Disqus - Latest Comments for kdwinnell

Re: 65 Key Resources for Running and Growing Your Business

Kevin Dwinnell — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 09:48:57 -0000

Thanks for this list. I appreciate having a curated list like this when I'm looking for helpful tools.

I'd also put MailChimp on the list, and have had good success with MarketSamurai for SEO work.

Really need to figure out ifttt. I hear so many good things, but get overwhelmed when trying to figure out how to best use it (though it's been a while since I looked - there may be better help now).

Re: One Simple Tactic That Can Give You an Unfair Advantage in Local Search

Kevin Dwinnell — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:44:46 -0000

I missed your due diligence in my skim of the article. I think many users get tripped up on their placement by forgetting they are logged in. Good method to try private mode as well.

Re: Microsoft patent application details branded web browser frame

Kevin Dwinnell — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:31:14 -0000

You can test this now with Firefox and the directions Brand Thunder provides for building a Site Specific Persona and our Personas Interactive extension. We spelled this all out back in July 2010, at the bottom of the following post: http://brandthunder.com/201...

The capability has been out there. It could get a lift by it being integrated into the browser itself and not having the dependency of having an extension installed. Sites that find Wibiya and Hellobar useful will find a use for this as well.

I must admit, the mock is a little scary. It looks and sounds a lot like Brand Thunder's IE themes, though the description is more like the Site Specific Personas. You can see examples of the IE themes at the IE Addons Gallery http://www.iegallery.com/Se...

Re: Hello Local, Meet Social – Learning the Basics at SES Chicago

Kevin Dwinnell — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:03:01 -0000

The Q&A session would have been interesting in this session. The guidance makes sense, but is very broad. I'd like to see a translation of how SoLoMo works when you're in SoloMode (e.g. a solo-entrepreneur or small business). Does the local business really have the bandwidth to be everywhere? Some places, the checkbox will have to be enough, but which channel helps you win and deserves your extra attention?

Re: DIY Bionic Hand from “Hotties vs. Nerds” Wipeout

Kevin Dwinnell — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:07:30 -0000

It's like Sarif Industries (sarifindustries.com) products have come to life. Thought this was part of the promo from the upcoming Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Re: Personalize Your Browser With BT: Engage

Kevin Dwinnell — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:08:56 -0000

Brian: Thanks for looking over BT:Engage and your feedback. You're right, the download piece is lacking. By the time we roll into public beta, the product will auto-generate a download page so sites like yours can point users to the page and install either the Firefox or IE version.

We'll keep revving it quickly and input from you and your readers will help ensure we're focused on the right areas.

Re: Knowing When Your Baby is Ugly

Kevin Dwinnell — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:54:23 -0000

Great that you hit realization in 4 weeks. You can recover from that.

Re: 182 open IT positions in Columbus - 20 companies

Kevin Dwinnell — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:45:10 -0000

Brand Thunder still looking for a solid data programmer analyst, someone with a love of open source a plus... http://brandthunder.com/201...

Re: Want My Attention on Facebook? Post a Picture on Friday Morning

Kevin Dwinnell — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:24:10 -0000

I think it makes sense that the sharing spikes on the weekends, while usage is most likely down. Looking at the data of how and when people go online, weekends are always a dip.

Re: Interview: Kevin Dwinnell on How to properly build an online community for a small business

Kevin Dwinnell — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:56:42 -0000

Owen, thanks for the honor of being featured on your site. It was a great discussion and I hope the rest of your community enjoys it and finds some value.

Re: Spring cleaning release

Kevin Dwinnell — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:01:09 -0000

Thanks for the heads up. Enjoy the service. There are key features like images and tag selection that I use with nearly every post I do. Appreciate your efforts.

Re: The Downside of Clever

Kevin Dwinnell — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:27:14 -0000

Thanks for the spelling of "bubkes," wondered about that.

I enjoy clever lines, but find that even when I feel I've been crystal clear with the words I'm choosing - lots get lost. I guess you can be that loose with creative when the accountability metrics aren't tied as closely as they are online.

Re: World-brand-building mistakes France’s entrepreneurs make

Kevin Dwinnell — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:01:09 -0000

Here's the battle front shaping for Brand Thunder (http://brandthunder.com). Browser Themes. Firefox 3.6 builds in light themes. Google Chrome is pushing themes through its ad campaign (http://www.youtube.com/prof...

Brand Thunder adds content and functionality into the theme making it an active experience and not just static.

The insights of the post are definitely helpful. I don't disagree with #5, but there are times when I ignore it. Going off the grid temporarily has its merit too.

Sorry for leading with the promotional info, it's related to #1 and putting start ups on your radar. And the battlefield reference seemed relevant (and helpful to me).

Re: With Great Power

Kevin Dwinnell — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:34:10 -0000

It's great to see this level of concern and attention directed toward responsibility. When I think about the failing newspapers and the potential loss of investigative journalism and deep research of stories, it's scary. But thinking of a host of bloggers with a strong sense of responsibility - that could be a fair substitute.

Re: How desktop apps beat websites at building large active userbases

Kevin Dwinnell — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:29:45 -0000

Andrew:

This is a helpful and relevant post. My company plays in this space, and like any marketer we try to maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses - and some things are just beyond your control.

The timing of a launch as well as type of audience can greatly affect the adoption of the application. It's pretty easy to predict that a sports team's adoption is going to ebb and flow whether it's the sport's season or off season. Likewise, retention could be considered migratory with users returning each year at the first signs of pre-season. While this might affect when you want to do the math, it won't separate the app from the web site.

The audience type, however, can play a very serious role. We've seen adoption rates of 30%, and sometimes from surprising clients. For client's that fit those profiles, the app can go toe to toe with any program.

The biggest surprise for me, however, is not around any of the data points discussed -- it's how often companies view the options as mutually exclusive. "We can't do this, because we're doing that..." There are enough options and enough vendors that costs and resource demands are pretty low. Once built, there's little overhead to hosting the various products. So, I'd expect to see more racking and stacking of the programs and execute them as quickly as possible letting the consumer decide where and how they'd like to be engaged.

Re: Search startup Surf Canyon adds more ways to find relevant results

Kevin Dwinnell — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:31:08 -0000

Anthony:

Good coverage of a great product. Brand Thunder builds better browsing experiences through visual and functional customization. We've been using Surf Canyon as a component of that for several months with positive results - so far the response has been outstanding.

I'll also say I was a slow convert feeling Surf Canyon "got in the way of the way I searched." Once I stopped resisting the experience, I found it improved my search effectiveness. Now I view it as an essential tool to keep my searches short and productive.

Re: Google's Byline Search a Boon to PR - mediabistro.com: PRNewser

Kevin Dwinnell — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:07:01 -0000

Excellent news. Thanks for pointing this out.

Re: Motrin Controversy: Lessons Learned

Kevin Dwinnell — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:47:05 -0000

Addition to Point 3, for those of us in the adoption community - attachment is critical. The support may be fringe at this time, but the research behind it is sound. So, the repercussions were probably wider than they realized.

And given the post-election lull, there was probably pent up emotion that needed to be directed at the new other guy. ;-)

Re: What Is A Blog? (And Why It May Not Matter)

Kevin Dwinnell — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:37:51 -0000

Fair consideration. I also struggle with when should a blog be a forum. In reading about Web 2.0 you constantly hear "join the dialog" but blogs seem to be mostly statements of opinion and comment and very little dialog. Maybe the distinction is blogs are a great forum for expression of ideas, but forums are better suited for the advancement of ideas.

Re: Do Branded Browsers Make Sense?

Kevin Dwinnell — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:47:50 -0000

Charles:

Consider yourself a predictor of the future. Three years after your post (basing this on the comment dates below), Brand Thunder (www.brandthunder.com) has built branded browsers into a business.

Kevin

Re: Alltop

Kevin Dwinnell — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:44:55 -0000

Awesome news. Congrats.

Re: Five Reasons Why Whole Foods Gets Facebook

Kevin Dwinnell — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:39:49 -0000

Likewise, thanks for the example. I certainly don't mind borrowing good ideas.

Re: Life In The Fishbowl

Kevin Dwinnell — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:08:51 -0000

I know I tend to get caught up in it, and feel I need the constant data input.

But, it's amazing how good a "news fast" can feel and the first time I did it was pleasantly surprised when my world didn't crumble as a result (though I strongly suggest not doing this during March Madness, like my first attempt). Then knowing I can turn it off, makes the pendulum swing more like a ride I can appreciate.

Re: Honesty

Kevin Dwinnell — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:35:54 -0000

I missed the left-wing conspiracy here, but isn't honesty a general perception challenge for the marketing profession as a whole? I know I've had to defend it multiple times especially when working with my more technically-skilled counterparts. I've got to believe we're in league with journalists and politicians.

Re: "Have To" vs. "Choose To"

Kevin Dwinnell — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:21:54 -0000

In the large corporation I was at, the company finally allowed Apple as a choice to all personnel and not just the design staff.