As is often the case when I'm preparing a blog post, I have it almost done, polished to a reasonable level, ready to launch then I read something in the paper, the day of, that I think is a way better idea. So today I ran across a piece in the National Post that they filched from the Deccan Herald called, Innovation isn't easy, especially for a giant.
The gist of the story is about Instagram, that billion dollar darling now owned by Facebook, and why didn't Kodak come up with it. Kodak had the money. They had the talent. They had the marketing muscle. Of course the answer is Kodak didn't and they're gone-ish and the 13 employees of Instagram are partying somewhere warm. There have been other stories echoing this sentiment that so over-simplify things that I want to eat the inside of my cheek. But let's forget about that for now. As it is also written in the story, "Hasbro didn’t do Farmville, or why McDonald’s didn’t start Whole Foods." Good points. The short answer is that these properties are not their focus. Their culture is designed to extract maximum value from the products that are making from money now.
The point is that it is really hard to change fan belts on your engine while it's running and the car is careening down the highway. I first heard this snappy rejoinder while I was a member of a TEC startup group. Bruce Hunter, our chair and incredibly smart biz type mentioned it to me. It nicely encapsulated what we were doing transitioning from a custom website development shop to Your Web Department, an annuity-based website service. Let me tell you, it was a bloody hard thing to do.
First of all you're no longer looking for several $75,000+ jobs. You're looking for hundreds of $50/month clients. That's not just a money thing but a business and sales model adjustment. The sales and compensation process for large one-off jobs is totally different than the YWD model. Not just that but you can't convert an elephant hunter to a mouse trapper.
The banks treated us differently, also. No longer was our line of credit a percentage of the value of invoices that were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, now all we had was a cash-flow projection of when we thought our annuity-based business model would be in the black. Banks didn't like that. They liked seeing large invoices.
Your Web Department is a successful example of our willingness to see a future and go for it because we just didn't see a future in what we were doing especially with the trend towards moving large-scale programming offshore. Not just that, we felt as a team we were happier working with many small business owners rather than a few VPs stuffed between layers of larger management structures. While these managers displayed plenty of commitment to their corporate masters, their positions were often transitory and they could never duplicate the emotional commitment small business owners had for their own businesses. We liked that. It maked us feel like we were helping people who really needed our help.
In conclusion I think shifting business gears is doable but it can't just be a 'strategic money greed thing', if you figure you will be happier doing the new thing then you will succeed.
Addendum: It has been pointed out to me that Instagram has never, is not now and will probably never make money. People are in a frenzy over the amount Facebook paid for it. Why would Kodak create a division that didn't make money? Get real people.
Paul Chato has been many things: a graphic designer, programmer, comedian, head of network TV comedy, game producer, 3D animator, playwright, event host, director and anything else that matches his fancy. Most of the time he is a managing partner at Your Web Department and is most excited about LiveBuild™. Check out LiveBuild
This past week: I did a lot of reading of my usual interests, Internet technologies and online marketing. On the news front, Apple just made the most profitable quarter ever, they look unstoppable at the moment. Google released Google Drive after 6 years in the making and LinkedIn released a new iPad app, which works more like a news aggregator ala "Flipboard". Below is my collection of tweets for this week; news, tips and advice for small businesses to succeed online.
Everything needs change, software servers protocols-> Google Seeks Billions by Boosting #Mobile Internet Speeds
Google knows the future of the internet is on mobile devices, and the internet we know is built around desktop computers. Unfortunately mobile devices are not as powerful, but it is not just actual devices that need improvement. According to Google, it is the entire infrastructure that needs a revamp. Servers, protocols and every point that your mobile request touches along the way needs to be improved.
Need more?-> 5 Candid Reasons Why Your Business Needs To Be on Pinterest
People are coming to Pinterest in droves, and it is no longer a woman only network. Businesses are setting up their interest profiles and working the massive referral traffic that Pinterest generates.
Google+ is my least used #socialmedia network, you?-> 9 Truth-Be-Told Reasons Why Google+ Just Doesn’t ‘Have it’
It is so true, they just whet through an interface redesign (an improvement) but it still doesn't seem to attract people like other networks do.
Want the best landing pages?-> 10 Foolproof Ways to Earn Your Landing Page Visitors' Trust
All online ads and call to action links should have a landing page on your website. HubSpot offers great advice on the contents of that landing page in this post.
It took a while but it is here-> Dropbox Nightmare Confirmed: Google Drive is Live!
It did take a long while for Google to release their "Google Drive", it is a bit too early to see if it will be a nightmare for Dropbox. For example: Google had their own video sharing website: Gloogle Video, before they bought YouTube. How many of you used Google Video?
If you didn't know-> How to Use Hashtags on Twitter: A Simple Guide for Marketers
I use Hashtags to go outside of my group followers when I tweet. It is a great way to participate in a conversation while watching a webminar as well, by following a common Hashtag. This article explains the basics on how to use it best.
It is here, good content will prevail-> Google begins penalizing search 'over-optimization'
It finally arrived, hopefully it will get rid of all those meaningless blog post and news articles, which are just there to boost some websites page rank.
I'm sure you have wondered this-> How Google Search Works, In a Nutshell
It is not exactly the full algorithm, but it gives you a good idea how it works.
Need anymore reasons?-> Why You Need Social Media, Even if Your Customers Don't
Very good post; your social media effort can make you more authoritative in your industry. It is a combination of spreading your net of listeners and gaining control of what is said about your business.
Next Friday I'll have another round up, in the meantime you can follow me and YWD on the networks below:
Gustavo Jabbaz started his digital career as a designer and then became a developer and these days spends most of his time as a digital marketer. A founding partner of Your Web Department, he's responsible for day-to-day operations, marketing and development strategy. He is who you talk to when you need support with SEO and/or Social Media. Gustavo Jabbaz on Google+ | Twitter
YWD is participating in an exciting event with the amazing Challenge Factory team. www.challengefactory.ca
Thinking of a career change? Need to turbo charge your LinkedIn profile? Want to brush up on web site best practices? Ever wonder how networking software can help you launch your business? Then this Challenge Factory event is for you.
The Challenge Factory team has brought together industry experts, including YWD’s Paul Chato, to lead sessions on the key technologies you need to launch your new career or business.
Bring your laptop and your questions to this half-day “book camp” style event and learn:
How, why and when should you use LinkedIn (don't have a profile yet? No problem. We'll work on it together in the session).
What you need to know before getting your own blog or website up and running.
How networking software can increase your success at finding a job or launching your business.
You will have hands on access to experts in all of these technologies.
Reserve your seat today.... Space is limited.
General Admission is $165.00 - Current YWD Clients pay $80.00
Tech Tools for Career Change
Speaker:
Paul Chato, Your Web Department / Ryan Schnarr, Springpad Media / Jon Kreindler, FreshTransition / Karen Siwak, Challenge Factory
date:
Thursday, 2012-05-03 13:00 - 17:00
location: Centre for Social Innovation
215 Spadina
Toronto, ON M6C 3K1
Gustavo Jabbaz started his digital career as a designer and then became a developer and these days spends most of his time as a digital marketer. A founding partner of Your Web Department, he's responsible for day-to-day operations, marketing and development strategy. He is who you talk to when you need support with SEO and/or Social Media. Gustavo Jabbaz on Google+ | Twitter
Manuel Francisco dos Santos was a soccer player from the 50s and 60s. Like all Brazilian soccer stars, he was known by his nickname - Garrincha (a little bird). He was also called Alegria do Povo (Joy of the People). He was a colourful and naive character, with hundreds of stories attributed to him – a sort of soccer version of Babe Ruth.
Despite having oddly twisted legs he is regarded as the best dribbler in soccer history. I’ve never seen him play live but the videos are there for anyone to see.
He had a tragic life after soccer. He drank heavily throughout his adult life, had numerous and tumultuous relationships and died poor. Yet he’s considered by many one of the best soccer players ever.
So what does he have to do with webdesign, you might ask?
I do believe Garrincha was an artist. You don’t need to be a soccer buff to appreciate the elegance of his moves, to be puzzled by the sheer beauty of what he was able to accomplish. And most of all, to be mesmerized by his creative magic. He's taught me a lesson or two.
Be a star but play for the team
Albeit all his crazy moves and unexpected twists, Garrincha was always assisting his mates with precise passes. Not only that, he was a fantastic scorer himself. In fact, he was the main reason for Brazil conquering its 2nd World Cup in 1962, after Pelé got injured in one of the very first rounds. It’s kind of obvious but we often forget that the website that you’re working on ultimately belongs to the client, not you. It must get the job done for them. Equally important: make sure your client understand the reationale behind the concepts when you're submitting to them.
The game is always changing
Garrincha wouldn’t stand a chance in today’s soccer, dominated by other brilliant – but much faster – players like Barcelona’s Messi. As designers we need to accept the fact that the websites we create will live for a few months and then be replaced. That the clients can change the content at will using a CMS like Your Web Department. That websites are increasingly merging with social media initiatives. That design trends come and go. And that the delivery medium itself is constantly evolving – from computers to tablets and smartphones. That’s OK, live with that.
Get people off-balance
When submitting design concepts, make sure at least one does not look like anything your client asked for. Surprise them, show something they were not prepared for. Get them off-balance with your moves.
Enjoy the game
Garrincha was known as “Joy of the People” for a reason. He made people laugh as they watched him dribble his opponents and leave them on the floor one after another. He was having fun while playing, even during a World Cup match. Do the same. Even a corporate website deserves elements that somehow make it stand apart from millions of others out there. It's a beautiful game after all.
Flavio Mester is a graphic designer as well as a systems analyst (in a distant life he was an architect). A founding partner of Your Web Department, he's responsible for the design and development of all the YWD website management platform interfaces. Flavio Mester on Google+ | Twitter | LinkedIn
This past week: The buzz is around Facebook's pending IPO and Apple's rumoured iPad mini. On other fronts all major internet players are working hard to make SMBs lives easier. Facebook is revamping their analytics for Facebook Ads, Google upgraded their Google+ interface and improved their website analytics. Even LinkedIn is changing in an effort to increase their market share. I looked at it all and compiled a list of tweets, which are mostly "how-to" guides so your business can succeed online.
Very good tips-> 12 Killer Timeline Tips For Facebook Marketers
Now every Facebook business page has a timeline and though most fans like a page and never go back there, why not have the best page possible for that one visit?
Mobile Web needs a different advertising model-> The Mobile Paradox
This is the paradox that Google and Facebook are facing. Everyone agrees that mobile internet is the future, unfortunately there is little space for adds on the mobile screen (tablets excluded). Both Facebook and Google have been experimenting placing ads on mobile with limited success. A new revenue model needs to be found, as we move from desktop to mobile computing the networks we love and use on a daily basis will have no revenue to sustain their operating cost.
Pretty much everything you can do with FB today-> The Ultimate Facebook Marketing Cheat Sheet
Great guide, like I said in the tweet, this guide includes everything you can do with Facebook to marketing your business.
Complicated but worth it-> RT @andrewkkirk: Google Authorship Markup: How to get your picture in search results.
I've seen lots of talk about Google Authorship and how good it is to build your personal or business brand. This is the best guide I found on how to go about setting it up. It is not easy, but fortunately you only need to do it once.
If you don't have a LinkedIn profile here is how-> 25 Tips to Build Your LinkedIn Following
Good guide on how to setup your LinkedIn profile and best practice to build your following and generate more leads. If you haven't dived into LinkedIn yet; this is the guide for you.
Pinterest and your YWD blog: getting people to pin your images
YWD too had upgrades. Now you can add the PIN button on your blog post summaries.
Facebook is taking their ad network seriously-> Your guide to Facebook’s new ad analytics
And finally Facebook is putting more effort in their ad network. Hopefully they will be able to integrate it with their mobile apps. 50% of the traffic on Facebook is done through a mobile device.
Next Friday I'll have another round up, in the meantime you can follow me and YWD on the networks below:
Gustavo Jabbaz started his digital career as a designer and then became a developer and these days spends most of his time as a digital marketer. A founding partner of Your Web Department, he's responsible for day-to-day operations, marketing and development strategy. He is who you talk to when you need support with SEO and/or Social Media. Gustavo Jabbaz on Google+ | Twitter
If your website has a blog and it's set to display as "Summaries (50 words)" then YWD will now automatically include a "Pin it" button below each summary thumbnail image. It allows visitors to bookmark the image directly into their Pinterest page. It is a great way to increase your blog's popularity.
Although the default is to show the "Pin it" buttons in the blog summaries, you can change that behaviour in YWD Designer / Tools / Blog / Comments & social media in the Blog summary options group.
Flavio Mester is a graphic designer as well as a systems analyst (in a distant life he was an architect). A founding partner of Your Web Department, he's responsible for the design and development of all the YWD website management platform interfaces. Flavio Mester on Google+ | Twitter | LinkedIn
As is often the case when I'm preparing a blog post, I have it almost done, polished to a reasonable level, ready to launch then I read something in the paper, the day of, that I think is a way better idea. So today I ran across a piece in the National Post that they filched from the Deccan Herald called, 
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