Content Service

Richard W. Robinson Jr.

Reston, VA

****@****.**

Pioneering creative

leader with 18 years experience developing novel approaches to online / mobile

content, products and interactive experiences engaging consumers with ferocity

Innovative consumer experience work with online content, programming

and products leading traffic well into the scores of billions, while driving millions

in revenue. Success achieved through anticipating

future technology trends and mastering current ones; drawing out excellence in

entrepreneurial teams, leading by example in both small and matrixed

environments.

Particular areas of expertise include:

Web Content

/ Product InnovationMobile

Content / Product InnovationOnline and mobile news management

Online-offline

Customer ExperienceOnline

Community / Social Media Development Interactive

Online Products / Applications and Services Editorial

Operations Leadership New Market

Strategies

Consumer Online

Technologies

References via LinkedIn (click to pop up new window)

Professional

Experience

Blue Beacon Consulting 2010 - Present

National Director of Emerging Technology

Lead development of proposals and plans to meet the needs of government agency clients. Focus is on delivering a technologically holistic approach with elements of mobile, social and Web to solve problems and meet stated goals. Blue Beacon works with GSA, among other clients, and search products for

major destination such as USA.gov.

YTL Communications (Online Service)

2009-2010

Senior Vice President, Online Customer Experience

(Consulting)

Creative

lead establishing core Web product, design, content offering and content team

as well as overall strategy for launching products across the world's first

nationwide mobile broadband network (4G WiMAX) being

developed by multinational YTL. Oversaw online-offline experience planning

related to creative marketing with the flagship stores and small retailers;

worked with internal teams on underlying technology and

customer/retailer-facing product experience around product acquisition. Managed

the launch of YTL's $1 million mYprize

Global Developer Competition prompting developers worldwide to create

applications and devices for the network; established the longer term

engagement platform known as the 'YTL Innovation Network' to foster

relationships between the company and top-tier developers. Worked directly with

agencies such as Frog, Agenda, Sparch, Bright Idea, Capgemini; patners like Cisco, Clearwire, GCT.

XOHM

(Sprint/Clearwire) - Wireless WiMAX

Broadband 2007-2009

Vice

President, Access, Product and Content Services

Launched core elements of the first

major WiMAX rollout in the country to extremely

positive reviews from media and consumers. Managed conception, business

planning, design and execution of all products and services supporting the XOHM mobile broadband business. Mobile and fixed

products include destination Websites (portal, marketing site, sales, etc.);

widget-driven services and consumer applications including novel, ad-based

location-centric contextual services; all access services including activation

and provisioning; site infrastructure including location-based services

support, identity management; business products. Team manages product-level

partnerships with Google, Symantec (digital locker), McAfee and several

to-be-named location and content services partners. Work closely with device

manufacturers including Nokia, Samsung and others.

Freewebs (Webs.com) 2006 - 2007

Vice President, Web Product and Programming

Responsible

for plan and execution of transitioning a free Website hosting service into a

broad consumer service supporting vibrant communities, state-of-art publishing

methods and innovative widget-based advertising. Worked with team to develop

and execute novel, engaging widget-based mashups

customized for clients including Reebok, Adidas, films Ghost Rider, The Number

23 and Freedom Writers.

AmericaOnline (AOL

& AOL Time Warner) 1996-2005

Vice

President, Member Experience

2004-2005

Oversight responsibility for quality and performance of the AOL member experience

(dial-up and broadband) including products, content and advertising across all

points of entry, client software experience, holistic key products experiences

and member view of AOL.com. Worked with executives across the company to gain

empirical understanding of the needs of the subscription business,

balanced against the needs of AOL's expanding media business, in order to

achieve goals.Co-developed and successfully

executed plan to refocus the company narrowly on key areas of safety &

security, speed and quality of core clients (the AOL software). Made the

case that spyware and other outside dangers were imminent and AOL needed

to be ready with remedies. The plan was successfully executed and the

fruits of the effort were seen with reduction of the churn curve.Maintained corporate focus on

deployment of unique benefits for paying members, such as software

ensuring optimal computer performance and online safety and security.Successfully mounted

fact-based campaigns to make speed of the service a critical element of

all products and programming; implemented

policies and measurement methods.Delivered core elements of

the online service that had proved to drive the net promotion metric and

overall member retention.Oversaw member-facing

elements of AOL.com relaunch, assuring the

retention of paying member value and excellent benefits to members

accessing from outside the "walled garden".Developed policies (and

pressed for their execution) guarding against online advertising that

unnecessarily depleted the member experience.Implemented a TQM process for

the access side of the business.Created and implemented new

measurement systems for rating page-load time - something found to be

critical to members and advertisersWorked continuously on difficult,

cross-company internal campaign to achieve buy-in to support the existing

member base (primarily dialup) while not denigrating their experience with

broadband applications.

- Story about my staff (when the focus was Dialup) on the AOL Employee

Channel .

- Story with one of my staff members about the importance of the group's

work

Vice

President, Community Products

2002-2004

Led direct team of 18 product managers (and a matrix of hundreds in marketing

and technology) to revitalize lagging community-oriented products, innovate

significant new ones and invent various smaller consumer-facing interactive

tools and widgets.

Led innovation and execution of

numerous Web products aimed at driving member value and bolstering traffic and

search revenue such as:AOL Journals (blogs) - AOL's

first foray into blogging which was widely

praised by bloggers and journalists. Photo-based Member Directory

(over 20 million images uploaded in year following launch). "Expressions," including

SuperBuddies (for AIM and AOL), Instant

greetings, E-cards.Various visual and

member-empowerment improvements to AOL Chat, Buddy Chat.AOL Journals remote publishing

"bot" - allowing users to update their

blog via Instant Messenger.Match Chat - a unique product

auto-connecting members with similar interests and dynamically introducing

them via chat rooms.People Connection Search,

allowing members to get an instant snapshot of what other are talking about at that moment.AOL Message Boards

empowerment tools and Hometown redesign (AOL's home pages).Social-networking

applications.Photo-based live polling and

national/local polling and ratings system.Co-created patent-pending IM

Catcher product that promotes privacy and battles IM spam. Led planning and development

of Love.com.

Collectively these and other products under my care extended the reach of

AOL Community areas to nearly 80% of the entire member base.

- Interview with me on community experience philosophy .

- Story written by the AOL Employee Channel on a key product launch

Vice

President, Wireless Product/Programming Strategy 2000-2002

Managed startup team to develop AOL's foray into wireless content/products,

building a complete portal with email, IM, local content, news, weather and

sports, delivered in WAP format; assisted in carriage and marketing deals with

most major wireless carriers. Developed

unique bundling deals between Time Warner properties and carriers (e.g.

created an interactive fixed-mobile site with ringtones, SMS content

alerts and games around the Lord of

the Rings film.)Led

integration of wireless applications into the AOL (desktop) experience,

tying together online and offline consumer behavior.Led creation of a dynamic, localized Website (for all major DMAs) to educate members about how to let AOL help

make the most of their cell phones, and provide local sales

opportunities. Passed 1

million wireless AIM users during tenure.

Executive

Director, New Products (AOL Local Network) 2000

Led AOL Local to develop programming and products carried across wireless and

handheld devices, creating the first complete local wireless product with

content for all major cities.All city sites produced in

WAP (wireless) format; developed components of Location-Based Services

(LBS) such as "what's nearby".All city sites produced for

Palm Pilot.

Director of

Programming (AOL Local Network) 1998- 2000

Managed 13 city staffs/operations and corporate support (150 people). Led what had become a

disparate group of city sites (on AOL's proprietary publishing platform)

to a true network, and based on more standards-oriented HTML. Digital City Network rose to

be recognized as the number one local online service by The New York Times and others.Co-led planning, execution

and launch of "Local Experts" product that within one year had

40,000 citizens writing reviews of local retail and entertainment venues.During tenure led the

creation of a unique online concierge service, available in several

markets and with live concierges manning interactive online areas. Worked with initial small

team to map out and prototype the first incarnation of the AOL Voice

Portal, using content from AOL Local (which became AOLbyPhone).

Managing

Editor, Digital City Philadelphia1996-1998

Led Digital City Philadelphia to become the most-trafficked in the Network by

inventing techniques (in products and programming) to engage and entertain

members with interactive, issues-oriented news programming and enticing

features that took advantage of the medium and the community we developed.

Developed successful partnerships with

and integrated content of local CBS affiliate, Philadelphia Magazine, Philly

Weekly newspaper and numerous others.Co-created personality-driven

blogs model using local celebrities as content providers.Created several original

platforms for member self expression: comment

boards, customized Instant Messenger feedback module, member connection

via photo libraries.Created AOL s popular Polling

product, with five billion votes counted since 1997.Created a variety of member

publishing tools.Created popular online

"Trading Post" where members traded goods and services.Created early Graffiti Boards

for free-form AOL member publishing.Created I Saw You service

enabling serendipitous member meeting.

BBS

Magazine

Editor-in-Chief,

BBS Magazine Medford, NJ

1993-1996

Operated one of the first magazines to cover the online market, helping grow it

into an internationally distributed consumer monthly covering electronic

bulletin board systems, online services and the Internet. (Examples on

request.)

Guest

Speaking / Professional PanelsTabula Rasa DC / Appforward: Acted as a Digital da

Vinci to spark conversation in my areas of expertiseTabula Rasa NY: the first

major conference on iPad computing – on

panel with Roger Black and Jeff Jarvis"Cool Twitter

Conference" - Speaker on Social Media BehaviorsGigaOM's Mobilize - Location, Search and Context

Digital Media Conference - Panel on Open Networks

Berkeley >play conference speaker on Mobile

Internet

GEL – Good Experience Live

– Presentation on online community building / effects

New York New Media

Association – Panel on Wireless PublishingCTIA annual conferences

– Speech and Panels on Wireless Content / BusinessSouth By Southwest (SXSW)

– Panel on Wireless ProductsConsumer Electronics Show

(CES) – Panel on Wireless ContentInternet World – Panel

on WirelessPBS Internet Conference

– Panel on Community Content

Interviews

Interviewed by many publications and broadcasts as expert in

online communication, products and consumer behavior. Some include:

USA Today Wall Street JournalThe EconomistThe Washington PostNew

York TimesAmerican Journalism ReviewNumerous

radio programs

Board Seats

Vindigo

(2002-2003)

Represented AOL on Vindigo s Board of Directors.

Helped offer direction for this developer of industry leading handheld software

applications and products.

Professional Groups

Gersen

Lehrman Group Consultant – Current

"Spotter" for Trendwatching.com, a network of trendspotting

experts worldwide - current

Founding member of the Good Experience Council - 2003

Founding member of the WMA (Wireless Marketing Association) - 2001

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