Jax Rant [ wonderings on the web ]

This is a great little video showing what I do as a User Experience Architect…

beats my usual analogy of designing blue-prints for web-sites like architects draw blue-prints for buildings.

Video below of Donal speaking with the CEO of Deloitte Digital and the Chair of Future Summit 2009 about the wireless mesh deployed at the Future Summit conference using Meraki(s) and Fortinet devices. Very cool.

Fantastic video on the progression of information technology, researched by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Brenman, remixed

Like what you’ve seen? Stumble it!

I noticed that Laurel Papworth has posted a list of Aussie bloggers who are in the Adage Power 150 – which lists the Advertising Age top Media and Marketing blogs from around the world and according to Laurel Papworth I am 17th out of the  Aussie contenders…but rather far down the list globally…cool and whatever…

Reading through some of the comments on Laurels post, I found some interesting links posted by Paull Young

OK so some people don’t see the point of blog lists – here’s a post by Paull detailing why you shouldn’t care about them. He also links to this post by the blogess which I thought was funny and wanted to share:

“Me:  Holy crap.  I just looked up my blog up Technorati and it says I’m in the top 5k.

Victor:  I have no idea what that even means.

Me:  It means that of the millions of blogs on technorati, mine is ranked as 4,966.

Victor:  Great!  So 4,965 people are better than you.

Me:  No. 4,965 bloggers are better than me.

Victor:  Well that’s…even less impressive.

Me:  It’s kind of a big deal.  Basically I’m in the top five thousand of a medium that, I dunno, probably 1% of the world actually knows exists.

Victor:  Oh yeah…sounds great.

Me:  So basically all I have to do is kill 4,965 bloggers and then I’m number one.*  Number one, baby!

Victor: What do you get if you’re number one?

Me:  Um…nothing.

Victor:  Ah.  Good luck on that whole killing-thousands-of-people-for-nothing plan.”

It is true we are human and have egos and like recognition and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Many people have contributed amazing things to the world driven by a desire for recognition….ego makes u human and can be a friend…and sometimes too your enemy.

For me blogging is more about logging and processing stuff that I find online, and logging these visits and my thoughts. If I didn’t post about it it would get lost in my inflated and chaotic delicious bookmarks. Sometimes I find something so cool and inspiring that I have to post it. I love it when this happens. I often refer back to posts months later when I am researching or need an example to show someone. It’s a web log after all…..like a cyber travel diary of sorts….

I do wish I had more time to write more considered posts more often…but making sure I have a life offline as well as online can make it a bit tricky….

I put together some thoughts on a recent networking visit to London for the the Transfer Group enewsletter. It got sent out on an their e-newsletter database. If anyone wants to leave any comments… please use the comment form below… come on…u know u wanna. 

Check out the video and Transfers new approach to digital recruitment. They have a lot of integration happening with existing social networks and platforms (…and they are also cool folk should you be looking for digital work in Oz).

Column (Jax Wechsler)

We have been following Jax Wechsler a [Senior Producer] for a long time now and we bring to you her thoughts on the industry: I have just returned from a networking exercise in London as I am considering relocating there in the near future. Bart asked me to put a few thoughts together about my experience networking with agencies in London. I sent my CV and blog URL across to some different agencies and recruiters in London and was surprised just how many responses I got.

I can not stress just how much my blog has helped me get interviews both here and in London. Maintaining your own personal brand online is testimony that you can manage a client?s brand, as well as effectively communicate your interests, knowledge base and personality to prospective employers. In fact one of my recent London interviews came via a comment left on my blog by the head hunter of a global advertising agency.

I met with above the line agencies growing digital arms, a communications/strategy company, a small, purely digital agency that has just merged with a large global more traditional agency, purely digital marketing agencies, and another medium sized digital agency looking at reaching through the line. We chatted about agency structures, different roles, clients, processes, and the looming recession and its effect on digital marketing.

Some things I noticed were that many agencies were aggressively outgrowing their processes, many were having teething problems with new processes and educating non-digital suits and planners on digital processes, time frames, budgets and most importantly, thinking.

Additionally, the definition of roles was also extremely varied, some agencies had extremely loose JDs and others were extremely prescriptive. Project managers or producers? Account managers and producers/project managers or hybrid roles? And the golden question? who owns digital strategy? Hmm.. all fun and games really!

It seems that agencies are still changing and evolving as they refine their models, processes and services to better service their clients, as clients finally acknowledge the importance of engaging consumers in the digital channel. Clients realize that it’s not only cheaper but you get more bang for buck with more targeted campaigns and measurable ROI for their board members.

Many also believe that the ominous UK recession will not hit digital as clients will start spending TVC money on digital campaigns, and rich media adds online. Hence, many of them recognize that skilling up their agencies with passionate people with solid digital DNA is key! What can I say? This fantastic candidate market should be enough for you older readers to erase the dot com crash scars from your minds! So now for me it is sunny Sydney till I organize my visa!

http://jaxinteractive.wordpress.com

I am traveling in the middle east at the moment getting amongst the “real world” of camels, deserts, ancient ruins, geographical  wonders…and meeting some new friends!

In case you were wondering….

I will be back with some more marketing speak in a while.

Short video of Seth Godin discussing the virtues of curiousity…

Liberate yourself from mediocrity by being curious

and turn your TV off!!!