The guy with the bright shirts

Thumbnail image for The guy with the bright shirts

One of my clients makes candy. Really good candy. The colors of their logo, which has been their logo for around 40 years, are green and pink and are pretty distinctive. And their signature candy is made in those signature colors. A few months ago they showed me their latest venture… the candy bus. They […]

Read the full post here

Lipstick on a pig

Thumbnail image for Lipstick on a pig

You’ve heard it before, right? You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. I was looking at a website for a company recently who wanted me to advise them on their website and their social media outreach. In their own minds, they were doing pretty good. In my mind, it was […]

Read the full post here

The sinews of success

Thumbnail image for The sinews of success

I spent some time this past weekend with some successful people. Do you know how to spot success? I guess in some cases you might be able to look at the ‘trappings’ of success… nice cars, big house, lavish vacations… and assume that they are successful at whatever it is they do. But that isn’t […]

Read the full post here

The Moment It Happened

Thumbnail image for The Moment It Happened

It was Christmas 1982. My parents got a TI-99 computer for me and my brother for Christmas. My little brother was only 8 years old and consumed with tinker toys and legos, so the computer was really for me. Today it is hard to imagine how excited a kid can get with a device like […]

Read the full post here

Facebook’s Google+ To-Do List

Thumbnail image for Facebook’s Google+ To-Do List

So all the tech writers in the world have been prognosticating about Google+… Google+ this, Google+ that, what it all means, which social networking site is toast, and on and on, ad nauseum. So of course, I am going to jump in and add to the noise. Let me say right up front that I […]

Read the full post here

10 Miles Wide, 1 Inch Deep

Thumbnail image for 10 Miles Wide, 1 Inch Deep

Everything rises and falls on leadership. And of course leadership isn’t easy or everyone would be a leader. In my estimation there are many things that leaders have to concentrate on to be successful leaders, and I want to talk about a few of them in this post. I live in the world of technology […]

Read the full post here

Listen first

Thumbnail image for Listen first

At a conference this past week I was fortunate to speak to lots of great people about their social media outreach. There are many well-intentioned organization/business owners out there who really do want to connect with their customers/constituents using social media, but they don’t know where to start. To me, that’s the easy part and […]

Read the full post here

More ‘you’, Less ‘me’

Thumbnail image for More ‘you’, Less ‘me’

I say this all the time… ‘talk about others 10 times more than you talk about yourself’. And that is more true now than ever. I may have heard that from Chris Brogan or some other thought leader in the social media space, but it just makes good common sense regardless of who said it. […]

Read the full post here

Don’t Be A Vacuum Cleaner Salesman

Thumbnail image for Don’t Be A Vacuum Cleaner Salesman

I spoke at a conference this past weekend and talked to a ton of great people about their social media outreach and how they can use social media to grow their business. As usually happens, lots of people want me to look at their social media sites and give them my opinion. So I discovered […]

Read the full post here

Top 5 Small Business Social Media Issues

Thumbnail image for Top 5 Small Business Social Media Issues

Depending on which survey you look at, the statistics are generally consistent when it comes to small businesses and their use of social media. The bottom line is that the majority of small businesses don’t use social media on any level, and many of those that do don’t have an actual plan or strategy to […]

Read the full post here

Engaging Hearts and Minds

Thumbnail image for Engaging Hearts and Minds

One of the things I love about teaching is seeing the light bulb go on in the ‘student’s’ eyes. That moment when you know they get it. That’s why I always try really hard to keep my advice simple and easy to understand. We techie people tend to speak in a language that non-techie people […]

Read the full post here

Give them the puzzle box

Thumbnail image for Give them the puzzle box

I don’t like puzzles so much anymore. You know, the ones that come in a box in a gazillion pieces and you have to put it together? Thank God for the box or the whole process would be unbearable to me. I guess I’m a big-picture guy come to think of it. I like to […]

Read the full post here

The 10 things you need to be doing on Foursquare right now.

Thumbnail image for The 10 things you need to be doing on Foursquare right now.

Ok, so you have come over to my way of thinking about Foursquare and you are ready to jump in with both feet. So now what do you do? Read on… 1. First of all, you need to be a Foursquare user. You don’t need to be trying to do anything with your business in […]

Read the full post here

Yes, Mayorships really do matter

Thumbnail image for Yes, Mayorships really do matter

I love introducing people to services like Foursquare. Explaining the badges, mayorships, check-ins, and so forth is pretty fun, and it usually gets lots of laughs and some strange stares from folks who don’t really understand. Invariably someone will say to me, “I don’t get it. What is the big deal about mayorships? That sounds […]

Read the full post here

Dancing With The Social Media Bear

Thumbnail image for Dancing With The Social Media Bear

The late Yitzhak Rabin, former Prime Minister of Israel, used to say that the only problem with dancing with a bear is that once you start, you can never let go. I think that is an awesome analogy and relevant to what it means for businesses today who want to hop on the social media […]

Read the full post here

Do As I Say, Not As I Do.

Thumbnail image for Do As I Say, Not As I Do.

Yeah, you’ve said it to your kids, right? “Why do I have to do this mom??” “Because I said so.” That is where I find myself these days when it comes to my consulting business and the advice that I give to people. But I don’t always follow my own advice, for one reason or […]

Read the full post here

When It All Falls Apart

Thumbnail image for When It All Falls Apart

My heart sank. I mean, like, really sank. I was staring at the blank screen that was my website and wondering how it could all go so wrong, so fast. Like any consultant, my website is my lifeline. It’s where I communicate what’s going on with me, what I am thinking, provides ways for people […]

Read the full post here

Social Media Guidelines for Small Business

Thumbnail image for Social Media Guidelines for Small Business

Guidelines? For a small business? You’re kidding, right? No dude, I’m like totally serious. According to a report done in 2010 called “Employer Perspectives on Social Networking”, which compiled data from over 34,000 companies in 35 countries, 75% of employers say they have no formal policy or guidelines for their employees about appropriate use of […]

Read the full post here

Blessed With Hunger

Thumbnail image for Blessed With Hunger

And I am ready like the young salmon To leave his river, blessed with hunger; For a great journey on the drawing tide. That is from a poem by David Whyte, a poet who lives on Whidbey Island, in Washington State. I had never heard of him until I sat in a session led by […]

Read the full post here

A Social Media House of Cards: Starbucks & Foursquare Get It Wrong Again

Thumbnail image for A Social Media House of Cards: Starbucks & Foursquare Get It Wrong Again

Article first published as A Social Media House Of Cards: Starbucks & Foursquare Get It Wrong Again on Technorati. It was awkward. The looks that we gave each other across the counter didn’t have to happen, but they did. I was eager to participate in the Starbucks/Foursquare promotion but the poor barista had no idea […]

Read the full post here

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →