photo credit: laihiu

As I recently posted, I’ve decided to expand my skillset and learn about Android Development.

My first step was to chat with a friend of mine who has done some work in Android development just to figure out where to begin looking.  He graciously shared some resources that he used. Yes, he even told me that the “Android Development for Dummies” was a great resource. It’s always been hard for me to accept a “for Dummies” book as a resource… but I’ll give it a try.

So of course the next step is: Install the needed tools.

I found that the Android Developers site has a good outline of what you need to do in this article: Installing the SDK

The tools you need are pretty simple but the install takes a few steps.  You need the following tools:

• Java SDK
• Android SDK
• Eclipse IDE
• ADT Plug-in for Eclipse (optional)

The article does a great job of outlining how to set the environment up.

NOTE: Issue that I ran into on this – when you attempt to install the ADT plug-in in Windows 7… make sure to run Eclipse as the Administrator.  Otherwise, I got an error that said something about the components not being available.

So, now that I have it installed… it’s time to actually start building something.  We’ll see.

For the past several years, the focus of my development learning has been completely focused in Microsoft’s .Net realm. It’s where I’ve worked for years and like most technologies there is always something new to learn.

This last week, I’ve been seriously considering what is next for me to learn.  There is plenty to learn on the Microsoft side of the house. Obviously there are a ton of other technologies out there as well.

My question was simple: “Where is technology headed?”.

I believe the answer to that question is quite simple: mobile. Everything is headed in that direction. Between mobile phones, tablets, and the like many applications are going to start being written in the mobile realm.  Even businesses are going to start asking that their business apps be created in the mobile space because they’ll want their employees to be able to access them while they’re on the road, at a client site, etc.

So, the next question is simply “What technology?”. In my mind there are two options: iOS or Android. Microsoft has been EXTREMELY slow to the party and I question whether they will have any success in this realm. So, to me this is a pretty easy decision based on three facts: 1. Most my work is PC based, 2. I own an Android phone, 3. I believe that Google/Android is exploding and growing at a much faster rate than iOS. That makes my decision quite obvious.

Recently it was also announced that Android will not only be the driver behind mobile phones and tablets but Google will actually release the next versions of Google TV running on Android. If I had to guess I would also wonder if Chrome OS and Android don’t end up being merged at some point. This would make Android an platform that can really run anywhere.

So, off I go a journey to start building a few Android apps. Obviously, I’ll still be writing C# and VB but I am very excited to see where this journey leads. I’ll be updating as I move forward.

photo credit: Robert S. Donovan

Recently, I found a few new tools that I am learning to use.  There are so many add-ins out there that it’s hard to find the good ones some times.

I started using Boomerang for GMail (thanks to the AnywhereMan Dave Yankowiak’s podcast recommendation). The really useful part of Boomerang should even have to be a third party product, it should be a built in function of GMail which is scheduled email sending. Sometimes you just don’t want to send the email right away so it’s nice to have the option to schedule the send for later. Boomerang also gives the ability to “remind” you of emails that you need to do something with. I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t used that feature too much yet. Cool little utility though.

Second, I started using ActiveInbox for Gmail (again thanks to Dave). It’s a pretty neat tool for prioritizing and categorizing project emails. It can help you use your email almost like a task management type tool. I think if you sprung for the Pro version, you have an even better ability to manage tasks (it adds deadlines and other management features). Neat tool to check out!

Third, this one is more developer focused. It is the ext.net control set. This component suite is a .Net extebsion of the Sencha Ext JS project. It’s open source and has most of the controls that you would use in a project. The components are nice looking and pretty simple to work with. The documentation is lacking but I guess it is an open source community so that’s to be expected.

Take a look at the tools and see if they are helpful to you as well.  Also, send me some recommendations!!

The standard product cycle seems to show that the early adopters give way to the masses.  Part of this is just people hearing about and adjusting to new technologies.  I think the other part is the new technology maturing to a point where the masses can actually use it.

photo credit: William Hook

We’ve seen the cycle happen in the mobile field.  Smart phones have existed for years but only recently with the release of the iPhone and then the Android operating system have we seen the explosion of smart phones.  It seems like within the last year we’ve seen more innovation in this market than we’ve seen for the last 5 to 10 years.  It’s been amazing.

Following behind that is the tablet market.  It’s the next big thing.  The iPad 2 and the Xoom recently hit the market and there is a huge surge of tablet devices hitting the market in the next 6 to 12 months.

So… what’s the anchor??

Technology companies who either don’t think or don’t care about public perception.  Part of the process is for people to get comfortable and trust your product.  So what do the technology companies do?  Put their trust in question by tracking people’s locations.

Yes… I am talking about Google and Apple tracking the location data on phones and tablets.  They claim that they are using it for valid reasons which is probably true but do you consider what that information could potentially be used for?  With all the current issues with information theft and identity theft these companies should really consider their actions a little more closely.

I don’t know that I believe that either Google or Apple are being malicious with the data but it sure raises questions.  What would it take for marketers to buy this data for targeted text marketing, analysis and use by government for use in mileage taxation, or some criminal finding a way to exploit your movement information for gain?

I think the Google and Apple made a pretty big PR mistake in tracking people’s movement secretly.  It’s slightly ironic that the iconic commercial in 1984 about big brother was by a small computer company named Apple!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R706isyDrqI

photo credit: Alex E. Proimos

I am definitely one of those people who does quite a bit of my Christmas shopping online.  I think it’s much more efficient because I can read reviews, price compare, get more information about certain products, and purchase my selected item in less time than it would take me to go to one store and check out.  This year was no exception.  I did quite a bit of shopping online, I did even more online research.

What still surprises me is that so many people are still getting it wrong with technology.

EPIC Fail #1

First and I’ll say worst is Toys R Us.  I found an item for my daughter on Toys R Us’ website that I wanted and the price was reasonable.  So I made MULTIPLE attempts to purchase it:

Try 1: I tried to check out online… Out of Stock for shipping.

Try 2: Okay, I’ll click the “In Store Pickup”… Coming Soon.

Try 3: Alright, we’ll I guess I’ll break down and go to the crazy busy store (which isn’t too far from my home)… over $20 more expensive.  For the item I was buying that’s over 20% more expensive in the store.  Are you serious?  So, I thought I’ll ask at Customer Service.  The response I received was “We don’t price match online prices”.  Ummm…. it’s YOUR SITE!!!  Unbelievable.

Three Strikes and you’re out! Epic online failure for Toys R Us!

Grade: F-

EPIC Fail #2

The other place were I saw just how terrible people are with using technology is when I found the items I wanted for my daughter online (after the whole Toys R Us fiasco).  I found the items at 2 different retailers.  Purchased them and shipped them.  One retailer used UPS and the other used the tried and true United States Postal Service.  Here is an example of how big the gap is between for profit and sorta kinda for profit entities are.

With the UPS, I received a tracking number.  I could then go to there website and track the package.  In that tracking detail was where the item was when it was received and when it departed.  When the item was ready to be delivered, I saw an “Out for Delivery” line.  Given, it didn’t tell me the EXACT time it would be at more door but I was able to TRACK it’s progress.

Contrast that with the Postal Service.

With USPS, I received a tracking number and I could go to the website and track the package.  There is where ANY similarity ends.  On the worthless USPS tracking site, I see a message that says “Shipment has left seller facility and is in transit”.  WOW… Amazing detail.  Thank you very much.  The retailer sent me an email that said that!  What benefit does USPS “tracking” provide?  Absolutely none.  Why do they even bother to assign a tracking number?  Isn’t a good thing that the retailer sent it via “Priority Mail” so they could “track” it?  I do wonder if they actually have a system that stores that status or if the web site is just designed with a hard coded message.

Enormous failure for USPS.

Grade: Off the charts horrible.

Are you serious?

It truly amazes me that companies still aren’t utilizing the technology to provide BETTER customer service.  Toys R Us could have simply matched the price… sure.  But, they could have VERY easily allowed me to purchase the item online and had it waiting for me at the store to pickup.  This would have rectified the issues and provided solid customer service.

The USPS… well, they could either just admit that you don’t get tracking or here’s something crazy… track the package!

In the era of online accessibility and the coming wave of mobile apps and handheld technology companies need to realize that a huge part of their service offerings will be tied to technology.

Technology is no longer an option… it’s an expectation.

I have been on LinkedIn for quite some time.  There were only about 2 or 3 Million users when I started vs. the gazillion it has now.  They have made significant changes over the past couple of years.  Some have been good, some not so good.  I’m not a huge fan of the change that posts all the Twitter updates to people’s accounts but hey… if that’s what the masses want so be it.  LinkedIn has taken a strange approach though.  Instead of adding features, they have actually taken away features during their enhancements.  We used to be able to see how many connections that everyone had.  LinkedIn decided that if you had over 500 connections that you must be a promiscuous networker and stopped showing more.  Now you just see 500+.  Another place was that you used to be able to see 4th level connections.  Well apparently that was too far… so now 3rd level is the top.

A big issue for LinkedIn over the past few years has been how to actually make money on the enormous user base.  They’ve always offered the overpriced LinkedIn Premium service.  But, of course, few have actually taken the bait.  That’s because as a whole it didn’t offer much over the base package.  Few people actually found that much value in it.  So to fix that problem, LinkedIn went back to their “remove services” ideal.  Now, if you’d like to see the names of your 3rd level connections or group connections… you can pay for it.  Yeah, that’s right they didn’t add features… they started charging for existing functionality.  I must say that I don’t view this as a positive thing for LinkedIn.  I think that it is a real misstep for them.  Instead of taking away functionality maybe you could charge people for added “value”.  Oh I don’t know, maybe an ability to track more information on contacts more like a CRM.  Or… maybe you could start supporting more integration with other tools and of course you could charge for it.

I am a fan of the Freemium model.  I think it makes a lot of sense on the web.  I think the right way to do it is to create a free product and then upsell pieces with additional value.  Instead I think LinkedIn has taken the approach of get people on the free model and then take away pieces and charge for them to get them back.  I think it’s a mistake.  I honestly think that the potential exists that LinkedIn will take away enough features to allow other services to take over the space… we’ll see I guess.

In my on-going goal of a book a month, I picked up Seth Godin’s Tribes.  After reading it, I must say that it is a great read for anyone who interested in blogging, social media, or any kind of community building.  I have included a video of Seth Godin talking about his concept above.

Now, I’ll give you it probably could have shorter.  It definitely had more pages than content.  The main theme is a very good one though.  It’s all about building that community around your idea, your passion, or your business.  If you build a tribe who is passionate and loyal to you the passion, you can move mountains.  Seth issues a call for you to be the leader of that tribe.  By leader he isn’t talking about being the next Jim Jones.  He outlines the idea of creating something that allows your tribe to communicate and connect around the passion.  Nurture the passion and let it flourish.  It truly about being the facilitator which it what it really means to be a leader.

So, if you’re interested in building online or offline communities I would highly recommend that you take a look at Tribes.  It definitely makes you think about how to provide your tribe with the mechanisms to grow.

As I explained a few months ago, I am trying to read at least a book a month.  Some months have been much better than others because of my relatively short attention span for books. I have many books in my possession that have a book mark at about page 40 and have had for many months.  Luckily the book I selected in August was not one of those books.  I chose to read 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss.

I think that the title has gotten a huge number of people interested in the content.  After reading it do I believe in the idea of the “Four hour work week”?  No.  It’s a great title designed for marketing.  Tim even admits that in the book.  That said, it has some fantastic information and tips about how to make yourself more efficient in getting things done.  He discusses a few things that are pretty obvious like that the vast majority of meetings are a complete waste of time.  I think we all know that but he actually throws out a challenge that I am sure very few people actually heed: decline the meetings that don’t have a purpose.  Can you imagine how great offices would be if everyone would take that challenge?

He also discusses, in depth, the concept of outsourcing tasks to other people.  I think in the era of virtual assistants, crowdsourcing, and the Mechanical Turk this is an idea that many people are accepting.  Instead of doing tasks that are just busy work why not find someone who specializes in doing that work?  I think it’s a very valid idea and something that I would truly like to figure out more about. Also, he discusses the use of virtual assistants for a lot of things for you.

Of course, in addition to outsourcing your work, Tim recommends use of technology to automate your work. He talks about how to use email filters to make the best use of your time. Also, he recommends use of different tools such as GoToMeeting, Shopify, and many other technology tools that will help you build a business and then communicate with people that are helping you.

So, with that, what did I think of the book? I thought it was a very good book. I think that there were some great recommendations that many people could utilize to make themselves more efficient. He also points out great ways to become a remote employee that I think have some very valid points. Is it a get rich quick scheme like it sounds? No. I think the name was designed to sell the book. I would definitely recommend taking some time to read this book.

If you’ve ever run a blog, I’m sure that you’ve asked yourself how people make money by simply blogging.  There are a few ways but one of the big ones is affiliate marketing.

A blogging/social media friend of mine named Corbett Barr of FreePursuits and ThinkTraffic fame recently launched an affiliate marketing training class.  Since I have been interested in this topic for a while and I know Corbett and enjoy his stuff I thought I would give it a try.  I am still working my through the wealth of information that Corbett provides in his course but I must say that I have been impressed so far.

His modules:

• Introducing Affiliate Marketing
• Finding opportunities
• Creating your site
• Generating traffic
• Advanced topics and scaling up

Inside of each of the modules are multiple lessons that go into depth on each topic.  Corbett provides you with the basics of what affiliate marketing is but also offers unique insights as to how to find the best product to fit your needs.

Part of the reason why I believe that Corbett’s course is different is that first I have traded emails, tweets, and other messages with Corbett and find him to be a very interesting guy.  Second, I have watched Corbett go through the process of finding his niche and building sites.  I was pretty early to begin reading his Free Pursuits blog.  Also, I have witnessed him building the traffic at Think Traffic.  From the things that Corbett has shared of late he is starting to earn decent amounts of money for his work.  So, I guess it comes down that he has earned credibility with me so I felt that I would like to learn more about what he is doing.

If you’ve ever been interested in learning about how someone builds an income from affiliate market … take a look at his course.  The price for the course is pretty low and provides a huge amount of information about affiliate marketing.

Affiliate Marketing for Beginners

Once I have completed the course, I will report back as to what my overall impressions are.  Take a look and see for yourself!