Yearly Archives: 2012

63 Years After Muggs Mc Ginnis

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Muggs MC Ginnis

It was quite serendipitous that I met Susan Leigh Babcock. She is the creator of Ballpoint, Inc., a digital company that was started in 2010 to help people like me who sometimes struggle with basic writing skills. I know that may seem strange considering my entire career has involved all levels of writing but, yes, I am one of those who have been known to misuse words and pull a Muggs McGinnis who was infamous for his malapropisms. I also can confuse the use of words like “apart” vs.“a part” or phrases like “in regards to” vs.”in regard to.” For years I had to suffer asking my husband or co-workers, “What is the word for . . . ?”  I hate having to ask for help at this stage of the game but I still have so much to say and yet at times can’t find the right words to say it.  

I am still confused if it is “make deux,” “make due,” “make do,” or “make dew.” Apparently, I am not the only one.  Susan claims that because people are writing more as compared to verbally communicating, there are more mistakes appearing in front of people’s eyes, and those mistakes are starting to look right from repetition. That’s a recipe for confusion.  

Ballpoint is an education software company that makes game apps for the English language. Ballpoint’s first two learning apps, “Word Wit” and “Phrase Wit”, are available in the Apple Store and deal with the most commonly confused — and miswritten — words and phrases, respectively. Susan calls them confusing words and their evil twins: “amount and number,” “principle and principal” and “moot and mute.” Common phrases and their mangled cousins include “super up,” “soup up,” or “suit up.” While some of the misuses may make you laugh, others will make you cringe as you realize you also thought it was “shoe-in” (instead of the correct “shoo-in”). 

Susan Leigh Babcock

Ballpoint is bringing new skill sets to those who want to take advantage of digital technology. Word Wit and Phrase Wit are apps that use game mechanics to make learning more fun, also known as “gamification” of learning. The next step for Ballpoint will be the “learnification” (Susan’s made-up term) of games. This will get their terrific learning apps in the hands of everyone who enjoys games, which is a surprisingly large percentage of the population, and across a surprising demographic of age and gender. In that sense it will also be a democratization of learning. 

When we met for lunch yesterday, Susan told me that corporations spend $3.1 billion a year on remedial writing training. She also noted that people looking for work need to write for 90 per cent of the available jobs. Foreign speakers make up one in every two new employees. Learning correct grammar and the ability to express yourself is even being underscored by the Obama administration. President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act of 2010 on October 13, 2010. The law requires that federal agencies use “clear Government communication that the public can understand and use.” On January 18, 2011, he issued a new Executive Order, “E.O. 13563 – Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review..It states that “[our regulatory system] must ensure that regulations are accessible, consistent, written in plain language, and easy to understand.”  

Ballpoint plans to be a digital  leader in this category, designing for all platforms to reach anyone wherever they are. You should read their blog which has fun and breezy posts with terrific tips that will help your writing skills. It’s critical in my business to inspire confidence. Susan tells me even she has her work edited. I think I’m in good company then. 

As I state in most of my blog posts, the digital world has certainly made it a lot easier for us in many respects. To be able to strengthen the tools of my trade with Word Wit and Phrase Wit, words, has made a big difference in my life. I’m just glad that Ballpoint has arrived in my lifetime.

Apps That Take Naps

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There is never a day that goes by that someone doesn’t call to ask me if I can help them develop an app for the Apple or Android smart phone. At first it was the younger set who wanted to be a part of  the “get rich quick” generation. Now I am getting calls from middle age to golden years folks who have ideas of their own. Here are some of them: 

1-An app that lists the local senior centers and their activities

2-An app that gives reviews of 55 plus housing communities

3-An app that tells you “what is free” in every neighborhood in America. Such as wine tasting parties, gallery openings, open houses at museums, new store galas,  restaurant previews, cocktail parties for new designers at department stores, school lectures, etc.

4-An app that lists every benefit you should be receiving when you are 65

5-An app for volunteering

Mark Cuban of Shark Tank
“You seem very nice but i am out. Good luck”

6-An app that lists senior friendly bars

7-An app that lets you join others so that you don’t have to eat alone

8-An app  that helps you join golf, bridge, bowling, tennis and chat clubs 

I was terribly frustrated at first because I didn’t know how to help most of the people who called. I hate being put in that position. So, I spent the last few weeks researching what it takes to get started as well as being successful. 

Kevin O”Leary of Shark Tank
“Come back when you know what you are talking about”

I am devoting a post to this subject, but I already know the reaction of  many of the people who have called on me.  “Stop lecturing me, Lois.” There are so many people who think they have a great idea and want to be successful. However, they are clueless about what it takes to get there. You can give them a blueprint of exactly what to do and they will just take shortcuts, because they think they know better. All they are interested in is someone writing a check and letting them play. When they finally end up with nothing, they blame everyone but themselves.  I remember spelling out the same thing in a post I  recently did which covered  presenting yourself to venture capitalists and angel investors. I am not trying to be bossy. I am trying to help. Don’t shoot the messenger, me. 

Robert Herjavec of Shark Tank
“I don’t know your business, I am out”

After many conversations with agencies and software developers who create apps, I found that they too get approached by hundreds of people every year with what they believe are great ideas.  John Hobson and Phil Lockhart of Project Tiki, a developer of apps in Dallas, said that the first thing they look for is whether the people with suggestions have “any skin in the game.” In other words, if an idea person is not willing to invest themselves (around $10,000), then they will never act on their proposal. (I just spoke to another source who told me her two apps cost $80,000).  Software developers who make apps get more so called great ideas a week than they can digest.  Ideas are cheap. They need development money. It is very rare that they think something is such a brilliant idea that they are willing to work for free and then share in the payoff.  You have to have strong proof. 

Daymond John of Shark Tank
“Unless this is your day job and you are working around the clock, I am not interested in you”

Gone are the days where you show up with an idea scratched out on a piece of paper. Phil and John told me that most apps in the iPhone and Android stores go nowhere fast. Only a small percentage make money. The rest go to sleep and die because the idea people had no follow through, no promotion, no marketing money, no one sitting behind the driver’s seat making it happen.  I want to underscore that creating new ideas for businesses or being an inventor as a second career when you are over 50, is very important for your mind and body. Many of us can once again experience the joys of a rewarding and productive life. Go for it! It would be so awesome to read Forbes, Fortune, or Business Week and see a whole new trend of the older generation leading the way in innovation.  It is so important for you to understand the path you need to take, the monies required and the time you have to devote to these projects. 

Barbara Corcoran of Shark Tank
“I dont think you know what your business model is”

If you are now one of the people, call me. I have a much larger list of resources.  This world is all about connecting the dots.

Digital Keepsakes

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For most of my career I never liked taking a vacation from my business. Being away from the office was like leaving a teenager home alone. You never know what you will find when you return. All that changed seven years ago when I reached my late 50s. A little bell went off in my head that said, “it’s time.” Of course the Internet had a lot to do with it. I am living proof that you can travel all over the world and still keep an eye on things at home. 

India

I don’t travel without my laptop, iPhone (Line 2 for International calling), iPad, chargers, iPod, and good old-fashioned pen and paper. We tour during the day in Europe or Asia when everyone is sleeping in the United States and get back to our hotel room at night. I am then able to check in with the office and clients when business is in full swing back in New York. 

Peru

Theoretically, everything should run smoothly. The digital age has certainly provided for all the advantages of working virtually. Another digital plus is the stunning photos you get from faraway places. In the last seven years we have been to South East Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, South America, Israel, and India. Later this month we are leaving for Croatia. 

Unlike most folks, I do not allow all the beautiful photos we have taken to be hidden in some drawer or closet upon our return. Thousands of photos are constantly being displayed on a designated HDTV screen in our office, or on digital photo frames at home. My husband Eliot is known to snap as many as 9,000 photos on trips. Of course, he has a professional Nikon camera and some kind of gizmo that allows him to exercise his trigger finger. He then spends weeks editing the photos for display. 

Thanks to my girl friend Ruth Greenberg, (we usually travel with her and her husband Howard) the photos taken on these trips have been elevated to a new digital level. She has artistically taken the pictures from each trip and turned them into custom made digital photo albums that look like professionally published coffee table books. Each page is designed to look like a separate masterpiece. The brilliance of the colors, the shapes of the photos, and the structure of the layouts look as if they were published by National Geographic. She has done a wonderful job over the years and we appreciate these keepsakes. Lately Eliot has taken his turn and was responsible for the Israel and India books. Our photo books are displayed in my living room and remain wonderful to look at no matter how many times we view them. Digital publishing is an amazing feat. 

Paris

There are many publishers of digital photo books, but the ones most popular are Shutterfly and My Publisher. These companies were created because people wanted to share their memories and experiences with others. The evolution of the digital camera has made it easier to accomplish this. Millions and millions of Americans have made digital photo books over the last few years. These companies also offer storage, personal and public sharing sites (if you just want to keep your books and photos online) video capabilities, greeting cards, stationery, scrapbooking, and, of course, prints and posters. 

India

Please let the DigiDame know if you have any questions

India photo spread

about working away from the office or capturing your travels digitally. If I can’t answer you, I know plenty of people who love giving their advice and expertise.

 

Invention Hunters on the Food Network Starts Tonight

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Steve’s biggest fan club.

The staff at my New York coop is so excited today.  The guy who often stays at our apartment, the guy who often has packages arriving for him in our name, the guy who calls all of the doormen by their first name, the guy who frequently appears on Dr. Oz and The Today Show as the “Innovation Insider,” is going to be one of the most talked about people in the world of innovation today and maybe for a long, long time.  Starting tonight and for the next six Monday evenings, Steve Greenberg will be hosting a new TV Show on the Food Network along with Patrick Raymond called “Invention Hunters.” 

Steve and Patrick

Produced by Lucky Dog Films, “Invention Hunters”  is exactly what I talk about in my blog posts every day.  The series is all about innovation, entrepreneurship, ambition, determination, start ups, desire, marketing, guts, and even reinventing yourself by taking risks.  The Internet plays a big part of this TV series because a lot of what is being done is made quicker, faster and better by knowing how to use it. Steve and Patrick travel across country searching for the next great food gadgets.  In many ways, “Invention Hunters” is no different than a lot of the successful reality series like “American Idol,”  “The X Factor,”  “Shark Tank,”  “House Hunters” or even “House Hunters International.”  Steve and Raymond scout for the most promising kitchen inventions, they pick three for every show, they eliminate two, and then they bring their selection to  Swerve Inc., for assistance in presentation and packaging and then finally to Lifetime Brands, a sales and distribution company for the final analysis. 

At the Lifetime Brands, the chosen inventors make the pitch themselves as to why their food gadget should be on retail shelves across America.  Steve and Patrick along with the inventors wait in the lobby while the executives of Lifetime Brands decide if they will agree to distribute the product.  The anticipation is nerve racking.  Even the audience at home watching get emotionally involved because if the product gets accepted it will change the lives of these inventors forever.  There is a little bit of all of us in these segments. That is why this series is probably going to get picked up after the first six episodes.

The storyline of “Invention Hunters” is actually what the American public wants today—a way to reinvent themselves. The show gives hope that there is always a new chapter of our lives waiting to be explored. What I loved most about the preview that aired last night was what one of the inventors said when he didn’t get picked. “I will see my invention through till the end. I will make it happen. This is my passion. I can’t wait to get up in the morning to do one more thing that will make my gadget a success.”   How many of us feel exactly the same way. My guess is very few. 

To catch the fever, be sure to tune into “Invention Hunters” tonight at 9pm on the Food Network.  By the way, Steve Greenberg had no idea that I was going to write about him today.  I didn’t know it myself until I sat down to write today’s post for DigiDame.  Then I remembered the inspiration I felt from each of those inventors that Steve and Patrick met.  I also thought about the people who appear on “Shark Tank.”  You may think reality shows are fake but one thing is for sure, the inventors are real.  They are so real that they motivated me one more time to try something new.

Mother’s Day is Very Different in the Digital World

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This morning I received five separate texts messages from male friends wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day. Last night I celebrated Mother’s Day by Skyping with friends in Israel, Holland and Italy. Later today my godson from Manila will call me on Skype with his family. I did FaceTime with nieces and nephews a few times today.
 
Early this morning I researched and posted 15 suitable messages on Facebook and Twitter for clients. The big story of the day is digital wallets. More about that in a future post. I also had to make time to write this blog post.

I received several electronic Mother’s Day cards this afternoon and two off-color videos from childhood friends. When I opened Twitter and Facebook, I read another 25 or so Happy Mother’s Day posts from online friends.

The digital experience didn’t end there. Things got much heavier when my daughter Whitney showed up for brunch. We talked about her new “user experience” assignments, new apps, my blog, her blog, Eliot’s newly created electronic Shutterfly photo book from our trip to India last year, what books we recently read on our iPads and Kindles, Viddy and Socialcam video editing, why I can’t ever remember how to use certain technologies and should I buy an ultra book vs a netbook when my laptop at home blows. Still waiting for a flash solution on my iPad.

In addition to the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers, Whitney handed me her real gift spelled out inside an adorable greeting card in scripted with my first dog’s name, Gucci.  First she wrote a few personal things and then detailed the gift she knew would please me the most.

“I want to help you with DigiDame. That is why my gift to you is optimizing DigiDame.Together we will be installing sharing services, blog roll, Disqus comments, recent comments plug in, popular posts plug in, tweet wall, archives, contact page, tags/categories, and reading list.”

I teared up. She knew how much I wanted and needed the help. I rely so much on our tech whiz at HWH that it felt so good to have additional reinforcements. Whitney spent a few hours optimizing DigiDame so take a good look around. We talked about all of the improvements and what I need to do to get a much larger audience. I have my work cut out for me but I had the most rewarding Mother’s Day ever. Other mothers may have spent the day eating heart shaped pancakes and parading around town with their corsages and sparkling new jewelry. I got what I needed the most, the ability to stay in the digital game a little bit longer.

DIGITAL MEMORIES–THANK YOU COUSIN JEFF

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Ruthie, Willie, Lois and Steve, circa 1956

I am feeling very nostalgic today. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. My mother died seven years ago. It doesn’t matter how old you are everyone wants to be mothered. My mother was a master mother. She loved my brother and me more than life itself. The longer she is gone, the more I miss her. Now that I am one of the oldest members of my family, I understand more than ever what “it’s lonely at the top” truly means. No one calls me to ask what I did for the day, who I spoke to, what I ate, am I happy and how I feel? 

The very questions I used to hate on a daily basis, are the ones I miss the most. I would do anything to relive the days of a daughter. Not much I can do about that. Then the next best thing happened this morning. My first cousin Jeff Young from Los Angeles surprised me with something called Memory Safe Videos. He took an 8mm film from his parent’s house and brought it to Costco where they offer “Digital Transfer Services” which transfers home movies, slides and prints to DVDs. Then MemorySafe takes those DVD’s and posts short highlights on a secure website for your private viewing and sharing. This service is available at Costco, CVS, Rite Aid, Ritz Camera and Walgreens. 

Mom and Dad

I wish I could share the video with you but the service limits the viewing unless you pay extra. I will do that eventually. Meanwhile, this morning I was able to view my mother and her entire family at her parent’s 50th anniversary party. Through the wonderments of digital technologies these old 8mm films that were stored in a box somewhere became easy to transfer videos that can be repeatedly viewed over and over.

Jeff’s email message said he was going to transfer more of the 8mm films so that we can all share these wonderful memories. Nothing like bringing the past right in to the future with a link click on your laptop, iPad and smart phone.

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone, everywhere.

HELP ME GET RID OF MY HEEBIE-JEEBIES

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I get the heebie-jeebies when I see a person over 50 not using a smartphone.  They might as well be wearing bell bottoms, because they look like dinosaurs to me. I hate it even more when they say “Smartphone, what do I need it for?” 

I am so passionate about this subject because I don’t want anyone from my generation to miss out on all the cool technology that is offered today. All the stuff we dreamed about when we were growing up is finally happening. We are so lucky to be alive during this amazing, innovative era.  I often wonder where I came from when I’m excited about finding a new app that makes my life so much easier, but my friends aren’t jumping for joy. 

This week alone I added a scanner, business card, two videos, and a greeting card app to my iPhone roster. Every time an app is added, I feel like I inherited a significant gift from a major donor. I can’t wait to play with it.  I admit that when I open most of them, I am clueless about what to do next. I usually push a lot of buttons until I discover what to do, or I wait until I see one of my younger friends.  I bug them relentlessly to show me how to work the app. Our tech guru at HWH usually bears the burden of showing me the ins and outs, over and over. I can never remember a thing if I don’t repeatedly use the app. 

My biggest recommendation to everyone that is technologically challenged is to get a geek to help you once or twice a week. Hire a young kid for $25 an hour to demystify what you don’t know. You will be amazed at how simple it all is.  All this tech stuff doesn’t come intuitively to our generation because we didn’t grow up with it. The kids today did.  If you resist, it is because you are afraid to admit what you don’t know. That is so silly. Even some of my engineering contacts from Google ask me questions about social media that I assumed that they should know the answers to. The digital world is all about everyone helping each other out. 

The greatest reward you will receive when you delve into the world of technology is that your children and grandchildren will be so proud of you. You need to be a part of the tech culture.  You’ll see what a great icebreaker it will be when you contribute to the conversation around the dinner table. You will level the playing field. The generation gap will disappear on certain topics outside of technology as well. All of a sudden, you’ll be relevant on many fronts.  Please don’t be a cynical spectator any longer. You  also need a smartphone  because it’s the future of communications. Smartphones are going to be a big threat to desktop and laptop computers.  Most people today use smartphones for everything. They read novels, draft contracts, and edit videos right on this handy, small, mobile device. Please be a part of the upwardly mobile society.

SHARING VIDEOS PREDICTED TO BE THE NEXT BIG TREND IN SOCIAL MEDIA

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Unless you were hiding under a rock a few weeks ago, you had to have read that Facebook bought a smartphone photo-sharing app called Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock. It made page one news in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Every TV news station covered it. What made the story so remarkable was that Instagram is a two-year-old San Francisco-based company. Yes, just founded two years ago and it was bought for a record breaking sum. That is why the Internet is so sexy and appealing to everyone who understands the dynamics of the digital world. This little baby company came up with the concept of an easy way to snap a photo, chose a filter to transform its look, and then use Instagram to post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr. 

Facebook immediately saw a synergy between its business model and what Instagram was all about. At the end of last year, Facebook reported that 250 million photos a day were being posted on its platform. In its SEC filings, Facebook also noted that its members spend nearly one-fifth of their time browsing other people’s photos. Instagram was a natural and most desired fit. 

Mobile apps like Instagram are aimed at people of all ages, but I personally feel that every parent or grandparent should download the app so you can share more with members of the family and friends everywhere. This is a wonderful and fun way of keeping in touch. Now, get ready for something brand new. Internet forecaster Gary Vaynerchuk is predicting that video sharing is the next big thing. It’s also a natural. Gary is the one who predicted that Facebook would buy Instagram.  Now Gary is saying that YouTube is going to buy Viddy or Socialcam because those apps allow users to shoot or capture a video, edit it, and privately or publicly share it with the world at large. Both apps upload to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Gary is quick to point out that what Instagram did for phone-shot photos, Viddy and Socialcam are going to do for videos. 

Consider yourself well informed after you click on Gary’s video blog called The Next Wave, which appears on The Daily, the first of its kind national news publication built exclusively as an application for touch screens and emerging digital platforms. The Daily is currently available on the iPad, iPhone, and select Verizon Samsung tablets. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpahiDOwUMs

Pop Goes The Weasel *

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Every day I get a call from someone seeking advice on how to successfully bring his or her brilliant product or service idea to market. I know they are calling me because I have been around innovation for 45 years. However, the truth is that the answer should be coming from them. People feel that just because they have a brilliant idea they get to sit back and let everyone else figure out how to make it a success. 

Guess what? It doesn’t work that way. The venture capitalists and angel investors are not giving one dime to those who don’t have proof that there is a market for their idea and how they are going to make a profit from it. 

Do yourself a favor. Watch Shark Tank on TV. Don’t tell me reality TV is fake. We’ve all heard that before and have our own opinions about the level of realism on these types of shows. That is not what I am talking about. I want you to listen carefully to the questions The Sharks ask: 

1-What is the valuation of your company and how did you arrive at it?

2-What is your profit margin? 

3-How many of these did you sell? 

4-What is your cost for making these products? 

5-How much of your company am I going to own and at what price? 

6-Who is your competition? 

7-How much of your own money did you invest? 

8-What money do you live on? 

9-Who is this product for? 

10-How are you reaching that market? 

The bonus question always is: What part of this idea is patented or trademarked and can you get ripped off? 

Mark Zuckerberg

Jack Dorsey

These are  the “tough to answer” questions you are going to get. If you can’t answer all of these, then go back to your day job and rethink your idea. I am not being mean for the sake of being mean. I want you to wake up to the real world. While you may have read that Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Jack Dorsey of Twitter just came up with concepts and didn’t have any answers to the questions I just asked you, think again. There are Sharks questioning their every move, every day. 

You have to know how to filter the stories Hollywood feeds you. Understand what is real and not. And you better be ready for the fight of your life if you call me or anyone else with your brilliant idea!

*  http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1314/what-does-pop-goes-the-weasel-mean

 

 

 

DIGIDAME IS A TSA PRE-CHECK TRUSTED TRAVELER

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I am writing this post from the American Airline’s D49 Gate at Miami International Airport. It is 6:41am. For the second time, my husband Eliot and I skipped the usual 45 minute security line because we belong to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Pre-Check Trusted Traveler Program. We no longer have to wait on endless security lines that usually adds panic to our forever trek from the check-in point to the New York bound gate at the end of the terminal. Ever notice that most flights headed to NY are relegated to the furthest gates?

The pre-check program is very important to us because we usually take an early morning flight out from Miami to NY. That means getting up at 4am to shower and do all of the morning rituals in less than an hour. We are out the door by 6 and at the airport by 6:30 for a 7:30 am flight. Not a minute to spare.

The TSA Pre-Check is one of the most wonderful results of the digital revolution. You are pre-screened once you opt-in online. No more removing shoes, laptops, toiletries and lighter outer clothing.  I feel like we are “Forward To The Past,” pre 9/11. There is a special security line for the Pre-Check passengers. You walk right through while everyone else is giving you dirty looks, especially the First Class passengers who are not happy about being upstaged and are clueless about this program.

We also belong to the Global Entry program. For $100 you can fill out a form online, then subordinate yourself to an in-person interview where you get finger printed and have your photo taken.  If you clear the screening, you receive an identity card and a sticker on your passport that allows you expedited clearance at customs when you enter the United States.

I was so nervous for my interview. I didn’t know what they were going to ask.  I rehearsed the “Pledge Of Allegiance” and “The Star Spangled Banner” many times the night before. I memorized the list of Presidents of the United States and who was serving in the current administration. The interview was nothing like that at all. They asked some basic questions and I signed a few documents. I did get extremely nervous when the electronic scanner could not capture my fingerprints. I had to try about 10 times, which required me washing my fingers with hand wipes, powder, and tissues. It was so embarrassing and brought up old childhood memories of me thinking I was really from another planet.  Then another police officer came to my rescue when he discovered that my name was spelled wrong on the application which had stopped the process. Whew, maybe I am human.

David Pogue

I could go on and on about the virtues of both programs, but the digital genius of The New York Times,  David Pogue, did a blog post about this last week.  You should give it a read.  http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/zipping-through-airport-security/

No one explains it better than Pogue.