Survival Guide

We’re always in search of new territory - some place that no one’s been before. The first one to stake a claim on “what’s next.” It’s in our DNA. Our culture has thrived on it. I liken it to the great western expansion of the 1800’s - the question is whether we will ever run out of land to explore - the pacific ocean of the interactive space if you will - and the answer is that we won’t. So where does that leave those that are not blazing trails and discovering new territory? How do we handle the influx of “what’s next” when some of us haven’t even figured out what to do with what’s old. The answer may surprise you. The answer is don’t worry about it. Don’t get caught up into it.

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I was a little under the weather this past week and so I spent more time than usual in the Webkinz World with my six year old. A fascinating place. I was interested in the marketing model, the convergence of the on line and offline world, the user experience and the depth of things to do on the site. He was interested in the $800 football bed for his frog “Greenie.” In amongst the thoughts of how they came up with what games to push, who developed them and how they were tested, I found myself asking - “why didn’t I think of this” (along with most every other parent who has visited this place). He was wondering why he could only buy one type of truck for Greenie and thinking he would like a fourth to add to his collection. (more…)