Why Too Many Features is NOT a good thing

Leo Babauta from Zen Habits has a very eloquent way of describing things. I really enjoy reading his posts for inspiration on how to improve external things by focusing on yourself and your daily habits.

This particular post really struck a cord with me however. Probably because the timing couldn't have been better. Our company is going through a shift in the software tools we use to manage our contacts, sales pipeline, etc... so when Leo talks about "Feature Creep" in software tools specifically, I actually let a big laugh out loud and immediately sent the article to a few of my co-workers responsible for managing our software transition project.

I suggest you read the article, but in summary it talks about how I've felt towards software for quite a while now. Simplicity is always better. Make the software easy to use and even - dare I say - FUN to use. Don't get caught up on all the things that are possible to do like fields to track, processes to implement and so on. Instead focus on the most important thing of a centralized system - Communication & Collaboration. Your software systems should as their first priority, ecourage communication and collaboration among your team and your clients. The more we all communicate together, the more gets accomplished and the least amount of time gets wasted on trivial things. Don't let feature creep render your systems completely useless. After all, you can have all the coolest features and attempt to track every detail of your business, but your weakest link is still your employees themselves being diligent about using it. If it isn't easy and yes, fun, you will have a feature heavy, totally awesome piece of junk.

Challenge Question to the Status Quo

Is it possible to have a completely paperless office? How about for a 1 person company? A 5 person company? 50 Person company? How much would your company save if they were able to eliminate paper costs by 90-100%? What types of tools and processes would you need to set in place? Would the "older" portion of your workforce be able to use software, websites and mobile devices instead of printed emails and documents filed in filing cabinets? How would it impact your organization if all company information was completely digital with access to it from anywhere? Would you still actually need a physical office?

The technology exists so don't doubt this is possible. Will you use the tools available to you?

How 3G & 4G Networks could change AV completely

I just received an email with information on a Digital Signage solution I hadn’t come across before. The company is called Internet Connectivity Group (I know, kind of corny) or I.C.G. Their solution allows pretty much anyone to setup a digital signage network with just a few components. The real innovation however in how they are approaching digital signage is how they approach the networking side of things. There are NO CABLES required. You do not need to hook in to a local network. Instead, their system is connected through the ever growing 3G & 4G networks available from companies like Sprint & AT&T. How cool! What’s even more interesting however is the thought of what is to come in the AV world with regards to these types of cellular and wireless networks.

So here is the question. How long until 3G and 4G and WiMax wireless networks are so powerful and all penetrating that devices no longer need wires or cables? Things like displays, DSP’s, speakers, source devices and everything else you can think of. Isn’t it then just a matter of the software and programming to make everything work together? What happens when a customer can buy any number of AV devices, plug them in, and then buy a universal Crestron remote that automatically recognizes the devices through a sort of mesh network and automatically programs itself?

2 years? 3 years? 5 at the most?

I’m sure wires won’t be eliminated altogether for a long time, but it is interesting to think what many clients will do with “Good enough” solutions out of a box and how that will affect “Traditional AV” firms business models.

Here is a handy diagram showing you how their digital signage solution works:

Your Portable Phone Number

I just read on TechCrunch that Google Voice is finally being released to the "general public". If you haven't had a chance to use Google Voice (Formerly GrandCentral), I would highly encourage you to check it out. You may not end up using the service, but just to see how it works is really cool.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The idea is that you get one phone number, and you can pretty much use that phone number for life. Because Google Voice is a "service on top of your phone service", it means that your number is never really tied to your physical phone itself. Instead, you point any number of phones to your Google Voice number, and when you call that phone number, it rings all of your assigned phones simultaneously.

That is just one feature among a huge pile of totally crazy things you can do with this service. Setup a single voice mail, or voice mail messages for groups or even individuals. Because the service remembers who people are based on their incoming phone number, it can play a custom greeting that you record for each person you receive calls from.

There are some limitations with the service however. Right now it works best for incoming calls better than outgoing calls. Because most people's phones aren't totally web based, making calls from a software user interface isn't very practical. That is pretty much the only way to make outbound calls right now. I haven't checked but this could completely change if they come out with an iPhone and/or Android application that you can use instead of the native dialer.

I've been using the service off and on for over a year now and I'm still impressed with it. I can't stop thinking about how this is going to completely change the traditional way in which phone services are delivered. Just like my post on Videoconferencing a few weeks ago, this is completely changing the game for communications.

50 States in 2 Weeks - A Man and his Torpedo

I met Hunter Weeks in a strange way. I was living in Fairfield, Idaho - a town of about 500 full time residents. Not much happens there out of the ordinary. I peered out of my window and noticed that a small crew of people were camping in the park across the street from my house. On the side of their single trailer, there was a sign and logo reading "www.10mph.com". Normally in a small town you just walk across the street and start up a conversation. I was about to do that but instead decided to check out the webpage to see what they were all about.

It turns out that Hunter and his good friend Josh Caldwell were on an adventure to ride a Segway from Seattle, WA all the way to Boston, MA. How cool! I had to go out and talk to them.

Long story short, they ended up haging out for most of the day using my wireless internet connection and even interviewing myself and my business partner, Heath. We never made it in the finished documentary, but our names were in the credits.

Hunter has since go on to complete the 10mph movie and also created another documentary called 10 Yards which is all about Fantasy Football.

He just started another project working with Quiznos (I figure even creative types need to pay the bills eh?) where he traveled to all 50 states in 2 weeks. The video above is the first in a series of videos he says will be coming out.

I'm not endorsing Quiznos here (although I do eat there quite often), but I think it is cool what Hunter is doing so I had to share.

Stop Being so Boring!

I don't normally just "re-post" other bloggers work, but a post this week from Seth Godin (whom I really admire) really just hit me the right way. It hits home especially for me because the idea presented in the post is what I'm all about and what I try to do for the companies I work for and help build.

The simple idea is this: You are Boring. Stop being that way.

Read the full post here on some "reverse psychology" to get you and your company out of the boring cycle you might find yourself in.

Changing the world for Videoconferencing

I spent an entire day today visiting the Polycom office up in Westminster.  Both Polycom and ScanSource Communications (one of the main distributors my current company purchases from), hosted an all day event to bring us up to speed on the new videoconferencing, recording, streaming and sound technologies they have available.  

I always love going to the Polycom office because I get to play with the cool technology and meet with multiple people from around the US and Globe.  Just today we met face to face with people in Austin, Atlanta, and California - all without leaving the same room.  Videoconferencing is definitely cool, especially in full HD 1080p at 60 frames per second.  

Even though the demos and experience was awesome, I kept thinking about the competition coming in to the market and how many of the new video technologies are going to completely change the game for everyone.  As with all other types of services, many things are moving in to "The Cloud".   Many organizations are switching to Software as a Service (SaaS) tools to manage and track projects, teams and communications.  Video communication is no different.  

I have been lucky enough to meet with a company called Vidyo at the MediaLogix office in Littleton.   The way they are approaching Videoconferencing is completely different than the traditional "Legacy" style systems (their terminology, not mine).  Their website states it best:  

One of the reasons why traditional video conferencing has never really taken off in quite the way Web conferencing has is that it was designed for an entirely different world than the one we find ourselves in now. That is, unlike the Web — the ultimate in distributed computing — traditional video conferencing was designed to rely almost entirely on centralized Multipoint Control Units (MCUs), dedicated high-bandwidth lines, and special conferencing facilities.

So instead of relying on dedicated high bandwidth networks, Vidyo is using a technology called Scalable Video Coding (SVC) which is the same type of technology that is currently used in streaming video for hosted content like YouTube.  Their technology is designed to work over the regular internet and is based on computer based routing software running on a Quad Core Server.  I won't get in to the technology of how it works now, but if this is something you are interested in, definitely check them out.  A few small companies like Google and Cisco are already licensing their technology.  

To (finally) get to the point here, I predict that Videoconferencing is no longer going to be about having the best hardware and QoS Networks.  Instead, Videoconferencing is going to begin to be built right in to our everyday software applications we use.   Your CRM Tools, Social Networks, iPhone applications, website and more will all have video built right inside or connected in some way.  Instead of traditional AV Equipment and large projection screens, your video account is going to be just like your Instant Messenger accounts.  Wherever you can get web chat (Computer, iPhone, etc...) you can get your video chat as well.  All you need is a microphone, speaker and video camera integrated or plugged in to the device you happen to be working on at the time.  

Of course, if you really want to talk about the future of Videoconferencing, check out this post here to really go down the rabbit hole......   

Software Review - ZenDesk for Amazing Customer Service!

In my next Software Review, I want to cover an awesome little helpdesk tool called ZenDesk. This is another Ruby on Rails application that is elegant, simple and extremely effective. Because it is an online Software as a Service (SaaS), it is also extremely cost effective and quick to get started with.

A lot of people may be reading this thinking, "Oh great, a helpdesk tool is good for software or IT companies, but why would my contracting or pet supply business need something like this?"

The answer is that all companies in this day and age should be focusing on customer service and support. If you don't have good support for your customers, what do you have? There are probably a hundred or even a thousand other companies out there that do exactly what you do. These people will steal your customers if you don't give them a good reason to keep coming back to you.

Customer service is not just about having a friendly voice on the other end of the phone either. Of course that is definitely a good thing to have, but in addition, your company needs to have a defined process of how to handle all incoming requests, classify those requests, and respond to those requests in a consistent manner. The idea is to create an environment where you and your customers all know what to expect.

Here is a short video for your viewing pleasure:

In order to ensure a consistent user experience, finding a good management and communications tool is essential. ZenDesk is the best product I've found that gives you everything you need, and keeps out the things you don't. The best part is that as soon as you sign up for an account, you can have a completely branded customer support portal. This support portal is both the tool your team uses to process and service incoming requests, and also the tool your customers use to submit requests, review the status of present and future requests, modify their account settings and also access your FAQ section.

TRY IT OUT! The price is super cheap and well worth it to provide a level of support and "WOW!" with your customers that most of your competitors probably haven't even though about.

Sad News & New Beginnings

Today I read some very sad news. Michelle Kauffman told the world on her blog yesterday that her (extremely unique) Green Architecture and home building company will no longer be able to keep their doors open. If any of you have followed Michelle Kauffman’s work, you know that she is a visionary and leader in the green, healthy and energy efficient home design and building. Instead of just designing green homes, her firm also built the homes in special factories before shipping them to a home owners site to be assembled. The process of building the homes in a factory helped to reduce building waste and ensure the highest quality homes. Unfortunately because of the current economic climate, the financing market for home buyers and key partners going out of business, they simply weren’t able to hold on any longer.

Of course the death of one thing nourishes the life of something new. True to form, Michelle remains upbeat and optimistic about the future of green design and building. Keep an eye on her blog if this subject interests you. I have a feeling we will be hearing some great news in the months to come.

And Michelle…. Keep on doing what you do. You are an inspiration to me and countless others throughout the world!

Software Review - DoodleKit

Another great software/service that I have used is from a company called DoodleKit. DoodleKit is a neat spin on web hosting and template based websites. For me to use a software or service or SaaS (Software as a Service) solution, it needs to be very easy to use and very powerful at the same time. Again, powerful doesn’t necessarily mean so many features that you will never learn to use them all. By powerful, I mean something that facilitates ease of use, and getting things done. After all, your job or company doesn’t focus on using software. They focus on selling widgets, or providing services. Therefore a powerful application in my mind is something that helps facilitate that business. It improves communications, and helps eliminate confusion. It doesn’t make you jump through hoops.

DoodleKit is the right solution for hosting websites. My favorite part about it is that they have also helped to take the most frustrating part out of self-managed websites – the graphic design. By signing up for their premium service, they will design you a custom header for your website to make it completely unique in the world. They will integrate your logo if you have one, or work with you to create a relevant design. The best part is that you aren’t charged any extra for that service. It is included in the $69 per month price. And no contracts! What a deal!

The solution lets you create and edit pages very easily. It also lets you setup a simple customer database and integrate custom contact capture forms for gathering customer data. There is an integrated Blog component so you don’t have to have another service for your blog. Need an online store to sell products? That is included as well and is super simple to setup. SEO (search engine optimization) is build in to the program so customers can find you easier.

I would highly recommend the service to anyone needing a reliable and custom website with hardly any hassle. You will also get a live person on the line for support when you need it which is very reassuring to most of us.

Click here for the list of features and to explore the company more.

Software Review - Highrise

As I've mentioned before, software should be about enabling your business and your teams. Software is not just a tool for management to track activities - although that should be a part of any good package. The real key is finding software tools that are intuitive and have "adoptability". You know you have a good tool when it takes minutes or hours - not days or weeks - to figure out how to use it. If you take that philosophy one step further (which I think you should), software should even be “Fun”!

My favorite software (so far) following this philosophy is Highrise. Highrise is built on the popular Ruby on Rails programming language. This application is so easy to use that your grandma would love it! There are so few features that you can’t get confused or frustrated with learning how to use it. There are no complex processes to follow. The software JUST WORKS. The software focuses on improving communications among your team and your clients instead of just having a place to put information.

My favorite feature is the email dropbox. This feature gives you an email address that you can “CC” on any email communication you have with any of your contacts. When you “CC” this dropbox address, the software knows which contact you are emailing and automatically attaches that email communication to their record in Highrise. Similarly, I can send an email from my blackberry with a task and it will automatically add that task for me in Highrise.

Some people complain initially that the software is too simple. That it doesn’t meet the needs of their business. While this may be somewhat true, I think using the software will help you and/or your organization redefine what good software really should be about. If you do need more features that what is currently offered, Highrise publishes an API (application program interface) that can interact with other software programs out there. This means you can tie multiple types of software to work together in one seamless fashion.

Do yourself a favor and check it out! You can use it for Free for a while. I guarantee you’ll love it! And if you don’t, what is the risk? What do you want for free, your money back?

Here is a handy video overview:

Working Smarter - Not Harder - Software can help

You probably don’t know this about me, but I have an unhealthy obsession with software. I love to find the latest and greatest software tools out there, test them out, and see if they apply to my business or the business of people I know. I can’t use all the software out there on a daily basis, so I usually sign up for the free account or trial, play around a bit and then end up leaving it behind if I can’t readily use it.

The problem is that a lot of the stuff I check out is really useful! I want to help spread the message when I think it might be helpful to the people I know, and those who read this blog. So instead of keeping all the fun to myself, I’ll start sharing some of the best software programs and services I come across. I’ll do my best to explain the value as I see it and I would welcome any feedback or insight in to what you know about it!

For me, software and technology is not just about a tool to track items in your business. Software and technology should be about enabling communication, improving efficiency and collaboration among teams. The new breed of software mavericks out there understand that more features aren’t necessarily better. If you don’t need something, don’t include it. Make your technology as simple as possible because if you don’t, people won’t use it and it becomes more of a burden than a tool. The folks over at 37Signals understand this best and have been the catalyst to a whole new breed of companies following this mantra.

You might be waiting for my segway in to my first software review but alas, you will have to wait until the next post. I promise to bring some great new ideas that hopefully you can try out and implement in to your operation!

What software do you love? How is it helping you and your business?

Digital Signage - More than just display's

Over the past 2 weeks we have been learning a lot about Digital Signage and the different options out there. If you have worked with digital signage either as a designer or end user, you know that there are so many options you could go mad trying to research them all. Many companies out there approach digital signage in the same way. Some signage companies focus on the hardware and distribution, while others are strictly software based and don’t care what type of equipment you use. Either way, finding a company that stands out from the rest is very hard to do.

Since I work for a Technology Systems Integrator, we are always looking for the best products and services to implement for our clients. It is imperative for us to partner with the right companies because once we make the decision to go with a company, there is no turning back. We also don’t have any clients who want to “experiment” with products that aren’t tried and true.

While one Digital Signage company will never be able to be perfect for all designs, there are a few companies that have stood out from the rest. Those companies are Inspired Signage from AMX and AxisTV from Visix. Both companies have very unique ways of addressing the needs of Digital Signage customers. I’ve taken the time to write a little info about what I think is great about them. Please check them out and when you are ready to implement a signage solution of your own, call me because I work with them directly and can help you chose which is best for your situation.

AxisTV from Visix

Visix has been in the Digital Signage business for a long time. They primarily design, develop and support software applications that allow users to create, import and manage visual communications from anywhere using a browser-based interface, and to deliver those messages to nearly any endpoint. - Now that is the key point here. Delivering messages to nearly any endpoint. This means that instead of just sending messages to digital display in an airport or corporate lounge, they can also manage visual communications directly to computer desktops, PDA’s & Cell Phones, Screen Savers and just about anything else with a digital screen (click here for a cool diagram on how it works). Since visual communications can be sent to computers and as screen savers, this means you now have a very robust messaging system within your organization that can be used for HR communications, special announcements and even emergency alerts! This is cool stuff!

Inspired Signage from AMX

AMX has a basic digital signage solution that works great. It provides many of the common features found in most signage systems. They have two main benefits of over signage companies out there. The first advantage is being able to tie in to the AMX Resource Management Suite. By being able to tie in to RMS, end users can now view all of their technology assets such as digital displays, projectors, source equipment and more through a simple web interface. This helps to save tons of money because you can turn off all of your system end points remotely at any time and report on things like lamp usage.

The second main advantage of AMX Inspired Signage is the custom implementations team. If you want to get crazy with your Digital Signage Installation, this is where it all starts. Anything you can dream of doing with digital displays can be done through custom implementations. I won’t get in to the details, but I’m sure you can imagine some cool stuff on your own.


Digital Signage is an interesting market with tons of different ways to implement and use it. Because of this fact, there are people like me who live and breathe this stuff. I love working with individuals and companies to push the limits of what is possible. If you are thinking about using digital signage in your business, let me know! Whether it is just a single display running powerpoint or thousands of displays networked together across multiple countries. Whether I can help you directly or not, I’m happy to point you in the right direction.

The Comcast Experience - Game Changing Audiovisual

The company I work for is a dealer and installer for Barco here in Denver. We just finished meeting with some of the reps from the company and got some great examples of some of the applications for indoor and outdoor LED Display technology. The coolest thing about AV Technology and where it is heading is applications like this. No longer do we have to think in terms of “square” displays. We can start to use digital images on all sorts of different surfaces and for different sizes and shapes too! You must check out the Comcast Experience which is the largest Barco display in the world I’m told. This is simply amazing! This is also something that my firm is completely capable of designing and implementing. I’m on the hunt for a visionary developer or property owner who wants to make his or her building stand out from the rest of the world! Who’s game?!!

Saving Energy Through Building Automation

I read a great article from Neil Gifford at Smart Buildings this morning. I always enjoy reading what he has to say about how technology is making buildings smart. When you really start to get in to this stuff like I am, you start to see how the future of green and sustainability has a lot to do with our adoption of technology in our buildings. This goes far beyond just automation for lighting and HVAC systems – even though simple automation helps a lot (I leave the room and the lights automatically turn off after 5 minutes). Neil talks more about how an intelligent building wide automation system should start to take data in real time by monitoring building loads and usage in real time and reporting that information back to facilities managers to act upon. Based upon specific data and parameters set, the system could automatically adjust heating and cooling loads based on occupancy data and similar factors.

Check out the article for all you designers, builders and facilities managers. Looking forward to getting more of these types of systems in our buildings!

A slight change in approach - sometimes little things make all the difference

So I've been struggling to explain the value of using a blog and other social networking tools in the business I work for. It isn't that my company isn't forward thinking - we are - it is just that the idea of "jumping in" without some type of long thought out plan or implementation strategy is somewhat frightening. I've grown up in the age of digital communication so using things like this are not scary or wierd to me. In fact, trying to get by without them in my day to day business seems much more strange.

Today I am announcing the migration of this blog from an "under the radar" company focused blog, to a blog about me. How I personally use technology and systems to help my clients and partners achieve their goals. All in all this is about networking and helping the people that I'm connected with. I think by using the blog as my own personal platform - not a platform of the company I work for - it will be more effective.

I would be interested to hear if anyone else has had the same experience and what conclusions you have come to? Does your company have a blog or do you have one personally? I know I personally feel a bit liberated to know that I can speak my mind how I choose and that my opinion is in no way the exact opinion of the company I work for as a whole. It will help everyone stay in their comfort zone.

The Future of Travel = No Travel at all

Wow. All I can say is wow. Ray Kurtzweil is a crazy guy, but probably a genius as well. Many people probably either don't agree with his ideas or are just too darn scared of them to admit it. I've read a lot about his ideas, and just came across this interesting article that touches on the future of travel and conferencing. While videoconferencing and telepresence is a cool thing right now, advances in technology are going to exponentially change the way in which we communicate. Take this article with Mr. Kurtzweil for example. Here he talks about how advances in nanobots and 3D technology will actually create virtual reality enviornments that seem completely real to us. I like the idea of "traveling" in 3D to a remote location where my image is projected just like I'm really there. I'm not so sure about nanobots taking over my body to induce a VR environment!

What do you think about Ray's ideas? Is he crazy or does he really have some good points? If the world really came to this, how do you see yourself reacting? After all, 2030 really isn't that far away!

Bear Creek High School - Interview with MediaLogix Lead Tech

It is always nice to get an (unintentional) mention in the media about your company. While MediaLogix isn’t specifically mentioned in this article, one of our Lead Technicians, Chad Scholtec is. A reporter from Mile High News was recently at Bear Creek High School, one of the projects or firm is currently wrapping up. In the article Chad answers some questions about technology systems (Interactive Whiteboards specifically) and how they are being utilized at Bear Creek. Good stuff!
Click here for the Article: http://www.milehighnews.com/Articles-i-2009-04-02-210294.114125_Bears_transition_into_new_building.html

Construction Industry & Investing In Technology

After reading a recent article in ConstrucTech magazine, a few thoughts came to my mind that have been brewing for quite some time. The article focuses on how construction firms are being forced to look more towards technology solutions to help improve efficiencies in their organizations. It talks about how technology can really help contractors to be better at estimating and project management efforts if they would just use the tools they already have better, and start taking things like BIM (Building Information Modeling) seriously.

While I agree that technology can really help any organization who is serious about improving, I have a little bit of a different approach than most. Just as the article says that builders are on average using only 20-30% of the capabilities of their current software systems, I think there is a reason for that. Software and technology is only good to a company if it is easy to use and manage. You can have all the features in the world but if the system isn't easy to use, it is for nothing.

My suggestion to the construction industry is this:

Start focusing on ease of use, and improving communications. This doesn't mean having more meetings or sending out more articulated addendums (althought that couldn't hurt). It means taking a fresh approach to how builders communicate internally and externally on projects. Why not start using new (and sometimes free) communications tools such as Blogs, Twitter & LinkedIn groups? Instead of sending out individual emails to every sub contractor on your project, setup a blog and give subcontractors access to that blog. All new status updates can be posted here such as RFP's, RFI's, addendums, project drawings, etc....

Why not setup a private Twitter group for your internal project teams and use if for sending out frequent, up to the minute updates to your team? Everyone has cell phones right? By communicating things in real time, you can save precious money & resources.



Something very cool to look in to is a product called BaseCamp created by a company called 37Signals. This product is an EXTREMELY easy to use Project Management tool that focuses on the communication aspect of projects. By using a Blog type format for organization, a new project can be setup online where files can be stored & shared, all communications can be centralized, and things like project calendars and the like can all be centralized. Finally all communications with all team members can be kept in one place. It plays very nice with email as well.

In closing, I really just want to drive the point home that technology shouldn't be about more and more features. Technology should help enable. Enable better communcations. Enable better efficiencies. Enable people to do their job and only their job.

How does your organization rate when it comes to this simple concept? Does the technology you use empower or slow down your employees? Take a really close look and answer honestly.....

Customer Loyalty Programs - The Next Frontier

I've written a lot about RFID and it's applications for businesses. There are tons of new applications and solutions being developed that I can't even begin to keep up with them. I talked a couple weeks ago how car dealerships are starting to use the technology. Today I read about a new solution that can be deployed in a number of different enviornments including retail and restrurants - particularly fast food restaurants.



Check out this article for complete details. The idea is that a customer can get and RFID enabled "customer loyalty card" that is linked to personal details via a customer focused web site. Every time the customer comes to the store, a RFID reader picks up the customer information and can display certain information to the store employee. Information such as "this customer always orders chicken sandwiches without pickles". This enables the employee to offer a better customer experience by automatically alerting the customer that they will make the sandwich without pickles.



Over time, the data is recoreded and stored under the customer profile. You can see how this information can become extremely valuable to the store owner.



When integrated with Digital Signage and possibly even video communications, there are all sorts of cool things you can start to do with this technology. I can think of a number of ideas. What about you? What could we build using this technology to help you and your organization?