The advent of social media coupled with the average teenagers lust for attention means that many things that used to be private to us old folks just aren’t private to the average Gen. Y’er.  Over the last few years MySpace, FaceBook, Bebo etc. etc. etc. have seen people (initially kids but now just about anybody) posting their most personal thoughts, images, and attributes for the world to see and judge.  While many decry this as the end of civilisation as we know it, I think its the natural progression of things.  To some extent the more people present their previously private data the less of a problem it becomes. 

We’ve all experienced data overload as our email, text message, and instant message inboxes have become increasingly full.   At some point data overload leads to a form of invisibility.  You essentially get lost in the data and it all becomes a bunch of X’s and O’s and 1’s and 2’s.  In the personal data space data overload = anonymity.  Evenutally so much information will be available about so many people that you’ll stop noticing and then stop looking and finally stop caring. 

Of course there are notable exceptions.  Once the privacy shield drops to a low enough level we could be faced with forms of discrimination based on what we’ve said about ourselves online.  For example, health insurance companies might be tempted use facebook entries detailing long histories of alchohol related stories to cancel, modify, or increase health insurance premiums or policies.  Its going to happen sooner or later and I predict legislation will eventually be enacted to protect us from ourselves. 

However the point is we’ve been down this road before and the juggernaut can’t and won’t be stopped.  If you think back 5-6 years many people were screaming about online credit card purchases being unsafe.  In truth, your local waiter was more likely to steal your credit details than an online retailer but it took a few years for people to get comfortable with the idea.  Eventually, online shopping grew to the point where the benefits outweighed the risks and now you almost never hear about it.  The same thing is going to happen with privacy.  Eventually those people who can’t get their heads around the new world (wide web) order will either fade away, stop caring, or just die off! We’ll be left with what Gen. Y grows into and they won’t even remember a day when people didn’t put every last detail of their lives online.  Society will adjust, as it always does, and the world will continue to move forward. 

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Portal technology helps deliver 4 key strategic outcomes:

1. A common interface that can be personalised to users needs
2. A fully functioning online channel
3. Access to applications and services that broaden and deepen the appeal of the online channel to users
4. Anywhere access via a range of devices

In short, an Enterprise Portal  provides a framework for integrating people, information, and processes across organizational boundaries.  A portal represents the platform on which the enterprise can build a wholistic approach to communication, commerce, and user experience.  When done properly a portal can become a core element of enterprise strategy.

A good customer strategy can begin with a portal as it equips customers with the tools to support buying and information requirements without creating onerous content and application management on the back-end.  Revenue improves through richer product information and personalized and customized content.    While driving revenue, a portal can also drive down costs through improved customer self-service and reduced transaction costs.  Our friends in the marketing department are also happy since a portal also improves customer experience and brand perception by providing a more valuable and enjoyable customer experience.  When implemented properly the result is enhanced market share and customer loyalty as a result of  stickiness that increases sales opportunities.  The business case can be made and certainly that is critical to getting started. 

When you do finally get moving forward the strategy really has to start with understanding the customer’s needs.  Build a strategy with customer needs at the center with clearly defined targets and goals and you will be on the right track.  There are a number of vendors that can provide the essential technology and implementation services.  Whether you choose IBM, Oracle, SAP, Sun Microsystems or one of the many others will depend on your specific feature needs, budget, and time to market requirements.  With a little planning an enterprise portal will be a significant means to realize your business objectives.

        

Now I realise that ice cube extraction is not one of the world’s great problems but it did remind me that most often the simplest solution is the best solution and yet the simplest solution is rarely the solution employed. When it comes to web design, especially B2B web design, we often see complicated navigation mixed with loads of content, ads, banners, and well, just noise. If we apply the K.I.S.S. principle and just keep it simple we could narrow B2B web design down to 5 simple fields: Learn, Buy, Manage, Support and Search.

Imagine the B2B web site of a complex industry like Telecommunications. Most Telecomms websites are bastions of confusion and noise. From rotating banners to tech jargon to way too much content on every page, the user gets lost on the way and usually doesn’t come back. The focus of any B2B website is simple, tell your customers about your products, sell them the products, and help them manage their relationship with you, and that’s it.

If you apply Ockham’s razor and the simplest solution really is the best solution then there is no need for anything else on your home page. 4 buttons and a powerful search engine gets you anywhere you need to be in a click. Why clutter the page with anything else?

        

1. A belief that the meaning of life and one’s personal fulfillment lie in the future and not in the present or past.

What I like about this definition is that it is short, simple, to the point and cannot be confused with any other ism’s.  I believe in the future and that is just about it.  No sense looking at the past unless you are trying to figure out what not to do in the future.  No sense worrying about the present unless you are worried that what you’ve done in the present will impact your future.  So, you see, it is all really about the future…so let’s go there, the sooner the better.  �
If  it were within my powers to go to the future now, I’d book the first flight, launch, nano-tube lined ship, or teleportation jump.  I can’t wait to see the future and that is what drives me every day.  I have spent the better part of the last decade working to bring the future closer to me.  So welcome to the world according to me!  Well not the whole world, just the parts I find fascinating.  That means you will be reading about the web, not just any old web, but the web as I see how it should be.  You’ll also be reading about the devices and gadgets that will bring the future to us.  More importantly you’ll be reading about how the web and these gadgets SHOULD be bringing the future to us.  �
Buckle up, its a rocky road to the future but getting there is ALL the fun.