Uncategorized7 Comments

Web 2.0 companies, versus poor old Banks

Colin Henderson

Imagine my glee this morning when I came across two of my favourite bloggers agreeing on something where I totally disagree! [disclosure;  I have a vested interest in the subject matter – more on that later] James says: In fact, as far as I can tell, the difference between a web financial services company that is driven to get profits by shareholders and a bank that is driven to get profits by shareholders is practically nil. Source:  Bankervision And Ron picks up on the topic, bringing in the Credit Unions: Bottom line: CUs can’t rely on messaging and positioning statements … Continue reading Web 2.0 companies, versus poor old Banks

Web/Tech

Things Sir Tim Berners-Lee is excited about internet

Colin Henderson

Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the web in 1991. He regards Web 2.0 as pretty basic and part of the evolution he expected, that the web would be two way and provide for user generated content.   …  but he is more excited by other things Although he is somewhat sceptical of the hype around Web 2.0, Sir Tim is excited by three other areas of the web’s development: its spread to millions of new users via mobile devices, the growing interest in the technology’s social and political impact and the semantic web, in which information is labelled so that it makes … Continue reading Things Sir Tim Berners-Lee is excited about internet

AI

Blogs for complaint management: Leveraging the blogosphere

Colin Henderson

 An excellent example from Charis.  A couple commented about a hotel on their blog, and got this response.  Obviously the hotel is monitoring their mentions in Technorati/ Google Blogsearch, and following up. They were a bit disappointed when they found out on arrival that the restaurant was closed over the Christmas period. They mentioned this on the blog as part of their commentary of the places they visited whilst on holidays. Just last week the head office of the hotel chain posted a comment on their blog to apologise about the restaurant being closed and to offer them a free … Continue reading Blogs for complaint management: Leveraging the blogosphere

Profitability

Apple stores get the last laugh – (37signals)

Colin Henderson

Sales per square foot in Manhattan.   Apple blows the doors off traditional retailing. Saks, whose flagship is down the street, generates sales of $362 per square foot a year. Best Buy (Charts) stores turn $930 – tops for electronics retailers – while Tiffany & Co. (Charts) takes in $2,666. Audrey Hepburn liked Tiffany’s for breakfast. But at $4,032, Apple is eating everyone’s lunch. Source: Apple stores get the last laugh – (37signals)   Technorati tags: sales+metrics, Apple Continue reading Apple stores get the last laugh – (37signals)

Innovation

Finextra: Barclays launches overseas mortgage Web site

Colin Henderson

Barclays launch a mortgage site for customers seeking mortgages outside of UK.  The website reinforces Barclays position as a leading player in the overseas mortgage market and is a key component in the bank’s strategy to increase the amount of business it does with intermediaries and increase its market share in overseas mortgages. Buying property abroad has become increasingly popular with British people over recent years and selling overseas mortgages could provide an additional source of income for many intermediaries. Source: Finextra: Barclays launches overseas mortgage Web site   Technorati tags: Barclays, mortgages, non+resident Continue reading Finextra: Barclays launches overseas mortgage Web site

Uncategorized

Bank of America Achieves Highest Adoption of Online Bill Pay Among Leading Banks, According to comScore Networks

Colin Henderson

Bank of America leads the way in customer penetration for bill pay, in the US.   Source: Bank of America Achieves Highest Adoption of Online Bill Pay Among Leading Banks, According to comScore Networks   Technorati tags: bill+pay, BofA, Bank+of+America Continue reading Bank of America Achieves Highest Adoption of Online Bill Pay Among Leading Banks, According to comScore Networks

VRM

Chips talk to you as you walk around Ginza

Colin Henderson

 This fascinating experiment is indicative of the real networked future, when buildings and companies will talk to you as you walk by.  This is makes VRM the more essential, because I don’t want to be bothered by every building as I walk by. TOKYO – Downtown strollers looking for directions, store guides or historical tidbits will be able to get an earful without talking to anyone – thanks to 1,200 computer chips embedded around Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district. The information can be heard through earphones that pick up signals from chips stuck in cement, lampposts and subway-station ceilings. The 1 billion yen … Continue reading Chips talk to you as you walk around Ginza

Profitability

Congressional Hearing on Credit Card Fees & Practices

Colin Henderson

Canadian Banks are under government fire for ATM fees.  Now US Banks are getting pressure on credit card fees.  The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Carl Levin (D-MI), has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, March 7, 2007, on “Credit Card Practices: Fees, Interest Rates, and Grace Periods”. Source: Banking Law Prof Blog: Congressional Hearing on Credit Card Fees & Practices   Technorati tags: bank+fees Continue reading Congressional Hearing on Credit Card Fees & Practices

Uncategorized3 Comments

Rethink from Unspace

Colin Henderson

I wanted to introduce this new blog from Unspace, a Ruby on Rails shop in Toronto, that are probably one of the best in North America. They happen to be working [disclosure] on a project I am involved in (more very, very soon) and I am genuinely impressed with their approach and work. I’ve said it before.  I would love to see someone rebuild online banking in Rails.  The cost, and development timeline is exponentially different than C++, and the result is something designed for the web.   Technorati tags: ruby+on+rails, unspace Continue reading Rethink from Unspace

Business Models, Social networks1 Comment

Wonderful description of Wikipedia – clues to the future

Colin Henderson

 Henry Jenkins has posted his notes to remarks at the Beyond Broadcast conference.  This is a wonderful description of Wikipedia, and the convergence of forces that creates something brand new which could not have existed before.  This is the real power in the social net, where business models are formed in ways that could not have otherwise occurred. Wikipedia has developed strong ethical standards that enable people with wildly divergent beliefs to work together towards a common project; they focus on the shared infrastructure that they all need in order to achieve their aims rather than on the individual points … Continue reading Wonderful description of Wikipedia – clues to the future