13 Tips for creating a successful new online product
13 Tips for creating a successful new online product
http://www.inter-sections.net/2008/05/07/13-tips-for-creating-a-successful-new-online-product/
Summary:
What to build
1. Build for someone specific
2. Don’t be afraid of targeting a narrow niche
3. Solve a real problem that costs money
4. Test the market with a working prototype as soon as possible
5. Develop iteratively
6. Get things right, and be decisive in correcting the wrongs
7. Don’t spend the time correcting until you know what you’re aiming for
8. Don’t let your programmers design the user interface
Who to build it with
9. Make sure every member of the development team is passionate about the product
10. Be sickeningly elitist about your development team and sickeningly inclusive about your users
11. The best hiring strategy is to hire no one
12. Include at least one target user on the development team
13. Ensure everyone on your development team understands the problem they’re solving
Conclusion and Bonus Tip: Break any and all of these rules rather than do something stupid
Wordpress Error 404 when modifying permalinks
While recently modifying Wordpress 2.5.1 to use the pretty permalink structure using the WP control panel has resulted in a “Error 404 - Not Found”.
I followed the instructions at the Wp codex here: http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Permalinks
with no luck.
The answer was hiding here: http://codex.wordpress.org/Giving_WordPress_Its_Own_Directory
Not as easy or straightforward as I would have hoped, but I discovered an oversight when I installed the blog originally. I had created my own html redirect page for the root of this site which was causing some conflict with the way permalinks was supposed to function.
The proper way to handle this is to copy the .htaccess and index.php files from the install directory to the root.
Then you modify the following line of code to match your install directory.
require(’./blog/wp-blog-header.php’);
(replace the word ‘blog’ with your URL)
Also, here is a WordPress permalink migration utility to create any redirect pages you may need for the old URLs:
http://www.deanlee.cn/wordpress/permalinks-migration-plugin/
Simplicity versus features and the paralyzing trade offs
Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice, Speaks about a study where people were asked to lower the price of a car with less safety features to make it equivalent in value as a more expensive car with more safety features.
“Since the alternatives were equivalent, you might expect that about half the people would choose the safer, more expensive car and half would choose the less safe, cheaper car. But that is not what the researchers found. Most participants chose the safer, more expensive car. When forced to choose, most people refused to trade safety for price. They acted as if the importance of safety to their decision was so great that price was essentially irrelevant…
Even though their decision was purely hypothetical, participants experienced substantial negative emotion when choosing between Cars A and B. And if the experimental procedure gave them the opportunity, they refused to make the decision at all. So the researchers concluded that being forced to confront trade-offs in making decisions makes people unhappy and indecisive…
Confronting any trade-off, it seems, is incredibly unsettling. And as the available alternatives increase, the extent to which choices will require trade-offs will increase as well.”
And in his post: http://www.uie.com/articles/simplicity/
Joshua Porter extrapolates to other products:
“Users face a trade-off when they must make a choice between a simple product or a complex product with more features. If they choose the product with fewer features and eventually need some functionality that is missing, they’ve made a bad choice.
…Instead of focusing on adding features, design teams should focus on helping users find out what they really need before they purchase. When design teams understand that buyers want to avoid trade-offs, they can use this insight to their advantage.”
iPhone Stencils / Templates for Omnigraffle
Nice - A small set of iPhone widgets for use in Omnigraffle.
Created by Theresa Neil and hosted on graffletopia’s site
Nokia’s Initiative on Sustainability
It is really good they are thinking about this stuff, but so far this all looks like PR vaporware. Keypads from old recycled tires? They still can’t even recycle old tires into new tires…
How To Copy Your WordPress Database
repost from:
http://ageeksjourney.com/wordpress/how-to-copy-your-wordpress-database/
Export the Database
This is best done by using the Database Backup Plugin. Download and install it in your online blog. Export everything except the optional tables and set it to download the backup to your Desktop.
The plugin exports the data into an SQL file. If you have used images or videos in your posts then you will have to use Filezilla or your favorite FTP program to download your upload folder to the WOS folder on your Desktop.
Now you cannot import this SQL file into the local WordPress
database as it is, because all of the links in it will still be
referring to your online blog. The database backup
has been downloaded as a gz type file, unzip it with winzip. This will
give you a file that can be editted in a text editor. I use Notepad++ a free replacement for Notepad.
Open the SQL File in a text editor such as Textpad. Use the Find/Replace option to replace your website URL with your WOS URL.
My blog’s URL: http://ageeksjourney.com
WOS URL: http://localhost/wordpress
If you are following along in this series you will use the same WOS
URL, but change the blog URL to the one that you use. Then save the
file.
Import the Database
- Start WOS, then go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/
- In the side bar click once on the WordPress database.
- You will see a horizontal set of tabs, click on Import
- Click on the Browse button and select the modified database file that you created. Then click on the Go button.
- Copy the Upload folder from the WOS folder to the same location in your local blog (usually at:
FLASHSTICK:\www\wordpress\wp-content\)
Wrapup
If everything went well, you can now go to:
http://localhost/wordpress/
and you will see all your posts and comments that are on your online
blog. This will give us something to work with when we start modifying
or creating themes.
Note: The local mirror of your blog will now have the same username and password as your online blog.
mobile computing
Interesting post related to ubiquitous computing:
The idea is that anything can be a sensor, and anything can take input
from the world and provide feedback to the user. This sounds like a key
part of the future development of mobile phones, where phones change
from two-way voice and data communications devices to capture and
analyze all kinds of data, such as location, weather, and even mood.
from:
http://www.news.com/8301-13579_3-9926005-37.html
IBM Launches Mobile Web Initiative to Transform Consumer and Business Experiences
repost from:
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/23961.wss
highlights:
Universal Mobile Translator
IBM’s researchers are developing new technology to facilitate speech between individuals who speak no common language with the goal of free-form dialogue facilitated by a PDA. IBM technology is already allowing travelers using PDAs to translate menus in Japanese and doctors to communicate with patients in Spanish. IBM real-time translation technologies will be embedded into mobile phones, handheld devices and cars.Portable Power in Your Pocket
IBM’s SoulPad software allows PC users to separate a computer’s “soul” — the programs, settings and data it holds — from its body, the disks, keyboard, screen, processor and other hardware from which it is comprised. Once a computer’s soul is stored on a storage device like a portable USB hard drive or iPod with SoulPad software, it can be carried around and reincarnated in any other computer simply by plugging in the storage device and starting the computer up.
For the first time ever, more people will have a mobile phone than a regular telephone. Mobile devices outnumber PCs by three to one, credit cards by two to one and TVs by two to one. IBM’s Institute for Business Value predicts the number of mobile Web users will grow by 191 percent from 2006 to 2011 to reach one billion.
Stanford Human-Computer Interaction seminars at iTunes U
Apple has created this thing called iTunes.
Apple has also created a new section within the iTunes store for e-learning called iTunesU.
Stanford has posted a ton of their Human-Computer Interaction seminars onto the web at iTunesU.
Some people think this is really cool.
iTunes link to the podcasts:
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/itunes.stanford.edu.1357108180.01501554053
Overview of all Stanford lectures:
http://itunes.stanford.edu/
Overview of iTunesU:
http://www.apple.com/education/itunesu_mobilelearning/itunesu.html
Samsung Patents Visual Gesture Control (repost)
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2008/04/samsung_patents_visual_gesture_control.html
Samsung Patents Visual Gesture Control
Samsung Patents Visual Gesture Control
Posted on: April 18, 2008
Samsung Patents Visual Gesture Control
Samsung has recently patented a system of cell phone and mobile device control which responds to a users gestures. It doesn’t do this on the display as how the iPhone currently does, but as recognized in the space around the handset courtesy of the handset’s front-mounted camera. The pre-loaded software will recognize preset motions, translating them into on-screen control. Take for example, pointing at the display and moving the finger to control a mouse/cursor whilst rotating the wrist with the hand outstretched in order to flip an image or layer. No idea when this will be implemented in future handsets (if ever), but it would be interesting to see folks start waving their hands in front of phones in the near future. It’s almost as wacky as screaming “Objection!” to your DS’ microphone while on the train.
7 mobile apps you should check out (repost)
repost from this top 10 list:
http://www.last100.com/2008/01/17/10-mobile-apps-and-services-you-should-definitely-check-out/
MShopper
MShopper is a mobile phone application that lets you quickly find the best bargain deals for any product right from your cell phone. It’s free, very fast, convenient, and can be accessed while you’re window shopping. You can also purchase items once you find a good deal or email the info to a friend.
Mosio
Mosio is a handy mobile app that lets you text any question that you might have from your mobile phone and have it answered by up to four real people (other Mosio members). Just send a text to qna@mosio.com and you’ll get answers back in just a few minutes. There’s nothing to install and it’s completely free. Next time you have a disagreement about a fact while in a bar with friends, whip out the cell phone and send an email to Mosio!
Mobical
MobicalIf it hasn’t happened to you already, it probably will eventually: something happens to your phone and you lose all of your contacts and calendar info etc. Mobical is a mobile phone service that provides over-the-air mobile data backup and restore. You can store and backup your contacts, calendar, SMSs and notes online. You can even synchronize your data between multiple handsets. Must have a Internet-enabled phone.
Who Called Us
Who Called UsDon’t you just hate it when you get a call on your cell phone and you don’t recognize the number? Happens to me about twice a day! You can use a service called “Who Called Us” to find out the identity of an unlisted number. You can look up those annoying “name unavailable” or “unknown” phone numbers. You can also see how many other people received a call from that number, and help collectively fight phone spam. The site is designed for mobile phones.
SoonR
SoonrNow this is a cool mobile phone app! It’s a free application that lets you access your home or office computer remotely using your mobile phone. You can search for files, view documents, view pictures, play videos, access your email, and lots more right from the phone! You can even run Skype remotely and make free or low cost International calls.
ScanR
ScannrScanR is a mobile web service that helps you capture paper documents or whiteboards using your mobile phone camera, convert it into a digitized format, and then store it online, email it, or fax it to anywhere in the world. It is kind of like an OCR application in that it will take a picture of a document and try to convert it into a properly formatted document. It even has a Facebook application that you can use to share lecture notes with friends. Pretty cool!
Viigo
ViigoViigo is a mobile phone application that allows you to access a wide array of web content and services on your cell phone. It’s a mobile service of lots of services, including local weather, latest news, latest sports scores, local events, your favorite RSS feeds, and a whole lot more! The best thing about Viigo is that you can subscribe to RSS feeds and read feed items optimized for your mobile. You can also get traffic updates and track packages.
Secure sensitive sites by using https (SSL) instead of http
How to: Secure Gmail, Google Documents, and more by using https (SSL - or Secure Socket Layer)
An easy way to secure your internet activity is to use https:// instead of http:// before the URL address. Doing this encrypts your session with SSL, making it a bit more secure. Many, but not all sites support this.
A few known ones:
Gmail
Google Reader
Google Docs
Google Calendar
Google Homepage (somewhat)
Now just update your bookmarks to go to these directly.
Enable PHP on Apache without modifying the default httpd.conf file
I’ve recently been setting up a local Apache server on Mac 10.4.11 to do some simple development in PHP and came across this method for setting it up nicely.
With this method, you can create your own custom file which will override the default Mac Apache server settings without modifying the original
httpd.conf file. Why not just change the httpd.conf file itself?
Well, Apache updates may overwrite this file with a new default and I
find consolidating custom changes in one small file is easier to edit
and troubleshoot. You may need admin editing permissions to do this.
How to:
1. PHP is not enabled by default, so you need to switch this on.
These are located in: /private/etc/httpd/httpd.conf
2. Create a new file called whatever you wish in the directory:
/private/etc/httpd/users/myhttpd.conf
In this example I used ‘myhttpd.conf’ for my custom settings. The default httpd.conf file will load any files within the ‘users’ directory.
3. Look for and copy the following code from httpd.conf into your new file:
#LoadModule php4_module libexec/httpd/libphp4.so
and
#AddModule mod_php4.c
and
<IfModule mod_php4.c>
# If php is turned on, we repsect .php and .phps files.
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
AddType application/x-httpd-php-source .phps
# Since most users will want index.php to work we
# also automatically enable index.php
<IfModule mod_dir.c>
DirectoryIndex index.html index.php
</IfModule>
</IfModule>
That last bit is odd that you’d need to copy it, but apparently it runs in sequential order, so it’s necessary to minimally grab the ‘AddType’ definitions (you don’t need the whole conditional, but it’s included for reference)
4. Remove the # (comment) characters from the first 2 so they look like:
LoadModule php4_module libexec/httpd/libphp4.so
and
AddModule mod_php4.c
5. Save your file and you should be good to go!
Japanese Gravestones Memorialize the Dead With QR Codes
Repost from:
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/03/japanese-graves.html
By Asami Novak
QR codes are practically everywhere in Japan nowadays, but here’s a unique take on the technology: Japanese gravestone maker Ishi no Koe (”Voice of the Stone”) recently announced plans to begin selling gravestones with the two-dimensional bar codes embedded into them.
By simply snapping a shot of the tag with their cellphones, visitors will be able to view photos, videos and other information about the deceased. The device would also keep a log of each time the code was scanned so family members can keep up to date with when other relatives last visited the site.
In the future, Ishi no Koe hopes to use this technology to develop a new way to pay respect to the dead that wouldn’t require you to actually be at the cemetery in person. The company sees this as an alternative especially fitting for today’s younger generation.
Link: Trends in Japan
Photo courtesy Ishi no Koe
Key Elements In Digital Social Graphs
The excerpt below is a bit technical, but considers the relationship between entities when graphing social networks.
excerpt from:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_graph_concepts_and_issues.php
More about social graphs:
http://bradfitz.com/social-graph-problem/
Key Elements In Digital Social Graphs
With the recent rise and proliferation of social networks, the social graph comes into the spotlight. Unlike the one that scientists have been studying, this one is digital and defined explicitly by connections in all social networks. Let’s revisit the main issues that Brad and others have been talking about:
1. People Identity Each one of us participates in multiple networks, but we want to be identified as the same person in all of them. Brad describes this as a multiple login nightmare. He calls for having a way to map IDs onto each other, via Node Equivalence:
“Given a single node, say “brad on LiveJournal”, return all equivalent nodes: “brad” on LiveJournal, “bradfitz” on Vox, and 4caa1d6f6203d21705a00a7aca86203e82a9cf7a (my FOAF mbox_sha1sum).”
2. Type of Relationships The links between people in social networks are of different types. Crudely, different types of relationships are a friend, a co-worker, a family member. There are more fine grained relationships defined in Facebook (see picture above) and Spock, which uses tags to identify how people are related.
3. Relationships Identity Similar to having node equivalence, there is an issue of edge equivalence. Although, this issue is more complicated. If two people are connected in one social network, should they automatically be connected in all of them? Consider an example of a LinkedIn and Shelfari. Just because two people work together does not mean that they share the same book interests. However, the crux of the issue is not that - it is actually discoverability. As Brad pointed out, there needs to be a way for a new user who joins a network to be able to find friends who are already using that network.
