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The general idea of micro-consulting (or “microconsulting“) provides a defragmentation of consulting. Traditional firms provide “all or nothing” consulting. A scope is defined (which is never static), a contract is signed, and the “project” begins. The customer will be given a base rate for an open-ended (all hourly projects are open-ended regardless of a quoted time-frame) timeframe. The deliverable can be anything - from a report, to analysis, to software.

In comes Micro-Consulting - the “anti-firm” approach. Ask an expert a simple question. And, with no baggage or sales guy or project manager, you get a simple answer. How is this beneficial? Well, the customer doesn’t get all the fluff that comes along with consulting from a traditional firm. They aren’t sold anything more and there is no upselling to other solutions.

The same model is beneficial to the consultant - they get to do what they love - be an expert. They don’t have to deal with selling their consulting “services”, creating specs, writing project plans, worrying about deliverables and milestones, etc.

Time is saved by both the customer and the expert. The customer doesn’t have to wait for a proposal, price quotes, bids, plans, timelines, etc. The customer doesn’t have to do any research - they just ask the expert a simple question, pay a flat rate, and get the answer they are looking for. The consultant likely doesn’t have to do a lot of research - that’s why they are the expert. They don’t have to spend time writing bids, RFI’s, or RFP’s because they have already established themselves as an expert.

That being said, 48Web is launching a micro-consulting, a la carte model. You don’t have to pay hourly or worry about an ongoing project. Just ask a question and get an answer. GANB has integrated the form as well. There are five types of questions:

1. Free: Our free service is a simple Q&A with no guarantees of response or quality or length. You may get a link for a response or a thoughtful analysis
2. Micro: This is our Twitter-like microconsulting feature. For $10 you have 140 characters to ask your question and we have 140 characters to answer the question
3. Quickie: Within one day we’ll get back to you with a 1-2 paragraph response
4. Analysis: Within three days we’ll deliver a brief, one page analysis for your question
5. Case Study: Within five days you will get a two page analysis case study with research regarding your question

What do you think about Micro-Consulting? Is it a good alternative to the traditional model? Let us know in the comments…

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Originally posted by Andy Brudtkuhl at 48Web.

Jeremiah Owyang recently held a contest on his blog to answer the question: “What is the future of Corporate Websites in 5 years?”. Being a web strategy *firm* I felt it appropriate to answer the question here.

First of all I see the market already trending from the stale, static, “brochure sites” into the next level of interactivity. While this trend is great (albeit late) the interactivity, at this point for the majority, appears to be one-way. It’s great for a company to use a CMS or blog to keep their website constantly updated. Consumers (and Google) love that. But the future is in transparent, two-way interaction.

Corporations will be “crowd-sourcing” their corporate website, bringing down the wall, and letting user generated content flow to the top - whether good or bad. Corporate websites will be the center point for discussion between the consumer and the business. They will (and should start right away), using crowd sourced systems for feature requests, feedback, and ideas (a la Dell).

Social Media tools, services, and communication will be a cornerstone for successful corporate web presences. These tools will promote and facilitate the practice of Word Of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) as well as the implementation of crowd sourced content.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for a web strategy of the future. This does not take into account your relationship with partners and ways you can empower your employees using these social, transparent, and external sourced web technologies… That’s a whole different ball game that should be embraced in an overall web strategy.

Are you interested in taking your website to this level? Want to formulate a web strategy that is transparent? Let us know.

What do you think corporate websites will look like in 5 years? Let us know in the comments…

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If you are a classic GANB reader you know of my interest (perhaps obsession) in the evolution of media. Last week OnPoint had Leonard Downie Jr. on for an interview as he steps down from the executive editor of the Washington Post after 17 years - and 44 years total with the paper. The discussion includes topics such as the future of newspapers, old media embracing new media, and how the landscape of news media will change and adapt as the audience moves increasingly online. It’s a great discussion.

This week, Leonard Downie Jr., the executive editor of The Washington Post, announced he’s stepping down after 17 years at the helm.

Forty-four years total at the newspaper, where he arrived as a summer intern in 1964.

Many of the stories he’s had a hand in are defining: Watergate. Secret CIA prisons. Walter Reed. The Post has won 25 Pulitzers with Downie in charge — six this year.

But he’s not without some regrets. And he’s leaving at an uncertain time for newspapers — and for the news.

On Point - Leonard Downie Jr

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• The Long Tail: Excellent HBR piece challenging the Long Tail
  Anita Elberse, a Harvard Business School associate professor, has a really interesting article in the new Harvard Business Review that analyzes some Long Tail data and challenges some of the theory’s predictions.
  (tags: longtail economics _blog)
• Inside Google Desktop: From the desktop to your TV
  Google Media Server is a Windows application that aims to bridge the gap between Google and your TV. It uses Google Desktop technology such as Desktop gadgets for the administration tool and Google Desktop Search to locate media files. All you need is a P
  (tags: google mediacenter)

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This is an odd release from Google, but I will give it a try. I’m a big Media Center fan and have it running throughout the house - serving content to everything. Anyway, I am very surprised to see this release from Google, which runs on Google Desktop as a gadget - which is even more odd… From the Google Desktop Blog…

Google Media Server is a Windows application that aims to bridge the gap between Google and your TV. It uses Google Desktop technology such as Desktop gadgets for the administration tool and Google Desktop Search to locate media files. All you need is a PC running Google Desktop and a UPnP-enabled device (e.g. a PlayStation 3). At the touch of a button, you can then:

* Access videos, music, and photos stored on your PC
* View Picasa Web Albums
* Play your favorite YouTube videos

Hmm… seems to work to stream content to your XBOX 360 too… Still confused, but you can follow the discussion regarding this “gadget” here.

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