This is where I normally rant about “big Telecom”, and how contracts with AT&T and (my otherwise favorite mobile provider) T-Mobile have prevented the local Starbucks stores from doing what every other coffee shop has done since the invention of Wifi.  But I won’t.  This is not a time for bashing: it’s a time to appreciate the little victories.

So I say: let other bloggers figure out their N reasons Why.  I’m going to go get a cappuccino and enjoy a victory for the free WiFi movement.

It took about half a million gallons of oil spilled on the gulf, and the release of Froyo, but Adobe and Apple are finally hugging it out.  So of course it’s time for my timely thoughts on the subject.  But first, some disclaimers.

I’m a big fan of Apple—no secret there.  I touch my MBP before my first cup of coffee.  Second, I think flash can die a slow, painful death.  I’d have removed flash from my computer long ago, if it weren’t for that whole “Internet” thing.  And third, perhaps most important, I’m a big fan of both standards and “Open”.    So when Steve Jobs gave “open” and ’standards” as his arguments for not supporting Flash, I drank that kool-aid, too.

But then it hit me like an (Android 2.2-powered) brick.  So here it is:

Apple’s whole rhetoric is Orwellian bullshit.  It is not “open”.  It’s controlling and patronizing. Yes, it’s 1984. Switch to camera two:

In the Open world, we like “free” a lot.  Free software, free beer.  But there’s a “Free” in the Open movement that has an uppercase F:  Free as in “Free Speech.”  Free as in “Live Free or Die.”   I appreciate Apple’s contribution to the Open Source world, their devotion to HTML5 and Open Standards.  But part of being open and free is giving the consumer and the developer a choice. A freedom, if you will, to choose.

While Apple was riding its “open standards” high horse and claiming that Flash is too bloated to run on a wimpy phone, along came Google.  Android is open-source, committed to open standards, runs HTML5 just fine, thanks.  Oh, and it runs flash.  And Hell has not, to my knowledge, frozen over.  All these convincing arguments Steve Jobs put forth in his “open letter”?  Not so convincing any more.  Except of course for the whole “internet” thing:  Let’s call it by its real name: porn.

While Apple doesn’t want you sullying its precious hardware with porn (or political campaigns, but that’s a different story), millions of open-source, open-standards geeks around the world are now able to happily surf porn on their Androids.

So, to sum up: Apple is Orwellian, Adobe is in the sidelines, and “open” means letting people watch their porn.

via smashingmagazine.com

This is an excellent article giving examples and best practices of “call to actions” buttons. It’s important to periodically review and compare your organization’s website pages to current industry trends.

The reason for this that professional top quality web design and development is never about making things pretty; it is all about maximizing opportunities to convert every day visitors into long term and devoted customers, members, supporters, and fans. That’s a learning process the industry has been on since the creation of the first browser. Make sure you site is kept up or it will be your organization that is left behind.

Posted via web from I work for Infamia.com

Posted via web from I work for Infamia.com

via sethgodin.typepad.com

Always chasing new contacts? This is a good reminder that your time is better spent connecting with your closest friends.

Posted via web from I work for Infamia.com

Jason Sadler from IWearYourShirt.com created 1millionshirts.org and did something right.  He got noticed.  He didn’t hurt anyone.  Now, the question is, what will he do with all of us watching?

Do I think that the notion of sending 1 million t-shirts is ignorant and ill conceived?  Yes.  But there are many positive outcomes that can come from this mission.

If Jason had spoken to my friends Mariéme Jamme or Teddy Ruge before launching his campaign, he would have made smart choices; or he may have sent just another shipment of one million nets to fight malaria or one million vaccinations.  Would you have paid attention to that?

How many Twitter profiles do you know besides Keith Olberman who can get 1,000’s of followers in a week?  Not many.  Jason painted a cow purple.

Seth Godin says that every person or business needs a “purple cow” to stand out.  Jason’s purple cow was starting something kind of stupid.  However, now we’re all watching to see what he does next.  You feel invested in his next choice.  People on Twitter organically have set up a conference call to discuss the implications of this effort.

We can talk all we want.  Bloggers are good at getting our voices heard.  The hard part is taking action, and I have to hand it to Jason and his team for taking that first step.

I tell my clients to be bold.  I don’t want them to be afraid of failure.  Try, fail, try, fail, try, succeed.  That’s how you learn.  How many of you have ever failed in your life?  Extra points if you failed publicly.  After we fail, we succeed.  We can’t march toward success without overcoming those first learning experiences and risks.

I hope that more people come up with ideas to empower people in Africa or in any place about which they are passionate.  If you need some feedback or want to help others’ with their own ideas, check out Africa Rural Connect, Changemakers, or Global Giving.  Even if you don’t think you have a good idea, throw it out there.  Our community is supportive and loud.  .As the 1 Million Shirts campaign shows, we’ll listen and get you back on track where you can make a difference.

Keep trying.  Keep failing.  Then, we’ll get stuff done.

You can follow me @eglue

Posted via web from I work for Infamia.com

wordpress

Lots of talk lately about the Network Solutions / WordPress breach; Network Solutions so far doing a good job responding to the issue, and WordPress reiterating that their system is secure if installed securely. But who’s really to blame?  You are!

The first criticism I heard is that WordPress should have stored database credentials in a secure file.  The only way WordPress can operate is by knowing what the database credentials are.  Storing these in a clear (unencrypted) file is standard practice among almost all CMS.  And for good reason: the alternative is storing them in an encrypted file, but then you’d have to decrypt that file; so you’d have to store the decryption credential somewhere…in clear text.  Of course, this is an inherent security risk, but can be mitigated with good sysadmin and security practices. These practices take into account not only file permissions (who has access to read the file) but also database permissions.

Next, Network Solutions:  they may be to blame if they provided a script to install WordPress “automatically”, and this script installed sensitive files insecurely.  We could also make a case that NetSol is to blame for allowing default upload file permissions (via ftp) to be world-readable, along with some other technical bits they may or may not have done right or wrong. I do not know enough about the Network Solutions network to be sure.

But it’s also time to face the music:  It’s your blog, after all.  You decided that you don’t need a system administrator.  You decided money was better spent getting a snazzier design than making your site secure.  You decided to opt for the cachet of a self-hosted blog instead of using the perfectly usable wordpress.com platform. Plus you and your designer have got mad ftp skillz…what could go wrong?  Of course, Network Solutions, and every other $5 hosting company out there run a big marketing campaign to convince you that you can do it yourself; that really, nothing can go wrong; and I’ll wager in a few weeks this will go away and if anyone asks they’ll say it’s a one-off. So, really, you’re not to blame, right? It’s hard to keep a level mind with all the buzz and hype telling you how simple and easy everything is, how you can do it yourself, how even a monkey can do it.

But you know.  You really always knew, didn’t you?   Yeah, you did.  There is no substitute for knowledge, and there are no shortcuts. I’ve been harping about the need for better systems architecture on this forum on and off.  That lowly, unappreciated systems talent you decided to skimp on is what distinguishes the men from the boys online: that is one big difference between a pretty website, and an enterprise-grade web project.

Incidentally, web projects is what we do.  So when you’re ready to graduate from just pretty pictures and skin-deep designs, give us a call.

via readwriteweb.com

There you are! Where have you been?! Running late to the party aren’t you? Ok, well no sweat. Just pay attention. I know a guy. I’ll get ya in…

This “town” of two cities (Washington & Baltimore) is full of talented & bold entrepreneurs.   If you are a well-funded venture capitalist from out west, I am going to give it to you straight, “East Coast style.”  You would have to be a fool not to seriously consider this area for opportunities.

Let’s look at what your money has to contend with out west: you have sunshine, great surfing, snowy mountains, and lovely weather year round.   You have corporate tech campuses that look more like college dormitories. Trying to score the next Twitter in the Valley sounds like combing through a picked over fruit stand just before closing time.  Even if you find something “fresh,” it’s probably already been pawed at by your larger competitors. 

Here on the East Coast: there’s no skiing.   Our mountains are covered in ice. Don’t bother bringing your surfboards, either.  Our Capitol was built on a swamp, not the beach, for good reason — the Founding Fathers knew they needed to keep the wandering mind focused on getting things done.    

So just bring your laptops.  We have endless cube farms just over the Potomac River and plenty of wifi around town.   Because you know what we do for fun around here?  We WORK.  This is a town full of workaholics!

How are those West Coast portfolio burn out rates doing these days, btw? Not so “hawt” huh?    Tell you what, because I like you, I’ll fill you in on a little secret.  Come closer…I don’t want EVERYBODY to know…   

DC is full of diamonds in the rough. They’re surviving as lifestyle businesses, bootstrapped from the ground up, because the VC pool here doesn’t have a deep end.  These gems are hyper-focused on delivering products & services that are in demand, making a difference, and oh my gosh, this is the best part… some of them actually have paying customers. Yes! I know!  Who does that, right? 

But hey, slow your roll.  Don’t get too excited and start bringing all your VC friends to the party.  These Washington and Baltimore entrepreneurs are pretty tough.  They’ve been going at it without the Valley’s help just fine.  It’s not like they need your money to fund their next office foosball competition. If you want to play, you have to offer some fair deals or they’re just going to turn you down.   

So yes, Valley VCs, I’m speaking to you.  When you get sick and tired of burning off your cash on the next dollar mobile app of the week, do yourselves a favor and pay a visit to your nation’s Capitol. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Posted via web from I work for Infamia.com

The Small Business Trends newsletter I received this morning had little interesting tidbit regarding pricing by Andy Birol that sounded like similar advice you get when learning to play poker.

If you’ve ever played poker, you would quickly learn that the level of enthusiasm (or lack thereof) can be a big “tell” as to where your bet is in terms your opponent’s willingness to gamble with you.

Having invested in an expensive Texas Hold’em education myself, I think the analogy is pretty good up to a point. If there’s no negotiation process with your customers, you are probably far from a fair number for both parties. Yes, it is part art, part knowing your customer, and part knowing your market. And a bit like poker advice to a novice gambler, you should definitely get to know the game and the players before starting to play.

But this is business. And unlike poker, where the zero sum gain is what everyone is playing for, that’s not the case in this day and age of the pressures from social media & transparency on businesses.

If you want to stay in business for a long time, the best advice I know is that you have make sure there is a win for both sides in all negotiations. No one whether the customer or the provider should feel they’re not getting a fair exchange. You not only risk losing the relationship, you risk a bad deal being exposed to the public that could potentially affect your future business relationships.

So play as fair as you can, and you’ll do just fine.

Posted via web from I work for Infamia.com