Thursday, January 12, 2012
Started at Experian CheetahMail
I started this week as CTO of Experian CheetahMail, an industry-leading email marketing provider of Experian Marketing Services, a division of Experian Group Ltd. (LSE:EXPN).
I am very excited to be joining a large software-as-a-service company, CheetahMail was started in New York City in 1998 and a dot-com success story. I look forward to combining my past corporate CTO experience with my recent start-up/online experience to help CheetahMail be a lead-edge user of technology for the benefit of our global customers.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Common name...a curse in online profiles
Having a common name can be quite tricky online, and takes advanced planning to make sure you dont get left with a bad choice for username. As 'Jon Williams', I try to be the first one claiming 'jonwilliams' in any new online system.
In the 90s and early 2000s when the online population was smaller, I was always successful. I got jonwilliams (at) yahoo.com, email.com, mail.com , excite.com and many other online accounts. I also claimed jonwilliams.com domain (which I dont use but own). But as the online population grew, my hit rate dropped. I missed jonwilliams (at) gmail.com and jonwilliams on Facebook, but I did get jonwilliams on twitter. On linkedin, I had to take jonwill, but no big deal as it only shows up in my public profile link - www.linkedin.com/in/jonwill . Since so many new online services become available weekly, I frequently find that jonwilliams is taken, most recently, jonwilliams on about.me . If about.me takes off, then I'll have to compromise with punctuation or numbers in my name!
Clearly, a single sign-on solution would solve this, but we still seem to be far away from this. Microsoft Passport was a colossal failure. Facebook has done a successful job of single sign-on, but I am not comfortable using that for accounts that may have my credit card. Google may become a standard here, but then I will be jonaussie (at) gmail.com everywhere.
I have some friends with unique single word name handles, like glemak or r0ml, but for me this would feel like I have decided to rename myself to sound like a new start-up (like jonio or jonwillr?). I feel sure this multiple account dilema will go away in the distant future, but for now, I'll keep claiming jonwilliams whenever I can!
... and my apologies to all the other Jon Williams's out there, I feel your pain.
In the 90s and early 2000s when the online population was smaller, I was always successful. I got jonwilliams (at) yahoo.com, email.com, mail.com , excite.com and many other online accounts. I also claimed jonwilliams.com domain (which I dont use but own). But as the online population grew, my hit rate dropped. I missed jonwilliams (at) gmail.com and jonwilliams on Facebook, but I did get jonwilliams on twitter. On linkedin, I had to take jonwill, but no big deal as it only shows up in my public profile link - www.linkedin.com/in/jonwill . Since so many new online services become available weekly, I frequently find that jonwilliams is taken, most recently, jonwilliams on about.me . If about.me takes off, then I'll have to compromise with punctuation or numbers in my name!
Clearly, a single sign-on solution would solve this, but we still seem to be far away from this. Microsoft Passport was a colossal failure. Facebook has done a successful job of single sign-on, but I am not comfortable using that for accounts that may have my credit card. Google may become a standard here, but then I will be jonaussie (at) gmail.com everywhere.
I have some friends with unique single word name handles, like glemak or r0ml, but for me this would feel like I have decided to rename myself to sound like a new start-up (like jonio or jonwillr?). I feel sure this multiple account dilema will go away in the distant future, but for now, I'll keep claiming jonwilliams whenever I can!
... and my apologies to all the other Jon Williams's out there, I feel your pain.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Switched from Blackberry to Droid Pro
I've been using Droid Pro (Verizon) for one week now, having ditched my Blackberry after 9 loyal years as a thumb user. I was a Blackberry power user, and I have been waiting years for a device like the Droid Pro because I must have a physical, usable, tactile keyboard. It was difficult not to get an iPhone, watching other developers and CTOs enjoy them, but in the end I decided that the iPhone is just not a business email device.
My verdict is... Droid Pro beats Blackberry. I am still getting past some significant keyboard differences, see below. A number of journalists have written reviews comparing the two devices, but with so many smart-phone devices available now, it wasn't really that useful to a long-time Blackberry user like myself. Here is my review (in bullet form)...
Pros
My verdict is... Droid Pro beats Blackberry. I am still getting past some significant keyboard differences, see below. A number of journalists have written reviews comparing the two devices, but with so many smart-phone devices available now, it wasn't really that useful to a long-time Blackberry user like myself. Here is my review (in bullet form)...
Pros
- Much better notification controls than Blackberry, can configure both sound and vibration for different apps
- Getting to phone, gmail, yahoo mail, text messaging, calendar, and much easier than Blackberry
- Keyboard is almost on par, with one major exception (see 'Cons')
- Screen timeout, controls, off in pocket all work extremely well. Only bug is screen sometimes flips between portrait/landscape when first coming our of pocket and activating
- Apps work fantastic, very much like iPhone (I know, IPhone nailed this years ago). My Blackberry 8300 SUCKED at this, and probably always will
- In general, seems highly configurable as a phone and apps.
- LOVE Verizon, always works for me in the NYC area and when traveling
- MAJOR Keyboard issue - When hitting keys in top qwerty row, I frequently also hit touch screen command with my fat thumbs (menu/home/back/search), which jumps out of the app I am typing into. Took me a few days to figure out what was happening. Now that I am watchful, happening less, but needs resolution
- MINOR keyboard issue - No capital letter on key hold-down, must hit shift (I often used this feature on Blackberry)
- Battery runs out before end of day. I have 2 chargers, one at work and one at home
- Reading email always seems to be an extra click away, but getting used to it
- Contacts are a little slower (I have over a thousand), not quite as easy as Blackberry, but getting used to it
- I like notifications (drag top down to see what's new since last use, email, apps, etc), but haven't quite figured out how best to use
- How to easily take multiple notes/files? (on Blackberry, was Notes function)
- Different apps for same function (i.e. text messaging), always prompts me for which one on action, annoying and caused me deinstall 2nd text message app I was testing
- Allows me to send text messages to non-mobile phone numbers, why? It's just stupid.
- No easy way to show unread emails in gmail or yahoo mail
Thursday, January 28, 2010
What is "Open"?
I am a huge advocate of open source software, and now that I am CTO at an open textbook company, I am pondering the question "What is open?". Let me use the moniker "open product" for covering open source software and open textbooks (and if anyone has a better term, please let me know!).
Some criteria for an open product:-
1) A version of product available at no cost
2) A company developing an open product needs a revenue stream to support product development (in what manner those revenues are derived can vary widely)
3) Product needs to be remixable (in technology parlance, "mashable"), allowing for an even better product or use of product
As an open source expert once told me, "without revenue, there is no open source". I believe this applies to all open products.
Many, many products meet the above criteria for "open", let me pick a few:-
- Linux
- Google search
- Flat World Knowledge open textbooks
Not to say Flat World Knowledge open textbooks are in the same league as Linux and Google, but what's interesting is that each of these products provides different revenue streams. Redhat makes revenue by providing support to enterprise Linux users. Additionally, other companies like HP make revenue using Linux on their hardware (HP has claimed that open source software has accounted for billions in indirect, additional revenue sales). Google makes revenue selling keyword and ad placement inside their search results. Of all the open products, in my opinion Google has made the most significant revenue, and interestingly using that revenue to support other open products (i.e. Google docs, email, maps, etc.), which in turn can drive additional revenue.
At Flat World Knowledge, our revenue stream is selling print-on-demand textbooks in addition to our no cost online textbooks. We also sell additional material useful for students, including audio study guides, flash cards and quizzes.
In open source software, you get the "source code", which itself is changable and remixable (depending on creative commons licensing terms). At Flat World Knowledge, our open textbooks are "customizable" (i.e. changable) by educators who adopt our textbooks. They can move chapters and sections around, add anotations, and in the future do many other customizations with our open textbooks. It really is quite amazing how open products have really changed they way products are developed and used, with many, many more changes to come!
With new technology, the tech community at large looks for a moniker to understand and grab on for new concepts. Recent ones include "web 2.0", "cloud computing", and "NoSQL". I wonder what is the best moniker for covering open source software, open textbooks, open courseware, and other "open" things as a group? What about "open product"? I would like to hear from others if this works for the category, or if they have or have heard of better terms. Clearly, this is a space of growing interest, and we will benefit from have a term to describe this new concept wider than just open source software.
Some criteria for an open product:-
1) A version of product available at no cost
2) A company developing an open product needs a revenue stream to support product development (in what manner those revenues are derived can vary widely)
3) Product needs to be remixable (in technology parlance, "mashable"), allowing for an even better product or use of product
As an open source expert once told me, "without revenue, there is no open source". I believe this applies to all open products.
Many, many products meet the above criteria for "open", let me pick a few:-
- Linux
- Google search
- Flat World Knowledge open textbooks
Not to say Flat World Knowledge open textbooks are in the same league as Linux and Google, but what's interesting is that each of these products provides different revenue streams. Redhat makes revenue by providing support to enterprise Linux users. Additionally, other companies like HP make revenue using Linux on their hardware (HP has claimed that open source software has accounted for billions in indirect, additional revenue sales). Google makes revenue selling keyword and ad placement inside their search results. Of all the open products, in my opinion Google has made the most significant revenue, and interestingly using that revenue to support other open products (i.e. Google docs, email, maps, etc.), which in turn can drive additional revenue.
At Flat World Knowledge, our revenue stream is selling print-on-demand textbooks in addition to our no cost online textbooks. We also sell additional material useful for students, including audio study guides, flash cards and quizzes.
In open source software, you get the "source code", which itself is changable and remixable (depending on creative commons licensing terms). At Flat World Knowledge, our open textbooks are "customizable" (i.e. changable) by educators who adopt our textbooks. They can move chapters and sections around, add anotations, and in the future do many other customizations with our open textbooks. It really is quite amazing how open products have really changed they way products are developed and used, with many, many more changes to come!
With new technology, the tech community at large looks for a moniker to understand and grab on for new concepts. Recent ones include "web 2.0", "cloud computing", and "NoSQL". I wonder what is the best moniker for covering open source software, open textbooks, open courseware, and other "open" things as a group? What about "open product"? I would like to hear from others if this works for the category, or if they have or have heard of better terms. Clearly, this is a space of growing interest, and we will benefit from have a term to describe this new concept wider than just open source software.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Started today at Flat World Knowledge
I started today as CTO at Flat World Knowledge, a publisher of open-source college text books (a good article describing the model here). It's very exciting to join a start-up and be in the education industry. I also like its similarities to the open source software industry.
While I've been on the corporate route since 2001, I've spent most of my career at small companies. I am really looking forward to the scrappiness and nimbleness of small. While I will be crazy busy, hoping I can regain my blogging activity.
While I've been on the corporate route since 2001, I've spent most of my career at small companies. I am really looking forward to the scrappiness and nimbleness of small. While I will be crazy busy, hoping I can regain my blogging activity.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
How to choose between a Mac and a PC?
Simple. Is price the major factor in your purchase decision?
YES -> buy a PC
NO-> buy a Mac
Apologies to anyone who was expecting more. FYI, six months ago I purchased a MacBookPro, it had been 20 years since I my last Mac.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Is cloud computing ready?
I recently read Infoworld's coverage of Cloud Computing (link here). I think the description is overly complex, futuristic and not clear. The cloud is too new to bed considered as a stack. Let me try to simplify the cloud.
IMO, there are 3 types of cloud services:-
1) SaaS (i.e. Salesforce.com, email outsourced, etc.)
2) Web services (i.e. google maps, facebook connect, XML APIs, ProgrammableWeb, etc.)
3) Infrastructure (i.e. Amazon EC2). This is what I think of when I say "the cloud"
SaaS is relatively easy, either do it or don't, depending on whether SaaS product provides the features you need. Web services is also easy, really just a web API. (NOTE: I am making the assumption that security issues in the cloud meet appropriate standards for you applications. This is different in different industries and applications).
Infrastructure is hard. The main barrier is with existing applications that are two or more years old, and not cloud compatible. I've not seen nor heard of any CTOs moving an existing application to the cloud. I've only seen it done for new application frameworks which are cloud-friendly, typically PHP, Ruby-On-Rails and other open source frameworks. Many startups are using these open source frameworks and the cloud for infrastructure, and having great success.
The other "unspoken" barrier is that deploying in the cloud invalidates existing corporate data center investments. Oops! You would think a private cloud would solve this investment dilemma, but I have not seen large corporations move this way. I was completely surprised when I discovered that most very large corporations have no intentions of building a private cloud.
Question: how is a CTO to move to the cloud?
Answer: by replacing existing application with a brand-new application which is cloud-friendly
This is tough, who has time, budget or inclination to completely replace existing applications? This is way harder than internet-enabling applications, which CTOs have been doing or completed in the last 5+ years. How long will it take for us to completely replace all our application frameworks?
In the meantime, we'll continue to watch with envy as startups make full use of the cloud.
IMO, there are 3 types of cloud services:-
1) SaaS (i.e. Salesforce.com, email outsourced, etc.)
2) Web services (i.e. google maps, facebook connect, XML APIs, ProgrammableWeb, etc.)
3) Infrastructure (i.e. Amazon EC2). This is what I think of when I say "the cloud"
SaaS is relatively easy, either do it or don't, depending on whether SaaS product provides the features you need. Web services is also easy, really just a web API. (NOTE: I am making the assumption that security issues in the cloud meet appropriate standards for you applications. This is different in different industries and applications).
Infrastructure is hard. The main barrier is with existing applications that are two or more years old, and not cloud compatible. I've not seen nor heard of any CTOs moving an existing application to the cloud. I've only seen it done for new application frameworks which are cloud-friendly, typically PHP, Ruby-On-Rails and other open source frameworks. Many startups are using these open source frameworks and the cloud for infrastructure, and having great success.
The other "unspoken" barrier is that deploying in the cloud invalidates existing corporate data center investments. Oops! You would think a private cloud would solve this investment dilemma, but I have not seen large corporations move this way. I was completely surprised when I discovered that most very large corporations have no intentions of building a private cloud.
Question: how is a CTO to move to the cloud?
Answer: by replacing existing application with a brand-new application which is cloud-friendly
This is tough, who has time, budget or inclination to completely replace existing applications? This is way harder than internet-enabling applications, which CTOs have been doing or completed in the last 5+ years. How long will it take for us to completely replace all our application frameworks?
In the meantime, we'll continue to watch with envy as startups make full use of the cloud.
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