What we do have control over is how we handle the situation. I think rule one of crisis management (even on a really, really small scale) is to acknowledge the issue. Finding the best way to communicate to your users is the first step.

What began as a platform to give live updates (like what you were eating for lunch) has evolved into a tool businesses use for much more productive reasons. Twitter is a great way to let your app’s users know when something has gone wrong. Plus, what better way is there to get your message out to so many people in such a short amount of time? Sure, you could send out an e-mail blast to your users, but you’ll probably have to pay for it, and by then who knows how long the issue will actually persist. By the time your users open the e-mail the problem could have already been resolved and you caused panic for no reason.

Twitter is great for these specific reasons- your followers can not only let you know of issues they might be having, but they can also quickly see you’re doing something about those issues. When you’re experiencing hosting complications, posting one sentence that takes 20 seconds to think up, type and send takes care of the first and most important action step.

You will never see me posting about what I ate yesterday for breakfast, or following someone else who does. Regardless, I think it’s incredible how quickly information can travel; we have an option today that helps us take action in so many situations- even the ones we can’t control.

You could build a cool site where you could see recently commented on articles. See what’s most popular, and see what users are commenting on what. Kind of like TweetMeme. Kind of like Digg.

Already been done? Other ideas?

Our business is a weird business. In many ways it’s like other product-focused industries- but it’s different. When other product companies send a product to manufacturing, there is a gap. A time between the original products, revisions, and next products.

In the web app industry there is no such gap. No such cycle to give us cues on how to live, or work. As soon as you’re done, tweaking begins, then you find it hard to draw a line between tweaking, and adding. You’re never done.

It’s the best thing about our industry in that you can continually get better with very little burden, and it’s the worst because it takes discipline to work on the right stuff at the right time. What adds to the confusion is that the better you are at your job, the more within reach the next added feature is. And so are all the other potential tweaks and added features. It’s maddening.

More importantly, if you’re constantly working on tweaks, additions, and code, when will you promote, blog, advertise, and recharge?

Picture if you will, a small man dressed in rags in the middle of the desert. He works night and day on a small art object- let’s say it’s a statue. It’s 5 foot tall, and intricately detailed. If it were in a store front on the streets of Manhattan it would be worth millions, but it’s not- it’s in the desert. Still, the ragged man works diligently perfecting and refining. If you’re envious of him, put your head down and keep working. If he pains you- if you’re wishing that he could get the riches, and recognition for his work that he deserves, then wake up and start defining job roles in your company related to promotion, excellence, and happiness.

If nobody has a job description, consider creating them, or at least talking about them. Once you have them, consider adding these items:

Twitter manager

Someone needs to search, monitor feeds, tweet successes, tweet failures, make friends, and answer questions daily.


Comment manager
Not only on your blog, but on other people’s blogs as well. If someone takes a second to talk about your product in their own public platform, help them manage the conversation- and thank them! *Next items manager*
 If you’re like us, you’re constantly defining what should be the next item on the todo list. Quit picking low hanging fruit, and start working on the things that matter most.

Excellence manager
Do you ever have a problem where everyone knows doing a certain thing would make your app better, but it’s the hard thing to do? It’s easier if you appoint someone who is the user ombudsman in your company. You need to keep a big picture, but you also need to cherish the little one.


Consistency manager
You know how big companies like Apple, and Coca-Cola always have their act together? It doesn’t happen by accident… They have style guides, brand managers, account execs, and art directors all looking for consistency in their efforts. You probably can’t afford all that, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get your act together on a smaller scale. Use the right logo, the right colors, the right tagline, the right icon in the right place every time and your users will start to perceive you in a different light.


Vision manager
This one might be a stretch, but someone has to be looking towards the future. If you’re outlook only extends past the next version release, or the next support request, you’re doomed.


Happiness manager

Also a stretch, but something that might change the way you think. Tasks that create joy in your team’s jobs make resounding effects in user experience. It’s safe to say that if your team isn’t very happy, you’re off track. And having someone with the power to buy lunches, treats, make jokes, or adjust course is a powerful thing.

Since releasing Staction in January we’ve been seeing more and more mentions of it on Twitter and, like the proud parents we are, we’d like to share a few with you. It makes us especially happy that a few of the tweets from users sound like they’re having great success at simplifying their workflow with Staction.