Not for use in the microwave.

In this post, Ann Padley describes the value of showing how your products and services fit into your customers’ lives …

I was recently invited to one of those "at home" parties. You know the type. The hostess invites all of her "friends" over. You are all pitched revolutionary new products that will change your lives by keeping your food fresh longer, making your house smell better or transforming your husband into a grill-master.

Sometimes at these parties I actually leave convinced that the quality of the product is worth every penny. Other times - okay most of the time - I leave realizing that my friend made out like a bandit with free stuff, the sales lady just made 38% commission and I paid twice as much for a candle that looks surprisingly like the one I bought at Target® yesterday.

This was one of those parties.

I stopped listening to the presentation about five minutes in. I was lost at the words, “not microwave safe, not for the freezer … no, you really shouldn’t put them in the dishwasher either.” Really? What would I use them for then?

While the presentation continued, my mind wandered back to a presentation that my teammate Brenda had recently made on how ideas spread. She shared with us the characteristics that successful ideas, concepts and even products tend to share:

1. Easy-to-understand advantage
2. Fits with life
3. Easy-to-use
4. Can ‘test drive’
5. Can ‘see’ the benefits

The “at home” company clearly had the ‘test drive’ down! The products were right there in front of 15 people who could hold them, test them and even see a demo of them in action. They were definitely easy to use - open the lid, close the lid – the lids fit and were even color-coded. But, as a consumer, I was lost was at the point of understanding how the product fit with my life. And from there, the benefits and advantages disappeared.

Let’s say I were to buy this container. I would use it to bring my lunch to work. Yum, homemade garlic ginger stir fry! When lunch time comes I would – wait – I can’t microwave it. I need a plate, which means two dishes to wash instead of one. It’s okay, I’ll just put them in the – wait – I can’t put the container in the dishwasher, either.

This overpriced dish clearly would not fit my lifestyle. I’m glad I didn’t buy it.

If you own, run or even work at a business, take a minute to think about this. Do your products and services meet the five criteria above? If so, do your customers know that? Make sure to keep these tips in mind as you begin your next marketing campaign. I know I will!

If you are interested in learning more about how ideas spread, take a look at the book Diffusion of Innovations by Everett Rogers.

My Very Own Handwriting Font

After working with countless varieties of handwriting fonts throughout the years, I decided it was time to create my own …

A quick Google search led me to yourfonts.com. I settled on this font generator, because it seemed easy to use and provided lots of reviews from satisfied customers. In seven short steps, I had my very own handwriting font!

1. Print Template. To get started, I downloaded and printed out their letter template.
2. Complete Template. They provided adequate instructions on how to draw each letter/character into the designated cells.
3. Scan & Save Template. After I had drawn all the characters I wanted to include in my font, I scanned the template at a high resolution and saved it to my desktop.
4. Upload Template. I found this section easy to navigate. I also named my font (Tavia Print) in this step.
5. Preview Your Font. This part was nice, because I was able to see all of my characters next to each other. If I wasn't happy with any of them, I could start the process over. I could also key in custom text to see the font in use when typing.
6. Download. For just $9.95, my personal font was sent to my email where I could download it.
7. Install and Use. I imported the font into my font manager and was ready to go!

Overall, I am satisfied with the outcome. The process went quickly, and I am excited to use my new personalized font. There was an option to include a second template with more characters for $14.95, but I found the one template to be sufficient for my use.

-Tavia

Working from home: A year’s worth of perspective

In this post: Jaimy shares a few lessons learned during her time spent working virtually ...

As many of you may know, for the last 12 months, I’ve been working virtually for Blue Door from Davenport, Iowa. As some of you may also know, in just a week’s time, I will be back to work in Oshkosh from Blue Door’s office as a Social Media Specialist, leaving my virtual work environment behind.

I am excited and ready to be back in-office. I can’t wait to jump back into the hectic, stimulating marketing world that I’ve been slightly missing out on in a work-shift environment. And, I’m eager to grow coworker and client relationships, with both old friends and new.

That being said though, I do have to be honest: There are definitely parts of working virtually that I will miss! I’m hoping I can find a way to manage the best of both worlds, finding creative means to get the same benefits of working virtually, while still spending the majority of my time in-office.

I’ve gained a lot of perspective over the last year too, that’s for sure—both professionally and personally. And, I’ve learned a lot about myself and what career I want to grow into. Here’s just a taste of what I’ll be bringing back to Oshkosh with me, come September:

• A greater appreciation for
  face-to-face communication. I’ve learned that online conferencing—however evolved it is—cannot replace the value of in-person conversation. We say so many important things with our bodies and facial expressions that are often missed in other forms of communication. I’m a “people person,” and I’ve never been more aware of that as I am now.
• A stronger sense of project management. Working virtually presents new and different challenges to managing a project that are not as prominent when working in-office. I hope to use some of these lessons learned in new projects that come my way in 2010 and beyond.
• The ability to push worrying aside and
  move forward more easily. If you know me, you know I have the tendency to over-stress and, in turn, build anxiety within. Working virtually has taught me the importance of letting go, learning lessons, saving energy and moving on. Oh yeah, and to sit back, relax and just breathe once in awhile.
• An improved knowledge of what motivates me professionally. When working from a home office, personal and professional lines blur, and motivation can sometimes escape you. Working virtually made me assess what truly motivates me to take it to the next level, and how I can best infuse those motivations into my everyday work.

Finally (and perhaps most importantly), I’ve learned this: You can’t plan for everything. It sounds simple, but therein lies its beauty.

I’m a planner at heart, and am always looking five to 15 steps ahead, depending on the situation. Over the last 12 months, I’ve come to realize that, although planning may feel safer, it is often not bolder. Too much planning results in little room for chance. Surprise and the unexpected are important elements of life, and I believe they are crucial to finding happiness within oneself.

That being said, here's to what the future may hold. I'm thrilled to come back to Oshkosh and ready to look forward ... just not too far ahead, of course.

The Smart Phone Hold Out

Many of you have expressed concern regarding my sanity; some of you even indignation over my actions. And, for those of you who have no idea what travesty I am referring to, let me clarify. I don't own a smart phone ...

I'm a self-proclaimed "techie," but I have been reluctant to toss aside my four-year old Motorola V710 for fear that I will be even more reachable than the 24/7 I already am!

OK, there's more to it than that. I have a visceral reaction to throwing away anything that still works. And, (believe it or not) this T-Rex of a phone does - even if I have to occasionally hunt down a battery from E-bay.

No, I don't text on it - it's nearly impossible. And, I certainly don't send pictures through it - the camera quality is poor. So, why you ask do I hold on to this antique?

I suppose outside of the fact that it still works, I am hard on my phones. I throw them in my purse, along with my keys and frequently drop them on the nice, hard cement. Despite this abuse, my $40 wonder has been like the Energizer Bunny ... it just keeps going and going.

However, I realize that my time is running out. I've been cornered too many times on this issue and the looks I am receiving when I open my flip phone are starting to become ridiculous. It's sort of like working for BMW, but driving a 1999 Hyundai. People are questioning my sanity.

It's this reason that I'm confessing my sins. I need some guidance from those that have converted to the church of Smart Phone. What should I get? Android, BlackBerry or iPhone or some other hand-held, life-altering gizmo?

The list of choices is long and intimidating, which has fed my "hold out" attitude. But no more. I've been shown the way and will likely cave - maybe even before the end of the year.

So, any thoughts, opinions or teasing? All are welcome!

"Low Price Guarranty" - The disturbing reality of errors!

In this post, Jen discusses how more attention to detail is essential ...

Eight inch letters stating "Low Price Guarranty".... yes, sadly enough that's what I viewed driving down the main road in a nearby town at a large automobile dealership selling one of America's top brands of vehicles.

Earlier this month in North Carolina, a road contractor was hired to paint the road to notify drivers that a high school was nearby....the outcome....huge white letters spanning two lanes of traffic stating "SHCOOL".

The Hollywood Walk of Fame star for Julia Louis-Dreyfus was misspelled originally, leaving out the "o" in "Louis" and the hyphen before "Dreyfus". This error has now been corrected.

In 1962, when the Mariner 1 space probe was sent on a mission to Venus, it was completely destroyed within minutes due to a programmer failing to insert the correct mathematical symbol into a computer code. This typo was valued around $80 million.

Last year, Chile released 1.5 million coins with "CHIIE" instead of "CHILE" when an engraver left out the bottom portion of the letter L.

Some of these examples are obviously more grand than others, but all in all they show a lack of attention to detail. The impact of typos, spelling errors and grammatical errors plays a part in how companies, organizations or even countries can and will be viewed.

I, for one, can say that if I were in the market to buy a new or used vehicle, I would not darken the doorstep of the automobile dealership I mentioned above. How could I trust that the vehicle inspections, paperwork, maintenance records and any other related material were done with accuracy when a spelling error of that proportion made it to an extremely large sign in front of their business?

Now, I know we are all human. With that comes human error. But, crutches do exist for these types of mistakes. We all know of spell check. This is a great tool, but only a tool - it is not the saving grace of all writing and content errors. Please utilize it for the value it does bring. Knowing that we need more than just spell check, I found a site that I felt had a list of very helpful proofreading tips, which I have outlined below. I think that each and every one of us needs to make it a goal to aim for perfection in our writing, whether it be essays, emails, blogs, articles, proposals or whatever project you have at hand.

8 Proofreading Tips and Techniques
1. Concentration is Key
2. Put It On Paper
3. Watch Out for Homonyms
4. Watch Out for Contractions and Apostrophes
5. Check the Punctuation
6. Read It Backwards
7. Check the Numbers
8. Get Someone Else to Proofread It

Further details on these outlines tips are given on the site.

If you have any additional thoughts and/or helpful tips on proofreading and perfecting writing skills, please share!

Knowledge and power

In this post, Andrea shares her (ir?)rational fear of a certain search engine giant ...

Paranoia. Quirkiness. Realism. Whatever the label, there is an obscene number of things in life that freak me out. Some of these things, like the Montauk Monster and the little baby oranges that grow inside of larger oranges (or as I call them, parasitic oranges) are utterly irrational. These are things I really shouldn’t waste my time worrying about.

Then, on another level, there’s a whole other category of things that give me the heebie jeebies. Things that are, to me, quite rational concerns but admittedly perhaps somewhat improbable or indeterminate. Like what, you ask? Well, for starters, being mauled by a bear. Gamma rays. DNA profiling. Google™.

Oh yes, Google. Despite being an avid user of Gmail and a fan of linked data Internet searches, I am very leery--if not scared--of Google and I’d like to share my reasoning:

1. The sheer amount of data and information Google has access to.
   We willingly give our data to Google with every Internet search we conduct, every e-mail we draft in Gmail, every document we create in Google docs, every phone call we make with Google voice, every time we use our iPhones to find the nearest restaurant with Google maps. Google has so much data, in fact, that it recently purchased a wind farm to assist in economically powering its million some data centers and more than 450,000 servers (servers that it builds on its own, an operation a Google server designer himself once called “Our own Manhattan Project”). Currently enthralled in a massive lawsuit over privacy and unlawful data collection across the globe, this is only the beginning. Knowledge is power, intelligence is profitable. For now, Google uses this data to profit from advertising while offering an extremely powerful tool for internet users. But what happens if Google decides to leverage all that data some other way? What if someone else gets their hands on all that information? Like when Google China was hacked to reveal the source code and information on human rights activists?
   
   
2. Google’s aim to be, well, everything to everyone—whether you like it or not.
   Google has a hand in every pie, across the globe: Internet, telephones, television, health care, biotechnology, you name it. It’s one thing to corner your market but when your market is, well, everything, I’m fairly certain there’s an inherent risk of a monopoly present. I’m not the only who feels this way: Google has actually already been declared a monopoly by the French government and has been investigated on similar charges by the European Commission. Also recently, Google has been in talks over net neutrality—something that in theory would debunk this point of mine—but read between the lines. The net neutrality that Google, in partnership with Verizon, wants is very different from the net neutrality posed by the FCC. Some argue that the Google/Verizon version could make the Internet more or less a closed platform.
   
   
3. Google has political power and it has flexed this muscle internationally.
   Domestically, Google employs a team of 30 staffers to work capitol hill while linking itself with a few of the biggest names in lobbying, like Podesta Group and McBee Strategic Consulting. While the giant appears to be lobbying for some socially awesome things, like clean energy, in addition to pretty predictable open data and tech legislation, it’s also building relationships and bridges for future efforts. This really isn’t that brow-raising when compared with the lobbying efforts (and dollars spent) by other major corporations in the U.S., but paired with the sway of power Google appears to hold across borders, such as the ability (and the backing of the U.S. government) to bring internet censorship in China to its knees at least temporarily, it’s just a tiny unnerving, no? Every super hero fights the conscious and ongoing battle of using power for good instead of evil. As long as Google is as dedicated to this fight as they claim to be, perhaps we’re okay … but is what we’re trusting them with worth the risk?
   
   
4. Airplanes
   So perhaps not a reason, but really ... why, oh why, does Google need a fighter jet AND a robot spy plane? Let alone a fighter jet OR a robot spy plane?
   

Perhaps the only thing I’ve illustrated in this blog post is my own paranoia or my overarching fear that the Internet has been built and continues to be built and used without anyone thinking about the consequences. But hey, we’re all afraid of something. Unless, of course, you’re Google.

What do you think? Are you afraid of Google?

Disconnecting Gives Way to Reconnect

In this post, Tavia discovers the benefits of disconnecting ...

How often do you truly disconnect from technology? Can you imagine a day or week without email, Facebook, Twitter or your cell phone? Every five years my extended family gets together for a weeklong camping adventure in Upper Michigan. And when I say camping, I don't mean pop-up campers and showers. I mean tents, no toilets or running water and food cooked over a campfire. It also means no cable, internet connection or cell service. Going into the trip, I wasn't sure what I was more nervous about: the fact that I was going to be showering in a lake or not being able to check my email or Facebook account. I was a little anxious about being disconnected from my everyday routine.

On the six hour drive to Ottawa National Forest, I played Words with Friends, commented on Facebook statuses and texted more then I needed to. I tried to squeeze in as much technology as I could before losing my signal. But along the way, as the highway turned into dirt roads, I felt the need to check in slowly slip away. I was surrounded by natural, untouched beauty: trees as far as the eye could see, the sound of the wind, sunrises over the lake. And conversation. Real human interaction. Family. Laughter. Creating memories with loved ones I hadn't seen in years.

As the days went on, I didn't think about tweeting or texting or IMing. My mind was clear to be in the moment, and I was free from the need to rush to my computer or phone to check in. I wasn't concerned about what I was missing in other people's lives or the number of emails in my inbox. I was focused on climbing waterfalls and communicating in person with my family. By the end of the trip, I was happy I survived the bugs, the leaky air mattress and the rain. I was also content that I didn't feel the need to turn on my computer as soon as I walked in the door.

Throughout this trip into the Northwoods, I realized that sometimes we need to disconnect from technology in order to reconnect with family and friends. So although you may not be sleeping in a tent anytime soon, take a day or two to turn off your cell phone and shut down your computer. You'll be glad you did.