Jeff Bennett's Blog

Lycos was the original internet Search technology and company.  Lycos was the fastest IPO in Nasdaq history.  Lycos also was also the first Search company to advertise for the mass market with a series of television ads way back in in 1997 and through the late 1990’s.

Check out the first Lycos Ad that links a “Sherpa” as your guide to the Internet.  The goal to bring awareness to the category of Internet Search…a whole new category…and drive awareness and traffic to Lycos.

Lycos traded in the Sherpa in it’s next wave of television spots, but it kept on the theme of creating the category of Internet Search.  The Sherpa became the Labrador Retriever that would allow the consumer to retrieve info across the Internet.  The Lycos Lab was loveable and is still a brand icon today.

Lycos went onto align with Tennis star Anna Kournikova for a series of ads as well.  You can make the connection of what type of search behavior this was going to drive.

Now twelve years later in 2010.  Google has become the Internet Search powerhouse.  They have amassed this position with superior technology that has powered their massive expansion.  Google has not been that aggressive as an advertiser for their own brand off of the Internet medium, though they hit the airwaves with an ad that shows off their integrated search solution with a television ad in 2010 Super Bowl.

So interesting to see how far Internet Search has evolved with these clips.  Lycos was a trailblazer for the category.  It is hard work to create the notion of a category that has never existed.  Google reaps the reward by bringing expanded functionality and integration.  Google has become the presumptive leader of the category.  Different ads for different times.

It will be interesting to see if Google continues to advertise.  It will also be interesting to see who leads ten years from now.

My daughter has outgrown her clogs and today was the day we were destined to get the new pair of Sanita Clogs.  A little easier said than done from my experience though.

This morning we “Googled” the term Sanita Clogs and came to a very nice corporate web site.  Up in the right hand corner was a link “Where To Buy” which we clicked on.  Many options within ten and fifteen miles.

We visited two of these stores with no luck.  Rather than continuing to travel to each store I started placing calls.  No luck on five more stores.  On each visit and call I would ask:  ”Do you know who might sell Sanita Clogs for kids?”  Three times I  got a response that “that Clog store in Cambridge probably does.”

Interesting information…a pattern developing here.  I went back to the Sanita web site and a quick scan did not reveal a Cambridge Clogs, rather a store called Vintage Etc.  I called  and sure enough they answered the phone “Cambridge Clogs.”

I asked if they had our desired Sanita Clog, color and size and their response was “of course we have it.”  Wow.  This is obviously the place to go in the Boston area I thought.

So we hopped in the car and darted down to Cambridge to visit the Cambridge Clog Store.  Sure enough they not only had the clogs but actually they were waiting for us based on the call.  Wow!

I asked the lady who ran the shop about the “Vintage” and “Cambridge Clogs” monikers.  She deadpanned that they are “the” place for clogs and for years had become known as the “Cambridge Clog” store on an informal basis.  I told her that this is how we learned of her store through word-of-mouth. So she decided to rename her store “Cambridge Clogs.”

This would have been enough for me.  The Shopkeeper went onto explain that “Cambridge Clogs” was also a much better name for Google.   There are a lot of clog buyers in Cambridge…and surrounding metro area.  A generic and functional name allows them to break through the clutter and dominate the results when people “Google” for Cambridge Clogs.   She asked me in a matter of fact manner “don’t you agree?”

I said it absolutely made sense and I fully agree.  Indeed from my experiences @ NameMedia this is exactly the way it is.  I learned first hand the power and impact of generic names as we built our media business.  It costs a lot of money and effort to create awareness for nondescript names and brands.  It is hard to break through the clutter.  Brand building today has to take into account a lot of things and generic and descript names have proven to rise to the top in Google.  The Shopkeeper surely gave me an astute rationale for changing the shop name.

I only wished that I had a quicker reply to say:  ”Are you using RatePoint for customer feedback, email marketing and managing your reputation across the social media ecosystem?”  This is obviously a prospect.

When I went home I went to Google and searched on “Cambridge Clogs” and sure enough…they are the #1 rank in the algo results.  Not only that between their sites and mentions they essentially were every link on page one.  I bet you that this post will join all of the Cambridge Clogs content on that first Google page as well.  This is the power of a descriptive brand, great linking and fresh content.

What is even more interesting is that they did all of this without owning the domain…which I think they should acquire.  If not all of this great work could go to the owner of that domain.

What a Smart Clog Shop.  We had a great buying experience.  Lesson learned here for all shops and businesses regarding their moniker or brand.  I recommend Cambridge Clogs to all who are in the market for clogs in the Boston area.  We will surely go back again when we need to upgrade in size.

Lets face it everytime you turn these days someone is trying to get you to pick up the phone, buy this crappy product, support this cause and so on.

There are many “rip offs” that exist and a whole cottage industry coming up with these scams and implementing them.

Today Time Magazine posted a list of these scams and ways to avoid them.  Very interesting take on our society and the ingenious solutions that exist.

One of the rip offs that Time highlights is the “price of college text books.” This is a big one.  There are alternatives to buy used like at Amazon.  You can rent at Chegg.  But as Time states you can barter…or exchange…or swap @ Swaptree as well.

Cool mention for the leading swap site on the web.

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Since my birth there was one constant…Ted Kennedy was the U.S. Senator from Massachusetts.

He was challenged, lampooned, pilloried but he fought on for all of the citizens of my state for my whole lifetime.

Today a new day has dawned as Scott Brown was sworn in officially as the U.S. Senator from Massachusetts.  It took a little longer than we thought…but it has happened.

I blogged about it on a few occasions here – I did not agree with every Brown position – but I believe he outworked his opponent and the whole Democratic establishment – to earn this seat.  I also believe that is great to have a new face with new ideas injected into this system.

The ironies are so deep with Kennedy working his career for so many things like health care.  He has passed and the future of this work hangs in the balance of his replacement.  You could not dream of such a subplot to this.

Now it is “show time.”  We will all see how he does.  There are many significant issues that we face as a nation.  Godspeed Scott Brown as you weigh the options before you in your work in the U.S. Senate.

I traveled to New York today for business.

All was great on the train from Boston to New York…dry…warm…Wireless…eMail..IM..Pandora…morning paper.

One step out of Penn Station and it was a monsoon…driving rain and wind.

Back into Penn Station to buy a $5 umbrella.

Wait in the line with all of the other lemmings from the train?  No not me…I can create a new path.

Across the street and up 8th Avneue to the hotel…that will be easier.

In the middle of 8th Avenue the wind cripples my new umbrella…deluge.

As I am dashing near the hotel I can not see a doorman flagging cabs..he is inside..great.

A quick wait in the lobby to set the next plan…

Ahhh…there is a building in the next block I could see form the door with staging across the front…

A quick dash across 8th Ave up to wait under the staging to flag a cab under cover…great idea I thought…

I get set under the staging and wouldn’t you know a minivan makes a bee line for where I am standing…hits a huge pot hole full of water…and it was like a wave of water in Maui….sppplllllaaaaasssshhh!

I was wet…now drenched…thanks alot Mr. Minivan.

After a few expletives from me, Mr. Minivan says  he is sorry and moves on.

Except for the minivan tsunami, my plan did work masterfully though as I was able to flag a cab down from under cover.

Now in the cab, we start up 8th Avenue and I tell the driver the address of my first meeting…you know when  you are in trouble when they turn around and ask how do I get there.

Oh..c’mon.

So I navigate the Cabbie across mid town to the Madison Ave location.

Along the way we are travelling one of the cross streets and came upon an intersection where we had the green light.

Good thing I was paying attention as a bus was barreling through the red light and cut right in front of us.

I alerted my Cabbie of the ongoing Bus and he said holy —-!

He did hit the breaks…which of course slowed us for a moment…until we started sliding faster.

The bus was long gone though as we slid through the intersection.

The Cabbie said it best…”those bus drivers dont know what they are doing…”

Oh boy….

It was just a few minutes and I was able to direct us to my destination.

I needed a stiff drink and it was barely 8:30.

What’s next today?

Actually a great day in New York..but what a way to start.

Glad I am here to blog about it!

Swap is the barter and exchange of goods.   This was the predominant method of trading in the 17th and 18th centuries.  It is coming back and playing an important role in our economy.

The popularity of cashless deals tends be countercyclical to overall economic conditions, fading when times are good and growing when things are bad. But most economists are saying that the recent recession was so deep and long-lasting that it is likely to spur an extended period of frugality, we believe bartering activities in the U.S. will persist and flourish well after economic growth resumes.

The annual value of barter trade by North American companies expanded to $12 billion in 2008 almost double from what it was in 2001, according to the International Reciprocal Trade Association.

Craigs List and Swaptree are featured as consumer-to-consumer solutions for swapping. Boston based Swaptree is the leading site on the web for consumers to swap books, cds, dvds and games.  Swaptree has been featured here as a “cool site” since I have been blogging.  Swaptree allows consumers to cross trade any of these media types

Another Boston company, BzzAgent is also featured as a busienss-to-consumer solutions.  BzzAgent helps generate word-of-mouth communication for clients by recruiting unpaid volunteer “buzz agents” to talk up products and services to friends, acquaintances, and even total strangers in exchange for perks and gifts.

Check out the Wall Street Journal post here.

Amazon has announced that later this year the Kindle Store will start featuring active content produced by developers who can suggest their own prices.

The Kindle Development Kit  is already in use by a small group of developers including Electronic Arts and Handmark, which is building a Zagat app.  Amazon is looking to expand this base of publishers rapidly.

There are some constraints that Amazon will place on developers, such as they can’t include VoIP functionality, advertising, offensive materials, collection of customer information without express customer knowledge and consent, or usage of the Amazon or Kindle brand in any way.  These developers will also be banned from offering their own generic readers.

There will be several models available for the apps that range from free, one-time payment and subscription.  The Amazon plan includes offering a wide range of apps that will include calculators, stock tickers, casual video games, along with searchable e-books.

This is great for the Kindle user base.  It is great for developers as well…another platform for the syndication of apps.

I grew up in a family that was very interested and engaged in politics…and we still are.  Dinner time was always lively discussing the topic of the day.  We just did not talk though…we worked on campaigns…we were delegates to conventions…we voted.  My Dad, Ted Bennett,  also served our home town in elected office for 16 years and for many of these years was the only Republican to hold an elected office in our hometown.

Election night was always an important night in our house.  I remember as a very young kid listening to election coverage on the radio and tracking the results.  I also recall Presidential elections that date back to 1972.   We shared many debates and election nights.  Kennedy vs. Romney for U.S. Senate.  Weld vs. Kerry for U.S. Senate.  I remember the lively chatter, debate and analysis on these nights.  I remember going home during college and for years later to watch the results.

Of course I grew up in Massachusetts so the Kennedy legacy always loomed large over the whole electoral process.  I remember meeting the late Senator in 1981 when I visited Washington as a representative of Massachusetts at Washington Workshops.  Senator Kennedy was kind of like an uncle when he talked to the five kids that comprised the Massachusetts delegation.  Senator Kennedy made us feel like the most important people on earth, he talked of the Senate history and he knew something that was going on in each of our home towns.  Senator Kennedy was a man of incredible wealth though he worked tirelessly as Senator to bring home the bacon to Massachusetts.  You can question his positions but you can not question Senator’s Kennedy commitment to Massachusetts.  This Special Senate election is a new day in Massachusetts though.  Senator Kennedy could wield great influence with his vast support but this does not transcend to others now that he is gone.

I must say that it was pretty fun to connect with friends far and wide about the run up to the special election in Massachusetts for the U.S. Senate through Facebook, Email, Twitter and SMS messaging.  Again, I grew up in such a Democratic stronghold.  To connect with all of my childhood and schoolboy friends regarding this election was great.  The Internet expands our lives beyond our own living room to debate, challenge and converse with such a wider net.  The key here is that we all get engaged, discuss and participate…and from my standpoint we surely did that.  I was also so delighted that so many friends were of single mind on our desired result…people I would have never thought would be in the Brown camp.  My hometown gave 60% of their votes to Scott Brown.  That would have never happened ten, twenty, thirty years ago.

The national pundits will say that this was all about Obamacare.  It was a component of this.  What this was really about from my perspective is who will be the best person to represent Massachusetts.  Scott Brown out worked, out hustled, out did Martha Coakley in every aspect of this campaign.  He was the underdog so he had to.  As he did this though a movement built.

Tonight was an incredible night for me.  I have held the vigil on election nights for years now.  For the first time my own family was very interested and engaged in watching the results of our Massachusetts election…this is a great thing.  It was fun for all of us  to watch the returns flow in and analyze our thoughts.  I can tell through monitoring Facebook and Email that this was going on in many homes.  This is a night my Dad was looking for since 1952…the opportunity to win back that Senate seat JFK claimed 58 years ago.  When you think of it in those terms it was an historic night as Scott Brown beat Martha Coakley for the right to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate.

Congrats U.S. Senator Scott Brown!  Thanks President Obama for putting the spotlight on Massachusetts so we could show the country and the world that there is a different way forward for us.  My own family has now got the bug.  I am sure that we will have a great run up to Election night this fall.

Applications are what drive computers, smart phones and platforms.  This is not a new phenomena.  When I started my career selling for Wang…our customers wanted our computers to power their word processing and increasingly other applications that were developed on the Wang hardware platform.

The Apple iPhone is a remarkable success.  The form factor and design is classic Apple…elegant.  Apple has done a remarkable job enabling a community of developers to build apps for the iPhone that are available only through iTunes.  There are over 3 billion apps downloaded today for the iPhone.  I have about a hundred of them on my own iPhone.  Many of these apps are incredible.

Twitter is a platform that has experienced meteoric growth in adoption.  These users are consumers who have embraced the text-message like format to share tweets with many of their followers rather than a one-to-one communication via a text message.  Twitter’s massive adoption has also paralleled the smart phone expansion. Businesses have followed the consumers adopting Twitter as a way to better connect to customers.  This is a revolutionary social communication platform.

Twitter took a much more open approach to building a community of developers though…allowing access to their API with no restrictions on where the app developer would then distribute the app.  The lack of friction in this process has allowed a big community to develop quickly.  One example of this is what we have done at NameMedia to develop TwittaScope to build a community for syndication of our horoscope content.

The question is how does Twitter unite these developers into one marketplace where consumers or businesses can gain access to all of the cool apps being built on Twitter.  Laura Fitton is a social media diva in Boston that saw this opportunity and established a business plan to build the app store for Twitter in a venture she named Oneforty.  It is less than a year ago that Laura started raising capital from angels.  I joined a small group of Boston and Silicon Valley angels to provide the initial funding.  Laura also joined TechStars Boston to help accelerate the concept to a business.   Laura has built a great team and leveraged phenomenal outsourced resources to build Oneforty.

This week it was announced that Flybridge Venture Capital is leading the A round of financing for Oneforty.  Jeff Busgang, Flybridge Managing Partner, will be joining the BOD of Oneforty.  Jeff posted about the rational and his excitement for the investment this week.

Congrats to Laura, the Oneforty team, Jeff and Flybridge.

This Sunday Central Catholic and Cranbrook, in Detroit, Michigan, will mark the 75th year of ice hockey competition between the two schools with an outdoor game at 2 p.m. at Clark Park.  According to records, the first regular-season game between the two schools took place in February 1937, with Cranbrook a 4-2 victor.  The game was regularly held outdoors, but according to Cranbrook archives, poor ice conditions prohibited the teams from squaring off on a regular basis until the 1940s.

The NHL has enjoyed three successful Winter Classics, the most recent at Fenway Park, with the Boston Bruins hosting the Philadelphia Flyers.  They kept the ice up at Fenway long enough to let many youth teams play, offer public skating and also last weeks BU-BC hockey game.  I think there is demand to do this annually in hockey hotbed Boston.  I wish they would play several high school games as part of this as well.

I have posted about many of the country’s oldest schoolboy football rivalries.  It is great to celebrate such an old schoolboy hockey rivalry.  Hockey played outdoors is the way the game was meant to be played.  This is just great.  Hoping for cold weather in Detroit this weekend for the game.