Itai Boublil

Jet Lag

I came across this great video today by Daniel Pink, and  I had to share it with you. No, I am not planning any traveling soon, but if I did plan such a thing, this video will be my first source of information.

This what you need to remember when traveling through different time zones:

1. time
2. food
3. light

Now watch the video below to learn how to put it all together:

Germany-vs-Argentina

Germany has just defeated Argentina in a game that will be remembered as personal talent vs. team effort. The latter part is very important as it will lead Germany to win Argentina an unprecedented score of 4-0!

I always said that if you want to win a game or two you need two or three super talented players on your team. However, if you want to win a tournament, such as the World Cup,  you need a well organized and assertive team.

Messi Tevez and Higuain are with no question some of the best players in the world today, but unfortunately for Argentina it was not enough against the well organized Germany. This young talented team showed the “stars” of Argentina that winning the “golden boot” will not win you a World Cup.

Diego Armando Maradona was an amazing player. I watched him play as a little kid growing up in the Middle East and, like many other kids, hoped that one day I will be just like him (I ended up as a goal keeper instead :-) ). But being a great player does not make a great coach. He actually wasn’t. You see, Diego understood that he had a very talented “wild” team and as a coach he decided to play “free style”. Simply, pass the ball to Messi or Tevez and expect  Higuain to score, or things to happen. This tactic was good against the not so organized teams, but when you reach a great team like Germany you get 4 goals in the back of the net.

It’s too bad for Argentina, but frankly I am very happy for Germany. It is a young team that is not afraid to show that they know how to play one of the greatest organized soccer I have seen in a long time.

My prediction: Germany goes all the way, and take the cup. What is yours?

FIFA Video Technology

FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter, has announced today that the file on goal line technology will be reopen. According to Mr. Blatter, “…It is an ongoing process at FIFA and on my personal agenda. In October-November we will present a new model on how to improve high-level refereeing”.

I do see it as a welcomed step to the world of football because, in contrast to what other people think, these type of mistakes do affect the match, and has an immediate impact on the players mind. Sure, you can sit here and say that these are professional players, and that they should rise above it and just play the game. This might be true, but players are also human beings, and as such they do get affected by unfair decisions.

I watched both the ARG vs. MEX and the GER vs. ENG games, and even though both ARG and GER played better, I do believe that the game could have ended other than a defeat to both ENG and MEX.

What is your take on this decision? Would you like to see Video Technology (just like in the NBA and NFL) used during FIFA games?

I vote: Yes.

US Soccer Fans

I had a great time yesterday with my friends and colleagues, Mitch and Morgan, watching the USA vs Ghana soccer game. It was my first time in Winberie’s American Bistro in downtown Princeton, and all I can say is that I only wish I would have come here with Irm the day before instead of going to Witherspoon Grill (review here). I actually had a very good buffalo chicken wrap, which I am not going to review since it is basically a simple Restaurant/bar food (but it was still very good :).

Anyway, the atmosphere was great. I never actually experienced an American crowd cheering before, and I have to admit that it is different than any other soccer matches I participated as a spectator in the past. For instance, there were no cursing words (maybe one, and the guy actually apologized!). Having gone to many soccer matches in Israel, I can tell you that cursing is 100% part of the match. In fact, fans there don’t stop cursing for 90 minutes (sometimes before the game even started)!

The second thing that was interesting is that people showed their support by applauding. I thought it was a nice addition to the experience. I am sure there are other bars that I might have experienced a different crowd, but nonetheless it was still nice to be a part of a civilized gathering like this.

All in all, I had a good time with Mitch and Morgan and I am happy I went there. It is too bad that the US team lost, but I still think they had a great tournament. They gave it all, and that is what important!

See you in 4 years…

FIFA World Cup 2010

Today was the first day of the FIFA World Cup 2010 (FWC), and I was very excited to finally, after 4 long years, watch the opening ceremony, and the first game, that took place at Johannesburg this morning.

I remember growing up as a kid in Israel I used to always wait to the FWC to start (right around when the big summer break started), just so I can watch all the great players such as Maradona, Romario, Baggio and many more go up on the field and play. There was no politics involved, only 22 players that play for the love of the game.

Today’s games were okay. I enjoyed watching the first match between South Africa and Mexico, but unfortunately I cannot say the same about the second game, France vs. Uruguay, which was very boring.

Attending the FWC once in my lifetime is definitely on my To Do List. I just hope that one day I will get to fulfill this wish.

The video below emphasizes, I want to believe, how great this sport event really is. It will be interesting to come back to this post in 4 years and take a look at the video. :)

Sales Rivalry

I read a very insightful article today by Daniel Pink that discusses the effectiveness of sales commission on salespeople performance, and whether they really increase the motivation to sell more. I thought about it, and concluded that even though it might create a motivation to sell more, it doesn’t necessary lead to an increase in sales. I base my conclusion on my past experience as a salesman in a Startup company named Mondex in Israel back in 1998.

The position was very simple, offer the service  to people to use, and sign as many people as you can. The company believed in its innovative service, and had a “no commission” policy to its sales-force. We all earned the same salary, and we all helped each other closing sales. It was weird at first, but we believed in our goal, and believed in our product.

The policy of “no commission” changed about 8 months into the existence of the company, which led to the following consequences:

1. we were all fighting for customers
2. we stopped helping each other
3. we were so concerned about getting a salary that we even started lying about what the product actually did.
4. sales dropped

Anyone who worked in sales received a lower salary, which demotivated everyone in the group, and led to a massive lay offs by the company.

The company closed its business by the end of that year.

Back to the article, A sales commission might create more motivation to sell, true, but the question that one should ask him/herself is at what cost? Is it at the cost of lying to the customers just so you can make a sale? Is it at the cost of creating a rivalry among employees? Is it at the cost of demotivating some of your sale-force?  The answers are yes, yes, yes and yes…respectively :)

Facebook

Earlier today I posted an article about Facebook, criticizing the new Privacy Settings (or lack of Privacy I should write) they recently forced on their users. You can read the article here, but briefly I suggested that Facebook might get into what I called a “Social Media Black Hole”.

In addition, I suggested that the timing is right for a new competitor to enter the social media arena, and challenge Facebook with a service that offers better privacy settings.

A few hours after I posted the article, three things happened that might actually helped vindicate my argument:

1. There was an article published in the NY-Times about a new group of “nerds” that are working on the same “new company” I suggested in my article.
2. Facebook called for an All Hands Down Meeting On Privacy” today at 4PM Pacific time.
3. When I opened my privacy settings page on Facebook today I saw this (Click image to view):

Facebook Privacy

I just thought that all these events were just one big coincidence, maybe, but more importantly it shows that Facebook might have realized its mistakes, and is planning to change them before it is too late.

Any thoughts?

Facebook, An Empire Destined To Fall

I never hid the fact that I enjoy using Facebook. In fact, I am active on Facebook more than I am active on any other social media service, including Twitter.

However, despite my likeness to using Facebook I am very disturbed and disappointed by Facebook’s latest privacy changes. They practically do not exist, and it takes a facebook guru to keep track with all the changes, and make sure my account is (somewhat) private.

I know at least one person who decided to abandon Facebook in order to “save” his privacy. It sounds funny, “saving your privacy”, but it is exactly what is happening with Facebook in case you did not notice.

This is how I see it: if I need to check the security/privacy settings every time I log on to Facebook just to make sure my personal data is not being used by a third party website, or worst, marketing companies, there is obviously something wrong with Facebook’s approach to my privacy.

Unfortunately, I do not see it changing anytime soon, or, and I dare to say, ever! Facebook is after our information, and there is no sign of it slowing down.

The way to look at it, there are a two factors that might force Facebook to change its new “Go Social, Open Graph” approach:

1. They start losing lots of users (just like my friend) who have had it with the new policy.
2. A competitor will rise and offer a facebook like service + guaranteed privacy policy.

The latter scenario is very much depended on the former scenario and vice versa, i.e., Facebook will start losing users when a new competitor will enter the social media arena, and a new competitor that offers new improved privacy settings can rise only if Facebook loses users because of its new social privacy.

I will leave you with this message: The Social Media world is very unforgiving. This means that Facebook might enter a ” Social Media Black Hole”, which is exactly what happened to services such as My Space. True, Facebook is “strong” enough to pull itself out of the “Black Hole”, but at what cost? It will be at the cost of losing many of its users during the process, and more importantly  losing their trust!

History taught us that all Empires are destined to fall at some point, is this the beginning of Facebook’s fall?

UPDATE: Shortly after posting this post, I read an interesting article that vindicated what I just wrote. You can find it here.

You Like This

I am not quite sure how it will help, but just for fun I added the Facebook Like Button. You can find it at the bottom of each post (note to self: hmm, should it on top or bottom?).

I have to admit that it did cost me some precious time to embed it. I am a novice-minus (if there is such a thing) when dealing with HTML codes, but I do my best to learn. Yesterday was a good example of what not to do when working with HTML…don’t let me go there, but let’s just say that I had to reinstall the Theme all over again…and again :)

I am still trying to understand the difference between the Facebook Share button (the one I have on top :-), and the Like button. I am not quite sure I fully understand it yet. I can see the value of it from a Business perspective (i.e. a business website, or a brand website), but for a simple personal Blog such as mine, I can’t really see the added value. In any case, it is still good to have.

Anyway, it is Friday, the weather is beautiful, and I am hoping to catch up some reading this coming weekend.

Lost iPhone Case

If you are like me (reading tech stuff, and laughing at geeky jokes), you might have heard/read about the latest Gizmodo/iPhone leak and the ongoing police investigation that is taking place (if not , you can read it here). This incident totally ruined it for me, and I will explain why:.

Part of the allure of any Apple event is the introduction of a new (very) anticipated product, which obviously will not happen because of one smart ass guy who decided to”play” Steve Jobs for one day. I promised myself not to get angry, and to do so I chose to 100% boycott any reading about this case (the more I read the more I find out about the new iPhone, and the more I get angry. Conclusion: stop reading).

However, this does not mean we can not use some humor to soften the “fall”, and there is no better person to do this other than Jon Stewart on his daily show, “The Daily Show“.

Enjoy the video:

Steve Jobs with the iPad

For the past year now, just like many other tech geeks, I followed the numerous rumors covering the biggest event of the year, the upcoming (now released) Apple iPad. Finally, after long waiting, Steve Jobs introduced the iPad to the public in an event that was broadcasted live…from an iPhone. Apparently, Apple did not allow any camera crews to broadcast the event to the masses. Strange, but it is not why I write this post.

By now, there are possibly hundreds of blog posts floating in the blogosphere covering every inch of the iPad, analyzing the pros and cons, and telling us why we should or should not purchase an iPad. Fair enough, but still it is not why I write this post.

There is also a lot of disappointment among many tech geeks who think that Apple did not do enough to provide an “iPhone like” product, something that will flip the industry upside-down, and will create the same revolution the iPhone created when it was first released. Good point, but wait, did Apple really talk about a revolution?

This type of high expectations unleashed quite few reviews, most of them negative reviews, numbering the reasons why iPad is a big disappointment.

The question that came to my mind is this: Is it fair/right to blame Apple for the lack of adobe flash, camera, signing with AT&T, not providing USB port, not having E-Ink for easy E-book reading, lack of multitasking, no drag and drop management, no SD slot, no HDMI Out, no 1080 Playback, no Native Widescreen, no full GPS, no Open SDK? The answer, I think, should be No. I will explain:

All the features I mentioned are great and needed features, but unfortunately we, the masses, created them. All the rumors and speculations we read over the past year, created in our mind the “perfect’ iPad. The iPad we, the masses, wanted to have, and the iPad we the masses thought Apple will introduce.

I agree the lack of all the features I mentioned above left a somewhat bitter taste from yesterday’s event, almost a defeat, if you will, to our high exceptions. But wait, I see hope in the horizon. Look at Apple’s products over the years (iPod, Macs, iPhones, etc), they all prevailed, and they all started as a tool that lacked one or two features (e.g. iPod: was too big. iPhone: not as fast as 3GS). No matter which Apple product you will pick, they all ended up turning into something we never expected (a great example would be the latest redesign of the iPod Nano).

When I talk to Apple users/fans all over the world, I always detect the sense of pride and admiration they hold toward Apple products. There is always the feeling that you are talking to Steve Jobs himself. In that sense, I can see why people will get angry with Apple, almost resentful at the fact that they did not release the iPad we ALL wanted, you know, the one that “will show” Microsoft who is the boss, who will teach Google how it should really be.

No, not yesterday, not today, and probably not tomorrow either. Apple is a company that strives on innovation, true, but it is also a company that is strategic, and their strategy this time is simply to “wait”. There are currently at least 5 companies who are developing a tablet, and one of them is a big “whale” name Google, thus from a strategic point of view it would not make sense to introduce a full product when your competitor is trying to learn your steps.

In sum, even though we did not get the iPad we all desired, the future for this type of devices looks promising then ever, and in many ways the current iPad is indeed a revolution.

Do you agree?

I attached a video of a different point of view :-) enjoy:

This post covers some thoughts that I needed to put in writing (for future reference).

If you follow me on Facebook/Twitter, you probably noticed a new status update that keeps appearing in your newsfeed, one that comes with a map and a location attached to it. I am using a new service from Foursquare, which is a really fun service. In a sentence, the service is a great way to locate and discover places to hangout by simply searching what your friends are doing at a particular moment.  It is particularly helpful, lets say, if you are planning to go out and you find out that Joe’s Bar is serving free beers until 11:00PM by simply reading the “tip” your friends wrote. There are plenty of other features it offers, but I do not plan to cover them all in this post.  The best way to explore it is by simply creating your account, and start building your community. It is fun.

From a Business Owner perspective, the marketing opportunities are more than I can mention in one post. Free offers, and coupons are just the tip of the iceberg of how small businesses can use this fun service. Overall, I think it is a great service. How big they grow depends mostly on what market adaption strategy they choose to follow. My advice, focus on both Business and User and then bring them together. People like free offers, and if free offers bring two ends together, then so be it.

On a different topic, I read a very interesting article today stating that the New York Times (NYT) is planning to charge money for their content on the web by 2011.

In one word, Wrong! Content is king, but with so much free content “floating” in the social media sphere, I just cannot see how the NYT is going to pull this off. I am sure they will get some loyal subscribers, but it is not going to be much, and in fact, I am positive that the NYT will alienate more readers from this 1999 strategy, than they will get subscribers. I guess I will have to wait till the end of 2011 to find out.

My last thought is on the ongoing technological revolution that is taking place right now, mainly by Apple, Google, and a dozen other electronic and automobile firms.

I find this whole process fascinating. To think that my TV will soon turn to a social media platform, free movies hub, and a personal computer is just too much to absorb in one reading. 2010 is going to be a great year for technology and ,most importantly, to consumers.

On a very exciting note, we are heading to Boston this weekend to meet our dear friend Dimitri before he moves back to Greece. I thought it would a great opportunity for me to finally watch Hubspot.tv LIVE, which is something I always wanted to do ever since they started the show more than a year ago. I will make sure to take pictures to all of you who watch the show, and of course blog about it once I come back.

2009 was a great year for me. I set a few crucial goals to help my career, and I am happy I managed to fulfill them all.  I was promoted at my current job, twice, which is always a good thing :)

I developed myself professionally, and literally met hundreds of people through my social media journey, some of which became very good friends and mentors. I also got certified as an Inbound Marketing Professional by Hubspot, after completing their Inbound Marketing University Program.

Irm and I finally bought our first new car, which really serves us well in the little town we currently live in (self note: counting the days until we return to Cambridge, MA).

I created my own Website, and started blogging my thoughts and opinions about what I see and read surfing the Inbound Marketing sphere. I mostly enjoyed reading the comments, and interacting with readers from all over the world. Thank you!

Overall, I think 2009 was a great year for me. 2010, however, is an entire different story.

These are my resolutions for 2010:

My short term resolution is to complete my GMAT test, and get a high score so I can apply to MIT. This brings me to my second resolution, MIT. This is my one decade long goal,  which is why I focus so much on my GMAT score. I plan to apply to the Sloan School, and complete my MBA. High goal to reach, but I am always about facing challenges in life.

On the professional side, I plan to take my Social Media Marketing skills into the next level, and attend at least 30 Webinars, covering a vast range of marketing topics.

At my workplace, I plan to create a better Social Media platform, which I already started, and watch it grow and make our community happier.

On a personal side, I am hoping I can support Irm better with finishing her book. This has been a long and interesting journey for her, and I am glad I could be a part of it by supporting her.

I look forward to fulfilling all these resolutions in 2010. I think it is going to be a great year.

Happy New Year everyone!