Change your thinking; change your life!
The new version of Firefox browser is now here. For those of you who are not amoung the converted Firefox is a great way to serf the internet and avoid a large number of bugs and viruses that are prevelant in IE. I have been using it for years and find it to be great.
There is a link to download the new version completly free on my side bar.
Bon Appetite,
CB
Are you an outlook user who wants to integrate your RSS feeds into it seemlessly? I have a solution for you that is both simple and free, it is a software program called Attensa. One of the coolest things is that not only can you subscribe to a particular blog such as this, but you can also subscribe to a key word search.
For instance if I wanted to see everytime someone created a blog that used the name Chuck Brady, well Attensa would tell me. This is great for anyone who wants to keep up with their competition. This is just another way this great new technology is allowing information to move quickly and effectively.
Happy blogging,
CB
You know I always find it funny that the same people who talk about how they should have taken advatage of past trends early, are the same ones who say “well I am going to wait and see what happens with this”. Blogging is no different, with currently only about 5% of companies using blogs, now is the time to be jumping on board. I don’t think that there is any secret that the companies who embrace blogs now are the ones who are going to receive the most long term benefit from using them.
The time really is now to buck up and accept that blogs are becoming the business norm. It will not be long before every business card has a blog URL on it and every email signature has the same. Learn how to use them to your advantage and you will be happy you did.
Remember, you heard it here first,
Cheers,
CB
I am always amazed at the number of people who say to me Chuck, I don’t have time for this. Or I dont have any time, I always respond the same way. It is not that you dont have time, each one of us has the same 24 hours in a day, it is what we choose to do with that time that matters.
I find though that these are the same people who find the time to spent 3 hours a night watching TV or waste time left right and center. I don’t think it is a matter of lack of time, I see it as a matter of lack of clear goals or objectives. I think that once we know clearly what we want to do and achieve we always find time to do the important things that take us there.
Time and time it has been written about the importance of goals and I for one am a firm beleiver in this. How can you say you do not have time when you don’t even know what you are trying to achieve?
My thoughts on the subject,
CB
I am being asked more and more what is RSS? There are currently two accepted interpretations of the intitials, they are Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication. No matter which you use the purpose is for your information or blog entries to be distributed through the world wide web.
Every time a post is created on a blog a new feed is created. RSS programs search the web looking for these new feeds and send them to interested parties. For instance, if I was interested in the topic of RRSPs, I could program my RSS reader to find me every new post on the subject. After I have done this whenever someone writes a blog post containing the word RRSP, it will be instantly sent to me via my RSS reader without me having to search for it.
In business this is a very powerful tool, as it allows you to track whenever something is being said about your company or product. Wouldnt it be valuable to know immediatly anytime someone is spreading bad press about you? RSS allows you to do this and much much more.
Cheers,
CB
The business of blogging is creating a new culture for business owners and professionals. We are entering a realm where customers want to get to know the intimate details of the people they are doing business with befor making that all important decision to buy a product or service.
When you are creating your business blog by all means appear human. Humans will make typos, have the occational bad gramatical error or use the wrong word. I am not saying you should lay caution to the wind and write the entire thing in slang. What I am saying is that you do not need to have an editor scrutinize every post for hours or weeks at a time before it gets posted. We are never going to be 100% perfect, but we should be 100% honest in our approach.
Our blogs are nothing more than an extention of our personalities, use this to your advantage. If you are funny, make your blog funny. We have created a paradigm shift in the market today so be aware of it.
Happy Blogging,
CB
I am pleased to say that I have been able to put together the inaugural event, in an attempt to bridge the gap between east and west. This coming Friday in Vancouver, I am looking forward to an event with aproximately 100 business people from both Vancouver and China. We are trying to find ways in which our two business communities can work together more closely as we move towards a more global economy.
Working very closely with the Burnaby Board of Trade www.burnabyboardoftrade.com and Van Club www.vanclub.org, we have been able to get the event organized. It will be taking place on Friday December the 2nd 6:30 PM at ie Design, 180 W. 3rd Ave, Vancouver.
I am really looking forward to this event as I think it can be a springboard into future events and a closer working relationship with our friends from the east. I think I need to start learning to speak Mandarin and Cantonese, I think they are quickly becoming the languages of the world trade. But I digress, Friday should be great, everyone is welcome to attend.
Cheers,
CB
I often get asked the question, “what is an Access Strategist”? Well the short answer is I provide business owners and sales people ACCESS to the people, resources and ideas that are required to take your business to the next level.
Access Strategy is the new wave of consulting, using things like blogs to help companies gain insites into the mind’s of their customers. Though to me the most important part of Access Strategy is you, my loyal customers and friends. Every person that I work with is so very uniqe and needs access to something a little bit different. Together we gain access to the new ideas, new thoughts and create the paradigm shifts future generations will read about.
So really for me being an Access Strategist is nothing more than living and sharing dreams with people as we build lasting relationships for the future, so to each and every one of you who help make Access Strategy fun, I thank you.
Cheers,
Chuck
In this world of big faceless corporations and company politics, I see companies struggling with the paradigm shift that is taking place in the blogosphere. Companies are so used to having press releases and web site content scrutinized by the accountants and lawyers before it is allowed to be viewed by Joe public. The blogging world has changed the rules and customs and the companies who are able to adapt to this the quickest will be the ones who see the most success.
I am a firm beleiver in the old adage when refering to customers, “they don’t care how much you know untill they know how much you care”. Blogs are the ideal way for companies to get rid of the faceless facade they like to hide behind and show the human side of business. I see time and time again in Vancouver how it is the businesses and business people who have the skills to relate to their customers who are having success.
We are very much living in a world where distrust is at an all time high. People want to buy products and do business with people they can trust. Companies that can get out from behind the desk and smile pretty or take constructive critism without resorting to company rhetoric are the ones who will be the market leaders moving forward. The best advice I can offer is blog as a person, not a company and talk like you are talking to a friend. I feel a little softer touch will go a long way to earning you that soft spot in the customer’s heart.
These are my two cents,
Cheers,
CB
The goal of any marketing program is to achieve TOMA. This happens when consumers link your product or service with a particular key word. For instance when we think of a tissue we immediately think of the name Kleenex, and we often forget that Kleenex is not a generic product name, it is actually a brand of tissue. Kleenex has just done such a good job of creating TOMA with their product.
When creating a corporate blog one should always have TOMA in mind. It is a good idea to have a series of posts using a few keys words in which you would like to own in the minds of your customers. You will have much greater success with your blog if you focus on a few key areas and maximize your exposure. A corporate blog is an extention of a marketing campaign and should be treated as such.
Since the world of business blogging is still relatively new a company has the opportunity to be first in owning key words in the blogosphere and thus gaining a great competitive advatage. Know what you want to achieve TOMA with and you will be one step closer to success.
Cheers,
CB