I'm at NRF - It's all about Omnichannel!
I am live at NRF. We saw Bush in the morning and Ginni Rometty, our IBM CEO is coming up in the afternoon!
Here's what I think is the one of the most important elements in 2014 for retailers: Omnichannel.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PMALIV-Nu4&feature=youtu.be]
My favorite Infographic of the Week! What does Success look like for a Mobile App Startup!
I now get to manage IBM's Global Entrepreneur program. I love learning about the new start-up business models and that's why this Infographic made my top of the list for this week!
Fascinating facts:
- Top performers spent 14% of their time on marketing but did you know that less than 52% of start-ups save any money for Marketing?
- Did you know that 68% earned less than $5K on their first successful app?
Watson Hot News !!! $1B, $100B, 51
Today IBM unveiled its plans to embark on a bold new direction with Watson by launching the IBM Watson Group, a new business unit dedicated solely to the development and commercialization of cloud delivered cognitive innovations. This is a strategic shift by IBM to accelerate into the marketplace a new class of software, services and apps that think, improve by learning, and discover answers and insights to complex questions from massive amounts of disparate data.
I am here in the room in downtown NYC at this announcement Event!
Through the IBM Watson Group, IBM will continue to provide our academic partners with the types of tools and resources needed to help students build the T-shaped skills (discipline depth and cross-industry breadth) needed to succeed in the era of cognitive systems. This includes new workshops and seminars at its headquarters on topics such as development skills and techniques, as well as networking opportunities for students, academics and professionals.
Following are key details about today's announcement:
- IBM will invest more than $1 billion into the Watson Group, focusing on development and research and bringing cloud-delivered cognitive applications and services to market.
- This will include commitments of $100 million in venture investments to support IBM's recently launched ecosystem of start-ups and businesses that are building a new class of cognitive apps powered by Watson, in the IBM Watson Developers Cloud.
- The IBM Watson Group will have a new headquarters at 51 Astor Place in New York City's "Silicon Alley" technology hub, leveraging the talents of approximately 2,000 professionals, whose goal is to design, develop and accelerate the adoption of Watson cognitive technologies.
There are several other ways in the near future that you can learn more about the new IBM Watson Group and the way that cognitive systems will transform how we live, learn and conduct business:
- Register for a virtual conversation on Jan. 17 with Katharine Frase, IBM vice president and chief technology officer, global public sector and Chalapathy Neti, IBM director of education transformation research about the role of cognitive computing in education.
- Attend IBM Global Entrepreneur Week virtually or in person, Feb. 3-7, for online and in person venture and startup focused events including a presentation from Fluid, a startup using Watson technology to transform the retail industry.
As always, please reach out to us with any questions, ideas or opinions about the IBM Watson Group. We invite you, your students, colleagues and network to join us in the ongoing conversations about IBM Watson via social media using #IBMWatson. You can also watch this video series that brings the IBM Watson story to life.
Girl with a blog in 2014!
I have been reading all the 2014 trends for social! One thing I found interesting was the number of articles that included blogging coming back -- I just share a few here!
The blog is back!
Creating great content on a regular basis and driving traffic back to your site is going to remain the number #1 way to generate new leads. This means as a small business, if you don't have a blog yet, it's time to start one.
Here are 4 reasons you need to blog:
- Drive traffic to your website
- Increase your SEO!
- Position your brand as an industry leader and showcase your POV!
- Develop better customer relationships
Social Business is all about People! In 2014, 3 Big Priorities!
Social Business is about 3 things:
1. Empowering People to activate a digital ecosystem!
2. Trusting People to create an authentic, and effective way of working!
3. Understanding people through actionable analytics
To be a strategic Social Business, start with Empowerment! It is a great way to start in 2014! Empowerment starts at home -- with your workforce -- and then extends to partners and clients.
With those empowered employees, your business processes will become more competitive.
To be your best in this new year, you need to Understand People and their choices and decision making ability. Analytics is your best friend!
Social Business Coffee Break: Interview with Janet Powers of Woman's Toolbox
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9ZAh9fSUMA&feature=youtu.be]
Don't miss Connect! THE Social Event of the year!
I hope you join me at Connect 2014!!!
It is not to be missed!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcoW73-kmA4&feature=youtu.be]
Saturday and my Favorite Infographic of the Week!! Millennials
Happy Saturday ! This one of my favorite infographic of the week on the new client -- the Millennial! These folks are wed to technology -- so much so that 53% of them would rather give up their sense of smell than of technology! WOW!
Let's go fly a kite! The Social Flight!
This weekend I went to see "Saving Mr Banks" which is the story about how Disney received rights to the character of Mary Poppins! (It was a great movie!) My favorite part of the movie was how the song "Let's go fly a kite" came to be -- and it got me thinking about kites and social.
There's an old saying in China - "those who fly a kite can have a long life." Interesting --- kite flying on a regular basis can lead to longevity!
What does fly a kite mean in the Social Business world?
Get started --- and keep trying! You may not be able to get the kite up the first time. Keep going -- endure the failure! The same is true for Social. Starting is the hardest. You may experience some failure -- ensure through it and learn the ropes!
Practice! To fly a kite, you need to practice. My daughter and I tried multiple times at the beach and finally got the kite up! In Social, to really see results, you need to keep going and practice! Social requires learning the tools and the practices as well as your clients.
Fun! Yes, flying a kite is fun. It is relaxing. Social is the same. Keeping touch with your clients is fun --- not just the business side but the personal as well!