It's not just about free content...
Videohybrid has a copy of Spiderman 3 that you can watch right now.
I tried to sit down and watch it the other day, and about 3 minutes into it, I stopped. I was bored.
It wasn't the movie. It was the experience. I really like going to the movies. I like going with my friends. I like the huge screen and the Snow Caps and previews, man do I love the previews. I could seriously just watch two hours of nothing but previews... all the best parts of upcoming movies. Fantastic. All in all, despite increases in price, I still think paying the twelve bucks or whatever it is to go to the movies is totally worth it and one of the best values you can get for your money. Bowling (at least in NYC) is more expensive, and so is pool. You can't really drink for that kinda money for two hours... not much you can do for six bucks an hour, really.
And that's really what it comes down to. Provide a great experience, and people will pay for it. If content owners spent nearly as much time trying to create a great user experience at a fair price as they did trying to police content, they wouldn't see declining revenues.
I might watch Casino Royale on the web, b/c I've seen it already, but that doesn't mean I'm not still going to buy the DVD. (Tried to once already... sold out at Best Buy.)
A product is born: Voki lives!
Finally, I'm a product manager with a product.
Voki is now public...brought to a level by which it can only improve through actual usage by real consumers.
What's personally interesting for me is that I thought that this would be the kind of milemarker that I would sit back on and take a breadth...carefully watch what people do with it, put the specs aside and listen to the market, talk it up.
Well, yes, I need to do all of those things, but there's no breather here. Launching a product is not the end of a phase, it's really just the beginning. All of those endless debates about what's more intuitive, what should a screen be called, where should a button be placed... now they become issues for potentially thousands of people in a very real way.
Thought you were knee deep in it now? Try being a sewer worker during the Superbowl when everyone flushes at the same time. Such is the responsibility that comes with being a product guy.
Still, though, it's important to recognize the hard work that got Voki to this point. It would not have been possible without a lot of hours from Oddcast's creative and technical staffs, none of whom were completely relieved from various day to day fires that need to be put out related to other products throughout the company. Still, they found time to make a new product happen.
Over the next few days, I'll be detailing some of the thoughts and decisions and "todo's" related to the product and I'm excited to be able to give an insider's perspective into the process of product management. It will be fun to talk about a product that is out there and one that hopefully iterates and innovates over time. If we're doing out job right, it will be obvious that we're listening to our community and working hard to make Voki more useful, easier, and yes, more fun.
But right now I need a favor... from every last one of you.
I'd really like you all to be a part of this... check that... I really need you all to be a part of this. If you've been reading this blog for a while, or if you just recently joined, and you've ever got any value out of it, I'm glad. I've never really asked for anything in return, but today I will.
You see, I really believe that the best products are made better by passionate users, and so, right now, that's what I need...users. But don't use come in, poke it once, and leave. Really use it and tell me what you think.
Here's what I'm looking for:
- Register for an account.
- Go to My Voki.
- Click "Create a new Voki" and, well, create a new Voki.
- Send it to a handful of people by clicking "Voki for others" and select that scene that you just created (or a completely new one). Send it to me, too, if you want. And don't just send a boring "Hey, check this out e-mail." Send something cool. Something funny. Be creative, angry, sexy, moronic, obnoxious, sweet, sincere, alluring... whatever you want. Talk about what you're really passionate about. Tell others about the war, or net neutrality, or about Paris Hilton's arrest. If it's really good, we'll post it as a "Featured User".
- If you have a blog or a MySpace profile or anywhere else you keep widgets, post it, even if only for a few days to see what people think... and to see what you think of being able to change your Voki's look and message on the fly.
Asking a lot? Maybe... but you have to understand, Voki is something I really want to be fantastic. I don't want a lot of users because I want to go sit on a panel somewhere... I want a lot of users because I want to be able to say that I helped build something that people use... that when it's my birthday, I get to hear the voices of my readers because they're sending me Voki.... when I happen upon your blog, you're telling me what you're up to for the day, or just greeting me.
But I can't do that unless it's good, and I can't do that without the feedback of users. So, try it out, stick with it for a little bit, and tell me what you think. E-mail me at charlie@oddcast.com. Don't pull punches either. Tell me exactly what you think and I'll be posting the feedback right here and what we're doing about it. It will be an interesting exercise in transparency and honesty.
So thanks for helping me out... thanks for reading... and seriously, sincerely, I look forward to hearing your voice soon, on a Voki. Because, and I've said this before, it's not really about the avatar or virtual worlds, or being like Second Life or anything like that... It's a voice app, and voice is emotional. I think of Voki as a creative skin for your voice and I believe in voice on the web. We spend a lot of time by ourselves in silence on the web... often times glossing over the idea that there's a real person on the other side of the IP address. Voice is a reminder, to me, of the human side of the web... and even with a little animated fish in front of it that lipsyncs for you, it can be a very powerful thing.
And while you're at it, RSS people, click through to my blog to see the first public Voki in my sidebar. Go ahead and comment on it! (It will take a second or two to appear... ) Play ball!
danah's Twitter questions
Because I'm interested in the research and I'm an admitted fanboyd...
[x ] Yes, and you *must* use my real name.
[ ] Yes, but please use a pseudonym and don't use any identifying information.
[ ] No, please just use this for your own weird thoughts.
1. Why do you use Twitter? What do you like/dislike about it?
I use Twitter to keep up with what a particular social group is up to after work... Only my tech friends really use it, and so I use it to make my city smaller...increasing the "random" run-ins and stop bys.
2. Who do you think is reading your Tweets? Is this the audience you want? Why/why not? Tell me anything you think of relating to the audience for your Tweets.
I don't understand why many of the people who are subscribed to them are. Seems like a lot of the people don't really know me, so I'm not sure why they would care when I go play softball or what bars I'm at. At least when strangers read my blog, they might gleen some interesting technology info or something... but my twitters are the day to day minutia of my life... Sometimes, I'm not even interested in them.
I'd love for some of my non tech friends to be on it... and maybe I'll clue them in, but I don't think you'd really "get it" if you weren't blogging or reading blogs and understanding the value and potential of this kind of openness.
3. How do you read others' Tweets? Do you read all of them? Who do you read/not read and why? Do you know them all?
I read on the phone, but have it set to not buzz during certain hours of the day, like when I'm sleeping. I do not read all of them... just the people I'm likely to bump into and a few extras who I happen to find really amusing or interesting. I know all of the people I read at least digitally... not necessarily in person.
4. What content do you think is appropriate for a Tweet? What is inappropriate? Have you ever found yourself wanting to Tweet and then deciding against it? Why?
I don't know why people have public casual conversations over Twitter... the kind that others aren't likely to be interested in.... I mean, I know why the do, I just wish I could filter it out. I've never bagged a Tweet.
5. Are your Tweets public? Why/why not? How do you feel about people you don't know coming across them? What about people you do know?
My Tweets are public and I'm fine with it. To people I don't know, they might seem irrelevent, but certainly not something someone would judge me on in a way that I care about.
6. What do i need to know about why Twitter is/is not working for you or your friends?
Twitter needs better group and notification management tools. I want to be able to get different messages across both phone and IM at the same time, or at different times. Basically, I need a calendar that allows me to turn on/off independently of each other what my notifications are with a schedule. Also, I would like to be able to bundle/group people with this same level of control.
Petsi's Pies: Going the extra 344 feet
If you live in Somerville, MA, you know Petsi's Pies. I've never had the pleasure of having a piece myself *hint, hint* , but everyone in the area raves about them.
Well, I happen to know a couple of Harvard Law students busy studying for their exams that live right down the street. Only problem is, I'm in NYC and Petsi's doesn't deliver...not usually anyway.
But I called the shop and asked if they would be willing to hand deliever a blueberry pie down the street, which they happily obliged. A lot of places might not have bothered, but Petsi's went the extra 344 feet (according to Google Maps) to close the deal. Apparently the owner delivered the pie herself, "in her pie-making outfit". Thanks!
Roadtrippin'... Driving across the country in July and the app that could have helped me
I'm not much of a traveller, I'll admit that. I can count the number of times I've been out of the country on one hand, and one of those times was Canada, so I'm not entirely sure that counts. (Just a little good clean Canadian humor, eh... just kidding around.)
So, when the idea of a cross country road trip was proposed to me, I jumped at the idea. Ok, so actually, I thought about it carefully, and created several maps and spreadsheets on it, but the jumping was there in spirit.
But, actually, the whole planning thing was not only a logistical pain in the butt, but I thought of lots of opportunities for web app to help me out.
So first off, here's the trip: (PS... All these yellow markets aren't necessarily real stops... sometimes, I just had to make sure Google Maps put me on the right road so I had to enter somewhere random to force it.)
And here's a link to the real map...
And then to our calendar. It's quite ambitious... and no, I'm not driving the 'Stang. No interest in putting 4900 miles on it. That's what rental cars are for. Plus, we're only driving one way.
But what I really wanted was a great integration of a map and a calendar, one that took into consideration driving times. On top of that, I wanted to layer on events and hotels... ones that took into consideration the time I was going to be there. For example, by random chance, I stumbled upon a fair in St. Louis going on right around July 4th when I'm going to be there. Also, it was a pretty manual process to match my driving and my calendar with the various baseball games that I wanted to see, because teams aren't always in town when you are.
Not only that, the group collaboration around this trip was very manual... mostly with passing links back and forth. I wanted to give my co-pilot the opportunity to comment on various parts of the trip. Plus, the collected wisdom of others came in handy. We got advice from others to make sure we hit the South Dakota Badlands and exactly what time to hit them. Now we know that, but what about others making that same trip.
So what I'm looking for is a Google Maps, Gcal, Travelocity, Yelp, Gchat, Wiki, Blogs, Flickr mashup for roadtrips. That doesn't seem like it would be that hard to do. :)
Every ad should have embed code
I just saw a great ad on Shockwave.com with a limp joystick asking "Is spyware affecting your performance?" Hilarious. Nice job whoever did it for McAfee.
And I'd love to have reposted that ad on this blog... and I suppose get paid for it.. but regardless, why should video be the only form of viral advertising. Every single ad element out there should be sharable. Where's the embed code for this ad? Even if you don't build in a way to pay me, people don't get paid to pass YouTube videos around (for the most part) yet either... so why shouldn't you be making banner ads that are just as entertaining and just as worth playing?
Willie Randolph to Speak at Fordham Graduation
Sah-weet. I'll be there to see what Willie has to say. Hey Willie, I'm faculty... get me some tix.
Dear Sprint, I would like to buy a PPC-6800. Please sell me one.
Now that I'm back on my Treo 650, I long for the days of Windows Mobile, wide, slide-out keyboards, and ActiveSync. I miss my PPC-6700. :(
But alas, there is hope. A slimmer new model is on the way... and I want it.
The problem is, no one at Sprint seems to know when it is coming out. All the bloggers seem to know that it's in May, and someone even went as far as to say May 14th. So why can't the telesales people pre-order it for me right now? Heck, they could even charge my card now? I just want it.
With a couple thousand blog readers and an upcoming trip across the country, I think I'm a prime candidate to be at the top of the list of people Sprint wants this phone in the hands of, no?
So why is getting this thing so hard and why are the people trying to sell it so poorly informed.
Last year, the PPC-6700 was released to business users before the general public. Perhaps the same thing will happen this year?
I want my 6800!!
Hell, I'll even sign a two year contract to get it.
nextMadisonAve: A Free nextNY Community Conversation on the Future of Digital Advertising
With Microsoft now rumored to be buying 24/7 Real Media, the arms race is at full throttle. For nextNYer's, the question of "Where will I be working in five years if I want to work in online advertising?" becomes more interesting everyday.
I'm sure these topics will be covered at the Future of Online Advertising conference, but if you don't have a $995 to drop and you're looking for something a little more conversational, check out nextMadisonAve, next Wednesday, May 9th, at 6:30PM (22 West 27th Street Bet. Broadway/6th - 6th Floor).
nextNY's "Community Conversations" are done in the round (or rectangle, if we're in a conference room) and are an open forum for discussion for the up and coming members of NYC's digital media and technology market. We invite prominent thought leaders to help lead the conversation, but they're very participatory.
So, if you want to meet with other digital media entreprenuers and professionals to talk about where the advertising and technology market is converging (other than in investment banker wallets) please join us! RSVP Required on our wiki (just click edit and add your name).
Also, if you know of anyone you think would make a great conversation leader for this event, we have some outstanding invites, but I think we'll have an additional slot or two open. Please let me know at charlie.odonnell@gmail.com.
More Subway Thumbing
I'm listening to Silversun Pickups on the N train home my blogging class. I would have biked home, its a beautiful night, but I seemed to strain an abdominal muscle last week and nicely aggrevated it at the gym on Sunday, so I won't push it...at least not until my two softball games at the end of the week.
The train is a bit empty now...it's 10PM. Ther girl down at the other end of my bench seat has a tattoo on the back of her neck. I don't mess with neck tats. Neck tats always trump arm tats. I think the order, from most to least hardcore is face, neck, arm, back, leg. The guy across from her has no distraction devices... No iPod, no book, no nothing. He's just sitting there, looking around, reading subway ads. Nineteen people in this car... Six have iPods. Apparently, market penetration is like 30 percent, so we're a pretty average bunch.
I hate typing on this Treo. My thumbs keep bumping into each
other. Pacific Street. One iPod on, one iPod off. Equillibrium is
maintained. I wonder where everyone gets their music. The girl across
from me has abandoned her SAT Test Prep book for a paperback of
"Starter Wife". For some reason, it's got Deborah Messing on the
cover. Is this a movie coming out? This N train is a fancy new
one...with easy to read electronic displays of the wrong station coming
up next. 36 Street. Dragula by Rob Zombie. I thought of naming my
car Dragula, but what's really the point of a car name other than to...
Ok, speaking of idiocy, the guy over in the next car just walked off
the train with his bike and just biked down to the end of the platform.
A subway platform is like the last place I'd bike around. That's got
all sorts of dangerous written all over it. It is freezing in this
car. I seem to be sitting right under a vent. Getting up... Train
traffic ahead of us...at this
time?? Liars...unless it's the money train or the garbage
train. Switching at 59th Street....Depeche Mode...World in My Eyes.
If I had a hernia, it would be a big painful protrusion, right? I
wouldn't be able to stand up straight, right? On the R train. I don't
envy suit wearers.
Power Dynamics and Perception: Perhaps it's not the choir that you are preaching to
When you're talking passionately about a product or service, it's interesting to consider the power dynamic of you and your audience. Where you respectively sit in terms of the "haves" and "have nots" can go a long way to how your audience perceives you.
Think about the following scenarios:
You're talking to someone about your business who isn't in your field and has no experience with it.
They either don't understand your product or don't try to understand it, and the exchange is dismissed. When they don't understand your market, you dismiss their confused reaction. "You wouldn't understand the problem because you're not our target audience." You forget that the laws of logic apply universally and so, even to someone who isn't familiar with your field, you should always attempt to speak with sound logic even to outsiders. Not everyone needs to find your service useful, but they should at least understand why someone else would.
You're talking with peers
This is the blogosphere. You're talking to others who totally get your space and see the world from the same perspective. Your passion is admired and even contagious. The feedback you get from peers encourages you to keep walking the walk and talking the talk... and you quickly forget that not everyone drinks the same Kool Aid that you do. Getting unbiased perspective here is incredibly difficult.
You're talking with someone who needs something from you
This is what happens when you're a VC.
Mets up, Yanks down... See how everything evens out for me?
The Mets are in first and the Yanks are in last.
Really, would you have it any other way?
The Yanks have already had nine different pitchers start games, including Darrel Rasner, Jeff Karstans, and Chase Wright.
haha
(Sorry.)
You know what the best part of this is? The Yankee MVP and frankly, the MVP of the whole baseball universe was A-Rod. He's batting .355 with 14HR and 35 RBI after 23 games. In 1968, I think that might have qualified for the Triple Crown.
Everyone makes such a big deal about Captain Derek Jeter, but for my money, A-Rod is the best shortstop on the team. Captain Derek wouldn't come to A-Rod's side last year when Rodriguez was struggling and he added to preseason controversy by saying a chilly "We get along on the field" or some garbage like that. Derek, I think it's time for you to embrace the guy who is carrying your patchwork overpaid team on his shoulders.
Jeez... How's that Kris Benson trade looking now? John Maine is 4-0 with a 1.35ERA. In fact, the Mets have a team ERA of 2.74.
No Bradford? No problem. Submariner Joe Smith hasn't given up a run yet.
Ya gotta believe... in April.
links for 2007-04-28
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Hey... I love three blocks down from here and pass this house everytime I walk to the train!