Personal Blog of David Damore

Flooded Street

2011-05-28T18:17:00.001-04:00

Picture above?

Kindle Newspaper Pricing

2011-05-28T18:15:00.001-04:00

Amazon Kindle pricing for newspapers.

Image above?

Credit Card Fraud Prevention And Detection

2010-11-13T21:34:00.001-05:00

Will banks and credit card firms use the IP address as a way to detect and prevent fraud online?

Registering your devices as a way of fraud detection (the IP addresses of the devices).

When you make a purchase online you are asked for a credit card number and sometimes the CSC, Card Security Code,from the back. What would be interesting is, if the IP address was recorded by the seller site and sent to the financial payment provider to see if there is a match. When there is not a match, a higher level of security screening can be enabled. This would enable a customer to register their devices before making purchases to enable better fraud detection. This should prevent a false positive, which interrupts the customer unnecessarily.

The reason this comes up is, as of late, I’ve made a few online purchases with online merchants I’ve not done business with recently. AT&T, Carbonite and Joker.com are a few of the services. After making a purchase with Joker, my phone rang and there was a cryptic message. Hung up and within a minute another call came across. The second one was clearer, but not clear enough. One of the purchases was listed as being from Alpharetta, GA for $25. It was not a charge I recognized as I have not been to or knowingly done any business with a firm in the location recently. Well, after logging in to my bank website, I saw a $25 charge from AT&T. Oh, that’s a legitimate charge I thought. Who knew they used Alpharetta, GA as their billing location. Time will tell if that charge is rejected and causes my AT&T account to be suspended.

Apple Ping – A Social Network For Music

2010-11-13T17:56:00.001-05:00

Apple Ping is a social network of sorts. My use of it is still in the earliest stages. Since that is the case, I am only following a few users currently. One of the things that is interesting is seeing other music people have liked or recently purchased. The ability to hear a sample of these songs makes for an interesting way to discover new music. When one finds a track one likes and enjoys, one can buy it on the spot or add it to a Wish List. I’ve added two songs to the wish list.

What would be cool is if in the Wish List there was a way to see who the user was that brought the song to my attention. If there are certain users that inspire more people to buy more music they could be considered to be industry influencers.

Questions

How important is it to know who the influencers are?
Would top influencers be able to monetize their position as such?
Will Apple create an influencers list? If so, will they make it public or will they sell or share that data with people that want to distribute their music?

Google Realtime Timeline

2010-09-18T00:06:00.001-04:00

Was doing a search for Detroit on Google Realtime and noticed that the timeline can be scrolled. This means you can see what the topic was that spiked activity at that time. Detroit is a rather common word and has frequent activity posted. It looks like there were two small spikes after 6 PM and another at what looks like 11 PM.

See image below. You can try the Detroit search here.

*Perhaps I should have done a screenshot of one of the spiking periods for analysis.

Is Guy Kawasaki Tweeting Live?

2010-09-14T02:57:00.001-04:00

It looks like Guy is tweeting via TweetDeck. One could safely assume that he is actually at a computer tweeting (could be TweetDeck for iPhone or perhaps on an iPad). If you wanted to reach him via an @ reply or a Direct Message (DM) it’s a good idea to be able to tell when he in online and watching Twitter.

He probably gets hundreds of @ replies and Direct Messages a day. So, if he isn’t watching as your messages comes in, it will probably get pushed to the bottom in short order.

Lesson: Send your message at a time when it will be read.

Interesting Google Ad

2010-09-14T02:41:00.001-04:00

It appears that a someone named Dave Palmer is seeking to sell his talents to Google. It would appear that he is trying a different tactic in finding a recruiter that finds employees for Google.

This tactic has worked in the past. The example that comes to mind was for someone in the advertising or media business. In that case the person bought the ads against the names of people that had the power to actually hire him. People Google their own names.

A Google search lead to this → CNN: “Man lands job with $6 Google campaign”

UPS delivers 'amore' - WSJ.com

2010-09-13T02:01:00.001-04:00

Third-party logistics is a growing area at a time of globalization and cost-cutting of in-house supply-chain operations, said Kevin Sterling, senior transportation analyst at BB&T Capital Markets.

via online.wsj.com

*Possible area for students to study and become experts in. How to integrate complex supply chain distribution channels.

Posted via email from admore's posterous

Gillmor Gang: Smart People

2010-09-12T00:59:00.002-04:00

Hope to watch this complete episode of the Gillmor Gang soon. In addition to Steve Gillmor it appears that “Loic Le Meur, Robert Scoble, Danny Sullivan, John Taschek, and Kevin Marks” are also in the program.

Realtime Search

2010-09-12T00:53:00.001-04:00

Recently several real-time search services have come to my attention.

48ers.com and Google Realtime

You should check both of them out and add them to your toolbox.

MarketWatch Ad in The Wall Street Journal iPhone App

2010-09-12T00:45:00.001-04:00

A few months back I saw an ad for MarketWatch in the Wall Street Journal iPhone app. It’s an ad for their Twitter account.

Foursquare: Mayor Special From The Sterling Heights Public Library

2010-09-12T00:38:00.001-04:00

Foursquare Mayor Special from the Sterling Heights Public library. Free tote bag. The current mayor has 3 checkins.

Foursquare venue.

Location Services on iPod / iPhone

2010-09-12T00:25:00.001-04:00

Was looking around in “settings” on the iPod Touch when I came across the screen below. It lists all the location based services (LBS) that are on the device. Each of the services listed is looking for location data when you use their service. It finally came to my attention what the purple arrow means. When it appears it means that an app has requested location data within the past 24 hours. Was just in the Yelp app previous to visiting this screen, hence the location data indicator was on.

LinkedIn App on iPhone: Connect VIA Bluetooth

2010-09-12T00:13:00.001-04:00

Apparently LinkedIn has a way to connect with people via Bluetooth. Saw this on an iPod Touch using the LinkedIn app.

The Flickr App for iPhone

2010-09-12T00:09:00.001-04:00

This is why the Flickr app is so awesome. It makes it easy to see the pictures friends and family post to Flickr.

New Technology to Lure Shoppers - WSJ.com

2010-08-25T22:52:00.001-04:00

Some of the most sophisticated in-store technology is tied to consumers' mobile devices, ad executives say. Marketers are experimenting with ways to use mobile phones to provide customers with services and promotions as they shop. These range from truck reviews at car dealerships to allergy information tied to certain foods at supermarkets, Mr. Ross says.

via online.wsj.com

Sounds like Location Based Services (Foursquare etc) are on to something here. Who can get the first score?

Posted via email from admore's posterous

Top Sites Visited as of 8-7-2010 #Plancast #LinkedIn

2010-08-07T23:09:00.002-04:00

Top Sites Visited as of 8-7-2010
Originally uploaded by @Admore

Was looking at the icon shortcuts on the Google start page.

In order the sites are...
1. Twitter
2. Gist
3. Plancast
4. Google Latitude
5. Twitter Search
6. Wall Street Journal
7. Foursquare
8. LinkedIn

Plancast has moved up a lot in the past few weeks. Seems that a few of the people that I follow on it have added a bunch of events recently. The more my contacts use Plancast, the more valuable it becomes. It's my understanding that Facebook events are exported to Plancast. This is good for several reasons. The first is that it brings non Facebook users, but still contacts, in to the event game. The second reason is bringing a more curated calendar of events to ones attention. Past experience on Facebook included the creation of too many events. Part of the problem with that is email and time management becomes challenging. As I recall, people would indicate they were going to a Facebook event and not make it for whatever reason. It seems that if some says they are in on Plancast they are really going. This is good because if you want to meet someone face-to-face at an event, a "Count Me in" it is highly probably the person will show up.

Plancast is a relatively new service.
Questions:
1. Have you taken a look at it or are you already using it?
2. Do you see the sharing of events as important?

It's been a long time since LinkedIn has made the home screen. This might actually be the first time. LinkedIn has made some changes recently. Perhaps they are not new but that they came to my attention. It is now possible to follow people that one is not connected to directly. If there is a shared group between both people, you can follow updates of not direct contacts. This enables one to follow smart and perhaps influential people that only connect with people they know or have worked with. Here's where it gets interesting. If the smart person you are following posts to LinkedIn, it's my understanding that you can comment on their thought, comment or post. This engagement may lead to a discussion and from there... all things are possible.

Another interesting part of LinkedIn is the Groups. Recently I've joined a few groups that have active questions and discussions. One such group is the one for Marketing Over Coffee.

Questions:
1. Are you actively using LinkedIn?
2. Are you getting more value out of it than before?
3. What changes have you liked or disliked?

Plancast: Idea For Monetizing

2010-07-06T00:06:00.003-04:00

Plancast is a website that allows ~~for~~ a person, or entity, to create, broadcast and invite people to come to an event.
Currently, most users are individuals. It seems that many have only entered a few events here and there. People enter events that might be fun to have others tag along.

What would be really interesting is if professional sports teams created their own Plancast Channels. The channel could include preseason and regular season games with home an road dates included. A sport like football has a lot of fans that will travel to other places to see their team play. Lots of Chicago Bears fans come to Ford Field in Detroit when they Play the Detroit Lions. For traveling Bears fans it would be intriguing to see if any of their friends were also planning to travel to Detroit for the game.

If a fan saw a friend had already indicated they were going to a game on the road, another fan could click the “count me in” button for the event. When they do that it might trigger a pop up where that person would be offered the opportunity to buy a ticket. An advanced feature might even allow for the buyer to get a seat as close as possible to their friends seat.

When first thinking about how Plancast and a sports league might integrate, the National Hockey League (NHL) was the first. Could definitely see the Detroit Red Wings creating a channel for their fans to participate. Fans that are attending a game can spread the event to their contacts (Sell more tickets etc). This information distribution can be done via Facebook, Twitter and email.

Lets say that a local university is doing a get together at a sporting event. The alumni association might use the teams Plancast Event Channel to invite people. Those that want to RSVP can buy a ticket right there in the Plancast Event Channel.

Meetup is a way for people to organize their own events and classes. People use Meetup to organize things like floor hockey, photography or knitting. Some hosts charge fees to cover the costs incurred running the event. It would be great if Plancast had a partnership with Meetup to distribute group events and to create revenue for hosts and venues.

Below is the note card that was where the first thoughts went.

*This post was not diagrammed out in advance. It was spell checked, but it was not printed, ~~edited and revised~~. It was edited a little bit. Errors may remain.

Innovation Unleashed

2010-07-02T00:24:00.001-04:00

The velocity of innovation is increasing.

Q: Do you know what that means?

A: Creative Destruction *Look it up

Browser Home Screen - Top Sites

2010-06-27T21:57:00.001-04:00

Above is a screen shot of the start page in Google Chrome. It's my understanding that the images are in order left to right, then down in order of most visits. In this case Twitter is the most visited site and Gist is the second most and so on. What is amazing is that Gist, a contact knowledge engine is up to number two. It's only been about six weeks since I started using Gist. The ranking algorithm in Chrome might be for most visits in the past 30 days.

Google Latitude – Traffic Jam I-94

2010-06-07T22:57:00.003-04:00

Above is a image from Google Latitude. From the data you can see that the distance between geo blips is very short. The back up was about a mile as the freeway was completely closed west bound as the result of a car accident. Traveling one mile took about forty-five minutes.

Google receives geo blip data from users of Latitude. This data can pinpoint traffic congestion and perhaps one day areas that have a lot of traffic jams. Perhaps the causes of the traffic jams could be investigated and solutions implemented to improve traffic flows and driver safety.

What would be interesting is if Google called people (Google Voice users) that are in the traffic jam. They could provide insights about the cause (construction, accident etc). Perhaps first responders could be contacted with data live from the scene.

Ford to End Mercury

2010-05-28T02:10:00.001-04:00

via online.wsj.com

The pace of change has quickened during the recession. This will reduce the friction caused by marketing support (ad money and dealer marketing) required for weak and dying brands.

This consolidation may lead to more models per company. This might occur to differentiate a firms model lineup against its competitors.

Marketers may find more niches to target against. Single firm car manufactures can more readily make positioning moves to serve the unmet needs of unique markets.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Creating a Startup?

2010-05-04T11:33:00.003-04:00

If you are thinking of creating a web-based startup, it is suggested that you review the following podcasts.
The first is from Jason Calacanis ( @Jason on Twitter) via thisweekin.com
The second is from Jason Fried ( @jasonfried on Twitter) and David Heinemeier Hansson (@DHH on Twitter) via the Signal Vs. Noise blog.
Note: There is some language that may not suitable for all audiences.

Both episodes, at first glance, appear to be on topics not related to startups and entrepreneurship. Each episode has excellent insights on both.

Book Review: The 1% Windfall by Rafi Mohammed

2010-05-03T14:09:00.001-04:00

Foursquare: Customer Engagement for Business

2010-04-26T02:00:00.001-04:00

Foursquare has recently made some changes to their website.

The line below is from an individual users settings page.

“Let local businesses see that I've checked-in at their venue [huh?]”

Clicking on [huh?] in that text brings up a dialog with the following.

We allow verified venue owners to see statistics about checkins at their venue. These stats include recent visitors, most frequent visitors and most popular check-in times. You can always opt out if you'd rather not share this data with the venues you visit.

Each venue now includes a way for the owner or manager to claim their business and gain access to analytics for people that check-in. Claiming your business allows you to offer specials to your customers (AKA: guests or fans) for checking in and for being the mayor. The mayor is the person that checked in the most times in a recent time period.

You can find “Foursquare + Your Business” here.

If you own or manage a business with a location that people visit, such as a coffee shop, bar, or barber shop, your guests may be doing social media advertising on your behalf. You owe it to yourself to check out Foursquare.

Why Social Media is Important

2010-04-21T11:43:00.003-04:00

"Social media gets attention by firms because it can become an intense pain point that is destructive to the organizations mission."

The above statement is from a post I recently posted to Twitter.

There is a lot of conversation about why companies are using social media technologies to reach out to people. Social media enables the amplification of angry consumers. In earlier times it was almost impossible for a company to react and respond to a consumers disappointment and anger. With technology such as Twitter, the voice of the consumer is able to be identified on what might be called a radar screen. Search.Twitter.com is a simple way for a firm to see what is being said publicly about them on Twitter. A unique firm name makes this much easier than a generic one. A generic name will have a low signal to noise ratio and make the radar teams job difficult to manage effectively.

When a company gets called out publicly on Twitter and other places online and they do not respond to consumer concerns a firm may gain a reputation as uncaring or worse. This can be a dangerous path to travel. People will see the brand as being different than their previous perception. Firms spend millions (and some billion) of dollars each year to stake out a unique branding position in the mind of the consumer. Negative publicity erodes and destroys the goodwill that has been built up.

Example of what people are saying about Kellogg's on Twitter.

Example of what people are saying about Marlboro on Twitter.

Example of what people are saying about KFC on Twitter.

Here is an example of what one user (@kcscougar) said about KFC and a promotion they are having.

This KFC pink bucket promotion for breast cancer awareness is like Marlboro having a "pink pack" promotion.

Why do you think companies are on Twitter and other social media sites?

Facebook Social Search?

2010-03-29T13:33:00.000-04:00

Just saw this in Facebook. When clicking on the "Answer This Question" button up pops a blank window to create and submit an answer.

Is Facebook creating a social search tool that will compete with Mahalo and Aardvark?

What You Want: Goals + Inputs = Results

2010-03-28T02:04:00.001-04:00

“Inputs drive results, results don’t drive inputs”

For some rare individuals desired results (goals) will drive inputs. A better way for most people is find the inputs you love, then create goals that you achieve as a result of getting better and better at them.

If one wants to be a successful blogger etc, start with the inputs. One must blog often and get better and better. Only the best rise to a level where they create opportunity and income from it as a result. If one wants to be a great podcaster one must make lots of podcasts and get better and better fast. Learn by doing.

Some people certainly have a head start on you. You can make up lost ground by starting right here, right now. PARTICIPATE. Practice, practice, practice. If you persist through the rough patches, you have a much better chance of creating the results that others and you will call success.

Goals lay a rough framework for the inputs that are required. Others will become apparent as one undertakes the goal. Be flexible and willing to make moves that advance you towards your goal. If you see the inputs as something that is enjoyable and workable, you have a chance at creating the results you desire.

NOTE: You can overcome the obstacles you encounter. Some, you will overcome as a solo effort, some will require the assistance of others. Build a network now, so that when you need it, it is ready. Be an asset and a resource to others so they can get past their challenges that require outside assistance.

Meijer's new small-store format in Niles, Illinois, could open door into urban neighborhoods | - MLive.com

2010-03-08T00:12:00.001-05:00

For those consumers who can’t find what they are looking for, there is a kiosk online where they can order from meijer.com for home delivery.

via mlive.com

Meijer would be wise to consider free ship-to-store as an option. People could order online, have it shipped to the store, pick it up and buy other merchandise while they are there. This would expand the inventory offered without having to carry it on shelf. Consumers will also like saving on shipping costs.

Large items could be shipped direct to consumer to save them the hassle of transporting. This would be especially useful to urban dwellers that use public transportation.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Snack Firm Diamond Foods to Buy Kettle - WSJ.com

2010-02-28T15:10:00.001-05:00

Diamond Foods Inc. said Thursday it has agreed to acquire Kettle Foods from Lion Capital LLP for $615 million, a move that gives the snack-nuts producer a much bigger bite of the premium potato-chip market.

via online.wsj.com

*Sold for approximately 2.5 times sales.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Fewer homeowners falling behind on mortgage payments - latimes.com

2010-02-20T00:45:00.001-05:00

We are likely seeing the beginning of the end of the unprecedented wave of mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures that started with the subprime defaults in early 2007 [and] continued with the meltdown of the California and Florida housing markets due to overbuilding and the weak loan underwriting that supported that overbuilding," Jay Brinkmann, the group's chief economist, said in a statement.

via latimes.com

It's good news that signs of improvement are becoming visible. Consumer confidence should begin to rise and take hold as the mole hill of positive economic data becomes a small skill hill. There are still risks out there, but it appears that the worst is behind us.

Businesses are cautiously looking forward to the future. We should see the total number of people employed rise even as the unemployment rate increases.

Why would the unemployment rate increase if the economy is recovering?

The way unemployment is measured, people become so discouraged that they stop looking for work and are no longer counted as being part of the labor force. If one is not considered part of the labor force one cannot be officially unemployed.

As the economy appears to be entering a recovery stage people regain the optimism that there are job opportunities to be had. These formerly discouraged people will then be counted as unemployed because they are looking for a job again. It would not surprise me if the unemployment rate jumped a bit in the coming months. Government hiring for the 2010 census may reduce or prevent the anticipated jump in the unemployment rate.

Unemployment will remain at elevated levels for the short and intermediate term. There are opportunities out there. It is advisable for people to start getting their resume and network in order. As Harvey Mackay would say, dig your well before you're thirsty. Starting preparation today will bring job offers sooner when the right job opportunity arrives. Be ready for that opportunity when it's right in front of you.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Wal-Mart Spices Up Private Label - WSJ.com

2010-02-09T02:12:00.001-05:00

Private label is growing in dollar sales in the United States. When consumers need to do some belt tightening they look to store brands (Typically lower priced, there are some premium PL brands that sell at higher price points).
A strong brand differentiation is a solid strategy to neutralize consumer private label substitution.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Textbook Firms Ink E-Deals For iPad - WSJ.com

2010-02-03T02:44:00.001-05:00

The features of its iPad deal with publishers include applications to let students play video, highlight text, record lectures, take printed notes, search the text, and participate in interactive quizzes to test how much they've learned and where they may need more work.

via online.wsj.com

The education market is about to undergo a great transition.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Radical Shifts Take Hold in U.S. Manufacturing

2010-02-03T02:36:00.001-05:00

via online.wsj.com

Specialty (unique) vs commodity (general).

Posted via web from admore's posterous

The Economy 2007-2009 / GDP / Wall Street Journal

2010-01-29T15:08:00.001-05:00

GDP has gone up two straight quarters, rising 2.2% in the third quarter after a year of contraction. In all of 2009, GDP fell 2.4%, the biggest drop for an entire year since 10.9% in 1946. GDP rose 0.4% in 2008 and 2.1% in 2007.

via online.wsj.com

Interesting to see that both 2007 and 2008 had positive GDP growth. The 2009 GDP drop seemed a lot deeper than 2.4%. The employment situation certainly was a lot worse for people that lost their jobs or had hours reduced.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

The Uncomfortable Conversation, No Not That One

2010-01-28T15:36:00.005-05:00

Problem: Guys are not social about their personal grooming

Men do not talk about grooming or the products they use to do so. Example, there is sometimes some ribbing when a spot is missed shaving. This ends conversations before they start.

A brand should create a series of commercials (Internet spots etc) that spark a conversation. These spots should be about how men are uncomfortable talking about this issue. Men should want to look their best and to be their "Own Best Self". Not every guy looks like Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Every man can look his "Own Best Self".

Looking OBS takes some work. There are products on the market that make it faster, easier and more effective. (Insert Brand Name) is the company that has you covered. IBN has products that work right every time.

The conversation would lead to guys asking each other what they use for shaving, skin conditioning, shampoo etc. Conversation is what happens when you get someone to ask a question. When people are doing it (personal grooming) well, they enjoy their efforts being recognized.

Note 1: Perhaps their could be a nomination/contest for the best groomed man in (US, Canada, etc).

Note 2: OBS could be "One Best Self" too.

Bloomberg: "Does the Apple iPad Make Strategic Sense?"

2010-01-28T09:37:00.001-05:00

It's hard to bet against Apple. The two things I admire most about the company are its ability to think holistically about business models (iPod + iTues, iPhone + the App store, iPad + iBookstore) and its willingness to keep innovating. Imagine how different it would have been if Apple stopped at the first generation iPod, or just rode the iPod for as long as it could. Its willingness to step out and enter into new categories is an important lesson for all companies.

via bloomberg.com

Apple is certainly one of the five most innovative companies today. They make consumer friendly products that do new as well as old tasks (email etc) for consumers. They have been seemingly able to raise the bar continually.

If one is not risking failure, one is not making the movements that lead to innovation. For the most part, it looks like Apple got past most of the challenges they came across in the development of the iPad.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Startups In The News

2010-01-28T02:50:00.001-05:00

In a sign that 2010 really is a new year, several new start-up "incubators" are slated to pop up around Silicon Valley in the next few months.

Incubators typically help nurture small businesses by providing space, services and mentorship to entrepreneurs, often for a fee or an equity stake in their business. Well-known incubators include Y Combinator and Plug and Play Tech Center, with many venture-capital firms also incubating start-ups.

via online.wsj.com

As the economic recovery becomes more apparent, more people will be reporting on startups. Certainly business publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Business Week will feature them prominently in the near future.

It was not too long ago where the Wall Street Journal had a graphic indicating that every quarter about 200,000 new businesses are launched in the United States.

Link to startup graphic

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Coca Cola Bottle Innovation

2010-01-26T00:23:00.001-05:00

Coca-Cola Co., under fire from environmentalists for using plastic bottles, has introduced a new packaging material made partly from plants. The container has "the same weight, the same feel, the same chemistry, and functions exactly the same way" as a regular plastic bottle, a Coke spokeswoman says.

via online.wsj.com

Beverage manufactures are under pressure on multiple fronts.

Environmentalists want things like carbon removed from the CPG supply chain. According to the article plastic (PET) is not recycled at a high rate. Here in Michigan there is a ten cent deposit on beverages that are carbonated. The redemption rate on recyclable containers, including cans, is reported as between 95% and 99%.

The lighter beverage makers can make containers, the more that is saved on fuel costs that are part of distribution. It's a delicate balancing act. Strength must be maintained and the package must protect the contents from changing when exposed to environmental conditions that vary. Heat and light being two that may affect the contents.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Wall Street Journal: Some Types of Silicon Valley Start-Ups Won't See Venture Capital

2010-01-23T03:11:00.001-05:00

via online.wsj.com

Networking/telecom is a capital intense sector with uncertain rewards in todays economic and political climate.

What is referred to as Information/Internet above is essentially software and web apps; they are much less capital intensive. These investments leverage the specialized knowledge of the entrepreneur and his/her team. When a VC invests in one of these ventures, the goal is to get in right before rapid growth (sales/profits/valuation).

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Harley-Davidson: Tough Economy & Entry To India

2010-01-23T01:38:00.001-05:00

One bright spot for Harley-Davidson has been its performance in international markets, where its brand has strong appeal. Last year, it announced plans to enter the fast-growing Indian motorcycle market and will introduce 12 models there this year.

via nytimes.com

Premium products were hit hard in the '07-'09 recession. Harley-Davidson is a premium product. It's rather amazing that HD was able to retain profitability for much of the recession.

It will be interesting to track how the HD entry to India progresses. The economy in India is growing very rapidly.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

The Wall Street Journal Reports on Foursquare

2010-01-22T02:18:00.003-05:00

Tristan Walker, the head of business development for Foursquare, estimates current Foursquare app users to be around a quarter of a million. He says the company hopes to make money by working with “local mom and pop shops” as well as mid-sized retailers. For instance, he said, Tasti D-Lite recently launched a Loyalty Program on Foursquare, through which customers can earn and redeem points by tweeting or checking in on Foursquare while stopping by the ice cream chain.

via blogs.wsj.com

Interesting article. Gaining the support of small establishments on the ground is hard. Perhaps they will have the mayors and super-users (currently there are three super-user levels) spread the word on how Foursquare can help.

Three forces for local to harness.
Visits - Who When and Where?
Loyalty - How often?
Word-of-Mouth - Is the message being spread? New levels of awareness are critical for sales growth.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

LinkedIn Related Profiles

2010-01-22T01:34:00.001-05:00

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via linkedin.com

This is from the sidebar on a LinkedIn profile page. Any name jump out at you?

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Digital Content Moving From Free To Fee?

2010-01-21T22:21:00.001-05:00

Many media analysts expect that Comcast Corp.'s plan to buy a controlling interest in NBC Universal would give it a significant say in the future of online video -- and accelerate Hulu's move to a subscription service.

via latimes.com

It appears that we may be near an inflection point for online digital media. New powers seek to tilt the field in their favor (content creators and content distributors). You can't blame them for trying to get the full price the market is willing to pay.

Questions
What content has value?
What is the value of that content?
Is there a mix that increases total profits even if the most valuable content is seemingly under priced?

What is the optimal price to maximize profits? This is currently unknown and may remain that way for several years.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Twitter: Less Than Three Years Ago...

2010-01-21T16:37:00.001-05:00

Twitter staffers Jack and Alex tell me that the site, which normally carries around 20 thousand messages a day, broke 60 thousand a day this weekend.

via valleywag.gawker.com

Amazing that this is what Twitter was less than three years ago. => 20,000 messages a day.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

YouTube Video Tips, Tricks & Hacks

2010-01-21T16:25:00.001-05:00

3. Cut the chase and link to the interesting part

Linking to a video where the real action starts at 3 minutes 22 seconds, wondered if you could make it start at 03:22? You are in luck. All you have to do is add #t=03m22s (#t=XXmYYs for XX mins and YY seconds) to the end of the URL.

via makeuseof.com

Useful YouTube tricks.
HT @DaveMurr

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Apple Grows iTunes Store Revenue

2010-01-21T13:41:00.002-05:00

via online.wsj.com

Apple has done a really effective job creating a digital distribution model. Quarterly sales in the iTunes store have increased from $300 million five years ago, to over $900 today million.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Books: January 2010

2010-01-20T03:12:00.001-05:00

Books completed so far in 2010

The Art of The Start by Guy Kawasaki
Getting Real by 37signals.

Currently reading the Seth Godin book Unleashing The Ideavirus.

Amazon

Google Books

Library Thing

BlackBerry Crash Application

2010-01-09T02:29:00.001-05:00

One of the most unpleasant experiences is having a BlackBerry fail. The “Reload Software 552” error is particularly unpleasant. The most recent occurrence was caused in part by one of the following applications.

The applications below were all downloaded from BlackBerry App World prior to the system failure mentioned above. The links embedded are for the online store, but are the same downloads one would get through the BlackBerry App World app.

It is not exactly clear what application is causing the conflict. Unfortunately when the error occurs it leads to a lot of time spent with T-Mobile tech support and a good number of hours spent to recover and reinstall applications an data.

Questions

Have you used any of the above applications on a BlackBerry?

Positive or negative results?

What BlackBerry device are you using?
What cellular provider is your service from?

What is a Twitterduction?

2009-12-21T00:14:00.004-05:00

A Twitterduction is an introduction between two or more Twitter users by a third person.

Tonight I introduced two people in Minnesota with this tweet. There are synergies that are yet to be created using the power of Twitter. Hopefully more people will start connecting others together.

#Twitterduction: @LizStrand meet @ryanr09. @ryanr09 meet @LizStrand. *Connect if you have common interests

#Twitterduction

Idea for AbeBooks.com

2009-12-19T15:22:00.004-05:00

Suggested Feature for http://www.abebooks.com/

After having bought 15- 20 books one might have a good idea what sellers are accurate, honest and fair.

There should be a way for me to give them more business. A user should be able to create a "Favorite Seller" list of sellers to check for item availability. When looking for a book it would check the inventory from the businesses on the "Favorite Seller" list first.

Was just searching for two books recommended by ceomarshal on Twitter.

ceomarshall: @Admore 2 Fav Business Books are Crossing the Chasm and Execution: the discipline of getting things done

Original tweet.

Abebooks listings for each book:

Does Abebooks already have a way to rate sellers?

Is there a list I can create to rate the seller on several dimensions?

Accuracy of listing
Speed
Responsive correspondance (When book is located, packed, shipped, expected arrival date, if there is a problem how can the buyer directly communicate with the seller...)

Foursquare Weekend

2009-12-11T03:04:00.001-05:00

Hopefully this weekend I’ll have access to mobile Internet again. If I do I’ll be testing out foursquare as a mobile location, social interaction and commerce site. I say commerce because most of the locations to check in are locations where one might make a transaction.

There are some businesses using foursquare to drive business and general awareness of the brand.

In the past few months we've seen local businesses encouraging users to show their phones to servers and cashiers as a way to prove their loyalty to a particular place.

See “FOURSQUARE FOR BUSINESSES” for more information.

Cold Day To Run

2009-12-11T02:52:00.001-05:00

Way too cold to be running in weather like this.

Apple iTunes Account Update

2009-11-04T23:38:00.001-05:00

A while back iTunes required that my account be updated. Up until that time I was using an AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) login ID. Apple required that this account be converted to an Apple account. Went through all this and everything worked fine until the iTunes update back in September (2009). At the same time I was unable to login with my new Apple ID and my music was essentially deauthorized. After a few days the problem that prevented me from logging in was fixed and I was subsequently able to login with my Apple ID.

Here is the problem, much of my music is no longer accessible as it was purchased with the AIM account ID. Almost every time I try to play a track purchased with the AIM ID, a pop up box appears. There is at least one track associated with the AIM ID that currently plays.

Searching for the fix to this situation is frustrating and time consuming. This is a big problem.

Rant <end>

New Twitter Update Box

2009-11-03T16:52:00.001-05:00

Looks like Twitter recently made a change to the Twitter.com homepage. There is a new box that shows the number of inbound tweets since you last refreshed your page.

No confirmation if this is just for a few users or was rolled out to all accounts.

Do you have this on your Twitter homepage yet?

Please include your Twitter ID in the comments section if you would. Thanks ;)

TWITTER TRAINING @ BIGGBY GROSSE POINTE

2009-10-21T00:56:00.003-04:00

There is an introduction to Twitter class at the Biggby Coffee in Grosse Pointe Farms on Thursday October 22, 2009 at 6:30 PM.

The hosts are @grossepointey and @BIGGBYMANGP

Quote on Learning

2009-10-13T09:23:00.000-04:00

“We Learn . . .
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we see and hear
70% of what we discuss
80% of what we experience
95% of what we teach others.”
�William Glasser quotes ( , b.1925)"

Seems like a good idea to incorporate multiple methods. Doing so appears to create a synergy of learning.

Podcast of Interest:: Venture Voice: VV Show #60 - Larry Kramer of MarketWatch

2009-09-30T02:00:00.001-04:00

Venture Voice: VV Show #60 - Larry Kramer of MarketWatch: "VV Show #60 - Larry Kramer of MarketWatch"

Larry takes us back to his start as a paperboy and though his career. The details, twists and turns are interesting in that they include technology and the dot-com boom. This was a really good interview with Larry. Lots of historical context. Worth a listen.

The New York Times: Gary Vaynerchuk

2009-09-09T00:32:00.001-04:00

Nice to see Gary getting some mainstream press. His book is going to sell like gangbusters. Believe it comes out in about five weeks. People are looking to be inspired. Gary will play this super hero role well and sell a ton, a ton of books along the way.

The front page of the New York Times featuring Gary is below.

Apple iPod - Touch

2009-09-09T00:23:00.001-04:00

What will be the big news from Apple on Wednesday September 9, 2009?

Below are some of the features that I believe may be in the new iPod Touch.

Camera
GPS
Internet data plan capable

Choose the service provider of your choice. AT&T will not have an exclusive deal with Apple for this product.

Wall Street Journal Traffic Report: Future To Include Twitter?

2009-09-01T22:12:00.001-04:00

When will the Wall Street Journal add a section for most the tweeted articles? What about the most clicked via Twitter posts?

This would definitely be something that could occur in the next 12 months. Twitter has grown like a juggernaut in the past year. It would be wise to integrate the Journal and Twitter more than is currently being done.

Kennedy Dominates Google News: “In The News” Section

2009-08-26T21:45:00.001-04:00

Five of the ten items listed on Google News “In The News” section are related to Senator Kennedy or to a place that his family is associated with. See screen shot nearby.

Email Spam – Subject Line: Congratulations Lucky Winner!!Month Of July 09"

2009-08-26T00:02:00.001-04:00

Email in it’s entirety.

PEPSI BOTTLING COMPANY.
#14 Cruze Row London,
DX LDE 17 WC1R 4BU
United Kingdom.
Ref: XYL /26510460037/05
Batch: 24/00319/IZP
Winning number:PL/09788/60
Congratulations Lucky winner.
The Board of Directors and the International Promotion Department of Pepsi
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inform you that your email has won a prize money of One Million Great
Britain Pound Sterlings(£1,000,000.00)for the month of July on our Online
Monthly NCSP(NEWYEAR CRISIS SOLUTION PROMO) programm.
This is a program aimed encourage you to petronize our products and also
help families with the current Global crisis allover(Europe,American,Asia
and Africa), hence no ticket sold.
To claim your winning prize you are to send the following information
about your self to the claims processing manager for verification &
direction.Do contact the processing manager with the below contact
information;
***************************************************************
Name:Mr. Francise Jones
E-mail: processingmanager@luckymail.com
Claims Processing Manager, Payment and Release order Department,
***************************************************************
1.FULL NAMES:
2.CONTACT ADDRESS:
3.AGE:
4.TELEPHONE NUMBER:
5.SEX:
6.OCCUPATION:
7.NATIONALITY:
8.COUNTRY:
9.HOW DO YOU FEEL AS PEPSI LUCKY WINNER:
10.I____________________________ hereby declare that the above information
is true and binding on me.If at any time it is discovered that I have
given false information, I will forfeit my rights to my winnings.Be
further advised to maintain the strictest level of confidentiality until
the end of proceedings to circumvent problems associated with fraudulent
claims.This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming
and unwarranted abuse of this program.
Congratulations once again!.
Pepsi Online Co-ordinator
Miss Anita Spark.
©2009 pepsi bottling company All rights reserved.

Starting A Business & Being An Entrepreneur

2009-08-09T19:10:00.004-04:00

Came across the first video on Friendfeed earlier today. All three are worth your time if you are an entrepreneur or an aspiring entrepreneur.

Melanie Notkin, @SavvyAuntie on Twitter, is interviewed by Ariane de Bonvoisin, @clickariane on Twitter.

Twitter Error 324

2009-08-06T23:04:00.001-04:00

Think Outside The Box: Break Down

2009-07-31T22:26:00.001-04:00

The phrase, ‘think outside the box’ has become commonplace.

The box represents the imaginary limitations or parameters for a situation. These “Dimensions of Value” are leverage points that create value to the customer. Think of the box as having three or six sides. Each side is a value point to the consumer.

For any particular product or service there is a standard that represents the current market. As that market gains new entrants, there will be an increase in competition and a decrease in operating margins. An organization is challenged to increase innovation.

Innovation is or may be achieved via moving one of the walls of the box. Consumers change over time. What is optimal for consumers today, is suboptimal for customers tomorrow.

Organizations must challenge themselves with innovation that increases consumer value as well as returns to the firm. This must be done even if it destroys the old business. The organization is better off destroying itself via innovation than to be destroyed by an outside force with no alternatives available.

The Monarch Butterfly [Picture]

2009-07-30T22:53:00.001-04:00

Saw this while out earlier today.

Apple iTunes Drops AOL Screen Names?

2009-07-29T23:04:00.001-04:00

Logged into iTunes this evening to sync the iPod and this dialog box appeared. Have never seen anything like this before.

Did Apple just drop AOL screen names?

What Economic News?

2009-07-28T23:18:00.001-04:00

Want to know what economic data is being released soon? What are the important ones to know? Is there a consensus forecast?

The answer to these questions and more can be found on the Bloomberg Economic Calendar page.

FERNDALE WORDPRESS MEETUP

2009-07-27T22:58:00.001-04:00

About once a month there is a WordPress Meetup in Ferndale Michigan. Usually the meetings are at AJ’s Music Cafe [a coffee shop].

There was a good turnout at today’s event. There were probably about eight of us in total. It was cool that a few new people came out to see what was going on.

Aside from conversation about WordPress, we discussed Chris Brogan and his book Trust Agents as well as the domain registration site Joker. Another item mentioned was Moo cards, a distinct business card. They make an impact was the consensus.

A private Friendfeed group has been created for this group. If you are part of the group and would like access to the group request and invite.

THE CISCO SUCCESS PLAYBOOK

2009-07-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Below are the four elements to creating success as stated in the Wall Street Journal article: Silicon Valley Survivor

“Be realistic”
“Assess your situation”
“Get ready for the upturn”
“Get closer to your customers”

For the full details on each, visit the full article on the WSJ website.

Here are three unwritten rules to add to the four above.

“Watch the stock market.”
“Always have more cash, not less.”
“Be aggressive.”

Again, these are from the article linked above. It is one thing to talk about these rules and quite another to have such strong execution on them. Cisco has successfully acquired several billion dollar businesses and not missed a beat in doing so. They have been a nimble M&A machine.

THE AT&T IPHONE SUBSIDY

2009-07-25T17:56:00.001-04:00

An article in the Wall Street Journal, AT&T Gets Another iPhone Boost, includes some interesting information about AT&T and the Apple iPhone.

In the most recent quarter AT&T activated 2.4 million iPhone units. Assuming that each of these units is a sale and part of the total subsidy number leads to the following.

AT&T estimated that subsidy payments to Apple for the iPhone were $720 million in the quarter. Some basic math, $720 divided by 2.4 million, reveals that each handset is subsidized approximately $300.

How would you analyze this data?

Have you seen similar of different numbers?

TWITTER FOR BUSINESS: 101 STYLE

2009-07-24T23:22:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week at #tweetea, a tweetup event in Royal Oak, MI, we had a discussion about Twitter. The discussion included some thoughts on how so many people sign up and just do not see what all the hoopla is about. A big part of the conversation revolved around there not being a guide on how to use the service. It is not real clear and generally takes a few weeks to get a hang of it. Most new users are not willing to put in such efforts and thereby abandon the service.

What Twitter Did

Twitter recently released Twitter 101 - A Special Guide. The guide is geared for business and included best practices and case studies. This is the kind of progress that will be welcomed by new users.

Extra Credit Reading

The New York Times: Mom-and-Pop Operators Turn to Social Media

Questions

Do you use Twitter?
What value do you get or give with it?

A few years back it was new for a business to have a website. Then it was having an email address. The new thing is to have a Twitter account.

TWITTER TOOLS [Current 7.23.2009]

2009-07-23T20:46:00.001-04:00

Twitter

Current top sites used to enhance the use of Twitter are as follows.

is.gd – URL shortener. Link is for main site. Get the bookmarklet to be most effective.

TweepSearch – A search tool for the bio section of a Twitter user.

Twellow – The directory of Twitter

Tweet Stats – Data about a Twitter account.

Twitter Search – Used to find tweets that include terms or that are from certain geographic locations.

What tools are you using?

THREE BUSINESS NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION PODCASTS TO CONSIDER

2009-07-22T21:47:00.001-04:00

Bloomberg “ON THE ECONOMY” Tom Keene Taps the Best Minds in Economics

Marketing Over Coffee

The Wall Street Journal this Morning

These are really good. Great for listening during a daily commute. Each of the above podcasts is about thirty minutes in length. If you are interested in learning more about business and the economy these are some good podcasts to start with.

MORE EPRIZE LAYOFFS?

2009-07-22T20:16:00.001-04:00

The blog has been getting quite a bit of traffic regarding ePrize layoffs as a search topic. Last year ago I wrote two posts about ePrize [post 1 & post 2]. A recent Detroit News article confirms that there have been more layoffs.

The Detroit News: Number of jobless in Mich. hits 740,000 Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2009

Ryan Duval, a 26-year-old software engineer, just got laid off from ePrize LLC, an online marketing firm based in Pleasant Ridge. When Duval joined the firm four years ago, ePrize revenues were growing almost monthly and the staff had doubled to more than 400 employees. "Now, I'm part of the latest round of layoffs," he said.

The firms that hired ePrize have likely pulled back spending on the kinds of promotions that were the bread and butter of ePrize revenues. Less business means that there is less need for the knowledge workers that drove the ePrize business model.

The current economic conditions in Michigan are some of the most challenging in a generation. In November 1982, Michigan unemployment peaked at 16.9%. Michigan will likely surpass that during the current downturn.

GAS PRICE TODAY…

2009-07-20T22:55:00.001-04:00

Gas was $2.359 today at Mobil.

RAINBOW

2009-07-20T22:52:00.001-04:00

From Friday July 17, 2009. Taken in back yard.

WHATEVER YOU DO…

2009-07-20T22:49:00.001-04:00

THE LAURELS OF SUCCESS

2009-07-19T23:36:00.001-04:00

Are you resting on your laurels?

Prove you are not, everyday to clients, associates, business partners and to yourself.

When one has created the seeds and fruits of success, it is important to not let past performance discontinue itself because of a sense of entitlement. One must continue to create delight in the community that makes an enterprise thrive and prosper.

SPAM - Subject line: Your resume on the internet (medical job training available)

2009-07-19T01:32:00.000-04:00

The email below looks like a scam to me. Think I’ve seen this one or one like it before. Marking it as SPAM so it gets blocked the next time around.

Hello,

I am a healthcare recruiter. I saw your resume on the internet. How is your job search going? Are you still looking for work in your current field or would you be interested in a career change to healthcare? There are many job openings right now and there is a huge shortage of qualified staff. We are working with some schools that will train you for a new career in healthcare. There are careers that range from $25,000 to $35,000 per year as well as careers that pay anywhere from $50,000 to $80,000 per year. Many people also qualify for Federal funds to pay for the training. If you are interested or you would like more information please reply back and let me know.

If you are not interested please do not reply.

Best regards and good luck in your job search.

Sincerely,

Justin James

27762 Antonio Pkwy L1-261

Ladera Ranch, CA 92694

PS.. I'm not going to fill your e-mail box up with lots of messages, but I will send you an e-mail and check in from time to time to see how things are going, but if you would rather not hear back form me just send an e-mail to nothankyou@ehcr.org and I won't contact you again.

AMAZON RECOMMENDS…

2009-07-18T23:12:00.002-04:00

UPDATE: near the bottom of the email - "Was it a gift? No longer interested? Improve your recommendations." Amazon should put it next to each item and not at the bottom of the email. Who will read the whole message if it seems inaccurate or not relevant?

Below is a screenshot of an email Amazon sent. It is a list of recommended items based on “items you purchased or told us you own.” Knitting is a cool hobby but it is not one of mine.

Cool idea but it needs a “This was a gift for someone else” button.

Has Amazon ever recommended items for you that were off the wall?

SCAM EMAIL - Subject: YOUR EMAIL HAS WON £500,000.00 in category "B"

2009-07-17T22:31:00.001-04:00

Email text below

Dear Winner,
We are pleased to inform you that you have emerged as a winner in our end of Year (2009) International Lottery Programs. Your email address was selected by our Electronic Random Selection System (ERSS) from an exclusive list of 30,000,000 e-mail addresses of individual and corporate bodies generated from an internet resource database. No tickets were sold.
Your email address is identified with Batch Number: P1/56/2009 and Ticket Number: PL 3917 /2009-09 in Category "B" and your claims portfolio is filled with Ref Number:UKL/09-005/XX.You are therefore advised to receive a cash prize of £500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Great British Pound) from the total payout.
To claim your winning money, please contact our Certified and Accredited claims agent for category "B" winners with the information below:
*************************************
Name: Mr. Richard Adams
E-mail: mr_richard126@yahoo.com.hk
Fiduciary Agent
*************************************
Endeavour to provide him with the following information in your contact with him.
Names:
Telephone:
Age:
Occupation:
You are to keep all lotto information confidential, especially your reference and ticket numbers.
Yours Faithfully,
Rebecca Anne Crawford
Lottery Co-ordinator.
UK National Lottery Company

If you found this blog post you can safely ignore and delete the email message that set off warning bells. Those warning bells caused you to run a search to verify.

MACOMB COMMUNITY COLLEGE AD IN THE NEW YORK TIMES ONLINE

2009-07-16T22:42:00.001-04:00

Came across this ad while browsing the New York Times website. Thought it was interesting that a local community college was using Google Ads. [See screenshot nearby] There is obviously some sort of geographic targeting of this ad. My location is about 10 miles from the South Campus. It would make little sense to display it to someone more than fifty miles from the campus unless it was for online classes.

NEW BOOK PRICING: “Free: The Future of a Radical Price”

2009-07-15T23:51:00.001-04:00

The other day Bloomberg had an excellent podcast interview with Chris Anderson, author of, Free: The Future of a Radical Price. After listening, it brought me to the belief that this new book was worth looking into. Used the Amazon Apple Touch app to search for the book. Found it for a very reasonable price. Bundling it with The Long Tail, another book by Chris, brought that total just above the $25 basket size required to get free shipping on Amazon.

In the mean time some other things came up, namely #tweetea and the order was not placed. Today I finally got back to Amazon to look at completing the transaction from yesterday. The price has gone up significantly. Below are the prices from this evening.

*Note: The prices may have changed between not and when you visit them.

Amazon: $26.99

Borders: $21.59

Barnes & Noble: $17.54

Moral of the story: You delay, you pay.

ANOTHER WAY TO SEARCH THE WEB

2009-07-14T23:03:00.001-04:00

If you are looking for a new tool to dig a little deeper for information on the web you may want to try Samepoint.com.

This is how Samepoint bills itself.

Samepoint is a conversation search engine that lets you see what people are talking about.
Discover, learn and share new web sites and ideas.

Try searching for some friends or business associates. You might find some interesting information. You could also use it to search for competitors.

Thoughts?

MATERIALISM: % ROLE IN YOUR LIFE

2009-07-13T22:19:00.001-04:00

How large a role does materialism play in your life?

How many automobiles [+ trucks] do you own?
How many televisions do you own?
How many computers do you own? [do not count smart phones or PDA’s]
Do you own a smart phone? [if you own an iPod Touch, it counts]
How many pairs of shoes do you own?
How many watches do you own?
How many jerseys or shirts with a players name on them do you own?
How many square feet are there in your dwelling per person?

Formula: Home of 1,500 square feet. Two people = 750 square feet per person

How many round trip flights did you make in the past 365 days? [personal, not work related]

Business Week: Customer Engagement

2009-07-12T22:50:00.001-04:00

Earlier today I was listening to a Business Week podcast for the story titled “Where Housing Will Be in 2012.”

One of the things that stuck me was a question that raised concerning the future selling price of a home in New Jersey. Both writer and the editor took a stab at answering the question. [My guess is $475,000]

This question would be a good way to engage listeners and readers. Perhaps Business Week will use a free survey site to do just that. A site such as Survey Monkey or Predictify may work.

Data requested would include the following

Price in dollars
Name
Email

Closest guess gets the winner in some sort of analysis Hall of Fame page on the Business Week website.

Each guess could include space for a 140 character reason for why that price was guessed. Twitter posting may also be included.

Would something like this drive discussion?

GAS PRICES IN ‘09, ‘08 & ‘07

2009-07-11T23:25:00.001-04:00

Gas is going for $2.439 at retail nearby [7/11/2009].

On 7/4/2008 gas was at $4.199 locally.

On 7/6/2007 gas was $3.199 locally.

In Summer 2008 there was a huge price spike where the national average topped $4 a gallon. Crude oil also closed above $145 a barrel.

What do you think the national average will be for a gallon of regular at the end of 2009?

BACK TO SCHOOL: COLLEGE

2009-07-11T01:58:00.001-04:00

Walmart is already targeting the college back to school crowd. It is only Saturday July 11, 2009. Target does not appear to be targeting back to school as an event/buying occasion yet.

Note: In the mail today was a back to school themed catalog from Bed Bath & Beyond. Below is a screenshot of their website. [7.11.2009]

Screenshot of the Target site is below. [7.11.2009]

BIG TIME SAVINGS AT KROGER

2009-07-10T23:23:00.001-04:00

On the last visit to Kroger the Plus Card Savings came out to $.14. Yep 14 cents. That is a savings of 3% on this transaction.

If you have a savings amount on the bottom of a shopping receipt, what is the biggest percentage saved you have seen?

NOTES FROM READING

2009-07-09T23:03:00.001-04:00

When reading a book it is suggested that one take down notes to further synthesize the thoughts and lessons.

Some books are good to write in. Did this most notably while reading Personality Not Included.

Other books get a blank 3” x 5” index card that is used as a bookmark and to write out notes. This is a good method. It is best used for small nuggets of knowledge and short quotes. Long strings of text take up a lot of space.

The newest method employed for note taking while reading is a legal note pad. Currently I am writing down the page, one item per line. The goal is to make two columns per page. After reading the book with this method, I’ll probably type out the full notes and post to Evernote.

QUESTIONS

Do you take down notes as you read?

Notes after reading?

NEW HASHTAG: #NowNotLater

2009-07-08T23:35:00.001-04:00

Below is a tweet from earlier today.

admore We practice to make the plays WORK! Admit it, you should put in some practice. #NowNotLater about 2 hours ago from web

If you have something important to do, it would be wise to start on it now and not wait. Starting is the first step to attainment of any goal or mission.

Possible Life Applications [PLA’s]

Jobs
Career
Learning

Can you think of any other applications where doing it now is better then later?

WHERE DO YOU SHOP FOR GROCERIES?

2009-07-08T23:20:00.001-04:00

For some people it is about price. For others it is about location. Some people even look for superior service. Each of these is a tactic that may be employed by a retail business to create customers.

Near where I live, Kroger dominates the area with four stores that are closer than any competing [food] store. CVS is a bit closer in two instances. Could one really shop for most groceries at a CVS? If one had very limited needs it is possible. For the 99.999% rest of us, we will probably have a supermarket or supercenter that serves our grocery shopping needs.

Location [access] is the biggest reason I shop Kroger for groceries. Each of the four stores is on a major road all within 1.5 miles of home. No matter which way I am coming from, there is almost always a Kroger to be found on the way home.

Where do you shop for groceries, why?

GAS PRICES ARE FALLING

2009-07-08T06:23:00.001-04:00

Last night when I filled up the car, the price of gas was $2.559 [credit] and 2.499 for cash per gallon. The station was the Mobil on 11-Mile road in Royal Oak and just west of I-75

*THE FINE PRINT

2009-07-06T21:32:00.001-04:00

On Monday Caribou Coffee has a promotion of coffee for a dollar.

Today I found out it is only for the dark roast. Usually the dark roast is what I order. The past few visits to Caribou have included purchases of dark roast coffee. Probably one of the last three visits was on a Monday for the dollar special.

For whatever reason when asked if I’d like light or dark roast, I selected light. As the transaction was being rung, that’s when I found that the promotion is only for the dark roast.

Instead of paying one dollar, the total with tax came to $2.23. That’s the regular price and I was a bit disappointed to not get the Monday Special.

It’s experiences like these that drive consumer cynicism. When there is a deal, there is almost always a catch. If the actual deal was better communicated, I would not have been less than delighted on this visit. The order would have been for the regular dark roast if getting the deal was that important.

Certainly this is not enough to drive me to exclusively to Starbucks. It will certainly give me pause before I have to make a choice between Caribou and the Starbucks just a few doors down.

QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT

How many customers have had a less than delightful experience at a retail business?

What should a business do to prevent service failures from happening?

How can firms better communicate what the deal is and includes?

DIFFERENT REAL ESTATE PROMOTION TACTIC

2009-07-05T17:07:00.002-04:00

Real Estate promoted using Zillow

Recently I was passing a home for sale and couldn’t help but notice the sandwich board in front of the house. It indicated that people should visit zillow.com and search for 625 Renaud for house details.

Certainly lots of homebuyers are using Zillow and Trulia to find homes that fit their requirements and budget. Using the sandwich board to drive traffic to the site has probably lead to more potential buyers looking at the house.

The listing on Zillow has been updated and currently indicates “Views: 12,” one of which is mine.

Map

View Renaud House for Sale on Zillow in a larger map

GOALS

2009-07-04T22:12:00.001-04:00

“If you aim at nothing, it is hard to hit the target.” dld

If one is to perform at a high level and generate success in a chosen endeavor, one must choose a goal to aim for. Once a goal [destination] is set one can measure progress to attainment over time.

Sometimes it takes some practice to become better prepared to attain a goal. Measuring progress will enable the individual to understand if the goal is being made and areas of achievement that are weak and improvable.

GOOGLE MAPS CONTRACTOR IN MICHIGAN

2009-07-03T23:39:00.001-04:00

A Google Maps contractor is working near Detroit, Michigan. At about 9:40am [7/3/2009] one of their vehicles was spotted on the 11 Mile road bridge above I-75.

Wondering if they are just adding in missing areas or updating areas that have changed.

MINI TWEETUPS: IT STARTS WITH ONE

2009-07-02T21:49:00.001-04:00

Tweetups are gatherings of peeps [people] who tweet [use Twitter]. Using tools such as Facebook etc has made them quite popular. This popularity has lead to strong and growing attendance [see Detroit Tweetups]. Even when an event is not actively promoted, 15 people show up. That is rather impressive.

When group size becomes large the effectiveness of the group declines. Connections are not as strong as they might be. One might even argue that they are weak. In any case, late last year a few of us were discussing how big the attendance was for recent tweetups [100+ attendees]. At that point we began to meet at a coffee shop under the premise of doing smaller scale tweetups [aka: a mini tweetup].

It is time to launch that idea again. There should be mini tweetups all over a large metro area such as we have around Detroit, MI. Other places are welcome to launch their own events. There should be events every day of the week. Collaboration on ideas is powerful. The network effect will connect people to the resources they need. Resources are best connected in smaller groups where trust can be built. It is also critical for needs, known and unknown to be uncovered. Some people need things and don’t yet know it. In a small group setting these can better be unearthed.

The hashtag I’ll be using for mini tweetups is #mtweetup. The m stands for mini. As a suggestion it is a good idea to keep group size below 8. Even 7 might be too many. If the number of attendees becomes too large, consider breaking the group apart. Move to two places at the location of any events. Perhaps one group could relocate to a second place. This will will expose more people and businesses to Twitter, people and the events that are happening.

What are your thoughts?