Month: September 2009

Tweetie 2 isn’t free – so what. Quit whining.

~ Mona Nomura ~ 1 Comment

Seriously, you guys? So WHAT if Tweetie isn’t free.

Hold on, hold on, let me back up. Earlier, Patrick (whom I ADORE) over on Just Another iPhone Blog snagged an interview with the Tweetie creator to address the pricing issue. Apparently, there are people who are unhappy Tweetie is going to be a paid upgrade. (Patrick’s interview was awesome btw – even goes into upgrade, what an upgrade means to developers, etc., etc.)

Now I am definitely a cheap Asian when it comes to certain things. One of the most popular posts over on PixelBits (my geek blog) is the “How I Got Two iPhone Apps Refunded” post –and I was happy to share the information.

BUT

I am a firm believer of getting value out of my hard earned money – if the ratio is imbalanced, I am not afraid to ask for money back. In this case, Tweetie is one of the best Twitter iPhone apps and it’s really annoying how people are complaining about shelling out 3bucks.

Three. EFin. Dollars.

That’s like…two bags of gummi bears. A pint of beer. Three bags of 99cent chips. A cup of stinkin’ coffee. What the hell, people. Can we have some perspective, please? Do y’all realize how much time and effort goes into developing an app?

I’m sorry (well not really) but all you whiners please: SHUT YOUR TWITTERHOLES.
Thank you and have a great day.

Posted via web from Mona’s Posterous

Be Your Favorite Blogger for Halloween #UnfortunateCostumes

~ Mona Nomura ~ Leave a comment

There was a time when being ‘famous on the internet,’ wasn’t something you’d tell your parents about. These days, top bloggers are becoming increasingly famous, influential and seriously paid. Sure you can wait for the traffic on your little blogspot page to pick up and hope to become a fixture on everyone’s preferred reader, or you can just dress up like one of the best. Even you can be Mr. TechCrunch himself, the Queen of all Media or the Agent of Change with these fun printable masks.

Drawings by Jenni Chasteen

via costumepop.com

Wow. These are the scariest, weirdest, creepiest, most unfortunate things. Ever. via @JessicaRandazza

Posted via web from Mona’s Posterous

For managers: The Art of Giving Praise via HarvardBiz blog #Reminders

~ Mona Nomura ~ 1 Comment

I’ve spent most of my professional life in organizations that are staffed with and run by talented people who do great work. Similarly, as a classroom teacher, I can’t help but be impressed by what students achieve. In both types of settings, I’ve learned a lot about how to give praise so that it reinforces the behavior that yielded excellent work and encourages the recipient to get even better. Here are a few of my basic principles:

1. Be truly specific. General compliments like “Great job!” or “Excellent presentation!” surely have their place, especially as you hurry to your next meeting. But precise feedback does much more, both for the ego of the recipient and for the quality of her future work. And guess what? “You were so inspiring” or “I loved your final pitch” isn’t specific enough. Tell Carmen that her well-organized tables in part 2 helped you realize that the team’s new project is actually an extension of the previous one (contrary to how others have framed the new venture) and that key components can be imported to save time. She might be able to build on the point at the next team meeting. At the very least, you’ve helped her identify a takeaway message that she delivered successfully.

2. Don’t confuse politeness with praise. In many settings, the social norm is to pepper people with pleasantries in the course of routine interactions (“Thanks so much for your help” or “You’ll send it tomorrow? Wonderful!”). Such verbal gestures often play an important role in maintaining the cooperative tone of a workplace. But if that quotidian tone sounds a lot like the one you use to praise someone’s work, the line between daily politeness and substantive appreciation starts to blur. People begin to be inattentive to feedback because it sounds routine, and in some cases they may simply not believe the compliments they get. Clearly, this all depends a lot on the relationships of the people involved. But, in general, using a discerning or analytical tone when you give praise (e.g., “Your timeliness always helps me do my job better. Thanks.”) makes it more meaningful.

3. Praise with action, not just words. After you’ve told someone precisely what she did well and demonstrated your keen understanding of its value, have her build on it with a follow-up task. That might be something as obvious as assigning her to lead the next new project, but it also might mean commissioning her to train or mentor new employees (both have the added benefit of making the praise public). And, of course, things like merit bonuses work, when that option’s available.

4. Don’t pad constructive criticism with empty praise. Of course, before critiquing someone’s work, it makes sense to identify specifically what she did well. But using token praise as a pretty package for a critique ends up undercutting the value of the authentic praise you give in other contexts. Following the first three principles in this list can foster a much more positive environment for critiques, one in which sugar-coating becomes unnecessary and telling it straight is unlikely to be interpreted as an insult.

How do you go about creating an environment in which praise really means something?

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Sounds so rudimentary but sometimes, everyone needs a little reminder. Be human, it goes a long way. :)

Posted via web from Mona’s Posterous

Did You Know 4.0 -facts and stats focusing on changing media w/ The Economist. #Important

~ Mona Nomura ~ Leave a comment

This is another official update to the original “Shift Happens” video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist. For more information, or to join the conversation, please visit http://mediaconvergence.economist.com and http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com.

via youtube.com

Watch. Think. Learn. Implement.

Posted via web from Mona’s Posterous

Advertisers: Rethink Your Ad Models or GTFO.

~ Mona Nomura ~ Leave a comment


(image via Natalie Dee)
Oh yes I AM blogging about this – and the saddest part is the 99.9999999% chance these people aren’t even going to see this.

Let me back up. So the other day, an advertiser contacts me with a laughable proposition. I asked how (s)he calculated rates and this is what they came back with:

We price against television and $32/1000 views is a bit more expensive than the average for a 30 second spot on popular prime time television. Since we’re trying to compete for dollars with brand advertising dollars, it’s hard to go considerably higher than that.

…thank goodness email exchanges aren’t real time video, for I LOLd at that explanation.
It’s hilarious how people seriously compare traditional broadcasting rates to Internet rates.

In 2009, how much are traditional broadcasting ads truly worth?
Think about it:

Traditional broadcasting:

  • One distribution channel
  • DVR / Tivo read: ads are skipped
  • Ads are broadcasted only during time purchased

Internet:

  • Content lives forever
  • Several distribution channels via aggregators
  • Google juice; niche audience + key word searches

Think about that, figure out a new model, then approach me. Sorry (well not really) but it’s not my job to teach “Strategic Monetizing in the Digital Age 101”.