Month: November 2011

Flickr Thoughts

Carl Setzer

Just spent a few minutes looking over my Flickr feed; always fun to see. Got me thinking, though. I started using Flickr right after Yahoo acquired it. An easy choice since: 1) I used Yahoo’s briefcase photo service quite extensively and 2) other friends used Flickr, thus it was familiar.

At that time, we uploaded images from our desktop. The value came from not emailing masses of images, and dealing with email restrictions (back in dial up days). Mainly, the focus on artistry and close connections.

Evolution occurred. One big piece came with social media. The site became about larger audiences. Then cell phone cameras dramatically changed usage. And Facebook dominates sharing family snapshots.

Now, Flickr offers real time viewing of the world. Users who dive deeper into photography, using artistry to communicate more. Capturing emotion. Well, somewhat. Citizen journalism occurs, too.

Ultimately, I see Flickr’s evolution. Not dramatic; steady, resolute. Flickr adapts to change, users find new uses. Those signs point to a site with legs. I expect it to last, with continued value. Save for mismanagement. That’s another blog post, though.

Happy Friday to you all!

Nightbound Words

Carl Setzer

Racing mind
Fears awakened,
Given voice,
Speaking loudly
Into murky peace of night.

Dreams unrealized,
Yet still dreams.
Voices of neglected
Priorities. Reminding
Me; deepest values.

Empty grave
This frantic life.
Delightful sense of purpose
Untethered to accomplishment.
Illusions of effectiveness.

Self directed rage
Unuseful, empty sounds.
November’s east bound
Wind pushes still,
Fiercely, chilling.

Marketing Thoughts

Carl Setzer4 Comments

A few days ago, I sat in a seminar. The panel’s discussion interested me, but wasn’t my main takeaway. My main “bit” was when the leader was asked about his company’s latest tv campaign. Simple question: how well did it work? Imagine my surprise when he said that there really wasn’t any way to track the ROI. I expect most major companies have tools to do just that. Exact? Probably not. Exactness is probably not that critical. But some metrics to justify the expense seem prudent.

I thought of a basic way to measure. Simply compare inbound leads/contacts against “background”. Of course, that requires having a historical dataset to build off of. AKA, background.

Additionally, it would be valuable to have contacts asked “how did you hear of us”? Again, not terribly scientific, but valuable.

Random thoughts on a Friday night. Happy weekend to you all!