techdirt greenhouse - New Pageshttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/pageSearch/createdNew Pages on http://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.comen-usinfo@wetpaint.comMon, 12 Jun 2006 17:04:57 CDTMon, 12 Jun 2006 17:04:57 CDTwetpaint.com60techdirt greenhousehttp://image.wetpaint.com/wiki/logo/image/1grQvk6HtrQJ0Lc67$dj9Rg==47004http://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.comOlivier's Speech from TechDirthttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Olivier%27s+Speech+from+TechDirtAnonymoushttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Olivier%27s+Speech+from+TechDirtMon, 12 Jun 2006 17:04:57 CDT
]]>about haystackhttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/about+haystackAnonymoushttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/about+haystackSun, 11 Jun 2006 23:54:20 CDT What is Haystack?
Haystack is a social networking system for businesses, built around the simple idea that the most trusted person is "someone like me," and that finding shared interests and affinities can enable individuals to do better business together.

How Do I Use Haystack?
To connect with the other speakers and attendees, simply click here to enter the Greenhouse Haystack. That's it. If you would like to add yourself to the Greenhouse Haystack, to facilitate connections with other participants, it's as easy as 1-2-3:

  1. Click here to enter the Greenhouse Haystack
  2. Log in and click on "Join this Haystack" in the left side nav (If you don't already have a profile in Haystack, click on "Register" at the top of the Greenhouse Haystack page to self-register.)
  3. Once logged in, you should now have an "Edit My Profile" link on your profile page. Edit any fields you see fit. You can also tag yourself on a variety of categories, by clicking on the "My Tags" link from the "Edit My Profile" page. (Note that profiles will go through a quick approval queue to prevent spam, and will be visible in the main Greenhouse Haystack in short order after creation.)

Our hope is that by having the opportunity to connect with the other participants in multiple ways (not just by virtue of us all attending Greenhouse, but by accelerating the discovery process of shared interests), we'll all get more out of the brief time we have together in Sunnyvale, make better use of both the discussion sessions and, most importantly, create a solid network for individuals to work together in the weeks and months after the event has come to a close.

Who created Haystack?
Haystack(tm) is a service of Cerado, Inc. More information about Cerado can be found at http://www.cerado.com, and the main Haystack site can be found at http://haystack.cerado.com.

]]>.Discussion Topicshttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/.Discussion+Topicszolihttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/.Discussion+TopicsMon, 12 Jun 2006 22:23:12 CDT
  • What are the biggest pain points in relationship management?
  • How will mobility revolutionize business?
  • What is the place for traditional media in an environment where the public is making their own entertainment?
  • What's next for behavioral marketing?
  • What should Web 2.0 companies not do?
  • How do you measure innovation?
  • How can we use technology to do good?
  • How will enterprises embrace (or not!) social networks?


    • ]]>    Pink Square Grouphttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Pink+Square+Groupzolihttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Pink+Square+GroupThu, 08 Jun 2006 22:32:45 CDT

    ]]>    Red Square Grouphttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Red+Square+Groupzolihttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Red+Square+GroupThu, 08 Jun 2006 22:31:53 CDT

    ]]>    Ceradohttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/CeradoAnonymoushttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/CeradoSat, 10 Jun 2006 10:53:18 CDT


    Cerado people


    Cerado background
    Cerado, Inc. was formed in late 2001 with the straightforward goal of enabling sales and marketing teams to be more successful. The company was formally launched in July 2002, and had its first revenue-generating customer the following month, in August 2002. Cerado is privately owned and operated by its principals. Cerado is based in Half Moon Bay, California. Since 2002, the company has continued to grow, and has achieved an expanding customer base through providing solid, exceptional service and by consistently meeting its commitments. We have never had a project go over budget. In the small number of cases where a project has had a schedule change (typically as a result of working with an end-customer to free up calendar time in order to participate in a win/loss interview), we have been clear and proactive about communicating those schedule changes.

    Our customer and revenue growth was steady and consistent throughout the past four years, with new customers coming onboard each quarter, even despite the market doldrums. More importantly, existing customers continued renewing contracts and expanding and deepening their relationships with Cerado as new services have become available over that same period. Cerado’s mission is “to leverage advanced technology to provide simple, non-intrusive services to marketing and sales professionals that enable them to communicate value more effectively, compete more effectively, and close business more effectively.” Our mission is just part of who we are; it is “what we do.” In addition to describing what we do, describing how we do business is also an important consideration in introducing Cerado.

    Our way of doing business is very different than most companies. We believe that business is fundamentally changing, and that developing real connections – call it “working in partnership,” or “building a relationship,” or what have you – is imperative to business success for all parties. As such, we pledge to approach your project thoughtfully, strategically, and intelligently; to execute flawlessly; to speak plainly and communicate clearly; and to work collaboratively with you to set expectations and define metrics. In short, we want to do things right.

    Perhaps most importantly, we feel the emerging areas of social technologies -- blogs, wikis, social networks, and the like -- are going to fundamentally change the way that customers and companies interact, as well as fundamentally change the way employees interact with each other within those organizations.

    Cerado is the creator of Haystack.

    What is Haystack?
    Here's the 30-second overview: An organization puts profiles of its sales, marketing and support people into a private-labeled "Haystack" that is integrated with the organization's website. When prospective customers come to the website, the customers can search the Haystack for the person he or she wants to connect with, based on the traits contained in the profiles. Once the customer has selected a rep, the customer can connect directly with the rep via Skype, IM, email or phone.

    Looking forward to meeting everyone at Greenhouse!

    ]]>    Social Networkshttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Social+Networksskmurphyhttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Social+Networksadded liveplasma and intronetworksWed, 14 Jun 2006 18:13:58 CDTHow will enterprises embrace (or not!) social networks?

    Introductory presentation by Chris Carfi, Cerado


    Customers have lost trust in traditional sales, marketing and service (CRM).

    John Hagel has also asserted that, although the old "scare resource" was "shelf space," the new scarce resource is "attention." And that the sources we pay attention to are the ones we "trust."

    "The most credible source of information about a company is now 'a person like me,' which has risen dramatically to surpass doctors and academic experts for the first time, according to the seventh annual Edelman Trust Barometer." The survey relates that in the U.S., trust in "a person like me" increased from 20% in 2003 to 68% today.

    If both of the above items are true, then the foundation of trust is now in “people like me," and the foundation of differentiation is ALSO in people.

    Now, there are a series of market forces at work, in the form of the various social technologies ... blogs, wikis, and social networks that make it easier than ever to connect with the trusted ones, "people like me." We've seen the changes the customer-driven / consumer generated forces have driven into the media industries, whether it be print, radio, or video. Now, these same social customer forces are coming to bear on sales, marketing and support in the enterprise.

    Discussion topics:


    • Are these assertions valid?
    • If so, will enterprises embrace social networks in order to facilitate these connections?
    • Or will enterprises resist, and attempt to deal with these realities in a different manner?


    Discussion Leaders: Theresia Gouw-Ranzetta, Jake Kaldenbough, Keith Teare, Zoli Erdos


    Notes by Tom Cole of Trinity Ventures.

    3 uses for social networking in the enterprise (Mike Sigal)
    1. mine relationships within the company (Spoke can be used this way)
    2. uncover and use relationships outside the company
      • sales lead generation (Jigsaw)
    3. creating bonds across customers (e.g. JetBlue may be experimenting this)

    Haystack challenges
    • privacy of employees
    • potential for management to pressure employees to present themselves in a particular way (e.g. "I like sports") or to expose personal details that are uncomfortable
    • persona exposed to customers and partners -- is it appropriate? e.g. Zombie Woman

    Haystack's best use may be internal
    • Alan's example: Everex -- colleagues geographically distributed, never got to meet in person but had gotten to know each other via ad hoc sharing of family info, pictures, etc.
    • Gen Y work force would embrace it

    Sequence of social networking in enterprise:
    1. Sales
    2. Human resources (for hiring)
    3. Marketing (forums enabling customers to connect, promote product, give feedback)

    Powerful tool for creating customer engagement around your product/service
    • modern version of the old-fashioned user group a la Apple, for example:
    • "user-generated marketing"
    • needs to be authentic (people really exposing their personalities)
    • it's okay for some negative comments to exist (though if you have a quality product, hopefully there aren't too many)
      • what's important is to be responsive
      • don't try to exercise editorial control, or customers will rebel

    See also "The Attention Economy and the Net" by Michael Goldhaber

    Some other examples of Social Network tools for the Enterprise
    • LeverageSoftware for managing Customer Community and Event Networks
    • SelectMinds for managing Corporate Alumni networks
    • Visible Path allows members of a firm to combine their networks
    • LivePlasma is a social network of music, movies, and books, but the visualization approach could also be extended to people
    • introNetworks looks to be an alternative to haystack, but more event focused.


    ]]>    Inveneohttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Inveneozolihttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/InveneoThu, 08 Jun 2006 21:34:49 CDT
    ]]>    Doing Goodhttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Doing+GoodAnonymoushttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Doing+GoodWed, 30 Apr 2008 06:25:10 CDTHow can we use technology to do good?

    Introductory presentation by Kristin Peterson, Inveneo


    Discussion Leaders: DV Henkel-Wallace and Chris Sims

    Go to www.coolstuffonlinent.wetpaint.com

    ]]>    Alignenthttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Alignentskmurphyhttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Alignentadd brief bio for Yusuf Shirazi and pointer to Jul-26-06 Roadmapping WebinarSun, 11 Jun 2006 14:27:42 CDThttp://www.alignent.com/
    • Software to lead organizations through strategic planning processes
    • 50 ee's in Carlsbad, 40 more in Phillipines doing R&D

    Yusuf Shirazi, Chief Strategy Officer at Alignent, presented at the TDG innovation session. He has more than 10 years of experience designing and developing software for some of the world's largest organizations. Prior to co-founding Alignent Software, Yusuf was Director of Product Development at Relsys International, where he established the software products business line that led the transformation of the company from a consulting organization to software development.

    Alignent's primary methodology seems to be based on Roadmapping. For those interested in more information they are offering a hour long webinar on July 26, 2006 (9:30AM PDT / 12:30PM EDT) on Using Roadmaps to Align Strategy Across Your Business

    Dr. Richard Albright of Albright Strategy Group, former Director of Technology Strategy and Assessment at Bell Laboratories will answer the following questions:
    • What is a roadmap and what are the major types?
    • How are roadmaps being used by organizations today, and what organizations are using them?
    • How do roadmaps provide visualization of long-range planning efforts across the business?
    • How can roadmaps be used to align strategy across different business departments and programs?



    ]]>    Innovationhttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Innovationskmurphyhttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Innovationfixed typosSun, 11 Jun 2006 14:52:47 CDTHow do you measure innovation?

    Introductory presentation by Yusuf Shirazi, Alignent


    • Software to lead organizations through strategic planning processes
    • 50 ee's in Carlsbad, 40 more in Phillipines doing R&D

    Discussion Leaders: Keith Teare, Zoli Erdos

    Notes by Tom Cole of Trinity Ventures.

    1. What is innovation?
    2. Barriers to innovation
    3. Innovation at startups
    4. What encourages innovation?
    5. Books

    More relevant for large organizations, where there is inertia and incumbency (versus startups, where the whole reason for being is innovation -- Yusuf)

    Big companies attract people who want stability, crave status quo (though small companies also can have people who don't like change -- Keith's 4 biz model changes at RealNames)

    Books

    what is innovation?
    • radical, semi-radical, incremental
    • Barnes and Noble (incremental to semi-radical) versus Amazon (radical)
    • alternative view in Innovator's Dilemma: continuous/evolutionary vs. disruptive/revolutionary

    Innovator's Dilemma
    • focusing on customers can cause evolution versus innovation
    • but true customer understanding, versus just listening to what they say they need, can lead to innovation

    Innovation at startups: Importance of individual is much greater at startups
    • frequently startups are built around an iconoclast
    • but still true at some big companies such as Apple

    What encourages innovation?
    • leadership at top must demand it
    • culture must support it
    • it happens organically
    • "okay to say no, but when you say yes, mean it"
    • need cross functionality (coordination between engineering, sales, marketing)
      • need discipline around ways of describing technology, customer needs, etc. (Alignent does this)
      • Google: self-forming groups, post on intranet, creates innovation but also chaos and frustration b/c of lack of alignment with existing products/businesses

    Keith at Verisign
    How to grow Network Solutions from $250M to $1B
    Six ideas down to two

    Managing overlap of small groups is an important part of the process

    Both Mike Masnick and Alan Bushell distinguished between invention (or the discovery of a new technology or idea) and innovation which is converting the discovery into a practical product or service. James Bryan Quinn defines innovation as the reduction of an idea to practice in a culture, which again separates the invention or discovery process from the "reduction to practice." Alan Bushell related two anecdotes where he protected seriously creative inventors from the organization (and vice versa) to enable them to make their discoveries, but they weren't able to effectively contribute to the productization.


    ]]>    Mark Fletcherhttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Mark+Fletcherskmurphyhttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Mark+Fletcheradded details on Design PerspectiveSun, 11 Jun 2006 18:58:03 CDT
    • Don't take too long to launch
      • "perfection is the enemy of good enough"
      • getting customer feedback sooner rather than later will help product development
    • Bloglines was formed around the problem of finding info (not a solution looking for a problem)

    "freemium" -- free for limited usage, pay for additional

    More background on Mark Fletcher
    • Blog - http://www.wingedpig.com/
    • May 15, 2006 Talk at SDForum Startup SIG "Lessons Learned Birthing and Building Web StartUps"
    • Garage Philosophy (excerpt from May 15, 2006 talk at SDForum Startup SIG)
      • Solve a Pain Point
      • Have Passion for the Idea
      • Be Cheap!!
      • Release Early/Release Often (3 Month Rule)
        • Doesn’t Have to be Perfect
      • Involve Your Users
      • Moonlighting limits risk
      • Friends/Family funds
      • Free services = less pressure
      • Hire a lawyer
      • Outsource to eLance / Rent-A-Coder
    • Design Philosophy - He Recommends Amy Jo Kim's perspective
      • Summary from O'Reilly Blog "Kim discussed five key mechanics of game design, why they are important and powerful, and examined examples of how they can be used in other settings. The five game mechanics
        discussed were collectiing things, earning points, providing
        feedback, exchanges, and customization        ".
      • Her Slides from ETech06

    ]]>    Web 2.0http://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Web+2.0Anonymoushttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Web+2.0Thu, 15 Jun 2006 09:22:03 CDTWhat should Web 2.0 companies not do?

    Introductory presentation by Mark Fletcher (of Bloglines fame).


    What Web 2.0 Companies Should Not Do
    • Don't take too long to launch
      • "perfection is the enemy of good enough"
      • getting customer feedback sooner rather than later will help product development
    • Bloglines was formed around the problem of finding info (not a solution looking for a problem)

    "freemium" -- free for limited usage, pay for additional

    Discussion Leaders: Theresia Gouw-Ranzetta and Jake Kaldenbough


    There was some pushback on the "Go Ugly Early" model for business oriented startups. It was suggested that business customers did want to see applications early but didn't want to lose data. Beta doesn't excuse flaky. See Ethan Stock's Google Start Acting Like a Real Business or You Are Doomed

    We are asking our customers to bet their businesses on our ability to
    deliver. "Flaky but free" simply does not cut it any more. How many of
    you out there rely on Yahoo or Google email for business-critical
    communications? What if it went down tomorrow, for 48 hours? What if
    Salesforce.com stopped working for 48 hours? What if Ebay or Adwords
    stopped working? Marketing campaigns, communications, and commerce
    grind to a halt, and real damage is done to real people and real businesses.

    ]]>    SalesBuilderhttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/SalesBuilderAnonymoushttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/SalesBuilderlinks to Olivier and SalesBuilderOnlineMon, 12 Jun 2006 17:13:32 CDTTechDirt Greenhouse Conference, June 10th 2006

    My name is Olivier Chaine, the founder and CEO of SalesBuilderOnline.

    I’m here to discuss one of my favorite topics, Behavioral Marketing. The underlying question is: why do so many companies fail to successfully engage their customers?

    After all, behavioral profiling and targeting is not a new phenomenon. It’s what sales people do everyday.

    Let’s say you walk into Best Buy.

    Right as you walk in the door, they scan your appearance. What are you wearing? Do you have an old cell phone on your belt or is there a Bluetooth receiver in your ear? They are also looking at your implicit behavior. Do you wander all the aisles or go straight for one department? Are you standing in front of a particular TV or looking at Plasmas, LCDs, and Projectors? Are you looking at the specs and price tags or playing with the volume on the remote?

    Before even asking you a single question, they’ve profiled you.
    · You’re in the market for a new TV
    · Its pretty urgent
    · It’s not just any TV, it’s a Sony HD plasma you want
    · Your price sensitive, or at least analytical, caring more about the specs than how loud the volume goes.

    The sale rep has profiled you based on your appearance, behavior, questions, time of day, etc… and already knows what you want, when you want it, and what they need to do to make the sale (maybe get you to spend a little more)

    Best Buy is only one example. The point is, companies have been doing this for years. Everyone from the corner grocer to the fortune teller, the con man to the car dealer profiles you in order to tailor their pitch and increase sales.

    Why then, are so many companies so bad at this online?
    The key is that Marketing is about a dialog.

    The problem is, traditional marketing approaches have always tried to reach the maximum audience with broad messages. In other words, we’re talking broadcast or catalog. Maybe even brochure-ware.

    In Behavioral Marketing, or “Marketing 2.0”, we create an individual dialog, where marketers engage prospects in a more tailored, personalized approach.

    Behavioral Profiling takes a fundamental change in thinking.
    A couple tips:

    First, assess your customers as individuals. They aren’t just a demographic. Look and ask them what’s important to them, how they think, what they want and deliver compelling, personalized messages that engage them.

    Secondly, don’t use contact forms. Profiling should involve engaging customers in meaningful dialogs, or conversations that deliver the information prospects seek and the data marketers and sales wants. Those dialogs should not be confined to the “Contact Us” area, but should be everywhere, whenever a customer might want to engage in that dialog.

    Third, real-time response and communication is a MUST.
    Is 24 hours fast enough? 1 Hour? How about 10 minutes? How long does it take someone to get distracted, or go back to Google and find a competitor who really wants the sale? This can increase conversion by 30, 50, 70% or more.
    Finally, all of this needs to be measured and tracked. Instantly qualify prospects based on their profile. Measure and improve the customer experience(s) all the time. Whether that’s through clickstream analysis, drop-off rates, hitbox analysis, A/B testing, conversion metrics or all of these, marketing needs to analyze and optimize based on real peoples’ behavioral profiles.

    ]]>    Behavioral Marketinghttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Behavioral+Marketingskmurphyhttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Behavioral+Marketingadd link to ClickZ Behavioral Marketing archivesMon, 12 Jun 2006 17:57:20 CDTWhat's next for behavioral marketing?

    Intro presentation by Olivier Chaine, SalesBuilder


    Discussion Leaders: DV Henkel-Wallace, Chris Sims


    Background: ClickZ has a Behavioral Marketing section that may offer more and context, we seemed to wrestle with the definition.

    ]]>    AngelPointshttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/AngelPointszolihttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/AngelPointsRenameFri, 09 Jun 2006 12:40:42 CDT
    ]]>    JumpCuthttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/JumpCutzolihttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/JumpCutThu, 08 Jun 2006 19:56:04 CDT
    ]]>    Sprinthttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Sprintrmcguirehttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/SprintMon, 12 Jun 2006 09:29:07 CDT
    Here are the things I said (or tried to say, or meant to say...) during the 5 minute set up for this topic:

    • We've all lived through the PC era and the Internet era
    • Each of those times radically changed the world. Each of us recognizes that how we personally interact with the world has changed dramatically because of the PC and the Internet.
    • However, the PC and the Internet each also radically changed how businesses operate. Each changed the way that businesses interact with suppliers and customers, how they operate internally, and how they are organized internally. The rules of competition fundamentally changed and those that got it early often won, while those that didn't...
    • We can now look back and see what that looks like for the PC and Internet eras.
    • I believe we're on the front edge of the next major era - that of mobility.
    • Since this room is filled with early adopters, we already see how mobility has dramatically changed how we interact with the world.
    • But, what does it look like when the Mobility Age hits a business or an industry. What radically changes, and what determines the winners and losers.
    • In some cases, mobility creates new value in products. For example, the camera in a cameraphone is virtually worthless because of the picture quality. But, we value our cameraphones because they are always with us. This is the value of mobility.
    • In other cases, mobility creates new value when we take a process that used to be fixed to a location, and make that process mobile.
    • For example, consider rental car returns. Avis created tremendous value and differentiation when they took this process out of a fixed building and brought it to the customer as they pulled into the lot.
    • Ten years from now, when we sit in a room like this, how will we describe how the world is different due to mobility, and how mobility has changed the rules of competition.
    • And what role should Sprint play in leading those changes?

    (Check out Law of Mobility)

    Russ McGuire
    Director, Business Strategy
    Sprint
    russ.s.mcguire@sprint.com

    "As always, the views expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect my employer's positions, strategies, or opinions."

    ]]>    Renkoohttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Renkoozolihttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/RenkooThu, 08 Jun 2006 19:44:56 CDT
    ]]>    Mediahttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/Mediazolihttp://techdirtgreenhouse.wetpaint.com/page/MediaSun, 11 Jun 2006 10:15:28 CDTWhat is the place for traditional media in an environment where the public is making their own entertainment?


    Introductory presentation by Byron Dumbrill, Jumpcut


    Discussion Leaders: Zoli Erdos, Keith Teare





    OK, so just in case my handwriting is not 100% legible :-)

    "Media" :

    More then entertainment. Roles:
    • Information, News,
    • Education
    • Entertainment
    • ..etc

    Time Warner became Time Warner because they were there early, and had the eyeballs.
    Web traffic stats: traditional media companies are NOT on the top.

    User media channels may be good for "Media" - defray marketing costs, e.g. use youtube, jumpcut ..etc to distribute trailers.

    "New Media"


    user generated content.

    Production Value     goes up. Only so much time to watch programs >>> time spent here reduces time for mainstream media.

    Repurposing mainstream media, e.g "Scary Titanic" on youtube. DRM issues.

    Build Community

    User generated content for entertainment is what Open Source is for Software.

    Concern ( in non-entertainment areas, e.g news, information, analysis): truthfulness, credibilty.

    Reputation systems. Credibilty transfer from old media to self-publishers.





    ]]>