Take action...Get Involved!

Whether it be business, marketing, productivity or simply trying to understand how things work, nothing and I mean nothing can replace rolling up your sleeves and getting engaged yourself in the process.

Case in point - this blog.  OK, so it's in its infancy and I'm still developing my style, but after listening to podcast after podcast and reading a few blogs to understand how to put one together - I simply went to the edge of the diving board and jumped in with both feet.  Then and only then did the true education come into play.  Whether it be Blogger, WordPress or Typepad, the format will be different as will the features.  I chose Blogger because it was free and has afforded me some nice introductory experiences.  

Last night I decided to take another jump so that I could understand more about podcasting.  Uisng my beloved iMac I experimented with GarageBand and a free podcast song website to tweak some music.  Not only did I learn a lot about GarageBand and where to get intro music, I also learned a great nugget that I'm happy to share with you.  After recording some example audio using the iMac microphone, I then decided to try something I had been thinking about - making my own studio.  Guess what I used....  A blanket!  Huh?  By putting a blanket over my head (and that of one of my daughters, Haley), we were able to try out the different sounds produced by the blanket and found the sound dampening quality of the blanket to not only work, but to work well.  Now, it did get a bit hot, but it was a fun bonding moment for both of us and by getting involved and experimenting, I came across a cheap way to record a podcast from home.

I hope this encourages you to take a risk, even a small one, to make things different.  By taking one step forward the view DOES change.

Smart Moves from the NFL

The NBA started the last couple of years engaging women in their advertising.  Rather than their usual ads they began issuing stories of their players with the hope that the format would pull women into the fold.  Now the NFL has taken a similar approach and it's paying off.  

The NFL has some great commercials - one in particular where women wearing NFL women's apparel greet one another at the door wearing competing teams.  Now the Baltimore Ravens have created a women's only group to support the team - called Purple.  Having collected a membership close to 3500 in the past year, the Ravens are doing what every man dreamed of - they're getting women excited about football!  Hats off to Baltimore and hats off to the NFL for turning weekend enemies of football into advocates.  For us married folk, Sunday afternoons just might get a little easier...especially if the yard needs mowing... 

Who Do You Trust?

In a "revealing" study done by Nielsen, word of mouth was once again guilty as charged as the most trusted way to receive messaging/marketing.  The stats and other commentary are provided here by our good friends at Church of the Customer.com.

What I find interesting is the paradoxical information.  Newspaper ranks 2nd overall - people still read the paper?  Brand websites rank 4th - so that means if you have the website, you can say whatever you like and people will believe you?   Just one more sign I guess that the consumer of today is simply unpredictable? 

Homage to 43 Folders - where it all started

This will be short but sweet.  Hail to Merlin Mann and his site, 43folders.com.  The long story on discovering all about Getting Things Done, GTD, came about through Merlin's site.  His clever, witty, dry sense of humor is all we need in this world to put a wry smile on your face, whatever the time of day.  

Best of all, Merlin leads the way - not only is his material fresh and welcome, he has recently updated his site to include more material more bloggers and a great interface.  He gives hope to mere mortals that one day all us amateur bloggers might one day aspire to his level and fame.