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October 03, 2006
“Parents Just Don't Understand" (the remake)
While I did not intend to be (so) grumpy in my recent blog posting, I have found it interesting the way some people have reacted to it, others have referred to it and at least in two cases, have used it out of context. (see: Andy Abramson, Om Malik, Alec Saunders, David Beckemeyer, Phone Boy, Ted Wallingford, Pat Phelan, Lonely Bloggers, James Robertson, Justin Rudd, Charles C)
Yes, in the Blogosphere your opinions count, your voice matters and you are always at liberty to stand on your soap box in your virtual version of Speakers' Corner in England's Hyde Park and speak your mind. Please do. And yes, “bloggers are consumers too” so there are times when we speak from the perspective of being a future prospective customer (whether or not we match the “target demographic”) and we are there to just “offer advise.” And no, while my blog post was not directly toward anyone specific, there were at least three people who thought it was. (What ever happened to email in the world of web 2.0? I find it amusing that some people would rather post a blog entry of their reaction to something rather than engage in a direct email conversation about it.)
And to the PR folks, as far as I’m concerned, while “being understood” matters a lot, so does being able to sell your product or service. In the end, it is up to the people to decide what is a hit and what is a flop despite whether or not the critics like it or not. Yes it is great if you can get the attention of the “right people” and use them to build the momentum for the product launch. This works especially well for companies who are going with a “viral marketing strategy.” But in the end, even if the targeted “opinion leaders” do “get it”, you need to make sure that you are also being understood within the demographic known as your targeted customer base. Most startups don’t fail because of their technology, but rather their lack of ability to sell it.
Tags: Jeff Pulver, VoIP
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Posted by jeff on October 3, 2006 07:00 AM | Permalink
Additional resources: Watch PrimeTime TV Shows | Watch the Jeff Pulver Show | Jeff's Qik Videos
Comments
Will James Robertson ever answer http://duckdown.blogspot.com/2006/11/apologies-to-james-robertson-and-chris.html
Posted by: Sam at December 25, 2006 11:38 AM
Blogging, whether it be video or text, is a conversation. We see a blog post that says something, we respond to it--in a blog post. That's just the nature of the beast. :)
Posted by: PhoneBoy at October 3, 2006 02:02 PM
I would have prefered to have contacted you by email Jeff but didn't have it and couldn't find it on your blog anywhere.
Maybe my eyesight is failing but I still can't find it.
Posted by: Pat Phelan at October 3, 2006 12:20 PM