The social web is starting to sound more and more like the dot.com days. We are in the middle of a transition. The ways we do things are radically different. What works and doesn't work seems new. And many people are getting very excited about numbers, but not the right ones. »
Several blogs and media outlets reports that the NY Times will start to charge money for reading their newspaper online. »
The buzz around social media return of investment (ROI) is just staggering. It is a good sign that this social media thing is moving away from being an experiment, to actually be part of a business strategy. And every business strategy and business plan must be focused around making money. »
Almost all my articles are about two things. How to understand the change that is happened all around us, and where I think you should focus your energy. But, every time I write an article, a number of people always comment that the old world is still important, that the world doesn't change that fast, or that you should probably do both. »
Everyone who works with social media will tell you that you should create a Twitter profile or a Facebook page and start to build up fans and followers. And the same people (myself included) will tell you that you only need a few fans, compared to regular exposure, because a fan is worth much more than an ordinary person. But the question no one has answered is "how much is ‘much more' than ordinary?" »
These days it is all about Twitter profiles, Facebook pages, life streams, and real-time feeds, but how many do you really need? »
There is a bazillion articles and videos, trying to explain what Twitter is all about. There is also a ton of surveys, most noticeable a recent one telling you that only 10% of all Twitter users actually post tweets on their own. But here is the thing... They are all giving people the wrong ideas! »
Music videos are traditionally something you either see or listen to - or both. But is that really the only way? What if you could touch it? Interact with it? »
Audi has created a movie about the legendary 24 hours of Le Mans, from Audi's perspective. It is a thrilling story, about what it takes to be a part of this amazing event. Definitely worth a look, if you are into this sort of thing. »
One of the most disturbing trends on the internet are ‘geo-targeting'. It is a way for you to identify where people are from. It can improve the experience if used right, but it can also destroy your business if done wrong. Sadly, many companies don't get it and use it to add restrictions. »
You know, I have never really liked Facebook. I use it, and a like the interaction between people, but I absolutely hate the ‘usability'. They just don't get it. »
I am very much against any form of piracy. Whether it is people from Somalia capturing a ship, or ordinary people downloading content over the internet. But there are two kinds of pirates. One is the real pirate, who plunders and rapes our society because they want to. The other, which accounts for nearly 95%, is people who turn to piracy out of necessity. »
You might have heard about the "Atheist Bus Campaign" by the British Humanist Association. They have placed banners on 800 buses and subway stations in England, saying "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life". »
Every year I try to predict what will happen in the year to come, and this year is no different. So without further ado, here is the Web Trends to look out for in 2009. »
My new MacBook Pro arrived a few days ago, and while I have always had a Mac, my work is centered on Microsoft technologies. So my main computer, for the last 8 years, has been a Dell computer (at home), and an IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad at work... But now I can do everything on the Mac thanks to virtualization, and it is so cool! »
One of the main reasons why I don't like open-source is that it tries to compete in an already saturated market. It is like trying to make "an alternative to wine" in the wine districts of southern France. It is not going to work. »
I finally finished setting up Baekdal.com on Facebook, and it is now the official channel in the social networking sphere. »
I have been talking a lot about multi-touch, and I am very excited about how you can use it to directly manipulate something - as opposed to having a detached interaction. But the time for most of the wild experiments are over. We have indentified which areas that don't work very well and now multi-touch is moving into mainstream use. It has matured. »
People have been talking about the mobile internet revolution for many years. And even though almost anyone owns a mobile phone, mobile internet has not been that spectacular. That is until now. The mobile internet revolution has begun, and very little stands in its way. »
Back in 2006 I wrote the article "The Battle between Usability and User-Experience", where I illustrated that usability and user experience are two different things. Since then, I think, the problem has grown in proportion. »
There has always been a lot of talk about simplicity. "Make it simple" is a very common approach to creating better products. But, unfortunately a lot of people think that you can achieve simplicity by removing features and creating less. This is rarely the case. »
As you might have noticed this site has gone green - at least for the duration of this month. The purpose is to raise awareness to the "planet crisis", more specifically that we need to do something to prevent global warming. »
Gerry McGovern recently wrote that the best websites are the ugly ones - he is wrong. Only cheap companies can have ugly websites. »
We often discuss design. Should it be simple or complex? Should it be colorful or grayish? Do you make it low-tech or media rich? The answer can be found by looking at how design breathe. »
Carmine Coyote has written an excellent article on multitasking and how ineffective it makes us. »
A while ago I looked into what browser sizes people use to... well... browse the internet. I have received a good amount of feedback both as comments on the website, but more so in form of emails. With this article I will try to make sense of it all, and explain why the whole discussion about fluid vs. fixed layout is irrelevant. »
Viral marketing (word-of-mouth marketing) is a really cool thing. Just think about it... instead of spending an insane amount of money on newspapers ads, TV commercials or banner ads, you spent nothing - and let your fans do all the work for you. »
Update: The final report is ready. »
Security are ruining our life. It is terrorizing user experience making "computing" less and less desirable. I think that instead of waging a "war on terror", we should wage a "war on security". »
There has been a lot of buzz lately about "Google Apps for your domain". It is said this will move Google into the enterprise world, and Microsoft will soon lose its dominance. »
Also available in Spanish »
Not a day goes by without someone talking about security issues on Facebook and Twitter - and how scary that world is for companies. Recently, we heard about a phishing attack on Twitter, and Sophos posted a graph showing Facebook to be a really scary place. »
Today, Apple announced their latest product - the iPad. Yes, it's a tablet. Yes, it looks like a really big iPhone. Yes, it's slim. Yes, it's super light. Yes, it has 10 hours of battery life. And yes it can be used as an ereader. It even comes with a new iBook store »
One of the most influential design magazines, I.D. Magazine, closed down earlier this week. It's kind of sad, because most people in the design community have been touched by their articles. »
There is a whole generation of people who need to change how they communicate with the world. Just this week, Michelin hired TBWA to create a Facebook campaign around their slogan "The right rite changes everything," in an attempt to rebrand the Michelin Man. »
It has to be hard being Apple. A few days ago Apple held its annual music press event, and the amount of rumors before it were intense. It was impossible for them to even satisfy the skeptics. »
I always find myself in need to explain why the social web is so powerful. Most people, even many who already use them, do not really understand it. »
Yesterday Google announced that it was going to make their browser based operating system. And within seconds there was a million tweets from people all saying that Google Chrome OS is going to kill Windows. But you know, I do not think that is going to happen at all. Here is why. »
In my article about the change in consumer focus, "Where is Everyone", I talked about the concept of Social News. And people are asking: What is that all about and why is it going to destroy the newspapers? »
If there is one thing I have learned over, and over, and over again, is that speed matters a lot. I have also learned (usually the hard way), that speed matters more today, than it did 10 years ago - even-though we now have broadband connections. »
Baekdal.com now features a completely redesigned commenting system that tabs into the power of social networks. Instead of manually typing in your name, you simply press a button. How amazing is that... »
The big news during the last several months is that the blogs are dead. Now it's all about micro-blogging, and social networking. But is the blog really dead? Or is the death of blogs greatly exaggerated? »
A lot of internet professionals see President Barack Obama as a person that can show the world the importance of the internet. That the internet is not just a secondary way to communicate, but has to be treated as an essential, and all important way to connect to the people. »
The last thing I expected to happen this January was to see a product from Palm that would be really impressive. But the unexpected sometimes happens, and the new Palm Pre is very cool - especially from an interactive design perspective. »
To make a great product, you need to pay attention to the little things. You should stay away from "things" that get in the way, but at the same time, embrace those that help you progress. »
Over the last few days a story has floated around the internet, that Obama will have to be disconnected from the internet when he moves into the White House. I find that idea to be revolting. »
It is rare that I get to show you some of the things I do for a living, but today is an exception. I recently finished a project for 5 fashion companies. It is a special web experience for the iPhone. And it is something that I am quite excited about. »
Unless you have been living under a rock (or don't care about Apple), you probably already know about the new MacBook lineup. »
Online backup has, so far, been a joke. Most online backup solutions either limit your space to a couple of gigabytes, and if you need more (like everyone does) it costs a gazillion dollars. But, now HP has released Upline. »
It is 2008 and time for my annual look into the foggy future of the thing we call "the web" »
Adobe has pre-released a new version of the Flash 9 Player which includes support for HD quality video including hardware acceleration. This is big news for video on the Web but how close are we really to HD in our browsers? The short answer is... not that close. »
Bloomberg is undoubtedly one of the biggest players in the financial industry offering a wide range of products for people in and around Wall Street. One of their products is the Bloomberg Terminal. It is a 17" dual screen setup that displays the financial information from Bloomberg Profession Services - all in one tightly packed system. »
Making usable graphs is not as simple as it sounds because usable graphs are highly rich on detail, while showing a general trend. But, adding too much detail will make it hard to read, and you see the wrong trends if you don't. »
One of the worst things you can do is to not design for real people and real content. It is obvious in the same way that you will freeze if you sit in a freezer. That, however, doesn't seem to stop people from making a mess of everything. »
Second life is undoubtedly a big phenomenon, and it is an interesting example of social interaction mixed with massive capitalism - which is by no account a bad thing. But it is not the next web. It is not going to change how we interact in general. It is simply a brilliant example of wasting time on a massive scale. »
How do you create great products? Those kinds of products people really like to use, that they want other people to use and that has long-term potential? »
Digg.com is a fantastic site, it has an amazing influence on making stuff popular. But, it is also a constant burden on website owners. If you get "dugged" you got to have a very good hosting plan in order to stay online. »
Many write and publish on a daily basis - like the journalists at newspapers. But, whereas the journalists have an editorial staff, we have to do it all by ourselves. »
Update: The final report is ready. »
It has been a couple of weeks since Apple announced the iPad. The dust has settled down (somewhat), and the world is once again spinning in the right direction. We have all seen a million articles about what people think. And surveys have been made, pointing out that the hype was indeed over-hyped (as always). »
A lot can be said about the Google Nexus One. It's beautiful, very fast, open, works quite well, and terrible when you need customer support. It is also very annoying because of the limited coverage of T-mobile. »
There is much talk these days about tablets and ereaders. Not only do we have the constant rumor that Apple is making one, but it seems like every newspaper on the planet see them as the "prophet" that will save them from their doom. »
The absolute worst expression I know is "you shouldn't change for the sake of change". Every time I hear that, my blood begins to boil and I get really annoyed. If you shouldn't change for the sake of change, then when should you? »
2010 is now only a few months away, and that means that many companies are now in the process of planning next years strategy and budget. So what should your web strategy be for 2010? »
Yesterday, Mashable got us up to speed on the latest strange move by Associated Press. Instead of doing sensible things, like embracing the modern world, focusing on creating better value, getting more people to use them and enhancing news by turning it into a social phenomenon... They decided to do the exact opposite. »
A number of people have pointed me towards "Twitter for busy people", to which I responded "Twitter for busy people is crap. How are mouse-over images an efficient way to read text? What where they thinking?" »
Every person who creates content on the internet wants to know 2 things about their visitors; how many are there (traffic) and where do they come from (referrers). And the way this works is currently changing at an incredible rate. »
These days, everyone is trying to figure out how to connect with other people. It used to be simple, you just placed some ads in whatever newspaper that was most suited to your product, but now that world is becoming ever more irrelevant. So how do you connect with other people today? And more importantly, how do you do it tomorrow? »
Life was simple in the old days and designing for the internet was pretty straight forward. But today, or more importantly, tomorrow, things have change quite a bit. »
Every single year, ICANN have a meeting, and on the agenda is ‘what new top level domains should we introduce'. And every single year a number of groups propose their own top-level domains. For instance, Al Gore, along with some Hollywood celebrities, are proposing .eco. But do we really need new domains? »
What is the most important change when it comes to understanding the new web? The answer to that is rather simple. The most important change is "choice". Or more specifically the number of choices you can make. »
Aren't ad-blockers great? If you got one your internet experience is almost ad free. No annoying blinking windows, no in-page pup-ups that obscures part of the page, and no videos suddenly playing without you asking for it. But there is a flip side to all of this, and it affects you too. »
One of the most important lessons I have learned from making web experiences, is that the little things are much more important than the big stuff. It is the little things that kill you. »
One of the big "issues" for a lot of people on the internet is how do I become a success? How do I become the best? How do I beat the competition? But, you know, it is not that hard, unless your definition of success is to be "bigger than Google". »
Yesterday was a day full of exciting new announcements. First we got Adobe CS 4, and later in the day, T-Mobile also announced the first Google Android phone. »
It is amazing that what used to be science fiction is now pretty much reality. The inventions have already been made, the innovative ideas have been put forward, the technology is more than capable, and the cost is not a problem either. So what is the problem? Why don't we yet live in the sci-fi future we dream of? »
If you give me two glasses of good red wine, I will probably be able to tell them apart - and I will certainly be able to tell which one I like the most. But that doesn't make me a wine connoisseur. While I can tell which one I personally like, I cannot tell you which one is actually the best one. To do that, I need experience. »
I often write about efficiency because it is the most important element in creating a great user experience. But efficiency is not just about getting things done, or doing something as fast as possible. Efficiency is really about optimizing the user experience. »
Creating a usable product is one of the most important things you can do. Where would Apple's iPhone be if it wasn't because it was so damn usable? But many products have a kind of hit-and-miss approach. There is no overall plan; usability is done in areas that seem right at any given moment. »
The question of online privacy is a very hot topic. Many people have an opinion, many companies talk about it - but few really protect your privacy. »
Security companies and IT people constantly tells us that we should use complex and difficult passwords. This is bad advice, because you can actually make usable, easy to remember and highly secure passwords. In fact, usable passwords are often far better than complex ones. »
Imagine if we lived in a world where Blue was the only color. All our houses would be painted Blue, we would have Blue cars, Blue shoes, (Blue-ray), Blue refrigerators, and Blue sidewalks. Many people even have Blue hair and makeup. Blue is how the world works. »
Comment spam is undoubtedly one of the most annoying aspects of running a website. It literally sucks the joy out of it. The spam is everywhere, and everyone has problems with it. But, there is actually a way to solve the problem. »
Having the right tools for a job is just as important having a great idea - especially on the web. We see something new all the time and in many cases it is made with technology we know nothing about. »
2007 is here, and so it is time to look ahead and provide some wild guesses as to what will come. »
Within the usability community we constantly hear the mantra "make it easy", but lately more and more products are made too easy for their own good. Take something like Apple's Remote. It is incredible easy to use, but at the cost of essential functionality. Just a few more buttons, and a few tweaks to the interaction would make it much better. »
As you might have noticed this site has gone pink, and it is not because I have suddenly developed feministic tendencies - it is about something much more serious. Breast Cancer Awareness Month. »
As you might know, I got strange hobby. I design full-cover advertisements to put on cars, buses and even planes. Most of it never makes it out of the computer, but occasionally my designs becomes real. »
Should you publish at regular intervals, or does it really matter? In my opinion it doesn't. But, you shouldn't make your publication plan too irregular either. »
