Whale Speak

A Highly Irregular & Opinionated Web Periodical

Whale Speak header image 4

Entries from June 30th, 2008

10 choices

June 27th, 2008 · No Comments · SEO

When you look for something on Google, it returns ten results on the first page. For the majority of people, this is all they ever see. They pick one and they move on. For most search terms, there are millions of results, but most of them are never seen. This is a good thing. We [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:

7 questions to stimulate creativity

June 26th, 2008 · No Comments · productivity

When you’re creating something new, something from scratch, it’s sometimes hard to know what direction to go in. I’m definitely the kind of guy who gets stuck for half a day choosing a font for three lines of text. Should that be italic or bold? And so on. But there are things that I find [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Package design: Today Was Fun

June 25th, 2008 · No Comments · design

Here’s a company that makes things extraordinary. From striking package design to having a bold and inspiring philosophy. The result is a lot of admiring fans whose lives and adventures have become linked with what, on the face of it, is only a cup of tea.

[Read more →]

Tags:

How to lose a customer

June 24th, 2008 · No Comments · marketing, work

Let your customers go quickly and painlessly. When someone decides that they no longer want your services, it’s usually too late to do anything about it. What you can do, is act professionally and make the process of switching suppliers uncomplicated and swift. A bureaucratic, unhelpful attitude does not reverse a bad opinion, it confirms [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:··

Designing Accessibility

June 23rd, 2008 · No Comments · design, internet

Accessibility guidelines for websites are great. They give you an edge over your competition. Remember that guidelines and rules don’t change and don’t always tell you about how things are used. If someone can’t use your site, is there a way for them to tell you? Have you watched a blind person use your site, [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:

The Basics

June 22nd, 2008 · No Comments · productivity

Maybe we should stop focusing on the basics. Everybody does the basics then they add the good stuff later if they have time. Or if they can convince those in charge. Or if it’s within budget. Maybe we should focus on the good stuff first, then pick up the basics as we go along.

[Read more →]

Tags:

Do we need ethics in marketing?

June 20th, 2008 · No Comments · marketing

Recently I heard an SEO say that ethics have no place in marketing. I wanted to argue with that, but I feel that in some ways he is right. The problem is, before you are a marketer, you’re a human being. And being human is all about ethics.

[Read more →]

Tags:

Why are books for the Kindle so expensive?

June 19th, 2008 · No Comments · marketing

Seth Godin points out in a post about the Kindle that the costs for paper and inventory disappear for Amazon when supplying books. So why do those books cost the same as their physical versions? Actually for someone who buys second-hand, they’re more expensive. For economists the short answer is always “because that’s what people [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Don’t be ordinary: lessons from Yahoo! resignation

June 18th, 2008 · No Comments · internet

Go read Stewart Butterfield’s resignation letter on Valleywag. OK? Now read the comments. No real focus on the story, just he’s crazy, he’s on drugs, and above all he’s not funny. When was the last time anyone agreed on what was funny? “It’s not funny” might be an opening sentence but by itself it’s not [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: