Social networks can be strange. Especially Twitter.
Networks like Facebook or LinkedIn require that connections be mutual. That is to say if I want to connect to you, you have to accept and then connect to me. So when I “friend” someone or “connect” it is a two-way street.
Twitter is different. On Twitter, you can follow anyone. (At least anyone that has a public profile.) If you want to follow my “tweets” you simply click the “follow” button and you are set. I’ll receive a notification that you are a new follower, but I don’t have to return the favor.
The results are interesting.
Guy Kawasaki and Merlin Mann both have very interesting Twitter streams: useful and fun. Guy followed me back, Merlin didn’t return the favor. But it doesn’t matter. I still like reading both.
There are people who follow my Twitter stream that I don’t follow back. But if there is an opportunity to have a conversation, I will follow back. I’ve even dug into some other interesting conversations to “meet” new “friends” on Twitter.
I’ve had some fun, interesting, educational, goofball conversations with people from the Twitterverse. And some of these conversations have spawned communication beyond Twitter, both email and phone conversations.
But once the conversation becomes two-way, you realize that there are a lot of very good humans out there.
And this “Not a two-way street” that is Twitter has spawned new friendships and even some new poetry.
If you happen to be clutching an iPhone and you live or work in the Philadelphia area, SEPTA has developed a nice iPhone application: iSepta.org. (Click on the link from your iPhone.)
What makes this interesting is that SEPTA’s website is pretty inconvenient for finding train schedules, but this iPhone optimized website is quite brilliant. You simply enter the start and end points and it shows you what trains and the schedules of the next five running. Even though it is a small audience, more public transportation services should see this example.
The application is executed perfectly. It answers the user need: “I’m in Berwyn and I need to get to 30th Street Station…(tap…scroll…tap)…Ah! The R5 and it leaves at 10:34am. Thank you, iSepta.org!”
One of the things that is quite remarkable since the introduction of the iPhone is the version of the Internet that has been tailored for iPhone users. For those of you that don’t know what I’m talking about…
Most mobile phones have some access to Internet content but the experience is less than stellar. Apple provided a rich framework to write web-based applications optimized for the iPhone. Since the iPhone has been launched, many of the major websites have created special versions just for the iPhone. Some of these include: (If you have an iPhone, tap on the links and then bookmark on your phone.)
Amazon, AP News, Bank of America, BrightKite, CBS News, DIGG, ESPN PodCenter, Facebook, Food Network, Fox News, Google (Search, News, Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Reader), Gyminee, Hahlo, LinkedIn, Los Angeles Times, Jott, NewsGator, Realtor.com, Ta-Da List, Twitter, Weather.com, Weather Underground, and many more!
So what is the point here? The influence of the iPhone has created another version of the Internet, optimized just for this small number of users. I also believe that having your site optimized for this particular audience actually serves as a promotional tool.
If you know of more sites, please post them in the comments.
First, go read Seth Godin’s post: Signal to noise
I agree, it is too much. Why has is gotten so loud? The answer is simple: Web 2.0 enables conversations and the more people and businesses that come to the party, the louder it will get.
So how do you deal with all of the noise? Listen for the echoes from the crowds.
I think that you have to start trusting the noise rather than trying to sift through it. The genuinely great ideas, articles, events, products, companies, people, etc. will naturally receive the votes of the crowd and create a “virtual echo” that is powerful enough to hear beyond the first post.
So consider your experience. If you subscribe to RSS feeds, don’t try to read everything. Skim the lists and then search for interesting posts across all of your feeds. Don’t try to catch up if you get behind. The good stuff will stick around thanks to the wisdom of the crowd.
I come across a lot of interesting technology things. When something spurs my interest, I usually give it a shot. Usually that shot lasts about two weeks to see if anything interesting will come from the trial. Most services completely crash and burn, but some stick.
For example, I tried Jott and I use it almost every day for something. The service actually makes things more convenient for me.
Other services didn’t fare so well. For example, Mint. I don’t want to have to go in and categorize everything or relabel everything. I just want to enter receipts and track my accounts. And since I don’t enter receipts in Mint, rather I wait until they show up in the online banking, I don’t actually get a clear view of my finances. I’m sure that if I used Mint for several months, I might find more value in the service, but the first two weeks were painful and not particularly useful. Even worse, my weekly summary from Mint rarely shows up. So I stopped trusting it. Honestly, it seemed like they were more interested in trying to convince me to sign up for a Capital One card rather than help track my finances.
The idea behind the two weeks is that the trial might turn into a habit. And if it is something that is actually worth the effort, two weeks is about the right amount of time to use the service at least a few times to see if I actually like it.
I’ve got a couple currently in the middle of a trial period right now. I’ll report back on how they do…
Every website has an “About Us” page. But seriously, who really cares about the “About Us” page?
The answer is simple: people care about themselves. So typically the site owner cares about the “About Us” page. Zero value to the target audience of the site.
I think that there is a better way. Reshape the “About Us” into a page about conversation and personality. What do I mean by this?
- Obviously, you will still include the actual “About” information just in case someone goes to the page.
- Include links to your social networking profiles. (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, etc.)
- If you are an expert on a particular subject, post links to published articles or reviews or talks.
- Include links to your favorite stuff: RSS feeds, podcasts, Flickr pools, YouTube channels, etc.
Just remember that most people don’t really care about you. They care about whether they can relate to you, so let your personality be part of the page and make sure to encourage conversation.
Even when Twitter needs to go offline, the error message has character. All too often, error messages on websites aren’t helpful for the users. It is a nice touch for both marketing and user experience.
Thanks to the explosion in online commerce over the last 10 years, FedEx and UPS have grown nicely. But what about local courier services?
To me, it seems that with local businesses trying to compete with the likes of Wal-Mart and Amazon, shouldn’t local courier services see some benefit for this? Probably, but I really haven’t seen local courier services create online convenience for its customers.
If a local flower shop wants to do online commerce, it shouldn’t just be partnering with FTD. We all like to support our local businesses but we also like convenience. So the question really is to find a way to make using your local florist more convenient than 1-800-Flowers. The key is the courier service and the end result is a same-day delivery of fresh flowers without any effort from the purchaser. It’s up to the florist to make it smooth but the florist doesn’t want to be in the “driving around town” business.
And this extends to so many businesses that depend on its clients being local. These clients have Internet access and want online options. As I see it, a potential disruptor in the online economy would be a courier service that offers an “on demand” service that gives local businesses a way to be more convenient. The customer doesn’t hire the courier, rather it is just automatic from the business. And then the local businesses would have something to differentiate themselves from their competition.
If you have a webcam, this site will blow your mind: www.hrp.com
You navigate the site with hand gestures and your webcam. Not quite “Minority Report” but certainly moving in that direction.
I work with lots of clients on their website strategy. All too often, they want to rush ahead to the visuals. The most crucial step before going to the design is to define the purpose for the site.
The problem is that clients create a broad definition of the purpose of the website. Typical example:
- Generate sales leads
- Provide customer support
- Promote business partnerships
That is three distinct audiences, each with their own set of tasks for the site. Typically, I try to recommend a balance of these for my clients.
Lately, I’ve started talking to the clients about picking one audience and not compromising. And if you need to support multiple audiences, consider having different targeted sites for each audience with content and functionality just for them. At first, it might seem more expensive to create and support multiple sites, but compromising on the audience will almost always compromise your results.
