Fashion speaker tips
Wearing their own creations
They like how they look
Wearing their own creations
They like how they look
Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Alfidi Capital Visits Fashion Community Week San Francisco
Fashion Community Week San Francisco held its conference and trade show today. I had to drop in to see what was going on in this sector. I haven't touched fashion since I attended iFabbo's 2013 social media conference so this was a refresher course. I am of course quite fashionable myself, when I bother to leave home once in a while.
The regular icons from the local fashion and tech scene were on hand to share stories of how they integrate. I knew about Fashion Incubator SF but I had not heard of PeopleWearSF until today. Fashion startups graduating from the incubator can build their partner ecosystem through PeopleWearSF. I like one of the quotes from one of the early speakers at this conference: "Don't make decisions from where you are. Make decisions from where you want to be." I have not seen that quote in a Google search so it must be original. I guess it descends from well-known quotes about how founders should imagine themselves as billionaires cornering a market instead of as impoverished bootstrappers. Clothing designers building their brands should begin with the end in mind.
I had not checked into Lifograph or Greenlight VR until I saw them on the sponsor list for this conference. Maybe I heard about them in the past but completely forgot them in the course of my high-powered, fast-paced, fashionable lifestyle. Graphical data representation matters to hard-core nerds and the nascent virtual reality sector is one force pushing it.
The founders of Fashion Xchange Magazine have a rare focus on the business of fashion, unlike the more familiar magazines that just display clothes and makeup. I'll paraphrase their classic lessons: Build a complimentary team. Don't be afraid to be different. Put 110% into your vision. Passion and obsession intersect in success.
My friend Olga Chervyakova, founder of Olga Media, spoke about how she built her brand. She worked in immunology at the start of her career in America after leaving Russia. Eventually she realized that helping people makes one go farther and she started her media career to do just that. She gives credit to fashion designers from many ethnic groups while she wore their clothes during her media appearances. Olga recommends that designers loan their clothes to media professionals in exchange for free publicity.
Olga has other tips on media branding and work attitudes. Her Russian accent helps her sound distinctive in radio. Working with actors and models taught her the importance of treating everyone with respect even if they are moody. I can attest that Olga treats me with respect at the many tech conferences we have attended together in Silicon Valley, even when I am moody.
Fashionistas can enjoy their several days of exhibits and some runway action thanks to San Francisco's style gurus. I don't stick around for fashion shows because I have enough awesome clothes to last a lifetime. I even have a trunk full of 1960s era dress shirts I got for free, and I rotate them through my weekly appearances at major conferences. The Fashion Community Week models probably wouldn't want to wear my stuff, but that's okay if it leaves more awesome threads for yours truly.
The regular icons from the local fashion and tech scene were on hand to share stories of how they integrate. I knew about Fashion Incubator SF but I had not heard of PeopleWearSF until today. Fashion startups graduating from the incubator can build their partner ecosystem through PeopleWearSF. I like one of the quotes from one of the early speakers at this conference: "Don't make decisions from where you are. Make decisions from where you want to be." I have not seen that quote in a Google search so it must be original. I guess it descends from well-known quotes about how founders should imagine themselves as billionaires cornering a market instead of as impoverished bootstrappers. Clothing designers building their brands should begin with the end in mind.
I had not checked into Lifograph or Greenlight VR until I saw them on the sponsor list for this conference. Maybe I heard about them in the past but completely forgot them in the course of my high-powered, fast-paced, fashionable lifestyle. Graphical data representation matters to hard-core nerds and the nascent virtual reality sector is one force pushing it.
The founders of Fashion Xchange Magazine have a rare focus on the business of fashion, unlike the more familiar magazines that just display clothes and makeup. I'll paraphrase their classic lessons: Build a complimentary team. Don't be afraid to be different. Put 110% into your vision. Passion and obsession intersect in success.
My friend Olga Chervyakova, founder of Olga Media, spoke about how she built her brand. She worked in immunology at the start of her career in America after leaving Russia. Eventually she realized that helping people makes one go farther and she started her media career to do just that. She gives credit to fashion designers from many ethnic groups while she wore their clothes during her media appearances. Olga recommends that designers loan their clothes to media professionals in exchange for free publicity.
Olga has other tips on media branding and work attitudes. Her Russian accent helps her sound distinctive in radio. Working with actors and models taught her the importance of treating everyone with respect even if they are moody. I can attest that Olga treats me with respect at the many tech conferences we have attended together in Silicon Valley, even when I am moody.
Fashionistas can enjoy their several days of exhibits and some runway action thanks to San Francisco's style gurus. I don't stick around for fashion shows because I have enough awesome clothes to last a lifetime. I even have a trunk full of 1960s era dress shirts I got for free, and I rotate them through my weekly appearances at major conferences. The Fashion Community Week models probably wouldn't want to wear my stuff, but that's okay if it leaves more awesome threads for yours truly.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Financial Sarcasm Roundup for 08/17/15
I get withdrawal symptoms if I go for too long without sarcasm. It's a healthy addiction, much better than any narcotic. I have no experience at all with narcotics, for the record. Those of you who do use narcotics should stay away from me until you kick the habit.
The IRS discovered its got hacked a lot worse in May than it had thought. I'll bet nobody gets fired. "Get Transcript" sounds like a great idea until a taxpayer who didn't choose a strong password gets doxed. The IRS's CIO should brush up on what FedRAMP says about securing the cloud. Rename the agency to "Ignore Required Security" for truth in advertising.
Amazon's workplace culture is the focus of major Internet buzz. It doesn't sound all that bad to me. I've worked at places where Darwinism, lying, and backstabbing were hidden beneath veneers of civility and chivalry. Getting it all out in the open with official policy is big progress. Giving a big bonus to a manager who sells their mother down the river would make it official. I have blogged before that corporate culture is totally a function of CEO personality and HR policies, because people respond to charismatic leadership and environmental incentives. Amazon's culture would be a case study in success if the company were a financial success. The trouble for Jeff Bezos is that Walmart earns more net income in a year than Amazon has in decades. Walmart solves supply chain problems much more effectively than Amazon, without the internal sniping.
American Apparel is having trouble sticking around. The teen market is only so big and Millennials are delaying the age at which they start families. Middle income families can't afford boutique clothes for their kids anyway after watching their incomes stagnate for decades. Kids these days need to learn to wear homemade clothes from potato sacks and old drapes, just like their great-grandparents did way the heck back in ye olden days of yore. That'll teach 'em, yes indeed.
I will sign off for now because I need to go look out my window at the fog coming in from the Pacific Ocean. Anyone who wants me to entertain them when I'm not blogging can log on to Spotify and listen to my music playlists. Just search for Anthony Alfidi, or "tonyalfidi," because Spotify doesn't have a listing for "Greatest Man Who Ever Lived."
Full disclosure: No positions in any companies mentioned.
The IRS discovered its got hacked a lot worse in May than it had thought. I'll bet nobody gets fired. "Get Transcript" sounds like a great idea until a taxpayer who didn't choose a strong password gets doxed. The IRS's CIO should brush up on what FedRAMP says about securing the cloud. Rename the agency to "Ignore Required Security" for truth in advertising.
Amazon's workplace culture is the focus of major Internet buzz. It doesn't sound all that bad to me. I've worked at places where Darwinism, lying, and backstabbing were hidden beneath veneers of civility and chivalry. Getting it all out in the open with official policy is big progress. Giving a big bonus to a manager who sells their mother down the river would make it official. I have blogged before that corporate culture is totally a function of CEO personality and HR policies, because people respond to charismatic leadership and environmental incentives. Amazon's culture would be a case study in success if the company were a financial success. The trouble for Jeff Bezos is that Walmart earns more net income in a year than Amazon has in decades. Walmart solves supply chain problems much more effectively than Amazon, without the internal sniping.
American Apparel is having trouble sticking around. The teen market is only so big and Millennials are delaying the age at which they start families. Middle income families can't afford boutique clothes for their kids anyway after watching their incomes stagnate for decades. Kids these days need to learn to wear homemade clothes from potato sacks and old drapes, just like their great-grandparents did way the heck back in ye olden days of yore. That'll teach 'em, yes indeed.
I will sign off for now because I need to go look out my window at the fog coming in from the Pacific Ocean. Anyone who wants me to entertain them when I'm not blogging can log on to Spotify and listen to my music playlists. Just search for Anthony Alfidi, or "tonyalfidi," because Spotify doesn't have a listing for "Greatest Man Who Ever Lived."
Full disclosure: No positions in any companies mentioned.
Thursday, July 03, 2014
Alfidi Capital Sees FashTechSF's Wearable Technology In June 2014
I attended FashTechSF's Wearable Technology in Fashion exhibit last week in SoMa. I don't normally cover the fashion sector of the economy but my attendance at the iFabbo Conference in 2013 broke new ground in this scene. The most fashionable people in town just can't get enough of me.
Startups with wearable tech goods presented in the open space at Wearable World Labs in conjunction with their Wearable Wednesdays program. The tech on display was pretty cunning. I can see instant facial image manipulation finding a home on cosmetic counters and in reconstructive surgeons' clinics. The athletic wearables will have to compete against the plethora of smart watches about to hit the market. I suspect the non-watch wearables that win will look more like jewelry than tech gadgets, because people (especially women) want to show off their fashion sense with accessories.
My analysis must be so darn sharp that even the models promoting the startups find themselves drawn to me. Here's proof that these models worship yours truly, Anthony Alfidi.
If you want more proof, here it comes. These models are all over the tech scene but they always make time for a photo with the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived (ahem, that's me) whenever I show up to grace an event with my presence.
See, I told you so. A lot of the booth babes at these types of tech events come from Models In Tech. Startups angling for attention hire these gals to prowl trade shows and exhibit spaces on their behalf. I wish I had thought of this totally awesome concept. I'm kicking myself for not getting ahead of this wonderful trend. I'll just have to play catch-up as much as possible. Ladies, I have plenty of cards to hand out. Contact me for the one and only Alfidi Capital experience, if you know what I mean.
I posed for a QuickeeCam shot with an appropriate beverage in hand. These instant photo things sure are the new-fangled way to make ordinary people feel special. I have enough ego for several hundred ordinary mortals and others are welcome to stroke it if they like. I only take these photos so the attractive ladies on hand can swoon over my manly, handsome visage. That's the magnanimous service I perform for humanity. I can't help it if women are overwhelmed.
I listened attentively to the panel of tech people who shared their wearable insights. I don't need to paraphrase their comments because I've got a bunch of original stuff to say. Prepare yourselves for the wisdom of Alfidi Capital. Wearables matter because they integrate directly into human lifestyles. The smartphone is an interface that requires conscious use. Wearables remove the cognition barrier, liberating us from thinking. I can afford to be cynical because I haven't bought any wearable tech to enhance my lifestyle. Wearable tech must be fun and easy to use. Any tech innovation that crosses the chasm to mass adoption allows ordinary people to do what they've always done with less friction. People are lazy and they don't like making more effort with something new.
I am absolutely certain that the SDLC and hardware cycles of wearable tech must synch with standard fashion cycles. Retail fashion moves through four annual seasons, and each season's new styles typically have a two-year full cycle from initial design to final delivery. Geography also impacts seasonality, because California coastal winters are not the same as Midwestern winters. Wearable tech upstarts can probably learn from the automobile sector before they beta test new clothing items. Wearable enterprises will have to push over-the-air software updates to their devices, just like autos. One solution may be to keep the software in a cloud and push app updates to the smartphone or smartwatch that manages a user's wearables.
I was disappointed that one dude showed up whom I consider to be a complete phony. I first met this guy at a Mobile Monday event in 2013 and he lied to my face about his background and a local private club. He has since elbowed his way onto Silicon Valley's radar as a self-proclaimed "tech developer" but I just can't take his claimed expertise seriously. Google can't run background checks on the Glassholes who sign up to show off. The unfortunate task of calling out fakers thus falls to independent analysts like me. I'll be watching you, dude. Flying a quadcopter does not make one an expert on anything special.
I have not heard the last of the wearable tech sector and it has not heard the last of me. The attractive women draw me to wearable events but I stay to see how investors can make money in the sector. FashTechSF stays on my radar.
Startups with wearable tech goods presented in the open space at Wearable World Labs in conjunction with their Wearable Wednesdays program. The tech on display was pretty cunning. I can see instant facial image manipulation finding a home on cosmetic counters and in reconstructive surgeons' clinics. The athletic wearables will have to compete against the plethora of smart watches about to hit the market. I suspect the non-watch wearables that win will look more like jewelry than tech gadgets, because people (especially women) want to show off their fashion sense with accessories.
My analysis must be so darn sharp that even the models promoting the startups find themselves drawn to me. Here's proof that these models worship yours truly, Anthony Alfidi.
If you want more proof, here it comes. These models are all over the tech scene but they always make time for a photo with the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived (ahem, that's me) whenever I show up to grace an event with my presence.
See, I told you so. A lot of the booth babes at these types of tech events come from Models In Tech. Startups angling for attention hire these gals to prowl trade shows and exhibit spaces on their behalf. I wish I had thought of this totally awesome concept. I'm kicking myself for not getting ahead of this wonderful trend. I'll just have to play catch-up as much as possible. Ladies, I have plenty of cards to hand out. Contact me for the one and only Alfidi Capital experience, if you know what I mean.
I posed for a QuickeeCam shot with an appropriate beverage in hand. These instant photo things sure are the new-fangled way to make ordinary people feel special. I have enough ego for several hundred ordinary mortals and others are welcome to stroke it if they like. I only take these photos so the attractive ladies on hand can swoon over my manly, handsome visage. That's the magnanimous service I perform for humanity. I can't help it if women are overwhelmed.
I listened attentively to the panel of tech people who shared their wearable insights. I don't need to paraphrase their comments because I've got a bunch of original stuff to say. Prepare yourselves for the wisdom of Alfidi Capital. Wearables matter because they integrate directly into human lifestyles. The smartphone is an interface that requires conscious use. Wearables remove the cognition barrier, liberating us from thinking. I can afford to be cynical because I haven't bought any wearable tech to enhance my lifestyle. Wearable tech must be fun and easy to use. Any tech innovation that crosses the chasm to mass adoption allows ordinary people to do what they've always done with less friction. People are lazy and they don't like making more effort with something new.
I am absolutely certain that the SDLC and hardware cycles of wearable tech must synch with standard fashion cycles. Retail fashion moves through four annual seasons, and each season's new styles typically have a two-year full cycle from initial design to final delivery. Geography also impacts seasonality, because California coastal winters are not the same as Midwestern winters. Wearable tech upstarts can probably learn from the automobile sector before they beta test new clothing items. Wearable enterprises will have to push over-the-air software updates to their devices, just like autos. One solution may be to keep the software in a cloud and push app updates to the smartphone or smartwatch that manages a user's wearables.
I was disappointed that one dude showed up whom I consider to be a complete phony. I first met this guy at a Mobile Monday event in 2013 and he lied to my face about his background and a local private club. He has since elbowed his way onto Silicon Valley's radar as a self-proclaimed "tech developer" but I just can't take his claimed expertise seriously. Google can't run background checks on the Glassholes who sign up to show off. The unfortunate task of calling out fakers thus falls to independent analysts like me. I'll be watching you, dude. Flying a quadcopter does not make one an expert on anything special.
I have not heard the last of the wearable tech sector and it has not heard the last of me. The attractive women draw me to wearable events but I stay to see how investors can make money in the sector. FashTechSF stays on my radar.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Alfidi Capital at iFabbo Conference 2013 in San Francisco
I obtained a rare opportunity to peek inside an industry totally unfamiliar to me - fashion and beauty. I attended the iFabbo Social Media Conference in San Francisco this past Saturday. I heard about it through the Meetup social media group I monitor and I couldn't turn down the chance to check it out. I also couldn't turn down the chance to check out the very attractive women who work in the beauty sector. Merchants Exchange Club, here I come.
The intro from Sinead Norenius and Tonia Korakis gave us all the lowdown on the social media handles to use (namely #iFabboSFCon) and how to tune in to the live Web stream on Spreecast. Right there was my first lesson in something other conference organizers need to provide. I've attended finance, mining, energy, and tech conferences since 2005 and none ever conducted Web simulcasts with messaging even though the enabling technology obviously exists. The beauty sector is ahead of them all.
The PR panel was up first. They mentioned their favorite perfumes, and I had no idea women like to have a "signature scent." The panelists were fond of guest blogging, which isn't my preference as it would dilute my brand, but it probably adds star power to beauty blogs that are cognizant of celebrity status. PR people are also very cognizant of the "verticals" of specific cosmetics. Not every eye shadow is created equal, and high-end positioning requires very different messaging from something aimed at the Wal-Mart crowd. I noted the importance of a media kit and it dawned on me that I've never made one. I shall remedy that in the near term with the template the panel suggested. A good media kit contains downloadable PDFs covering a blog's editorial policy, marketing value proposition, professional bio, corporate fact sheet, target demographic, third party testimonials, success metrics, and video newsreel. I may not need all of those elements but I'll have fun with the ones I can do. The panel also expects beauty bloggers to build relationships with marketing and advertising agencies so they can be brand advocates, but that also means they need to meet their partners' publishing deadlines. Apps like Muzio and RebelMouse can curate content that's easily shared in social media.
The social media panel featured the product managers from major platforms like Facebook and Google. Those two platforms have analytics to help improve a blog's SEO but IMHO Facebook's page statistics just aren't as deep as the stats from Google Analytics. The most useful thing I get from my Facebook page stats is a breakdown by time of of day, so the timing of article publication throughout the day probably has some merit for bloggers writing in English for a North American audience. My stats from Google show me getting hits worldwide, so timing doesn't matter as much for me if people in daylight hours somewhere else are reading something I publish at midnight in San Francisco. The Google rep said Google Search now shows content getting more +1 rating on Google+, so they've adapted their own algorithm to cross-sell another platform feature and incentivize users in Google+. Smart move, Google. Hashtags also appear in Google Search and Google+ hangouts "on air" can broadcast live conversations. I did not know much about Google+ Communities but it seems that some are fertile ground for blog posts that match their interests. Google's rep also said that multiple photos in a blog post work well with their ad buys, which Google's algorithm really likes. Well, of course it does.
Our social media panelists did offer general insights in between pushing their respective platforms. Using "call to action" language when republishing blog posts gets people to engage with content. "Angry at Wall Street's corruption? Press +1 if you agree." That's an example of a call to action I would use with my finance blog articles. The panelists like it when bloggers promote their posts across all platforms but they advised tweaking the "intro link" somewhat because followers are smart enough to notice identical things. That's a mistake I sometimes make on Twitter. I have noted that many bloggers like to engage their followers by enabling comments but that was something I gave up long ago because it added little value to my content. I will probably disable comments for any other platform I use but other bloggers are welcome to allow comments if it adds value for them. The panel mentioned that WordPress has a plugin to tweet old posts; I hope Google comes out with something comparably useful for Blogger. I was dismayed to learn that Google Analytics cannot at present monitor or analyze Google+ traffic, which is odd if their algorithm works so well with the other platform features I mentioned in the paragraph just above this one. They need to fix that capability gap. The brand panelist advocated following Twitter users who follow you, retweet you, and respond to you but I think that can be unwieldy after a few hundred followers. I use my Twitter feed to track new information from valid primary sources (central banks, government agencies) and bond fide thought leaders. There's no way I can follow every Joe or Jane who RT's my stuff because my feed would then be cluttered with their random life observations and I would miss news that is critical to my financial writing. It's a style preference on my part and I've noticed that many Twitter power users with huge followings also keep their own follow lists small enough to be manageable.
I did notice a common theme emerging from these first two panels. Pinterest and Instagram are emerging as sales and branding tools in the fashion and beauty sector because their aesthetics enable displays of visually oriented brands. The social media platform reps really like Instagram's design-oriented creative ethic. Instagram content that is authentic, thoughtful, and genuine should get noticed. Now I see why PR people like bloggers who personally use products they endorse. Photos of attractive "power users" of beauty products shared on Instagram will probably go viral within the beauty community.
The next panel on photography and videography was a topic I've rarely touched in life, other than some random shots I've thrown up on this blog when I've attended special events. I wish I had photographed some of the attractive women at this conference but I don't think they would have granted me permission. I'll just have to cherish the memories. Anyway, the panelists noted the availability of apps that enable embedding of metadata into photos and videos. Hot diggity dog, that's the kind of tech that enables the geojournalist projects I blogged about recently. One photographer said taking photos during the "golden hour" just after sunrise or before sunset captures a soft light tone. I'll try that the next time some attractive woman agrees to be my photo subject for a financial blog post. You may be wondering how I would work an attractive gal into a blog article about the Federal Reserve or investment banking trends. Me too. I think it would just be a cool way to get a gal to pose for me. Anyway, back to the panel. They like "how-to" content that generates good vertical use case data, so I'll have to begin more of my blog articles with "How To . . . " in the title. I did not know that Adobe has moved many of its programs into the cloud. I guess they learned from watching Salesforce that customers who don't need entire software packages will pay piecemeal for limited use. They noted that viral videos are either inspirational or strange and quirky (but not creepy). I would like to see someone write the equivalent of Cloudonomics for media production that quantifies the inputs (production time, equipment) and outputs (marketing channel action, ROI) of a viral media piece. The experts said lighting matters. I really dislike those YouTube selfie webcams in dark rooms. Get some lights, YouTubers.
BECCA Cosmetics gave us a fireside chat and product demonstration. Gentlemen, you haven't lived until you've seen your womenfolk discuss the application of their favorite makeup. They have it down to a science and they even know how different types of application brush hair will interact with cosmetics. This was all very educational for me as a heterosexual male who has never been married because I have no previous experience with how women approach personal care. I only know that they worship me for my extreme manliness. Okay, whatever. I did learn a little about how foundation makeup relates to bone structure. I also learned that this stuff about cosmetics is very important to women. I don't ever want to get between a woman and her beauty goodies.
The legal zone panel wasn't your typical boring seminar. Their perspectives were absolutely necessary for bloggers who want to stay out of trouble. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates advertising and has guidelines for bloggers on disclosing sponsored content. "Endorsements" sometimes look like personal opinions, but if there's a material business connection (even for one-time product swag in a gift bag) then it falls under the FTC's advertising rules. Bloggers must disclose their relationships with products they endorse every single time on their blog or Twitter, so it pays to know Twitter's hashtag rules. These attorneys said that commercial speech does not enjoy full First Amendment protection and the FTC's intent behind such requirements is to discourage false advertising. BTW, I noticed that the FTC's operations have been subject to shutdowns and sequesters due to the budget shenanigans in Washington. That does not mean Americans can break trade laws with impunity. It means that regulators will work hard later on to find violators of current laws.
The attorneys thought that bloggers should trademark their blog's name and logo, provided they are unique and fanciful. Bloggers can protect their visual content by putting the copyright symbol of their own watermark on photos they own. It is extremely important to copyright only owned photos! I will not ever copyright someone else's photo. The panelists mentioned that stock photo archives (I'm thinking the likes of Getty Images and Corbis Images) make huge money collecting from violations of cease and desist orders their attorneys send to unauthorized photo users. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) enables social media sites to instantly report copyright violations. Always have permission to use an image before you publish it.
Next up was the monetization panel, and I must say that the Disqus gal was extremely attractive. I recognized her from the Disqus booth at the DataWeek Conference I attended a couple of weeks ago. Disqus is more than just the widget I've seen on news sites and other blogs that allow comments. It links commenters to other media they may find relevant and offers revenue sharing from recommended content. I had wondered how they monetized their platform. VigLink monetizes links to merchants and Luvocracy monetizes endorsements (just remember the FTC's mission from my discussion above). I noticed The Mad Video's exhibit at iFabbo showed how it installs an embedded data layer over an online video that can link to product information or a vendor's storefront. I might use the services that monetize text links but visual overlays are probably more useful for bloggers pushing mainly visual content. I also wonder how these services will display on mobile devices if they are used with Pinterest and Instagram visual product endorsements.
The best lesson I took from the monetizers was that search engines give higher rankings to blogs and media pages with video content. Videos are shared more often and are more likely to be on Google Search's first page of results. I have my own YouTube channel and one of the first things I did when I set it up was to enable the ad display function. I admit that I don't have many videos posted but I can make time to record some finance-related monologues once I find a decent camera. The panel also mentioned that the most important content must be at the start of the video because that medium has a high abandonment rate online. I can attest from experience that they're correct. I've given up on many YouTube videos before they finished playing because they took too long to load. If audiences like authentic content, nothing is more authentic than me running my mouth about Wall Street to a camera. I used to consider comments to be authentic but I took them off my blog when they became havens for abuse. I may try Disqus comments on my Alfidi Capital website pages as an experiment. The Disqus gal assured us that her service's users are among the most content-engaged people on the Web and are often other bloggers. I'm a frequent commenter on Disqus myself. One panelist advised us to make our blog ads look more like our content by adjusting the ads' color schemes and borders. Okay, but some ad services may not allow that.
More hot women appeared on the final panel to discuss the future of fashion and beauty. Remember all of those really imaginative futures we should have had by now, with flying cars and moon colonies? Well, they haven't happened yet and I'm still waiting for a time travel conveyance or something. I'm also waiting to see some futuristic Star Trek fashion become real today. I would love to see the fashion industry's interpretation of the wearable technology movement, because that will be the next big thing attracting venture funding once VCs lose their infatuation with social media and Big Data. Anyway, enough of my wandering. The panel said web content is so heavily re-blogged that original content matters. Getting your blog on networks and aggregators reaches new readers who follow major brands (look no further than my presence on Seeking Alpha, which got me my first big waves of Web traffic in the finance sector).
It will eventually dawn on technologists that the emergence of Pinterest and Instagram, and the Google Search algorithm's configuration to favor videos, mark the dawn of post-literate culture in the developed world. Those two platforms are almost entirely visual. Text, data, and links are embedded but appear minimally intrusive. I can't see myself using either platform because I have to publish business commentary in a text-based format.
Keynote speaker Jacqueline Wales inspired the audience with her Fearless Factor approach to motivation. She had plenty of great advice about presenting an authentic self, having a good attitude, being focused and disciplined, knowing your audience, and recovering from adversity. Her most memorable observations were that people fail when they play small rather than big, and that the biggest failure is the failure to try. Lots of struggling bloggers can probably relate to Jacqueline's personal history of overcoming obstacles.
You may be wondering how I'm going to tie all this in to the finance sector. Wonder no more. Here we go. I haven't written much on apparel companies but I did publish my analysis of Frederick's of Hollywood a few years ago when they were executing a turnaround strategy. Bulge bracket investment banks do plenty of corporate finance work in the fashion and beauty sector. The bigger i-banks usually consider fashion and beauty to be a subset of their consumer/retail practices. California Apparel News tracks fashion sector deal flow on its finance page. Just-Style also carriers fashion finance news and market intelligence. There's even potential for entrepreneurial disruption in the fashion sector right here in The City. Macy's Union Square sponsors Fashion Incubator San Francisco (FiSF), where aspiring designers can launch clothing lines. I truly believe those incubating designers should connect with the wearable tech sector and make wonderful things happen.
This iFabbo conference for fashion and beauty bloggers was really something else. I stepped outside the pinstriped finance sector for a day and wore one of my own more daring ensembles, red shirt and everything. I met quite a few very attractive women but only time will tell if they find Yours Truly to be intriguing. Normal women can't help themselves around me so I have reason for optimism. Most importantly, I got a brief education on a business sector I've never experienced before. The blog success tips were way cool, and success is always in fashion.
The intro from Sinead Norenius and Tonia Korakis gave us all the lowdown on the social media handles to use (namely #iFabboSFCon) and how to tune in to the live Web stream on Spreecast. Right there was my first lesson in something other conference organizers need to provide. I've attended finance, mining, energy, and tech conferences since 2005 and none ever conducted Web simulcasts with messaging even though the enabling technology obviously exists. The beauty sector is ahead of them all.
The PR panel was up first. They mentioned their favorite perfumes, and I had no idea women like to have a "signature scent." The panelists were fond of guest blogging, which isn't my preference as it would dilute my brand, but it probably adds star power to beauty blogs that are cognizant of celebrity status. PR people are also very cognizant of the "verticals" of specific cosmetics. Not every eye shadow is created equal, and high-end positioning requires very different messaging from something aimed at the Wal-Mart crowd. I noted the importance of a media kit and it dawned on me that I've never made one. I shall remedy that in the near term with the template the panel suggested. A good media kit contains downloadable PDFs covering a blog's editorial policy, marketing value proposition, professional bio, corporate fact sheet, target demographic, third party testimonials, success metrics, and video newsreel. I may not need all of those elements but I'll have fun with the ones I can do. The panel also expects beauty bloggers to build relationships with marketing and advertising agencies so they can be brand advocates, but that also means they need to meet their partners' publishing deadlines. Apps like Muzio and RebelMouse can curate content that's easily shared in social media.
The social media panel featured the product managers from major platforms like Facebook and Google. Those two platforms have analytics to help improve a blog's SEO but IMHO Facebook's page statistics just aren't as deep as the stats from Google Analytics. The most useful thing I get from my Facebook page stats is a breakdown by time of of day, so the timing of article publication throughout the day probably has some merit for bloggers writing in English for a North American audience. My stats from Google show me getting hits worldwide, so timing doesn't matter as much for me if people in daylight hours somewhere else are reading something I publish at midnight in San Francisco. The Google rep said Google Search now shows content getting more +1 rating on Google+, so they've adapted their own algorithm to cross-sell another platform feature and incentivize users in Google+. Smart move, Google. Hashtags also appear in Google Search and Google+ hangouts "on air" can broadcast live conversations. I did not know much about Google+ Communities but it seems that some are fertile ground for blog posts that match their interests. Google's rep also said that multiple photos in a blog post work well with their ad buys, which Google's algorithm really likes. Well, of course it does.
Our social media panelists did offer general insights in between pushing their respective platforms. Using "call to action" language when republishing blog posts gets people to engage with content. "Angry at Wall Street's corruption? Press +1 if you agree." That's an example of a call to action I would use with my finance blog articles. The panelists like it when bloggers promote their posts across all platforms but they advised tweaking the "intro link" somewhat because followers are smart enough to notice identical things. That's a mistake I sometimes make on Twitter. I have noted that many bloggers like to engage their followers by enabling comments but that was something I gave up long ago because it added little value to my content. I will probably disable comments for any other platform I use but other bloggers are welcome to allow comments if it adds value for them. The panel mentioned that WordPress has a plugin to tweet old posts; I hope Google comes out with something comparably useful for Blogger. I was dismayed to learn that Google Analytics cannot at present monitor or analyze Google+ traffic, which is odd if their algorithm works so well with the other platform features I mentioned in the paragraph just above this one. They need to fix that capability gap. The brand panelist advocated following Twitter users who follow you, retweet you, and respond to you but I think that can be unwieldy after a few hundred followers. I use my Twitter feed to track new information from valid primary sources (central banks, government agencies) and bond fide thought leaders. There's no way I can follow every Joe or Jane who RT's my stuff because my feed would then be cluttered with their random life observations and I would miss news that is critical to my financial writing. It's a style preference on my part and I've noticed that many Twitter power users with huge followings also keep their own follow lists small enough to be manageable.
I did notice a common theme emerging from these first two panels. Pinterest and Instagram are emerging as sales and branding tools in the fashion and beauty sector because their aesthetics enable displays of visually oriented brands. The social media platform reps really like Instagram's design-oriented creative ethic. Instagram content that is authentic, thoughtful, and genuine should get noticed. Now I see why PR people like bloggers who personally use products they endorse. Photos of attractive "power users" of beauty products shared on Instagram will probably go viral within the beauty community.
The next panel on photography and videography was a topic I've rarely touched in life, other than some random shots I've thrown up on this blog when I've attended special events. I wish I had photographed some of the attractive women at this conference but I don't think they would have granted me permission. I'll just have to cherish the memories. Anyway, the panelists noted the availability of apps that enable embedding of metadata into photos and videos. Hot diggity dog, that's the kind of tech that enables the geojournalist projects I blogged about recently. One photographer said taking photos during the "golden hour" just after sunrise or before sunset captures a soft light tone. I'll try that the next time some attractive woman agrees to be my photo subject for a financial blog post. You may be wondering how I would work an attractive gal into a blog article about the Federal Reserve or investment banking trends. Me too. I think it would just be a cool way to get a gal to pose for me. Anyway, back to the panel. They like "how-to" content that generates good vertical use case data, so I'll have to begin more of my blog articles with "How To . . . " in the title. I did not know that Adobe has moved many of its programs into the cloud. I guess they learned from watching Salesforce that customers who don't need entire software packages will pay piecemeal for limited use. They noted that viral videos are either inspirational or strange and quirky (but not creepy). I would like to see someone write the equivalent of Cloudonomics for media production that quantifies the inputs (production time, equipment) and outputs (marketing channel action, ROI) of a viral media piece. The experts said lighting matters. I really dislike those YouTube selfie webcams in dark rooms. Get some lights, YouTubers.
BECCA Cosmetics gave us a fireside chat and product demonstration. Gentlemen, you haven't lived until you've seen your womenfolk discuss the application of their favorite makeup. They have it down to a science and they even know how different types of application brush hair will interact with cosmetics. This was all very educational for me as a heterosexual male who has never been married because I have no previous experience with how women approach personal care. I only know that they worship me for my extreme manliness. Okay, whatever. I did learn a little about how foundation makeup relates to bone structure. I also learned that this stuff about cosmetics is very important to women. I don't ever want to get between a woman and her beauty goodies.
The legal zone panel wasn't your typical boring seminar. Their perspectives were absolutely necessary for bloggers who want to stay out of trouble. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates advertising and has guidelines for bloggers on disclosing sponsored content. "Endorsements" sometimes look like personal opinions, but if there's a material business connection (even for one-time product swag in a gift bag) then it falls under the FTC's advertising rules. Bloggers must disclose their relationships with products they endorse every single time on their blog or Twitter, so it pays to know Twitter's hashtag rules. These attorneys said that commercial speech does not enjoy full First Amendment protection and the FTC's intent behind such requirements is to discourage false advertising. BTW, I noticed that the FTC's operations have been subject to shutdowns and sequesters due to the budget shenanigans in Washington. That does not mean Americans can break trade laws with impunity. It means that regulators will work hard later on to find violators of current laws.
The attorneys thought that bloggers should trademark their blog's name and logo, provided they are unique and fanciful. Bloggers can protect their visual content by putting the copyright symbol of their own watermark on photos they own. It is extremely important to copyright only owned photos! I will not ever copyright someone else's photo. The panelists mentioned that stock photo archives (I'm thinking the likes of Getty Images and Corbis Images) make huge money collecting from violations of cease and desist orders their attorneys send to unauthorized photo users. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) enables social media sites to instantly report copyright violations. Always have permission to use an image before you publish it.
Next up was the monetization panel, and I must say that the Disqus gal was extremely attractive. I recognized her from the Disqus booth at the DataWeek Conference I attended a couple of weeks ago. Disqus is more than just the widget I've seen on news sites and other blogs that allow comments. It links commenters to other media they may find relevant and offers revenue sharing from recommended content. I had wondered how they monetized their platform. VigLink monetizes links to merchants and Luvocracy monetizes endorsements (just remember the FTC's mission from my discussion above). I noticed The Mad Video's exhibit at iFabbo showed how it installs an embedded data layer over an online video that can link to product information or a vendor's storefront. I might use the services that monetize text links but visual overlays are probably more useful for bloggers pushing mainly visual content. I also wonder how these services will display on mobile devices if they are used with Pinterest and Instagram visual product endorsements.
The best lesson I took from the monetizers was that search engines give higher rankings to blogs and media pages with video content. Videos are shared more often and are more likely to be on Google Search's first page of results. I have my own YouTube channel and one of the first things I did when I set it up was to enable the ad display function. I admit that I don't have many videos posted but I can make time to record some finance-related monologues once I find a decent camera. The panel also mentioned that the most important content must be at the start of the video because that medium has a high abandonment rate online. I can attest from experience that they're correct. I've given up on many YouTube videos before they finished playing because they took too long to load. If audiences like authentic content, nothing is more authentic than me running my mouth about Wall Street to a camera. I used to consider comments to be authentic but I took them off my blog when they became havens for abuse. I may try Disqus comments on my Alfidi Capital website pages as an experiment. The Disqus gal assured us that her service's users are among the most content-engaged people on the Web and are often other bloggers. I'm a frequent commenter on Disqus myself. One panelist advised us to make our blog ads look more like our content by adjusting the ads' color schemes and borders. Okay, but some ad services may not allow that.
More hot women appeared on the final panel to discuss the future of fashion and beauty. Remember all of those really imaginative futures we should have had by now, with flying cars and moon colonies? Well, they haven't happened yet and I'm still waiting for a time travel conveyance or something. I'm also waiting to see some futuristic Star Trek fashion become real today. I would love to see the fashion industry's interpretation of the wearable technology movement, because that will be the next big thing attracting venture funding once VCs lose their infatuation with social media and Big Data. Anyway, enough of my wandering. The panel said web content is so heavily re-blogged that original content matters. Getting your blog on networks and aggregators reaches new readers who follow major brands (look no further than my presence on Seeking Alpha, which got me my first big waves of Web traffic in the finance sector).
It will eventually dawn on technologists that the emergence of Pinterest and Instagram, and the Google Search algorithm's configuration to favor videos, mark the dawn of post-literate culture in the developed world. Those two platforms are almost entirely visual. Text, data, and links are embedded but appear minimally intrusive. I can't see myself using either platform because I have to publish business commentary in a text-based format.
Keynote speaker Jacqueline Wales inspired the audience with her Fearless Factor approach to motivation. She had plenty of great advice about presenting an authentic self, having a good attitude, being focused and disciplined, knowing your audience, and recovering from adversity. Her most memorable observations were that people fail when they play small rather than big, and that the biggest failure is the failure to try. Lots of struggling bloggers can probably relate to Jacqueline's personal history of overcoming obstacles.
You may be wondering how I'm going to tie all this in to the finance sector. Wonder no more. Here we go. I haven't written much on apparel companies but I did publish my analysis of Frederick's of Hollywood a few years ago when they were executing a turnaround strategy. Bulge bracket investment banks do plenty of corporate finance work in the fashion and beauty sector. The bigger i-banks usually consider fashion and beauty to be a subset of their consumer/retail practices. California Apparel News tracks fashion sector deal flow on its finance page. Just-Style also carriers fashion finance news and market intelligence. There's even potential for entrepreneurial disruption in the fashion sector right here in The City. Macy's Union Square sponsors Fashion Incubator San Francisco (FiSF), where aspiring designers can launch clothing lines. I truly believe those incubating designers should connect with the wearable tech sector and make wonderful things happen.
This iFabbo conference for fashion and beauty bloggers was really something else. I stepped outside the pinstriped finance sector for a day and wore one of my own more daring ensembles, red shirt and everything. I met quite a few very attractive women but only time will tell if they find Yours Truly to be intriguing. Normal women can't help themselves around me so I have reason for optimism. Most importantly, I got a brief education on a business sector I've never experienced before. The blog success tips were way cool, and success is always in fashion.
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