The Teckki Says

In a recent article in Business Week, Can the Apple Touch Sell the Tablet?, explores the next attempt of technology (remember the first from Apple, the Newton?) to compute with the whole hand instead of just the fingers. The question may not just be can Apple pull it off, but what if they do?

The article suggests uses and losers. One thing for sure is that it will bring about transformed landscapes. If tablets become widespread, they will transform the way information is input into computing devices. Integrate a keyboard, mouse and a screen, and everything, from typing to point-and-click movements to screen viewing, goes through a transformation. It will take the new generation, those who did not grow up with the current technology, to sort things out.

However, some things won't wait. Web sites will have to be redesigned. For instance, small buttons that a mouse pointer could find with ease will have to be bigger, cutting into screen real estate, which will most likely be smaller. Animation will probably play more into web design, sacrificing maintainability and a customer's ability to self-modify their sites.

In other words, this technology has the potential to be revolutionary, taking the current-but-soon-to-be-obsolete way of doing things with it. Tablet computing will change an interaction that has been in place since Apple made the mouse widespread.

When my children asked for the access code for our wireless network, I assumed that they wanted it to reconnect their computer. They were actually looking to connect an additional device, and it looked nothing like a traditional desktop. It was their Wii game console.

The debate used to be about the digital divide in terms of who has access to a Internet wired computer. I never though about how this access has evolved. I have no less than seven Internet-capable devices. This does not include the cell phones, which have their own Internet capabilities. Most are traditional computers and laptops, but one is a PDA, the others, games.

The Internet-enabled devices that are coming on board in my home are also more specialized. I am considering a new PDA, but it is almost a given that it will be Internet-capable. Why do I want to boot up a computer just to check email? Need quick information from a Google search? My PDA serves me fine. As for the games, I have to shut them down sometimes to get my children to do some old fashion, press the flesh, social contact. When they want weather information, they look on the Wii.

Pew Internet Research has published an article regarding different uses of the Internet. You can see their article by following this link - http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/12-Wireless-Internet-Use.aspx?r=1

As a Web company, I can't be casual concerning these variety of uses. My kids are showing me how they will obtain information as adults, because these devices grow up with them. While Facebook, Twitter and Instant Messaging are the rage of today, Nintendo may be quietly revolutionizing the rage of tomorrow.

It may be a matter of time that someone asks you to you have a "Wii" page.

If you are looking to start a blog for your organization, you may want to read this first.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, I happened to find the blog of a product I was researching. One thread (conversation) was moderated by the owner of the company. My research had yielded mostly positive reviews of their products, and their blog entries were from enthusiastic customers who are fiercely loyal. I was particularly excited about a new product line that was due for imminent release. I wanted to know everything there was to know about that product, as it appeared to have everything I needed.

Usually the way blogs work is to post the latest entries first, but this one was reversed. I went to the end of the blog to see the most recent postings. What I saw horrified me! The author was shutting the blog down. Why, because of some unfavorable comments by guest bloggers. The thread had only been open for about a month, and it seemed that something had gone terribly wrong. The author was shutting down ALL threads, the entire blog!
I went back to the beginning, about seventeen pages of entries, because I wanted to know what, when and how this came about. The first entries were very positive and complimentary. Also, guest bloggers had many questions about an upcoming release, and how the product (which was still code-named at this point) would fare against current models. The author had been testing near-finished product models, so he was able to answer questions in depth, thus stoking anticipation of the release. This continued on for about the first 15 pages.

The end came rather abruptly from here. A prelease notice of a different new line of products for appeared on the website, similar to what was discussed on the blog, but not as robust as the code named product. Some of the guest bloggers began to complain. The announcement was viewed as an interim, and many were incensed that they put purchases on hold in anticipation of this new product line. A couple of guest bloggers attacked the owner personally. Most were disappointed with having felt mislead.

It got worse. The author/owner fired back on the guest bloggers. These were the ones who, despite expressing extreme disappointment, also professed a strong loyalty. He felt that guest bloggers were house guests, badmouthing the host in his own home. It was incredible how thin this guy’s skin was! It's not that his products are exclusive, though he has built a strong, almost cult-like following. As his guests were trying to explain their sentiment to him, he became more offended and offensive. “How thin could his skin have been”, I thought? Thin enough to shut down the entire blog, as the final page entry would demonstrate.

Some would suspect that this is exhibit A in how not to treat very loyal customers, and that this guy is going to be out of business soon because of the way he treated them. Customer Service classes would make this a case study. However, I don't think that this owner, who has with rice paper for skin, is going out of business. As I said, he has a very strong and loyal following, and people, even those he insulted, will still buy his products. So I am going to devote my time to tell you that if you aren't prepared to receive negative feedback, or sometimes personal attacks, don't start a blog.

I was recently invited to an "opportunity" event that someone felt that would be profitable to me. Of course, details would be forthcoming, and I really needed to see the presentation to get the full story. After 10 years of business, I know of no other situation that presents itself like this like a Network Level Marketing (NLM) scheme. What I am surprised about is the source - a fellow business owner. As a matter of fact over the years, a number of business owners have approached me about various "opportunities".

Why?

I can only speculate, but I can see why this appeals to those that are employed. The thought of being your own boss, more free time, and financial prosperity are bandied about like summer rain on a hot day. It's easy to see why this appeals to someone who works 40+ hours a week and takes orders from someone that they aren't crazy about. But these aforementioned perks are some of the reasons why we started our businesses. What we found is that you work 70+ hours a week, and take orders from a bunch of people that you may not be crazy about - and these are OUR employees! Maybe after having two turns at the prosperity/freedom/more time wheel, we are open to trying something else.

But is this it?

I imagine that things could be better for many businesses and organizations – financial conditions are not great, work is too hard, and the headaches of running an organization seem to last forever. However, I am missing what the allure is for people who give and have given up a lot in pursuing their dream, in the hopes that they can make some quick money.
I have two main problems with NLM. The first one is that some of the "successful" speakers presenting still have their day jobs. My question is that if this stuff is so good, why do you still have a job? I would not quit tomorrow if I started making, let’s say, $20,000 or more a month, but all of my clients would be put on notice that my days as their vendor are numbered, and sooner rather than later. I really love what I do, but at that level of big bucks, especially relatively hassle-free, that these presenters are fantasizing about, I could quickly find some new brides to fill my days.

The next issue I have is that it involves sales. You would think I would not or should not have a problem with this, and I don't for MY business. I have a HUGE issue with developing a market for an unrelated product line, and spending time selling something to someone that they probably have never heard of. Been there, done that, and actually, still there and doing that with the stuff I know. As we have built our organizations, I'm wondering if some of us have forgotten what that was like.

An interesting note is that my colleagues don't feel that they are going to start totally at the bottom. They're business people, and they've gotten good at getting other people to work for them. Their objective seems to be geared to get you, and to get you to get people to help them move up the ladder. I see no enthusiasm in their eyes when it comes to selling the actual product or service. In this respect, business people involved in NLM schemes remain true to their nature.

We've all had it tough. Let's face it, that's what recessions do; they make business or running your organization much harder, sometimes impossible. They even cloud our dreams. However, whether you are working for someone, or for many some ones are working for you, I believe you can more often than not do better for yourself. Recessions can be times to try something different, sometimes by choice, sometimes not, or sometimes by opportunity. I would argue that there is no better time to assess and possibly reinvent yourself or what you do, because fewer people are buying what sold so well yesterday.

There is an abundance of opportunities out there. I just don't believe that NLM is one of them.

In a world of apples, I strive to be an orange.

Apples are usually first when someone asks you to list a fruit. Apples are well known. Apples have more of a varied use.

Apples are also generally more common, and cheaper than oranges at the grocery store. And that's a point I want to make.

You have to sell a lot more apples to be profitable. The apple section is usually bigger than the orange section. There are more uses for apples in recipes, dishes and food ingredients than there are for oranges. Apples are associated with the warmest of days with pie and ice cream, to the chilliest with warm, toasty cider. But just as there are many uses, someone had to come up with that use in order to distinguish their apples from someone else's.

This is true in business as well.

To state the point, there are a lot of uses for oranges too, but less so. But the reason I want to be an orange deals just as much with apples. Three familiar sayings illustrate my point.

An Apples-to-Apples Comparison

Clients always want an apples-to-apples comparison. Because of this, you try to be the biggest, most polished, reddish (or greenish or yellowish) apple there is. You'll want to be the sweetest or most tart. All of these things are good, but at the end of the day, the real thing your clients will look at is price, and the trade-off may be size, color, polish or taste.

In the world of an orange, it forces one to look at features and benefits. You already know that oranges and apples are priced differently, so choosing one or the is a matter of purpose.

An Apple a Day...

We know, "keeps the doctor away", unless I want a doctor. This is not to say oranges draw doctors, but it does speak to market diversity. Red, Granny Smith, McIntosh and Gala are all types of apples. If I don't want an apple, I have rejected all of the different types. In this case, variation is not the same as variety, and often times, clients prefer variety, even if they eventually choose the apple.

An Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

Just about all of the websites I design for clients have the same basic structure. What they don't have is the same style. No matter the variation, you can spot the differences in most apples, but you basically know what your are going to get. You also know the results, and in my business, people aren't looking for the tried and true, they are looking for a difference and a edge.

They are striving to be an orange.