Tag archives: twitter

Area of Interest for 2010

Posted by Shaun Abrahamson on Sunday, 3 January 2010

We were inspired Fred Wilson’s Areas of Interest post (and resulting comments) a few days ago

The areas themselves are interesting -

We are looking forward to the iPhone vs Android clash because of some of the technical differences as well as some of the different ways in which they work with their developer communities.

We also like the intersection of augmented reality and gaming and would venture to throw in work by people like 42  Entertainment immersive entertainment.

And we do like energy and education – we hope to announce investments and client projects in both of these areas shortly.

But most interesting to us, is the process of telling people what you are interested in and engaging in dialog about these areas. It is still very unusual to have such an open dialog about what areas look interesting and why.

We think Fred is demonstrating the trend we are most interested in: organizations that generate much of the value from the community around them, not just their full-time employees/partners. [update: last check there were almost 200 comments]

As an example, Craigslist has 32 full-time employees and because of the way they work with their community, they have fundamentally changed the economics of classifieds, killing off much larger organizations by completely changing the economics.

We are willing to bet the Fred and his team at Union Square will reap similar scale benefits as their community helps them do work that would be impossible to do if they only had internal resources.

Craigslist is relatively new, but old when compared with companies like Twitter that is benefitting substantially from innovations coming from its user and develop community. Less than 3-year-old Jovoto has found a new way to provide creatives services by enabling creatives to work compete and collaborate in design contests. Similarly young, Local Motors is redefining the way cars are designed, built and marketed.

The result is not just a large change in economics as tasks are shifted out of organizations but also a changing relationship from customer to collaborator. This changes fundamentally how organizations are structured and how they compete so we’d love to be working with people who are figuring this out (or want to figure this out).

What do you think?

Posted in: Fund | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | No Comments

The Importance of Going Mobile

Posted by lramella on Friday, 13 February 2009

It seems that everyone these days has a mobile device that allows them to do almost anything – make phone calls, play music, schedule an appointment, edit a document and read the NY Times.  Given the recent phenomenal sales of both the iPhone 3G and the Blackberry Storm, it’s clear that more and more consumers are getting “media content” on the go, and companies should begin to address this mobile content more effectively – both in terms of building mobile content and in terms of following mobile content.

Mobile Devices Go Mainstream

Everywhere you look, consumers are flashing mobile devices.  People play games on the subway, read the NY Times on their way to work, or simply catch up on emails in the back of taxis.  Part of this recent proliferation is the affordability of data-enabled devices (and the fact that there are no more ridiculous “data limits” as cell phone companies compete for business), and part of this proliferation is also the increasing bandwidth (download speed) of the mobile world.  Most analysts predict that prices for mobile data plans and the price of wireless broadband will continue to drop.  

It’s now quick and easy to read a newspaper on one’s iPhone, and to edit a Word document on the Blackberry.  People “tweet” all day on their mobile devices, and update hourly their Facebook statuses from their Blackberries.  At this point in my writing, I really do wish that I lived in Asia – the mobile devices, and the level of mobile content from that area of the globe is mind-blowing.  Indeed, the Japanese alone are so far ahead in their use of mobile devices that recent bestselling novels are often tapped out on and then read on cell phones (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/world/asia/20japan.html?scp=1&sq=japanese%20mobile%20books&st=cse).

 Anyway, back to our limited U.S.-based reality.  What are some of the most impressive mobile devices out there now?  Some of my favorite mobile devices are the iPhone 3G (once you get used to the touch screen typing) and the Blackberry Storm (full disclosure – I don’t own either but I’ve spent hours at AT&T Wireless and Verizon playing with both, as well as using friends’ devices when they let me!).  Although the iPhone comes with a myriad of applications, kudos really do go to Blackberry for continuing to produce mobile devices that are incredibly user-friendly and adaptable to the world of mobile content.  I myself have to admit that I love Blackberries, but that’s also because I’ve gotten used to my mobile device as more of a business tool than anything else (no doubt this will change, and already has).     

Building Mobile Content   

In addition, mobile web content is becoming more interactive, richer and even more personal, and this is drawing more and more consumers to the mobile universe.  Mutopo recently worked with a company, Intera, that is producing mobile coupons for Bluetooth-enabled and WiFi devices (http://www.azuremayan.com/).  The response from both companies and consumers has been phenomenal, and indications are that this kind of targeted, proximity marketing will only increase.  One interesting idea would be movie promotions, or movie clips that people could view on their device prior to purchasing tickets.  However, as movie studios are notoriously slow and wary of any leaked content (what exactly was BluRay supposed to do?), we won’t hold our breath for innovative mobile content from them. 

Publishers, however, are beginning to realize that an increasing number of people are reading news and articles on their mobile devices.  The New York Times has made increasing efforts in both the online and mobile world (http://nymag.com/news/features/all-new/53344/ ), and reading their content on an iPhone is a generally pleasurable experience.  Recent sales of Amazon’s Kindle increasingly indicate that books are also migrating to the mobile world, and this migration to mobile books may actually save the publishing world – although admittedly it will look very different.

If You Build It, They Will Come

What does this mean for companies that are doing more of their business online?  Build mobile content, and do not simply attempt to translate your current website to a mobile device.  Mobile content should be:

1.       Quick and concise – or what some term “snackable”

2.       Easy to download

3.       Compatible across a number of devices

I also like this recent article from Fierce Wireless on creating apps – http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/developers-consider-usability-when-making-apps/2009-02-02.  It lays out a number of key considerations in creating apps for mobile devices, and viewing mobile content in a different light from that of web content.

 Mobile Tweets

Finally, all companies should remember that Twitter can be both your friend and foe – consumers often complain about companies or products in their mobile Tweets, and some companies respond effectively.  JetBlue is particularly proactive about helping out consumers who tweet from airports or on trips with complaints about service, delays or lost luggage – indeed, JetBlue has a dedicated communications resource that follows blogs, Facebook and Twitter.  Other companies continue to ignore this mobile chatter.  Don’t ignore it – making sure that your company knows everything that is being said about you on the web and in the mobile world can help you build a stronger relationship with your stakeholders (your customers).

More thoughts on mobile to come – Leah

 

 

Posted in: Mobile | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments

In Twitter We Trust

Posted by Shaun Abrahamson on Thursday, 4 December 2008

logo_twitter

One tool to rule them all, one tool to find them, one tool to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.

Apologies to JRR Tolkien. 

Twitter is doing for realtime, curated information, what Google has done for all the rest.  I played with Twitter at first and then didnt use it for a while. And then I found some funny, useful, people to follow such as @saneel, @37signals, @jeffjarvis, etc. And suddenly it was part of my online routine. 

Google Trends illustrates this nicely (I helped the dip) – it didnt catch fire initially, but…

twitter_google_trends

There are more charts, showing similar trends. But perhaps the Twipping point, was Mumbai (sadly). 

I first noticed news on Mumbai as I clicked through my various news sources. And then the Huffington Post (thanks) directed me to Twitter’s Mumbai feed. Since then, the Twitter feed has been my starting point for updates.  Multiple sources chronicled Twitter’s role alongside local TV coverage, in providing up to the second updates. On a more personal note and for a good specific example, just take a look at @vineetgupta’s Mumbai related Tweets. 

Before Mumbai, I had a similar experience during the US elections earlier this year. Twitter featured a link to the election feed and the commentary, links to news, etc were more colorful than the mainstream coverage (granted we were following online, since we chucked regular TV sometime back). 

Now there are a growing number of useful applications that help you get more from Twitter (although its still not clear what Twitter’s business model is). From analytics to easier Tweeting on your iPhone. And there is no shortage of practical advice , guides and even comandments on how to use Twitter for fun and profit. 

So why is Twitter so great? Tim O’Reilly has a good list of reasons to love Twitter. He gets to the heart of what makes it useful and likely to be successful.

I think of Twitter this way - V.S.R.S.S. - Very Smart Real Simple Syndication. 

The smarts come from the fact that in a Mechanical-Turk-like fashion, everything depends on people (yes, there are some bots, but nobody is making you follow them). As folks who are in the business of news can tell you, its really hard to know whats important without an editor (Techmeme, a staple of automation, recently added an editor). Twitter is the ultimate wire-feed – all you need to do is pick your sources.

So how do you know who is worth following? Increasingly, like the barrage of social-booking buttons, I expect you will see more “follow” or “tweet this” buttons. Also, there are already some tools which do various types of parsing of the feed – if people with lots of followers, are leaders, then these are they, according to Twitter Grader. Twitterbuzz is Digg-like, pulling the most referenced URLs from the ether.

And then there is Retweeting for which I couldnt find a good tool, but some interesting insights on the subject. This might just be the piece that emerges as something akin to hyperlinking – more retweets for a tweet increases its value and similarly, more retweets for a  user will likely do something equivalent to improving their “Pagerank” if such a formal metric ever emerges for Twitter. 

It seems like Twitter may be doing for social media what Google did for search – yes – much useful goodness for fun and profit. Specifically, aside from being fun, its delivering things like leads (dare I say revenue?) according to folks like Hubspot(notice post to Twitter link on slideshare). I’m curious to see where it goes and hopeful that we can work with our clients and portfolio companies to benefit from it. 

Oh yes, lest I forget, you can follow me at http://twitter.com/shaunabrahamson.

Update: John Battelle weighs in on how Twitter changes how we search, resulting in realtime conversations. Interestingly, I just tried to understand an exchange regarding Blackberry Bold between @jowyang and others.  (I’m for the Bold). Realtime reviews? Its happening – the brand reps just need to get into the fray now.

Posted in: Social Media | Tagged: , , , | No Comments

Top 40 Products and Services

Posted by Shaun Abrahamson on Thursday, 19 June 2008

I remember growing up with the top 40 count down in South Africa. Each weekend, “the worlds best music” would be counted down from 40 to 1.

I was happy to re-encounter the idea in “The Word of Mouth Manual: Vol.II“. And so I thought is would be interesting to see what products and services are on my Top 40.

The order isnt important, because the process is a little lumpy. I seem to get stuck on themes and then recall related stuff. I am sure some cognitive, neural science folks know why this is. So the point is, I removed the numbers.

I left out media – news, books, music, games, etc. Just made the list cleaner. Of course, the book that inspired the post, is implicitly on the list. Clever. I filtered out clients and investments…we can discuss another time, why.

Right.

So here goes:

  • Apple TV – I dont have cable anymore (Berlin Schooler’s reading this will roll their eyes. ok). Everyone at home can use it, including Max. I discovered video podcasts on the big screen from people like TED and NYTimes and Monocle (ok, no more media).
  • Time Warner – happily not paying for cable anymore. But thanks for pretty reliable internet.
  • WordPress - I talked about why I moved TO WordPress.
  • Typepad - …and away from Typepad.
  • Lego - I have liked these little blocks since I recall liking stuff (and now other little plastic pieces and computers and electronics).
  • iPhone - for mixed reasons. I was excited and as things begin to fail (like parts of the screen are unresponsive to touch), I am giving Blackberry or Samsung a look again.
  • Dell - still one of the best PCs and just never been convinced that Macs are any better, particularly since now I seem to do most work in a browser with the exception of Excel.
  • Bruder - not sure who likes these toy trucks more – me or Max.
  • Twitter - I dont know why. I guess I like what I call the “Cosmo Kramer Effect” – i.e. someone just flinging open the door and saying something dumb, funny, timely etc.
  • Basecamp - its just useful and simple and better than anything else I have used, until Google comes up with an alternative or buys it or rips it off.
  • Nikon D40 – shutter speed
  • Wii - all sorts of things, but mainly inclusive, so I dont have to feel anti-social. Even non-gamers can have a go.
  • ZipCar - the joys of non-ownership and having a Mini or a Element or a convertible or you-get-the-idea.
  • Woodstock, NY – cant put my finger on it, but always enjoy going
  • Google - Apps, Reader, Search, Trends, Maps, its just open all day long being used in new and interesting ways.
  • Karyodong Bakery – the home of perfect bread
  • Coffee Shop – breakfast central on Union Square
  • Wikipedia - feels like part of Google, but I recognize it is its own thing
  • Lotus Exige – I cant say this as well as Top Gear and this is the only car missing from the ZipCar line-up I might be willing to buy.
  • Burton - have my board and an assortment of jackets and love the idea of a banker being let go and coming back to start an awesome company. I guess Bloomberg has a similar story.
  • Nike Plus - I dont use it, because I dont run. But I still want it.
  • Denuo - they are doing interesting work at the intersection of advertising, new media, etc. And as I meet more people there, I like them even more.
  • Sequoia Capital – they may not want to work with me, yet , but I still think that are the best of the best.
  • Microsoft - still hopeful, but slowly shedding their wares. Down to Excel as my only must have.
  • Berlin School of Creative Leadership – a brave new forray into executive education and I am really enjoying being back at school.
  • Alternative Energy – can I include Nuclear (I dont think its evil)? These just make more sense that current energy options, even if I rely on others to do the math.
  • Jeff Jarvis – Jeff deserves special mention because I keep mentioning him and his ideas.
  • Bazaarvoice - a little obsessed with reviews, as I have mentioned and so keep wanting to include these folks in my projects.
  • Springwise - constant list of good, new stuff. Special mention to PSFK, too, but sometimes overwhelmed by their twittering.
  • MIT - still the home of some of the smartest people I know, who also happen to give a damn about humanity.
  • Obama - hopeful in all ways.
  • Brazil - the country of the future and hopefully we are nearing the future soon. We’ll have to live there for a bit at some point.
  • Amazon - Prime and Proud.
  • Ikea - I almost forgot! Whether its hacking from pieces of furniture or just using it as it was designed.
  • New York City – still the center of the world.
  • Seamlessweb - do people actually call to order food, still?
  • Fresh Direct – cant live without. Almost literally.
  • Newegg - still my first stop to find out what is best in all of electronics land. Blogs, etc are second to the user reviews. Thanks everyone.
  • Havaianas – would wear them all the time if Andrea let me.

I am sort of amazed, ashamed, proud and confused but the brands that are top of mind for me at the moment. Its not scientific, but interesting nonetheless.

What’s on your list?

Update: I need to add Skype somewhere and BitTorrent. See – the themes again. Also, Method should be here, but for some reason, i always feel wierd about talking about clearning products. If this was Andrea’s list, it would have made the cut.

Posted in: Word of Mouse | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments