September 2006
As a tease for its upcoming October 9 SOA announcement, IBM has a 36-second trailer on YouTube. It's well done.
There are also three short video clips on YouTube that explain what service-oriented architecture is all about. Very simple, very effective. I looked at them quickly, didn't see a company affiliation - just a reference to a 24-year old U.S. male with the screen name of richneckyogi. Yogi's stuff is slick, nice complement to Big Blue's launch.
It's ironic how many tech executives (supposedly bold, innovative people) are reluctant to consider new communication channels. Blogs, podcasts and v-casts are great ways to spread your message. They don't replace traditional media outreach, they supplement it.
If you don't have time to figure out what's going on, then find your own Yogi to help - you can bet your competition will.
Posted by John Moran on September 29, 2006 at 9:12 AM
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According to Lee Gomes' piece in today's Wall Street Journal (with an assist to the folks at Factiva), the word "breakthrough" has appeared in the headline of over 8,600 press releases over the years - many issued by technology companies. Makes me wonder how many times the words "leader" and "pioneer" have been used in similar situations - way too often, I'm sure. Without a doubt, those of us responsible for promoting companies and products - PR, sales, marketing, etc. - are guilty of using language designed to get others to pay attention. I'm not sure that will ever change. The technology market (especially SOA, these days) is highly competitive - companies of all sizes are constantly trying to separate themselves from the pack.
Two things to keep in mind, especially for start-ups - 1) be able to back up your claims and 2) don't try to be all things to all people. In November of 2002, InfoWorld's Tom Yager wrote a column on the danger of exaggerated claims that can't be backed up. As an example of a company on the right track, Yager commended Sonic Software for acing a product briefing "that was mostly a barrage of questions about what the software doesn't do" (full disclosure time - I've worked with Sonic since 2001). Sonic's chief spokespeople, Dave Chappell and Gordon Van Huizen, have always been quite good at talking about the value of Sonic ESB without over hyping the product's capability. Reporters respect their knowledge and candor. Remember, it's not bragging if you can back it up!
Posted by John Moran on September 27, 2006 at 2:20 PM
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While watching CNBC recently I was amused to see the host introduce a software CEO by reading the company's tagline (the typical cliche-ridden gibberish about being the leading provider of something complicated). At the end of the introduction, the host paused, smiled slightly and said, with a chuckle in his voice, "What does that mean?" Ouch - what a way to start an interview!
Too many executives insist on using their everyday tech lingo with the outside world. Big mistake. Topics like SOA, open-source, software development and application integration can be coma-inducing for anyone outside the bits and bytes crowd. In order to engage an audience that includes business decision makers, you must deliver an easy-to-understand message that grabs and maintains interest.
For a nice example of how you should be talking to business reporters, check out this lead to John Markoff's piece, "Software Out There," in the April 5, 2006 edition of the New York Times: "The Internet is entering its Lego era. Indeed, blocks of interchangeable software components are proliferating on the Web and developers are joining them together to create a potentially infinite array of useful new programs." Keep it simple and people will keep listening - today and in the future.
Posted by John Moran on September 26, 2006 at 10:08 AM
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I took part in a meeting yesterday where the CEO and Marketing VP of a client repeatedly referred to the outlets they want to appear in as "rags." This is pretty common in the business world - it's also a big mistake. Unless your last name is Gates, no reporter is all that jazzed to talk to you. Reporters are looking for good stories - you are simply a means to an end. Similarly, the reporter is a means to your end, which is to promote your company. In other words, interviews are a two-way street - help the reporter write a great story and you'll end up with nice coverage.
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you work with the media. 1) If it's important for your company to appear in a certain publication or online outlet, then that place has value - circulation size does not matter. 2) Today's app dev/SOA beat writer at a tech trade someday may end up writing for the Wall Street Journal or BusinessWeek. Treat everyone exactly the way you want to be treated (But, John, what about the guy who's a know-nothing jerk? Relax - we'll deal with that in a future post). Respect and humility pay off in the long run.
As Jackie Gleason used to say on the Honeymooners, "Be good to the people you meet on the way up; because you'll meet the same people on the way down."
Posted by John Moran on September 22, 2006 at 10:08 AM
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Since its inception in July of 1968, 188 countries have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. While the treaty has not led to the elimination of nuclear weapons, it has focused international attention on the need to curb the spread of nuclear weapons. The world of IT could use an Acronym Non-proliferation Treaty (I'll resist the urge to label this ANT - that would make me the first violator of the agreement).
Acronyms, cliches and buzzwords run rampant in technology. The latest example was BEA's announcement yesterday of mSA - a micro services architecture. There seems to be no shortage of architectures these days. We also have service-oriented architectures (SOAs), event-driven architectures (EDAs) and, a gift from Forrester Research, the Digital Business Architecture (DBA). And architecture represents just a tiny sliver of the software development and middleware markets.
People tend to use jargon 1) out of habit; 2) to demonstrate they really know their stuff; 3) to ensure they end up in the proper "bucket;" and 4) to goose their search engine numbers (I hear that from our in-house blog guy - "John, you've got to include as many keywords as possible" - oh boy!).
I have no doubt there's a great deal of technical validity behind all the jargon and acronyms, but executives must guard against using too much techno-speak when talking to reporters. One danger is that your story seems empty, just a bunch of worn-out cliches. Another danger is that the audience doesn't understand the value and importance of your story. Either way, you lose.
Curbing the use of acronyms and jargon will help you convey a powerful, easy-to-understand story.
Posted by John Moran on September 20, 2006 at 12:10 PM
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"'Middleware' is one of those subject matters, like 'colonoscopy,' that makes me flee in horror."
That quote comes from an e-mail exchange I had with a veteran business technology reporter at the Boston Globe in 2001. Not much has changed since that time - at least in the way people regard software development and middleware. With so many exciting things happening in other areas of technology today, it's not surprising that development and middleware get lost in the shuffle. But, truth be told, there are plenty of interesting stories to be told - it's all in how you say it! In the months ahead, we'll discuss ways to talk about development and middleware in terms that resonate with the business community and press. Naturally, your feedback and experiences will always be welcome.
Posted by John Moran on September 17, 2006 at 2:58 PM
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