The Hot Iron

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Cartoon Barry Tagged Me On My Google Reader Usage

Just as I was pondering how I should categorize all of my blog feeds into folders in Google Reader, I got tagged by Cartoon Barry on how I use Google Reader for reading and managing RSS feeds.

As I mentioned before, I have only used Google Reader for managing feeds, and tried to
keep that number to around 200 – and it is at 217 today, with a few added and deleted over the last several weeks.  The opening message on the Trends page of the Reader states, “From your 217 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 2,862 items, starred 1 items, and shared 0 items.” Wow, that many?

Here’s what my reading looks like over the last 30 days:

Trying to maintain a balance of work and life, I don’t read feeds as much on the weekends, and if I do it is using the Reader on my Treo, which by its nature and design is much slower than reading in a browser.

The times of the day that I read most often did not surprise me:

For those who know me, I am not a morning person, so I rise early, get caffeinated and catch up on email and feeds prior to the start of the work day.

For the days of the week that I read, this also was not surprising:

Some days it seems like there are more feeds than others, but that is just a gut feel.  I know recently my postings have been on a less regular schedule, and that has been more related to the projects I have been working on.

This is the first time I have been tagged, so now I really feel like a blogger!  To keep this going, I will tag the following people – Daniel Sitter, Matt Maldre and David Dalka.  I’m not sure what readers they use, but neither did Cartoon Barry.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Reflective Words for Parking

While taking a break from the keyboard over the holiday weekend, I went for a walk and saw this object and took a photo of it.

It is a barrier in the parking lot of the University of Wisconsin – Fox Valley in Menasha, WI.  There were several of these barriers that were comprised of what appeared to be a planter with a large PVC pipe with quotations.

The quotation reads, “The biggest obstacle to change is a successful past.  Unknown”

Unfortunately this person is unknown, as I would like to know what experiences in life drew them to this conclusion.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Unintentional Unusability

Have you ever had a hard time using a Web site?  That frustration where you feel you should be able to do something a certain way on a Web page?  I did not ask for a call of hands as I am sure everyone reading this has experienced it, no matter your level of experience with the Internet.  This is compounded when someone else has no problem using the Web page.

My good friend Peter forwarded me an email exchange he had with LinkedIn’s customer support, where he reported about changes made to the presentation of the list of your connections.  He is unable to read it… as JAWS is unable to read it.  JAWS is screen reader software that Peter uses to not only access the Internet but to use his Windows PC.  For example, when he presses the Start button, a voice that sounds a lot like the electronic voice of Stephen Hawking reads every item on the menu, and continues reading as he uses his computer.

This software is essential for him as he has retinitis pigmentosa, or RP, an eye condition that has significantly reduced Peter’s eyesight.  RP did not hinder Peter from getting a masters degree from Harvard, travel the world solo to do the research for his masters thesis or run the Boston Marathon.  However I have personally witness him, and JAWS, have a hard time find the “buy” button on many eCommerce Web sites.

In his dialogue with LinkedIn, Peter inferred that their changes to the My Connections page were an intentional error on their part.  We talked afterwards and I shared with him my take that I was extremely confident that it was not, and most likely they did not even consider people who use screen readers or test for them when they released these changes.  I am not bashing fellow Web designers and developers, but merely am pointing out what is a difficult part of this industry – developing Web sites and Web applications that are truly usable by all users on all devices.  Getting a Web site to look and function the same across Internet Explorer and Firefox is just scratching the surface on this issue.

It was with Peter in mind that I decided not to use captchas on The Hot Iron and instead use manual moderation of comments.  I have had Peter try Web sites with JAWS to test their usability.  Where this one issue with LinkedIn has held him back a bit, he is able to use all other functions on the site and is growing his connections.  This is something to keep in mind as people define their potential target markets for their Internet-based businesses.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Auf Wiedersehen Dr. Z

With the upcoming spin-off of Chrysler from DaimlerChrysler, we will surely see less of the chairman of the parent company, Dr. Dieter Zetsche.  A brilliant engineer and executive in his own right, he led the merger and now divestiture of the German and American automakers.

Most Americans first saw the chairman in TV commercials, referred to as Dr. Z, as well as his own animated Web site, Ask Dr. Z.  I have to admit, when I first saw this, I thought it was a joke – would you expect someone in his role to be doing sketch comedy, or be an animated character?  But a little research found this to be true.  The ad campaign did not prove to be that successful and was short-lived.

The Web site remains, however, as of this posting, so check it out while you can.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Microsoft Minimized to Marketers

Everybody has an opinion of Microsoft Corporation.  Where you hear a lot of the negative comments, there are many positive ones as well.  Myself, I have made a decent living working with Microsoft technology.  That being said, I am “multilingual” and work with various Internet-based technologies, choosing the one best suited for my clients’ needs.

Recently my wife, a marketing manager, attended a Microsoft event for the launch of Office 2007.  The event was targeted to marketing professionals.  The photo in this post shows the takeaways from the event, or what I like to call swag.

It wasn’t clear by the design and wording on the CD packaging that this truly was a full-blown, free license of Office 2007, which was the impression my wife had.  Well it is, but I had to install it first to find that out.  As for the giant Hershey Kiss… yes, they simply used a label machine to print “Microsoft Office 2007” labels and slap them on the top of the box (click on the photo to see a larger photo). Apparently the candy was an afterthought, and that was about as much thought that went into it

Based on my years of experience with Microsoft, I always considered them a marketing company that happened to make software.  These items have changed that opinion somewhat.  I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, but this gift will take some education for me to harness its features and power.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Now This Got My Attention

On my way home from the likemind coffee meetup, I saw a rat in the Loop.  Where it is not unusual to see one, this version was over 10 feet tall!  I snapped this picture with my Treo, and couldn’t help but walk up to the men standing by it to find out what it was doing there.

It turns out there was some demolition going on in the building, and the rat was put up by a union to protest the use of non-union workers.  As I was talking with them another person came up to ask.

I’d say this was more effective than those kids that try to stop me every day.

Macy’s Needs a Clue in Chicago

As The Hot Iron was not around when Federated Department Stores acquired the former parent of Marshall Field’s and proceeded to rebrand it and in the process drain the life out of the store, you my readers were spared quite a bit!  Especially for someone like me, who hails from Western Massachusetts, first worked in Pittsfield, Mass. and moved to Chicago to start a business, I relate a little bit to the late Mr. Field.  Add to that my appreciation for history and tradition, it is probably not surprising to you that I have not entered the State Street store since the red star was placed on the awnings of the building.

I don’t need to recant all of the negative press and poor performance numbers that Federated has experienced in the stores that were formerly Field’s, not to mention Macy’s attempts to blame others for their own ills.  Where Federated’s chairman Terry Lundgren said that it was a business decision to rebrand the stores and build a national brand, it doesn’t help if the people that you want to continue shopping in your stores don’t know anything about you.  As for business decisions, since when does spending hundreds of dollars for a sweater constitute a business decision?

When the announcement was originally made, there was the promise Frango mint production returning to the Windy City, and many enhancements to the State Street store including a fresh foods market, recognizing the residential growth in the Loop.  It’s been over a year since those announcements, and there is some chatter about Frangos (conveniently timed with chatter about closing Field’s old distribution center in the city) and no fresh food market in sight.  Sure, the 28 Shop is back and valet parking have been added, which may account for the store’s perception of being overpriced.

Unfortunately I have witnessed this corporate arrogance before.  Back in the early 90’s Federated bought the Jordan Marsh department store in Boston and rebranded it.  Small plaques were added to the exterior of the store mentioning its history, but nothing else.  Two big things Federated did to irk Bostonians was to cancel Marsh’s Enchanted Village, a Christmas display setup every year, and run ads in Boston newspapers featuring New York Yankees player Derek Jeter.  The Village is now owned by the city of Boston and fallen into disrepair, and it does not need to be mentioned how much Boston loathes the Bronx Bombers.  Fortunately for Bostonians there was Filene’s department store chain… until last year when they were also acquired and rebranded as Macy’s.

In both cases Macy’s did what seems like all they know – to offer coupons and sales.  As they have discovered in Chicago, this isn’t working.  Sure, they may have wanted to be cautious as to not flaunt the fact that they killed Field’s, but there comes a point where you can’t just mail it in from corporate headquarters and expect people to shop.  That isn’t working, and as much as Federated has reshuffled its Midwest management, they are doing the same thing they have always done.  Prior to rebranding Field’s there were no Macy’s stores in Chicagoland – apparently Federated thought its sponsoring of a Thanksgiving Parade in New York was enough brand recognition?

Retail, brick and mortar shopping is being hit from all angles today, including the Internet and discounters.  If Federated, which will soon be renaming itself to Macy’s, doesn’t create some buzz or mojo soon in Chicago, it may never be able to.  And for those who are loyal to Field’s, they can take comfort that when Macy’s faces its demise, it will be their name and not Field’s on the awnings when the State Street store is shuttered.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Yes I Do Care about the Environment and Children, But…

On a daily basis, and several times a day, as I traverse downtown Chicago on business, I am posed with the same questions. “Do you have a minute for the environment?” “Do you have a moment to help the children?” These questions are asked by young people with binders and clipboards who want me to donate money to organizations they work for or represent who in turn support those causes.  In actuality they should be asking me if I want to support (insert name of organization) but their questions are more of a hook.  I simply nod no and continue on my journey until I encounter the next person with a question on the next block.

If I were a weaker person I would feel bad that I have no time for the world or its children.  In the past I have stopped to hear their pitch.  Even if I was convinced to donate to them, I have an issue with handing over cash or my credit card number to a complete stranger standing on LaSalle Street.

I do care about the environment and the world, and I support other causes that are important to me, like the American Liver Foundation.  I also have several pro bono clients for whom I donate services and my time to present themselves online.  Where they have a legal right to be there and promote their cause, do they have to continually get in my walking path to try to stop me?  And I have no idea if this is even a successful endeavor - maybe some of the marketing folks who visit could comment to that?

When I head out today on my daily trek, rather than simply saying “no” maybe I should instead ask them if they are taking good care of their liver.

Monday, May 14, 2007

MyBlogLog Changes Coming

Do you have a MyBlogLog account?  It wasn’t until shortly after I started this blog that I created one.  For me, MyBlogLog is a community and a way of connecting myself to bloggers – learning of others and informing others of my own.  Others I am sure have other definitions, but the increased traffic to my site as I traverse MyBlogLog proves my point.

I was unable to make the SOBcon conference this past weekend here in Chicago due to a prior commitment, but there have been plenty written on it.  One announcement came from the new community manager of MyBlogLog, which is now owned by Yahoo!  Fellow Chicago blogger and Internet analyst David Dalka was at SOBcon and reported that MyBlogLog will be rebranding, getting a redesign and other features which will seek to expand its market.  Yahoo! is also seeking input and suggestions, which is also welcome to hear.

Remembering Mom on Mother’s Day

A very heartfelt (albeit belated) Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Moms out there and to those who are regarded as a Mom to someone.  I especially extend this to my Aunt/Godmother and to my own Mother-in-Law, the latter with whom we spent some nice time with this past weekend.

It is also yet another day that I remember my own Mom, whom I lost 6 years ago.  She was an amazing woman, and I could fill pages of posts about how truly wonderful she was.  Not only was she the one who taught me about sports, but she did all she could to make sure both of her kids went to college, and encouraged me all the way with computers from when I got my first one in junior high.  Though it may be cliché, I would not be here today if it wasn’t for her love and sacrifices.

This picture is my favorite of me and my Mom, taken at the old Foxboro Stadium during a Patriots game in 1999.  Some say it is ironic that the Patriots won the Super Bowl and I got married, both within a year of her passing – but I know better that there were some special “forces” involved!