Bringing Together Two Worlds - Evernote and IdeaPaint

Today's marketers are constantly looking for ways to bridge the gap between the online world and the "physical" world. Developing cross-product applications between the two worlds can be done successfully when the two compliment each other. I use an online note-taking application called EverNote. It comes in handy when I'm doing market or product research for a particular client. I can capture web sites, notes, scans, images, etc. effortlessly and deposit them into a secure, web-based folder. Along comes IdeaPaint. This physical product allows you to paint any smooth surface to create a white board for interactive collaboration between individuals and/or group brainstorming sessions.

Take a look at this video to get the real meaning of cross-product collaboration between two different worlds.

The Future According to Corning Glass

I found this YouTube video about the future according to Corning Glass. It's really kind of neat, but doesn't take into account alot of the "points of failure". You know, birds flying into glass windows, mud, etc. Still, it shows what a company with VISION can attempt to create. We all need a Vision Statement. Do you have one?

QR Codes - Scanning Study

I recently came across a poster that had three QR codes advertising three different educational events for teenage boys; Martial Arts, Boxing and Cross Training. You don't often see three QR codes on one advertisement. I was curious as to what the interface consequences would be if I took a scan of all three at once and then two at a time. I was using the QR Code Scanner Pro by The Jared Company. I held my BlackBerry Torch 12 inches away from the poster each time I scanned it. I took ten scans each time (three sets of ten) and the mobile web sites that launched were as follows:

Scanning all three at once:

Martial Arts - 1

Boxing - 9

Cross Training - 0

With this test, I placed my image screen so that the three were evenly lined up across my BlackBerry screen. It seems that the scanner picks up the middle of the screen 90% of the time. I'm not sure if the scanner technology scans the complete screen on my BlackBerry Torch or just down the center. The fact that it picked Martial Arts once could be because I accidently held the BlackBerry more to the left.

Scanning the two QR codes on the left:

Martial Arts - 2

Boxing - 8

Scanning the two QR codes on the right:

Boxing - 8

Cross Training - 2

The interesting thing about these last two scan tests is that both QR codes were lined up evenly in the middle of the screen, yet it still scanned the Boxing QR code most of the time. Is there such a thing as a "stronger" QR code? Anyhow, this test definitely tells me that you need to place the scanner image screen over one QR code at a time. Otherwise, you might find yourself taking multiple scans to get the mobile web site you want to view.

Ordering "Networking" Cards - Huh?

Saw this Vistaprint online ad on Pandora. What caught my eye and made me click on it was that it was advertising for 250 free "Networking Cards". Not "Business Cards", but Networking Cards. In today's day and age, business seems to begin with some sort of networking "event", whether it be social networking discussion boards, invitations or live networking events. The fact that Vistaprint is advertising cards, that are traditionally known as Business Cards, as Networking Cards is quite an evolution of this print medium. How can you take your product/service and re-brand it to meet a different target market or "event"?