28
November
2005
|
22:23 PM
America/Los_Angeles

Understanding cultural APIs--the key to successful applications

cOld-Thoughts.jpgI'm behind in my emails and other communications, my apologies. The problem with standalone journalism is that there aren't any sick days; the blog always needs feeding.


My cold gave me a chance to think about my tag line for Silicon Valley Watcher: "reporting on the business of Silicon Valley;" and I decided that I prefer: "reporting on the business and culture of innovation."


That's because I realized that I write a lot about the culture of Silicon Valley, too; and about how emerging technologies and applications are changing the nature of work, relationships, language, ideas, creativity, and behavior.


I see that the links between new uses of technology and changes in language/ideas/behavior are getting closer --and faster-acting-- than ever before.


And I plan to write more on that subject, because those cultural changes will shape the business side of new companies.


The new generations of startups are more consumer-oriented than ever before, which means they have to have a decent understanding of the somewhat shape-shifting cultures of their markets. If their products/services don't have the right cultural interface, they will fail.


It should be one of the new rules of the new age: Learn the API of the culture you are targeting --preferably before you start your company (you might be surprised at how many startups have very little knowledge about their potential customers.)


Also, living here it sometimes feels as if we are already living in part of the future. We get to be the canary in the coal mine, possibly able to warn others of what's ahead.


I hope my choice of metaphor is a poor one, and is not reflected in the health of my profession (journalism) and its meeting with the future. :-)