Disqus - Latest Comments for Kevin Hillstrom

Re: Promoting the Z-listers

Kevin Hillstrom — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 19:44:13 -0000

Thanks for the link!! Nice blog.

Re: Twitter Delicious Tags on Wordle

Kevin Hillstrom — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 22:42:09 -0000

You've done a very nice job of creating a social media presence for yourself. Kudos on the good work!

Re: Designing for other people versus designing for yourself

Kevin Hillstrom — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 18:20:09 -0000

I think you showed wisdom in this discussion. Most important was the comment that you have to learn to listen to and incorporate feedback from a diverse set of individuals.

Once you have the feedback, knowing which opinion to act upon is a combination of gut feel, experience, and passion. We all have different gifts. We clearly enhance our gifts by listening to others.

Good job!

Re: Man, I’m kind of bored by the Web 2.0 conference…

Kevin Hillstrom — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 00:58:21 -0000

You are experiencing the maturation of an industry. It's an endless cycle that is being revisited in your world.

As the masses embrace what you've been part of, you'll move on to new and exciting things that push the envelope. Conferences are one way of understanding when it is time to move on to new and exciting things.

Re: Facebook viral marketing: When and why do apps “jump the shark?”

Kevin Hillstrom — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:42:00 -0000

Well done on realizing that the math used by biology and ecology folks applies to Facebook!

I make my entire living on the concepts you outline. I apply those concepts to companies, outlining for them how their business may be struggling due to the issues you describe in your post.

You correctly identified that adoption/acquisition, carrying capacity, and retention drive all dynamics, and do so not just for Facebook, but for all business models.

Well done!

Re: How to measure if users love your product using cohorts and revisit rates

Kevin Hillstrom — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:04:54 -0000

You might enjoy looking up the concept of a Life Table, via Google or Wikipedia. The math behind a life table fuels the fees insurance companies charge, determines when a crisis will occur with Social Security, and applies perfectly to the situation you are discussing.

Re: If Gap Needs a Niche

Kevin Hillstrom — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:02:03 -0000

Now try carving out a niche while Wall St. demands that you grow sales and profit at the same time. I've been in enough board rooms and executive meetings to know that leaders talk about these things all the time, they aren't dumb.

Trying to get 35,000 employees to all act in a consistent manner, selling product that 500 merchandisers all agree is targeted to the exact same niche, while preventing further comp store sales decreases, now that is where the rubber hits the road.

Re: What’s In Your Name?

Kevin Hillstrom — Wed, 09 May 2007 00:35:19 -0000

I've received criticism for not using my actual name (Kevin Hillstrom) as the name of my consulting practice (MineThatData).

What do you folks think, should I have gone with my actual name?

Re: Jon Udell’s value to Microsoft

Kevin Hillstrom — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:05:53 -0000

You identified the problem that hurts all of us technical people --- the language we speak.

We can't help ourselves.

The better job we do at speaking the language of the everyday person, the better job we will do of evangelizing our ideas.

And when somebody figures out how to do it, please help teach me too!

Re: What I learned

Kevin Hillstrom — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:30:44 -0000

Maybe people could just leave you alone, and focus on their own mistakes.

How is the planet a better place because people clobber you over your opinions?

Re: The sixth question companies ask about social media

Kevin Hillstrom — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:20:02 -0000

There's always activities that are difficult to measure (i.e. changing the signage in a store, for instance), those activities have always existed.

And yet, Social Media folks sometimes are frightened when challenged to provide something. You can prove that this stuff does or does not work, I've done both.

It is easy to say it cannot be measured or proven, it eliminates accountability. It is a rush to prove it does work, so try!!

Re: Has/How/Why tech blogging has failed you

Kevin Hillstrom — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:23:23 -0000

Well said, well done!

Re: Six reasons NOT to try to be an online retailer

Kevin Hillstrom — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 23:09:41 -0000

There are folks who've been told that the "long tail" of retailing gives them endless opportunities to grow healthy, profitable businesses in this era.

Your thoughts?

Re: Direct Mail that Works!

Kevin Hillstrom — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 11:18:11 -0000

Do we know that these direct mail pieces worked because they drove sales increases to the companies that sent the direct mail campaigns to you?

Re: Direct Mail that Works!

Kevin Hillstrom — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:52:37 -0000

Without a doubt, doing the right thing is good. And I would be the first person to get behind companies that do nice things. Spending time doing these activities drives a better ROI than spending money on a television commercial.

Many years ago, I sat in a room with folks from Hallmark. They wanted to create an automated thank you program for my company, tied in to a CRM system. To me, that was opposite of what you are advocating. There's such a fine line between doing good, doing something that looks good, and trying to drive profit. To your point, if you do good, the sales and profits will follow.

Good post!

Re: I Swear! Or should I?

Kevin Hillstrom — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 13:17:39 -0000

One of the blogs I follow includes a significant amount of swearing. The person is clearly hurt over the direction his industry is taking, and it seems the only way his feelings can truly be expressed. He doesn't seem to swear in non-industry related posts. While I don't think his language is appropriate, it is obvious his feelings are hurt, and I can pick that up from his choice of language.

I won't swear on my blog. I want those who run across my content to focus on the content, not the language used to deliver it.

Re: White Papers Are A Marketing Joke! (Really?)

Kevin Hillstrom — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:10:50 -0000

To me, white papers aren't any different than any other kind of communication.

Some are very well done and are very relevant.

Some are not well done but are very relevant.

Some are well done and are irrelevant.

Some are not well done and are irrelevant.

Everybody likes to take potshots at the last category.

Re: Is the Word “Solution” Dead?

Kevin Hillstrom — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 12:20:57 -0000

Bury it!!!

Re: How blogging converstations go…

Kevin Hillstrom — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 11:05:00 -0000

Thanks for referring to that post!

If you are a CEO, your customers matter. Your executive team is another form of "customer" that you have to take care of --- the way you make decisions based on their input shapes your success as well.

Re: Top RSS Feed Readers

Kevin Hillstrom — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 16:40:33 -0000

I use Google Reader as well. My users tend to be older, and use Google Reader or Google Homepage.

I, too, get a good-sized audience from FeedBlitz RSS to E-Mail.