Emotions about Leadership

How true. How true. You can also replace the word "leadership" with the word "parenting."

clipped from livingforward.wordpress.com Under the breath I had a senior pastor that said we all tend to judge people by their actions but we want to be judged by our inentions. And, in essence, it is far easier to expect our leaders to perform the way we expect them too, but we want our leaders to give us a ton of grace and let us off the hook easily and gently. Leadership is tough stuff. And I think leadership is in the top 5 toughest things to do. And there is no way around it. There is no real way to abdicate responsibility or to pass it off. Leadership requires attendance. Leadership requires attention. Leadership requires decisiveness. And, I guess, leadership, at times, requires cussing.

"Getting Things Done"

David Allen's system

clipped from www.bnet.com Who Is David Allen? Stuff: Anything in your mind or environment that may require action, though you have not yet determined what the action is or clearly committed to doing it. Includes everything from errands to life goals. RAM: The mind's short-term memory, which on an unconscious level constantly monitors commitments big and small. Borrowed from "random access memory," a component of most computers. Open loop: Agreements with yourself, conscious or unconscious, that you aren't keeping, from picking up laundry to helping solve world hunger. Distributed cognition: A psychological term for the process of freeing up your mind by getting things "out of your head" and into an objective, reviewable form (such as a list). Trusted system: A combination of a physical inbox, a calendar, and a set of action lists. The backbone of GTD, a trusted system could use a PDA, a spiral notebook, voicemails and emails to yourself, as long as it captures all of your commitments.

Genius defined

Just in case you forgot.

clipped from pos-psych.com “Positive Abnormality” – Be a GENIUS by discovering your Speciality, Uniqueness, and Meaning And what does it take to become a genius? Gassandro and Simonton probably give the best definition of “genius” in their paper, “Creativity and genius” (2003): 1) A genius is someone who possesses unique or distinctly characteristic creative ideas or behaviors – uniqueness. 2) A genius is an individual with social impact – when the genius’ thoughts, idea, or products have a tremendous impact on the social environment, ranging from the other members of the individual’s field to the society as a whole. 3) A genius is someone who has a high quality of intellectual power where intellectual power or importance brings positive social impact. So, by definition, a genius – a position that seems so afar and rare among us, indeed just requires you to FIGURE OUT YOUR UNIQUE STRENGTH, DEVELOP IT TO MAKE SOCIAL IMPACTS OF HIGH AND POSITIVE QUALITY.

The cunundrum

It strikes me as ironic to hear business owners say "I chose X because it was free." and in the same breath will get irate when a customer of theirs chooses a free or lower cost product/service instead of theirs.

clipped from pos-psych.com … the bottomline got hit when #1 hit the roof! In many organizations, employees are feeling less than perky. First days for recruits may be fun and exciting but over time, work becomes routine and boring or hectic and stressful or a combination of all. There is so much discontent and the “too tired to work, too broke to quit” thinking seems to prevail. Perceived helplessness is fueled by negative thinking. Take for instance, the office cleaner who complains sourly that people mess the place up - hey! if the place never got messed up, maybe cleaners become redundant. The customer service personnel laments that customers are so picky and troublesome - guess what would happen if customers were angels and products and services were perfect? People make choices whether or not to wear their job roles comfortably and cheerfully, or ruefully and miserably. Some work environments are so toxic that the happy bees hum imperceptibly.

The Whisper Brand

I like this. I strive for this technique.

clipped from mavherickmindblog.wordpress.com clipped from mavherickmindblog.wordpress.com How a Brand Gets “Made” 1.) The Whisper Brand: In response to what Faith refers to as the “cashing out” trend (seeking a simpler life), brands that gently whisper in the ear of their market rise above the noise. Don’t be fooled into believing that in order to be heard, you must be the loudest, shiniest brand on the block. You do however, need to have something to say once you get attention!

A little Internet Marketing advice

good tip to stay true to yourself.

clipped from blog.cristinafavreau.com I’m Gonna Be Rich — NOT February 27th, 2008 by Cristina Favreau What’s the point of this post? First, a little ranting about internet marketing feels good. Second, this serves as a warning in case you see a similar message come to your inbox. Finally, take a look at the emails you’re sending. If you’re offering a legitimate service and using email marketing as a client-generating strategy, be sure you don’t get lumped in with “the others.” Make your intentions clear, be transparent and don’t mislead. You’ll gain more credibility by being open and honest than trying to trick people into buying from you. Never mind what the so-called experts say about marketing. Let your your strengths, personality, core and values dictate what feels good and what is right. You’ll attract like-minded clients. Go out there and make a difference in your own way.

Virtual Assistant in the News

Newsday.com article featuring International Virtual Assistant Association's (IVAA) President Elect Linda Selden.

clipped from www.newsday.com Virtual assistants handle chores from far away Doug Silverman, left, the president of the Long Island Chapter for Human Resource Management, is pictured in his Melville office. He communicates by phone or e-mail with his virtual assistant, Linda Selden, right, who works from her home in Greenlawn. (Newsday.com composite) BY SYLVIA E. KING-COHEN | sylvia.king-cohen@newsday.com February 27, 2008 As president of the Long Island chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, Doug Silverman doesn't have an office, nor does he have a secretary, a fax machine, a computer or even a drinking fountain. Even so, he's still able to send out mass mailings, coordinate monthly dinner parties, update lists and keep his nearly 1,200 members up to speed on what's going on, despite having a full-time job that has nothing to do with the organization. He acknowledges it would be impossible without Linda Selden, his "virtual" personal assistant.

Wondering how to evaluate your website?

Thank you Marsha Kopan for sharing this link.

"Is content structurally separate from navigational elements?"
"Are links labeled with anchor text that provides a clear indication of where they lead."
"The fonts should be easily readable, and degrade gracefully.- Should look OK on various screen resolutions."
"Is the website copy succinct but informative?"
Just some of the information provided in this post.

clipped from www.searchenginejournal.com Search Engine Journal 50 Questions to Evaluate the Quality of Your Website February 20th, 2008 by CarstenCumbrowski | 29 Comments Other Marketing Considerations Legal Stuff/Re-Assurance/Legitimization Here is a long and pretty detailed list of questions that a website owner should asked himself about his own website. If the answer to every question that follows below was answered with yes, you can be very pleased with yourself and consider yourself the top of the crop, because most websites have flaws for a number of different reasons, mostly related to the limitation of resources and sacrifices that must be made as a direct result of the shortage. Accessibility Navigation Design Content Security Other Technical Considerations

So you want to start a blog

Courtney Tuttle gives detailed description of how to blog

clipped from courtneytuttle.com clipped from courtneytuttle.com 5,263 Words On Starting A Profitable Blog clipped from courtneytuttle.com I want people to be able to get started after reading a single article, and there is no such article that I know of. This is the most thorough article on this subject I have seen anywhere on the internet. Where I Would Start If I had to start my entire business from scratch right now, I would start a blog. (I actually did start this blog recently, although I already have some profitable websites.) Why I Would Recommend Starting A Blog Instead Of An E-commerce Site (or any other type of site) Another reason I would start with a blog is that your blog will do some of your marketing for you. The program that I’m going to tell you to use will automatically alert some blog search engines when you post a new entry. These blog search engines will create links for you, and people will be able to find your site. The more you post, the more exposure you will get with the blog search engines.

Marketing in Second Life

The investment of time far out weighs the return on investment. However, virtual worlds are social networks. Platforms like Second Life should not be ignored.

clipped from gregverdino.typepad.com 7 tips for real-world businesses in Second Life Interestingly, despite last year's rampant over-hyping of SL and the recent negative downturn, at least a few of the avatars that visit us for coffee With crayon say that there are still lots of marketers who are first discovering Second Life and other virtual worlds, and thinking about what opportunities and challenges they present.  Of course, these marketers (and more importantly, the consultants and agencies that they are calling on for guidance) seem a bit more focused on getting it right this time around.  That's good news. Get to know the cultural landscape Improve, don't invade Involve and engage Prioritize usability Leave your parachute at home Understand technical limitations Work with in-world businesses

Ben McConnell's book available...

Are you a high school or college educator?

clipped from www.churchofthecustomer.com "Citizen Marketers" for educators So, high school and college educators: If you're interested in a review copy of "Citizen Marketers" to consider for inclusion in a course syllabus, email me at ben ****at*** benmcconnell.com and we'll make arrangements.

31 Days to becoming a better blogger

Action item list!

clipped from northxeast.com Make the next month your best blogging month yet — one day at a time. Day 1. Write a better ‘About’ page. Day 2. Start using more images in your posts. Day 3. Write a week’s worth of posts in advance. Day 4. De-clutter your sidebar. Day 5. Highlight your most popular posts. Day 6. Start making friends on a social media service like Digg or StumbleUpon. Day 7. Pitch a guest-post idea at the most popular blog in your niche. Day 8. Craft a great resource-list. Day 9. Offer a free service to your readers (without expecting anything in return). Day 10. Pitch a link to one of your blog posts to three other blogs in your niche. Day 11. Add social media links to the bottom of your posts and to your feed. Day 12. Participate in the comments on one of your own blog posts. Day 13. Work out an editorial calendar for your blog. Day 14. Prune your feed subscriptions. Day 15. Write a 10-page report or mini eBook. Day 16. Try adding a new income stream to your blog. Day 17. Think up 20 post ideas you can use.

Sarcasm

clipped from www.google.com Albert Katz, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Western Ontario, has recently looked at the wisecrackers’ focus on one-upsmanship from a biological perspective, showing that people whose brains are best equipped to understand sarcasm tend to have aggressive personalities. Subjects who scored high on aggression tests showed different patterns of brain activity in response to sarcasm than those who did not. The differences suggest that the aggressive subjects were processing nonliteral meaning more quickly. “Sarcasm is definitely a dominance thing—it’s related to being top dog,” Katz says, both for initiators of sarcastic banter and those who catch on and offer a retort.

Something from the world of poetry

interesting imagery

clipped from www.poems.com The Rain-Streaked Avenues of Central Queens D. Nurkse Poetry January 2008 It ends badly, this glass of wine, before you drink it you have to drink a prior glass, before you sip you gulp, before you chug the bottle you pour it down your throat, before we lie together naked, we divorce, before we rest we grow old, it ends in chaos, but it is delicious, when we wake it is the past, we are the faces staring from the high lit window, the unmet lovers, the rivals who do not exist, united in a radiance that will not fade at dawn.

This post gets taken down tonight

Scott Jennings received this notice:

To avoid further harm resulting to our client from the violation of the Court’s sealing Order, we hereby demand that by no later than the close of business tomorrow (February 15, 2008) you: (1) take down your January 30, 2008 article discussing the allegations in the sealed document and (2) send our office all copies of the Complaint in your possession, custody or control.

clipped from brokentoys.org Pierce To Yantis To Evers To Chance: The Rise And Fall Of IGE MMOcitizen.com, a website operated by the law firm currently bringing a class action lawsuit against IGE, obtained and published a copy of a complaint in another lawsuit involving IGE: this one brought against former CEO Brock Pierce last year by co-founder Alan Debonneville. For almost 5 years, Debonneville has dedicated his entire life to the creation, development, and success of IGE US, LLC (”IGE”). IGE’s meteoric rise from an under funded startup to the market leader culminated in a Goldman-Sachs investment of $60,000,000, which set the value of IGE at the time of $220,000,000. While Pierce, a flamboyant former child actor, has always been the public face of IGE, Debonneville has been the tireless working founder, responsible for the expansion and operation of the company.

The power of blogging

lawyers....they think they can keep things contained...they underestimated the power of blogging in this case

clipped from www.massively.com Lawyers representing gold farmers threaten Lum the Mad by Michael Zenke Feb 15th 2008 @ 10:30AM Late last month Scott "Lum the Mad" Jennings put up a post on his well-known MMOG blog site about an ongoing legal battle. It involves former IGE (yeah, the gold farmers) CEO Brock Pierce and co-founder of the company Alan Debonneville. Lum's excellent post, which quotes heavily from the lawsuit documents unearthed by the site Virtually Blind, does little more than sum up the case in one location. Not only have we been following the case along with the VB site, but numerous others have as well. harshly worded note has prompted responses from other MMOGbloggers, such as these posts from Ryan Shwayder and Matt Mihaly. Perhaps Pierce's team should have considered the impact before they asked Lum to take down his post about the lawsuit. This one, over here on his site. The one about the IGE vs. Hernandez suit. His post concerning Brock Pierce and Alan Debonneville. This post right here.

Meaningful Work

clipped from pos-psych.com Flourishing or Soulless Work? By Timothy So “Without work, all life goes rotten. But when work is soulless, life stifles and dies.” Albert Camus Explanation of Crisis 2: Pursuing Extrinsic instead of Intrinsic Goals Many people work very hard solely for the opportunities of promotion, higher salary and status, competition with counterparts, recognition from others, or even fulfilling parents’ expectations. According to Deci and Ryan (1985), these motivations are all “extrinsic” in the sense that they are rewards external to the individual. On the contrary, Deci and Ryan also proposed some “intrinsic” motivations which are inherently interesting or enjoyable, such as the feeling of competency and self-worth. Understanding and appreciating the meaning of work definitely brings intrinsic motivations. Compared to extrinsic ones, intrinsic motivations are suggested by researchers to enhance employee well-being and job satisfaction – such that you will never find your work soulless.

Love is in the air

Love...it is a positive thing

clipped from www.google.com What is Love Anyway? from Positive Psychology News Daily by Aren Cohen Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is that love, like all positive emotions, borders on the spiritual. Yes we can give it words, we can give it science, but at the end of the day, what we feel borders on the magical, because it happens uniquely to us, in only that rarified situation. When we feel it deep in our hearts and our brains, our need to translate it into words and science recedes into the background. Maybe that’s why we have love songs. They allow us to feel it, to confirm that love does exists, and that people definitely love each other, no matter what questions the musicians might ask.

Some Writing Tips

clipped from www.entrepreneur.com John Williams: Image & Branding 5 Tips for Writing Quick-Read Copy Want to keep your audience's attention? Here's how to keep it short. By John Williams   |   July 09, 2007 Here are five easy rules for writing copy for skimmers, scanners and at-a-glancers: 1. Match your copy to your visual (photo or illustration). 2. Display your strongest message "above the fold." 3. White space makes your message stand out. 4. Add a strong call to action at least twice. 5. Focus on benefits, not just features. Finally, keep your sentences short and your style breezy, so your writing is easy to read and skim. When it comes to advertising copy, less is usually more.