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Stephen Pickering

Category: Tech

  • Mylikes Update: A Retweet is All It Takes

    The Mylikes_Retweet account on Twitter. Makes publishing an ad almost effortless, and totally fun!

    Remember when I wrote about Mylikes, the social media ad platform, that allowed you to leverage your Social Media efforts? Well, I still love it, for all the reasons I mentioned in the post, but I noticed lately I haven’t been as active on it. There are more than a few reasons for this, but one of the biggest was LAZINESS. For one thing I got a new Mac, I didn’t remember my password, and I’d have to walk ALL THE WAY to the next room to log on. Just think of that: I’d rather walk to another room, boot up another computer, than simply reset my password! I just found out last night that I can log in to Mylikes through Twitter (or Facebook for that matter) but I was alway hesitant to do that because when I used that strategy with CinchCast, Cinchcast simply opened up another account for me, instead of linking me to my existing account. Not Mylikes. Simply logon through Twitter or Facebook and it links you to your existing account. Nice.

    But it gets even better, and easier.

    A Retweet is All it Takes

    I noticed the other day that they have set up a special account called @Mylikes_retweet that tweets ads, and all you have to do is simply retweet (use the twitter retweet button) and of course not only is that ad published to all of your followers, any time that it is clicked you earn money! Talk about removing any friction! Not only do you not have to go to Mylikes and pick an ad, the copy is already written for you. And it’s great, eye catching, fun copy that is more conducive to “clicking” (translate, good for publishers!) As a matter of fact when I do it, I almost have to keep myself from clicking the retweet in my own stream (which would be against the rules.)

    I love this feature because of its ease, but not only that, it interests me because it shows the innovative nature of the company. I mentioned in my earlier post that the founders, Bindu Reddy and her husband were ex-Googlers and that that fun, innovative approach was in their DNA, just like it is at Google.

    Fun is something that is way underestimated, especially in Western Culture. We tend to divide “fun” away from our business life. Almost a firewall between fun, life, and business. But I just finished reading Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose,and the secret to Zappos’ culture is just the opposite: Fun, social, caring are intrisic to Zappos’ DNA. In fact it is their business model.

    This theme struck a bell inside me earlier this week. I was chatting with a web developer friend. I mentioned that I was looking for a photo editing, creative application that wasn’t so intimidating (and expensive) as Photoshop. He mentioned Pixelmator and after telling me all the nice features about it, at the end in an unconscious exhuberence spouted, “And it’s fun!”

    Well, for all the philosophical debate we have over advertising and it’s place, especially in Social Media, what about the philosophy of Fun?

    If you are already a member of Mylikes, simply go to @Mylikes_retweet and pick an ad from their tweet stream. Simply retweet it, and see if you don’t have some fun as well as potentially earn some money.

    And if you are not a member go sign up here: Mylikes.com (It’s free, and if you sign up with that link, I have a chance to win an iPad2, which you can too once you are a member.)

  • What to do when your iPad’s Home Button Stops Working

    A few days ago my iPad’s home button stopped working. Seems like it happened right after I upgraded to iOs 4.3. The only thing I could do to use it was turn it off and back on. Mine’s a first generation that I got at Best Buy the first day it came out on April 3rd, 2010. I searched the web. There was a blog post where a lot of people who were having the same problem talked about solutions and whether it was hardware or software caused. Some found answers. Most didn’t and ended up taking it back and getting it replaced. Since mine is almost a year old and I didn’t buy any of the warranty from Best Buy or Apple, I figured I would have to take it back, they may send it off and that it would cost me something.

    Anyway on this blog post I know one guy mentioned that his would work in Portrait mode. I tried portrait mode, still nothing. So I let the thing sit for a day. I’d thought about a hard reset, but how are you going to do a hard reset if the home button doesn’t work?

    Anyway, yesterday, even though it was still not working, I found something funny: I noticed that when I held it in landscape mode, pushed the button, held it, then rotated it to portrait mode, then released, it started working, maybe half the time. I thought, “OK, I can live with this for a few days until I take it up there.”

    Then later on, I had the iPad sitting flat on my wooden desk next to my desktop. I pushed the button. It worked every time. I thought, “Hey this is cool. OK.” I thought maybe it had something to do with the hard surface. Now my iPad is not in a case, so I don’t know if that may make a difference.

    Now, a day after that, it seems to be totally working again like normal.

    This could be totally anecdotal and have nothing to do with my exercises. Maybe it was just a glitch in the software that some how “healed” itself. But its worth a try if you find yourself in this same situation.

    So try this:

    • Hold the iPad in front of you in landscape mode
    • Push the button and keep it held while you gently rotate it to Portrait mode, then release.
    • See if you get any response: 1 out of 2 times, 1 out of 3, etc.
    • If that works, or even if it doesn’t, lay the iPad gently on a hard, smooth surface, so there is even resistance. (If its in a case, I’d recommend taking it out) Push the button, hold it in a second longer than normal, then gently release.
    • This may be totally anecdotal but it “feels” like it started responding when, after I pushed, I kept it pushed for a second, and then gently released.

    Well maybe this is totally luck and yours still won’t work or maybe there’s something to it, and either the maneuver or the slight resistance somehow put it it back in place (assuming it is hardware related) or somehow fixed the “glitch” if it is software.

    Either way, what I’m describing above is in no way harming the iPad. I wasn’t pushing any harder than normal or trying to shake it or anything like that. No need to push harder. Although it did seem, at first, that when I would hold it pushed in for just a second longer than normal and then gently released, it started to respond.

    Don’t do anything that could damage your iPad, but try the above and see if it works for you. Give it a day or two. Maybe you’ll have the same “luck” that I did, and it’ll start working again.

    If not of course take it back to the Apple Store. But either way, if you are one of the unfortunate ones like me that this happened to let me know how it works out. I’d love to hear your experiences. And learn.

  • The Age of Authenticity

    This girl is selling a MILLION copies a year of her fiction WITHOUT A PUBLISHER on the Kindle platform.

    Theseus killing the Minotaur, who is the child of Ego and Greed. The circle is the Soul, and the Labyrinth is when a Societal System is used to trap instead of free the soul.

    Here’s the Business Insider story about her.  Here’s the original blogger’s story about her, from whom BI got their story. Here’s her personal blog. (Hey, but at least everybody’s linking!)

     

    Arcade Fire not only is selling millions, filling up stadiums without a RECORD LABEL, they also just won the GRAMMY for Record of the Year.
    You can Google them.

     

    These are amazing stories. Publishing and Music have cracked because technology has enabled them to be produced for 1/10th, 1/100th, 1/100oth of what they cost 10, 20 years ago.

     

    Motion Pictures still cost millions. So that category hasn’t cracked. But even if you want to be an actor or director, you’ve got the tools to start (HD Cameras, Computer Video Editing) and a distribution channel for free to get you noticed (Mainly Youtube).

     

    I would definitely say this is the age of the person who wants to be “into” what they are doing. If you are the type of person who is just in it for the glamor and wants everyone else to handle the details, well there’s still room for about 5 of you in music, 4 in Pulp Fiction, and maybe 10 males, 10 females in “acting,” but even these positions are rapidly losing not only space, but more importantly  “authenticity” and “mind-share.”

     

    Whatever you want to do, if you are really into it. I mean REALLY into it. As in LOVING IT FOR WHAT IT IS and NOT IT’S REWARD, then your time has come. You have the chance to be on the edge of excitement all the time.

    Authenticity not only makes you happier and leads you to unexpected discoveries, authenticity SELLS. So in this day and age, the more you do follow your love, the more success your going to have.

    Follow the “Thin wax string of your desire.” That’s what the Theseus myth is about. It’s thin because it represents “intent” and following your “inner” voice which is unlike any other, unique to you.

    It will lead you out of the maze, the Labyrinth.

     

    The electronics revolution reduced the cost of production, and the Communications’ Revolution is rapidly reducing the cost of distribution.

    The cost of finding what you love is infinite if you listen to the outside World and ZERO if you listen to your INNER VOICE.

     

    Sources:

    Business Insider:  “This 26-Year-Old Is Making Millions Cutting Out Traditional Publishers With Amazon Kindle”

    Novelr: “The Very Rich Indie Writer”

    My Blood Approves: The Blog of Amanda Hocking

     

     

     

  • The Gillmor Gang 2-25-11 (Audio)

    [audio:http://www.stephenpickering.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/gillmor.mp3]

    Direct .mp3 link (iPhone/iPad simply click to play) – Right Click to Download

    Just messing around with Wiretap Studio for Mac. Plus I’d seen a lot of folks who wanted this. If either Steve or TechCrunch minds, I’ll pull it down, no problem. Let me know.

    It’s 83mb and just a regular file on my Cloud Site, so I don’t know how long it will take to start playing for you. The servers are in the Dallas/FW Metroplex and I’m in Arkansas so it only takes a few seconds for me.

    I take that back. It’s taking about 20 seconds for me, so may be longer for you. May need to put it on a Cloud File for CDN support.

    Here’s a direct link to the show as it appears live streaming, usually every Friday around 1pm Pacific. Check Steve Gillmor’s Twitter to be more specific.

    Also a video replay usually appears on TechCrunch the following day, Saturday, or so.

  • Opinion: Facebook’s Growth Helps Google

    Look Mom! I can open multiple tabs! I can use Facebook and Google!

    So I’m listening to the Gillmor Gang yesterday and the topic of the moment is Google vs. Microsoft in the so called “Bing Sting” operation that allegedly caught Bing stealing or copying Google’s search results.

    SNOOZE.

    Scobleizer chimed in saying in effect this was a ploy to make Microsoft the enemy, a battle which he felt they could win, away from the real battle which is supposedly between Google and Facebook, a battle, which he and almost everyone else feels they can’t win. This meme has been going on for at least the past year and is growing more in intensity as each day passes.

    I think it’s B.S.

    1. Firstly, Facebook is in a totally different business than Google. Facebook’s in the communication’s business. Google is in the automation business, the computation business, the indexing business. They’re strength is in applying automation to areas that most can benefit from engineering as opposed to human finesse. They are an automated “librarian” so to speak, bringing you the “book” you asked for with an ad for something similar to that book’s subject hanging over their shoulder.
    2. People say, well, all of Facebook’s traffic and attention is ad inventory that Google is losing. BS. All of Facebook’s attention has come through the value it has created. In other words, this is ad inventory that wouldn’t exist without them. You think Google, even if Facebook didn’t exist, would be fulfilling this market? Heck no. Social is not in their DNA. Engineering and Data are in their DNA. Nerd stuff. Stuff that is very valuable, like the self driving car, and the Street View product, but by definition is anti social. The kinds of people, nerd engineers, that build this stuff, are by definition, anti-social, or at least socially inept. They don’t have the feel or finesse for interaction with people or even for the user interface of humans with the TRON-like world.
    3. Also, people don’t search on Facebook. The only thing you can search for is people. You don’t search for the answers to questions like you do on Google. And then there’s the “Facebook’s a ‘Closed Garden’ shutting Google out” argument. Again, BS. Facebook exists inside a browser. If I see something on Facebook that interests me, that I want to find out more about, I simply open a new tab in my browser and Google it.In this sense, Facebook’s growth is helping to grow Google’s business. And Amazon’s (Gary Vee just tweeted and ‘facebooked’ about his new book with an Amazon link. So Facebook’s “walled Garden” didn’t prevent me from going there, did it?) and everyone else who is providing ‘value’ on the web. Companies that create real value help other companies that are also creating real value. I don’t think anyone would argue that Facebook and Google aren’t providing real value to society and to the economy.
    4. Think about it. What Facebook is doing is bringing the mainstream audience to the net. Every day more and more “normal” people from my past, folks who are not exactly computer or net geeks are ‘friending’ me on Facebook.  And these folks’ browsers aren’t locked into only being able to pull up Facebook. They can open another tab and search Google. They do, and they are.

    Facebook still hasn’t and I don’t think ever will find a “magic bullet” way to monetize. That’s because it is closed, so search on the site itself doesn’t exist. But it will still make tons of money, simply through gigantic growth. Basically it is, or is becoming the network TV of the 1970s. And those guys made a lot of dough.

    Facebook’s a great place for branded advertising. I can’t swear by this, but I don’t think I’ve ever clicked on a Facebook ad. And I’ve been a member since 2006. Although that doesn’t mean the ad impressions haven’t had any effect on me. And I’ve noticed also that the ads are becoming better and more relevant each day.

    Also there’s a Farmer’s Insurance balloon in flying above my Farmville farm.

    So Facebook’s attention is translating into profits albeit not as efficiently as Google’s monetization system, but that’s to be expected. They are different businesses. And people spend more time on Facebook than they do on Google (At least in search terms. Now, other Google products, Gmail, Docs, News, etc. would be a different story.)

    So my argument would be. Facebook and Google are two different companies who are in two different markets. The only similarities being that you access them through your computer screen or mobile device. They don’t fight for attention. They compliment each other’s attention. Facebook is fulfilling the key role of “legitimizing” the web for the mass audience. In so doing, it’s bringing more people online, who otherwise wouldn’t be, folks who will fuel Google’s growth as well. Facebook is the content, the entertainment, the public square, and private party. Google is more of a utility in this metaphor. Not as glamorous, but it does help keep the party “warm” if you get my meaning.

  • Useful Links and Sites

    • 13 Little Known Google Search Features

      Welcome to New Zealand. Pictory takes you through what feels like a personal guided tour. Photographer: Michelle Choy
    • NeatImage – A plug in for Aperture and Photoshop that allows you to shoot at higher ISO’s and then it gets rid of the unnecessary artifacts.
    • FilterStorm – An iPhone App. $3.99. Great, intuitive photo editor for your iPhone. For instance if you have great shots that are too dark, it can magically fix them.
    • TinyLetter.com – Ever wanted to start your own email newsletter? This service handles everything, even if you want to charge for it. Plus it’s cool and developed by a cool entrepreneur, Phi Kaplan. Oh, also it’s free.
    • Dog Might Provide Clues on How Language Is Acquired – NYTimes.com – I’m interested in languages and dogs.
    • GoogleArtProject – It’s like Google Street View for Museums. Ultra High Res Images. Makes you feel like your actually walking through these famous Museums.
    • Potterish – For all you Harry Potter freaks. This is the best site. It’s Brazilian. However is you use Chrome as your browser it’ll auto translate it for you, so you can still have fun.
    • Google Shopper iPhone App – This is super cool. Take photos or speak the name of items into the phone, and it automatically pulls up prices and reviews of products and all the stores both online and off where its available.
    • Forvo.com – It’s like a search engine for learning how to speak other languages. You type in a word in any language and it finds a recording of that word spoken by a native speaker. What’s more, it’s crowd sourced, so that you can become a contributor also.
    • Pictory – Photo “Stories” I really love this site. At first blush, it feels like a great way to take a “virtual” humanized photo tour of a place. For instance, the featured story on the site right now is of “New Zealand” and through the beautiful photos and little snippets of interesting stories about the place, you really get a good feel for the place. It’s better than any other “virtual” tour experience I’ve seen on the net. It’s fun and useful. That’s key.
      Photo Credit: Michelle Choy