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web strategy

• 09.16.09
  A short word on innovation Venture Capital news, Web development, web strategy | (1)

  Innovation in a business context is one of the most misunderstood concepts around. I have to admit that I've misunderstood it for most of my life too. I've grown to realise that ideas by themselves are pretty much worthless -- and innovation really arises out of a process of execution of those ideas that tests and combines other ideas, technologies and theories. It's common sense really. It's why Venture Capitalists will rarely invest in ideas (or even a track record), but rather need some evidence of execution (focus and passion help too). Of course there are always exceptions, but the above ...
• 07.14.09
  Web development: The great convergence myth Open Source, Web development, online media business, web strategy | (10)

  I've always learnt that converged systems are the best way to go. In theory they are: An integrated site should ultimately allow you to do more with your site's content and resources. It should save you time because you are not going backwards and forwards trying to get one Content Management System (CMS)* to speak to another or one paradigm to work within another. There should be a cost saving, because you're now working with one system, not eight. Well that's the theory. The reality is that it doesn't work like that. Not even close. The ideal vision of a converged CMS ...
• 05.04.09
  Where users are getting their information and who they trust? Blogosphere, Social media, Social networking, online media business, web strategy | (2)

  Here's a nice graph from the authoritative eMarketer. It's a study from the US showing where users are getting their information. Interesting to see that 26% and 24% of users respectively are using social network and blog sites. Local newspapers feature highly at 63%, a slight increase from 2007, but down from 2006. Mobile media is bottom of the pile, but you'd expect that to shoot up -- and perhaps be much higher in other countries (than compared to, say, the US). Also interesting in these figures below (For US and Europe) is confirmation that users appear to trust information from ...
• 03.26.09
  Big Idea: How online publishers can rival Google Future Trends, advertising & marketing, google, online media business, web strategy | (12)

  Quite sometime ago I did a rather entrepreneurial proposal to the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) about a new, non-profit industry-focused search engine and advertising network to rival Google. I know what you're thinking, apart from the general nuttiness of the idea itself: I must be crazy approaching a "newspaper" body? But the idea around approaching an organisation such as WAN and others, was that they're an important umbrella industry bodies for worldwide media, both online and offline. To put it plainly: They have the network. (They're also bit more than about newspapers these days and rather about media companies ...
• 03.23.09
  Is SEO evil? Web development, google, web strategy | (7)

  It's an old debate, but always worth a good discussion: The Digital Edge podcast by Jarred Cinman and Saul Kropman is tackling the topic of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). It's a contentious topic, around which there is still discussion, and a bit of obfuscation. The podcast sensationally interviews two "anonymous SEO practitioners" to see how they use their knowledge in an "unscrupulous manner" to promote the likes of online casinos and even remove websites from Google rankings. But, more importantly, it also looks at the scrupulous, above-board side of the industry by speaking to Rob Stokes, founder of respected web marketing firm ...
• 02.19.09
  The social network approach to viralising your articles Social media, Social networking, web strategy | (3)

  One of the key viral elements of content websites, such as news sites, are the "email to a friend" links you see on many articles. Personally, I don't use these, but I know they're valuable: there's a type of user that religiously use these links as a way of sharing. Obviously they introduce new traffic and users to a site, so they're a key growth element. But they're also an outdated viral element. In fact the old "send to a friend" is looking rather late 1990s/early 2000s as a web feature. Since the social networking revolution, contact mining and social networking ...
• 02.17.09
  How stupidity can lead to innovation web strategy | (3)

  It sounds crazy, but it's true. There's a famous philosophical phrase that goes along the lines of "The more I know, the more I realise I don't know". I first came across it in my Philosophy II class as a freshed-faced student at Rhodes University. It speaks to the realisation that the more we discover about a subject, the more we uncover seemingly endless complexity and depth around that subject. So apply this to the web. In many ways it shows how people who have been involved in the web for a long time can be tainted. A person new to the ...
• 01.16.09
  Have you Obamafied your website today? Politics, Social networking, web strategy | (1)

  Nobody likes an antisocial site. Social sites are winning the traffic stakes, and even elections. A politician from Honolulu showed us how it's done. I never thought that one of the best examples of a social site would come from a politician, but it did. It's a lesson for all websites, including media players, on how to use the web to build sophisticated relationships and loyalty with your users. It's the model to follow on how a site can get its readers to create content, market and spread its brand across the web like a contagious virus. That's what the Barack Obama ...
• 11.09.08
  How to approach content in the digital age Semantic web, Social media, online media business, web 2.0, web strategy | (2)

  The phrase "User Generated Content" (UGC) has always been a troubled notion. At its heart it emphasises a divide between the user and the professional, with the implication that users have their place, and the professionals have theirs. Perhaps the aversion to this phrase stems from the fact that it is so simplistic. It doesn't really capture the diversity of a site's readership or community. The simple fact is: Not all readers are equal. Not all readers want to write or contribute, some are quite happy to lurk behind the scenes. There also may be expert contributors in your site's community ...
• 10.25.08
  Ten elements for your website's success Web development, web strategy | (3)

  Did this presentation a while back at the Highway Africa conference. (The big numbers were a bit chopped on Slideshare, but it's still readable.) It's essentially a talk I gave on the ten key elements for your website business' success. Comments welcome. The Numbers GameView SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: website strategy)

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