Don't forget to ask for feedback
Yesterday I received a Groupon from Baja Fresh in Manhattan. Why does Baja Fresh need to send out Groupons? Probably because they get mostly tourists and one time visitors and Groupon is a way to drawn in locals. Natives usually don’t go for the chains. I wonder why?
I’ve redeemed a few Groupons in the past. Most of them were for one-off eateries that I found interesting.
I’ve never once received any follow up from the establishments where I’ve redeemed. They already have my email, they know I went in and tried their food/services. Why not ask me what I thought? Ask me if I would come back? Ask for my opinion. If need be, give an incentive.
You’ve already paid Groupon to collect a list of potential customers. Don’t just throw it away, use it to gather feedback. Then implement what would bring back customers and add value.
And yes, I was lazy and didn’t get the Baja Fresh Groupon in time.
It's official: Keywords Meta Tag are ignored by Google
I get a lot of request from clients and prospective clients about how to improve your organic search rankings.
They want to know how to tag their pages - title, description, keywords etc. so they can achieve first page status.
Where here it is from Google on their official webmaster blog, “Google does not use the keywords meta tag in web ranking”
I think Google also discounts the description tag and uses only the title and content.
Basically, don’t worry about how to tag your page, worry about the content.
You should think about keyword placement and clustering, but top priority is fresh, readable, and useful content. Fresh so that Google crawlers and visitors will come back and find something new. Readable and useful because crap won’t be linked.
Can you find a techie at hackers and founders events?
I’ve been to a couple of founder/hacker events. Based on my experiences and what I’ve heard from other attendees, there are too many founders/business people, not enough techies/hackers/developers.
Why is that?
Coders are generally introverts. (Yes, lots of exceptions). But coding is an introvert activity, so generally coders have more introvert tendencies.
I’m not saying techies aren’t socialable, they’re just not the same as the Type A founders usually in attendance. You have to interact with them differently. They don’t just jump into conversations. They require a bit more time to warm up.
Some suggestions:
- Keeping the founder:hacker ratio in check. 3:1? 4:1?
- Founders can/should present so they don’t have to tell their story over and over. Then you can focus on the person you’re talking to.
That being said, I’m looking forward to the next round of @matchupcamp and @hackersfounders events.
I also really like this idea http://www.metamorphblog.com/2010/01/the-nyc-startup-job-fair.html
Why I'll wait for the second generation iPad
I consider myself fairly technical and an early adapter of technologies/gadgets, but most of the time, I wait for the second generation.
iPhone:
EDGE speeds were horrible, apps had issues with OS, no cut and paste, and horrible phone reception resulting in many dropped and missed calls.
The 3Gs version solved those major issues and I’ve been very happy with my iPhone.
iPad:
No camera, this is a no brainer. It’s on the iPhone and iPod Nano, so the integration and software exist.
No stylus support.
No Flash. There are so many Flash based apps/sites.
I can envision a refresh coming around Christmas with a lower price point and camera.
