Everything seems Flashy….

I wonder how the quickness in every aspect of daily life seems to be griping in what and how we do. I remember writing an article in 2007 about how probably Social Media will change the landscape for marketers and PR. However, I have to admit I didn’t see how flashy it will become and how it will change the way the revolution is conducted, the way we reach to our audience, the way celebs reach out to their fans, how we find new employers and new employees, how we sell and buy, how ……Well…… how do we conduct our daily life.

There are many examples to amplify the effects social media. The 5 Examples of Effective Social Media Integration exhibits that how not only individual are ensuring their promotion through Social Media but also organizations taking the similar route. This example let me wonder on how the line between individual and organization promotion are blurring. Further, how organizations are taking steps toward having adequate social media presence to ensure a tighter integrations to their consumer. The 13 Cool Examples of Google+ Brand Pages suggests the same. Of course then there are many such examples that I can talk about.

The another aspect of Social Media that I found interesting is the “Social Mobilization” – What I mean by Social Mobilization is the aspect where people are using social media to gather and/or mobilize themselves. What we saw incase of Egypt along with unfortunate London riots are such examples. The another element to this is the Flash Mob.

Wikipedia explain it - A flash mob (or flashmob) is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, or artistic expression. Flash mobs are organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails.

The term, coined in 2003, is generally not applied to events and performances organized for the purposes of politics (such as protests),commercial advertisement, publicity stunts that involve public relation firms, or paid professionals. In these cases of a planned purpose for the social activity in question, the term smart mobs is often applied instead.

I have one such example that Mumbai witnessed recently at one of the busiest station, on how people came together to celebrate the patriotism and enjoy their “Indianhood”.

Of course, not to mentioned how much I was astounded to witness this marvel of people coming together from all walks of life, age and specially a old lady trying to call more people to dance is something that I could have imagined of what possible effects that Social Media Flashiness can make on our daily life. Of course this was triggered using a social media platform to bring people together. You can read how a 23 Year old Shonan Kothari was able to pleasantly shock Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Station.

Though it also give scares to many including me. But as we know any powerful tool has its two side. Something like a nuclear power, which can power many thousand of homes while has the ability to destroy them at the same time.

So now I am keen on what else could make be wonder and ask – Is this Flashy…????

Please share any of your experiences with me.

Happy Reading and Exploring !!!!

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The Golden Circle: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Simon Sinek, author of “Start With Why,” talks about The Golden Circle, a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership . Examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright Brothers.

Courtesy – Expert Access

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Google ChromeBook

So after many speculations and months of wait, its here – The Google ChromeBook. I am quite excited to see the anticipated revolutionary shift that its expected to do in the note book space and potentially in the personal computing space.

From 8 Seconds to boot up and no backup or antivirus required is certainly things that I would loved to have in my PC. So is it that this new ChromeBook could change the way books are written in the Personal Computing space. Well, they have my money on them.

With Cloud computing actually realizing its potential in the general consumer space now and more in next year, this piece of equipment is here to certainly revolutionize the PC space.

Highlighting below some feature about the product offering and this certainly will not stop here. Google has some ambitious plans with this product. Hence Please WATCH OUT the space.

So here are things it does a bit differently…

Speed

No waiting.

Chromebooks boot in 8 seconds, and resume instantly. WithChrome Instant built in, web pages that you frequently visit will begin loading as soon as you start typing the URL. Chromebooks also use prerendering technology to load websites faster - for example, with Instant Pages in Google search, certain search results appear to load almost instantly.

Chromebooks boot in 8 seconds.

Get to your favorite apps and sites quickly on the New Tab page.

Simplicity

No blue screens or maintenance. The Chromebook just keeps getting better.

Simple means doing more with your Chromebook. The Omnibox at the top doubles as both an address and search bar. The New Tabpage makes it easy to visit apps, bookmarks, and most visited site. Additionally, Chromebooks automatically update when you turn them on: all of your apps stay up-to-date, and you get the latest version of the operating system without having to think about it.

Security

No anti-virus need apply.

Chromebooks run the first consumer operating system designed from the ground up to defend against the ongoing threat of malware and viruses. Chromebooks use the principle of “defense in depth” to provide multiple layers of protection, including sandboxing, data encryption, and verified boot. With web storage, your email, photos, documents, and data are stored in the cloud, even if you lose your Chromebook. Multiple logins and Guest Modeallow you to share your Chromebook securely with friends.

Hardware-backed security.

All-day battery life means that you can connect anywhere and never miss a beat on the web.

Connectivity

No more missed emails. Get the web everywhere.

With built-in Wi-Fi and 3G, Chromebooks make it easy to get connected anytime and anywhere.* 3G models come with flexible internet plans, including a free introductory mobile plan from, so you can keep working on the go. Coupled with long battery life, Chromebooks enable you to be truly mobile - even without a place to stop and plug in. Chromebooks also have Google Cloud Printbuilt in, allowing you to print to any cloud-connected printer from anywhere.

Web apps

No additional software required.

Every Chromebook runs thousands of web apps, from document creators to photo editors to games. New apps are being added daily to the Chrome Web Store, a central marketplace for web apps, extensions and themes. With the power of HTML5, you can now access many of your favorite apps, such as Gmail, during the rare times you are disconnected from the internet. Learn more about web apps.

Run your favorite apps and thousands more.

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Secrets to Attracting More Prospects on LinkedIn

An interesting article by Kristina Jaramillo on Expert Access. It articulates well simple steps to ensure an effective Linkedin Profile. The power of Social presence or footprint is no more a secret. In the age of Social Media we all individuals need to carefully craft our presence in the Social Media space and ensure that its current and effective.

Linkedin – Currently owns the first position in best “business” social network that allow us to connect with the business community within or outside our area of influence. Of course, not to miss that it now gaining a huge momentum in being the preferred platform for employees and employers searching for possible job opportunities or candidate searches. Hence baring in mind that you need to have a social media presence, certainly should consider the below mentioned simple steps to make your presence more effective.

The #1 Reason Why Your LinkedIn Profile Fails to Attract More Prospects

Right under your name, does your LinkedIn profile headline look like this?

• CEO & Founder at XYZ and Associates
• Business Owner at ABC Consulting
• Speaker at YourName.com

Three Reasons Why Your Profile Should Not Be the Same as Your Position

1. Think of your headline as your first sales pitch to people who want to connect with you. If I am unfamiliar with you or your company, how does mentioning your company name and your position show me what you do and why I need to connect with you? It doesn’t! These headlines are too general, simple and straightforward. They are too vague and too broad.  In order for your headline to be effective, it needs to grab my attention. It needs to make me want to read the rest of your profile. As a potential client or potential referral source, I need to see right away how you can help me or my clients.
2. When I am invited to connect with someone, I view their profile before I choose to accept.  The first thing that I look at is their headline to see if there is any possible synergy between the person who wants to connect with me and my business.  By doing this, I can see if it is worth my time and energy to view the rest of their profile. Make your headline enticing so that I will want to read your profile and connect with you.
3. If someone is going through people search or through the groups to see who they should connect with, they are looking at hundreds to thousands of opportunities.   You need to make your business stand out to entice others to want to click on your name to read your profile and learn more about you.

Now that you know that you need to drastically improve your LinkedIn profile headline in order to attract more clients, the question is, how do you fix it?

Four Questions You Must Ask Yourself when Creating Your LinkedIn Profile Headline

1)  What can you say in your headline that will give you instant credibility?

One of the easiest ways to gain that instant credibility is to use any media attention.  For example, I was recently called a “Social Media Expert” by the New York Times.  Look how I use this media mention in my new LinkedIn profile headline to give me instant credibility:

“Read my profile now and discover LinkedIn secrets from the woman the New York Times called a social media expert.”

2)  Does your LinkedIn profile headline command action?

The best way to get someone to read your profile further is to tell them to do so. Just look at my example above. Notice I’m giving you a call-to-action. By stating read, view or learn more by reading my profile, you are instructing the reader to do so.  And, guess what—chances are they’ll listen. You just have to tell your prospects what to do—and why they need to take the action.

3) Does your LinkedIn profile headline show why you are different?

Go to people search on LinkedIn and type in your career description. Look at how many people match your description. For example, when I type “internet marketing consultant” into people search, it gives me 139,041 results. The phrase “life coach” gives me 83,847 results. The phrase “business coach” returns 224,274 results.  In your headline, if you show how and why you are unique, chances are your prospects will explore your business further than that of your competition.

For example, Article Marketing Expert, Eric Gruber’s, profile headline was: “See How We Can Get You Published on Websites like About.com” instead of just article directories like our competition.

4) Does your LinkedIn profile headline show a benefit to the reader?

By implying that there is an advantage to your reader by viewing your profile, you are telling them that there is a benefit of using your products or services.  The reader needs a reason to accept a connection with you.  By giving them a benefit, you are instilling confidence in your business. For example:

• Help My Website Sell Founder, Adam Hommey’s, headline is:  “Top Internet Marketing Consultant and Expert Webmaster Reveals How to Make Your Website Sell More Products and Services.”
• The Global Institute of Visionary Executives Founder, Carrie Jacobs, has this as her headline:  “Read My Profile and Learn from a Champion Visionary Executive Coach How You Can Profit from Your Own Brand of Success.”

Just by fixing your LinkedIn profile headline, you will begin to attract more prospects and referral sources. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, in my free special report, I reveal 14 mistakes that most internet marketers and small business owners make—and the opportunities they are missing. I invite you to get this free report at http://www.GetLinkedInHelp.com.

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The 10 Mistakes I've made...so you don't have to

Thought of sharing  an interesting presentation that talks about popular mistakes that we may also been party to in our life’s while conducting our businesses.

This endorses my thought and something my boss – Kenny, always use to emphasize that while you are tackling any situation its important to look on what customer/consumer problem you will solve rather than something you “believe” is a problem. Its equally, imperative to carve a niche  in a cluttered space on what you are offering. One such example that I came across yesterday was a simple tool that makes your twitter management so effective - SocialBro - Explore your Twitter community. This tool for me have created a niche in a cluttered twitter management space.

Further, the presentation highlights other elements that are equally important to ensure that its not about idea alone but ingredients and its subsequent mix to make a “successful dish”

The 10 Mistakes I've made...so you don't have to

View more presentations from Tara Hunt

Happy Reading!!

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The Last Mile in Retail

Recognizing, understanding and closing the gap of Customer Interaction.

Customer Satisfaction is Overrated

Eighty percent of customers who switch suppliers report that they were "satisfied" with their previous supplier. Obviously, satisfied customers are not the same as loyal advocates. How can you ensure that customers will stick with you–and better yet–recommend you to others?

Ensure "The Last Mile"

No matter how much you've invested in technology, it's what happens during the actual customer interaction that's most important. How can you ensure that your technology investment is not being squandered by well-meaning employees who simply are not able to "go the last mile" and ensure a loyal (and not merely a satisfied) customer?

Get your complimentary copy now!

Birds that are making Games Angry..

I am sure I don’t have to tell you about what is making the established gaming companies ANGRY - Angry Bird. If you don’t know about the bird then don’t worry reading this post…Well Sorry…

In February 2010, Angry Birds was a nominee for the "Best Casual Game" award at the 6th annual International Mobile Gaming Awards in Barcelona, Spain In September 2010, IGNnamed Angry Birds as the fourth best iPhone game of all time.In April 2011, Angry Birds won both the "Best Game App" and "App of the Year" at the UK Appy Awards.At the 15th edition of the Webby Awards, Angry Birds was awarded "Best Game for Handheld Devices".

So we know now that they are good….well the above list of awards suggest that….

Ben Griffin provides facts about the birds that are angry. Perhaps.

1. Angry Birds was made by a team of four people and took eight months to finish because it was such a low priority for the company.
2. The game cost less than £70,000 to make.
3. Angry Birds fans include public figures as diverse as David Cameron, Paul Gascoigne, Kylie Minogue, Conan O’Brien and Jon Hamm, Mad Men’s Don Draper.
4. It has sold more than seven million copies on Apple’s iPhone.
5. An Angry Birds Facebook game is coming in 2011.
6. Rovio Mobile developed more than 50 games, with relatively little success, before finally striking gold with Angry Birds.
7. The Angry Birds beta for Android hit more than one million downloads in three weeks.
8. Twenty different Angry Birds toys will be released early in 2011.
9. Peter Vesterbacka, Rovio's official spokesman, has the job title 'Mighty Eagle’.
10. Speaking of unusual titles, one of Rovio's game testers was nicknamed the 'Rovio Killer' because he was so bad at their games.

So was it easy….I am sure certainly NOT…As per I know that Angry Birds was the 52nd Game that they have developed….so they had 51 attempts which was not so or average success…but then something change with what 52 thing that they developed. So how its different.

Jennifer Bergen provides a great insight on how they are different.

Rovio is releasing a slew of new products beyond what is already a healthy stable of tie-in products, which we’ll highlight below.

1. “Bad Piggies Egg Recipes”

You can now make Angry Birds-inspired recipes, like egg salad sandwiches and egg sushi with the new “Bad Piggies Egg Recipes” cookbook. Clearly, the tables have turned as the pigs are literally cooking the birds’ precious eggs. No, there aren’t any fowl-inspired recipes in here, so you won’t be making any chicken salad. Rovio is promoting it as a book with easy and fuss-free recipes with fun activities mixed in. “Bad Piggies Egg Recipes” is set to ship September 10, but you can pre-order it now.

2. Angry Birds Educational Books

Moving from the kitchen to the classroom, Rovio is planning to publish a line of textbooks for students ages four up to teens. Finnish company Rovio says it’s embracing the Finnish education system which emphasizes play in learning. One of the books will show geometry lessons by launching a bird through the air. We could definitely see some Pythagorean Theorem elements coming into play. Perhaps Rovio should release an educational version of the Angry Birds game where the player must complete a math problem properly to get the bird to fling at the right angle and hit the pig.

3. Official Angry Birds Baby Products

If you want to ingrain the fine art of bird-flinging early on in your child’s development, you may want to purchase an Angry Birds baby blanket, burpie, or baby pouch. Rovio partnered with Swaddle Designs to create the first official Angry Birds baby products. Lynette Damir, CEO and creative director of Swaddle Designs said that the aspect of Angry Birds that resonates with parents is how protective the birds are and how much they love their offspring.

4. Angry Birds Movie

We may also be seeing a feature-length Angry Birds film in the near future as Rovio recently hired David Maisel, the former chairman of Marvel Studios, to advise it on its entertainment strategy. Maisel has apparently been talking to potential writers, directors, and financing partners about the film. We’re fascinated to see how you manage to base a whole 90-minute feature film around this idea.

5. Angry Birds Turned Superhero

Speaking of Marvel, to top it all off, we thought we’d throw in a little extra Angry Birds fan action for your afternoon with these awesome Angry Birds superhero mashups. They’re available in both T-shirt and sticker form from a blog called DirtySplashBack. As you can see, all your favorite superheroes are there, and it looks like Wolverine and Nightcrawler were just added today.

We hope you’ve got your Angry Birds merchandise fill for the day. What other Angry Birds products would you like to see? Make sure to check out the Angry Birds store before you comment.

via AllThingsD

How Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy were related…

The two names are certainly not the one that I need to introduce to anyone, but then they say there is not harm in introductions…

Abraham Lincoln the 16th President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, the second child of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Lincoln (née Hanks), in a one-room log cabin on the Sinking Spring Farm in Hardin County, Kentucky, (now LaRue County).

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy the 35th President of the United States John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Massachusetts on Tuesday, May 29, 1917, the second son of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., and Rose Fitzgerald; Rose, in turn, was the eldest child of John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, a prominent Boston political figure who was the city's mayor and a three-term member of Congress.

So how two people born at nearly 100 years apart, to a two different families that were in not related to each other, born in two different parts of the countries with a distinct family stature are related.

This is where it gets interesting. Yes, the relation is interesting. While, researching for something I stumble upon something that I thought would put these two eminent personalities born in different time, family, state, etc in relation; of course besides that they both were truly a magnificent person and happen to be THE PRESIDENT of United States.

But there relation defines an interesting mean to the word “Coincident” – How????? here is it…..

• Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
• John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
• Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1846.
• John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1946.
• Both were particularly concerned about the civil rights
• Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.
• Both President were shot on a Friday
• Both Presidents were shot in the Head

Now it gets really weird…

• Lincoln’s Secretary was named Kennedy
• Kennedy’s Secretary was name Lincoln.
• Both were assassinated by Southerners.
• Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson –
• Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808 while Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

Hmmmmm……

Now this forced to opine that are they “coincidentally related”. Are they?

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Thomas Nies; Never a sales cycle, always a buy cycle

Winston Churchill once said, “I am always willing to learn, however I do not always like to be taught.” I’ve always admired this phrase, but speaking as a salesperson, I feel it can be adapted easily to have more resonance in the field. One might say that we are all eager to buy, but we do not particularly enjoy being sold.

Understanding this fact is important when it comes to understanding our customers and their buying processes. While we may be involved in a “sales cycle,” our prospects are not. They are involved in a buying cycle.

Moreover, since prospects seek to buy, they may resist and perhaps even resent efforts to “sell” them. That’s why sellers must see themselves much more as an assistant purchasing agent rather than a sales agent. I employ the term “servant sellers” at Cincom to convey this role, with the emphasis being on the idea of a servant who seeks to help prospects buy what they value, want and need, rather than as a seller who seeks to sell them only what the seller wants to sell.

We must begin to think in these terms instead of those that are more typically used. Instead of a “sales cycle,” we must begin to think of it as a “buy cycle” or as a colleague of mine at Cincom once helped me to see, we might metaphorically see it as a bicycle.

A bicycle lets you get where you’re going much faster and using much less energy than if you were walking or running. Thinking of customer interactions as “buy cycles” will help a salesperson get to a sale faster than if they were thinking in terms of a “sales cycle” because we are looking at the interaction from their point of view. Instead of selling them, we will help them to buy by being a “servant seller” and identifying the value a product can provide for them.

A bicycle is also a machine that has all of its mechanics completely exposed. Everyone involved in the buy cycle needs to openly communicate with one another. It is helpful to express appreciation and respect, build positive affiliation and association, recognize the autonomy of others and never intrude or impinge upon the other’s desire for each one’s own autonomy. Just like a cycling team competing in events like the Tour de France, there are many different individuals on each “servant selling” team and each has their own job that works toward the goal of a victory. It is a group of different people with different skills and perspectives all interacting to come up with ideas that they might not have individually.

There are many other ideas and analogies that show the similarity between a bicycle and our “buy cycle” if we look more closely.

For example, the wheels on a bicycle are very important—the front wheel provides direction and represents the strategy and vision for the buy cycle. At the same time, the rear wheel is the source of power or fuel that energizes the cycle. The bike becomes much more difficult to ride without either of these wheels. Similarly, strategy and direction have to be present along with energy and action in a corporation if a sale is to be made. 

Each of the closer analogies that can be made can be substantially expanded upon as one digs deeper into the features and functions of a bike. This is why the bicycle is a great tool for us to think about as we work to become better servant sellers in our various buy cycles.

Author - Thomas M. Nies is the founder and CEO of Cincom Systems, Inc. Since its founding in 1968, Cincom has matured into one of the largest international, independent software companies in the world. Cincom’s client base spans communications, financial services, education, government, manufacturing, retail, healthcare and insurance. Learn more about Nies at http://tomnies.cincom.com/about/