Category: Personal Reflections

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!

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!

I read an interview earlier this week that discounted, well, derided, following your gut. For instance, she pointed out all that folks like Ted Bundy didn’t look threatening. Thus quantifiable reasoning is the only way one should make decisions. (This is oversimplified for the sake of space. I’ll post the link to the original when I find it.)

Oddly, people like Mr. Bundy are reasons I would cite to say trust your gut. There was no evidence he was dangerous until after he was caught. Same’s true for most criminals, even today. Nothing readily researchable until after an arrest.Yet many people felt there was something wrong with Mr. Bundy and kept their distance. I don’t know if it’s spiritual attunement to deeper truth or just your subconscious picking up on subtle clues, but I’ve found my gut to be right. And ignoring it comes at my peril.

Another thought with this: innovation. Innovative thought is, by definition, pushes past known bounds. Trusting your gut is requisite. Only deciding based on detailed analysis kills innovation.

Thus, I say trust your gut. It’s both aware of more, but also connected to the core, those deepest values. But learn to listen. Learn how our fears twist the voice, mess up the message. Then you’ll hold true wisdom.

Not the most original, but I haven’t seen anyone else put this up.

Happy Friday!