Martin Koss – thinking out loud…
I don't mean to be so opinionated and argumentative, it's just me…
This Shit Has Got To Change
Did I just say ‘shit’..? Oops. Well, sorry, but, on this occasion I couldn’t think of a better word.
FB rewrite the rule book constantly and the ‘free’ marketing platform is actually a lot of work – especially for small businesses – trying to keep up.
No wonder Facebook has spawned an industry of ‘experts’ – the average ‘user’ simply cannot understand so much of what it does or what it may do tomorrow or what it it did do but doesn’t do any longer..! That is aside from the every changing privacy issues and settings.
The ‘thrill’ is gone – for sure. In fact, not sure I really saw a ‘thrill’ in it. I saw (and still see) loads of bullcrap and things to frown / laugh at.
But it’s not just Facebook. The internet has to change and it is far too far down the road for Google and Facebook to put right what is wrong… How can they suddenly fix the unfixable?
A ‘Hat Tip’ Goes A Long Way
For some people the main aim is to come across as the expert (the ‘guru’) at the cost of anyone else. The thought is not about where those experts got there expertise or from who. But, being honest, we all got (and continue to get) our valuable knowledge from others in our chosen field and a thank you, a ‘hat tip’ is always a positive way of complimenting the work of those ‘teachers’.
Even though I’ve been around Internet Marketing, designing and ‘pushing the boundaries’ since the mid 90s, I am constantly learning. There is lots to learn – especially as everything is constantly changing (look at Google and Facebook, for example).
If we didn’t have the people who push the boundaries and write books, blogs and tutorials, many of us would be scratching our heads without a clue how to do one thing or another.
Is Privatisation Right for Britain?
Budget week is here again and the speculation is running rife…
Just as I feared; A few days ago we were discussing the future of Britain and I predicted privatisation across the board and, sure enough, headlines today indicate Osbourne is, in fact, planning further privatisation.
Worried?
I am.
Privatisation hasn’t worked and won’t work for essential services (except for the greedy organisations with their ‘creaming off the top’ contracts).
Pretentious People Do Not ‘ROCK’!
When something stresses you out it’s a good idea to stop using it or doing it, right?
That’s how I feel about Facebook very often; it’s also how I regularly feel about Twitter and most social networking platforms where people are not real – not being themselves – being pretentious and full of shit!
I love finding people who were totally genuine; people who speak their minds and come across as a real human being! Continue reading
Support Staff Are Great at One-Liners
Isn’t it so damn frustrating when things don’t work? When you have to contact the support team because the latest and greats device, app or gizmo doesn’t seem to work properly…
You poor out all your heart and soul about how this ‘thing’ was meant to be a life-changer for you and that you really are so upset and your life completely lacks meaning without this ‘thing’ working for you and you need it working now because an hour or two from now or (God forbid) tomorrow is just out of the question and your boss is on your back to finish the task that this ‘thing’ was going to help you with and if it’s not completed by 1 hour from now you will be fired and your kids will never eat again….
You know what I mean?
Does Your Product Need a Forum?
Having the unfortunate task today of making use of some new ‘apps’ in order to complete a project, I found I spent more time looking up “how to” answers than I spent actually being productive.
It made me wonder…
Where would we be without all the support wikis and forums and ticket systems?
Further more…
Where would the developers be without the ability to throw products out into the market that aren’t 100% fit for purpose? Continue reading
Do You Trust The Internet?
In general, what’s your feeling about most of what you see, hear and read on the web?
Many of the blogs you may read and the websites you visit may, in fact, be 100% honest. But many (perhaps more), use so much hype that you just can’t help feeling like you’ve stepped in a heap of bull droppings. It is frustrating because we want to extract valid knowledge from our online research. We want to get legitimate product information and reviews, but can we?
Product reviews can be biased if the writer has been paid to write the review. Service sales patter can (an most likely is) hyped up to make it all seem way better than it actually is. Recommendations may be made by someone who has never even used the product or service they are recommending purely for a dribble of affiliate income. Continue reading
Future of Chip and Pin is Worrying
While watching the BBC news channel this morning I heard about the new chip and pin system that banks are launching, initially by Barclays, known as ‘Contactless‘ chip and pin.
Contactless payments systems are set to revolutionise the way customer’s pay for items of £15 or less. If a customer is paying less than £15, they can place their contactless debit or credit card ‘near’ a contactless reader device to pay. It takes less than half a second for the payment to be taken which is much faster than handling cash.
“By the end of 2011, 70% of debit cards and 45% of credit cards are expected to be Contactless-enabled in the UK.” Source – APACS
About 10 million of these contactless debit and credit cards have already been issued in the UK. As read on numerous news websites, HSBC, Egg, Lloyds, RBS and NatWest are also rolling out the contactless payment systems where the customer doesn’t need to enter a PIN to make a payment of less than £15. Continue reading
Yet, Somehow, we are Too Connected
Everyday we wake up to a new group of invitations from Twitter and Facebook and YouTube and LinkedIn – to be friends – to be connected, with people we don’t even know. It’s not summer camp is it? Lately I’ve heard from a few different ‘friends’ who are as miffed about finding themselves in awkward situations – the old schoolmate who now, after 30 years of never exchanging glances (let alone the time of day) wants to be friends – because Facebook suggested it or because someone they know is a Follower on Twitter.
Oh please.
I like walking down the street being anonymous. I enjoy walking into the newsagents and not knowing the people standing around me with their magazines, birthday cards and bubble gum – and even more pleased that they don’t know me. I like it that way. Continue reading
Limewire Forced to Close – Brilliant News
I never gloat when a prediction materialises, I rarely chuckle at the demise of someone else’s business and I don’t advocate the bashing of some other business – but this time – oh boy this time I am so bloody pleased!
I hate all things that enable thieves to get their grubby hands on software, music, movies, games etc., that the rest of us (honest folks) shell out good money for, so to see the announcement that Limewire has been forced to close by a New York Judge, is music to my ears… Music I would have been happy to pay for! Continue reading