Monthly Archives: January 2011

Ning in 2011: Transparent Evolution

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Fresh into the second quarter of 2010, we were faced with news about the change in the Ning business model. It hasn’t been even a year since this news… yet I felt compelled to write about the way Ning looks moving forward.

This morning, I got an email from Ning titled What’s in Store for 2011, with information about features on Ning that have been rolled out in the past few months and plans for coming quarter or two. And something dawned on me: Ning is really laying out their product roadmap for users (and competitors) to see. In the words of their Chief Product Officer:

There are several reasons why companies don’t do this: It might reveal too much to the competition. It might force commitments and limit flexibility. It may feel like a burden. Plus, don’t customers like to be surprised when they sign in and spot a shiny, new feature? Under-promise and over-deliver, right?

There are several ways to look at it. But there’s one extremely good reason a company like ours should publish a product roadmap: Quite simply, it will make our customers happy. Making customers happy is a core part of our business.

Know what? I loved that they did it! It helps US (network creators) plan for the future, knowing what will and won’t be available and when (at least in the coming six months). As for competitors, they seem to be moving forward not minding as much that competitors may know what will they be doing or when. As long as Ning delivers on their promise (roll out functional features according to their product map), the moment features become announced on the Product Map, they are being put in the open, so… I don’t think they are losing that much competitive edge by opening up their six-month product map to the world.

Another thing they are doing very well is to help people develop the best networks they possibly can, through an assortment of Best Practices and a Getting Started guide combined with Troubleshooting Guides and a public Known Issues page.

All these elements speak to me of transparency and, combined with the features one can learn about through the roadmap, also tell me of evolution! 2011 promises to be a very exciting year for anyone using Ning or considering to do so.

Do you have any thoughts or comments on Ning in 2011 and beyond?

Why I Like DFP Small Business (a.k.a. Google Ad Manager)

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A little over a year ago, we used a service called Open X on TuDiabetes.org and EsTuDiabetes.org, to serve our ads until we found ourselves talking to nobody when faced with a tech issue that resulted in no ads getting served. At that point, I decided to try Google Ad Manager, a free service that does the same thing (help you manage ads) as a hosted service by Google.

More than a year later (now it’s called DFP Small Business, but it is essentially the same service), we continue to be very happy with the platform. It lets you manage multiple orders for multiple clients over multiple inventory locations. This is ideal for us, having two networks to manage ads on and typically having multiple campaigns under way.

The ability to manage an order includes start and end times, % of impressions and targeting by geography, language, browser, domains and much more. Also, their reporting capabilities are as solid as the rest of the Google products you may be used to, which is advantageous to you and to your clients.

All in all, DFP has become a solution that seems to meet all our needs and has been reliable in its delivery of ads since we adopted it.

10 Ways To Clean Up Your Twitter Feed

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Shortly after I wrote 5 ways to follow 5,000 people on Twitter last year, it dawned on me that I was resorting to all sorts of tools and hacks to “follow” people, when I didn’t really need to follow them. Here are some of the lessons I have learned as I have gone on a pruning spree, from “following” nearly 5,000 people on Twitter to just over 400 people in a little over 6 months.

  1. You can start pruning by removing people who no longer use Twitter. They are not really the ones adding more noise to your Twitter feed (after all, they are no longer updating), but it will give you a sense of accomplishment. You can use a tool called Your Tweeter Karma for this.
  2. You will soon find that there’s only so many people you can unfollow because they are no longer using Twitter. Where to go next? You could argue that the Mashable’s and the RWW’s of Twitter are must-follows and that is true to a certain extent. After all, they are valuable sources of information for people on social media (about social media?) But over time, they have become such “celebrities” in their own right that tons of people retweet their content. So, do you really need to follow them? I argue that, if you follow the “right” people, you don’t need to follow these accounts too. Who are the right people? For me, examples of this are folks like @heykim, @svartling, @johnhaydon and @JoyceSchneider1. They are content hoses, but they do an amazing job at curating high quality tweets.
  3. I also have found that unfollowing people who tweet their Foursquare location a little too often comes in handy. I hope I am not alienating too many people by my iTunes “likes” which I tweet once in a while.
  4. I am not a big fan of drama: and guess what! Drama takes up some important real estate on Twitter when it breaks out. So, when I see drama unfold in front of me (I mean drama as in personal exchanges with insults flying back and forth, between two people on Twitter; not drama as in the madness going on in Egypt), I typically unfollow both persons. I really hope these folks resolve their personal disagreement… just not in front of all of us. If I can be of assistance, perhaps they will message me in some other way.
  5. You don’t need to follow EVERY news outlet out there. Specially, if you don’t do the same in real life. After all, there’s only SO many news to break and, except for niche media or SERIOUS news organizations, they all cover the same news. So, that is to say: follow the news accounts you really care about. Just because you can easily follow all of them, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Also note most news outlets now have multiple Twitter accounts, so you may be able to really narrow down what aspect (section) of their coverage you want to see take up space on your Twitter feed.
  6. If you love a particular product/service that has a presence on Twitter and they use their Twitter feed just to push content (“me” talk), without interacting with others, don’t follow them! If you already do, unfollow them: they obviously don’t care about you that much, so why should you care about them?  You can express your love for the product by continuing to buy it and, if you REALLY are into it, you can let them know through Twitter or contacting them via email that their use of Social Media is not really being that social.
  7. On a similar note than “me” talk-only products/services fall the vast majority of celebrity Twitter accounts. One exception that I love is @Alyssa_Milano (and I am sure there’s a few more!) She not only follows other people: she replies and RT’s other’s content that she cares about.
  8. Remember there is a place for lists. You don’t need to follow on Twitter every single person you meet. Perhaps someone is an expert on games or mobile technology and you may have a need to hear more conversations about that in the future. Add them to your “Games” or “Mobile” list and move on.
  9. If you manage multiple accounts, you don’t need to follow them all… not forever, at least. I have direct/indirect access to nearly 10 accounts. I follow only a few of them.
  10. Last, be brave! You may find that the number of people who follow you drops… As long as you have something useful to share (your own content or RT’ing other material) you will remain relevant in the eyes of some. And that is fine. And if you are no longer worthy of being followed, then so be it. Twitter is not a popularity contest: to me, it’s become one of my top tools to stay plugged into the latest in news, diabetes, nonprofits and technology. And that means you need to do a whole lot of listening.

If you have found this useful, please share it with others and follow me on Twitter: @askmanny. If you thought it wasn’t useful, don’t tell anyone. :)

Wells Fargo ATMs: an example of usability

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It’s not only that they speak many languages. Or that you can make envelope-free deposits in them now. The single most impressive feature I’ve found on Wells Fargo ATMs recently was that they are sensitive to  your most recent (or common) transactions.

Say you normally go to the ATM to withdraw $80 for weekly meals or to deposit a check. Now, on the screen where you are prompted for your PIN, instead of only letting you enter the 4-digit number (as shown above), you are presented with that VERY option directly, so you can skip the selection process altogether which typically followed once you hit the green OK button.

Not only that, it remembers preferences such as whether you wanted or not a receipt, or whether you wanted the scanned version of any deposited checks or not… THIS is an amazing example of usability! Plus it shaves about 20-30 seconds of time at the ATM for each customer that uses this convenient feature.

Update (Jan. 31, 2011): thanks to Wells Fargo for sending a screenshot showing the above capabilities. I am even more impressed with you guys having spotted the blog post AND taken action about it!

Buried: blown away!

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Those who know me know that I am not a big fan of suspense thrillers. I mean… I LOVED Sixth Sense (in spite of the fact that my friend Gilberto spoiled it for me by telling the end :D ) and I’ve highly enjoyed movies like The Shining. But you won’t see this kind of movie too often on my Netflix queue.

Then Chris Sparling, the husband of Kerri Sparling, wrote Buried. Being the sissy that I am with “this kind of movie” I had avoided going to see it in the theater. But when it became available on Netflix, I put it at the top of my queue. :)

We watched it last night and we were BLOWN AWAY! To begin with, the script is simply brilliant! Chris touched on multiple social aspects that are highly relevant to our time: the war and its impact on the lives of people in the US and overseas; corporate mis-behavior, trying to avoid embarrassment due to stories leaking in the media, to name just a couple. The script is the top thing that rocks about the movie (and I don’t say this because I know Chris).

Ryan Reynolds is the second thing that made the movie what it was. I can’t say I was a big fan of his previous movies (I was indifferent to most of them) but I was really impressed with his role in this movie. He is practically the only person on screen the entire movie and all scenes take place inside a coffin. When you see the special features, you realize how physically and emotionally demanding the shooting was on Reynolds!

Last, the photography and overall directing of the movie was incredible too. The constraints imposed by the “set” make it a true triumph to come up with the beautiful lighting that consistently prevails throughout the multiple shots. Then, the shots from multiple angles that help with the storytelling, made possible by having seven different coffins that were used for different types of shots… in short, for such a constraining medium to bring Chris’ story to life, director Rodrigo Cortes did an incredible job!

According to IMDB, the next screenplay by Chris (titled ATM) is scheduled to be released later in 2011. I am looking forward to seeing it!

I Have a D-Dream: A diabetes awareness article inspired by MLK

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Although the challenges faced by African Americans in the sixties and people with diabetes today are very different, because this article is getting published close to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2011, I took the liberty of applying some elements from his historical “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 to diabetes today.

In 1921, insulin was discovered. This moment came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of people with type 1 diabetes who, until then, had been doomed to die as a result of a non-functioning pancreas.

But ninety years later, still too many people with diabetes languish (and far too many still die because they don’t have access to insulin too). Some of them see their bodies decay, some see their souls turn sour.

Ninety years later, lots of people with diabetes lack vital information and support that can help them live a healthy life with this chronic disease. And so I’ve written this article today to dramatize this shameful state of things.

Read more…

5 Tips to Make your Community More Vibrant

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Running an online community is not easy, is extremely fulfilling and can help your take your organization’s mission to the next level.

I first wrote this topic about a year ago, but these tips continue to be as relevant as ever!

  1. Know who the champions are in your community and acknowledge them visibly.
  2. Highlight member generated content more often than content you create.
  3. Refresh content often, but not TOO often: Google Analytics can help you figure out how often.
  4. Conduct contests and other initiatives regularly to engage members of the community.
  5. Always: listen to your community. Sometimes, ALL it takes is to listen to what they have to say.

A bonus tip: get the book “Managing Online Forums”!

What are some good examples of ways in which you made your community more vibrant?

10 People to Follow in Social Media + Health

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Healthcare is a broad sector and social media is even broader. But it turns out that not too many people “get” the two and make it possible for others to do the same thing. So I thought I’d share ten people on Twitter who I think do a very good job in different ways of explaining how social media and health go together.

This is by no means a comprehensive list (it means, I am sure I left someone out so please don’t feel offended if I did) but it’s just a list of folks I particularly find useful to follow and read when it comes to Social Health, the intersection of Social Media and Health. I took the liberty of copying their Twitter bios as they stand today.

@jonmrich – Jonathan Richman, “Former pharma guy now preaching digital to every pharma & healthcare company that’ll listen. Happily spending my free time w/ my amazing wife & daughter.” I had the chance to meet Jonathan in 2009. Today, in my opinion, he is the go-to person for any group that seeks to “GET” social media and health.

@SusannahFox – SusannahFox, “Internet geologist. Health care gadfly. Social to a fault.” As Associate Director of Digital Strategy at Pew Internet, her title is nowhere near as cool and knowledgeable as she is to meet and listen to in person.

@KevinKruse – Kevin Kruse, “President, Kru Research & Editor, E-Patient Connections newsletter, focused on how to reach & educate digital health consumers. ePharma mktg, health 2.0.” I had the chance to meet Kevin in 2010. His ePatient Connections conference is a must-attend for all people interested in impacting this sector.

@whydotpharma – Silja, “Passionately believe pharma can create better patient-focus through social media Co-founder of#hcsmeu Healthcare and Social media in Europe tweet up.” I had a chance to meet Silja in 2009 in Switzerland. She gets it WAY from before the time she was helping others get it!

@swoodruff - Steve Woodruff, “The real-time, 360-degree Steve Woodruff. I interact here. Want pharma/healthcare?@impactiviti. Business? @connectionagent….” Not too many people listen as attentively as Steve. He really has mastered this art and turns it into lessons for all around him to learn.

@iftfhealth – IFTF Health Horizons, “Health Horizons at Institute for the Future scans for signs of change over the next 3-10 years for a deep understanding of global health. Creators of BodyShock.” I first heard of IFTF while I still lived in Palo Alto, where they are based. They are a brilliant think tank of people that think about the future.

@wegohealth – WEGO Health, “WEGO Health is home to Health Activists. These influencers, organizers, leaders and contributors are passionate about helping others lead healthier lives.” I first met Jack, their CEO,  in 2009. They provide an extraordinary space for health activists to do what they do best.

@boltyboy – Matthew Holt,” THCB, Health 2.0; Chelsea fan; husband; father in a few months.” I have known OF Matthew since 2007, when then the first Health 2.0 conference took place. I finally met him at Health 2.0 in San Francisco in 2008. I still struggle understanding when he speaks so I prefer to read him. :)

@EndoGoddess – Jen Dyer MD, MPH, “Stylish pediatric endocrinologist, researcher, former Texan who loves NYC, beginning foodie who believes in the power of balanced nutrition to prevent disease.” Not too many doctors (yet) get the importance of social media in healthcare. Jen is WAY ahead of the curve. She’s out there on Twitter and I was glad to meet her in 2010!

@shwen – Shwen Gwee, “Founder: Social Health (sxsh.org), Social Pharmer (SocialPharmer.com), Med 2.0 Blog (Med20.com)” As knowledgeable about this space as he is a nice guy to chat to. Had the chance to meet him at the 2010 ePatient Connections conference. Update (05/12/11): Shwen is joining the health practice at Edelman as VP of Digital Health.

P.S. Other than Jen Dyer, I have intentionally left out people from the DOC (Diabetes Online Community). I wanted this list to be useful to everyone, in the diabetes space or not.

Read a list of People With Diabetes to Follow on Twitter.