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I recently wrote about a clever pitch I received from Kari Hernadez of Ink PR, which leveraged the PointDrive social CRM tool to get me interested in taking another look at that product. After a short email discussion with folks at the company, I decided that I wanted to interview the founder and CEO, Bill Burnett, regarding his vision for the company.
About Bill Burnett
Bill Burnett is the CEO of PointDrive and is the guiding hand on the company's direction. He formerly headed Fippex, and has a long background in sales. Which explains why PointDrive is such a strong entrant to the social sales market.
The Interview
Stowe Boyd: I am intrigued with the idea that a social sale approach via email can lead to closer relationships with clients, but then, it seems to make email less impersonal and lowest-common denominator feeling. Is that what motivated you to create PointDrive?
Bill Burnett: Definitely. What motivated us to create PointDrive was feedback from sales professionals that they wanted to know when their emails and content were received, opened and shared. Sales professionals default to email, as we all do, for its convenience and ubiquity but the truth is, it's really hard to stand out these days and you typically have no way of knowing if you're getting through. PointDrive allows you to turn existing sales content into a personalized, professional presentation without requiring any more effort than it takes to write an email. Then we deliver feedback and analytics on how your customers are engaging with your presentation to help you follow up more effectively and make more accurate sales projections.
SB: I guess getting that insight into emails being opened is an example of transparency in communications, like presence in IM tools. Knowing that a correspondent has actually read something is more than just a check box in the sale pipeline, it's knowing that they are participating in the discussion. It has social value greater than just the step in a sales process.
BB: Absolutely. In a face to face meeting you have the ability to engage with one another and gauge interest. PointDrive allows you to present your digital content with some of these same benefits.
SB: Looking at some of the upcoming features, PointDrive's dashboard is starting to look more like the analytics that brands point at their Twitter and Facebook mentions and accounts. I guess that follows: they're all social mechanisms of interaction, after all.
BB: Exactly. We want to show our users how people are engaging with their content and that in turn allows them to follow up more effectively and adjust strategies. The fact that our social communications are primarily 1:1 only helps us to provide more individualized analytics. For instance, with PointDrive, you can see a ranking of your most active people, but you can also search for a specific customer/recipient to see how many actions that person has taken, and with which content. You can do the same for a specific presentation to determine what content is performing best. We provide high level numbers and then drill into the specifics. We're also working on a team plan that will allow a manager to analyze overall team activity and content performance.
SB: In one blog post, you recommend PointDrive as presentation software. It's interesting, because I have a vision of a not-too-distant-conference, where there is no overhead projection of presentations. Instead, all the attendees will be watching a synchronized shared presentation — with chat and other capabilities — on their handhelds or laptops. The attendees have a richer and more social experience — instead of watching the backchannel on Twitter, for example — and the conference organizers have better data about actual views, and built-in surveys and other metrics. And of course people attending remotely would would have a similar experience to those in the room. Any thoughts about that?
BB: Well first off, thanks for reading our blog! I think that vision – of a more engaging and flexible presentation environment, one that integrates with other communications channels and aligns with peoples behaviors and attention spans, AND delivers feedback – is very much where we're headed. PointDrive is a first step. It's designed to present all types of content beautifully on mobile, tablet, laptop, desktop, etc. It allows you to have some control over how your content will be experienced, and then delivers feedback on how folks engage.
SB: I'd like to learn more about those next steps. It seems to be that an option for a recipient to move from an asynchronous interaction to a real-time conversation — like chat, audio, or video interaction — would be a natural. Is that in the works?
BB: Yes, we see chat as a natural progression along with integrations with some of the web conferencing tools that will allow for video interaction. We are also working hard on our team version of PointDrive that will include sales management analytics along with better collaboration around presentations.
SB: Bill, thanks for your time.
BB: Thanks for the opportunity, Stowe.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Windows 10 is available for download today. If anyone had noticed, there is a link in the notification tray for systems running Windows 7 and 8/8.1 offering a free upgrade that's valid for a year. I wasn't part of the Windows Insider Program though I followed the news on developments. A modified version of the Start Menu is back that combines search, applications, and the Start Page from Windows 8. Aside from the deeper integration to OneDrive, Windows 10 gets Cortana, a virtual personal assistant that learns more detail about a user over time in order to be more helpful. Personal assistants are all the rage these days with Apple's Siri, Google Now, and Amazon Echo. As John Lennon sang in I Am The Walrus, "Ompa Ompa Everybody's got one."
I'm not personally a fan talking to a computer though I can see the utility in integrating this technology into operating systems, especially mobile. I'm a desktop guy through and through. I have an Android tablet that I use to play solitaire when I'm on the train. Other than that, all my real work is on the desktop. It's nice that Microsoft doesn't force this kind of interactivity on people as it is possible to turn Cortana off and/or clear the accumulated information. My biggest question about this data is how secure it will be? Hackers might find it interesting. I'm going to wait for that story to break.
Windows 10 has had favorable reviews given the reception to the radical change Windows 8 brought to computing. A lot of people felt that the changes were forced on them with no regard as to how they actually used Windows. The Windows blog entries by former head of Windows development, Steve Sinofsky basically stated that features and design were driven by telemetry from people who used Windows 7 and the test versions of Windows 8. He left the company shortly after Windows 8 went public. I wonder why.
This version of Windows, suggested to be the last, took into account tester comments as well as a more detailed look as to how people used the system. Thus there are a lot of familiar features with new that are for the most part customizable. I can appreciate that. My desktop in Windows 7 looks an awful like XP even down to the bland task bar and desktop shortcuts. What can I say, I'm a sentimentalist.
I plan to upgrade my two desktop computers, though not immediately. I just want to make sure that the mass upgrade process goes smoothly. Any bugs or annoyances should work themselves out in the next month or so. I'm looking forward to the upgrades in any event. I'll report more on the experience once I get the software on my machines. A guide to Windows 10, features, and the upgrade process is available here from Microsoft.


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Friday, 21 June 2013
Fans seem to be getting back onside. Are you positive?
Lincoln City, no doubt hoping to shift a few more, have confirmed that season ticket sales are up a bit on last year. It's a quiet time of course but all the signs are that an increasing number of fans will be spending their Saturday afternoons where any self respecting chap or chapess for that matter should be, Sincil Bank.
We had the conundrum of the Chairman hinting that the budget would increase only to discover that it would remain the same. Presumably the manager has been told that any increase in revenue caused by an upturn of interest would be met by an increase in the amount of money available.
Andrew Boyce has been the headline signing recently, keeping the manager on tenterhooks, presumably waiting to see if any better offers materialise. I'm not going to pretend I'm not excited by that news but for me the capture of Tom Miller has really got my juices flowing.
Jamie Taylor has gone, well we all knew that would happen at the end of last season and Vadaine Oliver, we couldn't have expected to hang on to him for much longer even if he had re signed so good luck to them both. They were bright lights in another forgettable season.
The new players seem to have met with the approval of those fans I've spoken to so, every reason to approach the forthcoming season with a bit of optimism. Let's hope that's not all evaporated by the end of the summer, when it gets here.
The players will be returning from their break soon although with the advent of twitter some fans have been fed a constant diet of titbits whilst all has been quiet on the playing front. Friendlies will soon be upon us, increasing the anticipation another notch. Yes, footie? I don't mind if I do.
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|One of our first kittens "Blackie" who was handed into CPS as a stray. She was 500 grams when we got her.
|When you have kittens blogging becomes a bit...hard!
|This is one of our first kittens "Bobble Head" who was found dumped in a garbage bin. Yes, really! Who could do such a cruel thing is beyond me.
Needless to say "the drop-off day" is a sad affair. There are tears (mine, which then sets off The Boy). This time I decided we needed to have something great to look forward to after the drop off rather than returning to our sad kitten-less home.
|Our latest bundles of
Chef Josh Nichols used to serve up the most delicious Crispy School Prawns at dinner which I don't think are on the menu anymore. A quick (begging) tweet to Josh a few days before our brunch sees a hot, crunchy bowl of the Crispy School Prawns land on our table (and he wouldn't let us pay for these - so thanks VERY much Josh). The prawns are delicious. Fried to perfection, rendering the entire prawn edible: head, tail, shell and all. They take my mind of our four bundles of joy that won't be waiting at home for us later. Sigh.
I was having a serious dilemma on what to order. I really wanted the 8 Hour Roast Saltbush Lamb Sandwich ($9.50), but I also REALLY wanted Ai's Freaking Awesome Fried Chicken. The Boy and I struck a deal and went halves in each dish. The Lamb Sandwich was ENORMOUS! The door-stop sized house-made bread was delicious - soft and fluffy bread with a crunchy, almost sweet crust. The sandwich housed a generous serving of shredded lamb, dengaku eggplant puree, mizuna, organic fetta and red onion. For $9.50 this is a bargain.
Ai's Freaking Awesome Fried Chicken ($14.50) is exactly that - freaking awesome!!! The chicken is super crispy, but deliciously moist at the same time. It has a great balance of sweet and sour and comes served with Japanese rice and miso soup. It is seriously good and seriously addictive - I need to go back from more ASAP!
Niecy Poo has joined us for brunch which is great as it stops The Boy and I feeling quite so melancholy about our kitten loss. She chooses the Kara-age Soft Shell Crab Omelette which is the dish that has really put Cafe Ish on the map as a "must eat" brucnh/lunch destination in Sydney. It's such a creative, left of center dish and it's fantastic. Deep-fried soft shell crab is nestled up against avocado - both hide within a thin omlette. The omlette is topped with a sweetdressing of shallots, garlic, chilli, soy and ginger dressing and is served with rice and miso soup ($16.50).
Because we are in mourning we decide something sweet is justified as it will help cheer us up (ok, maybe I'm begin a little dramatic but it's a good excuse to eat dessert, right)? We wanted something big enough to share amongst the three of us and Josh brings over a plump house-made brioche that is filled with jam and served toasty warm! YUM!
We finish this off with a Wattleseed Macchiato, a coffee I've heard a lot about and I'm glad I've finally gotten to try it. It's quite sweet and nutty (a bit like me)!
Cafe Ish is at 82 Campbell Street, Surry Hills. Phone them on 9281 1688.


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RALEIGH — The new Republican majority in the North Carolina General Assembly is already making clear that one of its first acts will be to ensure that voters are who they say they are when going to the polls.
For as long as I've been covering legislative politics, GOP legislators have been shadow boxing mostly unseen, unproven voter fraud.
A critical way to combat fraud, Republicans argue, is to require that voters show some voter identification at the polls. Come January, they are prepared to pass legislation to that effect.
Opponents, mostly Democrats, say requiring photo identification could discourage some voters from turning out.
"There's not a whole lot of evidence to support the claims of either side," Jennie Bowser, an election analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures, recently told The Charlotte Observer.
I suspect that she's right.
State Elections Director Gary Bartlett says that there were 18 documented case of double-voting in 2008, out of millions of votes cast. More importantly, whether it's vote buying or double-voting, there have been few documented cases anywhere in recent years showing that type of activity affected a race's outcome.
Simple logic suggests that trying to illegally sway an election one voter at a time will either be ineffective or get you caught. It's also a felony, a penalty which should act as a bigger deterrent than any requirement to flash a picture ID.
Still, joining the nine other states that require a photo ID would likely result in miniscule numbers of voters being turned away from the polls.
Voter advocacy groups have tried to show that photo ID requirements can drive down voter participation and that large numbers of people don't have proper identification. Studies don't really support those conclusions.
Legislative Republicans will also have to come up with some tax money for their proposal.
North Carolina currently charges $10 for state nondriver's license photo IDs. To use those IDs as a requirement for voting will mean that they have to be free of charge. Otherwise, the U.S. Supreme Court could decide that the ID card acts as a de facto, illegal poll tax.
Some critics of voter photo ID requirements say Republicans are looking for political advantage, believing that driving down voter participation might benefit them. If so, they are likely to be disappointed.
Older voters, who skew Republican in this state, are just as likely as poorer voters, who skew Democrat, to be without a photo ID. And again, the numbers on either side are likely to be so small that they have no effect on any individual race. (A study in Indiana found less than one-tenth of one percent of voters voted provisionally because they were without a proper photo ID.)
What legislative Republicans should fear is that a requirement is so poorly crafted that local poll workers can use it to turn away voters with a valid ID.
If that happens, the voter fraud will have been committed in the Legislature Building, and voters will know who to blame.
Scott Mooneyham writes about North Carolina politics for the Capitol Press Association.


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There are some wonderful chamber music programs coming up in New Orleans! Enjoy this story in the New Orleans Advocate by Dean Shapiro which features French pianist Philippe Bianconi and The Golden Age of French Music, Saturday, April 7. Event Information + Tickets HERE.
© Copyright 2015 MASNO
"Musical Arts Society of New Orleans" is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.


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Video Microsoft has had a lot to say about the forthcoming Windows 8.1 update, both in its blogs and at conferences like TechEd and Computex, and now it's gone ahead and posted a five-minute video tour so that we can see some of the new features in action.
The video, which we've embedded below, is hosted by Jensen Harris of Microsoft's Windows user experience team. It deals mostly with the tablet-centric features of the OS, such as the new lock-screen slideshow and the new Live Tile sizes on the Start screen.
Of particular interest are Harris' demos of the improved Apps view, the new semi-animated backgrounds for the Start screen, and enhanced multitasking of Windows Store apps (which Harris says you can now do with "three or even four" apps).
Unfortunately, most of what's on display here feels mainly cosmetic. We do get a brief glimpse of the restored Start button at around 2:12, but by now we know that it's no big deal, and Harris doesn't bother to demo any changes to the desktop environment (if there are any).
Harris closes out his demo by confirming something else we already knew, which is that the Windows 8.1 Preview will be made available to all Windows 8 and Windows RT users on June 26, the first day of Microsoft's Build developer conference in San Francisco.
Not the Start button and boot-to-desktop you were hoping for
According to Redmond-watcher Mary Jo Foley, users will receive a notification that the update is available via Windows Update, which will then take them to the Windows Store for the actual download.
Watch out, though – Foley says the Preview version of the update will be different enough from the final version that you'll need to reinstall all of your apps when you eventually migrate from the Preview to the shipping release (although your files and other data will be preserved). Users who stick with plain Windows 8 until the final version of Windows 8.1 arrives won't need to reinstall their apps. ®


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There was a very nice lunch, sandwiches and bhaji and things, and scrumptious meringues with strawberries, and then at 1 PM we set out in two coaches on the Fens tour. The countryside looked so green and lovely as we drove first to St. Clement's Church, Outwell, then St. Peter's Church, Upwell (where I have visited before, when Alan was still rector there), and lastly the Church of Saint Wendreda in March. All were glorious, and at St. Clements we were treated to tea and perfectly lovely cakes baked by parishioners. I bought a set of postcards showing the medieval demon and Apostle wood carvings that adorn the church. I found St. Wendreda's extremely interesting, too. This is the church of which John Betjeman said it was "worth cycling 40 miles in a head wind to see." It was founded to honor St. Wendreda in the 7th century, and I was very taken by her name and those of her sisters, Etheldreda and Sexburgha, which would do very well as alternate names for our cats. (Pindar would be Wendreda, Martial Ethel, and little demon Catullus, Sexburgha.) Anyway, the building is mainly 14th century and the double hammerbeam interior angel roof of 1523 with 120 carved angels is a wonder. I actually preferred the gargoyles studded all over the outside of this very curious and marvelous place.
Miss Schuster-Slatt


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Bottomhouse Barn sleeping up to 0 guests
At a Glance4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Garden / patio
Pub / shop < 1 mileAbout this Holiday Cottage
The lovely hamlet of Bottomhouse is home to this stunning 18th century barn conversion. Situated on the edge of a large courtyard, this property enjoys splendid views across open countryside. Full of character, the living, kitchen and dining areas are open plan making this a spacious and welcoming space. There is a large, well-equipped kitchen with a fabulous range cooker, and the dining area has an impressive solid oak dining table and chairs. The large living space has a wood burner and a spiral staircase, giving the room added charm and character. There are four beautiful bedrooms, two with en-suites, a magnificent ground floor wet room, and a whole host of other impressive features making this an outstanding property for a family or group of friends.
Four bedrooms: 1 x large family with double & 3 single beds with en-suite shower, basin, WC, 1 x 4' double, 1 x large family with double bed & 3 single beds with en-suite shower, basin, WC, 1 x adult bunks, 1 x single sofa bed on spacious landing. Large ground floor wet room with shower, basin, WC. Large living area with solid oak flooring, quality kitchen, solid oak dining table & chairs (seats 16). Sitting area with woodburner, French windows & spiral staircase. Note: One of the family rooms can be accessed via internal steps or external staircase. Note: High heels must not be worn on the oak flooring.
Other Things to Note
Electric heating with woodburner. Gas range, electric oven, microwave, American-style fridge/freezer, wine cooler, washer/dryer, dishwasher, TV with Freeview, DVD, radio/CD. Fuel, power & initial supply for woodburner inc. in rent. Bed linen & towels inc. in rent. Cot & highchair. Large, enclosed garden with patio, furniture & gas BBQ. Hot tub available at charge of £150 per week or short break, payable direct to owner. Off road parking for 6 cars. Sorry, no pets & no smoking. Shop 2 miles, pub & restaurant 5 mins walk. Note: No stag parties allowed at this property. Note: Max 15 people including infants.
Around and About
Situated between Leek and Ashbourne, Ipstones is an attractive rural village on the western fringes of the Peak District in lovely moorland countryside. The village has a general store, post office and some public houses that serve food. The countryside of the surrounding area offers some excellent walking opportunities, with miles of moorland hikes and woodland trails, Dovedale, the Churnet Valley and The Manifold Valley are all close by. The National Trust properties of Lyme Park and the Ilam estate, Chatsworth House and Park and Blackbrook Zoological gardens (home to Britain's largest bird collection) are just a few of the attractions close to Ipstones. Its central location to so many attractions make this a fabulous base to enjoy the region at any time of year, and provides a perfect setting for a family holiday.
The ultimate in "year-round" appeal, the Peak District offers countryside, picturesque villages and magnificent scenery. It touches upon six counties and encloses 555 square miles of open moorland, flowing rivers, and wooded dales.
Group Holidays
Hot Tub
Self Catering
Weekend Breaks


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