thinks

The Ted conference every year provides some of the most inspirational speakers ever. For instance, you’ve got to check out Majora Carter:

If that doesn’t get your blood pumping, you might want to check your pulse.

So why won’t they let me embed Seth Godin’s speech?

One of the problems with making my living from interactive marketing and running websites is that it looks, on its surface, simple. Most folks have seen enough websites to have an opinion about what makes a website work and what doesn’t. Often, they’re right. Given the extraordinary growth of the web over the last decade, we’ve all benefited from “all boats rising with the tide.” However, it is truly one of those vocations - and, admittedly, it’s not the only one - where the devil is in the details. At certain levels, such as in high-volume e-commerce sites, where I’ve spent a good chunk of the last decade, the difference between 25% and 28% growth adds up to many millions of dollars every year. But not every site fits that model, which makes Seth Godin’s recent post about small businesses getting on the web noteworthy. Except for the part about Squidoo - which I’m not too sure about - I have a tough time disagreeing with it. It all comes down to ROI. Most businesses need a website. But if you can get what you need from that website for extremely low cost, by all means do it. In fact, I don’t know that Seth goes far enough with his modest proposal. A website, for all its benefits, can prove a black hole down which small business owners can toss too much time and money. The focus needs to be first and foremost on your business. And unless your website is your business, do the least bit possible.

I’m going to channel my inner Tim Ferriss over the next week, as the family and I are taking some long-overdue vacation. I’ll check my email once every day or so for the next week and may update my blog less than that. For those who celebrate, Happy Easter and I’ll see you soon.

I had a chance to see Guy Kawasaki keynote a conference where I was also speaking yesterday. If you ever get the chance to see him present, do. If nothing else, you’ll learn a good deal about how to give an impactful presentation.

Two brief introductions are here and here

Google announced a new multivariate testing tool the other day, allowing marketers to test different
copy, graphics, layout, what-have-you on their landing pages. For free. Amazing. While ignoring, for a minute, the obvious questions as to how willing we are to provide Google this much information about our businesses - I doubt Yahoo will use it - the biggest barrier to this kind of information - high cost - is now gone. Why wouldn’t you use it?

I read Web Worker Daily pretty regularly. I think it provides fascinating insight into where we’re heading as both an online and general business community. But “where we’re heading” takes on a somewhat different meaning based on recent news. For instance, Richard MacManus describes the latest webtop service available, while others note the growth in mobile handsets and developments in mobile power. These sorts of developments, along with the WWD mindset, beg the question: at what point will the notion of “your computer” cease to be a place you go and become simply part of your life everywhere? For instance, I’ve written two posts this week out of my house, using different platforms each time. I wrote the first using my laptop in a parking lot via free, legal WiFi and I wrote this one on my BlackBerry Pearl between an Old Navy store and a Target while shopping with my daughters. Admittedly, typing on the Pearl is simpler for email or SMS, but with better input devices - think docking stations - and improving network access, the office of the future will refer less to a place and more to how effective you are. The same is true for any online activity users typically conduct, whether it’s shopping, paying bills, or keeping in touch.

Once the critical mass is there, marketers will have to think less about interruption as an effective tactic - if you haven’t already - and more about meeting consumers’ needs. When a consumer’s goal is to get something done, and the tools make it possible to do anywhere, the last thing that consumer will want to do is watch your pre-roll, wait for your banner to download (on a small screen, no less), or deal with an interstitial.