iFood.org.uk

Let’s cut to the chase and answer the question up front: No, it’s not.

Now let’s take a look at that. It would be accurate to say that the mobile Web is the latest final frontier, but we know that technology will continue advancing and the vocabulary (as well as the tools) will continue evolving. In fact, just a year or two ago most people thought of the mobile Web as meaning special sites for cell phones to access. Now, of course, we are in the iPad and netbook phase of Web mobility, so mobile Web is already a broader term that it was when it was born.

Pretty much everywhere you go these days you see free wireless (WiFi) at coffee bars and even grocery stores. Every other billboard and TV commercial touts a new smart phone application or mobile Web site. This is because there is a growing group of fast-moving consumers that wants apps, music, videos, instant messaging, e-mails and more available all the time, everywhere they go. It is not limited to high schoolers, either, as the demographics of iPhone and Blackberry buyers trend older with higher incomes. The fact is, in many instances throughout the day, it is faster and easier to check an e-mail or confirm a fact with a smart phone or handheld device than a desktop or a laptop.

The numbers

You would have to be blind not to see the incredible growth in mobile activity in every area of life, geographical and otherwise. Check these facts from DotMobi, Mobile Active and ComScore:

- The amount of Web access attributable to mobile devices increased over 100 percent in the U.S. between 2009 and 2010. (DotMobi)

- That increase was almost 150 percent globally in the same period. (DotMobi)

- Half the world’s population will have mobile Web access by the close of 2010. (Mobile Active)

- Research and surveys in the U.S., Asia and Europe show that a full one-third of the people questioned were mobile media consumers as of January, 2010. (ComScore)

The misunderstandings

Many of the less tech-savvy Internet users wonder what all the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the business community indicates. They seem to think that any Web site that is currently available on their PC should likewise show up on their phone or handheld device. The problem is that mobile Web is an entirely new dimension in more ways than one, including the dimensions of the displays. Sites have to be specifically designed to show information on cell phones and other devices with small or imprecise displays. Simply having a working Web site does not make it ready for the mobile devices.

The main reason is easy to see: size. Not only do mobile devices have smaller screens, the browser issues and bandwidth needs are also quite different than those with PCs. Just consider the incredible variety of new devices, with different screen types and sizes, plus varying levels of support for audio, video and text. Then, too, some touch screens scroll, some do not, there are differences in the phone company coverage plans, etc., ad infinitum.

The way forward

To make a mobile-ready site, it is probably a good idea to put your trust in companies that specialize in creating them rather than hack your way into trouble or end up ruining what already works. Leading Web design firms will be able to demonstrate in a hot minute whether or not they are up on the emerging technologies driving the mobile Web. This will mean that they are investing what is necessary to master the technologies, get the research in order and develop the products for robustness and flexibility. Do not be confused about this: You will need a mobile-specific site, at least for a time, so do not wait too long to get that going.

There is a lot more to mobile devices than the ability to text and chat and make phone calls. There is business to be done, as well, and the companies that make this the easiest for their customers will reap the benefits. It is simply another part of the technology (r)evolution, something most companies have been contending with now since the pace of computer and communications technology development took off at hyperspeed in the 1980s.

Bottom line

Do not wait for the convergence; you will lose a lot of money. The convergence, as it is called, is that day, somewhere in the misty future, when one Web site design will be repurposed on the fly by software embedded in mobile device hardware. That day is coming, but it is still a ways off. Until it arrives, you need to be ready with a few different solutions for presenting your Web site, unless you only want to do business with people who are sitting at desks. And that’s just not how the future seems to be shaping up, is it?

Moonrise Productions is a custom web design company specializing in custom web development. Whether you need web programming or application development, contact us and we’ll get it done right.

Author: Gary Klingsheim
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Lowest price PCB Prototype

Most people may use the new Apple iPad as a portable video or movie player, while others may use this Apple tablet as the perfect tool for business presentations. Most iPad users, though, will still have fun and enjoy the iPad and all its features by using it as a handheld gaming machine.

There are already a lot of fun games available on the Internet that promise hours of entertainment and excitement. But with the long list of games to choose from, it might be difficult to decide on which games give the best bang for the buck. We’ll make things easier for you by taking a look at best and coolest of these games below.

1. Mirror’s Edge. What started out as a hit game for the Xbox 360 is now an addicting way to spend free time on your Apple iPad. This Electronic Arts game features crisp, colorful high-definition visuals, sharp game play and a surreal gaming environment that will surely hook you right from the start. Bolt into action as Faith Connor, a courier who battles sinister enemies and pursuers in a futuristic world. Let your fingers flick, swipe and tap on your Apple tablet as you let Faith run up walls, slide ramps, zip lines and jump on buildings while hacking away at the bad guys. Stuck in a level? Choose to go head-on-head with friends, instead, in the game’s Multiplayer modes. With a great soundtrack, HD-quality graphics and smooth interactivity, Mirror’s Edge lets you unleash all the potential of your Apple iPad for $12.99.

2. Command and Conquer Red Alert. Everyone’s favorite RTS game is now on the Apple iPad. Battle it out against Soviets, Allies or the Empire of the Rising Sun by using your fingers to tap your army units, as well as to build facilities and camps for only $12.99. Maximize your strategy and game with six additional skirmish maps (free) or The Rising Sun Expansion Pack.

3. Flight Control HD. The power of a whole fleet of planes is right on your fingertips with Flight Control HD for the Apple iPad. Don’t let its simple graphics and interface fool you, this addictive game can provide you hours of entertainment with new maps, a 3D level and cute graphics. Pretend to be a flight controller as you direct dozens of planes safely to their landing zones with a swipe of your finger. You can even interact with other iPad users and help each other guide different colored planes to their respective runways. You can even listen to your favorite songs while playing. How’s that for a game that’s only $4.99?

4. Civilization Revolution. Apple games might be a dime a dozen but Civilization Revolution redefines the word “fun” by offering Sid Meier’s classic creation game on the Apple iPad. Create your own tribe or culture and lead your people to development and modernization, from the time of the cavemen to the present scenario. A new World/Scenario creator is also a new feature that is exclusive to the Apple iPad, allowing you to customize the world and game parameters so that you can create limitless game types and scenarios. Be the God of your own little world for only $12.99.

5. Fieldrunners HD. The bestselling game on the iPhone and the iPad Touch is now available on the Apple iPad–on HD! This tower defense game mixes strategy with excitement and speed as you rush to defend your field from your enemies. Pick out towers with different characteristics to gun down your nemesis. One of the most exciting Apple games out in the market today, Fieldrunners for the Apple iPad features better graphics and new maps.

Transform your Apple iPad into a virtual video game hub with only the best Apple games available. Expect to spend hours and days of fun shooting down enemies, dodging villains and creating your own civilization with the top Apple iPad games listed above.

This Article is written by John C Arkinn from News.PrintCountry the contributor of PrintCountry News Articles. More information on the subject is at News.PrintCountry.com, and related resources can be found at HP56 Inkjet Cartridges.

Author: John C Arkinn
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

eWallet ($9.99) is a bit pricey for an iPad app, but those who shop online or handle their financial transactions with their iPad might want the extra level of security and peace of mind. eWallet is a popular password manager for the iPhone and other mobile platforms. With the launch of the iPad, the developer Ilium software has created an iPad version of its award winning mobile app. If you use your iPad for managing your bank accounts, checking your credit card statements, and paying any of your bills, a secure password manager is essential to prevent financial loss or identity theft, if you lose your iPad.

Having sold over 500,000 copies of security software over a 12 year period, Ilium software has a proven track record keeping your information safe. We appreciate the value of eWallet as Ilium allows purchasers of their software to use the app on their iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone without having to pay for an additional copy. eWallet provides a secure platform to protect your usernames, PINS, and passwords. The software uses the same level of encryption found in government and military computers. Your data is encrypted with a 256-bit AES encryption algorithm compared to the 128-bit encryption typical for bank account access and online transactions. eWallet also provides secure storage for your bank and credit card information. If you enter your passwords incorrectly there is a built in fail safe that locks the iPad down for a period of time. In addition, eWallet monitors your web browsing for phishing scams and will tell you a website is legitimate or not. Another security feature the software has is a password generator to ensure you don’t use a password susceptible to a brute hack.

For those who wish to use eWallet on your desktop or laptop computer, eWallet allows you to sync with your desktop and other devices. There is a computer version for both Windows and MAC but you have to pay extra for it. A 30 day free trial is provided so you can try the software and see if it is something you want to purchase.

John Noel has been a Apple user and technology expert for over a decade. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley holding a Masters in Computer Science. Come visit his website at http://www.myappworld.com/ which helps people find the best iPad apps such as eWallet for iPad as well as the latest Apple products and the best iPad accessories.

Author: John Noel
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Tissot virtual reality

Is it possible to data mine social networks in such a way to does not hurt the privacy of the individual user, and if so, can we justify doing such? It wasn’t too long ago the CEO of Google stated that it was important that they were able to keep data of Google searches so they can find disease, flu, and food born medical clusters. By using this data and studying the regions in the searches to help fight against outbreaks of diseases, or food borne illnesses in the distribution system. This is one good reason to store the data, and collect it for research, as long as it is anonomized, then theoretically no one is hurt.

Unfortunately, this also scares the users, because they know if the searches are indeed stored, this data can be used against them in the future, for instance, higher insurance rates, bombardment of advertising, or get them put onto some sort of future government “thought police” watch-list. Especially considering all the political correctness, and new ways of defining hate speech, bullying, and what is, what isn’t, and what might be a domestically home-grown terrorist. The future concept of the thought police is very scary to most folks.

Usually if you want to collect data from a user, you have to give them something back in return, and therefore they are willing to sign away certain privacy rights on that data in trade for the use of such services; such as on their cell phone, perhaps a free iPhone app or a virtual product in an online social network.

Artificially Intelligent Search Features

It is no surprised that AI search features are getting smarter, even able to anticipate your next search question, or what you are really trying to ask, even second guessing your question for instance. Now then, let’s discuss this for a moment. Many folks very much enjoy the features of Amazon.com search features, which use artificial intelligence to recommend potential other books, which they might be interested in. And therefore the user probably does not mind giving away information about itself, for this upgraded service or ability, nor would the person mind having cookies put onto their Web browser.

Nevertheless, these types of systems are always exploited for other purposes. For instance consider the Federal Trade Commission’s do not call list, and consider how many corporations, political party organizations, and all of their affiliates and partners were able to bypass these rules due to the fact that the consumer or customer had bought something from them in the last six months. This is not what consumers or customers had in mind when they decided they wanted to have this “do not call list” and the resultant and response from the market place, well, it proves we cannot trust the telecommunication companies, their lobbyists, or the insiders within their group (many of which over the years have indeed been somehow connected to the intelligence agencies – AT&T – NSA Echelon for example.)

Now then, this article is in no way to be considered a conspiracy theory, it is just a known fact, yes national security does need access to such information, and often it might be relevant, catching bad guys, terrorists, spies, etc. The NSA is to protect the American People. However, when it comes to the telecommunication companies, their job is to protect shareholder’s equity, maximize quarterly profits, expand their business models, and create new profit centers in their corporations.

Thus, such user data will be and has been exploited for future profits against the wishes of the consumer, without the consumer benefiting from free services for lower prices in any way. If there is an explained reason, trade-off, and a monetary consideration, the consumer might feel obliged to have additional calls bothering them while they are at home, additional advertising, and tracking of their preferences for ease of use and suggestions. What types of suggestions?

Well, there is a Starbucks two-blocks from here, turn right, then turn left and it is 200 yards, with parking available; “Sale on Frappachinos for gold-card holders today!” In this case the telecommunication company tracks your location, knows your preferences, and collects a small fee from Starbucks, and you get a free-phone, and 20% off your monthly 4G wireless fee. Is that something a consumer might want; when asked 75% of consumers or smart phone users say; yes. See that point?

In the future smart phones may have data transferred between them, rather than going through a given or closest cell tower. In other words, packets of information may go from your cell phone, to the next nearest cell phone, to another near cell phone, to the person which is intended to receive it. And the data passing through each mobile device, will not be able to read any of the information which was it is not assigned to receive as it wasn’t sent to it. By using such a scheme telecommunication companies can expand their services without building more new cell towers, and therefore they can lower the price.

However, it also means that when you lay your cell phone on the table, and it is turned on it would be constantly passing data through it, data which is not yours, and you are not getting paid for that, even though you had to purchase the smart phone. But if the phone was given to you, with a large battery, so it wouldn’t go dead during all those transmissions, you probably wouldn’t care, as long as your data packets of information were indeed safe and no one else could read them.

This technology exists now, and is being discussed, and consider if you will that the whole strategy of networking smart cell phones or personal tech devices together is nothing new. For instance, the same strategies have been designed for satellites, and to use an analogy, this scheme is very similar to the strategies FedEx uses when it sends packages to the next nearest FedEx office if that is their destination, without sending all of the packages all the way across the country to the central Memphis sort, and then all the way back again. They are saving time, fuel, space, and energy, and if cell phones did this it would save the telecommunication companies mega bucks in the savings of building new cell towers.

As long as you got a free cell phone, which many of us do, unless we have the mega top of the line edition, and if they gave you a long-lasting free battery it is win-win for the user. You probably wouldn’t care, and the telecommunication companies could most likely lower the cost of services, and not need to upgrade their system, because they can carry a lot more data, without hundreds of billions of dollars in future investments.

Also a net centric system like this is safer to disruption in the event of an emergency, when emergency communications systems take precedence, putting every cell phone user as secondary traffic at the cell towers, which means their calls may not even get through.

Next, the last thing the telecommunication company would want to do is to data mine that data, or those packets of information from people like a soccer mom calling her son waiting at the bus stop at school. And anyone with a cell phone certainly wouldn’t want their packets of information being stolen from them and rerouted because someone near them hacked into the system and had a cell phone that was displaying all of their information.

You can see the problems with all this, but you can also see the incredible economies of scale by making each and every cell phone a transmitter and receiver, which it already is in principle anyway, at least now for all data you send and receive. In the new system, if all the data which is closest by is able to transfer through it, and send that data on its way. The receiving cell phone would wait for all the packets of data were in, and then display the information.

You can see why such a system also might cause people to have a problem with it because of what they call net neutrality. If someone was downloading a movie onto their iPad using a 3G or 4G wireless network, it could tie up all the cell phones nearby that were moving the data through them. In this case, it might upset consumers, but if that traffic could be somewhat delayed by priority based on an AI algorithm decision matrix, something simple, then such a tactic for packet distribution plan might allow for this to occur without disruption from the actual cell tower, meaning everyone would be better off. Therefore we all get information flow faster, more dispersed, and therefore safer from intruders. Please consider all this.

References;

1. “Privacy on the Line – The Politics of Wiretapping and Encryption,” by Whitfield Diffie and Susan Landau, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, (1999), pp. 364, ISBN: 0-262-04167-7.
2. Wall Street Journal Article; “On the Web’s Cutting Edge, Anonymity in Name Only,” by Emily Steel and Julia Angwin.
3. WSJ article; “The Great Privacy Debate,” by Jim Harper of Cato Institute, and Nicholas Carr author, Saturday-Sunday Edition, August 7-8, 2010.

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you’ve enjoyed today’s discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net – Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.

Author: Lance Winslow
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

This is a tough question to answer. With new languages and technologies being created each year, Adobe has had to work hard to meet the needs of the Website Design Industry. What Adobe has been very successful at is creating an API (Application Programming Interface) that allows for many different skill levels of designers and developers to utilize it for their own needs. Whether the user is creating a simple flash animation, or an e-commerce site with database integration, Flash has all the tools needed to achieve these goals. Website Design has come a long way from simple animated gifs and near epileptic websites of the 1990’s, and Adobe’s applications, such as Flash, has been a major driving force of quality improvement.

One of the major challenges facing Website Design these days is the pure number of different platforms that a website can be accessed on. A website is not just for computers any longer, but can be seen on smart phones, televisions, and game systems as well. Each of these different systems handles a website in its own way, and their built in browsers have different capabilities to support what can and can’t be seen on a website. As an example of the challenges facing Adobe, is Apple’s announcement that their iPads and iPhones will no longer support the flash player. As well as Apple’s decision that apps built in third party applications, such as Adobe’s Flash, will no longer be sold through their online stores.

Adobe has little to fear about any major decline in development with Flash however, as they have a strong community of designers and developers around the world. Some members of this community have managed to already create hacks to allow flash on devices where its usage was restricted. Website Design is an ever growing industry, not only in America, but all over Europe and Asian. This community of developers has fought long and hard to get quality programming languages and applications to a high standard, and they are the ones who will truly decide whether Adobe’s Flash is heading towards its last breathe or not.

For more than two years, A Visual Identity Graphic Design & Web Design Studio has created high quality, winning identity, and branding solutions. We also excel in providing your company’s marketing must-haves through designing material for sales promotions, product launches, interactive and corporate communications. The hallmark of A Visual Identity is our superior responsiveness and dedication to our core group of valued clients.

http://avisualidentity.com

Author: David ODey
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Awe Inspiring Pictures

There is no doubt that the world is advancing, technologically. These technologies have positively affected all the facets of our lives. They have made life easier for mankind to live. When man talks about how technology has influence his life, he rarely talks about the impact of technology in relationships and marriages.

However, when a good thing is wrongly applied, it can lead to devastating effects. The examples are there- we have seen them at different times. The same thing goes for wrong use of technology in relationships and marriages.

Text messages, emails, love oh my! Ever send a sexy text to your spouse……only to realise that it was actually to your boss? Do you know your partner’s email password? Are you constantly checking your Blackberry even when you are on a date?

Even if you have never experienced these technology troubles, it’s likely that you’ve encountered the meeting point between technology, marriage and relationships. You may have wondered how to set some rules for yourself, spouse or partner. What are your rules? Below are 20 dos and don’ts when combining love with the latest technology:

1. DO plug in your significant other’s iPhone, Blackberry or computer in when you see the juice is low.

2. DO share the joke with your spouse if you laugh out loud at something on your Blackberry or phone.

3. DO text and email your spouse with the same care you did when you first started dating. Grocery lists and forwards don’t count as correspondence. Make time to send sweet-nothings to each other over Facebook, IM, and e-mail.

4. DO upload new music to your honey’s iPod and new books to his/her Kindle. New tunes and words will be a sweet surprise and will show that you’ve been thinking of them while they were away.

5. DO save cute texts, email and voice mails.

6. DO set a time limit for internet browsing while you’re hanging out together.

7. DO give technology as a gift, but not for a romantic occasion. Note! If you need to charge it up, plug it in or programme it, it probably doesn’t make for a good (read: romantic) anniversary present.

8. DO have a discussion with your partner about what technologies are okay for big discussions (IM can be a great way to talk about emotional topics, for example, since you have time to formulate your thoughts before typing and you are less likely to blurt something out in anger.)

9. DO refrain from using emoticons and/or tech lingo (eg. LOL, ROTFL), if it annoys your partner.

10. DO put away your Blackberry or phone on important occasions like when you have a rare date night without the kids and ask your partner to do the same.

11. DO keep tech snobbery to a minimum: “Fine, I’ll do it, that brick of yours doesn’t even have a video camera.

12. DO atleast try to figure something out before asking him or her to teach you a second time.

13. DO bring tech to bed for recreation only! No work.

14. DO use texting at parties to let your partner know that you want to go.

15. DO make every other twitter about your partner………!

16. DON’T exchange email passwords with your partner no matter how good of an idea it seems.

17. DON’T hack into your partner’s email or phone, read the messages, assume they are cheating on you, freak out and post your suspicions on a social network or a website.

18. DON’T send flirty text messages or e-mail on your company Blackberry unless you want to explain “gr8 morning sex!” to the Director of IT.

19. DON’T email or browse the net while talking to or on the phone with the other person. You may think you’re a multi-tasking king (or queen), but it’s distracting for both of you and it makes it seem like you only half-care about what he is talking about.

20. DON’T bring up important topics in a medium that your partner is uncomfortable with. (Don’t text him that you are going to miss dinner if he is a bad texter. Don’t IM her that you’re mad at her if she prefer to hear you your voice.)

The road to marriage success/marital happiness starts from the time when young people decide that they are ready for marriage. It is at this point that they need to know a lot about what they are getting into.

Dr Aphys Fade have been helping would-be and married couples in their bid to have a successful,trouble free marriage and marital happiness.He equally helps people in troubled marriages to turn around their marriage.Visit my blogs

http://marriagesuccesses.blogspot.com/

http://maritalissues.wordpress.com

Author: Aphys Fade
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Lowest Price Prototype PCB Assembly

Many individuals feel that since they have broadband internet that it is impossible to spread this connection throughout their home or workplace. There are many wireless devices available that make it really simple to transmit your wireless internet through your home or workplace without needing to wire the complete building.

Nearly all internet companies now probably will offer you a wireless router at a very reasonable amount. Should you purchase your own you may find that your internet provider does not want to offer service or tech support to you, while purchasing a device directly through their company will provide you with an outlet to get the support you require for your wireless devices. This can be incredibly beneficial especially if you are not very tech savvy.

One of the biggest reasons that people are choosing wireless internet to wired is because it allows you not only to use the devices around your home online like your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or laptop but also allows your guests to link their cell phones, Blackberries, and iPhones through your wireless router. Many people fear going wireless because they are afraid that they will be allowing others access to their information and internet connection.

The current system allows you to place a WEP or WPA code into your wireless device. This will only allow access to those who are informed of the pass code. This will stop most novice hackers from accessing your web connection. It does not guarantee that an expert won’t be able to hack in, however this is a rare occurrence especially if you shut down your devices when you are not using them.

Failure to program a code will allow others to have access to your internet connection and this for the most part will allow passersby as well as those who reside in the immediate area to access your internet connection and use it for their own purposes. For the most part however this will not really result in problems for you either.

If you are thinking about setting up a satellite internet or any other form of mobile broadband connection go to activ8me.com.

Author: Brian Lakeman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Wordpress plugin Guest Blogger

By now, the world is well aware of what happened with the iPad launch episode. The UK consumer base has voiced their thoughts, and made sure that the world knows how disappointed they are about the mark up of different price ranges. UK has made it a point to show that actions speak louder than words.

Thereby, Apple did not make as much revenue from pre-sales as they anticipated nor as they did with the launch of iPhone, in the recent past. Nobody bothered going gaga over the device except for a handful of die hard Apple fans, marking a disappointing start.

To add more coal in to the burning fire, mobile service providers published their rates on data plans leaving iPad enthusiasts crushed in to pieces. iPad Vodafone data plan was by far the most expensive of all choices. Realizing the business crash landing it is about to make, Vodafone was quick to act on revisions that brought them in par with the O2 offer. Some other revisions to data plans include 3GB per month package however; Vodafone is yet to decide on whether they would want to follow the “use as you go” or “daily usage” packages as their competitors do.

According to news sources, the future of iPad users in the UK could become brighter than how it appears right now. Having two other competitors to race against, iPad Vodafone data plan has further plans to revise its service offerings to make the packages more affordable, thereby gaining a competitive edge over the others. So if you analyze the UK mobile service provider market right now, all eyes are on iPad Vodafone data plan waiting for their groundbreaking service offering to be unleashed.

Many people are surprised by the lack of daily usage facility offered by iPad Vodafone data plan, as opposed to its rivals O2 and Orange who published the service offering from day one. This makes Vodafone’s data plans restricted to 30 day contracts – something that can be seen as a disadvantage to the company as far as sales are concerned.

Industry experts believe that Vodafone should be having a good come back, an even better plan than its counterparts to leave its consumers as well as competitors, dazzled. So while users spend their days while paying for overly priced broadband bills, another segment of aspiring iPad owners are praying for reduced rates!

The ultimate question on everybody’s minds these days is whether the difference between the device’s pricing in the UK and US, is fair on users. Adding up to the misery, UK mobile service providers, including iPad Vodafone data plan seem to charge almost twice as much as their American counterparts.

The result is not too pleasant because as the demand for the device grows and as they become increasingly unaffordable, more and more people settle for the next best thing – the replicas and look-a-likes. To make matters worse, some people have already discovered hacks for 3G services using their existing mobile SIM’s.

Get the best iPad Vodafone Data Plan in UK.

Author: Vincent Tey Wong
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Unix inter-process communication (IPC)

Most people who start or own a business want it to grow, that’s pretty safe to say. The problem is that most people have nothing but their desire to guide them down a path for growth. I’d like to share a few observations based on the things I’ve seen over the years; much of which has been brought into focus by others I follow in my profession and those that are closely related. Hopefully, they will help to refocus a few business owners on principals and fundamentals that are important if your goal is to be a growing company rather than a meteoric failure. Very often, it’s hard to tell the difference if you don’t know what to look for.

The Fallacy of Stealing From Your Competition There are only so many opportunities to steal market share from your competitors. Yet, so many companies in well defined (real) markets base most or all of their growth efforts on this. Inside-out product promoting and discounting has become commonplace. This tactic is neither a science (the wrong kind of measurement) or an art (I really don’t know how to reproduce any intermittent success). At it’s best, it’s the easy way of promoting your business and social media has become an enabler for this, unfortunately. I’m sorry to say this, since I am using social media to communicate this to you.

It’s easy to blast out emails with eye-catching graphics. There is this misguided belief that the look will draw them in (How do you like my ChiaThug by the way?). Or that the discount that you offer everyone is going to lure customers away from the competition. Are customers who continually look for discounts really the kind that you want? Is your entire business model about trading margins and profitability for revenue – simply because it’s easy to do. Welcome to the club, you have millions of friends doing the same thing. Now, what’s that differentiator again?

Focus On Factors That Grow A Market And Your Business Will Grow With It

• Innovators are inherently customer-centric, even if they deliver it in a product-centric way – Innovation doesn’t come from your idea about what the world needs in order to get through their daily lives and jobs. It comes from a deep understanding of those jobs from the customers perspective and how those jobs change over time. Sometimes an innovation has to wait for technology to catch-up, kind of like the iPhone or the iPad. I think this may actually solve some problems for enough people to be valuable but really couldn’t be created until now (I own a Droid). By the way, that doesn’t make Apple customer-centric, it makes Steve Jobs a genius. It’s ideal to have a methodology or framework that facilitates this process, because we can’t all be geniuses (or genii, whatever).
  Take, for example, the Pet Rock. Was this an innovation? Whoever came up with this sold something like a million of them. They made some money, I’m sure. To me this seems almost like arbitrage. Nothing of value was really created, and as a result, many of you won’t even know about this sensation of the 1970’s. In short, it was short-lived and totally product-focused. Something that came in a close second were mood rings but I’m trying my best to shove that memory deep, deep into my subconscious mind.
• Innovation comes from a deep understanding and analysis of the work your customer is doing, not a deep understanding of your product or service – If you look for innovation in the context of your product, the best you can hope for is an incremental improvement to something it already does. If you focus on the people that are using it, you will find that your product is not their job or their life. Look for frustration or inefficiencies in their job and you will be on the right path to discovering a niche your can exploit.
• Beware of Ideation and Crowd-sourcing as your primary source of innovative ideas – Sure, you might get lucky but seriously folks, I have to disagree. You don’t need scale to innovate. Your next innovative idea will most like come from a single person or group that are solving a problem being being faced by customers. The customer collective are going to be focused on your product. After all, they are in your product community so everything looks like a product feature.Innovative ideas can come from a community, but if the bulk of the community is behind it, it’s probably not a new idea and I would be surprised if your competition wasn’t already working on it. Additionally, how deep can you dive in a community where each person has a megaphone – and is it really a representative bunch? Can your business even populate an online community – are your customers hanging out in communities?

Create The Best Experience For Your Customers – Maybe a Different Experience

• Let them experience a friction free process – Sometimes they just want to buy your damn product and get efficient service when they need it. If you’re not selling dolls, don’t try to be American Girl. If you’ve got internal workflows that were designed from the inside-out, department by department, I guarantee you I will find them. There is a whole new philosophy on office/service process and many excellent practitioners out there that can surgically repair your business in ways that will blow your mind. It’s really scary seeing a truth that eludes you as you run your business from the inside-out. Check out customerprocessone dot com if you want to follow some the great thinking on this topic.
• When it makes sense, allow your customers to partner with you in ways that make your product more valuable to them, and ultimately to you – I’m not talking about value-added resellers because they generally add little value at all. On the other hand, there are awesome opportunities to add value, but they don’t usually tie back to products. Imagine if you were to focus on business transformation, and make the product a supporting character? The product will be talked about in terms of the business transformation (even though it was your ideas and effort that transformed the business) which is great for the customer, great for you the consultant and great for the Vendor.This brings up the term I have struggled to understand; co-creation of value. The best example I’ve heard was from Paul Greenberg who explained it in terms of the creators of the game Doom (I think it was Doom). Users hacked this game to add modifications that suited their needs and desires. Instead of locking it down, the creator embraced it and as a result the product exploded. Why? Because people could add their own value. This sent value back to the company. Case closed.
• Understand that the experience framework might be different for retail consumers as compared to business consumers – If the experience is more than a simple process designed with the customer in mind, make sure you don’t try to implement an experience that doesn’t fit the business you’re in. For example, the trend in coffee shops over the years has been more about the experience than about the coffee. Lounge areas, Internet access, coffee wrapped in caloric foam…this is the experience that has worked for them. Putting an Internet lounge and coffee shop in the lobby of an industrial pipe manufacturer probably doesn’t have the same impact. Neither would a tea room at a truck stop.

Learn How To Measure The Right Things And Make Sure It’s Focused On The Customer

• Learn which early warning signs are important, and where to look for them – If your customers are the focus of your business, and I know they are, then you certainly want to know when they are leaving. I don’t mean a specific customer, because measurements at the level are inefficient. I mean, try to understand when your customers, on average, tend to defect. Understand this and know exactly when to communicate with them.

  There is nothing new here. It’s been done, basically, forever. Your relationship with customers and their behavior is captured right there in their buying history. And for the most part, it’s the best early warning system you have. Certainly, there are occasions (United Breaks Guitars) where social channels are the early warning system of the day, but typically they are simply going to be an affirmation of what you can already know with the data you already have. Social Media is simply not a replacement for it.

• Focus on the behavior of your customers and not the features of your product – If you understand your customers then you are in a position to solve their problems. Guess what? Their problem isn’t related to your product, it’s related to their business and the work they do. If you have created a product that you feel encapsulates all of the best practices, problems, or whatever for a broad set of businesses and focus on selling those features, then you don’t understand that things change. If you are not innovating, your competitors will eventually marginalize your product or service either by making it about price, or by out-innovating you.
• Stay away from measures that allow you to manipulate the outcome, like revenue goals – If you are measuring revenue goals and telling your team that this is important by confining them to quota-based incentives, they will certainly game the system by bringing in the least valuable (easiest to close) deals once they begin reaching the end of a quota period. In fact, they will likely sacrifice their own commissionable base, by discounting, simply to get these low value customers in the door. Now they’re your problem to deal with and their expectations have already been set.
• Make sure retention is measured since profitability is as important as revenue – If you ask anyone they are going to agree that customer retention is important. Once they’re a customer, the acquisition cost for that next sale is dramatically reduced. Yet, ask any company how they are measuring this and you may find a very shallow understanding of the concept. Have a solid understanding of when you need to ramp up your efforts to retain disengaging customers. No one can afford to treat all customers the same; i.e., if they are not planning to leave, don’t treat them like they are and vice versa.
• While I believe in simplicity, measure things that drive growth, don’t waste time on things that claim to predict growth – Beware of simple solutions that can’t be backed up with real results. You want to do things that drive growth in your business. Don’t waste your time on measurements that tell you nothing about what you are doing well and what you need to do to grow your market or even to retain customers. Tools like Net Promoter Score have been touted by a vocal few recently as a predictor of revenue growth. Unfortunately, on further analysis this is simply not the case. Please understand that in order to grow your business, the measures you take should lead you in the direction of the proper questions to ask your customers.

Don’t Assume You Know Your Customer

• Ask your customers the right questions, listen to what they are saying and “you may find a niche waiting to be occupied” – I’ve recently been influenced by a really well done paper on understanding customer needs from MIT Sloan. Here are the first two of 10 or so rules they propose. I think these are the weakest link for CRM consultants today – guess why:

• Rule #1: “When capturing customer requirements, the unit of analysis must be the job the customer is trying to get done”.
• Rule # 2: ” The requirement statement must not include or make mention of a technology, solution or product or service feature.”

• Don’t project your own feelings onto your customers – If you are the sort that likes to make something because you think it’s cool and then scramble to find customers, that’s cool. I think there are some venture capital companies out there that like to gamble. The problem comes when you try to find customers. If this is something totally new, is it solving the customer’s problems or is it simply satisfying your ego? I’m serious, sorry if you don’t like my bluntness. I’ve watched the cycle happen repeatedly, I didn’t just read it in books. If you don’t really know their needs, you’re simply not adding value to anything.
• Solve real problems your customers are facing and possibly create a new market – This is so common sense and no, not everyone can do it. The people that do it right (either by luck or by their methodology) will create value and markets. I don’t think I really need to give examples here. The key is understanding how they did it. The Pet Rock did not create a true market, nor did it add value. The personal computer did. Here are the key characteristics Esteban Kolsky states that a market must to be a market, in his post I Am Not A SCRM Market Expert, I Just Play One On Twitter:
  • Sufficient differentiating features to make it independent of other markets
  • The ability to operate independently of other applications (no do-or-die dependencies)
  • An addressable, unique problem that cannot be solved with other application (or methodologies – I added that)
  • A revenue projection that will make it worth the time for vendors and providers
  • A business justification, tangible costs and benefits, and in some (OK most) cases an ROI
  • A story that is easy to understand by Sr. Management, Middle Management and users.

The bottom line is that we should all be starting from a problem that isn’t being solved any other way. Don’t package rocks in a box and call them a pet and expect to create a market. Don’t use a social media idea that works for networks of friends and think it makes sense for the business world just because you know how to write the code. If you’re the local landscaping company, why did you create a Facebook page (I just saw this on a sign today)? If you can ask why, keep asking until you can’t.

Ok, what did I miss today? I’m sure there is something.

Mike Boysen is a Sr CRM Consultant for one of the top Sage partners in North America and focuses on developing comprehensive middle market CRM solutions; including back office integration, business alerting, workflow management and business intelligence. He is also the creator of www.effective-crm-consulting.com.

Author: Mike Boysen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Pressure cooker

Most people who start or own a business want it to grow, that’s pretty safe to say. The problem is that most people have nothing but their desire to guide them down a path for growth. I’d like to share a few observations based on the things I’ve seen over the years; much of which has been brought into focus by others I follow in my profession and those that are closely related. Hopefully, they will help to refocus a few business owners on principals and fundamentals that are important if your goal is to be a growing company rather than a meteoric failure. Very often, it’s hard to tell the difference if you don’t know what to look for.

The Fallacy of Stealing From Your Competition There are only so many opportunities to steal market share from your competitors. Yet, so many companies in well defined (real) markets base most or all of their growth efforts on this. Inside-out product promoting and discounting has become commonplace. This tactic is neither a science (the wrong kind of measurement) or an art (I really don’t know how to reproduce any intermittent success). At it’s best, it’s the easy way of promoting your business and social media has become an enabler for this, unfortunately. I’m sorry to say this, since I am using social media to communicate this to you.

It’s easy to blast out emails with eye-catching graphics. There is this misguided belief that the look will draw them in (How do you like my ChiaThug by the way?). Or that the discount that you offer everyone is going to lure customers away from the competition. Are customers who continually look for discounts really the kind that you want? Is your entire business model about trading margins and profitability for revenue – simply because it’s easy to do. Welcome to the club, you have millions of friends doing the same thing. Now, what’s that differentiator again?

Focus On Factors That Grow A Market And Your Business Will Grow With It

• Innovators are inherently customer-centric, even if they deliver it in a product-centric way – Innovation doesn’t come from your idea about what the world needs in order to get through their daily lives and jobs. It comes from a deep understanding of those jobs from the customers perspective and how those jobs change over time. Sometimes an innovation has to wait for technology to catch-up, kind of like the iPhone or the iPad. I think this may actually solve some problems for enough people to be valuable but really couldn’t be created until now (I own a Droid). By the way, that doesn’t make Apple customer-centric, it makes Steve Jobs a genius. It’s ideal to have a methodology or framework that facilitates this process, because we can’t all be geniuses (or genii, whatever).
  Take, for example, the Pet Rock. Was this an innovation? Whoever came up with this sold something like a million of them. They made some money, I’m sure. To me this seems almost like arbitrage. Nothing of value was really created, and as a result, many of you won’t even know about this sensation of the 1970’s. In short, it was short-lived and totally product-focused. Something that came in a close second were mood rings but I’m trying my best to shove that memory deep, deep into my subconscious mind.
• Innovation comes from a deep understanding and analysis of the work your customer is doing, not a deep understanding of your product or service – If you look for innovation in the context of your product, the best you can hope for is an incremental improvement to something it already does. If you focus on the people that are using it, you will find that your product is not their job or their life. Look for frustration or inefficiencies in their job and you will be on the right path to discovering a niche your can exploit.
• Beware of Ideation and Crowd-sourcing as your primary source of innovative ideas – Sure, you might get lucky but seriously folks, I have to disagree. You don’t need scale to innovate. Your next innovative idea will most like come from a single person or group that are solving a problem being being faced by customers. The customer collective are going to be focused on your product. After all, they are in your product community so everything looks like a product feature.Innovative ideas can come from a community, but if the bulk of the community is behind it, it’s probably not a new idea and I would be surprised if your competition wasn’t already working on it. Additionally, how deep can you dive in a community where each person has a megaphone – and is it really a representative bunch? Can your business even populate an online community – are your customers hanging out in communities?

Create The Best Experience For Your Customers – Maybe a Different Experience

• Let them experience a friction free process – Sometimes they just want to buy your damn product and get efficient service when they need it. If you’re not selling dolls, don’t try to be American Girl. If you’ve got internal workflows that were designed from the inside-out, department by department, I guarantee you I will find them. There is a whole new philosophy on office/service process and many excellent practitioners out there that can surgically repair your business in ways that will blow your mind. It’s really scary seeing a truth that eludes you as you run your business from the inside-out. Check out customerprocessone dot com if you want to follow some the great thinking on this topic.
• When it makes sense, allow your customers to partner with you in ways that make your product more valuable to them, and ultimately to you – I’m not talking about value-added resellers because they generally add little value at all. On the other hand, there are awesome opportunities to add value, but they don’t usually tie back to products. Imagine if you were to focus on business transformation, and make the product a supporting character? The product will be talked about in terms of the business transformation (even though it was your ideas and effort that transformed the business) which is great for the customer, great for you the consultant and great for the Vendor.This brings up the term I have struggled to understand; co-creation of value. The best example I’ve heard was from Paul Greenberg who explained it in terms of the creators of the game Doom (I think it was Doom). Users hacked this game to add modifications that suited their needs and desires. Instead of locking it down, the creator embraced it and as a result the product exploded. Why? Because people could add their own value. This sent value back to the company. Case closed.
• Understand that the experience framework might be different for retail consumers as compared to business consumers – If the experience is more than a simple process designed with the customer in mind, make sure you don’t try to implement an experience that doesn’t fit the business you’re in. For example, the trend in coffee shops over the years has been more about the experience than about the coffee. Lounge areas, Internet access, coffee wrapped in caloric foam…this is the experience that has worked for them. Putting an Internet lounge and coffee shop in the lobby of an industrial pipe manufacturer probably doesn’t have the same impact. Neither would a tea room at a truck stop.

Learn How To Measure The Right Things And Make Sure It’s Focused On The Customer

• Learn which early warning signs are important, and where to look for them – If your customers are the focus of your business, and I know they are, then you certainly want to know when they are leaving. I don’t mean a specific customer, because measurements at the level are inefficient. I mean, try to understand when your customers, on average, tend to defect. Understand this and know exactly when to communicate with them.

  There is nothing new here. It’s been done, basically, forever. Your relationship with customers and their behavior is captured right there in their buying history. And for the most part, it’s the best early warning system you have. Certainly, there are occasions (United Breaks Guitars) where social channels are the early warning system of the day, but typically they are simply going to be an affirmation of what you can already know with the data you already have. Social Media is simply not a replacement for it.

• Focus on the behavior of your customers and not the features of your product – If you understand your customers then you are in a position to solve their problems. Guess what? Their problem isn’t related to your product, it’s related to their business and the work they do. If you have created a product that you feel encapsulates all of the best practices, problems, or whatever for a broad set of businesses and focus on selling those features, then you don’t understand that things change. If you are not innovating, your competitors will eventually marginalize your product or service either by making it about price, or by out-innovating you.
• Stay away from measures that allow you to manipulate the outcome, like revenue goals – If you are measuring revenue goals and telling your team that this is important by confining them to quota-based incentives, they will certainly game the system by bringing in the least valuable (easiest to close) deals once they begin reaching the end of a quota period. In fact, they will likely sacrifice their own commissionable base, by discounting, simply to get these low value customers in the door. Now they’re your problem to deal with and their expectations have already been set.
• Make sure retention is measured since profitability is as important as revenue – If you ask anyone they are going to agree that customer retention is important. Once they’re a customer, the acquisition cost for that next sale is dramatically reduced. Yet, ask any company how they are measuring this and you may find a very shallow understanding of the concept. Have a solid understanding of when you need to ramp up your efforts to retain disengaging customers. No one can afford to treat all customers the same; i.e., if they are not planning to leave, don’t treat them like they are and vice versa.
• While I believe in simplicity, measure things that drive growth, don’t waste time on things that claim to predict growth – Beware of simple solutions that can’t be backed up with real results. You want to do things that drive growth in your business. Don’t waste your time on measurements that tell you nothing about what you are doing well and what you need to do to grow your market or even to retain customers. Tools like Net Promoter Score have been touted by a vocal few recently as a predictor of revenue growth. Unfortunately, on further analysis this is simply not the case. Please understand that in order to grow your business, the measures you take should lead you in the direction of the proper questions to ask your customers.

Don’t Assume You Know Your Customer

• Ask your customers the right questions, listen to what they are saying and “you may find a niche waiting to be occupied” – I’ve recently been influenced by a really well done paper on understanding customer needs from MIT Sloan. Here are the first two of 10 or so rules they propose. I think these are the weakest link for CRM consultants today – guess why:

• Rule #1: “When capturing customer requirements, the unit of analysis must be the job the customer is trying to get done”.
• Rule # 2: ” The requirement statement must not include or make mention of a technology, solution or product or service feature.”

• Don’t project your own feelings onto your customers – If you are the sort that likes to make something because you think it’s cool and then scramble to find customers, that’s cool. I think there are some venture capital companies out there that like to gamble. The problem comes when you try to find customers. If this is something totally new, is it solving the customer’s problems or is it simply satisfying your ego? I’m serious, sorry if you don’t like my bluntness. I’ve watched the cycle happen repeatedly, I didn’t just read it in books. If you don’t really know their needs, you’re simply not adding value to anything.
• Solve real problems your customers are facing and possibly create a new market – This is so common sense and no, not everyone can do it. The people that do it right (either by luck or by their methodology) will create value and markets. I don’t think I really need to give examples here. The key is understanding how they did it. The Pet Rock did not create a true market, nor did it add value. The personal computer did. Here are the key characteristics Esteban Kolsky states that a market must to be a market, in his post I Am Not A SCRM Market Expert, I Just Play One On Twitter:
  • Sufficient differentiating features to make it independent of other markets
  • The ability to operate independently of other applications (no do-or-die dependencies)
  • An addressable, unique problem that cannot be solved with other application (or methodologies – I added that)
  • A revenue projection that will make it worth the time for vendors and providers
  • A business justification, tangible costs and benefits, and in some (OK most) cases an ROI
  • A story that is easy to understand by Sr. Management, Middle Management and users.

The bottom line is that we should all be starting from a problem that isn’t being solved any other way. Don’t package rocks in a box and call them a pet and expect to create a market. Don’t use a social media idea that works for networks of friends and think it makes sense for the business world just because you know how to write the code. If you’re the local landscaping company, why did you create a Facebook page (I just saw this on a sign today)? If you can ask why, keep asking until you can’t.

Ok, what did I miss today? I’m sure there is something.

Mike Boysen is a Sr CRM Consultant for one of the top Sage partners in North America and focuses on developing comprehensive middle market CRM solutions; including back office integration, business alerting, workflow management and business intelligence. He is also the creator of www.effective-crm-consulting.com.

Author: Mike Boysen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Low-volume PCB maker