The Archives

• 08.31.07
  Evolving Social Dynamics: Media Consumption Patterns and People Skills
  Social Media

  How is the Internet affecting people's offline interaction? Overall, based on your observations, do you think younger generations suffer from a lack of people skills? For example, if kids might opt to stay inside to play video games, watch TV or to surf the net, does this mean that they miss out on developing skill-sets such as 'being able to read people?' If so, the implications for such generational changes could be far reaching. Or is it the opposite? Do kids actually have a better understanding of people because they are exposed to levels of honesty and emotion (via blogs, ...
  
  
• 08.28.07
  Toothpaste Face-Off on Facebook
  Brands and Marketing

  The other day I was messing around on Facebook and found a poll on toothpaste. It got me thinking about whether or not brands of toothpaste matter. For example in an excerpt from Blue Ocean Strategy the authors claim people are indifferent to toothpaste brands opting for whatever has the lowest price point. Here is the poll at the time of my screen shot: My contention is that brands for niche personal products matter a lot, or at least, a lot more than you might think. For example I grew up using Crest toothpaste. That was the only toothpaste my ...
  
  
• 05.07.07
  M4S&W: Man Seeking Sofa and Wife
  Pop Culture, Social Networking

  I have really enjoyed reading the Forbes 90th 75th Anniversary edition on Networks. The magazine features 28 articles by leading gurus on a range of topics all dealing with the role that networks play within modern society. One essay in particular hit close to home. The Dating Game by Chris Ayres is a thought provoking piece on modern love, but also on the economics of Generation X and Y. The gist is that Chris ends up meeting his wife through Craigslist while he attempts to sell a sofa ’gifted’ to him by his Grandmother. What I really relate to is the idea ...
  
  
• 04.24.07
  Contests, Creativity, Cats and Sub Zero Refrigerators
  Pop Culture

  Interesting reading in this month’s Fast Company. P.47 features a side note on design guru Mark Dziersk who teaches at Northwestern University’s Master of Product Development program. To get his designers to think ’outside the box’ Dziersk is known to give quizzes on such topics as ’Name 15 ways a cat is like a refrigerator.’ Normally during the first go-round when individuals work independently, the results are terrible, typically with each student only producing a few quality connections. Yet, when students are put in groups of three something happens. Their creative juices get flowing and the connections (examples: can be black ...
  
  
• 04.13.07
  Follow-Up: Human Relationships Still Matter the Most
  My Experiences, Pop Culture, Social Media

  My friend Luke sent this article reinforcing my last post. The tagline is: ’Report reveals 65% of U.S. consumers are spending more time with their computers than with their significant others.’ The paragraph to note is: ’Kelton Research found that 65% of U.S. consumers are spending more time with their computers than with their significant others; moreover, they aren't very happy with their technology experience...[they] found that consumers are frustrated. A majority of Americans describe their most recent experience with a computer as one of anger, sadness, or alienation.’ Thanks Lukernator!
  
  
• 04.12.07
  Human Relationships Still Matter Most
  Social Media, Social Networking, Venture Capital

  I had a reader cancel his Feedblitz account yesterday, citing as the reason ’unsatisfied with the subject matter.’ I apologize if I haven’t been blogging as much recently about social media, but there is a reason: I’m bored with it. I subscribe to over 50 blogs and I read nearly every post from each of them daily. While I would never claim ’expertise,’ I’m probably as well read and versed as anyone on this subject. The problem is that there isn’t a whole lot I find exciting right now in social media. On a typical day anywhere from 15-25% of ...
  
  

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