Imagine joining a group of new friends over dinner. Listen to understand. Say something genuine, beneficial, and compelling. Quit jabbering.

I just heard about WolframAlpha from Steve Graham of the U of Chicago Computation Institute, a smart software guy not easily impressed.  Essentially, he said “you’d better see this.”  So I checked it out.  Here’s my first impression.
WolframAlpha presents a Google-like text entry field, wherein one enters subject matter or a formula.  The application provides [...]

Mike Sievert posted on one of my favorite topics:  brand differentiation and corporate strategy.  I think Mike gives a good round-up of positioning alternatives.  An excerpt below, full text here.
I think of differentiation on four dimensions (see illustration).

To me, differentiation happens on the four dimensions of Product Offering, Customer Connection, Business Model, and Availability. The [...]

Here is the best banner ad I’ve seen in some time.

It ran at breakfast time on Engadget.  I’m thinking the ad network knows I’m male, and maybe even a Lenovo ThinkPad owner (the computer equivalent of bigger, better bacon).
The merits:  The category is clear (bacon).  The differentiating benefit is clear (bigger).  Potential objections are headed [...]