Software is Taking Over the World

Blockbuster lost to Netflix. Kodak lost to flickr and then Instagram. Katie got hired by Yahoo.

What do they all have in common? Old school being devoured little by little by the new school. More specifically, the traditional, analog way, of doing business is being eroded by the all-digital software media companies.

Newspapers are feeling it from online news sites like Drudge Report, The Huffington Post and even Reddit. Now broadcasters are seeing big names like Katie Couric being brought into Yahoo to head their new media site.

What will all of this mean for us? I look for the writing on the wall to see how it will affect both myself and my colleagues.

For starters, I see software helping entertainers, artists, bands, and comedians to keep in touch with their audience and clients. Mailing list services like mailchimp allow me to keep in touch easily from anywhere in the world.

Years ago, I would pull all-nighters to write and then format a monthly, double sided single sheet newsletter that I would send to clients. The sun would rise and I would then do the printing (sometimes at Staples, sometimes with my own printer), form feed address labels, stamps, and make the trip to the post office.

Ug.

Today, I have several drafts of articles that I am working on at any moment. When one or two of those ideas are formulated and I have finished editing the piece on my iPad mini, I copy it to my mailchimp account (still using my iPad mini), choose one of their many professional templates, and either send to my list of subscribers or schedule it to automatically send on a specific date. All while sitting in a Starbucks drinking a cappuccino.

This is also the reason why I decided to code Paper Tree; I needed a software solution I could have on my iPhone at all times with all the important info for events, like who paid deposits, how much, or even have client info available so I can send prepopulated emails to a client saying I received their deposit.

In the end, we should all expect that not only will software (aka “apps”) be the way we do business moving forward to save time and money, we should be aware that our competition will be doing the same.

If we don’t move fast enough into the software mentality, we’ll become the next extinct service. So try to be a blockbuster without being Blockbuster.

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