Ed Brill

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1. 1  Christer Eklundh  | 5/21/2007 5:57:42 AM

   Sorry, but the image on Flickr does not work och its to small... :-(

   I think it would be a WOUNDERFUL background on my laptop :-)

1. 2  Bill Buchan http://www.billbuchan.com | 5/21/2007 6:04:55 AM

   It wouldnt hurt to put full-res Promo posters up as soon as you have them - then folks can print them out, stick em over the desks, etc, etc.

   Because sometimes its just too hard to pester your local salesman/bp, etc..

   ---* Bill

1. 3  Sean Jennings  | 5/21/2007 6:17:14 AM

   Looks like without planning-to, you've succeeded in launching a viral marketing campaign for 8

   maybe this is the way to go? perhaps..

   (a) first abstract cool graphics and logos (like the splash-screen)

   (b) then descriptions of all the whizzy things Notes 8 can do (like the 'LotusSphere Comes to You' graphic but without the logo)

   (c) then finally shock people be letting them know that its good ol' Notes you're talking about

   Alot of mileage could be made from the 'new' Notes logo, its reminiscent of a smiley/emoticon - a 'group emoticon' even. People generally have a feel-good factor towards emoticons.

1. 4  NeilT  | 5/21/2007 6:59:55 AM

   I know that my comments are often as welcome as a bad smell, but this is yet another sad chapter in a long sad story.

   You could try slapping the marketing people round the head and get the word "Collaboration" onto the Graphic. Or is that the preserve of the Websphere Portal products?

   After all what is the point in having the #1 collaboration product in the world if you can't even have the *word* on the startup screen that every user will see every day when they open the app?

   I'm currently working away from Notes/Domino. I am working in a company who have old vestiges of Domino hanging around and they are looking at updating workflow application suites which would benefit outstandingly from the use of the Domino servers they already have.

   So I ask this, "Why should I even try if IBM can't even market the feature?". They have a mail client/server structure and they have Office apps. What they don't have is a single quality workflow product which will save them lots of time and effort.

   What you need to do is socialise the fact that Notes client is not just YAM&OS, but the front end to the most comprehensive collaboration suite out there. Or is it now YAM&OS?

1. 5  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 5/21/2007 7:17:46 AM

   @4 Neil, please see { Link } and let me know how many times the word "collaboration" appears. What would lead to a statement like "is that the preserve of the WebSphere Portal products"

   As for the splash screen including the word collaboration, I don't see any words other than the product name on the splash screen. The new graphic I linked above is from a presentation. I didn't build the graphic, but my guess is, given where it originated (a keynote presentation), that the creator felt the word "collaboration" was vague, and needed better definition of exactly what kinds of collaboration are available in Notes 8.

1. 6  Karl-Henry Martinsson http://www.martinsson.us | 5/21/2007 7:20:50 AM

   I agree with Bill, get posters and other cool graphics out there. But why stop there? If IBM is willing to spend a couple of hundred dollar, why not put up a page where people can order printed marketing posters, as well as the Domino classes posters, ahead of the launch. How much would it cost to send a couple of posters rolled up in a paper tube to a couple of hundred or even thousand people? And can you imagine what that would do in PR? Toss in some stickers/bumberstickers with the Notes logo and some cool slogan. Something like Nathan's "Hero"-logo.

   Try this:

   Background: Some design elements from the new splash screen,or the image you just posted.

   [Notes8 Logo] Not your Father's Lotus Notes. Lotus Notes and Domino 8. [small IBM/Lotus Logo]

1. 7  steven  | 5/21/2007 7:29:37 AM

   @5... SIX times, what do I win??

1. 8  Dvir Reznik http://dvirreznik.blogspot.com | 5/21/2007 7:30:50 AM

   Ed, this is great!! 6,000 page views in 14 days is an excellent example of the power of the web..

   We could take an example from Warner Bros ({ Link }

   Why not create a webpage with nothing but the Notes 8 image. Once clicked, you go to another site, www.notes8fans.com or something, were you can download some hi-res files as your wallpaper, or maybe to print posters and other marketing materials, as Karl mentioned @6...

1. 9  Mario Costa http://mariocosta.typepad.com | 5/21/2007 8:16:44 AM

   Hi all.

   My suggestion would be having some activity targeted to Lotus Certified Professionals. They are a very important part of the Notes/Domino ecosystem, and should receive something like a kit they could use to advertise Notes 8.

   This would be something like a seed to viral marketing. The kit could have links, hints, imagens, banners, pins, pens, t-shirts or any other stuff they could use to raise awereness on Notes 8 where they work.

1. 10  Jeff Picco  | 5/21/2007 8:21:05 AM

   Viral marketing can be a very powerful tool. Just don't make the mistake for charging people for your marketing material. Never understood the concept of charing people to wear your t-shirts.

   People tend to love things that others don't have yet, or can't get yet. It creates a "cool" factor. The first image, to me, looks cool so it's now my XP wall paper. So, this morning when doing my two presentations on the future of collaboration inside of <insert company name here>, the first thing people will see is my wall paper :-)

   I'm sure I will get people asking for a copy of the image. The screen saver that became available for Notes 6 was cool. The "I Am" commercials were cool, just didn't ask to complete the sale, but got people asking about the product. Play in the realm of Guerrilla marketing and see what can happen:

   { Link }

   - Jeff

1. 11  Keith Brooks http://kbmsg.blogspot.com | 5/21/2007 8:56:09 AM

   You can order IBM posters and Lotus items online, from a few IBM sites. IBM Publications is the first stop. This link(posters are expensive? at $19.50): { Link }

   Then the IBM store. Unfortunately, contrary to the showing in Orlando, the IBM store stocks little or at least goes out of its way NOT to tell you Lotus items are available.

   Link is here { Link }

   But we miss the old Lotus stuff store(site still up no idea if they sell what they show): https://www.cmsassociates.com/cgi-bin/SaleLotusStuff6Graphic.pl

   But yes it would be nice if IBM would give marketing items away, or have BP kits ready, like most CPG comkpanies do for their distributors/resellers.

   Even at a minimal cost to cover shipping. The problem of course is IBM makes money and printing shirts, posters, etc. does get expensive when you do a few 1,000 so they just want some of it back.

   On the flip side I know marketing ends up dumping extra stuff ordered during the year so maybe Ed can find someone who can put it up for sale on ebay for charity or even just to package and ship it out to BPs and customers.

1. 12  Keith Brooks http://kbmsg.blogspot.com | 5/21/2007 9:03:17 AM

   by the way I can't download this bmp like the previous one. There is no link to download it.

1. 13  Simon Scullion http://simonscullion.com/ | 5/21/2007 9:11:41 AM

   I'd love to have a decent fairly high-res version of the logo, in a format I can use to make presentations and other images similar to the one here. Or have I missed something and one is already out there?

   Thinking about it, we could do with a pack, with the nice new logos for all the products, Notes/Domino, Quickr, Connections, including the formal yellow/white/black logos.

1. 14  Gerco Wolfswinkel http://www.domino-weblog.nl | 5/21/2007 9:15:53 AM

   ..I'd like to replace my ND7 screen saver with a new ND8 themed one! Maybe not as viral, but it does lead to interesting conversations every now and then.

1. 15  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 5/21/2007 9:34:02 AM

   @13 if you use the prior link, it's available at 1400x1050 (choose "view different sizes" and then download).

1. 16  Keith Brooks http://kbmsg.blogspot.com | 5/21/2007 9:45:47 AM

   thanks Ed, got it now :-)

1. 17  Keith Brooks http://kbmsg.blogspot.com | 5/21/2007 9:46:52 AM

   anyone have the r5 screen savers or the r4 one(I think there was a domino one) and post it? Thank you

1. 18  Charles Robinson http://cubert-codepoet.blogspot.com | 5/21/2007 12:12:02 PM

   @Keith - I can't find the LotusScript posters for Notes/Domino 7. Do you have the publication number?

1. 19  Keith Brooks http://kbmsg.blogspot.com | 5/21/2007 1:56:49 PM

   I don't but perhaps Rocky has it?

   Not being a developer I don't follow them much :-)

1. 20  Gregg Eldred http://www.ns-tech.com/blog/geldred.nsf | 5/21/2007 1:58:42 PM

   I echo @11. I want to a *Lotus* shirt. :-)

1. 21  Alan Lepofsky http://www.alanlepofsky.net | 5/21/2007 2:09:41 PM

   How about we (Lotus) offer to paint the Notes 8 logo on any yellow car that comes by your local IBM office! ;-) Bonus if it is a yellow Lotus.

1. 22  Keith Brooks http://kbmsg.blogspot.com | 5/21/2007 2:53:19 PM

   Alan, better idea, get a few 1,000 vinyl stickers/magnets(that don't stick to the car but will stay on it) with the R8 logo for everyone, Bps, customers, etc.

   I had some from R5, but they were real stick ons and could not put on my car(leased).

   But if you want to paint my car yelolow, I'll be the first in line.

   By the way, whatever happenned to the yellow leather/vinyl padfolios? I had one that got nicked but would like a new one.

   IBM supplies cars (well in some countries) to employees and should be branded(if allowed by homeowner laws or state/local customs).

1. 23  Keith Brooks http://kbmsg.blogspot.com | 5/21/2007 2:55:42 PM

   Gregg, sorry I gave mine away during Louisiana's and Floridas storms. I had probably 2 dozen shirts, tshirts lotusphere staff shirts, etc. Now I have one left, the black button down with Lotus black/white logo on it. And I ain't giving it up, well unless I work inside Lotus again and get something equally useful.

1. 24  Charles Robinson http://cubert-codepoet.blogspot.com | 5/21/2007 5:53:25 PM

   @21 - It's not a Lotus, but I'm planning on painting my Saab yellow at some point in the future. :-)

1. 25  Simon Scullion http://simonscullion.com/ | 5/22/2007 5:14:11 AM

   @15 Ed, I don't think I explained myself properly! I went and got the splash image when you first posted. Ever since I have had it as the desktop background ;-)

   By the logo I meant the Notes icon (the orange/yellow disk) combined in this example with the number 8, I'm seeing more and more of the high-quality versions in graphics like this and would love to have a decent quality png on a transparent background or something similar, we could all then come up with our own ideas!

   BTW the largest version of this image on Flickr is 720 x 540. Any chance of a larger version?

1. 26  Pedro Quaresma  | 5/22/2007 7:06:41 AM

   @11 That cmsassociates site looks great, but even if they still sell that stuff, they only seem to ship to the US.

   Anyway, I agree that having more Notes-related merchandise (t-shirts, mousepads, stickers, whatever!) would be great.

1. 27  NeilT  | 5/22/2007 7:30:41 AM

   @5 I get your point about the web page Ed, but do you get mine? The people who will see Notes will see all the key words for "Office" and "Mail". Many people associate this with Microsoft. The keywords for "Application" and "Database" and "This is a tool you can do Sooooo much more with" are simply missing. How many of these normal users will go to the web page which has the collaboration word? My guess is 0. Do you even have a link to it from the client or the splash screen? So if you want to push collaboration and the power features your advertising platform is in the splash screen. If you want to advertise a better Outlook/Office client then you are going the right way about it. If you want to advertise the real power of the Notes/Domino Symbiosis then you are missing a trick or two.

   Why the comment about websphere?? Just look through your posts and tell me; Notes/Domino is coming out in 8 yes and that is good, but every time you talk about another emerging new and exciting product in the collaboration space, it's WS/Portal/DB2" bound. It makes me doubt the sincerity of the ND8 push. Maybe I'm just too old and cynical, or maybe I've been here before?

1. 28  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 5/22/2007 8:01:51 AM

   @27 I am not sure why you think IBM can't both invest in Notes/Domino futures (and surely, when you look at the change delta in Notes 8 and the plans for Domino "next", even those that have been shared publicly, you can see the significant investment) and invest in new products which leverage other IBM technologies.

   As for a link in the product, we are planning some links in the shipping Notes 8 (the beta features RSS feed links from several IBMer blogs, including this one). I don't think the splash screen (which, again, is just the yellow swoosh on white that opens the product) has to or can do more, but there are plenty of places in the product which can.

1. 29  Charles Robinson http://cubert-codepoet.blogspot.com | 5/22/2007 9:05:21 AM

   @27 - The splash screen isn't the be-all and end-all for product awareness. Anyone who has actually installed Notes already knows what it does; if they don't there are resources for that. Anyway, the graphic you seem to be grousing about is from a presentation. It's not the product splash screen, nor should it be.

   @28 - IBM is investing in both simultaneously, but you have to understand that this is a substantial change from the direction Domino has taken until now. Previously it was all Domino all the time. Now it's a Swiss Army knife of products but it's being presented as if it's all Domino. The WAS/DB2 requirements weren't as clearly stated as early as they should have been, and that's causing some confusion.

1. 30  Henry Bestritsky  | 5/22/2007 11:14:11 AM

   @28 - From my perspective, Domino has been largely ignored for the past eight years as an application development platform. Rhodin keeps talking about Web 2.0, mashups, AJAX, and I am still scratching my head on how that relates to the current Domino app development platform. Unless IBM can come up with something similar to Microsoft's Silverlight or Sun's JavaFX, I am at a loss on how IBM can compete in the WEB 2.0 world. Based on IBM's track record such as Workplace, how can we believe it when you use words such as "significant investment" around Domino. I know that you will probably mention Quickr and Notes 8 as an investment, but I am talking about the core Domino server being a viable resource to support IBM's SOA strategy. Your simple answer is integration under the glass via Eclipse and/or Websphere Portal... hence the NEW LOTUS!

   You are creating and investing into new products that are focused solely on the Lotus Notes install base which do not run on the Domino server. Your new splash screen says it all which if fine, but some of us feel like you are being a parent trying to stuff castor oil down our throats telling us that it's good for us.

   Frankly, as an old Notes guy, this sucks, but as a business man I understand what you are doing and it is the right way to go. I just hope you understand that there is a ton of confusion out there and people are getting frustrated. I guess that is why Rhodin and his gang are setting up a Q&A to discuss this further. I think it's a great first step.

1. 31  NeilT  | 5/22/2007 11:21:13 AM

   @28/29

   In the end it's perception. That is my perception. I look for it and I appear to see it. Yours is different. The whole positioning of Notes/Domino by IBM is a long sorry tale IMHO and I almost never look on the upside because I don't ever feel that I can trust what I hear. Sad isn't it?

1. 32  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 5/22/2007 11:42:45 AM

   @30 Henry, it's NOT the splash screen. It's a page from a presentation. And I'm not sure what products we have that are "focused solely on the Lotus Notes install base". I can't think of a single effort underway that is done with the belief that only existing Notes customers would be interested.

   Also, for those who are not reading Bob Balaban's blog, you should be. { Link } Bob is one of the guys spearheading the investment in Domino post-8.0 around the Domino application development story. There's plenty in 8.0 with its ability to be both a web service provider and consumer, that's not "under the glass"... and there will be more after 8.

   Looking forward to your questions for the call.

1. 33  Henry Bestritsky  | 5/22/2007 1:02:21 PM

   @32 Ed, that is exactly my point. There used to be Lotus Workflow and Domino Doc, proucts that I could run just on my Domino infrastructure (please do not tell me that these products still exist on the Domino platform and that Quickr is a replacement for Dom.Doc). I think tha you are ignoring the exclusive Notes install base by telling them that they have to implement complex Websphere products. My concern is not that fact that you are doing this, it's around the fact that you are not communicating this clearly and confusing the install base. You may think that spin is necessary to preserve the Notes install base from defecting, but IMHO it's hurting more than it's helping.

   Having said this, I stand corrected on Bob. I have not been to his blog in about a month and he has been a busy little Balaban. My only concern is not about Bob, but about the issue of anybody actually listening to him. Some of his topics have already been raised countless times at previous Lotuspheres to a sea of Lotus bobbleheads.

   @31 - I could not agree with you more around PERCEPTION. Ed, how many times do articles like the ones from CRN or reports from analysts need to hit you guys over the head for you to grasp the situation?

1. 34  Nathan T. Freeman http://nathan.lotus911.com | 5/22/2007 3:33:04 PM

   @33 - Quickr is a replacement for Dom.Doc. That's pretty crystal clear. It replaces it by end of 2008.

   Henry, why is it vague how AJAX and Web 2.0 relate to Domino dev? JSON output formats anyone? DXL? Possible data-only API for Domino in the works?

   How is that vague? Have you ever built a modern web application? These are exactly the facilities we need to deliver stuff like "mashups."

1. 35  Mario Costa http://mariocosta.typepad.com | 5/22/2007 9:36:33 PM

   What about the "Lotus Story" video!? It is just AWESOME... could be updated and made available everywhere. :)

1. 36  Henry Bestritsky  | 5/23/2007 1:42:15 PM

   @34 Nathan, I tried to build one by the last book on building Web 2.0 applications on Domino must have been bought from the Barnes & Noble next to my house.

   But you are correct, JSON is supposed to be part of Domino 8.0 and it will be interesting to see how it is implemented.

   I do suggest that you update your own website and showcase the obvious skills that you exhibit. In the short timeframe, I do recommend that when somebody clicks on your main banner, it does not open in a new window and I love how you make use of images instead of text on your site. I know you are probably pissed off at me by now, but I do feel that if anybody is able to showcase how smart they are, their website should reflect it.

1. 37  Nathan T. Freeman http://nathan.lotus911.com | 5/23/2007 5:36:07 PM

   @36 - You'll find that I'm in total agreement on the lack of published books in retail outlets about Domino. I sure wish there were O'Reilly books on Domino.

   As far as my own website goes, Henry, when I feel the need to impress you, you'll be the first to know. kthx

1. 38  Henry Bestritsky  | 5/23/2007 11:59:26 PM

   @37 - I do apologize if I insulted you. That was wrong of me. No hard feelings. You are good guys and I guess my frustrations sometimes get the best of me. My frustrations are more directed at the fact that everything that should have been done now is being promised in the future and honestly I just don't know if I have faith anymore after all of the empty promises of the past. Like I said, no hard feelings.

1. 39  Nathan T. Freeman http://nathan.lotus911.com | 5/24/2007 8:44:07 AM

   @38 - Fair enough. And I'm sorry if I was aggressive in my reply as well.

   I think to follow what's going on with Lotus products today, you have to look past official Lotus channels. Maybe that's not the best way for IBM to handle it, but it is the fact for now.