It’s not (just) about providing good content

May 16, 2008

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I haven’t done these short posts - that mainly reiterate what someone else has said - in a while. But I figured, this was a really important point worth making (Mitch, hope you don’t mind me ‘hijacking’ your post).

Mitch Joel (who you really should be reading, if you aren’t already) recently wrote about Seth Godin. It’s a really good post, worth reading. In it, he writes about Seth Godin’s speaking style.

After Seth’s keynote this morning, I reviewed the notes that I was taking (which, for the record, I do on my BlackBerry) and I had a huge realization. The notes had nothing to do with what he was saying and everything to do with a fistful of creative sparks that were inspired by what he was saying. Stuff I need to get doing… now.

That’s a great lesson.

It’s not just about providing good content - in your blogs, speeches, whatever. It’s about how you inspire people, what ideas you give.

How are you inspiring people through your conversations?

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Friend Connect for Blogs?

May 15, 2008

You might have read about Google’s new Friend Connect service. There’s definitely been no shortage of news coverage about it.

I haven’t seen that much of it so far, other than the examples on the web site. I’m looking forward to watching the campfire videos over the next few days. But I have to say, I am very interested and intrigued by the service. So, I’ve signed up for the preview release.

Lots of bloggers, myself included, want our blogs to be about community. We want our blogs to be not just a place where we can be heard, but a place where people can connect, and have their say as well. We want it to be a conversation, a community.

As such, I’m sure there’s got to be a use for a service such as Friend Connect. In trying to build a community, an easy, one-click way to add social features has got to be useful.

That said, I don’t have any concrete ideas yet. I’ll definitely be thinking about it, especially as more demos and videos come out. But I thought I’d throw it out to you guys as well. Lots of you are smarter than I am.

So, what do you guys think of Friend Connect? Useful? Any ideas already on how you’re going to use it?

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Taking Risks

May 14, 2008

As an Arsenal fan, this is a bit of a tough post to write. But credit where credit is due. So, congratulations to Manchester United for winning the Premier Leaugue. They were pushed to the end by Chelsea, but came out on top.

And the thing about Machester United is, they always go for the win. They take risks. It shows in the results. They’ve lost more than Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have. But they’ve also won more (and drawn much less). Those results go to show that they don’t hold back. They take the risk and go for it. And the end result is that they won the league.

Just goes to show the value of taking risks. It’s not about how many you lose. It’s about how many you win. It pays to take more risks - you might lose more, but you’ll win more as well. And at the end of the day, you’ll come out on top.

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The offline world still exists

May 12, 2008

Stowe Boyd posted his story about his experience with Clear, and “bet[s] that Clear is going to do everything wrong“.

More than the customer service aspect of it, one thing that really struck me is this. With all the focus on online tools and Web 2.0 and all, it’s really easy to forget the basics - the offline things. Basic things like the sign on a door.

There’s so much talk about how companies should join the online conversation, create more engagement online, make their online tools more personal, etc. It’s easy to forget that for most companies, a large part of the customer experience is still the offline aspect.

It’s a simple thing. But one that we need to remember. As companies, or as individuals building our personal brands, even. We need to remember that there’s still an offline component. It’s easy to forget, especially when we make changes, because online is so much easier to change. It’s easier to change a website than to change the sign on a door. But they’re both just as important.

You’ve got to make sure that what you say and do offline matches what your behavior online. Not everyone’s going to check your website all the time.

Yes, the web allows you to spread your message further and establish your brand more. But your brand still exists offline. You’ve got to pay just as much attention to the offline experience.

There’s still an outside world that exists offline.

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Providing an Immersive Experience

May 10, 2008

Image by ? ? Adam via Flickr

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the success of Grand Theft Auto: IV. I haven’t really seen much of the game, so I won’t comment on that.

But what strikes me about the numbers is that they aren’t surprising. The basic economics show that. Here in Singapore, at least, a movie ticket costs anywhere between $7 to $10. A computer game can cost up to between $30 to $60.

People are willing to pay more for computer games, that’s a simple fact. Why? Because of the experience. Games allow you to get more immersed in the story. It’s about the first hand, interactive experience.

And there’s great value in that - providing an experience.

It doesn’t matter what your product is. The more immersive the experience you provide, the more its value increases. And it increases exponentially.

How can you provide a more immersive experience for your customers?

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Most Valuable Player

May 8, 2008

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So, Kobe Bryant has finally gotten the MVP award.

I’ve always been a fan of Kobe - he’s got the ability to do things that nobody else can. And I think he definitely deserves to have gotten the MVP award.

I couldn’t agree more with most of the analyses about his win. It’s not just about being the best player individually. Statistics-wise, Kobe’s probably been one of the best (if not the best) for a couple of years now. But it’s only this season that he’s really stepped up as a team player, and made the rest of his team better.

And that’s what it’s all about. Being the most valuable player isn’t necessarily about being the best. It’s about being the most valuable. And the most valuable is about his importance to the team. Making his team mates better is an important part of that.

The same applies in any sort of team - a school, a business organization, any team/group you’re part of. It’s not just about your performance. It’s about how well you can inspire and bring out the best in others.

How are you bringing out the best in the people around you?