Mark Fidelman
EVP Sales of MindTouch. Mark has advised many start ups including a social networking site that was sold to Barry Diller's IAC. Before joining MindTouch, Mark led global sales efforts as an Executive Vice President for a publicly traded company, headed sales efforts for a technology division of AT Kearney and EDS, and served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for a Singapore based corporation. Mark blogs at Seek Omega
A Special Thank You to the Following Enterprise 2.0 Evangelists for your Inspiration (infographic)
I wanted to take the time to acknowledge and recognize those in the Enterprise 2.0 space that have inspired me to be better. All of you in your own way have forced me to think differently about the next generation enterprise and its enormous potential. To those in the USA, have a Happy Thanksgiving. To [...]
The Strategic Technical Communicator: An Open Letter to the CEO
Dear CEO: I am here to help. I represent the customer’s best interest when using our products and services. I am her voice. When the company hired me as a Technical Communicator I was under the impression that my representation of the customer mattered. That I would be given the authority along with the responsibility [...]
The UPDATED Decision Maker’s Guide to Jive Software vs. ThinkPassenger vs. Spigit Vs. BrightIdea
Tweet Innovation Edition You and I are trapped in a two dimensional corporation. The corporate version of Carl Sagan’s Flat Land. Where we only see a cross section of the truth. But if we were able elevate the corporation into the third dimension we’d have much better visibility and access to information. And that’s where [...]
It’s Not Your Product, Your Documentation Just Sucks
Do we really have to wade through your 400 page text-based manual you’ve posted online in order to find out why an error keeps us from using your software? Worse, when we finally find the answer it’s incomplete. So what do we do? A Google search and find the answer elsewhere. Really? Aren’t we done [...]
Sales 2.0: The Swiss Army Knife Needs to be Expanded
Normally I leave the sales punditry to those trying to sell telemarketing services or the next greatest sales methodology. At times these sales to Sales pitches feel like the latest management fads I so often witnessed while working at A.T. Kearney. But occasionally a “sales” strategy” article motivates me to act. As he often does, [...]
The Parent, The Crock and The Heretic
The truth is, in every industry, across every culture there exists the cynic. The cynic tends to operate with a sense of longing, an emptiness. Something isn’t being filled in their lives. Perhaps in business they’ve suffered terrible wounds. Wounds that rarely heal and can only be treated. Unfortunately the cure tends to be the [...]
What if Peter Drucker Taught Enterprise 2.0? (Presentation)
The Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Santa Clara is fast approaching. There are a number of people and presentations that I am excited to see. Alas, while I was fortunate enough to be selected to present at E2.0 Boston last spring, I missed the opportunity this fall. So, in the spirit of the conference next week, [...]
The Documentation Maturity Model (infographic)
“How does our online documentation site stack up against other organizations?” The Documentation Maturity Model (DMM) categorizes he six types of documentation sites as we have observed through our research. We recommend you use this guide as a resource to decide which level bests suits your company’s situation and examples on what it might look [...]
Are Content Strategists the Next Corporate Rock Stars? (Visuals)
Content Strategy is an emerging field with immense possibilities for business. Similar to its Marketing cousin, content strategy seeks to position the right content with the right user experience at the right time for its intended audience. The difference however, is that content strategy is less about advertising and more about revealing your product’s [...]
What Marketing Needs to Know about Content Strategy
Last week Scott Abel and I held a live webinar for content strategists. Due to popular request, I am posting the presentation here: What Marketing Needs to Know about Content Strategy.
Delivering Happiness Through Social Documentation
User Manuals Are Dead So why are they still being produced? What value are they providing your customers? User manuals today are the marketing equivalent of mailing out company brochures. Utterly useless. Static HTML and PDF based user manuals aren’t much better. They haven’t evolved or kept pace with even the most rudimentary corporate websites. [...]
And They Call Me Crazy
Nine years ago today I was driving into the city of Boston to pick up my wife. Normally she’d take the ferry from Boston back to Hingham, but today was different. I quickly noticed while driving northbound on Hwy 93 that all of the cars were headed South. There wasn’t a single car driving North [...]
What Every CMO Needs to Know about Content Strategy
I recently concluded a very detailed study of the most influential technical documentation sites of 2010 to determine what made them influential. What I discovered transcended documentation to include all product and service related content. Today there are companies that using content in strategic ways that are not being discussed for competitive reasons. These companies [...]
The Most Influential Technical Communicator Bloggers
The Technical Communicator community has many influential bloggers. Yet for an industry known for its communication skills, we were surprised by the lack of social media experience even among the elite. Astonishing, given the nature of the industry. I suspect that will change as Technical Communicators become more comfortable with today’s communication tools. In compiling [...]
Why Most Software User Assistance Help is Terrible and What to do About it
As an end user, I’ve worked with a lot of software and most of the software user assistance is far from great. Yep, I said it. And it’s true, Mostly. I realize this article isn’t going to gain me any more friends. I’m okay with it. But before you pass final judgment, please read on. [...]
