Summary Bullets:

• Everyone has brand and product preferences based on experience, emotion, and environment.
• Pick the right tool for the job, even if it’s outside your personal preferences.

Marketing teams talk about brand perception and brand loyalty. They talk about mind share and name recognition. As individuals, we try to act as if we don’t have brand loyalty, but instead loyalty to quality, price, utility, or some combination of those factors. Despite everyone having a bent towards economic rationality, its clear that emotion, experience, and our peers and self-identified group play a much larger role in our buying decisions. As individuals, this is not really a big deal. But in the IT workplace, brand or technology preferences can have negative consequences. More surprisingly, these preferences are extremely strong and take on the aspect of nearly religious belief. If you find that to be an exaggeration, find your local expert Linux system administrator and ask them what they think of Microsoft. More often than not, you will be treated to a sermon on the evils of the Beast of Redmond. Continue reading “The Right Tool for the Job” →

Summary Bullets:

• The social media giants have been under pressure to shield users from influencer posts that make specious claims.
• Some questions on policy definition and enforcement remain, but Facebook and Instagram are moving in the right direction with the new rules.

Social media sites Instagram and parent Facebook are tightening their content standards to restrict advertisements and posts from influencers and other users who peddle weight loss and cosmetic procedures to teenagers. In September, the two social media giants disclosed a policy change which aims to prohibit the distribution of content to users under the age of eighteen that promotes the sale of weight-loss products or even mentions or depicts a weight-loss product or supplement. This content, which often makes bold claims about dramatic results with minimal scientific backing, has been linked to a number of negative impacts on users. Continue reading “Facebook and Instagram Take a Stand Against Controversial ‘Miracle Claims’ Content” →