WordPress.com, the desktop app

Here it is: the new WordPress.com desktop app.

There was a time when desktop apps to edit web sites were needed because editing in the browser was such a lousy experience.

But then Dave started adding buttons to the pages of his sites that read “Edit this page”. I have always thought that this was an extremely powerful tool: rather than having to dig in the bowels of the back-end of a content management system every time you needed to change something, you just went to the bit you needed to edit and hit a button. There and then.

With today browsers you can do even better: you can just click on a bit of text and, if you have the priviledges, you can edit it.

For the last couple of years we tried to use this “edit in the front end” approach for most of our projects (for example La Libreria dei Ragazzi and AgriProFocus are all edited in the front-end).

So, what do I think of a desktop app to edit a web site? Is it even more removed from the site than the back-end? Hard to say. So far I enjoyed writing this post on my blog. It has been a long time.

I don’t think anyone is reading this anymore…

Five days with my Apple Watch

IMG_6572

 

Five random thoughts:

1. the fact that you can check the time on this thing is as important as the fact that you can make phone calls with the other thing. While it defines their names (Apple Watch, iPhone), the really interesting parts are completely elsewhere.

2. while making my first phone call holding my watch to my face I realised that it’s not really a novelty: we used to do this all the time when we were kids. It’s just that now it works. Which isn’t necessarily a good thing (in any case, I would not do it in public).

3. the wrist movement I make when stabbing a piece of food with my fork is the same I make when checking the time. I think that eating using cutlery significantly reduces battery life.

4. it creates a whole new level of awareness. Because I can glance at notifications all the time, I do feel like I’m more in the flow. The absence of notification sounds (I muted it, I love its gentle tapping) and the fact that once you glance there isn’t much more you can do, makes it less distracting.

5. I do keep track of my physical activity monitors all the time. When Apple introduced Garage Band I picked up playing an instrument again. I wonder if the Apple Watch will get me to move a bit more.

Transparency, transparency, transparency

Crossposted on MwrVld.com

Guess what? Lately I have become obsessed with transparency! The more I work on it, the more I realise that transparency is at the very core of any healthy business relationship.

It works inside an organisation, it works between organisations. It’s the essential ingredient to build trust and understanding. Continue reading “Transparency, transparency, transparency”

Good days

There are no bad days for great walks. I have enjoyed myself quite a lot under some very miserable weathers (as long as I had the right attire).

And then there are days like today: with better colours.

Monte San Michele
Monte San Michele
Monte San Michele
Monte San Michele
Monte San Michele
Monte San Michele
Monte San Michele
Monte San Michele
Monte San Michele