Get Ready for the Software-Defined Network Revolution
Posted: May 16, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cloud, sdn, software-defined networks, virtualization, wan Leave a comment »Network virtualization is poised to do for WANs what server virtualization has done for computing infrastructure, providing better hardware utilization, security, resilience, and specialization. Also known as software-defined networks (SDNs), virtual WANs are still in the early stages of development and deployment, giving vendors plenty of room to offer new and sometimes competing solutions.
Read the rest at my new blog Get Ready for the Software-Defined Network Revolution on our new site, Intelligent WAN..
New Worcester Sam’s Club In a word, underwhelmed…
Posted: May 7, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffNew Worcester Sam’s Club
In a word, underwhelmed. It’s bigger and brighter with a pharmacy, optical center, and snack bar. The products seem to be about the same, meaning that you’ll get good value. The produce is generally quite good. If you’ve shopped at Sam’s before, you won’t be surprised. If you haven’t, but have shopped at B.J.’s or Costco, you probably won’t change.
I had a hard time seeing the sign for the gas station. The in-store ad showed that they’re about 5¢ cheaper that other stations in the area.
The cashier was earnest in her questions about the new store. Did I find everything? Did I like the store? Did I have to travel much further? For us, it’s about twice as far and through the city.
The one surprise is that you can buy five gallons of Coke syrup, a bag-in–a-box. I can’t imagine that I’d ever need to do such, but you never know.
Ditch the Click: Study Says Clicks Don’t Correlate to Conversions
Posted: April 27, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: marketing Comments OffIt’s time to rethink the click. Click-to-conversion rates are much lower than previously thought, according to a report from Pretarget and comScore. Further, many display ads are placed in locations where they aren’t seen by site visitors or where they can harm the brand image.
Read the rest on my CMO Site blog: Ditch the Click: Study Says Clicks Don’t Correlate to Conversions
Predictions about the future of the news business
Posted: April 26, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cnn, news, newspapers, publishing, WISE, worcester Comments Off
We just finished our WISE course on the future of the news business. For the last class, I made four predictions and told the class that we’d review them in April of next year.
Here they are:
- CNN is toast.
- One or more major magazines will cease print operations because of postal rate hikes. (Newsweek).
- One or more major daily newspapers in the Northeast will cease printing on one or more days per week.
- Worcester will have no local radio news and no one will notice.
Eight years of RoasterBoy
Posted: April 14, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blogging, family Comments OffToday we’ll see Suessical at the Hanover Theater. Lily is with us for a few days. Cassie and Tess will join us. After the show and meeting the cast backstage, we get a bite to eat and come back to our house.
It’s a day and a time that’s less serious and more important, about letting go and listening, about having a seven-year-old read The Lorax to me after breakfast.
This blog started because of change, losing a job and moving to something unexpected. I never expected how unexpected it could be. Here’s to more of it. Thanks for joining e safari.
Barnes and Noble and the Case of The Missing Missing Manual
Posted: March 23, 2012 Filed under: amazon, Uncategorized | Tags: barnes and noble, books, ecommerce, intuit, quickbooks, retail Comments OffI wanted a book. I went to a book store. I came home without a book. If only it was that simple.
We were looking for some clear guidance about QuickBooks 2012. The Missing Manuals series has been a good source of guidance on a number of topics. I had some errands to run and so added a stop at Barnes and Noble to my itinerary. I double-checked on my phone to make sure that they had a copy. They thought that they did.
They have a lot of books in the store. I wasn’t looking for a lot of books. I was looking for one. Because the taxonomy put books of this type in the Microsoft Office shelf, rather than under business or finance, I had to wander a bit to find the right section, let alone the book. So, somewhat surprisingly, I asked for help. I went to the desk, explained my mission, and followed the clerk to the aforementioned section where we found no such book.
The clerk asked if I wanted to have him order it. I declined. The Barnes and Noble website didn’t let me see the contents or index to make sure that it had the information that I needed. (I’d already checked the official Intuit manual on the B&N shelves. That book didn’t address the topic at hand.) I ordered the book from Amazon after confirming that it had the information I needed.
What the GOP Can Learn From Greek Yogurt
Posted: March 5, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffFor all the money and social media hoopla, the 2012 Republican field has failed to bring voters to the polls. Super Tuesday puts up half of the delegates needed to win. The nominee may take the top share of a shrinking market
Read the rest on my blog, What the GOP Can Learn From Greek Yogurt, at TheCMOSite.com.
Sysco Puts Organic, Local Food on the Marketing Menu
Posted: February 29, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: CMO Site, food, local food, sysco Comments OffSysco, the nation’s largest food distributor, recognized that its success was becoming a problem. It dominated its market with its efficient order management and distribution of low-cost food products.
Read the rest on my blog, Sysco Puts Organic, Local Food on the Marketing Menu, at TheCMOSite.com.