Monthly Archives: August 2011

Shamzam! Business Change Through Interactive TV!

Posted on August 30, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

There’s an old saying: He Who Forgets The Past Is Doomed To Repeat It. In examining business change, we look at what’s been happening around us, and move from there. We got to do that yesterday in our piece about Bad Customer Service at Honda Financial, relating it back to other instances of Wall of Shame-Worthy Customer Service such as this story about Nissan of Manhattan.

Today, a look back at Interactive TV.

Interactive TV has been one of those “Holy Grail” issues for decades. People sit for hours in front of those darned ~~boxes~~ flat screens, and getting them involved in what’s happening is—let’s face it—the goal of advertising. But if the passive-until-later model of showing people advertisements can be made an “act right this moment” event, well … Shazam!

Shazam, indeed. ... READ MORE of this article, Shamzam! Business Change Through Interactive TV! from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (408 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "interactive tv", advertising, business change, foursquare, shazam
Posted in business change

To Land on Wall of Shame, Honda Financial Wastes Money

Posted on August 29, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — 5 Comments ↓

It’s been a few months since we inducted a new member to The Answer Guy’s Customer Service Wall of Shame. Honda Financial, I sure hope you’re listening.

Recently, a friend’s mother, one year into an automotive lease with Honda Financial, needed to stop driving. She had leased an Accord through Honda Financial in May 2010. I negotiated that lease, and believe me when I say that Honda Financial was not making much money on the deal. It was the kind of lease that Honda Financial, or anyone in the position that Honda Financial was in on this lease, should have been happy to re-examine if given a chance.

My friend’s mother lived in New Jersey at the time she entered this three-year lease with Honda Financial. Now, no longer driving, she lives in New York City. ... READ MORE of this article, To Land on Wall of Shame, Honda Financial Wastes Money from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (827 words, 1 image, estimated 3:18 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "business process", "customer service", "search engine optimization", business change, honda financial
Posted in business change, Customer Service, Search Engine Optimization SEO

Chris Brogan, Steve Jobs, and “Until” Business Change

Posted on August 26, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — 1 Comment ↓

When Steve Jobs announced his resignation as CEO at Apple two night ago, the business press all but stopped talking about anything else. And Steve Jobs has had so great an impact on the way what I’ll sum up simply as “computing devices” work that this tribute to a genuine visionary makes sense. I can’t think of anyone who’s changed business more than Steve Jobs, no matter my discomfort with Apple’s business practices and misgivings with most of Apple’s products.

But I wasn’t going to write about Mr. Jobs resignation and the presumed deterioration of his health. Everyone’s writing about the business change and although I could had generated some traffic by doing so I didn’t want to throw up a “RIP Steve Jobs” headline just to cut through the cacophony. You just didn’t need my two cents on this one.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs ... READ MORE of this article, Chris Brogan, Steve Jobs, and “Until” Business Change from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (456 words, 1 image, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "chris brogan", business change, steve jobs, until
Posted in business change

TouchPad Proved iPad a Toy. Now Android Proves it for iPhone

Posted on August 24, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

When they killed the TouchPad, Hewlett Packard proved Apple’s iPad to be just a toy. Now a new study suggests that the iPhone is very much the same thing. In the world of SmartPhones, Android devices are tools, while iPhones are toys.

I’m actually a little bit embarrassed that this hadn’t occurred to me sooner. While I was writing yesterday’s piece on the TouchPad’s demise and what it means I asked a friend for some input and it was only then that the whole tool versus toy thing started to come together for me. I realized I feel the same way about iPod Classics versus the iPod Touch, Windows and Linux PCs versus Macintosh computers, and my Droid versus my Flip video camera. For me, it’s about the tool, its marginal utility, and its price relative to the toy, which costs more, looks cool, and most of the time “isn’t as good” for one reason or another. ... READ MORE of this article, TouchPad Proved iPad a Toy. Now Android Proves it for iPhone from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (335 words, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)

Tagged with: Android, apple iphone, business change, pragmatism, smartphones, tools versus toys
Posted in business change

HP Kills the TouchPad, Proves the iPad is Just a Toy

Posted on August 23, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — 8 Comments ↓

Since the day the iPad was announced, I’ve told you that there was nothing special about it. Oh sure, it looks great, but I’ll say now as I said then: the iPad isn’t really anything more than a huge iPod Touch.

Don’t get me wrong: I may hate the way Apple does business, but they put out some great looking, easy to use products. In fact, that description applies to pretty much everything the monster from Cupertino has ever produced. And as I’ve told you, while I now mostly listen to music using my Droid, when I buy an MP3 player it’s always an iPod.

And now that Hewlett Packard has bowed out of the tablet market, dropping their previously-$500 TouchPad to just $100 to liquidate inventory, we have the proof: Nobody actually loves the iPad enough to make it “matter” to anyone but Appleholics. ... READ MORE of this article, HP Kills the TouchPad, Proves the iPad is Just a Toy from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (387 words, estimated 1:33 mins reading time)

Tagged with: Apple iPad, computers, ipod touch, tablets, tools versus toys
Posted in business change

Perception, Reality, and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Posted on August 22, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — 4 Comments ↓

Comedy comes from pain. Art, too. Sure, some people are so creative that amazing stuff just pours out of them, but just as creativity springs from need, pain is the largest precursor to artistic expression.

So what alternate reality creates Service Level Agreements?

I came across this post at GigaOM, and something I’ve been telling clients for many years sprung to mind immediately: Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are Nonsense.

I even commented there, using my two personal favorite examples of the ludicrousness of SLAs and other numeric-based service guarantees. Pure and simple: you cannot adequately define customer expectations or the customer service contract by attaching numbers to them.

The example I’ve used for the longest time is about software performance, and strictly speaking I don’t believe there’s ever been a real “Service Level Agreement” attached to it, although it’s certainly implied. Typically, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software is promoted using claims like “99.9% accuracy guaranteed!” ... READ MORE of this article, Perception, Reality, and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (628 words, estimated 2:31 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "customer service", "perception is reality", honesty, Service level agreements, SLA, the cloud
Posted in business change, Customer Service

Twitter Innovates Advertising. I Never Thought I’d Say That.

Posted on August 18, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

When Facebook suggested I be friends with Lady Gaga, I was not amused.

My position on the inappropriateness of Faceboook’s patent on the news feed portion of their service is well-known, and a cornerstone of our Search Engine Optimization practice.

I’ve also picked on Twitter a bunch of times. “What I ate for breakfast” jokes notwithstanding, the longer Twitter is around the more it feels like a cacophonous mass of mostly-me-too drivel.

This is less about the 140-character limit and the manner in which it encourages us to communicate than it is about the comletely overwhelming nature of what comes at you on Twitter. I follow just a few dozen people, and I receive constant updates of their postings on my Droid, but still I know I’m missing most of what most of the people I follow have to say. It’s all but unavoidable; there’s just more noise being made than my eyes and ears can process. ... READ MORE of this article, Twitter Innovates Advertising. I Never Thought I’d Say That. from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (456 words, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

Tagged with: advertising, business change, innovation, twitter
Posted in business change

If You Call Yourself “Authentic”, Can You BE Authentic?

Posted on August 16, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — 2 Comments ↓

A few months ago I wrote a piece accusing Chris Brogan of being less smart than Gary Vaynerchuk. Chris didn’t like it, and he said so.

Because it’s my nature to care about the impact I have on people, it bothered me that I had hurt Mr. Brogan’s feelings. I mean that sincerely. I mean it authentically.

A couple of weeks ago, Chris Brogan wrote on the subject of authenticity. He essentially said that we can’t be authentic because we all have filters.

I’m going to be authentic right now and tell you that I think Chris Brogan needs to stop listening to himself pontificating on marketing and start being a person again. Chris Brogan, from everything I know about him, is a nice guy. AUTHENTICALLY. And I just can’t understand why he’s come to believe that you can’t be authentic and still be a functioning member of (business) society. ... READ MORE of this article, If You Call Yourself “Authentic”, Can You BE Authentic? from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (272 words, estimated 1:05 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "chris brogan", authentic, honesty, marketing
Posted in business change

Android and the Brooklyn Bridge: Google Buys Motorola

Posted on August 15, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

What would you do if you had a spare $12.5 billion in cash lying around?

If you were Google and it was today, you’d buy Motorola—or at least the half of Motorola that was split off last year to be in the cell phone and SmartPhone business.

If this wasn’t Google, it would boggle the mind. As it stands, it just … makes sense.

Google, they of search-engine near-(but-not-quite) monopoly status, signaled their desire to be a player in the SmartPhone business when they released the NexusOne early last year. The NexusOne was a flop, never rolled out in the way Google had hoped, failed to “change the phone business” as Google had hoped, and despite receiving great reviews and an even-better follow-on phone in the Nexus S, was widely thought of as one of Google’s non-success products.

That all changes today. ... READ MORE of this article, Android and the Brooklyn Bridge: Google Buys Motorola from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (364 words, 1 image, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)

Tagged with: Android, business change, Google, motorola, smartphones
Posted in business change

Google AdWords Costs Jump 400%. Unless You Can Avoid That

Posted on August 12, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

For all the time I spend telling you about Search Engine Optimization, I don’t talk very much about Search Engine Marketing. While SEO is but one part of SEM, most commonly we think of SEO as a separate, focused act—getting you more organic traffic in Google and other search engines’ results—and refer to Search Engine Marketing as something more “controlled”, like buying Google Adwords.

But buying Google Adwords is nothing resembling controlled.

I remember a few years back being able to buy certain Adwords for $.20 to $1.00 per click. Those same words are now running in the $6 per click—and higher—range. The most obvious reason for this, of course, is that as internet marketing has become THE way that many businesses do their marketing and advertising the competition for many words has become increasingly fierce.

But then there’s the “Google does whatever they want and there’s nothing the rest of us can do about it” factor. ... READ MORE of this article, Google AdWords Costs Jump 400%. Unless You Can Avoid That from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (644 words, estimated 2:35 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "search engine optimization", advertising, adwords, Google, marketing, SEO
Posted in Search Engine Optimization SEO

Old Cartoonists Should Die. Just Ask Young Bloggers

Posted on August 11, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

Most times, people who have opinions and the nerve to express them create polarized reactions. The history and nature of political elections in the USA are all the evidence you need of this. There’s no such thing as business change when 54% is considered a landslide and you need to continue pandering to the other 46% if you want to keep your job.

I’ll take this opportunity to throw a quick jab at Barack Obama. Mr. President, I was part of the majority who elected you, and you have utterly failed to create the change we were supposed to believe in. Just sayin’.

Today’s musings aren’t actually about politics or elections, though; I’m thinking today about cartoonist Scott Adams’ piece is the Wall Street Journal last week, where Mr. Adams suggested that boredom is the major force behind innovation.

Even more specifically, I’m thinking about this article at Gizmodo, essentially calling Adams an old dinosaur. ... READ MORE of this article, Old Cartoonists Should Die. Just Ask Young Bloggers from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (547 words, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "scott adams", blogging, business change, older people, younger people
Posted in business change

Guess How Much Airlines Earn From Baggage Fees?

Posted on August 10, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

If you’ve flown on a commercial airline in the last couple of years, you’ve probably paid a fee to check your baggage. You’ve probably hated it. You’ve probably wondered why your airline would commit so egregious a customer service faux pas just to collect a few extra dollars.

Because it isn’t just a few dollars.

Delta collected nearly a billion dollars in baggage fees last year. Spirit’s portion of revenue attributed to baggage fees now exceed 10%. Folks, that’s a lot of money; those fees aren’t going away. Ever. Can you say “real business change”?

It’s not nearly so controversial as when RyanAir proposed having passengers pay to use the bathroom. And of course, that’s why it will stick. When business change makes sense, it … makes sense. ... READ MORE of this article, Guess How Much Airlines Earn From Baggage Fees? from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (213 words, estimated 51 secs reading time)

Tagged with: airlines, baggage fees, business change
Posted in business change

Salt and Pepper Pistachios? Why? Is This Business Change?

Posted on August 9, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

Pistachio Nuts. There, I said it. Now I’ll say something else: Pistachio nuts shouldn’t be covered in salt and pepper.

Lately, the pistachio nut wars have hit full stride. One pistachio nut-selling company is even enlisting celebrities to sell their nuts, and reminding us that pistachio nuts are the lowest fat and calorie nuts around.

Pistachio Nuts. Seriously.

I recently picked up a bag of Everybody’s Nuts Pistachios. I didn’t pay close enough attention, though, and when I got home found that the pistachios were covered in a salt and pepper flavoring. My fault. And although I find the flavoring gratuitous and unnecessary, I’m eating those salt and pepper pistachios. Three pounds of them. Yikes. Thank goodness for that low fat and calorie thing, huh?

So here’s the big question: Do more people buy pistachio nuts when you cover them in salt and pepper? ... READ MORE of this article, Salt and Pepper Pistachios? Why? Is This Business Change? from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (433 words, 1 image, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "everybodys nuts pistachios", branding, business change, marketing
Posted in business change

How You Listen and Learn About Music Makes Business Change

Posted on August 8, 2011 by --Jeff Yablon/The Answer Guy-- Business Change & SEO Consultant — No Comments ↓

IConcertCal, Like Bandito, a Music Plug-in for iTunes

Take a look at this concert calendar. It’s personalized for me, pops up in iTunes, and makes it really easy for me to keep up with both concerts by artists in my iTunes library and new music released by those artists.

I’ve had the iConcertCal plug-in running inside iTunes for a couple of years now, and while finding the calendar isn’t easy enough (see the menus? “View/Visualizer/iConcertCal?” REALLY?), the other thing that iConcertCal does is when I play music in iTunes by an artists with some piece of upcoming information, it pops up a reminder. It’s really pretty cool.

But because the full-on calendar is called up in an unintuitive way, and because I listen to music on my iPod (or even on my SmartPhone) most of the time rather than in iTunes on my computer, I almost never see this information. So the business change that the inventors of iConcerCal created has already passed me—and them—by. ... READ MORE of this article, How You Listen and Learn About Music Makes Business Change from Answer Guy Central, your Business Change, SEO Consulting / Search Engine Optimization & Computer Support Source by Clicking Here (508 words, 1 image, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

Tagged with: "music labels", bandito, business change, coopetition, iconcertcal, itunes
Posted in business change