I’ve spent the past several days doing a delightfully left-brain activity: getting income tax information ready for the accountant. Yes, I’m late. What else is new?

I’m changing over from MS Money (which I’ve used for years) to QuickBooks Pro 2007.

Through this seemingly “easy” installation and conversion process, I’ve had to install QuickBooks, download two conversion tools (one to convert Money to Quicken, and one to convert Quicken to QuickBooks), download the Google DeskTop (recommended by QuickBooks), download two versions of Quicken (2004 and 2006), search through forums and Knowledge Bases, and finally call Technical Support.

The problem is, the solutions don’t work. Now, QuickBooks Pro crashes every time I try to use it, and the conversion tool to convert Money to Quicken won’t open at all.

Am I happy customer with QuickBooks Pro 2007? Noooooooooooooooooo.

What can software developers learn from this delightful experience?

1. Put clear, easy-to-understand instructions about typical problems like this in user’s manuals, help files, knowledge base areas, etc. In my situation, I dug through all of those places and had to call Technical Support to find the answer. MS Money has come packaged on many computers through the years, and people often continue using it since they’re used to it. There needs to be an easier solution.

2. Have how-to videos that demonstrate how “easy it is” to do certain tasks. For something as complicated as this project has turned out to be, there should be videos, audio clips, whole sections of a manual, etc.

Instead, I found one forum post from Intuit that didn’t even give correct information! How helpful is that?

As a software developer, you need to make sure that whoever is posting to your forums gives out the correct information.

(more…)

Digg It | Post to del.icio.us | Post to Reddit

Look and think beyond the obvious . . .

Look at your Web site as a whole. Don’t look at just the four fingers. Everything is important. View your Web site as if from the sky looking down:

1. Navigation (very important: straight from Matt Cutts). Don’t play a game of Clue with me on your Web site. I don’t want to guess whether the polka dot watch can be found under “Fashion Watches,” “Stylish Watches,” or “New Age Watches.” I just want the polka dot watch! Remember that navigation is for your users AND the search engines.

2. Writing, graphics, theme, and everything else must match. If you have a hobby store but the atmosphere of the store doesn’t make me want to play, am I going to be in the buying mood?

3. New valuable content added on a regular basis (very important: straight from Matt Cutts). Don’t bore me with the same content. Give me fresh new content all the time. Keep me interested. The site should be about ME ME ME, your visitor.

4. Hook (very important: straight from Matt Cutts). Hook me into coming back, and hook me into telling all my friends about you. Hook me into linking to your site. Grab me kicking and screaming to your site by the captivating title and description you’ve put in the search engine results. Sell me on coming to your site in the first place, and then keep me there. Don’t make me want to hit the back button. The back button is very tempting to hit, so you’d better captivate me . . . and FAST.

(more…)

Digg It | Post to del.icio.us | Post to Reddit

Have you ever seen the movie Patch Adams starring Robin Williams? If you haven’t seen it at all or if it’s been a while, I highly suggest that you watch it again. What lessons you can learn!

At the beginning of the movie, Patch commits himself to a psychiatric hospital as a suicidal patient. While in the hospital, one patient kept going up to other patients holding up four fingers. He would ask how many fingers he was holdling up, and everyone responded “four.” The man would yell, “Idiots!” and storm away.

Patch found this fascinating, so he learned more about the gentleman. The patient was a high profile, wealthy businessman who had checked himself into the hospital. He found it difficult to deal with other people who didn’t understand him.

One night, Patch stopped by the gentleman’s room. He first fixed the man’s cup, which the man watched intently. Patch then asked him the meaning of the fingers.

The patient held up four fingers and asked Patch how many he was holding up. Patch shrugged and said four. The man patiently told Patch to look at him, the man, instead of his fingers. Patch studied the man for a long moment, and he finally said, “Eight.”

The man smiled and said, “That’s a good answer.” Someone actually understood him.

Notice that he didn’t say, “That’s the answer.” He said it was a good answer, as if there could be other answers as well.

Try it yourself. When you look at the man and not the fingers, you’ll see twice as many fingers. You’re seeing beyond the obvious.

What on earth does this have to do with you and your Web site? (more…)

Digg It | Post to del.icio.us | Post to Reddit

Last night I watched To Catch a Thief starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. I had no idea that the Peter Sellers’ Pink Panther movies were a spin off of To Catch a Thief! Did you?

The Peter Sellers’ movies began in 1963 and ended in 1978. More information can be found on Wikipedia. After Peter Sellers died, three more movies were made about the Pink Panther or Peter Sellers’ character.

In 1996, Steve Martin starred in The Pink Panther, which were spin offs to the old Peter Sellers’ movies. In 2008, Steve Martin may be starring in a Pink Panther sequel.

Look at how many movies were spin offs of To Catch a Thief!

If you were born in 1978, you would be 29 years old now. You could conceivably never have seen any of the Peter Sellers’ movies.

However, if you’re a Baby Boomer or older, you know those crazy Peter Sellers’ movies. We all loved them. I was thrilled and so surprised to find that old Cary Grant and Grace Kelly movie.

Did you know that the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors starring Steve Martin and Rick Moranis is a remake of the 1960 version starring Jack Nicholson as the masochistic dental patient? Can you imagine Nicholson as the dental patient, playing the same role that Bill Murray played in the more current version?

The Internet Movie Database has this to say about the 1960 version:

“As an added curio, this features Jack Nicholson in his first ever appearance in a feature film (he was in one short film before it), as the nerdy, masochistic patient who squeals with delight when the dentist is drilling holes in his mouth and pulling teeth. Though its only a five minute part, it’s a great part.”

I would buy the film just to see Jack Nicholson in that part. Can you imagine?

If you have a movie site, what can you do with information like this?

This is one way that you can compete with the Amazons of the world!

(more…)

Digg It | Post to del.icio.us | Post to Reddit

I’m sure you’ve heard the story of the little Boy Scout who was missing in North Carolina recently. He was missing for three or four days before the searchers found him.

After three days, the parents agreed to be interviewed by the press. One brilliant journalist asked the parents how they felt about their child being missing.

The father’s tone completely changed. He said that when he agreed to the interview, he made it clear to the press that the interview would be totally about his son and the search and not about how he or his wife were feeling. They were on an horrendous roller coaster ride, and they wanted their private feelings kept private.

It’s always blown me away how seemingly caring journalists always ask grieving families that same question. Their son is missing or their daughter has been brutally raped, and the journalist wants to know how the family is feeling.

If it were my child, I’d scream, “How the hell do you think I feel? How would YOU feel if it were your son or daughter? Don’t you even think before you ask questions?”

Why do journalists ask these questions? Because they believe their viewers want to know, and they want to sell more newspapers.

But I believe their readers are intelligent enough to know how the victims’ families and friends are feeling at that point in time. I believe readers would appreciate the professionalism of journalists who wouldn’t ask such insensitive questions.

I know that sensationalism sells, but do insensitive questions sell?

To me, it insults my intelligence when journalists asks these stupid, horribly insensitive questions, because we all know how the person feels.

Keep in mind that I’ve been a journalist in the past, so I stood on that side of the fence for ten years.

How does this translate to the online environment?

(more…)

Digg It | Post to del.icio.us | Post to Reddit