Pretty interested in this business currently in development. Kwari is a first person shooter online game that allows you win cold hard cash, or as they put it:

"first person shooter skill-based cash for kills online gaming"

Technorati Tags: kwari

It is ridiculous how often reading Seth Godin’s blog just immediately clarifies an issue I have had trouble clarifying in my own mind and then explaining to others. This one resonates with me in a profound way this week.

I don’t know French. I can’t play the piano. I have no clue how to catch a bony spinefish. This is the first kind of don’t know. Stuff you don’t know because you haven’t been taught it yet. Books are awfully good at solving this problem, so are good teachers.

The second kind of ‘don’t know’ is often confused with the first type, but it’s really quite different. This is the person who says they don’t know how to cook, or that they can’t balance a checkbook. This isn’t about technique or a lack of knowledge. It’s usually either fear or lack of interest. People with this type of deficit won’t find the answer in a book or (usually) in a seminar either. You don’t learn how to cook from a cookbook.

The answer lies in trial and error and motivation and in overcoming the fear that makes us avoid the topic in the first place.

And why should a marketer care?

You need to care because if you try to solve the second kind of ignorance with a manual or a PDF or a blog post or even a long infomercial, you’re going to fail. If you discover that users are afraid or resistant to what you’re trying to get them to do, more information is almost always the incorrect response. The effective technique involves peer pressure and support and in changing the design and inputs of what you’re doing so that this group is more receptive to what’s on offer. For example, internet penetration isn’t up by a factor of 20 because people read a lot of copies of Internet for Dummies. It happened because of what peers said to each other over time, and because the act of getting online is a lot easier than it used to be. And you can help that happen.

Change is hard, but it is also exciting, challenging, and ultimately rewarding.

Web 2.0 Waipuna - manufacturers are major contributors to the economy especially when it comes to export. I am pleased to be presenting a breakfast workshop at Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre this morning on Web 2.0 for consumer manufacturing marketers.

Thank you to everyone for getting up early and attending. If you would like a copy of the presentation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Technorati Tags: web 2.0 waipuna

Microsoft have announced they will release their answer to the iPhone:

Of course, I found this on FakeSteveJobs.com. Read his “Dead Man vlogging” post, very funny.

If you still feel like some more Microsoft bashing, checkout the Windows Vista Upgrade Decision Flowchart. You can get more useful flowcharts on BoingBoing.

Technorati Tags: apple, microsoft

Just returned from 2 days at Morgo up in the beautiful Bay of Islands of New Zealand. It is invitation only, and the deal is that everything that is said there is considered confidential. This means that you get some unbelievable frank and honest presentations and insights into other people’s businesses. It is very refreshing when so many events are just full presentations that are really thinly veiled sales pitches.

The other reason I love Morgo is that you get a chance to spend some time with some really great people. I first met Sam Morgan in 2001, and hasn’t really changed at all since becoming a gazzillionaire. I met Rowan Simpson who was at TradeMe and is now at Xero with Rod Drury. I think these guys and others in the industry in Wellington have done a great job of developing a community of people who can work together on launching different online businesses, and I anticipate many, many more will follow. Mike Cannon-Brookes has co-founded and built, Atlassian, Australia’s largest software exporter in just 5 years…oh and he’s only 27. The Ryan brothers who have eurekster and SLI Systems. Then there are the enterprise software and technology guys selling into the US market like Ian McCrae from Orion Health, and Selwyn Pellett from Endace, the first New Zealand company to list on the AIM share market in the UK.

So it was quite daunting to have to run a workshop on Internet Marketing with an audience of extremely experienced entrepreneurs. Luckily I had some help from Andy Lark. Thanks to Andy and everyone who came along, and I hope you got some value from it. If you would like a copy of either of the presentations, please let me know.

Thanks to Jenny and all the other organisers for inviting me again and for putting on such a great event. It was a great honour to have a chance to present at such an amazing event.

More posts about Morgo:

Morgo 2007 - Thoughts on the way home
Mike from Atlassian
Morgo - going global from NZ

Technorati Tags: morgo

There is an interesting discussion going on at ProBlogger.com on the subject “Should Links Open in a New Window?“. Five years ago, I would said yes. Now, I agree with Darren, if you use a tabbed browser (and who wouldn’t?) then having them open in a new window is very annoying. This is one feature of Gmail that really annoys me, all external links open in a new window.

I have been thinking for some time that actually what we need is a new target attribute for the hyperlink target. Obviously this would only be supported by tabbed browsers but it would be great if you could specify a link to open in a new tab.

<a href=”http://www.problogger.com” target=”_tab”>ProBlogger</a>

What do you think?

Technorati Tags: problogger, tabbed browsers

I have been in the UK for over 2 weeks now and am astounded at how much the issue of carbon footprint/credits/neutrality has just exploded since I was here last in January. It is everywhere. Maybe I’m overly sensitive as I’m far from carbon neutral at the moment with the amount of flying I am doing. I realised my luggage has Gold frequent flyer tags on them and I’m wondering if these are like fur coats? WIll I get protesters coming up to me in the street and throwing a cup of soot in my face to teach me a lesson for my garish display of carbon deficit?

I can’t help feeling an overwhelming sense of deja vu. In the late 80’s I was living in the UK and the issue of unleaded petrol swept the nation seemingly overnight. It was suddenly the very worst social faux pas you could do. People desperately converted their cars to accept unleaded or traded them in for new cars, hopefully with a catalytic convertor.

The problem I have is that scientists promised me global warming would be well in effect by now when I was at school. It is nearly July in the UK and it is freezing!

Luckily the airlines now have an answer for you. Along with the ability to check-in online, change your seat etc, you can now “Offset Your Carbon Emissions”. My carbon emissions, don’t try and make me your scapegoat? This is a screenshot from BA.com and the link to Offset your carbon emissions doesn’t actually work. Oh well, I’ll just need to live with my carbon deficit fueled guilt a little while longer.

Stu Parker has a lot more to say on the subject with his post “Want to save the planet? Buy a HUMMER.“.

Technorati Tags: carbon credits

Social scientist Danah Boyd has posted a draft of a paper entitled “Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace“. Essentially she is suggesting that MySpace represents the working class kids, whereas Facebook is the social network for the university grads and undergrads.

Danah observes that definitions of “class” in the US are incredibly complex. It is not like the old British system, it is much more tied to education and values rather than necessarily income and where you grew up.

Even in the military the officers are on Facebook, whereas the grunt soldiers are generally on MySpace. The military have now blocked access on their network to MySpace, but they can still access Facebook.

All I can say is that in the last 9-12 months nearly all my friends who are university educated have abandoned MySpace in favour of Facebook. I have also noticed a number of posts out there on the subject.

I originally found this via the eclectically brilliant Boing Boing.

Technorati Tags: facebook, myspace, myspace vs facebook

Some smart people at MIT have apparently invented WiTricity. This would be so great if they crack this.

It IS 1999 again (except without the IPO’s). Here are today’s deals:

• Fox Interactive Media buy Photobucket and Flektor.
• CBS buys Last.fm.

GigaOM has the full details.