bipolar messaging
TRANSCRIPT
Bipolar Messaging:Communicating with Multiple Audiences
tyler hannan
@tylerhannan
http://tylerhannan.com
platform evangelist, ip commerce
wednesday, 1 june 2011
let’s start
at the very beginning
which is,
in fact,
a very good place
to start.
API providers
or
platform providers
are,
often,
called upon to
work withmultiple
audiences.
this,
arguably,
is a
popular definition
of a platform…
serving
a multi-sided
market.
in the case of
these audiences
are
software companies
and
service providers.
within
these audiences,
there
is
finer granularity.
Service Providers
payment service providersacquirers & processorsvalue-added services
Software Companies
point of serviceeCommerce
unattended / kioskmobile
etc.
their needs
are different.
and yet,
their needs,
are complementary.
in the 2nd century,
Arataeus of Cappadocia
worked as a
physician
and wrote a
treatise on disease.
in which
he described,
in frightening detail,
symptoms of various
illnesses.
it was his work,
his diagnosis,
that in 1650
was used by
Richard Burton
to create
a study of
depression,
“The Anatomy of Melancholia”.
Richard Burton
is, now,
known as
“the father of
depression as a
mental illness.”
later,
in 1854,
the condition of
moments of
depression
followed by
heightened mood
became known as
“circular insanity”.
bipolar disorder
what does thishave to do
with
enterprise APIs?
when
messaging
when
discussing
when
telling the story
of your
API
some days you will be
others
or,
as a modern
“enterprise”
reference
or
and,
unlike mental illness,
this is
acceptable.
this is
uncomfortable.
this is
necessary.
this is
desired.
an example:
IP Commerce,
spent the last
2+ years
with the tagline
“cloud computing for commerce”.
to a
payment service provider,
this is ideal,
this is compelling.
to a
software company,
this is
so,
now,
with
“critical mass”
of
service availability
and
API diversity,
we can
discuss
Platform-as-a-Service
or
“operating system”for
commerce.
an analogy
wherein all the
mess
associated with
payment acceptance,
risk & fraud, email receipting, product search, offer
redemption,
data services,
and otherrelated services,
(from multiple providers)
is obfuscated by
a platformand itsAPIs…
just as an
operating system
obfuscates
device level interaction…
to
enable
innovation.
the analogy
“makes sense”
to “us”
but,
to a service provider,
is a bit of foreign language.
another example:
a company
i respect
greatly,
but which will remainunnamed,
had a recent
product release
reviewed.
the software journal
spent a
relatively substantial
amount of time
decrying
“flowery language”
in their press releases.
was the journal wrong?
Yes,
absolutely.
and
No, not at all.
this same
“flowery”
language
speaks to the
other
audiences served.
the challenge,
perhaps
the joy,
in the nature
of the
platform.
in the nature
of the
API provider.
there are
multiple
audiences
who speak
different languages,
and have
different purposes,
the platform
the api provider
is what
enables
their
cooperation.
so…
embrace the neurosis
and recognize that
by bearing the pain
of
communication
you are
enabling innovation.
with that said,
consider
when to
focus.
IP Commerce
has a new
focus
on communicating with
the
software company…
the most
underserved
participant in payments
…at present…
this may shift
in the future
if
/
when
this shift occurs
it will be
painful
and require
site updates
new copy
documentation work.
during this
current
shift
it is painful
but
it is also
necessary.
if it was easy
everyone would do it.
see the little man
running
across the screen?
he is not balanced
one leg
is
up
now,
the other
his imbalance
his instability
indicates
forward motion.
embrace the pain.
own your value.
own your message.
know your audience.
have discussions.
delight
in
bipolar
messaging.
slide #247
With thanks, and apologies,to:Lawrence Lessig
Rolf Skyberg
Written while listening to:Explosions In The Sky, Take Care Take Care Take Care
.::more resources::.
http://commercelab.ipcommerce.com
http://www.tylerhannan.com