I gave a talk at the American Chamber of Commerce last week. It aimed to introduce the concept of ‘web 2.0′. My thesis: ChinesePod demonstrates how the new web 2.0 tools can be used to learn Chinese and create a real business. I will take this talk on the road over the winter, speak at a number of events, and hopefully refine the content.
In case you’re interested, I’ve attached the powepoint, though I’m not sure how comprehensible it is in this format. Of course, your feedback is most welcome.
Click HERE to view presentation
Ken Carroll
Aaaaaa, so that’s what you are busy with!!!
Not very Web2.0 to share your powerpoint like this
how about slideshare, the youtube of ppt? 
Nice presentation anyway. Your thesis has a strong point. good luck to you!
Hi Ken,
As a starter you could consider:
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20061025
There is a series of 4 cartoons on the Web2.0 topic.
Regarding your business model you might also dig out that old Porter article “Strategy and the Internet” and - utilizing Porter’s classic framework - show how and why your approach is *not* exposed to continuous deterioration of strategic advantage.
I see two major entrence barriers you built up by investing early and heavily: content and community. As you are addressing Web2.0 you could highlight the latter a little bit more concrete by showing how the community feeds extra value into your business: the discussions on the podcasts, the wiki, the maxiewawa-videos, maybe Lantian’s full transcript, and of course the forum where all sort of China- and Chinese-knowledge is pooled and exchanged.
I also think it is also important that at Chinesepod content and community are much more important than technology (tag clouds, RSS-feeds, etc.).
Eventually I think that although you harness web2.0-ideas the heart of your business is still producing professional content, and that core parts of your services are rather user-driven than user-generated. So more a combination of CRM and “Real-Time-Business” than pure Web2.0. Fortunatelly, as I think.
Great summary.
You touch on the issue throughout the presentation, but it might help focus your audience’s attention if you have a individual slide that looks at the different business models used - i.e., advertising plays vs. build a huge audience without advertising vs. Fred Wilson’s freemium model http://avc.blogs.com/a_vc/2006.....um_bu.html http://avc.blogs.com/a_vc/2006.....e_bus.html vs. a combination of the above
i’m sure i’m missing some…
Your presentation looks like it will be fascinating, and I’d love to attend a session if your road show takes you to NYC. I’m curious to know how you plan to answer the issue that you raise in your bullet point: “Low barriers will lead to oversupply.” Care to preview the answer here, specifically as it applies to ChinesePod?
I’ve seen a couple times where you’ve mentioned that you don’t do any advertising. I’m pretty sure that it was a Google ad that introduced me to Chinesepod in the first place. Plus I’ve seen your affiliate marketing at work in a few places. Sure, it’s no billboard in Times Square, but wouldn’t you call that advertising?
It is great to see that Chinese education has been a popular domain on Web 2.0 development. Besides your site, there have been also other ones working on the same goal and using similar technologies. Moreover, online education has started to be closely integrated with Web 2.0 technologies. The web is really beginning to evolve to its next generation. Good work.
Ken
Thanks for sharing with us your presentation. The PowerPoint Presentation I am sure doesn’t do justice to what I am sure is an interesting subject by someone I would guess loves to captivate a crowd.
I often make PowerPoint Presentations and often have to sit through them as well. It is interesting to compare how people present especially to a non-English native speaking audiences. ( I don’t know if that was the case here)
But it seems presentations irrespective of the viewers fall into two very general catagories. (1) little that is understandable in the ppt. and the speaker relies on his adding much of the comment verbally as he goes along. The ppt is just stepping off points to an informative great talk. (2) at the other extreme are those who just read there ppt. and add little
In case (2) it can appear real bad if it is filled with dense charts and tables.
However, some balance of (2) is quite useful when the audience will not be able to absorb much duing the presentation but will take it back study it, even have it translated into there own language. I have had to do the latter on many occasions and it jsut means highlight both graphically as well as verbally a key line on the graph or row of data out of the mass of stuff on the chart.
I have been an invited speaker at a conference in Zhuhai where ppt’s were in English and some in Chinese. I was the only non-Chinese in attendence. Some speakers spoke in English, some in Chinese with Chinese ppts. and some in Chinese with English ppts.
It seems to me PowerPoint Presentations are very old fashion and somebody is going to figure out a better way to present material as well as make it available for follow up study later.
Think how many ppt.s are made everyday worldwide and how poor the media is .
Mike in Jubei
An interesting ppt. by Stephen Downes just appeared for viewing. I wish the audio could be accessed along with these things (Ken’s included).
http://slideshare.net/Downes/elearning-20/
SANDALS - Winter roadshows, all I’m saying is that there are roads to where I am, and I’m currently wearing a t-shirt. Web 3.0 — doing buisiness from anywhere.
These are great suggestions.
I’m very much of the Guy Kawasaki school of thought - less is more. His 10/20/30 rule comes to mind: 10 slides, 20 minutes, and a 30 point font. Keep in mind that he is talking about a venture capital presentation. Nor should you read the text to the audience. A presetnation has to create high levels mof energy and atmosphere - what’s the point of a presentation that could simply be read in an email?
Ken Carroll
Amazing show Oct 2006 with 3 girls discussing life for woman in china.
Please have colleen and others on again - was an awesome show !
PLEASE, PLEASE have them on again, and give them a spot on the shot
ladies of chinese pod —
thank you so much