Big Ahha

Today we are more interconnected with other humans than ever before in the history of the world. We have email, text messaging, social networks, instant messaging, blogging, forums and a host of other ways to communicate with others.

While these technologies all make our lives a lot simpler in some ways…in others they make our lives more complicated.

Let’s take social networking as an example. Have you ever been asked to join someone’s network or be their “friend” on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or any of the other myriad of social networking sites? What happens when that invite comes from someone you really don’t want to be connected to? It’s easy if it is someone you really don’t know… you just say no. But what if it is someone you work with every day or see on a regular basis. You know if you decline their invite they will take it personally and may even ask you why you rejected them. Talk about awkward! I’ve talked with a number of friends who have had this same situation come up and my advice is simple. Just say no! People need to learn to not take things personally. My network on LinkedIn for example is all about my business life. I have networks on other sites that are for my personal interests. We are complex individuals and just because I say no to your invite doesn’t mean you are a bad person or even that I don’t like you it’s just that you don’t fit in my network. So if you ask someone to be a part of your network and they “Just say no” don’t take it personally. And if someone you really don’t want to be connected to asks to join yours…just listen to Mr. T.

Even though it is over 30 years old, Powers of Ten still offers a fascinating look at the relative scale of the universe. The short film, by Charles and Ray Eames, utilizes a single camera shot to go from the view of a man in a Chicago park to the outer limits of the universe and then back down into the microscopic world contained in the man’s hand.

Check it out.

In his blog post “The Client That Matters Most,” Robert Hoekman talks about a company who intentionally maintains a bad user experience on its commerce website. The idea is that customers will be driven to make a phone call to the company’s customer support, where the customer is then pressured with add-ons and up-sells.

But, what if the customer never makes it that far.

If a customer has a frustrating experience with your website, they will likely associate that negative experience with not only your website, but also your company. This could mean that the customer gives up on your product/service, or your company altogether based on their bad experience.

Even if they don’t immediately give up, the damage is done and is difficult to reverse. People will be wary of communicating with you when the need arises again, they will start scoping out your competition, and they will let everyone know about their frustrations.

That’s why its imperative that we do all we can to design and maintain a positive user experience and not force people down a difficult or unnavigable path. Think about your website in terms of the needs of the users, not the other way around.

What appears to be the May issue of the H&R Block online newsletter contains the following photo.

Now I don’t know if this young lady has a problem with her arm and if she does I wish her well.

The point is a link to this photo has been picked up or perhaps placed by H&R Block on some of the most popular social bookmarking sites on the internet such as Digg.com and Reddit.com. The links go to the H&R Block May newsletter. Do you see where I am going? H&R Block is getting a TON of traffic to their online newsletter today because of that photo. Will anyone following the link to see the photo actually engage H&R Block for their services? Who can really say? But eyeballs that have never seen their newsletter before are there today. Just keep in mind that there are tools out there like this for you to experiment with when you are looking to go outside the box with your marketing efforts.

Big Ahha can help you find out more about these and other ways to drive traffic to your site.

The other night I was watching the popular NBC show Deal or No Deal.

If you haven’t seen it, contestants pick one case from 26 cases held by 26 lovely ladies. They then choose other cases trying to eliminate low amounts so that a “banker” will offer large amounts of money to buy the case they chose at the beginning of the round. There is a million dollars at stake and  the drama starts when contestants get greedy and say “No Deal” in the hopes that they can continue on. The problem is most of the time greed takes over and they end up going home with very little.

The game made me think about all of the options available for businesses looking for help with their web initiatives. Read the rest of this entry