Connecting old friends, thanks to Google

My passion for the Internet is fueled by my belief in its amazing ability to connect people who might not be connected otherwise -- and to keep them connected. Now and then something happens to reinforce my belief and fuel my passion again.

I lived in Nebraska for a few early-elementary-school years. I had a best friend named Tracy who attended the same Catholic school I did. We were nearly inseparable, athough we lived in separate towns. We were like Rose Red and Snow White-- a story I loved when I was a child. We moved to Colorado and eventually I lost track of her.

Over the years I've often wondered what happened to the cute, spunky blonde I used to play Barbies with and sing Beatles songs with (we actually sang "Lady Madonna" for the nuns in 2nd or 3rd grade). So on a whim a couple of weeks ago I decided to go looking for her. No, I didn't use one of those reunion sites, like classmates.com or reunion.com. I Googled her brother.

Why her brother? I figured that if she had gotten married she might have changed her last name, but her brother wouldn't have. Plus, her brother has an unusual nickname and I knew a little of his history -- like he was a football star in college and played a little pro ball.

I found a few references to someone with his name in the area of his college town. I was happy to find a couple sites with contact information for him, including an email address. So I sent him an email asking if he was Tracy's brother and giving a little information about me and why I was asking.

I was so excited when, a few days later, I received a reply telling me that I was in the right place and giving me her email address!

Now my childhood best friend and I are getting to know each other all over again through email. We haven't talked on the phone or met face-to-face yet, but I'm sure that's coming.

Thanks Google!

Seth Godin shamed me

Yes, Seth Godin has shamed me.

In a recent post on his blog, Seth Godin talks about how important it is for business people and business consultants to read business books and business blogs. He asks the following questions:

If you went to a doctor who told you that she hadn't read a scholarly article or taken any training since med school, would you stick around? What about a lawyer who doesn't read law journals or a dentist who never bothered to read up on the newest case studies?

With those questions, Seth shamed me into reading more. Don't get me wrong... I read, and I read a lot. And I love books. I own a lot of books. But I have to admit, I don't really read them. More often than not, I skim them, read bits and pieces, read chapters that really interest me at the time, but I don't really read them.

At the beginning of the year, I sat down and set a few goals for myself. One was to read at least one book a month -- 12 books during the year. I didn't specify that they be business books -- just books.

I recently participated in a survey for a grad student who's writing his thesis on the mind of the entrepreneur (scary subject). One question on the survey was "What goals do you have to help you become your Ideal Entrepreneur?" My answer: Read one book a month.

Like I said... I read a lot. Not just books. I read other blogs everyday. I have my favorites listed in my feedreader. I have e-newsletters I subscribe to. I get business publications and magazines. It's tough to keep up on all the information and opinions available, but I try. Sometimes I think I could have a full-time job just reading.

So I've renewed my commitment to really read at least one book a month. Every night before I fall asleep, I'll read for a few minutes. (Typically, I play solitaire on my pda to disengage my brain.)

So what am I reading now? All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World by Seth Godin, of course.

Spring Forward

The April edition of Brainstorm!(TM) is available online.

Spring Forward!

• No Dumb Questions and No Dumb Answers: Encouraging community participation
• Smart Tools: Our favorites for your business
• Brain Candy: 13 Most Fun Buzzwords of 2006
• Updates, News & Announcements from Kayda the News Hound
  

The $avvy Giver

If you'd like to spend your money and do something good at the same time, The $avvy Giver is definately a blog you have to visit time and time again. Joe Waters gives information on a string of great charities that offer ways to spend money on things you'd probably buy anyway - like an iPod, cell phone, coffee, chocolate or Home Depot gift cards - while supporting a worthy cause.

And while you're at it, stop by Joe's campanion site - Selfish Giving - for information on cause-related marketing (CRM). Did you know that a recent IEG study finds that cause marketing spending totaled $1.34 billion in 2006 -- an increase of 7.5% -- and is expected to reach $1.44 billion this year? It's true. This is one of the hottest ways to partner for-profits with nonprofits in a win-win relationship. And be sure to check out the blogroll for more info on CRM.

FREE book

Everyone likes getting something for free. So how would you like to get Seth Godin's book "Small is the New Big" for free? All you have to do is visit his Squidoo Lens and download a new chapter each week. You'll also find some added bonuses.

Cool huh?

http://www.squidoo.com/smallis/

If you want to just buy it outright...
Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas

Lessons from the Lemonade Stand

For anyone in a management position -- whether you work for yourself or someone else -- these common-sense tips are a wealth of information! Included in these 101 little gems of wisdom are managing yourself, time, resources, people and more.

"Lessons from the Lemonade Stand: 101 Common Sense Management Tips"

And if you want to try your hand at running your own lemonade stand, check out this free online game: Lemonade Stand.

Life and economics are all about choices: play your way to success with Get Real! Or become a neighborhood tycoon as you run your own Lemonade Stand. Games from Moneyville.

One of the best seminars I've ever attended was The Accounting Game, based on running a lemonade stand. It was so much fun and a great way to learn to manage the numbers and read financials. (Yes, accounting can be fun.)

The Accounting Game : Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand

Blogging Starter Checklist

Looking for tips on how to get started blogging? Need help with what to do next? Want to get more people to visit your blog? This great Squidoo lens will help you get going and keep moving.

Blogging Starter Checklist

Btw, if you haven't been to Squidoo, you're missing a valuable resource. Take a look at over 60,000 lenses that offer personal recommendations on topics from laptop bags to poodles. Plus, Squidoo's Plexo offers an easy way to make up and contribute to top-10 (or 8, 17, 23) lists. Developed by marketing guru Seth Godin, Squidoo is a fun and effective way to leverage the power of personal recommendation online.

Quick Guide to Blogs and Blogging from the BBC

According to technology experts, blogging will peak at 100 million in 2007. At this point, 200 million people have already stopped updating their blogs because they've moved onto other things or have become bored.

"Everyone thinks they have something to say, until they're put on stage and asked to say it," Gartner analyst Daryl Plummer said.

Technorati is tracking more than 57 million blogs, of which it believes around 55% are "active" and updated at least every three months.

If you're just starting out, here is a brief guide to a very influential and widely-used part of the web.

Quick Guide: Blogs and Blogging

What's RSS?

For many, RSS is still a mystery. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. I found a really simple explanation on Seth Godin's blog, along with a link to add it to your own RSS reader.

Seth's Blog: What's RSS?

In case you're interested, the RSS readers I use are Google Reader, Sage Feeds, and MyYahoo. There are lots out there to choose from, so try them out until you find the one you like best.

When Unproductive

Commentary to remember on the value of down-time. Again, by Michael Wade.

On those days when you feel unproductive: Consider that you may feel unproductive while actually being highly productive. Samuel Johnson, the author of the first dictionary of the English language, referred to himself as a "castle of indolence."

Work on something - anything - however small, so at the end of the day you can note one thing that was done.

Recognize that being unproductive can be productive. You may be subconsciously preparing yourself to be more effective when you eventually turn to the central task. You may also be refraining from rash action that would be harmful. As Secretary of State George Shultz put it, "Don't just do something, stand there."

We were not made to be speed-reading minute-fillers. We were designed to be distracted and to ponder; to mess around and approach problems from different angles. Few lives and careers proceed in a straight line; instead, they resemble mountain climbers who occasionally move sideways in order to gain the better grip or clearer perspective that permits them to proceed upward.

In short, there are days when "being unproductive" is the most productive thing you can do.

The Career Manifesto

When pondering your career, here's some food for thought, whether you're employed by someone else or yourself. By Michael Wade from Execupundit.

1. Unless you’re working in a coal mine, an emergency ward, or their equivalent, spare us the sad stories about your tough job. The biggest risk most of us face in the course of a day is a paper cut.

2. Yes, your boss is an idiot at times. So what? (Do you think your associates sit around and marvel at your deep thoughts?) If you cannot give your boss basic loyalty, either report the weasel to the proper authorities or be gone.

3. You are paid to take meaningful actions, not superficial ones. Don’t brag about that memo you sent out or how hard you work. Tell us what you achieved.

4. Although your title may be the same, the job that you were hired to do three years ago is probably not the job you have now. When you are just coasting and not thinking several steps ahead of your responsibilities, you are in dinosaur territory and a meteor is coming.

5. If you suspect that you’re working in a madhouse, you probably are. Even sociopaths have jobs. Don’t delude yourself by thinking you’ll change what the organization regards as a “turkey farm.” Flee.

6. Your technical skills may impress the other geeks, but if you can’t get along with your co-workers, you’re a litigation breeder. Don’t be surprised if management regards you as an expensive risk.

7. If you have a problem with co-workers, have the guts to tell them, preferably in words of one syllable.

8. Don’t believe what the organization says it does. Its practices are its real policies. Study what is rewarded and what is punished and you’ll have a better clue as to what’s going on.

9. Don’t expect to be perfect. Focus on doing right instead of being right. It will simplify the world enormously.

10.If you plan on showing them what you’re capable of only after you get promoted, you need to reverse your thinking.

Thanks, Michael!

Save the Internet : Fighting for Internet Freedom

Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the Internet's First Amendment -- a principle called Network Neutrality that prevents companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from deciding which Web sites work best for you -- based on what site pays them the most. If the public doesn't speak up now, our elected officials will cave to a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign.

You can help fight for Internet freedom. Contact your legislators. Donate to the coalition. Add a link to your blog or web site.

Visit this web site for more information and why you should care.

Save the Internet : Fighting for Internet Freedom

The check is in the mail

Here's an innovative way to support nonprofits. You can promote your organization as well as other worthy causes at the same time. Instead of sending a box of candy or cheap shwag as a thank you to your clients, friends and associates this year, why not try this instead? Let them pick their favorite charity, then see where their interests lie when the checks clear the bank.

Seth's Blog: The check is in the mail

Free or Not... That is the Question

An interesting debate over giving away content for free appeared on Seth Godin's blog over a couple of days last year. I find both arguments compelling, and I think the final answer is... "it depends."

Yes, giving away some content for free works great if what you want is to pique interest and spread an idea. However, there is something called "perceived value." In the minds of some consumers, free means flat out worthless.

Who is your target market? What do they want or expect? What sort of information are you delivering? Is it something your market would expect to and be willing to pay for? Or will they see value in it even if it's free? These are all questions you need to ask before you decide which way to go. Or, if you're a research kinda person, you could randomly take visitors to a page that is free or a page that charges and check the results.

I hope you'll read both posts, then let me know which side of the argument you're on.

Seth's Blog: Forty to One

Seth's Blog: Is "free" all it's cracked up to be?

Revenge of the Right Brain

Wired 13.02: Revenge of the Right Brain from Wired.com.

Logical and precise, left-brain thinking gave us the Information Age. Now comes the Conceptual Age - ruled by artistry, empathy, and emotion.