SARAH DOODY

Blog     Articles     Work    About     Personal Metrics     Industry News    Contact

 

Industry News

NYC sinks $300,000 into tech startup

CNN Money - May 26, 2010

New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently appeared at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York to announce the first investment by the city’s newly formed Entrepreneurial Fund. The fund has $22 million at its disposal and has partnered with FirstMark Capital which plans to put up to $19 million more into the fund.

Bloomberg promoted New York as a city that embraces entrepreneurs, especially in the technology space.

“If you have an idea, New York City is the city for you … In New York City, we understand that innovation drives economic growth. We’re nurturing information technology.”

CNN Money: NYC sinks $300,000 into tech startup

 

The Data-Driven Life

New York Times Magazine - April 26, 2010

The New York Times Magazine recently had an excellent article about an increasing number of people who are engaged in self-tracking. These individuals take it upon themselves to measure various aspects of their lives such as health, finances, mood, and productivity. Up until now, this process has been very manual and time-consuming. However, with advances in and adoption of new technologies, the notion of measuring our actions and behavior is more accessible than ever.

Gary Wolf, author of the article and founder of the Quantified Self, outlines the four main reasons that self-tracking is quickly becoming adopted and accepted:

“ … four things changed. First, electronic sensors got smaller and better. Second, people started carrying powerful computing devices, typically disguised as mobile phones. Third, social media made it seem normal to share everything. And fourth, we began to get an inkling of the rise of a global superintelligence known as the cloud.”

New York Times Magazine: The Data-Driven Life

 

On being a female entrepreneur ...

NYC 3.0 - March 10, 2010

Limor Elkyam was recently a guest blogger over on NYC 3.0 and asked the question, “Can a female ever become part of the boys club?”

I’ve often wondered the same thing. First, is there a boys club? And second, if there is, how do I break into it … or further, do I even need to break into it? I haven’t come to a conclusion yet. But here’s what I’m certain of. If you are great at what you do, you will gain the respect of everyone you work with – whether males or females. From my experience, if you are great at what you do, this will put you on the same playing field – and people will never be able to doubt your expertise if your expertise yields results.

To read the full article, check out the NYC 3.0 blog

 

Digital Agencies Get Back To Business

Adweek - March 8, 2010

Excellent interview about how Razorfish and R/GA are leading the new generation of agencies who understand that they must move from just creative and media development to product development.

“The question we’re hearing is, how can digital help me change my business?” said Bob Lord, Razorfish’s CEO. The digital environment is changing too fast for companies to understand how to engage with their customers. As a result, traditional agencies need to focus their efforts on becoming experts in how to help companies engage in the digital medium, and create products, not just the creative, for their customers.

The agencies who will be successful in owning the digital environment will be the ones who can create the ideas, but also make those ideas happen.

Check out the full article in Adweek.

 

Dorthy.com in the New York Times

New York Times - December 28, 2009

The New York Times recently featured an article by Paul Boutin about how Dorthy.com can help people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions.

Dorthy.com users create “sharable dreampages with an avowed personal goal, whether it’s ‘build wells in Africa’ or “date a cougar.’” writes Boutin. Each of the pages automatically adds articles, photos, videos, and status updates to your page, based on what it knows about you.”

What differentiates Dorthy.com is that, unlike a traditional search, “the page becomes a bookmarkable record of your progress toward the goal. For well-understood goals such as ‘run a half marathon,’ it’s easy to understand how a page of collected articles on training and running specifically a half-marathon, not a full one, could quickly surpass those found on the first page of a Google search.”

Check out the full article in the New York Times

 

Remembering Your Audience

Adweek, September 21, 2009

Benjamin Palmer (CEO and co-founder of The Barbarian Group) wrote an excellent article in Adweek about the dichotomy between the technology available to use and how marketers aim to connect with their customers. I agree with Ben – in terms of technology, there are a lot of tools available to us. However, the marketing industry is lacking when it comes to connecting with consumers. The marketing world is stuck on the idea of campaigns. However, its not about campaigns anymore, but its about companionship. The future is really about how we can take a series of static touch points and instead, create a dynamic network of thoughtfully designed interactions that seamlessly blend with people’s lifestyles – ultimately creating a lifelong marriage with a brand.

Check out the full article in Adweek.

 

If Life's a Game, Why Isn't Your Website One?

Advertising Age - August 14, 2009

I’ve always believed that to build a life-long marriage between a brand and a customer, you need to realize that it’s not about consumption, but rather participation. A recent article in Advertising Age by Peter Daboll, CEO of Bunchball (formerly Yahoo’s Chief of Insights), examines how implementing elements of gaming such as currency and customization can increase loyalty and engagement. In fact, a recent Comscore report indicates that “casual games” is one of the few categories that continues to grow in visitors and time spent across all demographics.

Now, get your game on. But first, read the full article over at Advertising Age.

 

'Virtual currencies' power social networks, online games

CNN Technology - May 19, 2009

Something’s happening as the marriage of currency and community converge online.
Today, CNN reported that people spend at least $1 billion on virtual currencies each year, with most of that going into online games. However, the market is hard to quantify. There is not a universal standard for online currencies. Some websites such as Hi5 employ a staff economist to monitor the community’s economy.

The developing economies of the online world are only in their infancy and it remains to be seen if they will be plagued by traditional problems that emerge in economic systems – or if they will define their own standards.

Check out the full article on CNN’s technology report.

 

Google Labs Cooks Up New Recipes for Web Wandering

TechNewsWorld - May 13, 2009

TechNewsWorld did a follow up article to the one from May 12 about that focused primarily on Wolfram Alpha. Today’s article focuses on the core issue at hand – mainly that Google’s changes do not address the current problem with search and the lack of relevancy that searches yield.

As we know, Wolfram Alpha will be great at dealing with data driven questions. However, there are other types of searches that it won’t be able to support. In the article, Jim Anderson says that search engine users typically have two focuses: They either discover the topic or the specific data. Google’s changes make it easier for users to filter through the search results to truly find what they are looking for from a type-of-data standpoint. However, users still need to use accurate search terms. One of the key elements to relevant search results is using semantics to truly understand the user’s question.

“Semantics will remain a vital key to search enhancements. Search engine developers also need to understand the user’s question. This is where semantics really come into play, Anderson pointed out. Saber Seven is developing a solution that brings the answers to the user and refines the process with all these techniques integrated into the experience.”

Read the full article at TechNewsWorld to learn more about

 

Wolfram Alpha Preps for Launch

TechNewsWorld - May 12, 2009

There’s a new search engine launching soon that wants to “make the world’s knowledge computable for everyone”. Many people have said that Wolfram Alpha is poised to be a “Google Killer” – but the guys over at TechNewsWorld have done a great article that reviews the system and considers the future of search.

Wolfram Alpha is not a traditional search engine because it focuses on giving user data driven answers based on questions that require computations, comparisons, and calculations. As Jim Anderson of Saber Seven points out, Wolfram really only hits on one of the types of search – mainly data driven of factual questions.

“Wolfram Alpha might be helpful for confined, factual questions like ‘What type of metal is the Liberty Bell made of?’” Anderson told TechNewsWorld. “However, these simple and very specific questions don’t address the real, complex questions people are looking for, like ‘I’m writing a paper on freedom. Where do I start?’”

Check out the full article over at TechNewsWorld.

 

Google's Universal Search

Tech Crunch - May 12

This week, Google released their Universal Search and Search Options features at their Searchology event – check out the TechCrunch article for a full recap.

Over at the Google Blog, it says that these changes were motivated by a desire to give users more tools and options to “slice and dice your results and generate different views to find what you need faster and easier” – the important piece of this is that the actual search results are not changing – users are just being given new ways to view the data.

This really goes back to a greater issue that a search for “Go to Paris” gives me 192 million results – with some of the first being about men at Paris fashion week and Paris & Nicky Hilton. The changes that Google has rolled out don’t address the idea that my initial query was misinterpreted to begin with. Real time search and the ability to filter my results by type (videos, forums, reviews) don’t solve the problem that I said I wanted to “go to Paris” and not “please find me the Go Away Paris Hilton Video” (which is the first video result).

I think that some of the new tools, such as Google Squared (see screenshots here) – make sense for comparative analysis. But, for the general public, it remains to be seen whether or not users will adopt these new services and tools.

 

Boy Wonder

Fast Company - April 2009

Chris Huges, Facebook co-founder says that he “doesn’t really know what ‘community’ means.” Part anthropologist, part marketer, part human factors specialist – Chris does understand that customer service is number one and has used that principle to fuel the growth of Facebook and lead digital interactive strategies for the Obama campaign’s website my.barackobama.com .

Chris’ passion for making technology “less obsessive and simpler for everyone to use” is fueled by his desire to build genuine connections between people and brands. Hughes says that “it doesn’t matter if it’s a company or a campaign; you build around commonality. if it’s real people and real communities, then it’s valuable. Otherwise, its just playing around online.”

Read more about Chris in the article: How Chris Hughes Helped Launch Facebook and the Barack Obama Campaign from the April issue of Fast Company.

 

How Hard Could It Be?

Inc. Magazine - December 2008

Excellent article in the December 2008 issue of Inc. about leadership – especially in entrepreneurial situations and start up environments. Joel Spolsky writes about starting his company Fog Creek Software, based in New York City. He write about the challenging process of moving through the various stages of being a founder, and the many lessons he learned.

Joel discusses the idea that a company could learn a lot from looking at the organizational structure of academic institutions – realizing that you need to “hire smart and productive people and then clear the decks”.

Check out the full article in Inc. Magazine.

 

Twitter Eyes Search as Means to Monetize

Adage.com - March 2, 2009

With a recent $35 million of additional funding, Twitter is looking to monetization strategies and search seems to be the latest topic in the revenue stream speculations.

Twitter’s “real time” advantage makes its content highly desirable to marketers who are waiting for new tools to help them gauge the sentiment of their brands in the eyes of consumers.

And just as I’m posting this entry, Mashable is reporting that Omniture has released a new tool within Sitecatalyst to measure a brand’s value on Twitter.

“After importing Twitter data into SiteCatalyst, Omniture customers will able to identify brand advocates and detractors, better acknowledge feature requests from loyal users, categorize Twitterers as customers, vendors, or employees, and get real-time alerts via email or SMS based on specified criteria like spikes in brand mentions. Users will even be able to generate limitless keyword reports – via tweet text scanning – to further segment, analyze, and dissect Twitter-related brand data.”

 

Retooling for a YouTube Presidency

New York Times - January 29, 2009

A central element to the Obama campaign’s success was the creation of a massive audience using social media channels to harness the influence of grassroots community based groups. Now that the campaign is over, the administration has created a new group called Organizing For America – aimed at using the existing social channels to foster a new culture of service and activism in areas like volunteering, health care, and environment awareness.

The most recent example of how the administration is further using social media to reach the country is the weekly video address that will be published on the Whitehouse website as well as the Whitehouse’s YouTube channel.

Will the social media approach be able to bypass the news media? No one is sure – even David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager and one of the organizers of the Organizing for America project said “This has obviously never been done before . . . so its going to be a little trial and error”.

See the whole article in the New York Times.

 

Anytime. Anywhere.

Wired Magazine - February 2009

In the February 2009 issue of Wired Magazine, there is an excellent article about the top 10 applications that make the most of location based technology. In first quarter results for 2009, Apple reports selling 4.3 million iPhones. However, the idea of using location based technology is moving far beyond maps and driving directions. There are applications for everything from scanning a bar code to see if there is a better deal at another store to playing virtual tag with strangers on the street. Is this the way of the future?

 

Yahoo's New Ad System

New York Times - September 24, 2008

Yahoo is hoping that its new ad system called AMP will dominate the display ad market in the same way Google steers the search market.

 

LinkedIn Gets $1 billion valuation

LA Times - June 18, 2008

Linkedin received $53 million in venture capital funding – valuing the company at more than $1 billion. This investment is one of the richest valuations since Facebook’s $15 billion valuation in 2007. LinkedIn boasts more than 23 million members in 150 countries. The company says it could generate as much as $100 million in revenue this year from premium subscriptions, job listings, and advertisers.

 

Do people really equal profits?

USA Today - May 12, 2008

Great article in USA Today about the challenge for social networks to turn users into profiles. With online ad spending is predicted to be a $50 billion market this year – advertisers are looking for the best avenues for investment. However, the standing challenge is that no social network to date has been able to perfect a system that is has proven success and metrics. David Carlick, a partner at Vantage Point Venture Partners enforced this need – “There needs to be an Adwords for (social networks).”

 

Educating the Advertiser

Valleywag - May 11, 2008

Current social networks have used the Google model of advertiser do-it-yourself media buying options which has lead many to ponder the future or need for sales teams at social networks. However, at Ad:tech, an interactive advertising and technology conference – one thing was clear – media buyers are screaming for social networks to educate them on how to spend more money to reach audiences who are moving away from traditional media and spending more time on digital interactive experiences.

I suspect the underlying challenge lies in the idea that perhaps many of the social networks are still trying to figure out exactly how to monetize the masses – the people are there – now how to create profit . . .

 

Appealing To The Application Economy

AdWeek - May 5, 2008

With the rise of advertising spending on social networks and the nearly unbelievable valuations on companies such as Slide that develop applications for Facebook and other sites, David Armano presents three ideas for creating engaging experiences that add value to an individual’s life rather than entertain and clutter.

Usefulness, utility, ubiquity – application design should be purposed to insert a brand into an individual’s life – fostering a lifelong marriage with the brand – a relationship that can emerging as a partner – a friend that helps the customer along their journey – making life a little easier, exciting, and maybe even entertaining.

 

Proclivity - Behavioral Targeting

Fast Company - May 2008

After working for online retailers such as Bluefly and JCrew, Sheldon Gilbert realized that with regards to the information that users leave behind with each click many companies, “throw this data out, or only use 1% of it.” Gilbert’s company, Proclivity, developed a software that decodes the desires of consumers through strategic behavioral click analysis and targeting. Barney’s is a key client and has seen overwhelming increases in response to their new consumer communications strategies.

 

Small Social Networks Get Big Marketing Influx

Brandweek - April 28, 2008

In 2008, ad spending on social networking websites is predicted to top $1.6 billion according to eMarketer. What’s more interesting is that much of that ad spending will be infused into smaller, emerging social networks.

Its simple – relevance trumps size. The larger social networks lack something the the smaller ones have – focus. Because of the segmentation that the smaller sites have – they can offer marketers unique campaign opportunities.

The challenge for marketers is that you can’t advertise – you have to participate in the community. The idea is that social networks should be treated as a new medium – and not a method.

 

Proctor & Gamble Gets Into The Record Label Business

Advertising Age - April 11, 2008

Island Def Jam Music Group and Jermaine Dupri have partnered with Proctor & Gamble’s TAG Body Spray Deodorant to create a Hip Hop music label. The partnership was prompted by declining sales and technological advancements – and will provide existing and upcoming artists with the full support of marketing campaigns built around the TAG brand.

 

Anything Could Happen

Inc. Magazine - March 2008

A great interview with Evan Williams, creator of popular micro-blogging site Twitter, about hyperconnectedness and how bigger isn’t always better. Sometimes it is a feature within a product that can truly be the winner in the marketplace. Williams says, of innovation and product definition, “The default thing we do is ask how we can add something to make it better. Instead, we should say, What can we take away to create something new?”

 

Ask.com - And Then There Were Three

SF Chronicle - March 4, 2008

Ask.com is pulling out of the battle for search and is now going to focus on a smaller niche market of married women who are seeking tools to organize their lives. Now the only large players in search are Google, MSN, and Yahoo.

 

MySpace Agrees to Youth Protections

New York Times - January 14, 2008

MySpace already make the profiles of of 14 and 15 years olds automatically private. Now, MySpace is set to classify all profiles of users 18 and younger as private. Other social networking websites are being pressured to following with similar privacy models.

The purpose of this move is to help protecting teenagers and children using its site from sexual predators. The decision comes eight months after the attorneys general from eight states charged that the site had not done enough to block sexual predators from the service and had failed to cooperate with the authorities.

 

The Cause Web

Contribue - January 2008

Great article on the top 10 technology innovators who are using the Internet to help foster education, empowerment, and advocacy for major global causes that affect us today.

 

Mad Men

Fast Company - December 2007

Interview with Maurice Levy, CEO of Publicis, on how he is turning the company into the industry’s premier digital marketing group – to invent the blueprint for the agency of the future.

 

The New Advertising Outlet: Your Life

New York Times - October 14, 2007

There is a fundamental shift in advertising. Companies like Nike want to find a way to enhance the experience and services, rather than looking for a way to interrupt people from getting where they want to go. Nike aims to provide services that help people get where they want to go most efficiently.

 

A Way to Find Your Corner of the Internet Sky

New York Times - October 7, 2007

Excellent New York Times article about the emergence of web discover – or search without a query. People want to stumble upon content that is relevant to them – and there are a lot of companies hoping to let them do just this.

 

Man Versus Machine

Fast Company - September 2007

How Jason Calacanis’ new people-powered search engine Mahalo will give Google a run for its money.

Calancanis’ company (Mahalo is Thank You in Hawaiian) is positioned as a human powered search engine – building out prefab responses to the most popular search terms. Since the engine will only shoot for the top 15,000 search terms to skim the surface, it is really just a search engine for people who don’t like to search.

 

London 2012

Tony Sapeth

Tony Spaeth of Identityworks provides an objective discussion of the much debated logo for the London 2012 Olympics. I couldn’t agree more with Tony’s thoughts.

“Like the graffiti that inspired it, it’s pure attitude, designed to intrude and degrade . . . it has energy, and the visual system (including font, palette and forms) could well be better than the mark. Yet Brand Olympics feels at risk.”

 

Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet

New York Times - May 22, 2007

New York Times article on Ray Anderson – a model of creative thinking about sustainable business practices.

 

Who Do You Love?

Fast Company - May 2007

Fast Company has a great article on the importance of authenticity to a brand in the May 2007 issue.

 

The See Through CEO

Wired - March 2007

The See Through CEO – A great article from Wired magazine about transparency in business.