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Product Management

Those kids today...

I remember the first cell phone bill I received and I remember saying, "What is texting and who is doing it!!!" Oh how things have changed. While today's adults are sending 10 texts per day, teenage boys are sending 30 or more and teenage girls are sending over 100!

How will you make money?

The recent demise of Wave causes IT buyers concern. What else might Google discontinue? While it seems unlikely that they’ll stop offering Google Apps what if they did? As a result, IT buyers are reluctant to put business data on any of Google’s apps.

Sure it's cool but will people pay for it?

One of the key ideas for any new product is "how will we make money?" or "Will our customers be willing to pay for it?"

Julie O'Dell writes, 

In a new study, researchers found that while half of all Americans surveyed have tried a free web app like Twitter, zero percent of them would be willing to pay to use Twitter or a similar service.

Friday fun: Let local teams localize

Do you market your products in multiple countries? If so, you need to have marketers in the local region to tailor your message in their language.

Japan is rather (in)famous for using English phrases that don't mean what they think they mean... if you know what I mean.

Source: http://www.engrish.com/

Does Your Site Say “Keep Out”?

My sites break a lot of rules. Someone pointed out that, although I push my clients to design sites with high contrasting fonts on a light background, our new media agency site is designed with a dark background and light fonts… much more difficult to read. Other friends have pointed out that it also doesn’t fit on a small resolution laptop.

I know.

Is it ethical?

There are lots of definitions of what is and is not ethical. I have one idea; you and your company might have another. 

HP documents suggest that employees pose themselves a simple test to decide whether an action is appropriate: 

"Before I make a decision, how will it look in a news story?"

help with Time Management

Do you struggle with time management? With our always-on culture, it's often hard to find the time to get your work done.

Dennis Snow offers this view on the Pomodoro technique for managing his time and I think it will work as well for many product managers.

Launch Clinic: Habitats of the Product Marketing Manager

Those with the job title of ‘Product Marketing Manager’ live in a variety of organizational habitats. There are four that I see as recurring themes, each with its own challenges and opportunities.