This is Innovation

What is Creative Commons?

Creative Commons give everyone from individual creators to large companies and institutions a simple, standardized way to grant copyright permissions to their creative work. The Creative Commons licenses enable people to easily change their copyright terms from the default of “all rights reserved” to “some rights reserved.”

But..

Before you think this is for you there are a few things to consider first; such as..

• Make sure your work is copyrightable
• Make sure you have the rights
• Make sure you understand how the licence operates
• Be specific about what you are licensing

So

What are the License types?

Attribution

This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered, in terms of what others can do with your works licensed under Attribution. More info here

Attribution Share Alike

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. This license is often compared to open source software licenses. All new works based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use. More info here

Attribution No Derivatives

This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you. More info here

Attribution Non-Commercial

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms. More info here

Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. Others can download and redistribute your work just like the by-nc-nd license, but they can also translate, make remixes, and produce new stories based on your work. All new work based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also be non-commercial in nature. More info here

Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

This license is the most restrictive of our six main licenses, allowing redistribution. This license is often called the “free advertising” license because it allows others to download your works and share them with others as long as they mention you and link back to you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially. More info here

In summary…

Need Help choosing a License?

There is a tool to guide you through the process

For further info check out Wikipedia for a more rounded view

The future is bright…the future is mobile…

We are beginning to glimpse the power of mobile communications. Open source and the Freemium business model coupled with the iPhone and its App store have had a game changing influence in this area.

The following apps are not only great apps but show the possibilities for what could be possible but more importantly accessible.

Red Laser – Barcode Scanning Device

Are barcodes exciting? Not really. But RedLaser makes a good fist of making them much more interesting. It lets you scan barcodes using your iPhone camera, identifying products and then hunting down the best price online via Google Products and Amazon. The key use: you’re in a shop and want to check if a product is available cheaper online. It’s fully localised for the UK in terms of currency and Web sites, too. The serious use might be saving cash and sending high-street firms bust, but the silly use involves scanning every barcode in sight, just to see if you can stump it.

On a more serious level industrial and field based scanning devices have some cheaper competition.

SquareUp – Credit Card Payment Service

There are several apps on the iPhone designed to accept credit card payments but, as far as I can tell, SquareUp has the best set of features. It doesn’t require any contracts or monthly fees, and card payments can be accepted through a small device that plugs into the audio jack. Receipts can be sent via email or viewed online and text messages can be used to verify payments in real time.

There are even benefits to using the service for cardholders, much like the points you might accrue for making purchases. SquareUp lets business owners know that you are a repeat customer that may be entitled to a freebie—kind of like punch cards do now. They also donate one cent of each transaction to the charity of your choice.

SquareUP claims the service will roll out to everyone in 2010, which is good news for small businesses. No word yet on how much the swiping plug-in will cost, but you can bet that it will be a hell of a lot cheaper than the machines you currently have to contend with.

L5 – Universal Remote

With the L5 Remote, you have the power of a whole coffee table full of remotes with the elegance and simplicity of your iPhone or iPod touch. Out with the clutter and confusion, and in with everything you love about your iPhone or iPod touch: the sharp, brilliant display, the Multi-Touch interface, the versatility and portability. The L5 remote is a tiny accessory and app that gives you all the power and none of the complexity. It works without WiFi, external power, or batteries. Take it anywhere you want. Use it to control your TV, cable box, DVD, DVR, and most devices that come with an IR remote.

Layar – Reality Browser

The main reason right now for having an augmented-reality browser on your iPhone is so you can tell people you have an augmented-reality browser on your iPhone.  But AR apps such as Layar are also hugely intriguing, layering Web data over your handset’s live camera feed, letting you spin round Edinburgh Castle, for example, and see what places nearby have Wikipedia entries. Developers can create their own layers for anything. Ideal for Tourist trails. It’s a glimpse at the future…possibly.  Check out some examples here and here

Glympse – Real time Location

The modern world is all about mobility, and one of the most amazing things that can be done with any smart phone is the use of the Glympse app. This combines the power of Google Maps with GPS and lets friends, family members, and even co-workers or acquaintances see your exact location in real-time on a real map. It allows the user and the recipient to keep tabs on one another and even provides an accurate ETA to their destination.

Even though there are other apps that indicate someone’s whereabouts, the Glympse app is unique in that it provides information in accurate real-time and includes helpful stats and maps.

Apps I’d like to see

Moneydashboard – Personal Finance Software

Money Dashboard’s personal finance software links with your online banks and credit cards, showing you all of your spending in one place and helping you to understand where your money is going.

Geezeit – Fund raising and gifting portal

Give, Get, Raise Funds, Have Fun! Your GeezeIt lists are personal lists of things you’re interested in receiving from others; products, funds or intangibles. You can also use GeezeIt as a fund raising tool or use it for personal or group wish-lists. Let your friends and family know what you want for your birthday or let your fans know what kind of gear your band needs. Get your community to help you meet financial goals, raise money for college, build a new roof for the church! You can even use GeezeIt to build a wedding registry, shopping list or even just a list to remind yourself of things you like…..but seriously ‘ Get what you want, Give what they need’.

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Question: How do you create customer loyalty?

It takes people skills to create relationships…

It takes selling skills to create customers. However…

It takes strategic skills to turn those customers into loyal customers

So where do you start?

1. Establish Common Ground

• Positive relationship starts with a positive attitude. Relationships fizzle without trust and support.
• Know your customers before your meeting. Explore how their problems or goals with with your capabilities and solutions

2. Facilitate the transaction

• Send your prospectus information that is useful to their business.
• Present your best solution and your best alternative.
• Positively influence all stakeholders involved in the decision.
• Make it easy to say yes to your offer in the shortest time possible.

3. Build the Relationship

• Don’t disappear after the transaction. Learn more about your customers’ business and establish more points of contact.
• Show a personal interest in your clients. What do they do outside of work. Allow genuine relationships to establish naturally.
• Show appreciation, send handwritten notes, remember anniversaries. Uncommon courtesy is the ‘cement’ that bonds business relationships.

4. Form lasting loyalty

• When your clients go through difficult times, offer support. Out of difficulties grow new opportunities to serve.
• Resolve differences with tact and understanding. Accept responsibility for mistakes and correct them quickly.

Answer: Lasting loyalty is the result of your steadfast commitment to excellence.

Can you think of examples where you’ve done really well or screwed up with customers ? Well those clever people at Xplane have a poster especially for your bedroom wall. You can Download here.

How do you price your software? Is it art, science or magic?

Software always been difficult to determine value; especially when there is so much good stuff available Free. However there is a usefully short book will help you get the theory, practical advice and case studies you need to stop you just ‘rolling the dice’.

Oh yes….its Free!!…….What else!!

If don’t have time to read the book here are the takeaways.

Its not just about the product

You might think that your software product is just the bits and bytes that your customers download (or access online), but you’d be wrong.  What customers are actually paying you for is the entire experience of doing business with you.  Everything from how you market and sell the product, to how you help people use it and how you maintain it going forward.  All of it.  Your pricing should be based on this reality.

Perceived value is real value

It doesn’t matter how much “real” (objective) value you associate with your product. If your customers don’t perceive that value, they are not going to pay as much for it.  Hopefully, their perceived value is a function, to some degree, of the objective value.  If not, you’re screwing something up.

Community matters

The group that your customers belong to, or want to belong to will impact the price they’re willing to pay.  For example, some people buy hybrid cars not just because of the environmental benefit or the higher mileage but because they want to be part of that community.  The same reason some people buy a BMW.  Determine what kind of community you can build (or tap into) around your offering.  Help people belong to the community they want to belong to.

People do buy drills (not holes)

There’s the reasonably famous adage around “people buy holes, not drills”.  The point is to focus on the benefits, not features.  However it’s useful to keep in mind that holes can be a commodity, but people still sometimes pay $400 for a drill.  Benefits are important, but the direct benefiit is not the only one that customers value.

Differentiate or die

This one should be obvious.  If you have a product that’s about the same as all of your competitors, then you don’t really set your price — the market does.  Of course, nobody thinks of themselves as being identical to their competition (especially software companies).  Its difficult to differentiate but if your not different, you need to better, if not better you better be cheaper…actually you need to be Free.

Consider the competition

Just because it doesn’t make economic sense for a competitor to get in to a price war with you, it doesn’t mean they won’t do it.  Particularly if they’re big or well-funded. If you’re thinking about competing on price, keep that in mind.  Better yet, don’t do it at all.

Remember to be fair

Just because you can keep customers from doing certain kinds of things (unless they pay up), doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right (optimal) thing to do.  In the long term, it could actually hurt.  Try to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and envision if they think the way you price things is fair.

Taken from ‘Don’t just roll the Dice – A usefully short guide to software pricing‘

Productivity/Creativity

Middlespot

Middlespot is a better way to visually discover, collect, and organize what you like.  With a mashtab you can collect webpages, images, music, videos, web widgets, files, documents, code, and more in one central spot.

Evernote

Evernote allows you to easily capture your ideas, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere. Tweet or email direct to your account or Clip straight from the web. Brilliant and Free.

Sugarsync

SugarSync automatically backs up your files, photos and more, and syncs your PC, Mac and mobile phone. Your devices don’t have to be online at the same time to sync.”

Basecamp

Basecamp is a web-based tool that lets you manage and track projects (or simply ideas) and quickly create client/project extranets.

Xmind

XMind, combined with online sharing service, provides a great way to enable both team brainstorming and personal mind mapping.  A Gantt view allows you to easily track project tasks and schedules along with other project management features. I used Mindmanger for years..no more this piece of genius is Free.

Social Media

Tweetdeck

TweetDeck is your Free personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook and more.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a pretty neat little application that allows you to manage multiple twitter profiles at the same time. It also has several other useful and time saving features such as pre-set tweets, an RSS feeder and a URL shortener. Sound useful? It is, and Free.

Yammer

Yammer is a private micro-blogging service for in-company use. . In addition to microblogging there are discussion boards and users can form/join groups. There are also Yammer iPhone app and Blackberry clients.

Collaboration/Community

Mindmeister

Mindmeister supports all the standard features of a classic mind mapping tool – only online and Free, so a collaborative mind mapping tool….similar to Bubbl.us

Moodle

Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.

Ning

The app that allows you to build your own group network for Free. Ning groups where like-minded people exchange ideas. Best idea is to have a look at other networks and figure if this is the kinda thing you need.

Other

With our post ‘Built on Free‘ and the Great Tools section this lot should keep you ahead of the game.