Mary Meeker 2014 Internet Trends Thoughts

Tried to post this in a discussion online, but the comments widget bombed out. I figured I'd post it here instead, since sadly it's a bit of a ghost town.

KPCB Internet trends 2014 from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Mary Meeker just released her annual internet trends report. As a huge nerd I look forward to this every year. In this year's report she predicts that one of the next areas ripe for disruption is Education. As someone married to a teacher, and a parent. I am excited by this.

What exactly might that disruption look like?

While a completely vague prediction. It will be access to information. The overriding driver of all the major internet driven disruption of the past 30 years has been the democratization of access to information (and resources).

From Google giving everyone the worlds knowledge at the click of a mouse to Amazon EC3 offering every entrepreneur with an idea access to enterprise class infrastructure also at the click of a mouse.

"Good" education. That is access to the best teachers and best techniques was once the domain of the privileged. A networked world, combined with easy distribution and free-er access to information "evens the playing field" so to speak. In theory a kid in rural Africa "could" get the same quality of eduction as a kid in suburban Connecticut.

If that happens an interesting side effect could be disruption to the network value of higher eduction. The most valuable thing about getting a Harvard MBA is knowing all the other people who got a Harvard MBA along with you. With an even playing field, along with a theoretically open communication network in education, that could change. Disruption to education is arguable THE THING that can change the world THE MOST.

Sorry for the ramble.

2 Facebook marketing tips for eCommerce

The latest on my other blog.

2 Facebook marketing tips for eCommerce beginners.

Coffee is for closers! Sales lessons for eCommerce

My latest post

http://forewardsapp.com/blog/ecommerce-marketing-strategy-alec-baldwin/

Supercharge your eCommerce with referrals

For those of you who are interested in this type of thing, I've just written a new whitepaper on referral marketing and how it can improve your e Commerce business over at my other site.

Check it out, and let me know what you think

Where does the time go?

I pretty much have no time to maintain this blog these days.

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I invite you to check out my latest venture. We're changing the world of referral marketing and in the process hoping to help our eCommerce clients make their referral program,s effortless and effective...

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Empty your mind... Timeless advice from Bruce Lee

To upgrade or not to upgrade... the question for RIM

Reading the avalanche of bad news coming out of Waterloo these past few weeks, there seems to be one small positive that most pundits agree on.  When RIM releases their new Blackberry 10 devices later this year, it will be a make or break moment for what was once Canada’s most valuable company.

I actually think there is a subtle nuance in that sentiment that some are overlooking.  RIM needs to actually get most if not all of their current 75 million users to actually upgrade to the new devices and platform as soon as possible.

That’s the precariously same situation that every technology company finds themselves in every few years.  In the case of Microsoft, usually every 3 years, Apple every year, and RIM will face later this year.  How can you ensure the smoothest and fastest possible upgrade cycle?

Existing customers on one hand love familiarity.  In my own day to day, I’ve been a loyal RIM user for many years, so the quirks that come with their devices are something that I’ve grown accustomed to.  You could almost say that are quirks that I’ve come to expect and as such have accepted as part of my daily routine.  On the other hand, those same quirks are what make me consider competing devices as a replacement.  In fact on some days those quirks even have me contemplating paying for my OWN better device, in lieu of my “free” company provided blackberry.

As with most technologies, I have no doubt that Blackberry 10 will be an improvement on their current operating system. 

So how can they get those better, faster RIM devices in the hands of their most loyal users as soon as possible?

As with many things in life I suspect the secret lies in going back to the basics.  For RIM that means focusing on the five Ps of marketing, and tuning them for their core audience.  The 75 million people globally who they’ve already captured as customers.  Products, Price, Placement, Promotion and Packaging that will appeal to all those people that at some point already bought into the RIM value proposition.

How easy that will be remains to be seen however, not to mention how soon they need to begin executing on this…