Reinvention...buzz word for laziness

If you didn't get a chance to read the guest blogging feature that Rosa hosted on Reinvention, I recommend you check it out.  Thank you Rosa for the opportunity to participate!

Here is the posting I wrote on the subject:

Reinvention...buzz word for laziness

I know, I know.  I'm taking the contrarian view to this topic, but let me explain.  The definition of reinvent is "to make over completely".

There are many processes and things that we and companies do that need to be improved dramatically (ie. customer service for one).  But when asked to write this post, I began thinking about "what needs to be reinvented" and how does this affect my life?

I could look at the radio industry, which is where I make my living; I could look at the world of blogging, which is where I contribute; I could look at any number of processes that I deal with each and every day.  But as I really challenged myself with reinvention, I began to realize that the word that fit the best is relevant.

Relevant.  Yes, that is it.  The radio industry and television, cable, newspapers, etc. need to be relevant.  Consumers are more informed than ever thanks to the Internet and being relevant is what is needed. Consumers are also demanding programming when ever they want it (thank you TiVo!).  All of us want relevant content when ever and where ever we are.

If companies spent more time making their processes relevant to how the customer will actually use or interact with a product or the company itself, there is a much better opportunity for success. iTunes and the iPod are excellent examples of this.

Many will say that iPod's "reinvented" .mp3 players.  I disagree. I've had a .mp3 player for years, but they were too difficult to use. Too difficult to really make listening fun.  iPod's made the experience relevant to consumers.  Like the definition of the word, the iPod and iTunes made a connection with the matter at hand, which is/was "I want to listen to what I want, when I want and it needs to be easy and fun!".

iTunes didn't reinvent downloads.  It didn't make over music downloads completely.  iTunes made the music download experience relevant.  It made it easy.  It made it fun.  It made it relevant to the lifestyle consumers want and demand.

What can each of us do to make our jobs, careers and lives more relevant?

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tags:  reinvention | ipod | itunes | relevancy

Comments

[Terry Storch]

Outstanding post!

[Devorit]

Hi guys. What if this weren't a hypothetical question?
I am from Palestinian and too bad know English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "Exstrophy, clotting hollywood's latest function."

With love :-D, Devorit.