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I think Google Chrome is the fastest, most user-friendly browser on the market.

Opera is close, but Google added speed and usability to the mix. I’ve been so enamored of Chrome that I only use Firefox for testing anymore.

I’ve also been using the developer channel for months.  Think of it as a big beta test.   That means I’ve seen more crashes than most.  But the way Google Chrome runs means that a bad extension, add-on or site with bad code doesn’t cause your browser to crash.

Even better?   Google’s announcement today that Google Chrome 4 is a stable version.    That means I can recommend using the browser to my clients, friends and family.  And I do.

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer lost amazing amounts of market share to Firefox (which Google helped develop) because it was slow, bloated and bogged down like a typical Microsoft product.  Like lemmings, however, many users including me began bogging down Firefox as well.  And now Firefox crashes because there are 20 add-ons competing for resources and the system is sluggish.

Google Chrome’s architecture helps solve that.

My recommendations are that you download Google Chrome now. After that, take a look at the extensions gallery.  We wrote about Google Chrome extensions last month.  Many of your Firefox favorites are here, as are some new extensions from Google.  It’s almost time to update our list because there are some terrific new extensions and some that seemed great but were never used. Try Chrome out for a week.  I think you’ll enjoy the speed and usability.  But be careful about deleting any existing browsers. There are still sites that do not work well with Chrome.  You won’t be surprised to learn that Microsoft is one so if you’re an Office user or even just use Excel or Word, don’t get rid of Internet Explorer. Here is a Google video on Chrome extensions:

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Not a subscription deviceDo yourself a big usability favor today. Have a friend or relative who is not connected to your business subscribe to your blog or newsletter or other piece of push content while you’re on the phone.  Ask them to narrate what they’re doing and take careful, fast notes.  Record with a little digital recorder if they’ll let you. Now have them immediately unsubscribe and talk through the process.

You’re listening for non-verbals, sighs and other sounds of frustration. This is your friend.  Imagine someone you don’t know.  Learn where your pain points are and fix them now.

I had two experiences recently that were opposite ends of the spectrum.  In the first case, I tried a version of a music library called Songbird.  It was nice enough, but didn’t present enough differentiation for me to switch.  Uninstalling was pleasant, and the company’s automation hit all the right tones.

Later in the day, I tried to unsubscribe from a newsletter that someone had subscribed me to after we were introduced in email.   I didn’t ask this person to start spamming me so they broke Seth Godin’s first rules of permission marketing.  What made the situation worse was the form I was driven to when I unsubscribed. The fields asking me why I was unsubscribing were required! Now I was not only miffed that the company was spamming me from a “no-reply” email address, but actually had the chutzpah to force a survey at me.   Do you really think the results they get will be valuable?

Test your subscription process now.  Make it painless, without any friction.  If you like, ask someone to scroll down once they’re unsubscribed and answer 10 seconds of questions.  They’re moving on.  If you can find out why, great, but don’t blow up a bridge that has already been burned.

Photo: Klaus_w_K via Creative Commons

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KHJ-AM radio in 1927
Journalism uses the web now

We last wrote about Help A Reporter Out (HARO) in November 2008.    At the time, we were using a line of 23,000 addresses.  I have no idea if that was HARO honcho Peter Shankman’s number or one that came to me in a dream, but I know from observing (disclosure: and from buying ads) that HARO has grown like a weed.

What started as a Facebook group is now a lovely little site that just happens to connect 100,000 people with 30,000 journalists. Wow. You need to be one of those 100,000 if you’re not already.  I’ll venture a guess that I send a client or friend a HARO listing at least 3-4 times each week.  They’re appreciative 0f the chance to be a source for a media outlet, and I’m glad that someone whose skills and knowledge I trust is actually a source.

Since writing that last HARO piece,  the list is now a site that lets you specify additional verticals you want to read about and has a nice web interface for managing your web account. Over a relatively short period of time, my wife has appeared in a book on working moms, I’ve been interviewed by NPR for a healthcare piece on a subject dear to me and a really terrific blogger ran another interview with me about small business ad agencies.  Then there are those hundreds of referrals.

So sign up for HARO already.  I have no affiliation with the site beyond finding HARO the best example of crowdsourced data sharing that ever hit the Internet.  You’ll get a minimum of 3 pieces of email a day and some reporters have tight deadlines so at least skim the mail when you’re reading the rest of your email.  Stacking it with other email to read on the weekend doesn’t quite work. Oh, and HARO is free for reporters and sources.  Ad supported with a single tiny text ad at the top, HARO is a smart read. See you in the Sunday papers.