Hey everyone! Hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed the Super Bowl Holiday. I was stuck in meetings all day today, so it was a relief to sit down tonight and catch up on some reading. Here’s what I enjoyed when I got a break tonight, what I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work:
DR. WHAW? – February 8, 2010
- Beware of Vanity Metrics — This excerpt from Eric Ries’ new post on Harvard Business Review is an important read for anyone who ever touches metrics. It’s so easy to get caught up in positive numbers and not pay attention to the fact if these numbers, even though they’re positive, are really the ones you should be watching. A classic case that I always see is when people brag about great Click Through Rates (CTRs). While in some campaigns, this can be a valuable metric, the much more important number is the Conversion Rate. How many of those clicks actually turned into a conversion, whatever that conversion may be. If you’re not turning your Clicks into Conversions, then a high CTR just means your spending much more than you need to be. Love Eric’s three A’s of metrics: actionable, accessible, and auditable.
- Google Set to Make Gmail Social — I know that this one is one from of the “big guys” (Mashable), however, it’s too important to not include. Gmail is about to roll in social updates. As the Mashable title says, this is HUGE. It makes Gmail infinitely more sticky and turns the Google product into an even more complete hub for online activity. The article raises some good questions about whether Facebook and Twitter will be initially included? Also, I know that the majority of the folks in my Gmail chat list are clients that I email with, I don’t necessarily want them to see pictures from Friday night that my friends’ tag — what kind of privacy settings will be enabled? If Google takes it too far, they may actually lose users. Look forward to seeing this rolled out and how it will really function.
- For the life between buildings – some notes on the iPad — I was unfamiliar with this blog, City of Sound, but I’m definitely going to subscribe. Before you click over to this post, let me say that it’s very long…unnecessarily long. However, the first quarter is really great and that’s what I recommend you read. I know it seems silly to include a post that only has 25% of solid stuff, but that’s just how *solid* that 25% actually is. The post is relating the iPad to architecture and urban planning, two favorite topics of mine, and making the argument that it’s the perfect device for “in-between places”: cafes, meeting rooms, bars, planes, cabs, etc. In other words, it’s the ideal device for cities. The argument is a cool one and I’ve never seen one made for software in this manner, so I definitely recommend you check it out!
- Telling Stories With Interfaces — I eschewed the urge to put a typical “Super Bowl Sunday Ad Recap” post in this list, however, this post is inspired by one of the ads. Perhaps my favorite from the night — Google’s Parisian Love. It was such a great, simple, and touching ad. Anyway, Robin writes about how this ad is typical of an entire genre, Telling Stories With Interfaces. She shares some of her favorite other “ads” that do the same. It’s a really cool genre and got me thinking about how we could maybe employ this technique at my business. If for nothing else, visit this one to watch some other really cool stories.
- PR Ethical Dilemmas of Ghost Commenting — For as many opportunities bore by social media, there are just as many “traps.” Many companies out there think they can game the system or pay someone to worry about the “problem” for them. Todd Defren runs an impressive agency, SHIFT, and has had a series of interesting posts talking through different social media/pr ethical dilemmas. This one gets into ghost commenting and whether an agency should comment on behalf of their clients. Todd takes two stances in the post and I agree 100% with him on both. Check it out and see what you think.
- Big Think Interview with Jason Fried — OK, I know that the “R” in DR WHAW stands for “Read,” but I had to throw this video in here. Maybe listen to it in the background while you read one of the other posts. This is a good 30 minute interview with Jason Fried, founder of 37signals. Jason’s signature “thing” is to be blunt and very opinionated. He rarely disappoints, and that holds true in this interview. However, there’s no denying that he has been uber successful and is an extremely smart designer, entrepreneur, and person. Check out this interview and try to gleam some good advice for your business or your clients’.
Well, those are my DR WHAW. I know I’m one short, but I’ve been swamped all day, and it’s the day after the Super Bowl, so can I just claim I’m hungover? Hope you enjoy them, let me know what you think!
