Two million songs in one week?

Yup that's right. The Beatles have sold 2,000,000 songs in their first week on iTunes. Lest you be in any doubt about the power of Apple and iTunes. How could anyone be? It's my default location for buying or renting any media. Once they complete their inventory of movie rentals and purchases, and offer International titles, I'm all theirs. I'll bet my family will spend at least $50/month. They are a phenomenon and anyone who tries to innovate past them will have a hard time.

Not to be missed: Mary Meeker

Like any of you would miss Mary's insightful super charged fast review of what we should all be thinking about. In the thrust and parry of life at the desk and on the phone, sitting back to "think big" is I need to remind myself to do MUCH more often.

11/29/2010 - KPCB apparently loves Mary Meeker too. She's joined their team. Nice catch!

Internet Trends Presentation

I am Droid'ing... and it's growing on me

Naturally, given past behaviors, I was one of first in line to get the iPhone 4. I was so excited.

Two weeks later, I returned the phone. The dropped-call experience was a joke -- I don't think I never completed a single call. And forget iPhone to iPhone. My boss Sam Altman also had an iPhone 4. Every conversation we had would have to be re-started four times.

Then I started to get the "you have no SIM card" error.

Bah. I returned it. The Apple store guys were super helpful, and gave me my money back, re-provisioned my trusty old iPhone 3GS, and told me they'd order me a new one and let me know when it arrived.

I never got the notification.

But it doesn't matter. I wouldn't have picked it up anyway. The bumper I'll just keep as a souvenir.

Then the frustration with my old iPhone started to increase. I am sick and tired of seeing the green "call fail" button. Really sick and tired of it. And it seemed to be happening more and more.

So that, combined with the fact that I am marketing Android Apps at Loopt (I can't market something I can't feel) pushed me into the Android world.

I am now the proud owner of a Droid X. It's a brick. It's ugly. It whispers "Droid" at me in a creepy post-apocalyptic manner.

There are some odd things to get used to.

The period button is right next to the spacebar key so all my emails.have.periods.between.words.

It's weird getting used to a physical button/screen button combination. Apple has taught me to rely on the screen purely. On my Droid X, you have to press the home/back/search buttons at the bottom, and other times you press buttons on the screen. That feels like an odd boundary pusher.

The screen and apps and look/feel seems dark, and weird, and sort of male (I can say that ... it's my blog).

But I love that the calendar App merges all my calendars into one. Yay hey. And everything runs so fast! Particularly our Loopt app!

But most I love the Verizon connection. I can finish a call! Though I have to get a headset, because the thing weighs a ton and it feels like holding a laptop up to my ear. But that's OK. I can deal with that.

Apple better watch out. People are finding alternatives. It's becoming cool to dislike the iPhone, and renegade and brave to toss it back and Apple and say "you have to do better." I'm not going to just suck it up because it's Apple and I've loved Apple since I worked on Macintosh software in 1983. (Literally. I really did.) They have a problem. They need to fix it.

Top 5 mobile advertising trends to watch

Life at Loopt is a blast. For those of you that know me, mobile is the only thing I talk about these days. Interesting article in Mashable today -- top 5 advertising trends to watch:

1. SMS continues to grow and be important
2. Experimentation with rich media
3. Mobile sites vs mobile apps (personally I think these will merge to some extent in interesting ways; Apps will incorporate more and more HTML pages that look like App pages; just need to solve performance issues and you can bypass the whole App submission tango when you want to release new stuff). I remain amazed at how many sites stink on even the fancy iPhone and Android devices I used. Estimates state that by 2014 25% of Internet traffic will be on a mobile device. 25%! So for heaven's sake don't wait until then to get your Web site mobile-optimized.
   
4. Interest in geo-location (no duh!)
5. Growth of mobile video

Love it all. For someone whose mobile life started lugging around an Apple II, it's never been so fun to be in high tech.

Don't build an App just because you think you should...

Those of you that know me well know that I'm the market for my retirement flat in London. I'm nowhere NEAR retiring, but at some point in the next twenty years, I'm putting my feet up in my flat with a view of the River Thames and I'm going to love it.

So I patrol www.primelocation.co.uk when I have nothing else going on. It aggregates all sorts of delicious places and I mentally move into most of them, deciding where I'll put my brand new furniture that I need to buy along with my flat.

Imagine my delight when I saw they had an iPad App now? Quick! Download it! Perfect casual browsing opportunity as I half-watch TV on the sofa.

What a disaster. That's all I'm saying. Primelocation. Remove that App. It's a ridiculous waste of time and doesn't do you any justice.

Lesson? Don't make an App just because you think you have to. You may have a great site -- and Primelocation does -- but unless the App really does a useful job on the go, don't bother. Waste of time and resources, and doesn't do your brand any justice.

(And a better use of time? Fixing the iPad experience of your core site. Much more useful way to go.)

I take it ALL back -- thank you Amazon!

Back in October I ragged about the Kindle. In my defense, it was mostly about the touchy-feely bit of the Kindle. The device itself stunk, IMO.

As a passionate reader (been in the same Book Club for almost 16 years now) I have a highly emotional relationship with books and reading.

As an early adopter of technology, I bought the Kindle as soon as it came out. I had this plan that all my marketing wonk books could travel with me wherever I went, and when I needed to think about something, I could refresh my memory, get ideas, and get down with Seth Godin on demand.

But I really, really couldn't deal with the Kindle. I hated the screen. It flashed all the time. I poked. I prodded. I lost my place in the book. I couldn't browse. I pressed buttons too many times while waiting for updates, and went all over the wrong part of town. It made me feel old and stupid.

Then I got me my iPad. And I went away for a few days and forgot to bring my latest book with me (gasp). So I thought I'd test out the reading experience on the iPad and I bought the book I was then reading -- along with the rest of the known world -- Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Now I had been reading on the iPad lots. I wasn't JUST playing Bejewelled.... I read loads of newspapers and Web sites on it. But I hadn't read a book.

And now look at me. Two weeks later, and I've now read all three of Stieg's books in rapid succession. (A Stieg binge if you like.) All on the Kindle App for the iPad.

It's like crack. It's an addiction. I can get (almost) any book I want. Instantly. I can dip in and out of books. My library is with me wherever I go. Before I knew it, I'd got the complete works of Shakespeare. I bought two Ian McEwan books within 2 minutes of each other -- Solar (don't miss it) and Comfort of Strangers (unsettling). I bought two more Seth Godin books. I bought the Odyssey for heaven's sake. I was going book wild!

I wasn't surprised to hear that Kindle versions of books are now outselling hard cover books. I was fascinated to read about Wiley's new deal with Amazon for exclusive rights to e-versions of some of its books.

I still find the iPad tiring to read in long spells. But I like that I don't need a book light now!

So I take it all back. I can be an e-reader. I can. I can. Guess I'm not so old and stupid after all.

The curious potential of Chatroulette

Despite all the waving body parts of Chatroulette, I keep thinking how unbelievably great this platform could be for fostering interesting interactions between strangers. Check out this video:

Edgier brands are already finding ways to market their brand on chatroulette.

I can see all sorts of ideas around games in chatroulette space, spreading the word on a cause one person at a time, brainstorming with like minded groups if you could just chat with people who are tagged with an interest, like "Dr Who" or "The Monster Raving Loony Party." Imagine chatting with people at a conference. Demo'ing products. Providing crowdsourced customer support. Think about Good Samaritans -- help strangers who are feeling down.

And want to get really scary? How about live TV that includes "let's hear what random people think about XYZ?" A whole new spin on reality TV. Could be ads you run with the results. How about customer surveys? "Hey, I'm with such and such brand, what do you think about ...?"

Interesting. Can't wait to see what happens.

The Secrets of Apple's Marketing

We can only all dream of being part of a marketing dream machine like Apple, Inc. Today, I was forwarded an interesting PDF written by Steve Chazin. You can find the PDF (and hire Steve!) yourself here: http://www.marketingapple.com.


Here's a summary of the secrets. But read it yourself too!

1. Don't sell products. People buy what other people have. Make it easy for people to sell your product for you. With Apple, it's a lifestyle not a product thing. You want to dance like someone with an iPod.

2. Never be the first to market. Make something good greater. Improve the world. Fix something that already exists on the shelf. Focus on the one thing you do better than anyone, and make that matter.

3. Empower early adopters. Encourage and share real user's unbiased, heartfelt reporting. Help them market for you.

4. Make your message memorable. Boil it down to its syrupy goodness. Think big. Write small. Work on a tight, memorable message.

5. Go one step further. Surprise and delight your customers. Focus on the feel. What's your equivalent to that beautiful Apple un-wrap experience?

My first weekend with the iPad

So naturally I was waiting in line for the Apple store in Palo Alto to open so I could get my Kindle immediately! Back in October, I was already planning this. The verdict? While I could live without one, I definitely don't want to. And certainly my family won't want to!

Sophie trying out the iPad in Starbucks It was a family affair: My kids downloaded Scrabble and various Tap Tap games. My husband played a good number of games of Solitaire. I read the New York times -- app isn't nearly deep or rich enough. Why cut out all that content? I watched movies on the fab Netflix app -- though the screen is so mirror like I kept seeing my face in it. Didn't like that -- and it's hard to watch with more than one person. I watched part of a TV show on the ABC Player. I downloaded one or two books, but I can't see doing a lot of reading on this. I accessed my Kindle library on the Kindle app. A definite improvement on the Kindle experience. But where is the ability to annotate?! My husband played with the Weather Channel map and talked endlessly about where the snow was falling (and therefore where he should be skiing.) I can really see this as a terrific travel device. It's so, so much easier than carting around a laptop. If you're not planning on a lot of work that involves typing, then it's just right. It's not a device for sharing with others, unless you're playing a game of some sort. Even then, it's crowded for two. Buy some really good screen cleaner and a soft cloth of some sort. Greasy finger marks show up easily.

Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change.

Reviewing the Pew Research Center Report "The Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change." (I know I don't need to tell you that the Millennials are 18-28 year olds.) As this audience represents the vast majority of the people I "talk" to and about every day at Loopt, as well as at other companies, it's worth drilling down on what makes this generation tick.

This is a generation of adults that are confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change. They are less religious, more racially diverse, and on track to become the most educated generation in American history.

Here are some identifiers:

• 8 in 10 sleep with their cell phones by their bed.
  
• Nearly two-thirds admit to texting while driving.
  
• Three-quarters have a profile on a social networking site.
• One-in-five have posted a video of themselves online.
• Four-in-ten have a tattoo -- about half have two to five, and 18% have six or more. (70% say their tattoos are hidden beneath their clothing.
  
• One-in-four have piercings in a place other than their ear lobe
• Most have placed privacy boundaries on their social media profiles.
• 37% are unemployed, or out of the workforce; but 90% say they have enough money or that they will eventually meet their long term goals.
• Two-thirds are cautious about dealing with other people -- is the "war on terror" and other fear-mongering making this generation just less trustworthy and more cynical about their fellow human beings?
• One in four say they don't belong to a religious affiliation, but that doesn't mean they don't "believe" -- just as many pray as their elders did in their youth.
• Six-in-ten are raised by both parents.
• One-in-five are married.
• One-in-eight were 'boomeranged' back into their parents' homes due to economic circumstances.

These stats are interesting. They represent facts. You are either married. Or not. Tattoo'd. Or not. But what's even more interesting to me is their self-perception. When this generation were asked what makes their generation unique, they answered:

1. Technology use (24%)
   
2. Music/pop culture (11%)
   
3. Liberal/tolerant (7%)
   
4. Smarter (6%)
   
5. Clothes (5%)

You can read the report to see how other generations perceive themselves. Also fascinating.

The whole report provides validation for what I see every day. That the Millennial generation is the one that leads the rest of us into new forms of behavior and new technology use. From Facebook to Texting to Chatroulette. Older generations who ignore what Millennials are doing, especially in the technology arena, do so at their peril. Accept, learn, and embrace. Some of it is crazy. All of it is truly fascinating.

Tracking buzz with Viralheat

I'm a little bit loving Viralheat right now.

Viralheat will search the online world for mentions keywords, phrases, and brand names you choose. I'm fairly new to it, but I like the way it gives me charts so I can see the up and down moves in search terms so I see directly buzz increasing after a particular campaign.

My favorite part? The price! I'm just trying it out on the $9/month package right now. I'll move that up if it works out. But seriously. Most startups can't even consider the hundreds of dollars a month for fabulous stuff like Radian6. I wish I could. Honestly do. But it's not realistic.

Developing a social media strategy

Millions of bytes of information already exist out there covering how to approach building a social media strategy. Few come with the street cred of Charlene Li and Jeremiah Owyang.

Check out this excellent article "Developing a Social Strategy." Step through the slides. Key takeaways:

• First listen and learn
• Engage, but focus on sharing and watching
• Look at ways to support your customers and help them solve their problems
• Engage your customers in your innovation -- what are their ideas?
• Start small, focusing on one business goal where social media can have an impact -- and gauge success by how well you reached the business goal
  
• Practice and preach openness -- this takes courage!

Their follow on "Understand Your Customers' Social Behaviors" is also worth a look. Their report focuses on how it's important to conduct research to identify the social behaviors of your customers before you do anything. For example, identify:

• Where customers are online (use surveys, brand monitoring)
• Who customers trust (surveys)
• Who customers influence (surveys, brand monitoring)
• How customers use social tools in the context of your products

Once you understand, the plan can be built.

Don't buy users until you're ready

I was thrilled to read this article on Business Insider with advice from Sachin Agarwal "Three Things Your Startup Should Put Off As Long As Possible."

My favorite advice? Do not buy users until you have determined your Lifetime Value of your user, and you have Customer Acquisition Channels with direct costs above zero.

Seriously. Too right. I'm so often asked for customer acquisition plan advice. My response is always to start with SEO and partner marketing. Don't go down the route of buying users until you can measure they are making you any money, you can measure exactly how they are converting, and you can do organized A/B testing. Usually early phase startups can't do any of those things. Estimates are just guesses until you have real data.

Focus on building a fabulous product, with great content, and every possible viral link to allow your users to share the love.

Thanks, Sachin Agarwal for words of wisdom.

I miss my vinyl albums

I was reading this article from Digital Music News today "Recording Industry In 2009: Albums Down 12.7 Percent, Digital Still Gaining" that reports vinyl LP sales in 2009 were up 33% to 2.5 million.

What's that? Vinyl LP sales? Really?

It got me thinking. You know what's missing in listening to music today? That tactile experience of opening an album and placing the LP carefully on the turntable, being cautious only to hold it by the outside edge. Maybe cleaning first. Maybe blowing the dust off the needle. Then after that first crackle and hiss, sitting on the sofa, having a ciggie and a cup of tea (I am English after all), and studying the liner notes. It was all such a ceremony.

We worshiped listening to music back then. It was such an effort that you had to stop and listen carefully. Today it's just too instant and easy.

Sorting out my digital viewing

With all these tasty announcements from CES of my future TV viewing toys, I amuse myself by looking at the utter muddle of my own TV viewing life. Let's see I have;

* A Netflix account; they love me at Netflix. I lose so many DVDs (which I always pay for) and then forget to return said DVDs for weeks on end.

* A 58" Samsung TV in my family room with all the toys (widgets and so forth) with utterly crappy YouTube videos, hooked up to a TiVo. But most TV channels are such abysmal quality (both content and resolution) that I can't bear to watch any of it. Only a few are HD, and I can never figure out the numbers of those channels.

* Another 58" Samsung TV to watch in our playroom, where my treadmill resides, hooked up to Comcast's DVR. What is going on with that device's user experience? I feel like I'm in the DOS of the 80s. Absolutely, utterly dreadful. Beyond dreadful.

* A nice "little" 30-something inch TV in my bedroom with a Boxee experiment managed by my dearest partner. This experiment involves a MacMini, a breadboard with a mouse on it, and a keyboard, both tucked into the sock drawer underneath the TV. I haven't used this Boxee yet to do anything meaningful. Every time I try to play something back on it, I have to wait for it to load and I get bored. I'm never in the room long enough. Also, it makes strange noises in the middle of the night and wakes me up. I'm not liking this. My dearest partner feels that I'll want to watch re-ruins of Kojak on it (which he has kindly prepared for me in advance.) Er no. Weird time warp.

* An account at my local Blockbuster where I regularly owe tens of dollars in late fees.

* A mysterious method of downloading the latest BBC content, which incidentally I would willingly and gladly pay for if the BBC would let me have the iPlayer.

* An online Netflix account that my children use to watch no doubt unsuitable things on their laptops. Note to self. Change the password.

* An online Amazon Unbox account that I almost never use, because the choices are terrible and again, the user experiences worse than bad.

So. This needs cleaning up. The digital home is a dream yet to come in my house. And we're uber nerds. We buy all the latest stuff. It's just that none of it works ideally.

Evony Video Game Ads

I've had cause to review Evony ads recently. Users I'm working with now find them offensive. I can see why. They range from Victoria Secret style underwear to borderline violent with obvious phallic symbols. Still. It's a free world. I just choose not to use the service.

What's interesting to me is how their ads have evolved.

Here's a terrific blog post about the subject of Evony ads: http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/07/14/evolution-of-evony-video-game-ads/.

Naturally I was curious. I visited Evony. There's simply nothing you can learn about the service without signing up! Crafty!