So, I don't seem to have too much to complain about today. My list is:
a. - my apartment is too warm;
b. - the Bombers are out of the playoffs;
c. - I had to get up Saturday morning and go to Smiths Falls with no chance of flying;
d. - it's going to rain a lot this week;
e. - there is no NHL hockey;
f. - we have a small snag with the truck for tailgating next week-end;
These are all first world problems. They don't really matter. They are minor inconveniences. In the big scheme, they don't matter. If you have a list like this to complain about, your life is going well.
Every day as I walk home from work I see a lot of people that have real problems. There are a lot of homeless people who panhandle on my walk home from work. Whether it's a result of their decisions or actions or the decisions and actions of others, the result is the same. They have real problems. It is compounded with the fact that winter is coming. Even though it's not a Winnipeg winter, I don't think anyone would choose to sleep outside in Ottawa in the winter.
There are unstable governments that are leading to atrocious treatment in many parts of the world. Hard working people can't make enough to feed their family properly. Those people have real problems. I don't have real problems.
It's not to say I don't want my problems to go away. We always want a comfortable life. I just can't see anything that is a threat to my lifestyle, safety, or existence so life in my world is good.
Not everyone is in that position so if you can make someone's day better, do it. It will make you feel better.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
The Secret to My Success
Sometimes you have to take stock on how you ended up where you are. What guided you there. What made you successful. I have been doing a lot of that lately and measuring how well I'm following my own advise. Like everyone, there is room for improvement but I have come up with three ideas that, when I really apply them, help make me successful.
If you are going to do something, do it well.
I learned this from my Dad a long time ago. What is so powerful to me is this idea encompasses choice. If you are going to do something is liberating. It implies that you don't have to do everything, which you don't. However, if you choose to do it, you must do it well. There are things you must do because of other choices you make. If you are going to cut meat for others to sell, then you must also ensure the work area is clean. You didn't decide to set up a sanitation business but a part of cutting meat is ensuring whoever is going to consume it will not get sick from it. So, as part of the total job, you must clean well. If you are unable or unwilling to do something well then you have no business doing it.
Just because it's different from how you would do it, that unto itself, does not mean it's wrong.
I often reduce this to, 'Just because it's different, it doesn't mean it's wrong.' This is especially important if you are responsible for other people's work or output. You must allow people to work in a manner that makes them effective. When people feel like they are being effective then they can do great things. However, this does not mean you can let them do whatever they want. There are times that deviations are not acceptable and you must ensure everyone understands when those times are and what is expected at those times. This is where the first idea of doing it well meshes with this idea. Doing something well may be holding everyone to the key standard or setting them loose to exceed your expectations. Most of the time different isn't wrong. If you want to maximize results then you must value individuality. To force conformity only serves to limit your success.
If you want to change the world, you must be willing to get a bloody nose.
Not everyone wants to change the world, that's ok. However, if you want to implement change or have your idea accepted you must be willing to take a shot in the face. The good thing about a bloody nose is even though it doesn't look to good at first, it doesn't usually hurt for too long. It can be overcome. It will show you a weakness that you can work on. You may very well get a bloody nose with the second idea of different isn't always wrong. Accepting something that is different from expectations can be difficult and it is always easier to stay with what you know. It takes courage to stand up and do what's right instead of what's popular. It may not go well. However, if you do it, you will not regret it and once you are done cleaning your shirt you will be able to re-attack the issue, hopefully with more success.
I'm not a guru on this sort of stuff. I don't go on speaking tours or have book signings. To me, it's just three simple ideas that when I stick to them, I'm successful and I like who I am.
If you are going to do something, do it well.
I learned this from my Dad a long time ago. What is so powerful to me is this idea encompasses choice. If you are going to do something is liberating. It implies that you don't have to do everything, which you don't. However, if you choose to do it, you must do it well. There are things you must do because of other choices you make. If you are going to cut meat for others to sell, then you must also ensure the work area is clean. You didn't decide to set up a sanitation business but a part of cutting meat is ensuring whoever is going to consume it will not get sick from it. So, as part of the total job, you must clean well. If you are unable or unwilling to do something well then you have no business doing it.
Just because it's different from how you would do it, that unto itself, does not mean it's wrong.
I often reduce this to, 'Just because it's different, it doesn't mean it's wrong.' This is especially important if you are responsible for other people's work or output. You must allow people to work in a manner that makes them effective. When people feel like they are being effective then they can do great things. However, this does not mean you can let them do whatever they want. There are times that deviations are not acceptable and you must ensure everyone understands when those times are and what is expected at those times. This is where the first idea of doing it well meshes with this idea. Doing something well may be holding everyone to the key standard or setting them loose to exceed your expectations. Most of the time different isn't wrong. If you want to maximize results then you must value individuality. To force conformity only serves to limit your success.
If you want to change the world, you must be willing to get a bloody nose.
Not everyone wants to change the world, that's ok. However, if you want to implement change or have your idea accepted you must be willing to take a shot in the face. The good thing about a bloody nose is even though it doesn't look to good at first, it doesn't usually hurt for too long. It can be overcome. It will show you a weakness that you can work on. You may very well get a bloody nose with the second idea of different isn't always wrong. Accepting something that is different from expectations can be difficult and it is always easier to stay with what you know. It takes courage to stand up and do what's right instead of what's popular. It may not go well. However, if you do it, you will not regret it and once you are done cleaning your shirt you will be able to re-attack the issue, hopefully with more success.
I'm not a guru on this sort of stuff. I don't go on speaking tours or have book signings. To me, it's just three simple ideas that when I stick to them, I'm successful and I like who I am.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
A Social Media
Late last week, Apple pulled the plug on its Ping service. It never really became a community as they intended. One of the reasons thrown about was it was not integrated with one of the existing social media networks. That's probably part of it. Ping was very specialized and was something new to check so unless your life revolved around music, you probably didn't perceive any great benefit. In the end it was a tool to market music but in our current online existence, you can't go it alone.
However, not going it alone doesn't mean your entire marketing campaign is set up a Facebook page and a Twitter feed and wait for it to go viral.
Social media marketing is a tool to get the word out. However, that's all it is, a tool. If you don't have substance to deliver to your customers and if they can't easily get to your product or service when they need or want it then you can have all the likes and re-tweets you want, it won't turn into dollars. There are a lot of platforms for content. Those seem to be easy to make. I write this on Blogger. I am on Twitter (@BACook76) if you want to follow me. I use Facebook. There are a lot of upsides to the tools online but in reality, a lot of the content isn't very good. I know a lot of what I write will ever be considered brilliant, insightful, or great. That being said, if I keep writing, occasionally I put a good one together, and that's all I want. I don't make my living writing this blog. (To be honest, I still have not earned enough add revenue for Google to actually send me a cheque.) I just feel some things need to be said, so I say them.
So, how does this vast digital world of poorly targeted or under-supported marketing and mediocre content get turned into revenue streams?
About the same time I started this blog, I realized social media was not going away. It really moved some conversations from the coffee shop or the pub to the internet and has kept a very accurate record of what has ben said. People are not saying anything new, they are simply saying it in a different medium. This can be very powerful and useful. It can give the company an opportunity to be part of the conversation. This is the same conversation that has always been happening. Organizations that shy away from the conversation are going to lose out. Organizations that participate in the conversation with formal policy documents and stiff sanitized answers are going to lose out. Remember, this is the conversation that has been happening in the barber chair or the taxi cab.
So where does all this rambling leave us.
Social media marketing is a conversation and should be treated as such. You should try to guide the conversation to where you came from or where you want to go. You should be answering the why question. Who, what, when, and where can come from your webpage, your brick and mortar store, your glossy brochure, or your broadcast commercials. Why are you doing this can come from your social media. Why did you remove that feature from the new model? Why is there a 3 week waiting list? Why does it work? It all has to sound like you are sharing a jug of beer in your favourite sports bar while the game is on.
People don't consume social media to find out what you have, they want to know why you think its an upgrade. Your traditional promotional tools should keep doing what they are doing and you should say why you made that decision in the web of social media.
However, not going it alone doesn't mean your entire marketing campaign is set up a Facebook page and a Twitter feed and wait for it to go viral.
Social media marketing is a tool to get the word out. However, that's all it is, a tool. If you don't have substance to deliver to your customers and if they can't easily get to your product or service when they need or want it then you can have all the likes and re-tweets you want, it won't turn into dollars. There are a lot of platforms for content. Those seem to be easy to make. I write this on Blogger. I am on Twitter (@BACook76) if you want to follow me. I use Facebook. There are a lot of upsides to the tools online but in reality, a lot of the content isn't very good. I know a lot of what I write will ever be considered brilliant, insightful, or great. That being said, if I keep writing, occasionally I put a good one together, and that's all I want. I don't make my living writing this blog. (To be honest, I still have not earned enough add revenue for Google to actually send me a cheque.) I just feel some things need to be said, so I say them.
So, how does this vast digital world of poorly targeted or under-supported marketing and mediocre content get turned into revenue streams?
About the same time I started this blog, I realized social media was not going away. It really moved some conversations from the coffee shop or the pub to the internet and has kept a very accurate record of what has ben said. People are not saying anything new, they are simply saying it in a different medium. This can be very powerful and useful. It can give the company an opportunity to be part of the conversation. This is the same conversation that has always been happening. Organizations that shy away from the conversation are going to lose out. Organizations that participate in the conversation with formal policy documents and stiff sanitized answers are going to lose out. Remember, this is the conversation that has been happening in the barber chair or the taxi cab.
So where does all this rambling leave us.
Social media marketing is a conversation and should be treated as such. You should try to guide the conversation to where you came from or where you want to go. You should be answering the why question. Who, what, when, and where can come from your webpage, your brick and mortar store, your glossy brochure, or your broadcast commercials. Why are you doing this can come from your social media. Why did you remove that feature from the new model? Why is there a 3 week waiting list? Why does it work? It all has to sound like you are sharing a jug of beer in your favourite sports bar while the game is on.
People don't consume social media to find out what you have, they want to know why you think its an upgrade. Your traditional promotional tools should keep doing what they are doing and you should say why you made that decision in the web of social media.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Trudeau-maybe-a
As it has been reported by every news agency in the country, Justin Trudeau has indicated that he will be seeking the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. I for one think this is a good thing. That being said, he hasn't won it yet and has no record as the leader of any political party.
I still think its a good thing.
He's got a few things going for him. He has brand recognition. His father ran the country. Despite some blunders like fuddy-duddy, he did fairly well. He is young, fit, energetic, charismatic, and has good hair. Lets be honest, at the end of the day elections are just popularity contests. You are not vetted based on your knowledge, skills, abilities, or effort. You simply have to be either the most liked or the least hated person on the ticket and you are in. When Justin Trudeau walks into a room people notice. It gives him a chance to share his ideas.
The most important point in my eyes is, at least today, he comes across as someone you would be comfortable to have as the nation's leader in the international area. I think a lot of good hard-working people who ran for the Liberals in the last two election did not win based on their credential but because a lot of people did not see the leader of the party as a good person to be the leader of the country in the international area. Remember, an election is a popularity contest and those leaders were not very popular.
I'm not saying I'll vote for the Liberals in the next election if Justin Trudeau is leading the charge but I'm not saying I'll vote against them either. In the era of the internet it's easy to get info on all the candidates and as always I will do my research and see who has the answers I want on the issues that matter to me. However, if Justin Trudeau brings his A-game, I'm sure the Liberals will have a fighting chance and the discussion will be a lot more interesting.
I still think its a good thing.
He's got a few things going for him. He has brand recognition. His father ran the country. Despite some blunders like fuddy-duddy, he did fairly well. He is young, fit, energetic, charismatic, and has good hair. Lets be honest, at the end of the day elections are just popularity contests. You are not vetted based on your knowledge, skills, abilities, or effort. You simply have to be either the most liked or the least hated person on the ticket and you are in. When Justin Trudeau walks into a room people notice. It gives him a chance to share his ideas.
The most important point in my eyes is, at least today, he comes across as someone you would be comfortable to have as the nation's leader in the international area. I think a lot of good hard-working people who ran for the Liberals in the last two election did not win based on their credential but because a lot of people did not see the leader of the party as a good person to be the leader of the country in the international area. Remember, an election is a popularity contest and those leaders were not very popular.
I'm not saying I'll vote for the Liberals in the next election if Justin Trudeau is leading the charge but I'm not saying I'll vote against them either. In the era of the internet it's easy to get info on all the candidates and as always I will do my research and see who has the answers I want on the issues that matter to me. However, if Justin Trudeau brings his A-game, I'm sure the Liberals will have a fighting chance and the discussion will be a lot more interesting.
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