Doing Words - Latest Comments

Re: How the iPhone changed my life

facebook-555262819 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:40:04 -0000

To quote Simon "the iphone changed the way I poo".

Re: Can’t afford a CRM? Address Book may be all you need

bigyahu — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:52:19 -0000

The sanctimonious bastards! They make such a big song and dance about
not selling things for free, charging what they're worth, etc, and now
I find they do this! Still, 250 contact limit might work for a per-
project thing but probably not for someone's main CRM.

Re: Can’t afford a CRM? Address Book may be all you need

Michael Air — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:17:01 -0000

There is still a free plan, you just need keen eyesight :)

http://skitch.com/airhead/bsy9k/sign-up-for-a-h...

Re: Can’t afford a CRM? Address Book may be all you need

bigyahu — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:15:08 -0000

Sadly 37Signals no longer offer the free version of Highrise (http://www.highrisehq.com/signup
) and pricing starts at USD29. Unfortunately the USD/AUD exchange rate
adds to that and makes it way too expensive for your average Aussie
solo operator.

Thanks for stopping by Michael, see ya on Twitter.

Re: Can’t afford a CRM? Address Book may be all you need

Michael Air — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:08:37 -0000

Free HighRise account is a good option as well.

Re: Can’t afford a CRM? Address Book may be all you need

bigyahu — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:35:11 -0000

Cool, I'll go check it out. Thanks for the tip David!

Re: Can’t afford a CRM? Address Book may be all you need

David Glover — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:37:30 -0000

Good tip Alan. I think you've had the same problem with full-fledged CRM apps that I have. A complicated solution in search of a problem. I note that in spite of elaborate and expensive corporate CRM solutions, companies like Telstra and Optus can't seem to present the phone number you entered at the beginning of their call to the person who can actually deal with your "issue".

Just thought I'd add a favourite memory-problem-solving app of mine to the mix: MacJournal (and its companion WinJournal) from www.marinersoftware.com. While it's promoted mainly as a journal/blogging package, it's a great place to scribble those jotted notes and drop the photos etc we all collect every day. I use it to keep my diary notes of conversations with the aforementioned telcos, among many, many other things. It can all live in one file which saves itself and backs itself up (and has never lost a byte of data in the 4+ years I've been using it.

Re: iPhoto ‘09 face recognition: when tech and magic blur

bigyahu — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:54:00 -0000

Yeah: buy a Mac - you won't be alone in doing it! And these days, Macs are Intel-powered too.

Re: iPhoto ‘09 face recognition: when tech and magic blur

Brian Short — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:36:54 -0000

this is well for Mac but in your journeys, did you find a corkery and rip-snorter for Intel users?
thank you

Re: About

bigyahu — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:49:20 -0000

Yay! Go Anna! :) We had such a great time up on the farm. You and your family are such a source of light and warmth and energy we could put a veggie patch in a room with no windows and they'd grow like crazy. It was really inspiring to hang out with you.

Great to see your blog take its first steps. I've been doing mine for years and it's still crap, but some people read it and that's all I need as reward. Start with that goal and it's hard to be disappointed. I've subscribed to your RSS feed, so there — you have your first subscriber!

I'll email some more tips later on tomorrow; things you should consider adding/changing to your WordPress setup. But you're off to a cracking start and everything you're doing now can be carried on as you make changes - no need to wait until it's all perfect.

Big love to youse all!

Re: Secret media relations: how to criticise your competitors

bigyahu — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:42:30 -0000

Yes, my son. I am also the LIGHT and the WAY. Follow me, and we shall go persecute some unbelievers...

Re: Secret media relations: how to criticise your competitors

rick — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:39:08 -0000

Al, you are the TRUTH

Re: About

bigyahu — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:17:08 -0000

Wow, the interweb is truly a wondrous thing! Hi Marsha! Yes, that
would be great. I'd love to see the portfolio. I'd also like to learn
about what you've been doing since 1986. I'll email you.

Re: About

Anna — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:06:00 -0000

Hey! It was truly fabalicious having u on the farm! You have inspired me to try to get my blog happening...so I don't know what I am doing, but I am doing it: http://capeable.com/blogs/news/

Re: About

Marsha Durham — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:53:39 -0000

Hello Alan, Were you in a creative writing elective during your degree? many years ago? If so, I've found a copy of your portfolio. If you'd like me to send it to you, I'm happy to do so.
Dr Marsha Durham

Re: Secret media relations: how to criticise your competitors

twitter-1438611 — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:59:30 -0000

I agree that we should never criticise a competitor. Especially when this competitor is one of the company mentionned above. But I can say that a company is on the right track if somebody like google is going in your direction. One of this example is "Kiko". This service exists long time before Google Calendar came out. And they never got much traction as the day Google Calendendar went public. See full explanation here http://height1percent.com/2006/08/18/actual-les...

Re: Secret media relations: how to criticise your competitors

bigyahu — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:43:23 -0000

Ha ha ha... ahem... don't quit your day job ;)

Re: Secret media relations: how to criticise your competitors

steven_noble — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:59:50 -0000

Oops, I meant " take you for A spin"... :-)

(Spin having extra meaning when you discuss PR.)

Re: Secret media relations: how to criticise your competitors

bigyahu — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:18:54 -0000

Great feedback, thx Steven! Your point on "your product being good for ABC" is right on, and yes, looking helpful is way better than appearing argumentative.

Re: Secret media relations: how to criticise your competitors

steven_noble — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:58:45 -0000

I support your general approach but take a firmer position: "You should almost never criticise your competitors."

For a start, you almost certainly know a lot about your own product and much less about your competitor's. (Show me the startup that's actually tested Google Wave.) Do you really know what's wrong with them? Do you really want to go on the record saying that?

Beside, it's rarely a case of Our Product = Good; Their Product = Bad. It's more likely a case of Our Product = Good for ABC; Their Product = Good for XYZ. Why focus on Their Product being Bad for XYZ when you could focus on Your Product being Good for ABC?

After all, you'll only get limited airtime. Permanently, changing what the reader thinks about Their Product is impossible. Next week they'll read something else that'll change it again because, as Alan says, they're in the media constantly. However, changing what the reader thinks about Your Product might be viable. At the least, you might prompt a few readers to take you for spin.

Finally, if you try to win arguments about your competitors, you don't look right -- you look argumentative. Instead, try to look helpful by using interviews to provide information that your customer/reader will find valuable in the work and lives -- not just valuable when it comes to picking between Your Product and Their Product

Re: And this, son, is why your father should never be allowed to be a graphic designer

facebook-1603820385 — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:02:31 -0000

I saw it before you said it. The pic has some rough edges, but the message is clear. The "Doing Words" helps illuminate the image.

Re: How the iPhone changed how i park my car

bigyahu — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:25:47 -0000

"Contemplate"? Who contemplates buying iPhone apps? ;-) What are you paying yourself? I'd have thought a UX designer could claim app expenses as research? Cool app though, thanks!

Re: How the iPhone changed how i park my car

Cheryl — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:09:17 -0000

I'm contemplating getting this app - http://www.parkingapp.com/

I never thought of dropping the pin on the map though... at the moment I take a photo of the street with my car in it, but I think the parking app will fix all that...

Re: Master “W Fu” — the secret art of media relations

bigyahu — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:09:36 -0000

That's a really good link Steven, thanks. It prompts another blog post, along the lines of: "if you can't get to journalists, how can you make sure they come find you?"

Anyone who's been an Editor (as you have) still remembers how they'd like to be related to. And anyone whose public profile is important to their success (say, an analyst at Forrester) is still engaged in media relations.

Re: Master “W Fu” — the secret art of media relations

steven_noble — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:16:47 -0000

I've mostly done PR for huge MNCs. Reckon your post has already nailed it for PR for startups. For additional detail around tactics, it's worth linking to a http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/pitching_r.... (Only relevant for startups that target early adopters and, by extension, the blogs they read.)