Archive for July, 2006

If Time Warner continues down the path of ad-supported services, there could be a major impact to those sending and receiving AOL email. The ads that are inserted within emails will almost surely cause SPAM filters to begin to trigger based on the sponsored content at the bottom of the messages without modifications to some of the bigger filtering tools such as Spamassasin and others. And this will open a can of worms as spammers will quickly figure out how to “imitate” AOL sponsored links.

AOL’s subscriber loss this year reflects that more e-mail subscribers are switching to other e-mail services anyway, but it still represents billions of messages.

If my in-box is any indication, typical AOL senders’ subjects will further kill their delivery once combined with in-message ads. Subjects like “website” or “site” or “need help” are visible on ONE PAGE of my Outlook in-box, all from three different AOL users. With Spam filters these messages will probably never make it through once ad insertion starts. Better start using good subjects now, folks.

Jeez. I don’t normally post stuff like this, but I definitely need to take the rest of the day off and listen to some old Floyd…

LONDON (Reuters) - Syd Barrett, the troubled founding member of Pink Floyd, has died aged 60, after living the life of a recluse for the last 30 years. “The band are naturally very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett’s death,” Pink Floyd said in a statement on Tuesday. “Syd was the guiding light of the early band line-up and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire.” http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13814051/

Could someone help me understand the following habit at big box retailers?

1. I buy item x.
2. Item x is defective, I find, after I’ve returned home.
3. I return item x, with my receipt, expecting an exchange (a trade)
4. (item x is still tag-attached, brand new, never used)
5. Merchant requires me to fill in a form.
6. Merchant requires me to have the credit card used to buy the item.
7. Merchant never, ever appologizes for the trouble

Let’s examine the scenario a little deeper.

a) you have a paying customer at your store (marketing paid off)
b) the customer has bought something (a conversion was made)
c) you, or your manufacturer, have put that customer in a difficult position
d) they must now return to the store with the product. Gasoline $2.94/gallon.
e) they must display their receipt.
f) they must FILL OUT A FORM.
g) they must withstand your “we don’t have to do this” treatment.

It’s a TRADE. It’s the SAME PRODUCT. The one I brought back was NEW. I had my receipt. YES, I do deserve to be treated differently than the box-opened, no receipt returns of items with spilled coffee on them.

Am I missing something?

If the customer has a defective product, merchants should be appologizing, offering up $20 off coupons for the trouble or at least saying “Mr. Clark, we are really sorry we inconvenienced you with this.” They should remember that it’s far harder to get a new customer than to keep a current one. And they certainly shouldn’t make you fill in a form unless there is some specific security threat perceived.

And to top it off, you shouldn’t treat a customer as if THEY did something wrong by receiving a defective product from YOUR store. I am not a thief. I am not gaming your system, and I am not going to stand for it.

Another thing, COMPUSA. I only bought this product because I needed it TODAY and couldn’t wait for Amazon to send it to me. So, I pop out of ecommerce serenity to buy a product in a bricks and mortar store, and this is what I get. Do you realize how easy it is to click from site to site? Do you think I’ll shop at compusa.com?

I should have demanded a refund, and walked out empty handed. I miss the choices of larger cities when it comes to computer stores. I wish Fry’s would open something here in Lexington - we need the competition!

I found this video to be one of the best explanations of a confusing topic for small businesses that I’ve yet seen. Sometimes it’s better to show it with metaphors, and this video makes great use of them. Enjoy

I had the pleasure of visiting Gaithrsburg, MD Thursday, and got the chance to walk down the “streets” of Washingtonian Center, one of the nicest mall concepts I’ve ever seen. The entire thing is set up like a small town. You have streetlamps, park benches, sidewalk cafes, and storefronts. But behind this inviting setup are full featured stores such as Target, Kohls and more. I was halfway down the street before I realized it… I’m in a mall! There were lots of people around, and my companion said the stores are doing really well.


It was more than pedestrian friendly - just being there was worth a trip to the place. A man made lake faced some of the restaurants and a sidewalk filled with families, children and teenagers walking, taking pictures, watching the waterfowl. Looking from the outside, sure, the big box retailers look the same, but the human part was concentrated on the interior - the walking space. It simply felt great to shop there.

As I flew back from the trip, our jet went over Hamburg shopping center. I thought about the huge sea of concerete - the lines of cars - the waits with turn signals flashing to just go from store to store. Tell me Lexington - what is so bad about parking garages? Why is it that we can’t create pedways that feel great to walk through? Heck, if you’re too lazy to walk, how about some streetcars running down the middle.

It’s too late for Hamburg, and it makes me so sad. Think about what could have been. I just hope that efforts for revitalization of Downtown / UK Corridor are more thoughtful, and perhaps folks involved could go visit other places like the thriving Washingtonian Center.