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  • 5 Things You Should Know About Marketing to Baby Boomers

    5 Things You Should Know About Marketing to Baby Boomers

    Millennials have been on the radar of most marketers the past few years. While this is a large and potentially Image result for baby boomer disposable income 2018lucrative demographic, the most powerful group, at least when it comes to spending, is still the baby boomers.

    Marketers understand that about 70 million people from this generation will be entering retirement over the next ten years. However, there are things that make baby boomers unique. For one, they are an affluent group and retirement gives them a lot of free time to shop and flex their spending powers. According to Forbes, boomers will inherit about $13 trillion over the next 20 years.

    Companies should then be adjusting their marketing tactics to reach this large group of consumers. Here are five things you should know about marketing to baby boomers:

    1. Baby Boomers Don’t Like to be Called ‘Old’

    Just because baby boomers are mostly retired doesn’t mean they want to sit home and watch TV all day. Many people of this generation have the financial means and the desire to pursue the activities they didn’t get the chance to do when they were raising kids or part of the workforce. These retirees plan to travel to exotic locations, go on safaris, and skydive. While the marketing tactics you’ll need to use to get their attention may be different from other demographics, don’t assume that certain products and services won’t appeal to them just because of their age.

    2. Baby Boomers Enjoy Reading Good Copy

    Marketers should remember that baby boomers enjoy reading, so using trendy acronyms or Internet shorthand on Image result for senior reading tablet 300x300ad copy will not be appreciated. Boomers want to see information clearly printed out, so don’t be afraid of old-school, text-heavy advertising methods.

    A better approach for this generation is copy that’s straightforward, instead of today’s creative bells and whistles. Ad copy for boomers should address every possible question they might have. All the relevant answers and details should be included in direct mail ads, brochures, and on websites.

    3. Baby Boomers Don’t Like to be Rushed

    Aside from being more receptive to traditional marketing styles, baby boomers are also very careful when making purchases. Unlike the more flighty millennials, boomers consider each purchase an investment and will take time to study every product before making a decision. Their static budgets also mean this group is more careful about spending outside their limits.

    Boomers need to trust the brand. They need to fully understand the product, identify with other users and develop a rapport with the seller before making a purchase. While salespeople and marketers might be able to close a deal with a younger demographic with just one or two calls or emails, they would probably take a longer time handling senior consumers.

    4. Baby Boomers Prefer a Personal Touch

    Retirees have more free time on their hands which makes them more inclined to have lengthier social interactions with family, friends, neighbors and even salespeople. This opens a singular opportunity for a sales team to create sincere relationships with these potential clients.

    Sales teams should be prepared to invest time with a boomer. After all, the person at the other end has the luxury of time and willingness to listen and absorb your product’s features and value. 

    5. Baby Boomers are Tech Savvy

    Marketers should remember that baby boomers grew up with technology. This generation has made use of a plethora of different technologies since the introduction of the first black-and-white television set. This makes them unintimidated by more recent technologies like the internet or social media. In fact, the baby boomer generation spends as much time online as they do watching television. Studies show that 96% of baby boomers use search engines, 95% use email, and 92% shop for products and services online instead of shopping in stores and shopping malls.

    Boomers TV Usage Chart

    Graphic via dmn3.com

    Statistics also show that baby boomers are the fastest growing age demographic on Facebook, with an 80% rise in users between 2010 and 2014. By marketing your business to this generation through the web or social media platforms, you increase your chances to interact and do business with them.

  • How Will the Repeal of Net Neutrality Affect Small Business?

    How Will the Repeal of Net Neutrality Affect Small Business?

    The issue of net neutrality has permeated the news, talk shows, and discussion boards for a while now. Different sectors have already voiced their concerns about how repealing net neutrality will affect consumers and businesses. Meanwhile, many people are still confused about the magnitude of the issue.

    What is Net Neutrality?

    Net Neutrality, or the Open Internet as it’s also called, works around the premise that all internet service providers (ISPs) should treat and deliver web traffic, content, and applications equally. There were concerns that some providers might slow down broadband connections to rivals or boost speed to content providers that are connected to subsidiaries.

    Regulations passed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) during Barack Obama’s presidential term sought to protect net neutrality by classifying the Internet as a “Title II” carrier. Under the Communications Act, ISPs had to disclose data caps and hidden fees and were prevented from interfering with the speed of their competitor’s sites and apps.

    However, the current chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai, indicated earlier this year that he planned to undo the existing regulations against ISPs. Pai has long been against the Title II regulations, as he believes it hinders innovation. He also claimed that even before the 2015 regulations were enforced, ISPs did not engage in the practices that the Act prohibits.

    Pai’s campaign to repeal the Net Neutrality law successfully pushed through on Dec. 14, when the organization voted in favor of the repeal.

    What Happens Now?

    The FCC’s decision to rollback the previous administration’s policies on Net Neutrality could lead to several things. Open Internet advocates believe that the repeal could cause the creation of a high-speed internet lane for big internet, established media companies, and rich households. Meanwhile, the rest of consumers and businesses will be relegated to the slow lane. Mobile plans are also expected to be affected due to its built-in data caps. This could lead to telecom companies charging more for access to streaming services or particular websites.

    Image result for net neutrality

    How Will Repeal of Net Neutrality Affect Small Business?

    A lot of people are under the impression that the FCC’s decision to repeal the Communications Act would negatively affect small businesses. The concern is justified as it appears to give more advantages to established or richer companies. How else does the repeal of open internet affect startups?

    • Service Providers Could Choose the Winners and Losers in the Market

    As previously mentioned, one of the main concerns of the repeal is how it gives ISPs the power to throttle web traffic to its competitors or small businesses and allow big companies or ISPs subsidiaries or partners to get faster speed.

    Site speed plays a key role in how companies are ranked in Google’s search engines. Startups are afraid that if their site is being throttled by certain ISPs, their rankings will go down and they have no way of fighting it.

    Throttling will have a big effect on video marketing companies that rely on speed in order to stream videos with limited buffering and interruptions. Established video companies like Netflix can pay the extra cost, but small businesses might not be able to.

    • Competition Will be Split

    The Obama-era FCC regulation ensured that no broadband company can try to outperform other ISPs. This gives all companies, regardless of the size, the capacity to offer the same speed, with no limitations.

    However, some sectors are saying that reversing Title II will split the competition between ISPs and permit them to offer more free data plans or flexible pricing. This is a development that smaller ISPs might not be able to offer to consumers and could potentially cause these companies to flounder. Still others are saying that this can push smaller providers to become more creative and come up with offers that would attract other audiences, thereby giving them the opportunity to diversify and distinguish themselves from their more established counterparts.

    • Small Businesses Will Experience Financial Challenges

    There’s a risk that smaller companies will be unduly burdened when premiums for faster internet and high speeds are levied on them. Depending on how expensive these fees are, startups might experience financial challenges just to promote their business and gain visibility.

    This could also lead to small companies making cuts in other areas just to ensure an online presence. It could lead to salary cuts or slower job growth until the business finally gains a consistent online presence.

    It’s safe to say that the FCC repeal will not be accepted point blank by consumer groups and the business sector. Lawsuits and appeals have already been filed. However, it’s unclear how the repeal will affect consumers and the economy in the long run.

    [Featured image via YouTube]

  • Google Adwords Upgrades Consumer Targeting Functionality With Phone Numbers and Addresses

    Google Adwords Upgrades Consumer Targeting Functionality With Phone Numbers and Addresses

    Google’s AdWords platform has been tweaked recently to allow for the integration of a bundle of new features. The added features will permit marketers to utilize postal addresses and phone numbers to reach particular groups of consumers and for Customer Match retargeting.

    The company launched Customer Match in 2015. The feature allowed marketers to upload their lists of customers and other proprietary lists (ex. newsletter subscribers) into the AdWords platform to target or exclude search and display advertisements to particular users. However, Customer Match only worked with uploaded email lists.

    Allowing the use of phone numbers and postal addresses is a significant change from the company’s previous customer targeting model. Since the old system only allowed email data that had been rendered anonymous, marketers could only use blanket interests and demographics to target potential clients. This led to marketers who wanted a more targeted approach feeling dissatisfied.

    AdWords’ new strategy will enable hashed contact numbers and email addresses to be matched with Google’s own hashed strings. This approach is predicted to be twice as efficient at reaching the target demographic. After all, postal addresses and phone numbers are usually more reliable and accurate than email addresses.

    The illustration below breaks down how Customer Match works:

    Graphic via Google

    Marketers agree that Google’s new AdWords approach would boost Customer Match rate, especially for brands who either do not have all their customer’s email addresses, or the consumers’ addresses are different from what Google has. A postal address also does away with confusion and ambiguity and results in higher match rates, particularly when used in tandem with other data.

    Kevin Lee, co-founder of digital agency Didit, believes that Google’s new targeting tools will result in higher match rates since adding these new data will also offer more flexibility in a business marketing campaign.

    Augmenting the AdWords platform could also result in companies earmarking larger marketing budgets on Google since its believed the new tools will deliver positive results.

    Making use of consumer addresses and phone numbers is already common in marketing, but Google was slow to incorporate it into its system. However, the delay is mostly due to the company being under the intense scrutiny of regulators.

    Of course, this improvement to the AdWords system could potentially cause problems. Google’s previous terms and conditions allow marketers to only use their own data, and not utilize third-party data. But by permitting phone numbers and postal addresses to be used, there’s a danger that direct-response marketers might try to secure information through any means to stay ahead of the game.

    [Featured Image via Google]

  • How to Use Facebook’s Messenger Ads to Grow Your Business

    How to Use Facebook’s Messenger Ads to Grow Your Business

    There’s no doubting the power social media has to help businesses expand their reach, and so far, no social media platform can compete with Facebook.

    One survey revealed that as of June 2017, Mark Zuckerberg’s creation has more than two billion monthly users. Facebook’s closest competitor is YouTube at 1.5 billion. Meanwhile, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger each boast 1.2 billion users.

    Image result for facebook messenger

    While Facebook is a virtual goldmine of prospects, using it to promote your business means that you’ll be competing with millions of fellow advertisers. Luckily, Facebook’s Messenger Ads can help you better target potential clients and grow your business.

    Quick Guide to the Different Facebook Messenger Ads

    Messenger Ads are Facebook’s latest advertising feature that lets users start a text conversation with a business whose ads caught their interest. The conversation is initiated with just a simple click of a button. Facebook is currently offering two primary types of Messenger ads – destination ads and sponsored messages.

    Destination Ads: Also referred to as Newsfeed Messenger ads, appears in your newsfeed like a normal ad. But instead of the usual “Shop Now” call-to-action, the Facebook user will see “Send Message.” This type of ad is popular because it engages potential clients without directly telling them they have to buy something. This comes off as less intrusive, especially to users who were not already aware of the brand.

    Sponsored Messages: With this type of ad, companies can deliver specially crafted messages straight to the inbox of users who have already messaged them. It’s a wonderful tool for re-targeting leads and re-engaging those who have already interacted with your brand. Aside from minimizing the risk of messages bouncing back, this type of ad is a great way to stay connected to people who are likely to use or purchase your product.

    Facebook is also offering Home Section ads. This type of Messenger ad appears directly in the user’s Messenger home dashboard. It gives companies another chance to expand the reach of their newsfeed ads while utilizing conventional CTA choices.

    How to Use Facebook Messenger Ads to Grow Your Business

    The new Facebook Messenger ads are a great way to expand your bottom line. But the trick is knowing what strategy to use so that your marketing campaign will be effective.

    1. Start a Conversation with Messenger Destination Ads

    If you want to acquire leads and streamline customer acquisition, then a destination ad is a great way to start. With this type of ad, a prospective client is engaged in a conversation with the company instead of being directed to a landing or Facebook page.

    Related image

    Destination ads are perfect for getting people interested in knowing more about your product or services without them having to provide personal information or scheduling an appointment. And on your end, you get to qualify prospects quickly instead of wasting time attempting to get them into your funnel. The goal here is to narrow down your option to people who are more likely to convert.

    1. Engage With People Who Have Already Shown Interest

    Sponsored Messenger ads are one of Facebook’s best advertising options. As previously mentioned, this type of ad allows you to send a message straight to the user’s inbox. However, this user should have engaged with you first. This is great for several reasons. One, you don’t have to worry about initiating a call-to-action or wait for them to accept your message because they have already made the first move. Second, these users are likely already aware of, or are interested in your brand. You can easily push them down the funnel and begin the process of getting them to convert on your offer.

    1. Integrate Messenger Ads with Chatbots to Generate Leads

    Chatbot integration is a vital marketing component used in Facebook Messenger. This feature allows brands to automate their messages based on specific questions or comments users might type when they tap on the “Send Message” button.

    There are several approaches that can be used to integrate bots with Messenger ads, like Live Chat and Content + Follow-up. The Live Chat approach would see the Bot asking questions that demand specific responses. This allows the company to screen and check for quality leads before a live agent can start a conversation. In the second approach, the bot flow will promote useful content before following it up with a unique offer. This introduces value, engages your customer and creates a strong impression of your brand.

    Facebook Messenger ads can give your business a novel and effective way of reaching customers. The personalized interactions and customized messages can help your company begin real conversations with leads that have higher chances of being converted.

  • Target Lets You Pay With New ‘Wallet’ Mobile Payment System

    Target Lets You Pay With New ‘Wallet’ Mobile Payment System

    It appears that Target is still not keen on accepting Apple Pay as a mode of payment in its onsite stores. In a recent post, America’s second-largest retailer announced that it had rolled out Wallet, its own mobile payment system that is now active as a feature for Target’s iOS and Android apps.

    The arrival of the Wallet feature has actually been long anticipated by customers. Talks about Target launching its own mobile payment have been around since 2015, but the company waited till January 2017 to confirm its plans.

    With the introduction of Wallet, Target customers will now have the option of seamlessly checking out their in-store purchases with the use of their smartphones. They’ll also be able to update points and use discounts with Cartwheel digital coupons.

    Reportedly, the Wallet feature found in the Target app is similar to other in-store payment options like Wal-Mart Pay. However, Wal-Mart Pay uses QR code for scanning items, Target’s system is barcode-based.

    For it to work though, it seems that shoppers will need a REDcard—a Target-branded debit or credit card packed with special offers. Target, however, wants more customers to shop with Wallet and is already working out a way to get them to use the feature even if they don’t own a REDcard.

    The main incentive for using Wallet is that checking out for in-store purchases would be faster. This is achieved because customers can now check out for payment as well as apply Cartwheel deals with a single scan of the in-app barcode.

    It should be noted that while Target does not accept payments using Apple Pay for in-store purchases, items bought from Target’s online store can still be paid using Apple’s payment platform.

    [Featured Image by Target]

  • Number of Active Business Profiles on Instagram Reaches 25 Million

    Number of Active Business Profiles on Instagram Reaches 25 Million

    Instagram’s business profiles are proving to be good for businesses.

    The social media network recently announced that 25 million merchants have changed their personal Instagram accounts into business profiles. That’s a huge leap from the 15 million business accounts that were active on the app as of July of this year. What’s more, most of these accounts are from small businesses.

    The Facebook-owned app introduced business profiles in May 2016 in order to give businesses better commercial representation on its video and photo network. By changing one’s account to a business profile – which is similar to a Facebook page – companies can add a “contact us” button and examine detailed analytics about Stories and organic posts that they have published, like the number of impressions and the reach the posts accumulated.

    Highlighting the main differences between an Instagram personal account and an Instagram business account.

    Graphic via modernsoapmaking.com

    Instagram is hoping that the more tools they provide merchants, the more they’ll use the app to expand their business, first organically and then through ads. And it seems Instagram’s strategy is working. Since business profiles were introduced, Instagram’s advertiser base has grown from 200,000 in February 2016 to 2 million by September 2017.

    Those numbers clearly show that Instagram’s ratio of business accounts to advertisers is almost the same as its parent company. Facebook boasts of more than 6 million advertisers and 70 million companies using Pages.

    About 80% of Instagram’s roughly 800 million users per month follow a business, and about 40% of 500 million daily users check out at least one business profile. Interestingly, two-thirds of the 200 million people who check out a company’s business profile on any day do not follow the brand or company. That is something businesses should consider closely.

    Merchants might want Instagram users to tap on the follow button, but they would probably be just as happy if people tap the button to contact the company. After all, this would allow them to develop a customer base that goes beyond Instagram.

    [Featured image via Pixabay.com]

  • 7 Ways to Improve Customer Service for Your eCommerce Business

    7 Ways to Improve Customer Service for Your eCommerce Business

    Online businesses have been booming in recent years due to the conveniences they offer. If you’re planning to enter this industry, you should bear in mind that an online shop is significantly different from a physical store. Unlike the latter, where location and the establishment itself plays a role in attracting customer, online businesses rely mostly on the products and customer service.

    To help you conquer this industry here are seven ways you can improve customer service for your eCommerce business.

    1. Personalize Each Customer’s Experience

    Nearly 80 percent of customers from the U.S. expect a personalized shopping experience when visiting an online store.  If you want to stand out from other eCommerce companies, you must reach your customers on a personal level remotely.

    You can offer this by providing an account for each customer where they can see their past purchases and save personal information for easier checkouts. You could also call customers once their order has been completed to verify their orders and to inform them of the delivery date. There are many ways to make shopping at your online store more personal for your customers, so don’t hesitate to experiment.

    2. Provide a 24/7 Live Chat

    This is one of the customer service platforms you must invest in if you have the means to do so. Having 24/7 chat Image result for eCommerce customer servicesupport readily available will provide your customers with peace of mind.

    Try putting yourself in your customer’s shoes. Would you prefer waiting for an email response over a real-time conversation with a customer service representative? Sites like Influx can handle chat support for your online business.

    3. Establish an Easy-to-Understand Return Policy

    There are few things that can earn a customer’s trust better than a simple return policy. Make sure that your customer is properly informed about the terms and process of the after-sales service. About 15 to 30 percent of online purchases are returned and 68 percent of online purchases are influenced by the availability of easy and free return options, so this is something you shouldn’t overlook.

    4. Create a FAQ Section on Your Page

    Although some may find this hard to believe, many online buyers look for a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page before attempting to contact you to inquire about certain items or services. Setting up a FAQ page will save both you and your customers time and effort in the sales process.

    5. Open Customer Service Through Social Media

    If you have social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram set up for your business, establish a direct Image result for customer service social medialine of communication with your customers using these platforms. While chat support on your website is useful, some customers prefer not to leave whatever social media site they’re in to make inquiries. This is also an excellent way to update your customers on policy changes, new deals, and other developments in your operations.

    6. Provide a Billing History

    Transparency is everything when it comes to customer service. Provide your customers with the means to access their account information. More often than not, customers need to have an account where they can access their preferred payment method, order status, and billing history. An eCommerce business that fails to deliver this will pale in comparison to its competition and customers will most likely flock elsewhere.

    7. Measure & Analyze Customer Satisfaction

    You deserve a good pat on the back if you’ve established all the customer service improvements stated above. Related imageHowever, there will always be areas for improvement and what better way to find them than by measuring customer satisfaction?

    There are plenty of ways to do this. One way is to send out customer satisfaction surveys after every completed order or inquiry. Your customers, regardless of how good or bad their shopping experience was, will appreciate this.

    Customer service will set your eCommerce business apart from the others. You have to be prepared to invest finances, time, and effort to provide your customers with a unique shopping experience. Remember that your business is as much about your products or services as it is about your customers.

  • Google SERPS to Include Rich Results for Podcasts

    Google SERPS to Include Rich Results for Podcasts

    An announcement on the Google Developers Blog details how to enable podcasts to appear in search results. The feature is currently available only for newer versions of the Google Search app on android devices or on Google Home.

    The rich results will show the podcast as well as individual episode descriptions with an embedded player for each. The format takes up a large amount of SERP real estate which should be attractive to anyone promoting a podcast.

    Here’s how to list a podcast:

    – Expose a valid RSS feed describing the podcast
    – The feed must contain at least one episode
    – The podcast must have a dedicated homepage
    – The homepage, the RSS feed, and any non-blocked audio files must be exposed to Googlebot; and
    must not be protected by robots.txt or tags.

    Additional instructions for setting up feeds can be found on the Google Developers Blog.

  • The Myths and Truths About How Google Hires

    The Myths and Truths About How Google Hires

    “Today we are going to talk about two things,” said Sean McGaughran, Engineering and Technology Recruiter at Google. “One, we are going to talk about some common Google myths and busts them and two, we are going to talk about how Google actually hires.”

    Visit Google’s Career Site…

    Busting Google Hiring Myths

    “Let’s get right into some myth busting,” says Rachel Bonds, Business Recruiter and Talent Guru. “The first myth is about only hiring people from Ivey League institutions. That’s not true. We hire people from all sorts of backgrounds, colleges and even people who haven’t attended college. We are really looking to hire a diverse set of candidates from all sorts of experiences and your GPA is only taken into consideration if you graduated recently from school.”

    “The second big myth we hear a lot is about brain teasers,” she said. “We won’t be asking you crazy questions about how many golf balls fit into the Empire State Building. We really spend that time getting to know you and we try to limit it to about four interviews during the course of your process, not a multitude of conversations. So it’s not impossible to get hired at Google!”

    The Google Hiring Process

    “The first step in getting hired is really to get us your application,” notes Shadan Deleveaux, also a Business Recruiter at Google. “Our career site has some great tips on putting together a powerful and compelling resume. For example, your resume should be concise, generally less than two pages. Also, you really want to make sure that it has no errors or mistakes. Read it top to bottom, bottom to top. Have a friend take a look at it for you. Pay extra special attention to it. Finally, you want to make sure that your bullet points on your resume convey impact. Don’t just list the things you did at your current job, but really how you impacted that role. It’s one of the things that we care about a lot here at Google.”

    “Perfect, because living, breathing human beings just like us actually look at your resume, thoughtful trained professionals who can help connect you with some great opportunities right here at Google,” added McGaughran.

    “Once your resume is reviewed you may hear back from a recruiter,” added Bonds. “If you don’t after a couple of months you can assume that that role has likely been filled. But if you do the next step is a phone conversation with a recruiter like one of us. We’ll want to learn more about your experience, your background and your potential fit with the role. From there, you may have an additional phone interview with another relevant Googler for that team. On the technical side that may include a coding interview. On the business side it may include a conversation that’s more specific to the role.”

    In-Person Interviews at Google

    “Now comes the exciting and slightly nerve racking on-site interviews, where you get a chance to come on-site and interview with between 4-5 interviewers,” said McGaughran. “If you are interviewing for a technical role, typically those interviews will revolve around data structure, coding algorithms and if you are interviewing for a non-technical position there are often more structured interview questions. You will often have a couple more minutes to chat with the interviewer, get to know them a little bit, talk about the roll and also have an opportunity for some breaks in between to grab a water or snack. Sometimes you will have an opportunity to have a lunch with another member of the team or even a hiring manager.”

    “If you make it past that point in the process your packet goes to our hiring committee, which is really just a team of Googlers that take a look at your packet,” added Deleveaux. “Your packet is nothing more than your interviews, your resume and any work samples you may have submitted to us. It the hiring committee signs off on it, it then goes to one of our senior level Googlers for a final round of approval for an extra set of objective eyes. If that senior level Googler signs off on it, that’s when you get a call from your recruiter saying… congratulations, here’s your offer!”

  • Apple App Store Growing Fast, Paid $20 Billion to App Developers in 2016

    Apple App Store Growing Fast, Paid $20 Billion to App Developers in 2016

    The Apple App Store has paid out over $20 billion to developers in 2016, which is an increase of over 40% over 2015, according to Apple. They also said that January 1, 2017 had the highest dollar volume of app purchases of any single day in the Apple App Store’s history, with over $240 million in sales. Since the App Store launched in 2008, developers have earned over $60 billion.

    “2016 was a record-shattering year for the App Store, generating $20 billion for developers, and 2017 is off to a great start with January 1 as the single biggest day ever on the App Store,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We want to thank our entire developer community for the many innovative apps they have created — which together with our products — help to truly enrich people’s lives.”

    Apple also noted that December 2016 was an amazing month for App purchases, hitting over $3 billion in sales.

    Subscription billings, which became available just this Fall in all categories, are one of the fastest growing segments of app sales. There are over 20,000 apps that can be subscribed to for a monthly fee including popular services such as Netflix, HBO Now, Line, Tinder and MLB.com At Bat. Subscription based apps generated $2.7 billion in billings in 2016, up 74% over 2015.

    Apple also recently announced a Best of 2016 Music list:

  • Internet Pioneer Alan Meckler Discusses Overcoming Dyslexia

    I recently came across the Distraction Podcast hosted by Dr. Edward Hallowell, who happens to have dyslexia. He interviewed internet pioneer Alan Meckler who also happens to have dyslexia. Dr. Hallowell emphasized that Mecker was able to do amazing things in his career despite of and because of his dyslexia.

    Alan Meckler was one of the very first to recognize the commerce and marketing potential of the internet, founding Mecklermedia which held the first and largest internet business trade show. Meckler also founded internet.com, which at one point had a trading value on NASDAQ of over $1 billion. He later purchased Mediabistro and many other online businesses as well as founding dozens more.

    Meckler said he didn’t know he had dyslexia at first. “I found out about it in a round about way when a freelance writer was writing an article for the New York Times and it had to do with baseball.” said Meckler. This was about 15 years ago and through his contact with this writer it was discovered that he had dyslexia. Meckler describes it in full in the podcast.

    Meckler was asked about his strengths, especially as it relates to his huge success. “I’ve been very good at being able to pick out important tidbits when people are talking or in lectures,” he said. “I could always zero in on a salient point. I’m very good at spotting strategic trends, that’s why I did well in business. I sort of could project out when I heard of something, whether it be good or bad, in the fields I was in. I think, if anything, that’s my greatest skill.”

    “There was a book written called the Black Swan, written by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. If I have any claim to fame, he cites that in the 20th century there were only just two or three Black Swan events. One of them was the internet.”

    Meckler added, “I was clearly only one of the first two or three people in the world to recognize the commercial side to the internet.”

    I recommend listening to the podcast in full….

  • Tech Titans Meet With Trump: Video, Pics and Opening Transcript

    Tech Titans Meet With Trump: Video, Pics and Opening Transcript

    The tech titans of Silicon Valley (and a few other places) met with President Elect Donald Trump at his request today. Notably, Trump said that any of them could call him directly if their companies needed help. He said that there is no chain of command here.

    “I’m super excited about the possibility that this could be the innovation Administration,” said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg added, “I’m excited to talk about jobs.”

    The complete transcript of Trump’s opening remarks to the group:

    “Well, I just want to thank everybody. This is a truly amazing group of people. I won’t tell you the hundreds of calls we’ve had asking to come to this meeting (laughter). I will say Peter (Thiel) was sort of saying, no those companies are too small, and these are monster screen-shot-2016-12-14-at-7-16-14-pmcompanies.

    I want to start by thanking Peter because he saw something very early, maybe before we saw it, of course he’s known for that in a different way. He has been so terrific and so outstanding. He got just about the biggest applause at the Republican National Convention. He’s ahead of the curve and I want to thank him and (while shaking his hand) you’re a very special guy.

    I want to add that I’m here to help you folks do well and you are doing well right now. I’m very honored by the bounce, everybody is talking about the bounce, so everybody in this room has to like me at least a little bit. We are going to have to try and have that bounce continue.

    Perhaps even more importantly, we want you to keep going with the incredible innovation. There is nobody like you in the world. There is nobody like the people in this room. Anything we can do to help this go along, we are going to be there for you. You call my people, you call me, it doesn’t make any difference, we have no formal chain of command around here.

    We are honored to have Gary, the President of Goldman Sacks, left Goldman Sacks to do this. And Wilbur, everybody knows Wilbur, they don’t call him Wilbur Ross on Wall Street, they just say oh it’s Wilbur (laughter). There’s nobody like him.

    We are going to do fair trade deals, we’re going to make it a lot easier for you to trade. Across borders, there are a lot of restrictions and a lot of problems. If you have any ideas on that, that would be great because there are a lot of restrictions and a lot of problems. You probably have less of a problem than some companies because some companies have massive problems, but we are going to solve those problems.”

    Who Was There?

  • Results of 2016 LinkedIn Job Fulfillment Survey

    LinkedIn surveyed over 1,000 US professionals to determine their level of job satisfaction and found some interesting results. Apparently, Charlotte has the most satisfied white collar workers with 65% of them feeling fulfilled at work.

    screen-shot-2016-12-07-at-2-20-16-pm

    Charlotte is followed in the most satisfied list by Boston, Indianapolis, New York City and Denver.

    Career Fulfillment

    Chefs apparently are the most fulfilled professionals, with 84% saying so in the survey:

    1. Chef – 84% fulfilled
    2. Real Estate Agent – 75% fulfilled
    3. Doctor – 68% fulfilled
    4. IT Consultant & Support – 59% fulfilled
    5. Architect – 58% fulfilled
    Fulfillment Factors

    Not surprisingly, a persons salary ranks as the number one factor in job satisfaction:

    1. Salary
    2. Positive relationships with colleagues
    3. Doing work that has a positive impact
    4. Work-life balance
    5. Feeling challenged at work

    The survey also looked at age ranges and didn’t find much of a difference in fulfillment between age groups. Interestingly, young people age 16 – 24 were the most fulfilled (58%). Perhaps that’s because the full brunt of life and all of its bills hasn’t caught up with many of those in this group just yet.

  • When Fake News is Real News and Real News is Fake News

    When Fake News is Real News and Real News is Fake News

    All of this talk about fake news is starting to take root into the mainstream news bubble as if it were true, which it isn’t in any discernible or meaningful way. We are already seeing social media and left leaning groups circling the wagons to make the fake news about fake news turn into censorship of real news that they politically disagree with.

    After all, it’s tempting for the left to want to shut up the right because they correctly see in Trump’s victory that the right can now effectively bypass the left’s long-term news filter and take their political arguments directly to their base and to voters in general.

    Facebook, Google, Reddit, Twitter and the mainstream media had better be very correct when censoring so-called “fake news” or they will risk a huge backlash from the conservative majority in this country. That means that censoring obvious fake news that can be proven might be okay with most people (not me), but censoring news about pay to play deals in the Clinton Foundation or disagreement on the existence and causes of global warming or quietly deleting social posts that discuss things the liberal media doesn’t think are true is simply not acceptable.

    The big internet media companies and the mainstream press should realize that if only one side of the political spectrum is censored then just maybe new laws are needed to stop them from doing this.

    Wikileaks has proven as real news that CNN, NBC, NYT and many others were colluding with the Democrats in order to help them get elected. That was fake news that was proven to be real news. Yet, they hardly covered it, so that unless a CNN viewer saw it on social media or a conservative news outlet they would probably rightly think it was fake news.

    If you only watched CNN or a few other left leaning news sources you would probably think it was real news that Breitbart News is a racist white nationalist news site. That’s actually fake news, totally disproven by the lack of evidence presented by it’s mainstream news libelists and even some honorable liberals.

    Even Fox News now says its is the policy of their network that global warming is real and is caused by humans. There are thousands of scientists who disagree with this mainstream consensus, none of Al Gore’s scientific predictions have came true and it’s a fact that data has been adjusted on multiple occasions to fit the narrative of warming and the majority of American’s think it is a non-issue.

    Will opposing man caused global warming be considered fake news by the social media giants and the mainstream news organizations? If you look at the lefts censorship patterns it certainly will.

    For instance, the LA Times banned disagreement with this “settled science”. If media leaves no room for disagreement on a scientific argument is it no longer science and instead simply faith? If the warmests are eventually shown to be wrong does their real news then become fake news?

    In other words, there is often less than 100% chance that your real news might be my fake news and visa-versa. All I’m saying is be careful big social and big media, because in general… censorship is usually not a good idea.

    Donald Trump suggested the idea that millions voted illegally for Clinton and he was chided by the media as a pusher of fake news. How do they know that? Well, they just do… no evidence is needed to say with 100% certainty that millions didn’t vote illegally. Maybe they are right, but what if they aren’t?

    The media acts as if this is totally outlandish and so-called fake news while ignoring the evidence that says it could be true. Project Veritas released several hidden 60 Minutes style undercover videos that show that Democrat operatives are encouraging and aiding in illegal voting.

    The State of California is run by liberal Democrats who have given every illegal resident a drivers license and allows registration at their DMV and does not allow asking anybody who votes for ID or about their legal status. Why wouldn’t conservatives like Trump believe that there are millions of illegal voters in California who likely voted for Clinton?

    These reasons are why 60% of Republicands believe that there are substantial numbers of illegal immigrants voting and therefore canceling out their legal votes.

    There are in fact studies and surveys that show that illegal immigrants do vote and possibly as many as 3 million. True or not, who knows, but it certainly shouldn’t be considered fake news since there is at least some evidence to support the accusation. Fake news should not be a political opinion or simply an opinion of the majority.

    Unless it’s calling a dog a cat, then publications should let the people debate it, share it on social and practice their First Amendment right to make their case.

  • 5 Reasons Adding a Number to Your Blog Post Titles Increases Page Views

    5 Reasons Adding a Number to Your Blog Post Titles Increases Page Views

    You should add a number to at least half of your blog posts according to a successful small business marketing blogger. What he really means is that list formatted posts, such as 4 Best Ways to Make Money Blogging, 10 Incredible Gmail Tricks and Tips or 4 Best Ways to Make Money Blogging… are extremely effective in driving social sharing which also leads to linking which is great for search ranking.

    “Over the past three years, I’ve crafted titles for over 5,000 blog posts and have received over 58 million unique visitors to date,” said Brandon Gaille in a guest post on Google’s Inside AdSense blog. “With that many titles and that much traffic, it’s allowed me to identify what types of titles get the most traffic.”

    Gaille has been on a tear over the past 3 years, founding business advice site BrandonGaille.com which now has over 2 million monthly visitors. Galille has since parlayed that success into offering a course called The Blog Millionaire for others to learn how to make millions too. “The overwhelming success of his blog system led Brandon to create an online course to guide bloggers and businesses down the same proven path of success that his clients pay him up to $100,000/year for,” said Galille on LinkedIn. There is currently a waiting list to join the course!

    5 Reasons Adding a Number to Your Article Titles Increase Traffic

    1. Placing a Number Gives Users What They Are Used To!

    Call it the BuzzFeed effect, but lists drive traffic and a number in the title signifies a list. It’s really that simple.

    “Titles that begin with numbers are proving to drive traffic,” says Gaille. “This is largely due to the increased consumption of users reading list posts more than any other type of blog post. A list post typically has anywhere from seven to forty key points, which are listed out numerically.”

    2. List Posts Are Shared the Most on Social

    People love to share List Posts on social media like Facebook and sharing can supercharge your traffic. Why not play into the social media game and give them what they want, short, easy to digest sharable content.

    3. Odd Numbers in Titles Are 20% More Effective

    “Although no one has figured out exactly why this happens, the odd numbered titles get more clicks than the even numbered titles,” said Gaille.

    I think it’s probably because it sounds more legit, not made up. For instance, if somebody posts the 10 best ways to drive traffic, people will inherently think that the writer thought of 10 points and stopped thinking. However, if it was the 7 best, it sounds as if these are actually what the author thinks are truly best.

    4. People Love to Link to Lists Which Makes for Great SEO

    Search engine optimization is driven by links and what better way to get links than to get your content shared on social. So part of your SEO strategy should be to write content that people want to link to and then not only will they link in their own blogs but they will also get the word out by sharing your posts on Twitter, Reddit, Facebook and many other places.

    5. Gaining a List Site Reputation Will Cause Repeat Traffic

    Just like Brandon Gaille has discovered, writing lots of list style posts and including a number in the title gives you traction as a place people want to go. People like simple straight forward easy to read advice and that’s what Gaille delivers. Those who are looking for something to share on social or for inspiration on an article (like this one) find list sites a great destination source.

  • Power of the People: Kellogg’s Dumps Breitbart.com… so Breitbart’s Readers Dumping Kellogg’s

    We don’t often comment on politics here at WebProNews.com, but I thought it was interesting to lay out the facts of a major brands decision (Kellogg) to suspend ads on a popular conservative website (Breitbart.com) and that sites’ attempt to fight back.

    Freedom of speech and freedom of the press is an important principal of democracy and for an advertiser to make a public pronouncement that Breitbart.com does not carry their values is disturbing, considering that the site holds the same views for the most part as Trump, his 60 million voters and Brietbart’s 45 million readers. The site is not racist in the slightest, so is Kellogg saying that they don’t want their products consumed by Breitbart readers, Trump supporters or conservatives?

    Breitbart started a petition against Kellogg yesterday which already has over 120,000 signatures.

    Go here to sign.

    Fact: Breitbart.com is a conservative site with its own paid writers as well as many contributors, just like most other mainstream news websites and liberal sites such as the Huffington Post.

    Fact: Breitbart.com is not a white nationalist site and has been slandered by the national media seeking to disempower the Trump administration since he hired Steve Bannon, the former CEO of Breitbart. Trump, Bannon, Breitbart and their readers, voters and supporters are America First Conservatives, not racists, Nazi sympathizers or any other unsupported slanderous lie put out there by those that politically disagree with America First Nationalism.

    Fact: There is no evidence presented by the media that Breitbart is a white nationalist site or racist in any way. There was an article headline that used the term “renegade jew”, which proved nothing considering that the story was from a contributing Jewish writer referring to an issue about Israel. The racist accusation has been totally debunked, yet Kellogg can’t see past political hyperbole.

    Fact: News sites have many points of views expressed in their articles and the media knows that every article isn’t the exact point of view of management. For instance Arianna Huffington or AOL is not responsible for every article or headline that included the word Jew…
    I’m Not a Hypochondriac, I’m Just a Jew – Huffington Post
    Seth Cohen, The Manic Pixie Jewish Boy – Huffington Post
    Don’t Call Me Jew – Huffington Post
    The Fat Jew Latest to Join ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Cast – Huffington Post

    Fact: Kellogg bought in hook, line and sinker to the slanderous lie that Breitbart.com is a white nationalist site, or are they just against American’s who voted for Trump? From Bloomberg: “We regularly work with our media-buying partners to ensure our ads do not appear on sites that aren’t aligned with our values as a company,” said Kris Charles, a spokeswoman for Kellogg, which also makes Frosted Flakes and Special K cereal. “We recently reviewed the list of sites where our ads can be placed and decided to discontinue advertising on Breitbart.com. We are working to remove our ads from that site.”

    The problem here is politics and the mainstreaming of slander by the media. At worst, Breitbart is the Huffington Post of the political right. Nothing more and nothing less. It’s the responsibility of brands like Kellogg to see through the fog of disinformation by Trump’s political opponents before, in effect, disparaging all of his voters and all of Breitbart’s readers.

    The question for Kellogg and other advertisers is, do you really want to pick sides, liberal vs. conservative? Is that good for shareholders and is that good for your brand?

  • Progressive Tech Companies Want Trump to Protect Sharing Economy From Dem Attacks

    Progressive Tech Companies Want Trump to Protect Sharing Economy From Dem Attacks

    Michael Beckerman, President & CEO at Internet Association which represents big internet focused tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Uber, Netflix, Twitter, Lyft, PayPal, Salesforce, Rackspace and many more, sent a congratulations letter to the Trump transition team today. In it they sought to inform Trump how important the internet is to the economy and gave their take on issues dear to them.

    screen-shot-2016-11-14-at-5-22-52-pm

    The entire letter is available here (PDF).

    One very interesting area the group focused on is the sharing economy, which has been under severe attack by progressives and liberal Democrats around the country. Perhaps Trump isn’t Silicon Valley’s worst nightmare after all, considering he is likely to agree with them on these planks:

    ON DEMAND OR SHARING ECONOMY
    By harnessing the power of the internet and internet-based commercial cloud technology, sharing economy platforms allow individuals to use their free time and resources to earn significant supplementary income under a flexible working arrangement that allows people to earn money how, when, and where they want. Although still in its nascent stage, the sharing economy is projected to account for $335 billion in global revenue in 2025, up from $15 billion in 2013.

    Offer Consistent, Smart Regulatory Approaches: The rapid rise of this new sector of the economy, however, has been met by piecemeal regulatory approaches at the local and state levels that often feature misguided or overly burdensome rules driving up costs for consumers and workers. By steering clear of burdensome regulations, policymakers at every level can ensure this rapidly growing sector of the economy sees its full potential.

    Protect the Flexibility and Economic Opportunities of the Sharing Economy: On demand and sharing economy companies are driving new economic growth and opportunities by providing individuals with unprecedented flexibility and control over the decision of when, and how, they earn income. By attempting to apply the same static workplace regulations of the 20th century to this new economic model, policymakers could threaten the very entrepreneurial spirit that drives these 21st century earning opportunities.

    One of their other key concerns is safeguarding platforms like Facebook from lawsuits because of things their users post which means not weakening current intermediary liability laws:

    “Weakening intermediary liability laws would not only chill innovation and free expression online, but would also threaten investment in the next generation of ideas fueling our digital economy. If digital content intermediaries were responsible for the content uploaded by users, over 80 percent of investors would be less likely to fund startups. In addition, 85 percent of investors are uncomfortable investing in digital content intermediaries open to unpredictable legal action.”

    Another major concern is copyright law safe harbors, such as fair use, exemptions, compulsory licenses and first sale doctrine:

    “Threats to the flexible framework, such as weakening limitations or exceptions to safe harbors, would create barriers to entry for internet startups and creators, which would deny users the ability to access content
    online.”

    They also want policies that promote pro data innovation rules:

    “However, new regulatory proposals on how data is used and collected threaten to reduce this value. U.S. policy must ensure businesses in every U.S. industry can keep a competitive edge by innovating with data. To do so, policies should champion data innovation by acknowledging the crucial role of data in the modern economy and promote pro-innovation rules. This includes taking a harms-based approach to consumer privacy, instead of a collection-based approach, and stopping data minimization efforts or other proposals that would inhibit innovation.”

  • State Backed China Newspaper Threatens iPhone Tariff if Trump Follows Through

    State Backed China Newspaper Threatens iPhone Tariff if Trump Follows Through

    The communist state backed China newspaper Global Times sent a warning shot to the Trump Administration threatening to take a “tit-for-tat approach” if tariffs are imposed on Chinese products.

    China will take a tit-for-tat approach then. A batch of Boeing orders will be replaced by Airbus. US auto and iPhone sales in China will suffer a setback, and US soybean and maize imports will be halted. China can also limit the number of Chinese students studying in the US.

    Trump as a shrewd businessman will not be so naïve. None of the previous presidents were bold enough to launch an all-out trade war against China. They all opted for a cautious line since it’s most consistent with the overall interests of the US, and it’s most acceptable to US society.

    Trump cannot change the pattern of interests between China and the US. The gigantic China-US trade is based on mutual benefits and a win-win situation. Even as president, Trump can exert limited influence on it.

    If Trump wrecks Sino-US trade, a number of US industries will be impaired. Finally the new president will be condemned for his recklessness, ignorance and incompetence and bear all the consequences. We are very suspicious the trade war scenario is a trap set up by some American media to trip up the new president.

  • Paypal Co-Founder Peter Thiel Joins Trump Transition Team

    Paypal Co-Founder Peter Thiel Joins Trump Transition Team

    Reporter Dan Primack reports that tech mogul and Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel is joining the Trump transition team:

    Peter Thiel has agreed to join Donald Trump’s presidential transition team, according to multiple sources close to the situation.

    Thiel, a venture capitalist and hedge fund manager who also serves on the board of directors at Facebook, has been Trump’s most prominent Silicon Valley supporter, even speaking on his behalf at the Republican National Convention.

    There were some interesting reactions to the Thiel appointment on Twitter:

    A week before the election Thiel made a widely reported speech at National Press Club on why he supports Donald Trump for President:

    Primack also tweeted yesterday that the Trump transition team is looking at Rex Tibbens, current Lyft COO and ex-Amazon exec, for Transport Secretary.

  • Grubhub CEO Matt Maloney is an Idiot–Potentially Costing Company Millions–Trump Supporters Outraged

    Grubhub CEO Matt Maloney is an Idiot–Potentially Costing Company Millions–Trump Supporters Outraged

    Grubhub CEO Matt Maloney is dumb, dumb and dumber. After the election he sent a condescending, baseless, whacko email that gives the impression to his employees that if you voted for Trump or believe in Trump’s campaign message that you should send in your resignation. He even says that if Trumped worked there, many of his comments would have resulted in his immediate termination.

    Would Maloney also want anyone who agrees with Trump to immediately stop buying their service?

    On November 8, Grubhub was trading at $37.83 and now it’s at $35.25. That is nearly a 7% drop while the rest of the market hit historic highs. His dumb political statements have so far cost Grubhub shareholders $200 million. What an idiot. The Grubhub board should hold an emergency session and fire him in order to reassure their shareholders that their company is in good hands and to send a message to customers that political intolerance is unacceptable.

    Maloney has since produced a press release saying he is misunderstood. Baloney. He meant every word of what he said because he bought in like a child the nonsense narrative that Trump is a racist, homophobe, intolerant Nazi like figure.

    Meanwhile, Trump supporters on Twitter are appropriately bashing Maloney relentlessly, but in a much smarter way than Maloney slammed them:

    Here is his original email:

    SUBJECT: So… that happened… what’s next?

    I’m still trying to reconcile my own worldview with the overwhelming message that was delivered last night. Clearly there are a lot of people angry and scared as the antithesis of every modern presidential candidate won and will be our next president.

    While demeaning, insulting and ridiculing minorities, immigrants and the physically/mentally disabled worked for Mr. Trump, I want to be clear that this behavior – and these views, have no place at Grubhub. Had he worked here, many of his comments would have resulted in his immediate termination.

    We have worked for years cultivating a culture of support and inclusiveness. I firmly believe that we must bring together different perspectives to continue innovating – including all genders, races, ethnicities and sexual, cultural or ideological preferences. We are better, faster and stronger together.

    Further I absolutely reject the nationalist, anti-immigrant and hateful politics of Donald Trump and will work to shield our community from this movement as best as I can. As we all try to understand what this vote means to us, I want to affirm to anyone on our team that is scared or feels personally exposed, that I and everyone else here at Grubhub will fight for your dignity and your right to make a better life for yourself and your family here in the United States.

    If you do not agree with this statement then please reply to this email with your resignation because you have no place here. We do not tolerate hateful attitudes on our team.I want to repeat what Hillary said this morning, that the new administration deserves our open minds and a chance to lead, but never stop believing that the fight for what’s right is worth it.

    Stay strong,
    Matt

  • Ballmer Says Satya Nadella is Taking Microsoft “To Infinity and Beyond”

    Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer recently told Bloomberg that current CEO Satya Nadella is taking Microsoft “to infinity and beyond.” In the interview with Emily Chang, Ballmer reflected on his relationship with Bill Gates and defended his role in the success of Microsoft saying, “I take great satisfaction in the things we accomplished throughout the time, not just when I became CEO.”

    A Miserable Beginning

    “When I became CEO we had a very miserable year,” said Ballmer. “Bill didn’t know how to work for anybody and I didn’t know how to manage Bill. I’m not sure I ever learned the latter.”

    “I’d say my life changed a lot in 2008 when Bill actually left the company. In a sense I felt like, okay, we are not partners anymore, I have to take accountability. I think I did some of my very best work at the company after Bill left.”

    Ballmer Takes Credit for Microsoft’s Move to the Cloud

    Ballmer also made the case that his strategy to push Bing is also where Microsoft first moved into cloud services. “I pushed us into Bing and sustained that investment. That’s really where we got into the cloud.”

    “We started with what’s now Office 365 and Azure after Bill left,” he added. “We pushed into the hardware business with Surface, etc. Now Satya Nadella, my successor, is sort of taking things to infinity and beyond, if you well.”

    Ballmer defended the mixed reviews some have given him. “Did I have a lot of success, yeah. Are there some things I wish I did differently, of course. I started a company that had about $2.5 million in revenue and 30 people and I left a company that had $22 billion in profit and I feel net-net, that’s pretty good success.”

    Ballmer on Leaving Microsoft

    He also talked about his relationship with Gates. “We’ve kind of drifted apart. He’s got his life and I sort of have mine. Microsoft was the thing that really bound us. We started off as friends and then really got enmeshed around Microsoft. Since I’ve gone, we’ve really have drifted a little bit.”

    Ballmer said that leaving Microsoft was not a simple thing and he gave two reasons for it happening. First, there was a “difference in opinion on the strategic direction of the company. Number two, he and I always had what I call a brotherly relationship in the good parts and the bad parts, and I just think towards the end that it was a bit more difficult than not. You know, the stock price wasn’t going anywhere so the rest of the Board felt pressured, despite the fact that profits were going up. I think you had kind of a combustible situation.”

    “At the end of the day I have the great comfort in knowing what I did and in feeling good about myself and everything else doesn’t really matter.”

    Would Have Moved Into the Phone Business Faster

    Ballmer also gave more details on strategic disagreements for the direction of Microsoft.

    “I think there was a fundamental disagreement in how important it was to be in the hardware business. I had pushed Surface and the Board had been a little reluctant in supporting it. Then, things came to a climax around what to do in the phone business.”

    “I would have moved into the hardware business faster and recognized that what we had in the PC where there was a separation in chips, systems and software wasn’t largely going to reproduce itself in the mobile world.”

    “I wish I’d thought about the model of subsidizing phones through the operators,” said Ballmer. “People like to point to this quote where I said iPhones will never sell, it was because the price of $700 was too high. There was business model innovation by Apple, to get it essentially built into the monthly cell phone bill.”

    “We should have been in the hardware business sooner in the phone case and we were still suffering from some of the effects of our Vista release of Windows, which sucked up a huge amount of resources for a much longer period of time than it should have, because we stumbled over it. When you have a lot of your engineers, sort of in a sense, being non-productive for awhile it really takes its toll.

    I Wanted to Buy Nokia

    “I certainly wanted to buy Nokia. The Board disagreed with that and later came back and said the company should go ahead even though I had decide to leave.

    If executed in a certain way, I think it made a lot of sense. Our company chose to go in another direction and that’s the choice the company made.”

    The Market Agrees with Satya

    “I see the stock price flying sky high and all you can say is the market certainly agrees with the direction Satya has taken the company and I’m super excited about that.”

    Watch the full interview: