For a comic strip, this is pretty huge. Enabling user generated content or feedback to filter into a brand is something that companies struggle with on a daily basis. The fear, and reasonably so, is that if you give people the chance to talk about your brand they’ll say mean things.

Dilbert’s creators understand that people are already saying, and doing, much of what this new website offers and have made the decision to become a part of that conversation.  Good for them.  I wish more companies embraced this type of user feedback because an essential part of a product or service lifecycle is hearing what customers want and making the offering better. I know, it takes time and a lot of convincing to even get an audience to start the conversation, but it’s not going away anytime soon.

So what do users think about this 2.0 version of the Dilbert site? They think it sucks. Yep, that’s right, after all that hard work to add more features they want the old site back. Why? Loss of functionality and compatibility. Apparently the old site made it easier to view daily strips and find old ones.  Site creators have apparently been monitoring this feedback and added a blog post saying that they’re looking to make some changes in the next few weeks. User feedback rocks!

If you’ve never seen Microsoft Surface check out the video below.

AT&T has already started to roll these units out at some of their wireless stores, so it’s well worth a visit to check it out; and while you’re there, give yourself another reason to play with the iPhone.

When I began writing this post, my intent was to just share a cool new toy with everyone, but what really dawned on me was how fast things were changing, and how as an agency we’d be at the forefront designing these new types of experiences for consumers.

Ten years ago as a start-up agency, my universe was fairly limited to websites, emails, and the very sexy work of corporate extranets. Now we are diving into Second life, Facebook apps, mobile apps, and hopefully (with the blessing of a nice client) Microsoft Surface experiences. Digital experiences are becoming increasingly important. As an agency, the way we create strategies and design and develop them to their full potential needs to change and adapt all the time.

It’s fair to say that agencies sometimes dive into unknown territories - were no case studies exist, no proven numbers. It’s always a risk for both the client and the agency to dive into uncharted waters, but rewards are high when you nail it. The point I’m trying to make is that we, with our smart people and unbelievable clients, could in the near future have an opportunity to work on a project the involves Microsoft Surface or any other progressive digital experience. I guess this is why we all love working for an agency like Engauge, it’s the chance to work on something others might only read about.

If you want to get wowed by another Microsoft product check out Photosynth, it will blow you away.

On April 15th, we (those of us who are US citizens) “celebrated” Tax Day – a day when we file our annual tax returns. While I could go off on a rant about how privileged we are to pay to file our taxes electronically in this day and age, I’ll save that for another time.

Secondarily, I ran across an article on how blogging may kill you in the New York Times. The article references the sudden deaths of two well known bloggers and the near death experience of a third blogger (he survived a recent heart attack). The article speaks to the unhealthy lifestyle that these bloggers adopted. However, it does clarify that death by blogging has not reached an epidemic level. (Phew – I was starting to get worried!)

In all seriousness, reading the NYT article does raise an important life lesson: too much of anything is bad for you. While that clearly applies to standard activities such as eating, drinking, etc., it can also apply to software development work - since coding at an extreme pace for extended periods of time will earn you a fatigued, non-productive development team.

You see, software development is often equated to a runner’s sprint, where energy is expanded at the instant that the runner leaves the block (IOW, development project starts) and peaks until the runner crosses the finish line (IOW, the site/application launches). And while runners recognize that once the race is done they need to maintain movement, albeit at a slower pace, organizations/development leaders often struggle with letting the team slow down since there’s more work to be done. Right, there are new projects to complete, clients to serve and a business to run?!

While some developers are known to furiously code for days and nights and then just vanish off the radar, others have found that they can take a break by doing R&D work. Why R&D work? Well, the one common motivator in developers is that they have an insatiable appetite for learning and problem solving. It’s the developer mind-set (and some may say it is in the developer’s DNA). So assigning developers formal R&D time after a project enables them to take a crack at a new technique that they’ve read about but never had time to get it working. This is also a tenent of Agile software development, which we follow at Enguage and find helpful in getting projects done on time. So when developers seek a break, I’m thrilled that they focus on R&D work because it is development.

While this works for us, I’m wondering what else have you tried to give your mind a rest in between projects that still allows the company run like a business?

Being a Gen Y kid I have grown up with a video game in one hand and a computer in the other hand. So what’s the appeal of this game that makes me (and millions of other people) wait in front of a store for hours just to get it? Interactive game play.

The world that has been created by the Rockstar team is simply unbelievable. The amount of experiences that a user can have in this gaming world is amazing. For example, you can stand on a street corner and watch traffic, weather, people, and animals all interact with each other and with you all in a virtual world type of environment. The size of the city is mind boggling. In fact, there is such detail that you can roam most of the city and not run into the same character twice, which in the gaming world is very rare.

Truly the biggest appeal for me is the multiplayer component to this game - you and a group of friends can play in a match up to 16 players at one time! People can go to restaurants, clubs, bowling, pool halls, the beach … you name it, you can do it. The way the console makers and video game developers have teamed up to create a completely unique online experience may very well have changed the way we game forever. Fifteen years ago if you wanted to play with a friend you needed to be in front of a television together. Now, you just pop on Xbox Live or the PS3 Network and boom connected to millions of people.

To sum it all up this is a truely unique gaming experience with unlimited possibilities and it simply makes me very excited about the future of gaming and online interactivity.  But, it isn’t just me who thinks so. GTA IV is the first game in nearly a decade to receive a 10 out of 10 review from IGN. Impressive to say the least. Check out the full review.  

Honestly, I could ramble about how great this game is for hours, but I’ll let you find out for yourself. See you online and happy gaming!

Taxonomy - the study of the general principles of scientific classification - has been around for hundreds of years. In Web work, it’s generally the organization of contexts into logical groupings and hierarchies.

It’s those groupings that, in turn, help IAs determine navigation structures, metadata, even the very nomenclatures that are the foundation of Web usability best practices.

If you’ve ever been approached to help a client correct a truly horrific Web site, you’ve no doubt found that some (possibly much) of their pain points can be traced back to a poorly designed – or altogether missing – taxonomy.

Maybe it’s that those of us who build Web strategies have just come to see taxonomy as a “given” within the Information Architect’s toolset — something IAs employ but needn’t share with the rest of the creative team or [forbid!] the client.

Maybe people think taxonomy is just an issue for larger, content rich KM sites.

Maybe I’m not finding a lot out there because whoever is writing tomes on taxonomy best practices just isn’t remembering to add metadata to their articles.

Ok. That was a cheap shot. But where IS the supporting data in Taxonomy’s defense? I’m disappointed by just how little taxonomy information is out there on the Web. Do a search on your own and you’ll see examples for “Taxonomy best-practices” and rationales are few and far between.

As a creative body, IAs all too often struggle with clients who “just want to see the comps.” Client’s don’t realize how much of their bottom line rides on the contextual storylines inherent in the usability of the site.

The process of taxonomy creation is really much easier and effective than the name might imply. Yet, I’m amazed at how few IAs are given [or is it take?] the time to apply it. And I’ve [almost] never seen nor heard of a client demand a content outline as a deliverable.

I recall a previous colleague who was asked to design wireframes as the initial deliverable for a large eCommerce client. He produced very innovative wires complete with auxiliary navigations, functional buttons, web 2.0 components… the whole nine yards. The client was delighted with the results. After all, they were the pre-cursors to some beautiful graphics.

The site, however, was completely useless. By not first establishing a contextual format for the linear plots and subplots of the user experience, the navigation “buckets” we’re little more than a sloppy hodgepodge of disparate functions and features. The site’s organization lacked cohesion and the end users simply couldn’t build a mental storyline around its intended purpose.

That’s why, whether creating a new site or performing an audit on an existing one, I find reviewing the site’s taxonomics an invaluable starting point.

I begin with a literary outline based on the site’s overarching goals. Sound too old school for today’s hyper-connected world? You’d be amazed at how much mileage you can get by FIRST establishing the value of those straight pathways. It helps the client visualize those important “subplots” that will eventually become the site’s use cases. It also points out where there are potential holes or disparages in the client’s existing content sets and expectations. It also grounds them in reality that these areas of the site will need to be created AND maintained by someone in order to be successful.

More important, we’re helping rationalize and strengthen their business requirements – an important pre-visual practice before going to the expense of designing (and redesigning) wireframes or comps.

After all, isn’t the role of a good taxonomy advisor to SAVE the client some money?

• David Duncan, CEO of Paddywax, Inc. and President of The Atlanta Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)
• S. Dee Davis, CEO of Digital Visual Display Technologies, Inc.
• Mike Landman, Founder and CEO of Ripple, Inc.
• Jeff Hilimire, Co-Founder and President of Engauge Digital (formerly Spunlogic)

The event drew a large (100+) and diverse crowd of mostly students and entrepreneurs.  When one panelist asked how many in the room were business owners, about half of the hands were raised.  The dialogue was frank and provided insights into the reasoning and drive that helped each entrepreneur endure the challenges that business owners face.

The best way to disseminate the information that the seasoned entrepreneurs shared is to list out some of my favorite highlights from the panel (paraphrased by me).  David Duncan did a great job of moderating, so most of the answers did not come from him.

What is your best entrepreneurial advice?
Dee Davis: You have to lead by example and take the pulse of the business frequently.
Mike Landman: It is easy to take on more risk when you are young because you have less to risk.
Jeff Hilimire: You have to be “all in” to start a business.  There is no pressure for you to give the business a 100% chance when it is only a hobby.

How do you recommend building a team?
Dee Davis: You need a relatively flat structure when the company is young.
Mike Landman: We use a lot of pre-hire testing and multiple interviews.
Jeff Hilimire: Promoting from within is the best practice. 

What is the best advice you have been given?
Dee Davis: “Energy and persistence conquer all things” – Ben Franklin
“Get out of your comfort zone!” – Bob Parsons
Mike Landman: “Fight through the brick walls that are everywhere.” - Randy Pausch (Carnegie Mellon Professor)
Jeff Hilimire: “Lead by example” and “Passion, Intelligence, and Hard Work are the three most important traits of an entrepreneur.”

What is the one thing that you wish you knew when you started your business?
Dee Davis: I am not the smartest guy in the room, so try to fill the room with smart guys.
Mike Landman: Marketing and managing cash flow.
Jeff Hilimire: How to hire the right person.

What is your best marketing advice?
Dee Davis: Think in different ways from your competitors.  Get out there and meet people.
Mike Landman: Pick a small enough niche to become an expert in that space.
Jeff Hilimire: Become a thought leader and host private events that show off this leadership.

How do you go about finding the best sales person for your team?
Dee Davis: Incent your sales people REALLY well.  Some may make more than the CEO.
Mike Landman: Be your company’s best salesperson.
Jeff Hilimire: Find someone with skills, but who you are also really comfortable with, as they will be representing you! 

Jeff also gave a plug to yours truly, which was an unexpected bonus…

Everyone who attended the event was highly engaged, and they seemed very appreciative of the wisdom that the panel imparted.

(Panelists: S. Dee Davis, Mike Landman, and Jeff Hilimire)

(Emory Entrepreneurship Event Audience)

Suddenly a vision came to me and I thought I’d begin the process of voicing what awesome combinations of lunch could come forth from such a melding of quick service restaurant chains  (this would make Arbys + Wendy’s into #3 behind the other two - you know who they are).

Combo #1 - Beef ‘n Cheddar + Vanilla Frosty

And for the marketing spin, how’s this for a new tagline:  “I’m thinking this is WAAAAY better than McD and BK”  (it’s awful, I know, but it’s all I could conjure up on leftover lunch).

Happy Lunch Hour to all - would love to hear other visions of combos.

Click on the picture above, or visit this link to view the clip.

Would you be able to function on a day-to-day basis with no internet?

I get the impression you either love or hate this idea. Obviously I think it’s awesome, and so does Jeff Hilimire. But, one of my friends/coworkers pointed out that she would likely have a panic attack if she was exposed to this campaign unknowingly.

They placed a substance that would luminesce in black light on the walls, sink and mirror in a nightclub bathroom in Hamburg. The manner it was applied mimicked that of a crime scene.

Then they timed the traditional lighting in the room to replace with blacklight after a subject entered the room; exposing the “bloodbath” as well as the logo, tagline - See What Others Don’t See - and the web address of the television station.

Check out more pictures here. Talk about thinking outside the box; this is experiential marketing at its best. Maybe not passable in the US, but it definitely makes you think about what’s possible.

Ok, so maybe that title is a little dramatic, but I still feel like I’ve seen something that today is so foreign to most everyone but in 5 years will be completely commonplace.

For my recent birthday my mother, who I thought I had taught never to buy me any electronics for fear of reliving the “Mapping Software incident of 2003”, on her own judgment went and bought me the new Amazon Kindle.

The Kindle, if you aren’t up to speed on it, is Amazon’s answer to the digital book. Instead of buying paper books, you download them to your Kindle and read them on the device. It uses a new “inking” technology that basically makes the pages look as if they were printed in a book. Here’s a quick CNET video on it (or you can read a great Newsweek article on the Kindle):

I was pretty skeptical about it at first but having used this for a few days, it really is very easy to read on the device. I subscribed to the Atlanta Journal & Constitution as well as the Wall Street Journal and both arrive on the Kindle before I wake up, and when I read them I don’t get that ink all over my hands like you would with a newspaper. Plus I can highlight sections on it, look up the definition of words (for the WSJ, I’m not sure the AJC knows any big words) and save content for later. It’s been a blast using it so far.

So why do I think this is something that will be commonplace in a few years? Think about going to the beach for a week and having to pack 2 or 3 books. Think about kids in school having to carry big backpacks with all their books in them. If there was a device that was easy to read on and easy to download books, why wouldn’t we all shift over to this?

But the real reason I think this is the future is because of the greenness of it. Think of all the trees that would be saved if we didn’t have to print millions of books each year. Once Al Gore gets behind this thing, it’ll be as popular as when he invented the Internet.