Business
What has Twitter done for you and your Business?
I have been messing around with Twitter pretty much full-time for the past 5 days and I’m wondering how this tool is improving your life and or business. Is it better than the other Social Networking platforms and doe’s it directly impact your bottomline in business?
As you can see I’m a curious sort and I’m looking for some hard data to justify devoting so much time to Twitter. Everything has an ROI, it’s finding out the reality of that number. I have found being selective in who you follow has a direct bearing on the results of your questions and Blog traffic. Do you follow just anyone or do you have a system in the ones you decide to hitch your wagon too?
So, the question of the day is:
What has Twitter done for you and your Business?
Twitter – Tool or Addiction?
I recently signed up at Twitter, so what you say! Most of my experiences on the Internet have been ho-hum for the most part but sometimes I’m entrigued by little things. I put up a Blog some time ago, no marketing no nothing really, I just started writing. I’m currently in between gig’s so to speak and have some time on my hands. I don’t have a business or a plan for that matter but I have been tinkering with the idea. One of the tinkers is registering with Twitter and finding a few people I already know to follow.
One thing leads to another, I get published at Ezinearticles, fine tuned my Blog for low level SEO, posted that I am writing an eBook and visited one interesting website and next thing I knew 30+ people started to follow me on Twitter. Again, so what you say!
Now I have registered with other Social networking tools before and frankly no one came to my Blog unless I personally told them to, putting the link up in various services really didn’t do much good. Until Twitter. Now I realize content matters, who wants to read about my rants on stuff your not interested in, but that’s my point, I write because I like to and I’m not really trying to get traffic. Not on purpose anyway. Having said that, did I mention I was in between gigs? I should try to get traffic and try to earn a living online shouldn’t I? So why am I so hesitant, could it be I just don’t trust Internet Marketer’s telling me how to get rich online? Yep!
Now the tool that has been the most fun to use for me on Twitter is TweetDeck, it takes the pain of having to go to my Twitter homepage to see what’s going on and to post my updates. Well Done! So the problem now is I can’t seem to walk away from Twitter, why? It’s addicting!
Like everything else I’ll get over it because I get bored easily, I’ll find something new to play with and I’ll get fired up and post about it. That’s the best part about Blogging and having your own Blog. Hmmmm, is a Blog a tool or an Addiction, YES!
Are You Ready For The New Technology?
The New Technology – The End of Mankind
It doesn’t matter what you believe or what you think you know, what matters is that you become aware. God created us to be relational beings in his image, not machines to live in seclusion separated from each other and him. He gave us the opportunity to have a relationship with him, which is at the very heart of the matter. He also provided a way for us to have awareness, being aware allows you to make sound decisions and sometimes we misunderstand what we are aware of and make not so sound decisions.
I’ve been writing and researching this thing called The New Technology and have become increasingly uncomfortable each and everyday I learn more about it. You can call it fear mongering if you want to but I prefer to think of it as making you aware of the truth and where you should look for it.
If the exponential growth of technology is to continue as it is we will have to find a way to think exponentially, not continue in our linear fashion. Information Technology is growing at 2, 4, 8, 16 and 30 steps at a time and before you know it you are at a billion times. Our brains are doubling in knowledge every year, I’ll bet that’s news to you.
Have you ever thought about these futuristic movies and wondered could it ever happen? Well I have and it is already happening and we never hear about it. OK, we hear about some of the advances being made on CNN but the crux of the problem is trying figure out how to control and monetize it. Net Neutrality is only one small problem compared to where technology is taking us.
You’ve heard about Nano-Technology in very small doses via the news and the progress the scientists at major Universities are making. This progress will intrude on you in ways you can’t possibly imagine and you may not know you have been subjected to it. It will be sold in such a way that you will believe it is the best thing for you to stay healthier and live longer. But is it the best thing for you?
In my ebook I share some of the things you rarely hear about, where we came from, what happened to us when technology really began to evolve. How it impacted our job markets and how will technology change us beyond our wildest imagination. And I am only scratching the surface in the ebook, there is so much out there I can only hope to share a small snippet of my findings.
I ask myself regularly, is this what God had in mind for us? Or is this just the beginning of something far greater?
Net Neutrality, say what?
There is a movement, a huge idea on how to control the Internet and lock it down so you can’t do what you want or see what you want. In fact, you will pay even more to participate on this open (closed)network called the Internet. I’m not sure I fully understand how but the concept does seem to have merit.
The idea of Net Neutrality isn’t as far fetched as it may sound. There are websites dedicated to this very topic and what you can do to try and stop it. So what does this really mean anyway? The following is taken from a site called: http://www.neutrality.ca
It is the principle that consumers should be in control of what content, services and applications they use on the public Internet.
It’s a simple concept that has wide-ranging implications on how the Internet operates.
“When I invented the Web, I didn’t have to ask anyone’s permission. Now, hundreds of millions of people are using it freely. I am worried that that is going end” – Sir Tim Berners Lee.
So what does this mean to your business on the Internet? Well, it could mean absolutely no one will see your site or know about your product unless you pay for a service to let the world know about you. You already pay for Internet connectivity, but wait, this will go even farther.
Net Neutrality even has logo’s you can put on your site to promote the prevention of Net Neutrality. Just when you think you have freedom to use the Internet someone has figured out how to take it from you. I wondered how long it would take for the government to try and do this, it turns out it’s all the ISP’s and TV Executives are the brains behind it all. Most of these TV Exec’s had absolutely nothing to do with the Internet’s development!
Well enough said, do visit the neutrality.ca website and find out more and how you can participate. And here is a video clip for a more formal presentation:
Til next time.
Organisations, People & Systems
Why is it that most organisations focus on crisis rather than important? It seems that getting a task done and greasing the squeaky wheel is the priority. Toxic employees and or managers go into fits of rage because something didn’t go as planned or they are protecting their turf. At some point someone has to stop the insanity, how could you possibly go on doing the same things over and over again expecting different results?
There it is, the question. I have found that good people are hard to find, if you don’t wait or look long enough. Most people are looking for relief in workload, want to feel important and valuable and know that there contributions matter. But my boss just doesn’t get it! He empowers the wrong people, he doesn’t listen and he lets people get away with murder. You’ve heard it all before.
So, why is it that many have this problem? I would suggest to you that the leaders at the top are not looking at the whole picture, they are looking at transactions and tasks that have to be completed on a deadline. When that happens, they end up managing in crisis mode rather than working in the important mode. How do you know when this is happening? How can you identify organisations in the wrong mode? It’s more obvious than you think, all you have to do is watch the people, there body language, are they happy, or do they complain more often than not. It’s really not that complicated, but, many don’t see it because they are in it everyday and never get a chance to step out of the crisis mode long enough to see all that is ailing them.
The smart top leaders recognize they aren’t the solution and will bring an outside source to work with them on making the shift to working on the important issues, the bigger picture and implementing the right systems that will remove the stress and allow finances to be directed to an area where it is really needed.
Build great teams, implement strong systems and your world will change top leaders. The how is always the question, a solution is to hire an outside source that understands those two very important environments or build a team of your best people with the aid of a consultant. People & Systems are the secret.
I’ll share more on this topic as it is one that I get asked many times to discuss.