Are Apps the New Lattes

Trading places?

Nokia’s answer to the iPhone’s appstore has launched. Many (here, here and here) slagged the launch itself as bungled (wrong link sent to the press, overwhelmed servers, etc.).

Regardless… apps are here to stay and are growing beyond the relatively small (but very watched) world of Apple. They’re here as moneymakers, as ways to connect with customers, etc. etc.

This isn’t a literal graph… but it does capture some truth. It seems that, even in these difficult economic times, some people still don’t seem to mind dropping a few dollers/euros/pounds on a little trifle they can hold in their hand that they don’t really really need. It’s just that what that little trifle is, is changing.

Creating Culture…

I have been thinking a lot lately about creating culture… and what forms of communication are required or desirable to aid in this task. I’m thinking about this for Rassak as I look at ways to scale the business (cultural development is vital to growing a people-centric, professional service business).

Billboard for free Catalan courses

Interestingly… right now I’m surrounded by attempts at creating/transmitting culture. Barcelona is in Catalonia, a semi-autonomous region of Spain with a distinct (and very proud) culture.  And the government invests in cultural development on many levels.

Language is one key driver of culture. It’s one of the tools we are using to shape culture at rassak. We’re not pushing a different language entirely (some companies do… would you like a VENTE Latte?) but we are beginning to choose words carefully and create templates for documents filled with language that we believe represents our culture. Since these are templates they not only represent the culture, they help propagate it each time the template serves as the basis for a new document.

Language is a key tool used by the Catalan government too. Check this billboard in the metro for free courses in the language of Catalonia — Catalan. . The government here believes in the power of language to transmit/maintain/develop/share culture.

More of the billboard

BTW, this newspaper, el Periodico, began publishing in Spanish here in the 70s.

In the mid-90s it added a second edition in Catalan, giving the paper access to substantial regional government subsidies (per wikipedia).