Torgersons.com http://www.torgersons.com Most recent posts at Torgersons.com posterous.com Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:17:57 -0800 The USPS is a business, run it as one http://www.torgersons.com/the-usps-is-a-business-run-it-as-one http://www.torgersons.com/the-usps-is-a-business-run-it-as-one I am annoyed at all the press lately about the USPS and how upside down they are.   The government is doing it's effort to try and turn things around, but in a big typical government fashion.   Don't get me wrong, doing all the assessment of the full operations for the USPS is not my intent, but I wanted to show a couple of key things that irritate me.   Let's take a look as if I were actually running a business in this space.

I didn't have all the USPS data at hand online, I will update if I find more data.  

What I did pull was a comparison from the USPS Annual Report, Fed Ex and UPS data to compare.  I am a Product Manager by trade and have had to deal with the pressure of showing profitability on products or a plan to get there.   When you are investing and growing a business it is not uncommon to lose money for a period of time.  When you are a mature business, trend lines on projections should definitely be one of your bellweathers of things to come.  

First.. if I am comparing myself against competition, how do I stack up as a business.  I have general mail (high volume/low price) delivery.  I have some specialized products that have more competition in the industry from the likes of Fed Ex and UPS.   I also have direct shipping which is exactly in the line of site for my main competitors.  Again, we are running a business here.   How does my top line revenue stack up against my competition?  
 
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OK.. clearly looking at the past few years is not showing a good trend.  My competition is growing leaps and bounds and even post recession, they have shown an uptick in growth.  If I am USPS, nope.. I am failing here.   

OK, lets look next at the Net Income for my business.  Maybe it's not doing so hot.. sure, but how do I compare against people with similar products in the marketplace?

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Wow.. that hurts.   Not only are my competitors profitable, they are killing me on net income.  Looks like I may have some serious cost issues to deal with in my operations.  Sure.. the chart above is indicative of the overall profit margins in the business.. but just to be clear, here is how we compare.  

1image

Yes, we suck.   Our competition is running between 3.7%-7.2% on average for the past decade.  The past three years I have averaged a 7% net loss.   This is starting to look as though I have some serious issues.   I need to consider doing some things to fix them.   Some say the number is around $30B that USPS needs to cut to get towards profitability.   There are huge numbers on cutting employees, locations, number of days for delivery, etc.  Let's hold on that for a moment.  

If I cut $30B in costs.. doesn't that make me profitable to the tune of $20B immediately?   Where are my mounting costs coming from?   Oh.. wait, we are government employees here.   I get a pension, and the most amazing health care coverage known to man.  Don't get me wrong, my Grandfather was a postman and I believe to this day my Grandmother gets health coverage from his retirement.  By the way, he passed away in 1978 and my grandmother has been widowed TWO more times since then.   Unheard of coverage.   Check out this chart below from the USPS latest report.  You can see how health benefits are killing them long-term.  

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OK.. so clearly we have to fix this, right?   Do you know what one of the recommendations is for trying to save money?   Take a first class priority mail that used to be one day delivery and make it 2-3 day delivery for the same price.  Huh?  How do you do that and compete with UPS and FedEx? That seems like it will get me less business overall, not help make my current business more profitable.  If I can't cover costs, shouldn't I raise prices?  We are one of the cheapest postal services in the world.  

While you think it may come down to a poorly run business because it's government, it gets a little harder than that.   In some digging around the latest report I found a portion on page 13 that talked about the Postal Act of 2006 that limits pricing for every class of mail service.  I guess the government put regulations over itself that locks the price of a piece of mail to a cost index that in no way is in line with the cost of actually delivering mail.   The USPS tried to go fight this in 2010 however the government decided against itself here and forced the hand of the USPS to stay in a losing battle for price hikes.   

My frustration comes down to things like this that happen in our government.   There have to be some hard decisions made around retirement, the work force being used, the prices being set and how to turn this ship around.. or just concede that you are giving up.   If you choose to give up.. do you let USPS go away and have less competition overall in the world?  or do you let USPS be a solid cost center and pure overhead for the Govt?   Let's hope neither happen.   Without the price pressures of USPS in the market, UPS and Fed Ex will have a lot more control over consumers and the ability to grow margins even higher at the expense of our pockets.   

Sure.. I am being a little cynical in my assessment.. and I usually try not to get all wound up about government crap.  This one just seems to be something that is getting a lot of press and I'd personally love to see it solved.   As much as I wanted to pick on the USPS for running a crappy business it is also coupled with the government regulating pricing, policy and impacting profitability and speed to market for the postal service.   

If you were the product manager running this business and forcing stiff competition, an undermining boss and business rules that limit your abilities, what would you do?  It's harder than you might think.  
 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:18:12 -0700 RANT: Securely storing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) http://www.torgersons.com/rant-securely-storing-personally-identifiable http://www.torgersons.com/rant-securely-storing-personally-identifiable Quick rant here.  I came across another article about a company and their data being compromised.   I use "THEIR" very loosely here, as it typically means OUR data (read for what I mean with PII).  

Tivo had their email database hacked, which is leading to a bunch of spammers getting access to valid email accounts.  While this isn't as bad as the Gawker incident, it is still a concern. My email address and password had to be changed on their site due to the security breach.  It is a hassle. (and risk)  PII is largely talked about with regards to health care and HIIPA, but in my view, people storing your personal information should be as concerned about protecting their customer data as those in other, more secure sectors.  

There are some best practices when it comes to storing and retrieving data, but by all means.. storing passwords in clear text has to be the dumbest rookie move ever.  (GAWKER).  Beyond that, let's try to get people to be responsible.  I'd like to see a certification of sites that safely store my PII.  At least that way I know how often and who I need to watch when storing certain data.  

Word of the day?  Encryption.  Hell.. at least use and MD5 hash or something!  :)  

Tivo-hacked

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:23:48 -0700 I dig this concept.. very nice http://www.torgersons.com/i-dig-this-concept-very-nice http://www.torgersons.com/i-dig-this-concept-very-nice I came across this "spotify box" concept while reading through some blogs tonight.  First off, I gotta say how nice of a concept this is.  

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The idea is simple.   A small box to get your internet streaming from a source, pre-configured and as easy to use as possible.  In this case, they are using Spotify for the example.  Spotify is a competitor of someone like Rhapsody or Mog.  Basically a subscription music service that gives you access to millions of tracks for a flat fee per month.  I  have been a long-time Rhapsody subscriber, so I can appreciate this a ton. 

The clever thing here is the use of RFID tags that are magnetic and can be configured based on color to be your "selector" buttons for radion stations.  What I don't think this shows in detail, and maybe I am taking this a bit beyond where the inventor was thinking.. but simple programming of the RFID chip to be your "source URL" for music makes a possible way to allow me to bring my subscription easily with me to other friends houses.  Think of this:  You go over to your friends house, everyone has their "chips" for music, and every radio is programmed to read the RFID chips with built in authorization.  Now when I go to my friends house, even if he doesn't have Rhapsody, I can still play my music at his place with MY account.  

Short post.. killer concept in my view.  I'd like to think more about how to extend this out.  Very clever Spotify box, and I hope they bring it to market as an extensible platform for others as well.  

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Tue, 08 Mar 2011 05:57:22 -0800 APAC Mobile Tour Lesson: Don't do Product Management from your office http://www.torgersons.com/apac-mobile-tour-lesson-dont-do-product-manag http://www.torgersons.com/apac-mobile-tour-lesson-dont-do-product-manag I've been spending the past week traveling around meeting with a couple of our customers and a variety of content providers in the APAC region.  Keep in mind, I've been involved in the mobile space for over 12 years now..  but even after all the knowledge transfer from co-workers, reading of countless articles and a good solid effort to understand pre-paid markets, there was one thing that stood out for me.  Music and radio in India over the voice channel.  

The concept of someone dialing into a number to listen to songs on their phone was baffling to me.. but then again, it is a different market and even I should have known better than to be stunned.  Most of the users of this service have no other means for internet. So.. how do you listen to your radio station when you don't have a radio, don't have internet?  Just dial a number and burn some pre-paid credits with live radio.  It's a few seconds (ten-ish) delayed.. but very useful for those markets with a similar demographic.  

I've become immersed over the past week in many great conversations with smart people.  It goes back to the philosophy that you can't do Product Management from your office.  I try to practice this road trip education as often as I can.. no better people to learn from than the actual markets and customers.  

Continuing week two.. let's see the joy and fun this brings.  

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:06:00 -0800 The need for a Web Application market http://www.torgersons.com/the-need-for-a-web-application-market http://www.torgersons.com/the-need-for-a-web-application-market

While there have been many posts lately about the need for something like OpenAppMkt, most have not seemed to support the market.  

Openappmkt

I for one am totally for sites like this to spring up.  I am confident that this is not the last one you will see, or that OpenAppMkt is even done innovating.  Sure this is a nascent market, but this is an area ripe for innovation.  

Consider the number of solid developers for a given platform.  I am not sure on the total numbers of each type of developer, but you have a breakdown of devs that could support an OS and a smaller number of ones that support cross-os

iPhone:  Objective C
Android: Java
Windows Phone 7: c#/.net

While these developer numbers are quite substantial in a group.. consider the number that actually build and crank out applications.  In an article published on iSmashPhone, they list iPhone developers around 43,000 and Android around 10,000.. with an overlap of only 10% at 1400.  What this means is the number of solid cross-platform applications will be small.  There are many niche apps that could be written with wide distribution needs yet no easy way to distribute them, monetize them, etc.  

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If you could then look at the total number of "HTML web developers" as a generic term.. and imagine that is in the millions, you have a HUGE resource pool who could build a large number of valuable applications that the public and private sector could readily use.  Sure, a lot of them won't develop for mobile, but there is a definite need.  I sort of look at it like a chicken and egg scenario.  

There are not a lot of great mobile web apps yet for two reasons. One is the general lack of great cross-platform support for HTML 5.  This is changing.  (and yes, HTML5 is a buzzword, but we generally mean in-line media, local storage for offline use, SVG and CSS3 support.  SECOND is a way for great HTML5 developers to distribute and monetize their applications.  I think this is where someone like OpenAppMkt comes into play.  A way to get the distribution out there and a way to control access without the dev having to write that code.  

It is the early stages.. but web applications will have their place.  It doesn't mean thick client applications are going away, it just means we will have some balance and improved access for even more that the creative community has to offer.  

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:40:49 -0800 Untitled http://www.torgersons.com/36453534 http://www.torgersons.com/36453534
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Taken at Everett Station

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Sun, 12 Dec 2010 21:31:28 -0800 Leavenworth http://www.torgersons.com/leavenworth http://www.torgersons.com/leavenworth
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Sun, 12 Dec 2010 21:29:27 -0800 A night in my office http://www.torgersons.com/a-night-in-my-office http://www.torgersons.com/a-night-in-my-office
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Sun, 17 Oct 2010 23:22:00 -0700 Personal Productivity Saga Continues... http://www.torgersons.com/personal-productivity-saga-continues http://www.torgersons.com/personal-productivity-saga-continues

I've been on a quest for myself to be as efficient as I can at all times of the day.   I personally get frustrated when tasks take longer than I'd hope, I hate being late for things and I am forever trying to stay on top of professional and personal tasks, appointments and projects.  For those who know me, you know I have a horrible stand alone memory. I am always trying to be better at this.  

Daily Planning
For a long time I have tried to be efficient on my daily tasks.  Stay on top of what is important and don't lose site of the goals.  What i've found is that I am apparently impatient enough to not really live the full GTD lifestyle, and I clearly can't seem to manage a real task list with great efficiency.  What I'd done for a long time (and lost the habit) was to sit and plan every day with key tasks.  I later found almost an identical solution done by David Seah called the Emergent Task Planner.  This is basically the same thing that I'd do in my Moleskine notebook every morning.  I remember things better if I write them down, so each morning I'd get my left hand page of my Moleskine and write out my days calendar, very similar to what you see in the ETP page here...  (not mine but a sample I found)

Complete-etp2

This would help me remember the daily meetings I had, which if I didn't keep fresh in my mind, I'd forget.  Once I had this written down, I'd review the weeks meetings and goals, make sure I could pick the top three tasks I had to complete for the day.  I'd write those down.  I use boxes for any TODO in my written notes. I'd also review yesterday's uncompleted tasks and determine a plan of attack for them.  Are they important? Should they be on today's list?   Then, throughout the day, as new tasks came up, I'd add them to my list for the day. Trying to complete in priority order what made sense.  

A key thing I'd do is actually block out time on my calendar to say I am working on task X in this time slot.  It was key to keeping me focused on what is important.  Without it, I think we all fall in to the reactionary mode of each day, handling people with unimportant tasks or conversations as they occur, or happen to swing by our office.  It is not helpful when trying to make a goal happen.  

Project or Goal Management
This has been an area where I suffer a discipline the most.  I bounce back and forth between many task tracking programs that I can bundle all projects, goals and tasks to prioritize.  It is an area I feel I need to do better at.  Here are my various options and what I like/don't like.  

Pros:  
  • Easy to use site for inputting tasks
  • Access on my iPhone
  • Nice sorting, searching capability including auto generating a status report for weekly tasks
Cons: 
  • Sometimes tasks can be tedious if you don't remember the keyboard shortcuts
  • no easy way to manually sort tasks (including things for today)
  • No high level summary of things to accomplish quickly

Pros:
  • Great Mac interface
  • Syncing to iPhone possible
  • Easy to manually sort tasks by project and pick TODAY items
Cons:
  • Syncing to mac didn't work on my works network, made it a hassle
  • Felt like I spent time managing things.. which may be the right thing to do actually

Pros:
  • Syncing everywhere automatically
  • Embed file attachments with tasks
  • Easy/free flowing form
Cons:
  • Formatting was weak
  • No easy way to extract tasks, I tried a couple Task apps for evernote.. no good.  
  • Evernote just needs to add in task management as a class 1 citizen, they have not
There have definitely been other things I've done to try to keep up with my projects, goals, etc.. but I am forever in flux.  

My current solution has me at a single note in Evernote with the following by project...

Project Name:
Goal: (must be clearly stated)
Due:
Stakeholders:
Notes:
Tasks: A simple, easily sorted list

This also makes it easy to send to my boss if he ever needs to know everything I have on my plate.  Now, each morning I can review these in detail, pull out my top tasks and go to work.  It makes it nice considering at this point in time I have around 11 "projects" that range anywhere from a contract update that needs to be negotiated and completed to a full fledged product launch.  If you remember I actually suck at having a memory, writing this down and reviewing daily helps keep me focused. 

UPDATE:  One app I forgot to mention that falls into my daily routine.  Due App.  

For those quick reminders, things that are not project based but I don't want to forget.  Grab milk on the way home, take cookies to work in the morning, ask boss about project X at 10AM meeting.. I use Due for this.  Quick, simple reminders.  I love this app.  

Iphone-top

Note Taking
This is another area that is killing me a little inside.  I SOOOOOO want to be fully digital in this space.  As of the past 4 months, I've been keeping my iPad with me 100% of the time and trying to keep digital notes.  Sometimes in Evernote, sometimes in apps like Audiotorium.  Neither were working for me.. Also, previously I had tried to keep notes using a LiveScribe pen.  Here is what I've learned.  

First, typing notes in a meeting vs. writing feels awkward to me.  I always feel like people don't think I care enough to listen, so they think I am doing email.  That's not the case, but I feel bad typing.  When typing, I'd always lose the easy sketch ability.  I sketch diagrams, etc a lot when taking notes.  iPad was not helping me there.   What did this amount to?  With these things as factors, I found myself taking less notes than before.  Even though it should have been easier.  

As of last week I've returned to my trusty Moleskine for notes.  Sure, it's analog.. but I am comfortable with it.  If need be, I will take a pic with my phone and email to Evernote.  Evernote  is a daily tool for me and I couldn't remember without it.    

Summary
What I've learned is the following.  
  1. Keep a simple list of projects and goals prioritized and in one easily accessible place
  2. Review that list daily, make decisions on what stays, moves or goes away
  3. Write down daily tasks and meetings to help keep them fresh in my mind
  4. Daily triage outstanding tasks or goals.. don't let stuff drop
  5. Take notes in a format that I use vs. can search on later is important.  if I am not taking electronic notes, I can't very well find the data that is not there.  Paper is at least getting my attention for notes. 
I know each person has their own thoughts, ideas, software, etc.. but I'd love to hear others thoughts in this space.  It is an area I am spending less time than I did in the past as I refine my process.. but still have room for improvement.  

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:43:00 -0700 WindowsPhone Omnigraffle Templates http://www.torgersons.com/windowsphone-omnigraffle-templates http://www.torgersons.com/windowsphone-omnigraffle-templates

I am working on a project at work going through some product concepts on WindowsPhone, seeing what sort of interesting things I can build.  The problem I have had so far is doing mockups.  The PSD files Microsoft gives out are not so friendly.. and honestly, I prefer to use Omnigraffle for my mockups anyway.  Unfortunately there were no Omnigraffle WindowsPhone templates.  

I went over to the Microsoft site here... http://goo.gl/8qpw  to grab a PDF they had on their design templates.  I am now trying to re-create these in Omnigraffle.. one by one.  It's a little slow.. but will be helpful for me when done.  

Eventually I plan on creating a Stencil..but for now I am just creating them as individual canvases.  If you are interested in using these. (the pics are just a few examples).. download the attached ZIP file.  

Also.. jump over to Microsoft's site and download their design template ZIP file. It has the font files you will need for this to work right.  They are using a font called SegoeWP. It is a clean metro style font.. and required for the templates to render correctly.  


Give me any feedback you have.. I will be posting updates as I go.  

- jeff

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Tue, 12 Oct 2010 23:33:41 -0700 Hockey http://www.torgersons.com/hockey http://www.torgersons.com/hockey

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Losing goal the other night in hockey. Let's see how well this comes through.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Tue, 12 Oct 2010 23:29:46 -0700 Moving on up http://www.torgersons.com/moving-on-up http://www.torgersons.com/moving-on-up

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Ok, so my boss decided my techy ways needed an upgrade. I now have a QR code on my door plate. Does that qualify me for extra geek points?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:55:14 -0700 Why I like the new Apple TV http://www.torgersons.com/why-i-like-the-new-apple-tv http://www.torgersons.com/why-i-like-the-new-apple-tv Lots of people are complaining about the new AppleTV and what it didn't bring for features, what they don't like, what they wished it had, etc.  Realizing that Apple did their homework first, to try to hit the mass market, many of us "techies" are not necessarily the target demographic. Get over it.  Unfortunately they didn't make this for you. Geeks should wait for Boxee.  
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Apple has one primary goal with AppleTV.  Sell content.  If you can get a small, easy to hook up box into someones routine, make it non-subscription yet easy to purchase content.. you have a winner.  The previous AppleTV had two problems holding it back.  First was the cost.  $200-$300 for an unproven technology was too much for many people to shell out.  Drop that to a magical $99 price point and you have reduced a major barrier.  The second issue was the technical side of setup.  The syncing, hard drive, etc.. all just a little much for "mass market" ease of use.  Make this as easy (or easier) than a DVD player to watch content.. and another barrier is gone.  

The final icing on the cake is the price point for content.  Nobody will argue (at least rationally) that $5 for a first run HD rental is too much.  It'll cost you that much for the pop at the theater to see it.  People do that all day.  The $0.99 "rental" of TV shows is another win.  Seriously, how often do you watch TV shows more than once?  If you want to buy a season and stream it to your AppleTV, you are welcome to.. but for somewhere in the range of $20-$25 you can rent an entire season of a show you like. The nice thing is if (and it's a big IF) you can choose to unplug from your cable provider, Dish, DirecTV, etc.. you can probably save a fair amount of money and time over the course of a year.  At least for me this would be the case.  

Anyway.. I think Apple did it right.  Plus, add the ability to stream from your iOS products to AppleTV, ease of packing this thing on vacation if you want to.. it is some extra gravy in the value ladle.  I ordered one already and will be quite happy to move my "old" AppleTV to a new location in the house. 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:42:48 -0700 Blackberry Torch thoughts... http://www.torgersons.com/blackberry-torch-thoughts http://www.torgersons.com/blackberry-torch-thoughts
I have to say, it's only been a couple days however, the Torch seems like a complete #FAIL to me.  Sure, I'm an avid iPhone user, but in no way do I see this thing winning over any iPhone or Android users at all.  At best, you'll take a Blackberry Curve user who hates their web browsing and convince them to stay with RIM for one more contract cycle.  After that, if RIM can't pull some magic.. they are destined for major failure. 

Blackberry-torch

They should really just consider adopting Android across the board and making some good Blackberry hardware, BES server integration, etc.  See if the can't pull it off. 

The discussion we had at work this week was around focus.  RIM is trying to build a new OS, control the hardware and release multiple phones this year.  
Google is focused on the OS innovation and letting the OEMs handle bringing new hardware to market for all of their releases
Apple is focused on owning the entire device, hardware and software.. but only doing one phone per year. 

I think RIM is lost.. and needs to regain some focus badly, otherwise in 12-18 months you will see their marketshare well below 15%

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:35:26 -0700 Facts about Net Neutrality http://www.torgersons.com/facts-about-net-neutrality http://www.torgersons.com/facts-about-net-neutrality
Www

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:28:05 -0700 Why does a Google Apps user get penalized? http://www.torgersons.com/why-does-a-google-apps-user-get-penalized http://www.torgersons.com/why-does-a-google-apps-user-get-penalized Google released an update today that enables you to use your Google Voice account right within GMail to call other numbers.  Unfortunately it does not work for Google Apps users.  Seriously, we are cutting edge and promoting/bragging about Google Apps.. and yet you make us suffer.  sigh

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:02:57 -0700 Switched back to the iPhone http://www.torgersons.com/switched-back-to-the-iphone http://www.torgersons.com/switched-back-to-the-iphone OK.. false alarm.  After battery issues and lack of a good Sonos app.. I switched back to the iPhone.  Got the iPhone 4 and digging it.  

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Thu, 17 Jun 2010 23:29:27 -0700 Digging the Evo... http://www.torgersons.com/digging-the-evo http://www.torgersons.com/digging-the-evo The HTC Evo has been a great phone so far.. Sure, the battery started out sucking, but it appears to be stabalizing and yesterday I got  a solid 13 hours out of it.  That includes using the tethering option on the bus to work for an hour.. and about 40 minutes on the ride home. 

Top things I like so far.. 

  1. Tethering (without rooting or Jailbreaking).. just being fair.. it works great
  2. True background Apps
  3. Google Navigation (I can't tell you how great this is even over my paid iPhone Navigon.  I do miss the lane assist option.  
Things that are not so good

  1. Battery flakiness.  If I want Flaky, give me a biscuit
  2. Sprint TV not working on WiFi  (WTF really?)
  3. 4G Spotty and Slow coverage.  (it is great sometimes.. most not)

 
Sprint-htc-evo-4g

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:23:00 -0700 Struggling with Google Buzz http://www.torgersons.com/struggling-with-google-buzz http://www.torgersons.com/struggling-with-google-buzz

Google-buzz-page-preview
OK, I’ve really tried to giv e Google Buzz a run and see how useful it can be.  My problem is two fold. First is the lack of integration into my GAFYD (Google Apps for Your Domain) email, the second is lack of integration into the linked sites.

GAFYD:  Lack of integration is a source of constant frustration with this tool.  I personally love the Email, Docs, Calendar.  Don’t want to give it up.  The problem is feeling like a second class citizen because GAFYD does not include things like Reader, Voice or now Buzz.  (sure it’s coming.. but..)  What is the purpose of that little checkbox on the dashboard to get new features if we REALLY don’t get things early?  or at all?

Without Buzz being integrated into my REAL email account, it forces me to go to yet another location for information.  I now have Google Reader, Twitter, Buzz, Email, Facebook.. hmm.. too many.  It isn’t really a solution to fix that problem and just caused a NEW location to look.  If it was part of my email, it might be ok.

LACK OF TIE IN TO LINKED SITE:  My second beef is the lack of tie in back to the social site.  If I am following someone on Buzz, they post something on Twitter.. then I have to either respond in Buzz, and people using Buzz can see it.  The problem is the loss of conversation on Twitter?  I have now moved conversation from the main site (where presumably MOST people follow) to Buzz, where it is a parasite, leaching the good value off to allow itself to live.  Had it not been for the host, Buzz wouldn’t exist.. hell, even parasites provide SOME value back to their host (like cleaning bacteria, etc).. Buzz is just migrating traffic from other sites to their own!  If you are building a nice following on Twitter, it is detrimental to your core group of followers.. unless they all use Buzz.

Here is how I keep track of things.  I’d be interested to know if others have found Buzz to be useful in a way to help consolidate my current sources of news.

Google Reader:  I use this for my blog reading and following.  This link is to my shared items.. but I keep track of around 40 blogs.  It is a lot per day.. I need to find a way to remove dupes… too many people post the same news.

Twitter:  I have found this to be a great source of news.  I use Twitter to keep up with things.. not typically to reach out or communicate.  I’m a consumer, not a producer.

ReadTwit:  I use Readtwit to pull links from Twitter into my RSS feeds.  This helps me while on the bus and using Google Reader on my iPhone.  It finds links in the posts of people I follow on Twitter, pulls in the content and makes an RSS feed for me.  Nicely integrated.

Any additional news consumption is through random surfing, reading or links emailed to me.  My open question then is this.  How does Buzz help?  I would like to benefit from a tool.. I just don’t find this one useful.

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:20:27 -0800 My Evernote Blog Post http://www.torgersons.com/my-evernote-blog-post http://www.torgersons.com/my-evernote-blog-post

From Evernote:

Evernote Blog Post
Everyone and their brother is posting articles about how they use Evernote.  For god sakes, we know you can keep notes in it people.  We know you can post pictures in it.. please give me insight in to how you integrate into your daily routine!  I'd love to learn more ways to be productive with it.. but your lack of detail kills me!  I want to learn good information from you.. not that you have 7 ways to tell me what I already know.  I am being selfish.  you have figured out how to use Evernote.. I want you to share!  </rant>  :)

OK. so you are wondering now, how does JEFF use Evernote?  

Folder Structure
I try to keep the folders to a minimum.  I will explain the use for what I have.. and I feel it is working.  

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Daily Visit
I keep things like a Recent Achievements note, project list note, etc.. Things that I may need to see or edit daily.  Including my dashboard for my product reporting.  The links are in here.  

Inbox
This is my default folder.  All new notes go in here to be processed GTD style.  (well, pseudo GTD)  But I know emailed notes, new iPhone notes, etc will all show up here. 

LOLs
Shared public folder I put funny comics, etc into.  Then I can just email people a link to this shared folder and quit spamming you all with jokes.  You can go look if you want.  

Main
This is my main archive.  It's sibling is WORK.  Everything personal goes into MAIN.  

Projects
This is where I keep my project notes. (See below)

Public Tips
If I have to write up tips for friends, like how to remove a virus from their PC (I own a Mac), or how to do X or Y.. I try to write it up, put the links in the note and publish it publicly.  Then I can reuse them.  

Research
I put all my research findings into this one folder for easy searching.  Why don't I just drop them into my WORK folder you ask?  Well, I am hoping one day there is an easy feature to exclude a folder from default searches.  I am planning for that feature.  One day it will come and I don't have to include hundreds of research notes/pdf's returning false positives.  

QUICK RANT:  
Evernote team, please allow a property on folders to be excluded from searching by default. Then if I want to search that folder, I can do it on my own.  

Templates
This is where I keep my templates.  (see below)  I just copy and paste the body into new notes when needed.  I have new project templates, new meeting notes, etc.  

Work
This is my work archive, it's sibling is my MAIN archive.

Here are some of my Business uses

Project Tracking

I have a folder called Projects.  I put each of my current projects in here under it's own note.  I title them as PROJECT: Project Name to help them stand out.. then I use a default template for each project.  It looks like this.  

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I keep the project template in a folder called templates, then just copy and paste the entire body into a new note when I need it.  Much easier than saving out as an evernote file and trying to import each time.  Plus, fully self-contained

Meeting Notes
I try to keep all of my meeting notes in Evernote.  I title them MEETING NOTES: Meeting name. Then add a tag for the project, and a tag for each person in attendance.  This way, if I remember a meeting I had with John.Smith, I can search for tag:meeting tag:john.smith and find a good list.  Then, I use a default meeting notes template.  

I also embed a default mind map template for meetings which I find is a good way to capture notes if I don't have to be engaged in lots of the conversation.  This is the best part of embedding files. You can have templates in other docs that are useful.  If you used spreadsheets for certain projects, put the default template in there.  

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White Boards
I take pictures of all my white board drawings, notes on white boards in meetings, etc. Then I tag them appropriately with each project name, key words, etc.  For meeting specific pictures, I move the pictures into any note that was for a meeting.  

Here is the kicker for these.  I process almost all of the pictures with JotNot.  If I am using the pics in my own template, I embed them just as normal.  If someone else (like a PGM) has asked to see my pictures, I use JotNot to create all of the pics into a single PDF and send it over.. I also then embed the PDF at the end of the doc.

QUICK RANT:  
Evernote team, why can't I make a PDF a thumbnail?  I know in most cases it works great as a full file.. but sometimes I want it to act like other attachments.  

Business Cards
Everytime I get a business card, I take a pic, JotNot it and save to Evernote.  I then tag them with the company name, position of the person (ceo, cmo, etc) and tag:businesscard.  I can now easily find business cards.  My electronic Rolodex.  

Receipts for Travel
I take pics of all receipts while coming back on the plane from a business trip.  I use JotNot to correct the images, tag with the trip info and save for later use.  Then if I happen to lose them, I still hopefullly have a copy. 

Reading To Go
Often I get things I need to read, but now is not the right time.  It might be better to just read it on the bus on the way home.  I put all emails, PDFs, docs, presentations into their own note with just a tag:ToRead.  Then I have a saved search ToRead that let's me find all my "to go" reading items.  My own "read it later" program.  Once read, I typically delete them as it was a task.. but they could be archived.  

EMail Templates
Sometimes I need to send the same thing over and over again to people.  Internal Wiki links, documents, attachments, etc.  I just create a series of EMail templates to be used as needed.  Then if someone asks me "Where are the reporting links for project X", I can send an email to the wiki link for future reference as well as the actual data they needed.  

Here are a couple of personal use cases

Bookmark Archive
I used to use delicious.. but decided I was not into sharing all the links publicly like that.  Some where private work links that I may want to encrypt.  So.. I now just capture pages, add tags for the items I would remember them by.. and a tag called bookmark.  

Later, I can search for tag:bookmark tag:tips - which would return all bookmarks that I had tagged with tips.  

QUICK RANT:  
Evernote Team:  The Safari capture tool was the best.  It truly captured a  PDF of the entire page, maintained formatting, etc.  The current Chrome capture leaves a horribly formatted page.  Please make this work better.. even if you end up doing server side PDF creation and embedding.. something.  It sucks now. 

Reduction of my wallet
I took all the cards out of my wallet, took pictures of the items, used JotNot to clean them up, uploaded them all into Evernote and tagged them all with tag:wallet and the other corresponding tags.  Now my wallet is smaller and I have easy access to everything I needed in those scrap things I saved.  Now when I need my Sheraton rewards number, I search for tag:wallet tag:sheraton and BAM!  Done.  

Insurance Cards
I took pics of all my insurance cards and tagged them by vehicle, year, INSURANCE.  Now I know I will always have proof even if it isn't in my car.   

Gift Ideas
I take pictures of things I see that someone may like, tag it with giftidea, person, birthday/Christmas.  Then I can sort by all gift ideas for a given person for an event.  Makes it easy to remember cool ideas for people.  Great for while out and about shopping.  

Light Bulbs
I take a picture of odd lightbulbs in my house, tag them as lightbulb, master.bedroom and then I can find them easily.  

Serial Numbers/Downloads
Any purchase I make online for software, I put the serial number and file into a note so it is archived and available.  

Draft Documents
Any emails, blog posts, etc I need to do, I typically do them in a new note in my INBOX in Evernote first.  Then only move out of Evernote once it is done.  This makes sure it is available from anywhere. 

Typical Camera Memory shots
Things like Wine, mexican sour cream, license plate, parking location, etc.  These are quick and easy.. everyone does these.  Tagging and saving. 

 
Things that Evernote is missing
I believe Evernote is an amazing tool. .and keeps getting better over time.  I do however have a few serious rants.  You've seen a couple above, but there are some that really kill me. 

Formatting
This is my number one pet peeve.  Formatting on my Mac, iPhone and Web don't stay consistent.  It is like working in a very bad hack-word processor.  It just plain sucks to make nice looking notes, and keep them formatted correctly.  This has got to be fixed.   

Non-Linear Notes
OneNote is kicking Evernote's butt here.  Sometimes my notes should not be just a text file.  Maybe I do want to place free floating containers around the page and move them, etc.  Sure.. I can't do it from my iPhone, but 99% of my editing is on my Mac.  Don't make it just a text file. Give me a more fluid experience. 

Plugins
I'd love to have a MindMap plugin.  Can someone make it for me?  Rather than attaching it? What about embedding maps?  or an editable spreadsheet?  or.. heck, what about using a plugin to create a Gantt chart capability?
 
Integration with Google Wave
OK, maybe a stretch here.. but embedding a wave inside Evernote would rock.  

Auto-Extraction of To-Do items
Sure, a checkbox is nice in a page... but without the meta data of an actual task being assigned, there is no single view to see all my TODOs.  This is a pain.  Again, OneNote wins here. 

History of closed To-Do
I'd like to know what I completed as well, in a timeline.  Maybe auto-generate weekly status reports for me  :)  

Templates
I really think that you need to bring back templates.  People could create templates, premium templates, etc.  Then, I could say New Note From Template, and choose one of my own, or a public one.  KEY THING is your formatting would need to be better.  Imagine backgrounds, structured templates, etc.  Could be amazing.  

Google Docs Integration
Maybe you could sync with Google Docs and allow offline access to files through Evernote? Docs could show up as notes, while Spreadsheets and Presentations could be attachments. If I edit them, once I go back online, they sync.  

Better Formatting for capturing web pages
This is just plain horrible unless you use the Safari plugin.  Please fix

Inline Webpages, Full and Clipped (iFrame)
It'd be great to provide a URL that is embedded into the site.  This would allow me to do a Google Docs form, create a note that has the form in it.. each time I go to the note, I can fill out the form.  Would be great for data capture. Would also be nice for web-clipping for things like bus schedules,etc.  (not full pages, but partial)

Maps on the Mac
I'd like to create lists that are location aware  (Shopping by store) as well as see where I took notes by location.  

FINAL THOUGHT
I hope this has been helpful.  I will continue to try to find ways to let Evernote do what my brain is horrible at doing.  Organizing and Remembering.  Thanks to the little elephant.  (and his team of handlers)  If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them.. but please, don't just tell me you use it for notes and taking a picture.  :)  

If Evernote can keep this up.. I see us all using the digital camera video life-cast capture right into Evernote in a few years with face recognition, voice search, location aware.. that will be both helpful and creepy all at once. 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/130512/21810475_ecfdbe93af_m.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aR1d1M4fidH Jeff Torgerson Torg Jeff Torgerson