Dave Concannon

Last week I was in a total funk - after a week of fourteen hour days spent trying to get a new design working I had to cut my losses and revert every single change. It was a mix of trying to implement something a little too ambitious and being stuck with a large, relatively inflexible codebase that wasn't receptive to the loving embrace of my new ideas. At any rate, it put me in a miserable mood.  Let's put things in perspective though - millions of people survive with no clean water on a pittance every day so whinging about some code that didn't work is akin to complaining my big bag of gold bricks is too heavy. Boo hoo Dave.

My whinging aside,  I thought I'd share a few ideas for dragging oneself  out of a miserable mood and getting back to productive work/play/creativity/whatever-it-is-you-do.

1. Exercise

   - "The body is the outermost layer of the mind".  There is a wide body of research linking regular exercise to improved mood.  Trying to pull off someone's arms (in a friendly way) works pretty well for me, but any sort of activity that gets your heart rate up a little bit can really improve your disposition. Exercise clears the mind, lets you sleep better,  reduces anxiety and depression, and can introduce to new friends. 

2. Motivational videos and articles

   - If you're feeling sorry for yourself or just in need of inspiration, there are plenty of fantastic articles on the web that will reframe the circumstances you're in and help put things in perspective. 

   The story of Dick and Rick Hoyt - The father who competes in triathlons and marathons with his quadriplegic son.

   Randy Pausch's Last Lecture - A dying man's wisdom to his family, an inspirational story which has touched millions.

   Any keynote speech by Gary Vaynerchuk - Gary works ridiculously hard, and brings passion and endless enthusiasm to his presentations.

3. Get to bed and sleep

   - Admittedly this is going to sound obvious, but I'm a big believer in letting your subconscious mind take care of intractable problems.  Have a nice glass of wine, watch something mindless on TV or read some light fiction and go to bed early. I find that I usually wake up with a new perspective on a problem or a handy solution that my brain has figured out which I was catching zees.

4. Get to bed and don't sleep

   -  Alternatively, find someone attractive and go to bed with and don't sleep for a while. While strenuous exercise releases endorphins (natural happy-chemicals) into the blood stream, so does sex. (Caveat: If the reason you're miserable is because you have nobody to go to bed with, skip this step perhaps... ).

5. Consider the silver lining

   - Every problem has an upside, no matter how slight. Take a moment to reflect on what the problem you're facing has taught you, and then think about what's important in your life. Don't waste energy getting frustrated about things that aren't that important, and don't obsess about things you can't change or have no control over. If you focus on the things that you can change, then taking even the smallest steps towards fixing the problems will have a great effect on your mood.

    

What are your favourite ways of dealing with stress and anxiety?

The best ideas are the simplest. Tuesday Push is a way for Irish companies to leverage community and get a little extra recognition. Every Tuesday a company is nominated and a small but dedicated army of altruists get to work testing the company's product and giving it a bit of a plug via blogs, twitter, and other social media.   

The reasoning is pretty simple - You write about the company and people who have never seen it previously get it put in front of their eyes. If they like it, they tell their friends or colleagues and it spirals towards a tipping point where the product can become mainstream.

The idea successfully implements several of Robert Cialdini's concepts from "Influence: The science of persuasion" in that people are more easily persuaded by people they like - A recommendation from a blog they subscribe to is far more effective then a random link from a stranger.  Additionally, social proof indicates that it's more likely for people to try a product if they believe others are using it - The catch-22 of a lot of startups; You can't get customers until you have customers.

The Tuesday Push was started by Damien Mulley of Mulley Communications last year. Here's his take on the how the concept has worked so far:

Since July of last year 10 products and services have been pushed with about a dozen regulars helping out each fortnight to write about each service.

• Putplace.com (01/07/2008)
• 1time (15/07/2008)
• Pix.ie (30/07/2008)
• Toddle (12/08/2008)
• Crewger (26/08/2008)
• eWrite Lite (09/09/2008)
• Downloadmusic.ie (23/09/2008)
• Loudervoice (7/10/2008)
• IGOpeople.com (27/01/2009)
• Twitter Mosaic (10/02/2009)

You can request a Tuesday Push for your business here.

I felt like I had to balance out yesterday's whinge about Ulsterbank by contributing something positive about something else.

When I first saw short.ie I didn't actually get the point. There's dozens of URL shortening services out there, and they all do pretty much the same thing. Take an URL, make it small enough to be passed around on forums and in email, and let people preview it just to be sure that they're not sent to some horrible shock site.

    I decided I'd log in anyway and see what the big deal was about, and was pleasantly surprised. The innovation at play here is that short.ie can track your your individual links, letting you know what sort of content is useful.  If you're trying to drive traffic to a site this could be quite interesting - you can create several links to the same content and see how many responses you get in real time. I assume that the site is issuing HTTP code 301 redirects, as google analytics never picks up short.ie in the referral list. Very nice!

    Additionally, you can apply for a developer key and use their API (available for python and php) to shorten urls in your own applications.  For the egos out there, the main page of short.ie keeps a list of the most popular URLs linked to, and the top linkers. I think this is particularly clever as it will foster competition between a certain type of people to use short.ie more often.  

   My lesson out of this is that even though something might be done to death there's still room for killer innovation. I don't find myself using other URL shortening services any more, as with short.ie I can immediately see what links people find most interesting. 

 Short.ie is a collaboration between WebStrong (who launched http://twitterperch.com/  yesterday) and Echolibre. I'm also really looking forward to seeing www.footprintapp.com by Webstrong when it's launched. Looks interesting!

You have to skate a pretty thin line between security and usability some times. Internet users have literally hundreds of passwords to remember for the sites they use on a daily basis and while I might not mind so much if my youtube login was compromised, my bank account being hacked would be a serious hassle. So, how do we design a security system that protects the user's information while keeping it useful to use?   From a company perspective I see a few possible scenarios that might explain how some sites end up being released upon the public:

1. The IT department have their evil way - In this hyperbolic generalisation the likely result is that the user is subjected to a very plain looking site that's nigh impossible to use, but in the background there's all sorts of sophisticated technology churning away like some unholy robot. If you can find out how to log in to the site, it will probably never crash, but you'll never find what you want.
2. Let the marketing department have a shot -  The site will look beautiful; straight out of a powerpoint pitch. Curvy corners everywhere, Flash animation pumping out platitudes and the entire thing festooned with nebulous marketing jargon like a debutante streaked in fake tan and regret on the morning after her debs.  The site will do absolutely nothing of any value to the end user but it looks beautiful.

Neither of these solutions seems to deliver a fair and balanced representation of the company's efforts, so usually you end up with option three - The Committee. This is where you collect all of the people in a company who aren't important enough to have better things to do and subject them to a meeting. The demotivation poster site tags a meeting of this sort with the catchphrase "...because none of us is as dumb as all of us".  Somehow the design-by-committee process delivers the worst that the IT department and the Marketing department can come up with, all bundled up with the ribbon on top of the token executive who wants his stamp put on the design somewhere.

This is sometimes referred in software as "designing a garden shed".  The theory goes that if you present your well-researched and triple-checked plans for a nuclear power plant to a committee, the plans will be approved on the basis that it's a complicated business designing a nuclear power plant, and you must surely know what you're doing and look at his shiny suit... is it time for lunch? If you present a plan for a garden shed, your likely outcome is that you leave with a list of additions and suggestions that need to be implemented before it could possibly be signed off. The placation of ego dictates that a committee can't resist adding their own personal touches to your shed, and eventually you have a water-feature and solar powered bird-frightening device bolted on to the front door.

So, where am I going with all this? Earlier this week I tried to log into my Ulster bank business account. Admittedly part of the reason I've had trouble with it is that I rarely use it. Generally I'm going to take a peek when an invoice is due, or when I need to write a cheque to the taxman so they can give it back to the bank in the form of some sort of bailout.  Ulsterbank's online business bank account is the bastard offspring of The Committee.  The security for the login succeeds in making the site actually less secure while having the benefit of driving me insane. The process involves:

1. A customer number - Fair enough, a reasonable question.
2. A user ID - er... alright, I suppose this must be relevant if I had twenty people logging in.
3. A pin number. Random digits please - Eh.  Ok... Did I pick that, or did you give it to me?
4. A passphrase over ten characters, must include numbers - You what now? You want characters 11, 14, and 2? *ponders* Wasn't my password only *counts on fingers* 11 characters long?

Granted - If you're using this daily maybe you'll manage to memorise these four pieces of information, but me?  The last time I logged in (the third time I've ever logged in) I had to change the password.  And now I have absolutely no idea what it is. Eureka! With this new internet thing I can have the nice people reset my password, or maybe send me a link to reset my password, or just bloody well tell me my password?

Here's the "help" screen -

Wonderful! You have successfully informed me of how to enter numbers into a box on a website! My parents will find solace that my years of education were not wasted. I finally found a "contact us" page where I asked them (actually not so) nicely for a password. I've yet to hear a response. Also, this form required about 8 different forms of information, including my age. How is that relevant?

Is this login process less secure? If I'm a casual user of this site I'm left with four pieces of information which I have to remember. The chances of me remembering one of these pieces of information is pretty good, all four? Probably a longshot. The end result is that I'm going to write down my password, pin, customer number, and user Id on a post-it and put it onto my monitor. If I'm smart, I might put it into my wallet as security expert Bruce Schneier recommends.  I don't believe the average casual user will do that and I think the hassle of needing to remember four different bits of information is beyond necessary. It could be argued that security is adequate, but it's such a hurdle to usability that there has to be a better way.

The Alternatives?

I use two other bank accounts - AIB for my current account, and Rabodirect for savings. How do they differ?

AIB

1. Customer registration number provided by them. Reasonable, they need to know who I am.
2. A pin provided by them - I can handle that, username and password. I can dig it.
3. Random digits of a number I am very familiar with - Credit card, phone numbers. Easy peasy.

This essentially means I need to remember two pieces of information, as one is so familiar to me that it's unlikely I'll forget it unless I get hit on the head.

Rabodirect

1. Customer registration number provided by them.  Fine.
2. A number provided by my magic little decoder box  thingy, once I enter my password.

So with Rabo's handy-dandy little decoder box thingy, I enter my password and it gives me an authentication code to enter the site. Two pieces of information, easy to remember. I use Rabo's site about as often as I use Ulsterbank's site, and it's not confusing.

Applying these lessons to general design principles:

1. Avoid design-by-committe by any means necessary. Someone who represents the users of your site needs to have final approval of the design, and strong opinions.  Stop mediocrity before it happens.
2. Don't expect users to do things that you wouldn't do. Don't have sign-in forms that require twenty pieces of information. Don't have an online shop that doesn't display the price until you hit "checkout". Don't have a "help" popup which tells someone to put a number into a $%"£%ing box!
3. Less is more - Avoid the garden shed. Avoid marketing jargon. Avoid unnecessary flash intros. Avoid AJAX where it doesn't provide any benefit. Not everything needs to get into the design. Bruise a few egos if it makes your site better for your users. Cut it down to the minimum that works and then wait for feedback. If something is obviously missing you'll be told soon enough.

Update 5th May 2009 - Looks like I'm not the only frustrated customer.

• Caelan King has expressed similar displeasure  at Ulster Bank's Bankline System.
• Conor O'Neill also wants Bankline to use less security.
• I've still to receive a response to the email I sent UlsterBank.

      While there are some signs that the tech recession may not be all that it was cracked up to be, there's still plenty of reason to be both cautious and optimistic. At the moment I'm working a 4-day week instead of five in an effort to cut costs (Damn you Sequoia Capital!), though this is a blessing in disguise as my mortgage payment has dropped about 20%.  Essentially this gives me a spare day a week to work on my own projects.

    As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a list of about 150 ideas that have accumulated over the last few years and sat languishing,  sadly in need of a bit of hard graft.  Some of these ideas are either too much of a novelty, or too complicated to complete.  Some have been done elsewhere, but then again - Why should this matter?  There's one particular idea that I've been working on since January, and in the last two weeks an Irish site has been released which does something very similar.  There's part of me that fears releasing something which would be seen as a derivitave of someone else's idea, but another part that realises that even the best ideas out there have their competitors.  In some cases a copycat site or product does something slightly different, or offers a subtle innovation that kicks the original's ass.  You just need to innovate 10% to differentiate a product from the competitors.

As Brian Tracy says in "The Psychology of Achievement":

As long as there are people's needs unmet and problems unsolved, there are opportunities to make money
  

Creativity is the magic elixir that turns a simple idea into a million euro business. How can you discover the innovation which can elevate your idea or brand above your competitors?

Here are Eight tips to stimulate creativity:

1. Write down clearly what you want to achieve 

   One of my favourite Japanese quotes is "The focused mind can pierce through stone". Without focus on a specific end result you're just wasting your time.

2. Learn Continually

    Research online, study, take courses, attend conferences, network, listen to audio books.  New concepts give your subconscious mind more fuel for ideas.

3. Try Divergent thinking

   Free brainstorming can yield great results. Don't limit what ideas you write down by critical thoughts such as  "Too complicated" or "Ah, that's not practical". Any random idea may spark a differnent idea which is a gem. 

4. Try Opposite thinking 

   If you're trying to solve a particular problem, try writing down exactly what you wouldn't do. If you're designing software, try listing the features that would make the worst possible piece of software you could write and then work on ways to do the exact opposite. I was sceptical of this concept, but was surprised by the ideas that this technique delivered. 

5. Be Open to solutions

   Whenever you find yourself complaining about something, catch yourself. Instead of complaining list a few ways to solve the problem.  If you can ingrain this sort of thinking then suddenly everything becomes an opportunity.

6. Write down twenty solutions

   You want to make more money every month? Sit down and don't get up until you've written down twenty ideas for revenue generation. Do the same the next week and you'll find your brain has been thinking of new ideas somewhere in the background.  Usually the last solutions you think of are the best.

7. Define the obstacles to success

   List what is stopping you from succeeding, then determine which one if removed, would yield the most results. Attack the problem from as many different angles as you can. According to Pareto, there's probably one problem which is causing the majority of your problems. It's probably the toughest, but kill this one first.

8. Examine your competition 

   Find out what your competition is doing that's working, and figure out a way to do it better. Break down their ideas or process into steps, and see where you can innovate or remove steps in the process to come up with something streamlined.
   

From the Google blog: Google are developing a power measurement application which seems to link smart power outlets with real-time monitoring capabilities in order to help people reduce their power consumption. Very interesting. I wonder if the smart outlets are using X10 or some sort of wireless? 

It seems to be in a private test at the moment, but sounds very interesting.

If you've just signed on to twitter and are used to other social network sites such as Facebook, the sheer amount of information that twitter presents and the not-so-friendly user interface might be a little daunting.  

Thankfully, Twitter has opened up it's API to allow smart code monkeys to develop all sorts of interesting visualisations and tools.  Here's my list of the top five (With a bonus or two!):

1. TweetDeck 

   Tweetdeck is a beautifully polished desktop application to view your twitter stream. Tweetdeck happily sits in the background and keeps a track of your friends, replies and direct messages as well as allowing you to group followers into handy buckets.  It's the simplicity of the interface that really provides the real benefit here, it's a pleasure to use. Written using Adobe AIR means it installs nicely on Windows and Mac, as well as Linux with a little messing.

2. TwitScoop

   TwitScoop exposes the benefit of Twitter that some are calling a possible "Google Killer" - Real-time search. While you might have to wait a few hours or a day for google to have information on the latest happenings, twitter delivers information from thousands of people as events unfold.  Twitscoop lets you see what phrases people are most tweeting about at the moment, and which way they're trending.
    

3. Who Should I Follow?

   I've heard social networks described in the phrase:

    "Facebook is for catching up with people you used to know, Twitter is for networking with people you want to know". 

   So if this is true, who should I be following? (The answer of course, is me. ;) ) - Luckily who should I follow have answered this question nicely. Using the Twitter API to figure out people who are similar to the people you are currently following,  who should I follow gives you a page of recommendations which can be tweaked to find people who are more or less popular, or closer to a specific location. (And they're aware that  'Whom should I follow' is more gramatically correct, but they don't care. Good for them). 

4. Tweetree

   www.tweetree.com  provides a nice visual filter for people who might be more used to Facebook or forums - Threaded discussions between users.  If you've ever tried to pick through an extended conversation between people you're following on the twitter website and found it frustrating, this might be for you.  It provides a much more attractive view on who is talking to whom, and nicely separates out links that people post too. You have to provide your twitter username and password, but they insist it's never stored anywhere. That said, they don't seem to use HTTPS on their login form... 

5. Twitterhawk

      Companies have started realising that social networking is a very targetted way to service their customers. For example, I'm interested in pursuing an MBA and sent out a random tweet asking if anyone had any advice.  In response I got a nice chap from Queen's School of Business in Ontario who was happy to help with any questions. These people are on the ball, but they're not alone. More and more companies are viewing what their customers are writing about them, and hoping to address questions and potential negative publicity proactively. 

   Twitterhawk is this concept taken the the next logical step - automation. Twitterhawk provides an automated service to answer these sorts of queries with content you provide. Admittedly this could be plenty spammy in the wrong hands, but it fits into the category of web app that I like to call "Damn, I wish I'd thought of that".

    

6. Bonus round! 
   

   Twitter Mosaic

   Twitter Mosaic is a cute little application for the narcissists in the house. Pretty simply it displays your legion of followers or friends, and lets you slap their adoring faces  on to mug, business card, t-shirt, or bag. Also, you get a nice chunk of HTML you can put on your web page which displays a mosaic of their profile pictures.
   

    

    

7. Bonus round #2!
   

   Twecipe

   I'm not entirely sure what Twecipe is yet, but it's from the clever foodies behind LookandTaste.com. The name would suggest some amalgamation of twitter and recipes. At the very least, I think it'll keep the gourmet snob in me happy.
   

One of today's nuggets from Guy Kawasaki's prolific twitter stream was a link to "The 100 Best Business Books of all time".  I'm not certain of the author's credentials to be able to definitively say that these are the best books on business ever written,  or whether the books that are on the Personal MBA list are better or worse, or some intersection of the two is the way to go, or whether you should just put down the books and get off your ass and create something meaningful.

However, it did rekindle an old idea: I'm sure there are a large enough group of people who would want to read these books, yet I'd be surprised if they wanted to buy all of them, or if a conventional library would carry them.  So essentially a book club -  charge a group of people a small fee (A fiver or a tenner say) to join this book club, and use the proceeds to purchase as many of the books on the list as possible.  Books get loaned for a maximum of two weeks, then passed on to the next member who requested it.  Set up a simple web site to coordinate the book loans and allow for reviews.  If anyone was interested in loaning or donating books that they already own to the group it'd also be useful.  I own a handful from the list which I'd be happy to lend.

Opinions?

So I spent a lot of time reading and review books back in '06  and '07. I'd just read Joel Spolsky's "MUST READ" list and managed to persuade my manager to add most of them to the company library, the office admin in charge of signing out the books was hella cute so I had lots of motivation to get to the "library", and I had plenty of spare time to read on the bus in and out of work. Perfect!

Then I started working from home so my usual three hours of reading on the bus turned into half an hour at night, and I started working two jobs simultaneously.  Ah well, the path to hell and all that. So now the plan is a more standard sort of blog, and I'll try and throw in book reviews here and there without being stuck with only book reviews.

The second part of this is that I've gone through my "ideas" list, which has grown to around 150 entries. This is a list of business ideas or projects I've had over the last few years, and while there's a lot of crap there's also a few really good business ideas... if only I'd done them at the time I came up with the idea.  Now a lot of them have  been done by about 20 other companies,  or  have been made redundant by new technologies.   I've started re-evaluating the leftovers and I'm trying to tackle the "low-hanging fruit", setting a few personal learning projects in the meantime.

Fitting in with Niall H's recent blog entry - I intend to make 2009 my "year of execution".   So when I get an idea it just gets done rather then gathering dust on a list.