May 2012
2 posts
4 tags
The Dogpile Search iPhone app launched! →
Just completed and launched the Dogpile Search app for the iPhone. Pretty excited to get this one out the door. Check it out. Let me know what you think.
1 tag
It's been a while
I’ve had a pretty rough couple of months. My father passed away recently, and I just havent been in a writing or creative mood at all. Im starting to feel the need to be creative again, and I should be back to being active on my blog again soon as well.
I never imagined how difficult this would be. It wasn’t a surprise. Dad was sick for a while. He was in a lot of pain at the end,...
March 2012
8 posts
4 tags
Don't fear the Facebook timeline for pages...
The Facebook timeline becomes permanent tomorrow, but according to TechCrunch, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They say that 95% of pages that have already switched have seen increases in likes and conversations. They do though, clarify that by noting that these are early statistics, and we’ll all have to wait and see.
So many people seem to dislike the new timeline, but I doubt...
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If YOU Hate It!
In order to create any sense of usability on a mobile device the elements and features that you add should make the user comfortable and relaxed. Users should feel a sense of place, recognize your branding, and begin to understand your navigation, and they should know exactly what they should and can do. In the case of the iPhone for example, there are standard UI rules that have already been...
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Anticipate the Poodle
When I was in art school (those many years ago) I had a wonderful teacher. He taught a class on advertising. He was young, interesting, and it seemed he was just teaching because he thought it would be fun, and I liked that.
One day he told us an interesting story about a client of his - one of his favorites. This particular client was described as the “dream client”, a client with a...
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How to pitch your startup at conferences |... →
Sometimes the most obvious things are the ones that dont get done. Nice short article full of great tips that should be done.
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Pinterest Drives More Traffic to Blogs Than... →
I have a Pinterest account, which I update occasionally. I’m still looking at ways that might take it beyond just something fun, and turn it into something that will help my business.
http://pinterest.com/19sixty5/
Pinterest drove more traffic to online publishers in February than Twitter, according to third-party measurement data. That’s an impressive figure, given that the...
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Is This the Best Startup Launch Video Ever? →
I think this is a great promo video. It makes me want to create a promo video for my startup…Hmmm, I think I’ll do that.
A dollar a month for razors, shipped to your door? Most thrifty guys and gals who wield a blade in the bathroom won’t need much convincing that that’s a good idea for a startup…
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The Five Questions Users Ask About Your UI
Back in 2002 I wrote an article called The Five Questions Every User Asks On Every Page, and it was based on a lecture I used to give my multimedia and web design students. The basic idea was to understand user-experience from the “users” point-of-view, and not from the designer’s point-of-view. In other words, put yourself in the chair of your user, and understand why they’ve come to the site,...
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Are Brands Ignoring Facebook’s Interactive... →
Consumers want more genuine engagement and interactivity with brands on Facebook, along with nonpromotional content
It’s a bit hard to imagine that some brands still dont have this figured out.
The study found that in 2011, 94% of the 50 top brands’ Facebook pages directed users to a one-way communication page, such as a tab or a closed Facebook wall that didn’t allow consumers to...
February 2012
7 posts
5 tags
Engage users where THEY'RE comfortable
This is a repost of an article I wrote a few years ago…
Today people just have so many choices, so many bright and shiny things begging for their attention. How do you get those people to pay attention to you? How can you shine brighter than someone else standing right next to you? How can you get attention, and better than that, actual use, for what you’re offering?
Maybe you have a...
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InVision Raises $1.5M For Beautiful, Interactive...
You need compelling visual design and a great user-experience or you’ll have lot’s of beautifully written code that will never get used.
“Designers are the future of product creation”
“The engineers ruled at the beginning … but now the question is who can create something that’s emotionally appealing and meaningful to our lives. The ones who are best equipped to do that are the...
Marketers: What Mobile Users Will and Won't Put Up... →
What are those kids doing on their phones all day anyway?
And how can we use that knowledge to our advantage?
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How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant...
So Target, and I assume many other retailers, are tracking every move you make and everything you buy. Surprise, surprise!
It seems as though they keep getting more clever (read sneaky) since they know that people hate feeling like they’re being watched.
The idea of inserting non-related ads next to the ones they know you’ll be interested, just so you “think”...
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How Your Cat is Making You Crazy...Really! →
It’s a rather long and involved article, but pretty interesting none the less. Actually, some of the comments were even more entertaining than the article.
Have you ever known anyone that has lots of cats? Do they ever seem just a little off? Maybe there’s a real scientific connection there. Of course, it could all be a bunch of nonsense. You be the decider.
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Motorcycle road trip...Yeah!
Spent a little time last week with some friends planning out a road trip for later this year.
On the list of possibilities is the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route. It looks like a great dual sport ride, but probably best for the end of Summer because of the weather.
Also considered Vancouver Island, but dont know much about it.
May end up doing a mini ride down PCH, just to warm up.
...
January 2012
4 posts
2 tags
15 Facts About McDonald's That Will Blow Your Mind →
I have to say that Im a bit surprised by a couple of these.
And seeing the pink goop that they used to make the “chicken” nuggets from was a little nasty. So happy to learn that they stopped using mechanically separated chicken “parts” years ago. Whew!
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100 Best Companies to Work For →
Google tops the list with International Hotels Group getting the last spot. Glad to see REI in the top ten, but a little surprised that Apple is nowhere to be found.
Any surprises for you?
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Brands - Pay attention to your social media... →
Brands with social media experience know they don’t need to respond to every ounce of negative buzz in the social sphere; often, letting consumer brand advocates do it for them can address the problem while also showing how loyal some customers are to the company. At the same time, however, leaving genuine questions, problems and complaints unanswered could leave customers feeling out in the...
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Smartphones Turn Millions More Americans into... →
Took pretty much the entire month of December off…back in the groove for 2012!
Number of mobile buyers will nearly triple by 2015. In 2011, US mobile commerce sales (including travel) surged 91.4%, to reach $6.7 billion. Continued strong growth will boost sales to $31 billion in
December 2011
1 post
2 tags
M-Commerce Sales Shoot Up as More Consumers Buy... →
Sales will nearly double this year and more than quadruple again by 2015.
I suppose that’s not much of a surprise. I’ve made a purchase or two with my smartphone. It does make me feel bad for the mom and pop small businesses out there…as the article mentions, they almost become storefronts for sites like Amazon. Go check it out in person, buy it online for less.
Im not so sure...
November 2011
6 posts
3 tags
2012 Trends: Video Leads Online Ad Growth -... →
US online video ad spending to grow 43.1% in 2012. Whether they think of it as magnetic content or advertising, marketers are increasingly focused on creating video assets.
I love this. I’d like to get some commercial use out of my new HD video gear. Who needs a video ad?
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Process Fail
Great image. Funny. Accurate. Process can be used for good…or not used at all.
I wanted to give proper attribution, but the little url at the top doesnt seem to go to an active page anymore.
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Twilight? Really?
I don’t get the hype at all. The movies are so cheesy and awful. I understand that im not in the 12yo girl demographic, but I see plenty of actual adults excited. Really?
This truly is one of the mysteries of life.
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Funding, funding. Who couldn't use a little of...
I’ve pitched at VC’s before. I’ve tried to raise money for my exceptionally brilliant startup ideas. I’ve been “this” close. I’ve been toying with a new idea, and after reading this, I think ill have a couple more options as I move this idea forward.
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B2Bs and B2Cs Diverge in Social Network Usage,... →
It’s a pretty interesting comparison between B2B and B2C social media benefits, habits, and expectations.
You can easily see how B2C might benefit more in a social setting, for either sales or lead generation. While a B2B might be using social media more as a brand awareness tactic.
October 2011
8 posts
2 tags
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Mobile Advertising Goes Mainstream →
Mobile ad spending to exceed 1 billion dollars this year?
That’s a huge number, and I’ve yet to actually click on a mobile ad…on purpose anyway. Have you?
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The tablet revolution: An infographic
It’s been an infographic week. Lot’s of detail in this one. I’m a big iPad fan, so I found this particularly interesting.
http://searchengineland.com/infographic-the-tablet-revolution-98388?utm_source=sel&utm_medium=scap&utm_campaign=email
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How Recruiters Use Social Networks to Screen... →
I know that ive used social networks to screen candidates…mostly LinkedIn though. I did pass on one person because of their blog. If you’re looking for a job, ya gotta watch what you’re saying anywhere online…lesson to learn.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen social media used in the job market in a number of ways — startups, small businesses and large...
Facebook by the Numbers [INFOGRAPHIC] →
I just love me a good infographic!
Nothing too shocking here, but interesting none the less.
The Social Media Infographics Series is supported by Vocus’ Social Media Strategy Tool, a free, six-step online tool that lets you build a custom social media framework tailored to your organization’s goals. You likely know that Facebook is the world’s largest social network with more than...
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MC Hammer Announces His Own "Deep Search" Engine →
Awesome :) But I dont think Id invest.
MC Hammer has announced WireDoo, a new search engine focused on “deep search” and relational topics. Most search engines are built on links and keywords, explained Hammer at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. Google and other search engines aren’t as strong at connecting keywords to related …
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How Axe Became The Top-Selling Deodorant By... →
I love the psychology behind the marketing. It’s amazing to see when something so specifically thought out, and then marketed based on that research, can translate into such success.
Catchy title on the article too. Those marketing types…always thinking!
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Some favorite Steve Job's quotes.
Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?
That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.
You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you...
September 2011
2 posts
1 tag
Neiman Marcus to Give Away Clutches via Foursquare... →
I’ve never actually thought Foursquare was very interesting at all…and some recent stats I’ve read show that Im not alone. But this is an interesting idea to try and make it more useful.
Neiman Marcus is launching a Foursquare challenge in conjunction with its annual shoe and handbag event on Saturday. The high-end apparel and accessories retailer will hide 15 Nancy Gonzalez...
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Gamestop to make a tablet
It’s a pretty interesting idea, for a company to create a brand specific tablet for gaming. They’d have the entire circle of the user-experience…hardware to software…plus community. Not bad. I think that gamers are probably the perfect demographic to go after for this sort of thing. It’s going to be fun to see how this plays out.
Read the article.
How do you think...
August 2011
4 posts
3 tags
Smartphone users barely over 1/3 of U.S.... →
There are 234 million people in the U.S. using mobile phones, but only 82.2 million are using a smartphone.
Sometimes it feels like everyone and their grandma is using a smartphone. This recent study says that barely over 1/3 of U.S. consumers are using a smartphone. Usage is growing though, with the top players (Google, Apple) gaining, and the bottom players (RIM, Microsoft) losing market...
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Motorcycle ride in the mountains!
The weather was great. The roads were great. The people were great. Two great rides.
Below: Parked up at Paradise on Mt Rainier.
Below: On the way back down the mountain
Below: Father and son. Does it get any better than that?
Below: Another fun ride, and some great BBQ!
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“A committee is the organized result of a group of the incompetent who have been...”
– Winston Churchill:
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Where do brands focus their marketing money?
Everyone knows that Android has captured the lead in smartphone users in the U.S., so naturally you would think that marketing and advertisers would also favor the Android. Not so according to this study.
There’s just something different about the iPhone that, even with all those Android users, allows it to outpace Android with ad agencies. I wonder what that is. Any ideas?
July 2011
4 posts
4 tags
The Renacer iPhone App is here!!!
We’re pretty excited today, as our latest iPhone application has been approved and is now available in the app store.
If you like wine, and who doesnt, check it out. Some of the cool features include; full details on their wines, some great recipes, and food/wine pairings. If you ever wanted to know which Renacer wine goes great with hamburgers, well you’ll get that answer here.
...
5 tags
Resumes and portfolios
So, Im attempting to fill an opening for a UX designer…sounds easy, huh?
I’m really shocked at the poor quality of resumes and portfolios Ive been getting. It shouldnt be that hard to have a nicely formatted resume, with good spelling, and short and sweet descriptions. And come on, if you’re applying for a UX job you better have an online portfolio…this is 2011! And Im...
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See advertising - Charge your phone! →
I love clever marketing ideas, and I think this one fits the bill.
I always imagine how the idea pitch went…”Hey, we’re going to put an ad at bus stops, but what’s really cool is that we’re going also make that ad a charging station for your iphone.” Funny.
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I just don't get it
So I’m at the gas station the other day, and a guy pulls up across the way, jumps out of his pickup truck, and see he’s got a gun on his hip. A gun. This guy wasnt a police officer, or anything like that from what I could tell. Just some average joe dude that felt the need to carry a gun where everyone could see it.
Now I understand that we have that right by the Constitution, and...
June 2011
5 posts
4 tags
Social Games & Brands CAN Play Nice
More and more people are playing social games. So much so, that it’s a 1 billion dollar industry just this year alone.
As the popularity grows, it’s only natural that marketers will want to tap into that and integrate their brands. It’s good to know that users not only are ok with that, but actually want that. They’re looking for it in the form of discounts, coupons,...
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You businesses out there with Twitter...
So you set your business up on Twitter, well of course you did. Everyone has. But, are you paying attention to that account? Are you paying attention to the people that follow you? Do you really understand “why” that account is important?
Well, this study confirms what we all should know - people want businesses to answer their questions on Twitter. And people are much more likely to...
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The Periodic Table Of SEO Ranking Factors
Just came across this pretty cool infographic on SEO ranking factors. It’s a bit of a long read, but interesting. Im not sure how effective an infographic is if you need this much detail to explain it all…of course, there is a lot to go over here. Click the image below and find out for yourself.
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Why Successful People Leave Work Early →
Concentrated and focused bursts of work, followed by rest time, rather than long steady hours of barely paying attention work. It makes sense to me.
It’s 9:30am, Ive just written this focused burst of a post. Time to go home and rest.