Another Technological Gizmo -- at my fingertips

Just when I thought technology could do me no wrong, my LG ENV2 phone screen dies on me.

Great...without a cell phone, the whole world seems to be moving a lot slower. And what's worse is that the front panel buttons on that phone hasn't worked for months. After frantically calling the nearest Verizon stores, I called my parents to tell them the not-so-fun news. It's time for a new phone.

Luckily, my dad said that with the 2-for-1 deal currently happening with Verizon, the company is offering two phones for the price of one. But with new activation. As I trudged home to Arcadia (of course, in the pouring rain), I was just fortunate to get anything that would function.

After all the discounts, upgrade credits, and mail-in rebates, my dad purchased the Droid while I received the Droid Eris. As my first smart phone, I'm really excited to see all of the functions it has. I must admit, I have to get used to the touch-screen pad, because my fingers were so used to the flip phone keys instead. Although none of these new technological features such as e-mail, Facebook, and web browsing are new, it still blew my mind probably because it was directly applicable to me this time around.

Changing settings have never been easier, yet I'm still trying to get used to it. I'm especially excited to get GPS with this phone since it's so useful around Los Angeles. It's rare when a car full of people are lost and not one person has a smart phone. The possibilities are now endless, but it might even be a distraction.

Let's just hope I don't drop my phone as frequently as I did before. My dad and I are still contemplating whether or not to invest in the insurance policy. At $5.99 per month plus $75 deductible, I'm not sure if it's worth it. However, the store manager highly recommends it. It makes logical sense, but why wouldn't he say that, anyway? It's just another sale and money going into the company.

So far so good! I like the features and the shape of the phone over the Droid, even though the screen is smaller. I hope I still feel the same way in 30 days!

Update: I left the phone charger at home in Arcadia...

Another Social Network Down and Out

As Facebook rises in power, another one falls victim.

With FriendFeed, this was no exception. Yet another social network crumbles due to the popularity of the enviable Facebook. When FriendFeed's site crashed for over an hour on Thursday, February 25th, the buzz wasn't large. In fact, only about 50 people on Twitter found it worthwhile to tweet about it. Sadly, some of the tweets were repeats from the same users.

So out of the tens of millions of Twitterers, less than 50 of them showed enough care about FriendFeed's well-being. Even though it wasn't huge, FriendFeed still had a relatively large following. The infamous 500 Internal Server Error made the site look abandoned; what one might call: outdated.

That means that of all the tens of millions of people around the world on Twitter, a full 50 of them care enough to tweet when FriendFeed is down. It’s hard to imagine any other service that got to the size FriendFeed did (which, granted, wasn’t huge), only getting 50 tweets if it goes down. Many old FriendFeed employees now work for Facebook, almost like a cross-town rival.

Could this be the end of FriendFeed? When it finally does recover from it's "major power outage", maybe people won't even notice. Maybe even a tweet will require too much effort.

For all you Apartment-Hunters: a Craigslist rival?

Especially around these months for college students, the drag of finding a place to live has had a strong presence.

Finding an apartment or a place to live in a great neighborhood for a low price can get, needless to say, very stressful and disappointing. However, the new start-up website, Naked Apartments, helps hopeful home renters and landlords find each other quickly and efficiently. The site's mission is to help qualified to-be home owners with landlords by processing their needs through search criteria.

First, renters sign up using anonymous profile accounts that ask for statistics such as annual income, preferred monthly rent, preferred apartment size, and preferred move-in date. As a further incentive, Naked Apartments will provide a free credit check to figure out the renter's credit score. Landlords and brokers can then search through these profiles and contact the renters who satisfy the requirements if they wish.

But how is this site monetized? The brokers and landlords have to pay $2 to contact a renter. This is a good catch, because landlords typically want to contact as many potential buyers as possible. Contacted renters can then choose which apartments are of interest to them. Ideally after the renters interact with the broker, they will write reviews of their experience regardless of the outcome. That way, other members will know which people to trust and search.

Naked Apartments also allows searchers to be proactive by allowing them to contact landlords about specific details on properties. So far 2,000 renters have found their dwellings through Naked Apartments with 100 brokers and landlords out of 13,000 total apartment listings for rent. The concept of Naked Apartments is solid in theory, but it still runs the risk of losing business to established sites such as Craigslist and Zillow.

The theme of the day: Corporate Branding and Communities.

POM Wonderful...and how wonderful it is!

It’s always such a pleasure to hear from past APOC students who have made it in the professional world. Especially with the economic recession, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Jeff’s position as the Director of Marketing keeps him responsible for managing everything online for POM Wonderful. As a huge pomegranate fruit and juice fan, I was immediately interested and invested in his advice. With the biggest transition occurring last year to focus on building a community instead of a website, the time could not have been better. I perused the POM Wonderful site prior to the class lecture, and it does exactly what Jeff aimed for it to do: build a community. While some of the interface applications and content deals with the product, most of the homepage focuses around the community.

Even though POM Wonderful is off-season (defined by when the pomegranate fruits are sold and harvested), the campaign online still exists and must thrive. Just off the home interface, one of the major tabs is labeled “Community” with an easy-to-sign-up option to the right of the button. Below, it labels community activity and shows what people are posting about POM and its products. With an opportunity to see what fellow fans are twittering, how many other fans joined the Facebook page, and the stories people can share about their love for POM, the community has definitely and successfully been engendered.

Under the POM Community and Engagement, the interactivity and targeting is there. And it’s apparent on its easy-to-use interface. Customer testimonials and even contests centered around POM cleverly give viewers motivation to get involved. And it has been ingrained in our mind that the biggest, most die-hard product fans can serve as the best marketing. Word spreads like wild fire and one tweet can reach tens of thousands of people.

But who knew that 1,200 blogs posted specifically about POM Wonderful? But the new pills, bars, and concentrated product shots will give Tweeters something to Tweet about. Seeing POM focus on grassroots blogging and low cross-product promotion gives them a great avenue to move forward.

I’m sold. And now I’m more prompted to actively seek and try their other products. After all, POM is building a community, one member at a time.

This is What Google Would Do

What Would Google Do? Perhaps one of the most sought out questions to date...

Similarly to Google, Jeff Jarvis has successfully pervaded the internet world. With his BuzzMachine blog, creation of Entertainment Weekly, and multiple articles for The New York Daily News (just to name only a few of his innovative successes), Jarvis uses his journalistic skills to introduce his readers to the Google mindset.

Sure, we all know what Google is and how successful the company has grown. But do you really know how this Fortune 100 Company rose in the ranks to the top? Jarvis delves deep into Google’s mission statement, marketing techniques, and ideals on the future in an attempt to help us succeed in our own start-up businesses. Even though his advice makes sense, it’s easier said than done. Accomplishing even just a couple milestones that Google has achieved is noteworthy in itself.

I can honestly say that I judged this book by its cover and felt genuinely intrigued by the title. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read about Google and its multi-faceted corporation? And without fail, my preconceived notions deemed accurate and I feel excited and privileged to be able to share a piece of Jarvis’s insight. I really lucked out with this book.

What Would Google Do? outlines its topics into different categories and describes them in further detail with helpful sub points that were fascinating and informative with every turn of the page. With limited technical jargon to explain his easy-to-understand examples, Jarvis wrote a book that everyone in and out of the technical world can benefit from. After all, who isn’t affected by the web these days?

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The three main takeaway points that Jarvis makes are all packed with obvious points, but the level of success with which Google has perfected these techniques…wow. Find me a suitable rival and I will be more than impressed. For all of you aspiring to start your own business online, or any website at all for that matter, follow these “simple” guidelines:

1. When people are in control, they will be your best friend
2. The business model to success – digital, niche, and free
3. Advice for future start-ups: stay up-to-date

Let’s take a deeper look into each one:

1. When people are in control, they will be your best friend:

Give the people control.

There is a reason that Jarvis wrote about this in the first section of his book. Everyone wants to be in control, right? Right. Especially big companies who have operated with a top-down model for the past few decades. And of course, it’s worked so far. But times are currently changing, my fine, corporate friends.

With the dawn of the internet age, the World Wide Web allows “regular people” and “regular browsers” (like you and me) to form ourselves into organized groups, spread valuable information, and challenge the norms. In a nutshell: to take control.

However, if you don’t give people control, they will let it be known. One person, no matter where they are in the country and as long as they have internet access, can make or break a company. You’ll be surprised as to how impacting one negative comment can be. First it starts off with one, then that person can start a conversation, and the next thing you know, an online community has formed with the intent to take that company down.

Google would advise to listen and listen with open ears, never shying away from criticism.

Case in point: Jarvis vented about Dell’s products and customer service in a not-so-nice blog post. After people swarmed to Jarvis’s blog to show support, Dell scrambled for damage control. Luckily, Jarvis outlined tips that Dell should take for PR, and now they directly contact complaining customers and seek feedback on their ideas forum. And with that turn-around, rather than spreading bad PR, customers are continually impressed with Dell’s attention to detail and emphasis for customer satisfaction. For Dell, Jarvis could have caused its demise. Instead, he was mercifully the best thing that ever happened to them.

2. The business model to success – think digital, niche, and free:

Google has made very smart, calculated moves to reach the status it’s at today. But many people don’t realize that free is actually a business model. That’s right: FREE is a business model…and a successful one at that.

Jarvis begins this section of the book stating that Free is difficult to compete against. Who doesn’t like free? According to Google, a free marketplace is the most efficient one and money just makes things difficult for both the sellers and the customers. But the obvious goal for any business is to make money.

But Google’s model to make money requires no ownership of the assets, meaning that Google wants to be JUST a search engine. They believe that knowledge should be free online so Google can freely organize it to their advantage.

For example, putting old magazine content online for free instead of through subscriptions would enable Google search to send loads of traffic and ads, of course, to that site. Because nothing deters customers more than signing up and paying. As with Blogger and Gmail, Google keeps storage and accounts free, while the biggest advertisers come running to them because of its powerful search organization.

When Jarvis states “Atoms are a drag,” he starts to reprimand the importance of physical “stuff” and emphasizes the smart shift toward digits and clouds. For companies selling commerce, online transactions require little, if any, storage, no retail rent, no sales clerks, and discounts of purchases in bulk.

Companies, such as Amazon, found great success in digital content delivery through (free) reviews, recommendations, and branching from physical goods to digital music and video. Customers can trust and connect with other like-minded customers all the while boosting Amazon’s brand and mission – again, all for free. And with practically unlimited content ready to be purchased and resold, niches finally rival the mass market. Of course Harry Potter, The Dark Knight, and Avatar will prevail as mainstream content, but consumers will gladly pay for a hard-to-find book from the 1960’s. Look no further.

3. Advice for future start-ups: stay up-to-date

When Google preaches, start-ups should listen.

Join a network. The internet, and companies like Google, provide a powerful network that we can join. According to the brilliant formula, the more we search, the more we click, the more content Google can organize. The smarter Google gets, the better the search results become, and the more we want to use Google. Advertisers then flock to Google (or maybe your own) site because it’s just so darn attractive. Finding anything within seconds can’t get much faster – and 4.4 billion searches per month in 2008 is quite impressive to say the least.

Think distributed. Back in the good ‘ol days, companies expected customers to come to them. Marketing budgets focused on centralization. But Google thinks distributed and is visible wherever and however it can. Through the search boxes, nifty API’s, and range of content, Google is the company sought after without having to lift a finger (but that may actually be difficult when operating a keyboard). Google is not the end, but rather the means to directing customers to where they want to be without an inundation of ads on their simple home screen.

Make mistakes well. While most companies fire their employees for making mistakes, Google encourages its workers to challenge themselves because change is good. If a mistake is made, fix it well and fix it fast. There, no harm done. To return to the Dell example, if the customer service representatives had addressed Jarvis’s dilemma adequately, no damage would have been done. And the time span to respond and fix a problem must be instantaneous. If Amazon suffers from mailing issues, address the problem with the customers and track it down immediately. Fixing customer mistakes personally can even lead to a lifelong brand loyalty that could extend to friends, family members, and future generations. Learn the hard way, because life isn’t always easy.

Be honest and transparent. I have no doubt that the majority of the successful companies do not strive to create a manipulative or evil image. So why not embrace bluntness? Be direct, straightforward, and to the point – there is no incentive to read your blog or browse your website if you’re just feeding lies. With dozens of links to click on that page and millions of web pages to peruse, the attention span is quite limited. Especially for online websites, be open about your mission statement, position, “about us” section, and business relationships. Tell us your background, what have you got to lose? Secrets just push valuable eyes away. Google even launches different products before the finished versions in order to generate ideas from others in an open, collaborative way.

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In the latter half of the book, Jarvis also discusses how Google could implement their business strategies in different industries and essentially dominate the world. From utilities, to retail, to public welfare, Jarvis knows exactly how to tactfully approach the world Google-style and help these fields.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!

There aren’t many books out there that get audiences genuinely excited about business models. I’m so glad that I found this book, ironically on the recommendations list at Amazon.com. Who would have thought that that really works? What Would Google Do? is a delightful read that I am excited to share with anyone who will listen. Rather than resort to the Golden Rule, some of us can now just ask “What Would Google Do?” I’m pretty sure the results will still yield positive results.

Questions for the Speakers

It's not everyday that we're allowed to ask questions to employees of established companies.

One of the most rewarding parts about the APOC Program is that we can interact with these executives. Here are some of the questions that I have for businesses such as POM Wonderful:
1. What is the most profitable month for POM Wonderful?
2. How do the online and print PR strategies differ?
3. How does POM Wonderful deal/contact people who complain about their product?
4. Is there a way to contact the CEO directly as a consumer?

Questions for Teleflora:
1. How emphasized is the PR for flowers during months outside of Valentine's Day and Mother's Day?
2. How has the economic recession affected flower sales?
3. What has been the biggest obstacle in attaining your position at Teleflora?
4. How is management structured in this organization?

There's so much to learn, which is amazing especially at this age. I'm looking forward to hearing from all the speaker this program offers!

Owyang, Starbucks, and Jarvis have the Same Idea

What do Jeremiah Owyang, Starbucks, and Jeff Jarvis have in common?

They all highly value customer feedback. At first, I disregarded who wrote the assigned reading article about Starbuck's ideas garnered from customers. As I finished the end, fascinated by how much power customers have with large business corporations like Starbucks, I realized that the style of writing and perspective seemed oddly familiar.

Then the light bulb clicked and I made the semi-obvious connection. My book report book for this class, What Would Google Do?, is also written by Jeff Jarvis. I just finished reading a chapter about how valuable customers will be to any company, from start-ups to already-established enterprises. Starbucks and Owyang undoubtedly agree.

I was fascinated by Owyang's article that articulated how company websites should be transformed to being communication and transparent-friendly. It's true, most people do not enter a corporation's home site because they get inundated with all the biased, glittery goodness of the product. Most of the time, they enter and search with a pre-conceived notion of what to expect and the likelihood of what they will purchase. CEO's should all step down on the hierarchy, even if temporarily, to interact with customers. With the Dell incident, they should all know that one person could be the downfall of a company's rigorous PR system. That's right, just one. And that one person could be you.

In the Starbuck's article, it was interesting to see the different ideas stemming from the public. After all, a million heads are better than...oh, let's just say 40-50 (that was a complete estimate). Coffee ice cubes, bathroom shelves, and sipping plugs are all great ideas that, although not 100% economically feasible, corporate probably would not have thought of otherwise. Change is good and that's what customers are bringing to the table.

And the "pre-ordered" order on a card, shorter lines, and online requests are all something the company should mull over. Even if they don't directly use that idea, dozens of other solutions could stem from it. Knowing that a CEO is listening is not only flattering, but will also generate customer loyalty to your brand. That, as we all know, carries a lot of weight and spreads through the online realm faster than we can say "grande iced vanilla mocha latte with no whipped cream."

These posts and authors are all successful in the online world for a reason. Customers are #1, they're always right, and if you don't listen, that will be your downfall.