Location services, another word for allowed electronic stalking. Yet it is something that is getting more traction. Sure it may not seem like a big deal to some, to others it is the lifeblood, and still to others, it is an answer to a question no one asked. So what…
By now, everyone and their dog has heard about Microsoft's coup to acquire Skype for $8.5B. Based on what you read, Microsoft is going to have either the best X-Box Live experience, or create an Office web suite that will one up the online meeting space. Or the other news…
CakePHP offers a good selection of tools to help you retrieve the data. Recently, I came into a situation where I needed to find and paginate results based on a single, distinct column in the table. Distinct data can be tricky, especially if the tools do not allow you to…
This week it is going to be a little different for all posts. I am still going to follow the format from the past weeks, but all posts this week will be 400 words or less. Including the code posts I will be doing. Up for this week: Monday –…
Ok, for Friday I thought I would post a few riddles to help me wind down from the week. After a very long day of work, a man goes to bed. Before he went to bed he wound his clock and set the alarm for noon the next day. If…
Ever get the feeling that the internet is everywhere and nowhere? Have you ever tried visiting the Internet in person? How many people have achieved this goal, (besides anyone from the Matrix)? In reality, the internet is just a long set of cables, switches, routers, firewalls, etc. Not too exciting of a place to go. The “location” of the internet is not as important as your location. And this can mean you as a person, you as a company representative, you as a salesperson, you as leader. Each facet has its own little niche of things that can happen. Last night, I saw a new Pepsi commercial. A lady was on the beach and there was a very long line to the drink vendor/cabana. So she quickly got on the phone and put in her location (actually a little off of where she was) and that she just saw David Beckham at the beach. Everyone from this line gets the updates on their phones and run to try and find him, clearing the line so she could get her Diet Pepsi. Not all location check ins will have this affect, obviously. But as either an entity or person providing services/products, you can strive for that.
Two major events happened this past week, (actually three – the Royal Wedding, but that is not covered here), Osama bin Laden was killed and a local inadvertently tweeted the whole event; and Facebook and Assange are fighting over whether or not Facebook has let the government in the backdoor to spy on the Facebook community. Each one has a lesson for location services.
As I scour the web and read, I come across many different articles. One thing that has been in the news for some time now is the unrest in the Arab world, and the different demonstrations, and subsequent backlash from those events. But it is not just about politics, it is about using the social media to be more than a way to play Farmville or Angry Birds. I love the social media outlets just as much as the next person. It is fun, I love joking around with my friends. The Hirdweb Facebook page is another extension of this blog, and I use it to suit my needs. However, many businesses set up a page, then let it flounder after a few months. It is not enough to just set up a social campaign, or page, or feed, the company must keep it going. And that can be easier said than done.
Doing any type of campaign, whether it is a traditional spot, or a new social campaign, there needs to be some type of sustainable presence and interaction. Whatever the product or service, if you want the people to keep coming back, it has to be more than just “Here is my product/service! Hope you enjoy” type of message. Some campaigns do not provide products or services, they provide messages, movement, and reshaping ideas. No matter what the message is, no matter what the end result target may be, a sustained drive will lead to better success than a quick one hit and bail.
Today's topic is kind of short, but a very important one. If you are not living under a rock, then you know about Sony's problem with their Playstation online services getting hacked and being down for some time. A new concern now is that this has exposed the credit card…
Keeping in the theme from last week, every day will have a specific theme, and I will keep the same ideas of last week. So without adieu, here is this weeks plan:
Monday – Measured for Success; Planning ideas and thoughts
Tuesday – You Did What?; focusing on coding
Wednesday – I am Not All Alone In the World; ideas and code segments for people like me, social lepers
Thursday – Everywhere and Nowhere; examinations on location services, social integration and strategy
Friday – Riddle Me This; fun stuff to finish up the week
And today’s topic is figuring out what is the measure for success. If we look at last week and my posts, I wanted to have a post every day of last week, and I got through Thursday. I missed Friday, and that should have been the easiest one to do. So based on my own goals, was last week a success? I would have to say no. I put a goal of 5 posts in 5 days. I did 4 posts in 5 days, so I fell short. And that is what is important to understand when trying to plan a new application: what is the measurement for success, and can it actually be measured. When planning for an application, it is important to understand what will define the success of the application. It is much like a goal. It should be conceivable, achievable, measurable, and desirable (others do exist, but these are important when planning on gathering statistics). Another important part of this measurement is the fault tolerance allowance. This includes the level of error, or missing the set goal, that you are willing to accept. For this, let’s examine two different scenarios.