CABEM Livia_vLab Mobile Sneak Peek

The Mobile version of vLab has somewhat reduced functionality, but it enables the user to take control of the test and control major events from the palm of their hand, literally. In choosing the platform, we considered doing separate iPhone and BlackBerry apps, but in the end decided to go the route of accessibility. As a side note, the latest version of vLab is also progressing nicely, we have integrated some user session feedback into this last round, and as a result of what we heard a few of the basic features as well as some approaches to PM and resource management aspects have also been changed. We are very, very excited for this one, can you tell?

CABEM Blog Has Moved!

Due to some security concerns, we have moved our blog from WordPress to Blogger. We apologize for any inconvenience, but as we work to serve clients in various industries where airtight security is a must, we are constantly striving to improve our own control mechanisms. We hope you will continue to visit and share your feedback with us here on Blogger. Thanks!

Facebook Suspends Data Sharing Feature

From The Register: Facebook has “temporarily disabled” a controversial feature that allowed developers to access the home address and mobile numbers of users. This is another step in trying to get the social networking phenomenon more inline with the security requirements, as with the ever-increasing amount of user-provided content more and more holes open for savvy hackers to slip thru. This particular feature, however, lasted only three days – a testament to how quickly user feedback gets received and integrated, and (potential) corrective action taken these days.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all our friends and colleagues, and may the 2011 bring all kind of success and knowledge your way! It’s been a year of firsts here @CABEM (this blog being one of them) and we’re looking forward to what’s around the corner. Hope you stay with us for the ride!

SlashDot on Chinese DNS-Tampering Threats

Interesting article up on SlashDot, one of our favorite sources for tech news. This one is about Chinese DNS Tampering and what it could mean for you:

Chinese-DNS-Tampering-a-Real-Threat-To-Outsiders

Boston named #1 Digital City in America

It’s a good day to be from Boston, and we’re not talking just about the Patriots beating the Jets last nite. Our fair city has been named #1 Digital City in America, and at CABEM, we’re glad that our industry’s contribution to the region’s economy is getting recognized, and looking forward to continuing to do our part. Read the whole announcement on the City of Boston website:

Boston named #1 Digital City in America

The "new" storytelling

These days, people are taking advantage of accessibility of interactive tools to expand upon narrative techniques of old. Paradoxically, politics were the primary driver for this revolution - polls are used to determine anything and everything from how "hot" a presidential candidate is to how popular a certain policy will be before even risking one's political hide on what may turn out to be an unpopular decision. Big business followed closely behind, making the tools and the analytics ever more sophisticated in trying to gauge just what exactly this customer may "want" (forget "need", that's a whole other can of worms) to buy.

In today's world of hyper-sensitivity to user feedback, perhaps it was only a question when this technique was going to penetrate the traditional methods of storytelling. Well, it's happened, and it may be more significant in this area then in all the areas that preceeded it, simply because you're creating a narrative that is for the first time truly a dialogue. This is not about social media, or being able to give your favorite writer or comic book artist feedback on their latest creation via their blog. These are new methods, involving new media, that at their best give the user an opportunity to truly and permanently impact the development of the narrative itself.

There are many examples.... Stories that are done as linear movie clips on YouTube. Web comics that include "choose your own story" model (remember those books?) to customize the user experience. Non-linear storylines where the user can follow a character or a segment of the story and cut thru the parts they don't relate to as much. Complex projects that include wiki materials that can be easily accessed by clicking on a button - and not losing the flow of the narrative. And so on, new ideas are happening as these very words are being written.

At worst, these can be distractions in what used to be a pretty straightforward medium. At best, they create immersive experiences which Web 2.0 has become all about. There are so many routes open, but in the end the old rule still holds true - when in doubt, just do it.