ReillyDigital Consulting

Making it up as you go along

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:15:00 +0000

On his blog, Seth Godin poses the question:
"Just wondering: Is there any other way to make it up?"

Yes, you can plan it all out in advance.

While this approach begins with a goal or problem to solve, once the plan is in place, it really becomes about fulfilling that plan. The problem is, inevitably you will encounter something you hadn't considered, or the requirements will change (or more likely, finally be delivered.) Then, due to the sunk costs (in time) of making the plan and getting buy-in from your associates, you are put in a position of trying to adapt the plan to support these things, even though the approach may no longer be the best. The further along in a project you are when this occurs, the more likely you are to just "make it work," regardless of the implications.

On the other hand, making it up as you go along means you are generally focused on the goal or problem the whole time. You are free to adapt as needed as long as you get there in the end. The downside here, is that there is no clear end product. This gives both you and your client permission to add/change features at will, probably complicating, and almost certainly prolonging the project.

The planning approach frequently leads to "what were they thinking?" product designs. The improvisation approach often results in vaporware or unprofitable, never ending projects.

For me, I work best when I make it up as I go along, and I almost always end up with a good result. Unfortunately, if it's work for hire, it is almost a requirement to create a safe, predictable result rather than something that might be better, but isn't what the client was expecting. This feels wrong though, and is probably why I don't do much freelance work. My day jobs are usually planning driven, but good bosses will see the potential and let me run with ideas while they try to sell them back up the chain. Regardless, at the end of the day I go home and do projects for myself, perhaps my toughest but most rewarding critic.

In the spirit of Innocentive

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:34:00 +0000

This article on the NYTimes discusses Innocentive, a great site I discovered a year ago that gives regular people the opportunity to solve problems for big business for a reward. The article touched briefly on the potential for someone to think of a solution but patent or demand more money for it. While they note that this case hasn't occurred yet, I have seen challenges on the site that seemed to warrant it.

The idea behind Innocentive is that companies post specific problems they are encountering that their engineers are unable to solve, a problem with a step in a manufacturing process for instance. Some however, have posted challenges that amount to fishing for the next great advance in technology, and aren't offering what would seem to be fair compensation for it. One example was seeking a new super absorbent polymer (SAP) that could absorb and retain liquid within the defined parameters, etc. It didn't state it directly, but it was clear from the requirements that it was to be used for diapers and related products. I believe the offer was $20,000, which while not insignificant, seemed like a small price to pay for what could be an industry changing advance.

While I think the spirit of Innocentive is really about solving small problems within the context of something larger that the company has already engineered, I'm not against companies seeking bigger ideas, I just think the reward should be comparable to the value of what they're asking. The Netflix DVD rental service depends heavily on a movie recommendation system they developed to keep customers coming back. They are offering $1 million for a system that can generate better recommendations than their current one. Unlike the Innocentive challenge above, such a price acknowledges the value of what they're asking for and shows respect to their prospective solvers.

DVD concept invented in the 1930s?

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 04:17:00 +0000

I had heard that the FAX machine was created long go, in fact it existed before workable telephones (strange as that seems.) But this blows me away. It is a concept drawn in 1932 of recording video to records. It appears to use a rotating disc with holes in it to break the information up into pixels, then each pixel is read by a photo receptor and that information is recorded to the record. It's incomplete and they admit it is just a concept, but wow... it is very much a description of how DVDs work. Check out the rest of the site, there are all kinds of interesting things from that era. From the frightening (bathing limbs in tubs charged with electrical current to treat illness) to the amazing (precursor to the defibrillator.)

Our greatest fans: we'll see you in court

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:02:00 +0000

The last Harry Potter book arrived at stores with every bit of fanfare and excitement that was expected. Amazon pre-sold more than 1.3 million copies which is unheard of for the release of a new book.

I often promote the power and promise behind the web and the millions of people who use it passionately every day, so I was not surprised when I heard that a bilingual fan had created a Spanish translation within days of the book's release. Others underwent similar efforts for other languages. Rather than admire a level of devotion and dedication to a product that is so strong that people are willing to spend untold hours translating it so their friends can access to it, the book's publisher has opted to sue the 16 year old student who did an unauthorized French translation. When are big corporations going to learn that suing your fans is not conducive to your relationship with them? Surely every Harry Potter fan who reads those translations will buy the book anyway, if not to read the official translation, then to have the book to add to their collection. It was something that spread the excitement far beyond the English speaking world at no cost or harm to the publisher. I hope they realize their mistake , apologize and drop the case.

How do you sell a $400 blender?

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 20:26:00 +0000

In the style of the old laundry detergent and vacuum cleaner commercials, BlendTec takes an innovative approach to marketing its blenders. Through a collection of videos identified as safe or not-safe for trying at home, BlendTec plays on our inner desires for destruction, by blending everything from light bulbs to children's toys. Amidst the hype surrounding Apple's release of the iPhone, they even blended one of the expensive devices - including a slow-motion replay of it being torn apart. The videos are well produced, simple and effective. They don't try to sell their product, they only try to answer the question, "will if blend?" The blender sells itself.

My favorite ad campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:16:00 +0000

More detail on the German job search website ad campaign I referenced a while back. I really like ads that play on real life objects, to me it shows an extra level of creativity and carries a greater impact.

The decline of the record industry

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:35:00 +0000

Some seven years later, the record labels are finally getting the message that their business models are outdated. That's what happens when you don't listen to your customers. Suing your customers doesn't help much either.

Another excellent marketing effort!

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:18:00 +0000

It's simple, straightforward, creative, I love it!

Creative Nationwide Ad

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 01:16:00 +0000

Now this is thinking outside the box for marketing!

The secret to happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 22:29:00 +0000

Something we all should assess about ourselves, both in our lives as well as our jobs...

Doodle by Lee. Other doodles you can use on your blog can be found at Doodles.

Email Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 18:26:00 +0000

I read an article about email addiction the other day and found myself disagreeing with the overall idea that email is a disruption in the workplace. Perhaps it's because I'm of a younger generation that has learned to multi-task while using the computer, but I find IMs and Email to be far less of an interruption than a phone call or visit from a coworker. I agree that once you are interrupted it takes a few minutes to get back into the flow of what you were doing, but responding to something electronically just seems to fit into that flow for me. I can manage multiple discussions on various topics while also working on my current project because I can flip to that window, answer a question and flip back to the main window. I have control over my response time, I can complete a piece of code before answering their next message and it's not seen as rude. If the person needs to call someone to get more information to answer my question, I can keep working. Alternately, if that same person drops by my cubical, I have to give them my undivided attention, they will often make necessary calls from my phone, I will be completely wrapped up in this one thing.

In the 12 steps there are many items I disagree with. As with most offices, our office uses a Microsoft Exchange server. With this type of server there is no "checking" email, it just appears when it arrives to the server and a popup is shown in the corner of my screen with a summary of the message. If it's important, I can click on it, respond and go back to work. If not, I can leave it for later. I often set messages in my inbox back to "unread" status because it serves as a to-do list for me. Egan doesn't say what to do with an email that doesn't fit within her two-minute rule.. ignore it? That just wastes someone else's time having to follow up on something you didn't respond to. And I believe it's a bad idea to delete any email that is work-related. I often refer back to email I have received, as well as email I have sent as a means to avoid having to re-type information I have previously provided, to prove I sent/said something, or to reference an inconsistency in information being provided. My office has a problem with what I consider "over communication" where messages about projects will be copied to most of the team plus managers much of the time. This is something I would like to see improved, but I can filter through it pretty quickly and tell which messages apply to me and which can be ignored. Managers get it worse however and this leads to frustration on my part when I email a manager about something and it goes unanswered for days. Apparently some managers have adopted a system where they tell those they manage to preface the subject with READ THIS: or they probably won't see it.

As with any technology, email can be overused, and people as a whole will need to learn to integrate it into their lives effectively, but suggesting that it is a bad habit needing to be broken goes against the realities of today's business world.

Marketing with illusions

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 17:34:00 +0000

This is a neat campaign for the Red Cross. Apparently people think it's so cool they take pictures of it. How many marketers wish people would take pictures of their ads to show friends? This idea is similar to something I saw a couple years ago where people were making desktop photos for their computers with similar illusions. It's an incredibly simple idea but also very effective. In the case of the Red Cross it serves also as a bit of a wakeup call... that these things really could happen, and they will be the organization there to help if it does.

Point taken...

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 07:22:00 +0000

This PSA campaign in Toronto definitely gets their point across! And in a simple way too. This one is pretty good too.

Tanning Lotion Ad

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 07:02:00 +0000

As a red haired, blue eyed, freckled individual, I don't really get the whole tanning thing, but I do think this magazine ad is really neat. It reminds me a little of a program for the Palm Pilot PDAs that would make the pixels all black, which due to the shiny finish of the screen caused it to function as a mirror. It was a great example of a use for something that was never intended.

Free is the New Paid

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:39:00 +0000

Nothing real earth shattering in this article, but it is recognition that companies are opening up to the idea of giving content away and supporting it with paid advertising. It also recognizes that there is a limit to what consumers will accept in this area. It's a beginning...

Old media not dying

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:39:00 +0000

Imagine that... old media isn't on its deathbed afterall. Like the printing of books, there are uses that make sense, and uses that don't anymore. Companies have a tendency to do something and optimize it to dig every penny out of it that they can, all the while paying no attention to our culture and trends. When things change, they are caught by surprise and react by trying to use the law to save their outdated business model. If they built the idea of change into their business process, they could adapt with the trends and always remain a viable business. Car manufacturers, music and movie companies, television and radio stations, it's happening across major segments of our economy, but also the most entrenched segments. Ever so slowly, they will come around to the idea, or maybe they will simply go out of business. Either way, the line from Jekyll & Hyde applies, "..the only thing constant, is change.."

Companies to work for

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:08:00 +0000

These are a few companies that sound like they would be really cool to work for, but due to their location relative to mine presently, it will have to remain a dream for at least a few years more.

Elephant Design
A bit of a consumer product idea incubator. People post ideas and ones that the community things are viable will be prototyped and if support grows to a level that makes manufacturing it worthwhile, they will do it. It's the reverse of the way most consumer products are developed these days.

Frog Design
Frog Design does work for big clients like Apple. They appear to do cover a range of project types and their process sounds very reasonable. I even found a job description that describes the role I would like, it was that of a person who oversees a web interactive project from beginning to end from the perspective of whether it's meeting the requirements, desired usability, etc. The person is also responsible for keeping up with new technology and evaluating it for possible use in future projects. A "big picture" person... I like that. That job was in Austin, which is the closest, but I'm not ready to move again right now. I like where I am living and there are lots of opportunities to explore. Further self development now will only make me better qualified for big jobs like these in the future.

Yahoo Brickhouse
In an effort to return to its start-up roots, Yahoo has created a separate site with a staff dedicated to exploring new ideas for the future of the Internet.

Google (magazine article)
What geek doesn't want to work for Google right now?

Why do we participate online?

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:10:00 +0000

In a capitalist society there is the assumption that people never do something for nothing. This is true, but the reward doesn't always need to be dollars, or even something tangible. In fact, studies have found that paying someone to do something often brings them less enjoyment than if they had done it for fun. Once payment is involved, it becomes a job, it's no longer about enjoying what you're doing. At least that's the psychological perspective... imagine if we could enjoy it and get paid? But the current reality is that many brand sites try to solicit user involvement by the promise of some reward, a chance to win a prize for example. But some of the most successful community involved sites offer no tangible reward for involvement.

Cool print ads

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:08:00 +0000

Some cool print ads found online. I'm not sure if they are real, or were used if they are, but some of them are quite good. I especially like the series with the car companies congratulating each other on their hyperspecific awards. And the series following that for the German job search site is awesome!

Consumer representation of brands

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:04:00 +0000

When searching for the 20 largest brands on Google, fully 26% of the results returned are consumer generated content including opinions, comparisons and experiences. These not only represent a significant portion of the information potential customers are likely to find, they offer a fantastic window into the heads of a brands users.

Consumers Willing to Disclose Information

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 06:33:00 +0000

I spoke a few posts ago about my desire for more relevant ads online. While the best targeting of online ads is currently done based on the context of your actions on a site, demographics are also highly useful either instead of or ideally in addition to the context. According to a survey of 1,100 people, 57% were willing to provide demographic information in exchange for a more personalized online experience. 34% said they would be willing to allow sites to track their clicks and purchases. (I hate to tell them, but it's too late on the latter point. Click tracking happens already, though not necessarily in a way that is linked to you personally.)

Online episodic fiction nothing new?

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 06:00:00 +0000

The first website to do episodic fiction like that of LonelyGirl15 actually started back in 1995! Not the leading edge concept that people thought. The only real difference today is that it's video-based.

Broadband Penetration Growing

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 06:43:00 +0000

In addition to widespread availability of Flash and other content plugins, broadband internet access is important to much of the video and other high-demand content being produced today. Luckily, according to this article, broadband has reached 78% penetration, up from 65% a year ago. Not surprisingly, broadband users spend 33% more time online and visit twice as many pages.

Online Treasure Hunt for Dominos

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 06:39:00 +0000

An online scavenger hunt that leads consumers to the chance to buy high priced tech items on Ebay for $9.99 was created to promote a $9.99 pizza deal for Dominos pizza. It is one of the recent campaigns Dominos has been using to improve their reach to online markets. Said a spokesman, "Online is becoming a bigger part of our marketing arsenal, Much of our core target audience is online and prefers to get information that way." A company that gets it... I love it!

Flash Support for site visitors

noreply@blogger.com (Michael C. Reilly) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:30:00 +0000

For many years I resisted building sites that required proprietary plugins like Flash. But as the plugins began shipping with browsers it began to gain wider acceptance. Now, thanks in part to YouTube, MySpace and Yahoo, adoption rates for Flash 8 are at 90% only 12 months following launch. Flash 9 was released in July and already has a 40% adoption rate. While I think Flash can be done better than it often is, I think it is an excellent solution where its use is appropriate.