Content companies are missing the point. What they should be taking away from games.

There is the buzziest of buzz words buzzing around and it is Gamification.  There is an official definition but I'll sum it up like this:
Gamification - the applying of game-mechanics (points, levels, progress or badges) to non-game related things.

Inside the game development world there are lots of argument about whether this is a good thing or some evil marketing ploy to make everything we do online some sort of Skinner Box.  Non-game companies are interested in gaming up their sites to make folks more loyal and to return to their sites more frequently.  The idea that you will come back to the Akron Advance's news site more often if there is an incentive to return. 

The non-game companies are right to look towards gaming for inspiration but they are barking up the wrong tree.  What they should be studying from game companies is their monetization strategy of micro-transactions!  Micro-transactions are what the sound like, small payments that you buy in games that don't break the bank.   In games, players will pay small amounts to purchase clothing for their avatars, speed up in game processes or anything else you can think of.  Very often they are tied to a virtual currency so the game developers can have players put a larger amount of value into system and they don't have to process payments of $.03

How it would work
You are a daily visitor to the Akron Advance.  You read the local news every day and look forward to your favorite columnist take on the mayor and the government.  You notice that one day Joe McColumnist's article only gives you a snippet of the news but with the option to buy Akron Advance Bucks.  You pay $5 and get 500 AAB.  Each article you want to fully read costs 25 AAB or 5 AAB (25 or 5 cents respectively for those of you keeping score at home)   The Akronn Advance now has your five dollars,  you are paid into the system with AA Bucks, you are going to come back and they have a monetization strategy outside of just advertising.

It's not a perfect system, but it is something that newspapers online should probably try.  At this point the old local classifieds aren't coming back; the local job advertising isn't coming back.  It's time for them to try something else.  

Maybe micro-transactions for content would work?

What do you think friends?  Would you pay for access to news in tiny bite size payments?

I'm over it. - Things that are said that mean nothing but keep being said.

There are a lot of new cliche's.  They are the new corporate buzzwords or things that simply creep into language.  There is a whole lot of this going on.  Some of the meaningless things are said are simply there to make you feel bad,  to stifle your ideas or just to make you feel shitty.  This list may go off the deep end and it may not be perfectly concise but with my best George Carlin hat on,  I'm going to try and tackle the language that used to mean something that now doesn't:

"Like" 

- as it saying after every word when you are talking,  or click "like" on a site

"Do you know what I mean?" 

- as in saying after every statement you use. I'm listening, you don't need to ask if I am.

"N-word"  

- I know what the word is,  it exists,  dismissing it at a non-word, does't make it less offensive. Just say it! Or are do you feel so guilty about it that you can't.

"Do you have the data?"  

- People do this to shut you down.  Its a method to stifle ideas and make a process harder.  No I don't have the data! I'm trying to be creative numbnuts.

"Planning meeting" 

- Isn't that redundant?  Isn't a meeting happening so you can plan? Also why do planning meetings end up taking three days.

"Let's take this off line"

- another shut down maneuver to quiet people.  Sure,  I talk to much but maybe if their was an agenda for our meeting I wouldn't bring stuff up.  By the way,  things that are taken off line, are never brought up again.

"Innovation and disruption"

Oh these two!  They've really been getting thrown around a lot!  Too much.  The thing is? It's the corporations that are throwing them around because they are the two scariest things to big companies.  Here is the thing: innovation and more specifically disruption are disruptive and innovative for the simply fact that corporations NEVER SEE THEM COMING or they simply dismiss them as small potatoes.  

"We'll put it in the backlog/buglist"

- for something like me who craves immediacy,  these two translate to me as "Shut up, Laurent"  It's just me.  By the time the thing I found was fixed,  I forget what it is I was on about.  Destroys my creative flow.

"Content Farm"

- its not a farm.  Its work.  Someone,  whether you agree with the quality of the work or not, had to make it.  The dismissiveness of the folks whose lunch are getting eaten by this new style of information generation pisses me of.  Just because you don't like the content they are creating or the fact that they thought of something that you didn't or couldn't think of doing doesn't mean its a content farm or spam generator or whatever.  The fact is,  we've all ceded Google a lot of our power and these companies have simply found a way to harness that.  It's your job as a so called "real journalism" site to do better so you don't get stomped by the "content farms"  Do better and stop whining.

"What's the voice of our site?"

I only know one way to write,  with spelling and grammar mistakes and as me.  When I have to write in a stilted AP style, I lose steam and desire.  I feel the same why about finding "voice"  What does it even mean?  Should the site have a MP3 running when we get to site?  Should Vincent Price play and be scary? Or should I write things like a little girl?  The voice thing drives me nuts.  All people want is authenticity.  If it's you and people know it's you,  then what hell go with it!  I know, I know, its not professional to say things like this,  but what is the voice of Coca-cola? I don't know, do you?

There are tons more... what do you got?

(This post was inspired by a George Carlin bit I have never forgotten)

How I watch baseball - the second screen in action

When I watch baseball I like to have as much information as possible.  The announcers basically say nothing I don't know, in fact most of they time they talk nonsense (especially Michael Kay who is a corporate mouthpiece for the Yankees)
What I do is look up players as they come up.  I look up their minor league stats,  I look up where they habe played, who their teamates were and on and on. 
I always use baseball-reference.com.  BBref is by far the best, most comprehensive and fastest loading website on baseball.   BBref is like having the old baseball encyclopidia on your lap while watching a game.

I love the game and love to consume the game as I watch it.

Trends I'm Seeing - Things to think about

Just a quick note more and hopefully a conversation starter that we can all discuss.

- We're in a post-web world, web being browser based on a laptop or desktop, (and that's a mistake)

- Pocket computers (aka mobile phones) are a huge deal, the impact of which we are downplaying. (even with all the hype)

- Our government is in for massive disruption but only if the People really demand it. (and that means real protests)

- The idea of privacy is so far gone that we should almost act as though it doesn't exist. (Because it doesn't)

- The next big thing is unknown and is always unknown, we must start thinking this way,

- The industrial age is over - we're really just beginning to understand what that means.

- The traditional American Dream is being redefined. It no longer can be, steady white collar job, house in the suburbs, kids in college will do better than me.  It must be something else.

- People born between 1970 and 1980 and over have a HUGE responsibility to define for older generations what younger generations already know.  We're the transitional group, we must explain the current era to older folks.

- It no longer what you know,  it's about how fast you can learn new things.

- Adaptability is new key skill

- Innovation is an overused word that is misunderstood.  Innovation means destruction. Be ready.

What other trends are you seeing?  Got any?  Lets get a list going.

Hit or Shit Button for Laurent Courtines Free Online! Vote Early, Vote often!

Hit or Shit Button for Laurent Courtines Free Online! Vote Early, Vote often!

Social Media Hot Sheet - Work Hard at learning

I am learning very quickly that smart people are saying smart things all the time. They are available and there to be followed. Like I said in one of my older posts, there is no excuse for not knowing. The information is out there. The smartest brand managers are telling your what they know, the greatest and most creative agencies are spilling their guts, FOLLOW THEM! They know stuff. Your own great art will flow easily from your mind when the time comes because you have the knowledge in your brain. The creative hard work comes before we sit down to create. The hard work is the research and reading. Its not easy for a creative because of magic. They are creative because they work hard at their creativeness.

Facebook posting best practices

The short: Buddy Media recently released a study outlining best practices for increasing engagement on Facebook. Some of the highlights include keeping your posts to 80 characters or less, posting outside of business hours and using action keywords.

Why it matters: For brands just getting started on Facebook these can be good initial guidelines to follow. However blindly following “best practices” can be dangerous as what works for a fashion brand may be very different than what works for a media property. Make sure you are capturing data on your Facebook posts, such as time of day and length of post, as well as categorizing your posts based on the content. Then use that data to create insights specific to your brand and you may find that your fans engage more on Fridays and prefer longer posts.

What’s next for check-ins

The short: A sensational blog post was shared around the internet this week claiming that 2011 will be the year the “check-in” dies. At the same time the TV check-in service Get Glue reached 1 million users and the mayor of New York declared April 16th to be Foursquare Day.

Why it matters: An argument can be made that check-ins aren’t dying but it’s true that we need to start thinking beyond the check-in. It’s what happens after or even before someone checks in that’s really interesting for both consumers and brands. Local Response is a company that understands where things are headed, delivering advertising in real-time to consumers based on where they have checked-in.

What can you do with the Instagram API?

The short: In early February Instagram opened up its API to developers and within weeks online and mobile applications leveraging the data began to launch. In recent weeks, a handful of applications have launched that use the API to create real life items. Instagoodies turns Instagram photos into a sticker book and Postagram creates and sends postcards. Awesome stuff!

Why it matters: Brands like Kate Spade and CBS are doing a great job using Instagram for its intended purpose – to share photos. But there’s an opportunity for the right brand to take the API a step further and bridge the gap between the online and real world, creating something tangible for their fans.

Is your brand cuddly?

The short: This week NY Times Business Columnist David Carr spoke about how brands need to become, “cuddlier, friendlier and more willing to make mistakes”. The social web is forcing brands to take on the personal and emotional attributes of humans, with Carr adding, “It’s a rolling conversation that’s not going to always go perfectly”.

Why it matters: Our CEO Benjamin Palmer shared Carr’s sentiment at this year’s Social Media Week. Companies must learn how to behave in a space where their every move is observed, broadcasted, accepted or rejected. Social media has brought a psychological turning point for brands and transformed the web in to an interactive, two-way dialogue. Be smart, socially responsible and friendly, and remember that it’s OK to be human.

Credit to Lexi Peters for “Is your brand cuddly?”

Originally posted at http://shelbymacleod.com/2011/04/social-media-hot-sheet-week-of-411/

via feedproxy.google.com

 

Social Media Hot Sheet – Week of 4/11

Facebook posting best practices

The short: Buddy Media recently released a study outlining best practices for increasing engagement on Facebook. Some of the highlights include keeping your posts to 80 characters or less, posting outside of business hours and using action keywords.

Why it matters: For brands just getting started on Facebook these can be good initial guidelines to follow. However blindly following “best practices” can be dangerous as what works for a fashion brand may be very different than what works for a media property. Make sure you are capturing data on your Facebook posts, such as time of day and length of post, as well as categorizing your posts based on the content. Then use that data to create insights specific to your brand and you may find that your fans engage more on Fridays and prefer longer posts.

What’s next for check-ins

The short: A sensational blog post was shared around the internet this week claiming that 2011 will be the year the “check-in” dies. At the same time the TV check-in service Get Glue reached 1 million users and the mayor of New York declared April 16th to be Foursquare Day.

Why it matters: An argument can be made that check-ins aren’t dying but it’s true that we need to start thinking beyond the check-in. It’s what happens after or even before someone checks in that’s really interesting for both consumers and brands. Local Response is a company that understands where things are headed, delivering advertising in real-time to consumers based on where they have checked-in.

What can you do with the Instagram API?

The short: In early February Instagram opened up its API to developers and within weeks online and mobile applications leveraging the data began to launch. In recent weeks, a handful of applications have launched that use the API to create real life items. Instagoodies turns Instagram photos into a sticker book and Postagram creates and sends postcards. Awesome stuff!

Why it matters: Brands like Kate Spade and CBS are doing a great job using Instagram for its intended purpose – to share photos. But there’s an opportunity for the right brand to take the API a step further and bridge the gap between the online and real world, creating something tangible for their fans.

Is your brand cuddly?

The short: This week NY Times Business Columnist David Carr spoke about how brands need to become, “cuddlier, friendlier and more willing to make mistakes”. The social web is forcing brands to take on the personal and emotional attributes of humans, with Carr adding, “It’s a rolling conversation that’s not going to always go perfectly”.

Why it matters: Our CEO Benjamin Palmer shared Carr’s sentiment at this year’s Social Media Week. Companies must learn how to behave in a space where their every move is observed, broadcasted, accepted or rejected. Social media has brought a psychological turning point for brands and transformed the web in to an interactive, two-way dialogue. Be smart, socially responsible and friendly, and remember that it’s OK to be human.

 

Credit to Lexi Peters for “Is your brand cuddly?”

Originally posted at http://shelbymacleod.com/2011/04/social-media-hot-sheet-week-of-411/

via feedproxy.google.com

I am learning very quickly that smart people are saying smart things all the time. They are available and there to be followed. Like I said in one of my older posts, there is no excuse for not knowing. The information is out there. The smartest brand managers are telling your what they know, the greatest and most creative agencies are spilling their guts, FOLLOW THEM! They know stuff. Your own great art will flow easily from your mind when the time comes because you have the knowledge in your brain. The creative hard work comes before we sit down to create. The hard work is the research and reading. Its not easy for a creative because of magic. They are creative because they work hard at their creativeness.

I'm of seven minds.

I'll say it now and I'll say it again - the world is very very complex.  There are more than five answers to every question.  In the business of the web there are a handful of constant arguments. I'll list off the ones that come to mind:

Open verses closed systems

Paywall verses free

Newspapers verses blogs.

Apple verses Google

Google verses Facebook

Design verses metrics

Curation verses crowdsource

Algorithm verses social

Aggregation verses editorial

Journalists verses amateurs

... and on and on.

The problem is that these questions are not binary.  Some of these items appear together and in combination to create businesses.  None of these are mutually exclusive.  As thought leaders we have to resist the urge to be binary,  we have to resist the urge to be partisan to our beliefs.  We have to fight against our brains natural desire for simple answers.  Our minds want simple explanations for everything in the world.  It simply is not that easy.  We have to be of several minds to make decisions about what we do next.  We have to have empathy for those standing on the other sides of our arguments.  Why do companies have closed platforms,  why do they resist innovation, why are they afraid of an open-ended ad campaign?  Getting into the minds of others or at the very minimum understanding where they come from will help you and your work be better.

What am I doing to combat this?

Well,  I read as much as I can.  I read design blogs and I read analytics blogs.  I read business reviews and I read consumer and workers rights blogs.  I try as often as I can to read both sides of every story.  It is difficult and I can sometimes even confuse myself.  What I find is that when you read and research as many sides as you can, you start to see the common ground that both sides stand on.  The commonality is that we want to find the best solution.  We want to help the most people and we want the world to see our point of view.

How many minds are you working on?

It's called the internet and it's awesome! But can you define it?

World famous thought leader Doc Searls submitted an idea and gave us a call to action to define the Internet.  While on the surface that seems easy,  when you dig into the definition things get murky very quickly.  Is the Internet just the switches, protocols and opens source platforms that connect us? Or is it something more important,  something that is vital to the dissemination of ideas and connection.

My view is err on the side of it's bigger more worldly meaning.  The Internet is the connectivity itself.  The fact that the world is now completely interconnected is what the Internet is.  That power and link building is what has made the last 20 years of technological growth possible.  The open, connected and fast moving information that we now take for granted is what the Internet is.  

As such a powerful connecting force we must make sure it remains open. We must ensure that all traffic is equal in the eyes of the all powerful Internet.  We must make sure that a mobile Internet connection is the same as a wifi, or land line connection.  We the people need to ensure it.  Folks need to understand the importance of the web even if they aren't techies.  The Internet allows us to find jobs quickly, contact loved ones quickly, spread and share news quickly, find our next date,  get directions or even learn the skills needed for our next career.  The Internet isn't just for nerds, the Internet is for everyone.  It has become vital as important as clean air and consistent electricity.  

I know folks may be reading this and thinking I'm being hyperbolic (I looked it up, its the right word) but I am not kidding.  Yes,  human connection is important, yes who we actually know and interact with is vital but the Internet and only the Internet amplifies and democratizes who and how we connect.  Without the Internet none of you would know my thoughts,  without the Internet I would never have met my lovely wife or have the job I have today.  

We protect our national natural resources so too we should protect the mighty Internet.  All those wires, fibers and switches should be revered as much as a redwood tree, a five-hundred year old oak or steady mountain stream.  

Will the Internet have it's John Muir?  I hope it does.  

Surgery now is better than crippled later.

So the foot is getting better but I am hobbled. What used to be easy is now hard.  This got me thinking about work.  I had a foot pain but I could walk.  It was never going to get better though.  So I had surgery. Now I can't walk at all BUT in the long run I will get better.
Business is like this. There are parts of your business, campaigns or employees who hurt your business and are never going to get better.  Sometimes you have to "operate" on them to get them better.  A short term loss now is better than carrying around a pain later.  Just get it done.  You'll be better in the long run.

Things I inherited from my mother

So I had my little surgery and my mother (who lives in my building) has been popping up to check up on me.  It is great to have her be so close! Nice for her to be able to take care of me and nice to spend time with my incredible mother. As is usually the case, conversations with my mother are always intellectual.  I tell her about what I am learning and she tells me what she is learning (or already knew). One of the many great things about my mom, is that you never hear something twice. She's always pushing herself to learn more, gain new insight and is endlessly curious.  It dawned on me today, that I get my curiousity from her.  I thought about some more traits I picked up from my mother so here goes:

- Being curious
- Not being satisfied with the accepted knowledge
- Asking for help (I'm not good at it, but I'm trying)
- Respect for intellect
- Joy of learning
- Sharing what you learn
- The value of a good meal
- Alternatives to everything
- Be around smart people
- Question the source of authority
- Live by universal morality
- Be a citizen of the world first
.... and thousands more! (She's my mother afterall)

Think about your parents a little today and what traits you share?