Archives for 2010

What I’m Thankful For

Here in Canada, it’s Thanksgiving weekend.

Coming from the U.K. originally, I was always aware of the Thanksgiving holiday, but we don’t celebrate it. I didn’t even know Canada had its own Thanksgiving – I always thought it was just a U.S. holiday.

Having experienced it for the last four years now, I have to say it’s one of my favorite times of the year.

It’s a time that we can let all the crap in the world disappear, if just for a weekend, and look back at everything we have to be thankful for. We don’t do that often enough, in my opinion. So it’s great to be able to take dedicated time and really appreciate how lucky we are (even if we think we aren’t).

So I’d just like to share some of the things I’m thankful for this year, if that’s okay with you.

I’m thankful for having my health after a bit of a scare earlier this year. Good always comes from bad, though, and it made me realize that we only have one shot at what we do; we can’t afford to waste it.

I’m thankful for having the opportunity to do a job I love with a business partner I trust implicitly. It’s not often you get both of these together; the fact I’m lucky enough to enjoy both means it doesn’t feel like going into work. For that, I’m gratefully lucky.

I’m thankful for knowing that, as much as the world can be a bad place, it’s also full of people who believe in change. That individually, we can be strong; together, we’re a force to be reckoned with.

I’m thankful for having the most amazing blog community. Yes, I know every blogger says it, and they probably do – but I sincerely think you are one of the best period, and you prove that day in and day out. For that, I thank you.

I’m thankful for knowing you on all of your online and offline places. People say you can’t make true friends on the Internet – I say bullcrap. Knowing you, and interacting with you on a daily basis, just keeps proving me right.

I’m thankful for living in a country that offers so much. Much of what’s made me who I might be today has happened in the last four years; living in a country like Canada has been a huge part of that, despite some trials and tribulations along the way.

Most of all, I’m thankful for having three amazing women in my life.

I’m thankful for my wife’s grandmother, Ann, who’s been my unofficial mother since I arrived in Canada.

I’m thankful for my wife’s mum, Traci, who’s helped in ways she can never know when the chips have been down.

And I’m thankful for my wife Jacki, who’s been the rock behind everything I do and given me more than I could ever ask for. I’ve not always been the husband I should be; I’ve not always been “there” when I needed to be. But through it all, Jacki has been, and for that I can never be thankful enough.

To my Canadian friends, have a safe and very Happy Thanksgiving with you and yours.

To my other friends, here’s to this weekend being one of your best. I’m signing off for a couple of days; I’ll see you after my turkey fix.

Slainte!

image: sebastien.b

10 Things Your Parents Told You That Still Apply to Social Media

This is a guest post by my friend Iggy Pintado. Iggy is the Director of Marketing, Sustainability & Innovation at UXC Connect . He is also a professional speaker and author of the book,?Connection Generation. You can find Iggy on Twitter at @IggyPintado. This blog post was inspired by a conversation between Iggy and his daughter Rachel on a recent road trip.

1.?How would you like it if someone did that to you?

The old adage of “do-to-others-as-you-would-have-done-to-you” is as much a religious commandment as it is social media principle numero uno.

2. Are you going out looking like that?

Make sure your profile – posts, photos, videos, etc. – reflect who you are and how you want to be perceived online.

3. If you can’t say anything good about someone, don’t say it all.

Be nice to people and try to be positive. That’s all.

4. Don’t play with fire.

If you know someone or something isn’t good, don’t engage – you’ll just get burned.

5. If you go cross-eyed and the wind changes, it’ll be permanent.

Unlike this advice, whatever you DO post online, stays online. You may think it doesn’t but the truth is – it does.

6. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

Keep it clean. Don?t use words your mother finds offensive. Watch the words you use – people are listening and judging.

7. Everything in moderation.

Careful with over-sharing and potential spamming. Also, watch that you don’t spend too much time online that it consumes you.

8. Think before you speak.

Watch what you say. If angry, count to ten first before responding. If really angry, sleep on it and answer after a good night’s rest.

9.?Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

You may want to try more than one social media platform. Don’t just blog, Facebook and Tweet. Use Linkedin for business connections.

10. Go clean your room!

Make sure your social media presences are updated. It’s worth posting regularly on your blog and updating your Facebook profile.

Which one’s your favorite? Can you think of any more? All comments welcome!

The Problem with Automated Urinals

I have a problem with automated urinals.

Not in how I use them; I know how to pee in public (and I’m sorry if this post veers off into uncharted territory here – I’ll try keep it clean). No, I’m more frustrated with the way automated urinals use themselves.

For anyone not sure what an automated urinal is (my lady readers might not be aware of their delicacies, for instance), here’s the quick overview.

You go to a public toilet (or washroom, as they’re called here in North America).
You “do your business” at the urinal.
You have the choice of pressing a button or flipping a handle/switch to flush, or you leave it to the urinal’s automatic flush.
You go wash your hands and leave.

Simple, right? So you’d think. But there seems to be a new breed of automated urinals on the loose, and they’re the ones that are out to frustrate. Here’s why.

Jumping In Prematurely

The difference between a manual flush and an automated one is clear. With a manual flush, you know when you’re finished and ready to flush. Perfect – pee, put away, push button. Job done.

With the automated approach though, it can often begin the flush cycle before you’re done. Which is always fun to get some nice splashback from a still-in-use urinal (sorry, I did say I’d try and keep it clean!).

So, no matter if you’re ready for it or not, automation is kicking in and probably ruining your day. Not good.

One Size Fits All

While this isn’t really a problem just for automated urinals, it does come into play a little bit more when it is automated.

Basically, most urinals (at least the ones I’ve used) are all a standard size. Unless it’s open plan – then it just looks like a line-up not too dissimilar from pigs eating at a trough.

With the closed ones, though, they’re pretty much standardized as far as dimensions go. So, you can be tall, small, wide, thin, hunchbacked or any other numerous descriptions that separates us from each other. And this can be a pain at an automated urinal.

Say you get an extra-wide guy next to you – you have to try and accommodate by moving over a bit (trust me, you don’t want to share pee space!). Of course, the issue is, because you’ve moved over, you’re now in the line of fire of the urinal next to you. And if the automated system kicks in too early again… You get the point. Again, not good.

Being Unprepared for the Unexpected

It happens. You might go to the toilet, and you could be on the phone as you go in (either calling or texting/instant messaging). Generally, if I’m on a call, I’ll say I’ll call back before going in, so no problem there. But I have been texting occasionally before I need to use the urinal.

Of course, the problem here is that the automated urinal only sees what’s in front of it, and gauges that (by the amount of time I’ve been stood in front of it), I must be done. On with the flush cycle which, once more, can come with the lovely splashback syndrome if the urinal isn’t at optimal emptiness for a flush cycle.

Again, as before, not good.

Are You Taking the Piss?

Okay. So we’ve gone through three examples of why I hate automated urinals. And you’re maybe thinking, “What the hell is Danny telling us this for? This is meant to be a marketing blog with social media insights, no?”.

And you’re right.

So, switch out automated urinals for your business. Or your marketing. Or your sales pitch. Or your advertising. Or your branding. Or any other metric that makes or breaks a business. Look at the sub-headers, and ask yourself the following questions:

Jumping in Prematurely. Are you jumping into a new market prematurely? Are you expanding your services too prematurely? Is your quality control process premature in offering solutions, and actually causing more problems?
One Size Fits All. Are you offering a one size fits all solution when every customer needs a different one? Are you missing leads because you’re focusing on the same sales pitch for every customer? Are you herding your employees into the same “do as we say” mindset instead of encouraging creativity and leadership?
Being Unprepared for the Unexpected. Do you have a back-up if things go pear-shaped? Can you run your business if a key supplier went out of business? Are you putting all your leads into a single or limited client basket? Are you prepared for a crisis erupting around your brand?

I started this blog talking about automated urinals (and they do actually bug the heck out of me). But like I say, swap that out to a business view, and it still rings true. If you’re automating things when manual would be better, you’re probably being less useful than you think.

So – are you prepared or are you just flushing your success away?

image: salendron

Building Social Media Bridges

As I?m writing this, there?s a ton of rain pouring down outside. There?s a really biting wind and the light is starting to fade, even though it?s only mid-afternoon ? not a day for going anywhere. Winter is definitely on its way, even though fall has just arrived. So what better time to make social media plans to get you through the dark months ahead?

Make Meaningful Friends

As a way of meeting new friends that can offer help both personally and professionally, Twitter is one of social media?s greatest tools. What started out as a fun conversation can suddenly offer inspiration to change the world around you. So here?s a suggestion.

Between now and the end of the year, make 100 new friends on Twitter. But don?t just add friends for the sake of numbers ? use the search option to meet people that would normally be outside your radar. And when you?ve befriended them, talk to them. Make conversation and listen at the same time. I guarantee you?ll enjoy it.

Explore the Sphere

As much as I love to write, I also love to read. Books, magazines, blogs ? you name it, if it?s got some form of text I?m there. But I used to be guilty of staying in the same niche. Reading only blogs that were in my industry or hobby list. So I began to watch who was being recommended on Twitter. I looked at the blog links in my comments section ? and I?m glad I did.

I?ve found some truly great writers that I would never have known had I remained in my bubble. I heartily encourage you to break out from your bubble and expand your reading circle. I?ve learned some great things ? I?m sure you will too.

Housecleaning

I still have too many social media accounts. I’m getting better at being focused, but I know I don?t need some of my current micro-blogging sites or social network memberships. So I?m cleaning my social media cupboard out. Narrowing the list to two at most in each field. Instead of being spread thin across many, I hope to be more effective across the few.

These are just three things I?m doing to keep myself busy and entertained in the months ahead. What will you be doing?

image: sgs_1019