A Few Weeks In The Rearview Window
May 6, 2008 · Print This Article
Someone left the “Overlords” sticker on my desk. Those of you who familiar with our team, know we like stickers. This one is pretty funny and plays off the perception that a big company suffocates a small acquisition like Sphere.
So far, not the case. We like the access to resources, the enthusiastically warm welcome throughout AOL and autonomy. Net net, we’re very excited about AOL and how it will impact our product and distribution footprint. There is an immense amount of work still to do in order to a) provide our customers with the best related content technology and approach; b) provide a more comprehensive set of “self service” tools that enable all partners, small, medium and larger to quickly launch our service; and c) enable publishers to most efficiently determine the best ways to distribute and monetize their content. We’ve got good instincts about AOL, having been down this path a few times before. Here is a link to a video that Derick Mains shot last week at Web 2.0.
Sphere: Related Content
OK, so I get the part about how Sphere provides contextually relevant content, but I’m not clear on the “what’s in it for me” (as an independent blogger).
By utilizing your widget I essentially send me readers off my site — that’s the value prop?
I forgot to mention, I’m a longtime member of the BlogBurst network, so I’m somewhat familiar with a co-marketing syndication and affiliation model
http://www.blogburst.com
AOL has a horrible reputation that they have gained by being the only easy internet service provider available, and showed that by demonstrating that they did not need to care about customer service. The decision to focus on technical service at the expense of customer service has left a bitter legacy for many former AOL customers.
I’m glad that your company has had a temporary spike of attention. However, how do you deal with the backlash from the perception that AOL previously has alienated many of its customers? By not addressing “Customer Service,” your company’s public affairs memo may be the explanation of the -50 person drop in site visits. People love increased service, including myself, and I would love to sign up with you. But not at the expense of going through AOL’s customer service procedures once again. It would be like trying to work through Windows ME because they have a new file search function. It is not worth the potential hassle.
Best of luck. I mean it, because I think you and AOL need it.