Internet Retailer Chicago '08.

Another great conference. What makes IR special is that they bring a journalistic/unbiased look at the state of retailing online. They do their homework. And, somehow they convince some great practitioners of Internet Retailing to give sessions on what they find interesting going on in the space.

I was fortunate to go the full 3-days, and those of you who haven't gone yet......go. It is an excellent source of information, tips, tricks and good ole' plain business 101 advice (which is often the best). I happened to go to a session talk by Jack Kiefer of BabyAge.com. Kiefer is clearly a person who has "been there and done that". He clearly straddles the line of technologist to business steward. His session was a valuable lesson in, "this Internet thing takes persistence" and whether your the next Zappos, JC Penny's or just a home business making jewelry....get ready for some big peaks and valleys online. His business, while clearly ramping at a great, successful rate, has proven this with its share of tech hits and misses, lawsuits and general website transformation (go on the waybackmachine and see how they looked in '04). What made his presentation/session so great that he was candid, frank and cut straight to the take-aways. I found many presenters just like him at the conference.

I always hear so many of those in businesses think that having an Internet site is, "Just putting some pictures up online." Now, there is a point to this.....it isn't rock science....and like most business is pretty straight forward, good ole' common sense about serving a customer base.....but what makes Internet Retailing difficult is the plain truth that there is no "one fits all" formula to a successful site. There is no silver bullet technologies. No business requirement writing or 100-page RFP can be fool proof (and even if it were.....they'll lie to you to get the sale). Business is just as much about luck as it is discipline. You need both, along with a grind it out persistence. You need to know what business your in and you need to know why your customers choose (need) you....online.

So the next time your site goes down on a 501, your DBA says you have a memory leak, your warehouse manager says packing slips aren't printing, or all of a sudden all those scene7 images hosted on akami's network lag your overall load time to 5 seconds.....remember, these things happen to everyone. Your online "store" is not bullet proof. And just when things are running smooth get ready for the next iteration when your CEO wants to do business international in 5 currencies or your art director wants to use a flex driven outfit builder....or your SEO expert says your ajax navigation is crapping out your rankings (BTW, if your business is dependent on being found online via keywords besides your brand name.....don't be flashy, be text-y).....people don't visit sites that they haven't heard about because they look super cool and sexy (craigslist).

What I'm reading......

I remember a time at the University of Washington, that their school of journalism was hosting Kurt Vonnegut.

Vonnegut, being an outspoken humanist (is there a humanist that isn't outspoken in this western society of ours?)..... went on a brilliant lecture (ok, rant at times) that technology was changing our human relationships and the way we thought about each other. Think video games....think second life.....think the cell phone and text messaging. The medium is the message....etc. Vonnegut had a great story of how he used the type writer on his novels, then had to go to the post office to mail them to his editor, then had to meet face-to-face with his editor, so on and so on. That when he went to the post office, he knew the lady behind the desk, that he always stopped by the cafe or grocery store on the way there and met the usual suspects. That his job put him in contact (face-to-face) with people who then he formed "relationships" (note, relationships is used loosely here, but important nevertheless).

Well, what do I, the ever fan on technology. Good read......good like Peopleware.

Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology

WEB 2.0.....oh the joy.

Quick update. If anything, web 2.0 (man, do I hate that phrase) proves one thing. It takes a lot of personal time that would otherwise be used creating personal relationships, spending time with family, having a hobby or two, or actually working a job. A give a hardy applause to those who can manage to have a continuous blog on subject matter they love and still keep connected to the "off-line" world......