Random Articles

• Are Newspapers in the News Business or Fish-wrap Business? Doc Searls: “If your paper is worth so much (and it is), and you want to charge for it, how about charging for fresh news, and giving away the stale stuff?” The ‘more-for-new-less-for-old’ model is a good one. Let’s take a look a couple industries where it seems to work well: Movies If Jen and I want
• Talking is Marketing Any time someone in your organization has any contact with your clients or prospects, they are performing a marketing function. Thanks to John Jantsch for this timeless thought.
• Podcasting’s Image Problem I’m finally getting around to listening to the sessions I missed at last fall’s Podcast and Portable Media Expo. While there, all the sessions felt like we were prepping for a boom. Everyone looking for how to hit the mother lode. Seven months later, listening to the sessions, that suspicion is confirmed. The tone, pitch,
• Is Closed a Cultural Benefit? This weekend, I caught up with a college friend in central Wisconsin. Starbucks recently opened their first storefront in Wausau. Given Starbucks’ consistency and my lack of knowledge of other options, I suggested we meet there. “How about something local, like Jeannie’s Cafe?”, Tom asked. I’m always up for tasting the local flavor and we planned to
• How Netflix Could Use Recommendations To Increase Subscriptions One of the challenges of highly customer-driven systems like the iPod, Tivo, and Netflix is the keeping it fresh. I wrote about my experience with this problem last fall (New, Unexpected Music on Your iPod). I’m sensing the same “2,000 songs and nothing’s on” wall with Netflix. Sure, there are 50 discs in our queue