Wordpress 3.1 Simplifying User Experience

"I just want to write and share photos/videos with my family and friends" -the majority of new bloggers
It's easy for blogging terminology can go beyond people's care.  I know because I started off blogging with one goal at mind: Show photos of my trips around the world.  I had no clue what CMS (content management system) software, managing menus, .etc meant nor did I give a rats poop (I was in the mood to say poop, sorry).  And I'm pretty certain that there are many people out there feel the same.  Be able to blog without having to learn much of the computer lingo. That's why I'm so happy about the newest Wordpress 3.1 release.  It's definitely becoming more user friendly and easier to manage daily tasks much easier.  The newer functions are really going to help newbie bloggers worry less about becoming computer literate and able to focus more on creating fun content for friends and family.

One small step for man, One GIANT leap for Admin

**btw, the word Admin refers to the blog writer (Newbie respect) [caption id="attachment_1213" align="alignnone" width="485" caption="One click to new post!"]
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[/caption] One of the simplest, yet daunting tasks for blogging beginners is switching back and forth between a "front end" (this is your actually website that the public sees) and using a "back end" (this is where you manage your blog articles).  When I started Wordpress, I was confused at times on how to switch back and forth.  Maybe some can relate to the problem of having to type in [wp-admin] at the end of your url to enter your dashboard?  Thank goodness that the Wordpress community addressed such questions. Happily, Wordpress 3.1 has made going back and forth between the front and back ends much easier with the new admin bar.  As long as the admin is logged into their blog (this usually tends to be the case if you have a blog) you can simply use the admin bar to create a new blog post or go to the more common content parts of your blog.  This is extremely nice!  Though it may seem like a simply little add on, blogging experience has shown me that when processes get simplified, more people will use it much more often.  That's why Posterous and Tumblr have been able to grow incredibly fast; however, I like a little more control with the look and feel of blogging which is why I stick to Wordpress. When processes become easier, people are able to actualize their goals with less frustration. For the Wordpress world, more blog posts and amount of content should increase.  That's great for me as I'm always on the hunt for some good writers.

Business Takeaway:  Remove steps without quality results in increased use and satisfaction

The additions of Wordpress 3.1 are great for newbie bloggers.  And the same concept of making processes applies to all forms of business.  Have you noticed that more and more sites are carrying the "login with facebook" button to create a profile account?  Companies aren't doing this because they want to make it look like they are associated to Facebook or to share data.  Rather, they are doing it because it makes creating a profile much easier and so people are more likely to do it.  When studying ecommerce sites, think about the purchasing process and how many pages you see.  Sites using simply shopping habits (you're in and out quickly) are producing much higher sale conversions and not having as many people drop out of the purchasing process. So with that rant, congrats to the Wordpress Team and community that contributed to 3.1.  I'm loving it!

Nike+ Best Practice for Twitter

Benefits of Having a Sense of Humor Retail shops and social media...if it wasn't for Twitter or Facebook, I definitely would not be having the types of interactions with companies that I am accomplishing. I ask questions and send comments through social channels and companies are actually responding pretty quickly. It's effective, keeps me (the customer) engaged, and it's easy to do. Finally, I don't have to spend 10 minutes on the phone as I try to tell a robotic voice how to direct my call. By then, I have no motivation or desire to give companies feedback on products or services, and I think most people would say the same. "If I'm on the phone for 10 minutes, it's to get my product fixed, a refund, and just go off on someone because I'm angry!!" So that's what I enjoy about Twitter and Facebook company pages. I can offer recommendations, feedback on advertising campaigns, heck I can even just say hello, and some companies are saying "hi" back! And for the ones exchanging good conversions, not the ones that are trying to stuff me with a buY bUY BUY message, they are generating some good buzz. No one, at least that I know, talks about the great customer experience or service after sharing a call for 30 minutes to get something fixed; however, when a company responds correctly and timely on Twitter or Facebook, people are definitely speaking about that. "Hey guys, Nike gave me the coolest response..." Many retail shops are realizing the benefits of some good online dialogue. After analyzing Facebook and Twitter pages of several small independent retail shops, "fans" are recommending the how to make the next product that will meet customer expectations. And some large companies, which brings me to my Nike+ experience, are conversing with customers in personalized ways helping to eliminate that feeling that large companies think about customers in terms of numbers and scalability. If you are in the corporate world, I know you can relate. Call it bold, call it smart... I've been using Nike+ (Nike loyalty program) for about a year and it's pretty cool if you need some motivation to get off the couch or just want to turn running into a social "thingy". I push my running stats onto facebook, and it's actually has a motivational effect on myself. When I haven't ran for a little while, my friends ask me, "What's wrong man? Haven't seen you FB'in about your runs."...a definite motivator.  Anyhow behind the scenes, Nike+ has a strong loyalty program for their running members, in which I was just allowed to download a screen saver that shows me the running times of people around the world. [caption id="attachment_994" align="alignnone" width="590" caption="I received this in my email"]
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[/caption] The screensaver is realllly cool.  I was so impressed by the screen saver, that I had to tweet about it: [caption id="attachment_997" align="alignnone" width="515" caption="tweet I sent to @Nikeplus"]
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[/caption] And funny enough, I got the best response that I could imagine: [caption id="attachment_996" align="alignnone" width="515" caption="@Nikeplus reponds to me. I laugh :)"]
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[/caption] I definitely laughed (I actually LOL'ed and made a little gasping breath sound).  Why??  Because I took the comment as "oh crap!! I didn't mean that to happen"; something a friend would say.  And so I wanted to tell all my friends, and immediately saw this as one of best ways that retail companies can use Twitter: Lay aside the promotional talk and make customers smile. To the reps in charge of @Nikeplus Twitter account, you made me laugh and I have told my story to my close friends (fans and non-fans). Thanks again for the giggle. Background Knowledge:
  • For people unaware, Nike+ is a sensory program that can be attached to a shoe to track running or walking performance.
  • I interviewed employees within retail shops (shoes and t-shirts) and news sites (online magazines) to see what impacts social networks have on their business strategy. Most use the social mediums for promotional purposes; however, people of larger companies expressed how social networks are evolving more into a customer service oriented channel. Customers are heading to Twitter and Facebook to get faster answers to questions as opposed to talking to the phone robot.
And Finally to Nike: And if I could just recommend one thing in case you (Nike) are reading this post, I think it would be very engaging and fun to associate promotions with levels being acheived. Some examples:
  • water bottle vouchor for reaching green level
  • intriguing shoe discount for reach a further level...let's face it, by then you probably wore out 3-4 pairs of shoes.
This is amazing program and I look forward to seeing and contributing to its development. If you find idea of tracking your progress regarding your running or walking, I'm going to advocate for the Nike+ . It may sound silly to use stick a little sensor in your shoe, but it really has motivated me to run. UPDATE (Feb 18th 2011): [caption id="attachment_1188" align="alignnone" width="505" caption="Once again, a nice reply"]
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