August 2, 2010 Posted by alan jones

Interviewed on E-Marketing Insights podcast

This week I was interviewed by Owen of the E-Marketing Insights Podcast. Listen in for a little background history of Doing Words, as well as my perspective on what happened in the early days internet content publishing, how the Web 1.0 bubble grew and burst, why social media has changed the content publishing industry irrevocably, the continuing democratisation of content, and which brands I believe are... read more

July 18, 2010 Posted by alan jones

Some thoughts on product management

Just realised I never shared this presentation I gave at product management consultancy Brainmates. It was a while ago but many of the points I made are as valid (or invalid) now as they were then, including: Product management is mostly about translation Managing product development teams is easier if you can rephrase business requirements as interesting, challenging puzzles Good product managers are... read more

July 2, 2010 Posted by alan jones

Twitter and Facebook: millions of tiny broadcast audiences

Advising a client this week on their marketing plans for a presence, it struck me they have a lot to learn about the medium they’re using, even though they already have their Facebook and Twitter presence up and running. They’re showing how little they understand when they say they want to add a follow button to the order confirmation page in their shopping cart. Look, knock yourself out, it... read more

June 11, 2010 Posted by alan jones

Hard to design products for people who aren’t paying attention

“I think most consumers use a search engine the same way they brush their teeth — with 90% of their attention on something else, with impatience, boredom and frustration with the whole category of search. They begin with unreasonable expectations about the quality of the result and with minimal patience for any request to contribute to the input. As search product designers we find it very hard to... read more

June 10, 2010 Posted by alan jones

You’d like to sell digital content? First, print and sign these contracts

You want to sell music, TV, movies or apps on iTunes Store? First you apply for an iTunes publisher account, and when you’re accepted, the manual labour begins. You might have thought you were entering a Brave New World of media as digital bits, but for now, it’s back to the Stone Age for you. Apple asks you to print out and sign a 70 page contract, in duplicate, for each geographic market... read more

May 23, 2010 Posted by alan jones

In defence of the iPad I don’t yet have

I’m still waiting for my iPad 3G and another iPad (just wifi) for Boy8 and MrsBigyahu. I’ve used several; I get it, they’re going to be huge. While I wait, I’m frustrated by friends complaining that they “don’t want a huge iPhone, without the phone” or “won’t be getting one because it doesn’t have a camera.” You’re not getting... read more