The Kindle series is among the first consumer uses of a revolutionary display technology called ‘E-ink’.  E-ink displays are more akin to digital watch style LCDs than the TV variety, featuring low-powered, uncolored displays that are reputed to be easy to read for long stretches in contrast to computer monitors.

The Kindle 2 succeeded the late 2007 original and Amazon says they used the time to improve the layout, increase the responsiveness, and improve the resolution.  Until recently, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.  TechCrunch reported recently that the Amazon has sold their 300,000th unit of the Kindle 2 in only 50 days post-release, making the series by far the best-selling of its type.  Until earlier this month, the public’s verdict on the Kindle’s no-frills display could be summed up with the phrase: “Easy on the eyes.”

Then Wired.com published an article on April 13 titled, “Kindle 2’s Fuzzy Fonts Have Users Seeing Red.”   Quoting a “user from the Pennsylvania”, the article asserts that the text-display algorithms of the Kindle 2 “Do not take into account the human psychology of perception.”   Although the article spares a paragraph to quote Amazon’s side of the story – users like the display – it continues on to offers home-remedies in advance of the “easy fixes that Amazon can make.”

The widely-linked article certainly had an impact on the online conversation.   The proportion of online conversation on the display characterizing it as ‘hard to read’ more than doubled in the following days – from 13% on 4-12 to more than 30% at its peak.

Author Priya Ganapati’s insinuation that the font display is a widely-perceived problem is somewhat curious given that she herself described the Kindle 2 as “easy on the eyes” in an earlier Wired article.   Whatever the reason, the post’s impact has waned two weeks on, appearing to spare Amazon’s product from any lasting damage to its reputation.  Still, when you’re slinging 6,000 units a day at $360 each, the effects of even a temporary shift in online conversation can be expensive.   The lost revenue from even a 1% drop in sales for a fortnight is enough justificatino for an active social media monitoring and engagement program.  Amazon, while by no means the kind of PR horror story we’ve delighted in this year, would do well to remember the occasionally high cost of the digital word.

Tags: company, customer voice, data, measurement, product by edward
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Wondering how people feel about the Federal government’s intervention in General Motors? We were too.

If you want to know how many times the words “General Motors” have been used online, there are lots of folks who can help you. If you’re interested in the polling results of this site or that one, there are plenty to choose from.

But if you want to understand what the online conversation really means, you might be interested in this…

Tags: brand, company, news, opinosphere, politics by mike
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The good folks over at 100 Interviews posted this video shot last month at SXSW — I shared some thoughts about Crimson Hexagon and our unique approach to finding meaning in social media.

They’ve also captured a terrific selection of internet personalities from Chris Brogan (whose Inbound Marketing Summit we’re speaking at later this month) and Gary Vaynerchuk. Check out the site to find bite-sized discussion on everything from SXSW impressions to the future of search.

Tags: events, social web by admin
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Crimson Hexagon co-founder Gary King still heads IQSS over at Harvard — and some of his innovative research design is getting some interesting press after its publication in The Lancet.

King and his colleagues designed and led a study with about 500,000 people:  the largest-ever randomized health policy experiment. The study featured innovative research designs and statistical methods that make best use of available data in a cost-effective way.

What’s next? According to HarvardScience, the approach is now being implemented in, or considered for evaluations of — many other public policy programs around the world. The ability to understand what’s important and moving the public policy needle at a lower cost than other research methods is huge — particularly when you’re talking about delivering healthcare to the world’s poorest populations. As the petabyte age becomes a reality, innovative data-driven analysis becomes a necessity.

Tags: news, research by admin
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