James R. Dickey

The Dallas TeaParty was a fantastic event this morning. Part of a 50-city initiative discussed further at the Nationwide Chicago Tea Party page. It was a great example of traditional democracy in action. Regular people from all walks of life concerned about out-of-control spending and the mountain of debt we’re putting on our kids.

A Dallas Young Republicans representative “livetweeted” the event. Here are her observations (in reverse chronological order):

# Things are closing down. Looking forward to pictures of the event

# 660 AM is talking to Ken.

# WFAA Live on TV saying dozens were here when there were 100s. (PS I’m in black and red on my phone).

# A lady just walked by with tea bag earrings

# Each person is taking their page of the bill and dunking it in a huge aquarium full of tea

# We are now handing each person a page of the stimulus bill

# “We want to send a signal to our legislators. We can’t to increase our national debt twenty percent in 1 year.”

# Thank you Santelli for speaking up #tcot

# Repeal or Retire!

# “We’re so busy working that we have let congress decide the easiest way to get elected is to buy our votes with our money.”

# @jamesdickey speaking next

# We’re mad. Its the Tea Party “We’re all mad here.”

# Sign: taxation WITH representation sucks too

# EMail dallasteaparty@gmail.com if you want to get involved

# “We need to organize at a precinct level.”

# “I’ve got a check already written out to the person who is going to make a difference.” – Ken from Reagan Coalition

# We’re gonna stay on this, stay in touch and change things.

# We need to make this our new hobby. Taking care of our country needs to be priority.

# Sign: I want to have a job when I grow up.

# Currenty trends are not sustainable – from the US Treasury

# Sign: don’t steal my piggy bank

# Sign: No Obamanomics

# Sign: screw green

# America is 10 trillion in debt

# “I don’t think I can raise children that will be more prosperous than I am.”

# Ken just got up to talk. He says he’s a bitter American.

# Repeal or Retire!

# 30 million for salt grass mouse study in San Fran (Nancy someone?)

# 8 billion for a high speed rail from Disney land to Vegas

# 4.6 million for oyster habitat

# 350 thousand for climate control research got major boos and oinks

# Someone’s dog agrees that no one should have signed the stimulus without reading it.

# “Obama says he understands. Let’s make sure he understands.”

# “No more victim mentality. We will empower the people”

# “The Texas conservatives won’t stand by anymore. Liberals can’t use fear anymore. Down with socialism”

# Sign: no sub prime on America’s future

# Sign: I drink tea, not KOOLAID

# Yay TopConservativesOnTwitter (TCOT), shout out to you!

# We are talking about how none of us have ever been to a protest before, but we’re angry now.

# Sign: Atlas is shrugging

# 7-year-old girl with a sign that says “don’t make me pay” just led us all in saying the pledge

# @Jenfidel estimating 300 people

# From the discussions: PORK is our 4 letter word.

# @ziptheusa yeah, a ton of cameras, and at noon channel 8 is coming

# Signs: Cut the pork

# Signs: USA – over-stimulated

# Signs: Don’t tread on me (lol) Flags that say that also.

# Signs: stop stealing from my kids

# Signs: Revolt against socialism

# Some of the signs:WHY penalize success and reward failure?

# At the #teaparty, already got a good turn out. We’ll be live tweeting the whole thing

For pictures and more on the event, see the Facebook event page.

As a marketer, my goal is to attract someone’s attention and build a relationship. Both require communication, and the means to communicate are growing exponentially.

How Many Ways Can We Communicate?

One of my contacts and I started to list the ways I could communicate with him. As of right now, I can:

1. Call his work
2. Call his home
3. Call his cell
4. Mail something to him at work
5. Mail something to him at home
6. Send a text message to his cell
7. Send an email to his work address
8. Send an email to his web mail address
9. Send him an Instant Message
10. Send him an “@ reply” in Twitter
11. Send him a “Direct Message in Twitter
12. Send him a message in Facebook
13. Post a message on his “Wall” in Facebook
14. Post a comment on his blog
15. Post a comment in a Forum we both frequent

The Downsides to Too Many Communication Methods

The negatives to this, for both of us, are fairly clear:

• I have to decide how to send him the message. This takes thought, which takes some time. Each method has its own unique pros and cons. Defaults are quickly developed, but that takes some effort nonetheless.
• If I’m communicating professionally as a marketer through all these different methods I have a much bigger challenge. Each communication needs to be integrated and coordinated, and the complexity involved in managing that has increased by an order of magnitude.
• He has to pay attention to many more incoming streams. This means that he has to take some time away from other things, and that each gets less of his attention than it did before.

New Communication Methods Mean New Opportunities

I see two major benefits from this new world of communication:

1. Deeper and Broader Relationships: As the communication venues have opened, so has the complexity of my relationship with the customer/prospect/friend. We now see multiple sides to each other. Particularly in B2B selling, this means I can connect on many more levels, and learn more about prospects and customers – and relate in more ways – than may have even been possible a decade ago.
2. Indirect Reputation Building: More and more (as seen in the last few items on the list above), our communications have a semi-public nature. I can talk with you in a means that allows others to see our interaction. If my message is compelling and well-delivered – or simply shows positive characteristics – there will be some spill-over benefit to me in the form of increased brand awareness or brand preference.

Are there more benefits I’m missing? More downsides? How do you manage the spiraling complexity, both as a recipient or as a marketer?

I’m no expert, but we’re movie fans in our household, and see the Oscars as a chance to have some fun and review the state of film. This year I decided to track some thoughts online and see what kinds of reactions were prompted. Here’s the unedited Twitter stream as it happened.

Notes for Twitter newbies:

1. Twitter, like blogs, puts the most recent things at the top, so you’ll want to read this post from the bottom up.
2. The name before the colon is the Twitter handle of the person who said the comment
3. If you see “RT” that means “Retweet” – a quote, essentially, usually indicating strong agreement.
4. In Twitter people put an “@” symbol before another user’s handle in the middle of a post. That makes the name clickable in Twitter, just like a hyperlink on a regular web page.
5. A “hash tag” – a word with a # sign in front of it means that it’s part of a larger conversation – a way to make it easy for people to all related posts. Go to Twitter Search and enter “#oscars” in the search box for a good example – it’ll let you see not only my comments, but all comments from all Twitter users on the topic.

Here’s the conversation. Each bullet was a different posting:

• sereneredhd: RT@jamesdickey’s RT@noelleee: Tina Fey/Steve Martin should host the #oscars together next. It could make for a hilarious show! AGREE!
• noelleee: @jamesdickey @sweetcherrypop haha glad you guys agree! i’m crossing my fingers. #oscars
• jldavid: RT @Shih_Wei RT @jamesdickey I’d like to thank Bill Gates, Michael Dell, @ev , @biz & everyone who made simultweeting the #Oscars a reality
• shih_wei: RT @jamesdickey I’d like to thank Bill Gates, Michael Dell, @ev , @biz & everyone else who made simultweeting the #Oscars a reality. — LOL
• jamesdickey: RT @noelleee: I think Tina Fey and Steve Martin should host the #oscars together next time ^_^ It could make for a hilarious show!
• frankarr: RT @jamesdickey: I’d like to thank Bill Gates, Michael Dell, @ev , @biz , & everyone else who made simultweeting the #Oscars a reali …
• jeaniemarshall: @jamesdickey RT Can’t remember finishing the #Oscars wishing the host had gotten more air time. Good job, Hugh. (I just re-watched beginning
• kevinlcc: RT @jamesdickey: I’d like to thank Bill Gates, Michael Dell, @ev , @biz , & everyone else who made simultweeting the #Oscars a reality…:)
• jamesdickey: I’d like to thank Bill Gates, Michael Dell, @ev , @biz , & everyone else who made simultweeting the #Oscars a reality…:)
• scottmckain: RT @jamesdickey: Can’t remember finishing the #Oscars wishing the host had gotten more air time. Good job, Hugh. (I SO agree!)
• jamesdickey: Can’t remember finishing the #Oscars wishing the host had gotten more air time. Good job, Hugh.
• miles_smit: @jamesdickey I’ll be even more impressed with Penn’s acting if he ever plays an understated non-git convincingly. #oscars #tcot #hhrs
• jamesdickey: Best Picture goes to #Slumdog Millionaire #Oscars
• jaredweseman: RT @jamesdickey: RT @stefholt: #OSCARS “Commie, Homo Loving, Sons of guns.” WOW! Sean Penn can get away with it I guess
• jamesdickey: RT @stefholt: #OSCARS “Commie, Homo Loving, Sons of guns.” WOW! Sean Penn can get away with it I guess
• imusicmash: RT @jamesdickey Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Adrien Brody, Sir Ben Kingsley, & Anthony Hopkins presenting Best Actor Award. Nice. #Oscars
• WillieTenorio: #Oscars viewing is better with @Jamesdickey comments!
• jamesdickey: Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Adrien Brody, Ben Kingsley, &Sir Anthony Hopkins presenting the Best Actor Award. Nice. #Oscars (corr,)
• jamesdickey: Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Adrien Brody, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Anthony Hopkins presenting the Best Actor Award. Nice. #Oscars
• jamesdickey: Kate Winslett wins for Best Actress. Good thing her Dad can whistle. #Oscars
• photomanfirst: @jamesdickey Sophia is still hot! #Oscars
• Teddy_Salad: RT @jamesdickey: Sophia Loren, Shirley MacLaine, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman presenting for Best Actress. Some serious talent there. #Oscars
• jamesdickey: Sophia Loren, Shirley MacLaine, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman presenting for Best Actress. Some serious talent there. #Oscars
• amc10albion: @jamesdickey not sure about a sweep, but I agree with Boyle’s sentiment that the Oscars look amazing this year – a very classy production!
• jamesdickey: So, will this be the #Oscars switch-up – everything else but not the big prize to #Slumdog? or a #Sweep?
• DowntownWoman: Retweeting @jamesdickey: Queen Latifah did a fantastic job on “I’ll be seeing you”. Kudos to her! #Oscars
• jamesdickey: @abales Wow. What stories he must have had. I can only imagine. Sad it was so short, but glad you didn’t miss out completely. #Oscars
• LindsayGriffith: I agree!! Queen Latifah did a fantastic job on “I’ll be seeing you”. Kudos to her! #Oscars (via @jamesdickey)
• Teddy_Salad: RT @jamesdickey: Queen Latifah did a fantastic job on “I’ll be seeing you”. Kudos to her! #Oscars
• jamesdickey: Queen Latifah did a fantastic job on “I’ll be seeing you”. Kudos to her! #Oscars
• jamesdickey: Charleton Heston, Paul Newman, Sydney Pollack – big losses in one year. #Oscars
• jamesdickey: The montage of people lost over the last year is always something. Had forgotten about Michael Crichton and Roy Scheider. Sad. @Oscars
• jamesdickey: RT endeavor_global: Wow, the #oscars are truly global! India, Spain, Japan, Germany – love it!
• jamesdickey: Best Foreign Language Film – Departures (from Japan) #Oscars
• FearlessFactor: RT @jamesdickey: Best Original song – Slumdog Millionaire – Another 1 toward a possible sweep #Oscars It’s a sweep. luv the production v …
• jamesdickey: Best Original song – Slumdog Millionaire – Another one toward a possible sweep #Oscars
• ggfilm: @jamesdickey or an airplane that just injested a flock of Geese. #oscars #waronbirds
• jamesdickey: “A movie without music is like an aeroplane without fuel” – Jackman #oscars
• PixelHeadsNet: @jamesdickey Agreed! I feel the same way! I think it was a great speech by Jerry Lewis #Oscars
• KenaRoth: @jamesdickey I agree! #Oscars
• jamesdickey: Nice award for Jerry Lewis. Liked his acceptance speech also. #Oscars
• willgray79: @jamesdickey Yes, a point, but you’ve got to remember that most people were saying it was a shoo-in well before his death. #oscars
• Lilykily: RT:jamesdickey Does anyone know the translation of what Penelope Cruz said in Spanish? #Oscars
• jamesdickey: Does anyone know the translation of what Penelope Cruz said in Spanish? #Oscars
• RPM: @jamesdickey The Oscars are on? (I kid) #Oscars
• aarondelay: @jamesdickey its either slumdog or maybe Reader. #Oscars
• jamesdickey: I’m pulling for Slumdog Millionaire but feeling more indifferent than usual about the #Oscars as a whole this year. You?

What do you think? Was I way off base? Do you wish things had turned out differently? Did you care?

It’s a common complaint: “things would be so much easier if only we weren’t limited by X”. Whether it’s systems, policies, resources, the natural desire is to remove limitations, and in some cases that’s the right thing to do.

The next time you’re facing some limitation, though, look at it as an opportunity instead – an opportunity to push what can be done within the limit.

The Twitter Example

Twitter is frequently derided for imposing a 140-character limit. Their limit, of course, has a very obvious source: SMS. Twitter has as a core function the ability to send and receive messages via SMS, which are limited to 160 characters. So why 140? To allow 20 spaces for people’s Twitter usernames and Twitter commands. Simple, and absolutely inflexible, given Twitter’s method of operating.

Yet, Twitter users, while still occasionally complaining, have managed to thrive within the limit. Many say that the limit is integral to the nature of Twitter – that longer entries would make it much harder to choose when to post something to Twitter versus when to post to a blog. Longer Twitter posts would prevent people from being able to easily follow as many, as each post read would require more time, and likely more than one response.

I know personally that my copy writing has become much tighter thanks to Twitter. I’m much less likely to use a 3-syllable word when a 1-syllable one would do. In addition, I don’t use passive phrasing nearly as much because it inevitably uses too many characters.

So, instead of viewing Twitter’s 140 character limit from the negative:

• Limited characters

We can see its positive effects:

• Easier to manage
• Clearer differentiation
• Easier to understand
• Tighter prose
• More active tense

The $99 Music Video

The principle applies to much more than social media.

Verizon FiOs and Next New Media have partnered to create The $99 Music Video Project. Not only did they impose a cost limit of $99, they put even more restrictions around the project. Specifically:

1. It must be made for $99 (or less).
2. It must be shot in one day (24 hours).
3. It must be edited in one day (this doesn’t include rendering, digitizing, or exporting — just the creative part of editing).
4. It must be a collaboration between the band and the filmmaker.

Many will balk at these restrictions, but according to Melissa Schneider, executive producer, “Creating a cap on the budget turns the process into a creative challenge.”

Yours

Focus brings clarity and frees creativity. Clarity and creativity allow you to truly stand out. Take advantage of all the opportunities you have, including your “limitations”. Use them to make your company, product or service better.

What limits are you facing?
What limits should you impose?
Which limits have you already used to your advantage?

Please share your thoughts, challenges and successes.

Today I had an unfortunate experience with one of my favorite companies – Dell.

I need to upgrade my computer. Since I’ve started using Microsoft OneNote a lot I thought I’d try a Tablet PC.

Self-Service

I immediately checked Dell’s website, and on the Dell Latitude XT2 Configuration Page the first item to configure was the processor.

In the introduction to the section, the last sentence said, “Choose the DLV (daylight viewable) display for maximum brightness.” But there were only two options, and both mentioned an LED LCD panel. Neither mentioned a DLV LCD panel.

Since the “daylight viewable” display sounded like a valuable option, I tried to find out how to get it (rather than just giving up in frustration or taking the lower-cost option). But after checking the help files and searching through every option on the system, I realized I could not find it without help.

Live Chat

Dell’s web site offers live chat support, so I selected that, and after a short delay, was greeted by a representative. He had to inform me that because I work for a large customer, he could not even answer my question, but had to refer me to a specific phone number and extension.

The Phone

So I called that number. I almost laughed when the recorded message told me that it would probably be faster and easier for me to get any answers I needed at Dell.com, but I waited it out.

I had to work my way through three different people on the phone. Each one of them, like the chat representative, insisted on knowing the name of my company before they would even listen to my question. I understand that Dell has different divisions and specialties, but as a customer (or in this case a prospect), it still comes off as rude to refuse to help me – or even listen to my request – because of that.

Finally, after 39 minutes on the phone – and a total of 56 minutes invested – I was informed that their back-end system showed three options in the processor selection, the two that the public could see with LED LCDs and one with a DLV LCD.

The Final Straw

Mystery finally solved, I suggested to the phone representative that he might want to let someone know about the absence of this option on the public web page. His response was, shall I say, something less than enthusiastic.

As a Dell fan and marketing strategist, this concerned me more than the lack of attention to detail. More than the missed opportunity to display a desirable $100 add-on to however many thousands of people viewed the XT2 configuration page since it was released. More even than the likely significant boost in profit on each shipped XT2 they were forgoing.

It concerned me because I had interacted personally with four people at what has been a great company and not one of them was interested in fixing the problem. Each did exactly what they had been told/taught to/required to do and nothing more. That does not bode well for Dell, and I sincerely hope my experience was very, very rare.