Apple released iOS9 this week for iPhone and iPad, and unlike their previous mobile OS releases this one was accompanied by a soundtrack: the collective woof of expelled air as tens of thousands of Internet advertisers and publishers took a hard punch to the solar plexus. The new mobile OS offers content-blocking and privacy control tools to developers, and — predictably — a day after iOS9 hit the airwaves new ad-blocking apps rocketed to the top of the App Store’s charts.

Advertisers are keenly aware of the sharp rise in the use of ad-blocking on the desktop — up 50% year over year according to a recent study by PageFair and Adobe to nearly 200 million monthly active users (MAU) worldwide. But desktop Internet use is flat. Mobile is where the growth is. Mary Meeker’s prediction of a 2015 mobile tipping point has  proved on point, with adults in the US now using mobile devices more than three hours per day — 300% more than just five years ago — accelerating the usage gap of mobile (51%) over the desktop (42%).

Which is to say that advertisers have their eyes on mobile, and have been increasing their ad spend on mobile to catch up with its ascendency. And now — boom! — content-blocked.

It’s about time. Ad networks are choking the mobile economy.

When connected to WiFi, smartphones and tablets enjoy network speeds similar to those of WiFi-connected desktop and notebook computers. But the advantage of a mobile device is, well… being mobile. Being able to go places that your WiFi signal can’t reach. A fast mobile connection — 4G LTE — may net you something like an actual broadband throughput experience. Or something less. Sometimes far less. There is the widely-advertised (and highly theoretical) peak rate, and then there is the actual subscriber experience, the result of traffic load, fading, attenuation loss, and wireless carrier signal to noise ratios (or C/N). In this world, even a built-expressly-for-mobile website can prove a bit sluggish. And a content-heavy website with a full complement of ads? That proves something else, altogether.

This week I’ve tested a number of mobile websites using the Peace content-blocking app. Peace was (briefly) the most popular of those just-minted iPhone ad-blocking apps, but its author, Marco Arment (yes, that Marco Arment), subsequently pulled it from the App Store (which is yet another very interesting story in this whole affair.)

My results suggest publishers and advertisers have a lot to answer for.

Using a mobile ad-blocker doesn’t just shave a few seconds off load times here and there. Instead it reveals that ads and ad networks comprise not only the larger share of data, but also the larger share of latency — the period of time you spend waiting for something, anything to happen — and by a large margin. How large? As much as 3:1, or more.

Let me put that more clearly. The larger share of the stuff you download when you browse the mobile web is ads and the scripts that serve them, often slowly, from overloaded ad networks. How much? As much as 75% of what you download. Sometimes more. Sometimes much more.

Think of the last time you sat down to watch an hour of broadcast television. That hour was comprised of roughly two-thirds of gripping entertainment (why else would you watch?) and one-third advertising. To depict the amount of advertising that’s being beamed at your mobile device, reverse that ratio.

How much TV would you watch if you got to view only 20 minutes of Walking Dead for each 40 minute block of ads for little blue pills and light beer?  Mind you, in this model the television you watch is pay-as-you-go,  and unless you have a truly unlimited data plan — one without artificial caps or limits — all those ads may incur you still greater fees. Welcome to the mobile ad economy.

But wait, there’s more!

Just when you thought that mobile ad bandwidth and latency was annoying, let’s take a closer look at typical mobile ad practices:

• Mobile ads are conspicuously intrusive. They are large — frequently they block the viewport altogether, and just as frequently they are seemingly impossible to dismiss. There are any number of articles I’ve had to decide to not read because I couldn’t navigate past the ad that was blocking my view (and because the annoying delivery of the ad made me significantly less interested in the point of view of its publisher).
• Mobile advertisers take advantage of the scale of mobile displays to cause “accidental” clickthroughs when you attempt to close the ad. Sometimes they just add a fake a close button on the ad, ‘cause hey, you might not even notice the difference.
• Mobile ads networks are delivering malware posing as ads, some of which have the alarming capability to send and receive premium text messages which you’ll only discover on a close read of your phone bill.
• The scripts that serve ads can lead to browser and app instability, and because they’re constantly sending and receiving data about you they keep your device’s CPU running, and nibble away at your battery life.

You might get the impression that  ad networks are vampires, sucking the life our of your mobile Internet. I don’t think you’d be wrong.

It’s not that I never want to see ads.

I don’t really care to block all ads, all the time. Honestly, I find ads useful when they’re relevant to what I’m reading about, or what I’m searching for just now. I whitelist sites on my desktop system’s ad-block to allow ads on websites that provide me useful and contextual ads. Context is *everything*.

Conversely, just like you I can find ads all big-brother-like when they pop up relative to something I’m not looking for now, but was looking for yesterday or last week. I understand well the operating principles of ad retargeting (and shoring up abandoned shopping carts) but retargeting unconstrained by frequency or immediacy is just… well, creepy and off-putting.

Now that I know what mobile ads are costing me — in mobile page load time, bandwidth, stability and battery life — there’s no question I’ll keep a mobile ad-block in place, and I’m pretty certain I’m not alone. Ad networks, just as certainly, are going to try to route-around ad-blockers, or bully their way through them. The real question is: what are publishers going to do?

Publishers have blindly accepted the terms and conditions of the ad networks providing their revenue stream. I found a larger share of websites leverage multiple ad networks, each of them adding their own overhead to the pile-on. I wonder, if those revenue streams slow to mere trickles, will publishers consider a model that works better for their consumers? Will more publishers consider selling ads directly, to contextually relevant advertisers? Will publishers serve ads locally, and, if they do, might they serve ads using methods that augment and enhance the content they’ve created for their consumers rather than obstruct it?

I think publishers are at a new and unique crossroads, one where they have the opportunity to break the deal they made with the devil long ago. I wonder what they’ll choose…

Dear Hiring Manager,

It’s hard to recruit top talent today. Potential candidates — especially folks who make their living in our information economy — are more connected, networked, friended, tweeted (and tindered!) than ever before. The best and the brightest likely have their next gig lined up long before they walk out the door from their last… and sometimes with a glorious vacation planned in between.

If you’re lucky enough to nab your next big hire through networking, social or otherwise, congratulations. If not, I have  some bad news for you…

Your careers site sucks.

I know that yours is an “admired” company. It’s maybe even a “great place to work,” chock full of innovation and teamwork and a culture of… well, culture (here’s looking at you, Stonyfield!). Your benefits are equitable, your commitment to work / life balance is admirable. The problem is what happens after you’ve made your case.

Your careers site is a twisted rat’s nest of endless forms, each more inscrutable than the one before. You ask for personal information you do not need and in many cases will not or cannot use. You require candidates to create accounts, and to share personal information with you, but you do not provide privacy and security policies, nor do you provide a secure connection to safeguard that personal information. You offer to easily synch candidate data from social networking sites (LinkedIn, Jobster, Indeed, Glassdoor… even Facebook — Facebook?) yet your integrations are busted and broken-down: they skip fields, map data incorrectly, create unresolvable validation loops, and in some cases are just plain creepy. (You want to import my friends list? Why?)

Your careers site treats experienced professionals for your home office to the same stupefyingly checkbox-riddled application forms as your summer interns and part-time cashiers. You must complete the following required fields: Do you have reliable transportation? Are you over 16 years of age? Part time? Full time? Saturday? Sunday? Monday? Tuesday…

I’d wager your company has expended significant time and treasure on the user experience of your website (especially if you’re a digital native or an ecommerce shop.) And yet — sandwiched somwhere between your blog and your company history, hastily wrapped in an iframe and served from a disk farm somewhere in yonder cloud — your careers site seemingly fails to appreciate that your job candidates are having an important user experience, too. And it’s as off-putting as it is memorable.

The stakes are high. If your company is to flourish and grow you need to be able to recruit great talent. The surest way to ensure that happens is not only to respect the time, privacy, and security of your candidates, but to maintain their hopes and dreams and excitement as they consider joining your highly esteemed organization. So get to it!

I pranked my audience when I presented a session on website usability at the Vermont / New Hampshire Marketing Group conference a few years ago. It was a small thing. To illustrate a point about how it *feels* from their users’ perspective when pages take too long to load I made a show of taking a phone call in the middle of my talk. For the 8 seconds that I “chatted” on my phone —  the amount of time it takes for a majority of users to abandon a slow-loading web page — I played cheesy elevator music. (Girl from Ipanema. Totes my jam.)

Reactions to the gag varied. The vast majority of folks in the room got the joke — and, I think, the point. Some number were visibly offended I’d be so rude as to actually take a call when I was in the middle of presenting in front of the hundred or so assembled business folk. I think two walked out. (By my count I had an abandonment rate of less than 2%, so it was a pretty good day!)

In the hallway afterward I overheard one conference-goer to another: “I think he used to be an actor, or something.”

Or something.

For some years I co-directed of an ensemble of improvisational actors. We performed anywhere we could find an audience, but mostly at Renaissance Fairs and Festivals. We took our improvisation both to the stage and to the lanes between, playing the roles of Commedia dell’arte stage performers, in-character and out — a many-layered trifle of performance.

You learn a lot about acting when you’re performing off-the-cuff, in-the-round, and surrounded by folks armed with swords and halberds. You learn still more about human behavior, about imagination, and trust, and preparation. And — while I know I’m not the first to draw correlations between the lessons of improv acting and business — I’ve also put these principles into practice by teaching improv workshops for business leaders.

Listen. Actively. With your full attention.

Well, sure, you say. Of course. I make a point to actively listen. Of course you do. That’s why you’re so good at remembering names, right? Because when you’re introduced to somebody new you’re giving them your entire attention and learning one or two things that makes them unique and remarkable people (her name is Barbra and she sings pretty well and you don’t even notice her nose if you’re looking head-on) and you’re totally *not* rehearsing what you’re going to say when it’s your turn to introduce yourself, right?

Right.

It’s okay. It runs counter to our nature, really, to suspend time — to be still and quiet and engaged while someone else is speaking — and not to have our mind wander to that phone call we’ve been waiting for or that — wait, was that a buzz? — did your pocket just vibrate? But here’s the deal: when you’re thinking about your next move or planning what you’re going to say when your turn comes ‘round you’re going to miss what’s happening right now, and what’s happening right now is what you need to be able to respond to because it might just surprise you. Which is almost always awesome if you’re paying attention. And really frustrating if you’re not.

– Be present. Be in the moment.
– Be still. Quiet your mind, and your body.
– Be open. Open mind, open posture.
– Be willing and ready recognize your moment to…

Say, “Yes, and…”  Which is to say, accept what’s been offered to you, and build on it.

Acceptance — agreeing to what is offered to you in a scene — is a cornerstone of improvisational acting. Nothing interesting happens in a scene where actors simply deny each others’ realities. That sort of scene doesn’t even qualify as conflict, really; it’s just dull. It leads nowhere and may seemingly never end.

Conversations around the office conference table frequently follow a similar path: little agreement, and less progress. More, folks making honest and open-hearted suggestions only to have those efforts repeatedly shot down will eventually shut down, keeping their unorthodox points of view to themselves.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Even an idea that stinks on ice may have, at its core, something that’s got merit. Dig for it. Accept what’s offered and build on it — add new information: new parameters, a perspective on constraints, a wee bit of history — and improve it.

It’s challenging to open yourself to new ideas, new approaches, and contrary points of view… it just might knock you out of your comfort zone. Saying “Yes!” requires practice.

– Accept, and add.
– Build on the foundations that others have laid out.
– Don’t shut others down or invalidate their efforts, but build on them, instead. This may require you to…

Take risks. You’re going to have some failures. That’s more than okay… it’s awesome!

Failure means you’re taking chances and working at your limits, which implies you’re stretching and growing. The path to success is strewn with failures! (Feel free to mentally insert all the stories and anecdotes you’ve heard about Edison and the light bulb. Go ahead. I’ll wait…)

When you get right down to the bone of it, the issue isn’t failure — it’s the fear of failure. We have, according to Viola Spolin, one of  improv’s most influential originators, been conditioned to associate approval with success, and disapproval with failure. It’s the fear of disapproval that makes us stumble. What if you could approach your improv — and your work — with no fear?

Well, you can! To begin with, there’s probably nobody who’s going to be harder on you than, well… you. So start with giving yourself a break when something doesn’t go as planned.

– Take chances.
– Give yourself a break.
– Have fun. And be supportive of others’ taking risks…

Make your counterparts look good, smart, funny.

It’s a generous actor who uses every  opportunity to make her partner look good. Smart. Funny. Clever. It’s a selfless actor who delivers the masterful “give” that allows her partner to get the big laugh. Conversely, it’s easy to spot the guy who has a punchline in search of a setup — you frequently find them skulking about the edges of the action, anticipating the moment that will allow them to jump in with a scene-stealing “save”. Sometimes they get a chance to totally spike the ball. And sometimes that moment never comes and the whole scene is a diminished and hollow echo of what it might have been.

Generosity makes for a great ensemble. Knowing your partners have got your back allows you to take risks you might otherwise shrink from. And if everybody’s focusing on being the best possible supporting actor, then — almost magically — everybody’s a star.

How can you be a generous partner? The answer is simple, and by now, familiar:

– Listen.
– Accept, and add.
– Take risks. Taking risks is easy when you know your partners have your back.

An entry on Grammarist.com speaks to the usage of the two word phrase, “web site” vs. the singular, “website.” To wit:

Relic? Ahem.

Against my better judgement, but unwilling to be consigned to the relic pile, myself, I hereby concede the inevitable. Hey, I’m only following the AP Stylebook by 5 years and The New York Times by two!

I feel privileged to argue the grammatical correctness of such terms. When they were coined — yes, way back in the 1990s — I was more concerned about whether or not diving headfirst into those nascent technologies was going to prove a sustainable career.

I’ve seen the evolution of five generations of HTML markup, the genesis of Java, JavaScript, CSS and XML. I’ve played a role in the adoption of new disciplines and practices, from fundamental Web Analytics and Website Usability to Information Architecture, User Experience, Content Strategy… each of them standing on the shoulders of giants, building on the foundations provided by those that came before.

Overall, I’m pleased and gratified to report, it’s worked out pretty well: I’m now in my 20th year of being a career Internet technologist.

And, in the spirit of embracing change, I’m available for hire.

We <3 you, too, Pluto. We <3 you, too.

Late last week the hugely popular and heavily trafficked /r/IAmA sub on Reddit went dark — private, actually, with the result of locking out the entirety of its user base — as the group’s mods reacted in shock to the sacking of Victoria Taylor, the beloved and über-talented talent-wrangler responsible for coordinating thousands of “Ask Me Anything” interviews with newsmakers, stars of stage and screen (and tiny screens) and interesting people of all sorts.

Other popular subs quickly followed suit, while still more expressed their solidarity by offering a wall of content related to the event of Victoria’s dismissal — and almost nothing else. Reddit being what it is, there’s now a sub dedicated to the protest.

If you’re a Redditor, perhaps you’re nodding your head right now. You probably couldn’t not know this. If not, however, you’re likely asking yourself…

What’s a Reddit?

Reddit is perhaps the Internet’s largest ball of twine. It’s a construct, an assemblage of untold millions of strands of cat5 cable and yarn, gold brocade and kevlar fiber and butchers’ string. It’s an Internet community of communities-of-interest, a virtual place that consumes knowledge of things both useful and profane, and excretes power and belief, rage and ennui. It is — in the fashion of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods — a premiere roadside attraction.

 

Have a predilection for animated gifs of cats doing things cats do?

There’s a reddit for that — a subreddit, actually — that’s how Reddit’s communities of interest are categorized. Fond of watching Vice President Joe Biden eat sandwiches? There’s a subreddit for that, too. Enjoy Pokemon? Fancy conspiracy theories? How about both of them, together? There are even subs dedicated to searching out weird subreddits. The breadth and depth of Reddit subs — the number and types of bits of string — boggles the imagination.

There’s a reason for that. Any registered user can create a subreddit about virtually anything that’s not expressly illegal, no matter how esoteric or politically incorrect or curious. (/r/TreesSuckingAtThings? Oh, you wacky kids.) Once you create a subreddit, you are that sub’s moderator. It’s up to you to set the tone for your sub, to determine what sort of content and links should be allowed, and to create and apply the rules that will support your sub’s vision.

 

Any user can post a link to a subreddit.

All submissions are voted up or down, and every user can vote on any submission. Posts and links that reap more positive votes than negative votes bubble up, and become more visible. Links that are very popular can skyrocket to the Front Page, where they are still more visible and will likely become still more popular, and voila — a viral meme is born (soon to appear on BuzzFeed, no doubt.)

Point is, Reddit is a capital “M” Meritocracy. Posts and links are judged by fellow Redditors and rise to the level of their perceived value. That’s kind of what we thought the Internet was supposed to be, right? A level playing field where everybody had the opportunity to contribute, and the best ideas, the best arguments, the best thinking won? So just where did all these cat pictures and rage memes and knitted hats come from? What kind of way is this to run a utopia, anyhow?

 

Discovering yours is not the dominant point of view? That’s part of the deal.

There’s an underlying social contract that supports this meritocracy. It implies that, no matter how you feel about something, individually, it’s the collective’s point of view that will dominate discourse, even when that point of view is silly, childish, impractical (oh, especially if it’s impractical!) or entirely beside the point. The group you’ve become a part of is made of people. Weird, damaged, squishy people. People just like you. But different. And that’s pretty awesome.

It’s also why Redditors were instantly up-in-arms over the sudden termination of Victoria Taylor. Because the point of view of the Reddit collective — and in particular the site’s army of unpaid moderators — was that Victoria was an essential part of communication between mods and an increasingly isolated team of Reddit admins. And that the complete lack of communication regarding Victoria’s dismissal, whatever its circumstance, was a slap in the face to the moderators who do the lion’s share of curating the content that has made Reddit “the front page of the Internet.”

So, is this were Reddit begins to unwind? I won’t presume to make a prediction. This much, however, is certain: Reddit needs a plan to win back the hearts and minds of its volunteer moderators, and in so doing, keep the wheels on its content moderation practice. More, it needs to back up it’s talk with some action, particularly to modernize the tools that moderators use daily to manage their subs. Finally, Reddit leadership needs to provide its paid staffers — Reddit admins — with the soft skills necessary to communicate effectively with moderators and users, alike… those weird, damaged, squishy people. You know… people just like you. But different.

Updates

July 8, 2015 NYTimes Opinion Page: Why We Shut Down Reddit’s ‘Ask Me Anything’ Forum

All makers are dreamers. But not all dreamers are makers. Makers don’t only dream, they also learn, discover, invent, fabricate, and — often with great enthusiasm — share not only what they’ve built but what they’ve learned along the way.

I found all of this and more on display this weekend at the 5th annual Kansas City Maker Faire, filling every imaginable space — and then some — at KC’s historic Union Station.

Lots of makers are inspired by science fiction, and enjoy making the fiction come alive, which explains not only the row of R2 droids, but also Doctor Who’s TARDIS (keeping company with and a shiny red Dalek, besides!), the convincing Iron Man suits stomping around the show floor, not to mention the wicked-looking, space venturing alien a la the Predator movie franchise. It also more than justifies the behind-the-scenes glimpse of movie-making magic on display.

The larger share of science and technology here is plenty real — and accessible, too. Robotics displays, droids, drones and other embedded systems mostly leverage inexpensive, credit-card-sized Raspberry Pi computers and Arduino controllers — while how-to sessions teach aspiring builders the essentials, from woodworking to soldering and welding.

The sheer enthusiasm and joy of tech on display is inspirational, and infectious, maybe most for the youngest makers among us, who — entranced by competing robots, whirling 3D printers, or pint-sized motorsports — might themselves get switched on to the possibilities of science, technology, engineering and math.

Truth be told, it’s pretty insipirational for some of us big kids, too. So hand me that soldering iron, already…