Plug the Cloud Max Effgen, May 25, 2009 Interesting read over the weekend at NY Times. Plugging In $40 Computers goes into the world of mini-servers about the size of a large DC Charger. With 512 MB Flash, 512 MB RAM, USB and Gigabit Ethernet, these computers have some chops. No video though. Obvious uses around the house… Continue Reading
MyPressi Thumbs Down. JoeMo Thumbs… Max Effgen, May 23, 2009 I came across the MyPressi TWIST a few weeks ago. Initially, I was excited that I could have a new toy and doppio espresso wherever and whenever. My take: Over engineered and very expensive. Better option for coffee on the go is French (or Freedom) Press and a JoeMo travel… Continue Reading
Favorite Eats…SoHo Max Effgen, May 23, 2009 A friend recently returned from a business trip to NYC. It got me thinking of some of my favorite restaurants down in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. Next time I hit the Big Apple, you will find me at one of these places. Balthazar would be my first choice. There… Continue Reading
Interesting read: P&G’s leadership machine… Max Effgen, May 22, 2009 One of the admirable qualities of P&G is that they know their strengths. Check out P&G’s leadership machine to learn more about how P&G builds leaders. I have been following A.G. Lafley’s career for some time since we both are alumni of Fenwick High School. One of the best books… Continue Reading
Social Media & Spiceworks Max Effgen, May 22, 2009 For all the talk of Social Media and CRM, it would be wise to take a look at a company that is already “social”. Spiceworks offers free IT management software and the primary users are SMB IT shops. Their model is media advertising around this targeted audience. In effect, they… Continue Reading
Getting the Gist… Max Effgen, May 21, 2009 I have been kicking the tires of Gist and I am very impressed. Gist has recently made some headlines as they scored $6.75M in funding. See here and here. Gist allows you to keep up with your contacts. Twitter, blog postings and even email. Armed with the right information, you… Continue Reading
Interesting read at TechCrunch: Ray Ozzie Asserts… Max Effgen, May 20, 2009 Ray Ozzie Asserts Microsoft’s Position In The Cloud Some interesting predictions and comments over at TechCrunch. Most of them centering on Amazon AWS vs. Microsoft. My opinion is that people are trying to define cloud as a something very specific when a more general definition is appropriate. Think “Transportation” rather… Continue Reading
Is Social Media CRM for everyone? Max Effgen, May 20, 2009 60% of Twitter Users Quit Within the First Month and this should surprise nobody. Social Media takes effort. Your client contacting you for support — and they are unhappy — takes effort. Your sales team takes time and effort to find the right people and relationships in an organization. There… Continue Reading
Windowshop-ping Max Effgen, May 19, 2009 Came across the Amazon Windowshop Beta today. Very cool use of 3D browsing and AWS. New books, music and “Music Artists We Think You Should Hear”. When this is connected to purchase history, it will give iTunes a run for its money. Continue Reading
An offhand conversation… Max Effgen, May 18, 2009 It is interesting how offhand conversations can turn to business. I was asked what I would do first in a CRM service deployment over the weekend. My answer was easy. I would learn what I already know about my customers behind my four walls then I would put it in… Continue Reading