Terrific ad on the New York Times homepage from January 17th that shows how brand advertising can be done correctly. It's smart, consistent with their TV campaign, and takes advantage of multi-ad sizes in a collaborative way. It really annoys me as a consumer and an advertiser when ads appear on the same page, in different formats (normally 728x60 and 160x600) and they are effectively the same ad.
See full image here.
In my move to San Francisco, I have relied heavily on blogs and shopping destinations like RoomAndBoard.com to furnish my place. I happened across CribCandy.com and had two reactions: 1) I love this site. It's freaking awesome and I just wasted 15 minutes of my day viewing 200 different pages and products that:
a) I would have never found otherwise b) I definitely can't afford
2) I want more.... CribCandy, part of Wists.com, is web 2.0 while being stuck on web 0.5. There is no productive way to search. No browse paths other than a few tags and a previous / next button. There is no way to interact with other users and/or create my own CribCandy.com. Why can't I build my own home? Why can't I showcase my own collection? And what if I want to showcase my unfinished room and gather input for what's needed?
I want to do all of those things - but can't. So instead, I am stuck viewing page after page of awesome product wondering why there isn't an awesome finding experience to match. I guess I am looking for some combination of:CribCandy meets Polyvore meets Amazon meets StumbleUpon.
Earlier, I wrote about how Xobni made Outlook better, but failed to make my email universally better. And I've actually been wanting something to tie my e-content together long before Xobni launched.
I have three computers, six email accounts, a blackberry and information spread throughout them. When I left eBay, I spent way too long transferring my e-rolodex to Gmail. Why Gmail? Because I live on my blackberry more than any other device, and Google's mobile releases are terrific on the berry. That solved part of the problem - but still isn't close to enabling active syncing between even my Outlook and Google accounts.
Why does Google treat my calendar, email and contacts as distinct properties? Isn't that why Outlook is so powerful? And why can't I turn on an extension through Outlook to actively sync through those Google properties?It kills me.
And I know that plugins exist to do some of the discussed actions - but I don't need 10 different plugins (especially when I haven't found one that works well).
I installed one of the Digg Labs screen savers and have committed to myself that, upon return to the computer, I must click and read at least two interesting headlines / articles. Here is one that makes me glad I installed the screen saver: Vinyl Toys: Invasion of the Color Snatchers
The author showcases some of her favorite vinyl toys and the photos are as cool as the actual toys... cool enough that it makes me want to buy a few of these, until I realize that: 1) they cost a freaking fortune (>$100 for the good ones) 2) I once bought one and Manny bit his legs off within two weeks
Of course Wikipedia has a huge article on designer toys and how they are different than designer vinyl and plush... way beyond me:
Designer toys is a term used to describe toys and other collectibles that are produced in limited editions (as few as 50 or as many as 2000 pieces) and created by artists and designers. Designer toys employ a variety of materials; plastic and vinyl are most common, although wood and metal are occasionally used. The term also encompasses plush, cloth dolls and latex. Creators of designer toys usually have backgrounds in graphic design, illustration or self-described low-brow art; some are classically trained in art and design, while others are self-taught. Designer toys first appeared in the 1990s and are a flourishing industry.
Urban vinyl is a type of designer toy, featuring action figures in particular which are usually made of vinyl. Although the term is sometimes used interchangeably with the term designer toy, it is more accurately used as a modifier: not all designer toys can be considered urban vinyl, while urban vinyl figures are necessarily designer toys, by virtue of the way in which they are produced. Like designer toys in general, urban vinyl figures feature original designs, small production numbers, and are highly sought-after by collectors, predominantly adults.
I've spent a lot of time as a Google publisher and advertiser, and I am continually amazed by what they are able to accomplish for the small-medium sized business. It has never been easier to drive traffic to your site - and to make money from that traffic (albeit, not tons of money)... and Google takes a cut from both ends.
I've had more success with AdSense than most other networks (though TribalFusion and FM Publishing have been strong) - but I was excited to use this blog as a testbed:
* It covers a variety of topics, including technology (which I haven't experimented with in terms of ECPM / EPC) * It's brand new - so Google would have to hurry to index
So far, the results have been mixed. Google clearly confuses me with Ryan Adams (url and metas I suppose), is spot on in the Xobni post with ads to Google Mobile and Microsoft products, and utterly confused with anything San Francisco related (showcasing environmental toilet banners). That said, the eCPM has been very high and I've been pleasantly surprised by the click-through rates.
MS Outlook has so many shortcomings (ie search!) - but for those of us who live on it for work, the biggest struggle is its inability to easily navigate through contacts, conversations and trends. Xobni tries to tackle those issues as a data-driven plugin for Outlook.
Xobni has been well received by the blogs and among everyone I've interacted with (although not a single person has pronounced their name, inbox spelled backwards, the same... which spells branding trouble). And while Xobni is off to a good start, there are still a few shortcomings that I hope that team is working on:
* Customization: I want to change the look, the amount of content displayed and the default content buckets. Currently, nothing is customizable... a bad sign for any supposedly-viral, consumer based-company
* Move beyond Outlook: Like most people I know, I have multiple email accounts -corporate, personal, personal businesses, etc.... and they all live in different destinations (outlook, gmail). I want a service that will operate between my email accounts and providers. I'd pay big for that too...
And the best solution for that killer app lives on my blackberry. Think about it - it houses every email I send / receive, all of contacts, all of my phone calls and sms'es... My blackberry has the data necessary to create my own social network using my communication behaviors across numerous accounts and mediums.
vs.
In the web 2.0 conversations, Art.com is rarely mentioned - yet Art could be considered the Amazon + eBay of prints and posters. They have massive inventory, affordable prices, and have mastered shipping (think Amazon for large, fragile items). I have several framed pieces from Art.com in my home, but have always wanted to test their "Photos to Art" functionality. I uploaded one of my favorite photos and placed it on a 24x36 Matte Canvas. The painting came one week later and I was very impressed by the quality - especially considering that the total bill was $150 (after playing a 20% coupon I found online).
A couple pieces of feedback:
* The options for sizing are limited - especially if you shoot photos on an SLR because there is only one large wide-'screen' print
* I opted for canvas with no frame. I prefer simple, single-color frames - Art's selection is too gaudy for me
* It is really difficult to gage the quality of the print. Art needs to improve their 'preview' functionality. $150 isn't expensive for a high-quality print - but I believe consumers won't spend more than $50 with open questions (quality, security, shipping, etc). eBay is a great example: buyers don't think twice for lower priced items (I don't even check seller feedback for items <$50) but, at a certain price point, buyers rethink all aspects (feedback, shipping costs, etc).
* Add community and affiliate revenue to the site... Now that I've uploaded and received my print, give me a simple "Add to Gallery" / "Sell Your Print" button. Let me set the price of my print, add it to Art's gallery and make money off my photos. Not only would I be excited as a 'seller' - as a buyer, I would actually prefer to buy other artist's work that standard prints (that's why I enjoy Etsy).
When I joined Widgetbox - I moved up to SOMA from Santa Clara. Instead of driving to work each day, I now have a pleasurable 2 mile bike ride to work each day (Brannan to Embarcadero to Broadway to Sansome). So far, there has only been one day that I haven't been able to bike into work (see reason and photo here....). I happened to be carrying my camera yesterday when I took this photo:
I am starting a new project called sfEntrepreneurs.com - a young entrepreneurs organization where members collectively incubate, invest and operate the web business we choose to pursue. Every member of the organization will be an effective partner - invested in the business, a strong contributor and a significant shareholder. Our first kick off is January 27th (location to be determined) and I'd love to have you be a part of it. We will discuss business and organization ideas and take the first steps at moving forward. Please let me know if you are interested and able to attend.
Finally, there is one requirement - you must invite at least three respected friends / peers to join and attend the kick-off. The goal is to build a great network of contributors.
Website: www.sfentrepreneurs.com Kick-off event: Sunday January 27th @ 5pm Location: TBD
Please RSVP to me - an Evite will be sent shortly.
Qualifications: - live in the Bay Area - web 2.0 experience and savvy - ability to commit weekly effort and time - willingness to help fund the business (typically $500-$5,000 depending on desired equity & total partners)
