts would often be better spent developing either a useful, usable utility or unique and useful content within an interface that makes the content easy to access, transport, and share. - Cam Beck

What's Your Blog's Personality?

I heard on the radio that there was a site out there that analyzed the text on blogs and determined from your writing style what your personality is.

A short Google search later, I found Typealyzer, which had this to say about the writing style of ChaosScenario:

The responsible and hardworking type. They are especially attuned to the details of life and are careful about getting the facts right. Conservative by nature they are often reluctant to take any risks whatsoever.

The Duty Fulfillers are happy to be let alone and to be able to work in their own pace. They know what they have to do and how to do it.

To help give the analysis context, the site gives a "scan" of the brain parts presumably most heavily used. Here's what ours looks like:

The site doesn't claim to test the actual personality of the site author, but rather the personality of the role that person assumes when writing the blog. Hence, on another blog I author, though my brain diagram was similar, my analysis seemed much different:

The long-range thinking and individualistic type. They are especially good at looking at almost anything and figuring out a way of improving it - often with a highly creative and imaginative touch. They are intellectually curious and daring, but might be physically hesitant to try new things.

The Scientists enjoy theoretical work that allows them to use their strong minds and bold creativity. Since they tend to be so abstract and theoretical in their communication they often have a problem communicating their visions to other people and need to learn patience and use concrete examples. Since they are extremely good at concentrating they often have no trouble working alone.

It's an interesting exercise and you should really try it out, but without a clear view of "the man behind the curtain," I'd admonish you to take Typealyzer's advice and "don't take it too seriously."

It doesn't measure the quality of a blog; it just gives you something to think about. - Cam Beck

P.S. Typealyzer would do well to turn its results into distributable content. I'm sure a lot of bloggers would be glad to spread the word if it were easy to do so -- even if, like me, they don't completely understand it.

Do they know how good they have it?

Near the end of my freshman year in high school, my family moved to Berlin, Germany from Havelock, North Carolina. During my three years there, I kept in touch with several friends by mail, and through those friends several others by proxy. It was tough to keep it up, though, because the lag in communication was so long. Eventually I lost contact with most of them. Facebook and Myspace give us all the tools to get back in touch and catch up, but I wonder how many take advantage of it in a meaningful way.

Let's look at the past and the present by the numbers:

1991

• 1 - 2 hours: Time it took to draft an informal personal letter to a good friend.
• 2 weeks: Time it took to send a letter from Berlin, Germany to the U.S, using the U.S. government postal system.
• 1 month: Minimum amount of time it took to receive a written response to a letter.
• 3-6 months: Amount of time between speaking with good friends across the ocean.
• $25: The approximate cost of a phone call lasting less than 30 minutes (that's about $50 in today's dollars).

Today

• 1 -15 minutes: Time it takes to draft an email.
• 30 seconds: Time it takes for a friend to receive an email after it's been sent.
• A few minutes: Time it takes to receive a response.
• 1 week: Amount of time between speaking with good friends across the ocean.
• Free: The approximate cost of a 30 minute phone call, using the right technology (ISP fees excluded).

A word of caution:

As the cost of communication decreased and the speed increased, the frequency of trivial communication increased. Now it's easy to write a few words and send it off. While it may be quicker and more immediately gratifying, with the types of information we're typically sharing ("Hey, check out this link...What a L00ser") we can't say we're forming very meaningful interactions.

While these tools hold great promise, as Pope Benedict XVI said, they also pose risks that should not be ignored.

It's not altogether bad to keep in touch with a lot of people at a superficial level. After all, I found out years ago how hard it is to consistently hold a lot of meaningful long-distance friendships over a long period of time when you don't have the tools people have today.

However, we shouldn't forget that these tools should complement our relationships, not replace them. A status update on Facebook is good. A friendly conversation over lunch or a cup of coffee is better. - Cam Beck

Managing Negative WOM Through Twitter

For Christmas, my wife got me a Polar FT60, a cross-training heart rate monitor and general fitness computing aid. It's the first time I've ever owned anything remotely similar. This thing is a technological marvel. It's worn on the wrist like a watch, but it also has a chest strap and optional GPS aid or a pedometer. With a gazillion features and only 4 buttons to manage them, even while scanning (not reading) the manual, I was immediately perplexed, and I said as much on Twitter.

As you can see, initially I didn't even mention the brand. I wasn't trying to knock the company or the product. I was just pointing out a problem that's inherent with a feature-rich device that has by necessity only a few buttons with which to interact with the features.

Once I figured out how to capture my heart rate, I posted that I figured it out, and that my heart rate was 61. But then I saw the word "elite," and it didn't seem to match my understanding of human biology. A higher resting heart rate SHOULD mean I'm in worse shape, not better.

Because Twitter was on, I decided to solicit an explanation from Twitter, and for good measure I added a hash tag so it would be seen by Jason Falls' Twit2Fit social media fitness group (which I've written about before), even if they weren't following me on Twitter.

I mentioned the brand this time (Polar), but not because I was knocking them, but rather to provide context to what I was seeing so someone could answer my question.

Within a few minutes, I found the page in the manual that explained what I was seeing (that the number wasn't my heart rate, but an index they use to determine fitness).

"Never mind," I posted to Twitter. "HRM told me my 'index' not my heart rate. #twit2fit"

Within an hour, someone called "ChrisPolarUSA," who appears to be an employee of Polar's call center, offered to help me through whatever issue I was having.

I didn't see it that night, but I responded the next morning that I figured it out, and he wrote back to let me know that I could contact him if I needed anything. I really appreciated that his response was:

• Timely
• Useful
• Personal
• Friendly

It hadn't even crossed my mind yet to contact tech support. I wasn't soliciting help from Polar. I also didn't denigrating the brand as someone else in a similar situation may have. But even if I had, ChrisPolarUSA likely would have been right on top of it to help me through my problem.

Not everyone needs to have a presence on Twitter 24/7. I don't know that Polar does this round the clock, but the fact that he responded after 9 p.m. (and again at 7 the next morning) surely indicates that they might.

But even if they don't, they've made a believer out of me by listening. But more than that, they listened where their customers are, not where they wished them to be (such as on their proprietary fitness aid, polarpersonaltrainer.com, which I've been meaning to get around to using but haven't).

So, Polar... If you're listening (and I suspect you are), thank you. Not only for offering to help me solve my problem, but for showing the world that it is possible to deliver great customer service -- even in increments of 140 characters or less. - Cam Beck

P.S. As far as I can tell at this moment, the FT60 rocks!

What to Twitter for?

I'm a late comer to Twitter. I've been on Twitter for almost a year now. I have to be honest and say that I really didn't see the purpose of getting multiple message during the day about people's different activities. Since I started using it, however, I've begun to understand that it's a great way to get a lot of information quickly.

What's been a problem with Twitter and other Web 2.0 tools is that it's hard to see its application in business. Sure, its a great way for a company to get there message out, but at the end of the day the application has to make money. I doubt that the people who are running Twitter are going to do it for free or near free for ever. They admit that it's free, for now.

A year into it's use, its use by brands and businesses is beginning to become apparent. For brands that want or can interact with their fans, it's a great way to stay in touch. The list of brands is impressive, although I think it's probably over represented by news organizations. In looking at the feeds of many of the other feeds, it showcases new products, promotions, etc.

That's a fine use of the tool. Most marketing vehicles focus on the classic four Ps of marketing (product, price, promotion and place). There are a few companies that are using the tool for what is arguably another dimension of marketing, customer service. The first time I heard about this was with Comcast. Now Dell and even the Home Depot are on twitter providing customer services as well as answering sales questions. Twitters turning out to be a lot more important than I ever thought that it would.

Here's a great post from Mashable on 40 of the Best Twitter Brand and the People Behind Them.

- Paul Herring

The Thing About Hope

Seth Godin claims that marketers sell hope. I suppose it's true, in a way, but we should make the distinct point that the only thing worse than not selling hope at all is selling hope and not delivering the results the hope demands.

Usability: An opportunity to promise hope and deliver the expected result

Marketers aren't the only ones who sell hope, by the way. This should remind us of another of Godin's maxims: Marketing is too important to be left to the professional marketers.

Periodically I must explain to people -- clients and managers alike -- how a usable website improves their brand. Almost all of them politely listen, often they believe it, but occasionally someone in authority will laugh at the concept and insist replacing that usability with marketing fluff that no one will read anyway.

They call it "branding."

I've read enough by now that I can cite chapter and verse of several usability experts who have demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that this is most often useless and frustrating. But, to these few, such objections are futile, and they are quick to dismiss the studies carried out by "usability experts" because, hey, after all, they're the "brand experts."

But if we're to take Godin's advice to heart, then we'll realize that no qualified individual comes to a website without purpose -- a hope in finding value in the form of information, entertainment, a little of both -- any number of things.

We have it in our power to make it easy on those people to find an answer they have every right to expect to find easily.

Or we can make it hard.

If we make it hard, they'll either muddle through it for as long as their hope reservoirs still contain enough goodwill to continue, or they'll deplete their supply of goodwill, leave the site, and never come back (or at least think twice about sticking around for as long as they did the first time, if they do).

So by all means, whatever it is you do for a living, sell hope. But make sure you understand what people really hope for, rather than what you hope to do in order to justify to yourself that you're providing real value. - Cam Beck

What is a killer-app?

Just when you thought you have things figured out, life has a way of redefining the way you look at things.

Lately I've been hearing clients ask for a "killer app," and we've been working like crazy to satisfy their decision-makers, but more importantly their needs. However, to understand what they're really asking for, we have to look beyond the Wikipedia definition of "killer application."

"...an application so compelling that someone will buy the hardware or software components necessary to run it."

We're pretty certain our clients haven't communicated to us and relationship between the success of their website and the success of any singular platform. In fact, our shop does an outstanding job creating standards-compliant websites that is viewable on every major platform -- and even some minor ones.

A killer app, a lot of times, boils down to developing an effective strategy that they can work within their budget and manpower limitations.

Thus, when timeframes are limited (which they always are), a killer app is just something that allows them to improve and manage compelling content effectively and efficiently -- to provide unique and hard-to-duplicate value to their audience while still working within their means.

At least, that's what I thought. Then I read this:

Sniper Rifle Software Launched for iPod Touch.

From Telegraph.co.uk:

A new application has been launched for the iPod touch to help gun users line up a clean shot at their target.

The BulletFlight app, which costs £6.99 to download from the iTunes store, has been developed by Runaway App to turn the iPod touch into a ballistics computer which the company says can provide “quick solutions in the field”.

If that's not a killer app, then language means nothing. - Cam Beck

A Tale of Two Teams

Troy Polamalu is one of the most versatile safeties in pro football. A deeply humble and religious man, he's just as likely to pray for his opponent's health as he is to knock the snot out of them or return an interception for a touchdown -- and attribute it to "luck." Historically, he has played more like a linebacker with the range of a safety, but this year, he's played more like a safety who can hit like a linebacker. When asked if he prefers playing this way more than he enjoys playing as he did in previous seasons, in what can only be described as vintage Polamalu, the Pittsburgh Steelers all-pro safety said, "I prefer winning."

The result? Partly as a result of Polamalu's 40-yard interception return for a touchdown in the AFC Championship game against the stout Baltimore Ravens, the 14-4 AFC north and conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers are heading for their 7th Super Bowl, and their 2nd in 4 years.

A Texas Ranger throws a tantrum

Michael Young is a gifted baseball player for the Texas Rangers. He's also well-paid. He makes over $6 million per year.

I don't watch baseball, but I've heard on ESPN Radio that he was a phenomenal 2nd baseman who acquiesced to being moved to shortstop, where he also played very well.

But when the Rangers asked he move to 3rd base, to make room for an up-and-coming shortstop team management might help the team win, Young had enough. He asked to be traded rather than move to a position he didn't think he could thrive in.

In what I doubt is a coincidence, the Rangers finished the 2008 season with more losses than wins. Young reluctantly agreed to move, but reports say he isn't happy about it.

Are you Michael Young or Troy Polamalu?

Are you married to your tactics, or would you rather you (or your clients) simply win? 

There is no panacea of marketing. A lot of marketers in this space -- who read this and other blogs in our blogroll -- believe in what they do. They look at the landscape of traditional marketing and witness  account executives and brand creatives who go on exotic "business" trips on the client's dime and put out tv ads (sometimes even entertaining, award-winning work) that simply don't solve the client's problems.

They resist pushing the client over to another tactic or medium because that's not what they do. That is handled by a different department, and pushing it off will mean fewer exotic business trips, or less money for their team's expense account.

Maybe the right solution is being handled by a different agency altogether, and they're too worried about their own survival to countenance the loss of revenue to a rival agency.

The same can be said of more "progressive" marketers, too -- those who so fanatically believe in Internet advertising or social media and modern Internet technologies that they eschew all traditional methods of communication.

The right solution is the one that helps your company and your clients succeed. If you haven't considered alternatives to the tactics you offer simply because you don't offer them, then hire someone who can. You can decide what to do about it later.

Your clients will appreciate (and reward) your dedication to their well-being. - Cam Beck

Competence of Heroic Proportions

Author's Note: As of this writing, I am working under the assumption that the first reports regarding the US Airways Flight 1549 are more or less accurate, that the engines were knocked out by an unforeseeable and unavoidable flock of birds and the pilot did the only thing he could do to save the lives of the passengers and crew.

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to crash-land on water? Thanks to the incredible story of yesterday's near-catastrophe, you may be able to ask someone. Or 155 someones, to be exact, all who miraculously survived a crash landing on the Hudson River.

"Everybody owes their life to that pilot," said passenger Bill Zuhowski. "Period."

While this sentiment is understandable from someone who just walked away from such an incident, let's not get too punctuation-happy just yet.

First, let's remember the flight crew and rescue workers who helped ensure everyone's survival.

However, we also should not forget the industrial designers, engineers, the manufacturers and quality management personnel of every flight component who likewise did such a competent job that they collectively, without knowing it would crash-land in water, designed and built an aircraft that could withstand a water landing.

While we're at it, let's remember the janitors who cleaned up for these people -- thereby freeing up their time and attention to put to their tasks so they could perform them better, the farmers who grow foods in large quantities so they didn't have to do it themselves, the truck drivers and train engineers who moved components, food, and everything else they needed in their work and their lives, and the laborers who loaded them for transportation.

The 155 people who survived that flight owe their lives to them, as well.

Of course, well-deserved praise is given to those at the point of the crash and rescue. The pilot, the crew, the rescue workers, and the passengers who helped get everyone out all should be honored in the coming days.

And for at least 155 people and their families and their descendants-to-be, they should be honored for several lifetimes to come.

They did their jobs and behaved like compassionate human beings, and that is laudable.

We should also admire their clear and focused presence of mind.

But for all we admire in the first group of people who are getting all of the accolades in how they did their jobs when they knew without a doubt what was on the line because they saw it, let's take a moment to reflect on the virtue of basic things like a commitment to do a good job even though their lives aren't at stake at the time they're required to do it.

Maybe it's not "heroic" in the strictest sense, but it is admirable, and it will deserve our appreciation long after the rest of the world forgets about this amazing story as they continue to pursue excellence in their own lives' work.

A job well done is often its own reward, but for the 155 who survived Flight 1549, it's so much more. - Cam Beck

How Will You Stay Relevant?

Yesterday I discussed some problems that might occur when those recognized as experts are either wrong on fundamental issues (on which they may or may not have any expertise) or become obsolete altogether in front of an audience that doesn't realize it. Today I was going to write about what it would take for experts to remain sharp and for nonexperts to become experts, and why it's important to do so -- particularly in an uncertain economy and higher unemployment.

As the market fluctuates, neither marketers in general nor agencies in particular are immune from its  effects. When this happens, oftentimes good, competent people lose their jobs for reasons that are not their fault. This can create a labor surplus, which is all unemployment really is.

When a surplus exists in a free-market economy (a relative term these days, I know), it tends to depress prices, or in the case of labor, wages. Many times, however, companies won't bother to reduce wages outright, but rather they will rid themselves of the people in their employ and hire new employees at a lower cost.

This is true insomuch as your expertise is only categorical, and you do not distinguish yourself in other ways that provide value to either your clients or your employers. Your best defense, I believe, is in providing value beyond your category of expertise.

Guy Kawasaki points us to a very good article by Kendra Van Wagner on About.com that tells us 10 techniques to become a more effective learner.

Recognizing the importance of delivering business intelligence to our clients, today I set myself on a course to learn more effective database modeling techniques. It's a fascinating subject, but I know I have my work cut out for me. I know I can learn it, but it is a risk, because it may not be the very best use of my time. All I can do is make a decision and follow through.

Knowing this, I wondered if anyone else was embarking on a similar journey -- not necessarily on the same subject, but in resolving to learn something new that will help you serve your clients and/or your employer better.

How will you stay relevant in 2009? - Cam Beck