http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2003/12/05/configuring_users.html making connections where none previously existed Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:10:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2003/12/05/configuring_users.html/comment-page-1#comment-3320 Randy Mon, 08 Dec 2003 09:53:14 +0000 http://ubuntu.my/wp30/archives/2003/12/05/configuring_users.html#comment-3320 The concept is rife with business perspective as well. What you describe is the eternal debate between Marketing and selling. In the early days the factory made what it though was a good product, and then sold it. This is the selling concept. Then some crazy sociologist came up with the idea of the modern focus group and this gave berth to the Marketing concept. This involves listening to the customer and building what they want. John Abrams built the system to fulfill his needs, and now if they begin to add features to satisfy the needs of others they are fulfilling the on-demand marketing concept by constantly updating the product to fit desires. The concept is rife with business perspective as well. What you describe is the eternal debate between Marketing and selling. In the early days the factory made what it though was a good product, and then sold it. This is the selling concept. Then some crazy sociologist came up with the idea of the modern focus group and this gave berth to the Marketing concept. This involves listening to the customer and building what they want. John Abrams built the system to fulfill his needs, and now if they begin to add features to satisfy the needs of others they are fulfilling the on-demand marketing concept by constantly updating the product to fit desires.

]]> http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2003/12/05/configuring_users.html/comment-page-1#comment-3319 Nick Douglas Fri, 05 Dec 2003 18:16:36 +0000 http://ubuntu.my/wp30/archives/2003/12/05/configuring_users.html#comment-3319 Reminds me of Scott McCloud's story about his kids "misusing" the dynamite eraser tool in KidPix (in his book "Understanding Comics;" look on Wikipedia for a good summary). The kids made artsy concentric circles with the tool. Scott used this to demonstrate the opportunities that arise when users "misuse" technology to discover new possibilities. Technologists benefit from encouraging this -- e.g., Friendster becomes fun when people make fictional characters, and the Friendster owners should accept this. Reminds me of Scott McCloud’s story about his kids “misusing” the dynamite eraser tool in KidPix (in his book “Understanding Comics;” look on Wikipedia for a good summary). The kids made artsy concentric circles with the tool. Scott used this to demonstrate the opportunities that arise when users “misuse” technology to discover new possibilities. Technologists benefit from encouraging this — e.g., Friendster becomes fun when people make fictional characters, and the Friendster owners should accept this.

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