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Microsoft is Finally Achieving What it Set Out to Do With Passport – the Key is Consistency

Posted on November 1, 2012 by jessestay

Back in the year 2000, before “the cloud” was even a marketing term, Microsoft launched a product known as “Passport”, a product touted to be the end-all-be-all of identity services that developers could integrate into their products for identity and storage of personal information. I remember because I was a developer at that time and I recall looking into what the company I worked for at the time needed to do to integrate it into our product.

The problem at that time, however is that most people only had Desktop computers and therefore not as much a need to have a consistent identity as they do in today’s mobile-centric, “post-PC” world. The product pretty much failed, and was revived a little later as Live ID. It’s safe to say that Microsoft, like Marty of “Back to the Future” was ahead of his time. With the release of Windows 8 however, it looks like Microsoft is finally back in their own time, and the future looks sweet.

A Consistent Experience

The one word to describe Windows 8 as opposed to the former Windows is consistency. In previous versions you had Pocket PC followed by Windows Mobile followed by Windows Phone for the mobile experience. Then on the Xbox you had an entirely different experience. And on the Desktop it was just “Windows”.

Windows 8 fixes that, however. With Windows 8, now all Microsoft devices will be powered by the same operating system, same underlying architecture, same SDKs for developers to build their apps under, and even a consistent cloud architecture through Azure and SkyDrive (for users) that follows you across each device you use. Microsoft is also building apps for 3rd party devices to continue that experience there as well. The result is a brand that follows you wherever you go.

Good for Developers

Finally, developers can “build once, write everywhere”. When building apps to put in Microsoft’s new Windows Store, it takes only a few tweaks to format those apps to work on the Surface, on Windows Phone 8, as well as even Xbox and any other device that supports the Windows 8 experience.

Expect games like Halo on the Xbox 360 to have versions that work on your phone, your Surface, or your Desktop. Even the Xbox controller and Kinect SDKs are consistent, and simple to integrate for your apps across multiple devices.

A Writer’s Dream

Through Microsoft Office 365, I can now have all my books, posts, and writing sync’d across multiple devices. I get the experience that most people expect, meaning I can use the same interface my publisher wants me to use for the templates they provide for my books. Finally, I can write my books even on my phone or tablet device – that’s pretty powerful!

Passport is Back, With a Vengeance

Microsoft Passport is finally back, in this case the form is as your “Microsoft ID” or “Windows ID”. It’s accompanied by SkyDrive, and now whenever I log in with my ID, all my preferences follow me from computer to computer. This even includes authorizations I’ve given to Facebook and Google and Twitter, and all my friends in those place! My photos follow me. My lock screen will even follow me if I want it to. All my settings can follow me wherever I go.

I’m loving the new Microsoft, because it means that all of the sudden your desktop machine or phone or tablet are all just “Windows devices”. In the new Windows world it shouldn’t matter what type of device you are on – all the apps you love on Windows follow you wherever you go.

Microsoft is finally where it wants to be, and it will only get better from here.

This post was typed entirely on my Microsoft Surface – something I bought with my own money

Selling Developers Was Easy. Windows 8’s Big Challenge Will be Selling Press

Posted on October 30, 2012 by jessestay

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Most of these “surfaces” are running OS X

When it comes to technology, I love going to developer conferences to meet people, see the people building the platforms I’m studying, and overall understand the best ways to integrate technology for the people I work with on a day-to-day basis. I actually normally attend as a developer when I go to these events, because I have full access to what the developers are seeing (I often pay my own way, as well, although as disclosure that is also comp’d at times). For the Windows Build Developer conference this year though, I came as Press because they sold out of developer passes in minutes. It was very clear that developers wanted to come to this conference (I’ll explain why in another post). I noticed some very interesting things this time though, at my very first Microsoft conference. The Press just aren’t converted yet, and despite Microsoft’s new focus on marketing as Steve Ballmer committed to today, they have some work to do.

Let’s start with the Press section at today’s Keynote. I was surrounded by Macs! Myself included. My neighbors all had iPhones. I saw iPads. I could tell this was a different culture to the Press I was surrounded with.

I’ve been at many conferences, and sat in many press rooms and sections, and I can vouch for that – the Press is part of the Mac cult. They love Mac. And if they don’t love Mac, they love their iPhone. And if they don’t love their iPhone, they love their Android device. I’d hate to say it, but Windows comes lowest on the Press totem pole.

What’s odd is that, while perhaps normal for a conference like this, the conference gives out free devices (at this one a Phone, a Surface, and SkyDrive space) to “all attendees” (the developers), but at least at this conference, the Press are excluded. In fact, as I sit in the Press room writing this I don’t see a single Surface. I don’t see a single Windows Phone. I do see a couple Windows laptops, but they’re surrounded by Macs and iPhones and other Apple devices. In fact, I inquired about even borrowing one and was told I’d be put on “a waiting list” to even be able to spend some time with one trying it out. Yet, upstairs they’re handing them out like candy to every developer you can see.

I’m not bitter I don’t qualify for the free devices. I’ll probably just go up and buy a Surface from the company store (assuming they’re even available to me) to play with because I like trying out new stuff. I know others in the Press won’t just buy devices like this to use primarily in replacement of their other devices though. It would seem Microsoft would benefit from focusing more on ensuring every member of the press is engrossed in Windows. If I were Microsoft, each member of the Press would have a Surface, pre-populated with their favorite writing tools (something Microsoft is really good at), and they’d all have their Surfaces open writing their blog posts. I guarantee you’d see a different story in the media when that happens.

In the meantime, I sit here writing this post on my Macbook Air, on a Google product (Blogger), and will likely check for your comments on my iPhone after I hit publish. If Microsoft is going to have a stronger marketing focus, they should really start with the Press.

UPDATE: Turns out you can’t even buy a Microsoft Surface at this conference. Not even the company store will sell members of the Press a Surface.

Switching to Windows 8? Better Not Get a Fitbit.

Posted on October 20, 2012 by jessestay

I’m currently using the Windows 8 Release Preview, and so far I’m impressed! Thus far I’ve had very few issues and really love the new interface (formerly named “Metro”). I’m very excited for the final version to be shipped to me by Microsoft. However, there’s one thing that consistently hasn’t worked for me on Windows 8 – my Fitbit software.

Right now when I try the account set up on my Fitbit software installed on Windows 8, it consistently, after I click “login” with my Fitbit account, redirects to a 404 not found page without logging me into the service. I’ve Googled and Googled, not seeing any solution to the problem. I can’t change the default browser it uses, assuming maybe it’s an IE 10 issue, so I can’t try to see if having it login to Chrome will fix the problem.

So I tried to email their support. Here’s the response they sent me:

“Hello Jesse,

We are sorry you are having problems with our software.

We’re aware that Windows 8 pre-release is available to the public. We do not yet formally support this environment and we do not plan to validate our software and device on Windows 8 until it is commercially released. However, once validated, we will update the product specifications page on our website.

Thanks for getting in touch we hope this helped you, if you have any more questions do not hesitate and reply us back.

Sincerely,
Lis and the Fitbit Team”

That’s it. Not even willing to try to figure it out. If you use Windows 8 or are planning to use Windows 8 (or have pre-ordered like me), your Fitbit won’t work, and they’re not even planning for it. It seems odd to me that something as simple as authentication would even rely on the operating system or browser type to get you logged in, but I guess that’s their choice, and it’s my problem, not theirs.

I was very disappointed with the customer-no-service approach I received from Fitbit. I will very likely be selling my 2 Fitbits and Aria Scale soon, in favor of the Nike+ system. I’ve also been very surprised of all the responses I’ve received on Twitter and elsewhere of the poor customer service they’ve received from Fitbit. Sorry Fitbit, but you’ve very likely lost this customer.

DressCode – the "Suit Guys" That Come to You

Posted on October 10, 2012 by jessestay

I wrote previously of my fitting by DressCode, my new “suit guys“, that made me a custom-tailored suit and put me in tip-top fashion amongst my colleagues. They came to my house (they’ll also come to your office), measured me, and within a couple weeks I was wearing a top-quality suit that in traditional tailors would cost me $1,000 or more. Because they outsource the tailoring and have streamlined the process to focus on in-person service and fashion, a typical suit like mine goes for around $300. My last post covered the fitting. I wanted to do a follow-up post about how much I like my suit from them.

Never before, even with my custom-tailored suit that I got in Hong Kong last year or even my Bangkok, Thailand tailored suit I got years ago when I lived there, have I received comments on how nice my suit looks. I actually stand out in the crowd now. People ask me where I had my suit made. They notice how nicely it looks.

The thing is, the suit DressCode made me fits me like a glove. It doesn’t have baggy parts in certain areas that make it look like it doesn’t fit. Even my Hong Kong-tailored suit has a bit of a “baggy” look to it. Not my DressCode suit.

And the details – the details are amazing. They suggested a custom lining on the inside. But not just a nice silk lining – they suggested a little colored strip that separates the lining from the suit, adding just one more touch of detail. They added extra pockets, so many in fact that I’m not even sure what to use them all for (they could definitely tell me the proper use for the pockets though, if I asked – their service is tremendous). They touched it all off with my name on the inside coat pocket, to personalize the experience.

Add to that the in-person service. I shared the experience of getting fitted before – with a simple click of a button on their website, they come to your home or office and fit you. But they don’t just take your measurements. They give you tips and suggestions for ways the suit could look better on you. If you want to explore outside your boundaries, they will help you embrace new and upcoming fashion trends. They’ll teach you about all the different parts of a suit, and help you decide what will fit your tastes best. They are in many ways the Zappos of suits!

I am very impressed with DressCode. I’m headed to Hong Kong next month, but this time I don’t have any desire to buy a suit from my tailor there. For the same price (almost), I can buy a much better, even better tailored suit from my friends here locally at DressCode who will come straight to my home or office to fit me. Now that’s pretty cool.

Give them a try – they have reps in a couple states already, and I hear they’re doing a “Popup” shop in Los Angeles soon. They can also come do “Popups” at your business or in your area if they have enough interest. Do what you can to get them in your area – it’s very worth the service!

Disclosure: My first suit from them was free in exchange for some promotion – I’m very glad I tried it though! I will be ordering, and paying for more suits from them in the future.

(sorry for the blurriness – my kids took these pictures!)

Ancestry.com Buys Top Facebook App We’re Related

Posted on September 18, 2012 by jessestay

In the early days of Facebook’s developer platform (2007, to be exact), as apps were going from 0 to 2 or more million users in just a matter of days, family history apps were among the first to rise to the top. The link between family connections and friend connections seemed like a natural fit for apps that were built to connect one another. It appears that, according to Ancestry Insider, one of the pioneer Facebook apps in this industry, We’re Related, was just acquired by Ancestry.com for an undisclosed amount (both are Utah-based companies where I am located).

We’re Related quickly went to the top of the Facebook app store as number 1 where it sat as the top-used app by users worldwide on the Facebook Platform. The app, founded by Paul Allen (ironically the founder of Ancestry.com), intended to show how Facebook friends were related through their family history. The app allowed users to enter their family information, and would then notify family members that they had been added to one’s family tree, asking them to confirm the addition. This “peer-pressure” amongst family members no-doubt led to the app’s popularity on Facebook.

The app was soon expanded to the site, FamilyLink.com which built a standalone site around connecting families through their social networking connections. Shortly after Facebook started imposing restrictions on how app developers could advertise, the app started losing money and FamilyLink had to pivot to more of a site-based model.

According to Ancestry Insider, FamilyLink was sold recently to MyHeritage.com, but the assets of the We’re Related Facebook app were retained by Paul Allen. It would appear that some time before July, Paul Allen sold the final assets of the We’re Related app to Ancestry.com for somewhere under $11.7 million. According to the SEC Form 10-Q filed by Ancestry.com, “In March 2012, the company completed two acquisitions for a total of approximately $11.7 million in cash consideration. The company acquired the DNA assets of Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, a non-profit organization with a diverse collection of DNA samples and corresponding genealogical information. The company also acquired We’re Related, LLC, which operates the We’re Related Facebook application.” It is unclear how much of that $11.7 million went to We’re Related.

Ancestry Insider also notes that Ancestry.com also has started their own Facebook app, which operates somewhat similar to the We’re Related app on top of Ancestry.com data. It’s unclear as to whether Ancestry.com has used the assets of We’re Related to create their own app.

This acquisition marks the end of a golden era of Facebook app development. This was an era where apps could integrate with every element of the Facebook.com experience, advertise as they wanted, and see incredible results as a result. The playing field has since shifted to a much cleaner approach by Facebook of focusing on the News Feed, while encouraging developers to integrate Facebook Platform outside of the Facebook environment. These apps were truly the pioneers in this era, and deserve all the credit they can get.

Disclosure: We’re Related was one of my first clients when I went out on my own as an entrepreneur. I helped them with some initial wireframes of the app, and later on with some help in publicity for their app. This app is near and dear to my heart.

How to Get Notified When People Talk About Your Website on Google+

Posted on August 10, 2012 by jessestay

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Want a notification any time someone comments or posts about your website on Google+? You can do this with Google Analytics:

1. Go to the “Traffic Sources” section of Google Analytics for your website
2. Expand the “Social” sub-section.
3. Click on “Sources”.
4. Click on the “Activity Stream” tab next to the “Social Referral” tab

Now you’ll have a list of everyone posting and commenting about your website on Google+. You just need to create an email alert. To do this:

1. At the top of the page, click the “Email” link (next to “Advanced Segments”).
2. Select the attachment type you want.
3. Choose how frequently you want to be notified (I choose “Daily” – it would be nice if they had an “Immediately” option).
4. Designate an email address for who will receive the report.

5. Enter some text into the body of the email that you want to appear in each email you receive.

Click “Send”, and you’ll soon be receiving notifications of every person that links to your website from Google+!

This #dummiestip will be in Chapter 13 of Google+ Marketing For Dummies

First posted on Google+!

The Marissa Mayer Era is All About Product

Posted on July 17, 2012 by jessestay

People keep saying Yahoo engineers and employees are going to feel less-likely to want to leave Yahoo now that +Marissa Mayer is the CEO. While I’m sure it will be a more comfortable environment, I would be worried right now if I worked there. Here’s why:

Yahoo needs a complete reboot.

If Marissa’s smart, she’ll kill just about everything except a few core projects the company is good at, and start over. Yahoo’s now the underdog, which means they need to move fast. They need to go back to startup mode. The mode Google was in when Marissa joined Google. They’ve got to be able to move faster, move better, and out-pace the likes of Google and Facebook as they move forward. They need a core focus as they do this.

For that reason I anticipate many employees being let go and Yahoo going back to core principles and values. Yahoo, more than anything needs to focus.

My Yahoo? Goodbye. Yahoo mail? Goodbye. Flickr? Goodbye. You can probably say most programs outside search, social, and perhaps mobile will go. Or, Yahoo will decide a different focus and get rid of everything that is not that. If they don’t, Yahoo won’t survive. They simply can’t, nor can they move fast enough right now to beat the competition. In many ways, this is what Google did with Google+ (but Google could afford not to need to lay anyone off in the process). I bet Marissa does the same at Yahoo, at even greater scale.

Marissa’s an expert at Product Management – that’s what she did at Google. This means she’ll pick a few products, iterate quickly, and move fast. Then, they’ll expand from there and adapt as they grow. At the moment Yahoo’s stuck in waterfall mode and Marissa’s the perfect person to get them out of that mess.

Posted originally on Google+.

2012 Google I/O – Is This the 2007 Facebook F8?

Posted on June 21, 2012 by jessestay

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All eyes should be on Google’s Annual Developer Conference, Google I/O next week. As the first Google I/O with the Google+ Team, and a serious read/write API yet to launch, I predict we are about to see an explosion of social apps at a level we haven’t seen since Facebook’s F8 Conference in 2007 when they launched their platform to the world. The parallels are very similar.

Let’s look first at the original APIs for both. Some may not be aware of this, but previous to Facebook’s 2007 F8 conference, they too had an API very similar to the state of Google+’s API today. Called “Facebook Developers”, the original API in 2006 was limited to a small number of requests per day, very similar to Google+’s current platform. It was mostly a read-only API, with, eventually, the ability to create widgets that could be embedded as apps on a person’s Wall – a new feature of Facebook at the time. You could also access very limited data about a person’s friend graph and wall posts. It wasn’t until F8 of 2007 that Facebook really opened the floodgates for this, increasing API requests, opening up the ability for “Canvas apps”, and giving full access to integrate apps into multiple “integration points” within Facebook itself. In fact, it wasn’t until years after that that developers could really start integrating this data into other websites and mobile apps. Just like Google+, Facebook took baby steps to launch their API, but when they were ready, they launched big.

Google+ is in a very similar state today. Their platform is limited in the number of requests you can make per minute, and per day. They only allow a few select enterprise partners write access to the news feed. They’ve opened up a few elements, such as games, to a few partners to integrate right on Google+, but in very limited form. They’re in a very similar state to Facebook in 2007. When Facebook launched though, developers came in droves, seeing user growth in the millions in a matter of days. Facebook itself grew significantly during this time.

It was during this time that I met Paul Allen, who was looking to launch his company, FamilyLink (originally called We’re Related). He and I both saw eye-to-eye on the power of this platform, and while we both took our separate ways we saw first hand the power of platforms like these.

While I’m sure Google has had the opportunity to learn from Facebook’s mistakes (Facebook has had to change their platform quite a bit since they originally launched), I anticipate we could see a similar flood when Google+ finally launches their full platform to the world. Will we see a Canvas Page-like approach? I’d guess we will – OpenSocial supports this and much of Google+’s current platform bases on OpenSocial standards.

I anticipate a number of integration points, a raised request limit, and as a result an increase in apps, and developers coming to the Google+ platform. There’s one advantage Google+ has over Facebook though: Google+ has Google. Remember always that Google+ is just a social layer over all Google products. That means even their platform will likely some day extend across all of their products. This is exciting, and what will bring similar success to developers in the same way Facebook did back in 2007.

Next week is a very exciting week for Google+ and Google as a company! I’ll be there every day of the conference, and I can’t wait to see what gets announced. To me this is one of the most exciting conferences in the history of Google, and it will be fun to have a front seat to this moment in history. Keep watching my stream on Google+, and on StayNAlive.com to keep updated of the event!

(Disclosure: FamilyLink is a former client of mine)

Originally posted on Google+!

Why Changing Your LinkedIn Password Is Not Enough

Posted on June 6, 2012 by jessestay

The news is spreading today that LinkedIn’s database was hacked, and millions of users accounts have been compromised. I keep hearing over and over again to “change your password.” That’s smart. I changed mine this morning. Something that people aren’t saying though is that your other social networking accounts could be at risk as well thanks to LinkedIn’s poor security policies. Here’s why:

If you’re one of the majority of people that use your password on more than one social network (yes, I’m looking at you, because you’re likely one of them – there are even security professionals that make this mistake), the first thing I would do as a hacker once I decrypted the digested passwords obtained is not target your LinkedIn account. Instead, I’d start going through Facebook, Twitter, and even Google and start trying it there where I could do more damage.

Is it the same as your Gmail account? Sweet! I get some LOLz on your behalf, and I can now start making password requests, without your knowledge, to all of your other accounts. Now I can post to the Google+ Pages you manage. I can post to the Facebook Pages you manage. See where I’m getting?

If you were using the same password on LinkedIn as anywhere else important on the web, you need to go now and change your password there as well. Here are some quick tips as you do so:

Make it more than just a word and numbers. Make it a sentence, preferably with letters, spaces, numbers, and even non-alphanumeric numbers (like $ and * and others).
Keep it at least 10 characters long – if you take my above recommendation, that should be easy because sentences are easy to remember.
Use a different password for each social network. You could use a similar password, but add a different set of numbers or words to the end to help you remember which is which. Figure out a system that works for you and that you can remember.
If you can, rotate your passwords every so often. Change the numbers or words added to the end. Add a character or two. It’s up to you. That will prevent this from being a problem in the future.

These tips should keep you safe, and they really aren’t very difficult to do. You just have to build a system, and do it!

This article was shared first on Google+.

Wanna Learn Facebook Development? Check Out My New Video Series

Posted on March 19, 2012 by jessestay

Facebook application development isn’t just a skill, and it’s not just for developers either – it’s a mindset and a culture that you have to understand to truly understand and implement its value. It’s something both marketers, business owners, as well as developers should understand to fully have a grasp against the competition in this increasingly social world. That’s why I jumped at the chance to work with the popular online learning site, Pluralsight, to do a new series on Facebook application development. My first video went live yesterday, and I hope will be the first in a line of videos you can use to hone your skills both as a marketer and developer to take advantage of the most of Facebook Platform.

In my first course, you’ll learn why Facebook is such a valuable tool to integrate with your business or marketing strategy. I’ll show you example apps that have seen success on the Platform, and then take you through, step-by-step, on how you can set up a custom Facebook Page tab on Facebook without any HTML knowledge necessary to get started. You’ll end understanding the different integration points you can use to build an app, or just integrate Facebook into your existing website or app design. I teach you social design philosophy and the different touch points you should understand no matter what your skill set.

Whether you’re a marketer, a developer, or business owner I think you’ll enjoy this course. I think you’ll be surprised with what you’re able to accomplish by the end, and what your understanding will become when you’re finished. If you’ve ever wanted to get your hands dirty with what you can fully do on Facebook, this is a course you can’t neglect, regardless of your skill set.

The course is part of Pluralsight’s learning platform, and I hope will be one of many future courses you can learn from on these topics. It also joins Facebook’s own Yasser Shohoud’s Facebook Platform Overview that serves as a great primer for where my course will take you.

When I considered this I thought about just doing my own video series and charging monthly for access to those. I would have likely charged around $100-200 for access to that for it to be worth it to me. I realized though, that by partnering with Pluralsight, you could get my content, as well as hundreds of other courses from other experts that are top at their game. Instead of $200 for one-time access to my videos, you can pay as little as $29 per month (you cancel whenever you like) or $299 per year and get unlimited access to mine and anyone else’s courses on their platform. To me I think it’s a great deal.

With this course you’ll get:

Material for all types to understand – marketers, business owners, and developers
Step-by-step videos taking you through the entire process, which you can step away from at any time.
Assessment to test your knowledge at the end of the course and grade you on your understanding of the topics covered
Knowledge of why you should understand Facebook Platform
Step-by-step tutorials on how to build custom Facebook tabs
Hands-on videos giving you the basics of Facebook’s developer platform, allowing all to understand all they need to get started
Access to all future courses on Facebook by me and others.

If you want to understand Facebook in a way your competitors don’t, go register for my Facebook development course today! The tips I cover are things not many in the industry know, and you’ll have the upper-hand in your industry.

To register, just click here and follow the instructions. Then go over here to my course’s Facebook Application Development page to get started in knowing what your competitors don’t!

For the first 20 commenters that ask below I’ll give a code for a free unlimited 7 day trial to try the service and take my course.