Communication

In our fast paced world, it becomes ever more important for us to get rid of the distractions that prevent us from doing what needs to be done.

One of the most common things that prevents tasks from being completed is the need to talk about every little detail on the task.

So often we feel that the instructions we give in writing aren’t good enough so we want to talk with the person on the phone or in person. I understand that sometimes a face to face or a phone call can communicate effectively, but in order for that person to truly understand what we want, they have to write it down anyway.

When we have simple questions or simple comments that need to be made, do we really need to talk so much? continue reading...

For CopierCatalog.com, I needed to get a good live chat software. I wanted to make sure that I was available to talk with clients that needed immediate assistance. Both from a sales perspective as well as a support perspective.

I started some research. I first thought about using Skype as my software because I am in Skype all the time. But the problem with that is that in order for someone to chat with me via Skype, they need to have Skype loaded with an account. I wanted this to be easy for them so I didn't want them to have to load anything. Skype should consider making an anonymous web client. continue reading...

I have a lot of clients that need to send me files. It sometimes is a chore to teach them how to use FTP because they first have to download an FTP client, get it configured properly and then upload to the right folder. Not to mention that I have to set up the FTP account on my server so their files don't get mixed up with other clients' files.

WinXP made it pretty easy, but as people are moving to Mac or Vista, FTP isn't as easy as it used to be. So, I decided to checkout a few online storage locations. There are a number of free services out there. I think that box.net is really the best option.

Here is how you do it.

They offer a few plans. The basic plan, the lite version, provides 1GB of space online for free. You can get more space for a monthly fee. With the lite version, the maximum file size is only 10MB. When you sign up for the lite version, you have the option to upgrade to the next level (giving you 5GB of space and 1GB max files size) for 14 days for free. The problem is that you have to provide credit card information and they will bill you at the end of the trial if you don't cancel it. continue reading...

I find it fascinating how often I.T. is assigned to the task of building a website.

For the uninitiated, this may seem like a logical thing to do. After all, a website is technology and requires programming and stuff, right? Wrong.

A very small part of a website is programming. A very small part of a website is technology.

Oh, it might take a lot of work. It might be a requirement for the site to function properly, but I.T. should really not have a say in what the customer sees... the face or the marketing aspect of the site.

In my opinion, here are the top five components of a website... in order of importance. continue reading...

Okay... so this is really a shameless plug, but I figure I have a large enough audience here that hopefully it will get some traction.

You may notice from my signature line that I maintain the news at OfficeProductNews.net. I have been maintaining this feed for a few months now... pretty tedious work because no one has standardized how this industry publishes information. My growing readership there shows that I am doing something right...

But, I need your help. continue reading...

I often have conversations with clients about setting up blogs for their employees. These blogs can be for internal use only as a way for employees to have a level of internal communication without flooding email accounts for other employees that really don't care. These blogs can be on the public internet site allowing anyone to see.

It surprises me how often I hear the concern, "What if the employee says something that we don't approve? I don't want to have to police their writing all the time."

To this I ask, "Do you proof all of their emails? Do you listen to all their phone conversations? Do you go to all your client appointments with them to verify their speech?" continue reading...

When you are redesigning or redefining your company's image, one of the things that is very hard to do it to step back and understand who your real audience is.

Designing a logo, a website, a brochure or even something as simple as a blog post is not a task to have the attitude of, "I like it, so it is good."

The most important thing about any design is to remember your audience. Who are the people that you want to attract? When you do something personal, it is all about you. When you do something for you business, it is all about them. continue reading...

Time for a little rant...

In an effort not to offend anyone, people more and more are trying to use more  political correctness in language. Calling someone an African-American because his skin is black even if that person doesn't have any ties to Africa. Calling someone special, differently-abled or handicapable when handicap is probably the right word for it.

Not being able to use a word because someone somewhere might be offended... even if it is the right word for the job is just plain stupid.

It just dumbs down our language and our ability to communicate.

What drives me most nuts is the use of pronouns.

For example. When I am talking about one person, the proper pronoun is "he" or "she"... not "they." continue reading...

In looking to ways to increase my traffic, I am looking to my friends and social networking to help me out. I decided to start Twittering.

Their site is riddled with code problems, but it is a pretty cool service. I like my blog because it gives me an opportunity to talk about what I am thinking. I have come to like Twitter because it gives me a change to talk about what I am doing. Moreover, it gives me a chance to follow people and know what they are doing right now.

There are many different opinions on how to use Twitter in business. Justin Foster had a post today on what he calls "Twitter Magic." It was at his recommendation that I sign up.

One thing that Justin suggests is that a company doesn't need a Twitter strategy. He is referring to the idea that as a company, we don't want to have a strategy about how to connect with people... we should just connect. continue reading...

I mentioned last week that communication management tends to be the hardest part about project management. I have also mentioned in the past that I am a big fan of Mac... but I use a PC as my primary computer for various reasons. One of those reasons is the productivity of Outlook.

Communication management is a bear, so there are companies that have added efficiency tools for Outlook. TechHit.com contacted me and asked me to do a review of their product... they gave me a free license on three of their products so that I can put them through the paces. I told them to be aware that I will give an honest review... even if it is bad. continue reading...