Archive for June, 2008
I don’t know if you realize this or not, but we seem to be in the midst of the second dotcom boom. Everyone has (or can easily have) their own website, most brick-and-mortar organizations are mirrored online, and now the organization that manages domain extensions like .com and .org (ICANN) has announced they will be relaxing their regulations and allowing ANYONE to apply for their own top level domain extension.
We have an in-ground pool in the back yard. It’s a great thing to have on 95+ degree summer days, particularly when we’re trying to save money to keep fueling the cars. In Oregon, though, the other 364 days of the year (yes, I’m exaggerating, but not by much…) make maintaining a pool quite a hassle.
Yesterday, I was sitting in a coffee shop chatting when I ran into the most interesting issue. The woman at the table next to us was on the phone, and her conversation became a little heated. Since it was a personal call, she decided to excuse herself from the shop and finish the call outside. Turning to our table, she asked how long we’d be there and if we’d be willing to watch and “make sure no one runs off with my coffee.”
I had the opportunity this past weekend to speak with a man very knowledgeable about barbecue. This was both fun for me, and upsetting. Growing up, “barbecue” has always meant “grilling on the patio” for me. It wasn’t until I was much older that I was exposed to the spices and robust flavors of “authentic” barbecue.
It’s amazing how much a price can affect the perception of a brand. A little while ago on SmarterMarkets, I commented on how the price of the new iPhone could possibly hurt its standing as a premium product. When a product can actually demand a price premium, making its price competitive in the market (lowering the price to something more reasonable) calls into question the blind respect customers gave in the first place. “Wow, the iPhone I just spent $399 on isn’t actually worth that much?”