David V. Lorenzo's Blog is now: www.careerintensity.com/blog

TypePad Update – Everybody is Upset

Blogwrite for CEOs has a post that uncovers the depth of TypePad’s problems.  This is obviously a major issue. 

Here’s the money quote:

“By last night, SixApart co-founders Mena and Ben Trott posted a response, the first real explanation we've gotten from the company. The number of TypePad blogs and the activity on them (the good news) has outstripped their server capacity (the bad news), they tell us. They're working to move TypePad to a new data center (which hasn't been going smoothly).

Moral of the story? The blogosphere works. You kvetch enough. You get everybody's attention.  Now let's  hope they can fix the problems.”

How Six Apart responds will determine how many customers they lose.

Trackback Issue Resolved – One Week Later

Here is TypePad Customer Service’s description of the solution:

“Hi David,

   

    When you create a post that you'll be sending a TrackBack

    from, are you including a link to the other blog in the

    body of the post? Or are you just sending a TrackBack to

    another blog? Can you give us an example of a post you sent

    a TrackBack from, as well as the post the TrackBack is to?

   

    As part of our efforts to reduce TrackBack spam, you'll now

    need to include a link in your post to the post that you

    will be sending the TrackBack to.

   

    Please let us know if you continue to experience problems

    even when doing this.

   

    Thanks,

    Laura”

What a joke. They really don’t get it.

I will be switching to another service in the upcoming months.

Your Competition is Everywhere

Marketing Comet has a good post on competition.  Your new small business may not have any direct competition (people who do exactly what you do and tap into your pool of potential customers) but it may have indirect competition.

Here’s the money quote from the Comet:

“Your real competition consists of all the other likely choices that your customers can make. One of those choices is nothing at all. I may really need an oil change, but decide it's too much trouble or too expensive. I may be hungry and yet decide not to eat.”

This is something that small business owners often overlook – at their own peril.

Get Your Employees Talking About Your Company

In case you haven’t noticed Buzzoodle Ron has been trying to convince you to have your employees talk about your company.  What’s in it for them?  See below:

“Employee Buzz Creation Incentive #1: Successful companies can give bigger raises.

Employee Buzz Creation Incentive #2: Job Security. Companies will be less likely to outsource the jobs of employees that are creating positive word of mouth and buzz.

Employee Buzz Creation Incentive #3: When employees become better connected and create more word of mouth, they are going to know more people and be recognized as a valuable resource. This may lead to other opportunities in the future.

Employee Buzz Creation Incentive #4: Secure company future by helping build it's reputation and visibility.

Employee Buzz Creation Incentive #5: Become a more influential person by learning how to create buzz and word of mouth about the organization as well as about other things they care about.

Employee Buzz Creation Incentive #6: Increase friendships and industry connections as they reach out to create more buzz and build their personal network.

Employee Buzz Creation Incentive #7: Stand out in the eyes of peers and managers as someone who goes beyond the normal scope of a job and is dedicated to the success of the organization.”

Some of these things are going to be more important to employees than others but this should help stimulate your thinking.

Video on Demand – Sort of

We haven’t had a bad idea post in a while but this one more than makes up for the hiatus.  Adrants tells us about a video on demand service that NBC will offer.  You can’t make up how dumb this is.  The post is below.

“In a less-than-smart effort to offer time shifted video on demand shifted viewing of particular shows, ER, The West Wing, The Tonight Show, NBC, in a deal with Time Warner will offer customers a sort of video on demand service called Start Over. The service, currently testing in

South Carolina

, allows viewers to begin watching one of the shows at anytime during the regularly broadcast hour as long as they do so before the show ends. Viewing the show after it has ended is not an option. Viewing on a different night is not an option. Skipping the ads is not an option. Why would anyone want this when there's TiVo and DVR cable set top boxes that allow all of the above?”

I guess NBC just doesn’t get it. 

Still No Fix for the TypePad Trackback Issue

It has now been over a week since I reported the trackback issue to typepad.  The issue has not been fixed and Terry Storch is also reporting problems.

My last update from the help desk was a couple of days ago.  Here’s what they said:

“Hi David,

Thanks for checking back again. We don't have a specific time estimate yet, however please rest assured that we are working actively on it to get it resolved as soon as possible.

Thanks again for your patience. We really appreciate it!

Thanks,

Laura”

I’m going to end up switching services.  Not because the site broke but because of how they handled the issue.  I’m looking into new blog hosts and I’ll be making a change before the end of the year.

Lack of Free Speech – For Your Own Good

A private school in New Jersey has forced students to dismantle an online community.  The thinking behind the removal of the Myspace.com accounts at Pope John XIII Regional High School in Sparta, NJ is that the forum serves as a feeder pond for pedophiles. This edict extends the school’s reach beyond its doors and into the homes of the students.  The school is not just restricting access to Myspace.com from school computers, it is threatening to suspend all students who keep active accounts on the service.

Sites like Myspace.com and Xanga.com are primarily diaries and gossip sites. They are valuable because they help kids (and young adults) learn about creating an online community.  This is a necessary tool for modern socialization.  Restricting access to this community is analogous to restricting playground time. 

A better answer to the exposure of children to predators in an online environment is to teach them to look for some of the warning signs that a “cyber friend” may have harmful intentions.  Children should be taught which information to disclose to the world on the internet and which information is not appropriate for public dissemination.  You can call it the modern day version of teaching the kids “don’t talk to strangers”.

Ultimately, Pope John XIII Regional High School has done three things:

• Created scarcity.  The kids will want to go to these sites even more.  They will want to do it because it’s restricted. The forbidden often becomes the most popular activity with teens.  Some kids may push the envelope and even look for trouble on the internet to prove that they can handle themselves.

• Given kids yet another reason to distrust adults. Technological Paranoia on the part of adults creates a rift between the teens and their adult role models (parents, teachers, coaches, clergy etc.).  If the adults took the time to work with the kids on exploring the technological environment and discussing some of the dangers they would be creating a foundation of trust.  Instead, this knee-jerk reaction comes across to the high school students as ignorance or a power play on the part of the adult.

• Missed an opportunity to teach. Kids today face danger and predators in all aspects of their lives.  The opportunity to educate a teen about the good and the bad on the web is as important as educating them on the dangers of riding public transportation in a big city. 

My point:  Restricting access creates more problems than it solves. This was a lazy way out by a group of educators who do not understand the value of technology in society. 

To read more about this issue visit the Asbury Park Press.

Mastering the Random Encounter

Imagine this Scenario:

You are in line waiting to buy a bagel and coffee at your favorite shop and you see a person who can dramatically help your career.  Let’s say it is the Managing Director of a business that you have been talking to for months but you just can’t gain any traction.  How do you approach this powerful person without looking like an aggressive psychopath?

When taking advantage of the random encounter, there are four steps you should follow for maximum effectiveness and to keep from being punched in the nose:

1. Allow the other person to assume a position of power. When you ask for advice, directions, or even something as simple as the time, who has the power? The person providing the information has the power and control of the interaction. They can walk away or refuse to answer. Most people, when they have control of a situation, are immediately more comfortable and less intimidated – which means they are more likely to be open and receptive. I have seen frantic businesspeople rushing to meetings on the streets of

   New York City

   stop and spend ten minutes explaining to a tourist how to get to a landmark.

2. Establish common ground. You can do this by talking about a third party, a neutral subject, or an experience that everyone can relate to. The key here is to establish some sort of small emotional connection with the other person. You want them to feel what you feel.

3. Compliment them and ask for some harmless information. You have now exchanged at least two sentences with the other person. The next step is to make him feel good. Say something like, “I could not help but admire your watch. Did you pick it because it is functional or because it looks great?” Now you should be off to the races. The idea is to get them to give you advice. Eventually you can work a question about where they work and what they do into the conversation.

4. The “By the way.” After you have had your two-minute conversation and you prepare to leave, say something like, “Oh, by the way, my name is Dave,” and offer your hand for a handshake. Then you can say, “May I call you if I need some advice on _______?” They will most often respond affirmatively. If they don’t, just give them your business card and say that you enjoyed speaking with them.

The random encounter is just that – random.  You don’t have to make a perfect presentation.  Act naturally and remember the individual you are speaking with is a person just like you.  Don’t be intimidated.  Be yourself and you’ll win them over.

A Guide to Relaxation

Joi at The Mental Fitness Center has a great guide to relaxation.  Here is her list of things to do to relax:

“1. Get more sleep. Even if you think you’re getting enough. Buy yourself a super-comfy pair of pajamas, place a lavender or vanilla scented sachet in your pillow case, make your room as dark and cozy as you can and hit the sack earlier than usual. After a week or so what you thought was stress (or even depression) may vanish and prove to have just been exhaustion in disguise.

2. Sleep in at least one day a week. Turn the alarm clock off, shut your door and don’t step one foot on the floor until you’re darned well ready.

3. Choose a day from the seven that’ll be your little day - as in you’ll do as little as you possibly can. Leave the bed unmade, don’t cook, don’t get dressed and don’t even look at the vacuum cleaner.

4. Get a massage. Stress affects your entire body, especially the neck, shoulders and back. Massage increases blood flow and causes the knots of tension to melt away.

5. Take a long bubble bath. Extra points if the bubble bath follows a massage.

6. Buy something you’ve been wanting for a while. Treat yourself to it and watch your spirits soar.

7. Get a little exercise each and every day. Whether you walk in the park or in the mall, or put music on and entertain your cat - doesn’t matter. Just move and groove…you’ll feel great!”

That’s good advice -especially the point about getting more sleep.  Lack of sleep can manifest itself in many ways.  The world always looks a little better when you’ve had a good night’s sleep.

TypePad Response Time – About 17 Hours

Why does it take typepad 17 hours to respond to issues?  Below is the latest on the trackback failure on my blog.  I originally reported this on 10-19-05.

On Oct 22, 2005 8:16:17 PM, you (David) said:

Please confirm that you are working on both issues:

1) My ability to post trackbacks on other typepad weblogs
2) Other bloggers posting trackbacks to my weblog

Thank you,

David Lorenzo

On Oct 23, 2005 1:49:03 PM, TypePad Customer Support said:

Hi David,

Yes, we're actively working on both of these issues. We're in the process of determining what exactly is causing the problem so that the development team can correct it. We appreciate your patience. We'll update this ticket when we hear anything new about this.

Thanks,
Colleen