QR Code Metadata Explained
January 9, 2012
We’ve found insight into mobile metatags: what they are and what can be searched in “Top 14 Things Marketers Need to Know About QR Codes” at Search Engine Watch. First on writer Angie Schottmuller’s list is the difference between the familiar UPC barcode, a one-dimensional code that can only be scanned in one direction, and 2-D barcodes like the QR, which store data in both directions.
Other highlights of the list include the fact that 2D codes can store many different types of data, from text to contacts, since they can accommodate so much more of it. Also, if a QR code is too small or complex, phones with low-grade cameras will have trouble reading it. My favorite entry: tools to create and read 2D barcodes are free—the write up gives us sources. There are also management tools available at reasonable prices.
One important point that could get lost in the excitement of adopting a new technology is this: the content must be worth the customer’s effort to do any good. The article notes:
It’s work to scan a barcode, so users have higher expectations as to what content they will find. Reward the user with discounts, exclusive content, or useful tips relevant to the code’s context. Consider scenarios that leverage smartphone features (email, SMS, phone call, video, map, apps, etc.) to save the user time.
One more cool thing. Because these codes allow for a high error tolerance so that damaged codes can be scanned, designers can get artsy with the shapes and colors. Good for marketing in our hyperactive world.
Cynthia Murrell, January 9, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Social Media Analytics Podcast Availalbe
January 9, 2012
Text Analytics News has posted the podcast of their insightful Social Media Analytics Panel. Check it out for a taste of what you can expect at April’s inaugural Social Media Analytics Summit.
The panel brings together Bill Touhig of J.D. Power & Associates, Robin Seidner of Radian6, and Beyond the Arc’s Steven J. Ramirez. The social media analytics experts share their insights in the 55 minute podcast. The description describes the discussion content:
- Analytic technologies and techniques being used to make business sense of the flood of user-generated content
- The cutting edges of social media and sentiment analysis – what works, where improvements are being made, and which platforms are leading the way
- The comparison between proprietary and do-it-yourself tools for social media analysis
- Effective ways for leveraging social media information to get a leg up on your competition
The most memorable points from this podcast for me hinge on the unexpected. Social media is still a very new field that continues to supply surprises. For example, Touhig shared a discovery his company made for a major cosmetics company: trying to stay ahead of the curve, generation Y women were using skin care products made for older women. The company then had to find a way to communicate that using products for their skin type will actually be more effective for these customers.
Another surprise—Ramirez pointed out that, with social media data, more is not better. This may seem obvious to some, but it is not the case with other data types, where more volume produces more accurate results. Instead, analysts find that they need to narrow the data to exclude the vast amounts of irrelevant input that social media provides. As Ramirez commented, “people will say anything!”
It may be no surprise that text analytics is experiencing a talent gap. As Ramirez quipped, if you know young people just starting out, advise them to go into this young field. Yes, general business users are usually capable of analyzing data, but they need a leg-up. It is best to develop a program and invest in tools and training before expecting results from non-specialized employees.
There is much more to this podcast than I can fit here, so be sure to check it out for yourself. Then, plan to attend the Social Media Analytics Summit next spring.
Cynthia Murrell, January 9, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
New Search Engines Just for Mobile Apps
January 9, 2012
We’ve found a couple of new app search engines to check out. The Next Web concluded that “Appgravity is Like a Better Google Search for Android Apps.” Appgravity lets users search the Android Market by name or keywords, with category and list-order features. A convenient button takes the decisive straight to the Market’s Download or Purchase page. Reviewer Martin Bryant found the interface and filtering options to be better than the Market’s built in search. More improvements are planned.
The article observes:
It certainly sounds like the team has had an uphill struggle to build a third-party service that works with the Android Market. ‘We, along with a few other companies and developers, have effectively reverse engineered the Android Market’s public API,’ says [Appgravity’s] Dickens. ‘There is a very tight-knit but open community hosted by Google centered around this “API” which really exists more for Android and its close partners’ use.’
Interesting development. Another contender is Quixey, which does not restrict itself to Android’s store. “You can find apps on Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Facebook, web and more!” it promises. The service is still in beta, but the start-up has high hopes for its Functional Search, which it developed specifically for apps. See their About page for more on how that works.
Can we expect more entries in this new specialization?
Cynthia Murrell, January 9, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Rethink Cost-Cutting at Every Level of Manufacturing
January 8, 2012
Thanks to failing economies around the world companies located in the United States are reevaluating costs in every department across the board. Manufacturing is a common place to start in the cost-cutting mission and one company, Phillips, who prides themselves on advanced molding and automated assembly, appeals to this new fashion of frugality on their website.
Not only do they appeal to frugality but also American pride touting that their automated production facilities are able to keep costs low enough to keep the work in the United States enabling companies to save money and employ hard-working Americans – a win-win.
As the website explains,
“To provide you with service excellence, each of our facilities features automated processes designed to reduce labor costs and save you money and time. In fact, with automation in place, you may find your program is more competitively priced if manufactured in the U.S. than your offshore alternatives. Of course, you also benefit from access to Phillips’ overseas partners to meet your unique consumer product manufacturing needs.”
While we applaud companies for streamlining productions expenses we do not believe the frugality should end there. By eliminating unnecessary waste created in information processes companies can create even more savings, something vital to survival in this economic hard-time. Since data is the basic building block or any company or organization adopting new data management solutions is the place to begin the information processes reconstruction.
Catherine Lamsfuss, January 8, 2012
Mr. MapR: A Xoogler
January 8, 2012
Wired Enterprise gives us a glimpse into MapR, a new distribution for Apache Hadoop, in “Ex-Google Man Sells Search Genius to Rest of World.” The ex-Googler in this case is M.C. Srivas, who was so impressed with Google’s MapReduce platform that he decided to spread its concepts to the outside world. Writer Cade Metz explains,
In the summer of 2009, [Srivas] left the company to found a startup that takes the ideas behind Google’s top-secret infrastructure and delivers them to the average business. The company is called MapR, after Google’s MapReduce, and like so many other companies, Srivas and crew are selling a product based on Hadoop, an open source incarnation of Google’s GFS and MapReduce platforms.
Srivas had the chance to get in on the ground floor of Cloudera, but he was unhappy with that project’s emphasis on support, services, and software add-ons. Instead, he wanted to directly address the core problems with the Hadoop platform. Shortly thereafter, MapR was born.
The article details some of the Hadoop hitches that MapR is addressing. We admire the drive to get to the root of the problems, rather than surrender to the temptation of shortcuts.
Cynthia Murrell, January 8, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Don’t Let Innovation Cloud Data Management Needs
January 7, 2012
Cutting costs seems to be an on-going theme for businesses everywhere. Consultants are being hired like crazy to do the near impossible and keep many businesses in the black. One popular consulting firm is PA Consulting Group specializing in lowering costs through streamlining innovation.
There website purports,
“Creating innovative ideas effectively whilst removing cost from innovation activities presents a major challenge to most organisations. PA Consulting Group’s consumer products experts create breakout thoughts across the entire supply chain whilst at the same time increasing innovation efficiency through consumer focus as well as building the right capabilities and assuring agile delivery. PA helps fast moving consumer goods companies deliver innovation by removing roadblocks to speed and flexibility, creating an effective organisation as well as ensuring focus on customer and cost.”
We couldn’t help but notices a lack of mention of the power of cutting costs in the information processes within companies. Innovation efficiency is a grand idea and noble goal but if a company’s data management structure is a relic innovative engineering designs will be replicated and data mismanaged raising the cost of information access.
To truly begin cutting cost companies must start with their data management. Inforbix, a company specializing in enterprise search and data management, provides a solution which enhances cost management and permits elimination of expensive duplicate engineering cycles.
Catherine Lamsfuss, January 7, 2012
Search Engine Optimization Billing
January 7, 2012
I saw a graphic which purports to answer the question, “How Much Does SEO Cost?” The guts of the write up is more along the lines of how a client pays for the allegedly high-value, must-have ministrations of SEO experts. Here’s an example:
cost-per-project is the most common pricing model and is offered by 70% of the agencies and consultancies surveyed. A monthly retainer was the second most common cost model offered (60%), followed by hourly rates at 55%.
The big summary of data explains what services the alleged experts offer the clients who pay. The bulk of the work appears to be involved in making recommendations and suggesting key words. Okay, librarians, are you on alert. SEO experts are recommending key words. I wonder if home economics majors, those skilled in political science, and various unemployed high school teachers are trained in indexing? MBAs? Hey, MBAs are born able to manage anything. Key words are a piece of cake. Just look at the indexing of Lehman Brothers’ and BearStearns’ content.
But the big factoid in the write up is the Monthly retainer section. One learns that the fees are in what is “buy a Toyota Camry” range; that is, hundreds a month to $2,501 to $5,000 a month range. The use of blue bars without “real” numbers makes this observation suspect, but I concluded that with advisory services and some key word fiddling, a good salesperson could snag six or seven clients a month. Even at $2,000 per month, the enterprising SEO expert can move up to a baby Lexus.
Project pricing is, it appears, mostly in the $1,500 to $7,000 range. My hunch is that projects drag out over several time chunks. The hourly rate section pegs the experts in the $75 to $150 per hour range. Compared to blue chip consulting work or expert witness work, SEO experts are billing at a rate which probably keeps the lights on and maybe makes it possible to enjoy a holiday each year.
The infographic suggests that making a living as an SEO expert is possible, probably not particularly easy. Worth checking out the chart if you are in the SEO game. No information about the productization of the alleged SEO services. That would be interesting to me.
By the way, the “real cost” of SEO is the friction added to the spending of Bing and Google to deal with the craziness, spoofing, and coding horrors the SEO clan visits on the hapless residents of rural Kentucky. Google’s Matt Cutts has a job because of SEO. SEO costs a great deal of money, and when I consider how relevance has become a thing of the past, SEO has consumed more dough than it has generated for those looking for on point information.
Stephen E Arnold, January 7, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Why Free Services Are Undervalued
January 7, 2012
Open source adherents take heed. I stumbled upon a interesting post where blogger Tyler Nichols lamented the way that customers mistreat and inherently devalue free services in the article “I am Done with the Freemium Business Model.”
According to the post, Nichols obtained this opinion after creating a free Letter from Santa site over this Christmas holiday. Despite the 1,000,000 page views and 50,000 free Santa letters created, Nichols noticed that his customers refused to follow simple directions and fagged his follow up thank you letter as spam.
Nichols concluded:
Free customers are higher maintenance than paying customers. I think it’s because they aren’t paying, they show little or no attention to directions. I focused on making the UI of the site drop dead simple and easy to use. I created a pretty thorough FAQ to answer 99.9% of the questions people might have. I even linked to the FAQ in the email response they got with their download links to the letter they created. I still had hundreds of free customers ask for help with simple questions that were answered in the FAQ.
It’s no surprise that paying customers place a higher value on their products and services than the one’s that receive it for free. But we wonder if this frustration over the freemium business model will inevitably spill over into open source search. Only time will tell.
Jasmine Ashton, January 7, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
SharePoint Q & A With Worldwide Community Experts
January 6, 2012
The FUMSI Forum picked up the SharePoint StackExchange, a Q & A site directed at SharePoint users and enthusiasts.
The discussion pointed out:
One of a network of user-driven Q&A sites, the SharePoint edition of the StackExchange help forum allows you to ask, answer and search for previous questions about customising your implementation of the software.
The StackExchange serves as an innovative message board, allowing SharePoint users to discuss common pains and solutions alike. With a broad and highly customizable enterprise infrastructure like SharePoint, attention to detail is likely to come from other users instead of from Microsoft.
This is a collaboratively edited question and answer site for SharePoint enthusiasts. It’s 100% free, no registration required.
While message board and forums like this are a lifeline for SharePoint users, we think third party solutions might offer an opportunity to avoid some of the pitfalls of SharePoint in the first place. Fabasoft Mindbreeze offers an enterprise implementation that either stands alone or supports an existing SharePoint infrastructure.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise finds every scrap of information within a very short time, whether document, contract, note, e-mail or calendar entry, in intranet or internet, person- or text-related. The software solution finds all required information, regardless of source, for its users. Get a comprehensive overview of corporate knowledge in seconds without redundancy or loss of data. But an all-inclusive search is not everything. Creating relevant knowledge means processing data in a comprehensible form and utilizing relations between information objects. Data is sorted according to type and relevance.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze is widely touted for its intuitive solution, one that keeps the user from worrying about customization. Updates are seamlessly and automatically rolled out on a regular basis. So while SharePoint is fast becoming an essential tool for organizations, we think a third party solution is just as essential for ensuring that SharePoint users get the efficiency and relevancy they are seeking.
Emily Rae Aldridge, January 6, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
PLM Eases Cost of Change Complexity
January 6, 2012
No one likes change and for manufacturers it can be costly. So how do companies manage and budget for change processes? The article “PLM, ECO and Cost of Change” analyzes that question and how PLM systems support them.
For PLM implementation, it is important to know “how you are able to automate cost of change calculation and embed it in the overall change process.” Changes are classified into four categories which are cost reduction, product maturity, product development and other and the change cost calculation will be different for each category.
“If you estimating change that marked to save cost or time, you absolutely need to calculate the cost. However, if you making a change that related to product maturity, you probably can skip some cost of change calculation. Taking right assumption can significantly improve the speed of change processes, which is an essential part of every manufacturing organization.”
Change cost analysis is complicated. PLM systems certainly help, but companies like Inforbix simplify the process. Inforbix focuses on product data and they find and infer relationships between disparate sources of structured and unstructured product data. So do not be afraid of change. Sometimes change is good.
Jennifer Wensink, January 6, 2012
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