My local newspapers are full of great articles written by journalists about finance, how-to repair, and general sound advice on a slew of topics. However, would I pay for all this actionable insight? Let’s just say, I haven’t purchased a newspaper in a very long time – and I’m willing to wager neither have you (at least not as often as you used to). The newspaper model is collapsing. The audience at large sees information as a commodity (for the most part). Why pay for one writer’s point of view, when I can find another three writer’s points of view for free – even if it isn’t quite as good. Read more…

Critical eye, New Media, User-Experience Premium content

We all love it when brands make us feel special, but how forgiving are we when they get it wrong?

The theory goes, the more in-tune with the potential customer’s frame of mind a product offering is, the higher the probability that the offering will result in a sale. It just makes common-sense; Give a thirsty man water; Give a hungry woman a snack.

Large strides have been already made in terms of personalization through customized content. Visit Amazon.com for example (my site is on page 24 of that book by the way). If you’ve been there before and sign in, Amazon welcomes you by name, and suggests items that it thinks you’d be interested in. In the case of a hotel, go to a hotel enough times and they’ll remember little details like the fact you enjoy an extra pillow, or what your favorite daily is and provide both of them for you before you enter your room. However, let’s look at this in a different way.

Are the potential gains of creating a positive, customized user-experience worth the risk of getting it wrong from time to time? Read more…

Critical eye, Marketing, User-Experience Customization, Privacy, UX

Twitter is a great source of information, but who can keep up?

I have a love/hate affair with Twitter. I use it to keep up-to-date with new media, engage in interesting conversations, and meet new people in my industry. I’ve always been amazed at the quality of the articles shared, and the speed at which breaking news spreads on Twitter. The fact that its influence was strong enough to have brought down ad campaigns, and win a Presidential election convinces me that it has made its mark in history and is a force to be reckoned with. But despite all it’s strengths and accomplishments, lets face it:

Twitter is a time-suck.

Read more…

Critical eye, New Media Break, Twitter