Instagram: snap, crackle, and pop-shots

Only a few weeks ago I was waxing lyrical about Pinterest, the new kid on the social media block. And it was – for five minutes. Its popularity hasn't waned, far from it, but there is a new kid in town, and he’s already playing with the big boys…

The company is 551 days old, comprises 13 employees, doesn’t make a profit, and has just been snapped up by Facebook for the sum of $1billion and it's called Instagram.  Even if you don’t have a head for figures, you can appreciate quite how impressive that is… The app is pretty simple as well – you take a photo with your camera phone, add a filter to it, and then post it online. It’s a sort of image based twitter which, I suppose, works on the basis that a picture is worth about a $1bn more than 140 characters.

Not surprisingly, the business and technology airwaves and blogospheres have been crackling with comment and opinion pertaining to the deal and posting their conclusions all over the web – but not everyone is being complimentary about the deal.

The simplicity of the app seems to be riling those in the app development field – the reaction is redolent of that which many people have towards modern art, “Yeah, but I could have done that”. Others have been claiming that the Instagram proprietors, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, have ‘sold-out’ too early on and that in the long run they’ll be left with nothing (a difficult argument to swallow when they’re divvying up a huge pile of Mark Zuckerberg’s cash).  So why is the web community being quite so scathing about the phenomenal achievement of this young, entrepreneurial company?

The obvious answer (and one which is at least partially correct) is simple: jealousy. Times (as we are constantly reminded) are tough and, much as we would like to see the success of others as inspirational and worthy of praise, sometimes it’s a bitter pill to swallow. The Instagram gang had the bravery to sell when the price was right and be openly proud of their achievement. Two years of hard graft, developing and adjusting the app have paid off, and they are reaping the rewards. It should be inspiring to see evidence that hard work, an entrepreneurial spirit, and some good old-fashion gumption can get you somewhere these days.

If these catty bloggers aren’t jealous of the success, then perhaps they simply resent that the new kid is getting all the attention. We live in an age of start-ups and small acorns – the opportunities which modern technology, innovation and development present a young business with are numerous and varied and the path to success isn’t as long as it was previously.  That said, it’s no less difficult to traverse. The public nature of the success or failure of start-ups means that certain ‘old hands’ think that they’re fair game and have a tendency to take pop-shots at them.

Whether it’s for the purposes of self-aggrandizement, or playground-bully satisfaction, the level of back-biting and sniping at which some business analysts operate is sickening. There is enough negativity eddying around at the moment, and frankly there should be far less.

Instead of listening to the nay-sayers, the declarations of “it’ll never work” and the constant hum of “oooh, you don’t want to do that…”, how about supporting each other?   Business is a highly competitive world, particularly the realm of small business, but there’s no need for it to be juvenile or mean. You never know, the one you decide to ‘poo-poo’ might be of great use to you in the future – the people you trample on what you believe is your way to the top may well ignore you at a later date should you cross their path.

Aim for the sky – absolutely - but remember that a can-do, supportive attitude will get you a long way as well.   It might gall you, but take the time to acknowledge your competitors’ success and, instead of being bitter, use that success to inspire and light a fire under your own projects.

Soon enough, you could be the ones worthy of applause…

Big Fish, Little Fish, Cardboard Boss?

The recent focus in the news on ‘tax avoidance’ and ‘excessive bonuses’ for company directors, in addition to the sense that what profit is being made is being wasted by a select few, are contributing to a palpable nervousness and unease. 

Words like ‘business’, ‘profit’, ‘growth’ and ‘expansion’ have recently been wantonly thrown around by the media like a dog with a toy rabbit - like said rabbit, these terms are looking a little grubby and have lost their true form...

There has been a great deal of focus on big businesses recently, in particular on their figureheads, the big bosses who are being demonised (some of them rightly so) and consequently drawing a lot of negative attention to the company as a whole. But, that’s a good thing, right? Calling out the baddies and making them account for their actions? 

Of course, highlighting misconduct and drawing attention to the difference between good and bad management of funds, personnel and business-to-business relationships is vital to setting a standard for good practice. The downside of these exposés, many of them sensationalised and exaggerated in the name of selling newspapers, is that they have the result of confusing ambition and entrepreneurship with dirty dealing and greed.

It’s a potentially difficult situation for smaller businesses and start ups. Faith in the very word ‘business’ is waning. It might sound simplistic, but investors need to have faith, be brave and feed the smaller fish. The bigger, more brutish looking fish might be at the top of the food chain, but without all those smaller, finned friends the whole system would fall apart. 

And how can smaller businesses help themselves? Ditch the cardboard boss also known as magnolia man or woman!  Personality, points of difference and stand-out characteristics of company directors, business plans and proposals are vital to inspiring investors, workers and industry competitors alike.

Dare to be different – you can be creative and ambitious while still maintaining an excellent public image. Be proud of being a small fish – you can get into tighter niches than the big ‘uns. And to all those would be investors, size isn’t everything – with the right attitude (just keep swimming...) those smaller fish can really fly.

Can you afford to ignore the new Pin-Up in town...?

With Apple launching the new iPad next week, Samsung and ASUS following closely with new Tablets and Sony, HTC and LG all announcing their 2012 flagship Smartphone’s, you might feel like a darkened room is preferable to investigating a relatively new social media app. But before you run back to cave and put your ‘Do Not Disturb, Luddite at work’ sign on the door, read on. Because Pinterest is, well, veeery P-interesting...

Remember when a Sunday afternoon could be frittered away with scissors, magazines, and a glob of BluTac? Making mood boards for that crucial redecoration of the living room? Snipping out inspirational photos and sayings to divert you away from the biscuit cupboard? Plastering your student digs with witty quotations and denim clad movie stars? It can’t have just been me. Well, cast aside your faded, dog-eared cut-outs – there’s a shiny new Pin-Up in town, and it’s a tool you can’t afford to ignore.

Pinterest enables you to pin images (either uploaded, or found on the internet) to your own personal ‘board’ which is as visible, or invisible as you like to your online audience. It’s a fantastic tool for an individual or a small company – instead of a lengthy, wordy ‘About Me’ page describing who you are, and what you do, it delivers an immediate visual impact. It’s an illustrative smorgasbord of who you are and what you’re all about. For creatives it’s a gift, an interactive portfolio of sorts. But it is also an opportunity for entrepreneurs and employers in all sectors.

Think about what an image of, say, the moon landing, an iconic moment of success and triumph, will say about your ability to push the limits, succeed and be the very best. What is more, having a company Pinterest board could draw your employees’ idle hands away from Facebook and give them an productive outlet for their inevitable internet trawling – a weekly motivation board (as amusing, in-joke ridden and creative as possible), created by the people for the people is much more use than endless pictures of cats chasing laser pointers... 

Technology and business are inextricably linked these days, and Pinterest looks like becoming the next ‘cut-out-and-keep’... 

Can you afford to ignore the new Pin-Up in town...?

With Apple launching the new iPad next week, Samsung and ASUS following closely with new Tablets and Sony, HTC and LG all announcing their 2012 flagship Smartphone’s, you might feel like a darkened room is preferable to investigating a relatively new social media app. But before you run back to cave and put your ‘Do Not Disturb, Luddite at work’ sign on the door, read on. Because Pinterest is, well, veeery P-interesting...

Remember when a Sunday afternoon could be frittered away with scissors, magazines, and a glob of BluTac? Making mood boards for that crucial redecoration of the living room? Snipping out inspirational photos and sayings to divert you away from the biscuit cupboard? Plastering your student digs with witty quotations and denim clad movie stars? It can’t have just been me. Well, cast aside your faded, dog-eared cut-outs – there’s a shiny new Pin-Up in town, and it’s a tool you can’t afford to ignore.

Pinterest enables you to pin images (either uploaded, or found on the internet) to your own personal ‘board’ which is as visible, or invisible as you like to your online audience. It’s a fantastic tool for an individual or a small company – instead of a lengthy, wordy ‘About Me’ page describing who you are, and what you do, it delivers an immediate visual impact. It’s an illustrative smorgasbord of who you are and what you’re all about. For creatives it’s a gift, an interactive portfolio of sorts. But it is also an opportunity for entrepreneurs and employers in all sectors.

Think about what an image of, say, the moon landing, an iconic moment of success and triumph, will say about your ability to push the limits, succeed and be the very best. What is more, having a company Pinterest board could draw your employees’ idle hands away from Facebook and give them an productive outlet for their inevitable internet trawling – a weekly motivation board (as amusing, in-joke ridden and creative as possible), created by the people for the people is much more use than endless pictures of cats chasing laser pointers... 

Technology and business are inextricably linked these days, and Pinterest looks like becoming the next ‘cut-out-and-keep’... 

I

The Daleks are a lesson for us all – things are never as scary as you think they are going to be!

Anyone over the age of 40 who saw today the news that the Beeb are going to retire the Daleks or at least put them into some kind of intergalactic suspended animation must be thinking how it was that these incredible creatures used the frighten us so much that we watched Dr Who from behind the sofa whenever they were on.   And then of course rushed outside to play Dr Who and the Daleks croaking the immortal words “Exterminate, Exterminate!” 

Today, as adults, I suspect that most of us watch them with a degree of amusement, trying to work out why and how they were so frightening to us all those years ago.  But fear, or fear of the unknown is quite common in our lives and especially in our business lives.  How many times have we pondered and worried over a decision or worried about doing something new? 

The truth is that fear holds too many people back from doing what they really want to do.  Now I’m not suggesting that you up sticks today, leave your family and disappear off to travel around the world because that is what you have always wanted to do it, but what I am saying is that whilst fear is a natural phenomenon, it can hold us back from making the right decisions or from doing something that we have never done before.  What kind of fear is it?  Fear of failure, because we worry what people will think about us or what people might say about us.  The truth is that the sort of people that might advise you not to do something are saying that because they wouldn’t dream of doing it themselves.  Their fear of failure is transmitted to you ,and suddenly you start worrying about what others might think about you instead of thinking about what might happen if you succeed - and surely that’s why you thought of the idea in the first place and why you are now worrying about whether to follow through and actually do it.

No-one ever succeeded in life without failing first at something.  Failure is what makes us stronger and what drives us to make sure that we don’t fail next time around.  Don’t worry about what others may think about your plans – by all means talk to people you trust and know who will give you honest advice, but stay away from the doom-mongers and the naysayers who think it is acceptable to throw their monkeys on your back and persuade you never to take a risk in life. 

Life is short enough as it is to do all the things we want to achieve in life – I have so much I want to do and never enough time to do it but that’s more to do with getting my life in order rather than a lack of will on my part!

 
So what’s all this got to do with the Daleks again – well I was thinking that fear is a bit like watching the Daleks – you can hide behind the sofa for the rest of your life and do nothing or you can peep around, get up and realise that things aren’t so frightening after all and that’s the same as doing something new or different in your life or in business – it’s never quite as frightening after you’ve taken that first leap and got over your initial fears!

My first blog message therefore is to say to all of you who have dreams and ideas and plans is to get out there and do all you can to achieve them, do them and make the best of your time on this earth – before the Daleks come back and get you again!