Lesson #1: Be Clear About Who Your Company Caters To
Lesson #1: Be Clear About Who Your Company Caters To
MySpace might have over 200 million member accounts, but it also has its critics to be sure. Considering the popularity of the site and the number of people that use it on a daily basis, critics say that MySpace is considerably lacking in technological sophistication. From the site’s poor navigation system to its coding errors to its unappealing to the eye design, MySpace has become the target for criticism by Internet geeks around the world.
But founders DeWolfe and Anderson are not worried about it. “We get criticized by all the bloggers for the poor design of MySpace,” says DeWolfe. “But it’s worked out well. We intentionally kept it very simple.”
So, if they were not focused on making the site the best it could be technologically speaking, what were DeWolfe and Anderson focusing on? “We looked at how people live their lives,” says DeWolfe. “We didn’t get bogged down in creating the next new technology podcasting RSS thingamajiggy.”
DeWolfe and Anderson are the first to admit that their site won’t be winning any technical awards any time soon, but that is just fine with them. Their goal never was to create a site that had the most technological bells or whistles on it. Rather, they wanted to create a site that was both functional and fun to the people that they knew would use it –people like them.
DeWolfe and Anderson knew that people were not flocking to their site by the millions because of all the technological possibilities it offered. They were coming because the site offered the best elements from other websites, such as Evite and Craigslist. For the first time, all in one space, people could do everything they wanted, however they wanted. And they did not have to be a professional coder to do it. “We had classifieds, events, blogs, music,” says DeWolfe. “It definitely has its own voice. It’s a little bit edgy, it seems cool, it doesn’t seem overly produced.”
So, while surfing over to MySpace for the first time can be an overwhelming experience due to the lack of overall cohesiveness, Anderson came up with a solution: he would be everyone’s first “friend.” Now, as soon as someone becomes a new MySpace member, Anderson appears as their first friend, offering helpful advice about how to begin and design tips for how to get their profile started.
But not insisting on being the most advanced site out there does not mean that Anderson and DeWolfe are not concerned with offering new features to their members. To that end, they continue to tinker with digital photo and video possibilities, as well as a VoIP application to let members call each other.
Through it all, however, DeWolfe and Anderson are clear about one thing: their site does not cater to the coders. It was never meant to. Instead, it caters to people like them, people who just want a fun place to hang out with their friends and express themselves however they want.
Lesson 1 Be Clear About Who Your Company Caters To
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“We started the company around the time that a lot of other social networking companies were starting up,” recalls DeWolfe. “But we saw that a lot of those companies had a very niche focus. We set out to create this next generation portal where we looked at the best social features around.”
MySpace might have over 200 million member accounts, but it also has its critics to be sure. Considering the popularity of the site and the number of people that use it on a daily basis, critics say that MySpace is considerably lacking in technological sophistication. From the site’s poor navigation system to its coding errors to its unappealing to the eye design, MySpace has become the target for criticism by Internet geeks around the world.
But founders DeWolfe and Anderson are not worried about it. “We get criticized by all the bloggers for the poor design of MySpace,” says DeWolfe. “But it’s worked out well. We intentionally kept it very simple.”
So, if they were not focused on making the site the best it could be technologically speaking, what were DeWolfe and Anderson focusing on? “We looked at how people live their lives,” says DeWolfe. “We didn’t get bogged down in creating the next new technology podcasting RSS thingamajiggy.”
DeWolfe and Anderson are the first to admit that their site won’t be winning any technical awards any time soon, but that is just fine with them. Their goal never was to create a site that had the most technological bells or whistles on it. Rather, they wanted to create a site that was both functional and fun to the people that they knew would use it –people like them.
DeWolfe and Anderson knew that people were not flocking to their site by the millions because of all the technological possibilities it offered. They were coming because the site offered the best elements from other websites, such as Evite and Craigslist. For the first time, all in one space, people could do everything they wanted, however they wanted. And they did not have to be a professional coder to do it. “We had classifieds, events, blogs, music,” says DeWolfe. “It definitely has its own voice. It’s a little bit edgy, it seems cool, it doesn’t seem overly produced.”
So, while surfing over to MySpace for the first time can be an overwhelming experience due to the lack of overall cohesiveness, Anderson came up with a solution: he would be everyone’s first “friend.” Now, as soon as someone becomes a new MySpace member, Anderson appears as their first friend, offering helpful advice about how to begin and design tips for how to get their profile started.
But not insisting on being the most advanced site out there does not mean that Anderson and DeWolfe are not concerned with offering new features to their members. To that end, they continue to tinker with digital photo and video possibilities, as well as a VoIP application to let members call each other.
Through it all, however, DeWolfe and Anderson are clear about one thing: their site does not cater to the coders. It was never meant to. Instead, it caters to people like them, people who just want a fun place to hang out with their friends and express themselves however they want.
Lesson 1 Be Clear About Who Your Company Caters To
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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