Andy O'Dower / technology / apps / products http://www.odower.com My passions, lessons learned, mistakes, successes, etc. Fri, 18 May 2012 18:46:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Facebook employee’s response to Google social search: http://www.odower.com/2012/01/26/facebook-employees-response-to-google-social-search/ http://www.odower.com/2012/01/26/facebook-employees-response-to-google-social-search/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:04:30 +0000 Andy O'Dower http://www.odower.com/?p=757 Very cool.

Read more here: https://www.focusontheuser.org

 

]]> http://www.odower.com/2012/01/26/facebook-employees-response-to-google-social-search/feed/ 2 How Google+ combines intent and social proof. http://www.odower.com/2012/01/13/how-google-combines-intent-and-social-proof/ http://www.odower.com/2012/01/13/how-google-combines-intent-and-social-proof/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:27:12 +0000 Andy O'Dower http://www.odower.com/?p=749 The three things that Freakonomic’s authors will tell you that influence someone’s decisions are: economic, social and moral.

In terms of influence in commerce:

Amazon, Ebay and Google own economic.

Facebook owns social.  Obviously Twitter is coming, but not integrating with brands front and center the way Facebook does.

No one owns moral.  Maybe a non-profit brand like the Red Cross.  But most tie-in moral into their offering.  No one does it exclusively for commerce.  Tom’s Shoes aren’t bought just because they’re a moral company.  Much goes into the messaging on the economic and social side.

The best brands tie in all three.

But, what happens now when Google combines economic and social?  Intent and demographics and context?

The difference between Facebook ads and Google ads are intent.  Most people don’t search Facebook for their nearest restaurant or a shoe they want to buy.  Sure, they spend more time on Facebook but when it comes time to INTEND to buy they go to Google.

The new place to play is ads (insert daily deals here too) in context and discovery: where you live, where you socialize, where you are right now.  Best of all, the ads are smart and come to you…but they don’t care about your real intent…they want to form your blank slate of a day with their intent.   Native apps (iOS, Android, Windows) and HTML5 apps with geolocation and social API integration are just the beginning.

With a new layer of social search results you be able to get your economic + social influencers in one place.

For those that don’t care what the experts say, they just want to know if their friends own it, bought it, liked it, etc…you’re all set.

Wait, I guess if you’re friends would just join Google+ or Google will integrate Twitter and Facebook a bit more, then you’ll be all set.  :(

]]> http://www.odower.com/2012/01/13/how-google-combines-intent-and-social-proof/feed/ 9 The Top 12 Product Management Mistakes http://www.odower.com/2011/12/29/the-top-12-product-management-mistakes/ http://www.odower.com/2011/12/29/the-top-12-product-management-mistakes/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:07:18 +0000 Andy O'Dower http://www.odower.com/?p=738 Full credit to www.svproduct.com for this piece.

When talking to start ups, the all too common theme is the product takes a back seat to the blue sky business model.  Assumptions and tunnel vision that people will instantly like + use + share your product give way to time wasting long term planning over the pragmatic build > test > learn > re-build cycle.

Maybe just print and toss this up on your wall.

Same goes for a new internal product or project at a large company.

]]> http://www.odower.com/2011/12/29/the-top-12-product-management-mistakes/feed/ 1 Tools I’m using http://www.odower.com/2011/12/01/tools-im-using/ http://www.odower.com/2011/12/01/tools-im-using/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:08:33 +0000 Andy O'Dower http://www.odower.com/?p=721 A few people have asked me recently what apps / tools I use.  I’ll keep updating things as I go.

General:

Music (in this order and other than iTunes):

Tech:

Learning:
]]> http://www.odower.com/2011/12/01/tools-im-using/feed/ 1 Just need an update http://www.odower.com/2011/11/15/just-need-an-update/ http://www.odower.com/2011/11/15/just-need-an-update/#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:38:33 +0000 Andy O'Dower http://www.odower.com/?p=718 Building IntroFly like crazy.

Fundraising.

I’ve been learning to code Ruby on Rails.

Experiencing everything Chicago has to offer.

More to come….back to Fundraising.

]]> http://www.odower.com/2011/11/15/just-need-an-update/feed/ 1 Post demo day…the real work begins http://www.odower.com/2011/09/20/post-demo-day-the-real-work-begins/ http://www.odower.com/2011/09/20/post-demo-day-the-real-work-begins/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:16:48 +0000 Andy O'Dower http://www.odower.com/?p=708 And we’re busy.

So many great people are giving us so much support for what we’re doing.

We’re truly going to change lives with IntroFly and the next months we’ll be laying the foundation to do it with more great people on our team.

More coming…for now SF to Denver and [home] to Chicago.

 

]]> http://www.odower.com/2011/09/20/post-demo-day-the-real-work-begins/feed/ 0 Week 8 + 9 @ExcelerateLabs: too much work, too little time…do less, better http://www.odower.com/2011/08/11/week-8-9-exceleratelabs-too-much-work-too-little-time-do-less-better/ http://www.odower.com/2011/08/11/week-8-9-exceleratelabs-too-much-work-too-little-time-do-less-better/#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 05:16:20 +0000 Andy O'Dower http://www.odower.com/?p=704 I had one reprieve before the August push came…back to Colorado for some backpacking in Lost Creek Wilderness with Clare and Bear…fell asleep outside looking up at the stars and stumbled back to our tent, then slept like a rock.

We’re 3 weeks from demo day…insane.

We’re lucky to have met so many great people here in Chicago…what an awesome community.

We’re putting together partnerships, pilots, product and pitches…all at once.

We’re going to go get back to work…

Bear…she’s just a city dog…but she’s LOVIN’ it up here!

]]> http://www.odower.com/2011/08/11/week-8-9-exceleratelabs-too-much-work-too-little-time-do-less-better/feed/ 1 Week 7 @ExcelerateLabs: Introfly http://www.odower.com/2011/07/26/week-7-exceleratelabs-introfly/ http://www.odower.com/2011/07/26/week-7-exceleratelabs-introfly/#comments Tue, 26 Jul 2011 02:22:31 +0000 Andy O'Dower http://www.odower.com/?p=701 OK, we’ve been a bit busy building.

We’ve got some great people helping us launch the soon-to-be best way to meet people in career fields that you love:

We’re going to need every human being that we’ve ever known to sign up, say, right this second…then tell every other human that you know to sign up too.

Feedback is critical at this point, so when we launch we’ll let you know…don’t be shy!

Click the logo above, click this link, follow us on twitter, spread the word, call everyone you know.  Now. Pretty please ;)

OK, back to work…

]]> http://www.odower.com/2011/07/26/week-7-exceleratelabs-introfly/feed/ 1 Week 6 @ExcelerateLabs: And the new build really begins. http://www.odower.com/2011/07/15/week-6-exceleratelabs-and-the-new-build-really-begins/ http://www.odower.com/2011/07/15/week-6-exceleratelabs-and-the-new-build-really-begins/#comments Fri, 15 Jul 2011 03:42:34 +0000 Andy O'Dower http://www.odower.com/?p=697 We’re cranking away, so this will be short and sweet.

Simple and fun are the mantras.  Previews of the new site will be coming soon.

Get it in users hands now.

OK, back to work.

By the way, this place is awesome:

]]> http://www.odower.com/2011/07/15/week-6-exceleratelabs-and-the-new-build-really-begins/feed/ 1 Week 5 @ExcelerateLabs: Build + test, re-build, test again…traction. http://www.odower.com/2011/07/07/week-5-exceleratelabs-build-test-re-build-test-again-traction/ http://www.odower.com/2011/07/07/week-5-exceleratelabs-build-test-re-build-test-again-traction/#comments Thu, 07 Jul 2011 02:53:09 +0000 Andy O'Dower http://www.odower.com/?p=689 Mentor month is over.  Wow.  Over 60 meetings.  Lots of good ones.  Lots of confusing ones.  Lucky to be able to have had them all.

Time to get our new app live and get as many interested people as possible to try it out…like it…then tell their friends.

Simple enough?

We’re re-launching our site with 100% emphasis on helping job seekers connect with the right people…not directly with job applications, but with connections with other people that can help them.  This is not a Facebook app or a LinkedIn app, or an email app.  It is all of those things in one simple interface where introductions and chance meetings that you make through this app could change the course of your life.

Simple enough?

Ok, let’s get started.  Glad my wife surprised me this past weekend.  She is my rock and my foundation.  Without her I would not have the ability to take the chances I’m taking.  We had a great time in Chicago.  Love this city.

 

 

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