Comments for davidconnell.net

Comment on 30-plus vegetarian recipes for meat eaters (and why i try to eat meat only on the weekends) by davidconnell

davidconnell — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:08:00 +0000

Thank you, Aggie! I actually made this meal just the other night. It’s wonderful for a good winter meal. Thank you for posting it, it’s definitely a family fave! Good pulled pork is a weakness of mine as well. :D

Dave

Comment on 30-plus vegetarian recipes for meat eaters (and why i try to eat meat only on the weekends) by Aggie

Aggie — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Thanks so much to linking to my pasta recipe! I love your post and can relate to it a lot. I cut back on meat tremendously over last two years…I feel great. A lot of it had to do with what I saw on Food Inc, and also just b/c it was easy for me to do and really I just love veg based meals so much more. But I find myself every now and then just really craving a pulled pork sandwich or stuffed cabbage rolls or chicken parmesan…so I take bites here and there and am completely satisfied this way. I love your ‘weekend only’ idea!

Comment on what non-profits can learn from tech start-ups by davidconnell

davidconnell — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:10:00 +0000

Thanks Bob,
Sorry it’s been awhile since I got back on this. I think I agree with the points that you’re making here. Getting visitors to invest in a non-profit’s mission is more complicated then getting people to try a new start-up service or software. And I’m definitely not trying to draw an analogy between non-profits and cloud-based services. What I’m looking at are the techniques they’re using to get people to sign up, use the service and pass it on to their friends — the user-flow, the use of images, etc. Obviously, you would have to adjust the content, but I think the techniques are transferable.

I would use these techniques as landing pages off of paid search, or display ads — or a sign-up page off a homepage — so that users are coming to them predisposed to suport the cause. I would want to present a simple value proposition and get out of the user’s way when it came to sign-up and then incentivize them to share with others. When it comes to initial sign-up, non-profits tend to over think it — either you’re predisposed to help the environment, or you’re not. You either care about waterless children in Africa, or you don’t. As you say, non-profits are a service to do for others what we can’t do for ourselves and i think we can sell ourselves as such.

Now, getting from an email address and zipcode to a donation takes a lot of stewardship and emotional investment and that’s a whole different story. Just as getting someone to try Kicksend once to getting them to use it regularly and/or pay for it i a differnent proposition.

Comment on what non-profits can learn from tech start-ups by Bob Lalasz

Bob Lalasz — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:37:00 +0000

So, this argument seems compelling. And it’s certainly mobile-ready. But…

Isn’t the analogy between a cloud-based service and a non-profit a little loose? The service gives you something of utility, usually a tool that makes your life (supposedly) easier. The non-profit usually isn’t a service; it’s a proxy, doin things in the world you couldn’t or couldn’t do at that scale. I’m much more inclined to try Basecamp risk-free for 30 days because I can see immediately how it could be useful. But don’t non-profits require a little more time to convince you they could be a good steward of your hopes and dreams?

Second, the 2 NGOs you mention both have really simple value props. Not often the case in this world, as we both know. How do you adapt this model to the more complex identities of bigger orgs?

I’m unconvinced that the complicated emotional and cognitive transaction of deciding to support a charity can always fit inside this box you’ve drawn. Interested in your thoughts.

Comment on a readability triptych from brent simmons by Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:03:00 +0000

Hey it’s Pub Rules.

Comment on if you can’t convince them, mock them by Asdf

Asdf — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:12:00 +0000

Haha wow. I just heard about the ad and searched for it but it actually made you guys cry. iPad is fucking lame at least this one is funny.

Comment on happy little danger bomb by Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:57:00 +0000

Even now, the new Mac comes with a little card inside that says, “you and your mac were made for each other.” How on Earth can you not feel bonded right from the start?!

Comment on if you can’t convince them, mock them by Peter Kulinski

Peter Kulinski — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:19:00 +0000

Yes, hugely insulting! I couldn’t believe I was watching this! Teasing? Flat out put-down!

Comment on if you can’t convince them, mock them by Fay

Fay — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 13:25:00 +0000

I took it more as a gentle teasing. They are accepting people are lining up for the i phone and just saying hey why not consider this phone its cool.

Comment on if you can’t convince them, mock them by Popculturelunchbox.com

Popculturelunchbox.com — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:53:00 +0000

I had the exact same thoughts. Plus, I once bought a Samsung TV that broke almost immediately and was my worst electronics purchase ever.

Paul