Archives for 2010

Leaving Your Comfort Zone

I very rarely watch TV, and when I do it’s not to watch reality shows or similar. But this video from So You Think You Can Dance stopped and made me think (and thanks to my wife for the heads-up).

The Asian contestant, Alex Wong, is a ballet dancer. Yet for his challenge, he had to do a hip-hop routine with all-star hip-hop dancer Twitch. Something completely out of Alex’s comfort zone, but as you can see from the video and crowd/judges reaction, he nailed it. He took a chance, knew what had to be done, and nailed it.

Now think of you and your business, and how this can relate to you.

Comfort zones are funny things. On the one hand, they keep us safe because we don’t expect any surprises. On the other, they stunt our growth because they keep us safe.

Staying within our comfort zone means we don’t have to worry about taking chances; we’ve found our niche and success level and we’re happy to stick to it. That’s fine, and if you just need a certain level of success to achieve the results you first started your business for, then comfort zones will absolutely work for you.

But if you’re looking to really push your business buttons and stand out in your niche or industry, comfort zones will only take you so far. The real success only comes from taking risks.

Push yourself mentally and creatively. Look at everyday things and see how you can take that to the next level. See beyond the simple.

There’ll be a lot of stumbles along the way, and it won’t be easy to take off your comforter blanket and take the steps into new directions. But think of it this way – your customers aren’t standing still. They’re always looking for the best for them, not just the best full stop.

Comfort zones might make you the best; but they don’t necessarily make you the best for your customers. There’s a difference – step outside your zone and you’ll have a better view of what that is.

Not Right Now

We should be in social media – just not right now.

We should start a company blog – just not right now.

We should be making our website more user-friendly – just not right now.

We should be doing a lot of things – just not right now.

Not right now – it’s the phrase that companies and executives/decision makers use when they know they’re behind in the game but they’re not sure how to get into it.

It’s the excuse that takes the heat off the boardroom meetings when asked about the new platforms that are emerging (or have emerged) and is it something our company should be looking at.

It’s the fallback of folks that could make it happen right now if they wanted to, but it seems like a lot of work.

Besides, there’s too much that can go wrong to make the risk (or perceived risk) worthwhile.

True. There is a lot that can go wrong.

There is a lot of work involved.

There is stuff that will be completely out of your hands.

But look at it another way. When you first started your business, was there a chance things could go wrong? Did it involve a lot of work, and long hours, to make it happen? Were there things you couldn’t control, no matter how much you planned ahead?

Of course there were, yet you’re still here.? Because you put the effort in and took the risks. Because you knew that not everything will always goes to plan; you just need to make sure you’re ready with a back-up.

So if you’re caught in the not right now dilemma – either yourself, or with someone that makes the decisions for you – take the chance and think differently (or try and show the not right now’s how to think differently).

You don’t need to jump in and participate in social media right away – but you can listen.?Twitter Search, Facebook Groups, Google Alerts and other free and simple platforms can help you see if you should be in social media, and where, and when.
If you can use email you can blog. Platforms like Posterous and Tumblr allow you to write a blog post simply by emailing in your thoughts – their tech guys will do the rest. Five minutes of your time today can turn you into a thought leader for tomorrow.
You can change your website now and relatively painlessly and have the most user-friendly platform for both you and your customers. Better still, you’ll be in control and not tied to some web guy’s timescale.

Not right now is easy – anyone can say it, and make a pretty good case for it as well. That’s why it’s used so often.

But while you’re saying not right now today, your competitors are jumping in right now and owning tomorrow. So when does not right now become not now, not ever, because you’ve simply been left behind?

photo credit: photoverulam

What’s Going On at BlogCatalog?

FU BAR ;>)

Update October 21 2010: This post was originally written from certain conversations. Events after this post put the following content into question and whether the full story was told here. Hence the strikethoughs. I’m sure the real story will come out sometime…

From its inception, BlogCatalog has been a resource for bloggers to both submit their own blogs and find new ones.

In their own words, BlogCatalog is “the largest user submitted blog directory the world has ever seen.”

It’s helped lesser-known blogs garner more traction; offered advertising spots at a fraction of the cost of other directories; and tied itself to some cool blog campaigns like Bloggers Unite.

Simply put, BlogCatalog has been a great resource for bloggers and blog readers alike.

So it’s been surprising and more than a little disappointing (from a blogger’s angle) to see what’s been happening with BlogCatalog the last few days and weeks.

The IMHO Fiasco

In late 2009, Blog Catalog partnered with Selina Eckersall to create a new platform called IMHO. The program would connect bloggers and brands together to review and promote the brand’s products and/or services.

The difference with IMHO would be that the bloggers would have free rein to really say how the product was – no positive review if it wasn’t deserved, and no pressure from brands on bloggers to be positive or else lose future review opportunities.

Had IMHO come to fruition, it could have been the leading resource for honest reviews, and taken away much of the mistrust when it comes to brands and bloggers.

I say had, because earlier this month, everything went belly up.

Partnerships, Promises and Brand IP’s

Having created the intellectual property (IP) for the IMHO brand, Selina’s part in the IMHO program was to provide the advertising and marketing expertise, with BlogCatalog providing the bloggers from their directory as well as the resources to get the site developed and the back-end engine in place to handle the members.

Due to BlogCatalog’s ongoing revamp, these resources couldn’t be provided. Selina suggested that she then take on majority ownership of the company so she could begin outsourcing work to get the program up-and-running. BlogCatalog would still be recognized as a key partner and any revenue from the program would reflect that.

And that’s where the fun began, and where BlogCatalog’s positioning seems to go off the rails a little.

Several phone calls and emails later, BlogCatalog’s position is that the IP and all other parts of IMHO belongs to them, and that all copyright and resources, designs, etc, should be returned to BlogCatalog, otherwise legal action will be taken.

Next up, BlogCatalog registers a new domain and starts diverting members of the existing IMHO site to the new one. They also forbid Selina from contacting the members she’s helped to keep informed (again under legal restrictions), and delete her account at BlogCatalog itself.

Which brings us to the current situation.

IMHO?

The acronym IMHO can stand for two things – either In My Honest Opinion, or In My Humble Opinion. As a blogger/brand platform, the acronym would have been perfect. As it stands in its current form and legal crapshoot, neither seem to fit.

For her part, Selina decided to walk away completely and give up her IP, brand recognition and future revenue as opposed to being involved in something that had become so tainted. Her open resignation letter to the IMHO members explains this in fuller detail.

As for BlogCatalog? One of the ways they describe themselves in their communications to IMHO members is, “BlogCatalog is about humble opinions about humble companies. Companies that don’t say one thing and do another.”

Kind of seems ironic, given the current state of play, no?

One thing’s for sure – the IMHO fiasco probably isn’t over yet and, from a blogger viewpoint, probably leaves a few questions that BlogCatalog might have to answer about openness and humility.

Something the whole IMHO program was meant to be built on…

(Disclosure. This post references Selina Eckersall, who is a personal friend and business partner. The details are from conversations we’ve had, and comments and actions from Blog Catalog CEO Tony Berkman, amongst others. I emailed Tony for his take but haven’t heard anything back yet).

photo credit: Bob_Wall

Case Study

Don’t wait to read case studies in your industry – be the case study instead.

Team Building

Companies put a lot of effort into team building.

They spend thousands on booking events and locations to foster team spirit. Weekends away, surviving in the wilderness, setting tasks to pass to create a better understanding of teamwork.

Thing is, it’s very often a false economy. Team building exercises like this can work, but often feel like role-playing exercises – they’re not real-life examples.

Instead of sending people away to build a team, why not build it from the inside on recognizable terrain?

Open up the silos; ask for, and then listen to, ideas and suggestions; encourage and recognize greatness; make everyone equal.

Want to build a great team? Make the team great to begin with.