tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78716934736620816482024-02-18T19:37:28.943-08:00Booth BytesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-38170617520369098182014-06-16T11:41:00.002-07:002014-06-16T11:41:53.647-07:00So long. Farewell. The German one. Goodbye.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2945466711/12e018532d913494d841f79da5dd70bf.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2945466711/12e018532d913494d841f79da5dd70bf.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Hello and goodbye.<br />
<br />
Since LinkedIn have opened their publishing platform to me (and about a million others!!), I have decided to move my marketing musings over in order associate that content with my professional profile.<br />
<br />
To keep the blogger juices flowing over in this neck of the wood, I've started a new daily (lol) journal of sorts. If you'd like to take a look its here - <a href="http://blogging-booth.blogspot.co.uk/">http://blogging-booth.blogspot.co.uk/</a><br />
<br />
Of course, as fickle as the world is, there is nothing to stop LinkedIn closing this feature (or start charging for it) so I may be back.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading. Might see you later ;)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-15327528410911148352014-06-16T01:33:00.003-07:002014-06-16T01:39:51.014-07:00Get it right. Principle 3: Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7012/6728580615_98c4f1c23b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7012/6728580615_98c4f1c23b_z.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">After a much longer than expected break from this run (sorry 'bout that), welcome to Part 3 of my "</b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">Get it Right" </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">mini-series</b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">. These principles designed to help me save time, improve efficiencies and above all, protect investment when</b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;"> running a web project</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">The </span><a href="http://boothbytes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/get-it-right-principle-2-data.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">second instalment in this series</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;"> looked at using data to inform you decision making.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">This time I want to talk to you about </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">planning</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">. More specifically, these are the tactics I have used to generate a chronologically ordered list of deliverables (or "project plan") that is not only easy to use, but also easy to communicate to your team.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">As ever, this is only one man's opinion. I'm open to feedback and will do my best to come back on any comments made.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">So without further ado... Principle 3...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;"><br /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">No 3 - Be meticulous in your planning</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;"><b>Write it down - </b>however you decide to do it, the important thing here is to put pen to paper. Obviously if you have a team of people in need of access to said paper, a digital solution would make sense, but it's the<i> "writing it all down and seeing all the deliverables in one place"</i> bit that's important. Year planner, MS Project, Excel - do whatever works for you and your team, just be sure to get the detail out of your head.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman;"><b style="line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">Know your enemy</b><span style="line-height: 21.559999465942383px;"> - the biggest enemy of all is time itself, but with so many other factors affecting your plan, it's important to develop an enlightened awareness of the risks. Get everything from the project due date to bank holidays and tube strikes into your schedule and plan accordingly. Fail to prepare = Prepare to fail.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Hanuman;"><b style="line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">Review and communicate - </b><span style="line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">You plan is only as good as it's last update. Keep your plan in a drawer for the length of the project and whatever you end up delivering will not achieve your scoped objectives... I guarantee that. So keep it up-to-date and communicate it regularly, so everyone can see what bits are slipping and marvel in your ongoing success.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
Hopefully that's proved as a little insight into my own approach to planning, but if you have anything to add, I'd be happy to hear your views.<br />
<br />
Check back in the next few weeks for Principle 4.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-69555533970364792852014-06-13T06:40:00.001-07:002014-06-18T02:00:10.037-07:005 Ways to Avoid Anti-Social Networking and Become a Better Person<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2ExYpPraD2YJwKW4D-x90zAEsrfwfVKtFuWODkZ7wmNTori_zCAf_MGdl1IrPcCbFiq2dwJA2ivbtAUOX2ccma6rNelgrgH2b0va3vVhhbAdKgHYuP1JGtIEs9VPUD5rcErioR-PUAOn/" style="display: block; float: right; height: 127px; width: 209px;" />I have a theory.<br />
<br />
The brightest minds of <b><i>Generation Y</i></b> were also those that suffered a certain social awkwardness (of which I myself suffer at times). Preyed on by Alpha groups, they were bullied, taunted and excluded from social events - parties, movies, dates. As a result of this exclusion they retreated into their own private worlds. Worlds of gaming and numbers and comics and coding and hacking. The time dedicated to these pastimes, and the skills developed, led to the development of technology that makes it easier for the socially awkward to socialise. And BOOM! you have the birth of social networks.<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><br />
<a name='more'></a>I may of course be entirely wrong. I admit to doing zero research into the young lives of some of the stars of silicon valley. And by this reckoning I should have sold my first £billion tech startup by now. So either I wasn't excluded enough or spent too much time reading comics and gaming. But still, I think my theory is valid. Here's why:<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Social networks are not social.</b></h3>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
Social networks feel like an machine produced approximation of social. Like a carbon copy made from artificial fibres. A reflection in a foggy mirror.<br />
<br />
Social networks make it very easy for people to 'socialise' in the sense that they can make friends, chat, share pictures, play games and like... <i>stuff</i>. They can also help in arranging meet-ups, parties, events. But here's where the model is broken: when everyone at the party is busy 'socialising' on their phone; or when your lunch date is perforated by chirps, status updates and food-porn photography; or when the worth of your trip to the gym feels pointless when you've forgotten to check in... the point has been missed.<br />
I think the point has been missed.<br />
<br />
<h3>
It's not too late. Be a better person!</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
OK. I promised you <b>5 Ways to Avoid Anti-Social Networking,</b> didn't I? The title to this post is, in itself, a symptom of the artificial nature of this environment. Did you spot the irony? Sorry, I'm procrastinating. Onwards!<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Put your phone down. Turn the damn thing off. I'm trying to talk to you!</li>
<li>Keep your dirty laundry in its basket. No one cares. And the few that do, your friends, would prefer to chat through your problems over coffee. You're buying.</li>
<li>Shake hands. Go over there and shake hands. Then ask your question about the job/project/movie and wait for a response. This is what we used to call 'conversation'.</li>
<li>Keep a paper diary. A physical record of your most important appointments. No one cares if you open a book and take out a pen. It's way better than looking at the back of your phone.</li>
<li>Write things that are honestly useful. Don't just pull some catchy adjectives and a recycled top ten. Add some value. Think about your audience. What would help them?</li>
</ol>
<br />
Feel better? Let me know. Maybe over coffee.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-2243914510589879302014-04-29T07:50:00.000-07:002014-04-29T07:50:22.367-07:00Marketing - The Joined Up Approach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQxUKhNyYpKLFw3kYy8PgoicD6vQVFrVQlMzdqXWa-95ggFzpdK" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQxUKhNyYpKLFw3kYy8PgoicD6vQVFrVQlMzdqXWa-95ggFzpdK" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Having a joined up approach for your marketing efforts has never been so important. Lines between the offline and online worlds are becoming progressively blurry. The overlap between paid, earned and owned media is increasing to the point of total union.</b><br />
<br />
If your efforts aren't already aligned, cracks in your approach are going to become more and more apparent. You'll also be missing out on the massive opportunity presented to catapult you campaigns to new audiences - gaining reach simply by presenting your offering in an omnipresent manner.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h3>
Challenges for big business.</h3>
The challenged faced by many big businesses is that they often work on a cost centre model, meaning every penny spent has to be assigned to a department or office. This is fine when you're talking about office furniture or tea and coffee making facilities. But when you're trying to promote the brand as a single entity with a joined up message and a single voice... the internal challenges can become a little trying. There's a mismatch. A barrier that prevents agility.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Opportunities for small business.</h3>
The good news for small business is that, being more agile in nature, adapting to change and working in a joined up fashion isn't as much of a shock to the system. You're probably already doing it to some extent. The question is, can you make more of an effort to generate even more coverage. For example:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Can a collection of your blogged musings be repurposed into a guide?</li>
<li>Would this guide work well printed and given to prospects as proof of your expertise?</li>
<li>Can your guide be marketed as a giveaway to;</li>
<ul>
<li>increase your contact lists; or </li>
<li>win reviews from existing customers?</li>
</ul>
<li>Can said guide earn links by extending it's reach through paid channels, getting it in front on new audiences?</li>
</ul>
How else can you extend the reach of your marketing efforts. Questions like these, and more, are ones you should be asking yourself every time you invest in promoting your business.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-65258929614999047492014-01-25T11:30:00.000-08:002014-01-25T11:30:01.540-08:00Class is in session: Learning to code<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVTmgv1v7aA3fNNfIuaTj9tv1CbEbQqjr7znO6MH8nX5QsNBGlAeCzWrOrJn3nMPM09G_FTUBw13GtAKLYy3r4YaCJmYnhBYTQB_9fxKUFY-SNH9xzpKgfr8Zt4F6W7A22JFgDh8IP4Bc/s1600/Classroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVTmgv1v7aA3fNNfIuaTj9tv1CbEbQqjr7znO6MH8nX5QsNBGlAeCzWrOrJn3nMPM09G_FTUBw13GtAKLYy3r4YaCJmYnhBYTQB_9fxKUFY-SNH9xzpKgfr8Zt4F6W7A22JFgDh8IP4Bc/s200/Classroom.jpg" width="200" /></a><span id="goog_204163572"></span><span id="goog_204163573"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.ingeniousbritain.biz/article.php?id=2694" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Originally written for Ingenious Britain...</span></b></a><br />
<br />
Designing a website from scratch – learning how to code and
how to get your site to work correctly – can seem like a daunting task. But if
you're a small business with even smaller budgets, the luxury of paying a developer
to get you online might be just out of reach. The good news is that there are a
great number of ways you can learn the basics and create a web presence you can
be proud of.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Small solutions: using
a pre-existing platform.<br />
</b>The first thing you need to define before starting any web development
project is what exactly you are trying to achieve. Do you need a full blown
website from day one? Are you planning to go all out online? Is a website
critical to your business or do you just need some form of online presence –
somewhere to direct people to – that provides a little info about you along
with some contact details? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If it’s the latter then you may find it easier to build on an
existing platform, like an <a href="http://about.me/home/">about.me</a> page or
a simple <a href="http://en-gb.wordpress.org/">Wordpress</a> install. This will
give you a quick and easy website that allows you to showcase your business,
offer up contact details, and link together any other aspects of your business
online. All without the need to write a single line of code. Job done.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Medium solutions: a
simple site with basic code.<br />
</b>If you have a real desire to learn a little code and pull together a site
of your own doing, there are tons of sites out there designed to help you do
just that. Learning .html and .css will give you all the knowledge you need to
get a basic site off of the ground. You can learn these two languages in a
number of places but for the basics, start with <a href="http://www.w3schools.com/">W3Schools</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
W3Schools will take you on a step-by-step journey, covering these
languages in their entirety and explaining what every line of syntax means. It
will also show you some best practice on how to write your code which will
prove invaluable when it comes to editing line after line of the stuff.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Large solutions:
learning all the knobs and whistles.<br />
</b>Once you have the basics down, you may be hankering for something a little
more… exciting. Maybe you'd like to develop a sliding light-box that showcases
your work. Or maybe you'd just like a slicker navigation with some animated
functionality. If this is the case then you'll want to learn a little jQuery.
Beautifully simple and relatively easy to use, jQuery can take your website
from the flat to the fabulous.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <a href="http://learn.jquery.com/">jQuery Learning Centre</a>
will give you all the information you need to learn this language and deploy
some developments of your own onto your website. Still want more? To learn the
bedrock of jQuery – JavaScript – you can look to <a href="http://www.codecademy.com/">Codecademy</a>. This is a beautifully interactive site that
makes learning complex languages like JavaScript, Python and Ruby a playful,
game-like experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This high-level overview of your options is designed to get
you started but there are a myriad of other ways out that that can help you get
to grips with code. Feel free to comment with your own ideas.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-56796154029192990262013-12-10T04:39:00.001-08:002014-01-03T05:16:01.399-08:00Are you kissing ass or kicking it?<a href="http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001285077/buttkisser2_xlarge.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001285077/buttkisser2_xlarge.jpeg" width="200" /></a><br />
<b>Do you walk into work every day with a mind-set of abject servitude; or do you walk in with your head held high, ready to take on the day and make things better?</b><br />
<br />
Do you have an opinion, stance or way of working that you honour; or do you play the "Yes Man" game? Do you work for a company; or do you work with them? Do you kick ass... or kiss it?<br />
<br />
These are important questions to ask. If you find yourself regularly coasting on instruction, playing it safe and bowing down to authority you could be missing a trick.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The shocking truth of it is that managers (yours included) – are human beings... just like you. And like you they are capable of being short-sighted, of making mistakes, of not seeing the full picture and of getting things wrong.<br />
<br />
The defining factor here is that a good manager should be aware of this. They shouldn't see themselves as infallible. They should also look to employ people with opinions, stances and ways of working that they honour. Good managers will actively encourage their employees to work with them to make things better and collectively kick ass.<br />
<br />
By entering into conversations with an opinion that you’re prepared to stand by, you are also giving yourself the opportunity to develop professionally. You’re working on your debating skills, learning how to make a case and articulate your position. Done right and you’re also defining yourself as a knowledgeable and forthright member of the team. A go-getter. A leader.<br />
<br />
Ask yourself. Are you kicking ass today or kissing it? And if the latter, what would happen if you started fighting the good fight and make your case for a better way of working?<br />
<br />
So I implore you. No longer kiss it. Go forth and kick it. Just do it right and don’t become a pain in it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-49927410107959361752013-12-03T06:31:00.000-08:002013-12-03T06:31:30.128-08:00#GivingTuesday and the #Unselfie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img height="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BajrvcJIUAAJPl0.jpg:large" width="530" /></div>
<br />
Find out more at <a href="http://www.concern-universal.org/home">http://www.concern-universal.org/home</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-48452998869547803972013-12-02T05:01:00.002-08:002013-12-02T05:01:37.192-08:00Why I hate the internet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Internet1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Internet1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>It may sound like an odd thing to say for an individual who lives and breathes the Internet in both his personal and professional life, but it's true - I am not a fan of the Internet.</b><br />
<br />
Sure I see the benefits. I use it every day. It's a networking tool. A general knowledge hub. A sales tool. An awareness engine. The list goes on. But I'm still angry at the damned thing. Here's why...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Procrastination </b>- The Internet sits at the core of all my best procrastination efforts. Whenever I have a deadline the Internet is there trying to tempt me away from purpose. Occasionally I'm defeated. But when I win the victory is oh so sweet.</li>
<li><b>Slavery</b> - Following the above quite closely. That little number on my phone showing me how many emails I have to read is making me a slave. The daily commute is spent head down pawing at a screen. Buses have windows for a reason. We are slaves to the Internet.</li>
<li><b>Justin Bloody Bieber</b> - Seriously. Why is this guy the most searched person on the Internet in 2013? And is this any better than Kardashian last year? What is going on with the world? We have an infinite resource of information at our fingertips and it's used Googling these douche bags.</li>
<li><b>Bullying </b>- Already a cowardly bunch, the Internet has given these people another shield to hide behind while that wreak havoc and carnage on people that just don't deserve it. I'm not talking Trolling here... that often employs some level of intelligence. I'm referring to the cowardly and mean hearted.</li>
<li><b>Lies - </b>Purveyors of filth and lies. The Internet is the dirty laundry basket of life. As a wise man once said, "Don't believe everything you read on the Internet just because there is a picture with a quote next to it". That man was Abraham Lincoln.</li>
<li><b>Hype </b>- The mundane blown out of proportion. When the news has nothing to say, it says nothing, often in a louder voice. This Internet has taken this ball and is running with it. Giving fuel to fires that should have long been extinguished. A soapbox given to presenters with nothing to say. Nontent.</li>
</ul>
<br />
I may add to this list as time goes on. Feel free to add your own in the comments below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-40510327015576893712013-11-30T11:00:00.000-08:002013-12-02T02:25:07.300-08:00Do you 'LIKE' your job applicants?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Facebook_like_thumb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Facebook_like_thumb.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<h4>
Recruitment is always a tricky business. Inviting someone you've only met a few times to the inner sanctum of your business. Trusting them to deliver for your customers, no matter how thorough your recruitment process, can still be a leap of faith.</h4>
<a name='more'></a><br />
As a small business owner, one that maybe only needs a single figure headcount in order to deliver for your customers, the quality of your staff is paramount. In many cases it’s even more important than in a big company, where you have more staff to support the work effort. So the question is – how do you go about recruiting these quality candidates for roles within your business?<br />
<br />
With 94% of recruiters in big business already using, or planning to use, social media tools as part of their recruitment process, is it time for small businesses to follow suit and reap the rewards?<br />
<br />
Social recruiting has a number of benefits to offer. In summary you can get higher quality candidates in greater numbers. They're quicker to hire and studies suggest that once hired they stay for longer too. It’s a win-win situation. So how do you do it?<br />
<br />
<b>Facebook </b>– Don’t expect insights into the professionalism of your candidate from this platform. Remember that it is probably the most ‘social’ of all the platforms. People come here to play so don't judge on fancy dress photos alone. What you can do is screen you candidates for anything ethically untoward.<br />
<br />
All a bit Big Brother? Perhaps. But if the role you're recruiting is customer facing, you can bet your bottom dollar that your customers will be doing the same. Does your candidate have their profile locked down and hidden to people outside of their network? That’s good news. It means they're switched on and maybe every concerned about maintaining the professionalism of their online image.<br />
<br />
<b>LinkedIn </b>– The most professional of all the social networks. LinkedIn goes further than a digital CV. Sure; you get to see what they've done in the past, including details of any professional subscriptions, qualifications and affiliations. But this is your chance to get some insights into your candidate’s aspirations for their career.<br />
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What groups are they a member of? Are they switched on to the industry? Do they follow developments? Do they comment or participate in conversations? Do they contribute content? All of these insights can help you build a picture of what your candidate wants from their career.<br />
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And don't shirk off the value of recommendation. Endorsements on this platform only take a click of a mouse, but if someone has taken the time to write a reference do take the time to read it. This is valuable insight into what it’s like to work with this person.<br />
<br />
<b>Blogging and Microblogging</b> – A word to the unclear, Twitter falls into this camp. In fact, anywhere that your candidate is sharing opinion, expertise or review is a great place for you to gather insight on their knowledge and dedication to a subject. <br />
<br />
If you're looking for a knowledgeable and passionate professional to join your business, they may be providing commentary and insight on the subject in their own time. If you can track down their blog entries you can quickly get to grips with what they know and how they think.<br />
<br />
If the role you're recruiting for is one that requires copywriting for editorial, actual examples of their abilities are far better than a list of qualifications and a painstakingly edited CV.<br />
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If you're recruiting a creative they're bound to have a portfolio; even a Flickr or Instagram account can give you a steer of their creativity and artistic abilities. So be sure to look around.<br />
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The key to all of this is to gather as much information about your candidate as possible. Why not even ask for some of it as part of the application. If it’s in the public domain, your customers may end up seeing it, so why wouldn't you want to take a look?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-4994145546677033812013-11-28T07:56:00.001-08:002013-11-28T08:00:32.408-08:00Do you support a charity... or a brand?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.leibold.com/e983/charity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.leibold.com/e983/charity.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<b>Giving is good – regardless of what you're donating. Hard earned cash or time out of your day, if you're able, giving to help those less fortunate than you is an important thing to do. But here's the clincher: <i>the things you are giving have value</i>. So how do you know that you're spending wisely</b><br />
<br />
Think of it in terms of investment. If you're taking time to invest your resources in a cause, improving the wellbeing of someone or something else, you're going to want a return. You're going to want to know that an impact is felt. Brand, as with most things, has a huge part to play in helping you form a decision on the charity you're going to support. But it's important not to let marketing hype cloud your vision.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>If pushed for a chosen charity, most people would reply with a big brand that supports a cause close to their heart. Oxfam, Cancer Research UK, Save the Children, MacMillan. Just take a look at <a href="http://www.charitytrends.org/KeyCharts.aspx" target="_blank">CAF Research</a> regarding voluntary income for evidence of this. But just because they're heard of does not mean they are the best fit for your donations.<br />
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Obviously awareness is a key concern for any charity, but
it's important not to confuse this with brand. They are very different things.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When choosing your charity, keep these things in mind:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">How did
you hear about the charity?</b><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Did a huge, nation-wide advertising campaign shape
your decision making? These sorts of activities are often important in raising
awareness, but what cut of the charitable donations are being spent of
billboard ad placement? Whilst there may be a sizable return on investment, it’s
a question worth answering.</span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">What does
that charity do?</b><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> How does your donation help in improve the lives of
others? Are you buying blankets and flour for underdeveloped communities, or
helping with sustainable solutions that aim to help people help themselves –
see <a href="http://www.concern-universal.org/" target="_blank">Concern Universal</a> and <a href="http://www.treeaid.org.uk/%E2%80%8E" target="_blank">Tree Aid</a> for an example of what I'm getting at.</span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">Are you
up-to-date?</b><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Management – like in any organisation – changes all the time. And
with change in management comes change in focus. So stay abreast of
developments, make sure the cause you wanted to help a year ago has the same
aims today. And don’t be afraid of people in the know changing your mind. Some
of those street fundraisers really know what they are talking about.</span></li>
</ul>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-34197887485603829402013-11-16T15:00:00.000-08:002014-05-27T06:03:20.607-07:00Your start-up… on a shoe string<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com/flickr-20518381-hd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com/flickr-20518381-hd.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Starting your own business doesn't have to be an expensive experience. Given a little up front planning and online research, and outside of the legal requirements, you'll find that you can get the bare essentials in place without it costing you the earth.</b><br />
<br />
Obviously every business is different. You may need office space, a shop front, marketing tools or storage space. You may not. But here are a few ideas on how you can get vital resources in place for no more than the change in your pocket.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Email marketing</b> – Need to get an email out to your business contacts to tell them about a new product, service offer or event? For small scale campaigns <a href="http://mailchimp.com/" target="_blank">Mail Chimp</a> might be the answer. If you have fewer than 2,000 subscribers, you can send up to 12,000 emails per month absolutely free, which should be more than enough to get you off the ground.<br />
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<b>CRM </b>– If you’re doing email marketing, you may want somewhere a bit more sophisticated to keep your client records than an Excel spreadsheet. But you don't need to jump into a full contact management solution from day one. Providers like <a href="http://www.freecrm.com/index.html" target="_blank">FreeCRM</a>, offer scalable Freemium solutions and give you a decent set of tools to get started – like space for 5,000 records and a collection of basic features. You will have to put up with advertising though.<br />
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<b>Website </b>– The question to ask yourself here is do you need a full website from day one? Are you planning to go all out online? Is a website critical to your business or do you just need some form of online presence – somewhere to direct people to that provides a little info about you and some contact details?<br />
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If it’s the latter then an <a href="http://about.me/">about.me</a> page will give you a quick and easy one page website that allows you to showcase your business, offer up contact details, and link together any other aspects of your business online. They even do deals on business cards so you can seamlessly link your offline connections to your online presence.<br />
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<b>eCommerce </b>– Selling products online? Do you need a full eCommerce platform from the moment you start out? Or do you just need some way of allowing your customers to find your product, read some information and complete a transaction?<br />
<br />
Depending on what you're selling, existing online markets like <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/" target="_blank">eBay </a>or <a href="http://www.etsy.com/%E2%80%8E" target="_blank">Etsy</a> can offer you all you need to get going. In fact many businesses operate exclusively on these platforms. Of course, there is a cost implication, paying the provider a percentage of your sale. But in terms of time saved a few photos and a bit of blurb can see you trading online in no time at all.<br />
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<b>Shop space</b> – Investing in your own shop is a huge commitment and not one to be taken lightly. It’s great to be able to put your stamp on a high-street and trade from your very own storefront, but you need to be confident it’s going to work.<br />
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Give your confidence a little boost then by trying out a ‘PopUp’. These initiatives are a great way to experiment with physical retail, test the market and gain face-to-face customer feedback, all of which can be poured into your business plan. <a href="http://popupbritain.com/" target="_blank">PopUp Britain</a> has some great advice on how to get started.<br />
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<b>Office space</b> – You probably won't need an office 24/7 from day one. There’s a lot to be said about having a place of work to focus on the tasks at hand. But when you're starting out, especially if you're going it alone, this can be achieved at zero cost with a home office or similar quiet place to work… dare I say the Wifi connection at the local coffee shop?<br />
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Have an important client meeting coming up? Don’t fret. You don't have to get the hoover out just yet. Look for serviced office and meeting spaces in your area that offer a Pay-As-You-Go arrangement. With these offices you only pay for the time that you use them and as a bonus, you can often hire in equipment and services – like Wifi, projectors and catering – to make your client meeting go off with a bang.<br />
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This is only a handful of suggestions and there are plenty of other considerations when starting up a new business. You may need printed material. You may want to carry out surveys. Give away free gifts. Merchandise. Hopefully these ideas will get you going but comments are welcome if you have your own ideas and wish to chime in.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-19934652923994922072013-11-02T10:30:00.000-07:002014-01-27T05:01:47.832-08:00How to use social to promote your business… and still have time left to run it. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHz1AY0kvxmwfELHBwG4Rvx2ufZYKaouRhMtzgdI9oEddtPoVkmgTjBuwPvftvWwN_TTmaLCWgLN-TDt1PXV3g2hDkf7J70xWqVjosof9HckbExQ5GL7fHw6g57cdtcvePA3vB0CqRK8v/s1600/social_media_for_business.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHz1AY0kvxmwfELHBwG4Rvx2ufZYKaouRhMtzgdI9oEddtPoVkmgTjBuwPvftvWwN_TTmaLCWgLN-TDt1PXV3g2hDkf7J70xWqVjosof9HckbExQ5GL7fHw6g57cdtcvePA3vB0CqRK8v/s200/social_media_for_business.png" height="131" width="200" /></a></div>
A few years ago it was scary and new, but nowadays social media is very much part of the furniture. All sorts of businesses are using social media to promote their business. Done successfully you can end up with a hugely interactive audience all baying for your attention. But growing your social audience and managing all interactions with them can end up becoming a full time job. So how can you manage your social channels, stay sane AND still have time left over to run your business?<br />
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<a name='more'></a><h3>
Always having something to say…</h3>
<div>
<br />
Most people don’t have an opinion on everything. You won’t always have a new entry on your blog to share with your audience. And tweeting “Good Morning” every day at 10am isn’t going to get you anywhere (in fact it’s likely to switch a lot of people off). So what do you do to fill the gaps?<br />
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<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Favourite good content.</b><br />Do you regularly visit a particular website for information? You do? Good. You can bookmark websites that cover applicable business related subjects (along with other blogs, Twitter accounts, plus pages, etc.) to use as resources for content to share with your audience… no writing required. - </li>
<li><b>Have some stock content.</b><br />Just had a wave of inspiration? A collection of questions to ask or a host of insightful mantras you want to share? Don’t send them out all at once. Save some for later – for when you don’t have a blog to post or a product to promote. Chances are they’ll be as insightful tomorrow as they are today, so get your time sensitive content out first and save the pearls of wisdom for later.</li>
<li><b>Get more out of each post.</b><br />For the material you write – be it a blog entry, a special product offer or a topical tweet – can you get more social content out of it than the initial share? Can you rewrite your post and give your audience another chance to click-through to your site? Don’t overdo it, but if you have something you want to share with as many people to as possible, you might consider writing two or three different intros to share on your social channels throughout the week.</li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
Managing your content distribution…</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br />
No one has ever said: “I really like @JoeBloggs, he tweets a whole week’s worth of messages on Monday morning”. To keep your audience engaged you’re going to want to have an even and consistent presence, rather than bottle necking all of your content into a two hour window. But you can’t be online all day, so how can you manage this feat?<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Use Buffer.</b><br />If you’re not already using <a href="https://bufferapp.com/app/profile/509b9563d9320d3b43000014/buffer" target="_blank">Buffer</a>, you should start. It’s honestly brilliant. The Freemium version will probably take care of your initial needs and it saves you loads of time by sharing you content for you. But best of all it does this when your audience is most receptive so more people see your posts. So rather than hitting the tweet button you hit the Buffer button instead, type your message and link and let Buffer take care of the rest.</li>
<li><b>Use Hootsuite.</b><br /><a href="https://hootsuite.com/" target="_blank">Hootsuite</a> can help you fill the gaps Buffer may leave. Again it’s a Freemium, application so will cost you nothing if you don’t want it to. Hootsuite will allow you to queue up your content, rather than sending it all out at the same time on a Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. Spend a little time once a week filling your queues on Hootsuite and your content distribution will be handled for you while you get on with running your business.</li>
<li><b>Use IFTTT.</b><br />If there is a blog out there that your hold in high regard, one that you regularly read and quite often share with your social audience, you may want to consider using <a href="https://ifttt.com/" target="_blank">IFTTT</a>. It’s a very simple piece of software that allows you to automatically tweet and share blog content by monitoring the blogs RSS feed. Takes moments to set up and once it’s there you have a spare slot on your to-do list.</li>
<li><b>Use RoundTeam.</b><br />Similar to using IFTTT for monitoring an RSS feed, <a href="https://roundteam.co/" target="_blank">RoundTeam</a> will monitor Twitter #hashtags for you and retweet whichever ones you ask it to. Be warned, for popular #hashtags this can get quickly out of hand. But done correctly, and with suitable rules in place, you can add a steady stream of retweets to your Twitter account and get kudos from you audience for doing so.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<h3>
Being aware of what’s going on…</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br />
No one likes to be ignored. So when that potential customer tweets you on Sunday night they’re going to want to know someone is at the other end. They’re not going to wait until Friday afternoon for a reply. So how can you stay on top of things when you’re managing a busy schedule?<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Email notifications.</b><br />All social channels have notifications settings allowing you to request a real time email when your account gets a new follower, direct message or mention. Used properly and this can provide you with an accurate and up the minute information on your account’s activity, giving you a prompt to log in and respond. Set your email notifications carefully though or you may find yourself inundated with emails quite quickly.</li>
<li><b>Mobile app 'push' notifications.</b><br />If you have a smartphone you can download the app for your social channel and get push notifications direct to your phone. The upshot of this is that you can get alerts on the go and respond to them whenever you have a quiet minute, wherever you happen to be… so long as you have a signal!</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
</ul>
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<div>
With these measures, you can give yourself an active social presence. And more importantly you can do so and still have time to run your business.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-89524229063502537072013-10-31T02:33:00.000-07:002013-10-31T09:30:57.596-07:00Why Costa is EVIL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3454/3990681605_923670323d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3454/3990681605_923670323d.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>A suitably Halloweeny title you might say. But this post (*rant) is one of personal perspective regarding something I am truly passionate about. It's about something many blue and white collar workers are probably passionate about. Something that, for many, is the fuel for the fires of business. Coffee.</b><br />
<br />
You see, good coffee - I mean truly good coffee - is something of a rarity in my opinion. Much of it tastes the same. Most of it is commercialised, mass produced sludge of indiscernible flavour. For years I would only brew my own at home which was cheaper. Better. More fulfilling. Then something changed. I got busy. My mornings started earlier. Home-brewed coffee became a weekend indulgence. So, for my sins, I turned to the coffee houses for my morning pick-me-up (and my mid-morning; elevenses; lunch; late lunch; mid-afternoon; afternoon; and home time pick-me-ups for that matter).<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I tried them all, but very quickly Costa became the go-to guys. The coffee was pretty good. If I was peckish the snacks weren't bad either. They were reasonably priced. I could usually find one in whatever town I happened to be. The staff were usually friendly without pretending to be my best friend (I never went back to Starbucks after that harrowing experience). The seats were comfy if I wanted to sit. The Wi-Fi, where available, was free. Daily papers were on offer should some light reading take my fancy. I was happy.<br />
<br />
Then something happened.<br />
<br />
Costa decided to take over the world.<br />
<br />
Suddenly they were everywhere. First every railway station (which I could just about deal with). Then every shopping centre. Then every corner in every city. Then in Tesco... Primark... I mean seriously... come on... how much coffee do people really need? (sarcasm)<br />
<br />
And all of this I could have just about handled. Big business is after all a fact of life. Companies grow. Get over it. But on visiting a Costa situated in a Tesco in a last ditch act of desperation to shake off the morning muggles I was presented with this...<br />
<br />
An automatic coffee machine!<br />
<br />
Sure there were freshly ground beans. Sure there were some of the expected snacks on offer. Sure there was a suitably friendly person behind the counter. But a coffee machine? Seriously??<br />
<br />
Hey Costa... I thought "Buttons are for trousers not coffee machines"? What happened to that mantra? That mission statement of standard and quality?<br />
<br />
You're trying too hard to take over the world. You're spreading yourself too thinly and it's costing you your brand. If one self-proclaimed coffee junkie can see the light, how many more might follow?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-68912665780226455122013-10-30T07:01:00.000-07:002014-06-16T01:37:02.003-07:00Get it right. Principle 2: Data<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1234098_675351522485862_883372460_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1234098_675351522485862_883372460_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Welcome to Part 2 of my "</b><b>Get it Right" </b><b>mini-series detailing </b><b>the principles I try to live by when running a web project. These principles are designed to help me save time, improve efficiencies and above all, protect investment.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
My <a href="http://boothbytes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/get-it-right-principle-1-invest.html" target="_blank">first instalment in this series</a> looked at the method I use to secure and apportion investment.<br />
<br />
This time I want to talk to you about <b>data</b>. More specifically, the types of data you can gather to aid you in your decision making. Don't switch of just yet. I promise I'll try and keep it light.<br />
<br />
As ever, this is only one man's opinion. I'm open to feedback and will do my best to come back on any comments made.<br />
<br />
So without further ado... Principle 2...<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>No 2 - Make data driven decisions</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
If you want your project to be a success, your development needs to be data driven wherever possible. This means building something that actually fulfils a need, rather than building something because YOU think it's the right move.<br />
<br />
If you are improving an existing site the world is your oyster as you will hopefully have access to a wealth of historical information. And if not, don't worry, there's a quick and easy way you can get some new info.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Analytics </b>- The first port of call for any web master, Analytics is second to none in helping you with your decision making. Look at journey paths, engagement statistics, events and goal completions. Do your visitors' actions match your site strategy and purpose? Are they acting as expected? If not why not? What are they looking for and is it something you wish to provide?</li>
<li><b>Web surveys</b> - A little pop up on the page asking visitors for feedback is a great way of gleaning some useful information from your current audience. Just be sure to keep it light and have a decent mix of qualitative and quantitative feedback. A free type text box can really bring experiences to life.</li>
<li><b>Usability testing</b> - Quick and dirty solutions like <a href="http://fivesecondtest.com/" target="_blank">5 Second Test</a> can give you valuable insights into a visitor's first impressions of your page. Just do your best to ignore the sweary, angry developers you'll undoubtedly encounter.</li>
</ul>
<br />
If you are building a new site there is a whole range of activities you can complete to validate any decisions you are making as well as your business plan.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Interrogating (not really) </b>- Got a list of emails for your target market? Then you're off to a cracking start. Survey them. Create a <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/" target="_blank">free online survey</a> and ask them a few questions about your intended developments. What do they like? What do they hate? What would their ideal site look like? </li>
<li><b>Mimicking </b>- What are your competitors doing? What type of website do they have and what functionality have they developed? Is there anything missing? How do you feel when navigating their site? What opportunities or gaps in the market can you identify?</li>
<li><b>Reading (sigh) </b>- There are countless reports and whitepapers out there - from companies like <a href="http://www.sitepoint.com/" target="_blank">Sitepoint</a> - offering up detailed industry information on everything from Email Marketing to eCommerce Best Practice. Read it. Learn it. Love it. Share it.</li>
<li><b>Spying (no... really!)</b> - Again with the competitors. Find them on social. Look at what their customers are saying about them and their online offering. Is any of it juicy? Glean insights wherever you can. Knowledge is power after all.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Obviously this is only a handful of ideas and is by no means an exhaustive list. There are so many ways in which you can find data and information to help you in your decision making. I'd be interested in hearing you own experiences.<br />
<br />
Check back in the next few weeks for <a href="http://boothbytes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/get-it-right-principle-3-plan.html" target="_blank">Principle 3.</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-66373402518565784722013-10-28T03:32:00.000-07:002013-10-28T05:05:09.311-07:00New volunteering questions on LinkedIn and why you should be excited<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://richard-wood.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/linkedin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="http://richard-wood.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/linkedin.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Nearly every time I log into LinkedIn it asks me to update my profile. Now, my profile is pretty much as complete as it ever will be. In fact, I'm an 'All Star' (pause for applause). There's so much information on my profile my career identity is at risk of being stolen. So these requests for update have, up to now, been a bit of an annoyance.</b><br />
<br />
That is, until I logged in today...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Today, along with the usual "Who else worked with you on this project?" questions, there were three new sections asking for completion.<br />
<br />
I was asked the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>How have I volunteered in the past and with whom?</li>
<li>What volunteering opportunities would I be interested in?</li>
<li>What causes would I be willing to volunteer for?</li>
</ul>
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As someone who personally thinks more people should be willing to give up a little of their time to help others (somewhat hypocritically I admit), these new set of questions struck a cord and I quickly completed them with my preferences. I'm expecting an influx of emails any day now from charities looking for a Digital Marketing and Social Media Geek to help them with their latest campaign. And that's OK with me.</div>
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But warm fuzzy feeling and doing good for the world aside, there is another side to this story in terms of professional development. Here's why I think you should answer these questions and be open to giving up some of your time.</div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Develop your skills</b> - Multi-sector experience is a rarity nowadays. Getting out of your comfort zone and applying your skills and knowledge to a new set of challenges is a fantastic way of becoming a more robust professional.</li>
<li><b>Learn new skills</b> - Of course, doing new things and working on new projects in new sectors is a great way to learn and take something back to your day job.</li>
<li><b>Meet new people</b> - Networking is such a valuable skill. If it's not a current strength of yours then you can do worse than jumping in at the deep end and involving yourself on a project where you don't know anyone.</li>
<li><b>Open new doors</b> - These new people you're meeting may very well be volunteers themselves, from other companies, and you never know where networking and showing off your capabilities might lead you.</li>
<li><b>You CAN make a difference</b> - OK. I know. I said warm fuzzy feelings aside. But passion for wanting to make things better is a quality that will shine through in all aspects of your life both personally and professionally. And you really can make a difference. And that's important.</li>
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So I implore you. Please don't just hit 'skip'. Take the time to fill out your volunteering preferences and be open to the offers and requests that follow. You never know where this journey may take you.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-36138899225032599302013-10-11T08:15:00.001-07:002013-10-28T08:01:44.449-07:00Celebrating 15 years of Google Search<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>15 years! Wow! Doesn't time fly? Google have recently celebrated 15 years of search and as part of the celebration have released their own <a href="http://www.google.com/about/company/timeline/" target="_blank">Google Timeline</a>.</b><br />
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Their timeline showcases some of the milestones and successes covered within just a decade and a half of Goggling (that's definitely right... I Googled it). Interestingly there nothing in there about privacy scandals or tax evasion, but nonetheless it's an interesting piece.<br />
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Here are my best bits...<br />
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<li><b>1 billion Android devices (Sept 2013) </b>- as an avid fan of Android, despite the iPhone peer pressure, it did the heart good to hear of the 1 billionth device activation. GO TEAM ANDROID!</li>
<li><b>Google Play (Mar 2012) </b>- making bus journeys bearable.</li>
<li><b>Google+ Pages (Nov 2011)</b> - another social network for me to play with... yum yum yum</li>
<li><b>Chrome Experiments (Aug 2010)</b> - this Arcadia Fire interactive was so amazing I must have watched it a thousand times. Brought the internet to life for me in a big way.</li>
<li><b>Google Chrome (Sept 2008)</b> - MEOW! Welcome to sexy web browsing. Rendering IE obsolete almost overnight... because everything just works in Chrome.</li>
<li><b>Google Analytics (Nov 2005)</b> - without it I wouldn't have a job... not that I'd be unemployed you understand... just working in a pub or something instead.</li>
<li><b>Google Maps (Feb 2005) - </b>come on! Where would we be without it? Lost... that's where.</li>
<li><b>GMail (April 2004)</b> - made it easy to email. Launched on April Fools' Day. Always updating and improving. If I didn't get so much junk I'd use it even more.</li>
<li><b>First Google Doodle (Aug 1998)</b> - and who doesn't love a <a href="http://www.google.com/doodles/finder/2013/All%20doodles" target="_blank">doodle</a>? Interesting to see that the first one ever was a message to users saying that the developers were off partying at <a href="http://www.burningman.com/" target="_blank">Burning Man</a>... huh!</li>
<li><b>In the beginning (Early Years) </b>- scroll to the bottom and check out the first draft of Google Search. Web Designer's nightmare. How far they've come.</li>
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OK, so it's a big list. But imagine a world without Google. Just for a second. It's a scary reality. We'd probably have to learn to use libraries again... the horror!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-31956846774056961132013-10-08T02:45:00.000-07:002013-10-08T02:50:23.436-07:00Small Business Saturday UK is coming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FjuO6COROEU/Ugin1QUIkVI/AAAAAAAAAA0/FYFOekI-BxY/s553-no/Small+Business+Saturday+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FjuO6COROEU/Ugin1QUIkVI/AAAAAAAAAA0/FYFOekI-BxY/s553-no/Small+Business+Saturday+logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>For me, one of the most exciting developments in the small business world this year has to be the introduction of Small Business Saturday UK</b>.<br />
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Up to now, this day of focus and celebration has been held in the US on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Its aims are to get people to shop with their local businesses and to help support their local communities. And it's proved an astounding success with small businesses in the US raking in almost £3.5 billion in sales last year. And now it's our turn!<br />
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Here are my thoughts on why Small Business Saturday UK so important and details on how you can get involved...<br />
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Small Business Saturday UK - it's kind of a big deal</h3>
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You'll know better than most that every day of business is an important one, but Small Business Saturday gives your business and all the others in your areas something to focus on and work towards. It will be a huge nationwide event celebrating companies just like yours, so what better day to really show the world what you can do.<br />
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The shadow business secretary <a href="https://twitter.com/ChukaUmunna" target="_blank">Chuka Umunna</a> is the scheme's main sponsor and as such will be winning loads of coverage that you can benefit from. Plentiful opportunities to promote your business and your brand.<br />
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Small Businesses - we want you</h3>
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In the run-up to the December 7th, there will be a series of events for you to get involved in. These events will provide you with further opportunities to promote your business as well as get some ideas on how to make the most out of the day. One event that recently took place was the Google+ Question Time event. If you missed it you can <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fAuhU3reS4" target="_blank">watch the recording here</a>. It worth a watch and give you some great ideas of how to make the most of the day.<br />
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There is also going to be a small business bus tour coming to a town near you very soon, so make sure you keep one eye on the <a href="https://twitter.com/SmallBizSatUK" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturdayUK" target="_blank">Facebook</a> pages for more info.</div>
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I'll be writing more on this subject over the coming weeks for the <a href="http://www.jelfsmallbusiness.co.uk/news/" target="_blank">Jelf Small Business blog</a>... so be sure to check back for more information about the event.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-61466710595302687302013-10-03T05:41:00.001-07:002013-10-30T07:02:39.134-07:00Get it right. Principle 1: Invest<img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEJ_Nfp5Pthn6A1fBxWwiaeNAgaMWLxO2VIasPGuwacXfpgJMCXipU6UjmCTLg8BOix2Z3pWCNE6ZsxsRYNLKjLcI-pCkeEJ7RZ7R0IL-S63b_5JkdEzcIsbPmBHdxEFjxHO0Dh1hr3Hj/" style="display: block; float: right; padding: 10px;" width="200" /><b>If you're working on a website - either improving what you already have or building one from scratch - you'll know that it can be an expensive project. It's one that often requires a significant investment of time and money. Spend more money and you'll save yourself some time. Devote more of your time on things and you'll save some money. But if you're going to do a web project properly you're going to have to invest one or the other.</b><br />
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With that in mind, you're going to want to get it right. The last thing you need at go live is a product that doesn't work. An eCommerce site that doesn't convert. A blog or research site with zero engagement.<br />
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So what can be done to protect your investment? The following mini-series will take you through the principles I try and live by. I hope they prove as useful to you as I have found them and I welcome any feedback you have on my own personal approach.<br />
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<b>No 1 - The 10% principle</b><br />
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Whatever you're planning to invest in your project be prepared to either use 10% of your budget, or invest an additional 10%, in pre-project research and review.<br />
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Got a £50,000 budget? £5,000 will help you protect it. Want to deliver in 6 months? Try and give yourself 2-3 weeks before you start and any decisions you make will be based on more that gut feel.<br />
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Ok. I admit it. Winning this additional resource is going to be a tall order for most companies. But look at it this way. It's insurance. Would you rather pay an extra £5k up front; or waste £50k and spend an additional £20k getting things to work?<br />
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All to often projects steam ahead and make decisions based on gut feel without doing the necessary leg work - and this can prove disastrous. The 10% principle is there to give you time to think. Time to get your pawns in place so that you can make the right moves towards success. Time to get it right.<br />
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Check back in the next few weeks for <a href="http://boothbytes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/get-it-right-principle-2-data.html" target="_blank">Principle 2</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-28254819331735106772013-09-26T05:00:00.000-07:002013-10-03T05:51:59.208-07:00Help from Google for SEOs (not provided)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://searchfactory.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/search-factory-seo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://searchfactory.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/search-factory-seo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Any Content Marketer or SEO worth their salt when it comes to analysis will be more than familiar with the increasing presence of the (not provided) keyword result.</b><br />
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Up to now keyword data, despite the (not provided) blemish, has still proved useful in giving marketing professionals insights into why site visitors are visiting. This has enabled greater site content, better blogging, improved web copy and more effective SEO.<br />
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Unfortunately, <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/google-encrypting-all-searches-nj">Google has now confirmed that they are going to work to encrypt all keyword data</a>, taking the (not provided) result to 100%. Certain sources state that keyword data will still be accessible through Web Master Tools, but it'll be nowhere near as helpful as it is in GA, and who's to say how long this will still be up for grabs.<br />
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Google! Why oh Why?</h3>
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So the official stance on this decision is one of privacy. Up to now the keyword data has been set to (not provided) for those surfers logged into a Google account and therefore searching via SSL. We can't see what a visitor is looking for because they're doing so through a secured account. And whilst this never really sat well with me, I made my peace with it. </div>
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However, this extension of the policy really hits hard. As a Search Marketing Manager who works with the best intentions when analysing this data, I've previously used this information to identify problems with site structure, gaps in web copy and ideas for new blog content. My intentions are of wanting to be helpful and provide my visitors with the information they're looking for - removal of this data makes this near impossible.</div>
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Solutions. Not problems.</h3>
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Luckily there are two options to overcome this looming gap in my data.</div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Adwords </b>- Paying for a PPC campaign means I get to see what people search for before clicking on my advert. I smell a money making enterprise here (bad Google bad). This would be fine except for the fact that the visitors' intent is often completely different when clicking an advert. The search terms are going to be action oriented rather than research oriented. People are in different parts of the funnel. Great for a PPC campaign when you're trying to tip people over the lip of conversion, but not so good for a content marketer looking for new ideas to address the needs of their wider audience.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Google Analytics Premium - </b>Phew! I for one am thankful for small mercies. Now I just need to find my cheque book... and £90,000!!!</li>
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Anyone spot the sarcasm?<br />
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</ul>
<h3>
Looking into the near future...</h3>
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Short term this decision probably won't result in much noticeable change. Sure, I'll be slightly angrier and I'll be surrounded by more red-faced-and-angry marketers than normal. But really... not much impact.</div>
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Longer term however, I see this decision really impacting on the search landscape. Those that can afford it will spend more money on PPC so they can secure their place in the listings. The big corporations, if not already, will dish out thousands to pay for GA Premium, giving them exclusive access to insights smaller companies will not see. And all of this combined will see the little guy slip further off of the radar. The little sites that could will become little sites that can't any more. Search will be owned by those that can afford it.</div>
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Seriously now! #SolutionsNotProblems.</h3>
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So for the smaller businesses, here's where I say something that most are bored of hearing me say. It's time (if you haven't already) to harness social. As a small business you want your products and services to be found easily and for people to be able to link to your site and find the information they need. And I personally can see no better way of doing this than being active on one or more social channels and wrapping your website with a blanket of insight and personality. Done well, you are no longer at the mercy of search - you are instead supported by your supporters and customers that want to tell others how great you are. </div>
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I can't think of a better way to do business.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-9090393175275981132013-07-05T05:47:00.001-07:002013-10-04T04:12:42.347-07:00What's your Startup Story?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iYjxQKPdfbNhxhEhDpSjNAnD712i6d6p_9swHH_z9GRyyKxPFyUpC5YVyGEnYq88SGN096tE1o0o9-VPQHxTUNjqi5QitVytJaPYNSrRvrWHgeU0DgTG6jFR7Xo6J6R2CUSfY15Dqn80/s1600/SUS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iYjxQKPdfbNhxhEhDpSjNAnD712i6d6p_9swHH_z9GRyyKxPFyUpC5YVyGEnYq88SGN096tE1o0o9-VPQHxTUNjqi5QitVytJaPYNSrRvrWHgeU0DgTG6jFR7Xo6J6R2CUSfY15Dqn80/s200/SUS.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
Every business has a story, but what is yours? Using the new My Startup Story web app you can now compare your startup's journey and share it with the world.<br />
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This beautiful interactive allows you to compare your business's employee and revenue growth against web giants such as Facebook, eBay and Match.com. Your startup's growth is plotted on your own personal graph, which you can then share with all of your Twitter followers. Get started by clicking on the image below...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="http://www.jelfsmallbusiness.co.uk/startupstory/"><img alt="My Start Up Story – How Does Your Business Compare?" src="http://www.jelfsmallbusiness.co.uk/startupstory/img/my-startup-story.jpg" width="100%" /></a><br />
My Startup Story by <a href="http://www.jelfsmallbusiness.co.uk/startupstory/">Jelf Small Business</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871693473662081648.post-64942736918854708912013-06-06T06:18:00.000-07:002013-10-04T04:13:20.124-07:00Hello and welcome<div dir="ltr">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FHPWCPICwyE/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/Ci95HLUR2DA/s512-c/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FHPWCPICwyE/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/Ci95HLUR2DA/s512-c/photo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Hello and welcome to my first ever blog. That's how you're suppose to start these things right? Erm... moving on from the awkward intros I guess it's a good idea to explain myself and tell you why I've decided to start writing.<br />
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The truth is, I spend a lot of time online - and not just on Facebook and eBay. I read and research other peoples blogs and content, using the information I absorb to draw up my own conclusions and ideas about the world of digital presence, content marketing and user experience.</div>
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A lot of this thinking goes into my many reports and proposals that I use in my day-to-day career - convincing decision makers within my company to see the light in terms of digital transformation.<br />
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However, decision makers being as busy as they are rarely have time to read the detail and focus on the numbers. The spend. The return. The resource required. As a result, much of my thinking ends up on the cutting room floor.<br />
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This blog is my best bits. My deleted scenes. My editors cut.<br />
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Hopefully not my bloopers reel.<br />
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Hope you enjoy.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03840102771899538645noreply@blogger.com0Bristol, City of Bristol, UK51.454513 -2.587909999999965351.296248 -2.9106334999999652 51.612778 -2.2651864999999654