Are YOU Ready????

Today is a historic day. The country is officially switching all television broadcast from analog to totally digital. If you have an analog TV without a converter, you will not be watching "Family Guy" anymore (or any of your other favorites, unless of course you watch them via the web ;-)).
Today in USAToday, there was a great article discussing how this switch will totally change our viewing experiences.
We have all watched this happen in the print world, where more and more publications are eliminating their print versions and are going totally to digital.
The question is--- ARE YOU READY??? HAVE YOU SWITCHED THE CHANNELS OF YOUR BRAIN???? SIMPLY PUT -- ARE YOU ANALOG OR DIGITAL???

Sign of the Times

If you haven't read Jeff Jarvis' new book, What Would Google Do? You may want to think about picking it up to read this weekend. It is so necessary for all industries to understand how the Internet is changing everything ... FAST!!!! All of us must reinvent ourselves if we want t0 survive. A wonderful company here in NYC is closing it's doors because of the challenges this new market presents.

Another book I would suggest is Seth Godin's book, Survival is not Enough. We are responsible for our destinies and must create our own future.

You're Sooooo "Tweet"

What are you doing?
I mean it. Right now, what are you doing?
This is the question that MILLIONS are answering every minute of the day on TWITTER. Twitter was "born" on March 21, 2006. Relatively unknown then, over the past year TWITTER has grown 700+% to over 10 million users worldwide. Even more amazing to me is the fact that users who are between the ages of 25-54 are the demographic driving this tremendous growth. AND, my Mom is on Twitter!!!!

Because of this rapid rise to greatness, I did some searching and wanted to share some articles and blogposts about the TWITTER phenomena. Darren Rowse wrote a post in December, 2008, Why Twitter Will Go Mainstream In 2009. He shared 10 reasons why TWITTER will continue to take off, one of which being it's popularity among the political and celebrity crowds.

In today's NY Times, there was an article about OPRAH's first "tweets", Oprah’s First Words on Twitter . Wednesday's USA Today had a cover story highlighting how Twitter was interfering with personal relationships; Relationships in a TWIST over Twitter. YIKES!!!!

If you're not on TWITTER, check it out. In 140 characters or less, you can let the world in on what is going on (or not going 0n) in your life.

There is a Reason Why Dinasaurs are Extinct

Change is hard.
Companies do not want to believe that the landscape is changing.
Because of this, there are still companies squandering money on things that they should have never done, or should no longer be doing.
There is a great quote which totally sums this up;
"There is nothing as difficult and as expensive, but also nothing as futile, as trying to keep a corpse from stinking."
I found a great article which highlights some game changing ideas for businesses to start thinking about written by Jena McGregor, "There Is No More Normal". This artilce points out that we all have to start thinking very differently and changing quickly, if we are going to survive and thrive!
One the best quotes from the article was from John Chambers, CEO of Cisco. He said, "Without exception, all of my biggest mistakes occurred because I moved too slowly."
Yes, the game has changed forever. We are soon going to see some new "species of dinosaur" becoming extinct. Let's hope none of us are among that group!

TOTAL TRANSPARENCY

AKA- The Internet Never Forgets...

For the past few months I have been teaching several courses which have focused on using social media for business. I have reminded my students that now more than any other time, they truly are on "Candid Camera"... 24/7...

Because of this, one should always remember that people's first impressions about you can come from your Facebook page, information they find when the "google" you, your blog, your personal website, YouTube videos or anything else which has been posted about you.

Yesterday, Seth Godin had a great post, The Power of a Tiny Picture. Well worth the read!!!! Also below are some more links which highlights how your "electronic shadow" lives forever on the web...

Scientific American

Barking Robot

Wallet Pop

My March 3rd post

The Real American Dream

There was a great article yesterday in the New York Times which you may want to share with your friends and families. It was in the op-ed section, written by David Brooks, entitled The Commercial Republic. Basically the message is that we, as a nation always “bounce back”. It is in our cultural DNA. Click on the excerpt below for the full article….
“From Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, through Horatio Alger and Norman Vincent Peale, up until Donald Trump and Jim Cramer, popular figures have always emerged to champion the American gospel of success, encouraging middle-class people to strive, risk and make money.
This gospel gets dented during each of the nation’s financial crises, but it always returns with a vengeance.”

Social Networks and Blogs - Full Steam Ahead

According to a new Nielson Online report, the internet users in the US and other countries worldwide are using social networks and blogs more than e-mail. (Search still holds the top spot for all online activity) Does this mean that the days of using email as a marketing tool are numbered? Is email going to the same graveyard where direct mail now lies?

You may be thinking that social network sites and blogs are just for fun or a trend. Research shows that the time spent on social networks and blogging sites is growing at over three times the rate of overall Internet growth.

If you would like to learn more, Nielson is hosting a webinar on March 25th, Riding the Wave of Social NetworkingInsights and Tactics for Publishers, Marketers and Agencies. Online analysts Alex Burmaster and Jon Gibs will be discussing the global phenomenon that social networking has become and its implications for business and marketing.

Another One Bites the Dust

If you read the NY Times this morning, you may have seen the article about the Seattle Post. Today is the last day they will distribute a print version of the paper. Moving forward, this Hearst Corp. newspaper will no longer be paper; it will be all-digital.

With this transition to all-digital comes a new business plan. Instead of a staff of 165, there will be a staff of 20. Also, the site will be interactive, allowing readers to comment on the various news items and op-eds.

So like many other industries, the newspapers will not vaporize, rather they will be pushing forward in the digital world.

How is your industry changing? Are you preparing and learning how to evolve and move forward? Or will you be like one of the 145 Seattle Post employees who were not ready for the future? ...the choice is your's...

If your name does not show up on a GOOGLE search...

DO YOU REALLY EXIST???

JUST GOOGLE IT is a well known command and we all know that GOOGLE has become a commonly used "verb". Just as you are "googling" others--you are being googled!!!

Internet search/research has become a recognized procedure in the hiring process, dating :-), product research, and checking out clients (and they are checking out you). Search has become part of our daily lives!!!

Marketing guru, Seth Godin authored a great blopgpost (2/28/09), PERSONAL BRANDING IN THE AGE OF GOOGLE. He talks about the delights and dangers of how you show up in a GOOGLE search.

William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson are two of the world’s leading personal branding experts, have written a manifesto on this same topic, entitled BRANDING YOURSELF IN BITS AND BYTES found on http://www.changethis.com/. They ask the tongue in cheek question, "Will GOOGLE change the way we name out kids?"

If you are interested in successfully increasing your "GQ" - Google Quotient - I highly recommend reading both of these posts!!! Also there is a MINDOPENING book by Jeff Jarvis, WHAT WOULD GOOGLE DO? (see my 1/26/09 post) which is an absolutely amazing read!!!!

Through the Looking Glass...

Thought you might be interested in viewing this page at tompeters.com: http://www.tompeters.com/
Go to the 2/23/2009 post : Jennifer and Brad and Angelina and the Great Recession
Tom Peters makes the point that despite the current market/economic conditions, the “SHOW MUST GO ON”… and does for those who choose to find the opportunities and shun the “sky is falling” mentality…He asserts that those of us who “embrace the future” will be the ones who definitely create it...I say, why not you, why not me, why not us???

Let’s create the future together!!! Any takers?

The Power of Email

Here is an article from E-marketer which I believe needs to be read by ALL of my agents who want to stay in touch with their clients. It effectively points out the POWER OF EMAIL MARKETING---PRINT/DIRECT MAIL IS DEAD!!!!!!

The Powerful Potential of Permission-Based E-Mail

FEBRUARY 24, 2009
The majority of customers who receive e-mail from a company have a more positive image of that company.
Really?
According to “Beyond the Click: The Indirect Value of Email,” from Epsilon and ROI Research, 57% of consumers had a more positive impression of companies they had purchased from when they received e-mail from them—and 40% said such e-mail made a future purchase from the company more likely.
Getting consumers to sign up for permission e-mails may be difficult, but the effort is worth it when 84% said they liked receiving e-mail from companies they had registered with—and more than one-half saved the messages for later review.
Even when consumers have to wade through hundreds of spam messages, they appreciate receiving relevant information.
“E-mail builds loyalty and brand awareness and drives on- and off-line behavior,” said Kevin Mabley, senior vice president of Epsilon Strategic Services, in a statement.
Need data for presentations? eMarketer subscribers can download charts instantly — over 50,000 choices.
To test this thesis, Epsilon looked more closely at one particular category in its “Flying High: Measuring the Value of Email Marketing for the Travel Industry” report.
“In the travel industry where so much activity has moved to the online arena, it’s crucial that companies communicate effectively and efficiently with their customers,” said Mr. Mabley.
In fact, recipients of travel e-mail showed even higher loyalty than retail, consumer packaged goods, pharma or finance category recipients, with 63% saying in October 2008 that they were more likely to buy from companies that sent them e-mail.
A whopping 92% of respondents who received travel e-mail thought it was a “great way” to learn about new products and offerings.
More importantly, consumers often took easily measurable actions such as booking online, clicking links and downloading coupons after receiving e-mail from a travel company.

What is YOUR future????

Will you leave it up to a cookie???

Here is a link to a great video "SHIFT HAPPENS". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8&feature=related

Watch it and then ask yourself...

Am I ready to totally embrace change and believe that change creates opportunity?

What are the new opportunities in my profession, industry, personal life, etc that I want to go after like a heat seeking missile?

YOU ARE NOW LEAN, MEAN, CHANGE LOVING MACHINE!!! WELCOME TO YOUR FUTURE...CREATE IT!!!! RECREATE IT!!!! OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!!!

What Would Google Do?

Jeff Jarvis' new book is out tomorrow.... I am heading to the bookstore first thing in the morning... Suggest you do the same....Check out his video from youtube.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfcWFvkcHVI

Is the End in Sight?

" Newspaper circulation continues to deteriorate as people increasingly go online for news that is timelier and free. And the relatively high fixed costs of paper, printing and distribution show no signs of waning.

The outlook for newspaper publishers is grim. Their business model is broken and advertisers are bailing. Newspaper advertising revenues in the US declined 16.4% in 2008 to $37.9 billion. By 2012, spending will slide to $28.4 billion." --eMarketer

Kids Say the Darndest Things...

Or is it "out of the mouths of babes..."? This is a short video clip which really crystalizes the fact that the future is NOW... What Do Children Think About TV?

From Harvard Business- Are you a leader for tomorrow?

Who is the Leader of the Future?
"A leader doesn't just get the message across - a leader is the message."
What qualities and responsibilities will define the most effective leaders of tomorrow? And what skills and knowledge should you attain to become one of those leaders yourself?
Change management. As markets and technologies shift and advance, organizations and strategies must continually change and adapt. The leaders of the future will need to be masters at managing change.
Deep familiarity with emerging markets. Tomorrow's leaders will need to identify and seize the new possibilities created as emerging markets take center stage in the global economy.
The ability to inspire and motivate. In a future marked by constant change, the ability to inspire and motivate others to work together to achieve common goals will be critical. Without alignment, change initiatives stand little chance of success.
Lean management. They will need to operate in -- and create -- lean, flexible organizations that optimize efficiencies without sacrificing quality
Click this link to read the full article from Harvard Business…

ARE YOU READY????

ARE YOU READY???? The world wide web is just over 5000 days old (Thank you Al Gore)… it has changed our lives- business and personal… As a consequence, change, and the ability to do so, is the new skill… So again I say… ARE YOU READY???


First watch this video http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com/watch?v=iru4BJLMJng , then read the articles below… and re-read and re-watch… the future is now!!!!

Online Video Growth Continues
Eight out of 10 US Internet users watch online video, and the percentage keeps climbing. How much of that video is potential ad inventory? Full Article

When newspapers are gone, what will you miss?
Years and years after some pundits began predicting the end of newspapers, the newspapers themselves are finally realizing that it's over. Huge debt, high costs, declining subscription rates, plummeting ad base--will the last one out please turn off the lights. Full article