Location-Based Advertising: How’s it going?

This is the second in my series on mobile, and what’s getting me interested is this.

Whatever can save me time in seeing whether something is worth purchasing (and I’m one of those who think fewer and fewer products actually are) and save me money, I can become interested in, even if I start out lukewarm.  As a woman, what matters most to me is to have appeals that I can confidently say are within reasonable range of my own needs and interests, and avoid the feeling of fatigue associated with extraneous, poorly targeted stuff. Location-based deals AND reviews/ratings, therefore, have the potential to make my decision-making easier.

So, up comes location-based advertising tied into reviews on my radar, things like FourSquare, YELP, Loopt, Google (local directory bar codes), Gowalla, and Merchant Circle. But so far, much of it feels extraneous — how much can I actually rely on these reviews, given the critical mass is not quite there?  And for whom is location-based advertising useful when businesses can barrage you with what you don’t need or when your network produces more diversity than these groups?  Of course, location-based anything has its own terrors; take a look at Please Rob Me for what I’m talking about here.

Trust can also be undermined in other ways.  The report by the East Bay Express on YELP, a bit of time back, left many consumers feeling tricked. The allegation that businesses were put in the position of having to cozy up to YELP in order to be assured of positive reviews muddied Yelp’s reputation as a trusted source. Merchant’s Circle seems to have had issues with consumer preferences being ignored as well. The lesson: If you have a small business, what you definitely don’t want is to sully your own reputation by association and/or not understand a company’s built-in bias, preferences and terms.

Still, I believe it is better to give people space to course-correct than vilify questionable behavior  interminably (I certainly don’t have first hand experience of YELP so I can only be wary).  At any rate, it does send me down the path to explore issues in more depth on my own (I’ll keep you posted) and to encourage you to read the reviews below.

So, check out the following articles from those who can speak with more confidence, and my nod in support of those sources which can point me toward informed decision-making.

On FourSquare:
http://www.colinalsheimer.com/foursquare-friend-requests
http://www.mpdailyfix.com/do-you-play-foursquare/
http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/17/please-rob-me-makes-foursquare-super-useful-for-burglars/

On Yelp:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_11/b4170027355708.htmhttp://www.yelp.com/biz/yelp-san-francisco
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/technology/start-ups/03yelp.html
http://techcrunch.com/2009/04/15/yelps-new-and-improved-iphone-app-officially-hits-the-app-store/

On Loopt:
http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/08/loopt-partners-with-mobile-spinach-to-offer-location-based-deals/
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/loopt_iphone3g.php
http://www.wirelessandmobilenews.com/2009/11/lbs-loopt-adds-pulse-and-partners-with-navteq-zagat.html
http://download.cnet.com/Loopt-for-iPhone/3000-12941_4-10863030.html

On Google:
http://techcrunch.com/2009/12/16/check-in-google-foursquare-loopt/
http://www.quickmark.com.tw/En/info/Show.asp#sw5

On Gowalla:
http://gigaom.com/2009/10/14/gowalla-vs-foursquare-who-will-win/
http://mashable.com/2009/12/25/foursquare-gowalla/
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/gowalla_is_the_anti-farmville.php
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gowalla/id304510106?mt=8

On Merchant Circle:
http://www.killerstartups.com/Web-App-Tools/merchantcircle-com-promote-your-business
http://www.sugarrae.com/merchant-circle-can-kiss-my-consumer-ass/

Screencasting: when, why and with what?

I’m a huge fan of screencasting.  Although I’m not selling software products, I do sometimes need to explain to people how I do things on my computer and with a stream of graphics or a short video, they can see what they need to do. In short, it’s an educational resource at these times for the people I’m helping.

Then again, I can’t tell you how often I use this type of software to make use of a website idea. Without such a tool, whatever has come into view would be relegated to the scrapheap in my mind. So, at these times, it is a memory resource for me.

But for you, artist extraordinaire, screencasts might become a third kind of resource. You might want to share special tips on a process to paying clients or a technique from start to finish to get people interested in taking your classes.  Screencasting using webcams are ideal for this.

Once you establish how screencasting can be of use to you, you’ll need to decide on the best tool. If you’re going to be regularly uploading 0very small segment videos via your webcam (5 minutes or less),  something like Jing is going to make a lot of sense.  Be aware though, it is flash-based and therefore won’t work on mobile devices that don’t support the use of flash.  Iphone users, you’ll be standing at the back of this line on this one.  Download the version you’ll need, Mac or Windows, and know that the webcam feature wil cost you fifteen bucks.

However, using a similar product like ScreenToaster 2.0, it looks like you can export to Flash and AVI and change the speed of your videos (faster or  slower), and access it from anywhere  since it is browser-based.  So, perhaps your screencast can find a home on mobile.  Worth experimenting with both, especially if you’re one ready to give short demos or tutorials.

And if you’ve found other applications for screencast software, e.g., for review of the contents of creative media, like book or DVD reviews, we’ld love to know about your stories.  Perhaps, you’ll be making a screencast of that too!

SF New Tech Night Out: a Mobile Education

Looking forward to SF New Tech’s event in San Francisco in this second week of the New Year.  The focus is on emerging mobile apps.

What will be exciting to know about are the more practical apps that are coming onto the scene.  Things like Rx Personal Caregiver (a reminder to take medications!)  and RadioWeave (which gives you access to radio on the go as well as social channels like Twitter.  Hmmm).  There is also an app which will allow you to record your health progress as you undergo a health intervention, called Polka, and a game that will set up a scavenger hunt scenario for you as you explore a city.  Since I’m developing something for people visiting places like San Francisco, I’m hoping for some interface between actual city spots and the scavenger app.

What I also like about SF New Tech besides the high energy in the room for things newly emerging is the fact the Myles, the organizer, makes himself available for email and follows up each presentation with a brief survey using Wufoo that also tabulates your answers immediately, giving anyone who completes it an idea of how your response compares to the rest of the people attending.  I think it’s fabulous — a small but important gesture not to lose audience feedback around a shared activity.

Survey on Mobile Use by Ruder Finn — what’s hot

Ruder Finn’s survey recently unearthed American motivations for mobile use across the country.  What did they find?

Those of use who actively use mobile like immediacy most of all, and it’s because we want to feel socially connected. The tools they were using most included Instant messaging, forwarding emails, content and photos, posting comments on sites, and connecting to people on social networking sites.

Turns out seniors were 18% more likely than the traditional user to use the mobile internet to educate themselves and youth 9% more likely to shop.  52% actually use it to manage finances.

That’ll be mobile offers on herbal tea only, thanks!

I recently realized that something that has a great appeal to some folks, like location-based sharing, has less relevance and appeal to me — especially when it comes to keeping things in the short term much simpler.

Not sure why that is really, except that I just finished a job where I realized I simply prefer choosing my own influences.  The fact that some choices I need to make come recommended seems to matter less when there’s not that compulsive need to check in with others. At times, what you want, you simply already know.

So, when I saw that some mobile services actually encourage you to sign up with companies, brands, and services which you know would already compel your participation, I could see I liked that more.  For example, with mobilecoupons.com, you can just put in your area, choose your category of interest, and get deals that way. So, as this post title suggests, I can get offers just on herbal teas. Location-based services has that element of keeping tabs on everyone  and keeping you in step with your friends, when that may not be your mindset. May not always be true, but for now, yes.

More and more, I see that companies and brands can easily develop their own private apps, offering up discounts directly to those who have already expressed interest.  I could offer up those offers through a privately branded app. I find that simpler too.  As a small business, could you see this having appeal to you?

The Easiest Online Aids for Managing Tasks and Teams

Microsoft Project used to be the program that many turned to to get real project work done.  I always found it overkill for the smallish projects I was a part of.  Loaded up with everything you might someday want to do, the program sent me screaming down the halls, convinced I could never manage a project. The times (and so few alternatives) practically forced accommodation.

Thank god that’s no longer the case. We can now choose what fits us.  Hallelujah!  The things that matter today are 1) ease of use — since we can feel overloaded within minutes of waking up, 2) a decent calendar and project list — to see what must be tackled each day and see schedules at a glance, 3) a way to send task emails, files and status updates to folks working on tasks we assign, and 4) a chance to have it all accessible through mobile.

So, here’s what I am finding as viable tools to manage my projects.  5pmweb has a very cool, very simple interface with all of the above ($12.00 a month when you enlist new clients to post their logo instead of your own or if you fall into nonprofit status). BaseCamp — especially if your projects are milestone and article-driven ($25/month) and Dooster, which is a free version with similar functionality, soon to sport mobile as well.

These selections, by no means, cover the universe of programs out there for project management, but the three named are the ones I believe a small business or creative professional can benefit from the most.  Oh, and one more thing.  If you have a business where sending scheduled reminders about upcoming tasks can really impress clients, a dedicated task tool (more simple than the project-based tools mentions above) such as Remember the Milk can work out very nicely. If reminders are sent to clients for a purpose that matches their own, they will feel personally-considered and remember this as a business service for a long time coming. This often translates into customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. Priceless.

Writing Your Way to a Sale

It takes me many edits to get to the beauty of a simple phrase. Could be because the nature of writing is reciprocal while my writing nature isn’t.  Let me explain that.  Typically, I want to indulge just the first part, to get down a cascade of thoughts and feelings, and take leave. But just beyond my word dumping lies a magical gang of invisible word mover volunteers who clean up my wordiness, rearrange my phrases, and ultimately reveal back to me a far simpler way of saying what’s on my mind.

I just have to stick around to witness meaning taking form.

But most of us don’t stick around and we think of writing in only one direction. We want to unload and call it a day. We feel our best bet is to use words that are familiar…and safe-feeling. Many of them are overused, like unique, or leading provider or robust system or cost effective. We copy those words because we’ll look like everyone else, slide in under the credibility radar. Except people glaze over the verbiage; and it doesn’t help sell for you.

So, what I find interesting are a new set of tools online that assess how gobbledygooky our writing can be. Hubspot has one. It’s called gobbledygook.grader.com. No kidding.

You cut and paste your text (whether it’s a press release, website copy, whatever), and it will spit back a score. That score will also be based on whether or not you’ve observed standard formatting. It’s great. Use it to match your creative masterpiece. It can’t hurt.