Saturday, September 7, 2013 0 comments

Social Business Interaction


Given the scope of the online and brick-and-mortar companies , the question I wish to ask is "how do you make a company relevant and relatable to every single potential client on the planet?" This is a big question and a massive challenge to solve for.
     The good news is that the means by which we can support this challenge does exist, in part, with the smart use of social media and mobile technology applied with strategic partnerships, convincing content and purposeful engagement. There is no better way to engage a broad spectrum of audiences at a large scale (from one to one billion) than through social media and mobile technologies.
I’d like to offer a look into a few key areas that will help to guide efforts in addressing this challenge:
 Be Engaging!
     Working through answers to simple questions is simple, yet very important. You don't have to be a social media expert to develop intelligent and high-impacting strategies, as long as you work through this main question:
"What do you want people, potential or current clients, to know, feel and/or do as a result of interacting with your company and/or relevant online  content?"
Those working with Facebook may also use the following question:
"Why would someone care and why would they share your content?"
      Answering these questions is very important when we define our audiences, understand what they care about, and develop our content framework that relates to their personal interests, concerns and/or needs.
     It forces us to think about and appeal to the emotional drivers that inspire people to engage and take action on a daily basis. Every person will have a different entry point into the relationship with you and your company. Our challenge is to provide an environment that allows for each person to benefit and contribute in a meaningful way.
Build Partnerships
     It is important to have a strong and effective balance of strategic partnerships and relationships in place with companies like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google and even with agencies (PR, media, creative). In other words, BE THERE. Your online presence is one of the main ways you as a company can build relationships.
     Developing a structure that brings together people from each partner with well defined roles and responsibilities to contribute to the success of your business strategy and objectives is crucial. Each partner brings with them an important lens on audience and engagement opportunities supported by great data, insight and expertise that when pulled together into a uniform view, have enormous impact.
Friday, September 6, 2013 0 comments

Will OS X Mavericks be "Better Than Ever?"

   
 At first glance, Mavericks looks much like the previous version, but Apple's designers are clearly attempting to move away from the highly detailed UI ornamentation and are turning their focus more toward actual content. We've already seen this approach in the way Apple has gradually evolved apps like QuickTime, which started off with a heavily bordered window around the video that got thinner and thinner over time, to the point that now there are no more borders at all -- just the video you're watching and playback controls that appear on mouse-over, then disappear.
With that design minimalism in mind, all of the built-in apps in Mavericks -- everything from Safari, to Mail, to FaceTime, Messages, Calendar and Notes -- have adopted standard OS X interface elements, ditching of the leather/metal/paper backgrounds that users have grown accustomed to.
The move to less UI ornamentation isn't a surprise for most users, given Apple design chief Jony Ive's penchant for minimalism when it comes to hardware (and he's now in charge of software design). But Mavericks does offer some delights that users should appreciate.
 
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