Is blogging habitual?

For me?  Not sure.  I’ve dabbled with blogs now for over three years.  My first blog used Blogger in the Summer of 2003.  I used it mainly as a travelogue to share my intership experiences with my family and friends, and to geek out while documenting my impression of living abroad in a interesting place, Brazil.

Then about a year later, I helped outfit my dad with a blog to satisfy his writer’s itch.  A gift he had, and made a living from, but since entering retirement, needed an outlet, an audience, and his Typepad blog proved just the thing.  For two great years he wrote quillnews, and boy was he terrific.  It inspired me to help him tweak and adopt the latest layout tricks of the trade, as well as establish a professional looking site that developed a loyal readership, and created a few homerun articles that to this day still appear high on the Google search results.  His punditry was balanced with a good natured edge and savvy that ended up being a unique and welcome voice to many readers.  My father passed away earlier this year, but a big part of his legacy was his written works.  I continue to host quillnews, and one day may decide to contribute to it.

For now, I will press forward on WordPress.  Again to satiate my inner geek, but also to see what I can make of this newfangled blogging apparatus.  So I hop out of the navigator seat, and back into the pilot’s roost.  Perhaps some years gone by and some challenges that stretch out before me will inpire my blogging effort to be less geek and get to chic.

What’s in a name?

Never has there been a more interesting challenge than creating a new brand identity when what lays in front of you is a greenfield opportunity. The cynicism in consumer electronics markets has never been more palpible.

Where are the technology brands that promise something, and then at once deliver that which is promised? That is the key though ain’t it? Experience matters, names follow. Google and Skype, possibly the two most successful brands in recent years. What about Bluetooth? Successful? Or perhaps a case of name it first — experience to follow? Certainly recognizable, but does the average consumer have any idea what it does? If you think so, ask your mom, or to be more fair to the target demographic, a friend who works in a non-technical field. Does he/she know?

About two months ago, my mom said to me, when faced with something she did not remember, “can’t you just Google it, and figure it out?” To which I replied, “WHAT? Do you even know what it means to ‘Google it’?” To which of course she replied, “No, but it seems like that’s what people are doing now.” Wonderful. Brand as verb. Brilliant.
But I digress… so the company I am working with is involved with new technology. Fun technology. It begs a name. Our customers are asking us for a name. Something to hang on their wares to let their consumers know they are using our fun technology, and so their customers should in turn, have fun with it. It should speak to quality, reliability, and ease of use. So what name do we choose? That is the current conversation. A fun one.

The cynics may wonder, does it matter anymore? Can it matter anymore?

I think so. Can’t wait. Stay tuned…