Author: mattpoy

Communities

Posted by mattpoy on Posted in Communities, Social Media, Technology Tagged ,

The CompTIA Annual Member Conference (#amm11) and Colloquium event are both over. Some enlightening sessions and excellent networking for a solid 2 days. Highlights of my presentation can be found at: http://blog.comptia.org/2011/04/07/making-social-media-work-for-your-business/

My main takeaway – technology drives communities. Whilst Facebook is great and accounts for 4-5% of all the time we spend online, less obvious communities like Ravelry is what it is all about for me. Specialised groups, in this case with an interest in knitting and crocheting, bring like-minded people together. Don’t understimate the power of the knitters – there are 1.2 million members to this community. That is technology’s true power.

New Marketing

Posted by mattpoy on Posted in Social Media, Technology Tagged

The share price of H&H Imports jumped $50 million in one day after 50 Cent tweeted about the company. Investigating further, it seems companies have worked out that celebrity endorsements can catapult their product to the headlines. Some are paying celebs anywhere from $100 – $10,000 per tweet to promote their brand. New marketing indeed, although just spotted here in the UK that the authorities are looking to clamp down on this – spoilsports!

On the road with Kyocera

Posted by mattpoy on Posted in People Skills Talent, Technology Tagged , ,

Spent a day with Kyocera at their Service Director’s conference this week. One cannot emphasise enough the value of bringing people together face-to-face from different markets to interact and brainstorm. The Europeans were tough and direct, focusing on taking the business to the next level while the senior reps from Japan were very reflective and said little, although what they shared was critical. Their commitment to leading-edge learning and skills systems underline their core values in investing in their talent. Watching the human dynamics was fascinating, but they also had the sharpest sense of humour. The Japanese were easily the masters of origami, creating animals, birds and this boat from the evening menu!

Dubai experience

Posted by mattpoy on Posted in Customer Service, Future of Technology, People, People Skills Talent, Technology Tagged , , ,

Spent most of this week in Dubai, working with a new reseller partner to help grow the region. Only two blog posts ago, I talked about companies’ ‘secret weapons’ and this team is impressive. They surrounded us with a circle of dynamic and motivated individuals who are chomping at the bit to make a difference. I sense this partnership will do well, they are keen to succeed. I also had the most pleasant check-in experience via Emirates Airlines. I checked-in myself, printed my own luggage tag and boarding card, all at a kiosk and weigh-in counter utilising the latest technology – quick, effortless and impressive. We can all learn from this experience – I felt it was the best customer service, I had to do it all myself, yet it was more satisfying when it worked.

Phones & Automobiles

Posted by mattpoy on Posted in Connectivity, Future of Technology, Technology Tagged , ,

The iPhone is not just leading the way in design, but could well revolutionise shopping. Using near-field communication (NFC – short-range wireless between a chip and reader) the device could easily act as a payment system, allowing you to swipe your phone to pay bills or groceries (this happens in Japan today) or work in combination with an app to use it as the key to your car. Thanks to my friend Ian Green from Liverpool Community College, the Sunday Times and to Simon’s blog for the pieces of information that now form a mini-story (beyond just this post) – technology and collaboration at its  best.

Secret Weapon

Posted by mattpoy on Posted in People, People Skills Talent, Skills, Talent Tagged , ,

I love David and Goliath stories and so I was immersed in a story about independent bookshops that are bucking the trend and doing well against the giants of the e-tailing world. How? By putting to effective use their secret weapon: PEOPLE. Individuals with the specialist knowledge, people skills and personal touch to make customers want to go in and buy books, even though they are almost always cheaper online. Brilliant and encouraging for every small business.

The Intelligence of Things

Posted by mattpoy on Posted in Connectivity, Events, Future of Technology, Technology Tagged , , , , ,

The annual gadget extravaganza is under way in Las Vegas and thousands are there to digest the announcements. I read, and like, the term “intelligence of things” from the event, and manufacturers are upgrading their products with technologies such as GPS, internet and bluetooth to inject connectivity and new life into them.  “Everything connected” appears to be the trend and connectivity will spread beyond computer-related devices to everyday products such as meat thermometers and toasters. Hardware will be worthless without the app.

2010 closing thoughts

Posted by mattpoy on Posted in Connectivity, Future of Technology, Social Media, Technology Tagged , ,

Here are my three closing thoughts for 2010:

1. As we transition to the cloud, I am seeing an increase in the US of sites that cater to borrowing, such as NeighborGoods, ShareSomeSugar and SnapGoods. Will we move away from ownership and borrow everything? Quite possibly – and if we no longer collect books, music and movies, it will also free up shelf space too.

2. Social media was headline news all year. Will this evolve into Social TV, with billions of TVs connected to the internet and allow you to run live commentaries with your acquaintances? Will we ever be left alone again? We need to get used to a life where others are looking in.

3. Finally, and most importantly, research at Princeton University discovered that £47,000 is the level of income beyond which there is no improvement in emotional well-being. How interesting. Could this figure be the perfect balance between challenge, satisfaction and a stress-free day?

Whatever does or doesn’t materialise, we must get accustomed to change. It is taking place whether we like it or not. Personally, I enjoy it.

Going Social

Posted by mattpoy on Posted in Future of Technology, Social Media, Technology Tagged , , ,

I have no idea how tomorrow’s devices will shape up, but I do know they are taking over the world and most of us will be online for longer. There are 1.8 billion internet users (half of them from just 5 countries), Tencent in China is the largest social network with 637m users, the ramp-up time for new products in this space is setting new records (28 days to sell the first million iPads), Oprah has 4.5m Twitter followers, commerce and shopping is now on your handheld device, and Steve Jobs (genius) remains king of the jungle! Are you a part of the Facebook/Apps/Google revolution – is your company and product fast/easy/fun – if not, you are standing still, and may well get left behind.

Email and the family fabric

Posted by mattpoy on Posted in Future of Technology, Technology Tagged , ,

I am sitting in my office at home beavering away, and my wife is downstairs emailing me. Is the art of conversation disappearing? Dining room furniture sales are on the decline and technology has been blamed from some quarters, because we no longer eat together as families – everyone hunched over their laptops or mobile devices. Still, I can’t live without it, and I was amazed to see the first ever Apple fetch £130,000 at auction. I do love everything about Apple, plus bedtime reading has for now been replaced by good progess on Angry Birds! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11825954