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I have mentioned LinkedIn and Plaxo (and the fact that they should merge) and have stayed away from comments on Facebook and Myspace but I am a big proponent of social networking. When done right a social network can offer a high level of user engagement and at the same time be genuine. What is evolving is a there huge number of social networks on sites like Ning.com (check it out) that offer micro-communities for those with shared interests even if the topic is narrow.
I have an associate who runs a company in Connecticut called Environmental Data Resources (www.edrnet.com). They offer data records on the history of environmental conditions primarly for commercial properties. What the company decided to do was start a social network www.commonground.edrnet.com where members (costs nothing to join) can ask questions related to environmental issues - WHETHER THEY ARE AN EDR CUSTOMER OR EVEN A COMPETITOR! I love this idea and its forthright approach. Competitive contributors feel compelled to offer relevant content so they can be recognized as a resource by the community as a whole and anybody can say pretty much whatever they want (profanity excluded of course) within the network community. Yes there are blogs, discussions, podcasts and events. It truly exists as a resource for what might be considered a narrow worldwide community.
Are they making any money? Well it does not appear so to me at moment and that only further is evidence if the genuine nature of this social network. Maybe they will be able to find ways to charge for premium content but what makes Commonground special is its trust in the contributing members and the hands off-approach on letting it exist in true organic form. This has many extensions across a broad range of industries. All it takes is committment to updated content and a willingness to trust those in the community to self-monitor. This is where we are headed folks.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
On-Star Scores big during Gustav
I was reading this morning that GM's On-Star operators (the in-auto emergency satellite service) handled 76 million calls on Sunday (in USA Today 9/3 - but didn't the storm hit Monday?) during Hurricane Gustav's sojourn through Louisana. It was noted that that was double the normal call volume. So that means that on a normal day On-Star handles 38 million calls or so. WOW! Talk about Customer Controlled Communications (TM)!
But what are these people calling about on a non-hurricane day? Surely they cannot all be car accidents, flat tires and other car mishaps. On-Star is marketed as a safety net that deploys automatically say when an airbag inflates during a car accident. But people are using it (among other reasons) for directions, places to eat on the road and a way to reach someone if their mobile phone does not have service.
When we leased a car several years ago it came with a three month or one year (I cannot remember) On-Star trial. This was fine but when it came time to pay $ 9.95/month (maybe it was $ 12.95?) my wife and I declined the service. Part of the reason was the big brother factor of having our car monitored wherever we went. They probably can still do that anyway since the signal still exists we simply did not pay for service. And to think what they could see if they kept track of our travels - trips to soccer games, the mall, the grocery store!
I am rethinking On-Star however and it may be a worthwhile investment although like Satellite radio if it were $ 6.95/month it would be a true no-brainer. Maybe On-Star and Sirius/XM should do a partnership deal and package their services for a better price and single bill option.
In the end I do like the idea of 38 million or more as in the case Sunday having the ability to call into On-Star and get the service, information or help that they need. But it also makes me wonder how many On-Star operators there are at any given time. 76 million calls works out to more than 3 million calls per hour or 50,000 calls per minute. That would require a substantial amount of operators at the ready at any given time. Impressive to say the least.
But what are these people calling about on a non-hurricane day? Surely they cannot all be car accidents, flat tires and other car mishaps. On-Star is marketed as a safety net that deploys automatically say when an airbag inflates during a car accident. But people are using it (among other reasons) for directions, places to eat on the road and a way to reach someone if their mobile phone does not have service.
When we leased a car several years ago it came with a three month or one year (I cannot remember) On-Star trial. This was fine but when it came time to pay $ 9.95/month (maybe it was $ 12.95?) my wife and I declined the service. Part of the reason was the big brother factor of having our car monitored wherever we went. They probably can still do that anyway since the signal still exists we simply did not pay for service. And to think what they could see if they kept track of our travels - trips to soccer games, the mall, the grocery store!
I am rethinking On-Star however and it may be a worthwhile investment although like Satellite radio if it were $ 6.95/month it would be a true no-brainer. Maybe On-Star and Sirius/XM should do a partnership deal and package their services for a better price and single bill option.
In the end I do like the idea of 38 million or more as in the case Sunday having the ability to call into On-Star and get the service, information or help that they need. But it also makes me wonder how many On-Star operators there are at any given time. 76 million calls works out to more than 3 million calls per hour or 50,000 calls per minute. That would require a substantial amount of operators at the ready at any given time. Impressive to say the least.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
What I would want from a personal seat license
I am a New York area guy and we have three stadiums being built simultaneously. The Yankees, Mets and Giants/Jets are all building new stadiums. The Jets announced last week that they would charge PSL's (Personal Seat Licenses) for the lower tier better seats. More than $ 4,000 per seat for simply the 'opportunity' to then pay again for season tickets. It's better than having tax dollars go to pay for new stadiums for sure but people that have been going to games for years, (in the case of the NY Giants tickets are handed down from generation to generation) and my guess is there will be many, are current ticketholders who simply will not be able to afford the PSL's much less the new inflated ticket prices themselves.
And besides the opportunity to pay for seats (and the parking) what else do people get? Very little. Maybe some emails or mailings that offer them 'special' opportunities that in the end are of more value to the teams then they are to the fans. How about special FREE team events with members of the teams? Professional athletes are entertainers (they know this is why they get paid the big $$) and showing up at special events exclusively for ticket holders would not be an undue burden. Creating a sense of community with the fans and the team would be the benefit a deeper sense of engagement would result. BBQ's, fund-raisers would just be a couple of things that could be done to offer a higher value to those that not only buy tickets but buy the privelege to buy the tickets. Yes PSL's can be eventually be re-sold in an aftermarket but tell that to the family that cannot afford to put down more than $ 15,000 for 4 seats before they even pay for a game. Maybe if they tried a little Customer Controlled Communications (TM) and asked their current ticket holders how they feel, what they would like to do and how more value could be derived teams would be able to at least soften the blow and reduce what must be a whole lot of fan fury.
And besides the opportunity to pay for seats (and the parking) what else do people get? Very little. Maybe some emails or mailings that offer them 'special' opportunities that in the end are of more value to the teams then they are to the fans. How about special FREE team events with members of the teams? Professional athletes are entertainers (they know this is why they get paid the big $$) and showing up at special events exclusively for ticket holders would not be an undue burden. Creating a sense of community with the fans and the team would be the benefit a deeper sense of engagement would result. BBQ's, fund-raisers would just be a couple of things that could be done to offer a higher value to those that not only buy tickets but buy the privelege to buy the tickets. Yes PSL's can be eventually be re-sold in an aftermarket but tell that to the family that cannot afford to put down more than $ 15,000 for 4 seats before they even pay for a game. Maybe if they tried a little Customer Controlled Communications (TM) and asked their current ticket holders how they feel, what they would like to do and how more value could be derived teams would be able to at least soften the blow and reduce what must be a whole lot of fan fury.
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