Archive for 2009

Warning: Sarcasm ahead

I had 2 networking groups yesterday with two very different experiences. The first was “great” group that a client has asked me several times to go to. It was not too far from me (about 30 minutes I figured) and she endorsed how wonderful it was. Good enough for me – and she wouldn’t be there so I’d be her replacement. Great. Right?

Oy. It actually took me an hour to get there. I’ve been spoiled by working at home and traffic is horrendous going that direction from my house – then I hit this horrible fog and it just wasn’t a good trip. I picked up a friend on the way. We arrived about 10 minutes late and they had just started introductions. So far, seemed like a friendly enough group. All smiles, not put out by having to stop for a few minutes while we apologize for being late and introduced ourselves. Awesome, right?

The first guy introduced himself and the question on the floor was basically “what ties, if any, do you have to a veteran” since it was Vet’s Day on Wednesday. No problem, I thought – whew! I hate talking at these things and my husband was in the Navy, so score! I have something to say! (big sigh of relief). Right?

The 2nd guy… he goes on a small political rant about the ceremony at Fort Hood and how different politically-sided presidents were allowed to be greeted by the soldiers (apparently, there is are different rules for sitting Presidents than past). Whatever. Another person pointed it out to him and he kept going on. At that point, I didn’t care, they all needed to move on – I just really thought it wasn’t the venue for this discussion. Whatever it was, it was so beyond inappropriate, in my opinion. He was obviously very young and very conservative. I’m mid-age and very liberal. Whatever, I don’t care. Some of my best friends and team members are opposite of my views. It doesn’t matter and we don’t talk about it because it just doesn’t matter and no one is going to change their minds and well – it’s business.

The rest of the intros went fine. Again, that guy I really didn’t see as a representation of the group. He’s young and probably all hyped up about political stuff. He’ll figure it out as he gets older. At least I hope.

But then the presentation started. The presenter was there to talk about adoption. She runs an adoption agency. I thought it wasn’t really my bag or something I would expect to see at a business networking group, but I figured I would learn something new and well, that usually makes it worth it. But she lost me pretty quickly when she started out by telling us to keep our hearts open to god for these children. And then several times mentioned that they were looking for good “Christian homes” for these children and mentioned a few churches. Had it not been my first meeting I would have asked if Buddhist, Jewish and other religion homes were excluded. Had I really wanted to show what a smart ass I can be, I would have proclaimed myself Muslim and watched Christian Home lady and Obama Basher’s heads explode together. *laugh*

My point is this… is it me or was both of those probably not appropriate for a networking event? I can see the adoption thing, I mean, it’s her business and she was looking for ideas from the group. But do you feel that God and politics have a place in networking? (For the record, it was held at a cafe, not a church). Is it just me?

Bottom line for me is that while I don’t think it’s the group – I think we just hit it on a very odd day (surely that is not normal!) – I don’t think I’ll be going back. The hour drive to get there once per week really is just too much. It did, however, motivate me to find another networking group besides my usual monthly one. Just a little closer to home.

————-

Speaking of which, my next networking group of the day was my usual Austin Virtual Assistants one. (If you are a VA in Austin, you really should join us – we’ve been together for over FIVE YEARS now!). No, we aren’t always exactly politically correct and we make jokes and we give each other honest (and sometimes brutal – for instance, one lady’s logo – it totally looked like a bug – poor thing had to change it) feedback. But we have that kind of closeness and trust that I think is very important to me in networking. And, yes, we leave our bibles and bumper stickers at home.

.

Lanel Taylor, one of our team members, is doing the Komen for the Cure. Please click here to if you are able to help. Even $5 helps this worthy cause (and it’s tax deductible). Thanks much!

This has affected a few of my family members and I’ve seen friends go through a few scares as well. The risk factors are easy – you are female and you are getting older. Every year I try to give to breast cancer research in the hopes that we find a cure – if not in my lifetime, in my children’s lifetime.

If you can help, then please do so, otherwise, please take a moment to post a note of encouragement to Lanel – you can just comment here

Thank you!

She posted to the listserv at IVAA that she was kind of new and had someone contact her wanting bookkeeping services and needed a contract. I replied and said I would send her one off-list. When the email went out to her address, I looked up as it was going out and noticed her email address ended in “austin.rr.com” – which meant… out of all the people that are members of IVAA, she was LOCAL!

… and I had just quoted someone that sounded really familiar to who she was talking about so I quickly emailed her again saying I had used that contract for someone that same morning and his name was Elmo (I’m not making this up) so if it was the same person, she might want to alter it quite a bit.

I feel so lucky to know this person and be a partner with her at the meetings. We’ve worked together and celebrated both personal and business related triumphs as well as a few setbacks.

To my fellow VAs, If you have the opportunity to meet a Virtual Assistant in your area, DO IT. Meeting Lana truly changed not only my business, but parts of my life as well. She has become a great colleague, but an even better friend.

Here’s to 50 more years, Lana!

I don’t usually post my book reviews on my blog, but this was such a great book for business that I wanted to share it here as well…

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

Wow. They get it. I’ve read various articles and blogs and books about social media and networking and how big businesses should be doing XYZ and maybe even EFG, but most of them are really blowing hot air. I’m no expert and I don’t pretend to be, but I can spot junk a mile away and a lot of these “experts” are pure junk.

I purchased this book in a whim. I heard about it, shrugged my shoulders, grabbed my Kindle, clicked a button and started reading it. It got good reviews, but I really wasn’t expecting such a thoroughly researched and written book. These folks know what they are doing and they have the stats and research to back it up.

I love social media. I have a very small business but I’ve managed to use parts of it to my advantage, while still having fun doing it. I’ve often wondered how big businesses handle it. It seems like such a monumental task for a company like Dell to even begin to enter the, as they put it, groundswell (which is my new favorite word, by the way!). This book gave me not only insight into how they are listening to, speaking with, etc us little folks out here, but what they are doing with that data.

Again, I have a small business, my take on social media is a little different than Dell, but it gave me a few ideas for how I can more effectively use it to my advantage. I really do think this is a must read for anyone involved in social media. Just read it, don’t think twice. Buy it and read it.

I enjoyed this so much that I purchased 2 copies to send to clients of mine that I thought would enjoy it. I don’t do that often, so I know it was a hit with me!

====
Product Description
Corporate executives are struggling with a new trend: people using online social technologies (blogs, social networking sites, YouTube, podcasts) to discuss products and companies, write their own news, and find their own deals. This groundswell is global, it s unstoppable, it affects every industry and it s utterly foreign to the powerful companies running things now.

When consumers you ve never met are rating your company s products in public forums with which you have no experience or influence, your company is vulnerable. In Groundswell, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff of Forrester, Inc. explain how to turn this threat into an opportunity.

Using tools and data straight from Forrester, you ll learn how to:

-Evaluate new social technologies as they emerge

-Determine how different groups of consumers are participating in social technology arenas

-Apply a four-step process for formulating your future strategy

-Build social technologies into your business including monitoring your brand value, talking with the groundswell through marketing and PR campaigns, and energizing your best customers to recruit their peers

Timely and insightful, this book is required reading for executives seeking to protect and strengthen their company s public image.

I know this poor blog is a bit neglected, working on that soon – promise… make sure to stop by GeekGyrls.com and see the post I put up today about my trip to TweetCamp San Antonio. Many thanks to the organizers for putting on a fantastic event!

Accountingweb.com has an interesting article on the rise of “telework”. With the rise in gas prices and many other factors, the number of employees in the United States working remotely rose frome 12.4 million in 2006 to 17.2 million in 2008. While these aren’t all full-time teleworkers, they do all work remotely at least 1 day per month.

For more information and a list of “Key Finding” point your browser to “Telework on the rise as more imployers offer flexible work arrangements.”

I have a theory about Americans. From the day we are born we are taught to compete:

We are taught to do more than our parents. We are pushed to be the best at sports, academics, or music (or all of the above). We are even taught to strive for more than our siblings.

So it should come as no surprise that in business, we can get nasty with the competition. But it does not have to be that way. Sure, competition is great and healthy. But sometimes, it can get out of hand. After all, if they businesses were both planned well then there should be plenty of room for both!

What I recommend is that you go say “Hello!” to the competition. Open a line of communication. I would give a list of the benefits to you and your business, but The Small Business Idea Generator already has come up with a great list! Check it out at:

5 Reasons to Network with Your Competitors.

“Friend me!”

“Bkkper02 would like to add you to their network.”

“CrazySocialGrl101 was sent you a friend request.”

Do these sound familiar? With the rise of online social networks, the term “Networking” has become nebulous. The time of building your business network through hardwork and lots of hand shaking is a thing of the past…. Or is it?

Susan Solovic wrote an article titled “Does Anyone Know What Networking Really Means Anymore?” for Duct Tape Marketing. In the article she addresses many of the common misconceptions about Networking. Her 3 Rules of Networking are an important read for anyone that wants to expand their business or even just their social network.

For those of us in the Virtual Assistant industry, working remotely has become simply a fact of life. But how can other companies learn from our example? There are a few key areas where larger companies get the basics wrong:

1.) They are in too big of a hurry.
2.) They spend too much on technology.
3.) Managers are not trained properly or cannot adapt to the new environment.
4.) Does remote working even make sense for the business?
5.) No testing of the idea.

To look deeper into these failing, take a trip over to Accountingweb.com and read their news story: Five way to get remote working wrong.

If you are like me, the first thing you do in the morning is sit down at the computer and check out the news, or your RSS feeds, or hit the Stumble Button a few times. Do you really want to wait 2 or 3 minutes while your computer starts up? If you are still with me, chances are you leave your computer running all night just so that it is ready to go for you in the morning.

Well, here is some food for thought:

Workers in the United States waste $2.8 billion every year by not turning off their PCs.

The good news is hibernate and sleep modes can drastically reduce power consumption while providing a good alternative to leaving the computer on.

You can read more about the effects of leaving your computer on overnight at ScientificAmerican.com