Developing an engaging, effective website is no easy task, a fact I've come to realize through this course. You need content that grabs the visitor's attention and keeps it long enough to interest the user in the brand. Organizations can live and die online, so your website must generate business for you.
The ICA Boston has a website full of fabulous, engaging content that really pulls you in. The images are spectacular and the descriptions of exhibitions are inviting. But the site has a major design flaw - the online store doesn't sell tickets for general exhibit halls admission. This is true of both the web version and the mobile site. While the ICA does sell special event tickets online, they must be losing out on potential business from people who were turned off when they couldn't make the transaction online. For brick & mortar businesses, websites should aim to drive foot traffic through your doors, but limiting transactions to in-person only is a serious misstep.
The second offender is not so much one specific website, but an entire group - those developing with Flash as the primary development environment. My reasoning for this is that Flash just doesn't work on the iPhone, so these organizations are ignoring a large percentage of the mobile market, not to mention a growing percentage of the overall online market. Sure many sites that use flash on the web have a similar but different mobile version of the site, but the experience is completely different. Take Disney World's new Fantasyland, for example. The web version is dynamic, colorful, and fun - exactly what you'd want for a site that kids will want to explore. However, the mobile version is static and kind of boring. Any kid viewing this page on an iPad is going to be pretty unimpressed, and perhaps less enthusiastic about pestering his/her parents on where spend their next family vacation.
Creating an effective website is not simply about what looks good. It must be an extension of your business, and it must offer a consistent experience across multiple platforms. Many brands get it right, but sometimes even those with the most available resources get it wrong.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Fighting Online Piracy
In some respects, one of the Internet's greatest strengths is also one of its greatest weakness - its openness. It's the perfect forum for sharing anything and everything...unfortunately, it's also the perfect forum for stealing anything and everything.
Online piracy is not a new concept, but it remains a hot topic today. While Napster made the concept mainstream (thank you, Metallica, for ruining everyone's good time), the problem today is more rampant than ever, with 57% of the world's personal computer users admitting to software piracy. Music is only one piece of the piracy pie - you can go online and illegally download entire movies or TV series in a matter of minutes, not to mention software programs ranging from Microsoft Office to auto CAD programs that have licenses that can cost in the tens of thousands.
Piracy is a global problem, not just a US problem. Many of the worst offending countries are in Asia, meaning it can be quite common for someone in China or Taiwan to blatantly steal the intellectual property of someone across the globe.
Large scale efforts to curb piracy have been futile, and even embarrassing for the organization looking to collect a debt. The RIAA turned their fight into a witch hunt, and looked foolish doing so. Previously mentioned Metallica forever changed its brand from one of the from one of the greatest metal bands of all time to another corporate cog in the machine.
Congress tried, and failed, and pass the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that was aimed at giving law enforcement increased ability to fight online theft of IP and counterfeit products. SOPA ultimately failed because opponents felt it went too far in limiting online freedoms, the people spoke, and Congress had no choice but to back down.
For now, and probably forever, piracy continues, with billions of dollars in potential revenue lost as a result. Don't get me wrong...I feel about as bad for the RIAA as I do when I read about the next Bernie Madoff going down and having to sell off all 17 of his homes as a result...but I do think piracy can be a threat to innovation. As an emerging software company, why invest the necessary resources to create a new software platform when you know that as soon as it's on the market, it will be stolen and given away for free?
Online piracy is not a new concept, but it remains a hot topic today. While Napster made the concept mainstream (thank you, Metallica, for ruining everyone's good time), the problem today is more rampant than ever, with 57% of the world's personal computer users admitting to software piracy. Music is only one piece of the piracy pie - you can go online and illegally download entire movies or TV series in a matter of minutes, not to mention software programs ranging from Microsoft Office to auto CAD programs that have licenses that can cost in the tens of thousands.
Piracy is a global problem, not just a US problem. Many of the worst offending countries are in Asia, meaning it can be quite common for someone in China or Taiwan to blatantly steal the intellectual property of someone across the globe.
Large scale efforts to curb piracy have been futile, and even embarrassing for the organization looking to collect a debt. The RIAA turned their fight into a witch hunt, and looked foolish doing so. Previously mentioned Metallica forever changed its brand from one of the from one of the greatest metal bands of all time to another corporate cog in the machine.
Congress tried, and failed, and pass the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that was aimed at giving law enforcement increased ability to fight online theft of IP and counterfeit products. SOPA ultimately failed because opponents felt it went too far in limiting online freedoms, the people spoke, and Congress had no choice but to back down.
For now, and probably forever, piracy continues, with billions of dollars in potential revenue lost as a result. Don't get me wrong...I feel about as bad for the RIAA as I do when I read about the next Bernie Madoff going down and having to sell off all 17 of his homes as a result...but I do think piracy can be a threat to innovation. As an emerging software company, why invest the necessary resources to create a new software platform when you know that as soon as it's on the market, it will be stolen and given away for free?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)