Bernardo Hernandez en FICOD: cambio, innovación y tecnología

Principales ideas de la charla de Bernardo Hernandez en FICOD, sobre cambio, innovación y tecnología (casi a tiempo real)

1. "Change is overrated". Ha habido grandes cambios tecnológicos a lo largo de la historia
   
2. Lo que hace diferente a Internet es la velocidad del cambio. Hay un periodo muy corto de aplicación de la tecnología y modelos de negocio adyacentes
3. Internet es el catalizador de un cambio más amplio: la Revolucion digital. Esta revolución está basada en 4 cambios estructurales: 1 capacidad de almacenamiento, 2 velocidad de procesado, 3 ancho de banda (velocidad de transmisión), 4 aumento de puntos de acceso.
   
4. La clave son estos cambios estructurales en la tecnología. Las nuevas ideas de negocio han de aprovecharse de ellos. Cualquier empresa de internet ha de ser una empresa de tecnología
5. Modelos de negocio en Internet tienen 4 componentes: 1 tecnología 2 contenidos 3 usuarios 4 publicidad (si esto funciona correctamente se da la creación de un ecosistema y externalidades de red).
6. 5 puntos clave y su evolución:

• Acceso: antes la preocupación era el Internet móvil. Ahora el reto es el cloud computing
• Contenidos: antes la clave era sindicar contenidos. Ahora es el contenido generado por los usuarios
• Publicidad: de los banners a la publicidad segmentada y controlada (adwords). Ahora el reto es el digital media (campañas globales con medición de todo lo que haces "marketing is the new finance")
• Comunicación: del email al chat. Ahora las redes sociales.
• Seguridad: antes era la privacidad. Ahora el reto es el control (p.e. gestión de tu perfil en redes sociales)

Después de un video panegírico de Goggle (ejem) Bernardo se pregunta ¿Hacia dónde vamos?

• Toda la información va a estar online, con acceso a través de múltiples dispositivos.
  
• Potencial tecnológico. No construir modelos de negocio
  
• El poder de los datos. Se puede analizar y sacar conclusiones muy efectivas.
  
• Modelos abiertos. Es más potente estar encima de plataformas abiertas (compartir)
• Pasa de la recesión! Grandes empresas lanzaron productos exitosos durante malos tiempos.

Larry Page tiene 3 ideas sobre lo que es clave:

• Pensar en solucionar problemas grandes (es una trampa dar soluciones complejas a problemas pequeños)
• Ser el mejor, la mediocridad no lleva a ningún lado
• Captar y retener talento

...y termina con un anunco de bing en el que la locución no deja de reptir que con bing puedes googlear todo, todo, todo

Alternatives in Spain to my favorite sites

I have just updated my previous post [web] Things we take for granted with some alternatives to useful sites I have been intensively using while in California: craigslist, yelp, etc...

It is work in progress so suggestions from my Spanish readers are welcome (thanks Maite, by the way).

[web] Things we take for granted

Being back in Spain after two years in the Silicon Valley (SV) can be a little of a cultural shock. I already knew SV is the forefront of geekiness and consumer internet. What I did not know is how much I would take some things for granted. This is a list of things I am "struggling with" currently. I will start with Google Maps and add to the list as I find new ones

- [Google Maps] There is no "public tranportation" option. At least, if you are using public tranportation in Madrid there is this option, similar to 511 in the bay area. I need to find the equivalent to nextbus

> Sep 1st, 2009: Google has recently launched Google Transit in Asturias.

- [Google Maps] There are far less reviews. Many business lack their web address or an accurate description.

- [Amazon] Of course! Amazon! They do not operate in Spain, so you have to go for international shipping. Their user-generated product reviews are amongst my favorite shopping tools. Here´s a blog post in Spanish commenting on Amazon´s potential launch in Spain

- [Craigslist] I still haven´t found that ultra simple go-to place for virtually anything, from rooms to rent to last minute tickets for a Coldplay gig, bikes or second-hand cars

> Alternative: loquo

- [Yelp] Again, tons of reviews and ratings about a restaurant give you a very close idea of the quality of the place. This doesn´t mean there is not an alternative for the Spanish market, it´s just that the ones I have bumped into do not have as many customer datapoints...

> Alternative: 11870

Storytelling and technology

My favorite feature of many many web 2.0 sites is the status update feature. Such a tiny thing is a crazy mix of personal news update, ego-exhibitionism, gossip and who knows what else (probably this is the reason why it appeals to so many people). Such a simple feature can serve many different purposes as casual or as transcendent as you can imagine. Actually there is a debate going on regarding uses of microblogging, Twitter in this case, beyond its traditional purpose.

twitter tweets...

I want to bring here the case of Twitter as an example of how users can find innovative use cases for existing technologies. Recently, going through Frog Design's blog I found this interesting post on how Twitter has been used for a real-time reenactment of the 23 feb 1981 coup d’etat in Spain. In a country that was struggling to consolidate a budding democracy those were uncertain days. I was too young to recall anything but my parents have told me how we were driving home, close to a military cantonment, not knowing if tanks would be out blocking the roads. The whole country held on to their radios and TV sets listening to the pieces of news that kept on dripping every other minute.

...also en español

Twenty eight years later, Twitter users have revisited, minute by minute, this historical event for my country. Isn't it a wonderful way of telling a story with today’s latest technical tools and language?. I am shocked with what people can come up with when given the adequate resources...

Something is rotten in Technoland

Interesting data on frustation and the use of technology. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

• "Nearly half (48%) of adults who use the internet or have a cell phone say they usually need someone else to set up a new device up for them or show them how to use it."
  

• When technology fails 60% of users feel impatient, 48% discouraged and 40% confused.
  

• 15% of the users is unable to find a solution. It is shocking that only a meager 2% of those who found a solution found it online.
  

That is a lot of frustration for an industry aimed at simplifying our lives, isn't it?. These data say a lot about messy interfaces. An interesting question is: does the interface have to be necessarily complicated in the early adoption phase of a product? As an advocate of effective , transparent communication I do not think so. Ask Apple.

The survey findings resonate with me to a great extent. I never understood why setting up an Internet connection almost required computer science expertise or why Windows punished me with having to go through a help file as engaging as the telephone directory. The following is a great example regarding macros (there should be a graduate program on Microsoft macros' error messages)

Click to enlarge. Would you ever read it?
By the way, clicking OK didn't make things better...
it was just an informational error message, not actionable whatsoever

I guess Windows Vista sorted out some of this problems. They lost me as a client way before Vista was launched.

In this post I have just pinpointed the conclusions that strike me the most in the survey. It is worth taking a quick look at the rest of the study.