Molecularist

Om Malik posts some thoughts from Robert Young reagrding community in product creation and the impact on company philosophy. One interesting point is how a cummunity in the end becomes its own lock-in to a product.

Hmm. Am I locked in to the products I participate in? Loyal, yes? But locked in? Perhaps, willingly.

Link: Om Malik’s Broadband Blog – Inherent Truths and Value of Community.

At the end, the lesson is one of a paradox. As the power shifts increasingly towards community, the corporation loses its grip on the traditional means of control. Yet, by letting go of control, the corporation creates an environment where the community willingly creates its own switching costs.

Read it for thoughts on what community means to product creation and product longevity. Good discussions.

‘Just’ a link. Anil is a great guy, very kind, and knows his stuff. Listen to
him.

I take it, this is the way Six Apart is going too? I’m sure some of this has trickled into  future products.

He is also a New Yorker who moved to SFO to work
with Six Apart. I have pestered him with countless questions about what it is like to
be a Nor’eaterner in SFO.* Interesting insights there, too. 😉

Link: Anil Dash: Web Development Trends for 2006.

Curious about what technologies and techniques are going to be popular in the coming months and into the next year? Well, our crack team of editors here at dashes.com (that is to say, me) have assembled a list of up-and-coming trends that you should keep an eye on. Call it vocational education for people building Web 2.0.

I have also pestered other New Yorkers I know who moved to SFO in the past years, since there’s a high (ugh!) possibility I might end up as one there too.

What I like about MoMo Mike is that he serves as a bridge for me between Web and mobile technologies – not only does he know both very well, but he thinks of them from the same perspective of mobility that I have. When he speaks of the things he does in the link below, he teaches me something in a way I can understand.

Link: This is Mobility – Blog Archive – Mobile Web.

What we need to be doing is figuring out how we can get mobile devices to interact with the same services that the desktop systems interact with.

For sure, I’d sign him up as one of the clever folk to ‘get the both of them to evolve in the same direction so that at some point there is no difference’.

The great product designers at 37signals are coming out with a book. Check out the table of contents. Some really good stuff there.

Link: Coming soon: Getting Real, the book – Signal vs. Noise (by 37signals).

We’re putting the finishing touches on our next book. We’re not sure what we’re going to call it yet, but here’s a peak at the latest version of the table of contents. The book will also include thoughts from folks like Mark Hurst of Creative Good, Seth Godin, and Jim Coudal, among others.

Here are the chapter titles:

• Introduction
• The Starting Line
• Stay Lean
• Priorities
• Feature Selection
• Process
• The Organization
• Staffing
• Design
• Code
• Words
• Pricing & Signup
• Promotion
• Support
• Post-Launch

Here are some really good sub-chapter headings:

• It Shouldn’t Be a Chore: Your passion – or lack of – for your product will shine through
• Embrace Constraints: Let limitations guide you to creative solutions
• Develop Mantras: Explicitly define the philosophy of your app
• Stripped Down: The importance of simplicity and clarity
• Sum It Up, Fast: If you can’t explain it on one page, don’t do it
• Human Solutions: Make flexible software that encourages people to create their own solutions
• Rinse and Repeat: Expect multiple iterations
• Meetings Suck: Don’t have meetings that last longer than 30 minutes
• Wordsmiths: Hire good writers
• Interface First: Design the UI before you start programming
• Copywriting is Interface Design: Words are a crucial component of your UI
• Less Software: Keep your code as simple as possible
• Open Up the Doors: Use APIs to encourage third-party applications
• Be a Storyteller: Write stories, not details
• Spec Off: Don’t write a functional specifications document
• Easy On, Easy Off: Make signup (and exit) a painless, no-brainer process
• Promote Through Education: Share your knowledge with the world
• Publicize Your Screwups: Get bad news out there and out of the way