If you haven’t received a video message from Santa, yet, don’t worry: You probably will before too long. Portable North Pole is well done, and my guess is that it will wind up being this year’s holiday meme, ala elf bowling.
Not great.
“Gmail’s new look is uncluttered, which is a good thing until you try to navigate and then, user beware” says Useagility.
“While the new interface looks modern, it’s also less user-friendly because the navigation links are hidden behind a drop-down menu and the average user might not be able to find them” notes Google Operating System.
“As bad as I originally thought Gmail’s new interface is, it’s worse” declares Martes-Martes.
Finally, Mashable takes a larger view, noting that “Google’s entire design aesthetic is uninspired and haphazard.”
Sorry, people. You can hope for a better design aesthetic all day long, but Google is Google, it will never be Apple.
Over on Social Media Today, Jay Osterholm posts, “Social Media: A Must-Have for Small Business Owners” that includes a pretty interesting infographic detailing some of the ways small businesses are using social media.
But let’s be clear: Social media for small business owners doesn’t mean setting up a Facebook page and waiting for the dollars to come rushing in. In fact, for some small businesses having a Facebook page may be entirely the wrong focus.
Osterholm has it exactly right when he says, “Social media marketing can do remarkable things for your small businesses, but only if it is properly implemented and maintained.”
Takeaway for marketers: Step one on the path to proper implementation is to find someone with significant social media experience whose first statement isn’t “I know just what your business needs,” it’s “I want to know how customers and potential customers interact with your business currently, and what the strongest and most successful offline dynamics are that fuel business growth.”
Galleycat reports that today is Take Your Child To A Bookstore Day. Which is not a bad idea … assuming you can find a bookstore that actually sells books anymore, as this week’s New Yorker cover does a fine job of illustrating.
“Contrary to what the politicians and religious leaders would like us to believe, the world won’t be made safer by creating barriers between people.”
—Michael Palin
