Saving Hollywood

Photo from jorgemir via flickr

Poor Hollywood.  Still can’t figure out how to stop pirating and make money off the internet.  But I believe there are may untapped avenues that Hollywood could take to generate money and not stop…rather to encourage pirating of their shows.  And here is how:

Embedded Advertising within your shows

OK, I agree this is not revolutionary but here me out as I don’t think it has been looked at through this lens.  And I believe that the infrastructure is already in place…it is just bringing them all together (along with a revamped Hollywood).  Let me walk you through an example and then I will break down the three pieces that are need for this to succeed.  I will use Amazon for the example below (though the other players above could do this just as easily):

You are watching a TV show/Hollywood movie and you want to know what kind of leather jacket the main character is wearing. Put your mouse over the jacket (or character), click and (the scene continues) on the right hand side of the screen (think of the Hulu setup with the black on the left and right side, or the full screen is pushed over slightly to avoid having the text block the scene) and information detailing what that character is wearing appears on the screen. If the jacket is from The Gap, on this click, Amazon gets a eyeball click $$ payment. What it also allows is for the user to click to the 1) Gap website 2) Gap store; potentially purchasing that jacket immediately or 3) since this is Amazon, go directly to the Amazon store to buy the jacket (do everything in one place).  Additionally, to make the experience better, the viewing public can engage a setting in the video player that enables when you click, the information is sent to your “Viewing Basket” so when the show is over, you can review the product information and shop without interrupting the entertainment experience. And for a mobile strategy, you could have a GPS awareness that could notify you know when you are within 1 mile of a Gap Store that has that product in stock.  And, since this is Amazon, you would not need to be a big retailer as you can setup an Amazon store.

1. Infrastructure:  The Content is Being Broadcast Already

On-line, there are many places where content is available to stream or download such as Hulu, You Tube, Amazon Video and of course iTunes to name a few.  Great.  They all have a purchasing system setup so the public already trusts their purchases.  Most have also done a good job of making it dead simple for the public to view, sample and purchase a large variety of content.

2. Embedding Technology Exists

YouTube is already going down the path with Annotations but I prefer the technology by a company like VideoClix as it makes for  a nicer viewing experience.  Great, we now have both the infrastructure and the technology.

3. Hollywood…and their willingness to change.

This is the real place where the money (and the change) happens and has the potential to change the whole pre-production of the Television and Movie industry.  And that is the key point – pre-production.  It changes/influences not only the costumes/clothes for actors, but furniture, food, dishes, etc. You can auction off every single thing that will be on the screen to people who want product placement before production. For example, if your star is listening to an ipod, you can hover over it and find out what songs they are listening to – link straight to iTunes/Amazon mp3 and buy the song. People are sitting in front of the computer, why not have them be interactive?

How about “Lost”?

A question I get a lot is “what about a show like Lost?”  Well, besides the obvious Dharma swag they should be selling (who wouldn’t want to crack open a Dharma Initiative beer on the weekend in their Maintenance overalls?), there is an opportunity to grab your audience in so many other ways.  Lost followers (me included) love the mysteries of the island.  So, why not embed more into the shows?  For example, during the show, what if you could click on the hatch and walk around and look closely at the books on the shelf, records and past training tapes.  You could have a show within a show.  Possibly sell membership to see be able to check out different parts of the island yourself.

Remember:  there is a difference watching things on your television versus your computer.  On a computer, you have a keyboard and mouse in front of you…rotting away.  Utilize it.  And I believe  eventually that all television controllers will act like laser pointers for our screens.

A New Distribution Model = Open Season for Spammers?

Of course there can be negatives such as people putting in spam links, virus links, etc.  But if movies play on the Amazon site, then there is trust in the links.  But looking to the future, viewing movies in the browser using such as the soon to be released Google OS or the updated HTML 5, the browser can detect the source (such as the FireFox 3 secures sites check).  Peer to peer sharing will now be embraced by all involved as it will help get content get distribute more widely.

So, there you go television and film industry honcho’s (Or Amazon).  A whole new model waiting to be tapped into for profit.  Are you ready to try a new business model or are you too busy locking everything down and suing your customers?

Who Has It All?

We are at a point of time where there are many choices of vendors who offer collaboration software suites for the enterprise. The choice is overwhelming at times. But the deeper I look, it seems to me that not one company has mastered the “we have it all” within their product. For example, there are some strong candidates that have tools such as forums and blogs but then fall short on wiki or repository. Or other vendors have tried to squeeze everything in but half of the tools lack basic functionality and are a work in progress.

But what do I mean by having it all? Below is what I think should be included:

• Blogs
• Forums
• Bookmarking
• Communities
• RSS feeds (with reader included)
• Wiki
• Document repository
• Capability of embedded video
• Micro-blogging (though I can wait for this)
• Expert Directory
• Smartphone accessibility (to everything above)

So, anyone know a vendor with it all?

Sharepoint – an Ugly Beauty

A great tool out there for many organizations is Microsoft Sharepoint.  A great tool on so many levels such as:

• Collaboration and Social Computing
• Portal
• Enterprise Search
• ECM…

…and that is just a few of the many features.

But…out of the box…it is ugly!

And I think that it is losing customers in the long run.

In this day and age, with iTunes and google, organizations are not only looking for good collaboration software…but software that is intuitive.  Sharepoint falls short out of the box.  Although the features are strong, it does not look as “snazzy” or user friendly.  And yes, I know security and working with other enterprise applications is important, but if your users cannot figure out how to navigate/post/delete then they will not use it.

Microsoft does have Sharepoint Designer (separate) and third party organizations that can “make it user friendly”, organizations see that as one more cost and a new vendor into the equation.

And when software is competing against each other…during the finalist presentations, the organization will only see out of the box…which lacks a user friendly interface.  In my opinion, they would be better served incorporating a user friendly interface out of the box.

Getting Started on Linked-in

A friend of mine is looking to get started on Linked-In…so instead of sending her an e-mail, I thought I would add a blog.   There are of course many great sites out there for getting started or building a strong profile, but for this post, I am going to list some things you can do to get going on Linked-In.

1. First of all, sign up here.
2. Update your profile.  Again, this link is good for Profiles
3. Next step – start adding Connections (feel free to add me).  A tip here is ‘fight the urge’ to invite people who are NOT on Linked-In to join.  Personally, I hate getting those e-mails (telling me to sign-up).  Get Connections for those people already on Linked-in.  After going through your e-mail contact list, search around for others you have worked for in the past.
4. Join some groups (a great way to start to newtork).  For example, my friend is in training so she could joing groups such as the CSTD (which is listed) or any other number of groups that relate to training.  This way you can connect with more people in your field, meet new people, see what they are up to and find out if anyone is looking for new hires/consultants.
5. Participate in Answers.  Answers are a great way to show your expertise, meet new people and of course learn.  Search answers (on training or whatever your field you are in) and start to share your expertise.  You can read up on the Answer page on how you can become an expert.  I have also seen people start questions that they want to answer themselves.  It’s good to ask a question because then you can be the moderator.
6. Look at other people’s profile for ideas.  Here is a good profile of someone: Sacha Chua.  She is very well know in the social media field.  If you scroll down, you can see where she is an expert.  Good profile.
7. Start adding widgets – like books you are reading or blog (personally, I think that if you work on you own/have your own business, you should have blog.  There is good value in telling people what you know…generating discussion and a place to point your clients (instead of a static website).  And, if you blog on WordPress you can add the blog to your linked in page.

There you go.  I am sure there are many other things you can do on Linked-in so feel free to add any other point below.

Idea: Corporate Widget for e-mail

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I believe that widgets for the corporation are not quite there…meaning they are nice to look at but don’t really add value to day-to-day work.  I have been giving some thought to this topic and my obsession/addiction/problem of multi-tasking triggered me into an idea.  It is all based around e-mail (as a starter) andf or those of you who (like myself) always have multiple applications open all at once.

I sometimes find that the more I have open, the slower the my applications eventually become.  Being a bit of an e-mail junkie, whenever I get a new e-mail, I open up my e-mail program.  But, depending on the temperment of my machine, this sometimes takes a while.  The problem is that it takes me out of my application I am currently working in (Word, Excel, Internet Explorer), into another one.

So, what I would like to see is the ability to add an e-mail widget to any application I have on my desktop.  So, if I am in MS Word (or any application), I would like the ability to add a widget to the toolbar

Photo from Dave Duarte via Flickr

Thus, when I rceive a new e-mail, I can see it it the application I am working in – and I can open the e-mail message without leaving my application.

This would be helpful even to add this widget to my desktop…thus, not having to run my e-mail application when I am logged on.

Anyway, that is what I thought about over the Christmas holidays.

KISS, Shirsky’s Law and Social Software Adoption

Keep It Simple Stupid.

In life

In love

In social media software development.

I came across Shirksy’s Law on the web which states:

Shirky’s Law states that the social software most likely to succeed has “a brutally simple mental model … that’s shared by all users”.

I am seeing more and more vendors come out with very developed social media platforms…and they are now becoming too complex.  Although many software vendors are on version 2.0 (or more), many enterprise users are still at 1.0:  trying to figure out not only how this can be integrated in their day to day activities, but what the ‘heck and blog is’.

Over at Bosacks Archive they interviewed Clay Shirsky.  Here is an interesting quote from that interview:

The shift is from thinking about the computer as a box to thinking of the computer as a door, and nobody wants a door with 37 handles. Twitter has six features, and it launched with only one. A brutally simple mental model of the software that’s shared by all users turns out to be a better predictor of adoption and value than a completely crazy collection of features that ends up being slightly different for every user.

Although the 37 handles will eventually be valuable to an organization…it can be overwhelming for the first time user.  As someone who helps roll-out communities, it makes my job more difficult for adoption.  There is too much for a new user to take in.  So, I end of slimming down the software myself which does not always give the user the best experience.

Maybe it is time to rethink the audience and what are there goals.  You don’t need to “feed the world” on day one…just feed one family at a time.

The Weather Widget and Social Software for the Enterprise

Over the past six months, I have seen the a number of vendors show their software, and one thing seems to be standing out for me. Everyone for some odd reason, it infatuated with showing how their product has a weather widget. For me, it has no impact other than I know their product can handle widgets. But, knowing ski conditions for my weekend trip is not going to help me or my enterprise with their day to day activities. For some executives, it seems like a time waster (which leads to visions of every employee on Facebook 4 hours a day).

Weather Widget

So, here is my advice for all those widget creators. Create a widget that would seem valuable for the enterprise worker. Such as a widget that allows me to track certain individuals…or internal communication…or forum topics…or posted videos. Allow it to customizable. Create a widget that will deliver knowledge to the worker to make them more productive. That is a widget that shows value.

And yes, I suppose you could keep the weather widget as we all need a life outside of work.

Principles for Enterprise Social Software Adoption

Read a great article over at Binaryplex.com about the 10 Principles for Enterprise Social Software Adoption.   Below is a summary:

Principle 1: Limit Social Software Data to Basic Security (Username/Password) Only

Principle 2: Social Software should use Authoritative Sources for relevant information.

Principle 3: Simple, Ubiquitous and Adaptable Access

Principle 4: Global Sharing (largest number of users)

Principle 5: Modular, Highly Integrated, Open Services

Principle 6: Configuration not Customization

Principle 7: Build for Rapid Growth

Principle 8: Designed for the people

Principle 9: Authority should be devolved to the lowest common denominator

Principle 10: People not Documents

It’s so interesting to see more and more articles talking about making enterprise adoption easier…rather than seeing blogs about selling social media to your executive team.  Now that it’s getting in the door, let’s see who survives and who are the causalities.

Social Software Adoption

I read a great post today on the Synch.rono.us blog written by Kathryn Everest on Social Software Adoption tips for the enterprise.  To sum it up, here are her five points:

1)  Make sure you are engaging the right people when getting started.

2)  Explain the story of social software from multiple perspectives as one size does NOT fit all.

3)  Focus more on “why” than on “how” in your training program.

3)  Make sure you have a way to measure success that is meaningful to business sponsors.

5)  Monitor and intervene when usage is not what you expected.

These are excellent points (especially #5 as noted by Luis Benitez as this will constantly change) but I would also like add a few of my own…that could be 6-10 on this list

6. Senior Leader buy-in/understanding/desire/appetite

If you are indeed going to roll this out, make sure you have an awareness of senior leadership.  I am not saying they need to be writing a daily blog, but there is an awareness not only of the software, but the change that is occurring.  Change does not happen overnight, and it usually does not have 100% participation.  Change takes time and patience.  If people want to change, they will help those change agents get there.  When there is a lack of understanding, change agents can be punished rather than rewarded.

7. Budget

Ready to rollout social software?  It ain’t cheap (in these times of cost cutting).  Make sure a budget is in place to get everything up and going.  Pilots are fine and dandy (and needed) but if your pilot takes off, make sue the money is in place to get it implemented.

8. Open it up/make it accessible to all

As mentioned above, pilots are fine and dandy, if you are going to do it, then do it.  Be ready to have it rolled out to everyone (or at least available).  One of the advantages of the social software is connecting with people who you did not know before.  If they cannot access your social software, they might not come back and you could lost that connection (and knowledge).  If someone finds a blog/forum/shared event/wiki etc, sign-up should be 2 or 3 clicks away.

9. Streamlined software

I agree with Kathryn that the software and how to use is not highly important…but it does have importance.  Most 2.0 software is not hard to learn…but some can cause time to be wasted.  For example, software should have integration with your current systems when possible (from you Office suite to your internal Operational systems).  The more places people need to go (for example, the wiki is a separate application then the blog than the forum than the virtual meeting room, etc) the more people are going to be confused where to go, have too many bookmarks and too many passwords.  A nice eco-system is preferable.

10.  Encouragement/PR/Marketing

I have seen good applications within enterprises be ‘disabled’ because not enough people understood the value/were using it to justify the cost.  Thus, get the word out, not only for people to discover it, but so value can be seen enterprise wide.  Keeping it a secret will help no-one.  It is also helpful when your boss (listen, some companies will remain top-down for a while) announces to everyone what a great job you did leveraging the wiki and sharing with your colleagues.  Everyone likes a pat on the back from time to time.

OK, that is my 5.  What do you have?

Update – Found a few more Adoption points from the Fast Forward Blog

The Importance of Fun/Easy Documentation & Training

As more and more social platforms are launched within the enterprise, the focus on training new users and answering their questions.frustrations becomes even more important.  New technology is great…but if users figure out or find answers to their questions, it will be quickly left behind and they will continue to use what they are comfortable with (read: e-mail).

In my role, I have had an opportunity to test a number of start-ups and existing companies social media platforms.  You would think that a blog is a blog is a blog but each vendor has a different slant or an additional piece added on to add value.  That is all fine but some neglect to document how to use it.  Quite frankly, I have found the smaller companies to have more robust documentation (I know it’s a generalization) than the bigger ones.  Anyway, here are some of my suggestions on how to approach you documentation:

1. Have Documentation:  I know this should go without saying, but there are vendors out there who do no have documentation, it is not yet available, or it is only availablle to their clients.  Without the documentation, people might not be able to see the value you are selling.
2. Don’t rely 100% on your users:  I agree it is a great idea to let your users define/create your documentation on a wiki (as they will know what other users want), but give them something or a skeleton to work with.  I have been to a number of product documentation/wiki pages that the vendor has setup a table of contents and has told the community – document away.  It is extremely frustrating to see the topic in the table of contents (when you are stuck or having a problem), only to find a blank page.  Your product is not ready to ship until you have completed your documentation (among other things).
3. Different learning styles:  Not everyone learns the same.  As an example, in 4MAT they have four types of learners:  Imaginative, Analytic, Common Sense and Dynamic.  Hey, I am not saying go and spend half your budget on learning, but when people understand how to use it, they are more apt to use it.
4. Available Demos:  Taking a cue from the point above, give us some visual demos (both written and video).  This is the era of YouTube.  Create some video demos so users can see how it is done.  Make the content not only available on your website, but post it on YouTube (where you can take advantage of comment and number of views stats).  You can also see who else is filming your product.
5. Die pdf, Die!:  Don;t ever, ever, ever put your documentation in one big pdf file.  It is ugly, hard to navigate and from the 90’s.  If you are selling collaboration software, put your documentation in something similar.
6. Strong Search Capability:  Speak my language and your (if you choose).  For example, one vendor I was using had a survey option.  When I did a search for ’survey’, not results appeared.  Enough said.

That’s all I can think of/rant about now.  Let me know if you have any others.