Blue Door Consulting: Out of the Blue

The Importance of Being You.

2012-01-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

In this post, Matt Vanderlinden talks about why it's important for brands to be themselves...

There is no one in the entire world who’s more you than you. Obvious? Perhaps, but it’s certainly worth taking a second to explore. Especially when it’s put in the context of marketing a brand or a company. Organizations, after all, are just groups of people. And they’ll exhibit the same behaviors as the individuals who make them up. Bottom line, each organization is unique. It has its own history and its own personality. So why do so many companies try to look and sound like someone else?

I'm going on the record to say that companies need to be themselves. Talk in your own unique voice. Be you.

I’ve seen it time and time again over the course of my work life. Companies focus on features, specs, and price. That’s not to say that those things don’t matter to consumers. They certainly do. But what matters more is whether your customers connect with your brand. Whether they believe your brand is authentic. If they do, they’ll trust you, which leads to the only bastion of brand loyalty that’s left in today’s competitive landscape.

If your only advantage is price, your days are numbered.

Don’t believe me? Does anyone remember New Coke? You know, when Coke® decided it wanted to be Pepsi® for a while? That certainly went over well. If that’s not sufficient, let’s talk about Netflix® and that whole Qwikster® fiasco. Both are examples of brands forgetting who they are, and in so doing, losing a lot of their core customers. Why? Because they weren’t acting like the brands their customers knew and loved anymore. They weren’t authentic, and they lost their customers’ trust.

The good news is that consumers are extremely savvy. If your brand is the real deal, it’ll stand out from the posers pretty quickly. You just have to make sure that your marketing matches your brand’s behavior. Walk the walk, and be you. No one else can.

Love Your Data

2012-01-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

Your business data is your business. Think about it: if you lost the list of customers that buy your products or services, the suppliers you work with, or the orders you’ve fulfilled in the past, how would that affect your business? ...

Do You Know Where Your Data Is?

Data comes in many forms. It can be the list of customers and their orders in a database. It can be the customer logo files your art department worked on. It might be the spreadsheet of items ordered from vendors that accounting keeps track of. Start by identifying what data you have in your company.

Where is your data stored? There are many options for storing data. It could be on a server that everyone has access to. It could be on an individual person’s computer, or a USB drive. Perhaps you’re keeping it on the internet, using a service like Google Docs or Office 365. Know where your data is stored.

Who’s keeping track of it? You should know what data you have, where it is, and make sure that information is available to key people. An intranet page or a SharePoint library are some examples of ways to keep track of this.

Is Your Data Safe?

If you had a warehouse of products, you’d make sure you protected it from disaster. You’d have locks on the doors, you’d know who was entering and leaving, you’d have fire extinguishers in the building, and you might even have a secondary location with a backup supply of products. How can you apply the same level of protection to your data?

Have security measures in place so that only people that need specific data have access to it. There is a greater danger of data theft from internal sources than external, such as hackers. Work with your IT staff to implement security on any digital content you have. If you have online accounts, make sure your passwords are strong, and that you aren’t giving them out to everyone. Simple measures like this can go far.

Another important strategy for your data is to have backups. This is especially important for electronic files and data. Electronic data isn’t quite the same as a factory full of nuts and bolts – you can’t call a supplier and order another round of customers. Make sure you have a solid backup plan in place.

Are You Using Your Data?

Data can do much for you than give you a list of customers to call, or supplies to re-order. When entered and analyzed properly, your data can help you spot trends, forecast future growth, and more.

There are simple, free analysis tools available. One example is your Facebook page. It has Insights built in. This tells you how many people like your page, how many views you’re getting each day, and how people are responding to content you’re posting. Another example is Google Analytics. This is a free website where you can analyze the traffic that is going to your website.

Are you analyzing the data you’ve collected to spot trends? Do you know who your top customers or contacts or? Where should you be investing research time and money? Reporting and analytics tools and software are available for you to view and evaluate all that data you’ve collected. Consider your business intelligence strategy as another tool in your business toolbox.

Ensuring that you know what data you have, where it is, and analyzing it will help your business grow and thrive.

Favorite apps

2012-01-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

In this post, Blue Door Consulting's Heidi Strand asks for recommendations of apps that improve your life ...

Everyone has their tried-and-true apps; the ones they check frequently or rely on daily. Mine? BBC News, Pandora, iBooks, among a few others. But, the list is small. Even after hours and hours of restless searching, I'm at a loss and faced with a dilemma I'm hoping readers can assist with ...

What apps are truly worth paying for and downloading?

According to the study, created by Chetan Sharma Consulting, mobile app downloads are anticipated to reach almost 50 billion in 2012. Apple promotes it offers more than 500,000 in its store alone.

So, with all the choices available, which ones are truly beneficial? Call me pragmatic, but games simply don't cut it for me.

I want apps that improve my productivity, help me live life more fully and provide a purpose that is clearly value-added.

So, I'm reaching out to Blue Door Consulting's readership and asking the question:

What apps improve your life and why?

Please let me know and I'll check them out! Thanks.

Men in Kilts. Women in Technology. BDC's Jes Borland (and others) connect the dots.

2012-01-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

In this TechTarget.com article, Blue Door Consulting Technical Consultant Jes Borland and other members of the Professional Association for SQL Server explain how men in kilts are helping spread an important message about women in technology ... http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/feature/Guys-sport-kilts-for-womens-cause-at-PASS-Summit

:) The emoticon

2011-10-12T14:52:00.001-07:00

I'm guilty. I admit it. I use too many emoticons and I can't seem to stop. Whether it be texting or emailing, my need to express my facial feelings and emotions through cliche symbols is overwhelming ...

Apparently, I'm not alone and the emoticon has a history. Thankfully, not a torrid one. An article featured on Mashable.com today takes a brief, but interesting look at how today's emoticons came to be. From its inception in 1982, through tomorrow's stylized smiles, you'll think twice when adding that wink to your next phrase. Or, will you? ;)

For me, I can say it may inspire me to use them even more frequently now that there are emoticons for nearly every passing whim.

With that said ... there is still one good emoticon-use rule-of-thumb. If you have to put that :) face behind a sentence to ensure your recipient doesn't take your comment wrong ... you may want to reword or not send at all. Emoticons shouldn't replace rudeness; they should add to what you are trying to express.

:-)

Third Party Data Woes

2011-09-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

In this post, Bee talks about taking precautionary steps when using third party data...

No, this isn’t third party dating woes; however, this does pertain to relationships. One of the cool things you can do on a website is to integrate information from other sites. You can embed YouTube ® videos on your site, pull in your blog posts from Blogger, or allow your visitors to register for your MailChimp e-newsletter right from your website. Majors services like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube® all have their own data feed or application programming interface (API) that you can use to integrate their data seamlessly on your website.

This definitely allows for a more interactive, interesting and content- rich site. What happens though, if one of those services no longer work or is offline for some reason? Depending on how you’re integrating the data, it may or may not affect how your website is functioning.

I’ve had three incidents this year in which using third party data caused sites using them to go down. In one incident, I was scraping the data. Basically, retrieving the HTML off the site and plopping into the site what I needed. When that source site suddenly went offline, it also took down the site. In the last two incidents, two very popular services, Blogger and Vimeo went offline for a short while and also took down sites using their data feeds.

These are relationships that work when they’re all online, but can cause distress when they go offline. A lesson I learned from these incidents is that you shouldn’t always count on third-party sites to be online all the time, even if they are popular. An alternative should be in place in case it does occur.

There are some precautions you can take to make sure that your relationship with third-party data isn’t going to affect your site when they no longer work. In the first incident, I wrote a script to make a backup of the current data feed each day so that there is always a fresh copy on the server. When the source site is inaccessible, the backup is used. For Vimeo, I created a “temporarily unavailable” image that is displayed when it is detected that Vimeo’s feed is down. That way a user will know there are some technical issues at the moment.

Although working with third-party data is a great way to expand and enrich your site, you should be aware of and plan for outages. If you’ve experienced any of these issues, I’d love to hear your stories and solutions.

Improve your password security

2011-09-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

In this post, Tyler takes a look at how we can improve the security of our passwords while making them easier to use.

Using passwords to secure our online accounts is a necessity. They are currently the only widely accepted form positive user identification on the internet. The problem, however, is that it is a flawed system.

Passwords are either too simple which makes them easily broken; or complex but too hard to remember which makes them more likely to be written down, thereby defeating their purpose. For years we’ve been told the most secure passwords are those that utilize capitalization, numbers, symbols, etc. A 2007 article entitled “The Usability of Passwords” written by Thomas Baekdal, which has garnered some recent attention, poses a new theory regarding the best practices of password security.

The article suggests that it is much more prudent to use 3 or more uncommon and unrelated English words strung together to create a password than it is to create one using conventional wisdom. The logic here is that a password like “correct horse battery staple” is much easier to remember than “Tr0ub4dor&3”, and is about as hard to crack using traditional methods used by hackers, including brute force, common word, and dictionary attacks.

The next step in making our online lives more secure is to make sure that these passwords don’t get used more than once. Don’t use the same password for your email and PayPal accounts. This can get difficult however, when you consider that most of us have many, many online accounts. Using a different password for each one can get confusing. To resolve this issue, consider using a password management utility which will memorize your passwords for you. A good password management program will work across multiple platforms/browsers, and will provide the added benefit of bypassing keyloggers. It will also store the correct URL for you, which is a good defense against phishing attacks.

The password security model is still and will forever be an imperfect system of authentication. With these improvements, however, we can do more to keep our accounts safe until other methods of authentication such as biometrics become more widely adopted.

Raise your glass to raising funds

2011-08-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Join Blue Door Consulting’s team for an evening of fun and “mild” entertainment!

Next Thursday (August 25th) from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Becket’s Restaurant, the team from Blue Door Consulting will be behind the bar, serving up the laughs and cocktails as “Celebrity-ish Bartenders” to raise donations for the Women’s Fund.

We promise to let you heckle, cajole and even insult us all in good humor so long as you fill several “Tip” jars for the Women’s Fund.

So stop by … have a couple drinks and enjoy not only Becket’s atmosphere but your friends at Blue Door Consulting, too.

Featured celebrity-ish bartenders for the evening include: Tavia Gavinski, Brenda Haines, Ann Padley, Tyler Reinhard, Eric Schumann, Heidi Strand, Jaimy Szymanski, Bee Thao, Andrea Wisdorf

Becket’s Restaurant

2 Jackson St.

Oshkosh, WI 54901-3795

(920) 230-3333

The mission of the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, Inc. is to make resources available for causes of interest to women; to foster among women a sense of empowerment and philanthropy; and to increase awareness throughout the community of the importance of women’s issues.

I’m mad as #&%*, and you’re going to hear it!

2011-08-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

In this post: Jaimy Szymanski, Blue Door Consulting's social media specialist, dives into the issue of facing and responding to negative feedback via social media. ...

Kicking off a new social media project can be scary. As scary as a toothless man picking a popcorn hull out of his gums in public?

Scarier.

One of the top concerns I hear when meeting with clients who are considering using social media as means for boosting their online customer service efforts usually falls under what I’ve dubbed, “I’m mad as #&%*, and you’re going to hear it!”

Translation? Many organizations (with just cause, mind you) are terrified that, once they jump into the world of social media, their customers will use it to pound them into oblivion. Common sources of terror include:

“What if they write terrible things on our wall?”
“What if they complain to us like crazy on Twitter?”
“What if they rally online crowds of trolls against us?”

Although the latter of these questions undoubtedly reminds me of cute, jewel-bellied dolls with fabulous hair (I sincerely believed all babies came out this way when I was little), all of these concerns are very valid and very real.

But, the truth of the matter is this: Whether you have a presence on social media channels or not … whether you’re monitoring online conversations or not … hell, whether you believe Al Gore created the Internet or not … negative feedback is likely happening online– either privately or publicly. Now, what you do with that fact is up to you.

You could ignore it, sure. But that won’t make it go away. Or, you could take a more positive, proactive approach. Here are a few thoughts and tips that will hopefully help ease the fear of opening the communication floodgates with customers via social media:

Use social channels to proactively tackle a potential PR issue. When releasing information to traditional news outlets, be sure to begin a discussion surrounding the topic online, too. Involve your online communities in the discussion ahead of time to mitigate backlash down the road.

Plan ahead for how you will handle customer service issues. Whether using a Twitter account to respond to prospects directly, or a Facebook page to bring customers together, you’re going to run into a sour grape once in awhile. This is no secret, so get your resources in order – staff, technology, plan of action – before launching yourself into unknown customer service territory.

Be human. People primarily use social networks to connect with friends, family and coworkers – not brands. Why? Because a brand is not a person! A brand does not care about how your hot date went or how your career is going. Personify your organization by using real photos and names with whoever is responding to comments and posts. It will make a world of difference in helping your customers open up to the possibility of truly engaging with your company.

These are the first three ideas that come to mind, but I’m certain that you all have come across additional “I’m mad as #&%*, and you’re going to hear it!” issues.

What happened, and how did you handle the situation? Do you believe having a presence in the online space – even if what you encounter is negative – is better than ignoring new media all together?

When we become myopic

2011-07-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

It’s easy to see things the same way, through the same lens, from the same perspective time and time again ...

And for that reason, it can be extremely difficult to improve these things because we simply overlook them, or take them at face value assuming they can’t be changed.

But, it’s the innovators that look at something most of us take for granted and see an opportunity.

An example? The toilet. Apparently this critical daily friend has been in existence since 1596 due to Sir John Harington. And, since that time … not much has changed. Until now.

You may have been reading the news and noticed the hullabaloo pertaining to our modern convenience. If not, skim Fast Company’s article: The Toilet Of The Future Will Turn Poop Into Power. Yes, you read that title correctly. Charcoal, salt and water might actually become the waste we do want!

And because the need for improved toilets is massive, so is the money funding this project by the Gates Foundation. However, (because there is a lesson in all of this) marketers don’t need $42 million to rethink and innovate. We simply need to constantly question: Is there a better way to reach, appeal and bring value to our customer.

Another article, What CEOs Can Learn From Siberian Teenagers, also featured in Fast Company, provides a less altruistic story than saving our world’s poor from disease, but the concept behind finding the right solution for the right “consumer” is still applicable. Author Martin Lindstrom describes his party-like stay with Russian teens to better understand their buying decisions towards vodka.

Did you know (because while I am a lover of vodka, I was unaware of this tidbit) that there are approximately 3,000 different brands of this aqua vita. That makes it a commodity in my book. So how can a commonplace item (that has a permanent home above my sink) become unique and different? You rethink and innovate. You understand the needs, wants and desires of the consumer/audience and you only do that by looking at it with fresh, open-minded eyes.

So as you are driving home, from your long day of work and are zoning out, letting the familiar scenes pass you by as you have hundreds of times before - pull over instead. Get out of your car. Take a look around and really see that panoramic view versus your usual glance at 60 miles an hour.

You may just see an opportunity.

No-nonsense Customer Surveys

2011-07-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Part two of Ann’s look at customer surveys: Time to take your temperature! ...

Do you ever take your customers’ temperature? I’m not talking about the 98.6˚ human body temperature, but your customers feelings toward your brand. Are they feeling good, great, overjoyed? Or, has a recent bad experience left them boiling hot?

I’m talking about a customer satisfaction survey.

Me, I’m usually a SurveyMonkey™ kind of girl. I love digging into a brand new set of survey data, analyzing and cross tabulating until I extract every yummy morsel of feedback. So this morning, when I ran across a survey tool claiming to be a “one click, real time customer satisfaction survey” I was completely thrown off balance.

The tool is called Customer Thermometer and is self proclaimed to be designed for the “service-obsessed.” You can upload a survey email list and add your own branding. But here’s the kicker, it is a one question survey, with no comments. At first glance, the product seemed like a survey geek’s worst nightmare, but I am starting to warm up to it … slightly.

On one hand, it’s quick. It really is like a temperature reading. A hair salon might use it to email new clients to measure how much they love their new dos ex post facto. A mechanic could follow up on how a new set of tires is performing. Still, the survey is missing one very important thing: the why. If you only know your customer is satisfied or unsatisfied - but you don’t know why – how does the information help your business?

Feedback welcome (no pun intended).

Forget something? Not to worry, Google’s got your back.

2011-07-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

In this post, Tyler takes a look at how Google affects our lives, and our way of life...

For my first blog here at Blue Door, I decided to write about a topic that has piqued my interest for some time now.

Back when I made a living as “techie,” I came across an article entitled “The Tacit Dimension of Tech Support.” The article describes how we all use tacit knowledge in our daily lives, rather than just simple memorization. I hung on to it because it answers a question I heard quite often – “How do you remember all this stuff?” As the author explains, the answer (for the most part) is simple: I don’t. If I could, I’d have won millions by now on Jeopardy. What I do know is how to find the information I’m looking for, and I can usually do so rather quickly. I’m not alone, however. Each of us uses Google to some degree, and more and more of us are using it as an extension of our own memory.

The other day, I came across another article that touched on that very topic, entitled “Google Searches May Influence What People Forget.” This piece references a study in which a control group is told to write down a piece of trivia, and then told that the information will be deleted. Another group is told to do the same, and that the information would be saved. The folks that thought the information would be deleted were more likely to remember what they had written.

How did this happen? Why Google? More importantly, why didn’t this happen back in the late ’90s? Part of the answer may be that only in the last few years have smartphones become mainstream, and literally given everyone the knowledge of the world in their pocket. Now we know that we don’t even have to have a PC in front of us to access information. So we become less reliant upon our own built-in data storage systems, using them now to store paths to data, rather than the data itself. We also know that Google gets us to our information the quickest. When was the last time you used an encyclopedia? Your average 15 year old has never even heard of one. Your average 55 year old probably still has a set, albeit a little dusty.

It is clear that the paths to information have been dramatically changing, and will continue to do so. These changes not only affect what we know, but how we know it, and have a tremendous impact on us as a culture. To quote the authors of the study, “It isn't clear what the effects of being so "wired" will have on people over time.” What do you think? How do you think our relationship with the internet will continue to evolve?

Tweet it up: Wednesday, July 13 @ Peabody's Sideyard

2011-07-11T07:35:00.001-07:00

I was a Vegas virgin.

2011-06-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

It was my first trip to Sin City; however, I unfortunately did not have the time to experience its infamous offerings, much less its 100 degree weather ...

Instead, I attended the four-day, national conference for Women Business Enterprises (WBENC) and lived almost exclusively in Mandalay Bay’s Convention Center.

As a recently certified woman-owned business, Blue Door Consulting was excited to get its foot in the door and take advantage of the opportunity to meet with Fortune 500s that were exhibiting. And, what an opportunity it was!

From the get-go, the experience was overwhelming, exciting and encouraging. Supplier diversity managers ran rampant and truly showed an interest in our boutique firm that offered “Non-New York” pricing. We came prepared with company research in-hand to meet not only exhibitors like Home Depot and Boeing, but were fortunate enough to be granted eight individual interviews where we could pitch our services, philosophies and processes.

I wanted to thank the WBENC organization for this amazing entrée. Our one-on-one interviews proved more than worthwhile and our firm walked away understanding its strengths and weaknesses. We also learned that even a "small firm from Oshkosh, Wis.," can play with the big dogs.

Tweet it up: Wednesday, June 15 @ Brooklyn Grill

2011-06-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

Keep your Facebook on lockdown, yo.

2011-05-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

In this post: Jaimy shares three quick tips on how to increase the security of your Facebook account. ...

I’m pretty gangster. Everyone who knows me, knows that. I mean, why else would I so diligently watch History Channel’s Gangland?

(If your answer is, “Jaimy, it’s because you’re out of control. You watch it only to update your Excel spreadsheet of U.S. gangs and their related colors and signs because you’re paranoid you will find yourself in the bad neighborhood of a large city and not know the way of the street,” then you’d be correct. My street cred runs deep these days.)

Just because I may not be as badass as my cat thinks I am, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t heed the advice of this blog’s title. Facebook security is no joke, especially in the rise of hackers, spammers and spoof attacks associated with the social network. But, have no fear: there are a few account settings you can quickly change that will boost your profile’s security to the point of “menacing club bouncer” status.

Ensure you’re logging into a secure URL.
Translation? Change your account settings so that when you log-in to Facebook, the URL in the address bar begins with https:// not the usual http://. This mitigates the chance that cyber criminals will gain access to your account, especially in public places. To put it on lockdown (yo), follow these steps:

Once logged into Facebook, click the Account drop-down menu in the upper right.
In the drop-down menu, click Account Settings.
In the Settings tab (should be the default), on the same line as Account Security, click Change.
Check the box next to Secure Browsing (https).
Save!

Set up log-in notifications for computers that are not yours.
If you could get an e-mail notification any time a computer other than yours logs into your Facebook account, that’d be the bees knees, right? Right! So, let’s set that up, too. While you’re already in Account Security (see steps 1-3 above), do the following:

Check the box beneath Login Notifications.
Save!

Now, after you log in from your home computer, you’ll be asked to give it a name (i.e. My Laptop). Then, any other computer you log in from will also require a name upon login. So, in the future, if anyone logs in under a computer that is NOT yours, you will be notified via e-mail. W00t!

Go all out, and set up unique password access for computers that are not yours.
The final Account Security option that you can take advantage of allows you to only let computers (other than yours) log in to your Facebook account if they have a unique password. Once foreign computers try to log in, an alert is texted to your cell phone that includes a unique password for log in. Without the password, no one can access your account (if from a computer other than yours).

To set this up, follow steps 1-3 in the first set of directions above, then:

Check the box beneath Login Approvals.
Save!

And, there you have it: three simple ways to boost your Facebook’s security settings in less than five minutes. Of course, there are plenty of other privacy and application settings we could delve into that would make your Facebook experience even safer, but those are for another post.

Did I miss any of the big ones here? Do you have any other quick Facebook settings changes that can help thwart Facebook foes?

The Three Cups of Tea Scandal: Opportunity for Banks and Credit Unions

2011-04-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

In this post, Brenda Haines brainstorms a way to integrate charitable ratings data with bank accounts to add value for customers ...

The scandal surrounding 'Three Cups of Tea' may actually present an opportunity for banks and credit unions.

In case you are unfamiliar, the book 'Three Cups of Tea' profiles climber Greg Mortensen's failed attempt to climb K2. According to his website, the book explains how he became disoriented, wandered away from his group and ended up recovering in a village in northern Pakistan. There, the website says, he noticed the village did not have a school and could not afford the salary of a teacher. That inspired him, according to the website, to make a pledge to go back home and raise money to build the village a school. (Read the entire story.)

It had become one of the most inspirational stories in recent memory.

Then, CBS's 60 Minutes did a story last week questioning the book and Mortensen's charity, the Central Asia Institute, particularly the proportion of spending that has been devoted to building schools in the developing world vs. conducting outreach here at home.

Earlier this week, Mary Pilon wrote a thought-provoking post called "Lessons for Donors from 'Three Cups of Tea" on the Wall Street Journal website. In it, she profiles several online charity ratings services, including Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, CharityNavigator.org, GreatNonprofits.org and Guidestar.org and describes how each rated the Central Asia Institute before and after the scandal broke. According to Pilon's post, only the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance raised a red flag, placing the charity in "nondisclosure" status for failing to respond to requests for financial reports over the last three years.

How does all of this tie to banks and credit unions?

What if financial institutions could help their customers and members understand a charity's ranking? Perhaps data like that from the Better Business Bureau could be integrated with a payment processing system so that when a donation is entered, a bank customer or credit union member could receive an alert containing the charity's rating. Ratings below a certain threshold - established by the user - would put a payment on hold. Users could choose to override the payment, if they had reason to believe it was inaccurate or unfair.

What do you think? Would a service like that add value for bank and credit union customers? As a customer or member, is that a service you would use?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.
-Brenda

Disclosure: I serve on the board of a credit union.

QR Codes and Resumes?

2011-04-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

What makes a resume truly stand out? How about incorporating a QR (quick response) code, a YouTube video and a personal photo ...

As Blue Door Consulting has recently been hiring, I’ve reviewed a lot of resumes as of late. What surprises me more than anything is the lack of cover letters that accompany those resumes. Seems to me that if you are truly trying to impress, you’d not only write a cover letter, but you’d maybe go that “extra mile” to capture my attention.

Well, this particular applicant did just that. Had he sent this my way, I would most certainly have found a position for him at Blue Door Consulting!

QR CODE - Content-rich Resume from Victor petit on Vimeo.

Create a Google Map from your spreadsheet in less than 30 seconds!

2011-04-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

In this post, Bee shows you how to create a Google Map from your spreadsheet in less than 30 seconds...

Google Map is a great tool to show your visitors where you are located. It is relatively easy to generate a map for your site by simply going to http://maps.google.com and typing in your address. Once the map is generated, all you have to do is click on “Link” and copy the code and embed it to your Web page.

Things get a little more complicated if you want to showcase a couple hundred addresses on a map. So, I’m going to list a few places online that will allow you to easily create a map. All you need is a spreadsheet containing the addresses you want to plot.

There are dozens of sites that offer this sort of mapping service, but I’m going to narrow it down to three of the fastest and simplest ones that I’ve come across.

BatchGeo (http://www.batchgeo.com)

This was the easiest and fastest way for me to create a map using addresses that I had on my spreadsheet. All you have to do is copy the data and paste it into their window. Click “Map Now” and it will generate your map. It is smart enough to read your column and guess which one is the address. I tested it with 100 addresses and was able to get a map in less than two minutes. There are additional features that you might want to incorporate into your map such as grouping addresses by certain attributes or including additional information on your map window.

Fm Atlas (http://www.fmatlas.com)

Fm Atlas has a very simple interface and not a lot of features, but it is quite fast at what it does. After you register for a free account, you log on and upload your spreadsheet and it will generate your map. My list of 100 addresses took less than one minute. The only drawback to Fm Atlas is that it was not able to read my spreadsheet if I separated my addresses into individual columns like address, city, state, zip. Instead it works if you combine your address elements into one column. If you’re looking for a no-frills map generator, try this one out.

Communitywalk (http://www.communitywalk.com)

This was the fastest map generator out of the three. My list of 100 addresses took less than 30 seconds to generate. The interface is busier looking than the other two because they have advertising sponsors on the site, but there are a lot more features available that enable you to change the look and feel of your map. You can also add other elements like photos and comments into the pop-up info window.

You don’t need to know the Google API or develop your own custom program to generate a great looking map. There are services out that will help you be more productive. Give one of these great sites a try and let me know if you find any other interesting map generators out there.

2 Txt or Not 2 ... That Is The ?

2011-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

My daughter wants to text message. She’s 11. And, basically I have locked down that feature on her phone ...

You may even be questioning why my 11-year-old has a phone to begin with. However, with two parental households, guitar lessons, soccer practice, etc. her father and I felt it was better to be safe than sorry and gave her an inexpensive phone for Christmas.

But that’s not the point.

What sparked this post was a recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project’s entitled Writing, Technology and Teens. And for me, this study hit a bit too close to home as my daughter is 11 going on 18.

Here were some interesting facts from the study that affirm my “No Texting” decision:

Teens generally do not believe that technology negatively influences the quality of their writing, but they do acknowledge that the informal styles of writing that mark the use of these text-based technologies for many teens do occasionally filter into their school work. Overall, nearly two-thirds of teens (64%) say they incorporate some informal styles from their text-based communications into their writing at school.

50% of teens say they sometimes use informal writing styles instead of proper capitalization and punctuation in their school assignments;
38% say they have used text shortcuts in school work such as “LOL” (which stands for “laugh out loud”);
25% have used emoticons (symbols like smiley faces :-) ) in school work.

Now, over time I have become a texter. It isn’t my only form of communication, but it is certainly convenient and I have used many an emoticon. However, I also excelled at English and made communications my career of choice. So, I feel that it’s OK for me to text “LOL” or “TTYL,” but I certainly do not use it in my professional client proposals. (Unless I’m writing about text messaging … of course!)

For my daughter, who has difficulty spelling, this could be a death knell for her future career. Granted, I may be exaggerating, but I do have to wonder if the ease at which the informal text messaging lingo is slipping into the English language isn’t going to hurt both her future and our communication as a whole.

Id luv ur 2 cnts ...

Color Inspiration

2011-04-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

In this post, Tavia finds inspiration for color palettes from a free source ...

I often use stock photo sites like istockphoto.com and shutterstock.com for placing comp (free, low-resolution, watermarked) images for client approval. These sites are useful for finding just the right image for my layouts. They also provide a free, hi-resolution "image of the week". While these specific images are usually beautiful photos, I find that I don't utilize them in my design work because of their broad subject matter.

I recently came across a few of these photos, and I found inspiration in their bold colors. I decided to create color palettes from these free downloads, and here's what I came up with:

These color palettes could be used in one-time layouts or entire branding guidelines. I could also add them to the colourlovers.com site. This is a great resource for creating, sharing and searching color palettes.

You never know when color inspiration will strike, but when it does, have fun creating your own unique palettes!

The Customer Experience Survey Part 1

2011-03-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

Part of Ann's customer experience design series, this post sheds a light on what your customers are thinking when you hand them that customer survey clipboard ...

You know what I love even more than taking a customer satisfaction survey at the end of my doctor visit?

(Bueller? Bueller?)

I love when the nurse hands me the survey and then tells me how I should answer it. Wait, wait. Even better is when the doctor gives you the survey before you leave the exam room and explains how the results directly affect their pay … no pressure though, the kids can survive on the one can of tuna left in the cupboard.

Okay, so no one loves that. So why do people present surveys like that? Doctors aren’t the only culprits either. When I bought my car, the salesman tried to bribe me with some trendy floor mats in exchange for excellent marks on the customer satisfaction survey.

Listen up, people. There is one main goal of customer satisfaction surveys: to find out if customers are truly, thoroughly and utterly satisfied with their experience. Marketers like you and I, we implement these surveys to identify trends and patterns, pinpoint areas for improvement and celebrate areas of success. In order to garner dependable, truthful results, the survey respondent needs to feel safe.

The little voice inside the customer’s head needs to be saying, “They really want to hear my opinion. They truly value my opinion. My opinion can make a positive difference.”

Surveys deployed with unreasonable expectations don’t make respondents feel safe or valued.

For example, when you say ...

“We strive for excellence, so if you mark anything below excellent, please write a note on the back, and tell us why.”

... your customer hears:

"This is all on me. If I mark anything below excellent, that is so not cool. When I hand this clipboard back, they are going to know I only checked ‘satisfactory.’ I bet they will be conveniently ‘booked’ next time I call.”

If you want your surveys to truly reflect the customer experience, be prepared to hear what they have to say. Stay tuned for part two of this blog post, wherein I’ll share some tips and tricks you can use to get the survey results you actually need.

The Future of the Social Web

2011-03-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

In this post: Jaimy delves into a few up-and-coming social websites and mobile applications, as outlined by Robert Scoble at Social Tech 2010. …

Way back when, in October 2010 (I’m a rapper, what can I say?), I attended a little conference in San Jose, Calif., known by Twitter folk as #mptech, and to others in the online world as Social Tech 2010, presented by Marketing Profs. The conference was targeted at marketing, advertising, technology, public relations and social media professionals looking to learn more about how to weave social media practices into B2B environments, as opposed to the usual B2C examples often shared within our industries.

Overall, the one-day conference was decent. I gleaned great information from about half of the presentations, while the others … well, not so much. Of those presentations that I did find interesting and useful was one from longtime tech researcher and innovator Robert Scoble (@scobleizer on Twitter). His presentation, titled “The Future of the Social Web,” concentrated on eight up-and-coming social sites that he believes will change the way consumers and businesses interact with online and mobile technologies.

I’ve outlined each website/application below. Take a look, and let me know your favorites. Since the conference, now almost six months ago, I’ve already begun to see a few of these really grow in popularity. But, some—some of which I think have the most potential to wow us all and really shape the future of social media—have yet to be fully tapped.

Gist
Aggregate multiple social accounts into one handy interface.

Paper.li
Build your own online “newspaper” based on social updates.

Listorious
Search Twitter lists by topic to find trusted industry sources.

Cinch
Record and share audio in a “micro podcasting” fashion.

Spigit
Rated internal crowd-sourcing by influence and innovation. (One of my favorites!)

SocialCast
Create an internal, private collaboration network.

Siri
Use this mobile application that harnesses other APIs to negotiate and perform tasks. (Another personal fave! I can’t wait for this to build momentum … and, be offered on Droid platforms.)

ShopKick
A location-based social network that rewards shoppers for walking through the door of their favorite retail locations.

Oh, and one more tidbit of advice from Scoble for those entrepreneurs who are trying to get their latest-and-greatest idea into the hands of the public (and, actually used): “Get into Google search results. Once you’re found via search, you’re in.”

Simple enough, right?

Resizing User Uploaded Images

2011-03-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

In this post, Bee shows you two ways to resize images...

A website that displays user uploaded photos often has to deal with different image sizes. For instance, you might have a “newly uploaded pictures” section that shows thumbnails and when a thumbnail is clicked, displays the full-size photo. You might also have a “regular” gallery page that shows medium size photos as well. In total, there could possibly three files of the same photo, in varying sizes.

So how do you control image sizes that your users upload so that it doesn’t disrupt your website design?

I’m going to briefly show you two different methods that you can use to make sure user-uploaded images conform to your layout.

Script-based
If you are using PHP and looking for a simple class to do this, check out this script by Simon Jarvis at http://www.white-hat-web-design.co.uk/articles/php-image-resizing.php. It is a neat little class that allows you to save images by width or height or both. You can also resize an image by percentage as well. This class can be integrated into your form or used to generate thumbnails on the fly.
The example below will load a file named picture.jpg, resize it to 250 pixels wide and 400 pixels high, and resave it as picture2.jpg.

load('picture.jpg');
$image->resize(250,400);
$image->save('picture2.jpg');

An advantage to this method is that your image is automatically resized to the correct specification so there is no distortion or loss of image quality. It is also easy to implement, even if you aren’t a programmer but follow directions well.
Optionally, instead of saving the picture, you can simply output the new resized picture straight to the browser using this snippet:

load('picture.jpg');
$image->resizeToWidth(150);
$image->output();

CSS-based
If you’d rather resize your images without the use of a script, you can use simple CSS styling instead of altering the width and height of your image tags. Using CSS is easy and does not require you to upload additional files.

.resize { width: 200px; height : auto;}

This CSS class, when applied to an image makes the image 200px wide and resizes the height to make sure that it maintains the correct ratio.
Conversely, this class allows you to resize the height to a specific size but allows the width to adjust accordingly.

.resize { width: auto;height : 300px;}

One of the drawbacks to the CSS method is that the browser is downloading the full size image before it is being resized. This may cause a delay in rendering the image due to the file size and may cause the image to look blurred around the edges. I would make sure that the images aren’t too big before using the CSS method to minimize download time.

Which method you choose will depend on your particular need. If you are expecting a lot of users uploading photos of various sizes, it may be a wiser choice to use a script to resize the images before saving them to the server. If you do the majority of the image upload, and can control the size but only need resizing in certain areas of your site, the CSS method will work great. Also, if you already have many images on the server, the CSS method will be the fastest way for you to get them to fit your Web layout.

I hope that these two methods will guide you in the right direction for your image resizes needs. If you have any questions or know of a better method, please share them in the comments section.

Do Your Customers Know You're Listening?

2011-03-09T13:31:00.000-08:00

In this post, Brenda Haines describes ways to close the loop in market research and demonstrate to customers that you are listening ...

Have a problem you want to solve? Conventional wisdom (popularized by Toyota) tells us to ask "Why?" 5 times - or 'til you get to the root of the problem.

For example:
Q: Why are my customers leaving?
A: They're frustrated.

Q: Why are they frustrated?
A: Bad service.

Q: Why is our service bad?
A: Our staff doesn't know how to deal with difficult situations.

Q: Why does our staff struggle?
A: Our policies are unclear.

Q: Why are our policies unclear?
A: There is conflict between two policies.

And, there you have it - the root cause of the customer departures. Conventional wisdom says fix that and everything else improves. All the way up the food chain.

As a result, CEOs, marketers, quality improvement analysts, performance consultants, web developers and others have all gotten really good at asking "Why?"

Something's Missing

Lately I've begun to wonder whether we are still missing an opportunity. We've gotten really good at asking our customers why they like our products, whether they would recommend us and what we could do to improve their experience.

I think the missed opportunity lies in closing the loop. Closing the loop has two parts:

It means not only asking our customers "Why?", but also letting them know, "We hear you" when they respond.

It means staying in touch and notifying them when their feedback has helped us improve a product, upgrade a service or enhance an experience.

Let's say, for example, that you complete a phone survey. What if:

A few days later, you received a thank you with a gift card for your response?

Six months later, you received a small thank you note with an update on how your idea was implemented?

There are companies who apply these practices in their customer research. But, these practices are not yet standard.

It makes sense to find whatever ways we can to let customers know we're not just asking... we are listening. To do that, we need to close the loop and explain what we are learning from research like this and how we're planning to use the information. Doing so encourages our customers to keep bringing us ideas, builds loyalty and creates raving fans. All of those things are good for the bottom line.

Do you have an example of an organization doing a good job - asking and listening?

I'd love to hear the story. -Brenda

A New Month, A New Adventure

2011-03-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

In this post, Ann reveals her spring adventure ...

In the coming week we should see the temperature rise above40˚F and there is a fresh (albeit imported) bouquet of tulips on my coffee table. With each new sign of spring I always find myself longing for an adventure. So this year, to celebrate my first spring with Blue Door Consulting, I’ve decided to venture into the complex world of customer experience design.

Customer experience design is a business/marketing strategy that focuses on the experience each and every customer has with a brand. Here’s an example: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is widely known for their dedication to the customer experience; so dedicated in fact, that every staff member is “pre-approved” to spend up to $2000 on a guest to ensure the customer has an exceptional stay. As a result, the Ritz-Carlton enjoys incredible customer loyalty and is a two-time recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

The Ritz-Carlton is just one of many great examples of customer experience design. I plan to share more about the business strategy behind some of the world’s top companies that have made their names by creating extraordinary customer experiences. I’ll dive into some customer experience design strategies, from employee motivation to brand development, that are used to create these experiences. And through it all, I’ll pinpoint key strategies you can use to start creating exceptional experiences for your customers.

Ann Padley, signing off. I’m off to help the world understand the complex customer experience, one blog post at a time.

Can you guess?

2011-03-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

Can you guess the primary method of communication for the vast majority of Internet users? Is it ...

Social networks
E-mail
Phone
Text messaging

According to eMarketer, you may be surprised with the answer. E-mail is not dead, but rather is the foremost communication tool, with 87% of Internet users checking personal e-mail daily. This is the same percentage as in 2007 – so the cry that e-mail has gone by the wayside, couldn’t be further from the truth.

It is believed in part, that e-mail is alive and well because people now can check their e-mail via their mobile phone. In fact, nearly two-thirds of mobile phone users check their e-mail daily, with 31% checking up to four times daily!

But perhaps the most interesting statistic released is the shift in what e-mails users are spending time reading. There was a 5% drop in users reading family and friend e-mails and an increase in commercial e-mail readership.

So, to all our clients out there ... keep those e-newsletters and e-mail coming!

The Amazing Race: Local Government Edition

2011-02-23T03:59:00.000-08:00

In this post, Brenda Haines shares how a City Hall scavenger hunt helped introduce high school students to local government ...

The tasks are everyday tasks. But, as clues, they were tantalyzing and challenging.

You want to get a license for your dog.
You want to file a complaint because your neighbor never shovels the sidewalk.
You need to get a flu shot.
You need to pay a parking ticket.
You want to buy a permit for the yard waste recycling center.
And, more...

For nearly 45 minutes, teams of high school juniors grabbed these clues, scaled four flights of stairs and navigated through City Hall to discover myriad services the City of Oshkosh provides.

The students, a class of two dozen juniors from Oshkosh's four high schools, are part of the Youth Leadership Oshkosh program. Youth Leadership Oshkosh, a program the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, is designed to help students see their community differently. They participate in monthly immersions on Health & Human Services, Arts & Culture, Education, Economic Development, and more. The idea: Give them the chance to deep dive into an aspect of the community like Local Government.

This year, Local Government Day participants:

met a judge
observed criminal traffic court intake sessions
took part in a mock city council meeting that considered a teen curfew
got a clearer picture of city services through their participation in the Amazing Race - Local Government Edition

Afterward, we asked students about the one thing they learned during the day-long session that was most surprising and/or interesting. The Amazing Race was mentioned multiple times.

"All the things you can do at City Hall," wrote one student.

When asked what we could do to improve the day, students asked for more clues to make the Amazing Race take up more time. And, they suggested that rather than simply having a City Hall staff member sign the clue, that we have them actually learn something more about the service that is provided.

This was our first year including this activity in our Local Government Day. But, it won't be our last. We plan to incorporate more clues and learning opportunities next year.

If you're part of a planning team that wants to introduce students to City Hall and you'd like a sample of the clues we developed, let me know. I'd be happy to share them with you. (I'd post them here, but I don't want to give next year's class an unfair advantage!)
-Brenda

Disclosures: I am a Youth Leadership Oshkosh Volunteer and Steering Committee Member.

Tweetups are for NERDS.

2011-02-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

In this post: Jaimy shares info about the upcoming "Oshtweetup," including why you should attend such a fine event. ...

Why would you ever attend a tweetup? They’re probably filled with a bunch of fidgeting geeks on their smart phones, tweeting away while awkwardly sipping Zima. (They’re NERDS. Of course they can find Zima).

Sounds super lame.

Although, yes, interwebs "nerds" could find you a case of Zima faster than you can open your aunt’s latest LOLcats e-mail forward, let me share this little fact with you naysayers: Tweetups are actually really fun. Really. I’m being super serial here.

They’re an awesome place to:

Meet new people (either entirely new or ones you've only "met" online)
Find out interesting things about those you already know (I've learned more about some friends at tweetups than anywhere else)
Connect your online Twitter network to your offline world (who wouldn't want to build their network even more?)
Eat, drink and laugh (No additional explanation needed)
And, most importantly, relax in a comfortable environment with a lot of people who are also willing to reach out, let their guard down and expand their circle of friends.

So, if you’re in the Oshkosh, Appleton or other surrounding Fox Valley area, consider moseying on over to Gardina’s Wine Bar and Café on Saturday, Feb. 26, anytime from 6:30 to 9:30. It’s going to be a tweetup of epic February proportions, and everyone knows those are the best kind of proportions.

To RSVP for this month’s Oshtweetup using your Twitter handle, and for more info on the event (including directions!), visit the official twtvite.

Hope to see both old and new faces there. Well, not old old. I meant “old” as in people I know, not necessarily OLD. … Wait, what are you talking about? Your Mrs. Doubtfire wrinkles make you look distinguished! Okay, this is getting me nowhere. … See you Saturday, tweeps. :D

A Team Toast

2011-02-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

In this post, Ann shares how to create a fun team building event using punch and mad libs ...

I'd be amazed if there was a reader out there who has not had the experience of participating in a “team building” or “ice breaker” type of activity. I know I’ve had my share. So when I was asked to develop a team building activity for the BDC team’s quarterly meeting I immediately had the urge to Google key terms such as “innovative team building,” “creative team building” and, my personal favorite, “team building activities that are not lame.”

Needless to say, I still came up short for ideas so I decided to create my own activity. I started by making a list of the things I wanted to accomplish, my top three included:

Help the team get to know each other better on an “outside of work” basis.

Make people laugh.

Incorporate the delicious champaigne punch I made for the meeting.

With these goals in mind, I created a mad lib toast.

The evening of the quarterly meeting, the team gathered around the table, punch in hand, and took turns answering a set of questions about ourselves. Each question has a corresponding line in the mad lib toast to write the answer. After the answers were complete and the lines were full, we passed our mad lib forms to the person to our right and each read the toast out loud. Some answers made for sidesplitting-funny toasts while others were quite serious. But, in the end, we all enjoyed toasting to a great year with a great team.

Some of you might find yourself Googling the same terms someday. If so, feel free to check out the team activity I created. I hope my teammates will agree with me when I say that it was fun, funny and helped us get to know each other a little better.

Download the Blue Door Consulting Toast activity sheet.

Check out Heidi’s BDC Toast

Marketing Lessons a la Brett Favre

2011-02-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

No one can deny that the Green Bay Packers’ Number 4 will be a football legend and end up in the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, much like Bill Clinton, his legacy has been tarnished and it’s hard for this Wisconsinite to think too kindly of him these days ...

While I’m sure there were several lessons Favre passed along to Aaron Rogers, below are a few that I believe he taught marketers.

Be clear in your messaging: Utilize terminology and statements that your customers understand and trust. Often we include industry terms or lingo that mean little to the end user. Also, by ensuring that your message is relevant, timely and consistent, your marketing initiatives will exhibit a higher rate of return. Brett taught us that if you frequently change your messaging, it’s awfully hard to believe what’s being said.
Consider your audiences: Understand your customers’ likes and dislikes; appeal to their needs in promoting your product and brand. By being customer-centric, your positive word-of-mouth will spread and your bottom line will expand. If you’re Brett Favre, you should know that there are two teams no Packer fan would accept their personal legend playing for. It would only have been worse had he joined the Bears.
Remember, what happens on the net stays on the net: As Brett recently learned, once you’ve published it, it’s out there thanks to Google. Whether you are texting, sending photographs, updating your Facebook status or even “liking” something, the digital age tracks it, records it and makes it accessible to others. So, be very careful in your content development and ensure that it reflects your image, brand and reputation. You don’t control your message anymore, but you can shape your reputation.
Admit when you are wrong: Your customers are much more likely to forgive you if you admit you were wrong and are prepared to fix the problem. Those organizations that attempt to skirt the issue, hide the facts or aren’t transparent in their actions are harder to trust and will ultimately lose market share, not to mention experience a whole lot of bad press. Most importantly, be sincere in your apology. People are able to identify when you don’t really mean it and they don’t appreciate being patronized.
Know when to walk away: There are times when you really should walk away from a product, the football field, a campaign message or marketing initiative. Even if we believe it to be a great idea, if the research comes back and says it isn’t, we should listen to it and our customers.

Censorship, the Internet and Social Networks: What Would You Do?

2011-01-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

In this post, Andrea wants to know what you would do if the government pulled the plug on the Internet or restricted access to social networks ...

I would consider myself a fairly imaginative person. Creative, dramatic, a born storyteller.

One thing, however, I cannot imagine is my government literally turning off the Internet. THE INTERNET. Just gone. Out. Off—as if there’s a switch on a wall somewhere to be flipped the second someone steps out of line.

“That’s it kids, you’re grounded from the Internet!”

Jaimy and I sat watching a live stream of protests during the enforcement of curfew in Cairo this morning, equal parts stunned and terrified. We are products of journalism schools and we hold a common belief, one that I am convinced all journalism students and professionals the country over know inherently from day one:

The rights that set the stage for all things democrat, the rights that hold our government, our people, responsible and accountable, the rights that allow us to be our own people, are those set forth by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Journalists know the importance of this Amendment first-hand. Not only do their livelihoods depend on it, but the very ethics of the profession hinge on it. We were taught its importance, required to learn the laws that encompass it in our field, shown what journalism looks like without it. Obviously, this isn’t the case for all industries. In fact, I would venture to make the generalization that some people who are further removed from the topic take this Amendment for granted or don’t understand what these rights truly mean. They joke about others whose governments do not offer such privileges.

Which, has been demonstrated by my Twitter stream all morning—jokes about Egypt and their Internet black out…but I’m not laughing. I’m terrified for the people of Egypt, as I’m terrified for all nations who are not allotted this right. Censorship of the media is serious stuff. It reinforces the very reason why some Egyptians are protesting and demonstrating in the first place—political corruption, inequality and oppression.

No Internet in this day and age means limited communication with nongovernmental news sources. It means a clueless outside. That’s no laughing matter, regardless of your opinions on the protests or the U.S.’s diplomatic relationships with Egypt.

As this is all unraveling, another inherent result of my education is also being stirred. That public relations professional whose response to spin is visceral. I am watching closely for Egyptian officials to make statements regarding the actions of the government. How you could even attempt to sugar coat this one is beyond me.

One thing's for sure, though. If this, what Secretary of State Clinton calls the "unprecedented shut down of the Internet," were ever to occur here, I'd be making my way for the border immediately. Because clearly, it'd be a sure sign that the shit's about to hit the fan.

What are your thoughts? What would you do if the U.S. government pulled the plug on the Internet here? Or restricted access to social networks?

The Power of 15 Minutes

2011-01-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered how 15 minutes can turn into two weeks? Brenda Haines shares how in this post ...

15 minutes. Every day. Over the course of a year, that equates to more than two weeks. It's 2.2 weeks, to be exact.

If you think about it, 15 minutes is the time equivalent of pocket change. It's something we find in the couch cushions or under the floormats. Its location isn't quite as apparent, because we might spend the time flipping channels, waiting in lines, mindlessly surfing, sitting in traffic or even looking for something to do when we're bored.

Now, imagine if you could spend those 15 minutes learning a new skill or deepening your knowledge in a certain area. Load a podcast, so you can listen while you drive. Bookmark a link that you can read while waiting in line. Pick up a magazine that you can flip through while watching TV.

If you spend 15 minutes every day this year focusing on this new skill or knowledge, you will have devoted more than 2 weeks to it by the time the ball drops next year. That's the equivalent of attending two week-long conferences. Or, attending two semester-long college courses. And, breaking a professional development goal into manageable pieces and tackling a bit of it every day makes it likely you'll stick with it.

You'll make it a habit.

Chances are, you won't even miss the time you've spent. And, those 15 minutes could be the difference between landing your next project, improving your next product or even your next promotion.

If you give this a try, I'd love to hear how it works for you.

Deadlines, reports, finances, bills, reconciliations, spreadsheets, meetings, presentations... oh my!

2011-01-26T14:07:00.000-08:00

In this post, Jen Sorensen shares tips for getting back in the game after a leave ...

Yes, I'm back at work from my maternity leave and working at getting my head above water, so to speak.

Eight weeks away from your position sure influences your work load, your state of mind and your stress level, once you return. I have now been back in the game for 5 weeks, and you'd think by now I'd feel fully caught up and level - but I don't... almost... but not quite. I have found that the primary reason is that my responsibilities do not, for some reason, wait for me to play catch up!

Although I'm not completely caught up, I have made immense progress and I'd love to share a few of the things I have put in order to help facilitate this...

Be as organized as possible --- not just physically but primarily mentally

Try to thoroughly figure out and discuss what may have gone on or what decisions were made while I was out that will affect my responsibilities

Take it a project at a time (this has been hard for me because I tend to multi-task, which I've learned in the past is NOT the best way to always work --- and has also been discussed by Ann in an earlier post)

Deep breaths --- sounds simple, but when I feel overwhelmed, this helps (oh the beauty of air, that is clean air, to be exact!)

Work where I feel comfortable --- and thankfully we have an open workspace established in the office, so on the couch by the fireplace has been the place the last few days!

And, the one that I think has truly helped me stay focused and on track is listening to music. Now I tend to go for the electronica/trance or dubstep style; but I also at times need classical --- just depends on my mood and the project, to be honest! The well-paced, defining beats just keep my head in the game. Oh and I listen to it quite loud --- that's the key!!!

Well, I'm glad to be back and look forward to the many, many wonderful experiences I'll be a part of and share with my team!

Champagne, Confetti and Promises

2010-12-23T08:14:00.000-08:00

In this post: Jaimy looks forward to the New Year with a few resolutions on deck. ...

It’s that time of year again, people: Time for New Year’s resolutions.

Usually, around the end of December, I’ll think of one grandiose item to accomplish in the New Year. Then, like most people, I work on it for a month then drop it in lieu of spending more time on Facebook, or forget about it all together amidst a post-NYE champagne haze.

I’ve decided to do something different this year. Rather than default to the usual, “I’ll lose 50 pounds in hopes of becoming a star in Black Swan 2: Break a Leg,” I thought to take the time to brainstorm things that are actually attainable—both personally and professionally.

So, in no particular order, here goes. Perhaps if I share these with all of you, I’ll feel more compelled to keep to my plans. What a novel idea!

1: Just go for it.
Perfection is great, until it takes away from the actual “doing.”
Act more quickly on the big ideas.

2: Concentrate on relationships.
Spend more time with loved ones, because time just goes by too fast.
Reach out one person per day that I haven’t connected with in awhile.
Have meaningful conversations.

3: Draft a five-year plan.
Figure out where I’m headed and how I plan to get there.
Make sure to spend plenty of time traveling, truly disconnected from the online world.

4: Worry less.
Only concern myself with the things I can change.
Breathe and let go more.
Chronicle things I do each day that make me happy, proud and excited.

5: Help others.
Become involved with a nonprofit organization that truly inspires me with its mission and what it accomplishes.

6: Be better to my body.
Treat my body better incrementally.
Sleep more, exercise regularly and eat healthier.

7: Concentrate on development.
Pick one topic that truly interests me, and dedicate 15 minutes each day to learning more about it.
Find a hobby I enjoy and devote time to it each week.

8: Be scared.
Do things that make me uncomfortable.
The most rewarding things are usually frightening at first.

9: Get a few things together.
Create a budget, and stick to it.
Be more organized, spending at least 30 minutes a day cleaning.
Redecorate my apartment, one room at a time.

A Look Back to Lessons Learned

2010-12-21T09:07:00.000-08:00

In this post, Tavia recalls a few lessons learned over the past year ...

As Jaimy looks forward to the coming year and new beginnings, I'm taking a look back to remember some of my top lessons learned. In our weekly team meeting, we discuss challenges and triumphs and what we've taken away from them. Good or bad, we all learn from each other. Here are a few that I'd like to share.

A little praise goes a long way.

I'm not sure who brought this one up, but I couldn't agree more. As we work our tails off to get projects out the door, we sometimes forget to take a step back and let each other know what a great job has been done. A simple pat on the back from a coworker or a note from a client boosts self-esteem and morale. It puts pep into our attitude and makes us want to work harder to earn that same satisfaction on the next job. So give a shout out to the people you work with and let them know what a great job they are doing!

Try new things.

I was recently asked to match a specific illustration style for a client. Now, I love to color with crayons and sketch out layouts, but I'm not an illustrator by any means. To complicate matters, the drawings were going to be of people. Drawing inanimate objects is one thing, but illustrating people requires a special touch that I don't have. (Or at least didn't think I had.) I convinced myself to dive into the project and the characters actually turned out well. I was happily surprised by the outcome. So don't be afraid of new things. Jump in and give them a go!

Believe in your work.

Some design projects come in with tons of creative freedom, and others are completely spelled out by the time they reach me. I don't have a preference between the two, because each presents a unique set of challenges. What is important is that I put 100% into each job that I do. If I don't feel good about it or believe in it, no one else will. Most projects change and grow throughout the creative process, and I fight for things that I trust my instincts on. At the end of the day, your performance is a representation of you, so be proud of the work you do!

Communication is key.

This is one topic that appears on our radar frequently and affects each one of us differently. Since I work virtually, it's hard for me 'read' people through emails. I don't hear a person's tone or see their body language. I also can't feel the urgency of a looming deadline. This is when it's important to clearly communicate what the deadline is, when I can accomplish the work, and when the client will receive the finished project. It's a learning process, but I think everyone can benefit from effective communication.

We're in this together.

I have to say, I think we have a great team at Blue Door. And what I've come to realize is that what makes us great is that we're not perfect. But we are willing to take responsibility for our mistakes, learn from them and move on. Together. We all share our good moments as well as our not-so-good moments. And we are not afraid of our peers' reactions, because we know that they will learn just as much as we have from our personal experience. I am grateful to be a part of a team that supports my accomplishments as well as my downfalls.

Throughout 2010, there were many other lessons learned, but these were the ones that stuck out for me. I'm sure that 2011 will bring many more, so here's to learning and growing!

B2B is B2C

2010-12-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

It may be heresy, but I'd like to challenge the notion that B2B and B2C are different. Thanks to social media, the lines which use to divide business and consumer no longer exist in my opinion. Today is a brave new world and our tactics and language should reflect that notion ...

One of the frequent comments we receive from our B2B clients is "I don't really need to use social media. Social media is directed to consumers. The businesses I'm marketing to aren't using Facebook."

Wrong. Your customers are using Facebook, just perhaps as individuals instead of as organizational entities.

Consider this: A 2010 Marketing Trends study by Marketing Executive Networking Group (MENG) featured social media statistics of its members. (Members are vice presidents or higher on the corporate food chain and make $160K or more - so clearly decision makers.) This study revealed that they are using the tools themselves on a weekly basis, with LinkedIn being used by 92% of respondents and Facebook by 56%.

Beyond that noteworthy statistic is also the fact that employees are equally, if not more so, engaged in social media. In many cases, they are brand ambassadors for companies; engaging in word of mouth marketing by making referrals and sharing information.

It's people who are responsible for the business that you are truly marketing to. You build relationships with people and that's what social media is ultimately about.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Deadlines

2010-11-21T19:08:00.000-08:00

In this post, Tavia discusses her relationship with deadlines...

Deadlines. Where do I begin? Let me start here: I don't like them. They loom like a thick dark cloud over my head, pressuring me to get the job done. In this line of work, deadlines are a given. They happen everyday. Each morning, I go over my list of projects and get direction on what is due first. And then the work begins.

I am constantly trying to hit the mark, not only with time, but with the right design. If I miss a deadline, I have to explain why. Maybe a more urgent project came in. Or maybe the creative process took longer then I anticipated. Consequently, my coworkers are affected, because they can't complete their portion of the job. When projects and deadlines pile up, I sometimes feel overwhelmed.

This past week I was met with a little extra time and some breathing room with deadlines that were not as urgent as past weeks. I thought to myself that it would be a great time to get ahead on some internal projects as well as a bit of professional development. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as well as I thought it would, and I got to thinking about why. I realized that I had too much time in between projects. Time to be sidetracked. Time to not stay on task.

Here's the thing: I like deadlines. They push me. They give my workday structure. And if I don't have them, I have a harder time staying focused. I thrive on knowing exactly when a project is due. I like having a list and checking things off. And I love the feeling of accomplishment when I send out an email knowing a project has been done on time. So although the amount of deadlines can sometimes get overwhelming throughout a workday, I'm glad I have them to keep me on my toes.

iPad vs. Nature

2010-11-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

This is a story of a road trip, a donkey and a remarkable iPad reunion ...

Employee Posts Become Even More Controversial

2010-11-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

You may have read the news today and saw the headline Labor board: Facebook vent against supervisor not grounds for firing, but not have clicked on it in lieu of Mobile phones may diagnose STDs. However, I encourage you to go back and take another look ...

As a former recruiter (many years ago now), I was pretty up-to-speed in the whole HR legal side of business. Today, I just keep my ear to the ground and do some limited speaking engagements on the meshing of HR and social media. So, while this headline may not have peaked your interest ... it did mine.

And what a piece of news it is! Wow. This may be a defining moment in social media should it come to pass. So let's recap:

(Legal note: The following is paraphrased and editorialized and should not be misconstrued as actual fact in any way shape or form. For full coverage, valid reporting and balanced coverage, visit www.cnn.com.)

Employee blasts supervisor many times on Facebook - it gets real ugly.
Other employees chime in, too, adding equally unflattering remarks.
Employee gets fired.
Employee goes to union labor board and questions firing decision.
Labor board goes bonko and states that the posts are a "protected concerted activity."
Everyone's up in arms and it's goin' to trial.

Or close to that scenario, but you get the drift.

Here's the thing. It is possible that the court will find her unprofessional rantings not just cause for firing based solely on the fact that she is considered to be a union employee (or in a position that could be a union employee). Her comments, while defamatory, were conducted on her own time, not at work. And, here's the real kicker, because the other employees added their comments in as well, it is considered to be "water cooler" talk. If they hadn't chimed in, it would be a different scenario.

Now, what does this mean for business' highly crafted social media policies? For the most part, not a lot. Professionals and supervisors can still get sacked if they pull that same stunt if there is a social media policy in place that states as such. But for other positions, it may mean something all together.

Of course, until the courts decide, we won't know for sure. But, this is a critical issue. Because it isn't truly just "water cooler" talk now is it? It's viral. It's employees and all of their friends and their friends of friends.

I think HR professionals will want to keep close tabs on the result of this battle. It may significantly influence future social media policies, but more than that, no one wants a lawsuit should this case be found in favor of the plaintiff.

That being said. I do just want to point out the ridiculousness of this situation. Why would anyone lambaste their supervisor or employer on Facebook in the first place? Where have common sense and manners gone?

I mean, really. If we would simply all follow our mother's advice: "If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all." Then, we wouldn't even need those pesky lawyers and our world would be rainbows and unicorns.

Cassettes Anyone?

2010-10-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

It wasn't until I actually read the article in Mashable that I even realized they were still available for sale! Yes fellow Gen Xers, the Sony Walkman 's last shipment has been made ...

Like many of you, I owned a Sony Walkman or some iteration thereof. In fact, it wasn't until just recently when I was cleaning out a closet that I found a remaining, dusty box of cassette tapes beneath '80s attire I was sure was going to come back into style (and lo-and-behold it has!). From love mixes provided by ex-boyfriends to the Metallica songs I "borrowed" in high school, tapes were an amazing leap in technology.

Compared to my earlier 45 of Starland Vocal Band's Afternoon Delight (which at the precious age of eight had a much different meaning), the Sony Walkman was a technological wonder; a gobstopper of portable music.

Today of course, it is ancient history. According to the article, the last shipment of Sony Walkmans was sent to Japan this past April.

While I doubt I will have the opportunity to listen to those dusty relics I uncovered, I suppose there is some solace in knowing that I could if I still wanted to - even after all these years. I wonder if our other, more advanced digital versions will have the same staying power of the Sony Walkman.

I salute you Sony Walkman and bid you ... adieu!

From Blog to Book

2010-10-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

What's the best way to display your blog on your coffee table? ...

Back when I lived Italy, I wasn’t privy to the world of blogging. Instead, I would compose lengthy email updates to send to my friends and family on a weekly basis. I never realized at the time, but these emails became my story, the journal of my time spent abroad. My journal, so carefully written, was emailed from an account that has since been closed.

My electronic story was lost in the abyss of cyberspace.

Today we - businesses, organizations, foodies, moms … the list goes on and on - use blogs to chronicle the world around us. But there is more to a blog than the most recent ‘homepage posts.’ There is a story, a part of our legacy. Personally, I think it’s time more of us capture that story offline.

Taking your story offline keeps it alive for the long haul. Remember my story lost in cyberspace? Thankfully, I have a friend who was one step ahead of me and kept every email I had written and assembled them into a scrapbook to house my story. Priceless.

Businesses and bloggers alike can turn their blogged business insights and personal experiences into lasting memories with online blog-to-book tools. The tools make it easy to take your blog from cyberspace to coffee table in no time. Here are a couple ideas of what you could do with your blog book:

Have your ‘blog book’ available in the waiting room for your customers to read, in place of the typical magazines.

Build a ‘blog book’ each year. When you look back, you’ll see how your business has grown.

Create a ‘blog book’ to keep in your business archives. (Historians 100 years from now will thank you).

Put blogs on a single topic into a book and distribute it as a sales tool. It’ll provide a deeper look at a service you provide than the typical sales brochure.

Give your employees and blog contributors a personalized company ‘blog book’ for the holidays.

Check out the tool I used to return the favor and turn my friend’s blog into a book at http://www.blurb.com/.

Event: September #oshtweetup

2010-09-07T11:32:00.001-07:00

Join the Blue Door Consulting team and fellow Fox Valley-area tweeps at the September tweetup in Oshkosh. Details below! ...

jQuery Left Right Side Scroll

2010-09-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

In this post, Bee shows you how to create a cool sliding panel effect using jQuery...

I have wanted to learn how to use jQuery for a while now so that I could add interactive and visually appealing features into some of the Web projects I’ve been working on. I haven’t had the time to really dive into using jQuery on a wide scale but I have begun to adapt bits and pieces into areas that could use a little refresh, like toggling divs and hover effects.

I’ve seen many of the jQuery sliding panel tutorials online before and have wanted to understand how they worked. I think visually, they look pretty nice, so I finally decided to take some time and went through a tutorial online.

The one that I chose to look through is called jQuery Side Scroll by Scriptygoddess. jQuery SideScroll has three sliding panels that slide from right to left. Each panel slides into the container, by sliding over the previous panel.

I thought this was interesting because most of the scrolling panel tutorials I’ve seen usually went up or down and only involved one panel. After finishing the tutorial, I decided that I wanted to create something that I haven’t seen done before. Using the techniques learned from this tutorial, I expanded on this concept and built one that scrolled both left and right – with a twist.

My idea was to have three main panels: left, right and center. The panels left and right represent two main subjects and center panel would contain the initial main text.

Upon clicking a link, a new panel would slide out from under one of the subject panel and cover the center and either the left or right panel.

I wanted three content panels under each subject, so there would be a total of nine panels in all.
Here is how the all the panels would be situated:

Great, now that you’ve gotten an idea of what I’m trying to achieve, let’s get our hands dirty with jQuery. I’m not going to go through the HTML markup and CSS; you can take a look at the demo of jQuery Left Right Side Scroll and view the source page. Instead, we are going to look at the jQuery codes needed to make the magic happen.

I have commented on every line of code so that it is easy for you to understand what each line does (green texts are comments). If you have any questions regarding the code below, please post a comment with your question.

That pretty much covers it. Again, check out the demo of jQuery Left Right Side Scroll to see how it works. You can also view the page source to see the HTML and CSS needed to put it all together. Please feel free to change anything you would like to make this fit your next project.

Not for use in the microwave.

2010-08-31T08:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-30T03:34:00.000-07:00

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!

Print Template. To get started, I downloaded and printed out their letter template.
Complete Template. They provided adequate instructions on how to draw each letter/character into the designated cells.
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.
Upload Template. I found this section easy to navigate. I also named my font (Tavia Print) in this step.
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.
Download. For just $9.95, my personal font was sent to my email where I could download it.
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

2010-08-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

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:

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?
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.
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?
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

2010-08-04T15:41:00.001-07:00

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.

Why do you care what everyone else is having for lunch?

2010-07-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

In this post, Brenda answers a common question about using Twitter for business ...

The most common criticism I hear from businesses when talking about Twitter is this:

Why do you care what everyone else is having for lunch?

In presentations, I'll explain that Twitter isn't just about trading dining experiences. (Don't get me wrong. I don't mind a good restaurant recommendation!)

Twitter provides a new way for you to do things you were already doing, but more efficiently and with a larger audience.

For example, last week, my friend @singlewluggage shared (in real life) how excited she was to meet up with a travel blogger she'd met on Twitter and originally connected with while traveling halfway around the world. She then asked (probably somewhat rhetorically) why Twitter users are so willing to help one another.

Her question reminded me of tales others in the Oshkosh Rotary Club have relayed over the years - stories of meeting other Rotarians in airports while traveling 'round the world and immediately feeling a shared connection over a commitment to service. In fact, a Rotarian once told me that wearing a Rotary pin was like sending a broadcast signal that fellow Rotarians were welcome to introduce themselves and make new friends.

Twitter users are simply doing what Rotary and other offline social networks have always done: connected people with shared interests. So, if you joined a service club to meet others who are interested in service, you can do the same thing on Twitter. If you've teamed up with others to raise funds for a non-profit, you can do that on Twitter. If you're part of a book club for fun - or a professional learning circle, you can do all of those things on Twitter, as well. Twitter is just another connector, allowing you to find and relate to others who share your interests. Travel writers have long connected when traveling around the world. Twitter just helps them do it more efficiently and with a larger audience.

So, what does this mean for your business or organization?

What are you doing now that you could do more efficiently or with a larger audience by using Twitter?

-Brenda

The Fragile Customer Experience

2010-07-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

In this post, Ann talks about the importance of the customer experience ...

Your business may have the best marketing money can buy, but if a customer walks in the door and doesn’t have an amazing experience – you wasted your money. Often businesses make the mistake of thinking that the most important part of the customer experience is appearance. Wrong. It’s the people.

Recently my husband and I set out on our annual anniversary weekend extravaganza. During the course of the weekend we came across two perfect, yet polar opposite, examples of people making all the difference.

Example #1: Soon’s Sushi Café, Kenosha
Soon’s Sushi Café didn’t look like the typical sushi restaurant. Our waitress didn’t wear a kimono and there was no pre-dinner oshibori. “This place is either going to be really awesome or, well, the opposite,” I thought to myself.

Before ordering dinner we met Bob. He was a friendly guy with an obvious passion for his work. He immediately welcomed us to his restaurant and was interested to hear that we were from out of town and first-time customers. He also offered us a couple select samples to tease our palates. (Because I know my foodie friends are dying to know: we sampled the Octopus salad and a sake infusion.)

When our sushi was brought to the table there was a set of little decorative balloons in our sushi. We had mentioned it was our anniversary, Bob was actually listening!

After dinner another surprise was brought to our table: a heart shaped sushi cake.

(It was a perfect heart, this photo was taken after it was cut.)

Not a minute later Soon herself, with Bob at her side, was at our table wishing us a happy Anniversary. It was obvious that this happily married couple, Bob and Soon, were passionate about their business and genuinely cared about their customers.

We loved the food, but it is not what I remember the most. It was our experience that will stay with us forever.

Total bill:
$52.00 +tip
Likelihood of becoming a repeat customer:
High
Total experience:
Awesome. We’ll be back and whenever Kenosha comes up in conversation the name of Soon’s Sushi Café won’t be far behind.

Example #2: Unnamed Resort, Somewhere in Wisconsin
The resort looked great online. With a price tag we typically categorize as a “splurge,” we had high expectations. “The service is going to be great,” I thought to myself, “a great treat for us!

Then nothing.

Check in was standard, no different than the night before when we had stayed at a Comfort Inn. We asked about the spa and were directed to the concierge desk, even though the desk was vacant.

Our room was standard, nothing special there. Even though we mentioned our anniversary when making the reservation, not one person acknowledged it.

Total bill:
$423.00 (including dinner)
Likelihood of becoming a repeat customer:
Low
Total experience:
Eh. We ate, we slept, but for $422 I expected at least a smile, a mint on my pillow would have been nice too.

The point I am trying to make is not how much we spent last weekend. It is this: a business can look great on the outside, but is is what's on the inside - the people - that counts.

Here are some important reminders I took away this weekend:

Everyone, from the owner to the front desk staff, can make or break a customer experience. Give them the tools they need to create an amazing customer experience and your customers will become raving fans (like I am for Soon’s Sushi Café).

Really listen to your customers. They will tell you how to give them a great experience.

Remember, whether you are the business owner or staff, your business is open because of the customers, not in spite of them. Thank them for their business.

Creating exceptional customer experiences not only is good for the customer, it can make your job a lot more enjoyable.

- Ann

5 Quick BingSM Search Engine Tips

2010-07-19T03:02:00.001-07:00

In this post, Bee shares five quick tip on using Bing...

There is no doubt that Google^SM is the most popular and used search engine in the world. While many people believe that it is difficult to compete against this behemoth, the Bing search engine has been gaining grounds since it was first released in 2009. In one year it has already achieved double digit market share and continues to develop and implement new features.

My best guess, is that you can expect Bing to be around for a long time. Here are five quick tricks/tips that I personally use and which you might find helpful:

1. Look up directions - By specifying “maps” in your search options, Bing Maps will provide you a miniature map of your searched area.
2. Track packages – Track packages by typing the package or tracking number into the search field.
3. Obtain used car history – Look up a used car’s history to protect yourself against costly problems by typing in the vehicle’s VIN number.
4. Check the number of Web pages indexed by Bing – Type “site:yoursite.com” to see how many pages have been indexed.
5. Generate RSS feeds for search results – Any search result from Bing can be turned into an RSS feed by appending “&format=rss” to the end of the query result address.

If you’ve done or seen other cool tricks or tips on the Bing search engine, please offer a comment.

The line between social me and social media

2010-07-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

In this post, Andrea explores the emerging field of social media identity issues ...

You may or may not have noticed, but Blue Door Consulting does not have an agency-wide Twitter account. This is not by accident. Instead, we Tweet as employees of Blue Door Consulting with our own personal accounts.

While there are many reasons we choose to do this, including personalizing our brand and providing different content that serves to develop relationships with a wide variety of people, the main reason is that our culture embraces team members as individuals. And because we recognize that the line between the person and the professional is…well, practically invisible.

How so? Just because I walk out of our office at the end of the work day doesn’t mean that some magic switch gets flipped; the fact that I am an employee of Blue Door Consulting remains unchanged. People in the community know me as Andrea Wisdorf, but they may very well also know me as Andrea from Blue Door or Heidi and Brenda’s employee.

(Or, sometimes, that girl who drives up Jackson Street every morning with the windows down singing Justin Bieber tunes at the top of her lungs.)

I feel lucky to be working for a company that embraces me as both a professional and an individual, recognizing that these things are, on many levels, one in the same. It's also an honor to be entrusted with the reputation of our team on so many levels.

Not all companies can work with this model, although I'm sure most would want to if they could. Not all companies SHOULD work with this model and for various reasons--size, goals, strategy, etc. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about separation of individual and company in the realm of social media and I'm fascinated by the obstacles being discovered each day.

Just the other week, CNN's editor of Mideast affairs was asked to resign over a Tweet. Viewers found it biased while the author, Octavia Nasr, claimed it was taken out of context (often easy to do with 140 characters). Either way, CNN decided her credibility as a reported had been compromised and she was asked to leave.

In my opinion, journalists are paid to be objective and report on just the facts. Even if Nasr had her own, unbranded Twitter account, the issue would have likely remained the same.

In another recent example, this past week, Frank Eliason aka the man behind @comcastcares, announced his plans to leave Comcast. His account has more than 44,000 followers. He alludes, in a blog post, that he will be leaving his current handle for a new one. Presumably so Comcast can pick up where he left off. Did Comcast ask him to do this? Citing intellectual property employer rights? Some other contract? Or perhaps Frank is just that nice. But, what if things played out differently--Frank changed the handle to a personal one and began to Tweet about his new career. Comcast followers would likely ditch out when the content changed while many Frank fans would stay. Comcast is left to reach out with other handles. Not the worst scenario, but not ideal either.

The line between the individual and the professional is blurred, as is the line between the brand and the individual. I'm curious what our readers think--how do you handle Tweeting as or on behalf of a brand? Where do you draw the line as an individual? As a professional? Who owns your Tweets? What questions do you have?

Misallocating Energy

2010-07-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

In this post: Jaimy recounts her missing luggage fiasco as a reminder that worrying is wasted energy. ...

Today, I thought the airline lost my luggage. And when I say, "thought," I really mean thought.

When the airline rep told me my suitcases were still "in transit," I immediately convinced myself that all of my fabulous purses, shoes and summer dresses were now but a faint memory. I made an immediate plan to visit Target tomorrow morning in an attempt to find something "work appropriate" for client meetings. And, don't even get me started on the loss I felt over all my toiletries that I had so painstakingly siphoned into travel-size bottles.

Then, (spoiler alert) just when I got back from running a couple errands tonight ... there it was.

I was actually on the phone with my sister, talking about how I would never be able to replace some of the wonderful strappy heels, when I saw my luggage behind the hotel desk. The first thing that came to my mind (after letting out a joyful - and likely eardrum-blowing - shriek in her ear) was a phrase my dad periodically says to me:

You're too young to worry so much.

It's true: I spent nearly 100 percent of my energy tonight worrying about something I couldn't control. There was nothing I could do, but wait it out. Yet, my head was filled with countless images of my luggage being rifled through by airline workers, or dumped offshore Hawaii via a slow-moving conveyor belt (no, I had not been drinking - this is just my sometimes-irrational nature).

How many times have you done the same? In the end, it's only wasted energy ... energy we could be using to tackle things within our reach, things that we can control.

I'm hoping that tonight serves as a lesson to me (and, the rest of you worriers out there) in the future, when I begin to put my entire being into worrying. Whether it be a personal problem or professional issue, it's time to stop trying to control what we can't, and begin investing our energy into moving the mountains we can.

Because, if tonight's self-made fiasco has taught me anything, it's not that I'm too young to worry so much.

It's that we are all too young to worry so much.

Design is in the Eye of the Beholder

2010-07-04T11:14:00.001-07:00

In this post, Tavia explores the subjective nature of design ...

After reading Heidi Strand’s blog post about how we “see” color, I was reminded of how subjective my job as a graphic designer is. I design layouts that are pleasing to my eye, but that may not translate into something that appeals to my colleagues or our clients. As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. In my case, beauty equates to design.

Our process for visual projects goes something like this: a consultant meets with a client, gathers information on what direction the client wants to move in, for example, what their goals are, what type of style they gravitate toward, etc. A creative brief is written up and handed over to me. I take in all of the information and process it to determine what I feel is appropriate to convey the right look and feel that would be best for the end result. When the consultant is satisfied with the layout options, they are sent on to the client. I never know how the client will react. Sometimes we hit the nail on the head, and they love it. Other times, we head back to the design process for revisions. There have been times when I have loved a design, but the client chose a completely different look. I’m slightly disheartened when that happens, but I also know that the client sees it differently then I do. Design is subjective. It’s not right or wrong. It just depends on who’s viewing it. What I think is beautiful may be on the opposite end of the spectrum as what my coworkers or our clients think.

Over the years, I’ve tried to remove myself emotionally from the process. Not the design process, because I’m passionate about what I do. But by removing my feelings from critiques, I am able to focus on creating the best possible solution to fit our clients’ needs. Ultimately, our goal is to please the client but also be proud of the work we put out there. So although we may not see eye to eye on certain designs, we make sure to come together on an end goal. Different perspectives keep us on our game and make each day in the design world (however you see it) exciting!

It's Greeting Week at BDC

2010-06-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

It’s ‘Greeting Week’ at BDC. Weigh in with your opinion on the proper greeting for young professionals …

I’ve officially declared this week to be ‘Greeting Week’ at Blue Door Consulting. I am on a mission to find a new form of greeting for female, young professionals, and am bringing the rest of the BDC team on the adventure.

Even though I was born and raised in the USA I have always found American greeting to be a bit confusing. I mean, do you know when to use fist bumps, high fives and handshakes? Men, you might be thinking that’s a silly question, but the ladies know what I’m talking about!

Ladies, it has happened to all of us. You are at the grocery store and you run into someone you used to work with. You respect this woman and enjoy talking with her, yet the two of you never ‘hung out’ socially. You walk over to say hi. To show a sign of respectful greeting you:

a. Reach out your hand for business-like handshake
b. Go in for a hug
c. Do the awkward shrug/wave
d. Cross your arms to avoid any awkward physical greeting

I could explain the awkward potential of each of those options; however, I think that we all know the feeling of a similar encounter. These examples just illustrate the need for new greeting for female, young professionals.

So what are the options?
In Italy, and a great many other European countries, the ‘cheek kiss’ or ‘social kiss’ would be perfectly acceptable. However, we are not in Europe and I fear attempting this greeting at the grocery store could get really awkward, really quickly.

Then there is the bow, common in Japan. I love this greeting because there is no physical contact, greatly reducing the opportunity for an awkward moment. But if I only bow at 15 degrees is that less respectful than a full 45 degrees?

During Blue Door Consulting’s ‘Greeting Week’ I’ll be introducing a new greeting to the team each morning in an attempt to find one that sticks. I’ve already toyed with the idea of elbow bumps (seemingly more feminine than its male fist bump counterpart). Do you have an idea for the new American female, young professional greeting? Let me know, I’ll test it out on the team.

Who knows, this just may change the American culture as we know it.

Is It Possible to Build a Better FAQ?

2010-06-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

In this post, Bee suggests how you can create a smarter and efficient FAQ sytem...

Most people who have been on the Internet know what a FAQ is. You have seen them on websites and you have probably looked through one hoping to find answers. You may have been satisfied or completely frustrated with what you found. For those that do not know what a FAQ is, it is a frequently asked questions list, basically a collection of questions that the site owner assumes their visitors want to know and the questions associated with them. The advantage of a FAQ is that your visitors do not have to scour through your website to find the answer. However, there are a number of flaws to the traditional FAQ:

The questions you have on your FAQ depend on the number of questions you think is necessary to convey information to your visitors, which may or may not be adequate.

Even after you think you have anticipated all the questions that your visitors are seeking, you aren't positive if all their questions have been answered.

The more questions you decide to feature, the longer your page will be and the harder it is to find the correct answer.

You can begin to organize your content by putting your questions in categories, but your FAQ will still be burdened by long pages and unforseen questions.

So how does one build a better FAQ?

Using chatbot concepts, you can build a FAQ system that will eliminate most of the aforementioned flaws. Chatbots are interactive Web features that mimic a real person in that they respond back to users. Most chatbots function as pattern matchers that take the input, find the relevant rule and output the pre-canned response. Chatbots allow you to build a system that is interactive, concise and manageable:

Visitors to your site can ask questions via a text input instead of searching through a list of questions.

Your system will reply back with accurate information that is relevant to the question instead of just presenting a long list of questions and answers.

The questions list is stored in a back-end data structure that can be easily maintained.

Logging of chat sessions allow you to improve and edit your system to cater to your audience.Using these simple concepts, you can begin to see how powerful this FAQ system can be. Chatbots can also be tied to a relational database, so that it can perform searches across records and tables using more complex search match techniques like regular expression or Boolean logic.

A FAQ/chatbot hybrid can use a simple, but effective data structure, as can be seen in one the most popular type of chatbot, AIML. AIML (artificial intelligence markup language) is a language based on XML. AIML is rule-based, matching a word or sequence of words to respond with a completely canned answer. In AIML, each response pair is called a category. An AIML category is a series of tags with data that describe how to react to a specific input string. The minimal tags are Pattern and Template, which describe the input stimulus and the output response.

[category]
[pattern] LOCATED [/pattern]
[template] Our office is located on the corner of Main and New York Ave.[/template]
[/category]

In this simple illustration, the system is looking for the keyword “located,” and if found, will reply back with the response inside the