Over the past few weeks, I’ve made some changes to this website. My goal for this site has been to provide content, ideas, and real-life examples of technology that can help small businesses.
I’m hoping the changes made will provide even more help.
In general, here are the tweaks – both big and small – I made over the past few weeks:
You may have heard about some unfortunate news in the world of soccer recently. Luis Suarez and John Terry are both accused of saying very naughty things to their peers.
I’m not here to argue right or wrong, or who’s words were likely said with intent. I’m fascinated with the reaction of their colleagues.
On one side, there’s Luis Suarez. His corner has come out swinging, with words of support from his manager, his teammates, and his countrymen. An impressive show of support from folks near and far.
Then there’s this:
Article first published as How Soccer Explains Successful Marketing on Technorati.
It was the Summer of 2006 and I decided to take my wife, newly married, on a new adventure. At 5 in the morning. To a pub.
It was the World Cup
, and I wanted (nay, NEEDED) to show her there was so much more to soccer than just a bunch of guys rolling around on the ground pleading for mercy. It was important that she see the beauty of the game. Not in goals or wins or defeats. But the little things that make up the final score.
The games within the games.
I recently returned from this crazy business trip. I met with over 50 customers, clients, prospects, and partners in 4 different countries in less than 2 weeks.
Crazy.
Every meeting was outstanding. Or, brilliant in some cases.
I learned a lot – more of which I’ll touch on later – but the one thing that sticks with me, in all the formal and informal meetings I attended, was the fundamental concept of listening.
Or, the inability to listen.
Imagine this scenario:
Over the past few months, I’ve had some stirring to create some sort of community. What I realized, in looking deeper at the word ‘community’, is that I wanted to bring some like-minded folks together from my neighborhood.
The problem? I wasn’t all that involved in my neighborhood. I played soccer during the week and weekend but that wasn’t always in my neighborhood (depending on how you define ‘Upper West Side’).
So, I thought about what it was that I did and the experience I could bring to a community meeting. From that, I started the Upper West Side Work from Home meeting. In a city as big as New York, I thought there might be a handful of folks that shared the same experience / challenges / opportunities I do – working from home and slightly missing some of the commradarie found when working in an office.