All these technology applications and yet people still play Solitaire and Scrabble?

Posted on October 6, 2010 by markkolier

We all know now that the iPad has changed the world. A blurb in Ad Age today noted that Oprah (who is a big fan of the iPad and gave everyone on her magazine staff one this year) offered her ‘favorite’ iPad applications. For whatever reason, people seem obsessed with lists of things that Oprah says she likes (books etc.).

Scrabble was one of Oprah’s favorite iPad apps. When I rode the train in yesterday to New York I sat across from a gentlemen wearing headphones, using an iPad. What was he doing? Playing Scrabble. I thought it a bit odd at the time since with the cool 3G access he could have been doing so many things and yet he chose to play good ol’ Scrabble. Full disclosure – I LOVE SCRABBLE! But I’ve only played online once or twice and it did not do it for me. We still have an old fashioned Scrabble game with the wood tiles.

Since I also travel by airplane a great deal I watch what people do while sitting in their seats. What I see often is work being done but I also see many people playing Solitaire on their computer. Your next question will no doubt have something to do with, ‘how old are these people’? Ok they are not 25 or 30 as far as I can tell. But many are not much older than that.

It amazes me. And also makes me think – what does that mean? With all these increasingly cool technology tools where people can interact in real time on their iPad or web-enabled computer while flying, people seem to want to tune out and do things reminiscent of a simpler time.

Are we perhaps suffering from device overkill? Can we possibly use all of these useful yet complex tools and applications that are being developed by the second from all corners of the world? How much is enough? How much is too much?

I don’t have an iPad as yet. I do want one and have thought about how it could help make me more productive. I envision it being particularly useful when riding the train to and from New York from the suburbs such that I would not have to carry my heavy laptop all the time. And all the apps I could load – the Kindle app for reading, magazines to keep up with things that interest me could make it even more useful than a laptop itself. (Although typing on the iPad looks like a big pain in the neck – literally, so I’d need to have a plug in keyboard).

But I wonder if I’d end up putting the Scrabble application on my iPad and while away the time trying to unplug from the world while at the same time being plugged in?

How about you? Do you play Scrabble or Solitaire on your computer or laptop? If so why?

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‘The Social Network’ Movie is not a bad reflection on Mark Zuckerberg

Posted on October 4, 2010 by markkolier

One has to keep in mind that ‘The Social Network’ was only a dramatization. Based on the book – ‘The Accidental Billionaire’ by Ben Mezrich I was led to believe that the movie portrayed founder (or co-founder) Mark Zuckerberg in a thoroughly unfavorable light. I saw the movie this weekend and did not have that impression at all. And I thought the movie was very well done.

Mr. Mezrich’s book is written from co-founder Eduardo Saverin’s perspective. Since Mr. Saverin was reputedly cast aside by Mr. Zuckerberg, would you expect a warm and fuzzy depiction of the guy whose idea it was? Mr. Saverin reportedly was issued a $1 billion settlement which is not chump change although far less than the $25 billion estimated share value of Mr. Zuckerberg’s stock.

With the team of Executive Producer Kevin Spacey, writer Aaron Sorkin and Director David Fincher, I did not expect to see Jessie Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg to show a well adjusted normal Harvard sophomore. Genius inventors do not often behave as normal functioning members of society. And keep in mind that Mr. Zuckerberg with his 1,600 on his SAT’s, was a stellar student at Harvard and he came up with the idea at age 19. How well adjusted are most 19 year olds when thrust into the limelight?

And the case for the notion that Mr. Zuckerberg stole the idea from the dynamic duo of Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss is a weak one at best. The dynamic duo, manage to get paid off in the end but more to make them go away than anything else. When big money is at stake the lawyers end up being big winners too.
So Mr. Zuckerberg is s social misfit. So was Mozart. And so was Einstein. The concept that he wanted to climb the Harvard social ladder and get a few girls along the way is more than plausible and totally normal as far as I am concerned.

Through it all Mr. Zuckerberg shows a steadfast lack of concern for money (he passed on selling his an MP3 concept to Microsoft and released it to the public free of charge) while at the same time protecting the things that make Facebook ‘cool’ – as put forth by Justin Timberlake’s Sean Parker character.

What I find most cool about Facebook is that whether you are Bill Gates or Joe Plumber on Facebook EVERYONE is equal. You cannot buy your way into influence or notoriety. That to me is protecting the core principal. I’ve thought a lot recently about what if Facebook decided to charge $1/ month per member? That would be $6 billion a year. Even $1/year would generate $500 million annually and that number is only going up. Or Facebook could charge for ‘Premium Access’ – whatever that would mean or be. And people would pay – oh yes people would most definitely pay.

But Mr. Zuckerberg has resisted all that. Yes he has stumbled. Remember Facebook Beacon? How about the recent Facebook privacy issues? But Mr. Zuckerberg is a 26 year old billionaire who is figuring it out as he goes along. He has a solid COO in Sheryl Sandberg helping him now and that was a very good move.

The only other question I have is why they did not call the movie – Social Network and drop ‘The’?

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The U.S. fight on China’s currency is nothing but a political showcase

Posted on October 1, 2010 by markkolier

Although it’s been two weeks since I returned from China I am now totally engaged in developing our sinomarketingus.com division. I am being tutored by a terrific woman Grace (her American name) twice a week and my head is swimming with Chinese words and phrases day and night.

At this same time I am also focused (in this blog) on marketing, new media, personal technology, and social networking. So my challenge was to find a way to reconcile the China interest with the blog raison d’etre.

This week I saw the new ads for the Amazon Kindle 3G. In fact one of our team members had one in her office fresh and new and being charged. It looked really cool. I had severe device envy since I have the ORIGINAL kindle. The one I paid $399 for three years ago when it debuted. And I was so proud to be an early adopter.

If you are paying any attention to the news this week you’ve heard about the tiff that China and the United States are currently engaged in over China’s currency policy.

And then the idea came to me – why not do both in the same post?

The Amazon Kindle (like many technology devices) is made in China. Today you can buy a better Kindle than the one I bought for less than half of the cost. I really like Amazon.com as a company as I’ve noted in earlier blog posts. Yet the refusal by Amazon.com to reach out to early adopters (or any prior buyers for that matter) with ANY kind of offer for the latest technology is stunning to me. If Amazon would come out and offer me a NEW Kindle for $159? $129 $99? I would take them up on the offer and likely offer my current edition to someone else in my family. What would be the result? For one thing they’d have another new potential customer to buy books from Amazon on the Kindle. And this current customer could then crow about the new technology and how Amazon keeps on working to make things better and better. But…No.

OK, so where does the China-U.S. currency spat figure in? It’s obvious this is a political issue in front of mid-term elections. This week the House of Representatives in an ‘unusually confrontational’ manner voted to give the Obama administration expanded authority to impose tariffs on virtually all Chinese imports into the United States. The thinking being that China in holding down the value of the Yuan, (or RNB – Renminbi), which is making their goods less expensive to sell into the United States while at the same time making U.S. goods more expensive in China. Supposedly this in turn hampers the creation of jobs in the United States.

I readily understand that the value of the RNB has to be allowed to rise to a more ‘natural’ level. But imposing tariffs on Chinese-made goods like Chinese made tires is not going to help make things better for Americans. The Chinese are unlikely to respond to U.S. admonitions and penalties other than to boycott American goods and services. And how would that make things better?

What makes more sense to me is to continue to work with other nations such as Japan (ok they are having their own issues with China right now), and European nations that are insisting that China halt the ‘manipulation’ of its currency. It will take longer but it has a much better chance of success in the long run. And the Chinese are all about the long run.

So the Amazon Kindle may get to be more expensive at least in the short term – but probably not. This is all political rhetoric and grandstanding to capture American votes in front of important mid-term elections.

Do you really think putting tariffs of 105% on Chinese goods coming into the United States will create any American jobs?

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Skype and Facebook together – why didn’t I think of that?

Posted on September 29, 2010 by markkolier

In Kara Swisher’s (http://kara.allthingsd.com) excellent Boomtown blog today she offered an ‘exclusive’ that Skype and Facebook are close to a deal. Kara started out with ‘You didn’t think Facebook would integrate with Google (GOOG) Voice, did you?’ I love that! But what immediately struck me was – why didn’t I think of that?

Per Kara, according to her sources close to the situation, Facebook and Skype are poised to announce a significant and wide-ranging partnership that will include integration of SMS, voice chat and Facebook Connect.

According to the post, Facebook’s goal, (according to sources) is to mesh communications and community more tightly together and add more tools to allow users to do so. And FB was not going to create an internet telephone service anyway.

With more than 120 million people using Skype at least once a month and 560 million registered users, the 500 million Facebook users would now be able to use it more seamlessly within Skype.

That will include allowing users to SMS and call Facebook friends from Skype, which will now deploy Facebook Connect. It all will be available in Skype’s newest version, 5.0, which emerges from beta in a few weeks. This is a big win for the Luxembourg-based Skype, who is supposedly readying a public offering.
Skype, while dominating the online calling arena is being proactive and realizes that it needs to be present where users are now moving, such as FB. And for Facebook, this is also helpful to its international push, making it more appealing globally since Skype is much more popular outside the U.S. It would make sense for both Skype and FB to integrate the partnership into their popular mobile apps too.

I use Skype more and more often now, particularly since we are actively pursuing business in China, Asia and beyond. It’s really a very useful tool and only getting better. I was at the OMMA conference yesterday in New York and David Kenny spoke about HD video chat being the next BIG thing. Skype is poised and ready to jump on that opportunity.

I was a bit concerned about Oovoo.com moving in on Skype’s territory but Oovoo.com has done little to make any real headway. This likely partnership between Skype and FB puts Skype far out in front and is a game changer as far as I am concerned.

But I keep asking myself – why didn’t I think of that?

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Instapaper – do you want be the editor of your own personal e-newspaper?

Posted on September 27, 2010 by markkolier

As a voracious consumer of information both online and offline I am finding it increasingly difficult to keep track of all the articles and stories that interest me. In fact it gets so bad sometimes that I find out halfway through an article that it is a different iteration of the same article with a different slant or skin.

To add to all that, even with all that I read I feel like I am missing things that I wished I would have read. Maybe there is now a solution. I can now create my own personal e-newspaper, using the Instapaper platform. I guess the name is okay, but the idea seems like it has a lot of merit.

In an article in the New York Times last week http://nyti.ms/dyVlV5 it was noted the founder Marco Arment created Instapaper for himself but his friends began asking about gaining access to his service. Mr. Arment had not apparently quit his day job (CTO at Tumblr) until just recently. He has not yet gone to outside financing either preferring to self-fund. At least for the present time.

Instapaper has an iPhone app as well as an I-Pad app. To date there are no plans for an Android or BlackBerry application although Mr. Arment has discussed an HTML 5 web versions that would cover Android devices. To put it simply, Instapaper takes online article content and saves it on your bookmarked toolbar.

There is competition in this ‘space’. Readitlater and InstaFetch (for Android devices) have been around for a while but the early buzz is that Instapaper is a preferable platform. As a BlackBerry user I am not feeling the love here at all.

If Instapaper gains in popularity Google Chrome to Phone has something to lose here. So I am wondering WWGD? We know Google can easily crush such an unfunded and under-resourced entrepreneur like a bug.

But I think there’s something so cool about one guy coming up with a concept, developing it and trying to make it work for everyone else as well as himself.

Will he make it? Would you buy the app?

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Do you run your business like it is 1999?

Posted on September 24, 2010 by markkolier

In thinking about today’s post I was determined to not post about what’s dominating my thoughts lately – China. I was having a little trouble and then I went to get my hair cut. I really like the woman who both owns the shop and cuts my hair.

Liz and I often talk about her business (she’s been running it for close to two years now after taking it over from the guy who used to cut my hair). I ask questions, she asks questions and the conversations are interesting and the time (only about a half hour) passes quickly. I look forward not only to having my hair cut but catching up with her.

Today when I walked in things were a bit different than what is customarily the case. Usually Liz is waiting for me (I am always on time) and like clockwork 30 minutes later I am walking out the door next appointment in hand. But today there were lots of people milling about – hairdressers (no barbers here folks) finishing up a number of customer ‘do’s’, and Liz had someone in the chair. She looked at me and almost apologetically rolled her eyes as she could tell I am not accustomed to waiting and probably don’t like to wait (she’s right).

But no big deal as it a rarity that I have to wait for any time at all. However as I sat and watched what was going on I observed several things.

1) More hairdressers than I can ever remember working – looks like Liz’s business is growing (no hair jokes here for all you bald readers out there)
2) There was not a computer in sight. They have no website, no Facebook page, no blog, no advertising of any kind. Business is word of mouth and people driving by who might walk in.
3) I know that she has an answering machine to take calls when there’s nobody in the shop or when the hairdressers are too busy cutting hair.

There was money changing hands and a hubbub around the desk as it seemed at least 3 people were finished at the same time and there is one central area (pictured above) where appointments are made and kept by hand in an old-fashioned appointment book. I watched with wonder as there was no point of sale system, no automated appointment system and everything was being done the way it had always been done and the way salons operated five, ten, even fifty years ago.

I asked Liz how she kept track of everything. ‘It’s not like I don’t think about it all the time and I know we are getting busier but I just haven’t done anything about it yet’. She even agreed that she was running the place like it was 1999 (my words not hers).

But here’s the thing. The customers were happy. They had that one to one personal connection with their individual hairdresser. That connection with customers is really what makes a place like Liz & Company special and why they keep coming back for more. Look, if the client gets a lousy haircut, or bad coloring job they are going to complain and either get it fixed to their satisfaction or look somewhere else. Operator competency is a given when it comes to getting your hair cut or done.

The difference maker is the relationship you have with the person who cuts your hair. If you don’t like that person I guarantee you will find someone else even if you are ok with the way they cut your hair.
Liz knows she can get a POS (point of sale) system that will track appointments, revenue and offer a dashboard so she can better evaluate the performance of her business. She can also hire an administrative person (she does not have one now) to manage the process. But will she?

So the question is – should you run your business like 1999 if your customers are happy with the way things are?

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Marketing in China is by the numbers

Posted on September 22, 2010 by markkolier

I’ve posted 6 blogs about China and this is the last one for a while. I am planning my next visit and what needs to be done in order for our agency to succeed in helping Chinese companies market into the United States.

The numbers in China are almost hard to fathom. China has over 500 million that are internet users, over 300 million watch online video, nearly 800 million (http://bit.ly/bPPMqs) mobile internet users. While the CPM model has been dying a slow death here in the United States (and I say thankfully), it is alive and very well in China. Why? Because marketing in China does not need to advance past the CPM model right now.

This is not to suggest that there are not analytics companies in China or that they lack the ability to do deep drill downs of customer data and customer segmentation. It’s simply that there is no need for detailed analytics when the numbers coming into the funnel as the numbers continue to rise as fast as they have in this and in recent years.

When you consider the fact that there are half a billion Chinese on the internet that means that there are 900 million Chinese who are not yet on the web. Granted many of those are located in remote areas and are thoroughly unconcerned about internet access as having electricity and hot water is a much greater concern. But that will change. And as the world flattens (apologies to Tom Friedman) they too will be potentially connected on the web if not on mobile.

Professor Scott Galloway (founder Red Envelope) says that you can get just about everything else wrong but if you get China right you can still be a huge winner. The numbers certainly don’t lie.

It’s the wild, wild, west in China right now with ecommerce and interactive land grabbing reminiscent of the Oklahoma land rush of the 1880’s. An article in today’s New York Times (http://nyti.ms/cMXtUy) reported that a Dr. Oz. type show is being readied for broadcast in China. Also, that there are more than 850 million Chinese who watch television. To have a #1 show in China would result in 80 million viewers. Yet it’s only 1% of the viewing audience. 80 million viewers – that’s close to Super Bowl numbers!

It’s an exciting time and one that offers great opportunities for growth for companies that are ready to step and be counted. After all like I said, in China it’s all about the numbers.

Does this impress you as much as it impresses me?

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Chinese Government Security is not always as tight as you think

Posted on September 20, 2010 by markkolier

Before I left for China I was told a number of different things about the levels of security – my ability to use Facebook (or lack thereof), ability to visit websites like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and YouTube.

As you can see from the photo, security is not always quite as tight as I would have expected. The photo was of a security guard in a building in Shanghai out of the center city.

In the hotels where I stayed there was full access to all sites I tried to access. Facebook, YouTube, NY Times and Wall Street Journal were all readily accessible. However when I was traveling from Shanghai to Beijing we went out of the commuter airport in Hongqiao (Hong-zhio) and when I used the ‘free’ internet access all of those sites were blocked. So internet access is somewhat dependant on geography – or so it appears.

The Chinese government does monitor internet traffic and individual behavior to some degree but I don’t believe at an individual level unless that individual has distinguished him or herself as a person of interest as the saying goes.

Nor did I see the cameras in the trees as I did while in Singapore ten years ago. That was really creepy. The Singaporean authorities had video cameras everywhere and our friends in Singapore noted that ‘they know when you come and they know when you go’. I guess it’s just that much more difficult when you are trying to somehow monitor the comings and goings of 1,400,000,000 people.

There were police cars and sirens and policemen around but I felt a much greater police presence while I was in Hanoi earlier this year. And in no way did I find the police presence off-putting or intimidating in China.

I’m not attempting to represent that the Chinese government does not shut down things it does not like. It does and keeps things as quiet as it can but today’s media outlets have much greater reach and penetration than ever before and it seems that eventually things do come to light – even unpleasant things that do not depict the Chinese government in a positive way.

But all in all the two major cities I visited seemed like – major cities – the same as anywhere I’ve visited around the world. I always felt safe and never had the feeling I was being ‘watched’.

What are your thoughts on China – have you been there yourself? If so what did you think? If not do you want to visit it more than before?

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Chinese people will surprise and delight you

Posted on September 16, 2010 by markkolier

This is my last morning here in China for this trip. And it’s a beautiful day in Shanghai. Yesterday after two really good meetings in the city we headed to Wuxi (pronounced wushi) by fast train. Traveling at roughly 180MPH (just over 300KM/hour) we raced through the suburbs of Shanghai and then the fields and country between the two cities.

The roughly 90 mile trip took about a half hour. The cost for a first class ticket was 100RNB – about U.S. $ 7.00 each way. My new friend Yufu made all the arrangements. Between he and Elizabeth they managed to get us not only in but seated at the VIP table at a Chinese banquet. We were at a conference – the 2nd Chinese (Wuxi) Renewable Energy Conference Solar Power Exhibition. http://www.crecexpo.com. The conference is to start today and I regret that I had to leave and head back as attending it (and we were implored to do so) would have been both fascinating and a great learning experience. It’s an initiative that is at the top of mind for Chinese and Americans alike.

Before I really knew what was happening I was sitting in a chair with my name next to it in VIP area shaking hands with the deputy mayor of Wuxi (a city of 4 million people with another 1MM in the nearby area) and listening to the mayor (thankfully it was translated) another new friend William Allen who is Chairman of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Mr. Allen at dinner and it turns out we were classmates at USC.

As I sat and listened to the proceedings and then participated in my first formal Chinese banquet all I could think of was ‘how the heck did I get here?’ I met many, many, people and handed out and received a plethora of business cards. I now have a host of new contacts in China and in the United States and all due to the generous nature of a Chinese friend whom I’ve only known a short t time (I met Yufu in Los Angeles about a month ago).

During the Cultural Revolution in China (1966-76) what photos Americans like me saw were pictures of Chinese people all dressed the same, looking dour and even unhappy. In meeting Chinese people here in Shanghai in Beijing and in Wuxi I found them to be warm, helpful, and truly concerned about me and the experience I was having while in China.

So many people wanted to meet me and find out what I did, why I was there, and what I thought of China. Well it’s obvious that I love China isn’t it?

I’m heading home now but I am convinced that there is a great opportunity for our company to help Chinese companies in the U.S.A. But the other side is that I can’t wait to get back here and meet more people and have more experiences in this wonderful and ascending country.

Zai jian for now. My next post will be from the other side of the globe. How cool is that?

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Doing business in China today – anything and everything is possible

Posted on September 15, 2010 by markkolier

China has nearly 500 million of its people on line. Over 300 million watch on line video on a variety of sites like Tudou, Youku, Ku6, Baidu’s video channel Qiyi — and even the video off-shoots of portals Sina and Sohu (not on YouTube whose site is blocked here in China).

The ever China growing marketplace with growth rates at 9% annually even into this year (where it is slowing a bit) creates a business energy that I have not experienced anywhere else in my entire professional career (yes even the U.S. dot com craze of the early 2000’s).

With homes in China using three screens – living room television, computer and mobile the trend seems to show no signs of slowing down soon. China television is watched by the older generation and the kids will be on line watching video or even watching it on their mobile devices. Content is lacking and China internet and media platforms are hungry – very hungry for content. Content coming from the U.S., from India and Europe, and from Chinese-produced movies and television. Strategic partnerships abound and opportunities for exposure and growth are rampant.

Because the growth of Chinese internet users is so high the model remains driving more and more eyeballs to web-based platforms. Tremendous amounts of money are there to be made since the numbers are so large. The CPM model reigns at the moment since there is no real reason to worry about the level of engagement and relevancy. It is discussed but more with a nod and a wink since it’s so easy to show year over year growth and that’s what investors like to see.

Eventually these skyrocketing growth rates will flatten and the quality of the user engagement and content will become more of a factor. But in the meantime the game is on and the time to get in is now. If I have become convinced of anything it’s that any hesitation to enter the Chinese market is a huge mistake.
It won’t be easy of course. As I have noted the language is a barrier for non-Chinese although most of the Chinese under 30 can speak more than passable English which remains the language of business (and the internet for that matter). So going forward I am not certain how essential knowing Mandarin will be ten or fifteen years from now. But by then the stratospheric growth will likely being to shift someplace else and the opportunities won’t be as good as they are today.

Yes in China business today anything and everything is possible. I am excited and I am in.

How about you?

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