Tuesday, February 14, 2012

As you may have read, I picked up a new hobby this year.  The purpose was to get my mind onto a new topic and to get offline.  So far, I’m not accomplishing those goals to the extent that I’d like to.  If anything, I’ve done more online since starting the hobby, and that’s not entirely a bad thing.  

After getting my feet wet with the new hobby (r/c cars), I quickly felt the urge to start a site that could chronicle and document my experience.  Through learning more about the hobby, this urge solidified to a need.  Some quick brainstorming and discussions with potential contributors lead from one thing to another and RCNewb.com was born.  Shortly after the site launched, I realized what having another outlet for writing could do for my creativity.

I’ve written more than a few draft posts that were ultimately tossed out because I didn’t feel they fit the main topics of this site.  That’s a shame since I don’t like putting effort into things that don’t go anywhere.  While the creation of a new site that fits a specific niche is a bit of a stretch (maintenance, design, etc) there are additional benefits that can be reaped aside from the increased room for creativity.  I’m experimenting with different cms systemse and venturing out of my ExpressionEngine comfort zone, helping expand my technical and development and balancing out the additional content creation.

Although I could run everything under one banner, I like keeping some aspects of what I do compartmentalized.  It’s cleaner and tends to keep posts heading in one general direction, rather than shotgunning them willy-nilly.  Now it’s time to write!

Saturday, February 04, 2012

Whenever I feel I’m at a loss for topics to write about or am struggling with examples to peel apart and examine, from time to time, opportunities seem to just fall into my lap.  I ordered a small on-board camera to use with my new hobby and was quite happy when it arrived in the mail this week.  I’ve been looking into what camera setups people have been using with their R/C cars and decided to check out a less-costly alternative to GoPro to get my feet wet.  You know the old saying, “You get what you pay for”.  It’s true and entertaining.

(Too) easy to share.
After the camera arrived on my desk, I quickly opened up the package and checked it all out.  In a state of joy, I snapped a picture of the camera box and tweeted it to Chris Sherman.  We’ve been discussing the R/C hobby for a while and on-board cameras has become a recent topic of interest for us.  After a while I glanced down at the box in which the camera was packaged.  There was a phrase toward the bottom of the box that I hadn’t noticed before.  I slowly read it, each word causing my eyes to widen and my pulse to quicken.  It wasn’t an blatantly bad message, but it was suggestive. Very suggestive.  Hilarity then ensued.

A friend of mine had also seen the picture and made a comment about the wording on the box and we exchanged messages about it and it’s strange phrasing.  I was asked, by more than a few people, where I bought the camera from.  It was purchased from hobbypartz.com, not some x-rated website as the wording on box would tend to suggest.  My guess is the wording was a poor translation to English from another language. This thought was reaffirmed when I opened the instruction manual. 

Broken phrases and broken confidence.
Aside from the amusing “marketing” copy that adorned the front of the camera box, I was was stuck with one glaring issue.  I had no idea how to turn the camera on.  I saw the power button but there wasn’t a clear indication of whether or not the camera was on (note: I was charging the camera at the time, so every light on the unit was lit up, blinking, and communicating with the mother-ship).  I turned to the manual for help, only to find frustration and more amusement.

The manual for this camera reads like nothing I’ve ever encountered before. It’s broken, in more ways than one.  Does it serve the purpose that it was intended?  It tries, but it’s (and again, I’m guessing here) translation is so disjointed and off-balance that I became lost and had to re-read many of the sections more than twice to try to comprehend what the manufacture was trying to say.  Here are some samples from the manual for your entertainment (and possible bewilderment).

After numerous attempts to understand what the manual was trying to say, I gave up on reading it and unplugged the camera from the charger.  I was quickly able to figure out which way to slide the power switch in order to turn the device on.  Problem solved. Now on to recording video.  After a few sideways glances at the instruction manual (in hopes it had been re-written while I wasn’t looking) I was able to piece together a basic idea of what buttons to press.  From the looks of it, I was able to figure things out.  What a rough ride to get there.

Mixed messages.
Trying this back to a “teachable moment”, I pose this question to those of you that are in the business of educating and training customers which, by my last count, includes everyone that runs a business.  Are you sending mixed messages to your customers?  Is the information that you’re creating for your products and in support of your products clear and understandable?  It’s clear to me that the company behind this camera is not based in the United States and they’ve taken a stab at translating their wording, both for marketing and support purposes, into English, but they miss the mark in both message and assistance.  As for their cover phrase…I have no clue what they’re trying to accomplish.  To be honest, that wording was nowhere to be seen on the hobby site or in the description (not that I expected it to be there).  If the name of the camera manufacturer would be clearly written anywhere on the box, I’d go as far as saying I wouldn’t purchase another product made by them in the future.  Both for the semi-inappropriate packaging language and the incomprehensible instructions. 

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

As much as I love QR codes and the potential that they hold, there are barriers that I’ve noticed that can and have prevented people from using and, more importantly, understanding them.

What is that thing?
One good thing about QR codes is their overall shape.  They look like barcodes, for the most part, and most people know what a barcode does and how it works.  The biggest question, apart from what the QR code is is how does one scan it?  I’ve seen an array of barcode-enhanced ads and promotional materials over the past year but some of the instruction and details around the use of the code has been blurry.  Some television ads just pop up the code for a quick second (or two) or have the code positioned in the corner of the screen where it’s hard to identify.  When the viewer realizes what the’re looking at, it’s too late to grab their smartphone, launch their code reader app, and aim it at their tv.

Other forms of traditional media have been used to display QR codes as well, such as billboards, posters, and direct mail pieces.  Depending on where these billboards and posters are placed, their usefulness can suffer from the same setbacks mentioned earlier. 

Implementation and Education
There have been some interesting and unique examples of outdoor and moving-media usage as well, such as the QR code-wrapped vehicles from AmeriSign & Graphics as well as a scannable code on the side of Juan Pablo Montoya’s Target Chevy.  In the retail space, I’ve noticed Best Buy and The Home Depot using QR codes on products to provide additional information to their customers.  I personally found the Home Depot versions useful as they were placed on the tags in their nursery and gave additional details on growing conditions and what types of weather the plant would thrive in.  These provided useful information that helped my wife and I decide what to purchase and plant in our garden.  The implementation and positioning of the code was solid, there was additional information listed on the tag regarding how the code should be used, and the end result provided rich and meaningful information.

The item that I feel is more important than the placement and use of QR codes in marketing and promotional materials is educating the masses about what these odd-looking barcodes are, and more importantly, what they can do.  Going beyond that, once your audience knows what these codes are and how they work, they then need to find (and make easily accessible) a QR code reader program.  Speaking from personal experience, this may be the weakest link in the chain when it comes their use.

Depending on where the QR code is placed on a material, whether it be print or digital, the time that it takes to recognize what it is, grab your mobile device, find the appropriate app, launch that app, and get a clear capture of the code image is of the utmost importance.  When used properly (and not just slapped onto an ad) I feel that QR codes have shown great potential for providing rich content and information.

Then again, there are those that don’t feel QR codes should be used in marketing. Period.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

For a long time, I was never a fan of public speaking and giving presentations (where I was the one doing the talking). In fact, I can remember one instance in 3rd grade where I had to give an oral book report on a book that I knew cover to cover, and I froze. Big. Time. A 50-gallon drum of WD-40 couldn’t have freed me up enough to where I could make a sound. It was bad. I mark that that as watershed moment in how I viewed the topic of public speaking. Until the last few years…

I have been put into more product/service presentation situations over the past few years than I ever thought I would have. From discussing the basis behind a mobile Website to preaching the benefits of social networking, I’ve found my personal feelings on the subject beginning to change. In fact, I’ve gotten quite comfortable sharing information in front of a crowd. Pinpointing what changed or what has caused my attitude to change is somewhat of a difficult task. Between volunteering and being requested to speak, the typical pressures that I’ve experienced in the past have subsided (not that I don’t have moments of panic before “showtime”). I’ve also witnessed some great examples of how to present and how to express one’s passion for a subject.

Being the dyed-in-the-wool Apple fan that I am, I’ve always enjoyed watching Steve Jobs give a product announcement or discuss a new feature of the Mac OS. There’s something in the way he presents products and features, a way that captivated the audience and the fan base and makes you yearn for whatever is being unveiled. What that “something” is has been discussed, deconstructed and scrutinized, but it does exist.

Before my past few presentations, I’ve replayed an assortment of Stevenotes and played close attention to not just what was being said, but how it was being delivered. That activity has not-only gotten me into the correct mindset but also reminds me of what a person can do when they believe in what they’re presenting.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

This isn’t a how-to or a list of reasons why you should make time for your own projects. It’s a simple, yet very direct statement. Make time for your own projects. It’s too often that we put time and effort into working on client projects (and rightfully-so), while our own personal project thoughts and ideas own sit on the sidelines. It’s time to make time for you.