Category: Uncategorized

I found this article written by Marshall Kirkpatrick to be very interesting. It is just another example of how blogs are working their way into all the things we think of as our traditional media.

The Washington Post is now using a two pronged approach to get full coverage of its news stories. For those of you who are still wondering just what a blog is or if it is something meaningful, this is just another example of the power of Blogs.

Cheers,

Chuck

One of the things about blogs that I don’t think too many people realize is just how prevalent they have become in a very short period of time. Blogs now account for over 40% of the sites and traffic on the net and they are still in their infancy.

I am of the belief that by the end of 2006 they could be up to 70% of our internet usage. For anyone in business who thinks blogs are not significant it is time to think again, AND QUICKLY.

In this high paced world that we live in, ignorance is not bliss. There are numerous examples in the past of once hugely successful companies who didn’t adapt with the marketplace and suffered tremendously because of this. Today we don’t have to look any farther than GM.

If your company does not want to suffer the same fate as GM, make sure you are aware of what is going on in the market place. In the market if your customer’s change their buying habits and you are not proactively changing along with them you will be left out in the cold. Blogs are here to stay so the time to embrace them is NOW.

Remember, you heard it here first folks,

Cheers,

Chuck

With the winter Olympics starting in Turin, the eyes of the world are on our wonderful athletes. Having spent a good portion of my life in competitive sports I have a deep appreciation for the type of commitment it takes to achieve such a high honor. I think one of the most impressive elements of the Olympic experience is that the athletes are competing for national pride, not money.

I think there is much that can be learned from this mindset of excellence. If an average person could harness just a small portion of the energy and ambition our Olympic athletes have, just think of the positive changes that could be made in the world we live in.

I think the underlying commonality between our elite athletes and the elite members of society is the focus of a goal. Think of aspects of your life as the medal podium and find ways in which you can strive to be at the top of that podium.

Like in the Olympics your motivation can not be money. If you aim for a higher purpose and strive for it selflessly you can’t help but be a success at whatever you choose to do.

Cheers,

Chuck

One of the features of the blog world that most people seem to gravitate to is the search feature, which allows someone to run a 24/7 search and have new results instantly delivered to them. For instance, I have a search running on my name, Chuck Brady. Anytime anyone uses my name on the net I am instantly notified and see what they wrote and in what context.

This is a very powerful tool for business owners for a number of reasons. The first of which is market research. How would you like to track every move your competitors make without having to do anything? The RSS or Atom feeds attached to blogs allow you to achieve this.

The second reason why this is such a great feature is because it allows you to get information to your target market all the time. Many companies use internet marketing techniques like email newsletters to spread their information. The problem with this approach is that the content is only delivered to people in your data base, and you have no idea of knowing whether or not this is content they are interested in reading. With a blog entry your content is instantly delivered to your target market, and what is more IT IS NOT SPAM because it is information they have requested. Your information actually goes looking for your audience on your behalf.

I realize this is a lot of information to take in, this is not meant to be a how to manual, just an eye opener of the possibilities.

Happy Blogging,

CB

Yesterday I had one of the most remarkable conversations in my life with a friend of mine. She said something to me that has been resonating with me all day. We were talking about some of the remarkable people in the world who find happiness and success despite all the obstacles and tribulations that are throw their way. She told me about her sister who suffers from cystic fibrosis; and yet never complains, nor asks “why me?” She then said to me, isn’t it interesting how often time the people who get these challenges in life are often the ones who are able to cope and handle such severe adversity?

This really got me thinking to many of the other admirable people in this world. Our recently elected mayor of Vancouver is a wheelchair bound quadriplegic. Here is a man who could come up with so many excuses, but he doesn’t. He is the mayor of one of the premier cities in the world because he made a choice to be successful regardless of what circumstances were thrown at him.

I really believe these people are a blessing to the rest of us and we should heed their achievements. So often we come up with excuses for not achieving our success, but others around us receive more adversity than I can fathom and still come out on top.

My hat goes off to these heroes, and I hope I am not the only one learning from the experiences of others. As a healthy citizen of the best country in the world, I can not be thankful enough for the opportunities in front of me. I truly feel lucky and blessed and motivated to make a difference. I hope you will join me in making this world a better place.

These are my thoughts on the day,

Cheers,

Chuck

One of the things that often scares people about blogs is the vulnerability that is felt. There seems to be a common misconception that because blogs are uncensored, having a blog would make a company susceptible to an attack. The truth of the matter is actually quite alarming and the opposite of what most people seem to perceive.

I find myself explaining many times per week that a company not following blogs makes them MUCH more vulnerable because it will leave them unaware if an attack were to take place.

I like to use the analogy of a fire. Think of the difference between a small campfire and a burgeoning forest fire. The camp fire is contained in a small area and can be put out quite quickly and easily. The forest fire however, burns out of control and can take weeks or months to put out. Often nothing can be done to save things in its path.

The same thing is true in the blogsphere. If something derogatory is said about you or your company and you spot it right away you are easily able to set the record straight and provide information to the contrary while only a few people are aware of it. However, if bad information about you is allowed to spread with no retort from you, how is the general public supposed to know the information they are reading is incorrect.

The underlying lesson I am trying to stress is that when it comes to blogs, ignorance is not bliss. Get the real information and you will protect yourself from future problems.

Cheers,

Chuck

“Many years ago a retiring executive gave me an old pamphlet he had carried throughout his career. It was entitled, “Take Time Out for Mental Digestion.” He told me that this little pamphlet had been one of the most helpful things he had ever read in his business life. At the time I spoke to him he was the president of a corporation with more than 10,000 employees.

The message of this pamphlet was simple. It said that people always resist new ideas and new courses of action, even if the ideas are good for them. However, if they have an opportunity to think about them for a few days, very often they will come around to the new way of thinking with both agreement and enthusiasm.

The pamphlet said that an individual needs about 72 hours to absorb a new idea. Effective executives are those who present their ideas in very casual way, rather than as a decision or a fact engraved in stone. They present their thoughts as ideas for consideration. Effective executives encourage the other person to take the new idea or new way of doing things and think about it for a few days. They say that “we can discuss this later” and they just leave the idea with the other person.”

I just wanted to share this, I found it to be very insightful,

Cheers,

CB

Tonight I was reading one of the many business relationship books I have and I came across a very interesting technique for answering the phone. As I read about it I realized that many times in the past I have used it with great success, I was just unaware I was doing it so I thought I would share my epiphany.

The approach is very simple; you answer the phone in a very neutral professional manner. Then when you discover who is calling and what they are calling about you express sincere appreciation of this. For instance if a good friend were on the phone I would answer “Hello Patrick, it is so wonderful to hear from you, I am very glad you called”.

The same approach can be used if it is a stranger calling about a less than pleasant matter such as a missed bill payment. In this situation you could say, “I am so glad you called, I really appreciate you bringing that to my attention”.

By putting a positive spin on every situation you will always lighten the spirits of the person you are speaking with and will get much better results from those often dreaded phone calls.

My thoughts on the day,

Cheers,

Chuck

I am very often reminded of just how powerful the human mind can be, and how the forces of nature lead you to what you really want when you do the right things. This was made ever more clear to me this afternoon with an amazing series of events.

About a month ago I had met a fellow at a networking christmas party, we had exchanged cards and spoke for about 10 minutes talking about what we each did and just having some small talk about the holiday season and the usual christmas banter. This fellow had expressed interest in having me setup a blog strategy for his company and wanted to talk about things further in the month of January. I made note of this on his card and had scheduled myself to call him to follow up.

As this month is rapidly passing me by I was making every attempt to free time in my schedule to meet with this fellow and make sure I could give his project the time and energy it deserves. Since time was passing I was a little worried he would not remember our conversation from that day. (during the event I had probably met and exchanged cards with 200 people so keeping track of everyone is often a challenge).

Well less than 10 minutes before I was scheduled to call him this afternoon I received an email from him. He did not know who I was but was refered to me because he wanted to join the BNI chapter of which I am the President of. In his email he stated how he was eager to meet me because he had heard many good things about my reputation and skills.

By focusing my mind on him, he had been drawn back as if to remind me not to let him slip through the cracks. The most amazing part was that his communication took place less than 10 minutes before I was about to call him. I never consider these situations to be luck, only the incredible power of focus and belief. Make up your mind as to what you want in your life and the people you want in your life and great things will happen, you have my word.

My two cents on the day,

Chuck

Your feelings and emotions, are the access point to your inner powers of mind. Solitude is the most powerful activity in which you can engage. Men and women who practice it correctly and on a regular basis never fail to be amazed at the difference it makes in their lives.

Most people are so busy being busy, doing something—even watching television—that it’s highly unusual for them to simply sit, deliberately, and do nothing. But as Catherine Ponder points out, “Men and women begin to become great when they begin to take time quietly by themselves, when they begin to practice solitude.” And here’s the method you can use.

To get the full benefit of your periods of solitude, you must sit quietly for at least 30 to 60 minutes at a time. If you haven’t done it before, it will take the first 25 minutes or so for you to stop fidgeting and moving around. You’ll almost have to hold yourself physically in your seat. You’ll have an almost irresistible desire to get up and do something. But you must persist.

Solitude requires that you sit quietly, perfectly still, back and head erect, eyes open, without cigarettes, candy, writing materials, music or any interruptions whatsoever for at least 30 minutes. An hour is better.Become completely relaxed, and breathe deeply. Just let your mind flow. Don’t deliberately try to think about anything. The harder you “don’t try,” the more powerfully it works. After 20 or 25 minutes, you’ll begin to feel deeply relaxed. You’ll begin to experience a flow of energy coming into your mind and body. You’ll have a tremendous sense of well-being. At this point, you’ll be ready to get the full benefit of these moments of contemplation.

Hope you get as much from this as I do,

Cheers,

CB