Billy Hylton » Blog

Wisdom Report 2010

Billy — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:16:14 +0000

MarketingSherpa has published its eighth annual “Marketing Wisdom” report (PDF download). The report features 70 lessons learned from MarketingSherpa readers. The economic crisis of 2009 offered challenges and opportunities. According to the Wisdom Report, “it was a time to focus on the fundamentals of marketing, while also testing new tactics, new channels and new ideas.”

Twitter and Street Vendors

Billy — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:17:21 +0000

I’m really excited about the rising popularity of street vendors. Portland, no surprise, is out in front of the trend. Many of these vendors are using Twitter to pass on information to customers about where they will be on a given day. Take OnlyBurger in Durham. On a recent Friday night they were on Main Street from Midnight to 3AM and then were up early to serve breakfast burgers at the Farmer’s Market.

(Ross Grady)

Twitter Revolution

Billy — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:22:59 +0000

“The surest way to show support for the Iranian pro-democracy movement without jeopardizing its viability is also the simplest: maintain current levels of service on internet websites like Twitter and Facebook, and provide means for Iranian protesters to circumvent current bans on media reporting and Internet café use.” – Max Burns

User Data Isn’t Everything

Billy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:23:00 +0000

Graphic designers and user experience experts often see the world differently. The UX/usability person may view the graphic designer’s creative and aesthetic contributions as indulgent. The visual designer argues that beauty enhances usability and trust. This recent article in A List Apart explores both sides and concludes:
“Smart graphic design is always some balance of current expressive trends, information architecture, classical layout aesthetics, and detailed research on user preferences and motivations. You should never ignore solid user experience data, but mountains of data won’t auto-magically build you a successful site.”

Read the whole piece

IE 8 Browser Comparison Chart

Billy — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:49:11 +0000

It looks like Internet Explorer is back in the game….

Evolution of Photoshop: 1988 – 2009

Billy — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:37:50 +0000

See application icons, splash screens, toolbars, etc. from over 20 years of Photoshop.

Dear World: Meet Kate

Billy — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:04:02 +0000

Sarah and I are delighted to announce the arrival of our daughter, Katherine Olivia. Kate was born on August 11 at the UNC Women’s Hospital at 8:47 PM. She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. We’ve created a web site to post photos, videos, and more. Check out Kate Hylton’s Sandbox here.

Quote of the Day

Billy — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:47:05 +0000

Organics is becoming the private school of food… It’s great if you can afford it. But pricing it out of people’s reach is not a strategy for expansion.

- Ken Cook, on declining sales of organic food purchases at Whole Foods and other retailers.

Michelle Obama in Raleigh

Billy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:18:48 +0000

View another video from the rally….

VoiceThread

Billy — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:14:46 +0000

A group I work with is exploring learning and collaboration opportunities with an application called VoiceThread. My favorite part of the app is being able to phone in the audio if you’re like me and don’t have a microphone. The VoiceThread below took about 30 minutes to put together. Last post on SXSW, I promise.