Since Netflix released the first season of House of Cards on February 1, 2013, buzz around the series has been pretty strong. People on Facebook and Twitter are talking about the series saying it’s great, the rating of the show on the Netflix site is a high 4.5/5 stars, and on IMDB it’s rated 9/10 stars. Netflix did a great job of understanding viewer trends in this strategic release of their first miniseries. Generally, the way many people enjoy watching television is having a marathon and watching as many episodes as possible in a row. I, for instance, love to spend a Saturday every-so-often, watching as many episodes of a chosen TV show as possible. It’s a nice relaxing afternoon in. So of course it’s smart for Netflix to think that releasing the first season at once would complement consumer trends.

Additionally, Netflix was smart to study their consumers and notice that there was an audience who would be interested in Fincher’s material as a director and Spacey’s talent as an actor. The two of them together was a great opportunity for Netflix to capitalize on the interests of its paying customers. Their commitment to produce a minimum of two seasons highlighted Netflix’s solid understanding of their research and was a very intentional nod to their competitors (namely HBO, AMC, and Showtime) that they’re ready to play ball.

While the concept of the full release is great, there is one main flaw I see in the model. A release of the series once a year may cause there to be a diminished loyal long-term audience. The reason: people forget. While Season 1 of House of Cards was amazing, if viewers have to wait another year until the next season, they probably won’t be as interested. TV shows already have a hard time with retention between Spring sweeps airing and Fall season start dates, so how does House of Cards expect to overcome this obstacle? I’m not sure, but I hope that they release at least a few hours of exclusive episodes before next year’s Season 2 release.

Over the last 19 months, Google Plus (G+) has come and gone in the minds of many, but it seems now it’s making a forced comeback. The news that Google is ‘offering’ a free marketing service to its users is welcomed by some, but I think this move by Google is actually forcing people onto accounts… or else.

The offer as it stands: you get free marketing of your content as long as you update your G+ account. Google will then display your G+ account and information whenever a search is conducted for their name. Not only will it show brand content, but also the offer to follow. In other words, brands now get free advertising on search engine results pages, and they display of a big bold FOLLOW button to gain more followers. Of course, through gathering followers, brands are able to connect with audiences for much longer than just the length of their search.

So why is this a negative? Well, it’s clear that people haven’t been keen to jump onto the G+ bandwagon. It was good for brands to post because of the ability to strengthen SEO, but there was otherwise a very minimal value proposition. Now, though, brands are forced to be in a space they weren’t latching on to in the first place. If not, they lose control of the message and the brand: a fate no one would ever be happy with.

This poses the obvious question: will brands at least gain a strong following through this added feature, or will they be forced to update purely to fill a gap? My prediction is that while people may be somewhat interested in the content they may find, they likely won’t follow the brand unless they’re already active G+ users. Of course, I may be wrong, and this may be just the push G+ needed to get people active on the network.

It is considered widespread knowledge these days that businesses should have a voice through social channels and that they should maintain personal relationships with customers and audience members through these networks. The choice of which social network(s) is/are the best for the business is determined by a variety of factors, but one rule holds true across all of the networks: it is NOT a space to air your dirty laundry.

Earlier today I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, when I came across this post from a small Cleveland restaurant I enjoy frequenting when visiting my parents:

While it’s unfortunate to see that this restaurant is going through some growing pains, I’m very turned off by the admission of administrative drama. Yes, it’s true that many small businesses experience similar difficulties, but it doesn’t help their cause to let customers know what happens behind the curtain. Instead, a simple statement of “closed until further notice” or “closed for management transition” is enough.

Remember, your Facebook page is open for the world to see, and that includes your competitors. As a business, do you really want your competitors to know your weak spots? Do you really want to give people a reason to think negatively about your offerings? Time to make sure you’re not using your Facebook page as a place for therapy!

Since July 2011, I’ve been freelancing with ComfortZoneKiller LLC to come up with great ideas, develop concepts, research, strategize, and innovate. Two projects that I’ve worked on, WORKHORSES and unraveled are both mentioned in the most recent update out of the agency, and there’s a nice shout-out that I’m honored to have. I look forward to more great work and collaboration out of CZK!

You can read the update here.

ACADEMIA, COMPUTER & ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH, EXPLOSIVES DETECTION

ROLE: content development, writing

Blog Posts:

Handheld IED Detection Device with Firestorm Emergency Services

Breakthroughs in Ionic Polymer Characterization

Transition Task at CLE: The Student Perspective

Having been a part of the workforce since 2008 when I graduated from undergrad, I’ve lived through some tough times in the work world. I’ve seen how hard it is to get an enjoyable job, let alone a job that provides some sort of career trajectory. Paying the bills has been difficult at times, and coming to realize that life isn’t what you dreamed of all along was a tough pill to swallow. Now, though, things are finally starting to come together for me. Perhaps it’s that I’ve “put in my time”, and now I’ve earned the job I’ve been educated for all along. These are the frustrations of many in GenY, but there’s a problem: most GenY-ers aren’t trained for the jobs they could take to fill the gap! Let me explain…
 

Meet Anne

Anne is a recent college graduate who studied in a technical field and performed at the top of her class. Through school, she had a variety of internships and was involved in many extracurricular activities. She has stellar recommendations from her professors and supervisors, and her attitude is great! Unfortunately, she can’t seem to catch a break for one reason or another. What does she do? Well, if she’s anything like the majority of people this is happening to now, she will probably move back in with her parents, and take any job she can get to pay the bills. In time, her resume will not have made any improvement, and finding a job in her field will become less and less likely.

So why is Anne unfit for an office? Well, during all of her formal training, she was never taught the simple tasks like how to use a fax machine (yes these still exist), place a catering order, contact maintenance about an issue in the bathroom, or get someone in to repair the broken office coffee machine. She doesn’t understand that while there is a pecking order in an office, you shouldn’t sit around until you’re told to do something. Anne wants to move up in the office, but she needs to take charge herself. Unfortunately, today’s youth look for a defined set of instructions in order to feel comfortable moving forward on a project. In today’s work environment, it takes a fierce competitor who tackles tasks without being told that they need done in order to make headway. This means that as important as that internship was to Anne’s knowledge of her field, she still needs to learn the basic office tasks, and know that she will be expected to carry them out once hired.
 

Office vs. State-of-the-Art Classroom

Here is the origin of the problem. In many cases, GenY comes from a space where educators and institutions are concerned (and rightfully so) with having state-of-the-art, forward thinking environments available for students. They are so immersed in their own field and work, that they never learn what it takes to keep the machine running. Now, I have nothing against the advanced professional development that is provided in the classroom, but this is not congruent with the office environment a GenY-er like Anne will first encounter. What is hidden behind the curtain is the fact that the world still moves at a slower-than-expected rate, and that in the real world you still have to learn to tie your shoes before you can run (there are very few slip-on running shoes provided).
 

Is There A Solution?

There may be a solution, but we have to work to get there. The sense of self-worth that Anne and GenY-ers like her are losing needs to be addressed alongside it. We need to not only train tomorrow’s leaders, but also today’s successful professionals. This means that placing a worth on basic office knowledge that many find to be common sense is of importance. What was once the norm of knowledge is now sought after, and GenY needs to be prepared to work to move up the ladder. Their education will be a tool to use as they continue to gain more professional experience, but it’s a long road ahead. For now, though, training a workforce that will be successful in the office but that aims for something higher is key.