When does a dog become too old to learn new tricks?
It’s just a few short months before my 40th birthday. I like to think I’m still hip and young. I’ve tried to keep up on trends. Try new music. Try to be the first to find and try new things. However, the fact remains the same: I’m on unavoidable collision with a birthday.
In my professional life, I work with college students. It was funny a few months back when I was launching the Backpack software at Seton Hall University. I got the distinct impression that the strange looks I was getting from students had to do with me looking like someone’s dad.
Scott Lemon was discussing his “Big” insight with me the other day. Remember the movie Big with Tom Hanks? On a wish, he suddenly was transformed into an adult. But inside he was still a kid. He was hired at a toy company. All the executives were guys that were “old” inside and out. Josh (Tom Hanks) was confused at all the stupid toys the company managers created that no kid would want to play with, let alone buy.
This example has caused me to think a lot about the point in life when it’s harder to create products that a younger audience will still find valuable and cool. The generation gap is real, and what is important to youth today is far different than it was important 5, 10, or 20 years ago.
I’ve been influenced in my thinking recently after reading an article by Chip Walker, the author of the GenWorld teen study and executive vice president at Chicago-based agency Energy/BBDO. I’d highly recommend his article Six Seismic Shifts in Global Teen Culture published on Chief Marketer.com.
A few things I took away from the article:
- Being wired is the new normal. Social interaction happens as much through the digital world as the real world — and across city, state, regional, or national boarders.
- While the world faces uncertainty today, 6 out of 10 youth would fight for a cause they believe in. A young audience may be active customers if they can join in and make a difference with your product.
- Creativity and personal expression is an important thing, and products need to be customizable to match individual values.
- 62% of global teens are apathetic about marketing and advertising. Brand names are less important than ever before, especially the Born in the USA brands. Show the audience value without the hype.
Is it possible to deliver products for the youth market if you’re 40? Absolutely, just look at Steve Jobs. But like Mr. Jobs, you’ve got to keep yourself surrounded by your target customer and those that are young at heart.
Google Calendar — CL2 — global calendar and event sharing
Reading the post today about the forthcoming Google Calendar — or CL2 as its being called — on TechCrunch, was like a flashback to my first time using the SalesLogix calendar, only better.
I spent 4+ years at SalesLogix, now a division of Best Software. I joined as director of product marketing and worked under Pat Sullivan, the inventor of ACT!, the long-time best selling software for managing sales contacts. Pat was credited with creating the “Contact Management” category. While there, I participated in the growth of SalesLogix from 50-650 employees and a successful IPO. Interestingly enough, while at SalesLogix, I also participated in the acquisition (or homecoming) of ACT! from Symantec.
SalesLogix was like ACT!, but positioned upstream at sales teams needing opportunity management and team-oriented contact management features.
The first time I used the SalesLogix calendar, I thought it was really cool. Way better than Outlook. More powerful and elegant at the same time. I loved being able to schedule activities (phone calls, meetings, follow-up activities, task) inside the hours of a day. I loved being able to have a unified view of our entire sales and marketing teams, seeing where everyone was at a glance. It was far better than a setting up a meeting request. This feature allowed a sales manager to see exactly where his/her salesperson was spending their time. Some felt the presence of Big Brother. I, on the other hand, used the calendar religiously for all my activities because it was like a daily journal of what I worked on. Things I didn’t complete were simply rolled to the next day and rescheduled in my open time blocks.
I’m excited about the Google Calendar. I can’t wait to subscribe to other calendars and get a unified view. To see all my wife’s activities, our family events, the birthdays of extended family, items my children need to be working on for school assignments. It will be like coming home.
Since I work with college students every day, I can see the power for students who are trying to find a block of time for a study group across 5-8 people, all who are busy with school, work, and extracurricular activities. Secondly, one student could post the assignments from a syllabus and everyone in the class could subscribe and benefit from the work already completed — talk about a time saver. And these are just a few examples.
I’m sure the people worried about Google “knowing” everything about their lives could ruffle a few feathers. However, for me, it’s just like Gmail: a no brainer.
The non-digital gadget in my life
I loved reading the post on ProductDose on the Top Ten Geek watches. It was funny.
As for me, I still love the old-fashioned manual movement and morning winding ritual of my Panerai. Or the automatic movement in my Sea-Dweller. Call me nostalgic or behind the times, but the one thing that reminds me of the old world is when a catch a glance of the time of day.
Medical technology…wow!
Today Amy had Lasek surgery. She was scheduled to have this new procedure that uses a laser to cut the flap prior to the laser correction. However, she learned that her cornea is too thin — whatever that means — for the intended procedure.
Amy was there, was ready for the process, and didn’t want to leave without “fixing” her eyes so she’d be freed of glasses forever. So she asked about her options.
The doctors at Hoopes Aldridge Institute have 5 lasers on location. They have the latest and greatest training. They offered her the same procedure that they offer military personnel: Lasek.
Lasek or PRT is the “old” way of doing the procedure. It’s a bit more intrusive as the doctor “rakes” the eye with a little tool that looks like an ultra small garden hoe. The tissue is torn back a little at a time until a flap is opened up for the procedure.
I work with technology every day. Gadgets and computers are really cool. I understand them and can appreciate all the various systems and subparts that go into each device and software program that drives the device. However, I was amazed at the Lasek and other eye procedures that were visible from the comfort of the waiting room on large flat-panel monitors. I watched as my wife had her vision corrected in less than 20 minutes.
It was an amazing technological advancement. Practically healing the blind to see in an in-and-out procedure.
Taking the kids to the Apple store
As a follow-up to my earlier post about my visit to the Apple store in the Gateway in Salt Lake City, I decided to take my entire family in for a visit. It was a fun time for all. Amy was off looking at iPod add-ons (and purchased a cool kit w/ hookups for car, home stereo, charger, etc.). I was drolling over the MacBook Pro — I also added my name to the list to contact me when the 2.0 GHz model arrives in the store. My oldest son Dallen was playing with the video editing features w/ iSight while Bridget laughed at the funny poses. Jed was all over, but mostly in the iPod area checking all out the nano versus the video versus the shuffle.
I thought Dallen’s closing comments about the store captured it well: “that place is totally awesome.”
Post BbWorld relaxation — Mt. Woodson Golf Course
One of my favorite places in the San Diego area: Mt. Woodson Golf Course. A short, target-oriented golf course in the hills outside Ramona. I love the big granite boulders that are part of the visual elements on the course and natural scenery in the mountains around the course. Many holes use distant boulder outcroppings as natural alignments from the tee. Absolutely breathtaking.
Full set of images on Flickr.
Sahar talking about Blackboard Backpack
Last week at BbWorld, Sahar Javadi and I spent time talking about and demonstrating a new product called Blackboard Backpack. Agilix, my employer, has worked closely with Blackboard to develop the Backpack application.
Backpack works on a student’s laptop computer and helps them download and manage all the information professors add to the Blackboard online system, stay organized with a calendar of assignments and due dates, and take searchable, digital notes on their computer. If you think about how iTunes works, Backpack is very similar. Backpack connects to the student’s account at their school’s Blackboard account. All the course information posted to the web is downloaded and stays in sync when new items are posted or if things change.
Dan Cane, a Blackboard Founder and current VP of R&D, joined in on the fun. Dan’s the “executive sponsor” of Backpack inside Blackboard. He uses Backpack for courses he’s taking at George Washington University in DC.
Two of the highlights for me at the event included:
- a keynote presentation given by Chris S. Thomas, Chief Strategist, from Intel. He spoke on the benefits of a Personal Learning System like Backpack on the student’s mobile computer that can work at the “speed of the student” rather than the speed of the Internet or web-based systems. The mobile application will take advantage of the local processor so things work faster than waiting for web pages to load.
- a presentation from a student from Seton Hall University, Danielle Calcado. Danielle talked about how she uses Blackboard Backpack as a replacement for her paper binder. She also uses Backpack as a planner to stay organized. Danielle is busy as a student, an employee on campus in the instructional technology center, and the president of a sorority at Seton Hall.
Off to BbWorld’06 — Blackboard user conference in San Diego
I will be traveling this week at the Blackboard annual user conference. I’m sure there will be lots to learn. WebCT and Blackboard merger received approval from the SEC, so I’m sure that there will be lots of discussion around that. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to hear a few more news bites that are noteworthy for the next year.
I will be working in the Blackboard booth and roaming around with a Tablet PC showing off the Blackboard Backpack product. If you’re there, look me up.
My professional life :: Marketing at Agilix Labs, Inc.
Currently I work with a company in Orem Utah called Agilix Labs. We are a software development company. We offer a solution for colleges students that allows them to download their course and lecture notes from systems like Blackboard (NASDAQ:BBBB), organize and track all their assignments and due dates, and take searchable notes using their computer–with text, highlighters, images, shapes, and digital ink (Tablet PC required for digital ink).
You can see more about Agilix at http://www.agilix.com. More about me at http://www.agilix.com/BradBaldwin.aspx. More about our private label work for Blackboard with free trial software at http://backpack.blackboard.com. More about our private label work for FranklinCovey with free trial software at http://www.franklincovey.com/planplus/.
Pictures for your enjoyment on Flickr account
If you’re interested to see all the pictures that I took during our golf adventure, feel free to browse on my Flickr account. Click on the image or the “uploaded by” name and you’ll go to my account where all the pictures are stored.