Google landing page logos: 1

This is the first one for the year 2007.

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SKYPE: To pay or not to pay

I've been taking advantage of the free calls Skype allowed over the past several months. I used it often, only because I have a great headset to that sounds pretty good on the other end. But now that the dance is over, I need to decide if the service is actually worth paying for. So let me draw out some observations:

1. The sound quality wasn't too bad. There we're a few small glitches, but too many.
2. A lot of the time people wouldn't answer their phone, especially on a cell phone, when they saw the number 00123456789 as the incoming number,m I probably wouldn't either.
3. I don't have a lot of friends using Skype. A few, but not a lot, and most of the ones that do use Skype, don't have headsets readily available (which sorta defeats the purpose of being logged into Skype).
4. I like the fact I could be anywhere with a high speed connection and make outbound phone calls. But as a traveling business person, meaning, I'm not in my office all that often, it would be nice to of Skype to offer a business package (inbound, outbound, forwarding) or suite, that didn't cost a fortune. I would probably pay for that.

So, my conclusion, I probably won't pay for outbound only Skype. It's not a complete solution for me. Maybe I'll look to add the Vonage V-Phone to mobile office.

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Just what mobile screen space needs, more ads

As a frequent reader of Seth Godin, I'm excited to see what his latest post will bring. His rant over Verizon considering selling ad space on an already tight mobile phone screen is simply outrageous. In my opinion, John Harrobin should be tossed. If for nothing else than an attempt to alienate his customers. If I were on the BOD of Verizon, he would be gone before the end of the day. But that's just me. I'm not a Verizon customer thank God, and if they go to ads on phones I never will be.

T-Mobile... are you hearing this? You already have the crappiest phone selection on the market, please don't make it worse by falling victim to the ad game.

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The Z-List Links

This is a great meme, I just couldn't resist. Lot's of link love. Saw this orginally on Seth Godins site. If you want to participate, go for it. Make sure to add my additions to the main list, add your own, visit all the links. Have fun.

Here are my additions to the Z-List

• digitalthom
  


• Tyler Whitaker
  


• Joel on Software


• Blog Maverick


• RSS Pundit


• LifeHacker


• Seth Godin

• John Windsor


• Michelle Marts


• Jennifer Rice


• Geno Church


• Being Peter Kim


• Pow! Right Between The Eyes! Andy Nulman’s Blog About Surprise


• Billions With Zero Knowledge


• Working at Home on the Internet


• Kinetic Ideas


• Unconventional Thinking


• Buzzoodle


• NewsPaperGrl


• The Copywriting Maven


• MapleLeaf 2.0


• darrenbarefoot.com


• Shotgun Marketing Blog


• BrandSizzle


• bizsolutionsplus


• Customers Rock!




• Two Hat Marketing


• The Emerging Brand


• The Branding Blog


• CrapHammer


• Drew's Marketing Minute


• Golden Practices


• Viaspire


• Tell Ten Friends


• Flooring the Consumer


• Hee-Haw Marketing


• Scott Burkett's Pothole on the Infobahn


• On Influence & Automation


• Bullshitobserver


• Servant of Chaos


• Frozen Puck


• The Sartorialist


• Small Surfaces


• Africa Unchained


• converstations


• eSoup


• Presentation Zen


• Dmitry Linkov


• aialone


• John Wagner


• Nick Rice


• CKs Blog


• Design Sojourn


• Perspective


• ¡Hola! Oi! Hi!


• Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid!


• Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together


• Social Media on the fly


• gDiapers


• Marketing Nirvana


• Multi-Cult Classics


• Logic + Emotion


• Branding & Marketing


• Popcorn n Roses


• Bob Sutton


• Jeremy Latham’s Blog


• SMogger Social Media Blog


• Masey.com


• MovieMarketingMadness


• UniqueEpitome


• ReBang


• uzyn


• TheQualitativeResearchBlog


• MineThatData


• Experienceology


• Freaking Marketing


• Really Small Fish


• The Orange Yeti

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Tweaking the site

Sorry for any disruptions with the site. I've switched hosting providers and there have been a few small glitches. But, hopefully everything is back up and running.

Check out the Archives, the Photos, and something About Me. Have a great day.

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Windows Software not so Essential

I rarely, if ever, respond to a blog post to counter claims. But this one is just too dear to my heart to let it past. First, I think it is admirable that Trent took the time to point out all the free, or nearly free, software that you can use on a Windows computer. But there are some suggestions that just don't make sense to me:

1. Firefox: I agree 100%.

2. Thunderbird: Only if you have need to access pop3 email or loath Outlook as I do. An alternative is to use Gmail. And no installation required.

3. Sunbird: Ok, this is a pretty decent program, but I would still prefer Google Calendar. No installation required.

4. Abiword: Again, nice application, but Google Docs & Spreadsheets fits the bill nicely. No installation required.

5. OpenOffice: If you have the need for office applications, something more than Google Docs & Spreadsheets, then I think OpenOffice is a decent application. But still requires installing software.

6. ClamWin: I'll buy this recommendation. You could also use the freeware version of Grisoft's AVG AntiVirus.

7. Gaim: Well, I don't really like this application. It's clunky. Doesn't have a lot of features. There are other options. This one works though.

8. BitTorrent: Nagware. I don't mind paying for software that's really good. But we're basically talking about a program designed to share stolen software and music.

9. GIMP: I use this, so yeah I agree 100%. You could also try Paint.Net which I am using more of lately.

10. Gnucleus: Perr-to-peer is so over. To much risk and there is so much crap out there. Pay for what you need.

11. VLC Media Player: This isn't a bad application. Not sure what the reason for an alternative is. Windows Media Player will play just about every type of audio file out there. Not all mind you, but most of the main stream types. If your trying to listen to something other than a standard audio or video file, there are plenty of places that have CODECS for you to install which will allow you to listen/view these other media types.

12: Juice: iTunes... ever heard of iTunes? Ever heard of RSS? Either one of these are far superior to a podcast download program.

13. Audacity: Use religiously. I produce my podcast with it. This is my favorite.

14. RSSOwl: With so many web based RSS readers out there, why would you ever want to install an application just to read RSS feeds? Bloglines and Google Reader are superior alternatives. And nothing to install.

15. FileZilla: Again, a program that I use on a constant basis. I've tried dozens of FTP programs, and nothing comes close to the clean simple reliable features FileZilla provides.

16. Keynote: I'm sorry, but an application written in Visual Basic 3.0 just shouldn't be allowed to live. Of course I don't know what language it was written in, and I'm sure at it's most basic level, UI is the least of it's developers worries. But, I've found a cheap note pad makes for a great system. Then, when I'm back at my desk, I can review the notes, enter the important tasks or notes into me electronic system, then trash the paper. I personally think people who bring laptops to meeting ought to be asked to leave or turn it off. Unless you are going to use it for a presentation, it's just plain rude to be constantly typing as others are talking.

17. MusikCube: I had never heard of this application, and so I spent some time looking at it. Nice. I would agree this is a great alternative to iTunes.

18. Handbrake: Yes, I agree here. Get this application. It's awesome.

19. X-Chat 2: Who the hell uses IRC anymore? This is a must have application?

20. KeePass: Most people really don't have the patience to load an application to look up a password. According to most studies, people tend to use the same password everywhere. Even if you don't, you use a select few. These types of applications seem really cool at first, but trying to use them is just a waste of time.

21. TrueCrypt: I tried TrueCrypt a while back. It was ok. Again, it was a lot of hassle for what I perceive to be little value.

22. PDFCreator: This is a great addition. You should also look at pdfonline.com, where you can convert just about any type of file into a PDF, free.

23. FreeMind: As a must have application? Uh, maybe for some academics. Yes, I understand the technology and what it's uses are. The problem is most people don't want to use a computer to create mind maps. I can do it on a notepad about 100 times faster than I can with a software program. If you want, create the mindmap on paper then transfer it to FreeMind.

24. NASA Worldwind: This is an interesting application. Mostly for the "ahh" affect. There isn't any real mainstream use for mapping sites, unless you need specific driving directions. I have found Yahoo! Maps to be somewhat more reliable in my area than Google Maps.

25. Notepad2: Use it everyday. Nice application.

26. HealthMonitor: Hmm, keep it or leave it. These types of applications are typically used by hardware geeks. The average user couldn't care less about CPU performance or drivers loaded. They just don't.

27. Workrave: Again, not a must have.

28. GanttPV: This is a nice alternative to Microsoft Project. There are also many web based project management tools, no installation required.

29. GnuCash: Sorry, but if I'm going to put my personal financial records on my computer, I'm not sure this would be my choice. I admit I haven't used this application, but I'd be real concerned about encryption and security.

30. True Combat: Elite: Get some... have fun.

So, there you have it from my point of view. One thing I've tried to do recently is remove a bunch of software that needs to be installed and use web based applications when possible. You might think that using web based applications is prohibitive, and to some it may be, but most people these days have high speed access to the Internet, and if you don't, then the applications listed above will work great for you.

Please visit the original post here.

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Book Review: The Long Tail

I just finished The Long Tail. Interesting book. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars. There isn't anything wrong with the book, but it didn't blow my socks off. I got the gist in the first few chapters. I'm seeing Long Tail scenarios all over the place. Funny no one has ever tagged like this before. Read it, but get it from the Library.

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More

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Open Letter to Seth Godin

Dear Seth,

Long time reader, if this we're going to be on your blog instead of mine, I would be a first time poster. Thanks is in order for your latest book, "small is the new big".

I'm not a marketer, but I recognize the value of marketing which is why I enjoy your books and blog. As Hugh said on TheGapingVoid "Seth, besides being THE MASTER of brevity [I've referred to him in the past as "the Ernest Hemingway of marketing"]". Very well put. I'll agree. And that's the reason I've enjoyed your work so far.

But Seth, this book, it's the best thing I've ever read. I just finished The Long Tail by Chris Anderson (which I blogged about here). What could have been said in about 20 pages went on for hundreds. So, as you asked me to do in the WARNING, I'm going to read a few pages, share them with others, do something with it, then do it again.

Here's my commitment. I am going to pick 10 topics from your book. Share them, internalize them, make them part of my life. Then, after seeing how well this works, maybe I'll pick another ten. We'll see. But for now, it's ten.

If you are reading this post and haven't picked up Seth's book, click right here, or go to Borders, or B&N or somewhere. Get the book. It will be the best money you have ever spent. Trust me. Did you click on the link yet? Well, what are you waiting for.

your friend,

Thom Allen

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