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DREW'S PERSPECTIVEDREW'S PERSPECTIVE

[NOTE: This page is part of a presentation given to an audience of college marketing departments. This being the internet and all, however, I've noted that others are occassionally coming accross it. It's all good stuff, mind you - just a smidge college focused.]

Things That Shape My Views (Caveat Emptor)Things That Shape My Views (Caveat Emptor)

  1. I'm a technology guy. I started my company after being a developer at a Dot Com (surprise - it died) and continue to have a strong technological focus.
  2. I have no Silver Bullets (and am suspicious of those who claim such). In my opinion, success is a matter of making good decisions and then following up with the work necessary to implement those decisions... and then doing it again and again and again. (I do have some advice on those decisions, though)
  3. I’m not 18 anymore. My clients aren’t 18. My children aren't 18 (or even near it). I don't work at a college and college websites (and their needs and audiences) aren’t my daily (or weekly) focus.
    Nevertheless:
    1. I have regular exposure to the demographic in family and professional settings.
    2. I get the web.
  4. Kids these days are, on average:
    1. Quite media savvy and somewhat media suspicious (what are you trying to sell?)
    2. Quick to make judgments
    3. Often creators of content
    4. Not awed by media (“That’s easy to do” or “I could do better than that” or “I have done better”)
    5. They own computers, cell phones, use IM, MySpace, Facebook, mp3 players, read and write blogs, etc.
  5. There is money to be made in this whole Internet thing, and the tools being used by your audiences to find you and learn more about you have no loyalty to you. They want a piece of the money and are incented to serve the end-user by finding content as relevant and varied as possible (in formats, sources and opinions).
    1. Some Internet Company Numbers
      1. Google: $160 Billion
      2. Amazon: $36 Billion
      3. Yahoo: $34 Billion
      4. Expedia: $8 Billion
    2. Some ‘Real’ Company Numbers
      1. Wal-Mart: $196 Billion
      2. Target: $55 Billion
      3. Nike: $29 Billion
      4. General Motors: $19 Billion
      5. General Mills: $19 Billion
      6. ATT: $1 Billion
      7. Coke: $.5 Billion
  6. Google (and Yahoo and MSN, etc.) have more people working on web stuff than you do. You do not have the skills or resources to outrun and/or outwit them for long (if at all).
  7. Technologies are changing and will continue to do so. No-one has successfully predicted all the meaningful technology explosions that have happened over the last 1-2 years: Social Networking and Community sites, Online Video, Browser wars (again), RSS, Web 2.0, blogging, VoIP, AJAX MicroFormats, GEOcoding, iPhone, etc.
  8. Major technological change is high-risk, expensive and full of hassles and pitfalls. Do it as infrequently as possible.

Recap: Recap:

Your audiences tend to be suspicious of your voice (you’re selling something), hard to impress with technology and use tools to inform themselves about you that you have limited (or no) control over. Your website is one of many web sources they will use to evaluate you and they may make their judgements very quickly. Technologies will be changing and adapting in ways you probably don't anticipate now and reacting to technological changes can be terribly expensive and risky. Drew has no Solution®

Next: It's not all bad!