The Mobile Web is leading the way

Top 1% of mobile users consume half of world’s bandwidth (NYTimes)

I choose Optimism, Action & Excellence for 2012

Are we living in difficult times?

Absolutely! Probably one of the most difficult times ever. Even though we are not strangers to hard times, everyday I hear and read from people around me that are giving up, going someplace else to live and work.

When the going gets tough, do the tough get going? I think not!

Opportunities are everywhere around us. Times like these are ideal to start new things, to pave new ways. Its the perfect time to step out of the box and create something new, something exciting, something we feel passionate about, something that engages others!

In fact, we have more than opportunities... we have obligations. 

We have an obligation to push ourselves and others around us. To do great things at superior levels of excellence. To find new ways to old problems, to take risks and to be great!

Stop thinking about the difficulties. Start thinking about what we can accomplish.

For 2012, I choose Optimism, Action and Excellence!

You can make a difference at home, at work in your society.
The choose is yours.

Hey girl...

Hey girl. Leaving before you wake up in the morning is like pulling out the USB without ejecting it properly. I just feel so lost.

siliconvalleyryangosling.tumblr.com
this is funny site - lol :)))

Seeking Google Adwords/PPC Expert

I am actively seeking a Google Adwords/PPC expert to join my company in a full-time position, to manage and improve paid search.

The person in this role will be responsible for setting up, managing, & tracking campaigns effectively in terms of budget, conversions, keywords research and tagging, A/B testing, biding efforts on Google Adwords and creating various performance reports.

• Experience managing a large Google PPC campaign and a proven track record of success.
• Ability to take on multiple tasks with differing priority levels.
• Understanding and experience with online media technology and search analytics.
• Excellent verbal and written skills.
• Proficiency in analytic platforms, preferably Google Analytic.

• Will responsible for managing our PPC team.
• This is not an entry level position.
• We are not interested in freelancers, this is full-time role. 
• Must be Google Adwords Certified or can get certified.

Send a message to apply

Στου κουφού τη πόρτα όσο θέλεις βρόντα!

Αυτό που έγινε στη Θεσσαλονίκη είναι μόνο η κορυφή του παγόβουνου... 

Οι περισσότεροι πολιτικοί θίχτηκαν για τη προσβολή του θεσμού του Προέδρου της Δημοκρατίας και για τον διεθνή εξεφτελισμό της χώρας... 

Δεν το εύχομαι, αλλά δυστυχώς αν συνεχίσουμε έτσι, πολλοί θεσμοί θα καταλυθούν...
 
Ο κόσμος έχει χάσει την εμπιστισύνη του στους υπάρχοντες πολιτικούς...

Δεν χρειάζόμαστε εκλογές ή κυβερνητικούς συνασπισμούς των υπαρχόνων πολιτικών δυνάμεων...

Αλλά νέα πρόσωπα, με άλλα μυαλά! 
Είναι ο μόνος τρόπος να προχωρίσουμε μπροστά!!!

When Money Dies

While it is often said that the German attitude to fiscal responsibility could be traced back to hyperinflation of 1921-3, it appears that Berlin has missed the big picture that emerged from that national nightmare. There are many differences, of course, but the parallels are also uncanny.

War reparations saddled Germany with huge external debt, just as the Euro has done today in southern European countries. Exporting was the only way out, although Germany had to do it without its main industrial centres in the east and the west, and the southern countries without a flexible exchange rate.

Like Germany today, France was reluctant to help; in Britain, a German bailout was political unpopular. Instead, international creditors demanded public sector cuts; they directed at the military rather than the civil service, but the deflationary effect was no different. The Weimar Government’s later tax increases were as unrealistic as those imposed upon many debtor nations by Germany currently.

The percentage of government spending covered by taxes rapidly decreased from not-too-spectacular 15% in 1914 to just 0.8% in 1923.

This disastrous fall had two causes, both familiar to us today.

Firstly, there was a rampant tax avoidance. Germans evaded taxes in the 1920s, as much as Greeks do today. The war was financed not through tax hikes, but through increased borrowing from international creditors. Therefore, in Germany it almost become a patriotic duty to avoid taxes, which would have gone straight out of the country.

Secondly, successive socialist governments in Germany created a runaway welfare state. Like Greeks, Germans were paid even when they were not working. Although reparations never accounted for more than a third of Germany’s deficit, the government pointed it out as a convenient scapegoat. As always, social ills were blamed on external bogeymen: creditors, speculators and bankers, mostly foreign.

By the time the inflation was stalled in November 1923 with an introduction of a new Mark, the trends were inexorably leading to two seminal events. The German hyper-inflation and the European governments’ inability to deter it was almost a dress rehearsal for the Great Depression.

(source: iconicphotos)

Also read:

• "When Money Dies: The Nightmare of the Weimar Collapse" (download here or buy at Amazon)
• "It’s the Economy, Dummkopf!" (Vanity Fair)

Why join the navy if you can be a pirate?

A few years back, Steve Jobs said: “Why join the navy if you can be a pirate?”
He couldn't be more right!!!

Is your company a band of Pirates? Are your goals aligned with those of your shipmates? Is your startup governed by a charter? What is your strategy? How will you use your strengths in the face of larger and better financed competitors?

• Pirates are willing to take a calculated risk (Calculated Risks)

• Pirates seek personal and material gain and are ready to take it by force of arms (Personal Stake)

• Pirates had a ship’s charter. They always had a plan and they stuck to it (Strategy)

• Pirates outsmarted their targets by using smaller ships that were faster and more maneuverable (Speed & Mobility)

• Pirates lacked size and resources so they were forced to out-think and out-work the competition (Effective Use of Limited Resources)
  

• Pirates would replace their captain if he didn’t deliver on the goods, or couldn't lead (Effective Management)

• Pirates shared in the plunder depending on their position (Compensation & Stock Options)

Hello Computer! Apple Siri Changes How we Find Information

I was fortunate enough to meet Michael Dertouzos a long time ago, when I worked for FHW. He talked about the "human-centric" approach to computing. In short, its about how computers interact with us and respond to us in ways that we can understand (he wrote a great book about all this).

A few days ago when Apple announced the new iPhone 4s, I immediately remembered Michael. Even though the iPhone 4s had a lukewarm reception, I thought it was great for only one thing, Siri.

Apple Siri offers iPhone 4S users a way to interact with their phone, using natural language commands. With Siri, we can send & receive texts or e-mails, find out if its going rain tomorrow, create new reminders or calendar events. We can also ask Siri to look up information, like directions to a restaurant or simple facts from Wikipedia.

Think about everytime we use our iPhone to search for information (i know this the hard way... my cell phone bill is a few hundred euros every month). Imagine when you heard the quote "Why join the navy if you can be a pirate?", and searched for it, or wanted to know the etymology of "trinket".

Watch out Google, Apple Siri plans to change how we find for information.

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

"We are here to make a dent in the universe"

You changed our lives, Steve, and you showed us that there is a better way…we will miss you.
Share to remember a great Innovator! http://twitpic.com/6vsgre

Social Media Analytics

Ένα γράφημα από την e-interactive, παρουσιάζει με το καλύτερο τρόπο ότι πρέπει να σκεφτείτε για να μετρήστε τις καμπάνιες στα social media. Έχω προσθέσει τρία σημεία που τα θεωρώ σημαντικά για τη συνολική στρατηγική σας:

• Ακούστε τους πελάτες σας: Πριν από οτιδήποτε θα πρέπει να γνωρίσετε τους πελάτες στα social networks . Η χρήση εργαλείων για social media monitoring είναι απαραίτητη για να καταλάβετε καλύτερα το κοινό σας και να καθορίσετε τη στρατηγική σας. Έτσι ανακαλύψτε τι λένε για εσάς, ποιά κοινωνικά δίκτυα χρησιμοποιούν (Facebook, twitter κλπ.), τι περιεχόμενο μοιράζονται κλπ.

• Χαράξτε τη στρατηγική σας: Στη χάραξη της στρατηγικής σας θα αξιοποιήσετε τα στοιχεία που συλλέξατε με τα εργαλεία monitoring, αλλά επίσης πρέπει να μπορείτε να απαντήσετε στην ερώτησεις: γιατί οι καταναλωτές να αγοράσουν το δικό σας προϊόν στη τιμή που το διαθέτεται, αντί των ανταγωνιστών σας; Τι σας διαφοροποιεί από τον ανταγωνισμό σας; Σκεφθείτε πως θα δώσετε στους καταναλωτές και πελάτες σας περισσότερες πληροφορίες, περιεχόμενο που τους δίνει λύσεις και απαντά στα ερωτήματα τους.

• Καθορίστε τους στόχους και KPIs: Με τη χάραξη των στόχων σας στα social media, θα πρέπει να καθορίστε τα metrics, δηλαδή τι θα μετρήσετε για να αξιολογήστε τα αποτελέσματα των ενεργειών σας. Ποια είναι τα KPIs (key performance indicators) που θα σας δειξουν αν βρίσκεστε στο σωστό δρόμο ή όχι. Τι σημαινεί κάθε μέτρηση; Eίναι σημαντική για τους στόχους σας (τι είναι το "EdgeRank" στο Facebook, και πως θα το βελτιώσετε για ν' αυξήσετε το reach σας στα υπάρχοντα "Like").