Comments on: “Yahoo’s Jerry Yang Doesn’t Understand Blogging”

By: katie mcgraw

katie mcgraw — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:59:22 +0000

good luck with the computer. i just saw this article in the boston globe…crazy! last non-tech reply, i swear…

http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2008/05/08/feedback_even_if_it_hurts/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed6

By: katie

katie — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:45:52 +0000

This does indeed make sense. However, even with a company like Starbuck’s, I still think a pretty decent portion of their customers must use the Internet considering over 70 percent of Americans say they use it. I think my main issue with SB is the fact that I sent in a suggestion regarding thoughts I had on service and received zero response. At the very least it would have been tolerable to receive an instant feedback message saying that they appreciated my suggestion. That said, I still think they could use this for good. I would recommend something like a one state customer rep. virtual media/customer round table. They could include a contest to select the final customer rep. from each state, entice them with a SB prize, and invite them and media and shareholders even to join a conversation re: what SB is doing wrong and how to change it for the better. Everyone could tap in through a phone line and online webinar. High-tech to a certain degree but still pretty mainstream for those who are not Internet buffs.

I don’t think the issue at hand is whether folks want chocolate flavored coffee or banana flavored coffee as an option. I think a big issue is that SB lost that loving feeling when barista’s lost touch with the fact that their job wasn’t just about pulling a smooth shot. Which brings me full circle to what PR and life and SB should be about – communication and relationship building…whether through coffee or conversation.

By: Chris Lynn

Chris Lynn — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:05:52 +0000

Amanda, Logan: You guys are spot on! Thanks for your comments!

Katie:
Great question. It’s important to remember that, just because we have the tools, doesn’t mean we always need to use them. Therefore, we should ask where Ideastorm fits into the larger goal before we determine whether we should use it.

With Dell, it’s really a two-fold solution. First, Dell used to be only an online and phone retailer, making the online customers their largest audience. Also, by getting their users engaged in the product development process, Dell could also build products that fit to user needs that they may have missed.

Same can be said for Yahoo. Their life blood is their users, who are only found online. With user input, Yahoo could get a better sense for what people want. Due to the fluid nature of the online community, it’s important to engage them, and help your product grow around them.

That brings us to Starbucks. I think it’s great that they want to try and listen to their customers, but I’m not sure how an Ideastorm-type product would really fit in. Bulk of their customers are OFFLINE, and I’m not sure how much product development their customers can actually take part in. They can’t build a flavor that people want. In the end, it seems like it’s more of a comment box/market research type community, and not a move to energize their customer base. Make sense?

By: katie mcgraw

katie mcgraw — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:43:14 +0000

quick quasi relevant question in regards to your ideastorm concept – what are your thoughts on starbucks and their “my starbucks idea campaign”?

By: Logan

Logan — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:43:51 +0000

Thanks for posting about Jerry’s post. (I would’ve missed it otherwise.) It was important to me to see that other users feel the same way I do/did about Yahoo’s communication style. Their technical support and other outbound communications were always so closed and one-way. It was impossible to have a dialogue about your problems as a user. And, forget about trying to make a suggestion and get a response. Jerry’s blog reveals Yahoo’s lack of two-way dialogue with their users.

You hit the nail on the head with this post. Yahoo would have much better services and products (and a stronger brand) if they listened more to their users. And, why not start at the top? Jerry should absolutely listen to and respond to the users who took time to comment on his blog. It would go far to rekindle the love that users once had for the Yahoo brand.

By: Amanda Gravel

Amanda Gravel — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:32:46 +0000

Great post, Chris. Taking the step to blog is never just one step. Your bullets highlight that it’s an ongoing endeavor and that listening is paramount. Consumers today (Yahoo or otherwise) are too savvy, smart, connected and vocal to be ignored, and they deserve better than that.

It will be interesting to see how and if Jerry and Yahoo correct this problem.