Stories, software and strategies to help nonprofits do the social web
How different, as a linchpin of the economy, is Apple from the Ford of 1930, the GM of 1950, the P&G of 1980, or the GE of 1990? In economic terms, not so much: all are built on the same set of institutions: mass production, mega-marketing, “profit,” hierarchy, opacity, “innovation.” via hbr.org
July, 17 2010 • 0 Comments • 0 Faves
What's social media good for? Umair Haque says it's not just for marketing. Social tools have the power to connect firms with their customers in ways that turn business upside down -- and create much greater value. He lists seven social strategies, examples of how social helps businesses create. Social strategies are about reinventing tomorrow. Their goal is nothing less than changing the DNA of an organization, ecosystem, or industry. Want to get radical? Stop applying 20th century principles (“product,” “buzz...
April, 12 2010 • 0 Comments • 1 Faves
Paul Michaelman, editor of the Harvard Business Review, on the publishing industry's so-far conservative approach to the iPad: The magazine apps on your iPad seemingly represent no significant thought on how to serve the reader; they are about serving the business model.The websites you view on your iPad were built for the era of mice 'n monitors, not touch screens you hold in your laps. These are not the answers. We don't know what the answers are yet. via harvardbusiness.org
April, 7 2010 • 0 Comments • 0 Faves
The iPad’s App Store isn’t technologically open. It is, more significantly, economically open: it’s an open market for services. via blogs.hbr.org Yet, says Umair Haque, Apple is shipping products -- books and apps protected by DRM -- through that marketplace. Sell services and commoditize products, says Haque. Or do the reverse. In doing both, he says, Apple fights itself economically. An excellent read.
April, 6 2010 • 0 Comments • 0 Faves
Clay Shirky gives voice to what big media seems to be thinking: “Web users will have to pay for what they watch and use, or else we will have to stop making content in the costly and complex way we have grown accustomed to making it. And we don’t know how to do that.” via shirky.com This doesn't work so well, though, if supply explodes and demand does not. When complex systems collapse, the moment shifts to those who can work lightly and cheaply. A great read, as usual.
April, 1 2010 • 0 Comments • 0 Faves
Brian O'Leary -- But if we care about readers paying more for content, we have to recognize that DRM restricts use and lowers the value of the content inside. Teaching our best customers to pay less for things does not seem like a good idea. via magellanmediapartners.com
October, 26 2009 • 0 Comments • 0 Faves
So for the Mac, which was developed for far less money than the Lisa, Apple turned to third-party developers. And here’s the line they used, which I believe was the work of Alain Rossmann: “It’s obvious that graphical computing is the future, whether the Mac is a success or not. This is your chance to learn how to develop for such an environment. Choosing not to develop for the Mac, then, is choosing for your company to eventually die.” via cringely.com
October, 22 2009 • 0 Comments • 0 Faves
Sean Ellis uses surveys to judge how well a team's product fits the market: I ask existing users of a product how they would feel if they could no longer use the product. In my experience, achieving product/market fit requires at least 40% of users saying they would be “very disappointed” without your product. Admittedly this threshold is a bit arbitrary, but I defined it after comparing results across nearly 50 startups. Those that struggle for traction are always under 40%, while most that gain strong traction...
October, 19 2009 • 0 Comments • 0 Faves
Geoff Livingston responds to Kristin Ivie and my previous posts about new nonprofits. Entrepreneurs look at things, see how they can be improved, tear down models, and rebuild them. So when we’ve experienced enormous successes in the for-profit world and then turn our eyes to higher causes, it’s only natural to think the same approach will work. Granted there is ego at play, but are you going to tell someone who successfully sold a business or took a company public, that they can’t win again in a different sector...
October, 13 2009 • 2 Comments • 0 Faves
Startup thinking for the social sector. Code to help nonprofits do the social web. Plus photography.
(And reading aloud.)
More about Eric Johnson.
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