TreeWorks Blog

Regarding of what Emil was writing about Ray Ozzie, there is an interesting article from Financial Times:

Microsoft’s Ozzie declares end to PC era

The title of the article is not mine, nor the idea. An idea that, between you and me, is absolutely brilliant. The initiator of the subject is Ray Ozzie and the original post is available on the current Microsoft Chief Software Architecture’s blog, I mean here.

What is all about… Well, in general it is about “give power to the people”.

Starting from the idea that the future of the Internet consists in the interconnection of the services, of the processes and, in general, of the information between websites and that currently this process is available only to the field specialists (developers, programmers and so on, who succeed this by designing those applications), Ray Ozzie suggests a way through which regular users can easily exchange the information on their own websites, by importing/copying the desired information directly from other websites.

The solution that was found is inspired by the technology that stays at the foundation of the interconnection of desktop applications: the “clipboard”. Ray Ozzie suggests “Live Clipboard“ - a technology based on JavaScript, Ajax and XML structures, which allows the implementing sites to facilitate copying certain informational structures between them. Why informational structures? Because, if it is intended only the copying of a simple text, this is possible by using the well-known low-end (of the desktop) clipboard variant: text selection, then copy (ctrl+c) and then paste (ctrl+v) to the desired destination of the original text. But considering that there are already predefined data structures such as events, contacts, profiles etc. it would be interesting for the user to copy the entire informational structure, not only excerpts that need to be manually integrated at the target location. And how could he obtain that? Well, nice and easy, with the same clipboard model (Select/Cut/Copy/Paste), just that the initial selection isn’t performed by manually selecting text anymore, but through the icon specially created for LiveClipboard (specially meaning for the conception/design, to show to the user that the application is LiveClipboard Enabled and not because it would have had specially attributes toward a normal gif ) where user clicks and selects the intended action (copy, cut or paste).

Behind interface, the programming part makes everything and when clicking the mentioned icon the proper structure it is visually marked, and after that, at the selection of a (let’s say) copying action, the xml structure that defines the informational object in question it is serialized by JavaScript and then it is kept in the personal computer clipboard. At the “paste” action on the icon of a container where we want to save the informational object from the clipboard, the de-serialization and the importing or the saving (if this is the intention) in the database using Ajax, it is made also from JavaScript. I know! at the first sight it doesn’t seems something extraordinary but that’s because you don’t have the entire picture :). But you can have it by following the 100% functional example that it can be found here.

And the most astonishing thing is the fact that the above-mentioned application also works between two different browsers (meaning that I can copy the structure of a contact in Internet Explorer and paste it in Firefox). And this practically means a small opened door through which, in the near future, I will be able to copy the same structure from a desktop application (such as Microsoft Outlook) and paste it in a website (and vice-versa).

Of course, so far, LiveClipboard is still at the concept stage and many things (including the standards of the informational structure types) need to be developed and especially to be accepted so that this new technology could be used on a large scale. But the perspective is extremely encouraging and you can be sure that in the future we’ll hear again about LiveClipboard.

“Give power to the people!”

From the very beginning I want to mention that the next lines speak about things that are well known and strictly respected by people and earnest companies, because they are part of that beautiful professional package. However, since every once in a while it happens to get in touch with entities that are not aware of these rules (there is no other way), I felt the need of posting this. Although it’s less probable that the targeted ones would read it, because our readers own intelligence and common sense

End of the introduction, so let’s start…

“We thank you for you proposal but we have already choose to collaborate with another company.”

It took me 12 seconds to conceive and type this phrase. And if I count another 5 seconds for writing the destination email address and for pressing the Send button, I sum up 17 seconds of sustained effort.

Of course, dear reader, probably you might think that I’m a special case, a keyboard wizard, so my performances go beyond the wonderland. To a common mortal this huge achievement would surely kidnap at least 20 seconds of life. 20 seconds, which can be used at making more enjoyable things, like crossing the eyes or trying to lick the elbow.

I know, I’m a tyrant, but when somebody wastes en entire day for answering at an offer demand with a detailed document, 5-10 pages long, providing assessments, ideas, opinions and other clever stuffs, I think that person is totally entitled to pretend those 20 seconds of life from the beneficiary. He is entitled to know if his work was received, if it was consulted, and if his effort (even though it might not have been fructified) was appreciated (even though this might be a lie).

I hate the situations when the professionalism is not rewarded at least with a receiving confirmation.

Sometimes, after a few months, one remembers of its “lost sheep” and visits the lost sheep’s address. Boom!! Website created by Tri Impex Nikky Super Boss S.A. S.R.L.

We do not pretend explanations for what an RFP* individual chose (although it would be nice to do it). But we do pretend a minimum of common sense. How difficult can it be to reward a one-day effort with 20 seconds of writing: “We thank you for your proposal but we have already choose to collaborate with another company.”?

From where it came this idea that respect should manifest only in one direction, from the company that offers to the one that demands an offer? Why some people don’t understand that once they send a RFP, they engage themselves in a dialogue that should be made with common sense and professionalism until the end, no matter if a contract was signed or not?

Pop Quiz

You invite a Lady to waltz, but while dancing you discover that you don’t want to marry her. How will you react?

A) You finish the dance, you thank her and lead the Lady to her place;

B) You stop in the middle of the ring, turn around and leave.

Please answer carefully, your mother might read this blog.

Thanks for your attention and no thanks for non-attention.

P.S. All the characters and the events from this post, even those based on reality, are all since fiction. These things didn’t happened before, they aren’t happening and will never happen. Obviously, excepting the facts that inspired this post, that are themselves a fiction.

 
* Ionut supposed that all people should know what an RFP is… although the situation might be quite different. So… for those who do not understand, an RFP is a Request For Proposal. (Irina)

Following Kit’s example and trying to help the protesters (hurrayyy), I wrote this morning an email to Khoi Vinh, Design Director at New York Times, and I explained the situation to him. Even if I didn’t get any answer yet, it was great to notice his name on the list of those who signed the petition. And at his place it was early in the morning.

896.
 Khoi Vinh
 

Dear SDPRs, I’m afraid we’re right.

In connection with the yesterday link to the Apple UI posted by Ionut, here is the Yahoo user interface blog. The user interface bookshop code and documentation published by Yahoo can be accessed here. Great hints for those interested in usability.

 I was looking at some old favorites and one of them (from those days when I was fascinated by Aqua and I was analyzing the secrets of the transparent icons) sent me here. Must–read for those who forget that technology it is for people. And those who are aware of this should read it too. As well as the undecided ones. Enjoy reading!

By the way of what Ionut wrote in the previous days (actually, yesterday) regarding the advertising agencies and the Internet, here is what Seb Royce (jury member at the Cyber section and Creative Director at Glue London) said in the last issue of Campaign (an article containing opinions about Cannes Lions):

“It’s time to stop pretending that we support the digital and to start allocating a proper budget for this area. And I’m not thinking only at the media. Comparing with the money spent outside the Internet, the budgets for production are still really low when it comes about the digital field, although the Web world will become very soon our main communication channel.

In Great Britain we face the risk of getting stocked because - in spite of the fact that the traditional agencies are aware that they should focus more on digital - they don’t have the necessary know-how to do it, while the digital agencies are well-trained in this field, but they do not have the necessary financial resources.”

The TreeWorks blog is mentioned in an interesting article about corporate blogs published by “Business Magazine” right in this July.

For more details about the new blog approach as a PR instrument for Romanian companies you can check out the entire article in Romanian.

I never worked in an advertising agency, so I only know this as an outsider, lurking and catching information with one corner of an eye. Our agencies have considerably grown up in the last years. Fly the tie for this! Our advertisers won at famous festivals, they became regional chiefs and they managed to place Romania on the world’s advertising map.

But from here, from where I’m standing right now, advertisers look like they are really outsiders too when it comes about the web. And this is not a reproach I can assure you, because I always believed nobody could know everything, and nobody should even try that. But the reason I mention this, is because I think they regard the web as an over-stuffy little thingy, a sort of “come on man, what should we do about it? You think that we should also post something on this web-site?”. And they act accordingly! Why this attitude?! Because those people in charge of the “online matter” are just some web viewers who suddenly woke up with a task that is real “Chinese” to them and of which they tend to get rid as fast as possible.

And all these in the context of the Internet being the most pretentious amongst all the other advertising fields. In order to create an effective online advertising, one definitely needs a better knowledge when it comes about TV, radio or print. The Internet offers many things, but not for free. It requires equivalent payment in return. All its advantages, like interactivity, targeting, monitoring, can only be exploited with knowledge of the in-depth environment.

Extending an advertising online campaign is no more a simple problem of mobbing bits’n’pieces from company’s visual identity into a 468×60 px space and then stuffing the banner on a website. Or it really shouldn’t be like this.

‘Till nowadays, I didn’t saw on the Romanian web any advertising campaign in which an agency had invested a great deal of effort. Everything that is made on web has a feeling of leftovers from a delicious print and TV ad meal. The proof is that Romanian agencies have no obvious web entry within the festivals (and I say obvious because there are some shy attempts like “The urinals’ unwritten code” – Leo Burnett for Golden Drum, but they are lost between the way much more superior foreign outputs). What a pity, because there are really good genuine web people who could do all the hard work with an admirable passion. 
 

You open a website and suddenly you see the window covered during plenty of seconds by another red or green un-wanted window (according with the color of the brand that advertises). Some other times, an icon comes straight into your sight and you can’t turn it off because the button is quietly situated on the corner of the screen or it is quite missing. And… this is not all! You navigate on the web absorbed by your own personal interests and suddenly you are dined by an ad. As an advice: do not turn up the volume to the maximum… or you’d better use Adblock.
 
From the group of annoying online ads, should also be remembered: unexpected pop-ups, ads that “move” the page content, adverts that float over the screen, advertisements with blink effect and, of course, the usual spams and their bothering offers and announcements.
 
Exactly as the TV viewers change channels at the adbreak, in the same way the Internet users are looking for ways of getting free from these annoying advertisements. An often-used method is blocking ads with special software. The most known are: Mozilla Adblock, Webwasher, AdSubstract, AdsGone, Norton Internet Security.
These are tools that make advertising pop-ups to be invisible or that use filters for blocking them.
 
Any company that intends to promote an online brand should also consider these things that I wrote above in its marketing strategy.