Archive for May 2010

Did 37 Signals Kill Their Golden Goose?

Posted by Jeb

May

2010

Filed Under: SmallBox

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of 37 Signals. Love their products, their blog, their books. I get teased a little bit for my ardent appreciation but I don’t mind. Their business model of taking the byproducts from their client work and creating SaaS (Software as a Service) products is a beautiful business model. But I have started to think 37 Signals may have made a strategic error along the way- they stopped doing client work.

On the surface this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They have been able to build a highly profitable business around solutions they first created to manage projects (Basecamp) or sales leads (Highrise) but in the past 3+ years they haven’t introduced any new products outside of a design gallery and a job board- not really products but nice services.

So when 37 Signals stopped doing client work and focused on products they also stopped getting ideas for products. The client was their Golden Goose and the eggs were the byproducts that came from that client interaction.

No clients=no new product ideas.

I’m sure the 37 Signals team has considered how removing themselves from the client/service world has essentially put a cap on new product ideas and chances are they are fine with that. The company is almost ridiculously profitable and they have done an excellent job continuing to refine their 4 core products: Basecamp, Highrise, Backpack and Campfire. Maybe they have some new products in development but it appears that they have moved from product ideation to maturation.

Small Box is looking to follow a similar path but with a twist. We are starting a new company that will be focused solely on products which come out of Small Box client interaction. Look for an announcement soon. Our hope is that having a separate company and team focused on products while Small Box stays focused on client work (services) will allow us to keep the Goose happy and producing those golden eggs for years to come!

CoWorking in Austin

Posted by PJ

May

2010

1
Comment

Filed Under: Culture SmallBox

Now in my fourth week in Austin, I wanted to give a little insight to what I consider to be a leading trend with the potential to impact the way we think of work. First, a quick summary of the trends I have been following in the nation.

It has been written that a mobile work force is more productive and keeps the cost of producing goods down. This is because if the labor pool is more mobile, then the cost of relocating employees is removed from production costs, allowing Americans to be more competitive locally and globally.

As a business owner, I have observed that building a successful business is a function of having the ability to produce great products for a marketplace who needs them, but as importantly to be able to recognize and take advantage of opportunities.

The result, is that I have found Coworking to be a vital component of the business landscape in 2010. Here are some personal observations from my first month.

Coworking is perfect for people who can’t work from home and don’t have an office.

It allows for a creative class of designers, marketers, and developers to have a common location to share experiences and ideas.

The refinement of these ideas makes for better products by making use of new ideas, especially in an industry that changes as quickly as web marketing.

Overhead is extremely low. One flat fee per month and I have access to high speed Internet, clean facilities, free coffee and water, and the kind of person to person networking that will build connections for me in a new town.

For me personally, it is a big benefit to commute one mile from home by bike, with access to good cheap mexican and vietnamese food.

It works on a business level too, where the space organizers are able to use the space for their own business, and multiply several members monthly memberships into a profit center to help fund their own entrepreneurial ideas.

To paraphrase Uncle Tupelo, not for tomorrow, only for now. But I predict the trend of coworking is going to be growing as more employees telecommute and businesses need more flexible options to put a mobile and creative individuals to work.

u scream, we scream, we all scream for i… Pad?

Posted by leigh

May

2010

5
Comments

Filed Under: Everything Else

Oh Apple how could I ever have doubted you.

I’ve been playing with my iPad for a couple weeks now, and must say… I am impressed and slightly surprised at how many uses I have already found for it. Below are a few of my thoughts, theories and opinion on some of it’s “game-changing” qualities and on the amazing apps that are being developed for it. For those with shorter attention span, I offer this:

MY RATING: 5 out of 5 STARS, A MUST-HAVE GAME-CHANGER

IPAD APPS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS:

Sketchbook Pro ($7.99) – painting and drawing app with a highly-intuitive interface and great control
Memeo Connect Reader (FREE) – this app lets you read, organize, download (for editing) or upload new documents to Google Docs. Why not just use the browser? This is faster and much nicer looking/useful.
Photogene ($3.99) – This is basically photoshop for iPhone/iPad, lots of great features and totally worth the price
Penultimate ($2.99) or Sundry Notes (FREE) – For note taking or quick sketching, depending on how organic and/or organized you are.
Netflix (FREE) – You will need a Netflix account for this AMAZING app that streams movies directly to the goregous iPad screen, might even be worth getting a Netflix account for if you don’t already have one.
Korg iElectribe ($7.99) – Virtual version of a best in class, highly sought after drum machine/sequencer

Game-Changer #1 – A new life for Print. Just like the iPod revolutionized the music industry, the iPad is a huge step in redefining the consumption of print media. I am not saying that print is dead, but I am saying we are about to witness a complete transformation of “The Newstand”… Already hundreds of publishers and media outlets have jumped on the bandwagon (digital versions of newspapers and magazines can purchase single copies or subscriptions through a variety of iPad “reader” type of applications — several are even available free of charge, or are “free when streamed”…)

From Interview and GQ to Time and USA Today, to specialty publications like Bass Pro Fisherman and Quilting – publishers are seeing the life raft available to them in the form of this revolutionary, high-quality, direct to consumer delivery medium. Publishers out there take note though: the best transformations from print to digital are the ones not simply repeating their traditional experience in a high-resolution PDF file, but are leveraging the responsive touch-screen and interactive nature of digital media to build NEW experiences for consumers…

For magazine lovers, the most robust of the readers appears to be Zinio… I was even impressed with the breadth of their catalog (they have lots of the traditional titles but also lots of imported and niche publications – like the UK’s NME (New Musical Express) or France’s Le Foot (a pro-football, er soccer, magazine for fans).

Game-Changer #2 – Accessibility. This device is not intended for creators of digital media… it’s intended for CONSUMERS of digital media It definitely feels more like a fun toy than a creative tool. It’s interesting to see how many app developers are building apps that incorporate usability that seems “forced” … like they are trying to make the iPad behave like a laptop. The apps that are useful and intuitive are ones that let go of conventional “menu” and “mouse click” thinking and embrace the gesture controls — its time to tear up the standards and consider that rules no longer apply… time to start engineering new interface conventions that utilize gesture controls and better compliment the experience Apple is creating for users.

Welcome Side Effect – Face Time. I would like them to succeed though (those business app developers) because as more people adopt iPads in the business realm, I see a welcome side-effect: fewer laptop screens intervening in conversations during meetings!! Whether you like to write by hand or type in your notes, the iPad is an amazing “thought-capturing device” and doubly nice in that it doesn’t obstruct views!

APP THOUGHTS:

My favorite app for hand note-taking has to be PENULTIMATE — mostly for its simplicity and ability to recreate the tactile response of a good ink pen on a fresh Moleskin page. There are several other note/sketching applications, some geared more towards drawing (SketchBook Pro is the by far the best for drawing/painting); while others are more geared toward wireframes, charts and diagrams (OmniGraffle is a popular, especially if you already use their software, though it’s expensive. Another wireframing app, iMockups at $9.99 is a decent alternative if you do lots of wireframing.) If you are want a little bit of everything, Sundry Notes (FREE) is a great option — and shines in that it begins to double as a document layout program as it offers the ability to change text size, color, and font–something other apps are only slowly implementing.

There are (of course) great games (made greater by the screen size and new “virtual” joystick screen controller.) I am not much of a gamer myself, but I was impressed by the graphics/quality of Avatar and Pinball HD) and the more innovative “tilt-to-fly” game Glyder 2.

There are tons of social media apps for displaying and posting to your favorite networks, too many to even list… I haven’t seen anything majorly game changing in that realm yet, but more and larger versions of what has come before for the iPhone.

Of course there are tons of books and kids/educational apps that are only beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible when you let your mind wander into the land of “what if”… like, what if the book talked back?

In terms of reference/utility types of apps, I was especially impressed by the Wolfram Alpha app, its like having a “Rainman-style” friend ready to hook you up with any statistical or systematic fact-based knowledge you might ever need. Within minutes you can find out the number of people living in Timbuktu (32,460 as of 2004) or the typical weight of a pygmy marmoset (112 – 199 grams). If you can think of it, and if there’s data around it, you can have it at your fingertips within moments. Now THIS could be a great business tool for “fact-checkers”…

A few others that are worth checking out:

For Musicians Using Logic Pro: AC-7 Pro (a controller interface for Logic that runs over Wi-Fi)

For News Junkies Without Patience: Reuters Photo News App

Phew… I feel the need to quote a Jackola tweet (after getting his new iPhone) — if only it could do my laundry.

Google Places – Challenges and Rewards

Posted by PJ

May

2010

0
Comments

Filed Under: Everything Else Pay Per Click Search Engine Optimization Search Engines SEM SEO SmallBox

If your business has a physical location where customers can walk in and conduct transactions, you probably already know about the power of Google Local. But April 20th brought the switch from Google Local to Google Places. What does it mean for your business?

If you are doing everything correctly, probably everything will continue to work as normal. But what if you have never really completely implemented your local search optimization? How do you know if you require professional Local SEO Services?

Here is a checklist to make sure your local customers can find you:

step 1 – Search for your service. Most services will show local results complete with map and other important information. If you are not there you might need professional local search services.

step 2 – Search for your competitors. If they appear ahead of you, then you are losing business. Small Box SEO can definitely help with that.

step 3 – Assess your PPC. If you are spending money each month for clicks, and not converting those clicks to paying customers, then Small Box can improve your results, or help you replace that traffic with better converting organic results.

step 4 – Search for your company on a mobile device. Mobile technology is driving business. If mobile devices are sending people to the wrong location, then you have lost a customer. Small Box executes your local strategy completely, with zero problems for you.

step 5 – Understand your audience by viewing your statistics. Your audience is telling you important things about your site. Are you listening?

It makes a lot of sense for any business to try and manage as much as possible in house. But when it comes to connecting locally in your community, why leave loose ends? The businesses that have 100 % of their profile complete are going to win the battle for Local SEO.

Don’t take chances, Contact Small Box in Austin at 512-850-4819 or Indianapolis at 317-254-0932.

Austin Web Design – Making it Easy

Posted by PJ

May

2010

0
Comments

Filed Under: Culture Design SmallBox

If you are looking for a Web Design Company in Austin, look no further than Small Box Web Design. We know that you have choices when it comes to building your web identity, why trust your web marketing to anyone else.

Does your web designer work under contract to a separate agency?

At Small Box we do all our work with full time employees. We have a great staff of professionals who have built sites in any industry imaginable.

Are you being sold a cookie cutter site?

Word Press, Joomla, and Drupal are all fine content management systems, but let’s be honest. There are good and bad programmers. There are template designs and custom designs. There are sites that fail to meet business needs, and then there are Small Box sites.

The Small Box CMS a collection of powerful SEO controls and intuitive site management tools that are exactly what you need.

Is working with your site difficult?

Then make a change. Call Small Box Austin at 512-850-4819. PJ Christie will be glad to provide you with the information you need.