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6 things I’ve learnt in my first year as a Product Owner

One year ago today I made the move from heading up Sainsbury’s Digital Corporate Affairs to Sainsbury’s Digital and Technology division and started my new life as a Product Owner.

I’d always thought of myself as a bit of a geek with a great passion for the web and digital so I was very excited (and a year later, I still very much am!) to be given the opportunity to tackle this new challenge.

To celebrate my one year anniversary as a Product Owner, I thought I’d list the lessons that have stuck with me.

Continue reading “6 things I’ve learnt in my first year as a Product Owner” →

6

8 reasons why I’m selling my Apple Watch

I really wanted to love my Apple Watch.

I thought it would be like all the other Apple products I own: not really necessary, but once you have them at your fingertips, you quickly realise how much thought has gone into the product, how effortless they are to understand, how simple they make your life.

After my early enthusiasm for the Apple Watch, the reality of living with it has been entirely underwhelming and even downright dangerous.

So much so, that I’m going to get rid of it. Continue reading “8 reasons why I’m selling my Apple Watch” →

7

Beme – are we ready for authentic social media?

Say hello to Beme – YouTube vlogger and superstar Casey Neistat’s new social video platform that has made it its mission to make social media authentic.

It’s a step change from all other social media out there: all of them allow for a carefully curated digital self through the simple function of reviewing what you’ve written, photographed or recorded before posting it. Some allow you to edit after you’ve posted.

Beme is the odd one out: no preview, no review, no filters, no editing, no second chances.

Continue reading “Beme – are we ready for authentic social media?” →

2

#LoveWins, Pride and Apple Music kills the shuffle button (amongst other things)

It was great to see the positive reaction to the SCOTUS decision to legalise gay marriage in the US and people from all around the world supporting their local pride events. For a good week, the pride flag was all that you were able to see on social media.

Continue reading “#LoveWins, Pride and Apple Music kills the shuffle button (amongst other things)” →

2

Taylor Swift & Apple – perfect PR stunt?

This week, Taylor Swift posted an odd letter to Apple to her site: “To Apple, Love Taylor”

It included such fawning language as

  • … Apple has been and will continue to be one of my best partners in selling music and creating ways for me to connect with my fans. I respect the company and the truly ingenious minds that have created a legacy based on innovation and pushing the right boundaries…
  • … because we admire and respect Apple so much…
  • … this incredible company…
  • … I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done…

But, amongst that was the clear message to Apple that not paying artists during the three months free trial period for Apple Music was just not on. Hours later, Apple surrendered.

Continue reading “Taylor Swift & Apple – perfect PR stunt?” →

1

Thoughts on why Twitter isn’t making any money – is Snapchat to blame?

A friend asked if I took requests for my bits and bytes. He’d just read the news about Twitter CEO Dick Costolo standing down and wanted to know why Twitter wasn’t making any money.

Continue reading “Thoughts on why Twitter isn’t making any money – is Snapchat to blame?” →

2

Apple Watch’s turn by turn navigation is dangerously distracting

A quick though on Apple Watch’s turn by turn navigation.

It’s not only very annoying, it’s also dangerously distracting when cycling.

Continue reading “Apple Watch’s turn by turn navigation is dangerously distracting” →

3

Some bits from WWDC and the best Apple Watch review yet

The big event in tech this week was Apple’s annual World Wide Developer Conference. In a two hour keynote, the top brass at Apple talked about almost every one of their products (no mention of the iPod or Apple TV – the latter expected by some commentators due to the design of the conference featuring a square with rounded edges, much like the Apple TV device).

Continue reading “Some bits from WWDC and the best Apple Watch review yet” →

0

A summary of Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2015

Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends is one of those annual must reads if you work in digital. So, I’ve had a look at the 196 page deck and picked out some of my stand-out bits. The full deck is embedded below, but you can also download it here.

Continue reading “A summary of Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2015” →

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