What's With the 'Tude, Microsoft?

Recently Microsoft unveiled a website to promote it's new Photosynth photography system (www.photosynth.net). It's billed as way to view photos in 3-D environment. As a fan of photography I clicked to the site to find out more. While there I learned that right now it's only available for Windows based computers. I have an iMac so I couldn't view any of the images. That’s fine but I was a bit surprised by the message I got when I tried to take a look:

“Unfortunately, we’re not cool enough to run on your OS (operating system) yet. We really wish we had a version of Photosynth that worked cross platform, but for now it only runs on Windows.”

Is it me or is this a rather strange way to state the application is only available for the PC? The attitude is a bit of a turnoff. I was a PC user for eight years and this kind of statement reminds me why I made the switch.

Microsoft recently announced that it will use Jerry Seinfeld in a series of commercials with Bill Gates. Let's hope they don't inspire comparisons to the film, "Grumpy Old Men."

Dude, Where's My Beach?

My part of South Florida was lucky that Tropical Storm Fay didn't do too much damage. At my home it looks like I picked up about 8 inches of water. While this is a lot, it was spread over time and didn't produce the flooding we've seen about 90 minutes to the north of my area.

The rains have changed the landscape at the beach. Mainly a lot of sand has gone back into the ocean. This has "flattened" out the beach a bit. Where there was a slope before, there's now just flat sand. This also makes it easier for waves to move further inland. Over time ever beach must be replenished with sand but this is time consuming and costly. Nevertheless, it's an important expense for a region that relies heavily on tourism.

A Video Visit to New York City

I recently enjoyed a trip to the National Speakers Association Convention in New York City. During some free time, I took a good number of pictures of the Times Square area. Some of those shots make up the video essay you'll see below. I was amused by a challenge I experienced doing night photography: With all the lights, it really doesn't get all that dark. So certain night shots just can't be captured like they would elsewhere. But at the same time, the illuminated conditions do make it easier to capture action in both the foreground and the background.

The Value of "Being First"

I've watched with a lot of curiosity as the news media has tried to figure out Barack Obama's choice for Vice President. This led to a good deal of speculation and revelations from unnamed sources.

In journalism, there's always a good amount of emphasis on being the first to break a story. But as a former TV News reporter and anchor, I've come to regard the quest to be first as often an empty one. The premise is that viewers will see that you had the story first and thus you will gain their viewing allegiance. Think back four years ago. Who was first to break the story of John Kerry selecting John Edwards as his running mate? The same question applies 8 years ago to the Bush/Cheney ticket. The answers do not readily come to mind.

If you are breaking a news story that no one else is aware of, like Watergate, then the value of being first is considerable. But there is a difference between reporting something first and being the first in a pack to report on something first. A viewer will likely select a new source for a variety of reasons, which research has found can include surprising things like wardrobe and hairstyles.

Contrary to what many editors and news directors believe, their audience does not sit at home with scorecards to determine who scooped whom. The idea that "first makes you the best" is an out of date metric.

Shrinkage at the Supermarket

A trip the supermarket may not fill up your cart as much as it used to. It turns out that rising gas and food prices have convinced many companies to offer their products in smaller packages. So a 16 ounce box of cereal now may only contain 14.5 ounces. The price stays the same as it was for the larger size. The companies say they are doing this instead of raising the price on the 16 ounce item.

It's an interesting strategy because the change is not immediately noticed. We tend to grab a box or a can of food by looking at the label rather than the weight. If the price seems about what it always is, we don't stop to think about it. But later on, people may notice that their breakfast cereal doesn't last as long as it used to. Now the revelation that the food companies resized their products with hardly any publicity, has some feeling resentment towards those brands.

I'll be curious to see if this business model works. Over time, people seem to accept certain market changes. I remember when $3 a gallon gas first hit the pumps. People complained but then accepted the change and kept driving.

With food, it may be different as there are more choices. For a low cost cracker, it may be very important to keep the price stable at 99 cents by shrinking the package. In this case, people buy the product because it's cheap. A high end snack may be able to get away with charging more for the same amount. Here the consumer may value taste, prestige, or quantity above cost.

The Power of Engagement

Recently I attended a presentation by a well known speaker. While the speaker's professional expertise was high, I felt that they were not as skilled at conveying a message that would inspire the crowd to action. That led me to create the video clip below that's about ways to better create that connection with your crowd.

Vertically Challenged Customer Service

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the annual conference of the National Speakers Association which was held in New York City at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. The hotel is a beautiful facility that's in a great Times Square location. But before long, convention attendees noticed a major problem with the facility: the elevators.

The property has 49 floors and about 1,900 rooms. It has about 15 elevators. This is a good number, except for times when a lot of people need to use the elevators at once. And if you're at at a large convention, odds are it will happen frequently. So you'd find yourself spending a lot of time waiting for the elevators. To the hotel's credit, it runs the elevators off a computerized system that maximizes efficiency. But even this system is overwhelmed by a high volume of people.

The challenge is one of verticality. Most large hotels, like you'd see in Las Vegas, have a high number of rooms but those rooms are spread out among multiple towers. It's a horizontal layout. The Marriott is vertically configured as one building. Adding more elevators would likely not improve the situation much and would reduce the number of rooms.

So the challenge is not making the commute faster but rather making it more enjoyable for guests. I was disappointed that staff behaved as if they'd never seen this problem before, a problem that happens whenever the hotel hosts a major convention. What if they could strategically plan little perks for these high traffic moments? While waiting for an elevator, wouldn't it be nice to sip a free glass of lemonade or hot chocolate? Maybe you could even bring in entertainers like magicians or face painters to entertain the crowds. The idea is that you don't try to hide the fact that you have a problem but instead show that you understand the pain that your customers may be experiencing. Give them a little distraction to keep them entertained and you'll hear less complaining about the problem.

Time Saving Secret

I've learned that little tasks often take up a lot of time, especially when they are allowed to pile up. And in some cases, thinking about doing the project, like paying bills, takes about as much time as it does to do the work. And if you repeatedly put off the task, then you spend a lot of time thinking about something you need to do.

Now I've adopted a "think it, do it" strategy. If I think that I should fold some shirts, I do it immediately rather than waiting until later. This way, the project gets done and I don't have to wonder about when I'll get around to it. So in a way, the immediate execution saves me time by taking it off my plate.

Of course, these low priority items should not interfere with scheduled events or used as a way to avoid starting blue chip projects. But if you're sometimes overwhelmed by a variety of small tasks, you may want to try this method. My goal is to spend a little time worrying or stressed out about the little stuff.

Communication Lessons from NYC

You can learn a lot about culture and communications by studying a city. During a recent trip to New York City, I took some time to observe and absorb the famous Times Square. While there you are distracted by countless marketing messages. At times, you can't absorb it all and I'd find myself not noticing a lot of details or stores that I couldn't see due to sensory overload.

Like many tourists, I took countless photos and I got used to seeing people taking snapshots. It seemed like everyone had a camera and I'm probably making a cameo appearance in many pictures.

The signs that caught my attention the most tended to be big, bold, and memorable. I felt sorry for some of the street vendors as they have to compete with such imposing messages. At the same time, I was grateful for the police who keep the area from becoming a pick pocket zone.

I've put together a video report about some communications principles I noticed in Times Square and you can access the clip below:

Lessons from Kodak

I've just returned from this year's National Speakers Association Convention, which was held in New York City. I especially enjoyed a talk given by Jeffrey Hayzlett, who is in charge of marketing for Kodak.

During the past few years, the company has experienced enormous change as it reduced its role in film and increased its presence in the digital world. Did you know that Kodak invented the first digital camera in the 1970s? A majority of Kodak's current revenue comes from divisions that didn't exist five years ago. In those areas that the company has entered, it has be become the market leader. There are some good lessons there for businesses that find themselves struggling with changing market conditions.



There's some cool technology coming soon. One product is a scanner that can determine how old a picture is by analyzing the paper. This will be of great help to those people who have a shoebox full of pics. The company is also working on photo recognition software. This would allow you to teach the system to recognize an image, like a person. You could then pull all images that show that person. Neat stuff!