Jeetu's shared memory
Senators Call Out Facebook On ‘Instant Personalization’, Other Privacy Issues
Posted at TechCrunch
by Jason Kincaid
Last week, Facebook launched some major new products, including social plugins, its Like button for the web, and its Open Graph API. It also launched a product that has some serious privacy issues: ”Instant Personalization”, which automatically hands over some of your data to certain third-party sites as soon as you visit them, without any action required on your part. I’ve previously discussed at length why I think this could lead to a major backlash. And now four Democratic US Senators — Charles Schumer, Michael Bennet, Mark Begich and Al Franken — are calling on Facebook to change its policies.
This morning the senators sent a letter addressed to Mark Zuckerberg that details these issues (they’ve also separately reached out to the FTC, urging it to establish more rules around social networks). Here are the senators’ three main concerns, along with my own commentary:
1. Publicly available data. Facebook’s expansion of publicly available data to include a user’s current city, hometown, education, work, likes, interests, and friends has raised concerns for users who would like to have an opt-in option to share this profile information. Through the expanded use of “connections,” Facebook now obligates users to make publicly available certain parts of their profile that were previously private. If the user does not want to connect to a page with other users from their current town or university, the user will have that information deleted altogether from their profile. We appreciate that Facebook allows users to type this information into the “Bio” section of their profiles, and privatize it, but we believe that users should have more control over these very personal and very common data points. These personal details should remain private unless a user decides that he/she would like to make a connection and share this information with a community.
The senators are spot on: Facebook has been systematically stripping away users’ privacy one item at a time and adding it to the bucket of information it considers publicly accessible. It’s debatable whether or not a user’s list of friends, or Interests and Activities (which recently could be made private but are now all public Fan Pages) really constitute sensitive information. But the fact of the matter is that people built their profiles under the impression that they were private, and users don’t stand to benefit by having their control over this data reduced.
2. Third party data storage. Previously, Facebook allowed third-party advertisers to store profile data for 24 hours. We are concerned that recent changes allow that data to be stored indefinitely. We believe that Facebook should reverse this policy, or at a minimum require users to opt in to allowing third parties to store data for more than 24 hours.
I’ve heard from multiple sources that Facebook had almost no way to enforce the 24 hour third-party data storage policy, and that many developers routinely ignored it and kept data for longer than 24 hours. The big guys — Zynga and the like — have to keep everything above board, so this change is probably primarily directed at them. Comforting? Not at all. But regardless of Facebook’s policy it will have a hard time enforcing this.
3. Instant personalization. We appreciate that Facebook is attempting to integrate the functionality of several popular websites, and that Facebook has carefully selected its initial partners for its new “instant personalization” feature. We are concerned, however, that this feature will now allow certain third party partners to have access not only to a user’s publicly available profile information, but also to the user’s friend list and the publicly available information about those friends. As a result of the other changes noted above, this class of information now includes significant and personal data points that should be kept private unless the user chooses to share them. Although we are pleased that Facebook allows users to opt-out of sharing private data, many users are unaware of this option and, moreover, find it complicated and confusing to navigate. Facebook should offer users the ability to opt-in to sharing such information, instead of opting out, and should make the process for doing so more clear and coherent.
Again, spot on. The thought of a future where the Web is more social and customized to your interests is really cool. The fact that Facebook decided to enroll all of its users into this new futuristic web without asking them to opt-in is ridiculous. And while Facebook is restricting this program to only three services for now — Pandora, Yelp, and Docs.com — it obviously hopes to expand it.
Elliot Schrage, Facebook VP of Global Communications, responded to the senators with his own letter (embedded below). One key passage (emphasis mine):
Specifically, these new products and features are designed to enhance personalization and promote social activity across the Internet while continuing to give users unprecedented control over what information they share, when they want to share it, and with whom. All of Facebook’s partner sites interact with a user’s consent.
The problem here is that Facebook definitely did not get users’ consent to do this. Yes, there’s an option to turn off Instant Personalization in Facebook’s privacy settings. And yes, whenever you visit one of these Instantly Personalized sites there’s a bar at the top of the screen that you can also use to turn it off. Unfortunately, most people have no idea what any of this means.
Let’s get one thing straight: Facebook does offer quite a few privacy controls, and it offers a wealth of information describing them. In fact, it offers so much control and information that it is utterly overwhelming to most users, who simply don’t bother with it. Facebook knows that people don’t necessarily know what’s going on, but that hasn’t stopped it from racing forward at a clip pace. The social network may not like it, but it’s probably a good thing that these senators are looking to put a few speed bumps on the way.
Schrage letter via CNN.
Top photo by Steve Maller Photography
Information provided by CrunchBase
Posted at TechCrunch
by Jason Kincaid
Last week, Facebook launched some major new products, including social plugins, its Like button for the web, and its Open Graph API. It also launched a product that has some serious privacy issues: ”Instant Personalization”, which automatically hands over some of your data to certain third-party sites as soon as you visit them, without any action required on your part. I’ve previously discussed at length why I think this could lead to a major backlash. And now four Democratic US Senators — Charles Schumer, Michael Bennet, Mark Begich and Al Franken — are calling on Facebook to change its policies.
This morning the senators sent a letter addressed to Mark Zuckerberg that details these issues (they’ve also separately reached out to the FTC, urging it to establish more rules around social networks). Here are the senators’ three main concerns, along with my own commentary:
1. Publicly available data. Facebook’s expansion of publicly available data to include a user’s current city, hometown, education, work, likes, interests, and friends has raised concerns for users who would like to have an opt-in option to share this profile information. Through the expanded use of “connections,” Facebook now obligates users to make publicly available certain parts of their profile that were previously private. If the user does not want to connect to a page with other users from their current town or university, the user will have that information deleted altogether from their profile. We appreciate that Facebook allows users to type this information into the “Bio” section of their profiles, and privatize it, but we believe that users should have more control over these very personal and very common data points. These personal details should remain private unless a user decides that he/she would like to make a connection and share this information with a community.
The senators are spot on: Facebook has been systematically stripping away users’ privacy one item at a time and adding it to the bucket of information it considers publicly accessible. It’s debatable whether or not a user’s list of friends, or Interests and Activities (which recently could be made private but are now all public Fan Pages) really constitute sensitive information. But the fact of the matter is that people built their profiles under the impression that they were private, and users don’t stand to benefit by having their control over this data reduced.
2. Third party data storage. Previously, Facebook allowed third-party advertisers to store profile data for 24 hours. We are concerned that recent changes allow that data to be stored indefinitely. We believe that Facebook should reverse this policy, or at a minimum require users to opt in to allowing third parties to store data for more than 24 hours.
I’ve heard from multiple sources that Facebook had almost no way to enforce the 24 hour third-party data storage policy, and that many developers routinely ignored it and kept data for longer than 24 hours. The big guys — Zynga and the like — have to keep everything above board, so this change is probably primarily directed at them. Comforting? Not at all. But regardless of Facebook’s policy it will have a hard time enforcing this.
3. Instant personalization. We appreciate that Facebook is attempting to integrate the functionality of several popular websites, and that Facebook has carefully selected its initial partners for its new “instant personalization” feature. We are concerned, however, that this feature will now allow certain third party partners to have access not only to a user’s publicly available profile information, but also to the user’s friend list and the publicly available information about those friends. As a result of the other changes noted above, this class of information now includes significant and personal data points that should be kept private unless the user chooses to share them. Although we are pleased that Facebook allows users to opt-out of sharing private data, many users are unaware of this option and, moreover, find it complicated and confusing to navigate. Facebook should offer users the ability to opt-in to sharing such information, instead of opting out, and should make the process for doing so more clear and coherent.
Again, spot on. The thought of a future where the Web is more social and customized to your interests is really cool. The fact that Facebook decided to enroll all of its users into this new futuristic web without asking them to opt-in is ridiculous. And while Facebook is restricting this program to only three services for now — Pandora, Yelp, and Docs.com — it obviously hopes to expand it.
Elliot Schrage, Facebook VP of Global Communications, responded to the senators with his own letter (embedded below). One key passage (emphasis mine):
Specifically, these new products and features are designed to enhance personalization and promote social activity across the Internet while continuing to give users unprecedented control over what information they share, when they want to share it, and with whom. All of Facebook’s partner sites interact with a user’s consent.
The problem here is that Facebook definitely did not get users’ consent to do this. Yes, there’s an option to turn off Instant Personalization in Facebook’s privacy settings. And yes, whenever you visit one of these Instantly Personalized sites there’s a bar at the top of the screen that you can also use to turn it off. Unfortunately, most people have no idea what any of this means.
Let’s get one thing straight: Facebook does offer quite a few privacy controls, and it offers a wealth of information describing them. In fact, it offers so much control and information that it is utterly overwhelming to most users, who simply don’t bother with it. Facebook knows that people don’t necessarily know what’s going on, but that hasn’t stopped it from racing forward at a clip pace. The social network may not like it, but it’s probably a good thing that these senators are looking to put a few speed bumps on the way.
Schrage letter via CNN.
Top photo by Steve Maller Photography
Shared Items – April 27, 2010
- The Black Hole
April 26, 2010 – How do they derive such things?
- The Black Hole
April 26, 2010 – How do they derive such things?
The Black Hole
How do they derive such things?
Posted at Futility Closet
If Satan plays miniature golf, this is his favorite hole. A ball struck at A, in any direction, will never find the hole at B — even if it bounces forever.
The idea arose in the 1950s, when Ernst Straus wondered whether a room lined with mirrors would always be illuminated completely by a single match.
Straus’ question went unanswered until 1995, when George Tokarsky found a 26-sided room with a “dark” spot; two years later D. Castro offered the 24-sided improvement above. If a candle is placed at A, and you’re standing at B, you won’t see its reflection anywhere around you — even though you’re surrounded by mirrors.
How do they derive such things?
Posted at Futility Closet
If Satan plays miniature golf, this is his favorite hole. A ball struck at A, in any direction, will never find the hole at B — even if it bounces forever.
The idea arose in the 1950s, when Ernst Straus wondered whether a room lined with mirrors would always be illuminated completely by a single match.
Straus’ question went unanswered until 1995, when George Tokarsky found a 26-sided room with a “dark” spot; two years later D. Castro offered the 24-sided improvement above. If a candle is placed at A, and you’re standing at B, you won’t see its reflection anywhere around you — even though you’re surrounded by mirrors.
8 Time Management Tips for Entrepreneurs!
Posted at trak.in
8 Time Management Tips for Entrepreneurs!
by Viral Dholakia on April 26, 2010 · 1 comment
Let me be very honest here – I am not a time management guru, however I am still dolling out time management tips – It is equally for my benefit as it is for all entrepreneurs out there, who struggle with time management.
Time management, for an active entrepreneur, is akin to preparation for a marriage ceremony, where some or the other work keeps popping up until the last moment the occasion is celebrated on.
While some entrepreneurs always seem to have time on their hands, others struggle to complete half their tasks even after 12 – 14 hrs of work. Why so? Probably, they are missing on some basic time management tips that go into efficient and productive work schedule and related processes.
8 Time Management Tips for Entrepreneurs
1. Prioritize your Activities for the Day
This is the basic of all and I am sure you must have heard it over & over again – Start the day with screening all your planned activities depending upon their priorities. Complete most important tasks first. This will ensure that even if you fall short of accomplishing all the activities scheduled for the day, the most important ones are appropriately dealt on time.
At the same time, to be on a safer side, it is equally important to determine which task can be dragged for tomorrow in case time does not permit its accomplishment for the day.
2. Make Tasks Time-Bound
After prioritizing the activities, screen them on the basis of time-bound schedules. Important time bound activities need to be performed before the scheduled expiry of the time duration tied with the nature of the work.
Other works which are not time bound can be postponed later during the day. Once time bound tasks are factored in, other important works which need to be tightly adhered for the day’s schedule need to be determined.
Take, for example, banks have their preset cheque clearing time limits during the day. If you’re in paucity of funds, you’ve to ensure that cheques are deposited within first clearing schedule set by your bank in order to bridge your funding gap as soon as possible.
Though this seems to be a minor issue, timely topping up your account could stand you in better stead in front of your creditors with whom your payment is already due.
3. Delegate Your Work
This is very important – If you just pause and think for a while, you will notice that much of work you do can be delegated to others – Delegate your work to your staff, which can be managed by juniors - If you feel that you’re the right person to carry out all the necessary works, you’re missing the management ability and trust to delegate less important work to others.
Doing all the petty work by yourself and at the same time keeping a tab on all important issues would distract your attention and could even render you tired and inefficient.
Delegation of work could leave more time at your behest for attending client queries and interactions.
4. Deal Effectively with Repetitive Work
Most of the office works are often repetitive in nature and boredom creeps-in while executing them. Such repetitive works might be easy to perform but may require constant mental concentration in dealing with them on a regular basis.
Boredom could prompt an entrepreneur to scuffle through such work complacently and lead to complex and intriguing errors. It is easy to make errors but time consuming to resolve them and put it straight.
It is better to carry out such repetitive works by consuming few extra minutes rather than making errors and getting jumbled up for hours at a later date.
5. Don’t Miss A Power Break
While it is important to abide by the schedule of your work, make it a habit to include a power break to get back your breath and concentration. Power breaks could be in the form of power nap, chatting with friends or relatives, surfing internet or it could be in any form that you enjoy doing for a while.
A power break can go a long way in refreshing the mental state of mind and gain back the composure from constant work starting from the day. It enhances the efficiency and productivity of the work. Though this aspect sounds insignificant in nature, it could go a long way in end result determination for your tasks.
6. Ensure Proper Organization of the Work
Organizing your work procedures can make various tasks simpler. If the usual tasks are assigned a standard set of procedures to be followed, the instances of cropping-up of complications and errors are automatically ruled out.
At the same time, properly organized tasks can go a long way in controlling wastage of time in determining the processes involved in executing them. It eases and simplifies the work at hand.
Take, for example, the filing process. If related documents are not filed appropriately, it may lead to chaos at the end time when such documents need to be urgently referred to. On the other hand, a proper filing system makes it easier to discover the required documents and letters without much waste of time.
7. Identify Time Wasting Processes
Periodically, one needs to determine certain activities or processes which involve regular wastage of time. One needs to schedule such tasks at an appropriate time so that the time consuming process could be scheduled at a later period.
Take, for example, internet surfing. Suppose you’re aware that your internet is rendered slow during a particular hour of the day, avoid accessing e-mails during such time. During such time you can take up other works which can be performed without use of internet.
8. Lastly, Plan for Tomorrow’s Work
Having discussed all the above tasks, pre-plan a bit for your tomorrow’s schedule. Ensure that your desk is clear of all the mess to ensure that you can start off tomorrow in a pleasant environment. Ensure that you’ve replied to all your business mails and correspondences at the end of the day.
After so much of time management, if you’re spared with some time at the end of the day, you can post a payment reminder to your clients for dues which have far surpassed their due dates.
Ooo laa la… if you’re still spared of some time, you can surprise your family by reaching home early for the day and spend sweet and rejoicing time with them.
Posted at trak.in
8 Time Management Tips for Entrepreneurs!
by Viral Dholakia on April 26, 2010 · 1 comment
Let me be very honest here – I am not a time management guru, however I am still dolling out time management tips – It is equally for my benefit as it is for all entrepreneurs out there, who struggle with time management.
Time management, for an active entrepreneur, is akin to preparation for a marriage ceremony, where some or the other work keeps popping up until the last moment the occasion is celebrated on.
While some entrepreneurs always seem to have time on their hands, others struggle to complete half their tasks even after 12 – 14 hrs of work. Why so? Probably, they are missing on some basic time management tips that go into efficient and productive work schedule and related processes.
8 Time Management Tips for Entrepreneurs
1. Prioritize your Activities for the Day
This is the basic of all and I am sure you must have heard it over & over again – Start the day with screening all your planned activities depending upon their priorities. Complete most important tasks first. This will ensure that even if you fall short of accomplishing all the activities scheduled for the day, the most important ones are appropriately dealt on time.
At the same time, to be on a safer side, it is equally important to determine which task can be dragged for tomorrow in case time does not permit its accomplishment for the day.
2. Make Tasks Time-Bound
After prioritizing the activities, screen them on the basis of time-bound schedules. Important time bound activities need to be performed before the scheduled expiry of the time duration tied with the nature of the work.
Other works which are not time bound can be postponed later during the day. Once time bound tasks are factored in, other important works which need to be tightly adhered for the day’s schedule need to be determined.
Take, for example, banks have their preset cheque clearing time limits during the day. If you’re in paucity of funds, you’ve to ensure that cheques are deposited within first clearing schedule set by your bank in order to bridge your funding gap as soon as possible.
Though this seems to be a minor issue, timely topping up your account could stand you in better stead in front of your creditors with whom your payment is already due.
3. Delegate Your Work
This is very important – If you just pause and think for a while, you will notice that much of work you do can be delegated to others – Delegate your work to your staff, which can be managed by juniors - If you feel that you’re the right person to carry out all the necessary works, you’re missing the management ability and trust to delegate less important work to others.
Doing all the petty work by yourself and at the same time keeping a tab on all important issues would distract your attention and could even render you tired and inefficient.
Delegation of work could leave more time at your behest for attending client queries and interactions.
4. Deal Effectively with Repetitive Work
Most of the office works are often repetitive in nature and boredom creeps-in while executing them. Such repetitive works might be easy to perform but may require constant mental concentration in dealing with them on a regular basis.
Boredom could prompt an entrepreneur to scuffle through such work complacently and lead to complex and intriguing errors. It is easy to make errors but time consuming to resolve them and put it straight.
It is better to carry out such repetitive works by consuming few extra minutes rather than making errors and getting jumbled up for hours at a later date.
5. Don’t Miss A Power Break
While it is important to abide by the schedule of your work, make it a habit to include a power break to get back your breath and concentration. Power breaks could be in the form of power nap, chatting with friends or relatives, surfing internet or it could be in any form that you enjoy doing for a while.
A power break can go a long way in refreshing the mental state of mind and gain back the composure from constant work starting from the day. It enhances the efficiency and productivity of the work. Though this aspect sounds insignificant in nature, it could go a long way in end result determination for your tasks.
6. Ensure Proper Organization of the Work
Organizing your work procedures can make various tasks simpler. If the usual tasks are assigned a standard set of procedures to be followed, the instances of cropping-up of complications and errors are automatically ruled out.
At the same time, properly organized tasks can go a long way in controlling wastage of time in determining the processes involved in executing them. It eases and simplifies the work at hand.
Take, for example, the filing process. If related documents are not filed appropriately, it may lead to chaos at the end time when such documents need to be urgently referred to. On the other hand, a proper filing system makes it easier to discover the required documents and letters without much waste of time.
7. Identify Time Wasting Processes
Periodically, one needs to determine certain activities or processes which involve regular wastage of time. One needs to schedule such tasks at an appropriate time so that the time consuming process could be scheduled at a later period.
Take, for example, internet surfing. Suppose you’re aware that your internet is rendered slow during a particular hour of the day, avoid accessing e-mails during such time. During such time you can take up other works which can be performed without use of internet.
8. Lastly, Plan for Tomorrow’s Work
Having discussed all the above tasks, pre-plan a bit for your tomorrow’s schedule. Ensure that your desk is clear of all the mess to ensure that you can start off tomorrow in a pleasant environment. Ensure that you’ve replied to all your business mails and correspondences at the end of the day.
After so much of time management, if you’re spared with some time at the end of the day, you can post a payment reminder to your clients for dues which have far surpassed their due dates.
Ooo laa la… if you’re still spared of some time, you can surprise your family by reaching home early for the day and spend sweet and rejoicing time with them.
Be Prepared for Slow Internet Connection in India for the next few days [Undersea Cable Repair]
Posted at www.pluggd.in
Be Prepared for Slow Internet Connection in India for the next few days [Undersea Cable Repair]
The disruption in the SEA-ME-WE 4 undersea submarine cable system, which links South East Asia and Europe, is likely to affect the high-speed Internet services in the country.
The submarine cable system suffered a fault near Italy and maintenance will be carried out for the next four days, which may cause some disruption in services.
The South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) submarine communications cable system is a consortium of 16 companies (including Airtel and Tata Communications) and carries telecommunications between Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan,United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Italy, Tunisia, Algeria and France.
Similar incident happened in January of 2008 : India loses ~50% of Internet bandwidth for the next 10 days.
Posted at www.pluggd.in
Be Prepared for Slow Internet Connection in India for the next few days [Undersea Cable Repair]
The disruption in the SEA-ME-WE 4 undersea submarine cable system, which links South East Asia and Europe, is likely to affect the high-speed Internet services in the country.
The submarine cable system suffered a fault near Italy and maintenance will be carried out for the next four days, which may cause some disruption in services.
The South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) submarine communications cable system is a consortium of 16 companies (including Airtel and Tata Communications) and carries telecommunications between Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan,United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Italy, Tunisia, Algeria and France.
Similar incident happened in January of 2008 : India loses ~50% of Internet bandwidth for the next 10 days.
Lake Union 4th of July fireworks display canceled – Seattle News
Posted at www.komonews.com
SEATTLE — A longtime Seattle Fourth of July tradition will be silenced this summer, possibly leaving the city with no fireworks display on Independence Day.
One Reel, the non-profit organizers for the annual Family 4th at Lake Union fireworks display at Gas Works Park, says the show has been canceled for 2010 due to a lack of sponsor.
“For the past 15 months, One Reel has worked tirelessly to secure a title sponsor for the 2010 Family 4th at Lake Union but, regrettably, we were not able to secure one in time to proceed with this year’s event,” Tomoko Moriguchi Matsuno, the president of One Reel Board of Directors, said in a statement released to the media.
Seattle-based bank Washington Mutual had been the sponsor of the show for eight years before it collapsed in 2008. Chase, which absorbed Washington Mutual, agreed to sponsor the show for one year.
OneReel says to be a prime sponsor of the event, the cost is around $500,000. Organizers say they are still hopeful a sponsor can be signed for 2011 and beyond.
The cancelation leaves Seattle without a major fireworks display on the Fourth of July for the first time in decades. Last summer, Ivar’s canceled their annual “Fourth of Jul-Ivar’s” celebration that was held in Elliott Bay along Seattle’s Myrtle Edwards Beach and said they would instead use the money to help those in need.
An Ivar’s spokesperson said they would be sticking with that plan for 2010.
Posted at www.komonews.com
SEATTLE — A longtime Seattle Fourth of July tradition will be silenced this summer, possibly leaving the city with no fireworks display on Independence Day.
One Reel, the non-profit organizers for the annual Family 4th at Lake Union fireworks display at Gas Works Park, says the show has been canceled for 2010 due to a lack of sponsor.
“For the past 15 months, One Reel has worked tirelessly to secure a title sponsor for the 2010 Family 4th at Lake Union but, regrettably, we were not able to secure one in time to proceed with this year’s event,” Tomoko Moriguchi Matsuno, the president of One Reel Board of Directors, said in a statement released to the media.
Seattle-based bank Washington Mutual had been the sponsor of the show for eight years before it collapsed in 2008. Chase, which absorbed Washington Mutual, agreed to sponsor the show for one year.
OneReel says to be a prime sponsor of the event, the cost is around $500,000. Organizers say they are still hopeful a sponsor can be signed for 2011 and beyond.
The cancelation leaves Seattle without a major fireworks display on the Fourth of July for the first time in decades. Last summer, Ivar’s canceled their annual “Fourth of Jul-Ivar’s” celebration that was held in Elliott Bay along Seattle’s Myrtle Edwards Beach and said they would instead use the money to help those in need.
An Ivar’s spokesperson said they would be sticking with that plan for 2010.
Shared Items – April 25, 2010
- How Products are conceived, discussed and Destroyed
April 24, 2010
- Amazon Sues North Carolina, Says It Won#39;t Divulge Customer Names
April 24, 2010
- How Products are conceived, discussed and Destroyed
- Amazon Sues North Carolina, Says It Won#39;t Divulge Customer Names
April 24, 2010
April 24, 2010
How Products are conceived, discussed and Destroyed
Posted at www.pluggd.in
How Products are conceived, discussed and Destroyed (Product Management)
In big organizations, new product ideas from some of the powerful voices in the company are generally applauded and are taken with a lot of enthusiasm. Most competent employees are brought to nail down the ‘world changing’ idea and detail out the execution.
WYDINWYB, i.e. What You Discuss Is Not What You Build.
Mid way, somebody gets the whole concept wrong, too many powerful parties start putting up their nose in the execution, and after realizing that things are messed up, the end result is made to look like the goal, with lots of bells and whistles.
This happens with big organizations (Yahoo/AOL, are you listening?) but if you are a startup, you have to watch out for such signs.
Watch this great video on how product requirements are messed with the actual requirements, when everybody becomes the product manager and you start taking ‘a request’ as ‘the request’.
Slightly longish video, but fun to watch.
Posted at www.pluggd.in
How Products are conceived, discussed and Destroyed (Product Management)
In big organizations, new product ideas from some of the powerful voices in the company are generally applauded and are taken with a lot of enthusiasm. Most competent employees are brought to nail down the ‘world changing’ idea and detail out the execution.
WYDINWYB, i.e. What You Discuss Is Not What You Build.
Mid way, somebody gets the whole concept wrong, too many powerful parties start putting up their nose in the execution, and after realizing that things are messed up, the end result is made to look like the goal, with lots of bells and whistles.
This happens with big organizations (Yahoo/AOL, are you listening?) but if you are a startup, you have to watch out for such signs.
Watch this great video on how product requirements are messed with the actual requirements, when everybody becomes the product manager and you start taking ‘a request’ as ‘the request’.
Slightly longish video, but fun to watch.
Jeetu Mirchandani
