Real Time Analytics, Urgency and Social Proof – The Monday November 14th Roundup
Quite a week for the roundup, especially with news coming down the line from Adobe that they are canceling flash player for mobile platforms. It just baffles me that they still think that Flash will be a meaningful platform without that. Sure, I guess people could have flash on their main site then none on http://m. but are people going to keep staff with flash skill on hand if it’s not going to play into their mobile strategy? Interesting times…
Other than flash on mobile devices, we have boisterous commentary by Matt Cutts, real time analytics, and new ways to create urgency and social proof on web pages.
Next up, Forum One has 5 benefits of progressive enhancement. For the non-coders out there (aka. people like me) this is the practice of developing in such a way that they progressively scale up/down content and effects based on available technologies (HTML versions, CSS restrictions, etc.). Forum One argues that this produces sites that are: faster to develop, cheaper to maintain, have better design, better search, and are reactive. I have to admit, I don’t really see how this results in better design, search, or reactive design…
Social Media Today writes that complaining is, you know, kinda the point of social media. Well, being social is the point of social media, but we just so love complaining that naturally that becomes a large part of it. That said, the article by emarketer, which they are citing, is a pretty nifty set of data on how infrequently companies are monitoring their social media channels for complains about their products.
Analyze
A strange week for the analyze section. We start with Vandelay Design Blog and their list of options for real time analytics. I don’t know if this is as important as people might assume, as very few people will ever actually need real time analytics data (maybe certain social media people, which explains why so many of them are social media focused).
UX Matters again (am I relying on them too much for the roundup? I’m relying on them too much) with more on user research, specifically how user research can go wrong. You can get the wrong people, ask the wrong questions, and come to the wrong conclusions, but of course none of it is as simple as that (and that’s why this post is nearly four pages long).
Some have compared him to the Dalai Lama, others to Kublai Kahn. When he isn't teaching third world children how to purify water with nothing more than a plastic bottle and a garden hose, he is creating mad waves for surfers off the west coast with little more than a paddle. Some say there is a boat involved, others that he walks on water.
Little is known about his background. he appeared from nowhere 15 years ago and claims heritage from a land with neither want not need. He makes little comment, stating only that it was a pretty cool place.
Fire does not burn him, cold does not hurt him. Words could... but they don't. When he passes, pedals fall off branches. When he speaks, hair tugs at skin, pulling just slightly in his direction.
He does not sleep but he does dream. He has muscled his way into the lives of the famous and whispered his way into their hearts. And in the wee hours he plays oboe softly, as if to sooth the night to sleep.