“In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.”

This sentiment by Longfellow has outlived its time.  Longfellow was writing in the mid-1800's.    If you were magically shot back to this era, think how quiet, how simple things would seem compared to today's world of iPod's and twitter and Jumbo Trons.  

In building marketing software tools for local advertisers, this idea takes on a whole new level of importance.  The more complicated the process, the harder it is to simplify, AND the more important it is to simplify. 

You can have the coolest features ever, but if they're not usable, your users will call you out on it, as they should.  When it comes to a new feature, take what you think should be there, and then strip it down to what absolutely needs to be there, and then make sure that is simple.  When it comes to building local marketing software, which is complicated in its nature, it doesn't always work out that way, but I will continue to use this idea to check myself.