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My father had a birthday in early June.  As a long-retired teacher, technology was never a central part of his professional life.  In recent years, he’s gotten pretty adept at calling my sister and me if he needs something to be looked up.  This year, he decided that his life wouldn’t be complete until he joined people online and started “bogging.”

Imagine this:  you barely know how to type, you have macular degeneration (meaning you have a really hard time seeing), you’ve never turned a computer on before, and you’ve never used a mouse.  Yet, while my father knows little about computers or how to get around online, he was clued in enough to know about Dragon Naturally Speaking software.  His take:  if he could talk to the computer and it would type for him, his online experience would be much better.

After some thought, my sister and I decided upon an HP 23″ TouchSmart All-in-One computer.  We wanted something like an iPad but bigger.  We thought if he could touch it, it would be better than trying to type it.  It was a good call.  We set the monitor’s DPI at 300% and he can see all the icons, but even with Control+, the back button, home button, and menus remain proportionately too small.  (Some add-ons have helped with this.)

For Dragon – it’s great in concept, but not 100% there when it comes to working with and training the software.  For example, the training modules use a very small font size; with the screen set at a larger DPI, what’s showing on the screen is something my dad can read, but he can’t scroll to see what else is “on the page.”  Either way, we’re finding training to be harder than it should be.

Considering this company is aware that people might have vision problems who use their program (in training, they highlight this fact), why isn’t there a short quiz at the beginning of the set-up wizard asking about what the issues are (e.g., I just want to dictate more than type my emails and letters vs. I’m a slow reader due to dyslexia or nystagmus vs. I have visual issues that make reading and using a computer more difficult for me), and then take them to the type of training program which will work best for them?  Part of my frustration is that I don’t know this program, so I can’t teach him.

After a couple of days of training him on things like how to close a program (and what  a program is), how to use the mouse (because the touchscreen is great, but the mouse is still helpful), etc., we realized that he would benefit from a program that “talked to him” (e.g., read him web pages).  So we bought a program, Natural Reader, which despite installing twice, will not read aloud to him.  Customer support is only available via email.  They are slow in responding.  I’ve tried everything I know how, but I can’t get it to work.  So here’s a company that caters to people who want help with reading for one reason or another, and they only offer email support?  Clearly their business model got in the way of their customer service model!

Despite all this, my father was upbeat as I left yesterday.  After a successful search session, about a topic of interest to him, he said he’d “sensed the nectar of the fruit” the Internet could offer.  Hadn’t tasted it yet, mind you, but sensed the possibilities.  While he’s never been mechanically inclined, the gleam in his eye reminded me of when he’s learning a new game:  he loves games and if he approaches the Internet this way, as a game he can win, the web will be fun and fruitful, vs. frustrating.

Why is this relevant in a general sense?  Do you know if you have a special needs target?

• If you’re a restaurant who has a large older population, do you have a large-size print menu?
• If you’re a movie theater, do you have someone who can help seniors to their seats?
• If you’re a shopping mall, is there above-ground parking for people who see less well in low-lighting conditions?

It’s not just about vision; hearing, muscle strength/agility/dexterity, nutritional requirements – you name it, can impact people and, consequently, who your business can attract.  We call this “holistic usability.”  Maybe it doesn’t matter much now, but as the 76 million Baby Boomers continue to get older, this target segment is going to impact your business more and more.

Take a few minutes to read your customers’ comments, or – better yet – listen to them talk.  In conventional research, we’re always talking about what can be done to get consumers to overcome hurdles to buying your brand.  What happens if they’re dissatisfied with a category of products/services because no one thought to make one small change?  A small change with a big return?  That’s a pretty simple formula for increasing market share in these still-hard economic times!

Back in April, I blogged on Linked Data.  Linked Data advances the notion of “Web” searchability, whereby databases “talk” to each other so that more complex answers can be obtained.  (E.g., which football players went to the University of Texas, Austin and played for the Dallas Cowboys as cornerback?)

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article in Newsweek on Qwiki.  It won the TechCrunch Disrupt award this year and I think it’s well deserved.  It advances searchability in another direction.

Currently in Alpha (you have to apply or I can invite you to join), there are a few (expected) bumps, but what they’ve done is pretty amazing.  Each “video” pulls together information from different Web sources on a given topic; over time it’ll include more sources.  The video talks and shows corresponding pictures to help explain the who, what, and where.  At the end of the video, it recommends other, related videos to watch.

I explored Los Angeles, my hometown, and learned a few new things about our weather patterns. Want to see a comic book example?  View the video below.

With this advancement, the Internet opens up the world to people in new ways.  Certainly, if I were planning a vacation to a new city, a resource like this would be useful.  But imagine its potential for interactive learning, for people who aren’t as computer savvy, for people with motor or visual impairments, etc.

I’m very excited by this advancement and look forward to what’s next.  It also makes me a little sad that my grandfather is no longer with us:  if he thought a fax machine was nifty, he would have loved this!!

Let me know if you’d like me to send you an invite.

Which do you find the most appealing?

    a) Having access and sharing all your information across multiple devices and platforms OR
    b) Having a secure computing/digital environment

If you’re like most of us, you want both.

But here’s the catch:  when PCs  were first introduced, they were local (sat on our desks) and their contents could be kept private (no information was shared).  As we became more connected, we were taught safety first  – “Get anti-virus!”  “Make sure you have a firewall!!”  We were living on the left side of this grid.

Then two things happened:  cloud computing started to gain traction at the same time social networks came to define Web 2.0.  (For those of you who don’t know the expression “cloud computing,” it’s where shared information, resources and software applications are stored and accessed in a “cloud” (the Web).  If you use Google Docs, for example, its Office-like programs which  store and share documents online are “in the cloud.”  The same for its Calendar.)

Where does that leave protecting our files, identities, and the like?

It’s confusing, really.  Public info in the cloud?  How about Facebook, which has consistently said they don’t believe in privacy – so much so that there are now four senators calling for an investigation of the company and its policies?  Have you changed your settings recently so you’re comfortable with the amount of info being shared?

Feeling virtuous because you don’t use Facebook?  Doing any online banking?  Using GoToMyPC.com to access office files from home?  Or sharing pictures via Flickr?  You’re in the cloud, whether in public or private.

Why is this comfortable for us?  I suppose that for each of these things, we have weighed out the benefits (convenience, accessibility) with the risks.

But in the last few months, as I’ve explored delivering interactive market research reports to clients online,  I’ve realized that where I draw the line in the cloud is in storing proprietary client reports in an area where they can have access to them.  In other words, I’m not yet comfortable providing my clients with an electronic cloud-based archive of the work I’ve done.

To get there, I’ll need the following:

• A private browser-based gateway or portal for each client.  (This could include a “secure tunnel” from the client’s Intranet to where their files are stored in the space I’m paying for.)
• The platform should be able to support multi-media elements (slides/pages, audio, video, podcasts of presentations, etc.) without software needing to be loaded on the client’s server/computer.  (Rather like how the wonderful sales tool, SlideRocket.com, works today.)
• Viewing of files must be completely secure – like SSL, with a visible lock in the browser.
• Client files can only be uploaded and/or edited by me.

In short, if Carbonite and SlideRocket were to have a baby, I’d be very happy and there would  no longer be a need for “drawing lines in the cloud.”  I’d have both “a” and “b.”

Know of a solution for me?  Think online reporting is moving in another direction?  Let me know!

BTW, Perspectives on Consumers, this GSS blog, is now part of the blog directory at http://Market-Research.Alltop.com!!

A few days ago, I got the wind knocked out of me with one of those rare “aha” moments.  A headline caught my eye:  “The State of Linked Data in 2010” by ReadWriteWeb.  Being a curious sort, I read the blog post, and then spent the next few hours (days) exploring what Linked Data is.  OMG.

Now I realize this may be old news to some, just as the WWW was when I got on board in 1993.  But in 1993, I bought the first Mac built for online connection, and the good folks at Apple took days to successfully get me online as it was still such a novelty.  So I’m thinking that Linked Data (also referred to as the Semantic Web) may still be an unknown idea to many of you as well.

Last May I was wowed by the concept behind Wolfram|Alpha, and I wrote on it here as it was launching.  Since then, I haven’t heard that much about it (it’s a private effort), and I personally don’t believe it works that well.

Linked Data, an open-source movement, is more likely to be the real start of the answer of how inter-relationships between data can be seen and accessed on the Web.

Simple, one-dimensional searches are fine today, but what happens when your query is complex?  Here’s an example I saw about football (I know, how unlike me!):  you want to know which football players went to the University of Texas, Austin and played for the Dallas Cowboys as cornerback.  What you’re really asking is that two databases – UT and Cowboys – talk to each other.  But unless they’re connected in some way, they can’t talk.  And that’s what Linked Data is all about – forming those connections through shared databases.  (To see more – for those of you who are tech-inclined – visit this link.)

Today, it’s a little cumbersome to “code” the data for these linked databases, but when it becomes more automated, it will be quite powerful  and I think more people and organizations will participate.  Currently,  the US government allows all federally collected data – data that we as taxpayers pay them to collect – to be shared across departments.  It’s early days, but visit www.data.gov to see what the US government is doing.  The Brits are also committed to this effort.

A company called Talis has a great example of how its platform is working for the BBC and I believe if you watch the short video, you’ll get excited about the potential of this new movement as an end-user.

What are the implications for other types of businesses? I can’t imagine they will share their proprietary information, but I do imagine that there will be “intranet-like” Linked Data resources where queries will merge public data with their private data and data from their vendors (such as agency media buys).  Internal politics regarding who “owns” which data sources may be the biggest hurdle for full adoption.

I know that there will be more to write on all of this over time, but I would highly recommend a blog post by Scott Brinker.  In his visual (below), you can see that he lays out seven business models going from indirect-to-direct revenue models and from ‘raw data’ delivery to ‘as an application’ delivery.

Are you as wowed as I am?  What are your thoughts?

Over the last year, “apps” and “social media” have gotten a lot of attention.  “Apps” are making smartphones more indispensible – “stickier”to use a word from Web 1.0.

And social media (Web 2.0′s driver)?  While there’s a lot of hype, we’re beginning to hear that interest among some segments is waning.  Dunbar’s Number has been trotted back out as rationalization for the slowed growth.  (How many “friends” can you really follow?)

So, can social media be made more engaging and relevant with “stickiness”?

There are lots of folks out there trying, but the one concept that’s caught my eye for its potential “marketing legs” is location-based mobile services – such as Foursquare, Yelp, and Gowalla.  Foursquare seems to be the one to watch and it’s doing some interesting things.  Its site says:

foursquare is a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things.  We aim to build things to not only help you keep up with the places your friends go, but that encourage you to discover new places and challenge you to explore your neighborhood in new ways.

Consider customer loyalty programs.  You login and say you’re at a restaurant.  That restaurant knows you’ve been there 10 times before and could reward you with a free dessert.  No cards to keep track of and you are engaged with the brand as you know your actions get you bonuses sooner.

A brand can promote its involvement via Twitter, at checkout, or wherever it makes sense.

Part of the social aspect comes from Foursquare’s “mayor” concept.  If you’re the most frequent visitor to a location, you’re crowned mayor.  A bit of a game or contest that could bring people in again and again.

What about brands without a retail presence?  Pepsi sponsored a NY charity event for CampInteractive:  every time New Yorkers checked in from any location with Foursquare, points were tallied and Pepsi gave money.  In this case, social engagement with a purpose.

Even without charitable involvement or the “mayor” concept, this is a newer form of social media that provides something tangible to the user.  Consequently, in my view, a highly “sticky” idea.