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But Pete, everyone knows Apple has always had better adverts than Microsoft.

But then again its easier for Apple. They sell to a niche audience. For every one Apple customer, there are fifteen Windows PC customers. So, yes, its far tougher to be all things to all people (sorry, most of the people). 

That Steve Jobs has it easy. I guess he can only imagine how much more complicated life gets when you are really successful like Bill Gates. 

Roger Ehrenburg - one of Monitor110's backers - offers a salutary post (mortem) here - http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/InformationArbitrage/~3/339382767/monitor110-a-po.html.

Its worth a read. He cites and expands upon seven mistakes:

1. The lack of a single, "the buck stops here" leader until too late in the game
2. No separation between the technology organization and the product organization
3. Too much PR, too early
4. Too much money
5. Not close enough to the customer
6. Slow to adapt to market reality
7. Disagreement on strategy both within the Company and with the Board

There are some good points in there for anyone wanting to start a business.

Number 4 - is very true. Strangely I have always felt too much money can distort and confuse start ups from the task in hand: just get the product/service to work well enough a customer wants to use it, world domination can wait.

Number 3 - makes me smile. PR always gets the blame. Here its too much PR :-)

Nathan Gilliat, at the Net Savvy Executive, who covers social media monitoring and market intelligence, also has some comments here.

James - I'm sure Javelin would be worth an interview about the typical scenarios and issues you are experiencing around the use of social media in your client consultations - I'm sure Paul, Elton and crew are keeping an eye on this post to follow up :-)

But, personally, I'd really welcome hearing more about their experiences from the early adopters inside banks.

Too often banks have to put up with ranting technology advocates thrusting new things at them, right now its social media tools. The Tim Collins/Wells Fargo piece constructively illustrated the broader issues that banks have to work within when exploring the application of these tools.

Judging by the 800 visits to this post so far, other people find this sort of insight interesting too. Doubtless the Finx team will spot this nudge and see what they can get started.

It's an isolated consumer experience, rather than trendspotting but... I recently dealt with Admiral Insurance - the UK insurance company coincidentally mentioned in this article - I called late in the evening and got put through to a US-based call centre. I had a complicated, time consuming issue to resolve but it was a great 'consumer experience'. No language or understanding issues. The CSR exuded the best of US service culture.

Is the US considered a viable offshoring destination in these decisions? Presumably costs wouldn't compare to India (yet), but if service quality is an important factor...

Perhaps.

Personally, I've always struggled to reconcile Virgin's green PR, with its ambitions to popularize space travel. I'm no rocket scientist but that's a lot of carbon offsetting.

Good question.

Most bloggers aren't really about 'new' news. Not with a new generation of hybrid online news sites/blogs (paidcontent, finextra) and more spontaneous services like Twitter for simply news breaking.

With blogs, for me, its always about the perspective of the individual and common interest areas, building trust in that person's analysis, viewpoint, style, sense of humour.

In essence a blog is a micro-branding exercise for that individual. Which - as Gary points out - is as often negative, as it is positive.

I think that's Ron's take on irony.

I think...

Hi Charis

This is great to hear.

I knew there were innovators out there. Good to get an Australian/NZ perspective too. Personally, I'm inevitably a bit UK/US centric but always eager to compare how regions and cultures are embracing these technologies at different speeds and in different ways.

Pete

Here's an outrageous idea. Did you ever consider that maybe Open XML just won the vote?

Then again its probably better copy to feed the myth that any extra votes were swung by personal calls from Elvis and/or Princess Diana, and its all part of a plot being hatched on a Grassy Knoll just outside Redmond.