* Our previous article looked at the economics of a Freemium  business model.  One element that is key to making a strategy that involves “free” work financially is growing your user base.  One way to get that growth is through a word-of-mouth marketing campaign.  This article looks ...

Ever scratch your head and wonder why you can use your favorite application for free?  How can a business actually make money (and stay in business) when they offer their product for free?  This article looks at the freemium business model, to see when it makes sense for a company to offer it.  ...

It’s fitting that I’m writing this from the exit row of an MD-83 this evening on the way home from a customer visit.  I almost didn’t get the exit row, but I did.  I tried for an upgrade to first class, but I was 15th in line - it was a busy flight with a lot of high-status frequ...

We’ve all heard the saying, the customer is always right.  For most product managers, however, the non-customer is the person you should be listening to.  When you hear the phrase understand your market, the goal isn’t to understand those people who’ve already purchased your prod...

Are you a product manager with a technical background? Do you constantly find yourself getting dragged into tactical roles like giving demos or providing feedback on design approaches? Are you getting shut out of strategic conversations about value and objectives and “business drivers”? ...

Adam Bullied wrote a really good article about not losing motivation in the face of challenges. His closing quote spun us off on a philosophical tangent about being “good enough.” Good Advice I’ve enjoyed several great conversations with Adam over the past couple years. I thank thi...

Is your product successful because you were lucky, or because you were methodical and intentional? Do you want to build a plan where you are dependent on good fortune, or do you want to make your own “luck?” Both approaches work, but only one makes sense as an intention. Slide 3 of your ...

Woopra is a new hot web-analytics product in beta release. There is a lot of discussion around the differences between product management in startups and product management in enterprise companies.  In this article, we take a look at the product management around Woopra, and gain a little insight i...

Prioritization is about maximizing the value you provide to your customers. When you have multiple sets of customers with different priorities, what do you do? You could try and find the lowest-common-denominator, and please everyone a little bit. But that would be the wrong thing to do - by trying ...

Michael Port’s new book just came out. If you’re trying to redefine or improve how you focus professionally, it would be a good read. If you run your own company, or want to, it is a great read. Michael has good advice, good reasoning for his advice, and he writes well - a very easy to r...