This blog is about creativity, user experience, high quality software and content, attention to detail, innovation in advertising, and starting a small independent business.
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Latest Posts
Slowly But Surely, Marketers Will See the Light
Even though we’re on winter break here at JFM we had to interrupt the peace and quiet of our blog because Bob Garfield wrote a huge and thoughtful piece for AdAge on widgets. Given that we’re at the very early stages of having advertisers fund useful consumer web apps, any time someone super influential, like Bob, starts beating the drum, it’s big news. The last time this happened was this past March, also in AdAge with an article from Matthew Creamer talking about how maybe ads on the web should be useful apps instead of just yelling messages.
This time, Bob is coming at the issue head on describing the disconnect between the potential for reaching users with software given how potentially effective and inexpensive it can be vs. the reality of how few marketers are seriously engaging in this area. And it’s true that we focus on full apps here at Jackson Fish Market, but to us they’re just the natural extension of what advertisers are (or should be) doing with widgets. Of course, the main point of Bob’s article is that never mind our full blown apps, marketers aren’t yet utilizing mini-apps/widgets the way they should. Bob describes the benefits better than I ever could:
“At a maximum, the widget is something like the magical connection between marketers and consumers, not only replacing the one-way messaging long dominated by media advertising but vastly outperforming it. Because online the link is literal and direct, and along its path, data of behavior, preference and intention are left at every step. Oh, and your target consumers actually go out searching for your branded gimcrack. Oh, and they display it within easy reach. Oh, and they pass copies along to their friends and associates. Oh, and because they’ve been turned on by a friend, they are hospitable and receptive recipients. And, oh, in case this didn’t quite register the first time I mentioned it, the barriers to entry are preposterously low.”
And, lucky us, we’re quoted all throughout the article.
So attention brand marketers who wandered over here curious after reading Bob’s piece:
the best way for you to do brand marketing on the web that engages an audience is through the creation of useful web apps
whether those apps are small widgets or full blown sites doesn’t matter. What matters is that you start understanding and using the medium now.
and in case you were confused… here at Jackson Fish Market, not only do we have a portfolio of six brandable web apps ready to go, but we have dozens of ideas for new apps that could be a perfect fit for your goals, your audience, and your budget.
We now return you to your otherwise peaceful month of December. (And potential customers have no fear, even though we’re on break, we can’t help but be on e-mail all the time anyway, so get in touch.)
Winter Break at JFM
It’s been a busy month here at Jackson Fish Market, and now it’s time to pursue some other interests. JFM is officially “on break”. Luckily through the magic of technology, all of our websites will continue to function. And if they don’t, alarms will be raised, fighter jets will scramble, people will be woken up at ungodly hours, and typing will ensue until everything is back as it should be.
We hope everyone has a great set of Winter holidays and hopefully gets some time off as well. As much as we love working at Jackson Fish Market we each love doing all sorts of other things too so extended time off is key. If you need to get in touch with us though, don’t worry, we’re all still on mail. BECAUSE WE’RE HUGE NERDS (yes Jenny… you too!).
Jackson Fish Market will reopen for business bright and early on Monday, January 5, 2009. Have a lovely rest of 2008.
The JFM 2008 Holiday Gift Guide
Welcome to the second installment of Jackson Fish Market’s Holiday Gift Guide. We’re pleased to share a few gift ideas for your favorite designer, friend, or family member. And if you’re worried about spending in this down economy, we’ve provided gift ideas ranging from a nifty $3 up to a hefty $100 buckeroos. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
How about a voucher to have your picture taken with your friend or sweetie? It costs just about $3 for 4 images. Just use this handy photobooth locator here.
Subscription to Craft or Make magazine. Ok, ok, I know you can read some of these magazines online (which I do!) but it makes a really nice gift for someone who’s too cheap to buy printed form. (hint hint :))
Open Letter to Dell Customer Service
Hi Dell folks:
I have a monitor I purchased from you awhile ago. The power button is busted. All my other Dell products perform admirably, so while this is irritating, I wasn’t too upset. However, after dealing with your customer service organization for the last hour I am on the verge of killing myself. A few thoughts. Do with them what you will:
I don’t have the record of my purchase handy so I tried to find out whether my monitor was still under warranty on your web site. No luck as there is no service number on the monitor. And your website doesn’t even list LCD monitors as a category that have service tags. Everyone I spoke to on the phone was obsessed with what computer I was using thinking that I purchased the monitor with a Dell computer and they could look up the service tag on that. Guess what, I’m, not using a Dell computer. I just bought the monitor.
I would document the endless repetition of your automated customer service prompts that continue to ask me the same question over and over at each level of the tree even though I’ve been clear every time that “NO, I AM NOT CALLING ABOUT A PRODUCT THAT I HAVE YET TO PURCHASE AND DO NOT WANT TO BE TRANSFERRED TO YOUR SALES PEOPLE” but I simply don’t have the energy.
Between all the transfers I endured from your customer service folks I ended up talking to five different Dell employees. None of which were able to help me. Each was obsessed with finding my order number for the monitor. I was able to log into my account on dell.com and after some convoluted clicking i found a screen which claimed to have my order history for the last two years. It didn’t. I told the people on the phone I could give them my account name. They said that wouldn’t work. They asked for a customer number. I have 10. Seriously, there are TEN different customer numbers associated with my Dell.com account. Dell, please go buy some stuff on amazon.com. Go to your order history. It’s very simple. They can tell you exactly what you ordered, when, for how much, etc. Why in 2008 you are unable to do this I do not know.
When I decided my monitor was probably not under warranty I went to the place on the Dell website to find out how to get my monitor serviced out of warranty. They wanted $49 for me to talk to someone to tell me how to get it serviced. Am I insane for not wanting to pay $49 to find out how to get my monitor fixed?
With each person I spoke to I gave them my phone number in case I got disconnected. Despite getting disconnected three times, nobody every called me back.
Apple fanboys, wipe those smirks off your faces. I was calling on my 3g iPhone and it was at fault for the continuous dropped calls — even after I switched off 3g. Horrible.
I’m going to stop worrying about this right now as I may lose my mind if I waste another minute dealing with this. But if anyone at Dell is listening:
I own one of your monitors.
The power button is busted
I want to get it fixed.
I am willing to pay you to fix it.
If you can help me without forcing me to spend more time interacting with your website or customer service people (neither of which appear to have any idea what to do about this seemingly simple problem) then please send me mail and tell me what to do.
“When you decide to bootstrap, you commit to fund primary development and growth through internal cash flow from real-life customers. You — the founder — and a limited number of early employees may forgo paychecks for quite some time to make this work. But to keep that strategy to a minimum, it’s common for bootstrapping companies to turn to consulting engagements, non-recurring engineering contracts, value-added reseller agreements and projected supplier contracts. In short, “moonlighting.” These funds go toward initial growth and expansion until the company can stand on its own two feet.”
Well said. I would also add that, at least in our observation, a significant percentage (i think the majority) of companies that are funded by VCs today would be better off as bootstraps. There’s a paragraph at the end of the article describing how some companies can’t take the bootstrap path. This is true of course. But there should also be a paragraph describing the startups that shouldn’t take the VC path. I believe when a company that can bootstrap, takes VC, it can warp their values, and ultimately may lower their chances at success.
I think we’re in a world right now where bootstrapping is the exception (in our industry), and VC is the norm. I think that should be inverted.
There are many ways we could count the start of Jackson Fish Market: the day the state issued our license, the day Jenny showed up, the day we got our first paying gig, the day we got our first check, etc. But in this webby world it seems like the day our web site went up is the proper way to count our launch. Two years ago today, Monday, November 20, 2006, this website went up with our very first post (appropriately titled “Hello World”).
Some stats from the past couple of years:
Founders: 3
Full-time employees: 3
Number of full-time employees that are also founders: 3
Contractors who have worked for us: 38
Interns we’ve employed: 3
Apps we’ve shipped that we own: 6 (the first one shipped in July of 2007, 8 months after the company launched)
Consulting jobs we’ve done: 16
Number of blog posts (including this one): 1284
Locations we’ve occupied: 2 (across the hall from each other)
Number of weeks where we’ve shut down the business so we could all have time off: 15
Page views our sites have generated: 4,185,712.
Dollars of investment we’ve taken from venture capital, angels, family, friends, ourselves: 0*
* In the interest of full disclosure, while we haven’t put any of our own money into the business, all three of us make substantially less money than we could in the corporate world (or at least used to be able to in the corporate world). So that’s a form of subsidy, but we haven’t transferred any money from our pockets into the business.
The business stories that humans tend to like reading typically involve overnight success. And I think I understand why that is. When the success is described as happening suddenly, it somehow makes it feel like it could happen to us. Fate could shine on each and every one of us and sweep us into a huge winning situation. I try not to read too many of those stories. Instead I like the stories about businesses that are built one small step at a time. And invariably, when you ask the people who are overnight successes how it went, they will confide in you that they worked hard for 5, 10, 15, 20 years before their success happened “overnight”. Obviously I like these stories because that’s the template I believe we’re following. These stories because they make me feel like it could will happen to us.
On the one hand, I look at where we are and can see almost nothing but the huge heavy lifting we have ahead of us to grow this business into the entity that Jenny, Walter, and I envision. But on the other hand, two short years ago, even in my most wildly optimistic moments you couldn’t get me to speculate that we’d be where we are after only two years. While we still have a long way to go, I am incredibly proud of where we’ve gotten to so far.
And most importantly, creating our own future, while fraught with doubts, and certainly no sure bet, has been the most rewarding, enjoyable, and uplifting work experience I have ever had. This is thanks in no small part to the people I get to work with (customers, partners, and contractors), but Walter and Jenny especially.
We have lots of good stuff planned for our third year of existence. We hope you’ll stay tuned as we build our business brick by virtual brick.
What a Lovely Name
We’re coming up on our second anniversary in business and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with the launch of a new web app. Our latest creation is – What a Lovely Name™.
What a Lovely Name is a baby naming resource featuring thousands of names, origins, and explanations. Browse by personality traits, or cultural traditions, or even see what celebrities are naming their babies. Once you’ve found some great names, you can send them to friends to get their reactions. For every name in our database, What a Lovely Name will generate a custom logo. You can tweak the logo until you love it and then download it to use any way you like or even buy merchandise emblazoned with the logo. This is a perfect way to create great personalized gifts when a newborn arrives on the scene.
(BTW, don’t tell anyone, but you can even create personalized merchandise for yourself. No baby necessary.)
We’d love for you to check it out, browse the names, generate some logos, and maybe even buy a customized product. Your feedback and comments, as always, are welcome and encouraged. Thanks for taking a few minutes to try out the new site if you get a moment. And of course, if you’re interested in sponsoring the site. Don’t hesitate to get in touch.
P.S. Instead of a launch party for our latest release we decided to make a short video. Hope you like it. No babies were harmed in the making of the video.
