The Blog that Jack Built: how a Web 2.0 strategy can build your organization

Hello all.  Unfortunately this will be my last post on BizBuzz; because the Chamber will, for the time being at least, focus on other efforts.

As you know by now, much of the focus of BizBuzz has been on the use of web 2.0 tools for your business efforts. I have made a short video explaining how these tools can be brought together as part of a strategy to build success for your organization; I've posted it below.  

I hope you enjoy the story of The Blog that Jack Built, and all the past posts on BizBuzz, and are inspired to go out and build your own web 2.0 strategy.

Cheers,

rjv

The Blog that Jack Built from Robert Voigt.

I'll call you, I'll be right there: free video conferencing

With the rising price of travel impacting us all, especially small and mid sized businesses, the ability to meet with clients/suppliers/partners is becoming difficult.

One of the solutions is online video conferencing.  You could use the free service, Skype (which I do all the time).  But what if you need to "meet" with more than one person? Try this other free service, ooVoo.  

With ooVoo you can video conference with up to 6 people at the same time.  How great is that!

Connecting the dots: building partnerships with social media

Check out the 2009 National Main Street Conference blog for this interesting post about the success a fellow Washington community, Ellensburg, is having with the use of social media.  

Using Myspace "they have more than 1500 friends who are mostly students at Central Washington University — which is a great connection to a large group of volunteers and local youth. The connection with students has blossomed into larger joint-press and marketing projects with the students".  

Think about the possibilities for our Oak Harbor community with this same kind of approach!

Business Website

Gigapan.org

This business web site isn't a business site. But it sure is "cool", to use my generation's vernacular. The above link takes you to a super high resolution image of President Obama's inauguration. The web site TechTree.com describes it:

"Photographer David Bergman has captured the bigger picture of the Barack Obama inaugural address ceremony - literally! Bergman used his Gigapan-mounted Canon G10 to photograph the action and stitched up 220 overlapping images to make a giant high-resolution panoramic image using aGigapan Imager.

The final result - a panoramic image with a file size of 59,783 X 24,658 pixels or 1,474 megapixels! It took more than 6-and-a-half hours for the Gigapan software to put together all the images. By the way, the completed TIF file is almost 2 GB, according to Bergman, on his blog.In the first 5 days, the image was viewed by more than 2 million people in 186 countries." 

Go to the site to see a moment in history like never before.

Oh So Comfortable: Computer Ergonomics

Ahhhhh, those many, many hours spent sitting at the computer. 

Your job or business likely requires you to be working on the computer for at least part of the day (even if you don't work in an office you may be responsible for accounting, project tracking, shipping, or ordering using a computer work station).  Also, we often spend some of our free time online for entertainment, to make vacation plans, or to purchase some product or service.  On BizBuzz, I have repeated told you about online tools and sites that have probably added even more to your computer usage.

With all this time sitting, clicking and typing we really need to take ergonomics seriously. You need to know how to avoid the serious health pitfalls of all this computer work. The kinds of injuries that can result from excessive, and/or improper computer use includes a long list of very bothersome and debilitating conditions. For example, poor lighting can cause eye strain; improper seat height and position can cause neck and back issues; and, wrist injuries can result from improper keyboard setup.

I don't want to exacerbate your problems, if you already have them, by getting you to do some more online computer work; but here are a couple of sites that will help you keep your work station from working against your body: Ontario, Ministry of Labour: Computer Ergonomics, Workstation Layout and Lighting,

US Department of Labor.

If you have any additional questions, or a workstation problem that you need help with, why not contact one of your Chamber partners such as physiotherapy, chiropractic or other health care members to get specific advice from an expert.

Pull up a chair, relax, and be healthy.

Stay Connected & Save Time

This week I have added a new tool to BizBuzz.  If you take a look at the top of the right sidebar you will see Reuters Business News feed.  Here you will see the latest news stories directly from Reuters.  So now when you visit BizBuzz to check out the weekly post you can also see the latest business news from Reuters; the place where many news agencies get their news too!  

We hope you enjoy this addition to the site, making easier for you to stay connected, and also saving you time.

Business Leads with Social Networks

I received a really interesting, and valuable article recently.  Interesting because it was about a whole list of web 2.0 social media, and valuable because it identified in very simple language how these can be used to benefit your business.  

The following are a bunch of excerpts from this article to provide a condensed read. There is a lot of information here, and it is one of the most concise descriptions of the variety of web 2.0 tools available to businesses without the usual technical jargon or expectation of expertise from the reader. 

I hope you find this helpful and it inspires you to give some of these tools a try in 2009. Enjoy the read.

Social Injection- How Social Networks Generate Business Leads 

- By Dean R. DeLisle

"It's no secret that Social Networks are the "IN" thing for 2009 when it comes to low cost lead generation. It's beyond the "buzz" and now has become common place for many professionals seeking new business or connections.
 
First of all, Social Networks do not generate "Leads" - people do!  That is what makes it social. This means that once it is setup, they have to be worked.  It's just like a Chamber, Club or any other Network group. Once you learn how to work that group and you have a system to keep working it, then you can be very successful and generate more leads than you ever thought possible. And, best of all, it is low cost, effective and even fun!
 
Social Selection - There are three main categories when it comes to Social Sites for generating leads. The first is for "Reputation and Identity" such as LinkedIN, Paso, Facebook, Personal Site or Blog. The second is for "News and Opportunity" such as ezinearticles, Article99, Articles43 and FastPitch. The third is for "Communication and Nurturing" like Reunion, Xing and Twitter. The point is, knowing your Blog so you know how to work it.
 
Profile Creation - This is ever so critical. Your personal profile will be how people find you. It must be complete and very much in line with the leads or connections you want to attract. The web, Social Networks, Blogs and Search Engines all work together from this point forward. If you are an expert in a certain market, then it is critical that your "Profile" and "Personal Website" say you are an expert in that certain market. This creates the significant relevancy so that when people are searching, you are found. It is also important to note that Social accounts should be for individuals that link back to the relevant organizations. Many companies miss this and create a company profile; they already have one - a website!  Social Networks should be for people that connect you to the recommended organization, thus creating a much wider reach. Imagine the key employees in a company all saying good things about that organization. People are going to want to check out that main company site!
 
Profile Maintenance - Once your profiles are created, make sure you have a routine to maintain your information. By keeping yourself socially fresh by frequent profile updates and simply updating your current business doings, you can drive business activity if done correctly.
 
Blogging - If you can type an email, you can Blog. If done right it will keep growing and spawn new Blogs. It is important to also keep these relevant to your mission and your message. There are tricks to Blogs that can assist with accelerated lead generation both directly in the Social Network and indirectly through the Search Engines. It is best to start simple or get assistance until you are ready to create a system to regularly visit like your email.
 
Video and Power Point - A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a million! Video and Power Point Presentations can be used to take your text based messages and bring them to life. With the explosion of YouTube and other video sites, it's no secret that Video is the next primary wave of communication, so why not bring your Social Network together with Video?
 
Event Notifications - If you do any type of events, whether they are in person or online, it can be proudly promoted in most any professional Social Network that has a communication vehicle. 
 
Article Submissions - There is nothing like personal PR on the internet. Again, another low cost form of credibility promotion if you know the style of writing and the sites to submit to. This typically accomplished by writing an article which is educative and informational, however not with any emphasis on directly selling a product or service. Once your article is written, most of the business Social Networks allow a direct link for article submissions. 
 
One Degree of Separation - Most all Social Networks allow you to add your friends. They also take your list from any common email provider or database format so you can load your current network into the one you're joining. It's like the ultimate network party! It's no secret that most any successful business person knows how to work their network; however nothing does this like a Social Network site! Once you load your list to a Social Network, it then searches for people that they know, then you are allowed to view those connections and ask for a referral based on people that you want to meet. One degree of separation from your next big deal!
 
Weave the Acceleration Web - Now I'm sure you saw this part coming. How can you use Social Networks to accelerate your lead generation? It's simple - choose multiple sites, use the recommendations above, and apply them to all the sites you committed to. The effect will be exponential; companies are doing this every day!"

For the entire article visit Dean DeLisle's website at www.deandelisle.com or contact him at dean@forwardprogress.net

Learning to Fall

My last post spoke about connections.  This post is the perfect example of the kind of connections that can really make a difference in your business; it is also the first ever guest post on BizBuzz. 

Learning to Fall is submitted by Bryce Maddock, the founder of the online personal assistant service TaskUs.  Bryce is one of those potential new connections that "heard" about our blog and left a comment on Outsource Your Life. This introduction lead to some interesting conversations with him, and ultimately this post, enjoy.

 

LEARNING TO FALL

In yoga, one position I can’t master is the handstand. Every week I am put to shame by the 50 and 60 year old yogis who effortlessly toss themselves in and out of the position. Last class, as my frustration surged, I took it upon myself to ask one of the handstand masters, “How did you learn to do that?”

“I learned how to fall,” she responded.

This lesson applies to business and life: In order to truly succeed one must be willing to fall. We all know people who are too afraid to fall. Unwilling to take risks, they never get off the couch, never pursue the guy/girl they are attracted to, never escape their mind numbing 9 to 5 job.  

If you are an entrepreneur you have already demonstrated a willingness to take a big risk. However, simply being willing to fall is not enough. Ultimately it is a numbers game. The more risks you take, the more you increase your chances of success, but the more falls you have to be willing to take as well. 

This is why the most successful entrepreneurs have fallen many times. Russell Simmons launched the now defunct website 360 Degrees of Hip Hop. Richard Branson was forced to sell off his prized possession, Virgin Records. The Donald has lost fortunes on multiple ventures, and even went bankrupt. 

The difference between falling and failing is getting back up. Falls are inevitable. They hurt, they may leave behind a scratch, a bruise, or an empty bank account, but they are also temporary. All of these successful entrepreneurs have fallen many times; but they reemerge smarter, stronger and savvier than before. 

Unsuccessfully attempting a handstand is merely falling, but to not attempt it again is failure.

 

Fall, fall often and get back up. In time you will find success.

-Bryce Maddock is the founder of the online personal assistant service TaskUs.  He writes the blog What’s Next Bryce?.  

Tell me again why we are doing this.

So why do we do this blog? Why do people use social networking sites? What can a site like LinkedIn do for my business?  

If you are under 25 and posed these questions, your answer is probably something like "because". Maybe even adding "duh" for punctuation. For those of us that are past that decade in our life the more complex but simple answer we come up with is "for the connections we make and communities we join", and maybe adding "it's fun" for punctuation.

Just to give you a sense of the kind of connections you can make online, and that we are in fact making right now with BizBuzz, take a look at the following.

• Since we went live with BizBuzz on June 12th we have reached around the world with news about our Oak Harbor business community.
• We have had 482 visits from 317 visitors.  
• These people have been looking in on our blog from 28 countries. 
• While many visits have been short, the average length is 1:54.
• As for local visits, 268 have been from Washington, including 111 of our fellow Oak Harbor residents.
• While many visits have been short, the average time spent reading BizBuzz is 1:54.  Not a bad length of time for our readership! 
• As impressive as that is for a blog, our local Oak Harbor readers spend an astounding average of 2:56 on BizBuzz.  When was the last time you spent 3 minutes reading a flyer, or newspaper add?

So there you have it, that's some of why we are doing this blog. 

Thanks for spending your three minutes with us.

Business Site of the Week

The Green Business Award winners were announced by Mayor Jim Slowik at the November chamber of commerce meeting.  

So in the spirit of looking forward into the new year I am actually taking a cue from this recent past.  Environmental concerns are becoming increasingly important to our daily lives, and that is why I am adding GreenBiz.com as the web site of the week.  

I am confident you will find GreenBiz a valuable resource for your interests in sustainability from a business perspective.

MIY - Make It Yourself (sort of)

So you are a shop owner, and one of the many, many tasks you find yourself challenged with throughout the year is determining what the perfect products are that you are going to sell.  

What happens if you have that perfect vision of that perfect product, something that you just know you could sell all day long? You line up your suppliers and get to it. But what if there just isn't "one of those" out there, or the offerings are not quite perfect after all?

Or maybe you just have the best idea ever, that once in a lifetime product you want everyone to have, and know they will agree with you if only they had the change to get there hands on one.  But you do not have the time, skills, or space to manufacture it just the way you envisioned it. What do you do? Where do you go?

Well the answer to many of these questions is one simple word, Ponoko.  I am not sure what it means either, but here is what it looks like. 

Ponoko is the personal fabrication and custom manufacturing workshop available online.  A user goes to the site and can submit designs for manufacture, browse for products, or connect with designers. Now you can fill your shop with those "special" products no one can get anywhere else; or you can have YOUR "special" product manufactured for sale by those with the time, space and skills you are short of. 

Check out Ponoko and enter the world of custom manufacturing!  I look forward to seeing what kinds of unique Oak Harbor designs make it out there.

Main Streets Conference 2009

Happy New Year.  Welcome to 2009. What better way to venture into the new year and all it has to offer for you, your businesses, and your town then to plan to attend the 2009 Main Streets Conference in Chicago at the beginning of March. 

The National Trust's Main Streets' web site explains how this year's conference can be one of the most valuable activities you can participate in this year: "The 2009 Main Streets Conference offers valuable learning and networking opportunities that will help you and your local businesses work smarter and more efficiently. The 2009 Main Streets Conference will be like none of our previous gatherings. Not only will it offer perennial favorites and advanced topics in all areas, this year’s conference will help you address the crucial economic conditions your program and businesses face through exciting and emerging new strategies and tools that are making a difference. That’s what “becoming Main Street 2.0” is all about." 

Check through the Conference web site and see the wonderful learning and networking opportunities that will available.  I was able to attend the Seattle conference a couple of years ago, and was amazed with the quality, enthusiasm, and skills of the speakers and participants.  This year I will be attending as a presenter (Monday March 2nd), and live blogging the entire event. If you make it to Chicago please be sure to stop by and say hello.

SketchUp - Free, easy, 3D design

One of the goals of BizBuzz is to provide useful information to our readers to help them and their businesses thrive; which often takes the form of free online tools, or services offered through BizBuzz.  

A number of weeks ago I posted some information about an upcoming workshop for those in the building/development industry.  Since that post we have all seen some extraordinary changes in the economy; things many could not imagine, and things many more wish hadn't.  

So once again I am offering some help to those in the development industry. However, with this post I am also offering some helpful information about a free online tool that can be used by almost anyone needing to do design work, not just developers.

Google SketchUp is a 3D visualization and design tool available for free online. The ease with which you can learn to use it is surprising, and even outpaced by its incredible power and capabilities.  This link brings you to a case study about Blach Construction, based in California, that uses SketchUp for a variety of purposes, this includes:

• Ensure accurate bidding;
  
• Aid constructability;
  
• Job site safety;
• Enhanced client involvement;
  
• Increased communication; and,
  
• Marketing opportunities.
  

If you have to design something, anything, anything at all, SketchUp could be the cost saving and powerful tool you are looking for. Take a look at the case study and then check out what you can come up with using SketchUp. Good luck.

Mompreneur

Meet the Mompreneurs, they are everywhere, inventing, reinventing, adapting and changing the workplace to meet their needs; both professionally and as consumers. 

As you read the word MOMPRENEUR, you may say to yourself, "I understand what that term means; combining mom and entrepreneur, clever!"  But it is far more than just clever. As individuals, and as a trend, these women are changing the rules of how we structure our lives to get what we want and need; lessons that both women and men can learn from.  

The impact of Mompreneurs was already recognized in a 2005 TIME magazine article in which, amongst other characteristics, they identified how these women take their life experience and transform that into savvy business ideas:

"Mompreneurs, as they have come to be known, have created an endless variety of kid-inspired products--motherhood, apparently, being the mother of invention." 

You may know, or even be one of these new creative business people that are stepping up to the challenge of balancing parenting and professional worlds.  I have no doubt that our Oak Harbor and greater Whidbey communities are home to many of these surprisingly resourceful, inspired, and busy women.  Here are a few web resources that you may find helpful for the Mompreneur in your life: 

• www.savvymom.ca
  
• www.pinkpowersuit.com
  
• www.themompreneur.com
  
• www.mompreneurclub.com

If you know of a Mompreneur that deserves to be recognized, has inspired you, or if you want to tell your own story please contact me and we'll be happy to feature you in a future BIZBUZZ post.

Outsource Your Life

Have you tried personal outsourcing?  Do you know what personal outsourcing is? Until recently, neither did I.  

I was introduced to the idea from Tim Ferriss' blog.  You may recognize his name from the best selling book, The Four Hour Work Week.  

Tim describes personal outsourcing as one of the most effective ways of improving your productivity; saving you time and money.  If done right, it can be very effective and liberating, both for your professional and personal lives.  

These two articles from the New York Times, and Wall Street Journal provide some interesting ideas and insights into the concept.  It's far more mainstream than you think!

Consider this post an early Christmas gift.  If I can get you to give yourself more time by inspiring you to try personal outsourcing, or some of Tim's other intriguing concepts, then that will make us both happy. 

Merry Christmas and Good Luck!

Featured Business Web Site of the Week

This week's business web site of the week is www.usbln.org, the site for the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®).  The USBLN is “the national business organization currently representing 53 BLN affiliates in 31 states including the District of Columbia and more than 5,000 employers using a “business to business” strategy to promote the business imperative of including people with disabilities in the workforce.

The Business Leadership Network was originally established in 1994 through the President’s Committee on Employment with People with Disabilities (PCEPD) with a national business advisory board chaired by Tom Donohue, the President of the US Chamber of Commerce.  

This organization could be a valuable resource for your business; their web site has lots of information and tools available under many headings including events, news, awards, programs and others.

Last Week's Business Web Site of the Week

Last week's business web site was the Washington State Department of Revenue's web site. 

When it comes to taxes, information is power and money. Surf through the Washington State Department of Revenue site and get informed. You can learn about updated tax regulations, Q&A, and online resources to help you understand your tax obligations. 

All this can help you file your taxes, or provide you with the necessary background to find the right tax preparer.

Previous Business Web Site of the Week

Last week's Business Web Site of the Week was the Washington Policy Center for Small Business. The Center for Small Business focuses on improving the state’s small business climate through researching and analyzing ways to improve the taxation and regulation of small businesses in order to encourage economic development.

Since 2001, WPC’s Small Business Center has held conferences, roundtables and forums to help educate small business owners, as well as glean policy recommendations from those that make up the economic backbone of the state economy.

Construction Industry Tax Workshop

The current conditions for our local builders have been much more challenging then through the past few years of incredible growth. The following information may help those in our business community that are in the building industry.

The Washington State Department of Revenue is sponsoring free, two-hour construction industry tax workshops that can help those in the construction industry save money through better tax planning. These will be held quarterly throughout the state.

The intent of the workshops is to "make reporting easier and help you to better understand the state taxes that apply to contractors. You'll gain tools to correct problems and avoid penalties".

The closest planned workshop for our area will be held in Bellingham Wednesday, March 11, 2009 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. The location is the Quality Inn Baron Suites, Atlantis Room 100 E Kellogg Road, Bellingham, WA. You can register online or Call: 1-800-647-7706.

Sustainable Whidbey

With all the daily challenges of the business world, I wanted to pass on a reminder about how wonderful it is to live on Whidbey Island. The people, places and things that happen on our island are unique and add to our lives in immeasurable ways.

One of the themes of life on Whidbey is our connection to the environment. It is not just about the beauty that surrounds us in the waters of the Sound, or the eagles soaring above. Whidbey's communities take stewardship of our home island very seriously. This can be seen with the low impact development techniques being used by Oak Harbor, or the trails and walkways stretching from Whidbey’s north to the south end, or the work of the Maxwelton Salmon Adventure (now Whidbey Watershed Stewards ). We should all be proud of how we care for and enjoy our Island.

Other’s have noticed this as well. One such example is a site I recently found that identified the sustainable design characteristics of the Clinton Beach Park as being recognition worthy. The Sustainable Sites Initiative has some great images of the Clinton Beach Park in the case studies section .

So next time you are taking the ferry on the south end, take a minute to stop and check out the Park; it has a great mix of art, environmentally sensitive design, and a great sense of place to enjoy. When you return from a trip off island and drive onto Whidbey soil, take a glace to the right and remember that Whidbey Island, with all it has to offer, is a great place to call home!

Webinar: Thriving in a Slow Economy

The National Main Street Program is offering an interesting webinar on November 20th, from 1-2 p.m. (Eastern Time) -"Thriving in a Slow Economy":

With a slowing national and international economy, small business thoughts have turned to survival. This webinar will explore strategies for not only surviving but thriving during what is for many tougher than normal times.

Register here.

2008 Small Business Issue Forums

2008 Regional Small Business Issue Forums

Every two years, Washington Policy Center travels the state and holds Regional Small Business Forums in cooperation with local chambers of commerce in an effort to help educate small business owners on the latest policy changes affecting how they run their business. Attendees will hear from WPC research staff and leading policymakers as they discuss past legislative changes, preview the 2009 Legislative Session, and discuss how the election will affect them.

Learn More About:
• Access to affordable health care
• Improving Washington's business tax
• How to avoid “Eco-fads” while making your business green

The next event is in Pierce County – November 18th, 7:30am - 9:00 am (register through Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce). For more information, check out the event invitation (PDF).

If you are going to be in the Vancouver area next week, maybe you can check out the Clark County event instead: Clark County – November 20th, 11:30am - 1:30 pm. See the event invitation (PDF)

Weekly Business Web Site

To help our Biz Buzz business community we are now including a Business Web Site of the Week feature at the top of the right hand sidebar.

Each week we will feature another helpful web site for your convenience. As each week passes we will then post the link in a link list at the bottom of the sidebar so you can easily find it again if you need to. Enjoy surfing!

E-Commerce

This is a reminder to attend November's Chamber Luncheon. The topic is Brush Up on E-Commerce and is sponsored by Network Solutions. Call 675-3755 to make your lunch reservation today! See you on November 20, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at Whidbey Golf & Country Club.

Here are two sites specifically focused on E Commerce:
1) E Commerce Times and
2) Web Marketing Today.
Each of these has a wealth of information for those of you new to the concept of E Commerce or those seeking to enhance your skills and knowledge. Web Marketing Today claims to have over 2,500 pages of info alone! Add that to the number of links, videos and other content, and you can see how valuable a couple of hours of surfing these sites would be very with your E Commerce business development.

If there is a particular issue you would like information about, or if you see a particularly interesting item send us note through the comments at the bottom of the post.

Entrepreneurial City

I recently read a report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business which identified the top entrepreneurial cities in Canada and I wanted to share it with you. The Communities in Bloom report details 12 core indicators making up the Entrepreneurship Index used to determine the top scoring cities.

The first five are:
1. Net business start-ups;
2. Businesses per capita;
3. Self-employment intensity;
4. Industry employment diversity; and,
5. Future business performance.

This short report states:

It may seem obvious, but the surest signs of an
entrepreneurial hot spot are the presence of a
high concentration of entrepreneurs and a
high business start-up rate. It is also
important that business owners have high
levels of optimism and success in their
operations. Good public policy is also critical,
so we look at the presence of supportive local
government tax and regulatory policies.

While the context is different in Oak Harbor, and for that matter Island wide, I believe that these principles are equally applicable to Chamber members and the greater Oak Harbor business community. By using these same measures within our business community we can gain some insight into strengths that we can build upon, and the challenges that we need to overcome. Conducting a similar exercise would be helpful for our community and could guide future Chamber initiatives.

Take a look at the report and see what it says to you.

Online Research: The Truth is Out There?

Recently I asked if the Chamber should state positions on issues or endorse candidates? I received a response that stated a preference for the Chamber to provide information and facilitate greater depth of discussions between candidates. The same reader also suggested the use of an online survey for candidates. What a great idea! Perhaps the Chamber may be able to initiate this in the future. The underlying theme of course, is the desire to have better understanding and access to information.

If you are reading BizBuzz, I will assume that you are generally comfortable using the web; the great access path to vast resources of information, and misinformation. I do much of my work online, including daily research on a variety of subjects, and to assist you in your searches for information I would like to pass on 2½ simple rules for online research that will help you maximize the benefits of your efforts.

First, check multiple sources/web sites that are published by different organizations. This may seem like an obvious point, but you would not believe how trusting people are of a given source. Ask yourself how many different newspapers, or television news channels you watch to get your daily news. If you are reading the same paper and watching the same newscast every day, you are getting a single organizations’ view of the “truth”. On the web the effects of this can be magnified. Check out multiple perspectives/sides of issues and see if you can find neutral assessments as well. This way you are more likely to end up with a greater depth of understanding of that particular issue, and with less misinformation.

Secondly, find out more about the source by doing a search on the author/organization/publisher. Is the web site published by a State or Federal Agency; a successful business leader; an organization with a history long on successes and short on controversy; or an individual with questionable credentials? Don’t let the design of the site fool you; focus on the content. Just because it has a great paint job doesn’t mean it goes fast, check under the hood! At best see if you can find the original source of the information. For example if you want to know what a politician’s voting record is on an issue, go to the government site that maintains the official data.

The final ½ rule is for all those “facts” that you receive through the email; those claims/urban legends/warnings of the kind one receives forwarded from a friend or colleague. You know the ones that tell you to delete a piece of computer code to “protect” yourself, only to have your screen go blank while all your files are sent off into the ether, never to be seen again. When you get one of those emails, check out those “facts” at www.snopes.com. It is a great resource that has never steered me wrong.

I would be interested in hearing your advice and experiences with online research and I hope these 2 ½ rules help you. I’ll end this post with the immortal words of Agent Moulder of the X-Files, “The truth is out there”, enjoy your hunting.

Tell a Friend

You may have noticed this icon at the bottom of our posts. This allows the reader to easily forward the post through various social networking sites or email without leaving the page. What a great idea!

This will make it easier for everyone to spread the word about something they saw here on Biz Buzz. Give it a try!

July Sponsor Member of the Month

Edward Jones provides its clients the best of both worlds: up to the minute investment information and a personalized approach, and has affiliates in Canada and the UK. Financial advisor Scott Dudley says:

“We go to those communities across the nation where farmers, ranchers, business people and retirees welcome one-on-one investment information that might be difficult to get if Edward Jones weren’t there”.

What more could you ask. Edward Jones uses technology to their clients’ benefit. Clients can place orders and within 20 seconds know the price paid including commission. They can also access their securities and money market Edward Jones accounts, as well as their accounts with several other leading mutual funds.

You can find out more about Edward Jones at their web site; email or call Scott Dudley at 679-2527. Scott’s office is located at 32650 SR 20, Suite c-101, Oak Harbor.

The Crystal Ball: Mega Trends and Business Planning

If you are looking at starting a business or doing long range planning for an existing one, having the right information is critical. Good crystal balls are unfortunately hard to come by and difficult to master. However, understanding the mega trends that are happening all around us can be the next best thing.

On Friday I had the opportunity to see Dr. David Foot present a lively and interesting update on his continually insightful work of examining social and cultural mega-trends "through the lens of demographics". You may be familiar with his book Boom Bust & Echo, which amongst many things describes the shifts that will be taking place in North America as the boomer and echo generations move through their lives.

Dr. Foot’s findings are unquestionable, and his approach to presenting complex information is a wonderful exercise of simplification. The success of communication is measured by the listener; and through Dr. Foot’s use of graphics he was able to connect very well with the audience.

What did he say? Dr. Foot presented far more than I could impart in this post. However, I will say that the shifts in lifestyle that the boomer and echo generations are undergoing will have implications in incredibly diverse areas, including: funding of municipal services; product development; lending rates; succession planning; economic development; service and leisure industries; food service industries; etc. Add to that projections about fuel costs and global warming and it becomes a daunting task to decide on a plan of action.

The good news is that Dr. Foot's work is easily digestible, and if you haven't done so yet, pick up a copy of Boom Bust & Echo. At least you will have part of the picture and your understanding of what's coming up will be much clearer. The people that shared Dr. Foot's lecture with me on Friday all left with a sense of empowerment and inspiration that comes with newly acquired knowledge, and will undoubtedly influence their future endeavors.

Small Business Blender: Ideas, Advice and Resources

I was recently at at conference listening to one of the more captivating speakers I have seen, retail expert Rick Segel. He discussed a mix of business marketing issues and retail techniques, including ideas he raises in his book The Essential Online Solution.

One concept of note was his unique take on specialization to compete in contemporary retail, a level of specialization you may not be used to. Rick suggests going beyond specialization in terms of a business type, and narrowing it further and further and further until your business is extremely focused on a niche - and then "exploding that niche".

To explain his premise Rick described an anecdote about a kitchen supplies retailer that was able to set themselves apart from other retailers and successfully compete by becoming know as THE PLACE to buy blenders of every imaginable color and style. With this concept in mind, they also rearranged their store to showcase their unique specialization with a wonderful large display of colorful blenders, front and center in their shop. This strategy had a number of benefits, for example:

• it provided a unique shopping experience in the store;
• it gave the opportunity to draw customers in who were looking for something other than the usual wares everyone else carried;
• it provided for fun and interesting marketing;
• it gave them a branding opportunity; and,
• it provided a story to tell, that kept people in the store and turned them into customers.

Along with other good business practices, Rick's specialization strategy made this retailer quite successful.

What is your business' blend of special services or products that sets you apart?