One of the blogs which almost always manages to give me fresh and interesting perspectives is Ribbonfarm. A recent post which caught my attention was ‘The Milo Criterion‘. Though not well versed in Lean Startup principles, I think I managed to get the gist of the post. (The comments were a completely different ballgame though!) So, Venkat’s Milo Criterion states that products must mature no faster than the rate at which users can adapt.
Though it did remind me of the product life cycle – consumer life cycle thought from sometime back, I thought it also served as a good filter in another, probably simpler, line of thought – the adoption of social media by brands and enterprises. As a reasonably early adopter of services, there are several times when I have wondered how organisations could allow themselves to miss out on obvious potential. As I worked more with brands and clients, I became more objective (or probably pragmatic) and realised that it wasn’t always a lack of understanding or perspective that held brand custodians back.
This is not just for consumer facing applications, but internal ones too. So I wondered whether organisations had somehow internalised the Milo criterion and the attitude towards social media was just a manifestation. I somehow couldn’t digest that though. Meanwhile, my recent experiences have pointed me to another factor – effective communication. I’m wondering if the Milo criterion would still apply if the ‘audience’ is always appraised of the intent and is constantly educated on the ‘why’ of the intent. Thankfully, my current line of work allows me abundant testing opportunities, and I intend to make full use of it.
until next time, Milo’s and my highs 🙂
Bonus Read : Will you become Irrelevant?