Matt has me thinking about the method behind how I run contests on my photography web site. My giveaways are nothing original, but I’ve always felt as if I was doing the work of the devil in making a requirement for entry to Like, +1, or Share the post.
It’s bad enough trying to artificially turn a prospective customer into a delivery mechanism for your marketing, but requiring that they advertise to their chosen social circle is nothing less than appalling. The customer’s credibility, impartiality, judgement, taste and sense of personal ethics are all assaulted if they choose to take part in such a promotion, and the existence of the promotion invites such an assault.
I never personally enter contests that require I share a post with the people that have gone out of their way to add me to their network of followers. I feel a certain pride in providing content that is well thought out and I consider each post valuable. In the future, I intend to be more creative with how I run my contests, and hopefully the entries will be more abundant as a result.
OS X Mountain Lion Sneak Peek -
Apple released a sneak peek of their new OS, Mountain Lion today. It looks to be a small update, similar to what Snow Leopard was to Leopard, which would explain the naming conditions. Apple is continuing down the path of integrating iOS into their desktop OS, a move that I completely enjoy.
My favorite part of this sneak peek is the move of Notification Center to OS X. I’ve been putting off upgrading to Growl ever since they moved to a paid service, and have been missing notifications updates ever since. Notifications on iOS has been essential to my iPhone workflow since it’s release, and I believe it will do the same on the desktop as well.
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We do not have a quiet workplace. We argue in bars, in Campfire and in email. New hires and CEOs alike. But it’s not personal — it’s about making our product better. If you’re not forced to rationalize your product choices, who’s to say you’re making good decisions?
Arguing with your co-workers isn’t a bad thing. It’s not creating a negative work environment — it’s a tool to help you make good decisions. Being an empty cheerleader and telling everyone that their idea is great is harmful and short-sighted. Argue and make good decisions.”
” — via: Product Design at Github“Apple products are as defined by what they’re missing as much as by what they contain.” — via: How Steve Jobs ‘out-Japaned’ Japan
“To me, The Daily is a near perfect realization of exactly the idea that occurs to print editors every single time they get their hands on digital media for the first time, regardless of what the underlying technology might be: “Let’s make it just like what we know so well in print.” As a result I found it sadly lifeless and lacking in urgency. What a waste of US$30 million.” — via: Subtraction.com: Guessing at Numbers for The Daily