CIO with a stack of blocks

Mr. Pareto meets your tech stack

Summary: How does the Pareto principle, which posits that 20% of causes generate 80% of effects, fit with your tech stack? Can you do 20 percent of the effort and get 80 percent of the benefits? I’ve mentioned the Pareto principle before. It’s one of those odd quirks about life that sticks with you. It…

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Woman at newsstand

What’s the best content recommendation strategy?

Summary: The article explores the evolution of content recommendations from “related articles” to sophisticated methods tailored to user preferences and behavior. The author debates the balance between editorial and algorithmic curation, and the varying objectives behind recommendations, such as enhancing user experience or maximizing ad revenue, emphasizing the importance of aligning recommendation strategies with business…

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Paul Atreides working on a laptop

Warnings from Dune about artificial intelligence

Summary: This article highlights the cautionary tales about artificial intelligence (AI) in popular science fiction, including “Dune,” “Star Trek,” “Battlestar Galactica,” and “I Robot,” which all warn against the potential dangers of AI rebellion. It emphasizes the importance of balancing the drive for innovation with the need for caution. While recognizing the divergent views on…

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Man at conference

CDP Basics: from unknown to known

Summary: Uploading customer data to a Customer Data Platform (CDP) doesn’t automatically link it to web behavior. Despite having detailed offline data, online interactions remain anonymous until identified through common identifiers like email. Strategies to link these include personalized emails, sign-up incentives, and registration requirements, which help unify customer profiles for customized web experiences. I’ve…

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Advice

How to give advice that people will want to follow

Summary: Giving direct advice is often resented and may undermine personal achievement, suggesting a more subtle approach like asking open-ended questions or guiding discovery is preferable. This method encourages autonomy and ensures individuals take ownership of their successes, making it a valuable strategy in both management and consulting contexts. Most people resent getting advice, so…

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