Yearly Archives: 2012

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

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One of the greatest things about being in the tech industry for so many years is that I get to meet hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who have a dream of building or creating something. I can probably tell within minutes of meeting that person if he or she is going to be successful. 

Scary isn’t it? Not really. Most of the time the person’s success really depends on his or her personality. There are certain ingredients that an inspiring entrepreneur must have in order to be successful. Sadly, most people just don’t have what it takes. I know a lot of seniors live vicariously through some of the young folks today who created something out of nothing and sold it for a billion dollars, like Instagram, or now have their companies valued at a $100 billion, like Facebook. I have to tell my generation that 99.9 per cent of the young people in the digital world today are not capable of inventing something and turning it into gold. 

My advice is to hold on to your money. I am not trying to be mean or negative. I just want to be the conveyor of reality.  Most angel investors are prepared to lose their money. They deal with percentages. If one out of 10 deals work, they have made back their losses and if they are really lucky they made a sizeable profit. Investing in social marketing or smartphone apps is an art. The average person doesn’t know what questions to ask or how to evaluate the business plan. A word to grandparents. If you finance a grandchild’s dream, consider it a gift. You most likely will never see a return. 

Everyone thinks they are Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs but the truth is unless today’s tech entrepreneur is obsessed with his or her work, compulsive, controlling, fearless, articulate and a problem solver, they will fail sooner or later.  I even dare to say that unless today’s entrepreneurs are willing to give up quality time with their families, they are dead ducks. That is just what it takes to make it in the age of the Internet where one week is like one day, one day is like an hour and one hour is like one minute. Internet time is much different than what the rest of the world is used to. Everything is instant response and instant gratification. 

I have witnessed so many people with tons of ideas that went nowhere fast. They just didn’t know how to execute. They were either so in love with their concept that they thought it would just take off, or they liked the idea of creating something but really had no interest in exerting enough sweat to see it to fruition. I can remember so many times, when I truly got excited about handling the public relations for a new invention or service only to have the creator flame out.  Many of these guys are screw ups and can’t handle success so they unconsciously do something that causes their downfall. 

My next blog post will be about some of the characters I’ve come across over the years. Get ready for a good laugh. You can’t make this stuff up.

WHAT ME WORRY?

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At 64 I am one of a few people in the United States who is trying out a new app called Placeme by Alohar (www.alohar.com). Many people are going to be horrified by this app but I love it. I am as paranoid and insecure as the next person but I think the advantages and benefits of Placeme far outweigh any of the concerns people have today about apps that track your whereabouts. The correct terminology is mobile location or ambient location technology.

I am not going to spend time convincing anyone to use Placeme. The same people who refuse to use Facebook and other social marketing platforms will be the last to adopt ( or maybe never) a technology that follows you around and automatically logs where you have been day by day. I remember when New York and New Jersey first introduced E-ZPass. A client that worked for a huge TV manufacturer was furious that the state was going to be able to track how many times a day he traveled back and forth from home to work. He refused to use E-ZPass for the first few years. He would wait an extra 15 minutes in the cash lane on the George Washington Bridge twice a day just because he believed that some higher authority was going to use this info against him or provide his employer with data he didn’t want them to have.

Guess what this guy does for a living today? He sells advertising on Facebook. I guess he came to the realization that you can’t stop progress. I haven’t questioned him about this in years but I bet he would deny ever doubting E-ZPass. There are plenty of other people like him. From my observation, the people who are afraid of getting involved with any kind of tech that shares information usually have nothing to hide. These aren’t criminals. They are just people who play it “safe” their entire lives. They think they are some kind of hero for keeping the status quo. They love being stubborn.

I love needling them when they finally breakdown and become a part of the digital revolution. They all have their excuses for finally succumbing. All of them are lame, but I eventually let them get away with it. I truly enjoy when the 55-plus crowd appreciate what is being created and developed during their lifetime. I am not saying that young folks too don’t question ambient technology. It is one of the biggest “privacy” discussions today. However, they are all using mobile apps that broadcast their every move. The popularity of Facebook’s “Places” and Foursquare are proof that this is the direction we are all going in the next year or two. If you question what I just said, just remember how scared you were the first time you entered your credit card information online to buy something.

Placeme is not a social marketing app. It shares nothing unless you specifically ask it to. The purpose of the app is to give you a personal diary of where you have been every day. When communicating with Alohar’s servers, the Placeme App uses industry standard SSL technology. SSL encrypts all data communications between your phone and Alohar’s servers, so your personal information is always safe from hackers.

I don’t know about you but having a digital diary that automatically files the locations that I visit each day of my life is like giving me a picture book of my personal journey. I am so busy multitasking plus nailing down what I need to do in the upcoming days, I can barely remember what I did yesterday, much less a week ago. Yes I can check my Outlook calendar, but do you think I update my records that methodically? No! I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it is to relive what I did a week, a month, a year ago. I can’t remember the names of restaurants, plays, concerts, or museums that I’ve been to. Not only is everything listed, but because of Google maps I can get to see the actual places again. Just think of reliving a vacation, or a fabulous date, or a special Meetup. It is all there for my viewing with Placeme. I feel like I am getting a life bonus.

I feel so fortunate to have a technology that affords me this ability. Just for the record, I do not work for or with Alohar. I found out about the app (which has not been publicly announced yet) from their marketing manager who used to work for one of my former clients. You can get the app too. It’s available in the iPhone (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/placeme/id501165259?mt=8) and Android app stores.

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

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All of the nips and tucks in the world aren’t going to make me look young again. My workforce is filled with skinny, hip, fashionistas who drink the drink and smoke the smoke. Their heels are as high as skyscrapers and their handbags are as large as bread boxes. Oops, no one knows what that is anymore. The guys in the tech business try to look like rock stars or tattoo artists. Disheveled hair or no hair, crumpled shirts, and dirty, low-hanging jeans are the uniforms. I am not sure if they have showered in the last few days or have any intention to. They all know the latest tech terms and trends and who is developing what before they even surface because they hang in circles where all that is being discussed.

My friends talk Medicare, Metamucil, and Sore Muscles. Sometimes when I am out to dinner with people my age I try to engage them in discussions about the latest apps or improvements in Smartphones. I hate when they cross their arms to tell me that Apple is becoming a monopoly so they refuse to buy iPhones, or they won’t post on Facebook because Big Brother is watching them.

Oh, they are eager to talk tech if the subject is the stock market or who bought what and for how much. All of a sudden you find out that some of these couch potatoes are heavily invested in the tech industry and are angel investors in products they are clueless about. I am not saying that everyone is ignorant but by and large people of my generation invest in companies because they are either “safe” or “cool.” By “cool” I mean because a friend told them the company was ripe for purchase. If you ask them what the company does they will give you the appropriate sound bite but they could never defend their true, practical purpose.

I shouldn’t be pointing my heavily bejeweled finger with its long red acrylic nail at anyone. My husband and I have invested in Broadway productions because of the famous people we might possibly meet or the Tony we could win as a so-called “producer.” Ha!

I really yearn to be around folks who want to experience the technology revolution. We are living in the most exciting times of innovation. We are lucky to be alive and see the things we get to see. Who wouldn’t want to spend every waking hour being a part of it?

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

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One of the first things I want to write about is the desire I have to stay relevant in the work force. I don’t know where this ambition comes from. I have my suspicions but it is too early in this series of blog posts to discuss that. I was never a good student unless I had an excellent teacher who inspired me.

The workplace was a whole different story. I was 18 when I got a job as a copy girl (messenger) at WWD in Greenwich Village on September 9, 1966. The minute I entered that copy room I felt a rush of excitement that has stayed with me for 45 years. Being a part of a content engine that produces editorial has been totally exhilarating. Without it, I am not sure what would happen to me.

I have had friends who felt the same as I do about their fields of work. Months after they retired or got fired, they got debilitating or terminal illnesses. Some say I am exaggerating. Maybe those folks love their retirement so that they don’t understand those of us who identify ourselves by our work. That may be a sad statement to some but not to those who love the rewards of their careers.

RECLAIMING WHAT WE STARTED

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There are very few of me.  Most women my age are either retired or work in fields where seniors are more populous.  I work  in the digital world where 20- and 30- year-olds rule.   I spend my day talking to kids who have no idea who Truman Capote is and that Sonny was the other half of Cher.  They do know things that no one my age, male or female, will ever know or care about. Their conversations revolve around Crowd Sourcing,  Ambient Technology,  Hyperlinks,  Flash and Lead  Harvesting.  There are more millionaire entrepreneurs before the age of 30 than ever before and that number has reached epidemic proportions.  My staff, my clients are more than 30 years my junior.  Every year they get younger and younger, every year I have to become more relevant, productive and creative.

I decided to start this blog because I think it is important to track my success (or lack of it) in a world that is ever changing.  What is new one day in the world of the Internet is old the next.  Keeping up with innovation is like being Lucy packing chocolates from that runaway conveyer belt . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPzLBSBzPI&feature=fvwrel   While my friends are downsizing and playing golf or spending more time with their grandkids,  I am trying to become knowledgeable about Instagram, Highlight and Pinterest.  The real challenge is just not understanding what these technologies do, but how to use them.  If I don’t use them all the time, then I forget where, how and when to click. I drive everyone crazy asking for help. Our company technology expert constantly says to me “How many times did I tell you…………”

The good news for people my age is that once we become proficient with all of these digital gizmos and applications, we have a deeper understanding of their potential and practicality.  Most younger people want instant gratification and take things at face value.   Their intuition is all about using the mechanics.  Ours is all about applying them to life experiences.

Yes, there is a tremendous value in being older in the digital community. You just have to be strong enough to get through a few embarrassing moments then be ready to claim the territory that we handed to them.