Developed in Switzerland, Poken is a USB drive shaped like a little person (three-eyed alien, panda bear, a firey skeleton, or a bee are available) with a silver hand attached to its side.  When you hold the hand against another person’s Poken, giving them a high four, your device glows green telling you that you have successfully exchanged virtual business cards between the two devices.

Your Poken can store up to 64 contacts at any one time, and it will glow red if a connection was not made, in which case you just try again.
At home, your Poken’s hand detaches from the body and plugs into your computer’s USB drive.  Through encrypted coding it transfers all of your new friend’s social network information into your Poken account where you can manage all of your contacts and your own information.

***In case you’ve only read this far and had to stop to immediately purchase a Poken for you and all of your friends or coworkers (hint, hint, Joel, you can buy them in twelve packs…) then I have good news: You don’t need to start an online account before using your Poken.  Of course you can set it up while you wait for your device to arrive in the mail, which you should have plenty of time to do because Pokens aren’t sold in the US yet.

Getting an account is painless and it takes about four minutes to complete the form.  But don’t drag your feet.  Be aware that you need to activate your account before your friends can add you to their network otherwise an “unregistered” message is displayed on their profile when they plug you into their computers and they’ll probably delete you.

When you create your “business card,” add information for up to 25 social networks from Badoo or Bahu to more stream-lined networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Orkut.  Upload a single picture, add as much contact information as you want friends to see like phone number, address, email, blogs, organizations, or birthday, and you’re on your way.

You can also set up different identities for yourself where you can group your new Poken friends as you add them giving contacts only the information that you want to see.

“Business card?  What is this, 2008?”

Poken means no more typing names and numbers in your cell phone or scribbling on cocktail napkins at parties.

Let me give you an example:

You’re at a party and you start talking to Tim Wilson whom you find out shares your love for collecting laserdiscs.

Before Poken:

Tim gives you his business card and tells you that he has a great Facebook laserdisc discussion group where rare discs are bartered for regularly.  You go home and search for “Tim Wilson” on Facebook ready to start trading movies with other cinephiles, but you find over 500 search results for his name.  Now you’re stuck sifting through every Tim Wilson on the planet.  Once you find him, you have to send him a friend request and cross your fingers that he checks his Facebook regularly before you can join his world-class laserdisc fan club.  No fun.

Since Poken:

You meet Tim Wilson at a party and talk about collecting laserdiscs.  You both have a Poken, you connect them, and when you get home all of his social networks are at your disposal.  Before you know it, you’re finally able to watch Jenny Lewis and Fred Savage in The Wizard on laserdisc thanks to your new friend Tim Wilson and his awesome Facebook group.

The Ups and Downs of Poken Strangers

Of course, like any piece of technology, there’s a downside.  If you are on Facebook and you Poken someone who is only on Orkut and Hyves then one of you needs to join one of the others’ networks.  On the upside, you might discover a new social network that you love in the process.

Another strike against the Poken is that it runs on battery power.  According to the official site www.doyoupoken.com, your Poken battery will last approximately six (6) months.  The more you use it though, the shorter your battery will last.  When inserted in your computer, your Poken will blink telling you that it’s hungry for more batteries.  Never fear, the battery is a Lithium CR1632, which I found for as cheap as $1.66 on Amazon.com.  You can remove your old battery and install the new one with a flathead screwdriver in a matter of seconds.

Security is not an issue.  When you set up your account, you enter your username and password for each social network that you use.  The information is only entered once used only to authenticate each account for your Poken.

If you ever lose your Poken, mark it “Lost” on your online account.  You can even send a message to the person who finds your Poken to display if they plug it into their computer.  By default, each time you plug the device into your USB port, you are prompted to enter your password anyway, ensuring security.  No one else ever has access to your information.  Plus, you don’t store personal information on your Poken.  It’s all stored on the website where you interact with new friends.

I’m sold on the idea, but do I really need another device to carry around with me?

By now you have enough grocery store key fobs and iPods and cell phones to carry around.  Why do you need another thing to lug around?  Pokens come with a clip that you can hook onto your keys, briefcase, backpack or belt loop.  It’s much faster than digging a business card out of your crusty wallet and your online identity is more comprehensive than a piece of cardboard with your name and phone number on it.

Poken hasn’t exactly caught on in the United States yet though NPR reported that Pokens were present at this year’s South by Southwest Festival (SXSW).  Until everyone is carrying these around, Poken friends will be scarce but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get one.  The technology will probably move to cell phones very soon, but that will require everyone to buy a brand new $200 phone to use it.  Why not spend $16 for a Poken and start socializing now?

Drink the Kool Aid.  Get a Poken and you’ll be throwing more high fives (well, fours) than David Puddy.

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Needless to say, our Christmases ever since have been filled with cigarette lighter battery chargers sans iPhone USB ports, heatless soldering guns (or as we call them in our house “The Blister Maker 5000”), and battery-free wind up flashlight stocking stuffers; a smorgasbord of gadgets that would leave MacGruber green with envy. But our gifts often end up being flimsy and break after only a few months (or uses).

In her defense, how was Grandma Sue supposed to know? She didn’t test those products before she bought them. Besides, some offers are exclusive to TV, so even if she had gone to the mall, chances are she wouldn’t have found a doohickey as innovative as a flashlight that doubles as a personal fan complete with Styrofoam propellers and belt clip.

Not everyone shops from home though, well not yet anyway. Whether we want to admit it or not, the recession is in full swing, but even in our current economic downturn there are shoppers who want to spend money. At-home shopping may be causing stores to close their doors all over the country but e-commerce is on the rise.

Part Two: Where Did All the Stores Go?

People are always asking, did I know about Grandma Sue. In all of her years of navigating unsavory winter terrain and battles with unruly last-minute shoppers and disgruntled Walmart workers, is it likely that Grandma Sue developed such a hatred for physical shopping locations that she unwittingly became a major contributor to a commercial consumer goods boycott? Could it be possible that Grandma Sue is somehow responsible for the downfall of brick and mortar shopping centers around the world? Is it even plausible to assume that she could have at least seen this coming? Or that she’s part of some underground senior secret society that has its sights set on taking down major corporations one Home Shopping Network purchase at a time?

Probably not. But maybe she was on to something after all…

According to this bleak CNN Money post, senior writer Parija B. Kavilanz reported:

‘There’s going to be a massive sea change in the retail landscape,” said Nina Kampler, executive vice president with Hilco Real Estate, which advises retailers on their property management.’

Michael Burden, principal with industry adviser Excess Space Retail Services, expects as many as 14,000 stores will close in 2009. ‘We could see among the highest ever number of closures,” he said.’

Kavilanz added:

‘Ideally, (Kampler) said a retailer’s occupancy cost should be equal to 10% of its sales. But a long stretch of slumping sales and rising mall vacancies can dramatically push up the occupancy costs. Once rent and occupancy costs hit the 20% to 25% of sales threshold, you are treading water,’ ” Kampler said. ‘You can’t run a viable business with those numbers’.

What do you do if you’re one of the thousands of stores that are closing their doors?

Kavilanz added:

I think the whole consumer economy is being recalibrated,” said Kampler. “It’s something that’s not been done in decades. I think it will be a three-year recalibration of consumer behavior and expectations.

What is that “recalibration” going to involve? It’s likely that consumer trends will turn toward e-commerce. But will you be there waiting?

Part Three: Broadband internet connections, 3G networks, and QVC.com! Cover your hair and your eyes, it’s the Apocalypse!

The Home Shopping Network was launched in 1982. QVC (Quality, Value, and Convenience) followed in 1986. A decade later, www.qvc.com was launched (1996). The JC Penny catalog has been around since 1963. At-home shopping is not new, it’s just better.

I know this because Grandma Sue knows this.

High-speed internet connections are quickly becoming more affordable, definitely more affordable than rent and property tax, making it easier for “small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in worldwide marketing and expand their outlook beyond their nations.” http://www.trade.gov/investamerica/ecommerce.asp

The economic slowdown could actually force smaller businesses to turn to e-commerce, which potentially means more visibility, and drive up sales especially from foreign customers.

According to the International Trade Administration*:

The Census Bureau estimates that total e-commerce sales in 2007 were $127.2 billion, an increase of 17% from 2006. E-commerce sales accounted for 3.2% of total retail sales in 2007, rising from 2.8% in 2006. eMarketer continues to estimate that retail e-commerce sales will increase an average of 18.6% in 2008 and 2009. That is strong growth, but is still down from the annual growth rate of 20.6% experienced between 2001 and 2005.

But if your stores are forced to close their doors, will your website hold up?

I am Grandma Sue’s waning sense of consumer responsibility.

Cautious consumers are likely more frugal on every retail venture, which probably means they are doing extensive research before making any big purchase on electronics, winter coats, or even food.** Where are consumers conducting their research? On the internet. Since they are already there, why not get them to your site?

Part Four: Get a Website!

Get a website, make it a good one, and make yourself as visible as possible. Great web design, quality content, and strong search engine optimization are keys to getting your page ranked highly on Google so your customers can find you. Use social networks to promote your products and services. Sign up for everything: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, etc. and link them all to your site; generate linkbacks to your site and make it credible.

The ITA report concluded:

The continued rise in the percentage of total retail sales occurring through e-commerce is one sign of buyers and sellers becoming more comfortable with e-commerce transactions, while the fact that only 3.2% of total retail sales take place through e-commerce reflects the significant potential remaining.

While you may be left without a storefront, don’t be left out in the cold. Tap into the potential of e-commerce and be one of the survivors.

Maybe it’s time to start from scratch, again.

*As of this blog’s publication date, the 2008/09 report had not been released.

**Pink Dot, a grocery store in Los Angeles, will deliver your groceries to your apartment after you order them online.

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Wednesday, December 10, 2008:

New Verizon Blackberry Storms 360 PSG

With the variety of smartphones on the market, 360 PSG took a leap of faith and invested in Verizon’s Blackberry Storm, the first ever touch screen blackberry, just weeks after its initial November 2008 release. But will the newest addition to the Amherst, NY based web design company reign terror on the office or help 360 take the web design world by, well, storm?

By now I’m sure that you’ve heard at least one horror story about the Blackberry Storm. David Pogue, author of the NY Times technology column, lambasted the phone recently concluding, “Maybe Storm isn’t such a bad name for this phone. After all — it’s dark, sodden and unpredictable.”

It doesn’t help that the name lends itself to a virtual gauntlet of negative puns. It’s not all bad though. Get over the fact that this blackberry has a touch screen, so does just about every other phone released in the last 8 months, and you might find something you like. Oh yeah, there’s no stylus either…

360 PSG is a cutting-edge company and using cutting-edge technology in and out of the office is an integral part in remaining a leader in the web design world. Staying connected to clients is key as quality website maintenance and service are high priorities of 360 PSG.

Matthew Whelan, Managing Partner, Operations for 360 PSG, listed a few benefits of having smartphones. “Instant access to email and customer inquiries, mobile address book & calendar synchronization so we always know where we’re supposed to be and how to be in touch with everyone. Google Maps to find where it is we need to go. No internet connection* … no problem!” Whelan said.

Remote email access is a highly desired feature for any business; it is the best way to stay connected with customers. As a 3G** network product, the Storm allows instant access to email all the time. Problems with a site over a long weekend could leave customers in a panic. An email from a 360 PSG employee could lead to a quick fix before the work week begins again on Monday.

Whelan joked, “Now there is nowhere to hide!”

Employees at 360 PSG understand that they will have to take the good with the bad. “Anytime you adopt early release technology (like the Storm within one week of launch)… you run the risk of patches, updates, glitches or bug-fixes that make you have to re-enter, start over, reinstall, or otherwise inconvenience you,” said Joel Colombo, 360 PSG Managing Partner, President.
He added, “So you risk cutting edge adoption for possible intermittent headache. Waiting for 12-14 months after a release of new technology insures most of the critical setbacks have been patched and fixed.”

Daniel Dumas reviewed the Storm for Wired.

“Web surfing on the device is good, not great. The fully realized browser pulls up pages quickly but also suffers from a lack of flash support. Cut-and-paste functionality works almost perfectly, as does text editing. All of RIM’s e-mail goodness and top-shelf messaging are also effortlessly integrated into the device. For better or for worse, you never forget that you are using a BlackBerry.”

Verizon is marketing the phone not just as a blackberry, a device that most business men and women have trusted to scroll through emails and work calendars for over a decade, but as an everyman’s media device (photos, mp3 player, and a 3.2 megapixel camera). Of course the new phones were integrated into 360 PSG to improve reliability and service between clients and coworkers. Although there are some concerns, there have been no major setbacks and the general outlook remains optimistic.

In his initial review for Consumer Reports, Mike Gikas concluded:

“With its simple interface and powerful business and entertainment features, it may be one more good reason for smart-phone seekers to choose Verizon’s top-notch service over less-consistent carriers.”

The Consumer Reports review was released before the Storm’s official launch date. Gikas was able to test the device at a press preview, and he did like some of the features that the Storm boasts like the touch screen, the display resolution of 480 X 360 pixels, and easy navigation.

The Storm has an accelerometer that detects when you’ve rotated the phone into landscape orientation. It can be a little frustrating sometimes as one wrong flick of the wrist throws your accelerometer into overdrive changing views for you even though you really didn’t want it to.

Texting takes some getting used to. When held vertically, blackberry patrons will find a familiar Sure Type keypad. But when turned on its side, the Storm presents a full QWERTY keypad. Transitioning so quickly from Sure Type to QWERTY takes some orientation but once it’s mastered it can provide texters with efficient messaging options.

360 PSG clients should see some of the benefits of the Blackberry Storm too. Colombo said, “They will get even faster than usual responses on critical issues and rapid delegation to people in office that may be able to support or answer questions originally intended for the person that may not be available at that exact moment.”

Jason Ortiz, 360 PSG Director of Programming Services, added, “All client information will be at our finger tips. We can access our email, and communicate instantly whether we are at the office or anywhere else.”

No matter how great a product is, there are always complaints, and complaints are always much funnier than compliments. So after a week of practice with the phones, I asked everyone at 360 to answer the following…

“What do you hate about the phone?

…OR finish the phrase:

“If the Blackberry Storm were a person, I would punch it in the face because…”

…And I almost got five comprehensible responses… almost.

Matt said, “If the Blackberry Storm were a person, I would punch it in the face because the camera keeps coming up for no apparent reason. Though I really like the touch screen, I find that it is inexact to use your finger vs. a stylus.”

Ben Shepard, 360 PSG Director of Graphic Services and Marketing responded, “The speed dial function is useless. You push the 6 key; it asks you to assign someone to the 9 key… You hit the 5 key; it dials whoever is assigned to 6. There is also noticeable lag between applications and functions which gets to be annoying.”

Bryan McConnell, 360 PSG Account Manager said, “I really like the touch screen and knowing that I am not one of the losers that do not have a cell phone anymore. I also love how sexy the phone is – Wow!”

Jason said, “I hate that everyone wants to put their greasy hands on it. I would also punch it in the face if it were a person because that’s what I do. I would also do the same if it were a cyborg*** from the future sent back in time to drive me nuts by showing the camera in the email view and refusing to allow me to turn it off.”

*One of the features that the Storm does not come equipped with, curiously, is Wi-Fi capability.

**3G (third generation) is a wireless network that provides cell phone subscribers with remote broadband wireless data.

***There is no such thing as cyborgs. Even if there were, it is highly unlikely that they would possess the technology to travel back to our time or the know-how to properly utilize the Blackberry Storm camera function.

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Are you social enough on the web?

You might already have a Facebook page so you’re not totally in the dark when it comes to online social networks. But what are you supposed to be Digging? What’s a Twitter? And isn’t Orkut that magic alien from Masters of the Universe?

Of course you know having strong website content and good search engine optimization (SEO) are keys to getting your site ranked highly on search engines like Google, so the more you spread the word about your product or service and the more linkbacks you have to your site the better.

Keeping up with social media can be somewhat of a daunting task though. There seems to be a new site launched every week. Depending on how many sites you belong to, or want to belong to, your list of usernames and passwords can build up to overwhelming lengths.

If you happen to use more than one social network though, which is likely seeing how “49 million people visited both MySpace and Facebook in October 2008” (Comscore, worldwide), then there is some good news.

Four new social networking platforms, Facebook Connect, MyspaceID, Google Friend Connect, and Power.com, are trying to make it easier for you to manage all of your accounts. The goal: expand your social network with half the effort. After all, more manageable networking means more potential SEO for your site, right?

So now all you have to do is decide which platform to use…

Tech Crunch broke it down like this:

“All three services are platforms for third party sites (Digg, Twitter, Citisearch, CBS, whatever) to let users sign in via their favorite social network instead of the normal approach. Some profile information flows with the sign in, which the sites can keep for a period of time. And activity that occurs on the site – Twitters written, Digg stories voted on, restaurant reviews on Citysearch, etc. – can optionally flow back to the user’s activity stream.”

Facebook Connect:

Facebook Connect takes your Facebook profile information, your picture, and your friends and expands upon them by looking for others with common interests. It basically does the legwork for you, taking your login information and applying it to your Twitter, Digg, Citysearch, etc. accounts to make it easier to sign in and manage content and profile information or create new accounts.

Your other social networks link back to your Facebook profile, where your network is allowing you to advertise your product or services.

Myspace ID:

MyspaceID works on the same basic principles as Facebook Connect, however functionality is still being flushed out. Myspace looks to be a step behind Facebook when it comes to sending data back to your Myspace feed. However, Myspace supports Open ID, which Facebook does not, and that could mean more potential third party partners.

Social Networks that support OpenID could be hesitant to partner with Facebook who has basically shunned tools like OpenID and OAuth in favor of their own login ID which they will own.

Power.com

In May, when Facebook Connect was announced on the heels of the news of MyspaceID and Google Friend Connect, the first in the trend of all-encompassing social networking platforms to actually launch was the Brazilian-based platform Power.com.

Unlike its competitors who enable social access through a universal ID, Power delivers a dashboard to users and branded their service “social inter-networking.” Currently offering sign-in ability to Facebook, Myspace, Orkut, and Hi5 accounts, Power.com has its sights set on centralizing social networks rather than owning your online ID.

Power has created a single site interface where you can view and jump to all of your social network pages. Users can navigate seamlessly from Facebook to Myspace to Orkut in a matter of seconds without having to logout and log back in.

When you sign into Power.com using your Facebook, Myspace, Orkut, Hi5, or MSN account ID and password, it scrapes that site for you and immediately creates a profile page where you can manage your account.

Google Friend Connect:

Google Friend Connect adds applications to your website, so your friends can interact right on your site. It’s goal is simple: make the web more social. Like Power.com, Google Friends Connect is not in the game to promote itself.

There is a little more leg work involved too. Users interested in Google Friend Connect can get started by copying a few lines of Java Script from the Google site and pasting them onto their page.

Google Friend Connect has partnered with Facebook’s competitor becoming a component of MyspaceID.

How Do You Benefit?

Since all four platforms were announced around the same time (May), the new race, for now anyway, seems to be for the right to become the proprietary online ID.

When users are logging into their favorite sites with their Myspace or Facebook IDs, it presents even more incentive for them to keep up those profiles. If the two major social networks are your home, then you want to pack it full of as much information as you can to lead your Digg, Twitter, or Orkut followers back there. Once you have them on your Facebook page, you can lead them to your website.

The verdict is still out on which platform the major third-party sites will choose to partner with. Twitter has been mentioned by both MyspaceID and Facebook Connect. Power.com already acts as home base for both Myspace and Facebook sites, plus Orkut and Hi5 are on board.

According to Venture Beat:

“Facebook gained nearly two million new US users from May to June of this year, while MySpace lost about a million, according to the latest data from comScore. MySpace is still nearly twice the size, though, at 72.8 million national users versus Facebook’s 37.4 million. Facebook has, meanwhile, grown 34 percent since June 2007, while MySpace has grown only two percent” (comScore Media Metrix).

If you truly want to reap the SEO benefits of these social network platforms, signing up for a plethora of third-party sites is only the first step. Making the effort to update content, and more importantly make sure that content is relevant to your product or service on these sites, is key. Remember, every blog you produce, Twitter, or Digg you make could potentially drive more traffic to your site.

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Grow! Inc.

Grow! Inc. is a Virginia-based small business consulting firm that already had a website, but wanted something a bit more enticing to both clients and potential prospects. So we built a brand new website design for them, complete with the web content control of the Fission Content Management System. We also had our copy department build original web content for the site, including full search engine optimization. We’re pretty pleased with the design, and let us know how you think it worked.

KaLu Salon & Spa

KaLu Salon & Spa came to us needing a completely new website from the ground up. So we set them up with the content control of our Fission CMS and came up with a complete website design for them. One of the CMS features KaLu staff has used the most has been the graphical calendar feature of the website. With it they’re able to advertise their regular “special” nights, like teen parties and their Martini Nights. We’re proud of the look of the design, with the rich hues and calming design, exactly in line with the way a spa should look.

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In the 360 PSG offices, Ben Shepard, Director of Design, and Eryn Yates, Assistant Director of Design, and I (Evan Pierce, Director of Content Services) often scour the web for design and content ideas. Every once and a while we find a design we absolutely fall in love with, and one of our favorite magazines, Good Magazine, happens to fall in that category.

What do we like about it? Its clean simplicity. Articles are clearly highlighted, the top feature-call-out uses clean, natural multimedia, and the font…oh man we love the use of fonts on this page. It’s a mix of approachable accessibility with authoritative professionalism, perfect for that type of publication.

These ideas – clean, beautiful design with intuitive functionality – are the types of designs we at 360 PSG strive for, and we’re continually evaluating other sites to gain ideas to incorporate in our own designs. Let us know some of your favorites below.

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But for something so important to websites, web developers often place content on the back burner, an afterthought to most web projects. 360 PSG is bucking the trend. For 2008, 360 PSG has added a complete Content Services department, with copywriters experienced in building web content.

Considering web copy at the start of a project means content can develop with both the design and functionality of a project. That means a website can be an even more effective marketing tool – web copy not only can carry necessary information, but it can work seamlessly with website design elements and functionality. And that doesn’t even account for search engine optimization – and any copywriter will tell you it’s infinitely easier, and more effective, to tailor content for Google or Yahoo when design and content work together.

To head up the department, 360 PSG has brought aboard Evan Pierce as Director of Content Services. Mr. Pierce has written for many different publications, from the Buffalo News to Spin magazine, with much of his work generated specifically for web readers. It is this experience that 360 PSG hopes to offer clients, making their sites more effective, and more powerful.

Advertising
With a dedicated copywriting team focused on devising content for web projects, 360 PSG can build content specifically for web readers. Advertising copy works differently on the web than it does with traditional marketing material – theoretically, web copy means you have unlimited space to fill. You could fill it with loads of information. In some instances, that works. But not in all cases – studies show web visitors read content more slowly, and also process a third less information than print content.

That means your web copy must be deployed effectively, meshing with design elements and with powerful calls-to-action to engage readers. Coupled with all the other jobs web copy must accomplish, advertising writers experienced in web content have a leg up on their competition, and with a department of Content Services

Working with Design
Web content also isn’t limited by the constrictions of traditional media. There are no real size limitations like in print, and the ability to incorporate hyperlinks and other graphical elements lends a dynamic ability to text that offers unlimited possibilities. For small businesses who are building a website, however, that freedom can be intimidating. How do you use it all?

With a web firm that has content services in-house, the copywriter can work with the designer, creating content with variety not only in wording, but also in presentation. It’s a synergy 360 PSG now has, with its creative team constantly working together on projects.

Search Engine Optimization
Many web developing firms advertise search engine optimization, and they may offer rudimentary services in that field, focusing on meta-tags and meta keywords. Truly effective search engine enhancements are more organic, incorporated directly into text of a website.

As an in-house copy department, 360 PSG copywriters are can generate effective advertising copy while understanding the priority of search engine algorithms. With 360 PSG search engine analysis, industry key words and phrases can be identified and woven into the text, allowing 360 PSG content to accomplish the many tasks web content must do.
Raising Your Public Profile
In addition to traditional advertising copy, 360 PSG now also offers public relations services for small business clients. From web-based press releases, news services and blogs, these regularly updated news pieces not only inform media sources and readers of new services, events or industry news, but also aids in search engine traffic by keeping sites fresh.

For more information about 360 PSG content services, visit www.360psg.com.

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