Words cannot express the ecstatic freedom Sue Austin portrays in her video included in her TED Talk. It’s a must see… beautiful, meaningful, wondrous and thought provoking. I just wanted to share it. Be sure to watch it through.

Enjoy…

Change your perspective by transcending your “frame of reference.” When you have no preconceptions of a given situation, you experience freedom.

Have a magical day.

Do you have unrealistic goals  when it comes to ecommerce conversion or lowering shopping cart abandonment rates? You need the facts.

One of the most common questions I’m asked is about averages – average email open rates; average click through rates, average ecommerce conversion rates, average shopping cart abandonment rates — and the like.

The wonderful folks over at the Invesp blog came up with an infographic on e-commerce that answers quite a few questions. I want to share it with you, my dear readers, to answer at least some of your questions in this post.

In the infographic you will find valuable ecommerce information that might make you feel better (or worse).  With an average ecommerce conversion rate of only 2.13%, you might realize that you’re doing okay in comparison, but it might also blow a hole in your theory that you can do much better than you already are (okay, it is possible to do better). Being realistic about your ecommerce goals will help you better decide how to conduct your business and marketing.

I’ve heard some extremely unrealistic goals in my time, mostly about what clients expect when it comes to conversion or lowering their shopping cart abandonment rates. If you keep things in perspective, you can work true averages into your ecommerce goals and come up with realistic projections, then you can apply clearer measures to grow your business.

These are not just simple averages presented. There are some very real points to take away. Such as how to improve your product pages, which, of course, was their intent in producing it. So sit up and take note, this could save you from pulling your hair out, worrying about such things!

Dig in…

Infographic by- Invesp

If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you’d know I’m not impressed with Microsoft, but check out this ad for their brand new Microsoft Surface!

When I bought Windows 7… and Office 2010… and Outlook… twice (since they only let you use it on one PC and one Laptop), I was greatly disappointed. After all, we have four PCs and three Laptops. Not realizing the restrictions, we installed the software on my husband’s computer first. Then I had to buy another copy. And, of course, I had to buy Outlook separately because it wouldn’t work with the previous version. Not happy with Microsoft but what choice do I have since “I’m a PC” but…

This Microsoft Surface may change my mind about them! I mean… watch the video!

How cool is that!?!

Microsoft Surface coming October 26, 2012.

Think MySpace can’t make a comeback? Think again!

“I believe [MySpace] has a shot,” Altimeter Group principal analyst Brian Solis told me. “People are worn out from Facebook, not sure what to make of Google+ … this might be the right time, right place for MySpace.”

In case you missed the memo, MySpace is no longer a place for friends — it’s a place for creatives.

After watching the video and reading the full story on Venture Beat (here) I must say, I think they’ve got a great shot at reinventing MySpace and bringing about more popularity than it ever had.

I love the concept… “for creatives.” Facebook may very well be the place for most people, but to have a social community where you can access behind-the-scenes film footage and get free “fresh” music regularly… sounds like a winning concept to me. After all, I’m a closet rocker — more than that I was in a rock band for six years when I was younger. Music is in my blood.

As you can see in the video, they are embracing aesthetics (yay! it was always so ugly before!)…

Chris Vanderhook said this in the Venture Beat article, ““We wanted to actually make something that was visually stunning, starting with the consumer’s profile, the artist’s profile, the discovery section that we have, and then really thinking through how design and devices play together as well.”

Rock on MySpace! I can’t wait!

I wasn’t all that enthralled with MySpace the first time around, but it seems to be in the right hands now!

What do you think? Would you give MySpace another shot?

This TED Talk by Don Tapscott, the Futurist, is about “openness” expanding because of the Internet. It is inspiring and very interesting with an ending I won’t soon forget. In it he talks about when you get to the place where “the costs of staying (stagnant/closed) become greater than the costs of doing something different, perhaps even radically different.” (The new generation are “digital natives” while the rest of us are “digitial immigrants.”)

Don is adamant about embracing openness and not ignoring today’s capability for collaboration, transparency, sharing and empowerment (on a huge scale). (Me too!)

He also shares a few stories, such as about his neighbor’s gold mine, to illustrate his points. (Terrific stories!)

He adds many ponderable tidbits like, “think about Wall Street.” The core motive there almost brought down global capitalism. (Most of us feel that pain!)

On the other hand, he explains, “this technology push, and demographic kick from a new generation, and demand pull from a new global economic environment is causing the world to open up.” (A very good thing!)

Social media becomes social production, creating public value and values, and the concept of giving up assets such as intellectual property, results in business model innovation. (A great thing!)

At the end of the video you will be amazed at what he says and what he shows on screen. It’s worth your time to watch the entire video… (Amazing!)

Would love your thoughts on the video below in the comments…