Around the Office: YouTube Monetization, Heuristics, Small Business Design, and More!

Psi Makes Millions on YouTube Video

A still image from PSI's music video for "Gangnam Style" showing him dancing in a horse stable.Daveed was happy to see Korean pop star Psy make more than $8 million from YouTube for his hit song “Gangnam Style”, signaling a change in how pop artists can turn a profit from their work. One of the key ingredients of his success has been his reluctance to strictly enforce copyright over YouTube parodies and other works that use his song. For YouTube uploaders, there are still risks in using copyrighted material, but instead of simply removing an infringing video via DMCA takedown notice, copyright holders can now “monetize” videos using their material, giving them ad revenue from the video. Imagine, copyright owners profiting from copyright infringement!

Heuristic-Driven Decisions and Experiences

A diagram showing that heuristics affect the many interactions visitors have with websites.Andy weighed in on a lively Twitter chat on heuristics, which are a range of experience-based techniques for problem solving, learning, and discovery. These essentially help the brain reduce processing load, particularly when dealing input overload and time constraints. Heuristics can help us act and react quickly, find solutions to complex problems. Of course, some heuristics lead to assumptions and misunderstandings, and relying too heavily on heuristics can be the basis of stubborn behavior. Since our brains are wired for heuristics, we have to take this into account when interacting with our complex world, and designing more user-friendly experiences.

Big Benefits for Small Business Using Design

A diagram showing that many considerations such as usability, professionalism, and simplicity are all manifested through design.Eva is a great designer, but never a design snob. In our latest blog post, we explain that small businesses can use design to elicit the right response from customers. Design, after all, a great way to make a great first impression, keep up with (and lead) the pack, communicate with customers on an emotional level, build trust and gain a key advantage over competitors. Don’t let the design snobs turn you away from this opportunity.

Excellence Isn’t Measured in Gold Medals

John Stephen Akhwari finishing the 1968 Olympic marathon with a dislocated knee.David was reminded that you don’t have to be famous to achieve greatness. A Business Insider blog post illustrated this point by retelling the story, not of gold-medal marathoner Mamo Wolde, but of John Stephen Akhwari, who dislocated his knee, yet managed to finish the 1968 Olympic Marathon. This is someone who refused to quit long after it was the sensible thing to do. And while a gold medal isn’t on the line, this is a challenge each one of us face every day.