My next two weeks
Over the weekend, I've been thinking a bit about marketing and UserLand (where I now work, for those of you who are new here — I've been working here for two weeks)
One thing I have noticed is that there are tons of companies who really have no idea what their market is saying about them.
That's not a problem here. I already get notes all the time “fix this, change that, improve that.”
What a treat. Keep them coming to scoble@userland.com
If anything, I want to find some mechanisms to even increase the conversation UserLand is having with all of you.
I've noticed two markets that are doing well with our products. Folks building corporate intranets and folks building sites at schools and universities.
So, this week, I'm looking to get involved in mailing lists, newsgroups, and other places that those two types of people hang out in.
I've already started that process. I just subscribed to a TON of newsletters at http://www.internet.com. Interesting stuff. I really like the ClickZ newsletters (a must for those interested in marketing). I read a lot of the other stuff on the train or when I need a mental break or a little creative stimulation.
Anyway, today I'm continuing the process of digging through the Web site, learning more about UserLand's resources, and how to better surface them (particularly to the search engines, since I know that's how most of you find new companies you want to do business with).
It's a long process and iterative work has the disadvantage of not having anything to show to anyone.
The next two weeks will be interesting. Tonight I am participating in my son's “back to school” night. The school has a sucko Web site (it's so bad I don't even want to point you there). I'm going to work on that with the technology committee.
This week, CMP's Web2001show is here in San Francisco. So lots of folks from Jeffrey Zeldman on down will be in town. Plus, my boss is here from the East Coast, so that'll be interesting.
At the end of next week is Chris Pirillo's Gnomedex in Des Moines, Iowa. I'm speaking on Windows XP and Web site development and stuff, but I'm really there to do some market research, talk with CNET Radio, and hang with just average geeks in Iowa. It's time to get the word out about content management software and what it can do for average people.
In between all this work, I'm getting back into Train Simulator (it's amazing the stuff that folks have built in the first few months) and I'm reading a ton of blogs. [Scobleizer]