Pitfalls and Lessons Learned of Business Rules Implementation - A Business Analyst Perspective Perspective

Senior Artemis Alliance staff, drawing on their practical experience with what can go wrong from management, technical, and business analysis perspectives, provided insight into how and why business rules initiatives fail and strategies to assure the success of such initiatives.


by Alyce Neperud, Artemis Principal and Senior Business Analyst
Significant analysis pitfalls include:
Resistance to change Separation of rules from requirements Poor repository planning Selecting the wrong people to be rules analysts Solving the same problem in different ways No champion
Success Strategies
To overcome resistance to change:
Educate to provide better understanding of why the organization is doing it this way. Build support within all areas.DevelopmentAnalysisTestingProject Management Enable them to “skin their knees”.Let the team make mistakes quickly and see the value of the approach. Bring understanding of the “big picture” and the value of the approach down-stream in the development process.
To prevent the separation of rules from requirements:
Teach them to write good requirements and good rules.Avoid having one group writing requirements and another writing rules. Use concrete examples.Show the new version of artifacts after introducing the concrete examples.Tell the entire story in an integrated manner. Use short, fast iterations with experienced review to provide experience and feedback
To encourage good repository planning:
Do not take a document centric approach--focus on writing good rules rather than on where they fit in the document. Use knowledgeable people in designing the rules repository. Work through the versioning and change management in detail. Execute full rule lifecycle testing of the repository.
To select the right rules analysts:
Do not assume that every subject matter expert will be a good analyst. Do not assign critical tasks to people who are unproven. Have internal or external mentors who have time to help Pair experienced people with inexperienced. Explicitly determine skill levels of team members.
To avoid different solutions to the same problem:
Establish model for sharing information and lessons learned. Consistency is essential to precision. Do not let separate groups make their own decisions. Have some experts looking across the entire set. Do not overwork your experts. Be careful in how you tasks are assigned to avoid overlapping work. Alyce’s advice for the ‘no champion’ problem ia simple: Get one! No champion equates to a greatly reduced probability of success.
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GREAT Marketing will Ruin a GOOD Product

Sounds counter-intuitive doesn't it, but it's absolutely true.  Great marketing can simply ruin a low-quality or even good-quality product or service.  Before you dismiss this post on its face, let me offer an example we can all relate to.

Banking in the 00s has become a "Gotcha Marketer's" paradise.  Sky-high ATM fees, bank fees, huge conglomerates with no ties or interest in the community.  It's all pretty discouraging.

According to Bart Narter, senior vice president at Celent, a banking industry research firm, "Overdraft charges, in particular, generate customer steam. Fee income, primarily from bounced checks and overdrafts on debit card, account for close to half of all bank profits."

So while banks have been running brilliant marketing campaigns with spectacular offers like "Free Checking," "24-hour online banking" and "no minimum balance", the joke is on each and every one of us.  Big banks simply can’t live up to their own hype and still turn the kind of profits their investors demand.

A recent J.D. Power and Associates survey reports that satisfaction with banks in general, out of a possible score of 1,000 points, is now at a level of 748. That's down slightly from 763 three years ago. But what has really plummeted is loyalty. In the 2007 survey, 46% of customers said they "definitely" would not switch banks in the next 12 months. That figure has fallen to only 34% of customers in 2010, which represents a 26% decline.

So while great marketing can win you new customers, it's how you deliver your product or service that ultimately retains them.  Let your marketing promise the stars and you will only disappoint those hard-won new customers.

View the original article here

Context sensitive Rule Management – Part 2

In my March 28th blog, I discussed process centric thinking and mapping business rules to process. As I stated earlier, business is a set of processes/services that it provides to its consumers. Business rules define how each process functions and how processes taken together allow a business to function. Let’s take an example of e-Commerce web site which takes orders from customers and fulfills customer’s orders. In this case, one process for this organization is, “Order fulfillment”. At the highest level it can be defined as
Gather customer information
Gather items that customer ordered
Take method of payment
Place a block or authorization on payment
Check the stock to fulfill the items that customer ordered
Place them in one or more boxes
Ship them to customer
Upon customer receipt, charge him.

Each step may itself explode into complex multiple sub steps or processes. So depending on organization size and number of processes; interactions between them may be very complex to define. When enterprise wide initiatives are made, even at the process level, people quickly get confused in communications primarily because they lack a common enterprise-wide vocabulary. The solution is to get control over what business can be defining by:

1) Creating common enterprise wide vocabulary thru which every one can communicate. (No interpreted meanings. Clear definitions)
2) Creating processes by using the vocabulary defined above to the granularity desired
3) Creating teams to define a process or sub process with an understanding of its functionality in end to end process definition.
4) Defining Requirements using common vocabulary (Enterprise repository) and creating any additional vocabulary before using it in Requirements

Strictly following the above rules automatically applies the concepts of “Contract first”, “SOA”, “Integration from day 1”, and handful unambiguous documents.

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BEST PRACTICE

The term ’best practice’ is a simple concept. I am at point A and I want to get to point B. How should I go about it? I brainstorm some options. Have I done something like this before? Has somebody else done this before or something similar to it and what were the results? What resources are available to me? How quickly do I need to achieve my goal, what do I need to be prepared for at point B, what are the consequences of my actions? I make a decision based on my goals, values, and strengths. If part way there I learn something new, I make adjustments. If many have gone from point A to point B before me, I have a broader base of experience than my own to draw from. The other experiences are not likely to match my own exactly, but I will assess them to see if they are applicable -provided I have the information to do so. If others who have experienced this situation first hand have found some common ground or best practices, this is even more valuable. I have best practices and examples of these practices to reinforce my understanding and guide me.

In the context of business rules, what is currently available to help us navigate from point A to B, or even from A to Z? Our knowledge is much more fragmented than in general software development practices. On one end of the spectrum, we have a significant body of knowledge on defining and modeling business rules, independent of a technology implementation. On the other end, we have the low level details for using a business rules engine. The problem is the knowledge gap in-between. While we see examples of businesses that have achieved success, we don’t have a body of best practices yet to guide us. We need to make more connections from one end of the spectrum to the other. If the gap persists, we will not achieve the true value of business rules.

We need to work in both directions, from business to implementation and from implementation to business. From the implementation end, we will not realize business change by simply extracting rules out of code and putting them in a rules engine. We need to help our organizations identify and understand the opportunities made possible by business rules. We then need to organize and implement our rules in such a way that we can achieve the business objectives.

As a business we may be looking to implement business rules because we value consistent application of business practices, managed complexity, retained and accessible knowledge, and quick response to business change. But more specifically where are we today and where do we want to be?

Business X, for example, is feeling pain because it currently takes six months to implement and rollout a moderate-sized change. This type of change is not uncommon to the business – it is a regulated industry and there is a regular cycle of change. If the business values quick response to business change, how quick is quick? What type of change occurs and how often? What are the change points? Who has the knowledge to make these changes? Who should implement the change and what type of change control process is needed? How do we test the change? Do we need to support versioning so multiple rule versions can co-exist? What types of rules do we want to be able to change without having to modify the application itself? There are lots of questions and opportunities for best practices to guide us.

Take for example pivot points- the attributes around which our business changes. In insurance, there are different rules for different states, so states are a pivot point. If you include this pivot point in the rules, you will be changing the rules often. Just because rules can be changed, doesn’t make it a good practice. A better practice is to use attributes on rules to handle change points. Changing attributes on relevant rules is simpler and more expedient than changing the rules.

What does all this mean? Good design practices still apply to business rules. We need to make the connections from the business goals through to implementation. We need to look to existing design practices for guidance, assess how business rules need to change or enhance these practices and be rigorous about their use.

View the original article here

Social Media Marketing Tips from OMS

The 2010 Online Marketing Summit was recently held in Dallas. Take a look at a few of our social media learns from the conference.

Forget "Inbound or Outbound" Marketing Communications

During almost every session, "Forget inbound or outbound" was the mantra. The Big Idea is all about two-way dialogues that are relevant, local and compelling. Delivering your marketing message to the individual—not the demographic. "Personally Engaging + Emotionally Intelligent + Highly Interactive = Dramatic Customer Results," According to Ephor Group's Charles Bedard.

Leverage Web 2.0

Web 2.0, or the ability for users to generate content for you by interacting with your website, is the key for small and large businesses with anything resembling a content marketing strategy. If you're a smaller company, form a "content team" that adheres to an editorial calendar. However, don't expect them to do ALL the work. Leverage user generated content. Case in point, Amazon leverages its user to write most all of its book and product reviews. It would simply be impossible to hire experts to write a review of every book, CD and product.

Develop a Culture that can React Quickly

These days there are countless tools that allow you to monitor social media mentions, trends and analytics, but what can you do with all that real-time data if you can't react quickly and efficiently?

The trick is to develop a culture that allows for quick reactions that can ride a trend wave. Encourage employees to participate (personally) in social media discussions around your business and its activities. If you can weigh in on the trends surrounding your brand in a relevant, value-adding way in real-time, you're already weeks ahead of your competition.

Forget "Web Chat"

There was a time that being able to chat live with sales support staff during the buying decision was the epitome of a modern brand. These days, its reputation as a value adding service is completely shot. According to Patrick Bultema, web chat has "been polluted by call center mentality and over-scripting."

Save your breath–er–fingers.

Relevant Social Media Content:

View the original article here

The 5 Second Focus Group

Traditional focus grouping, eye path mapping, and split tests are all valuable tools, but they're cumbersome, expensive and slow. Enter "FiveSecondTest.com."

Created by an Australian duo at Angry Monkeys, FiveSecondTest.com allows designers and developers the ability to run a fast (and mostly free) test on any new comp.

Let's face it, with fast approaching deadlines and unreasonable expectations resting on creative design and web development marketing activities, who has time for the traditional focus group, eye path mapping and A/B split test approach?

Take it for a spin yourself. Here's the test we set up for JDM's new homepage flash. It's good karma...

View the original article here

The Halloween Consumer Spending Index

These days, the economy is far more scary than ghouls and goblins, but that didn't stop Americans from embracing the (expensive) delights of Halloween.

This year, U.S. adults spent about $5.77 billion to celebrating Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation, up from $5.07 billion in 2007. Who says cobwebs can't stimulate the economy?

That's good news in an otherwise grim economic outlook. The Commerce Department said last week that Gross Domestic Product, shrank by 0.3 percent in the third quarter, largely due to sharp declines in consumer spending. This leaves little doubt with economists that we're in a recession that may be long and deep.  However, on the heals of Halloween retailers are reporting far more treats than tricks.

Contrary to the grim picture economists are touting, the "Halloween Consumer Spending Index" seems to be up from last year which may signal, an albeit slow, domestic economic recovery.

NPR wrote a whole article last week, "In Tricky Economy, Halloween A Treat For Retailers."  We'll have to wait and see if the holiday spending spree carries over through the "golden quarter."

View the original article here

I hate passwords

These days, it seems that everybody has some sort of online client portal they want to manage you through.  Currently, I'm maintaining a list of over 350 different usernames and passwords for all the various portals I'm supposed to be using.  Worse, my company has been working on a client portal too.  Et tu, JDM?!

So rather than bore you with all the features the new portal has, let me just mention my favorite—Auto-Login Links.

That's right; "Auto-Login Links" allow authorized myJDM users to login without entering a username or password.  Every message, notification or online invoice comes with a special link allowing users to arrive not just at the most relevant page on myJDM, but without even seeing the login screen.

The JDM nerds are all excited about the release, the security, the integration, the navigation—whatever.  I'm just excited that at least my company's portal is one less password every one of our clients has to remember.

Passwords are so last month!

Check out all the shiny new features of myJDM in our Shameless News release.

View the original article here

Pitfalls and Lessons Learned of Business Rules Implementation - A Technical Perspective

Senior Artemis Alliance staff, drawing on their practical experience with what can go wrong from management, technical, and business analysis perspectives, provided insight into how and why business rules initiatives fail and strategies to assure the success of such initiatives.

by Krzysztof Karski, Artemis Senior Consultant

Significant technical pitfalls include failing to:

Architect the concept model at the beginning of the project. Manage change. Establish an overall design vision for the rules engine and repository at the beginning. Establish appropriate testing methodology. Understand the capabilities and limitations of the rules engine. Understand that rules are not ‘just’ code or a new way to write if…then statements.

Success Strategies
For the concept model:

Reduce change by having a well thought out and architected concept model. Have enough of a concept model architected so that future changes are additive, not structural.

For managing change:

Establish a communication process between teams that might affect the concept model. Ensure the external entity model and the concept model evolve in the same direction. Agree early on data types, data constraints etc. Preferred approach: Iterative.Iterate quickly and often.Communicate frequentlyIntegrate differences quickly and often Alternate strategy: Delay concept and entity model integration.Isolate concept model from external entity model churn.Figure out rules and concept model first, then figure out how to integrate with the external entity model.Get the concept model correct first and then figure out how to integrate it with external models.

For establishing an overall design for the rules engine:

Choose an organizational paradigm and follow through. Establish rule organization, naming and categorization standards. Establish a vision for evolving the repository. Architect for rule portability and compatibility across the repository by having a well thought out and architected concept model.

For testing:

Test early and often. Do not skip rule authoring steps including testing inside the rule authoring tool. Test in your environment first, not in application. Conduct quick, targeted testing.At minimum, set up quick and targeted smoke tests for your rules.Establish a reusable base of testing plumbing and base test data.Catch 80% of mistakes in the tool.Let the application testing strategy catch the remaining 20%. For best use of the rules engine:

Understand configuration options and their differences. Use wizards and auto generation techniques where possible. Use full tool set. Use the appropriate data types, built-in functions, etc. Understand your vendor’s work flow:Take full advantage of productivity aids by following the vendor’s rule authoring workflow.Understand the order of events when writing rules to avoid rework or unnecessary manual work.Use the rules engine for rules.Rule engines are not integration, data transformation or translation platforms.You should not have to write a ton of rules just to access, understand and return data. For understanding why rules are not ‘just’ code:

Use intermediary concepts.Define intermediary concepts globally and reuse them.Define simplification concepts that are used in everyday conversation and use them in the rules.Revisit OO analysis fundamentals and apply them.Write rules that sound like English. Follow rule writing best practices.Have each rule deal with one issue.Break up large decision logic blocks into many rules.Don’t write techie rules.Remember that rules are just not a different way to express if….then expressions.

View the original article here

Context sensitive Rule Management

In my 15 years of IT experience, I have visited quite a few companies. Every company attempted, to some degree, to document business process in the form of rules. At the beginning, everyone is over enthusiastic and starts writing every detail as a business rule. At this stage, when a new rule is added, majority of BA's will not look into whether new rule would contradict with existing rules. This is starting point for contradictory / conflicting rules documents. Worst of all, at the corporate level, these initiatives happen in parallel and each department starts documenting rules whenever something comes to mind. IT builds applications based on a set of business rules which develop themselves into a concrete process with an input and output. An individual business rule is always a statement or a fact in the process, but can never be a process by itself. IT builds an application for a set of business rules which are cohesive in nature and accomplish a goal. This means that BAs should start from business PROCESS, not from RULES. After all, a business is a set of well defined processes/services to its consumers. Addressing rules from a process-centric viewpoint gives rules a context. Then BAs can ask themselves questions such as “How many processes are defined?”, “What portion of a process is defined?” Definition of a process can be expressed in business rules. Process-centric thinking while defining business rules has lots of advantages. It brings lots of new perspectives into the picture. In my next blog, I will take an example and explain how this process-centric thinking helps bring context to business rules. I will also explain the benefits BAs would gain by adopting this process-centric thinking.

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Marketers Not Using RSS Should Be Fired

Any marketer using an inbound content marketing strategy, but not RSS, should be fired." exclaims Justin Downey, Managing Director of JDM. "All you have to do is understand the basics to understand the immense value of RSS and that's what this most recent marketing best practice article sets out to accomplish."

The article, "Real Simple Syndication (RSS) Simplified," tackles the following topics:

What is an RSS Feed?How does it fit into the Marketing Mix?How do I generate my RSS Feed?RSS/XML Syntax & ExamplesHow do I promote my RSS Feed?

Learn more and register to download our latest best practice article on our resources page, Bathroom Reading.

See the release on our Shameless News Media Center: 'Anyone Not Using RSS Should Be Fired', Says Downey :: Shameless News

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Reebok's Soft Ad Strategy

Reebok's "Pick Me" commercials, where real, professional athletes showcase impossible feats in order to pitch themselves as good Fantasy Football picks, is certainly entertaining. However, as common in B2C marketing, the strategy of the ad campaign is soft (if it exists at all). What are they actually selling?

Very cool, but is the ad strategy successful? Your move.

View the original article here

Google’s New Anti-Link Spam Algorithm

Inbound links generally signal to search engines that the site being linked to must have some credibility and, perhaps, should be rewarded with a higher page rank. After all, it's very difficult to make a significant number of people link to you. They must be doing it because they believe you have some real value to offer—unless it's Link Spam.

Link Spam takes advantage of these link-based ranking algorithms using all sorts of black-hat techniques like Link Farms, Hidden Links, Spam Blogs, Page Hijacking, Cookie Stuffing, etc.

It's been rumored around the net for months that Google is working on a cure for Link Spam and on March 3rd, Google's Matt Cutts posted a blog asking for users to report link spamming directly to Google.

You might be wondering why Google would resort to snitch-tactics...? We believe it's because Google has a new Link Spam-fighting algorithm and they're looking for a significant sample size to test it against.

Recently, JDM began testing a service called "WhoLinksToMe" to begin researching the SEO value-for-effort of building a reputable inbound link portfolio for clients and monitoring it closely.

As the following table shows, inbound links are about quality not just quantity. We're expecting Google's new Link Spam algorithm to simply exaggerate this fact.

Hopefully my mother is right and cheaters never win.

More SEO News & Best Practices:

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Aim Small, Miss Small

I've never been much for hunting, but I do like target shooting. A friend of mine taught me to "aim small, miss small." In other words, aim for the whole beer can and you might miss it entirely. Aim for the hole in the "g" on the label and, even if you miss the letter, you'll still hit the can.

"Aim small, miss small" also applies to B2B direct marketing.

Most direct marketers play the numbers game and send their generic message to anyone they think might have even the remotest interest in the message. Then they're surprised when unqualified responses trickle in.

If you "aim small" and develop a small, but highly targeted list, a highly relevant message and drive them to equally relevant content, response rates will drastically increase.

I know what you're thinking: small list = few responses (even with a high response rate)—and you're right. The key is your targeted message can only "miss small." You can't get too far off-base if you're speaking to a very select group of prospects the way you can when you're speaking to an entire demographic.

"Aim small, miss small" is the motto of evolved direct marketers who demand the highest quality responses at a price that will generate a positive ROIm. It also spells trouble for beer cans.

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Don't Penalize Payment!

On the first day of my very first pricing class in college, the professor opened with the following one-line statement: "Never make it hard for customers to give you money!"  The point was simple.  Get as sophisticated as you like setting up pricing structures, but for god's sake, don't make it hard to actually pay.  So why do so many businesses not just make it hard to pay them, but actually charge a penalty if you don’t pay them in the manner they prefer?!

I recently found an unpaid bill under the stacks of paperwork on my desk.  It was due in just a few days, so rather than chance it, I decided to call the automated payment line and pay via their check-by-phone service.  To my surprise, they wanted to charge an additional $12!  I have to pay more to pay on time?!

I'd understand if I was speaking with a human, but this was a totally automated system—not a human for miles.  The service only costs the business a few cents, so where does the extra $12 go?

Business owners, it's a bad idea to make it difficult for customers to pay you.  It's even worst to penalize them for paying you via an instant payment method.  That said, how do they get away with this?  The answer is exactly what that same professor said at the end of the last day of class: "...in the end, something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.”  As long as customers are willing to pay $12 to pay their bill, those businesses will keep up their Gotcha Marketing strategy.

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Why do so few companies actually manage their business rules?

The products and services offered by today’s modern companies are increasingly virtual constructs modeled and defined through business rules and enforced by automated computer systems. Insurance policies, lending agreements and other financial products are often essentially contractual agreements between a provider and a consumer. These products and services amount to risk mitigation or behavior governance strategies to produce a financially beneficial outcome to the provider while offering something of value to the consumer. Such contractual agreements are really nothing other than a product or service modeled through the use of business rules and resulting actions, which combined, govern the relationship and responsibilities of both the provider and consumer.

Products and services that are defined through business rules force the creation of additional business rules that govern the company’s operations. Activities such as billing, fee and rewards calculation, verification of eligibility, and compliance require that a new, but related, set of business rules be put in place which both support and constrain daily operations to ensure that the terms of the agreement are met. In addition, most companies must comply with federal and state regulations, resulting in another set of business rules that must be enforced.

Through all of this, we can see how business rules lie at the foundation of modern business, from being the actual product or service itself, to governing the necessary supporting operations that make adhering to the agreement possible while also complying with regulations. Executing, enforcing and complying with ever more complex and numerous business rules is, increasingly, becoming the business.

Interestingly enough, very few companies actually document and actively manage their business rules as the intellectual property, legal commitment, or competitive advantage they are. A business rules management approach, at a minimum, provides us with knowledge about what the rules are, where they are, and what the overall impact of a business rule change will be. Business rule management is not necessarily the centrally controlled or bureaucratic process it appears to be. However, scattering business rules and their documentation across the enterprise in use cases, requirements management tools, manuals, and -- most often – in code, does not a business rules management approach make.

So, given the importance business rules play in the modern enterprise, why do so few companies actually manage their business rules?

Here are a few high-level business reasons that I could think of for this lack of management, in no particular order:
Business rules have only recently become recognized as key company assets.Although rule engines have existed for over 20 years, business rule management tools and methodologies are still in their infancy.Only in the last 10-20 years has the business and regulatory landscape, products, and services become so complex that a rules management strategy is becoming essential.Since business rules change so often, old rules go away, and new ones are created, companies treat them as throwaways rather than as assets that need management.Companies are overwhelmed managing other aspects of their business that were positioned as critical much earlier than business rules (i.e., BPM, CRM, ERP, Just in time XYZ etc.). Companies have seen so many past promises about management approaches and technology evaporate that they are reluctant to adopt new trends until they have been proven by others.Managers are not around long enough to see value or implement long term strategies.Companies generally do not take an overall view of their business which means efforts are departmentalized and large efforts uncoordinated.Companies do not realize the savings from retaining and maintaining their intellectual property such as the expertise embodied in their employees. IT shops are unfamiliar with rule engines so anything related to rules management is equally unfamiliar.There simply hasn’t been enough hype around business rules for most managers to notice.

Naturally, it is too simplistic to say companies do not manage their rules. Insurance companies have been forced for years to manage rules to some extent due to mandated state filings on changes and proposed coverage. Similarly, companies who regularly audit their business activities must be able to prove certain practices are in place and business conducted according to regulations.

In that case, why aren’t companies managing most of their rules the same way they manage some of their rules?

View the original article here

Pitfalls and Lessons Learned of Business Rules Implementation - A Management Perspective

Senior Artemis Alliance staff, drawing on their practical experience with what can go wrong from management, technical, and business analysis perspectives, provided insight into how and why business rules initiatives fail and strategies to assure the success of such initiatives.

by Michael Krouze, Artemis CTO

Significant management pitfalls include:

Management sees the initiative as ‘only’ a technical investment or enabler, and fails to take into account ALL of the costs involved.Management views business rules as a tactical, single application investment, and does not see the ‘big picture’, strategic benefits.
Management hasn’t bought into the value of business rules, and fails to provide consistent support.Management does not understand the scope of the initiative and short changes the investment.

Success Strategies
Regarding determining the costs:

Clearly analyze all rule costs and communicate to management.Make sure to include the following types of costs:PurchasesCulture/process changeEducationImplementationTestingMaintenance

Regarding the strategic benefits:

Examine all the benefits of business rules.Think of business rules as a strategic tool.IT agilityManagement of knowledge as an assetLeverage the investment in tools and skills.

Regarding management support:

Educate, review competition, review success statistics to build confidence.Communicate strong support.Don’t vacillate – make a decision and stand behind it.

Regarding not short changing the investment:

Understand the costs.Recognize needs for education and/or consulting support.Allow for proof-of-concept work and learning curve.Contract for support services from vendor.

Based on Michael’s experience, shortchanging the investment and viewing a business rules initiative only as a short-term, tactical investment are the two biggest barriers to a successful project. Management must understand that a business rules initiative is strategic in nature and represents a new way to manage its business.

View the original article here

"How to SEO for Bing" SEO Article

JDM has certainly discussed SEO before in articles, white papers and blogs. Nonetheless, the question comes up in conference call after conference call: "How is Bing different in terms of SEO?" To address this question, JDM has just published a new SEO best practice article, "How to SEO for Bing."

Fundamentally, Bing isn't that much different than other search engines. In fact, according to Bing's Principal Group Program Manager, "SEO is still SEO. Bing doesn't change that. Bing's new user interface (UI) design simply adds new opportunities..."

JDM's "How to SEO for Bing" article tackles a few key ways to capitalize on those 'new opportunities' they mention.

Learn more about this and other SEO articles on our Bathroom Reading resource page.

View the original article here

That's Marketing...

On countless occasions, professional marketers find ourselves explaining not just what we do, but what marketing, in general, is.

I like to use the following explanation—especially after a few cocktails. Feel free to use it yourself. It's not trademarked...

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, I'm fantastic in bed.You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, He's fantastic in bed.You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you call and say, Hi, I'm fantastic in bed.You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm fantastic in bed."You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, "I hear you're fantastic in bed."

Well, I hope that helps anyone out there having trouble explaining marketing activities to friends and family. I have a few more for Social Media, Online, etc., but they're a little too racy for a corporate blog—even JDM's.

Stay tuned to @MarketingEvolve on Twitter for a few others too scandalous for Big Marketing Ideas. Got one of your own? Comment them below.

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Mobile Marketing: 2010 Best Practices

There's been a lot of chatter about mobile marketing but little movement. That is, until you consider that the majority of carriers are offering flat-rate data plans leveraging 3G and 4G bandwidth and everyone (and their mother) never leaves home without their sensor-rich, wireless web-ready, palm-top computers that--oh yeah--also happen to make phone calls.

The majority of the experts agree, 2010 will be the year the mobile web gets its wings. That's great for consumers, but what does it mean to marketers?

Before businesses dive head first into mobile marketing, there are a few best practices to observe and a few stupid trends to avoid.

Dig into the latest mobile marketing best practices in JDM's new "Mobile Marketing: 2010 Best Practices" article--now available on our "Bathroom Reading" resources page.

Whether or not 2010 will be remembered as the year mobile marketing came of age, it's time marketers became familiar with the best practices for leveraging these ubiquitous devices. Viva Mobile Revolution!

View the original article here

Managing Business Rules

So…maybe this post will sound like a rant, but why aren’t there any fully mature business rule management systems (BRMS) to be found anywhere?! I can’t even count the number of times clients ask me to recommend a system and I have to give them the bad news.

Naturally, each rule engine vendor will tell you that you can perform full rule lifecycle management within their authoring/development environment. Very quickly however you will discover that although it might be possible, the solution is generally about 80% skewed towards the vendor’s rule engine and the management aspects always take second place. Simply not good enough for business users!

Our clients’, you, more and more require a truly focused approach for large scale rule management. While managing and versioning Word/Excel documents in a code repository and providing change management via a defect/issue tracking system sometimes works, I think rules have become such a significant part of a system these days, that they really do need their own management environments. Similarly requirements systems, while a frequently used approach, still don’t provide adequate support for ensuring that rules conform to the fact model and that proper rule syntax/patter is being followed. Better for business users, but still not great.

There seem, however, to be some promising efforts under way! I am sure anyone who has actually spent some time looking has come across RuleArts' RuleExpress, and BRSolution’s RuleTrack. These two I believe have been around the longest.

Next, as a result of the new SBVR specification, Unisys is working on a business rule manage ment system that closely integrates with MS Word. You’ll have to dig deep on their site to find it however. Just give them a call-- they will happily show it to you.

Quite understandably the IRS has a massive rule management need and will share their experiences with BRMS systems at their BR Forum Conference presentation coming up in November in D.C. Bummer, the presentation is scheduled for the same day and time slot when I’ll be presenting Open Source Rules just next door.

So, I guess the question is…what is a “good enough” business rules management system? Artemis Alliance can certainly help you and your organization answer that question more precisely, but, as a brief blog entry, I have compiled the flowing preliminary wish list of features in no particular order. Please feel free to add in the comments section:

Overall change and history tracking at the rule levelEnforcement of the rule management processRole based security Rule authoring, storage, search and retrievalTerms DictionaryFact modeling capabilitiesRule language and pattern definitionNatural language rule writing (yes…no…maybe?)Enforcement of fact model within the rule expressionRule syntax, grammar and spell checkingLinking or matching of fact models from different departments/divisionsCapability to document rules as decision tables/treesEasy access to rules by business peopleAbility to support both distributed and centralized rule management approachImport/Export capabilities of rules using available standardsThis I believe represents a list of maybe the “obvious”. Note however, that at this time, I doubt you will fine any one solution that will offer all of the above features and be usable by your average business user. I naturally welcome any disagreements with this list and hope to hear from those who would wish for something different. Again, your exact needs will heavily depend on your organization, application and approach.

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SugarCRM, How Sweet It Is…

CRM solutions have been broadly recognized and widely implemented as part of any sales-focused organization's sales and marketing strategy. These days, leveraging a CRM solution as a touch-point between sales, marketing and customer service is 21st century marketing 101. The challenge for small businesses or even medium-sized businesses working with ever-tighter budgets is that a CRM initiative can equal a significant increase to their operating overhead.

Enterprise-level solutions like SalesForce.com have recognized that they must tier their product, but even the lowest tiers can cost hundreds of dollars per employee, per month. Wouldn't it be great to start off with a CRM solution whose tiers go all the way down to FREE? Meet SugarCRM.

SugarCRM simplifies implementation and adoption by cutting out everything but the tools you really need to develop a marketing engine that streamlines the sales process and quality customer support that keeps lost customer rates to a slow drip.

Sugar's bottom tier (called SugarCRM Community Edition) is 100% free. You simply download a ZIP file and install it on your web server (if that sounds scary, JDM has a CRM service package just for that). If ever you find you outgrow the Community Edition, you can upgrade to one of their other tiers—which are still less expensive than a comparable Salesforce CRM tier.

SugarCRM is used by big names like Coca-Cola, Men's Wearhouse, GoDaddy and thousands of small companies all over the U.S.. Indeed, even JDM uses a customized version we call SugarJDM.

If budgets are tight or the timeframe for rolling out a CRM was yesterday, we highly recommend looking into SugarCRM, but don't let the technical stuff bog you down. That's something JDM can handle.

Learn more about some of the other players in the CRM space in our post: "The State of CRM."

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Decision Tables and Trees

Rules can be graphically represented in multiple ways for usability purposes. Two structures are primarily used: decision trees and decision tables. Rule engines do not really care about the rule representation since either structure is compiled into similar executable rule statements.

This is the first of two posts that will hopefully give some helpful tips about when to use and when not to use decision tables and/or trees.

Decision Tables
The decision table is a very familiar decisioning structure. Price lists, bus , and train schedules are often represented as a table and function very similarly to a decision table. For example, given your current location (input parameter 1) and where you want to go ( input parameter 2), the table will tell you when the train will arrive (your outcome). At a most basic level, two different parameters are represented along the axis of the table in columns and rows. The intersections of the two axes constitute the decision point for the given combination of parameter values.

A decision table simplifies the structuring and representation of repetitive rules where only the value of the same parameters differs in determining the outcome. Decision tables are also context free. Unlike decision trees, no prior path must be completed for the table to arrive at a decision. Only input values for the necessary parameters along the axes are required.

Here are some pointers when to use and when not to use decision tables:

Decision tables are best used for a consistent, but limited, set of parameters , where, potentially , there are a large number of possible values for those parameters.
A table with many different parameters quickly becomes complex which diminishes its usefulness as a simplification concept.
Business analysts often use decision tables to represent a particular set of requirements, so replicating that structure in the rule engine reuses a familiar concept.
Decision tables can quickly highlight where an outcome or decision is missing.
Each decision table should only make one particular type of determination .
Also, not all parameters have valid decision outcomes in all cases. A decision table with a very sparse decision matrix may indicate that: The business may need to better define the rules that drive the matrix.
The table may attempt to use too many parameters in one decision step and the table should be split into several decision tables connected by a rule flow.
A table structure may not be the best structure to represent a particular set of rules and the rules should be converted into individual rule statements.Here are some additional helpful links about decision tables:

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The Value of Assessments

Many organizations have considered assessments, formal and informal, of business rules technology when looking at reengineering efforts or at new enterprise development projects slated to involve business rule technology. The promised value of using business rules—often generated by one or more of the business rule vendors---is hard to ignore, especially for industries whose IT systems have ever changing and complex functional logic, or where the rules that run the business needs to be outside the control of the internal groups that implemented the old rules in a cryptic, traditional manor. The “leap of faith” many organizations currently take when they assume that detailed requirements are being translated into production code makes little sense for regulated industries or for any industry where the implementation of business rules is a business asset.

So, how can an organization move from this vague feeling that business rules can help them to a specific, thought-out strategy for the inclusion of business rules? An excellent first step is a business rule assessment. These short-term, focused efforts can be done with internal staff, or by using an outside consulting services provider.

During the assessment, a series of discovery meeting are scheduled during which thewhich the attendees answer questions grouped in various ways to help determine the organization’s readiness and aptitude for adopting business rules technology. There are usually separate meetings for technical management, development staff, business analysts, production deployment, and testing staff.

These assessments can have several outcomes. The organization should develop a final report, based on the information gathered at the discovery meetings, concerning the suitability of business rule technology for the organization. Another possible outcome is the definition of a proof-of-concept (POC) project. A POC is a detailed description of the requirements of such a project along with a project plan illustrating how the POC can be implemented within the structures and processes of the organization. A previous Down to Earth Business Rules blog entry discusses the merits of these POC projects. In other cases, the assessment will focus on helping make specific vendor choices for business rule development technology, again, based on specific information gathered during the discovery process.

After the assessment, an organization can be ready to step into a business rule project with a much-increased knowledge base as to how this technology will impact their firm specifically. I highly recommend firms just beginning to think about business rules take the time to conduct an assessment. If schedules and the staffing model permit, the assessment can be internally conducted. An internal assessment has the added benefit of allowing for even more learning about the organization and about business rules by the internal group conducting the assessment. This knowledge then stays within the organization. When time is short or the staff is not available, an alternative is to contract out the assessment to a firm with previous experience in these areas. Deciding whether to outsource an assessment is akin to a make-versus-buy analysis on the business rule applicability knowledge derived from the assessment.

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The Strategic and Tactical Reasons for Prototyping

We have found that organizations considering the application of a business rules solution to a specific business problem reap both strategic and tactical value from prototyping prior to embarking on a full-blown project.

Strategically, prototyping identifies risks and avenues for mitigation of those risks as well as providing the basis for informed decision-making. Management has the information to decide on the most cost and process effective approach to achieve business goals.

The risk management value comes from projecting tasks that allow the organization to identify potential problem areas in technology, process, resources, or skills. The risk management goals of most prototypes typically revolve around evaluating multiple approaches in order to select one to move forward with, validating certain assumptions, and learning enough to be able to, with reason effectiveness, plan out implementation details.

The decision-support value, while similar to the risk management value, often has somewhat different goals. Normally, prototyping for decision-support revolves around gathering enough information to make a business decision with regard to the use of the business rules engine. Decision points may include whether or not to use a rules engine, which engine to use, or how to approach or plan for the use of the business rules engine.

Fortunately, a single set of prototyping tasks often provides both strategic values.

Tactically, prototyping builds practical experience in staff, allows for testing of integration mechanisms and process changes, and can ‘prove’ that the selected business rules approach will add value.

Many organizations have never used or have no experience with a business rules engine. Prototyping provides a mechanism by which people can get their hands dirty and experience the details of how business rules engines work. This is important because real life is frequently quite different from the theoretical concepts esposed by salespeople. Additionally, prototyping gives the organization the means to effectively plan how to shorten its staff’s business rules learning curve.

The best way to integrate a business rules engine into an existing or new architecture is not always obvious. Prototyping allows the technical staff to test and evaluate integration alternatives including evaluating both in process and out of process approaches, data marshaling, and transport mechanisms. When, as is often the case, existing environment limits the viable options, prototyping can surface the costs associated with working with or around those constraints.

Technical integration isn't the only area that may require validation of approach. Oftentimes organizations need to evaluate how implementation of business rules may affect their software development processes and approaches. Prototyping allows the organization to test their preconceived approach to handling business rules in their processes by applying their proposed process to the implementation of business rules.

Finally, and possibly most importantly, prototyping provides a low-cost approach to validating that the proposed business rules approach brings business value to the specific project. Business rules is a relatively new technology in many industries with all of the concerns regarding the expense, resource cost, and change management that accompany any significant implementation. Prototyping allows management to "get their feet wet" with minimal risk.

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iAnalytics - Freedom from Analysis Paralysis

This week JDM is rolling out our new iAnalytics™ (or "Interpretive Analytics") service package. This new service will free participating clients from misinterpreting campaign metrics and offer accurate, decision-critical information to help make every campaign more successful than the last.

How does it work?

Jonah Lehrer, the author of "How We Decide" explains the physiological case for "analysis paralysis."

Too much information is paralyzing [because] our prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that's responsible for deliberate, rational decisions, is a pretty feeble part of the brain.

It's kind of depressing to hear that, but it's actually a relatively limited and bounded part of the brain. It can only hold about seven pieces of information in the prefrontal cortex at any given moment. So when you try to think through, even a banal decision, you can very quickly overwhelm your prefrontal cortex.

So imagine what happens when modern marketing metrics offer thousands of so-called 'Key Performance Indicators' (or KPIs). According to Mr. Lehrer's research, all too often we focus on exactly the wrong seven indicators and therefore make erroneous decisions.

JDM's experience sorting through this mountain of data to find the pearls of wisdom allows us to zero-in on what's really happening, what's working and what's not. Then, we offer our unbiased findings in online iAnalytics™ reports to clients updated quarterly, monthly or weekly.

Learn more about JDM's new iAnalytics™ package on our website and check out Jonah Lehrer's new book, "How We Decide."

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Mistakes in Web Design

JDM has been developing B2B websites for a long time. Throughout that time, we've come across numerous egregious website design offenses committed by amateur web developers. Here's a few of the most common web design mistakes to look out for.

1. Reliance on PDF Files for Online Reading
People hate coming across a PDF file while browsing a website. It breaks the flow. Even simple things like printing or saving documents are difficult because standard browser commands don't work. Layouts are often optimized for a sheet of paper, which rarely matches the size of the user's browser window. Bye-bye smooth, vertical scrolling. Hello tiny fonts.

PDFs are great for printing and for distributing big documents that need to be printed. Reserve it for this purpose and convert any information that needs to be browsed or read on the screen into real web pages.

2. Un-Scannable Text
A wall of text is deadly for an interactive experience. Intimidating. Boring. Painful to read.

Write for online, not print. To draw users into the text and support scannability, use best practices like descriptive headlines & sub-headlines, short paragraphs, readable fonts (san-serif), and bullet lists.

3. Violating Design Conventions
There's something to be said for consistency in website layout and design. Remember that users spend most of their time on other sites. In other words, if you deviate too far from the conventional, your site will be harder to use and users will up and leave.

4. New Browser Windows for Each Page
Opening a new browser window for each new page is beyond irritating. Don't pollute my screen with any more windows (particularly since current operating systems do a miserable job of window management).

5. Not Answering User Questions
Today's users are highly goal-driven on the web. They visit a site because there's something they want to accomplish—maybe even a purchase to make.

Perhaps the worst example of this is not answering their price question. No B2C eComm site would make this mistake, but it's rife in B2B. All too often "enterprise solutions" are presented so you can't tell whether they are suited for 100 people or 100,000.

Afraid of "sticker shock"? Don't be. Better to qualify visitors than lose qualified, prospective customers because you were ashamed to get down to brass tacks.

Extra Credit Reading?

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Decision Trees

This second and last article in this series discusses decision trees, what are they, when to use them and when not to use them. Decision trees help systems reach a predictive decision that relies on navigating a path of historic knowledge to reach the end conclusion. An analyst or rules writer lays out the decision path with branching conditions leading to different outcomes. Decision tress during execution very closely resemble structured programming. The serially arranged branching statements can be compared to nesting if…then…else statements in traditional code.

In contrast to decision tables, decision trees have the advantage of being able to contain an inconsistent set of parameters without necessarily making the tree more complex. For example, each branching point does not need to concern the same parameters. Trees become more complex when each parameter potentially has a large number of different values. This is the inverse of decision tables. Each possible parameter value becomes a node at a branching point in the tree. Trees are generally complex and unruly to represent and even more so when the number of branches and levels grow.

We do NOT recommend using decision trees as an implementation for rules unless there are very good reasons to bypass inferencing and force the execution of one rule before another. We do not recommend decision trees for the following reasons:

Decision trees are very brittle when rules change and require significant maintenance.Decision trees quickly become complex and difficult to manage.Rule engines utilize inferencing to determine the execution order of rules. Decision trees hardcode the execution order of rules which circumvents the entire inferencing capability of rule engines and make rule maintenance equate to the maintenance of hard coded and nested if…then…else statements.The entire decision making process is triggered by making a choice about one parameter (the root element). With inferencing, the rule engine can start anywhere and work its way towards the same answer from any angle as it executes rules.Ordering the execution of a small number of rules within a ruleset is better done through rule execution prioritization using weights rather than trees. Even so, this should rarely be necessary.

Trees can be made more user friendly and manageable by writing a high level rule flow around the execution of rule sets and decision tables.

We DO however recommend using decision trees during the rule analysis process for the following reasons:

Decision trees will help analysts identify groupings of rules, which generally trigger together, which will assist with the identification of rule sets.Identical smaller branching structures at different places within a larger tree expose ruleset reuse opportunities within a ruleflow.Analysis using decision trees may expose business processes currently hidden within a larger chain of rules.

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Online PR Trends to Follow

According to Janet Thaeler's (@newspapergrl) article on AMEX's OPEN Forum, the Internet has made it easier to find media contacts and form relationships with journalists, but more importantly the rise of social media and online PR has meant bypassing the media and going directly to your audience. Online PR has changed the PR industry and it’s not going back. While many of the same PR principles apply, there are a lot of new expectations for PR professionals.

Here are a few key trends to watch.

The Line Between PR and SEO Continues to Blur.
Who should do your PR, your online marketing company? Your PR firm? Both? While traditional PR may be excellent at finding the angle or pitch and have relationships with the media, they may not be the best choice for SEO.

A big part of SEO is building quality links – including links from authority sites – like brand name news sites. A link in a New York Times blog or story is a trusted link. What's one of the most efficient ways of getting onto one of these authority sites? Online PR.

Another factor in the Online PR/SEO equation is social media. People share and often include links to news stories, blog posts, YouTube videos and the like. Google has added these conversations and given them more weight in search results than in the past. So even links in 160 character tweets are valuable. They can lead to higher authority which is rewarded with higher search engine placement.

Social Media Press Releases and Social Media Marketing Requires New Skill Sets.
If you've ever discounted social media, consider that according to Nielsen, social media usage has increased by 82% in the last year alone.

Social media, especially when integrated into an online PR strategy is no place for your salesy boilerplate. Try to imagine how you would message your value and differentiation at a cocktail party. Allow your message to have a drink and "loosen up." No one wants to be sold to via a tweet, but we'd love to hear the ups and downs of your business.

Traditional Media is Tapping Into Online Networks for Story Ideas and Promotion.
Traditional media, often short-staffed and overworked, is depending more on online networks and the people who have built them for their stories. Recent research says 89% visit blogs and social sites to do research.

Interestingly enough, rather than hurting TV or traditional media, online networks and offline networks are simply feeding off each other. It appears the media is actually giving a knowing nod to these online sensations.

In much the same way that TV is being buoyed by the Internet, savvy PR professionals stand to benefit, but only if they capitalize on these trends and expand their skill sets. Some are partnering with online marketing companies. As they do this, they’ll become even more relevant to their clients.

Learn the latest best practices for online PR in JDM's Online Public Relations article. Also, learn more about JDM's mPR campaign package.

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AT&T Pre-Game Experience Campaign

Recently, AT&T launched its Pre-Game Experience campaign.

The combination: event, Web 2.0, and Social Media Marketing campaign targets young, college football and tailgating enthusiasts.  There's also a very Web 2.0 photo contest to win tailgating necessities like flat-screen TVs and BBQ grills.

The micro-site is gorgeous, XML is valid and built on a heavily customized CMS.

The only thing that seems to be missing is a strong social media component.  There is no Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media marketing medium that we can find anywhere on the site itself.  Perhaps this component is being added later... Until then, take a look: http://gamedaytradition.att.com/. It's a really cool little site!

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SEO Gold Hidden in Keyword Analytics

These days, online marketers understand the importance of data, but manipulating huge data-sets looking for that pearl of marketing wisdom, can be a challenge—to say the least. As Analytics Evangelist Avinash Kaushik explained in an interview for Search Engine Strategies 2010 Expo, most people only look at the first 10-20 results that their analytics tool provides. However, this is only the beginning of what the data can show.

Kaushik makes a good point. The real keyword gold is hidden in the diffused data after the top 20 results. The problem is manipulating that data efficiently, finding a pattern and correctly interpreting it. There are lots of tools out there that can help with data manipulation (including HRmarketer's new keyword tool), but none that help interpret it (which is why JDM's iAnalytics™ are a service, not an application).

Any SEO-er worth his salt will be quick to admit that SEO is more art than science.

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Has Facebook Jumped the Shark?

In 2007, MySpace reached critical mass with just 3 million members and the thought began to creep into everyone’s mind that the giant may soon be toppled. After a combination of technical & security fowl-ups and a surge in spam, the giant, indeed fell.

Facebook, fueled by early adopters saw an influx of new users who jumped from the sinking MySpace ship, quickly grew and eventually monetized.

Today, TechCrunch announced that Facebook is approaching 500 million users (100 million more than just 5 months ago).

As even more users flock to Facebook, and the social media site begins to be just as noisy an informer as Twitter, we must ask ourselves:

"Has Facebook Jumped the Shark?"

If so, what might this mean for social media in general?

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When Rajdeep Sardesai got it left, right & centre

PRITAM SENGUPTA writes from New Delhi: There were two “key takeaways”—as TV anchors remind us every night, two “key takeaways”—from the post-Niira Radia chintan baithak organised by  the Editors Guild of India, the Press Club of India, and the Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC) in New Delhi on Friday.

The first takeaway is what the mainstream media (MSM) will report happily. Which is that senior editors in India (as the BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder who attended the meeting reports) are “considering putting in place systems to ensure ethical practices in journalism”.

Meaning: aal iz well.

In other words, the grey hairs bowing before their Old Monk™ have fully grasped the import of the scandal that has enveloped the profession, following the publication of tapes and transcripts of conversations Radia had with Barkha Dut, Vir Sanghvi, Prabhu Chawla et al, and are poised to act.

The other takeaway is what only the tabloids would waste ink on (feel free to stop right here if your choice is broadsheet or berliner).

Which is that the president of the Editors’ Guild of India, Rajdeep Sardesai—whose favourite offline excuse for  ethical concerns in the profession is “Hamaam mein sab nange hain (everybody is naked in the public bathroom)”—actually had to stand unprotected under a very heavy downpour on a winter afternoon in Delhi today, for an hour if not more.

A downpour of criticism, that is.

The joint EGI-PCI-IWPC meeting started off well, as most introspection meetings do, with Outlook* chief editor Vinod Mehta not taking the names of the accused (because the matter is now in court and also because “my wife told me to be careful”) and striking the right balance of common sense and pragmatism, two commodities that have generally been in short supply.

“I keep hearing that this issue is sensitive and complicated, that it is not a black and white issue. I can’t understand what is so complex here. It doesn’t require an Albert Einstein or a rocket scientist.

“If you are talking to a hotel PRO and he tells you, ‘our hotel is the no.1 hotel in Asia’, it doesn’t mean you come and write that his hotel is the no.1 hotel in Asia. You check and verify before you report.

“The claim that they [Barkha and Vir] were stringing along their sources is complete bullshit. Do you think somebody like Radia would keep on giving information knowing that her instructions weren’t being followed?”

Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-in-chief of CNN-IBN, who took the mike next, rightly spoke of the dichotomous times we live in—when the media which has been behind some of the most impactful stories this year stands accused in the public eye of betraying their trust, a point he had made in his HT column earlier in the day.

Sardesai’s sage wisdom would have earned a few plaudits had he stopped right there.

But, as the cameras rolled, he launched into what seemed like a set piece, enlightening the captive audience comprising largely of journalists of his “problems” with the Outlook* expose—not contacting Barkha and Vir and giving them a chance to reply; running raw footage on the website (which also incidentally features his name a couple of times); the use of pictures of journalists not connected with the 2G scam on the cover and so on.

“This is shock and awe journalism… This is bad journalism inverting the principles of basic journalism…. This rot is not new, it has been around for three decades…. In this competitive age, access is information….”

“There is no proven quid pro quo…. The concerned journalists are guilty of professional misjudgement not professional misconduct… Reputations have been damaged…,” said Sardesai in a thinly disguised defence of his former NDTV colleague Barkha Dutt.

“I think what Outlook and Open have done is completely unethical…. A lot of criticism, let us admit, is also because of a certain envy.”

Hardly had Sardesai placed the mike on the table than Poornima Joshi of Mail Today was on her belligerent feet, urging him to spare the audience his pontification.

“I find it absolutely disturbing and disheartening that the president of editors’ guild is not only condoning but also justifying carrying of messages from a corporate to Congress,” Joshi, a former Outlook staffer, said.

Radhika Ramaseshan of The Telegraph [where Sardesai worked before he joined NDTV], took objection to Sardesai’s claim that this was all old hat, that there was nothing new in what was happening, that this has been happening, so why bother.

“Neena Vyas [of The Hindu] has been covering BJP for 30 years. Nobody ever accused her of misusing her access. Likewise, there are a number of journalists who have never succumbed,” she said to applause.

Vyas, daughter of former Times of India editor Sham Lal, contradicted Sardesai in his face of  a statement he attributed to her of a BJP politician’s tacit condition that he would go soft on him in exchange for information.

When Vyas regaled the audience of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi “blackmailing” BJP bosses to throw RSS leader Sanjay Joshi out—after a sting operation of Joshi in a sexual act was shown on India TV (which Vyas alleged was owned by Narendra Modi),—CNN-IBN cameras telecast her allegation “live”.

“If Rajdeep Sardesai is so concerned about the raw footage of the Radia conversations being shown or reported, without giving the other side the chance to reply, how come he is showing this,” hissed a member of the audience audibly.

Vidya Subrahmaniam, also of The Hindu, contested Sardesai’s claim that there was no quid pro quo. The tapes, she said, carried enough evidence of quid pro quo since the journalists appeared to be doing exactly what they promised.

From that point on, it was downhill at top speed all the way for Sardesai, in front of several of his senior colleagues, including Bhupendra Chaubey, Vivian Fernandes and Ashutosh who had assembled in the front rows for what they had presumed would be a champagne show by their boss.

# One unidentified voice from the back rows asked, “How can you hold forth on ethics after CNN-IBN’s dubious role in the infamous cash-for-votes scandal [when it reportedly went back on a promise to telecast a sting operation commissioned by the BJP during the vote on the civilian nuclear bill].”

# Another demanded mandatory declaration of assets and liabilities by editors. “How do journalists manage to become owners of channels,” shouted the young voice, echoing former Hindustan Times‘ editor and Prasar Bharati chief Mrinal Pande‘s call for greater transparency in ownership.

# “Amitabh Bachchan read the news on your channel when he was trying to promote his film Rann, without CNN-IBN ever revealing that it was a promo for his film. You should have just said no, if you want to take the high moral ground on ethics,” said Akshay Mukul of The Times of India.

The restive audience wanted more time to question Sardesai but he beat a hasty exit before the meeting ended, citing lack of time and a prior engagement. And as he left, another voice shouted, within earshot of his wife Sagarika Ghose, “Did we just hear the president of the editors guild of India, or the editors’ guilt of India?”

Inside, at the bar, as the old residents reassembled, a young reporter chipped in: “Twitter and Facebook and all the social media have been delivering a simple message to old media in India: look within. Looks like someone’s just too happy listening to his own loud voice.”

Also read: Rajdeep Sardesai heckled over defending Vir, Barkha

The Hindu coverage of the Editors’ Guild debate

The New Indian Express: Heated debate This entry was posted on 3 December 2010 at 10:02 pm and is filed under A bit of fun, Issues and Ideas, Magazines, Newspapers, People, Radio, Television.

Tags: Barkha Dutt, Barkhagate, BBC, Cash for Votes, Churumuri, CNN-IBN, Hindustan Times, India TV, Mail Today, Mrinal Pande, Narendra Modi, NDTV 24x7, Neera Radia, Niira Radia, Nira Radia, Outlook, Prabhu Chawla, Radiagate, Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika Ghose, Sans Serif, Sham Lal, The Hindu, The Telegraph, The Times of India, Vinod Mehta, Vir Sanghvi

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Musicians with Diabetes

Here's a list of Musicians, singers, songwriters with Diabetes Disease. Nat Adderley - Jazz Musician Ray Anderson - Jazz MusicianSyd Barret - Singer (Pink Floyd)Tony Bennett -Jazz singerCrystal Bowersox - Folk-rock musician, American Idol contestantDanny Joe Brown - Singer (Molly Hatchet)James Brown - 'The Godfather of Soul'Johnny Cash - 'The Man in Black'Bobby Charles - Singer-SongwriterMark Collie - Country SingerDavid Crosby - Singer (Crosby, Stills, and Nash)Miles Davis - Jazz MusicianJohnny Darrell - Country music singerPhife Dawg - Rapper (A Tribe Called Quest)Bo Diddley - SingerMama Cass Elliott - Singer (Mamas and the Papas)Ella Fitzgerald - SingerMick Fleetwood - Musician (Fleetwood Mac)Aretha Franklin - 'The Queen of Soul'Melvin Franklin – Singer (The Temptations)Jerry Garcia - Singer, Musician (Grateful Dead)Dizzy Gillespie - Jazz MusicianShirley Horn - Grammy-winning Jazz singer and pianistMarvin Isley - Singer (The Isley Brothers)Mahalia Jackson - Gospel SingerRandy Jackson – Musician, producer, American Idol judgeRick James - Singer ("Super Freak" Funk Legend)Nick Jonas – lead singer/guitarist for Jonas BrothersWaylon Jennings - Country SingerHerbert Kahury (“Tiny Tim”) - SingerGhostface Killah - Rapper (Wu-Tang Clan)B.B. King - Blues Singer and MusicianPatti LaBelle - Soul singerPeggy Lee - Jazz singer, Grammy winnerTommy Lee - Drummer (Motley Crue)Curtis Mayfield - Soul singerBret Michaels - Singer (Poison)Tim Parker - Rapper (Blackalicious)James Phelps - Gospel and R&B SingerElvis Presley - Singer and guitaristGiacomo Puccini – Operatic ComposerBrenda Russell - Singer-Songwriter, (The Color Purple)Angie Stone - SingerJessica Stone - Singer and ActressElliott Yamin - SingerNeil Young - singer, songwriter, guitarist, and directorGary Valenciano - Philipinno singerLuther Vandross - SingerLeslie West - Guitarist, Singer, SongwriterNorman Whitfield - Grammy winning R&B songwriter and record producerBrad Wilk - Drummer (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave)

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Celebrities With Kidney Cancer

Kevin Hawkins - 9/11 detectiveBarbara Gallagher - Artist (Alabama)Ivica Racan - Former Croatian Prime MinisterLee Remick (Kidney, Liver, Lung Cancer) - ActressJoni Richards - mother of Denise Richards

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JDM Closed in Memory of Sian & Bruce

JDM will be closed this Friday, June 4th in memory of two employees who have died in as many weeks. We will be re-opening on Monday, June 7th.

Bruce Benesh, former JDM Business Development Director died two weeks ago and Sian Logan, Film, Video and Photography Associate died late last week.

The circumstances are still unclear regarding both deaths, but what is certain is both will be sorely missed. Our most sincere condolences to their friends and family.

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That Witch!

Sorry for the title. I had a small argument with a woman. She was complaining about her son playing computer games at our net cafe. The bad thing about her was that she was shouting and yelling at us! She could have just talked to us nicely about her complaints. She's gone wild. Gladly I still have my manners and did not stop down to her level. I simply talked to her and told her to not be scandalous and talk to us nicely. She threatened us about raising a complaint. Whatever! We are ready! Oh well, some people ain't acting like people! That' s why I fondly call her a witch! lol..

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Rare Pictures of Ali Lohan

Rare pictures of Ali Lohan.
It's up to you to decide who is prettier- Ali or Lindsay?!

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Conan Indulges His Jeggings Obsession

On Wednesday night, Tim Gunn made a guest appearance on Conan O'Brien's late night show on TBS. The Project Runway star, as always, had plenty to say (who can forget his tirade about Taylor Momsen?) but it was his hatred of Jeggings that truly piqued Conan's interest. Turns out Conan has a fear-based obsession with the leggings-meet-jeans, and while the two had a hysterical conversation about the too-tight-pants, Conan took it a step farther by promising to wear a pair for an entire episode of his show the following night. As promised, Coco rocked some of the tightest and teeniest Jeggings we've ever seen, and though he made a questionable styling choice by pairing his stovepipe pants with his usual dress shirt, shoes, and tie, we have to say Bravo to Conan for being such a sartorial risk-taker, in the name of a good laugh. And as it turns out, it was a good experience for Coco, at least according to his Twitter page: "Tonight I wore jeggings while interviewing the Kardashians. I'm never taking them off. You can pry them from my cold, Irish legs. #jeggings." (iVillage)

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Webhosting Has Gone Considerably Low!

Webhosting has gone really low and affordable these days. I still remember those times when getting my own domain and paying for website hosting has never crossed my mind. I knew the costs involved and my pockets can’t handle it. I am jobless and I blog for fun. Getting my own domain and web hosting would cost me a fortune and regrets at the end!

But now, I read online that web hosting can be as cheap as $10 a month and even under. The competition in the web hosting industry among web hosting providers is getting tougher as it becomes more and more saturated. So maybe, just my speculation this is the reason why web hosting cost are noticeably lower than it was before.

According Web Hosting Geeks Inmotion ranks top among their top ten Web Hosting or Best Web Host for 2008. Yahoo and GoDaddy only ranked 7th and 8th place. You can find these detailed reviews about top Web Hosting providers at webhostinggeeks dot com.

Web hosting comes in variety and I hadn’t known that except today. I accidentally discovered this at Web Hosting Geeks because they have this Best Forum Web Hosting, Best Email Web Hosting and a lot more. This makes me think that of course a Forum website needs a different kind of web hosting services in contrast to an ordinary website requiring ordinary web hosting.

Well, I am not really that good at this thing so better check Web Hosting Geek!

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What does a team member on a rules project need to know?

As part of a new client engagement, I will have to bring my current team mates up to speed on business rules, engine use, the business rules approach, fact modeling, rule writing and analysis.

Short of enrolling the entire team in Artemis Alliance's business rules analysis, and rule engine technology training classes, I decided to turn to some free resources for now…

So…what does an analyst, architect or programmer absolutely HAVE to know about rules before embarking on a brand spankin’ new rules project?
Below, I have compiles a list of both mandatory and helpful readings that I intend to give my team:
Overview and General Resources:Business Rules on Squidoo

Business Rules Community (free registration)

Artemis Alliance Blog Spot - Down to Earth Business Rules

Business Rules vs. Business Requirements - by Gladys Lam Term-Fact Modeling - by Oscar Chappel

Business Vocabularies - by Dave McComb

Formal Theory:Defining Business Rules - by The Business Rules Group

Rule Authoring & Organization:

The Role of a Rule Analyst (Part I) & (Part II) - by Kristen Seer Launching a Corporate Glossary - by Bonnie K. O'Niel

Business Grammar Rules (Part I) , (Part II) & (Part III) - by Terri Moriarty

Business Rules Validation - by Steve Hoberman

For IT:

Pitfalls and Lessons Learned of Business Rules Implementation - A Technical Perspective

Decision Tables & Decision Trees

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How to Eliminate Your Child’s Facial, Vocal and Motor Tics?

Many parents are faced with serious problem on how to eliminate their child’s facial tics, vocal and motor tics. Tics are a characteristic of Tourette syndrome. According to Wikipedia, Tourette Syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood. The disease is characterized by the existence of physical, vocal, tic.

Tics may include repetitive eye blinking, mouth twitches, eye squinting, throat clearing, facial contortion, wrinkling nose, compulsive grunting among other. But tics may differ from one individual to another.

Tics has various disadvantages, aside from the awful truth that it’s not normal, it lowers your child’s self esteem, its embarrassing, and not at all pleasant to see.

There are various ways to treat facial tics. Prescription drugs and OTC remedies are available. But these drugs do not always guarantee results and yet their side effects can outweigh the possible benefits. If you consider the fact that these drugs are taken inside the body, adverse reactions may occur like vomiting, headache as the most common. You might want to spare your child of these side effects.

You can eliminate your child’s facial, vocal, and motor tics without giving them those drugs. Yes, this is possible. You can help your child and eliminate their tics without much of a hassle on your part and most especially on your child’s part. . The answer – Facial tics. Facialtics has created a quick and easy guide to eliminating your child’s tics guaranteed to work. Facialtics offers the right treatment for your child ensuring that tics are eliminated and will never return. In fact, your child’s tics may be eliminated in as fast as 72 hours only.

Doutbful? It’s normal to doubt especially now that almost anything can be faked. So here’s what facialtics is offering- their GUARANTEE FOREVER! Facialtics is also offering full 3 months for you to try their secrets before you make up your mind.

So what are you waiting for. Visit their website now and help yourself and your beloved child!

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Mozilla adopts two real, live firefoxes, broadcasts live stream...

by Sebastian Anthony on December 3, 2010 at 01:00 PM

Yes, in a beautiful collision of cuddly adorableness and PR mastermindery, Mozilla has adopted two baby firefoxes. These cuties (which are actually pandas -- not foxes) were born at Knoxville Zoo, Tennessee, back in June, but as of today they're now part of the Mozilla community.

For the next few months, Mozilla will be broadcasting a live, 24-hour video stream of these two cuties. There are even six different angles to choose from (seriously -- I'm not making this up), and it's best to watch them at 9am, 12pm and 4pm EST, just after they've been fed. There's a video of them rolling about after the break.

Anyway, if watching very cute (but mostly inanimate) animals isn't really your kind of thing, you can also help Mozilla name them! Right now, in true soulless coder fashion, they're only known as "cub #1" and "cub #2" -- but if you hop over to the FirefoxLive site, you can suggest a name.

Over the following months, Mozilla plans to provide "more ways to interact with them". I'm intrigued and more than slightly concerned. Let's hope Mozilla Labs doesn't get involved... Tags: browser, firefox, firefoxlive, knoxville, knoxville zoo, KnoxvilleZoo, mozilla, red panda, RedPanda, tennessee

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Welcome to Normaltown.

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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The Indicator: 101 Things I Didn’t Learn in Architecture School

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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My PC Has A Virus

Wheeew! I've been troubled the rest of day cleaning my personal computer. I got this autorun virus which disables me from accessing my drives c and d and all other folders. It literally deprives me from penetrating my pc. I don't know where I got this virus, but probably from my mp3 or perhaps in one of my downloads from the internet. Luckily I found my flashdisinfector cd and immediately installed it in my pc and got rid of the autorun virus.

Another lesson learned is to always always be careful in everything and anything that you connect to your personal computer.

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My New Printer and Scanner In One Has Arrived!

My old printer is not working anymore. I had negligently used it without noticing that the cartridge had already dried. Although I still refill it with ink, the quality of the print is not the same anymore. So while the printer is still usable I decided to just buy a new one. After all, it's old and has been of service to me for a couple of years already.

I decided to buy a printer with scanner in replacement of my old printer. It's manufactured by Brother, which is a good brand. I particularly like this printer scanner because of the cheap price, the established brand and because the inks are refillable individually. This means that even if one color is missing I can still use it to print. Thus, I save ink, and when I save ink I save money. In contrast to other printers, if one color is missing you can't print anymore until you refill the missing color again even if you only need a particular color.

The printer scanner is in white color with a touch of gray on the sides. I wish I had taken pictures of it. But it's still in the box and I haven't installed it yet. I will later.

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Who likes Freebies?

Who says there’s not something good that’s free these days?! We all love it when it’s free right? Free items and free services, who wouldn’t love it? How about you get a free internet connection for 30 days, risk free, no contract, no obligation to fulfill best of all no fee to pay. I just found this awesome offering from Charter internet,allowing everyone to get a high speed internet connection as fast as 5Mbps for only $14.99 a month. That’s really cheap. Now if you are in need of a good internet service provider and you’re on a low budget, you definitely should check this out. With a special offer valid only for a limited time, you can get free internet service for 30 days cost-free. Technically, 5Mbps is 3x faster than DSL. More to this is the protection against viruses, hackers and spasm, 10 email accounts, and 20 MB Web space. I’m telling you this is a super great deal. If you just want to test the service, and get a free 30 days service, you can just cancel before the 30 day period ends. How clever is that!

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Welcome

As CTO of Artemis Alliance, I want to personally welcome you to the Down to Earth Business Rules blog. If you are tired of academic, theoretical discussions on business rules and want down to earth conversations with people like you who deal with the day-to-day issues of doing real business rules work, then this is the blog for you!

The Down to Earth Business Rules blog is for both business and technology professionals faced with the challenges presented by adopting and realizing the value of a Business Rules approach. As anyone who has worked on a business rules project knows, the theory of business rules does not always match the reality. Artemis Alliance consultants will draw on their years of working in the business rules trenches to bring the issues out of the Ivory Tower and down to the earth where we all live.

Lively comments about all aspects of business rules are expected and encouraged. There are no restrictions other than the highest level of professionalism is required. The Down to Earth Business Rules blog is moderated by Artemis Alliance.

Again, Welcome. If you have topics you would like to see addressed, please contact me at mkrouze@artemisalliance.com.

Michael Krouze, Chief Technology Officer, Artemis Alliance, Inc.

Artemis Alliance, Inc (http://www.artemisalliance.com), in the trenches since 1993, is an information technology services firm specializing in Business Rules Management.

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