BIT320 Guests
January 18, 2006
Editable Themes
Editable Themes are starting to become a reality at edublogs.org :) w00t!
Posted in incorporated subversion - social software, online education and james farmer on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
A One Stop Shop for Tags
Three easy steps for generating blog tag codes...
Step 1: Visit the Improving Customer Experience site
Step 2: Simply input the keywords you wish to be tagged. Separate keywords or phrases with commas. There is no need to add the + symbol to your phrases.
Step 3: Choose from Technorati, Flickr, Del.icio.us and/or Furl Tags
Technorati Tags: lifehacks
Posted in Micro Persuasion on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Trying a new approach to presentations
Several years ago, I saw a presentation at a conference in which the presenter used web pages in a browser instead of Powerpoint (or any of its kin). It was a nice idea but didn’t do many of the things I need a presentation to do—mainly, work with a wireless remote, but also do builds and other effects we take for granted when using traditional presentation software.
That’s why I was so intrigued when I read about S5, a set of templates in a directory structure that lets you use HTML and your browser to create presentations
S5 stands for Simple, Standards-based Slide Show System. It’s from Eric Meyer, the CSS guru (I have a couple of his books). I took a look at the brief presentation Meyer created and after seeing how well it worked—coupled with a positive notice from MasterViews—I was impressed enough to download it and give it a try.
There are a few drawbacks I can think of that have nothing to do with the S5’s capabilities. Some of the companies where I deliver presentations ask for the file so they can put a print-out into binders. It’s easy to send them the PowerPoint (or a PDF of the PowerPoint). I’m not sure yet how I’d do that with S5. But this is an application in its infancy, and that’s a problem that could be addressed down the road.
In the meantime, I’m pleased with how it’s going so far. Right now, I’m working out how to switch themes from among the four that are available so far. I have a couple presentations coming up, and I’ll probably try one of them using S5.
< ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1097/"); ?>Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
test with new api
test with new api
< ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1096/"); ?>Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
text for message
test for error message
< ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1095/"); ?>Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
One Click Web Sites
I just got an email about a service called Posima. The Web application software is for small businesses and non-profits to create and manage their own sites. It's similar to blogging tools. What's nice is that you can build in e-commerce functionality. They're also wisely going the 37 Signals route and are charging $35 a month right up front. This fills a nice void in the marketplace for small businesses that might want to set up a site but are not interested blogging - even though blogging is far more discoverable.
Posted in Micro Persuasion on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Why isn't there more talk about PR uses of SMS?
I’ve been pondering the lack of discussion about the potential PR applications for SMS (short message service for wireless/cell phones). This thinking has been prompted by several news items I’ve read, such as word from a German company called Smartmachine that it has developed a system that lets cell phone users buy and receive tickets to events using SMS. According to an InfoWorld report...
Smartmachine and its technology partner Skidata have developed a mobile ticketing system that allows customers to have a ticket sent to their mobile phone via SMS (Short Message Service) in the form of a 2D (two-dimensional) bar code. At the gate, they slide their mobile phone display showing the bar code by a bar code reader.
align="left">Banks confirm financial transactions via test, doctors and dentists use it to confirm appointments, and in 2004 credit card issuer KEB Credit Service even delivered layoff notices to 161 employees.
tr" align="left">I remember hearing about a session at a conference during which the speaker supported the integration of digital media players into cell phones. The audience scoffed, so the speaker asked how many of those in the room had MP3 players. Most raised their hands. “How many of you have your MP3 players with you?” Only a couple responded. Then the speaker asked, “How many of you have cell phones?” Everybody raised their hands. “And how many of you have your cell phone with you?” Again, everybody raised their hands.
- Let reporters subscribe to SMS messages alerting them to news updates on specific issues and subjects they cover
- Residents who live near a manufacturing facility could subscribe to get updates about anticipated traffic jams and other facility-specific news
- A crisis team could set up an SMS subscription service to provide news as it happens to interested individuals
resent themselves when we’re engaged in projects — as long as we keep SMS in mind as a potential tool in the toolkit. What other thoughts do you have about how we might incorporate into SMS into communication planning — or what implementations have been been involved with?
< ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1092/"); ?>Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Why isn't there more talk about PR uses of SMS?
I’ve been pondering the lack of discussion about the potential PR applications for SMS (short message service for wireless/cell phones). This thinking has been prompted by several news items I’ve read, such as word from a German company called Smartmachine that it has developed a system that lets cell phone users buy and receive tickets to events using SMS. According to an InfoWorld report,
Smartmachine and its technology partner Skidata have developed a mobile ticketing system that allows customers to have a ticket sent to their mobile phone via SMS (Short Message Service) in the form of a 2D (two-dimensional) bar code. At the gate, they slide their mobile phone display showing the bar code by a bar code reader.
I’m already printing tickets from Ticketmaster on my computer; the printout includes a bar code that is read as I walk into a theater or concert hall. It’s genius to shift this concept to a cell phone, and even greater genius to use SMS to deliver the goods.
This week’s BusinessWeek reports that the government of South Korea is delivering updates on legal proceedings and notices of traffic and environmental violations at a potential saves of $1.2 million in postage (subscription required). The brief item in BusinessWeek also notes that…
Banks confirm financial transactions via test, doctors and dentists use it to confirm appointments, and in 2004 credit card issuer KEB Credit Service even delivered layoff notices to 161 employees.
gn="left">I’m not recommending that companies use SMS — or any tool other than face-to-face — to deliver layoff notices. But these expanding uses of SMS are intriguing, both as an example of what SMS can do and to heighten my wonder that the communication profession hasn’t embraced it. (Nor have marketing and advertising, for that matter.)
I remember hearing about a session at a conference during which the speaker supported the integration of digital media players into cell phones. The audience scoffed, so the speaker asked how many of those in the room had MP3 players. Most raised their hands. “How many of you have your MP3 players with you?” Only a couple responded. Then the speaker asked, “How many of you have cell phones?” Everybody raised their hands. “And how many of you have your cell phone with you?” Again, everybody raised their hands.
Cell phones are ubiquitous. When you leave the house without yours, don’t you feel like you’ve forgotten to put on pants? And most cell phones has SMS capabilities. We’re missing an opportunity here. My preliminary, off-the-top-of-my-head thinking produced a couple of no-brainer applications:
-
Let reporters subscribe to SMS messages alerting them to news updates on specific issues and subjects they cover -
Residents who live near a manufacturing facility could subscribe to get updates about anticipated traffic jams and other facility-specific news -
A crisis team could set up an SMS subscription service to provide news as it happens to interested individuals
Other uses should present themselves when we’re engaged in projects — as long as we keep SMS in mind as a potential tool in the toolkit. What other thoughts do you have about how we might incorporate into SMS into communication planning — or what implementations have been been involved with? < ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1092/"); ?>
Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Why isn't there more talk about PR uses of SMS?
I’ve been pondering the lack of discussion about the potential PR applications for SMS (short message service for wireless/cell phones). This thinking has been prompted by several news items I’ve read, such as word from a German company called Smartmachine that it has developed a system that lets cell phone users buy and receive tickets to events using SMS. According to an InfoWorld report...
Smartmachine and its technology partner Skidata have developed a mobile ticketing system that allows customers to have a ticket sent to their mobile phone via SMS (Short Message Service) in the form of a 2D (two-dimensional) bar code. At the gate, they slide their mobile phone display showing the bar code by a bar code reader.
align="left">Banks confirm financial transactions via test, doctors and dentists use it to confirm appointments, and in 2004 credit card issuer KEB Credit Service even delivered layoff notices to 161 employees.
r hearing about a session at a conference during which the speaker supported the integration of digital media players into cell phones. The audience scoffed, so the speaker asked how many of those in the room had MP3 players. Most raised their hands. “How many of you have your MP3 players with you?” Only a couple responded. Then the speaker asked, “How many of you have cell phones?” Everybody raised their hands. “And how many of you have your cell phone with you?” Again, everybody raised their hands.
- Let reporters subscribe to SMS messages alerting them to news updates on specific issues and subjects they cover
- Residents who live near a manufacturing facility could subscribe to get updates about anticipated traffic jams and other facility-specific news
- A crisis team could set up an SMS subscription service to provide news as it happens to interested individuals
resent themselves when we’re engaged in projects — as long as we keep SMS in mind as a potential tool in the toolkit. What other thoughts do you have about how we might incorporate into SMS into communication planning — or what implementations have been been involved with?
< ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1092/"); ?>Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
That old copyright song
Copyright, RSS, and am I right? Yes or No.Posted in Burningbird on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
VC Cliche of the Week
Several years ago, we were offered the opportunity to sell our interest in Inteliseek, which was merged yesterday into the new Nielsen Buzzmetrics. We declined the opportunity because although the offer for our stock was fair value given where the Company was at the time, we felt that our stock had option value.
Option value is a cliche I hear a lot in the venture capital business and it is fundamental to what we do, particularly the early stage venture business.
I believe that regardless of the "valuation" placed on the Company in most first round investments, what you are really paying for is option value.
Option value means the potential for a gain. If you own 20% of a company, you own 20% of the current value plus 20% of the potential upside. It's the latter that I am calling option value.
I heard recently about a book or an article that made the case that options are bad. That people actually prefer less choice not more choice. That may be true in real life, but it is certainly not true in money and finance.
Options, particularly long life options, which is what early stage stock really is, are very valuable. It's hard to value these instruments with traditional option pricing mechanisms but we know that if you hold onto them and good things happen with the portfolio company, you are going to get rewarded.
So the next time you buy or sell early stage stock, think less about the current value of what you are buying, because there honestly isn't much value in an early stage company, and think more about the potential value creation, the odds of success, and the time frame it would take to get there, and value what you are buying or selling as an option. You may be surprised at the results of that analysis.
Posted in A VC on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Ice Cream Industry Overview
Here's an overview of the ice cream industry that I thought you all might enjoy.
Posted in Denali Flavors on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Blog Lite Day
I am on the road today, but I will be online sporadically and may blog then.
Posted in Micro Persuasion on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
subverted links
- Building a school website one blog at a time at StigmergicWeb
If you;re building websites for schools (or any other organisation as well!) and you’re thinking of using a blog tool then you should be reading this. Pronto likes! - Blog Book Almost Cooked–Preorders Open
Well we’ll be ordering about 5 for the library, guaranteed. You should get yours too… bound to be an absolute corker.
Posted in incorporated subversion - social software, online education and james farmer on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Hard-Fi at The Bowery Ballroom
I sat down to breakfast with my friend Mark and he said "are you going to see Hard-Fi tonight?"
My immediate reaction was that somehow the Ticketweb concert notification emails were ending up in my junk mail folder, but instead I said, "where are they playing?" He replied "The Bowery Ballroom."
So I asked Mark if he could work some magic with his friends in the music biz and get me tickets. He said he'd see what he could do.
Mark and I talked toward the end of the day and no tickets were to be had. It was a "hot show".
Meanwhile I had picked a convenient location for my dinner with my friend Ronny and his son Evan (we went to Little Giant which was good but did not live up to The Gotham Gal's rave review).
After dinner I walked by The Bowery Ballroom and inquired if there were any tickets for the show. "Sold out" the guy at the door told me. I was heading home when the bouncer asked me if I was looking for tickets. I said yes and he introduced me to a young woman and her friend. She had two tickets. I asked how much and she said, "they are yours, I got them for free". Being by myself, I took one and headed in.
Inside I met a young woman who produces a Maxim radio show on Sirius and her friend and her friend's boyfriend. And then I met a guy who used to work for Return Path who reads this blog and found out about Hard-Fi by reading it. Cool.
Then the band came on. They played pretty much the entire record plus the cover of The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" from the Cash Machine EP. Highlights were Cash Machine, Tied Up Too Tight, Feltham, and the closing song - Living For The Weekend. Here is my Flickr photostream of the show.
The lead singer was super high energy and I couldn't help but think he was the punk rock version of Joshua Schachter. He played this cool instrument that was like a recorder with a keyboard on it. No idea what it is called, but it makes that great sound at the begining of many of their songs.
I am really glad I went. They were great.
Go see them if you have the chance. And I hope you get a windfall like I did.
Posted in A VC on 01/18/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
January 17, 2006
links for 2006-01-18
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Stowe Boyd has stepped down from my full-time role with the company. Good luck, Stowe. You're good people.
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Niall: "Listening to the blogosphere requires a combination of skills: searching, analysing and synthesising."
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Bambi asks "Is nothing sacred?"
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The Father of Life Hacks was born 300 years ago today in Boston, Mass.
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We can improve our presentations by emulating certain aspects of Steve Jobs' presentation style
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More money for new or existing word of mouth-oriented firms.
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Links to both inexpensive sites and sites offering free images in searchable databases
Posted in Micro Persuasion on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
links for 2006-01-18
-
Stowe Boyd has stepped down from his full-time role with Corante. Good luck, Stowe. You're good people.
-
Niall: "Listening to the blogosphere requires a combination of skills: searching, analysing and synthesising."
-
Bambi asks "Is nothing sacred?"
-
The Father of Life Hacks was born 300 years ago today in Boston, Mass.
-
We can improve our presentations by emulating certain aspects of Steve Jobs' presentation style
-
More money for new or existing word of mouth-oriented firms.
-
Links to both inexpensive sites and sites offering free images in searchable databases
Posted in Micro Persuasion on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Blog based communities - explaining the basics
Have been having some excellent conversations around the uses of blogs in community and organisational contexts of late. Especially so with Andrew, Mike & David and it was David who suggested that we needed a simple way to explain exactly what community / organisational blogging and blogging as a whole is… to those who maketh the decisions ;)
So, as a first draft I’ve come up with the following three slides, designed to be shown rather than sent (possibly with some live demo at the same time) so I’ve added a little commentary.
This is fairly obvious, the basic point that I want to make is the straight off the bat difference between blogs and discussion boards and how very simple blogs are. Obviously in an organisational context you wouldn’t even have people signing up, so something along the lines of just publish & communicate” might work better here… but if you’re talking about a community then obviously you’re going to have sign up. Decided not to bother going into too much detail about why you’d be doing this in the first place… I guess if you can’t convey why you want people to be communicating online then you’re probably best off stopping here ;)
This is fairly obviously the meat in the sandwich (or should I say protein). It’s basically my answer to “What is a blog?” question together with some explanation. The black boxes represent the primary way in which users would engage with these technologies. Obviously I’ve left out ‘web’ for the first 3 (going anti-clockwise) - this is to focus on the how people get involved rather than what they do once they are involved.
Finally I wanted to really bring it home around how organic and pre-designed communities can form (and be ‘formed’), the huge number of different tools and approaches that can work for this and the absolutely critical nature of this part of the process. You can have the best ‘blogging’ system in the world but without this stuff you might as well just give them open office. Heh.
Posted in incorporated subversion - social software, online education and james farmer on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
podOmatic
podOmatic is a relatively new service that promises to make podcasting easier. The offer web-based mixing tools and instant placements in all the key directories, including iTunes. (Via Playlist)
Posted in Micro Persuasion on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Web 2.0 Doesn't Mean You're Excused from Reality
So Yahoo missed its estimates today and the stock is already down 13 percent after the close. If Yahoo can't make its numbers then clearly online advertising isn't growing as fast as we would all like to think or hope. Keep in mind that Yahoo missed its estimates in a good advertising economy!
The Web 2.0 crash-ola is coming much sooner than I feared. Already Searchfox is toast. Who's next? Sell GOOG that's for sure.
If you're a start-up hoping to pin your business on advertising, get to higher ground. I expect we'll see a rash of mergers, acquisitions and partnerships over the next few months as well as some flat out failures. (By the way, I think this is all healthy for the long-term health of the Web 2.0 “industry.”)
Here's where to watch the unfortunate carnage...
Posts that contain Web 2.0 Crash per day for the last 30 days.
Get your own chart!
Technorati Tags: Advertising
Posted in Micro Persuasion on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Web 2.0 Doesn't Mean You're Excused from Reality
So Yahoo missed its estimates today and the stock is already down 13 percent after the close. If Yahoo can't make its numbers then clearly online advertising isn't growing as fast as we would all like to think or hope. Keep in mind that Yahoo missed its estimates in a good advertising economy!
The Web 2.0 crash-ola is coming much sooner than I feared. Already Searchfox is toast. Who's next? Sell GOOG that's for sure.
If you're a start-up hoping to pin your business on advertising, get to higher ground. I expect we'll see a rash of mergers, acquisitions and partnerships over the next few months as well as some flat out failures. (By the way, I think this is all healthy for the long-term health of the Web 2.0 “industry.”)
Here's where to watch the unfortunate carnage...
Posts that contain Web 2.0 Crash per day for the last 30 days.
Get your own chart!
Technorati Tags: Advertising, Crash, Uh Oh, Yahoo
Posted in Micro Persuasion on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Web 2.0 Doesn't Mean You're Excused from Reality
So Yahoo missed its analyst's estimates today and the stock is already down 13 percent after the close. If Yahoo can't make its analyst's numbers then clearly online advertising isn't growing as fast as we would all like to think or hope. Keep in mind that Yahoo missed its estimates in a good advertising economy!
The Web 2.0 crash-ola is coming much sooner than I feared. Already Searchfox is toast. Who's next? Sell GOOG that's for sure.
If you're a start-up hoping to pin your business on advertising, get to higher ground. I expect we'll see a rash of mergers, acquisitions and partnerships over the next few months as well as some flat out failures. (By the way, I think this is all healthy for the long-term health of the Web 2.0 “industry.”)
Here's where to watch the unfortunate carnage...
Posts that contain Web 2.0 Crash per day for the last 30 days.
Get your own chart!
Technorati Tags: Advertising, Crash, Uh Oh, Yahoo
Posted in Micro Persuasion on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Interview - Pete Blackshaw, Intelliseek - January 17, 2006
Following today’s joint announcement by Intelliseek and Buzzmetrics on the merger of those two firms into a new company backed by media group VNU, Shel and Neville spoke to Pete Blackshaw, Intelliseek’s Chief Marketing and Customer Satisfaction Officer.
Conversation points: The joining together of Intelliseek and Buzzmetrics; VNU and being acquired; developments in tracking and analysis of consumer-generated media; continuing support and development for BlogPulse and other Intelliseek offerings; the growing impact of video on consumer-generated media; the future of podcasting; Pete’s observations about Naked Conversations.
Download the 26-minute conversation here (MP3, 11MB), or sign up for the Interviews RSS feed to get it and our future interviews automatically. For automatic synchronization with your iPod or other digital player, you’ll also need a podcatcher such as the free Juice, DopplerRadio, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts, or an RSS aggregator that supports podcasts such as FeedDemon. To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, sign up for the full RSS feed.
Podsafe intro music - On A Podcast Intrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.
< ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1091/"); ?>Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Any Latin scholars out there?
So, exactly *how* do you pronounce ‘nonscholae’?
Posted in incorporated subversion - social software, online education and james farmer on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
A fine example of Flash
Let’s face it: Most of the uses to which companies put Flash suck. Take a look at the incredibly lame series of Flash introductions on the Fry Steel website. What benefit would anybody get from sitting through these if what they really want is get the company’s catalog? (That’s right; refresh the page and you’ll get a different insipid Flash intro every time.)
I’m always delighted to find Flash samples from which organizations could learn. I’ve long been directing people to “The Dough” as an example of Flash as a story-telling device. (Ignore the anti-business message and focus on how a point is made quickly and entertainingly.) Today, I found Benbo’s Zoo, a Flash site using sound and typography. It’s apparently been around for a while, since Publisher’s Weekly and The New York Times have commented on it. Benbo’s Zoo applies Flash to a picture book concept. It’s not too much of a stretch to apply the concepts here to training and other business applications. It just goes to show what a little imagination can accomplish. Enjoy!
< ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1090/"); ?>Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Browser relief for keyboard fans
I’m a keyboard guy.
This probably is a combination of having learned to type in junior high school (a revelation; I started typing everything, and this was back in the days when your only choice was a manual typewriter) and having jumped into computers when your only option was working with a command line.
Which was fine with me. I still relish the opportunities to invoke DOS or work in UNIX so I can make things happen just by keying in a simple command. With the exception of online forms, though, most of the work that goes into using a browser involves pointing and clicking. Ah, to be able make things happen from a browser-based command line.
So I was thrilled to find YubNub, a browser-independent tool for executing command-line prompts for the browser. The folks who developed this little gem have created a batch of commands. For example “gim” is the prompt to get images, so if you typed “gim meetings,” you would get the results of a Google image search with the keyword “meetings.” No need to go over to Google and select the image search. “WP” launches a Wikipedia search, “tec” brings up Technorati, and “flk” goes to Flickr. (I ran “flk neville hobson”) and got pictures of my “For Immediate Release” co-host.)
Further, you can create your own commands to simplify whatever it is you frequently do on the web.
The YubNub site includes instructions for getting the tool to work in Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, and Camino.
Hat tip to mip’s scan.
< ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1089/"); ?>Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Exploding Radio (continued)
So Google bought dMarc today for $100 million upfront and a huge earnout.
dMarc makes software for radio broadcasters to insert audio advertising into their broadcast streams.
Google said it plans to integrate dMarc’s technology into its AdWords advertising program according to this post on Jeff Jarvis' Buzzmachine.
So if I am getting this right, Google is going to offer audio ads in addition to text and banner ads. It's not clear if they will be placed as search results or in some other context (AdSense for streaming audio and video?).
In any case, this is another move that shows that rich media is a big direction for Google, both on the content side and the advertising side.
Posted in A VC on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
A rationale for moving meetings online
How many meetings do you attend that could be offloaded to a wiki or some other online mechanism? The kneejerk reaction to such a suggestion is that online community is reducing the amount of face-to-face contact we have and that’s a bad idea. We’ve been hearing this since message boards first gained popularity.
I’ve never bought this argument. I’ve met more people online whom I have since gotten to know in the real world, people with whom I never would have dined or worked had I not gotten to know them first in the virtual world. Using the asynchronous online world as a surrogate for meetings also lets people participate without having to travel or block out inconvenient time slots.
Now there’s a new argument for shifting face-to-face meetings to a team wiki, a team blog, or some other online channel. According to research from the University of Minnesota (Duluth), meetings have a deleterious effect on employees. The study found “a general relationship between meeting load and the employee’s level of fatigue and subjective workload.”
The study, reported in the journal, journal “Group Dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice,” was based on a test of two theories:
- Employees experience increased “negative effects” when the number of meetings they have to attend increases
- Employee experience increased “negative effects” when they have to spend more time in meetings.
“Negative effects” refers to fatigue and worsening moods. The authors of the study — Alexandra Luong and Steven G Rogelberg — arrived at the notion of “the meeting as one more type of hassle or interruption that can occur for individuals.”
The Guardian has a complete article on the study, including some of the early research that informed the project. (For example, a 1973 study established that typical managers spend more of their time in meetings than doing anything else.)
Of course, some meetings will need to be held just because they’re the most practical way to accomplish the goal that led to the meeting. But this research could serve as an argument to reduce the total number of meetings and shift the work to a project wiki or other online productivity tool.
< ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1088/"); ?>Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
A rationale for moving meetings online
How many meetings do you attend that could be offloaded to a wiki or some other online mechanism? The kneejerk reaction to such a suggestion is that online community is reducing the amount of face-to-face contact we have and that’s a bad idea. We’ve been hearing this since message boards first gained popularity.
I’ve never bought this argument. I’ve met more people online whom I have since gotten to know in the real world, people with whom I never would have dined or worked had I not gotten to know them first in the virtual world. Using the asynchronous online world as a surrogate for meetings also lets people participate without having to travel or block out inconvenient time slots.
Now there’s a new argument for shifting face-to-face meetings to a team wiki, a team blog, or some other online channel. According to research from the University of Minnesota (Duluth), meetings have a deleterious effect on employees. The study found “a general relationship between meeting load and the employee’s level of fatigue and subjective workload.”
The study, reported in the journal, journal “Group Dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice,” was based on a test of two theories:
- Employees experience increased “negative effects” when the number of meetings they have to attend increases
- Employee experience increased “negative effects” when they have to spend more time in meetings.
“Negative effects” refers to fatigue and worsening moods. The authors of the study — Alexandra Luong and Steven G Rogelberg — arrived at the notion of “the meeting as one more type of hassle or interruption that can occur for individuals.”
The Guardian has a complete article on the study, including some of the early research that informed the project. (For example, a 1973 study established that typical managers spend more of their time in meetings than doing anything else.)
Of course, some meetings will need to be held just because they’re the most practical way to accomplish the goal that led to the meeting. But this research could serve as an argument to reduce the total number of meetings and shift the work to a project wiki or other online productivity tool.
< ?php include("http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/rss_comments/1088/"); ?>Posted in a shel of my former self on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
Buzzmetrics, Intelliseek Merge with Nielsen
Buzzmetrics today announced they have purchased Intelliseek and sold a majority stake in the new company to Nielsen, which is owned by VNU. The new company, called Nielsen Buzzmetrics, will be headquartered here in New York. Dizzy yet?
BuzzMetrics and Intelliseek have lead the way with high-end tools for tracking and analyzing consumer-generated word-of-mouth in blogs, message boards and review sites. Now that they are joined at the hip with Nielsen I think we'll see new ways to measure the impact of the Long Tail. And my bet is they will look nothing like the methods of the past that relied on assessing traffic and unique users.
Nielsen, like other research companies that track and measure the media, was faced with a vexing issue. Namely: How do you evolve when the very media ecosystem on which you built your business is eroding? The answer is to acquire smart thinkers who have figured out ways to analyze, measure and live in a world where the Long Tail dominates.
The takeaway here is that it's very hard to build knowledge about the world of consumer generated media if you're not culturally built for it. It's much easier and faster to buy this knowledge, rather than building it on your own. Consumer generated media simply moves too fast.
I think we'll see the same shifts occur in the PR and advertising agencies worlds. These business also were built around big media. It's easier to buy this knowledge - either by recruiting top talent or by acquiring agencies outright that are experienced in conversational marketing - than it is to build this capability from the ground up. And no, CooperKatz is not for sale.
Technorati Tags: BuzzMetrics, Intelliseek, Media, Metrics, Nielsen, Data
Posted in Micro Persuasion on 01/17/2006 | Permalink | Post to del.icio.us
