Día: 21 febrero, 2010

Moving the line (the power of a zealot)


Extremists move the middle.
by Seth Godin

Compromise is everywhere. Most of us can’t possibly be pure extremists or true fundamentalists, so we draw the line somewhere in the middle.

Consider the choice of what you eat (or don’t eat). It ranges from the omnivore at one end to the fruitarian at the other:

Cannibal… chimps… dogs… cats… cows… pigs… foie gras… chickens… fish… unfertilized eggs… honey… yeast… cherries… dust

My guess is that few people care so little about their role in the food chain that they’re willing to eat humans (one end of the spectrum), and there are very few strict fruitarians out there (but I’ve never met someone who wouldn’t eat yeast). Most of us draw a line somewhere between the extremes. That means we’re already compromising, we just argue about how much.

Consider government:

Karl Marx… Maoist… socialist… progressive… fiscal conservative… libertarian… Ayn Rand Leer más “Moving the line (the power of a zealot)”

Maira Kalman: The Pursuit of Happiness


Article

by Jocelyn K. Glei
Maira Kalman’s illustrations give the impression of someone as alive to the wonders and amusements of the world as a small child. It’s no surprise then that she’s written and illustrated 12 children’s books. But you needn’t be a parent to know her work. Kalman has produced two much-loved visual blogs for the New York Times, illustrated many a New Yorker cover (see: New Yorkistan), designed the blue sky umbrella sold by the Museum of Modern Art, and illustrated Strunk & White’s classic text, The Elements of Style.Kalman describes her approach as journalistic, and it’s easy to see a natural inquisitiveness underlying her work. One gets the impression that she is constantly roaming the streets for visual stimulation, chatting up a waitress at an out-of-the-way diner, exploring a new installation at a library or museum. When I call her to chat, she is true to form: Kalman is visiting the Neue Galerie on the Upper East Side, where she tucks into a stairwell to speak about her transition (or expansion) from writer to artist, believing in the worth of your work, and finding your calling in the most seemingly insignificant pleasures.

Do you have a daily routine?
Avoiding work is the way to focus my mind. There’s a lot of walking in the morning, and coffee, and reading the obituaries. And by that time, I’m probably ready to start working. And also a deadline is a really good thing. A deadline is probably the biggest inspiration to get going – more than anything else. Leer más “Maira Kalman: The Pursuit of Happiness”

Why You Should Use Product Library Management


Business owners who have online catalogs are quick to discover, whether through research or trial-and-error, product library management plays a huge part in market success.  There is no secret that if someone cannot navigate your site, they probably aren’t going to buy from you.

Definition of Product Library Management

In essence, it is nothing more than product data management, only the product data is categorized and mapped into basically a usable virtual library.

This process is completed by data entry personnel, graphic designers, as well as content writers.  These individuals research the products and then enter them into the website database. The research includes everything from product details to other website suppliers.  Once researchers have this information, they then begin to create the catalog library

Usage

This catalog library maps the products, matching them into specific categories and pairing them with their proper manufacturers.  By doing this, the website can be designed to help the consumer find similar products that fall under the same category or same manufacturer.

Managing the product data allows content writers to use search engine optimization (SEO) to better market the product.  Moreover, since the product data includes the product prices, by having them all entered into a database, price comparisons can be made available to consumers.  By allowing consumers to compare similar products on your site, they are more likely to buy from that site, because they will feel they had the chance to make an informed decision.

For your marketing, use product library management service providers that have proven themselves leaders in online catalog processing.  Look for those that use the most up-to-date technology to assist you and provide close monitoring which allows you to stay on top of price tracking.

Product data management is an inescapable part of providing online catalogs to your customers.  Some business people will still try to tackle these jobs on their own, and while some will do a quasi-good job at it, the majority will have simply wasted valuable time and money.  A great way to save resources and ensure that the job is done right is simply to contact a catalog processing professional before the start of your product data library creation.

Have any thoughts on it? Voice your opinions by dropping us a comment.

Merlia is working with VServesolution which is a leading IT enabled service provider which provides services in the area of Data entry to clients all over the world.

Vía Online Media Gazette

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MyWare: Personalized Service or Invasion of Privacy?


Written by Dana Oshiro

This post is part of our ReadWriteStart channel, which is a resource and guide for first-time entrepreneurs and startups. The channel is sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark. To sign up for BizSpark, click here.

pleaserobme_privacy_feb10.jpgThere’s a fine line between what is considered a knowledge database and an invasion of privacy, and that line is likely to be determined by marketing. This week we wrote an article about Please Rob Me – a service that identifies Foursquare and Gowalla check-ins on Twitter and lets others know that a person is not home. While location-based services are often touted for their social and recommendation-based benefits, the realization that they can be used negatively have many questioning the responsibility of those groups that collect the data.

privacy_responsible_feb10.jpgIn mid January Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stated that the age of privacy had come to an end and we responded that evolving preferences were not a valid justification of the elimination of privacy preferences. Nevertheless, between cookie tracking and browser identifiers like those shown in the EFF’s Panopticlick and the fact that it only takes your zip code, gender and birthdate to identify you, it’s hard to ensure total privacy in the first place.

If a startup were to put up a page simply to capture the information of your friends, all of of your daily habits, your location and your purchases, few would opt in. But as Last.fm’s Felix Miller pointed out more than 4 years ago, you might do it for “myware”. Leer más “MyWare: Personalized Service or Invasion of Privacy?”

First Time Ever: Live Fashion Shows on Smartphones


By Tim Ho Thoughts

Dolce&Gabbana has always been the leader in technology among other fashion brands. In 2005, D&G broadcasted their fashion shows live on it’s official website. In 2008, they started to get into the mobile market, established dolcegabbana.mobi to create a more interactive way to communicate with fans, then a free iphone app was developed after.

They just announced few hours ago (Feb/19/2010 12:46 PM Milan Time CET) that they are going to offer fans the opportunity to watch the upcoming Fall/Winter 2010/11 season fashion show live on iPhone and Android Mobile Devices. The live show will be available at live.dolcegabbana.mobi on February 25th 3:00PM (GMT+1).

It’s another case showing how important smartphone users are for businesses these days, can’t wait to see how they will execute it to create the buzz, I’m sure many social media elements will be included.

Vía tim-ho.com

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Most Innovative Companies–Two SoDA Agencies in the Ranks


Firstborn, one of SoDA’s founding agencies, was recently ranked as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2010, according to Fast Company magazine.  Each year the magazine puts together the top 50 companies who creatively execute powerful and innovative business ideas.  Along with Firstborn, some of the other companies selected were Nike, Walmart, Disney, Facebook and Apple.
Founded in New York City in 1997, Firstborn is an award winning leader in the world of digital marketing communications. Firstborn specializes in digital strategy, design and development for some of the world’s most well-known brands.   They collaborate with advertising agencies and brands alike to push the technological boundaries of interactive marketing.  With a talented staff of 50, coming from countries all over the globe, Firstborn breeds innovation and imagination in every project that leaves its doors. For the full story, please visit: http://www.fastcompany.com/mic/2010
Fast Company also recognized another SoDA agency, R/GA, on their Top 10 Marketing & Advertising list for their inventive work with projects like voice-activated digital billboards in Times Square for Verizon’s Droid launch and Nokia‘s mobile social getotagging viNe tool. To view the full story, please visit: http://www.fastcompany.com/mic/2010/industry/most-innovative-advertising-marketing-companies
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The tendentious Dr. Utterson | ‘From virtual to online’ trend & Branding | Chapter 5


by cristian.saracco

One of the deepest changes during this century has been that we have moved from a world split in real and virtual to one that could be described as offline and online… but always real. Now, there is little room for the virtual!

The effect of this new way of understanding our context has produced (also) a modification in our behaviors. In the online real world, the key is not longer to posses, but to allow that things flow. The new leader is not longer the one who has, it’s the one who becomes a master managing the flows… (Uoooppsss… I hope you understand this).

Finally, it’s relevant to recognize that after the homo-sapiens it came the homo-economicus… That’s what we are!… The homo-economicus is a special kind of bipolar individuos who is willing to belong and participate in a community (off & online) and, at the same time, feel unique and different to the rest of the tribe… Like my friend Dr. Jekyll. Leer más “The tendentious Dr. Utterson | ‘From virtual to online’ trend & Branding | Chapter 5”

Thinking about Facebook Changes


Last night I was catching up on some Facebook notifications, checking up on some old friends, looking at my upcoming events, etc., and I got to thinking about how much Facebook evolved since I first started using the social networking site.

I remember when I updated my Interests at least once per month, was invited to events by non-promoters, didn’t have to sort through twelve page suggestions every day and could write on someone’s wall without worrying about it showing up on mutual friends’ news feeds. Those are definitely some things I miss, but I enjoy some of the new features as well. Now, the design is more user-friendly and search results are far more comprehensive. I can comment on other people’s wall posts and I can block certain parts of my profile from certain people. The site is certainly different. Leer más “Thinking about Facebook Changes”

COMMANDO NERD PATCHES FOR PHONE SCANNING


There are ever more connections being forged between the online and offline worlds, as we’ve been noting regularly for years. We’ve already seen T-shirts printed with scannable QR codes, and now a Pennsylvania startup is adding flexibility to the concept by putting the codes on patches that can be affixed practically anywhere.

Pennsylvania-based Tikaro Interactive now offers a series of 2-by-4-inch, Velcro-backed patches with a “mysterious commando” design on top and a QR code on the bottom. The code on each p8tch, as they’re called, is actually a URL that can be scanned with a smartphone. Initially it directs scanners to the domain “p8t.ch,” but patch owners can set the redirect target of the URL to whatever page they wish, much like with TinyURL or other URL shortening services. Bloggers, for instance, can redirect the code to their blog; videographers can send it to their latest YouTube video. Users can change the target URL as often as they like. Each patch costs USD 19.95, including one waterproof, machine-washable patch along with two rectangles of Velcro “loop” fabric for attachment to a jacket, backpack, laptop sleeve or other visible spot. Also included in the price are a pass phrase for redirecting the patch’s target URL and two .png files of the associated QR code.

Just as consumers have long used real-world products and brands to tell the world who they are, so too have online destinations come to play a similar role. The opportunity? Create a digital lifestyle lubricant that lets users flaunt their online affiliations in the offline world, and you may receive some nice lifestyle lubrication in return! 😉 (Related: Google window decals link online & off for retailers — Bumper stickers recruit Twitter followers in traffic — Electronic business card forges online connections.)

http://springwise.com/

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