Facing Adversity without Lessons Learned

While working for a company, I moved to another position within the same company for a promotion. It was exciting to switch from process management to marketing. It didn’t take long to regret the change. The person I thought I would report to went on a special project and never returned. She had such an … Read more

8 Ways to Kiss up to the Media

Photo credit Mike Wade The popularity of Peter Shankman’s Help a Reporter Out (affectionately known as HARO) proves many of you, your company or clients want to get in the spotlight. Occasionally, Peter kicks folks off the list because they can’t follow one simple rule: By joining this list, just promise me and yourself that … Read more

Book Review: The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

Beware The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur has a potty mouth, but that’s what makes it endearing and an engaging read. Author and TP entrepreneur (TPE) Mike Michalowicz uses it as his brand. Anyone who doesn’t like potty mouth is probably not his ideal audience anyway. While potty humor — especially in the movies — tends to … Read more

Book Review: Tuned In

“Tuned in” explains the difference between Apple Newton’s failure and iPod’s success. Apple wasn’t tuned in when it created Newton, but when it promoted “1000 songs in your pocket,” Apple solved several problems: giving people a way to carry their songs in something small, making it easy to get songs from computer to iPod and … Read more

PR Fail on Company Sites

We won’t debate the changing PR landscape and how PR folks need to reach out to journalists. Instead, let’s talk about how companies can better serve journalists. Jakob Nielsen provides five reasons journalists visit a company’s web site: Locate a PR contact (name and telephone number). Find basic facts about the company (spelling of an … Read more

6 Steps to Get It Done for Home Office Workers

Why do we “get a feeling or craving” for something at a certain time of year? It’s Pavlov at work. These become habits and with habits come expectations. Not everyone can succeed in working in a home office. The temptation to procrastinate and do non-work stuff is too great. Lone workers don’t have to worry … Read more

Watch Your English Style for Web Content

I’m hooked on As Time Goes By, a British TV show starring the Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer. I’m also getting into British-based Prime Suspect with Helen Mirrin. Not only do I enjoy the repartee between Dench and Palmer, but also hearing the British accents. While I may not have good hearing, I can see … Read more

4 Steps to Run with Twitter

I helped a client, Martin Amm of adenin, set up a twitter account since he’s a very busy feller. It was a breeze compared to when I set up my twitter account for the first time. The difference: Experience. I made two blunders, which better helped me understand the mistakes. Mistake #1a: Selecting a bad … Read more