The Rely Blog

Reading an older report from Millward Brown “Marketer New Business”. I suspect the reasoning still rings true today:

Our desire to focus on best-in-class specialists

Lagging business results

Creative failed to perform as expected

Agency's need to upgrade capabilities 

Creative differences

A lack of/eroding team chemistry 

Poor service

Agency's poor time management/inability to deliver on time 

Agency's lack of/eroding cost efficiency 

Agency's lack of desire to facilitate integration 

Two more I thought were interesting and ranked 11 and 12

A lack of/eroding integrity and trust 

A lack of/eroding respect 

At one point in the past I worked for an agency that outsourced most of it's production outside of the U.S., tried to hide it, and the lack of integrity/trust was palpable working there. They also couldn't of cared less about respecting their clients.

It's cliche and can be construed as cute, but I truly believe in lasting relationships and owning your client's deliverables. It's much easier to market for them, if you treat the product or service you're marketing as your own.

Respect your clients, their goals, and build an ultimate relationship where all parties trust each other implicitly.

If you don't have that, Contact Us. 

=D

http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/06/28

Well done Paramount with the quick Blu-Ray release

In 2008 = a re-imagining In 2013 = a re-telling In 2016 = Please make a new classic/story!

The first 2 were fantastic in my opinion, and I'm ready for that "New Instant Classic" with the 3rd.

Blu-Ray bonus clip - http://movies.yahoo.com/star-trek/?vp=1

Star Trek Into Darkness comes out September 10th (which means it will hit the hacker scene late August)

Knownhost

http://www.knownhost.com/

Quality Managed VPS Hosting at a fair price!

NOTABLE PROS:

Data center locations spread out across the US

Fast and Easy setup w/ any control panel (you don't have to be a Windows/Linux server admin to get your software up and on the web)

Quick, friendly, and easy support. They focus on actually helping you instead of focusing on should they help you.

Easy to understand product line information

NOTABLE CON:

$5-10/mth upsell for different control panel inclusions

Nexcess

http://www.nexcess.net/

Magento shared hosting (they offer other services, but only use them for quality and affordable Shared Hosting for Magento)

NOTABLE PROS:

High Memory allocations (good for Magento)

Although it's shared hosting you can do a lot of the things you would be able to with dedicated through their control panel (manage DNS for instance)

Their shared packages usually come with a bunch of extras to make up for the prices

Good support, they will usually fix an issue the first time (unlike other shared hosting companies - ahem cough GoDaddy - whom like to go round and round in circles insisting any issue is your problem, not theirs)

NOTABLE CONS:

A little pricey for shared hosting

Support can be a tad slow

I wanted to talk about both these hosts mainly because a company that takes care of its customers deserves to be talked about. Knownhost support usually will fix an issue right away (withing minutes) of opening a trouble ticket. Nexcess support is a tad slower after you open a ticket, but if you hop on the phone (any time of the day, 24/7) they'll stay on the line until they've helped resolve your call.

This is rare in the Godaddy era of slow ticket response, and finger pointing.

I've never used Nexcess for anything other than shared Magento hosting, they do offer other things, but I will usually suggest Knownhost for everything else.

By now we all have seen this image (old yahoo search vs. new yahoo search designs).

I took is 1 step further and compared the big three with a more entertaining search... "star trek"

The results? Yahoo's new search engine looks a bit like the Google search a few years back (minus the left had nav).

With Microsoft Bing powering results, Yahoo did go in and make some modifications "under the hood". It's definitely cleaner than Bing's results. You can also see a different mechanic in play vs. Bing (i.e. movie reviews are clearly pulling from movies.yahoo.com information as opposed to whatever Bing is pulling from).

The simple 1 column for results layout in a smaller width is also pleasing to the eyes, and I like the order at which Yahoo returned results (the newest movie, reviews and theater locations, News about Star Trek, The star trek homepage, and then the cast (from movies.yahoo.com).

Minus the Bing/Facebook integration (which could be cool, but not in the way Bing did it), Yahoo is definitely a cleaner (possibly better?) alternative to Bing.

Vs. Google?

Let's be honest, the new Yahoo search is taking queues from Google (old and latest versions). The movie info and showtimes both the top results. The paid ads on the right, classic Google search. Homepage of Star Trek both in top 3 results... 

Yahoo new search also lacks quick search filtering. I use this religiously on Google (especially images/maps) since its inception into the first result set UI. To be fair, there is a time filter on the left, and sprocket on the top right to get into more advanced search criteria. Since filtering by date is the most common filter option, this may be enough for most.

Bottom line: Yahoo took a step in the right direction. I don't understand why they're still using Bing if they have to make so many customization, but that's another post. Yahoo search is better than Bing (just yesterday Google was 'upsetting' me, so I switched to Yahoo search and was pleased). 

Is it enough to gain market over google? No, over Bing... absolutely - and by all means!

=D

I thought posted an alphabetically sorted list for people to download and use would be helpful for any email marketing campaigns.

The use of this file, spam assassin, and your brain should be enough to get past those pesky filters.

LINK: Rely Interactive CSV file(spammywords.csv) of - "The Ultimate List of Email SPAM Trigger Word"

Original blog post (a bit old): Hubspot - The Ultimate List of Email SPAM Trigger Words

This Microsoft Windows 8.1 preview video shows you everything you could care a less about as a Windows 8 user and nothing you want to see (like the start button functionality). This is not the Windows 8 start button preview we all wanted.

As office 365 integrators, we have to deal with this new operating system frequently.

Let me start by saying that Jensen Harris and his team created a new and interesting interface. I think tiling is being used in design across web and mobile platforms everywhere right now. Simplifying design with text over iconography or buttons works well in some instances. I not only like some of the design in Windows 8, I full on love it! (Metro baby!)

Microsoft re-designed a platform that no one asked them to re-designed. They messed up big time! I think we all understand why (to bring Windows into a "mobile" world) - the word mobile isn't meant as a device, but more the on-the-go meaning.

As a Windows XP, and Windows 7 fan boy, I watched this video stricly to find out how Win8 would re-introduced the start button. I was disappointed upon conclusion, and it only frustrated me into writing this blog posting.  A post long in the making.

Begin...

Microsoft is on an every other operating system is good - path. Windows ME, Windows Vista, and now Windows 8 all were abysmal failures. But Windows 8 is a unique failure. In a retail vertical that has seen pc sales sliding gradually for years now, Windows 8 has escalated this decline like an older brother pushing a younger brother faster down a snowy, slippery slope.

This is occurring in a time where no one asked for the type of changes we were given. Microsoft should of focused on keeping what was good in Windows 7, but instead their primary focus was on reinventing Windows all together. 

The same world Microsoft created, is the world they are now pushing into extinction with Windows 8.

Asking why I'm so gloomy? A little harsh am I?

Consider a few more arguments: 

Google Chrome book - Microsoft created a one size fits all OS that doesn't fit anyone on a desktop. It's the same reason Chromebooks aren't flying off the shelf. Laptop, desktop, and even some tablet users (pre-apple) were used to how they interact with client/server software in a pre-Windows 8 environment. They understand it is vastly different than the new world they live in for phones and tablets. Baby steps are necessary to move their desktop experience into this "new norm"

Windows 7 introduced <start> and Type - And Windows 8 killed it. One of the best features in Windows 7 can no longer be used... now  you have to swipe, or move your mouse to the top corner. the point? This is a random win7 feature I love to illustrate Windows 8 killing so many great win7 features.

Window 8 power down... tell me again why restarting your computer is behind a settings button?

There is a convergence of user models out there. What you can get on your phone, can now be on your tablet and your PC. The problem for Microsoft is they make horrible Phone software (thus no phone userbase), their tablets (the one place Windows 8 excels) are only affordable to Bill Gates himself, and they just pissed off their bread and butter - the Windows users...

The bottom line? Microsoft is LOST!

For every one step in the right direction, there are 3 in the wrong! 

While Harris made a beautiful environment, and tried to unite user models onto one platform, he's probably the first to blaim. Microsoft needs to understand that they're not holding all the cards anymore, They can't make people love them like they could 10 years ago.