Literacy is done thanks to the internet

Due to the fact that we are editing and writing more than our parents did, I would like to claim that iliteracy doesnt exist anymore. The fact that kids write LOL instead of Laughing Out Loud doesnt mean that they cannot write. They just use other words.
In fact I do believe thanks to blogging, tweeting, texting, reviewing and sharing or embedding, people write nowadays more then in earlier era’s.
Because in the eighties you wrote occassionally a letter to someone, but look now how often you write, how much we now communicate.

Referring to this I would claim that educational books should be free available for everyone. It is common knowledge which should be accessible. You should put it on your Kindle or future Apple Iphone tablet, but pay for the extra service or implementation of this information. That stimulates the overall education and is a profit for all of is

Mobile ad with custom ending

This Axe ad from Uruguay is the best mobile “send SMS and get something” implementation I’ve seen. Send a text message after dark to a phone number listed on the ad, and you’ll get the missing fragment of the picture. Good teaser, meaningful payback. Very smart.http://www.directdaily.com/?p=5148

Service Design by Arne van Oosterom

Via In10, Vincent. thanks!

Service Design is putting your user into perspective. Not just designing the product, but the entire service surrounding it. What is the utility and how does the user interact.

Read also Demystifying Design : an argument for simplicity interesting….

New ANWB mobile website

Today we’ve finished our new mobile website: www.anwb.mobi. Please comment all your reviews.

Social Enterprises is the new leadership

Social Enterprises do what they tend to do best: being social. Have vulnerable goals to set and being aware of the needs of most of the time human beings. Generally this model is only set for charity or non-commercial companies like Foster Parents, Greenpeace, Warchild. But I do believe they set the tone for the next generation world dominating companies. This is why:
Social media is about really and honestly caring about your customers. About their well being.  But besides the social objectives, there is a reason for living: the added value (just like you’ve been taught during class in the nineties like I did). The added value nowadays is the core business. Know you customer, know what he wishes for and Create economic value in addition to social value. There are many ways to do this but they should not mean just non-profits business.

Social media doesn’t differ from that. It cares about the party on the other side of the connected device, it cares about the dialogue. Actually, we are getting back to basics, to seek added value. The tools only, differ. Instead of using “pricing strategy”  or “better service” as an added value, we use knowledge. Not only knowledge, but the social interaction, the number of connections you have, the social status.

So indeed, we are not looking for new business models, we are reinventing them. Licensing, brokerage fee, pricing, affiliates, subscription fee, advertising, are still business models. But communication equals social media equals the new Thought Leadership.

The most admiring project from 2009 is the Business Model Generation. By co-creation adding value and come up with a co-created book which came up with a simplified canvas of the business reality. Hat tip.

Social business design

Here is some nice thinking on Social Business Design

Added with the five pillars of social media:

1. Connectivity (be connected to your customers, always)
2. Generosity (Give to get…)
3. Honesty (being real makes more sense, rather than ly)
4. Personality (like my mom said in your early days: look some in the eyes if you are talking to them) Being Human, don’t act like you communicate like a computer…
5. Imagination (like within a real marriage, keep the relationship lively and fresh and impulsive). It your turn, the turn of the customers. Let them imagine what they want. Correspond to that.

Canal plus story of your life

Never underestimate the power of a great story