Author Archives: markkolier

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About markkolier

Futurist, entrepreneur, left lane driver, baseball lover

Chinese version of Facebook – RenRen is and isn’t for everyone

Posted on May 6, 2011 by markkolier

One of the benefits to my studying Mandarin is recognizing some Chinese words and phrases. This week RenRen http://www.RenRen.com – a Chinese company raised $ 740 million in an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. RenRen in Chinese means … Continue reading →

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ZipCar and Hertz Connect – car sharing grows up

Posted on May 4, 2011 by markkolier

”Tis the season of IPO’s” and last week proved that with the offering of shares in car-sharing pioneer ZipCar. Nearly $ 175 million was raised creating a market cap of more than $ 600 million. The rent-as-you-need-it company founded in … Continue reading →

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Mobile phones are no longer the third screen

Posted on May 2, 2011 by markkolier

Having just returned from China and a trip to South Carolina I’ve had to use a mobile phone (it’s a Blackberry Storm) as my primary communication device for nearly two weeks. Although I won’t get into the problems that Research … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Customer Experiences, Mobile Communication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In person social networking is best

Posted on April 29, 2011 by markkolier

I got off the plane from China on Tuesday afternoon and was back at the airport Wednesday morning heading to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for what has become an annual sojourn (for at least the past 8 years give or … Continue reading →

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4 things I learned on my trip to Shenzhen, China that I did not know before

Posted on April 27, 2011 by markkolier

Now that I am back in the good ‘ol USA after a 22 hour travel from my Shenzhen hotel back to my office, I can reflect a bit on my latest trip to the Middle Kingdom. This trip far exceeded … Continue reading →

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China Never Sleeps

Posted on April 25, 2011 by markkolier

</aAs I am in my last full day in Shenzhen (this trip at least), I had a productive weekend and Sunday in particular. But I am far from the only one to be productive as Shenzhen is busy seemingly seven … Continue reading →

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Shenzhen, China – a truly modern city

Posted on April 22, 2011 by markkolier

What if you had the opportunity to start planning a city in the 1970’s? How different might it look than nearly all the large cities around the world? I’ve been in Shenzhen for the past two days and have received … Continue reading →

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OOH – Out of Home advertising in Asia is in your face

Posted on April 20, 2011 by markkolier

After a 15 ½ hour flight to Hong Kong from Newark my eyes are tired and a bit bloodshot. The efficiency of the transit system in Hong Kong (and Asia in general) is offset by the bright lights of outdoor … Continue reading →

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Why I want to help Chinese companies sell products to Americans

Posted on April 18, 2011 by markkolier

`When I was in Hong Kong last March with my good friend Tom Eastling he offered an idea – why don’t you help Chinese companies market their goods and services into the United States? The moment he said it I … Continue reading →

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A not so fun afternoon dealing with customer service at American Airlines and Verizon

Posted on April 15, 2011 by markkolier

Everyone I know that flies a lot has their own horror stories to tell. Everyone that has a mobile phone or mobile broadband service has complained about their carrier. While my experiences with American Airlines and Verizon yesterday would not … Continue reading →

Posted in Best business practices, Communication, Customer Experiences, Marketing stuff | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments