Deborah Schultz

A fun new project for 2009

 One of the joys of being independent is I get to work with a variety of people on a variety of cool projects.  So at the same time I get to work with a company the size and scale of P&G on loads of innovative stuff, I also get to work with start-ups like My6sense on Digital Intuition  and a group of brilliant animators on a way cool new animated series called The Gloomers. When development on The Gloomers began - the economy was in a much different place - now that we are all belt tightening the shows may take on an entirely new these...stay tuned!

In tough economic times - reminding ourselves of the fun stuff we get to do is really important!

For the visually oriented....

Information Architects a design firm from Tokyo - has done a brilliant job mapping current web trends as a subway map.

You can download it at a bunch of resolutions too.

Nicely done!

[Nod to HG for the link]

The power of one on steroids - Project VRM

So - you signed on to the Cluetrain Manifesto, you jumped into the world of blogging, video, podcasting and all this social media, customer co-creation stuff.  You believe strongly in "engagement" and community, and 'cgm'  and really want to build relationships with your customers - Great!  There is exciting stuff being created, produced and mashed up all over the place these days and interesting new ways to actually forge those relationships.

And just when you were finally getting used to the customer 'talking' back--it is time to start envisioning a world where we/they - "walk".  That's right - where they not only talk back but actually have control over their relationship with you.

Get ready for the next wave of "customer empowerment" - aka  Project VRM - aka Vendor Relationship Management.  This is an initiative started by Doc Searls (aka one of the guys who brought you cluetrain and "markets are conversations") and it is gathering momentum quickly.

So what is this VRM thing?

Quite simply it is about figuring out how to empower me (the individual customer) to manage, engage and relate to vendors (vs CRM which is about Vendors managing me). 

Chris does a great job outlining the basics here and here. 

Tomorrow is the gang's first meeting, you can find details on the wiki. I am psyched to roll up my sleeves and - in Doc's words immortal words -  "bust some silos".

Note: Doc Searls - another catalyst extraordinaire! who gets the new "thecatalysts" tag.

Technorati Tags: ideas, project vrm, thecatalysts, vrm

iPhone - I want one. Period.

The reviews will roll in and compare and contrast and ooh and ah or moan at missing features.  I don't care - I've been bitten.  I am  tired of settling for 70% of the features I want.  Apple has already won my trust and following. They have honored my needs in the past and therefore I am willing to take the leap.

As Seth says - it is remarkable.

As Kathy says - they know how to create passionate users.

Read more here and here.

Back to blogging's roots - Tag, you're it!

Just when I think some corners of the blogosphere have lost their sense of fun and perspective, Anant Rangaswami tags me into the blog-tag game weaving its way around the net courtesy of Jeff Pulver.  Blog-tag is not a brand new concept - most recently a "four things" thread made the rounds back in January, but this round has particular resonance with me this week (working too hard, losing my sense of fun).  What a great shot in the arm.

What I love about Blog-tag is that it gets back to the roots of blogging - connection, expression, and personality.  It also inventively uses the power of the medium for discovery - another great cornerstone of blogging and social media. 

I especially love that I was tagged by Anant - a new blogger who has jumped in with both feet and lots of enthusiasm.  This warms my soul more than I can say.  Blogging (or "CGM or UGM or whatever the heck we are calling it today) is at an interesting crossroads. Evidence of this is that the top two searches on Technorati today are LeWeb3 and Brittney Spears - two very disparate communities. The times they are a changin".

So, in the spirit of the game, here are five things you may not know about me:

1. I am a  horseback rider (not bad for a jewish gal from brooklyn)
2. I have been collecting postcards for 15 years. I ask people I know to bring one back to me when they go on a trip.  This is not about mailing them - but about a fun way to connect with all the great places in the world and people in my life.  (One day I may scan them all and do some sort of weird interesting Google -social network map - mash-up).
3. I won a bathing suit beauty pageant when I was three.
4. I know how to shoot an M-16, clean it and put it back together.
5. I sang in an awesome cool co-ed acappella group in college.

And now without further adieu - I pass the torch to:

yanivgolan, estherk, chriscarfi, emilychang, susanmernit

Update: I missed my original tag by  the brilliant Valeria Maltoni at ConversationAgent - a blog name so perfect I wish it was mine..;) because i am behind on my feeds and she missed the "C" in my last name. 

It's Alive - check out Vox today

Congrats to my gang at Six Apart on today's launch of VOX.  It is is fun and super addictive  - not to mention elegant, extremely easy to use and packed full of features.

I've been playing with VOX for a few months now and one of my favorite features is the ability to make each and every item public, private or somewhere in between.  Sounds simple - but not so easy  to implement smartly.  This truly brings an end to the concept of a public versus a private blog and enables you to have some real flexibility  with your online persona without having to maintain multiple blogs and sites.  TypePad still works best for me as my "professional home", but I VOX is where I now connect with friends and family - plus, it has one click integration with Flickr! 

On an important related note - take a moment to check out the 'welcome post' from the team.  I am always asked for concrete examples of what I mean when I say that 'new marketing' is all about respect and putting the customer first.  This post is a case study in exactly that.  It is friendly, focused on the community and customer and genuine in it's appreciation.  This is something deeply embedded  into the culture of the company. (I should know, I moved across the country over two years ago precisely because of this attitude and used to actually write many of these posts). You can't fake it.  It takes work and energy and resources.  But, after all, your customers are your raison d'etre -- treat em well and they will hang on for the ride.

So go ahead - sign up - you know you want to...;)

Yo Brooklyn - check it out

I don't often post about specific sites, but every once in a while a new site/community catches my attention because they 'get it'.  Until Monday is one such site. It is a gorgeous site that is designed for the way we interact with content today.  The site curates the best content and brings it together in a simple clear easy to find interface combined with user profiles in a non-intrusive way.  I also LOVE their tagline - "visit like you live there".  Instantly identifies how they are differentiating themselves - makes me want to jump in and find the "best stuff" as identified by the locals.

Finally - how can I not show them some love - it's about Brooklyn!

Fresh features are in the air..

Shout out to my gang at Typepad for doing a brilliant job on the latest release.  Having been behind the scenes for many a "push", I know how hard these guys work on 'getting it right' and ensuring the new features make sense. Usability and ease of use is always a top priority.  Personally, I am especially greatful for the super simple integration with Technorati tags. Kudos!

And speaking of Technorati, here's wishing Happy Birthday to the green team!  The gang there has obviously been hunkered down as well and launched a new redesign and interface to celebrate the day.  The major rollout plays off the inherent social networking features of the system and does make it easier to follow the buzz.

[Note to Dave and Kevin: so now that the rollout is complete, I trust you will get started on my "secret feature request"...]

Awesome use of a wiki

OK - I have a bunch of "lofty thought" draft posts waiting for completion (damn, draft mode)

In the interim...I just have to post about ProductWiki.

This is a great use of a wiki.  These guys got it right from start to finish - user firendly, clean design, great products, widgets, great use of user generated content and community features.  How did it take me this long to find it!!  Keep it up.  I will be following your growth.

Thanks to Jackie & Ben for the post.

It's alive

For those of you who only have a vague idea of what this blogging thing is and think I was crazy to move across the country,  I thought it was about time I pointed you to my company's brand new website at Six Apart.