Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Smart Networking
Author unlocks mysteries of networking
Liz Lynch's money shot.
By RICHARD PACHTER
Smart Networking: Attract a Following in Person and Online. Liz Lynch. McGraw-Hill. 208 pages.
Networking is confusing. Merely a few short years ago, it was just a matter of handing out and scooping up business cards then following up with a nice note and/or phone call. The proliferation of e-mail provided another way to keep in touch, then blogs, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other Internet applications afforded additional solutions — and challenges. How do you make sense of it all? More importantly, how can you use these tools to effectively connect with colleagues, clients and others?
Damned if I know. I blog, am on LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace and even signed up for Seth Godin's new leadership network, Tribes, but have yet to figure out how to make all these disparate media work cohesively and consistently for me. Right now, in fact, I need it more than ever. Luckily, I have Liz Lynch to learn from!
Initially I was a little wary of her new book. After all, the early chapters are devoted to establishing why it's so important to network in the first place. Double duh! Anyone in this age and business climate who is unwilling or unable grasp why it's still not simply what you know, but who you know — and who they know — deserves their infamous and ignominious fate. Yet, Lynch patiently and painstakingly explains all the whys and wherefores in an effort to allay the sundry fears of the averse.
This entry-level Networking For Dummies approach didn't really do much for me, though it's unquestionably of value to newbies or other relatively clueless individuals for whom the process may appear daunting or overly icky.
So I dutifully plowed through this all-too-familiar territory, read the reasoned arguments for engagement and wondered if we'd be seeing something that would actually justify her use of the word ''smart'' in the title.
Eureka! After 164 pages, Lynch finally gets to the money shot: creating an action plan with specific goals and the means to achieve them. There's an excellent single-page form you can complete that will add clarity and help define your ends and means. But it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, it's a menu of strategies and tactics, so it's not simply plug-and-play, but if you have already embarked upon the fundamentals, you'll be well positioned to proceed. For example, how can you integrate your blog with Facebook and/or LinkedIn? Should you produce an e-book, and if so, do you distribute it by e-mail as text, html or as an attachment or download? Lynch doesn't tell you what to do, but presents options since your needs and goals should determine your course of action.
Her website offers readers access to a downloadable version of the plan by using a password included in this book. The site has a number of resources for non-readers, too, and is an extremely useful complement to everything offered herein.
For those of us struggling to leverage our knowledge, experience and contacts, the lucid lessons of Liz Lynch may prove to be not just smart, but lucrative, too.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Paul & Dave
Paul McCartney and Dave Grohl performing at Liverpool Sound. The pair are also scheduled to play at the Grammys.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
What Would Google Do?
Gaga for Google
Author Jeff Jarvis suggests embracing the Internet monolith so that you, too, can rule the world — maybe.
BY RICHARD PACHTER
What Would Google Do? Jeff Jarvis. HarperCollins. 224 pages.
Unless I missed an earlier one, this is the first religious tract about Google. Jarvis, a high-profile blogger, journalism teacher, entrepreneur and editor preaches that with few exceptions, businesses ought to embrace and embody the qualities that he calls (ugh!) ''Googley.'' Essentially, this involves total transparency and user empowerment through blogging, Facebook, Twitter and other Internet conveyances.
For many industries, following Google's lead is a great idea. As detailed in numerous books, aggregated intelligence is a powerful force and by enabling it, businesses can enhance and accelerate product development, marketing and other vital functions. It's also an ideal way to handle customer support and service. Jarvis cites his own case of being burned by computer manufacturer Dell and his subsequent (and oft-linked) blog posts, which he humbly suggests might possibly have contributed to the company's fall from grace (and profits). He followed up with measures to address his concerns and prevent others from suffering as he did. Ultimately, Dell adopted a number of Jarvis's ideas, though he extravagantly disavows any responsibility for their implementation.
Ironically, Google itself largely fails to embrace the transparency Jarvis says is so vital. The company, he writes, ''is as opaque and as secretive as the Pentagon.'' Guess Google isn't sufficiently ''Googley,'' according to its acolyte.
Beyond the Dell episode, Jarvis goes from industry to industry (retail, banking, real estate, insurance, manufacturing, etc.) proposing various ways each can become ''Googlier.'' Jarvis is fearless in his pronouncements in spite of any residual unfamiliarity with the actual needs of each segment. He's on the side of the consumers, after all. For the most part, his lack of expertise is not a problem, though his invocation of Howard Stern as a marketing model is rife with flaws, especially given the King Of All Media's current diminished influence.
Jarvis was apparently traumatized by incompetent and dishonest real estate people, and he is admittedly unaware of the value of working with dedicated professionals. He advocates a number of dramatic measures to eliminate that industry's present structure by replacing it with online (and offline) services. While he offers many good ideas, his pontifications are markedly harsher here than in other sections, reflecting, perhaps, his personal angst.
Jarvis also touches upon Google's maxim ''Don't be evil,'' and mentions their contrary cooperation with Indian and Chinese government authorities that resulted in arrests of democracy advocates. He also mentions Google's advertising practices and their mysterious search algorithms that can fatally affect customers and competitors. But there's only slight discussion of Google's accumulation of personal information, which it uses as part of its aggregation of searches to improve its efficacy and business opportunities. An investigative journalist I recently spoke with expressed concern with what the company was doing -- and could do — with the data. Jarvis is willing to give Google the benefit of the doubt, based on, well, it's not exactly clear; faith, perhaps.
On the whole, "What Would Google Do" is more of a ''What can I do?'' exercise. Jeff Jarvis may not be quite as omniscient as he imagines, but his bold thinking and prodigious faith results in a rollicking sermon on reinvention and reinvigoration.
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