iPad… Netbook killer or keyboard killer?

The launch of Apple’s iPad has already come under scrutiny for everything from it’s name to lack of certain features. Steve Jobs said in his keynote (below) that netbooks don’t do anything better than a laptop or smartphone, but the iPad does and fills the gap between the two.

I will go one step further. I will say this fills the gap between keyboards and Minority Report, the sci-fi flick that employed futurists to imagine how people will interact with computers. So between keyboards of today, and fully interactive heads up motion displays of tomorrow, I see the iPad. The iWork portion of the iPad keynote (below) was the coolest part for me… intuitive creation of simple content for sharing with others. That covers the needs of 90%+ of the computer users out there. And it looked COOL. and FUN. and SIMPLE.

And that last bit made me realize… Had the iPad been around a year ago, my sister, mom, and nephew would all have them instead of their Acer Aspires (mom, sister) and Eee PC (nephew). That is why I think the iPad is creating a bridge in interface technology… it could easily become the entry level option of choice among first time computer owners. What will they demand when going to college or doing some computing heavy lifting? Why would they revert to the rigid nature of keyboard and mouse? I don’t think they will have to; I can’t wait for the iPadPro that will surely be called for (and bought by) the masses in a few years…

Social Media Marketing Webinars

I just wanted to reference two webinars I led while working at Rapleaf.  They both discuss marketing applications of consumer social data; in other words, how does a marketer change their message when they know how many friends a person has, or what pages on Facebook a person is a fan of?  In short, a lot- we are all moving towards one to one communication and understanding the social components of your audience is a key ingredient.

The first is aimed squarely at automotive marketing:

The second covers Facebook Fan Pages, both the ones you own and the ones you don’t, and includes details from my study comparing fans of BMW and Audi.  More on that study was posted to Razorfish’s Headlight Blog.

My long overdue blog about starting my new job…

So, I GOT A JOB!  I had my first meeting on August 14th while my first day was the 17th…  Rapleaf (www.rapleaf.com) is an SF-based technology startup that focuses on social media research.

Since starting my gig, I have been trying to figure out my whole work/life balance thing.  It turns out, my pendulum had swung very far to the life side during the six months between gigs (and man was it a fun ride). So, fittingly enough, the pendulum hit a hard down swing and the momentum carried me through the first (almost) two months of work. The balance certainly tilted toward work (but really, I have been having a fun ride).

Here I am, figuring it out as usual, trying to keep the balance in check. I think being in the office from 8am to 6pm is about right, hopefully limiting the couch sessions of email/ upkeep to only a couple nights a week.  Eating at my desk is out moving forward; it just doesn’t set my afternoon up with the right attitude/ vibe.  Coming in early is in… the east coast needs me too.  And, odd as it may sound, I am the old guy on the team in many respects…

The team is great, all really smart and excited to be there. Rapleaf is about 2/3 software engineers (wicked, crazy smart software engineers) and the aim is to keep that balance and focus as we grow.  The shop is still small enough that all eyes can be on you in a hurry, helping correct a course or congratulate a win.  At the same time, our company is big enough that we are getting noticed and revered by big companies across many industries. It was crazy to walk in and talk to some of the holy grail clients of the auto industry within the first few weeks.

As for now, I am having fun and hoping you are too.
~N

Recruiting practices impact brand image?

Over the past several months I have been fortunate to have seen a different side of some of my (once) favored brands… their HR departments. As I have waded through the crowded waters of the Bay Area’s funemployed pool of candidates, my resume and always hand crafted cover letter have gone out to a handful of new to me companies as well as some of my tried and true, known and loved brands, the latter of which are the focus of this post. There is a LinkedIn Q&A thread here as well… similar sentiments.

I believe in the simple notion of a Net Promoter Score… basically, if you are a big fan of a company or product, you will recommend or promote it. If you are blah, then it is a wash. If you are less than happy you detract from that brand and likely steer anyone who will listen away.

Some companies I really like did nothing but make me a stronger net promoter (ie move from 9 to 10 out of 10). Others have shown disregard and not even provided a polite ‘no thank you’ email in response to my request. I know they are busy, but really? That busy? They can’t even send a one-liner to an enthusiastic supporter? That is tough… especially when most of them tout an amazing work culture and very supportive atmosphere…

So who got it right? PopChips is a local to SF company that puts out a great product I enjoy… they are also a company that lives up to the fun brand image even behind the scenes. While they politely said no to employment, they turned me on to free samples & coupons (which I have shared) and included me in product surveys for upcoming options. HELL YES this company is cooler in my eyes because of that. HELL YES if they call tomorrow and say, “Hey, still looking for work? We want to hire you.” I will answer a resounding “where do I sign.”

Who else?  Zappos, of course.  They are basically the ambassadors of strong company culture.  It even says ‘Powered by Service in their logo.  And they really live it.  One of their recruiters spent time with me reviewing interview strategy to look for company culture traits, something very important to me (and them) even though I was not going to move to Vegas and work for them.  Further, they sent me a book on their company culture (put out annually), and asked me to go for a scholarship to a culture retreat (which, unfortunately, I did not win).  But all that combined make me enthusiastically supportive of their brand.

My hat is off to these two great examples of creating a positive experience even if a new job is not the end result.

Who got it wrong? Lots of folks. Digg hasn’t responded further than an automated ‘resume received’ notification from their application site, even though I followed up directly with them a few days later. Twitter, similar story. I know both of these companies are internet wonder-kids and likely very busy… but come on! They are also alleged champions of dot-com culture and cool, fun work environments. But not just super famous names: Atlassian, a software company focused on WOW customer service? It took several follow-ups to get a one liner several weeks later. A recruiter CONTACTED ME and then couldn’t even tell me the name of the hiring company… NOT EVEN AFTER A WEEK, FOUR MORE EMAILS AND A PHONE INTERVIEW.  All I know is that a some software company in Denver is not very comitted to their employees but trying to hire a rep in SF… sorta, anyway. What is this? How is it that a company is willing to leave so many potential enthusiastic promoters (hell, potential employees) out in the cold?

What will the fallout of this be?  I think that companies that treat people like people and not a piece of paper to be tossed aside amidst the others will win big… not only will they be more likely to reel in prime candidates, but they will be able to use their HR department to cultivate supplemental marketing by creating supporters of the brand.

Which would you prefer:

“Sorry, John Doe, it doesn’t seem a great fit… but here are some companies we work with that might be better for you.  If you know anyone that may fit here (or shop here or buy our widget or whetever), please feel free to send them along.  We offer referral compensation!  Good luck!”

or:

“                                                   ”

Have fun out there, I am trying to… ~N

So where am I looking for a job?

In my search for the next gig, I am not exactly papering the town with my resume.  While I can’t just hang out on the couch forever, I am very fortunate to have some time to search around.  I plan to look for good conversations and a great culture fit as the opportunities arise.  I even had a great conversation with Christa from Zappos about how to interview for culture fit (Zappos culture is awesome, but they are in Vegas)

My priorities are (in order): company culture (& my fit within it), the people (that I will work and grab beers with), the industry (moreover, their approach to the industry in which they do business) and lastly, my role (‘What would you say ya do here?’).

So I have been officially unemployed for just over a month and have submitted my resume to a hand full of companies in that time.  Which ones, you ask?  Why those companies?  Here is the low down:

• Twitter:  Young internet rockstar company that is redefining social media and communication among peers, companies and others with thumbs.  Why apply?  I love the size (30 people), the culture promotes outside life and hard work (work hard, play hard), they are defining micro-blogging and redefining social media.  Some love it, some hate it, some still have no idea they exist.  Oh, and they have zero revenue streams in place… I would love to be part of the team that helps monetize a new medium while keeping the audience in tact and happy.  But I think the entire west coast has applied there too, so…
  

  140 characters of glory

• Crushpad Wine:  Winemakers that let you make your own wine while keeping your dayjob and not even getting your hands dirty.  For $5k to $10k, you get a team to guide you along and end up with a whole bunch of your own wine with your own label for $20 to $40 a bottle.  Why apply?  They are approaching an old, deeply traditional industry with a fresh approach that gets more people involved, there are less than a dozen folks and it seems they are all really passionate about wine and having a good time with what they do.
  

  Wine. Nothing wrong with that.

• Public Bikes:  The motto “Mass transportation for one” is a very common concept in some foreign countries (I saw it first hand in Barcelona last year) where you can grab a bike at point A, drop it at point B and pay a really modest rate for the use.  They go further to advocate any alternate mass transportation that reduces environmental impact.  Why apply?  It’s a damn interesting idea and the founder is really focused on design, which strikes my fancy just fine.  As a brand new startup, its a guarantee I would get to wear many hats and work at a break neck pace (both plusses in my book).
  

  Buy the ticket, take the ride, save the planet.

• (unknown via HireBoost):  They were looking for a Sr. Account Manager for an SEM firm handling large scale clients.  Why apply?  The company is described as private but funded, 65 people or so, aiming to be profitable by the end of this year.  I figure this matches my experience, but I have no clue the company or culture, so having to wait and see…
• Creative Circle:  This is an interesting company that pulls in experienced people from agency or other backgrounds across many industries.  They source their staff against companies needing agency support based on industry knowledge and project needs.  Why apply?  They are looking to fill an automotive project for one of the OEM’s.  While I don’t have traditional agency experience, my four years at Jumpstart (and growing up around a dealership) should put me right up there with qualifications on industry knowledge.  And I love cars and would like to help the car industry repair itself.
  

  Creative agency staffing solutions.

• Cloak & Dagger:  So this is the oddest one so far… the company name is not listed anywhere in the post, because they want to assure candidates that they are not tied down by red tape.  It’s a green energy division of some big corporation.  Why apply?  They promise a small team with quick pace and lots of tasks thrown your way since multiple projects are in the works concurrently.  Green energy is a passion of mine and this also ties in my engineering background that I don’t want to completely let go to waste…
• PopChips:  They aren’t hiring at all but I emailed them anyway.  I was intrigued by their product (a healthier alternative to potato chips that actually tastes good?!?) and read the bag while snacking away and… they are based in SF!  So I went to their site, they seem like a fun loving bunch and are approaching a really old industry in a fun and different way… so, while I can’t really apply, I did open the door for a conversation (so far it’s already gotten me some free coupons in the mail!).  They are growing, so who knows what will happen down the road.
  

  Building a better snack future one chip at a time.

Managing Oneself (by Peter Drucker)

So in my self imposed vacation from the working world, I figure I can use the free time to catch up on some overdue reading.  One of the titles of choice was Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker.  I recommend it to anyone- it’s a short read and has good examples of personality types and how they interact.

A quick read to improve your interactions.

So what were the choice details I pulled out of this book for myself?

• Focus time and energy on strengths, minimize weaknesses through management, mitigation or outsourcing.
• Intake of information can take two major forms:  Readers, who prefer prepared material or questions and time to digest it all; and Listeners, who prefer to have open dialog to gather information about subject matter.  I tend to be a listener (I love to talk to anyone about anything and would rather watch a documentary than read a book).

• Organizing information has two major forms again: Writing, taking notes or otherwise documenting information or conversation, not necessarily to review, but to aid recall; and Talking, which is more or less thinking out loud, likely with an audience but not expecting debate or dialog.  I tend to be a writer (taking notes, connecting comments, whipping out PPTs that may never get used).

• Group dynamics have lots of characteristic pairs: Team player vs. Loner (I have historically been a loner), Contributor vs. Leader (typically leader), Decision Maker vs. Adviser (I am not sure here… a bit of both I suppose), Stress vs. Structure (I prefer the stress of too much going on), Big vs. Small Organization (I like the small working environment much better than big business).

All in all, it is a great one to two hour read that is worth some review afterward.  I put it in the same category as Myers Briggs or other self evaluation that help you realize the ways you think and hopefully figure out how others think so you can better interact and work with them.

My first post to NathanScripps.com

So after a little more than a year of parking this URL, I have the time and drive to actually build it out. Turns out, it was pretty easy to get a basic framework up and running. I am using BlueHost for hosting, Wordpress for content management, and bought the URL from GoDaddy (set to automatic renewal).

My intent is to use this site as a hub of sorts, stringing together some continuity between all of the varying online communities in which I take part: Dailymile, Twitter, BookCrossing, LinkedIn, Digg, Yelp, SG, and yes… Facebook and MySpace too (though to a lesser extent). With all of those communities getting different attention from me, supporting or drawing out different aspects of my personality, how am I supposed to create and maintain consistency? I hope this site will give me both a jumping off point to start formulating thoughts and a rallying point for others to get a better, more complete picture of my online self.

I fully intend for this site to evolve over time and welcome any and all suggestions on how to improve it or the content presented herein.

Nathan Scripps