I am a big fan of iTunes and the iPod. We use Itunes as an additional way to distribute two of our TV shows to the masses. I am listening to my Ipod at 36,000 feet as I write this blog on my PC enroute to the Fly Fishing Retail Show in Denver where I will present our new AmericanAngler.com and FlyTyer.com filled with rich video edited on Final Cut on a Mac.
Over my career I have used both Apple and PC. My first computer was a Commodore Vic 20, but my first computer beyond games was an Apple IIe. To say I grew up on Apple is an understatement. I, unlike so may others, am thrilled that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has discounted the price of the iPhone. I wonder if this may lead to a more competitive pricing environment for other Apple products? The massive backlash by Apple loyalists to Steve’s recent decision is perplexing at best. It is sort of like the masses that were surprised when the iPhone had initial system and set-up issues. You Apple junkies want all of us to embrace your passions, yet you become distraught when we mention the price point of Mac use at a corporate level. Your commercials laugh at Vista, which my be truer than false, yet each year another OS for Mac comes out and my “Mac folks” line up at my door with their hand out for more cash. When I ask why I hear, “My God boss, the new version of Blah blah only runs on OS Blah, Blah.” So, now your leader, discounts the iPone and he is slapped, chastised and if you could, set in the public square and humiliated as the town loon?
I applaud Jobs for a job well done. At some point you have to realize that the sticker shock of Apple products is making it harder and harder to push through capital expenditure requests for their great products. This is not about little Suzy in her suburban bedroom where her parents dropped three grand on her Mac. As business people we have to fight every budget season to even keep Macs on our budget. Why, because they are so unreal in their pricing.
Steve, Mr. Jobs, take your great products to the next level. Do not be afraid by the stock market reaction to your decision. Do not falter in your ideals that the greatest customer is the one that will not only by your products, but the one that can afford them too.
The views of Ryan Dohrn are 100% personal in nature and do not represent the views of his employer, any other person, company or entity in any way. Any similarly is coincidental in nature.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Google and Amazon, will their e-books impact magazines?
Does the debut of the Kindle by Amazon.com mean digital magazines are one step closer to your bathroom? Will Google’s attempt at e-books mean that book and magazine printers will go bust?
The famous “3B test” is often called the litmus for whether digital magazines will succeed in the marketplace; bathroom, bus, beach. Will readers change their habits and carry their digital reader into the bathroom? Can the digital reader be seen in the sun on the beach? Is there enough wireless connectivity to read it on the bus? The answer to these questions is becoming much less a mystery every day.
The New York Times reports that Amazon in October will launch the Kindle, an e-book reader. The Kindle will run $400 to $500 and will connect wirelessly to an Amazon e-book store. The biggest flaw I find in this reader is its dependence on a proprietary software format rather than using a more widely accepted format like Adobe’s PDF. The New York Times further reports, “People familiar with the Kindle also have a few complaints. The device has a Web browser, but using it is a poor experience, because the Kindle’s screen, also from E Ink, does not display animation or color.”
In kind, Google will start charging users for access to digital copies of many of the online books that have, in the past, been free to view. It would seem that any time Google gets involved in any equation there is a winning touchdown very near. In most cases even the appearance of a thrown together beta test from Google has been well thought out and tested. For its part, Google has no plans to launch an eReader.
This conversation can not go much further without bringing up the Sony reader that has yet to make a huge splash in the main stream. However, because Sony has not released user numbers, one might speculate that their most recent promotion in some major cities leads to a quiet revolution of sorts for the product.
Peter Kafka, from the Silicon Alley Insider blogs, "There's no price advantage for consumers, either: Even though e-book titles cost much less than physical books to produce and distribute, Kindle -- terrible name! -- buyers will be asked to spend roughly the same amount on e-books as they do for traditional books. Otherwise publishers and authors won't sign off on the venture."
I will bet you a vanilla bean frappuccino that an enhanced magazine reader will be the next add on for the iPhone or the iTouch. Why? Apple is known for actually delivering what people want or what they never knew that they wanted until they held it in their hand. In addition, Apple displays color PDF's with clickable fields on almost all their devices.
The good news is this, those of us in the magazine business are safe. Designers, editors and publishers all have a job in the new world order. eReaders require great content, great design and well thought out editorial plans. There are some things a robot can not do well or at all.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/technology/06amazon.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1189170428-BHQZUnAHzimcbQSK5SFj7Q&oref=slogin
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2007/09/e-books-yet-aga.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frappuccino
The famous “3B test” is often called the litmus for whether digital magazines will succeed in the marketplace; bathroom, bus, beach. Will readers change their habits and carry their digital reader into the bathroom? Can the digital reader be seen in the sun on the beach? Is there enough wireless connectivity to read it on the bus? The answer to these questions is becoming much less a mystery every day.
The New York Times reports that Amazon in October will launch the Kindle, an e-book reader. The Kindle will run $400 to $500 and will connect wirelessly to an Amazon e-book store. The biggest flaw I find in this reader is its dependence on a proprietary software format rather than using a more widely accepted format like Adobe’s PDF. The New York Times further reports, “People familiar with the Kindle also have a few complaints. The device has a Web browser, but using it is a poor experience, because the Kindle’s screen, also from E Ink, does not display animation or color.”
In kind, Google will start charging users for access to digital copies of many of the online books that have, in the past, been free to view. It would seem that any time Google gets involved in any equation there is a winning touchdown very near. In most cases even the appearance of a thrown together beta test from Google has been well thought out and tested. For its part, Google has no plans to launch an eReader.
This conversation can not go much further without bringing up the Sony reader that has yet to make a huge splash in the main stream. However, because Sony has not released user numbers, one might speculate that their most recent promotion in some major cities leads to a quiet revolution of sorts for the product.
Peter Kafka, from the Silicon Alley Insider blogs, "There's no price advantage for consumers, either: Even though e-book titles cost much less than physical books to produce and distribute, Kindle -- terrible name! -- buyers will be asked to spend roughly the same amount on e-books as they do for traditional books. Otherwise publishers and authors won't sign off on the venture."
I will bet you a vanilla bean frappuccino that an enhanced magazine reader will be the next add on for the iPhone or the iTouch. Why? Apple is known for actually delivering what people want or what they never knew that they wanted until they held it in their hand. In addition, Apple displays color PDF's with clickable fields on almost all their devices.
The good news is this, those of us in the magazine business are safe. Designers, editors and publishers all have a job in the new world order. eReaders require great content, great design and well thought out editorial plans. There are some things a robot can not do well or at all.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/technology/06amazon.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1189170428-BHQZUnAHzimcbQSK5SFj7Q&oref=slogin
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2007/09/e-books-yet-aga.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frappuccino
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Brevity, the spice of life?
Ever said to your self, I sure wish I could get an extra hour in my day. I could get so much more done. We’ll my friends the answer is just a few short words away. I will try and be brief.
I was recently on a business trip to Anchorage, Alaska. ( More online at http://www.chatalaska.com/ ) My biological clock got messed up after just 72 hours in the “last frontier”. Great place to visit by the way. So, the last week I have been suffering from a small fit of insomnia. Now, before you true sufferers of this horrific disorder blow up my e-mail box, let me say that after just a few nights of “suffering” I feel your pain, in a mild way. Sort of like a gnat. Gnats are just annoying enough to bother you, but not bad enough to waste much time killing the nagging insect. Oh great, now all you gnat lovers out there will blow up my e-mail box. Lol. To my point, I have recently spent many late night hours watching cable television. I have come to a realization of what is missing in today’s society…. Brevity! What would be so wrong with an intelligent individual assembling a simple, concise comment about a particular topic? Meetings without chairs is a great start, but that only works if the guy talking is willing to stop when his legs go numb. Brevity does not even appear in Wikipedia as a word to be defined rather as a definition of a comic strip. What? Something missing from Wikipedia? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brevity )
From http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/brevity
brev·i·ty Pronunciation: 'bre-v&-tEFunction: nounInflected Form(s): plural -tiesEtymology: Latin brevitas, from brevis: shortness of duration; especially : shortness or conciseness of expression
Do you recall in that recent political debate where one of the candidates answer to a complex question was just, “No.”? That got a lot of press. Why? Because it is so rare to hear someone exercise brevity. The new web site http://www.Twitter.com is all about communicating in short text from wherever you are. I think the point of Twitter.com is just my point. Please cut down the bush, we are all tired of you beating it. Just cut it down.
Now that this post is getting over 1,000 words to my exact point. I am going to be more brief. I would encourage you to be more brief. I think we all need to learn how brevity could make our daily lives better. Here is an oath you may wish to pass around, “I _______ promise to be more concise, more deliberate and more brief in all I do. I promise not to provoke others to long winded answers. I promise to share my passion for brevity with others I meet in life and my career. I further promise to spend the time I gain from being brief with my kids, my spouse and my God.” (Insert, dog, cat or hobby if you are single or do not believe in a higher power.)
As a matter of proving a point I am not even going to finish this blog pos………..
ttfn
I was recently on a business trip to Anchorage, Alaska. ( More online at http://www.chatalaska.com/ ) My biological clock got messed up after just 72 hours in the “last frontier”. Great place to visit by the way. So, the last week I have been suffering from a small fit of insomnia. Now, before you true sufferers of this horrific disorder blow up my e-mail box, let me say that after just a few nights of “suffering” I feel your pain, in a mild way. Sort of like a gnat. Gnats are just annoying enough to bother you, but not bad enough to waste much time killing the nagging insect. Oh great, now all you gnat lovers out there will blow up my e-mail box. Lol. To my point, I have recently spent many late night hours watching cable television. I have come to a realization of what is missing in today’s society…. Brevity! What would be so wrong with an intelligent individual assembling a simple, concise comment about a particular topic? Meetings without chairs is a great start, but that only works if the guy talking is willing to stop when his legs go numb. Brevity does not even appear in Wikipedia as a word to be defined rather as a definition of a comic strip. What? Something missing from Wikipedia? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brevity )
From http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/brevity
brev·i·ty Pronunciation: 'bre-v&-tEFunction: nounInflected Form(s): plural -tiesEtymology: Latin brevitas, from brevis: shortness of duration; especially : shortness or conciseness of expression
Do you recall in that recent political debate where one of the candidates answer to a complex question was just, “No.”? That got a lot of press. Why? Because it is so rare to hear someone exercise brevity. The new web site http://www.Twitter.com is all about communicating in short text from wherever you are. I think the point of Twitter.com is just my point. Please cut down the bush, we are all tired of you beating it. Just cut it down.
Now that this post is getting over 1,000 words to my exact point. I am going to be more brief. I would encourage you to be more brief. I think we all need to learn how brevity could make our daily lives better. Here is an oath you may wish to pass around, “I _______ promise to be more concise, more deliberate and more brief in all I do. I promise not to provoke others to long winded answers. I promise to share my passion for brevity with others I meet in life and my career. I further promise to spend the time I gain from being brief with my kids, my spouse and my God.” (Insert, dog, cat or hobby if you are single or do not believe in a higher power.)
As a matter of proving a point I am not even going to finish this blog pos………..
ttfn
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Can we learn something from Anna Nicole Smith?
As a manager I am never surprised by the things that draw my team's attention. Most recently, the death of Anna Nicole Smith.
It seems odd to me that so many people are surprised over the media attention surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith. On NBC Nightly News, Brian Williams said (In my own words,rd) many of us found it unusual when all the cable news channels went a frenzy when it was learned that Anna Nicole Smith was pronounced dead. Then he and his staff went on to not only have a live shot from Florida, but a fairly detailed report. Are we all embarrassed to admit our infatuation with celebrities and their lives?
At the news stand the number of celebrity driven magazines has risen to over 35 from only 7 some 10 years ago. Can you honestly say you have never read the National Enquirer while waiting in the line at the store only to put it back either when someone caught you reading or when you truly realized how much you were enjoying the article. Despite the tremendous advances in technology allowing us to play games beyond our childhood comprehensions and over 255 cable channels we still feel like we lead boring lives. Is this perhaps because we are all over medicated and over committed? We look toward celebrities for the bizarre, the macabre, maybe the life we wish we had the nerve to lead. I have found myself thinking about that life on many occasions.
Have you seen the TV show High Maintenance 90210 on E!? This is a reality based program where normal Joe's like you and me get jobs working for celebrities or the social elite in Beverly Hills. I think, how can these people waste this much money on such worthless things. I watched a woman drop $20,000 on a necklace and $1,000 on an ugly sweatshirt. YIKES. It is so easy for all of us to say, if I had that kind of money I would donate it to charity or do something good with it.... would you really? Cause, I would catch myself saying the same thing, but putting actions to those words when $20,000 is in my grubby little hands would be tough. Why is this show a hit? Simple. We "normal folk" like to see how the social elite live. We love to chatter about it at work. We wish the chance to live that life if for just one day.
I guess, the purpose of this entry in my blog is to say that I am not surprised at all over the attention that this story has gotten from the media. Fact is, we are drawn to the "odd" in life. Maybe in some ways, I feel for Anna. So, are there any lessons to be drawn from her death? Considering our national life expectancy is over 67 years, the old adage that you may be gone tomorrow, so live life to its fullest today is a bit over rated?
Since this is a blog on management growth, perhaps my advice is to get in touch with the things of today so we can better relate to our teams that seem to get younger each day. To be honest, Survivor and American Idol are pretty good shows. Other than that, perhaps as managers we need to work to create an environment that makes people feel secure and a part of something bigger. Perhaps then, people will not have to dream so far beyond their cubicle.
It seems odd to me that so many people are surprised over the media attention surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith. On NBC Nightly News, Brian Williams said (In my own words,rd) many of us found it unusual when all the cable news channels went a frenzy when it was learned that Anna Nicole Smith was pronounced dead. Then he and his staff went on to not only have a live shot from Florida, but a fairly detailed report. Are we all embarrassed to admit our infatuation with celebrities and their lives?
At the news stand the number of celebrity driven magazines has risen to over 35 from only 7 some 10 years ago. Can you honestly say you have never read the National Enquirer while waiting in the line at the store only to put it back either when someone caught you reading or when you truly realized how much you were enjoying the article. Despite the tremendous advances in technology allowing us to play games beyond our childhood comprehensions and over 255 cable channels we still feel like we lead boring lives. Is this perhaps because we are all over medicated and over committed? We look toward celebrities for the bizarre, the macabre, maybe the life we wish we had the nerve to lead. I have found myself thinking about that life on many occasions.
Have you seen the TV show High Maintenance 90210 on E!? This is a reality based program where normal Joe's like you and me get jobs working for celebrities or the social elite in Beverly Hills. I think, how can these people waste this much money on such worthless things. I watched a woman drop $20,000 on a necklace and $1,000 on an ugly sweatshirt. YIKES. It is so easy for all of us to say, if I had that kind of money I would donate it to charity or do something good with it.... would you really? Cause, I would catch myself saying the same thing, but putting actions to those words when $20,000 is in my grubby little hands would be tough. Why is this show a hit? Simple. We "normal folk" like to see how the social elite live. We love to chatter about it at work. We wish the chance to live that life if for just one day.
I guess, the purpose of this entry in my blog is to say that I am not surprised at all over the attention that this story has gotten from the media. Fact is, we are drawn to the "odd" in life. Maybe in some ways, I feel for Anna. So, are there any lessons to be drawn from her death? Considering our national life expectancy is over 67 years, the old adage that you may be gone tomorrow, so live life to its fullest today is a bit over rated?
Since this is a blog on management growth, perhaps my advice is to get in touch with the things of today so we can better relate to our teams that seem to get younger each day. To be honest, Survivor and American Idol are pretty good shows. Other than that, perhaps as managers we need to work to create an environment that makes people feel secure and a part of something bigger. Perhaps then, people will not have to dream so far beyond their cubicle.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
James Brown vs. Your Legacy
It is hard not let the more recent criminal news surrounding James Brown shadow my thoughts of his legacy now that he has died. After watching the news, it would appear that I am not alone. Last week when I knew he would be passing out toys in Augusta, just three blocks from my office, I thought of stopping in to see him in person. Never giving it a moments thought that this year would be his last. I guess, in this moment of media bliss(lol), I might suggest a modification to the age old "golden rule". Perhaps a new twist that may say, "Share about peoples lives the way you would want others to share about you." No matter what you do, your legacy will have to be delivered by others. That is a bit scary if you ask me. Brown's death makes me stop to ponder my own.
What do you hope people will say and remember about you when you are gone? There are many stages in your life and career that should cause you to stop and take a moment to ponder. As a manager, you need to always be thinking of what your management legacy will be. What are you doing today that will impact others tomorrow.
Famous CEO Jack Welch and others like him, wrote countless times that your business legacy should be as important as your personal legacy. In many cases the two will be like a fine dancer and his partner. Each matching the other step for step. If I were to resign today, what would my team say about me? Your actions each day impact those around you in more ways than you can imagine. Do you give decisions enough thought or do you want your legacy to be one of quick decisions? Do you have a basis for the decisions you make or do you fly by the seat of your pants? Is your planning about today, tomorrow or ten years from now?
There are a lot of people that say they do not care what people think of them. I wonder if people that say that really mean it? Do they truly know what they are saying? Do they understand the impact that type of thought process can have on the direction of their daily lives?
I care what others think, especially when it comes to my team and the way I manage my team. In more recent days I have come to wonder if I have made mistakes in my management initiatives. We have seen tremendous success in many areas and serious losses in others. Have I been to easy? Have I not micro-managed enough? Have I given people enough rope to hang themselves, but put the noose to close to the ground that there feet could touch just enough to keep their careers alive? A wiser man than me said, "The mere fact that you are asking yourselves these questions means you care. Never stop asking those questions."
Overall, I try to see the best in people. When I am gone from my management position, when I pass on to the next place in my career, I hope that others will say, "He gave me the power to do my job. He gave me the freedom to be creative. He gave me direction so that I could shine. He never stole my thunder. He publicly applauded my efforts. I wish I had another boss like him."
As this year comes to a close, I can say I have found another "golden rule", lead people the way you would want to be lead. Live the legacy you wish to leave.
James Brown is an American icon. Period. We all make mistakes. I should consider myself priveledged to just know that I work in a town that he called home. I should relish the times his car passed me by as I walked Broad street. Why? Because there is one thing that the media has never debated or forgot to mention... James Brown, "The hardest working man in show business. " This was his self-proclaimed slogan. He said it, he belived it, he lived it and now others will say it beyond his grave. Legacy? Perhaps. If nothing else, just a small part of what he left behind.
What do you hope people will say and remember about you when you are gone? There are many stages in your life and career that should cause you to stop and take a moment to ponder. As a manager, you need to always be thinking of what your management legacy will be. What are you doing today that will impact others tomorrow.
Famous CEO Jack Welch and others like him, wrote countless times that your business legacy should be as important as your personal legacy. In many cases the two will be like a fine dancer and his partner. Each matching the other step for step. If I were to resign today, what would my team say about me? Your actions each day impact those around you in more ways than you can imagine. Do you give decisions enough thought or do you want your legacy to be one of quick decisions? Do you have a basis for the decisions you make or do you fly by the seat of your pants? Is your planning about today, tomorrow or ten years from now?
There are a lot of people that say they do not care what people think of them. I wonder if people that say that really mean it? Do they truly know what they are saying? Do they understand the impact that type of thought process can have on the direction of their daily lives?
I care what others think, especially when it comes to my team and the way I manage my team. In more recent days I have come to wonder if I have made mistakes in my management initiatives. We have seen tremendous success in many areas and serious losses in others. Have I been to easy? Have I not micro-managed enough? Have I given people enough rope to hang themselves, but put the noose to close to the ground that there feet could touch just enough to keep their careers alive? A wiser man than me said, "The mere fact that you are asking yourselves these questions means you care. Never stop asking those questions."
Overall, I try to see the best in people. When I am gone from my management position, when I pass on to the next place in my career, I hope that others will say, "He gave me the power to do my job. He gave me the freedom to be creative. He gave me direction so that I could shine. He never stole my thunder. He publicly applauded my efforts. I wish I had another boss like him."
As this year comes to a close, I can say I have found another "golden rule", lead people the way you would want to be lead. Live the legacy you wish to leave.
James Brown is an American icon. Period. We all make mistakes. I should consider myself priveledged to just know that I work in a town that he called home. I should relish the times his car passed me by as I walked Broad street. Why? Because there is one thing that the media has never debated or forgot to mention... James Brown, "The hardest working man in show business. " This was his self-proclaimed slogan. He said it, he belived it, he lived it and now others will say it beyond his grave. Legacy? Perhaps. If nothing else, just a small part of what he left behind.
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