I now have the Nexus 1 Google phone and I think …

… I’m going to talk about it.

Click here for some bigger pics.

Firstly here’s a quick prediction – Web Access Will Not Focus Around the Computer.

Let me qualify that.

It’s been a long time since an action has dictated how technology is being designed. I mean take TV. Since it’s conception the overall design has never changed.  It has got bigger, better, smarter but we still use it in the same manner that it has dictated since conception.
Even the telephone has not really changed (until now, but hold on).  Yes it went mobile in the 80’s but all we really did was answer calls whilst walking around instead of being tied to the wall.

Computing has never really changed either.  We still are chained to the wall to access the hard drive and/or the web.

Until now.

2 years ago the iPhone gave the the first glimpse of mobile computing, in the true sense. Yes we could go on the web via a standard Nokia, but it was avery much stripped down version.

However, why did Apple go to all that trouble to design such an item? Answer:  Social Media and the Social Web.

The very fact that more and more people use mobile devices to communicate via the web gave rise to this form of design change. Moreover, has and is giving rise to the method that consumers search for “stuff”.

As business people this is massive. Tangent: How do we get into these streams and “pipe the flow”?*

So we have mobile computing devices that are being designed around facebook, twitter, forums, social networks etc etc. I think this is fundamental.

Technology is being designed around the groundswell of a community and it’s desires which, in turn, is giving back the “portals” that we need to use the web.

So:
1. The traditional computer that we have been “chained to” is now not 100% needed to access the web and/or work/recreational activities.
2. The way we communicate has changed:  no longer are we “chained to” a traditional phone work/recreational activities.
3. The way we consume media has changed:  no longer are we “chained to” the TV and/or radio work/recreational activities.
All of which has been induced by the use of the “free” web and it’s various social app’s. Therefore, technology is at last, changing to suit the action not dictating the action.

So back onto the devices themselves – who’s in the running?
1. iPhone.
2. Android.
3. Blackberry.
4. Palm
5. All the others.

Firstly lets get rid of the ones I think don’t “cut the mustard” – at the moment.

Palm – it’s rubbish, ineffective, out dated and immediately out-gunned.

Nokia, what used to be (and still is a fantastic stand alone phone) now is floundering, it’s software is really “buggy” and irritating. All the others: Other than BB, iPhone and Android 2.0 (Hero or Nexus 1) they have genius in small doses but are inferior to the former – and as this is not meant to be a complete phone review I’m going to leave them.

The trouble with BB (Blackberry) IMHO is, on one hand it’s great for e-mail, but on the other,  it really lacks any punch for media, especially the social variety. It may have a camera and video capability but after you have shot it, it’s quite difficult to share it.

iPhone is great, very svelte, very useable, media friendly, brand aware, gorgeous – and flawed in the battery department, running multi app’s and being tethered to the mobile me cloud.

Android (Nexus 1) very svelte, very useable, media friendly, brand aware, gorgeous (maybe not as much as the iPhone) but infinitely better in the battery dept, not tied to a closed cloud but an open one where you can share with collaborators, friends, colleagues etc. (and a much better processor and screen resolution)

The difference between them is minimal to most users – but to hard-core SM, SB, SM users the Nexus 1 comes out on top.

I run both.  Being a geek I would, but the Nexus 1 is the one I use all the time and bearing in mind the volume of “stuff” that I put on the web the reason should be clear.

Don’t shoot the messenger!   I love Mac products – I have a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and a Mac Pro (G4) with x2 30” HD monitors so no one can accuse me of going against Apple or the iPhone.   It’s a brilliant product/device that history will have down as the first one that delivered this change. However – right here right now – Google Android Nexus 1 is better.

BUT I have always believed in function over fashion (of which the paradox is creating fashion as the by-product) and the Android has the legs – one of the reasons for this is that the OS can be used on anything not just Googles product.

Bill Gates once said he wants to put a Windows powered PC on every desk – Google is saying it wants to put Android OS power in everything!!! This is something that Apple cannot do, as it’s controlled.

So my original prediction “Web Access Will Not Focus Around the Computer” is quite predictable – just make your decision wisely as you will be trading with these devices soon, and the last thing you want is the battery to run out or limit your needs.

Conclusion: The web is now mobile, we are no longer tied to a desktop and the playing field is now level. Our next Consumer and Client use the web in a very different manner, they are searching for us in a very different manner, and the manner of their use is not 9-5.

Footnotes:

Apple are releasing their new iPhone 4 in June and you can get the Nexus 1 via Vodafone in March.

P.S You know you can get self winding watches that work off you moving,
well a little birdie has told me this function may be coming to phones
- self charging phones, how novel.

* engage with the web via the social networks available on your mobile device.

Next training event - “How to implement a Social Media Strategy for your business” – click here -
Next networking event - “Business blogging mistakes and how to avoid them” – click here -

Regards
N

   Nick Tadd is a web brand auditor, strategist, thought provoker, communicator and connector.
   socialmediagraffiti.com
 

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If you have got this far, then I consider that I have done well. Thank you for bearing with me. I hope all will become clear.

I’ve started my blog like this today to help illustrate an important point about being involved in, and leveraging, the social web.

When you click on someone’s profile only to find they have never visited it themselves (i.e. never contributed anything to the network, never up-dated it), you are left with the same feeling that you got when you clicked on this blog. A somewhat negative reaction. "Why did I bother to look? There’s nothing here for me".

This leads me nicely into my second blog in a series I am writing about social media misconceptions.

When conversing with people off-line about social media, one of the most common things I hear is: "Oh yes, I use social media. I’ve set up profiles on all the main sites and platforms".

However, on closer examination, it transpires that they have never engaged with that community or network. They rarely, if ever, tweet, blog, converse, engage, up-date … show up.

In my opinion, having static profiles is more damaging to your business than not having a profile at all.

Let me explain by using the analogy of a shop.

Social media engagement is not about selling or marketing. It is about relationship building: Giving people the chance to get to know you and trust you and then reaching their own conclusion that your product or service is right for them.

Your profiles are not your shops front for your business, service, or product. They are the shop windows for YOU. They should endeavour to be the "human face" of your business.

First of all, you want to make your profile attractive, interesting, different, and compelling to encourage people to come into your shop i.e. be interested in getting to find out more about you, start up a conversation with you, get to know you. This is where personal branding comes in, but that is another blog entirely!

Along with an attractive shop front that helps you stand out from the crowd, the most important element of your profile is fresh, juicy, organic, nutritious produce. And by that I mean fresh, compelling, valuable content. I believe that content is king on the social web and the more fresh and juicy yours is, the more relevant you are, and the more people will stop by your shop. Some will even come by every day to find out what your latest offering is, a bit like popping by a baker’s to pick up a fresh loaf warm from the oven! (This is where "niche" starts to become a distinct advantage, but that again is a separate issue to be addressed in another blog …).

So, look at it like this:

An untended twitter account where the owner rarely or sporadically tweets is like a shop that only sells tinned goods. There is no fresh produce (content) on the shelves, and people soon learn that there’s not much reason to visit your account as there’s nothing fresh, new, or engaging on offer. Meanwhile, your competitor down the road has a whole window of fresh produce on display.

A blog that is left languishing for weeks with no new up-dates is the same as a shop where the shelves are virtually empty and there’s dust in the front window display. Your competitors shelves are stocked to the brim with the latest offering displayed prominently.

An ecademy profile where the owner has never engaged, never blogged, never joined in is like a small shop with irregular opening hours located in the backwater of a town and it is questionable whether it is even still trading. Meanwhile the high street (community) is buzzing!

In all of these cases, passers by will …. pass you by. There is no reason for them to come through your doors, no reason to strike up a conversation with you. (And remember, almost everything in business starts with a conversation, so the more you have, the more business will flow to you … ).

Conversely, those people/businesses that use social media as another marketing channel and continually broadcast a one-way marketing message are equally ineffectual. (This includes people who blog and tweet and never come back to converse or answer questions or comments). They are the equivalent of a shop keeper who stands outside his shop with a megaphone shouting at the top of his/her voice. Or a shop keeper who thrusts a leaflet into the hand of every person who passes without a friendly "hello" first. In these instances, people will literally give you a wide berth as this is tantamount to spam. They will quickly decide that your shop is one to be avoided and they will actually cross to the other side of the virtual street to avoid you. (Unfollow you or ignore you).

So, when commiting to become part of the social web, be just that, social.

Be like the shop keeper who stands outside his shop, passing the time of day with visitors, chatting with the local community, seeing where he can help, letting them know that he has some lovely fresh nutritious produce in stock today. And if you don’t have in stock exactly what the person needs, but you know that Mr. Arkwright three doors down does, then send them his way with a smile. (Advocacy).

Being consistent and providing fresh, organic, relevant content is one of the key elements of successful social media engagement IMHO.

So, set out your opening hours, provide fresh, compelling, engaging, and valuable content daily, converse, engage … and be social. You will find that a lot of people beat a path to your shop door to see what’s fresh in today …. then they will start to bring their friends.

If you have got value from my fresh produce today, please do me the kind honour of clicking on these links below if they are of interest:

LAST CALL for my property/social media networking event taking place in Guildford this Wednesday, 27th January. Click >>>> here for full details and to register.

I also have a few places left on my "How to implement a social media strategy for your business" training day is on Saturday the 6th February in Guildford. For £80 for the day including lunch, you get to spend the day with me learning how to leverage the social web to enhance your business exposure. You are cordially invited to click >>> here for further details.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you will be back soon as my shelves are up-dated daily!

Regards N
  
socialmediagraffiti.com