Random Articles

• The Economics of Podcasting First off, this post defines podcasting is an effective way to deliver highly niche audio to a very enthusiastic audience (the World English Bible translated into Klingon or Tips for Triathletes in the Southwestern US for example). Secondly, the numbers used here are rough and make for easy math. Let’s say you’re making one show a week
• Hollywood Video in the Local Supermarket  Ran up to the local Cub Foods for a last minute dinner item this evening and snapped the above photo of the new Hollywood Video Express Kiosk over in a part of the store I never go to (Sturgeon’s Revelation frequently comes to mind while I’m grocery shopping). I found two things interesting about this moment.
• The Buzzword Blacklist Here’s a small (and growing) list of meaningless, negative words that I’d like to strike from my world. User Consumer Content Sticky Leverage Synergy Facilitate Doc Searles has a nice follow-up on these terms and language in Relating to Customers …customers don’t like being “consumers” or “targets.” Being “reduced” doesn’t stir their hearts, either. Least of all do they wish to be “acquired.” Doc, as
• The Buzzword Blacklist Part 2  Content - we can be more specific like; copy, pictures, conversations, talks, music, performances, etc). Doc Searls makes a good case to blacklist this word in this Giant Zero talk Monetize - under a hunch that this was a made-up word…it’s not. It means ‘to express in the form of currency’. So, it’s not a
• McDonald’s Learns From Best Buy In the Star Tribune’s recent “Best Buy Copes with Costs” article, they report that Best Buy’s customer-centric format roll-out (and here) has been scaled back 40%. The customer centricity strategy has its costs. Operating expenses as a percentage of revenue were 2.2 percent higher at the test stores, the company said. But the test