LOUDER THAN WORDS

An informal, stream-of-consciousness reflection on business ideas, events and issues in the web-software industry by Paul Tomori, President & Senior Programmer, The ACTION Corporation

Less is Better An argument against Flash By Paul Tomori Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 17:15:27 (EST) So, what constitutes good website design these days? In my view, not much has changed from 10 years ago. A balance of function and form never seems to grow old. One thing that troubles me is the lack of good judgement. For example, I think Flash on a movie promo website is expected and usually delightful. You go there expecting to see a trailer - usually you wait, but you get the trailer you were expecting. However, the average Fortune 500 company does not need Flash on their homepage. People are just wanting to get to the information about the company. The worst is when you get a pre-homepage.... you know the kind... there is a long countdown so that some absurdly unnecesary Flash movie can download. Then 45 seconds later, you finally get to the homepage, perhaps just to check the stock price. It is unbearable. By contrast, check out Berkshire Hathaway's website (the CEO of this company happens to be the richest guy in the world): www.berkshirehathaway.com Did you see it? Is that all you ask? Yep, that's it. Nevermind Flash, there is not even a logo here! And you know what.. I LOVE the site. You get instant access to Annual reports, news and more RIGHT AWAY. I don't go to such a website to be entertained (or to wait even 10 seconds more than necessary).... I go to get information... the written word. Yes, the written word actually has value and is demonstrably more important than whiz-bang graphics to Mr. BigBucks Buffett. Think of Yahoo! This company has been dropping like a rock and just can't seem to do anything right. They once were the internet's greatest light... Untouchable. And little by litle, their homepage got more and more cluttered with garbage links, advertising, everything-to-everyone nonsense. I remember thinking "Is this the evolution of web design?" And then along came Google with all that glorious whitespace and a simple search box to get people instant access to what they REALLY craved and to what REALLY mattered: information. Who would have thought that less was more? Actually, less isn't more, because "more" implies better. Less is just less. It is what is appropriate in some cases. For Warren Buffett, less fluff is integral on his website. For Google, less fluff got them to the top. There is a lesson to be learned here somewhere. So, here's a call to all sensible web designers. Think twice before building an elaborate Flash intro or Flash-driven website and deliver what really matters: information that people can use... quickly. How's That Workin' For Ya? The ultimate Reality-Check question By Paul Tomori Friday, October 17, 2008 at 20:31:46 (EDT) You know that feeling when you get caught in a vicious circle of bad habits or actions that aren't working, but you keep doing the same things over and over? Don't lie. We all fall into that trap once in a while. The classic example is to get invested time-wise or money-wise in something that you finally realize isn't really working out as well as you planned. You don't want to quit and lose all the time or money you have invested already, but you know that if you keep going, you're going to have to invest a whole lot more of time or money... so, you keep going. Or perhaps you don't yet realize that your efforts aren't bearing fruit. Many pursuits or philosophical notions hide their flaws well. At least most obese people can undeniably see that they have issues. Whereas, an ill-conceived business pursuit or other life goal often doesn't manifest its inherent problems for years. Obviously, sometimes persistence is all you need. Sometimes, you're closer to the finish line than you thought. And, you tell yourself... "if you're going through hell... keep going". You remind yourself that swimming the distance back to your starting point would require the same effort as just continuing on to your original destination. Or... perhaps you just need a reality-check.... a dose of objectivity. Because, perhaps you are swimming in the completely wrong direction. I love Jack Welch's version of a reality-check question (I think he borrowed this sentiment from Warren Buffett). In reference to some existing business objective that you have underway, he says: "If you were starting today, would you go into this business or this product line? If you can honestly answer yes, then keep going! If not, then completely pull back and cut your losses (i.e. your time and money investments)." In essence, what he is saying is you're better to re-set your focus and channel your energies on a pursuit that makes sense by today's climate instead of pursuing yesterday's dream. Another way to put it is: Doing more of what doesn't work, doesn't work. When I look back on my 14 years in the internet industry, I can proudly see many pivotal points along my journey when I dropped pursuits, partnerships, goals, etc that were leading nowhere. However, I can also see some points along the way when I stubbornly kept going in the wrong direction despite all better judgement to the contrary. Happily, the missteps were minor and right steps were major, so our company's net gain has been very much to our benefit. However, one must always be checking the horizon for reasons to make course-corrections and other adjustments. One of my very good friends supplied me with the ultimate reality-check question that I would like to share to the blogosphere. In relation to some goal or activity or dream that I am pursuing, he says "remember to ask yourself 'how's that workin' for ya'"? You're looking for Mr. or Ms. Right? Someone who has their head on straight, works for a living, looks after themselves, knows how to say please and thank you without grunting?. Yet, years have gone by and you still go to the bars every Friday and Saturday night in search of your 'destined' love interest... without any kind of meaningful long-term success. Hmmm... "How's that workin' for ya?" You're goal is to be a successful author. You dream of the accolades and awards you'll win. You imagine your name being spoken in enlightened circles. Yet, you rarely put pen to paper to develop your facility in writing. You prefer to dream wishfully about all of the admiration you'll receive. You have undeveloped story fragments scratched into a notebook, but nothing really concrete yet. In fact, you haven't even really finished a story in over 5 years. You attend lots of seminars and hang out with people who share similar fantasies. You read lots of books presuming that all of that reading will help your writing. Yet, where is the beef? Hmmm... and "how's that workin' for ya'? You have a business goal and keep hitting a wall. Your revenues aren't increasing. Your phone isn't ringing. No one is walking through the door except some friends and family who prop up your fantastical dreams of business success. Progress, you think, involves lots of hurried action. If you just keep busy, you must be doing something right. Busy people get places, right? The thing is, have you ever seen a car spinning its tires? It looks and sounds like something big is happening, doesn't it? Yet, the car doesn't get anywhere. In fact, the car often just digs itself into deeper ruts. So, remember to ask yourself... 'how's that workin' for ya'? If you can be honest with yourself, you can make changes that will really become pivotal to new directions... and maybe even success, whatever you define success to be. So, here's my personal disclaimer. I humbly refer to my company's success as a kind of 'falling upstairs'. There have been many course corrections and there will no doubt be many more to come. A few missteps here and there... all survivable thus far. When I express my strong opinions, it comes from a position of someone who has probably made up with hard work and persistence for anything that we lacked in innate talent. Call it sweat equity. I call it enjoying the journey AND the destination. Stay consciously attuned to where you are succeeding and failing... enjoy the ride... and all the best. Do Not Call Registry This is a public service blog message. By Paul Tomori Wednesday, October 01, 2008 at 08:31:57 (EDT) When the government has to step in to create a Do Not Call registry to stop tele-marketing, that should inform tele-marketers that their efforts fall on deaf ears, wouldn't you say? I guess all the years of hang-ups and profanities didn't quite do the trick! Here's the link to the Canadian Do Not Call Registry: http://www.LNNTE-DNCL.gc.ca And for good measure, let's throw in the American Do Not Call Registry too: https://www.donotcall.gov/ You are empowered! Getting Sold Four Times In One Purchase At The Local Big Box By Paul Tomori Monday, September 29, 2008 at 14:32:26 (EDT) It's not enough these days to surrender copious portions of one's paycheck to the big box stores where most of us flock for our gadgets, kitchen appliances and leather sofas - we get upsold repeatedly during the process. First, there is the initial purchase. Let's say it's a new upright freezer. You have researched the best model for you, you have trekked to several different stores, and now you are ready to lay down your hard-earned cash for the item. You think you have nailed down the best price for the best upright freezer. This is where the upselling begins. You are offered an extended warranty (a second purchase) for 'peace of mind' on the freezer. When you buy extended warranties, it is like buying an insurance policy in addition to your product purchase. The extended warranty is almost pure gravy for the retailer. That's why they push it strongly and even offer employee incentives to get people to buy the warranties. Then, if you elect to take advantage of one of those no-money-down-no-payments-for-a-year purchase plans, you end up making a 3rd. purchase of some sort of administrative service so that the retailer will process your financing application. This fee generally ranges from $30 - $100. Call me crazy but $100 to fill out some paperwork?? Especially in light of the fact that the paperwork allows the retailer to close a sale? That's nuts! The fourth purchase comes later, but still bears a hefty cost. It comes if you decide to let the financing plan kick in after a year by not paying down your deferred purchase cost. In essence, you just bought yourself some money... and it usually ain't cheap. Generally, the interest is retroactive to the date of purchase too and this adds tremendously to your costs. So, welcome to our modern age. We make leveraged purchases using funds we don't have available now for items that will be obsolete by the time we pay them off using more borrowed money in the future. Multiply this by 350 million people and it sounds like grounds for an economic catastrophe - that is unless the government 'borrows' some money of its own to give us a rescue... or as they say in the headlines, a 'bailout package' How about a return to sound economics on a grassroots level? Let's stop being in such a hurry for everything. For instance, my business plans are stretched over many years and I refuse to look for some ticket to overnight success. My preference is to grow my companies from internal funding (i.e. growth through profits, not loans) and all purchases are made with care for the long-term costs. We have no debt to speak of and while other companies take debt ladders to quicker success, they are also make themselves vulnerable to slippery snakes (i.e. unmanageable debt) that will drop them out of the game sooner than they knew what hit them. As a rule, I always decline extended warranties and I figure that I have saved thousands of dollars with this stance. Generally, if a product lasts for a year (which is covered by most built-in warranties), it is going to keep lasting for a few more years. After that, it will probably be obsolete anyway. With all the money I have saved, if something actually does go wrong with a product I have purchased, I will be able to finance my own repairs. In this sense, I become my own insurance company against product problems. As for those financing plans, they're great if you can get them without paying that insane administration fee (just ask - they often will lower your product purchase price in order to cover the admin fee at no extra cost to you), and absolutely for certain, never miss that anniversary of your purchase to pay down the FULL amount of your debt. This will allow you to avoid all the hefty interest charges, you'd otherwise pay. In my business, with over 30 computers on our balance sheet plus a well-furnished office, a logical approach to our purchases gives us lots of headroom to grow... on our terms... and on our own funding. That's my 2.5 cents. I hope you have enjoyed this little rant. Niagara Portal Websites Done and Under Development progress update By Paul Tomori Friday, September 26, 2008 at 17:24:32 (EDT) Just thought I would share some of our progress in developing the most comprehensive network of Niagara travel information sites on the net. In recent years, we have secured rights to several important domain assets, some of which we have developed into full blown websites and some of which are under development. We provide this work on behalf of several related companies to ACTION Corporation. In some cases, the sites listed below are reflective of subsidiary enterprises and in other cases, the sites reflect independent pursuits by related companies to ours. Below is where we are at: NiagaraBB.com - Our exclusive B&B Association for Niagara. NiagaraFallsHotels.travel - A membership of participating Hotels in Niagara using the GuestServe Reservations platform NiagaraFallsRestaurants.com - Yes, even restaurants are taking online reservations these days! WineriesOfNiagara.com - A directory of Wineries in Niagara CottagesOfNiagara.com - Following suit to our B&B Association, we also created an association of Cottages NiagaraFallsForYou.com (registered trademark) is our comprehensive Niagara Falls portal And here's a sampling of sites we have under development: Niagara.travel - comprehensive tourist information for all of Niagara LundysLane.travel - a website we are building for the Lundys Lane BIA to replace their antiquated site NiagaraOnTheLakeBB.com - currently in draft format as a way to showcase premium B&B operators in Niagara If you would like to participate in any of these sites, please do not hesitate to contact us. Google Launches Its Own Cell Phone By Paul Tomori Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 20:36:17 (EDT) Google G1 Cell Phone In case you haven't heard, the mighty Google has finally released its long anticipated cell phone, the G1, a phone that, like Apple Inc.'s iPhone, has a large touch screen, but also has a trackball like the Blackberry's pearl. It also has a slide-out keyboard and easy access to Google's e-mail and mapping programs. And I was thinking about turning in my Blackberry for the iPhone. I think I'll wait. Looks like this bad boy is only available in the US to start (typical!), but Canada doesn't usually take much longer to follow. We shall see! The Best Mulligatawny Soup In The World Nothing Beats Quality In The Long Run By Paul Tomori Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 17:18:13 (EDT) I LOVE East Indian food. When I was a wee boy, my dear mother took me home to the family farm in Dalkeith Scotland every other year or so until I was about 15. How I loved those trips to the old country! My Grandad would make eggs in a cup each day for breakfast from the freshest possible eggs that I myself had collected from the henhouse just 10 paces from the front door of the farmhouse. He would then collect a box of veggies from a heavily guarded garden (i.e. he kept some shotguns behind the curtains of the window that overlooked the yard to make examples of any encroaching blackbirds) and he would start on the day's soup. We were all well-fed and never worried about pesticides or pollution caused by delivery trucks. Self-sufficiency was integral to the whole experience. Purity was a given. In the afternoons, my Granny Etta would begin to fuss over preparations for the evening meal. I remember her wrapping herself in a white apron and insistently tenderizing some meat for a stew. The wonderful sauces she came up with made me long for them forever once we returned home to Canada. And, I will never forget the loud burst of laughter when I announced to my very Canadian father that I wanted him to make me some "Scottish food... you know: CURRY!" The politics of colonialism was very lost on my youthful understanding of the world. What I didn't know was that my relatives had all spent many years running tea plantations in India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and that they had come to co-mingle the culinary styles of two very diverse cultures on their return to the UK. All I knew was: "damn that curry stuff is good!" In recent years, my wife won me over (in part) by her exceptional talents in the kitchen. When she promised me that she made the best Mulligatawny Soup in the world, I was dubious of the claim. However, when I had my first taste, I was floored. It really was better and easily as authentic-tasting as any that I had tasted in my world travels. I should not have doubted her own "Scottish" roots. One could easily see her soup canned and sold in droves from Zehrs stores across the country, though it might compromise the purity of the experience. Nothing compares to fresh cut coriander dropped in at the last minute just before serving. At the end of the day, nothing at all compares with quality, whether you're talking soup, a great song, an inspiring book or a software application that makes your business hum. In the long run, all the fluff and boastful assertions of some company or supplier will wither in the face of quality. Which is why it is 100% pointless and utterly fruitless to pursue some sort of magic bullet for success. Do you want sustained revenues for your business? Do you want a solid base on which to grow? Slow down. Embrace the constraint of high quality. Then make its pursuit your unrelenting action plan. The big MAC Attack look who's entering the enterprise... By Paul Tomori Tuesday, September 09, 2008 at 21:30:17 (EDT) For years, I scoffed at Mac users. I was devoutly PC. I guess I loved endless system crashes, insidious viruses, hardware integration nightmares and other fun experiences that PC users get to enjoy. I broke down at the urging of a good friend who raved about Macs enough to get me to splurge. I reasoned that we needed a Mac to properly test our software out on even though we would be developing just on the PC environment. Now, I take my beloved MacBook Pro wherever I go. And I have an iMAC perched in the center of my desk. I still have a lot of PC software on which I am dependent, but I can now envision the day where my office will work on Macs and test on PCs. The tables can truly turn. Looks like we are not alone! Here's a quote on today's newswire at: http://www.itworldcanada.com/a/Daily-News/1833e151-8491-4c96-831c-c13b8307b9fd.html "What’s changed accordingly is the market share that Macs hold in the enterprise, rising to eight per cent from approximately four, according to Vince Londini, research analyst with London, Ont.-based Info-Tech Group Ltd." The ACTION Incubator Some Insight On Our R&D Process By Paul Tomori Monday, September 08, 2008 at 12:09:05 (EDT) It's that time of year AGAIN. About half of our clientbase is in the Tourism Sector... and when their High Season trails off, ours gets a break too. That gives us a few months to be reflective and to indulge some new applications. We call this our "Incubation Period". Our main software applications will get a few tweaks here and there in response to client requests over the last few months, but primarily, we shall be working from the drawing board to introduce completely new applications. What better way to keep our programmers happy... and new clients rolling up over the horizon. Particularly, it gives us a chance to put some focus on projects that in recent months have been relegated to that most elusive of animals: spare time. From our incubator in the past emerged some of our best-loved programs including Ripplemail, Merlin Metrics and ESyndicater (our RSS Delivery Tool). It is our incubation process that has traditionally given us our edge over the competition, though of course, that has just been a happy by-product and not our primary objective. So, what eggs are warming in the incubator this season? 1. Content Management System We have a content management system that is going to ROCK. Others have done this before, but we are taking it all to the next level... and we have a good 4 or 5 months to focus on this. We are sure this will stir up a large number of new client prospects who are sick of waiting for their webmasters to get an update done that was requested 3 weeks ago. We look forward to winning a large number of new clients for our already extensive roster. And, the best part about supplying such a valuable service will be that we can cross-sell from our existing product line... win a client over with a great new product and they will generally love so many other things that we do. Our CMS is going to be a massive project and we are dedicating significant resources to it. We are confident it will pave the way particularly for our GuestServe spin-off reservation platform. Exciting! 2. Collaboration By Web This one is top-secret. We have committed the next 6 months to the development of a state-of-the-art collaboration tool that, like the rest of our applications, will allow folks to use all of the benefits of the web to collaborate on a wide range of projects. More on this in the Spring of '09 3. News Management System We have received some interest in providing news management systems and we have mapped out our development plan. This project will also bring a new software application to our reservation clients who are looking for new SEO opportunities. You can't embrace new SEO implementations without addressing the development of a current information source. We plan to take this a few steps further than traditional blogging or press releases. Stay tuned. Our programmers are busy. So, there you have it. Incubation begins. Innovation happens. In January/February we intend to research some new target markets and will be in hot pursuit of prospects by March... just in time for the next big season in the hospitality industry.... and just in time to continue to diversify the other half of our client roster outside of hospitality with some of our great new inventions. Chrome A Shiny New Product From The Company That Just Gets It By Paul Tomori Tuesday, September 02, 2008 at 06:18:03 (EDT) "Under the hood, we were able to build the foundation of a browser that runs today's complex web applications much better . By keeping each tab in an isolated "sandbox", we were able to prevent one tab from crashing another and provide improved protection from rogue sites. We improved speed and responsiveness across the board. We also built V8, a more powerful JavaScript engine, to power the next generation of web applications that aren't even possible in today's browsers. - The Google Chrome Development Team" Google announced yesterday (Labour Day) the release of a new web browser (Chrome) designed to complete the paradigm shift for people who think that Microsoft is still the King (word to the wise: Microsoft has relegated itself to Court Jester). Google's magical search engine, which arrived on the internet scene over 10 years ago in all its stark beauty, now has a shiny new delivery. I know that one should never under-estimate a company like Microsoft with a bankroll bigger than some countries' net worth, but hell, they can't seem to get anything right these days. Ironically, the antitrust decision against them (which I believed to be unfair), perhaps dented more than their armour. With countless security holes, products that get worse and less intuitive (i.e. has anyone actually enjoyed using the new Word?), a new operating system that freezes computers, and a leader who has now retired in order to give his money away, Microsoft worshippers make me laugh. Did I mention that Google's new browser is open-source? Web-based software development just got a shot of adrenalin (and hopefully an innoculation against browser-based viruses). And, I must say that it feels good to have several more of my business decisions in recent years validated by Google's step toward re-defining computing away from the "computer on every desktop". Instead, we are heading to a computer in the "clouds" that everyone taps into from the desktop AND the subway AND even the Mojave Desert! My company's whole business model centers around cloud computing and the notion that software should NOT be something you install on your computer - rather, it should be something you simply login to on a subscription basis. I am going to hold my breath for the release of Chrome for the Mac as I strongly believe it won't take long for Google to do up a Mac-version of their browser... if they know what's good for them... (and I think it is indisputable that they do!). "Today, what we use the web most for on a day-to-day basis aren't just webpages, they're applications. - Brian Rakowski, Product Manager, Google Chrome" Virtual Staffing - Thinking Green our introductory blog entry By Paul Tomori Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 13:32:03 (EDT) Welcome to the ACTION Corporation web log (blog!) called: Louder Than Words. We will make frequent entries to our blog to express our views on the current state of affairs in the website industry, the occasional political item, some general business stuff, an infrequent rant too (just if we feel like it!) and perhaps we'll just express an opinion on something we think strongly about. Some will be short "micro-blogs" like what you might see on twitter. Some will be longer "essay-type" entries. We hope you enjoy it. Our introductory blog is about tele-commuting. Read on. “Work is something you do, not something you travel to.” Such is the slogan of the telecommuting evangelists. It is also the echoed sentiment of environmentalists who observe the unnecessary highway congestion and yellow smog-filled horizon surrounding our cities. As someone who is deeply entrenched in the internet business, I am aware that our industry is one that can make an easier transition to a telecommuting workforce. However, many other professions can take advantage. Look at all of your “information services”. Accountants, book keepers, writers, graphic designers, architects, consultants and lawyers all easily qualify. In cases where “face time” is required, try having them venture into the office one or two half-days per week to have direct meetings with clients or colleagues. If you are an entrepreneur or run a virtual company, the absence of an office will make telecommuting a necessity. Such people and their staff can often be seen negotiating big business affairs over a Grande low-fat, no-whip, white chocolate Café Mocha at the local Starbucks. I know of entire companies, with multiple people on staff, who do not have a central office. In fact, the staff are mostly contractors who aren’t even local enough to make having an office a necessity. In other cases, companies pull together small teams of experts just to complete a short-term project. These people are working what are called: “micro-jobs”. These are short-term assignments performed serially for different companies who may even be in different time zones. If you are an employer, there is no reason why you cannot enjoy the expertise of someone across the country or around the globe. If you are a worker, do not limit your job prospects to the local job scene. Develop a skill set and expertise, then peddle your services globally. There are simple tools available for enabling telecommuting. For tracking time, use web-based “virtual punchclocks” For communications by phone, use internet phone technology known as “Voice Over IP” (VOIP for short) and assign one of your office numbers to ring over to an employee’s home line all through a web-based call routing manager. Just keep your primary business phone number on a landline in the rare case that the internet at your primary location goes down For project management, use web-based project tools Indeed, there are some challenges with telecommuting. Workplaces that require tight team focus or a steady flow of client meetings may only be able to assign part of the workforce to telecommuting. In other cases, workers may not want to be working from home for fear of isolation from the team and reduced opportunities for advancement. Managers may fear a misalignment of work schedules, abuse of worker freedom and other challenges. However, these fears are a consequence of old thinking. To prevent isolation have a regular staff lunch day and invite all remote staff in to feel connected. As a manager, adapt your management style to focus on results without excessive scrutiny on worker habits. Is your home-based employee still sleeping at 11:00 a.m.? But, did they get today’s job done already at 3:00 a.m.? That’s all that matters. It is not the employers’ responsibility to scold night owls who prefer the quiet solitude of working during the wee hours. Let your employee decide when they are most productive. If their results are timely and accurate, then the process is working. When you hire someone from the other side of the globe, the standard 9 to 5 work lines are going to be blurred anyway. Why not extend those blurred lines to your own local staff? To avoid problems related to having to retract a failed telecommuting arrangement, always start with a trial period after which both parties can assess the effectiveness of the situation. On a grander scale telecommuting is contributing to the decentralization of our workforce. Big city stresses and stifling population densities are finding relief in the fact that telecommuters do not need to physically be anywhere near the big cities. For example, think of McDonalds’ radical remote drive thru concept. Some restaurants have outsourced their drive thru order taking to a distant call center in North Dakota. The customer placing an order at a drive thru in sunny Los Angeles could very well be greeted by professional order-taker with a mid-Western accent who just arrived at work through snow and ice. Whatever your business or career, if telecommuting is a possibility, then the benefits are more than simply higher productivity and worker contentment. You may even reduce your “carbon footprint” by converting a tiresome “daily commute” into an invigorating daily “tele-commute”. That alone is reason enough to consider the option. Give it a try.