Wellington and Xero

So, here I am in Wellington, now working at Xero. Tomorrow will be three weeks from my last day at MYOB, and I already feel that I am part of a totally different world.

I have plenty of fond memories of my time at MYOB. I can see that Xero will give me plenty too.

Working with a team of online specialists is fantastic, and the focus and passion the team have makes every day exciting. And it shows in the quality of the product, and the eagerness to increase its functionality, something that is currently happening every month.

As I settle in here, I'll post more about how this actually impacts businesses in New Zealand, the UK, and elsewhere so stay tuned for more.

Until next time,

Stuart

Pooh Survivor (2004)

I know there are a few of my old MYOB colleagues that visit my site now and again, so while I was cleaning up my desk, I came across this movie I made for a competition I ran back in 2004 called Pooh Survivor. Take a look at it here on YouTube.

Stuart

What value is there in "Offline Google"?

The announcement by Google to support offline use of Google Docs (and other Google Apps in the future) will supposedly introduce some exciting possibilities.

From my viewoint, for all the reasons that I want to use Google Docs, offline access is not top of my list. In fact, I don't even think it is on my list.

I primarily use Google Docs for collaboration, centralised storage and for access from other PCs.

So on the collaboration front, I'll be keen to see how offline/online file synchronisation is handled. I have serious doubts.

And having a copy of the document locally on my PC, so I can edit it offline, now defeats the purpose of centralised storage, as how do I ensure that any changes I make, or new documents I create, are safe?

I certainly don't use Google Docs because it is free, as I use the much better and more powerful OpenOffice on my home PC.

So why do you use Google Docs, and is being offline a real benefit to you?

Stuart

Being Dad

While travelling this week, I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful chap in Hamilton. Some will believe this to be an oxymoron, but he was an interesting accountant. He is heading off to Italy to see his daughter, who is due very soon with the first grandchild in the family, and we talked about what it is like being Dad.

Most of my friends are Dads, and I believe there is something that changes in your life when you become a Dad. One of my friends, before he became a Dad, said: "Kids don't change your life." Now he has three kids, and without a doubt, his life is significantly different than what it would be like without them.

So what really changes?

Well, there are definitely the horror stories that everyone talks about, such as the pooey nappies, the sleepless nights, the continual worry in case something bad happens, the realisation that you're now responsible for someone else for the rest of your life. But the other side is the smiles, the hugs, the giggles and laughs, the sharing, the admiration, the fun, and somehow for me, these are all the things I remember. That's the real change in your life, and what Being Dad is all about.

Stuart

MYOB BusinessBasics Online in New Zealand

On Monday I launched what I believe is the first blog for MYOB, for a product we are releasing in New Zealand in 2008 called MYOB BusinessBasics Online.
Here's a link to get you there.
If you've got any comments about this, feel free to post here, or to email me directly at stuart.bale@myob.com.

I love February

I Love February. It is like Pluto (the ex-planet, not the cartoon dog), in that it is totally out of character with it's peers. How come February only got 28 days when they were days were being allocated?

I can just imagine the months all lined up for their allotment of the standard 365 days in a year. There was January, March, May, July, August, October, December, April, June, September, November in the queue, agreeing on the order in which they would put themselves. They each thought they would get at least 33 days, with maybe January and March getting 34, since they were first in the queue. Then suddenly, February comes running up right on the cut off time, and starts making a noise about how it wasn't his fault that he was late - he had been held up with Valentines Day, who is so demanding, what with the flowers and chocolates and foot rubs! So each of the months decided to give up three days to February, but July, August, October and December thought they were just as important as January and March, so only gave up two days.

I think that there should be equal parity between months. I'm sure someone could work out a better system - perhaps a metric calendar based on ten months. It would have 36 days in five months, and 37 days in five months? And then we could share the extra day every four years around to each month? Hmm, actually that sounds almost as confusing as what we have now! Maybe we'll just keep what we have for the meanwhile.

However, if there is one change I would really like to see, it is to make the 'leap day' an international Public Holiday, involving free beer for everyone.

What is the next Technology Tsunami?

It's been a couple of weeks since my last poston this blog, mostly because it has got so busy at MYOB, which is common for this time of year. But a conversation over lunch with a good friend got me thinking of the difference between 'Technology Tsunamis', and 'Technology Rising Tides'.

Firstly, what's the difference between the two.

Well, a Technology Rising Tide is where there is a gradual change or shift in what people (or businesses) use technology for. Whereas a Technology Tsunami is a sudden, sometimes unanticipated change. I would describe Tsunamis as an imminent change, something likely to happen in the next twelve months, while a Rising Tide could take several years.

Here's some examples that I have experienced over the last twenty years:
EFTPOS - this is a Rising Tide, in that people became aware of the availability, and slowly started to adopt it over time. The banks persuaded us further by making the alternate (cheques and cash) less convenient and (sometimes) more costly. Linked in with how easy EFTPOS is to use, and the wider acceptance of credit cards, it had a semi-predictable outcome.
EFile - this is a Rising Tide. The IRD encouraged Tax Agents to use it, but didn't enforce it. It's now very rare to find a Tax Agent with more than 100 clients that doesn't use EFile, particularly with the introduction of Internet connectivity in the last few years.
Windows - another Rising Tide, although there was broad interest with the release of Windows 95, it wasn't significant enough overall to give it Tsunami status. The big change for Windows came with Y2K.
Y2K - a Tsunami. This was unstoppable, and had significant effect on the established technology base. DOS was drowned by the Y2K Tsunami.
Australian GST - another Tsunami, and a great opportunity for technology, as the Australian Government subsided the adoption of software. For example, this had a significant effect on the success of MYOB.
NZ Kiwisaver - a Rising Tide. Since the NZ government didn't make it easy for businesses to adopt technology to make their life easier, this will be a gradual change, similar to the adoption of EFile.
Australian Superannuation - a Rising Tide, similar to NZ Kiwisaver.
The Internet - perhaps the biggest ever Technology Rising Tide.

So why am I even bothering to talk about this? I guess I am intrigued to see what Tsunamis might be on the horizon, and what Rising Tides we are currently experiencing. So I'm keen to hear your thoughts on this.