tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199838402024-03-23T13:21:32.838-05:00EricCook.comThoughts and observations from a self-diagnosed cycling addict, technology fan, WSI digital strategist and lover of cool gadgets. I also have a passion for public speaking and helping people learn.Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462383764884233820noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-44972692288371998542015-08-01T09:00:00.001-05:002023-03-25T14:34:20.884-05:00Taking a break from this blog...While the master plan is to resume posting here someday down the road, I'm going to take a break from this website for a bit. That means if you're visiting "down the road" and don't see any posts here, don't fret. I'm just spending more time o my <a href="https://www.poweredbywsi.com/" target="_blank"><b>WSI Digital</b></a> business.<br />
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Until I'm back posting on a regular basis, hop over to <a href="https://www.poweredbywsi.com" target="_blank">WSI Digital</a> for all sorts of great information about online marketing and secure website solutions for community banks. Or, if you're a banker yourself and interested in building your personal brand online, my most recent effort is called <a href="https://www.thelinkedbanker.com" target="_blank">The LinkedBanker</a>. We've created a mastermind and mentoring community that I'd love for you to check out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eric</div>
Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462383764884233820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-26698954993986050262015-07-08T13:38:00.001-05:002015-07-08T13:39:26.394-05:00Google's Quality Update - Is Your Website Ready?For several years, I've enjoyed a partnership with the fine folks at <a href="http://www.sitequesttech.com/" target="_blank"><b>SiteQuest Technologies</b></a>, the creators of a tool called <a href="http://www.sitequesttech.com/sqwatcher.html" target="_blank"><b>SQWatcher</b></a>. While originally developed to help regulated businesses (like banks, where I spend a majority of my time) automatically archive page content and updates, with the recent announcement of Google's "<a href="http://searchengineland.com/the-quality-update-google-confirms-changing-how-quality-is-assessed-resulting-in-rankings-shake-up-221118" target="_blank">Quality Update</a>," one of the added benefits of the system is that it's looking at ALL of the website resources - and now provides even more value for users given the Google announcement.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYAGKRVUo_PeFjcfUJNZycu6YIivwyqnDFjdWRpnUHp6HVaA1tGGNMO1-FFsuB6JrNdgsMmmO0vKq1LgMspZo00sCpngsAFlJxwwemdxY_TAxWEE_SalT0QOGpJVYesmUrO61/s1600/error-404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYAGKRVUo_PeFjcfUJNZycu6YIivwyqnDFjdWRpnUHp6HVaA1tGGNMO1-FFsuB6JrNdgsMmmO0vKq1LgMspZo00sCpngsAFlJxwwemdxY_TAxWEE_SalT0QOGpJVYesmUrO61/s320/error-404.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Why is this important? Well for starters, the SQWatcher tool provides customers with their own personal "time machine" and the ability to go back in time and view any page at a point in the past to have accurate record of updates and site changes. For regulated businesses like banks, this is a requirement, as they need to be able to produce versions of past pages for examiners and compliance purposes. With SQWatcher in place, this happens "auto-magically" every single day.<br />
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Since the system crawls all of the site's resources as part of the archive process, they have the unique ability to "see everything" and catch broken links, orphaned files and other problems that would trigger negative consequences with Google's recent update. The best part is current users of the SQWatcher service already have this information at their fingertips - without any additional cost or effort on their part!<br />
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Recently SiteQuest <a href="http://www.sitequesttech.com/blog/google-places-premium-on-error-free-sites" target="_blank">posted an article on the update</a> and I suggest you hop over to check it out. It further explains the SQWatcher service and how it can be a valuable tool for website owners to ensure quality of their site's resources. You can even sign up for a two-week trial (no strings attached) and be sure to tell 'em Eric sent you!Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462383764884233820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-88177383461459589602015-02-27T08:44:00.000-05:002015-03-01T08:59:04.791-05:00Is Your Bank Ready for .Bank? Here Are Some Things You May Want to Know…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: justify;">For
all my friends in the north braving the cold weather and snow, you’re probably
not going to like what I’m about to say, but here goes… Recently I was invited
to present at the Southeastern Conference of Community Bankers in Key West,
Florida (jealous yet?). As someone who lives in Michigan, the idea of being in
the Keys during the end of January was an great opportunity to charge the
batteries, get some sunshine and meet some new bankers, as I’ve not presented
at this event before (but hoping they ask me back… hint, hint).</span><br />
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<i>This was the view out
the back of the room!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a name='more'></a>The
one session that stuck with me, given the fact that I have the opportunity to
work with community bankers on their website and related online/digital/social
media efforts, was the opening session on the “.bank” domain name initiative.
For those of you who may not be aware, very soon banks will be able to register
the .bank version of their domain name, much like they have reserved the .com,
.net or maybe even .org versions in the past. I’ve been following this issue
for some time now and am getting questions several times a month from bank
customers (and friends in the industry) but still didn’t really know much about
the process, cost or other requirements… until now.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Kicking
off the conference was <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Doug Johnson, Senior Vice President and Senior Advisor, Payments
and Cybersecurity Policy with the American Bankers Association. His session,
entitled <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.Bank: Will You Be Ready?</i></b> provided a great overview of the
history on the domain name issue, as well as some key things that community
bankers should be doing now to prepare themselves. As you will read below,
there are still some unknowns that are yet to be determined, but the ABA has
created a resource on their website at </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.aba.com/dotbank" target="_blank">www.aba.com/dotbank</a></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> where you
can register for news and updates as things begin to become finalized.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Some History First</h3>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The ABA,
in concert with the Financial Services Roundtable, created a new LLC called
fTLD Registry Services, LLC, which has received approval to operate the .bank
(and .insurance) domain name extensions. The purpose of this entity is to help
with the management of eligibility standards around who can register and
operate under these new extensions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
I didn’t realize is that the .bank<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>extension is ready to go today, but they are intentionally rolling it
out slowly to ensure appropriate adoption and review.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In
addition to the .bank and .insurance extensions, there will be a variety of
other extensions (such as .mortgage, .loan, .savings, .credit, .creditcard,
.insure, etc.) that may also play into a bank’s online strategy. The challenge
with these latter extensions, is that unlike the .bank and .insurance versions,
these will be first-come-first-serve. So while you may have the “right” to
request yourbankname.bank or bankinsuranceagency.insurance given your charter
(we’ll talk about trademark in a bit), if someone wanted to snag yourbankname.mortgage
and “squat” on it (own it, but not use it), you may get a letter down the road
seeing if you’d be interested in purchasing it for what may seem an obscene
amount of money. So while you may be focused on .bank and .insurance right now,
you’ll want to be sure to talk about the other extensions that may play a part
in your digital strategy, even if just from a defensive standpoint! Just what
you need, more things to spend money on…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Timeline</h3>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At the
time of this post, it appears there are three main dates to be thinking about
as you plan for your .bank/.insurance efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">May 18, 2015</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> – Get your domain names trademarked at
the USPTO (United States Patent and Trade Office) and register those trademarks
with the ICANN’s (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)
Trademark Clearinghouse <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>by May 18 so when
that date arrived , you can register your domains during the Sunrise Period
that is described below. This is basically the part of your website address
that comes before the .com (“yourbankname” in the example given above). When it
comes time to request the yourbankname.bank, having the domain trademarked and
registered in the Clearinghouse will allow you to avoid competing with
non-trademark holders for the same domain later in the registration process. It
was suggested to contact an attorney to get this done for you, file the
necessary documents with the USPTO, and at least start the process. Chances are
it won’t be done in time for registrations later this year, but having it in the
works is better than not to protect your intellectual property in other domains
as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">May 18 – June 16, 2015</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> – This
was referred to as the Sunrise Period where <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>trademark holders who have registered their
bank’s trademark with ICANN’s Trademark Clearinghouse may purchase domains.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">June 24, 2015</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> – This is
when they are planning on making the .bank and .insurance domains generally available
for registration. While not as much of a “free-for-all” as the other non-fTLD
managed domain extensions, it will be a first-come-first-serve process as well.
Any chartered bank will be eligible to register for their .bank domains (and if
they have an insurance subsidiary, the .insurance versions). Be sure to act
quickly if you want to ensure that you get your name reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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What’s It Going to Cost and Where to Get Yours</h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">fTLD is only
able to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>set the wholesale cost of the
.bank and .insurance extensions and banks will need to purchase these through
authorized domain registrars, just like purchasing any other domain name. The names
of some of the approved registrars are now available at </span><a href="http://www.ftld.org/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">www.ftld.org</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, the governing body’s website. There
likely will be other registrars able to offer .bank domains down the road as
well. While retail pricing has not yet been finalized, it’s safe to say that
.bank and .insurance domains will be significantly more expensive than your
typical $12/year .com domain name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep
in mind, these numbers are subject to change, but ABA and fTLD is committed to
keeping the price as close to $1,000 (annual) as possible. Some registrars may
bundle other services like domain privacy, SSL certificates or similar services
that will increase the cost. It’s my hope that competitive pressure will keep
costs down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">One interesting
thing that he did mention was they are “taking off the table” some of the more
common bank names so as to protect the consumer and not cause confusion (or get
into a bidding war) for names like First National, First American, United Bank
and other common bank names. Even american.bank will remain unavailable for
purchase. It’s estimated there will be about 60 or so of these names and Doug
indicated the list of these names will be announced in the near future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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So, What’s a Banker to Do???</h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">First off,
be sure to subscribe at </span><a href="http://www.aba.com/dotbank" target="_blank"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">www.aba.com/dotbank</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> to make
sure that you get updates as they happen. You can also keep up over at </span><a href="http://www.ftld.org/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">www.ftld.org</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, the governing body’s website or
follow them on Twitter (@ftld_registery). This way you’ll be sure to know as
things change and news is released.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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If
you’ve not done so, consider getting a trademark from the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office (<a href="http://www.uspto.gov/">www.uspto.gov</a>) on your
domain name. While the likelihood of a new application getting approved in the
next few months is virtually impossible, you should start the process now with
your attorney. Chances are you’ll spend $500-$1,000, depending on attorney
fees, but I personally think it’s worth it. That way if there ever is a
dispute, you’ll be better prepared form a legal perspective, especially if
someone goes out and snags some of the other extension versions of your domain
(like .mortgage, .loan, .savings, etc.). Plus, if/once the trademark is
approved, it’s effective back to the date of application, so the sooner you
start the process the better.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Internally,
you’ll want to start putting together a team or task-force that has representation
from marketing, IT, your website/host provider, compliance/legal and senior
management. You may also want to get input from your core processor and online
banking provider to see if you can use the .bank for part of your online
banking efforts. You’ll also want to brainstorm on what other extensions (in
addition to .bank or .insurance) you may want to register, even if only from a
defensive standpoint.<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Image
provided by Wm. Douglas Johnson, American Bankers Association<o:p></o:p></div>
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What’s the Risk of Doing Nothing?</h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Good
question! Just because banks will have the ability to register their .bank and
.insurance extensions may not mean you “have” to. In fact, this question was
posed by more than one of the participants, especially given many of them were
under $500 million in assets (some even under $100 million). Many community
banks have tight budgets and if you add up the costs for a .bank, .insurance, a
handful of other “related” domains like .mortgage or .loans a bank could be
looking at annual costs of $3,000 - $5,000 or more! That’s an ongoing line item
for something that likely won’t be much of a revenue generator, so your ROI on
this investment is going to be tough to prove at first.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But,
think about the alternative… What if you skip the .bank or .insurance
registration, save your money and keep plugging along with your good ‘ole .com
domain? It’s hard to say what consumer preference will dictate, but at some
point the “million dollar question” is whether it will become a consumer expectation
(because of perceived security or online privacy) that you must use the .bank
extension, or risk being considered insecure or outdated? Honestly, I’m on the
fence about this one and not sure what will become consumer preference. But one
thing’s for sure, I’d recommend at least getting what you can afford for the
first year and then let consumer preference evolve over the next 12 months and
re-evaluate a year from now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Will
the industry really be able to make these .bank and .insurance branded domains
more secure? If this becomes reality and they protect customers from fraud (and
the expense of cleaning things up when fraud happens), then you may have your
ROI right there. Time will only tell, as this continues to develop. But as with
anything in technology, the only certain part in all of this is that we’ll
likely see more changes before the dust settles. At this point you need to be
paying attention, asking questions and setting aside some budget to make sure
you are at least part of the party when it starts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’d
be interested in your thoughts, so feel free to comment or get in touch. Let me
know what you’re thinking and to what extent you’ll be embracing the .bank (and
others) domain extensions in 2015.</div>
Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462383764884233820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-4107387158967851882014-12-02T08:21:00.001-05:002014-12-02T08:40:42.957-05:00Is Your Website "Mobile-Friendly" And Why That's So Important, Especially To GoogleThe writing has been on the wall for some time now. You may be hearing things like...<br />
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<i>Mobile is an important part of your online success and without a mobile strategy, your business will suffer long-term</i>. </div>
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<i>People will stop visiting your site via their mobile device if you don't support a mobile layout</i>. </div>
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<i>Google will penalize you for not having a mobile-friendly presence on the web when people use search on their mobile device</i>. </div>
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<i>Everyone is using smartphones (and tablets) to access the web</i>. </div>
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Do you believe all the hype around the importance of having a mobile strategy? You should... and here's why.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to download <b><i>Kindle</i></b><br />
version for <b>FREE</b>!</td></tr>
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In the book <i><a href="http://bit.ly/wsi-book" target="_blank"><b>Digital Minds - 12 Things Every Business Needs to Know About Digital Marketing</b></a></i>, I had the honor of contributing to the book and wrote <i>Chapter 11 - Mobile Marketing: On The Move</i>. In that chapter, I shared several reasons why mobile is such an important channel to connect with your customers (and prospects), as well as ways to engage with them via the device that's on us pretty much 24-7-365. I talk about the growing impact of social media on mobile devices, ways to use text/SMS messages for alerts and notifications, GPS and location based capabilities and of course, the importance of your website being able to welcome (and support) mobile visitors. In fact, there's an entire chapter on <b>Responsive Web Design</b> written by my good friend, Doug Schust, that you should also read.</div>
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What's Responsive Web Design?</h3>
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Good question! If you're not familiar with RWD, it's the latest way to develop a website that is able to dynamically respond to the size of the visitor's screen size and present information in a way that's easy for them to browse and navigate. The best part about RWD is that as a business/site owner, you only need to maintain ONE version of your content, and technology is responsible for presenting it in the best layout for your visitor - regardless of what type of device they are using for their visit.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of a <b>Mobile-friendly</b><br />
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It's this last point, the readiness of your website to support mobile visitors, that I want to focus on today. Recently, <b>Search Engine Land</b> posted an article called <a href="http://searchengineland.com/google-officially-launches-mobile-friendly-labels-mobile-search-results-208949" target="_blank"><i><b>Google Officially Launches "Mobile-Friendly" Labels In Mobile Search Results</b></i></a>, which talks about the search engine giant rolling out a new label that lets mobile searchers know before they visit a site if it's mobile friendly or not. This is huge because if someone is using their mobile device to search (which happens a LOT) and your site is listed but is not "mobile-friendly," there's a very good chance the person doing the search will skip your site for one that is "mobile-friendly." Additionally, the article indicates that Google has also made some tweaks to their mobile search formula (i.e. their <i>algorithm</i>), so regardless of how well your SEO (search engine optimization) is for desktop search, your mobile search rankings will start to suffer.</div>
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How Does Google Know?</h3>
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That's a silly question, really... Don't you know that Google knows everything!? Or, at least it seems that way. Seriously though, Google has developed a <a href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/" target="_blank"><b>mobile-friendly testing tool</b></a> to help business owners determine the mobile friendliness of their website. It's a good idea for all website owners to test their site with this tool to see how Google sees it. We've tested a lot of sites and a vast majority of them fail the test and do NOT provide a mobile friendly experience for their visitors on mobile devices. If this happens, don't panic (yet), but you're certainly going to want to develop a strategy to get something in place for 2015.</div>
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How quickly you'll need to react depends on the amount of mobile traffic that you may be losing. While it's difficult to know how many people simply "never visit" because of this new notification in Google search results, one thing you can do (assuming you have <b>Google Analytics</b> installed on your site) is to check the amount of mobile traffic that IS coming now. This can at least give you an idea of the number of people that are stopping by and having a "<i>less than optimal visit</i>" if you're not providing a mobile-friendly experience. Checking this statistic is simple, if you know where to find it. Just get logged in to GA and go to <b>Audience</b> > <b>Mobile</b> > <b>Overview</b> and that will give you the stats (as you can see in the screenshot below). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One out of every four visitors to this site are using a mobile device!</td></tr>
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I like to click on the "pie chart" to turn the numbers into a graphic that makes the story easier to read. In the above example, the "green slice" clearly shows that <b>over 27% of their current traffic coming from mobile devices</b> (and another 7% coming from tablets). That's over a quarter of all visitors are coming from a small-screen, handheld device! Without a mobile version for them to browse, these folks likely won't be sticking around very long (or come back again anytime soon).</div>
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What's The Next Step?</h3>
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If you've not done so already, I want to strongly encourage you to <a href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/" target="_blank"><b>test your website</b></a> to see if Google thinks you're "mobile-friendly." If not, then we should talk. We've got some amazing tools that we can use to help build a mobile strategy for your business. Whether it's time for a "complete overhaul" of your entire web presence and digital marketing strategy, or you're on a budget and need something a bit more economical, <b>we can help</b>. WSI has helped literally thousands of businesses around the globe implement mobile-friendly strategies and we'll be happy to put our expertise to work for you!</div>
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Bonus Webinar</h3>
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On a recent <a href="http://www.freewebinarwednesdays.com/" target="_blank"><b>Free Webinar Wednesdays</b></a>, I talked about mobile and I shared the presentation I delivered at <b>WSI's Digital Summit in Boca Raton</b> earlier this year. You can watch the replay below and it goes into even more reasons why mobile should be at the top of your list for the coming year!</div>
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Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462383764884233820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-39754105601448893812014-10-30T12:31:00.000-05:002014-11-06T22:42:05.226-05:00Facebook Moves "Schedule Later" Feature - Did You Notice The Change?One of the Facebook features that I use quite a bit for clients is the "Schedule" feature that gives you the ability to pick a date and time in the future for your post to appear. This is nice because not every time are you on Facebook do you want to publish your post (especially if you're like me and keep some strange hours).<br />
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While performing some updates for our <a href="https://facebook.com/wsicycling" target="_blank">cycling team</a>, I noticed the little "clock" icon that use to sit in the lower left corner of the page was gone. What! No more scheduling posts... After I calmed down, I noticed some new up/down arrows next to the Post button. Sure enough, Facebook moved that feature and moved it closer to the post feature.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hut6jACH0OvErL1jVODMWlqiZ_ygNsF-lSBm92uAKuL5kvyTUqaEbrUqzPwJCWC3mxpYtoZC45yLO76yVeqDCfeTPteS1gkVaHKBq_R58_5T07JDgZwATwzcpBorOET96pZc/s1600/2014-10-30_0839-fb-schedule.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hut6jACH0OvErL1jVODMWlqiZ_ygNsF-lSBm92uAKuL5kvyTUqaEbrUqzPwJCWC3mxpYtoZC45yLO76yVeqDCfeTPteS1gkVaHKBq_R58_5T07JDgZwATwzcpBorOET96pZc/s1600/2014-10-30_0839-fb-schedule.png" height="343" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see from the above image screenshot, now when you click on the arrows you get Schedule Post (yae) as well as Backdate and Save Draft. This is also a nice feature for admins since you may not be ready to post to your page, but don't want to have to start over. I used to do this by posting well into the future and then going into my Activity Log to edit it, but now the Save Draft does it the right way.<br />
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What other new changes have you found in Facebook recently? Picked up on the ability to change the identity (voice) when commenting "as you" on a page you manage? Would love to hear what you've found (and what you think) in the comments below.Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462383764884233820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-40686232349576600472014-10-29T11:43:00.000-05:002014-10-30T09:29:59.070-05:00Scared of Embracing Social Media Bank-Wide? Remember Introducing eMail...<div>
I remember when I first got on email and was introduced to the "new way" that people could communicate with one another electronically. It was late 1993 and the bank where I was working just "allowed me" to get our first personal computer (with a modem). We purchased a Gateway 2000 (2000 sounded so futuristic back then) and it arrived in its iconic cow-spotted box.</div>
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I can't recall the "specs" that were on that computer, but I'm certain the Nexus 7 that I'm using to type this post on had a bigger processor and more memory. That being said, the computer came with two things that changed me forever... a modem and pre-installed America Online (AOL) software. That was my connection to the "world wide web" and I can still remember the email address I picked for the bank (msbfsb@aol.com). While that email has long since gone away, customers of Marshall Savings Bank, FSB were among the first in the nation for a community bank to be able to send their bank an email (oh, we had a website before most community banks too). At that time, email was controlled since there was only one point of access (that Gateway 2000 computer in the CFO's office) and we had a pretty good idea who people where when they emailed us. There just weren’t that many people using it, so management was relatively easy.<br />
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Fast forward a couple of years and I’m now the bank’s network admin tasked with implementing a bank-wide local area network, along with an Exchange Server for email. For the first time, we had the ability to provide ALL employees in the bank with their own bank-branded email account. Until now, the email communication had been controlled, restricted to one person and something that others in the bank could not access. Now, we were on the verge of opening it up to others, and it was a bit scary. Maybe this sounds like the current state of social media adoption at your bank?</div>
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Despite the advantages of empowering everyone at the bank with this new communication tool, management was concerned about "giving everyone access" at the office. Just imagine the exposure that it creates if someone downloads a virus, says something inappropriate or leaks customer information? We certainly cannot trust all of our employees to be responsible enough to manage this powerful tool (or so we thought). So we kept it restricted to only a few people in the bank and only senior managers had access. Again, maybe your bank is at this stage with a handful of employees now able to access sites like LinkedIn or Facebook on their office computer.</div>
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Fast forwarding a little further and we quickly realized that firewalls and anti-virus software helped to protect the bank from malware other threats. We provided training to employees on the right and wrong ways to use email and had demonstrated success cases where email was becoming a legitimate tool for business communication. We had all staff members using the same system so we could archive and retrieve bank-related communication. This changed the landscape (and our perspective) regarding email and eventually everyone in the bank had their own email account. While you may not be at this level with your adoption of social media, it’s coming...</div>
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<b>Systems and Policies Protected Us</b></div>
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We had systems in place to protect our network, policies that governed employee use and even software that kept an eye out for things that "looked like" account numbers or other confidential information. Technology helped us adopt email bank-wide and keep us safe, while at the same time keeping a record of our communications with customers for audit and compliance purposes. We forbid the use of personal email services like Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail (since they did not "run through" our systems to check for confidential information or archival) for bank-related communication. Shortly after bank-wide email was rolled out, many could not remember what it was like when everyone didn't communicate via email.
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I've eluded to the parallels that email adoption in the banking sector mirror what we are in now - the adoption of social networking technology as a valid (and important) communication option. I have the pleasure of speaking to bankers at conferences and via webinars across the country about the use of technology and social media in their institutions. Many times my discussions will typically lead off with a question like "how many of you work for a bank that allows access to social media on your bank network?" In a room of 30-40 bankers, I'll get maybe two or three hands, but that's it. Asking the same question regarding email however, everyone's hand goes up.
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<b>It’s <i>Communication</i> Folks</b></div>
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I propose we need to think of social media as a shift in communication and be prepared to embrace it as such, or risk becoming irrelevant and disconnected with our customers. But that process needs to be one that has systems in place, training for staff and monitoring to make sure that rules are followed (just as we did when we deployed email bank-wide).
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Here are some suggestions that may help with the deployment of a social "communication" strategy:</div>
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<li>Ensure that you have the right technology in place that helps make it possible. There are great tools out there that can be utilized at the employee level for their social posts that will capture what they want to say, deliver it to a compliance officer or approved individual that can "bless" it and allow it to go out on social media. The popular tool <a href="http://bit.ly/wsi-hootsuite" target="_blank">Hootsuite Pro</a> (which many are only using the free version) has approval and workflow options, or you could look to a tool like <a href="https://www.gremln.com/?utm_source=EricCook&utm_medium=BlogPost&utm_content=SocialMediaLikeEmail&utm_campaign=EricCook" target="_blank">Gremln</a> that is designed specifically for the financial services sector. Even some of the core banking systems are developing cool tools that you can use in your institution.</li>
<li>Mandate what tools or networks your employees have to use when using social networking as a "bank employee". Maybe you only want your employees "representing" the bank on professional networks like LinkedIn or under a bank-branded Twitter handle (i.e. @XYZBankEric - sample only, not a valid account). Taking it one step further, you may also mandate that posts to these networks have to be routed through the approved technology (like a bank-provided email vs. Gmail or another non-bank email). This way you're able to capture what's being said, monitor it for training purposes and ensure that your brand is protected. You don’t let your staff use their personal email for bank use, so the same likely will become common place for social media.</li>
<li>Train, train, train. Things in social media change quickly and you need to keep on top of it (and make sure that your staff knows too). For example, LinkedIn is rolling out Hero Images now for the free LinkedIn accounts so your profile can take on some additional “personality." Do you know if your commercial lending team is aware this is even possible, or have they uploaded something on their own (and do you even have a policy on what could/should be used)? Maybe you want to create a suggested image that your staff can use to help support your institution’s brand!</li>
<li>Monitor and looks for success stories (and make corrections when necessary). Chances are the more active users of social media will likely be the "younger generation" of your staff. Most of these individuals don’t know what it’s like to “not be in a socially networked world” since it’s been part of their entire lives. That doesn't mean, however, they will always to the right thing and if/when something happens that requires your attention, use it as a teaching experience and try suggest an alternative way to accomplish what they want in the future. For example, a lender tweeting "<i>Loan rates have dropped to 2.875% for 30 years today, may be time to #refinance</i>" is in violation of Truth in Lending regulations. But, you can accomplish the same thing with "<i>Loan rates continue to drop…</i>” with a shortened link to your loan rates page so that you can properly disclose the rate and remain compliant.</li>
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These are just some of the things that you may want to consider when it comes to thinking about social media more as “communication” and less as “marketing.” If you’d like to chat about how to implement this “culture shift” in your institution, use the <b>Get in Touch</b> box at the top of the page. I’d love to chat and help with the process of making your bank a better communicator in today's socially networked world. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below too!</div>
Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462383764884233820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-54396178965438972762014-10-18T11:58:00.001-05:002014-10-30T09:30:38.816-05:00Social Media Bootcamp for Bankers Recap and Observations<br />
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Recently, I had the privilege of presenting for the <a href="http://www.pabanker.com/" target="_blank">Pennsylvania Bankers Association</a> in Harrisburg, PA and conducted a full-day social media bootcamp. Depending on when you read this blog, you can search Twitter for <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23pbabootcamp&src=typd" target="_blank">#PBABootcamp</a> to get some of the feedback from the participants (and maybe you'll want to follow some of the great folks that took time out of their busy schedule to spend the day with me).<br />
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We covered a TON of information over the course of the day's session. Since this was for bankers, we of coursed talked about things like compliance, regulations and even touched on some of the legal pitfalls that banks should avoid when developing (or executing) their social media policy and engaging customers and their community online. Luckily, I had co-developed the course with my friend (and colleague), Deborah Gonzalez, the founder of <a href="http://law2sm.com/" target="_blank">Law2SM, LLC</a>. She's an attorney who specializes in social media law and has been practicing in this space since the days of MySpace, so she's been around the social media block a few times. In fact, she just published a book that I highly recommend called <b><i>Managing Online Risk: Apps, Mobile and Social Media</i></b> and you can learn more at <a href="http://www.managingonlinerisk.com/" target="_blank">www.ManagingOnlineRisk.com</a>.<br />
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Social Media Readiness Assessment</h3>
My area of expertise is really in the engagement and strategy areas of social media and digital marketing. Being a banker for 15 years, it also helps me relate to the audience, as I've been in their shoes before. While there were a lot of highlights for the day, one of the processes that I enjoyed the most was our interactive session where we split up into groups and walked through a "<b><i>Readiness Assessment</i></b>."<br />
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We divided into groups that each took one of eight categories to talk about how "ready" their bank was for social media engagement. The sections were:<br />
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<li>Leadership Commitment</li>
<li>Social Media Knowledge</li>
<li>Customer Engagement</li>
<li>Competitive Information</li>
<li>Staff and Resources</li>
<li>Social Media Plan</li>
<li>Process Documentation</li>
<li>Policy and Measurement</li>
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Once done, each group shared their thoughts and what challenges they came up with during their discussion. This was the second time I had facilitated a process like this with a group of bankers, and was a great way to get them thinking about how they would conduct a similar strategy discussion back at their office. Some bankers were totally new to social media (a few didn't even have a Facebook account), while others were already managing Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even YouTube for their institution (and looking to do more). This made it nice for everyone since they could network with each other and learn from their peers, as well as take some of the information I was sharing to help them when they got back to their bank.<br />
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<h3>
Peer Exchange of Tools and Sites</h3>
During the Readiness Assessment process, I overhead some of the bankers talking about some of the websites and other online tools they are using with their colleagues. This gave me an idea. Over lunch we held a brainstorming session allowing all of the attendees to share what tools, websites, blogs and other online resources they relied upon. This was a great way to share some great information with each other and I even picked up a few new sites/services that I'd not heard of before. Some of the ones we talked about included the website <a href="http://www.thefinancialbrand.com/" target="_blank">The Financial Brand</a>, <a href="http://www.socialmention.com/" target="_blank">SocialMention</a>, <a href="http://www.zite.com/" target="_blank">Zite</a>, <a href="http://www.flipboard.com/" target="_blank">Flipboard</a>, <a href="http://www.gremln.com/" target="_blank">Gremln</a>, <a href="http://htmobileapps.com/bankerjr.html" target="_blank">Banker Jr.</a>, <a href="http://www.meltwater.com/" target="_blank">MeltWater</a>, <a href="http://www.siteimprove.com/" target="_blank">SiteImprove</a>, <a href="http://www.shortstack.com/" target="_blank">Shortstack</a>, <a href="https://en.mention.com/" target="_blank">Mention</a>, <a href="http://www.basecamp.com/" target="_blank">Basecamp</a>, <a href="http://www.hootsuite.com/" target="_blank">Hootsuite</a>, <a href="http://www.bufferapp.com/" target="_blank">Buffer</a> and more (yeah, it was quite a list). All great resources and each participant got a full list of these sites once the session was over as a resource back at the bank (in addition to all the other files and tools that were part of the Bootcamp session).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXN23Crdi7Noi7nMHSha-fMD3QpJIeTHhblCwK3ZDhyphenhyphenqvzNl8eCuEgb-pnEhFhV16ZZbTPxfaHlpQdQ_nloluoHCPUjnblbElA0HpRHF_HttniFxHMtiqyU4OdoWOlTplt-9db/s1600/2014-10-16+11.21.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXN23Crdi7Noi7nMHSha-fMD3QpJIeTHhblCwK3ZDhyphenhyphenqvzNl8eCuEgb-pnEhFhV16ZZbTPxfaHlpQdQ_nloluoHCPUjnblbElA0HpRHF_HttniFxHMtiqyU4OdoWOlTplt-9db/s1600/2014-10-16+11.21.26.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bankers working together developing their <i>Social Media Readiness Assessment</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I love getting up and speaking to audiences, not because I like to hear myself talk (ok, maybe that's part of it - ha ha), but I like the education part and helping others learn. Nothing satisfies me more than when I share something and I see that "lightbulb" moment when someone hears something new. I know how powerful that is when I'm sitting in a seminar and want to get ideas I can use, so when I see it happen from the "other side of the podium" it's pretty cool. But what many may not think is that I get some great ideas and do a bit of learning too. Even on my weekly webinar show, even though I'm a host, the guests (and audience) always teaches me a thing or two.<br />
<br />
So if we're ever fortunate enough to be at an event together (and maybe I'm even presenting) I hope you get a few "lightbulb moments" from what I've got to say, but don't be afraid to share with me as well. I know there are a lot of great ideas (and successes) out there and I want to take it all in as best I can. Thanks to the PBA for making it possible for me to meet some amazing bankers and I hope to make it back to your fine state sometime very soon.Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462383764884233820noreply@blogger.com03897 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110, USA40.313101 -76.89929240.216194 -77.0606535 40.410008000000005 -76.7379305tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-91446400605396177222014-10-15T09:29:00.000-05:002014-10-15T09:29:31.965-05:00Is LinkedIn Really Liable for Providing Professional Data to Potential Employers? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NbKP-YfZ68Ia7wyw7q7rZIvYZu2ndy_ZOJ68dREoSR0GBVOn00XYlrQzD8NT4RQm3dJePbw4YrZpHgO5dkINK-SwzXeJ1ckTh9LCWVJR1shiiAbWRL0OdZXtiXXzvOlnZsOP/s1600/bigstock-Ostersund-Sweden-August----linkedin-69429772-470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NbKP-YfZ68Ia7wyw7q7rZIvYZu2ndy_ZOJ68dREoSR0GBVOn00XYlrQzD8NT4RQm3dJePbw4YrZpHgO5dkINK-SwzXeJ1ckTh9LCWVJR1shiiAbWRL0OdZXtiXXzvOlnZsOP/s1600/bigstock-Ostersund-Sweden-August----linkedin-69429772-470.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
I just read an <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/10/14/3579327/linkedin-gets-sued-for-selling-your-professional-data/" target="_blank">interesting article</a> that talked about a recent class action <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3037086/fast-feed/linkedin-hit-with-class-action-lawsuit-for-its-job-reference-tool" target="_blank">lawsuit</a> that has been filed against LinkedIn in California that claims LinkedIn's <i><b>Job Reference Tool</b></i> allows employers access to data that can be used to make hiring and firing decisions without providing notification to the LinkedIn user. While I'm not an attorney, I know there are laws that prohibit the use of some information that an employer may use or have access to.<br />
<br />
The question I have is if we, as voluntary users of LinkedIn (or any social network, for that matter) are putting in all of this information that we don't want others to see, is it really the network's fault for making it available to the rest of the network participants. Nobody is forcing us to put all of our information online. Rather, shouldn't we be more focused on the existing rules (i.e. the Fair Credit Reporting Act, enacted in 1970) and laws related to what is (and is not) permissible in the hiring and/or firing of employees and what happens if someone violates them.<br />
<br />
I agree it's a lot easier to go after the networks like LinkedIn and blame them for making it available. But if you're hiring and know under employment law and existing rules that you cannot base your decision on the race, sex, religion, etc... or that you have to provide notification or get consent of the applicant (and you don't) then don't put yourself in the position to be exposed to it - or suffer the consequences. I've heard there are now third-party services now that can "scrub" a social search data for applicant or employee information and provide you only with the details that you are legally able to see. If you're not doing this and you go online to find information that may sway your decision one way or another, is it the network's fault? I don't think so.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Your Thoughts?</h3>
I'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. Am I totally off base and letting LinkedIn off the hook too easily or do you agree that we need to hold employers to a higher standard (or maybe a little of both)?Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462383764884233820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-83185126303919792812012-10-31T16:38:00.001-05:002014-10-11T15:41:45.151-05:00Some Banks Have a "Howling Good Time" on Facebook This Halloween<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0qVeFneOkr4oKcRuihdQ7zFZ02cHnfHiNiyDCqb6gHWOsRyBdgR67aj2AXgW3yy4SebdRtXdGmdYWbuSVxdQeN39M_9b8cHEGbmUb0KbacACORdQi5GD32ngvh20HsBer2MK/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-10-31+at+5.22.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0qVeFneOkr4oKcRuihdQ7zFZ02cHnfHiNiyDCqb6gHWOsRyBdgR67aj2AXgW3yy4SebdRtXdGmdYWbuSVxdQeN39M_9b8cHEGbmUb0KbacACORdQi5GD32ngvh20HsBer2MK/s320/Screen+shot+2012-10-31+at+5.22.25+PM.png" height="320" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://facebook.com/isabellabankmi" target="_blank">Isabella Bank</a> turned their Halloween post<br />
into a "find the logo" game and encouraged<br />
visitors to find their logo. Heck, I was just<br />
trying to figure out how to eat the screen!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In between visits to the candy dish to refill on candy corn (my vice this time of year - so kudos to <a href="http://facebook.com/isabellabankmi" target="_blank">Isabella Bank</a>), I've been keeping an eye on my Facebook wall and noticed more banks supporting Halloween this year by dressing up at the office. Of course, it could just be that more banks are on Facebook this year and I know they are dressing up, but whatever the case it, it's good to see my banker friends get "in the spirit" (yeah, pun intended there... sorry) and have some fun this year.<br />
<br />
I like the fact that bankers are using Facebook to show their "human" side and let their customers and community know they can have some fun. While not everything is rosy in the world of banking thanks to the increased regulatory burden many banks are having to deal with (just ask a bank president and I'm sure s/he will be happy to let you know all about it), it appears as if just for today the folks below are having more fun than usual.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I'm also excited to see bankers leveraging social channels like Facebook to help the rest of the world experience the fun. Like I said at the beginning, I'm not sure if it's really more banks are dressing up this year or just the mere fact that more are using Facebook to promote it... but regardless these are all the right things to be doing.<br />
<br />
Sure, dressing up like a pirate or zombie might not convince someone to come in and open a checking account or apply for a mortgage right away, but it's all about setting the expectation and supporting a brand. People want to do business with those they know, like and trust and if you see your banker(s) having some fun and it puts a smile on your face, that certainly can't help their cause. Besides, if you visit the office to see them in person they may just give you some candy corn (or other tasty treat). That's worth it to me!<br />
<br />
Check out some of the banks that I've found on my wall. If there are others businesses (and banks) that you've found who also dressed up, leave their name and information in the comments. I'd love to check 'em out!<br />
<br />
Eric<br />
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/cnbismybank" target="_blank">Citizens National Bank of Cheboygan</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApUr8fRDZSfDh7ODD4EpO3lGqPk_9VlJXZKySoXv5toJU_feGb2HSYwseY3cBLt09wc_-yoZFkWsdjThOVEE48Ru2MPsnz7ohn7Ujr5eGA2YNRt4vZcStvyvOMsd-kjnhQyXl/s1600/citizens-national-bank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApUr8fRDZSfDh7ODD4EpO3lGqPk_9VlJXZKySoXv5toJU_feGb2HSYwseY3cBLt09wc_-yoZFkWsdjThOVEE48Ru2MPsnz7ohn7Ujr5eGA2YNRt4vZcStvyvOMsd-kjnhQyXl/s320/citizens-national-bank.png" height="320" width="310" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/bankofannarbor" target="_blank">Bank of Ann Arbor</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6Z0VrVIRPU3Gkz0ePtScPxfeLU9-p2viAm8Of2ciYr62KYBF6jGWGLfHkQaQUwXjLsE6EE9lchVY6WSfIXDFUqqEaDPg7FXBmWKcoUNaIfNu4N8c3NFVIx5kX7cXn9eh8y4y/s1600/bank-of-ann-arbor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6Z0VrVIRPU3Gkz0ePtScPxfeLU9-p2viAm8Of2ciYr62KYBF6jGWGLfHkQaQUwXjLsE6EE9lchVY6WSfIXDFUqqEaDPg7FXBmWKcoUNaIfNu4N8c3NFVIx5kX7cXn9eh8y4y/s320/bank-of-ann-arbor.png" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/firstreliancebank" target="_blank">First Reliance Bank</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pju6uKLZgVZ-FvzvuvgTmWJF_g8vlTAvr4uVQoVuCXICYf7v9OD6-a-eajK6qS3kwsN-rfATtlF7JwyulqdACWXDEVAAoqpJVTUn7Eh2EFcq5JklQk9HG9zTKOBJKRhcl7Tc/s1600/first-reliance-bank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pju6uKLZgVZ-FvzvuvgTmWJF_g8vlTAvr4uVQoVuCXICYf7v9OD6-a-eajK6qS3kwsN-rfATtlF7JwyulqdACWXDEVAAoqpJVTUn7Eh2EFcq5JklQk9HG9zTKOBJKRhcl7Tc/s320/first-reliance-bank.png" height="251" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/farmersandmerchants" target="_blank">Farmers & Merchants State Bank</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWBQAkGTHPXvk6rhw0VV9wFDCWn0BpvWKftZS6ence6g1lLjE5Swxbj6GGCt68aHZNhzkUE88kcIQ3_jlYLZo-xzJo8zF0hyphenhyphenx03GU_MvJCnOrNS9irxf7FrEBG1cq5XAGRtzz/s1600/fm-state-bank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWBQAkGTHPXvk6rhw0VV9wFDCWn0BpvWKftZS6ence6g1lLjE5Swxbj6GGCt68aHZNhzkUE88kcIQ3_jlYLZo-xzJo8zF0hyphenhyphenx03GU_MvJCnOrNS9irxf7FrEBG1cq5XAGRtzz/s320/fm-state-bank.png" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/landmarkbank" target="_blank">Landmark Bank</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2XwijAPqJvM0Rqxuu0haxc5UNRQLCysPvvaSPT-4hqclT4qof-2yjbTHk4IGHhTCbo4mTCw2yc5woEvDbXqdF8vwcW2LKhyphenhyphenSaJRnn9WtN4o2KM0Y5PTos9mTLyUqvNX9_Qts/s1600/landmark-bank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2XwijAPqJvM0Rqxuu0haxc5UNRQLCysPvvaSPT-4hqclT4qof-2yjbTHk4IGHhTCbo4mTCw2yc5woEvDbXqdF8vwcW2LKhyphenhyphenSaJRnn9WtN4o2KM0Y5PTos9mTLyUqvNX9_Qts/s320/landmark-bank.png" height="320" width="310" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/hcbsavannah" target="_blank">The Hardin County Bank</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiILYOHZBLvy0eU7GN-y2tGWpRly610rtaAhDaaVyCltN33WP0CvbTIyIKFGEidfa2MbHEvoZFIfKHs2HCtm5M72iixUlnkWWnBfz5sPB32pjNhaM5w4ffN7LxKEVCtv77TX4/s1600/the-hardin-county-bank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiILYOHZBLvy0eU7GN-y2tGWpRly610rtaAhDaaVyCltN33WP0CvbTIyIKFGEidfa2MbHEvoZFIfKHs2HCtm5M72iixUlnkWWnBfz5sPB32pjNhaM5w4ffN7LxKEVCtv77TX4/s320/the-hardin-county-bank.png" height="320" width="310" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/thinkfnb" target="_blank">FNB Bank</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQAmrEWuCiDCtugPq-Qo1yUkcQCSyd33u56wGJmG0cjvYSplXev4RP3HejmsJuAHzKxKDb9xeY9LIwOS_65oO0M6phrIGuUEJp3fGd5lBCgGwiz9v8BC1gtBnDWRGWZ5WktAF/s1600/fnb-bank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQAmrEWuCiDCtugPq-Qo1yUkcQCSyd33u56wGJmG0cjvYSplXev4RP3HejmsJuAHzKxKDb9xeY9LIwOS_65oO0M6phrIGuUEJp3fGd5lBCgGwiz9v8BC1gtBnDWRGWZ5WktAF/s320/fnb-bank.png" height="320" width="302" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/paducahbank" target="_blank">Paducah Bank</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtc4ZCWolI8kHnWFtzGF-sSs-L7-3mztVMfvwxPIys50tZIJa4cg19IafAwv06SRZ89zFLMx2zqaY9Lu3cfvBrXE_EvxnIM9Y7eO22lNn_hBO8OEhTgmm0dqgxDsXWjxmhbNj/s1600/paducah-bank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtc4ZCWolI8kHnWFtzGF-sSs-L7-3mztVMfvwxPIys50tZIJa4cg19IafAwv06SRZ89zFLMx2zqaY9Lu3cfvBrXE_EvxnIM9Y7eO22lNn_hBO8OEhTgmm0dqgxDsXWjxmhbNj/s320/paducah-bank.png" height="320" width="304" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/bankoflancaster" target="_blank">Bank of Lancaster</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aiA6HP4Bw1P1Gc9ASawv8Y5t3NJJa-OG5UHVzMU9d8sb7zCIZqU5mMwScJyZkYuLbbFsfS0goyTHloyLmKXOmVvpt9LeG4JlI2vbjNDr7-uw62t4GVN1tRF0k2t15Y8CjTc2/s1600/bank-of-lancaster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aiA6HP4Bw1P1Gc9ASawv8Y5t3NJJa-OG5UHVzMU9d8sb7zCIZqU5mMwScJyZkYuLbbFsfS0goyTHloyLmKXOmVvpt9LeG4JlI2vbjNDr7-uw62t4GVN1tRF0k2t15Y8CjTc2/s320/bank-of-lancaster.png" height="320" width="306" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/citizensfederalsl" target="_blank">Citizens Federal Savings & Loan Association</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrULmwXWv9KlyvYVlNe3bjV7J-6rA09F3xgecRI45yaPvk0Sz6o8YO7hqeaRP8TtIfBC4mH2KkYx_LyCH2LP3OZjUYbsho-WgXyA-lb-55iY0jJCrWaWAPq9u8rJJqAbC0ZswT/s1600/citizens-federal-savings-and-loan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrULmwXWv9KlyvYVlNe3bjV7J-6rA09F3xgecRI45yaPvk0Sz6o8YO7hqeaRP8TtIfBC4mH2KkYx_LyCH2LP3OZjUYbsho-WgXyA-lb-55iY0jJCrWaWAPq9u8rJJqAbC0ZswT/s320/citizens-federal-savings-and-loan.png" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/sturgisbank" target="_blank">Sturgis Bank</a><br />
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSHvZZYV7c1xwlaOI-G82iZHtpUMMEIfHSbwYbVeTWWFpnuR-6o9nPChJMe1_pi_RTO1hERawVdAJ6O-kJA1zGu1g4QBiIzxD9RyA10txEKT5tSoiua2Dr_9UJAcJzdnwBRMt/s1600/sturgis-bank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSHvZZYV7c1xwlaOI-G82iZHtpUMMEIfHSbwYbVeTWWFpnuR-6o9nPChJMe1_pi_RTO1hERawVdAJ6O-kJA1zGu1g4QBiIzxD9RyA10txEKT5tSoiua2Dr_9UJAcJzdnwBRMt/s320/sturgis-bank.png" height="320" width="314" /></a></div>
Plus, I found one bank that actually changed their cover photo, using pictures that customers and members of the community sent them of their pumpkin carving skills. Check it out below... very cool!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/isabellabankmi" target="_blank">Isabella Bank</a><br />
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<i><b>Note</b>: My apologies to many of my "banker buddies" that dressed up and I missed the mention. I tried to get as many as I could, so if you got left out it certainly wasn't intentional!</i><br />
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Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-2323277838924704832012-07-30T08:21:00.000-05:002014-01-12T11:01:57.888-05:00Who Says Social Networking Doesn't Work?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Recently I had an experience involving LinkedIn that spurred a thought and inspired me to share the story with you here. As you may suspect from the title of this post, my story is going to have something to do with "proof" that time vested in social networking can reap rewards for you, even when you least expect it. Here's the story...<br />
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Last week a couple of my international WSI colleagues who know my love of the banking sector shared a link to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report entitled "<a href="http://www.pwc.com/digitaltippingpoint" target="_blank">The New Digital Tipping Point</a>" and how banking is facing the steepest challenge in over a generation. The report suggests that a new tipping point has been reached and the fulcrum is the shift towards going digital. Great information, so I decided to share "socially" and send it along to my connections.<br />
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While there certainly are many banking industry-specific statistics and information in the report, there are just as many references to the evolution of the consumer that are relevant to almost any industry. Below are five key elements (shared on page five of the report) with my perspective on how the lessons can be extended to your business (even if it's not banking). I'll also give you a little hint... social media <br />
<ol>
<li><b>Consumers Expect More</b> - The lines are being blurred between industries and if you have a stellar experience with one business, then it's an expectation that your business should be able to deliver the same experience. Technology is available to make the customer experience a richer, more fulfilling experience. Are you taking advantage of it in your business?</li>
<li><b>Consumers Trust Their Peers</b> - We can thank social networking for this fact, as it has become almost too easy to read the thoughts and opinions of what others are saying. Whether it's good or bad, people are posting what's on their mind - and it's all there for us to read.</li>
<li><b>Consumers Are More Informed</b> - This another area where digital has caused a huge shift in the way we get our information. We've got instant access to experts, research and almost an overload of data on virtually any topic we could want to lean more about. Gone are the days when we, as business owners, have the opportunity to educate our customers. They do that all by themselves, most of the time before they even contact us.</li>
<li><b>Consumers Have Choices</b> - With technology allowing us to conveniently shop not only across town, but across the country (even the world), consumers have more choices now than ever. While some may argue that having too many choices is "information overload", it reinforces that if you're not on your game, you can be quickly (and easily) replaced.</li>
<li><b>Consumers Have a Voice</b> -While you may not recognize the name <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/29/molly-katchpole-time-magazine_n_1387997.html" target="_blank">Molly Katchpole</a>, this 20-something old intern from Washington DC was the young lady that started the online petition on <a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-bank-of-america-no-5-debit-card-fees" target="_blank">Change.org</a> to get Bank of America (the largest bank in the country) to reconsider their $5 monthly debit card fee. Have you stopped over to Google, Yelp or any other social networking site lately to see what people are saying about YOUR business? As referenced in #2 above, consumers are trusting what others are saying and even a lone voice can help to topple even the largest behemoth when they put their mind to it.</li>
</ol>
So, what's all this got to do with "proving" social networking works? Well, as soon as I got the link I hopped over to LinkedIn and did a quick network update with a link to download the report. One of my connections, who also does a regular podcast radio show focused on small businesses and technology, clicked on my post and checked it out. Later that afternoon I received a call from someone in his office asking me to come on his show and provide additional commentary on the report, and what its findings mean for businesses.<br />
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The show is called <a href="http://michiganbusinessnetwork.com/radio/Bottom_Line_IT" target="_blank">Bottom Line IT</a> and featured on the <a href="http://michiganbusinessnetwork.com/radio/" target="_blank">Michigan Business Network</a>. Who knows just how many people will be tuned in to hear the show (or catch the replay). The important thing to note here is the only reason I'm being asked to be on the show is that I took the time to share an interesting article with my connections, which obviously spurred some thought and an interest in bringing me on the show.<br />
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While I'm not going to profess to be the author of the report, I will be sharing my perspective on not only what it means for banking, but businesses in general (as touched on above). As any business owner knows, if you get a chance to talk about what you know in a setting where you've been invited as the "expert" that can be a real opportunity... all because I took 30 seconds to create a post and share it with my connections on LinkedIn!<br />
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Have you been surprised (in a good way) by social networking recently? If so, share your story in the comments. I'd love to hear all about it.<br />
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~Eric<br />
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Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-36871081242031482672012-07-16T22:31:00.000-05:002014-01-12T11:02:24.774-05:00Support for Child Cancer Fundraiser - I Need Your HelpBelow is the text of an e-mail that I just sent out to help announce/promote my fundraising effort to help keep the memory of Christi Thomas alive. Feel free to follow the links to make a donation or learn more!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christi is my inspiration to help raise money<br />
to find a cure to child cancer.<br />
We miss and love you Christi!</td></tr>
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Greetings Everyone...<br />
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This message is going out to friends and family to make sure that you're aware of my upcoming event to help raise money in the fight against childhood cancer. Many of you are familiar with Christi Thomas (<a href="http://www.christithomas.com/">http://www.ChristiThomas.com</a> and <a href="http://christithomas.blogspot.com/">http://christithomas.blogspot.com</a>) and her fight, and eventual loss, to Neuroblastoma. This rare form of child cancer continues to rob families of their little ones and my hope is that every penny I help to raise for the cause will help to get them that much closer to a cure so nobody has to suffer the loss of their child.<br />
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Alicia and I just spent the weekend in Ohio with the "Thomas Team" and had an amazing time. Shayla, Christi's "little sister" is now 13 years old and has turned in to an amazing young lady. We spent an entire day on Kellys Island in Lake Erie with our bikes, riding around and enjoying the time together. However, each time we are together I cannot help but think what Christi would be like if she was still with us. Several times while on the Island we were able to overlook Cedar Point, which was one of our favorite spots (because I was the only one brave enough to go on all the roller coasters with Christi). It got me thinking about my upcoming event and wanted to send out a note and ask for your support.<br />
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On September 9th, I'll be competing in the 70.3 mile "Half Rev" triathlon at Cedar Point in Christi's memory. When I competed in the event two years ago I finished under 6 hours (my goal) and was able to raise some nice donations in the process (and many of you supported my efforts - so thanks!). As with years past, I'm supporting the CNCF (Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Society - <a href="http://www.cncfhope.org/">http://www.cncfhope.org</a>) and my good friend and training partner Kathy Roche-Wallace is going to be racing the event as well (but she's doing the full 140.6 race - stud). Below is the event website if you'd like to check it out and see what I'm "up against" this year. The cool part is we finish under the big ferris wheel and they've got a "jumbo-tron" that shows video of you coming across the line, which is pretty cool!<br />
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<b>Cedar Point Event Page</b>: <a href="http://rev3tri.com/cedar-point/cedar-point-news/">http://rev3tri.com/cedar-point/cedar-point-news/</a><br />
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If you are able to support my event financially, that would be wonderful. The link below will take you directly to the online donations page and you can pay with a credit or debit card. Or, if you prefer to mail me a check you can make it payable to CNCF and send to 12369 Verona Rd., Battle Creek, MI 49014. Even $5 or $10 helps (but of course more is better).<br />
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If you are not able to support me with a donation, you can still help by encouraging your friends to help support my cause. You can post the link on Facebook or send an e-mail and offer up your perspective on my event and the cause. You never know just who Christi's story will touch and if they will offer up a donation to help make a difference.<br />
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<b>Donation Page</b>: <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/pwap2012">http://www.active.com/donate/pwap2012</a><br />
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So if you've made it this far thanks for reading along. Hopefully you will be able to either help support the CNCF with a donation or at least send along a note to your friends to encourage them to support the cause (or both).<br />
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Thanks,<br />
Eric<br />
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P.S. If you're going to be out and about at all this summer in Northern Michigan, I'm going to be racing in Cadillac on the 28th of July at the Lumberman. August 11th I'll be racing the Sanford and Sun in Sanford, MI and then head to Ludington for the Lighthouse Tri on August 29th before my big event in September. If you've never been to a triathlon it's a pretty cool event with lots going on.<br />
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Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-48237198784121221312012-04-02T19:40:00.000-05:002014-01-12T11:02:44.228-05:00First Race of the Season and Mobile Marketing in SeattleThis weekend I finished my first race of the season and competed in the <b>Lowell 50 Gravel Road Race</b>. I won't go into too much detail here, but you can hop over to the <a href="http://www.wsicycling.com/a-chilly-lowell-50-gravel-road-race/" target="_blank">WSI Cycling site</a> and check out my race report for the "nitty-gritty" details. All being said, I was very pleased with my results and ended up taking 5th place in my age group. Normally I race against fellow "large guys" in the Clydesdale division (200 lbs. and over), but being a relatively new race they simply don't have the numbers to justify the category. It was good to see that I can still "hold my own" - even with some of the "skinny guys" and the four of us from the team all had great showing.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Also this week I had the pleasure of presenting for the <a href="http://www.wabankers.com/" target="_blank">Washington Bankers Association</a> at their 2012 Marketing Conference in Seattle, WA. This was my first time in Seattle, and was lucky to be able to have some time after my session for a little "walk about" and see the sights. A good friend recommended to bring some GoreTex to keep dry, and I put my parka to good use, as the rain was ever-present during my walking tour of the city.<br />
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One thing that I found rather interesting (especially since I was presenting on the topic of Mobile Marketing) was the number of small craft stands, stores and other retail outlets that were promoting their Facebook and Twitter pages.... even using QR (quick response) codes and encouraging people to "check-in" via Foursquare. Check out the image below and how notice the hand-written sign on the sidewalk, plus the sign in the upper window (although I'd suggest they bring it down a bit to make it easier for people to scan the QR code).<br />
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In my session for the WBA I talked about how the mobile device is quickly becoming the primary device consumers are using to access the Internet. Whether you're a bank or any other type of business, having a strategy (or at least getting on on your radar screen) to address the marketing opportunities around the mobile device will be time well-spent.<br />
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In addition to talking about the social ways the mobile device is changing our lives, I also gave a tour of <a href="http://ww.wsimoble360.com/" target="_blank">WSI's Mobile360 SMS messaging system</a> and gave some ideas of how to engage with text messages for things like sending updates, alerts, news and other types of opt-in communications directly to someone's mobile device. While I may be a bit biased, I got the impression the crowd was surprised just how easy creating a text message campaign could be. As a presenter, I just love it when I see "lightbulbs" light up in the audience when an idea pops into someone's head (yes, you can tell).<br />
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Hopefully I'll get a chance to re-visit Seattle and take in the sights (when it's a bit warmer). In the meantime, thanks to the city for a taking good care of me. Met lots of friendly people both at the conference and while "out and about" and can't wait to get back again sometime soon.<br />
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~EricEric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-68896628013741221762012-03-24T18:13:00.000-05:002014-01-12T11:03:09.906-05:00Getting the Most out of LinkedIn for Business Success<div class="MsoNormal">
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This past week, one of my clients (<a href="http://www.heartlandbank.com/" target="_blank">Heartland Bank</a>) sponsored the first ever 610 WTVN Business Power Hour (news talk radio). I was the featured speaker for the event and was able to provide several tips for attendees on how to get the most out of their LinkedIn efforts. Below are just a few of the “nuggets” that I shared during my presentation. Hope you like it...<br />
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With over 135 million users registered, LinkedIn is the world’s leading social network dedicated to the success of businesses. Much like a “resume on steroids”, there are several different aspects to realizing success with your LinkedIn efforts. If you’re not using LinkedIn yet, you better get on the bandwagon. Businesses of all sizes are using this social network to connect, communicate and do business together!<br />
<h3>
Ensure that Your Profile is 100% Complete</h3>
Whether you’re just getting started or have had a LinkedIn profile for some time, be sure that your at 100% Complete. This means, according to LinkedIn, you have all the necessary information in your profile that includes things such as your current position, education, recommendations, etc. Not only will LinkedIn see you as being complete, those visiting your profile will have access to a wealth of information about you (which can help them decide if they want to connect with you down the road).<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>One thing to keep in mind…. As LinkedIn adds new features your 100% complete may drop until you activate these new features. This happened recently when LinkedIn added “Skills” to their list of available profile settings. Even long-time users of LinkedIn that had 100% Complete in their profiles had to update with some Skills to get back to being 100%.<br />
<h3>
Use LinkedIn to Research People, Companies and More</h3>
When you are in LinkedIn there is a search box to the top right of the page that has some drop-down options. You can search for People (by default), but you can also search for other types of information such as Jobs, Companies, Answers – just to name a few.<br />
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Once you do your search and you see the results, you can also update and refine your results. One tactic you may find useful is to pick 2nd tier connections. These are people that are “connections of connections” – meaning that it will be easy to get an introduction to them if you need to since one of your connections already knows these people. However, they are not yet connected with you, so they are missing out on your updates and all the other information you may be sharing in LinkedIn.<br />
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<h3>
Leverage Technology Whenever Possible</h3>
There are tools out there you can use to also help ensure that you’re getting the most out of LinkedIn. One of these, called LinkedIn Maps (<a href="http://inmaps.linkedinlabs.com/">http://inmaps.linkedinlabs.com</a>) helps you visualize your network with a graphical representation of your network. When you do this, you can see quickly if you have any concentrations in specific areas (and if you need to do a better job of connecting with others that could help lead to business). Visit the link and see what your “map” looks like, then see if you need to modify your networking strategy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my LinkedIn Map, it's obvious that I've got a lot of "blue friends". These are all of my fellow WSI colleagues from around the world. As a business owner, it's nice to know this because my "revenue" potential from these connections is minimal - but they provide me with an excellent source of information for "all things Internet related". </td></tr>
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Another great tool to help keep you “in the know” when it comes to LinkedIn is called Job Change Notifier (<a href="http://www.jobchangenotifier.com/">http://www.jobchangenotifier.com</a>). With this handy program, you receive a notification via e-mail anytime someone you are connected to changes his or her job title or description. This is great for letting you know when someone gets a promotion or changes jobs. Not only can you take the time to offer a “congratulations”, but if they move to a different company, there may be an opportunity to take your relationship with them, resulting in NEW business for you. Plus, you may want to reach out and find out who took their place to protect the business you have at their former company. Without a tool like this, it would be impossible to monitor even a handful of connections.<br />
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<h3>
Be Real and Stand Out</h3>
In business a genuine “thank you” or personal note really goes a long way to help you stand out from everyone else in the market place. This is just as important when using technology and can really help you stand out. For example, when you are inviting someone to connect on LinkedIn, don’t use the default text that LinkedIn provides and click Send. Instead, personalize your invitation with something like “I really enjoyed meeting you yesterday at the Chamber mixer and would like to connect.” Since most people won’t take the time to do this, your invitations will stand out (and the other person will know you took the time to send them a message instead of just “click and send” like so many others do).<br />
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On the “flip-side”, when you get an invitation to connect (and accept), take the time to click on the Send Message link after you click Accept link and say thanks. Something as simple as “Hi Bob, thanks for taking the time to connect with me on LinkedIn. If I can be of assistance to you down the road, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” Not only will they be surprised that you took the time to say thank you, but you’ve planted the seed (and opened the door) for them to contact you for future business opportunities!<br />
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Hopefully these tips have given you some ideas on how to get the most out of your LinkedIn experience. If you'd like more help or some personal coaching, feel free to let me know. I'd love to help. Oh, and don't forget to <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericcookmba" target="_blank">connect with me on LinkedIn</a> (just be sure to personalize your invitation!).<br />
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~EricEric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-54164744077815790012011-11-20T19:43:00.000-05:002014-01-12T11:04:04.791-05:00Be Sure to Get Your Lobster Stamp…I love it when someone goes “above and beyond” during the normal course of business and makes me sit back and say “wow”. During a recent trip to Maine, I had one of those moments that I’d like to share.<br />
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On the cab ride from Portland to Freeport (the conference was held at the <a href="http://www.harraseeketinn.com/" target="_blank">Harraseeket Inn</a>), Dan from AB Cab, and I had a very enjoyable conversation and we chatted about the area. This was my first time to Maine (and unfortunately was not going to be able to spend much time there), but he talked about all the great things to do if I ever came back. Spending money at the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.llbean.com/" rel="homepage" title="L.L.Bean">L.L. Bean</a> store would be top on my list (they’re open 24 hours, you know) as well as being able to enjoy some of the local seafood.<br />
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Well, speaking of seafood… when we arrived at the Inn, Dan wanted to make sure that I got my “Lobster Stamp” for my boarding pass on the return flight back home. Of course, I took the bait and asked “what’s a Lobster Stamp?” Dan went on to tell me that due to government regulation and environmental concerns, the local lobstermen were required to replace all their rope with special rope that sinks so as to not entangle other marine live. They also had to update all of their lobster traps and several other “requirements” that had made it very expensive to be in the lobster business.<br />
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“So, the state of Maine now makes it a requirement that any visitors to the state have to purchase a lobster during their trip to the state to help the lobstermen offset the additional costs that have been imposed on them,” he said. “When you order lobster, you’ll get a Lobster Stamp that you can put on your boarding pass – otherwise you’ll pay a $25 fee. So, you might as well get to enjoy some lobster since you’re going to have to pay one way or another.”<br />
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Of course, I knew he was joking and played along, but the story was a good one and made the cab ride from the airport that much more enjoyable. Plus, I now had an idea for my “opening remarks” the following morning during my session. In fact, when I checked in at the Inn, I told the story to the front desk and they all seemed to get a kick out of it (and thought it was a good idea, too).<br />
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The reason I was in Maine was to present for the <a href="http://www.mainebankers.com/" target="_blank">Maine Bankers Association</a> at their <b>2011 Emerging Leaders Conference</b>. As is typically the case with my speaking topics, this session was focused on the ways to leverage “social strategies” to connect with customers and promote the bank. I started off telling the story of the Lobster Stamp to lighten the mood and the bankers all seemed to find humor in the good-natured ribbing of this Michigander.<br />
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I then started my presentation and shared the following video from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.socialnomics.com/" rel="homepage" title="Erik Qualman">Erik Qualman</a>, the author of the book Socialnomics.<br />
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A key statistic that one of the bankers (kudos Katie!) picked up on after the video was done stated that 90% of people trust the opinions of their peers, while only 14% trust advertisements. A powerful statistic, considering if you look at the makeup of a typical operating budget, most banks (and I suspect businesses in general) spend a lot more of their time and money on advertising, yet it’ s becoming less relevant in today’s social world. Additionally, just a year ago the earlier version of this video had the numbers at 78%/14%.<br />
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As you can see, the power of the “crowd” is gaining importance, as we are increasingly more concerned about what others think about a business or service than what their advertisements say. This further demonstrates the power of “word of mouth” and why it’s important to get yourself “outside of the box” and do things that make people stand up and take notice. Create a WOW moment that people will want to talk about and play off the 90%.<br />
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This leads me to the point of my entire story… I went to checkout after my session was done and it started off as any usual checkout goes. “Room 304 please,” I said. “Thank you Mr. Cook, we hope you enjoyed your stay,” was the response – typical (and yes, I did, it was very nice). However, one of the other ladies chimed in and said, “Oh, you’re Mr. Cook, we have something for you…” and proceeded to hand me a postcard with – you guessed it – a picture of a Maine Lobster on the front!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1HewpjEKRooEAbC9XEyt0u4yuLePfg79sFA9HRTofND-fUaebuJV0TTLLYr9gm4jatzCYQkrC03NXcOool_TuKKx9pUSepEvLRhzvJpN9rk-wxn5JVs5cWk6kNJmy1s9RiRf/s1600/IMAG0599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1HewpjEKRooEAbC9XEyt0u4yuLePfg79sFA9HRTofND-fUaebuJV0TTLLYr9gm4jatzCYQkrC03NXcOool_TuKKx9pUSepEvLRhzvJpN9rk-wxn5JVs5cWk6kNJmy1s9RiRf/s320/IMAG0599.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a>On the back was a hand-written note that said: “Mr. Cook – This should fill the taxi qualifications for a lobster stamp. ☺ Hope you had a nice visit. Cheerfully, Kathy & front desk staff, Harraseeket Inn.” Not only was I literally “blown away” by this gesture, but I made a point of going back into the dining room where the rest of the bankers were finishing their lunch to share the fact that I indeed got a “Lobster Stamp” for my return trip home! I made a point of ensuring that my contact from the Maine Bankers Association also was aware of this “above-and-beyond” gesture so that she could mention it to management.<br />
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Kathy did something that all of us can learn a lesson from. She listened to my story when I checked in the prior evening and saw an opportunity to step outside of her box and do something that would cause me to say “wow”. As a result, I’m spending time telling you about my experience in this post and helping to fuel the 90% (what others say about your business). I can tell you that when (not if) I come back for a visit in the future, there’s no way I’m staying any place other than the Harraseeket Inn. I’m sure there are a lot of quaint and very nice places to stay at in the area. But, thanks to Kathy (and her front desk team), they created a loyal customer that’s willing to tell others about his experience. I just hope I get to come back again soon.<br />
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I challenge you to pay attention to what goes on during the general course of your business day. While you may think it’s the “same ‘ole, same ‘ole”, you might be surprised. Are your customers unknowingly leaving hints for you to pick up on to create a “wow” experience for them, like Kathy did for me? I challenge you to get out of your normal routine and force yourself to be more aware of what’s going on. You might be surprised. For the cost of a postcard, you too may have the ability to make someone’s day and tell their friends.<br />
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Embrace the 90%... (and don't forget your Lobster Stamp next time you're in Maine)!<br />
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Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-22736397800272491822011-08-29T08:09:00.000-05:002017-12-14T10:15:05.592-05:00Solving Problems Remotely With Technology<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jing.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Jing logo" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Jing.png" height="256" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="256" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 256px;">Jing's "Magic Ball". Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jing.png">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Ok, I'm a bad blogger... I know it's been "more than a while" since my last post and apologize for the lapse. The good news is that I've had a very busy summer, working on customer projects and traveling to present at conferences. As a business owner, keeping busy during these "challenging economic times" is a blessing and I'm grateful for the opportunities that I've had these past several months.<br />
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As I was contemplating what wisdom to share with my "return" blog post, I recently had an experience with a client that was having problems with their e-mail, which I was able to solve (remotely) thanks to a great free tool that I've talked about before... <a href="http://www.jingproject.com/">Jing</a>. This program from the folks at <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.techsmith.com/" rel="homepage" title="Techsmith">TechSmith</a> gives you the ability to capture screenshots and videos right from your desktop and quickly share them out to one person or many people with just a couple clicks of your mouse. Here's what happened...<br />
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As has been the case this summer, I was out of the office when one of my customers contacted me, stating they were having problems with their e-mail program. They were moving from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_Office_Protocol">POP</a> to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Message_Access_Protocol" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet Message Access Protocol">IMAP</a>, while at the same time migrating from Outlook to <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/">Mozilla's Thunderbird</a> mail client (the makers of <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/fx/">Firefox</a>). He had been working on this for almost an entire day, but was getting error messages when trying to send e-mail and was getting very frustrated (not only at the situation, but at the technology that WE were providing his business).<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step One - Download Thunderbird to Test</b></span><br />
The first thing I did was to try and mimic what he was going through on my computer and I went out and downloaded the Thunderbird mail client and walked through the setup process while he was on the phone. This way I could "see what he sees" and since the program was free, no cost was involved. As his service provider, he was comfortable sharing his password with me so that I could log in "as him" and set up the system to check e-mail. There was one step that was overlooked, which we talked about, and then I was able to see all his mail and sent out some test messages. We made sure the settings were the same and viola! Problem solved... or so we thought.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step Two - Sending Messages Does Not Work</span></b><br />
About an hour later, he called me back and said that he was getting errors sending e-mail, and I could tell there was an increased level of frustration in his voice (understandably so). In order for me to see what was going on, I asked him to take some screenshots of the error messages and send them my way. At that time, I was away from the computer, but when I got back, was able to see the problem was in the authentication of the "outgoing mail server settings", which was keeping his mail from going out. I thought this was strange, because in the Thunderbird program that I installed, I didn't have any of these problems and did some further digging. That's when I opened up my Jing and was able to get to the bottom of this issue.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step Three - Explore Further With Jing </b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlXa9P-xjfJXvdp-Lrsb39C7Z_vc3HSPSL5qwGXOggLY9vRZXH9mZRHEpXZqEjCohZ6Vh9QnnVNqyZZDUYOF29-zDhjJGHS1k37NTqx0DxrIYYT1kZsOs5ZJCzI64Iy25iKzi/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-08-29+at+8.31.41+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlXa9P-xjfJXvdp-Lrsb39C7Z_vc3HSPSL5qwGXOggLY9vRZXH9mZRHEpXZqEjCohZ6Vh9QnnVNqyZZDUYOF29-zDhjJGHS1k37NTqx0DxrIYYT1kZsOs5ZJCzI64Iy25iKzi/s320/Screen+shot+2011-08-29+at+8.31.41+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Jing captures that I have saved on my computer,<br />
ready to be shared with clients via Screencast.com.</td></tr>
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I wasn't sure exactly what the problem was, but I knew one thing for sure... his mail settings were different than mine since the exact same program on my computer was working for me, but not at his end. So, I fired up Jing and turned on the video screen capture option. With the free version, you can capture up to five minutes of video from your screen, and that was going to be plenty.<br />
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So, with the video grabbing my actions, I went into the properties and settings, exploring all of the various options that could be chosen during the configuration process. The video was about three minutes in total and when done, I uploaded it to my <a href="http://screencast.com/">Screencast.com</a> account (a free account you get when you sign up for Jing that gives you the ability to share what you've captured easily). Once the upload of the video was done, I pasted the link into a message and sent it to him (since he was able to GET messages, just not send them).<br />
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Guess what! When he watched the video and walked through his Thunderbird settings he discovered (and I never would have thought to ask him to check this) another version of an outgoing mail server that was incorrectly set up the first time he tried installing the program. It seems this server configuration was conflicting with the "right" one and causing the problem with him sending e-mail. Once he removed this from the system, his e-mail worked like a champ. Thank you Jing!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQS-56oavxnE620eDZaRDcMyuxUzGljk7achKDCVXEiaVyQWqd2JBK0XAM5Bn-wc6dIMHKD89ZsrlaYe5cmZRXtjakUhXihQQRCwh6vpjaayzXm2iv-gSzpIcNtY_PWrjy8Uk/s1600/2011-08-29_0858-blog-jing-example.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQS-56oavxnE620eDZaRDcMyuxUzGljk7achKDCVXEiaVyQWqd2JBK0XAM5Bn-wc6dIMHKD89ZsrlaYe5cmZRXtjakUhXihQQRCwh6vpjaayzXm2iv-gSzpIcNtY_PWrjy8Uk/s320/2011-08-29_0858-blog-jing-example.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is an example of a screenshot capture of this blog post<br />
showing how you can "mock up" the page, add callouts,<br />
draw arrows and provide text description for different areas.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I continue to use Jing for lots of other things as well as troubleshooting problems like this. When we do website designs for customers, I'll use the screen grab feature to get a snapshot of the screen and then use the editing tools to draw boxes, arrows, add text and highlights to help explain what changes and modifications to make. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case Jing allows you to combine the picture and your words to tell the full story.<br />
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If you're not using Jing yet, what are you waiting for? This free program is a great tool to have on-hand and can be used for a variety of tasks. It's PC and Mac compatible and they also offer a paid version that does not limit the time of your videos for around $15. Once you give it a try, I have a feeling it will be one of your most favorite programs! What programs have you used in similar situations? I've love to hear your ideas and feedback.<br />
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Enjoy...<br />
~Eric<br />
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P.S. You can also check out this <a href="https://www.cloudwards.net/best-screen-capture-software/" target="_blank">comprehensive review of other screen capture solutions</a> from the folks over at Cloudwards. Good stuff.<br />
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Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-46203195485197149262011-05-25T06:17:00.000-05:002011-05-25T06:17:27.248-05:00The Year of the Mobile Device - Are YOU Ready?<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/product/iphone" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc..." height="195" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0001/9797/19797v1-max-250x250.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="250" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 250px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></span>With the mobile device being so popular these days, is it any wonder that it was predicted recently that it will be the #1 device for browsing the web by 2013? Think about it, you have a device that has more processing power than many of the computers we used just a few years ago, is always connected to the Internet thanks to the ever-expanding data coverage by the mobile carriers and their screens are making it even easier to browse and experience websites right from the palm of your hand. This does not even take into consideration the plethora of apps that can be downloaded to further enhance your "mobile experience" (regardless of whether you are using an iPhone, Android-based device or Blackberry).<br />
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But, one of the things that still confuses many of my customers and people I talk to at conferences is the jargon that is associated with this expanding niche. So, in an attempt to help provide some clarity to this topic, I'd like to provide some of the key terms that seem to be most important. I recently presented at a conference for the <a href="http://www.vabankers.org/">Virginia Bankers Association</a>, and these were some of the questions the crowd asked, so here we go...<br />
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<b>SMS</b> - This stands for Short (or Simple) Message Service, but we all probably know this more as a good 'ole fashioned "text message". This is the plain text message that you can send from one mobile device to another and for any of you who have teenagers, probably one of the biggest numbers on your monthly cell phone bill!<br />
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<b>MMS</b> - Similar to MMS, this is a Multimedia Message Service and a way to take SMS and enhance it with the ability to send images and even video over the text feature of your mobile device.<br />
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<b>Mobile Short Code</b> - Mobile message marketing is hot right now and many businesses are starting to allow customers to opt-in to receive mobile messages with updates, special offers and alerts. Probably the most common use is on contest shows like American Idol where you can "text" in your vote. The number that you send the message to (like a phone number, but shorter) is the Short Code and typically assigned to you by whatever mobile marketing company you are using.<br />
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<b>Mobile Keyword</b> - The second component of a mobile marketing system is the actual Keyword that you send to the Short Code (mentioned above). This tells the mobile message system what you "want". The system will interpret the Short Code and Keyword and according to the settings in the mobile marketing system, will send you a reply, forward your message as an e-mail to someone at the business, add your mobile number to a group for future information or even automatically re-direct you to a website. It's a great way to engage and keep in touch with those that want to learn more about what you do.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rS-zTct-qcKGziPbmQyd7MgWNq4NljUbYxw-Z8PkHw7zkzvSAZF8mfcjNXeV2CkfDXhlZly2cOaxoTzC_PK5gOCBwU9fmsdhfK3e8i02sum_2c4crQTwWrhInoSwvacyibgt/s1600/qrcode-poweredbywsi.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rS-zTct-qcKGziPbmQyd7MgWNq4NljUbYxw-Z8PkHw7zkzvSAZF8mfcjNXeV2CkfDXhlZly2cOaxoTzC_PK5gOCBwU9fmsdhfK3e8i02sum_2c4crQTwWrhInoSwvacyibgt/s1600/qrcode-poweredbywsi.png" /></a></div><b>QR Code</b> - Have you ever seen one of these funky looking black and white square images in a magazine or newspaper. More businesses are starting to use these Quick Response codes that smart phones with cameras can scan and interpret. The <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code" rel="wikipedia" title="QR Code">QR code</a> can automatically take you to a website, send a text message or even automatically enter contact information into your mobile phone's contacts (great for adding to a business card!). If your phone does not have a QR reader, simply hop over to your "marketplace" or "app store" and pick one up, then <b>scan this code and see where it takes you</b>!<br />
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<b>Mobile Friendly Website</b> - When you have a website that is "Mobile Friendly" that typically means that the code used to create your site will play nice with many of the popular mobile devices. Elements like the styles used (from your CSS file - <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading_Style_Sheets" rel="wikipedia" title="Cascading Style Sheets">Cascading Style Sheet</a>) and limitations on Flash and other non-mobile friendly elements are taken into consideration. This helps to ensure that the elements on your site are able to be interpreted by a mobile device, but the down side is that you have created a much smaller version of your site that may be difficult to navigate and "click/touch" on the right links (especially if these links are text embedded in paragraph text on your site).<br />
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<b>Mobile Formatted Website</b> - So, what's the solution for a mobile friendly website that may be too complicated to effectively browse on a mobile device... how about a Mobile Formatted Website! When a site is formatted FOR mobile, there typically is code installed that will tell the site if it's being accessed by a mobile device. When this happens, you'll be automatically re-directed to a new version of your site that will typically feature only the important information that someone would likely need from a mobile device (such as hours, phone number, locations, general overview, etc...). Plus, on a Mobile Formatted Website, you'll typically see larger buttons and graphics, making it easier to browse with your finger. One of the sites that I use all the time (due to my travel) is <a href="http://delta.com/">Delta.com</a> and if you visit that site on your phone, it's much different from browsing on your computer. And by the way... I can help with a <b>Mobile Formatted Website</b> if that's something you're interested in (shameless plug, I know, but I gotta pay the bills - *wink*).<br />
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What mobile terminology have you heard recently and wondered what that really means? Post your comments and thoughts and let me know. Just like social media, mobile devices are not going away and while it may create a little extra work, it's going to be important to allow your customers to easily connect with you, regardless of what type of device they are using.<br />
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~Eric<br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=cd1b43e3-d334-4e82-adf9-0a492dd91666" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-19249845875991096822011-04-28T01:18:00.002-05:002011-04-28T08:40:00.546-05:00Pay It Forward - You Just Never Know When Someone Is WatchingRecently I was in Traverse City for the <a href="http://www.mibankers.com/professional-development/best-menu">Michigan Bankers Association's BEST Conference</a> and presented on the topic of Google Analytics and ways to measure the effectiveness of your online efforts. Those of you reading this who know me also know that I love to present and help folks learn new things to be more competitive online. The session went great, there were lots of excellent questions and I received several positive comments after I was done.<br />
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However, as much fun as it was presenting, one of the best things I love about conferences is the ability to catch up with old friends (and meet some new ones). It is the former that I want to focus on during this post, as I was able to re-connect with someone from my past "banking days" and he shared a story with me that actually gave me goosebumps. Here's what happened...<br />
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While putting the finishing touches on my session Friday morning after breakfast, a former vendor who had moved on shortly before I left banking about four years ago came up to say "hi". Bill said that he saw my name on the speakers list in the conference brochure and since he was going to be attending, wanted to make sure to connect and share a story with me. He's now working for a different company but still connected to the banking sector, so I'm glad that our paths were able to cross again.<br />
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Without too much of the back story, just after my second year at the <a href="http://www.gsb.org/">Graduate School of Banking</a>, one of my "banker buddies" returned home to Ohio only to discover his then five-year old daughter was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. Over her four-year long battle against the disease, I proudly assumed the role of "Christi's Webmaster" and the site we developed shared the story of this little girl's battle. While the intent was to keep friends and family members informed of what was going on, Christi's story spread across the Internet and surpassed a million visitors, forever changing the lives of those that read her amazing story. I encourage you to <a href="http://www.christithomas.com/">stop by the website</a> and <a href="http://christithomas.blogspot.com/">read the blog</a> that Christi's mother still updates on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtynau6GaINeCPf6gi1TIhqHPG6lJFRvrDnlhgeXhft9nzYTiY7xRZQ2e4Y2t3uyw7XpPorFlyWB18A2rf8DSTd7awhLd-UZyCg8zA8hXpz5vzI5Sa5euRY2GFi_Lu_-BQkOe/s1600/DSCN0385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtynau6GaINeCPf6gi1TIhqHPG6lJFRvrDnlhgeXhft9nzYTiY7xRZQ2e4Y2t3uyw7XpPorFlyWB18A2rf8DSTd7awhLd-UZyCg8zA8hXpz5vzI5Sa5euRY2GFi_Lu_-BQkOe/s320/DSCN0385.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A "dirty" Eric after my first Lumberjack 100<br />
Pedaling With a Purpose fundraiser effort.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>During this journey with the <i>Thomas Team</i> (as they became known to all that followed the story), one of the things I took it upon myself to do was to raise money in support of the <a href="http://www.nbhope.org/">CNCF</a>, the <a href="http://www.nbhope.org/">Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation</a>. As a cyclist, I created <a href="http://www.pedalingwithapurpose.org/">Pedaling With a Purpose</a> and started racing my bike and doing triathlons as a fundraiser and am proud to say that PWAP has been responsible for generating over $25,000 over the years, thanks to the generous support of friends, coworkers and Christi's online followers.<br />
<br />
This all comes to the point of my story... Bill shared with me that Christi's story and my efforts were so inspiring to him that he decided to train for a marathon and raise money for a cause that he was passionate about, the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Miracle_Network" rel="wikipedia" title="Children's Miracle Network">Children's Miracle Network</a>. He was successful in his race (telling me he was able to cross the finish line with his kids hand-in-hand), plus raised over $4,000 for this great cause. Not only did the charity get some much-needed financial support, but he used this as a learning experience for his children, as they knew their daddy was doing this for more than just himself. They saw him dedicating himself to not only training for the 26+ mile event, but raising money for a worthy cause to help children that he didn't even know.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately Christi lost her battle against cancer and earned her wings on September 19, 2006. But in her short time with us here on Earth, Christi not only changed my life, but the lives of countless others that were impacted by her story and bravery. Bill told me that had he not read about my efforts to help Christi and been inspired by my actions, he never would have even thought of doing a marathon. I think of Bill not only getting in great shape for his event, but also the lessons he taught his children. I think of those that were in the crowd who may have been inspired seeing a father and his kids coming across the line together after such an amazing accomplishment. Nobody had a clue the reason he was there was thanks to a little girl who battled cancer so bravely and inspired him (just like me and countless others) to "do more". <br />
<br />
One thing is for sure, we never really know when our actions will have an impact on others. If you're thinking about taking that next step and doing something that will go "above and beyond", I say go for it! While you certainly will end up a better person for it in the end, you just never know who will be watching and what they will do as a result of your efforts.<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=519c8d3a-d39e-49af-bd77-9d8233f10285" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-47981559829104027042011-03-26T13:31:00.001-05:002011-03-26T13:32:10.578-05:00Triathlon Season Is Here... But For Businesses It Never LeftRecently I had the pleasure of welcoming <a href="http://www.bernieborges.com/">Bernie Borges</a> of <a href="http://www.findandconvert.com/">Find and Convert</a> to <a href="http://www.freewebinarwednesdays.com/">Free Webinar Wednesdays</a> as our guest to talk about <a href="http://www.freewebinarwednesdays.com/2011/03/using-social-networking-for-your-job-career-and-development.html">ways to leverage social networking to enhance job and career development</a>. I've been a fan of Bernie's for a long time and have most of his podcasts downloaded to iTunes and have taken him on training runs/rides over the years in my iPod. So, as you can image, it was a joy to actually be able to talk "with" him during our webinar session and actually hear him talk back!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvVGHlcdwQ9SodRKqc4biieFlyXip-6h2DpkkoLrMPk7qCweVb6ZPA1qUdfoIOXNnjbRUcpHoi80KbwvO1YWOgJqfexm1faANlG9F92UwjgU1jXapdhynZq5yMULATiP1atNi/s1600/IMG_0968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvVGHlcdwQ9SodRKqc4biieFlyXip-6h2DpkkoLrMPk7qCweVb6ZPA1qUdfoIOXNnjbRUcpHoi80KbwvO1YWOgJqfexm1faANlG9F92UwjgU1jXapdhynZq5yMULATiP1atNi/s320/IMG_0968.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>One thing that I thought was pretty ironic (and he had no idea when he put together his slides for the session) was that he made the comparison to how training for a triathlon was synonymous to the type of dedication one must undertake to be successful in taking charge of their career. He didn't pull any punches and this recommendation was front and center on slide #2 and helped to set the stage for the rest of his discussion. The triathlete in me couldn't wait to hear more!<br />
<br />
Regardless of whether you are a self-employed entrepreneur, someone that has a job but is "looking" to make a change or completely happy with your employer - chances are you are always looking for ways to improve. This reminded me of <a href="http://ericcook.blogspot.com/2010/09/me-and-my-703.html">my 70.3 mile triathlon that I did last year at Cedar Point</a> with my good friend Shayne. Call it a mid-life crisis, but I figured turning 40 deserved a "big" event to celebrate, so I set my sights on a "half-iron" distance triathlon. Not only was the experience one I'll never forget, each of the points that Bernie shared in his session rang true with me both as a triathlete and as a business owner. So, while I may be paraphrasing Bernie's words a bit, here are some of the ways the discipline of training for a triathlon can help shape your success in business.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Set Written Goals</b></span><br />
For my Cedar Point event, I knew based on prior shorter distance triathlons that I wanted to break 6 hours. That was my goal, I wrote it down and when I was training that number was front and center in my mind. But, to get to that goal, I had to create smaller, more realistic goals when I started training early in the season. In April I wasn't prepared to go out and break 6 hours for 70.3 miles, but each week worth of training had smaller goals that related to laps swam, miles run/rode, target heart rate, etc. These little steps led up to the bigger goal and I accomplished my goal and came across the line in September under my 6 hour goal!<br />
<br />
I did this same thing when I decided to leave my job as a community banker and knew what sort of goals I needed to achieve to be successful running my own business. Just like my end goal of sub-6 hours for my triathlon, I have a desired goal for my business but to expect that to happen immediately after leaving my job at the bank (which I had for 15 years) was unrealistic. However, I have set goals that relate to sales, <a href="http://ericcook.blogspot.com/p/speaking-schedule.html">speaking engagements</a> and other strategies that all lead up to my end goal of being a successful business. Good news is, that's working too!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Get a Coach</b></span><br />
As someone that had spent their time mostly behind the bars of a bicycle (road or mountain), I knew that in order to be successful in a triathlon I'd need people to help me along the way. I had run in the past, but not very fast. And, as for swimming... we'll let's just say that I spent more time on my WaveRunner playing ON the water than exercising IN it. Fortunately a <a href="http://www.gokathygo.com/">good friend of mine who is competing in the 2011 RAAM</a> had done several triathlons (successfully), offered to give me some tips, which was great. Additionally, one of my customers (<a href="http://www.thestudiopath.com/">The Studio Path</a>) in Kalamazoo also helped me put together a plan and get improve my running (and flexibility). I also had several others that offered assistance along the way, so you could say that I was fortunate to have several coaches for my event.<br />
<br />
When I made the decision to leave my banking job, before making the announcement I reached out to a few successful business owners that I knew and also sought their advice. I considered them (and still do) my business coaches and their advice on what to do (and not to do) was invaluable in my transition from a steady paycheck to the world of entrepreneurship. In both cases, I was glad to have great coaches in my corner to help me along the way.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBO6GdtzsN-yr_S2t6IIisLapDbBHJHZF2hNLOkWIxpTqiO9nX9l66knSUieeALKNPBaWbB5iFlaNpGnIRPi-SvqtcUzFufymf61JFdTglSIHSE-ezM_z8IEZ4tgB5LO68jo9/s1600/IMG_20100911_130802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBO6GdtzsN-yr_S2t6IIisLapDbBHJHZF2hNLOkWIxpTqiO9nX9l66knSUieeALKNPBaWbB5iFlaNpGnIRPi-SvqtcUzFufymf61JFdTglSIHSE-ezM_z8IEZ4tgB5LO68jo9/s320/IMG_20100911_130802.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Accountability Partner</b></span><br />
They say "misery loves company". While I don't want to give you the impression that my event was (all) misery, the reality is that you can easily get off track and lose focus when training for an event like a 70.3 mile triathlon. That's why I'm so glad that I had my good friend Shayne to help me along the way. While he lives in Ohio and I'm here in Michigan, it's easy to keep in touch and share successes along the way to keep motivated. I'm not sure about him, but I can say it would have been much more difficult to remain dedicated to the event had I been doing it alone and not had him right there with me (in spirit) knowing that both of us would be lining up at the starting line together. Find someone that will keep you motivated to "train" with and that will make a world of difference.<br />
<br />
That goes for business too. Many times in the start of my business I had moments of "panic" wondering if I did the right thing. The good news was I had a close friend that quickly joined me in the self-employed world and we leaned on each other quite a bit. I considered him (and still do) my business training partner and today Jeff and I get to work together every week on Free Webinar Wednesdays and talk quite often, sharing successes and keeping each other motivated. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0d9h9rLcFj4Cx3qDwIoXVv2JhyphenhyphenoASwaY6PqsQN3FQsy3rw9ZYQwJR6xsOmJAHUdYQZd4ElWR-DO3QYZ2ZdhWiKzYU9fMFS98kW5dsLH7yzvx4LAjx_ru2y0IE-XKkIvxmiuFv/s1600/2010-03-27+13.51.11.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0d9h9rLcFj4Cx3qDwIoXVv2JhyphenhyphenoASwaY6PqsQN3FQsy3rw9ZYQwJR6xsOmJAHUdYQZd4ElWR-DO3QYZ2ZdhWiKzYU9fMFS98kW5dsLH7yzvx4LAjx_ru2y0IE-XKkIvxmiuFv/s320/2010-03-27+13.51.11.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Join Clubs</b></span><br />
Surrounding yourself with people of like interests and motivation can make a big difference in your ability to keep going, even when there are times when you think about quitting. I ride for Team Active Racing out of Battle Creek and my teammates are great at keeping me motivated, and many also will go out and run with me as well. You learn things from others (and can also share what you know), which makes for a great "community" type experience and being part of something "bigger" is also a pretty cool feeling.<br />
<br />
When it comes to business, I also have relied on several "clubs" along the way. I'm a proud supporter of my local Chamber of Commerce, belonged to BNI for networking early on in my efforts and also belong to the two state banking associations in Michigan since that's where a lot of my customers (and potential customers) are. There are many others as well, but each of them provides me with opportunities to learn and share information, making both sides of the relationship better in the long run.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Develop a Routine</b></span><br />
Every Wednesday in the summer at 6:30 I'm rolling out with 15 or more other cyclists on our group ride from Team Active in Battle Creek. Tuesdays and Thursdays were run nights and the weekend involved at least one swim and either a long ride or run. Of course, there were other workouts that I worked in as time permitted, but there were some non-negotiable items on my calendar that I committed myself to. This was my routine and having one in place helped me keep other items in priority and not interfering with my training efforts (because that was a priority). I can tell you from experience that if you just try to "wing it" you will get distracted and will never get as much done as if you follow a routine. Believe me, that was one of the big reasons I finished under 6 hours (because I made the time to make it happen).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxaFEloOFwl0u9dr9g6aoYu7PpWPoVM5Cykjtpe3U3gqoqnOBGW2yw95sUzyH9wuDXdYZ5pzNEBIC3ullAfRyfzJASg8OtMdOkPEwHf580PWGUrHDqxqH5A6QWNZyJtbn3uZU/s1600/IMG_0934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxaFEloOFwl0u9dr9g6aoYu7PpWPoVM5Cykjtpe3U3gqoqnOBGW2yw95sUzyH9wuDXdYZ5pzNEBIC3ullAfRyfzJASg8OtMdOkPEwHf580PWGUrHDqxqH5A6QWNZyJtbn3uZU/s320/IMG_0934.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>That same can be said for business, especially when you are running your own business. That dreaded ADD (and some would say that I suffer from HD-ADD, "high definition attention deficit disorder") will kick in faster than you think if you don't have some sort of a routine that you follow on a regular basis. I have to give my wife full credit here (and commend her patience with me). She "retired" from a very successful 20+ year career in sales to help grow the business and one of the reasons that she was so successful is because of the routines that she created for herself in the process. She knew when to make sales calls, when to work on proposals, when to work on projects, etc... I have to admit, it makes me a bit jealous that she's able to stay so focused on things, but taking her advice I've been able to create my own routine that has helped to keep me on track. Granted, when she reads this (love you, honey), she'll probably be rolling her eyes, but the fact is that a routine is very important to keeping you on track and making sure that the important things get done.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Work on Your Technique</b></span><br />
I mentioned earlier that I didn't have much experience with swimming, so I knew that was going to be the biggest area to improve upon. Not only is good technique helpful to being efficient in the water, the reality is that you can actually drown if you do it really poorly. With either running or cycling you can stop, your feet are on the ground and you're safe. In the water, that's not always an option, so it may be an over dramatization to say it's a matter of "life and death", but you get the picture. It took me time to get comfortable with the stoke, pulling through the water, kicking, breathing, how to hold my head, rotating my hips, etc... You can see, there's a lot to it and at first I was terrible. Someone watching me probably wondered what all the splashing was about, but over time practicing all of these elements helped. But, the important part to note here is that I didn't try to master all of them at the same time. There would be days in the pool when I'd just focus on my stroke and hand position in the water. Other days would be devoted to my kick and using my legs or maybe breathing on the left side (I'm a right-side breather). But, it was important to get comfortable with one element and then move on, otherwise you'll get frustrated and give up.<br />
<br />
When you own your own business there are a LOT of things that you are now responsible for doing yourself. The first year while my wife was still working for someone else, I did it all. That meant sales, project work, marketing, accounting, billing, accounts receivable, etc... There were things that I didn't do very well (just like swimming). I loved sales and talking to people (just like I loved cycling), plus I was good at it. However I had to focus on some of the items that made me uncomfortable or I was not going to be a very good business person. That meant I had to get better at the accounting and paperwork or, just like in a triathlon, I was going to sink to the bottom of the lake. Not good! So, practice your technique in all your disciplines and you'll be better for it in the long run.<br />
<br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Podcasting_icon.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The logo used by Apple to represent Podcasting" height="124" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a4/Podcasting_icon.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="122" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 122px;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Podcasting_icon.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Find Educational Resources</b></span><br />
In addition to my coaches, teammates and training partner, I also checked online for tips and information about triathlons that would make me better. I found great information about swimming workouts, tips for a faster transition and other helpful information that made me better. With the Internet there's really no excuse for not taking the time to research your chosen area of focus and learning more. It's right there, just go get it!<br />
<br />
I regularly use RSS feeds to blogs, newsletters, podcasts and webinars to consume information about my industry. A someone that deals with the Internet, things move quickly (sometimes almost too quickly), so it's important to have ways to stay educated and keep informed with what's new. One of the best tools that I have for this now is my iPad, which makes it possible to take volumes of information with you, wherever you are. As someone that spends a bit of time on planes traveling to speaking engagements, the iPad (and other iPod devices) make it easy to read, listen and watch helpful information at any time. I've got an RSS reader on my mobile phone, so even standing in line at the grocery store I can quickly catch up on my articles and you just never know when you'll be learning about the next big thing that will help you with your next customer or land the next deal.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Make a Commitment</b></span><br />
As Nike says "Just Do It!" Sounds simple, but executing this strategy is tougher than you think. One of the tricks that I discovered years ago was making my end goal more than just about "me". For example, I've been doing events like this to help raise money to fight child cancer, so not only do I want to complete the event personally, but I've likely had people support me with their donation(s) over the year and know that I owe it to them to also finish what I've started. I started using <a href="http://www.endomondo.com/">Endomondo</a>, a feature on my mobile phone that tracks and then publishes my workouts to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ecook">Facebook</a>, to further help increase the "peer pressure" and keep people informed of my training efforts. The encouragement I get from others when that 30-mile ride goes out to my friends on Facebook is a great way to keep me committed to my goal of not only completing the event, but raising money for a great cause in the process. I'm proud to say that I've helped to raise over $20,000 over the past several years and completed some great events in the process!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjavc6da57U88DXUACZnNGrIwrf93MyC-Tzq9I7FgQNcZY0DtbpE_q4Q1ocLDHqyQ5yIovbhNWYs0nj37DQWtnIBU4KnQE-3XhHBblRxiDeiZvMZqW7NBqB1SqZ_QPYQdgd04d/s1600/IMG_7826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjavc6da57U88DXUACZnNGrIwrf93MyC-Tzq9I7FgQNcZY0DtbpE_q4Q1ocLDHqyQ5yIovbhNWYs0nj37DQWtnIBU4KnQE-3XhHBblRxiDeiZvMZqW7NBqB1SqZ_QPYQdgd04d/s320/IMG_7826.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>When I left my job in banking, I knew that too was a big commitment to myself and my family (I've got a wife and two doggies counting on me!). "Failure is not an option" was one of the sayings that kept playing in the back of my head and I knew I was going to do whatever it took to make it happen. There are days when I'm up to 3 am working on things for my customers, but if that's what it takes then I've decided that's the commitment I must make. I've built a great group of people around me that provide the support I need to stay motivated and have been able to embrace all of the elements listed above to help further increase my chances of success. I've found that the more you are doing right, the easier it is to stay committed to your goal(s). If you're having problems, chances are there may be opportunities to improve in one of the key "triathlon tactics" above.<br />
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So, what do you think? Ready to go out and sign up for a triathlon yet? Ok, maybe not... but what do you want to accomplish today, this week, this month, this year or even in your lifetime? Following these "triathlon" principles certainly can't hurt your efforts! Good luck with your training...<br />
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~Eric<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=bbce7b62-da4b-474b-bd22-0dd10b8af727" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-73328009738901658332011-03-05T11:43:00.000-05:002011-03-05T11:43:10.102-05:00Privacy, Authenticity, Objectivity and Being "Real" Online...<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right; width: 250px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52505823@N05/5107015769" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Internet Privacy" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1176/5107015769_686ed2e760_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52505823@N05/5107015769">o5com</a> via Flickr</span></span>The topic of online privacy has got a lot of attention in recent months and as a former community banker, the issue of privacy is something that I've always taken very seriously. Not only was I obligated as a banker from a regulatory and legal perspective to protect my customers' privacy, at a higher level it's just the "right thing" to do. We never sold our customer information to third parties for profit (unlike others), not because we didn't want the money, but because I believed doing so would be in direct violation of the trust they placed in me as their banker.<br />
<br />
However, if you can voluntarily "give up" some of your information in exchange for a more customized and personalized online experience... would that be such a bad thing? It's already happening when you go on Facebook, as marketers can leverage the information YOU are providing. The ads that appear are not "coincidence", they are directly targeted at YOU based on information in your profile, what you're posting on your wall, who you are associated with, etc. While the companies behind the ads may not know my actual name, they do know that I...<br />
<ul><li>Am a college graduate (a couple of times over) and hail from historic <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.2705555556,-84.96&spn=0.1,0.1&q=42.2705555556,-84.96%20%28Marshall%2C%20Michigan%29&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Marshall, Michigan">Marshall, MI</a> </li>
<li>Love to bicycle and compete in triathlons</li>
<li>Am someone that is interested in online marketing and all things digital</li>
<li>Have two awesome golden retrievers</li>
<li>Enjoy public speaking and teaching others about social tech</li>
</ul>So, when I'm on Facebook I see ads for things like bicycles, fitness supplements, online marketing information, etc. You get the picture. But I've decided to be authentic in my information (I'm not telling the world that I'm a rocket scientist or interested in climbing <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=27.9880555556,86.9252777778&spn=0.1,0.1&q=27.9880555556,86.9252777778%20%28Mount%20Everest%29&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Mount Everest">Mt. Everest</a> - even if that may be more exciting), which means that information and marketing messages are relevant. There's an interesting cartoon (from <i>The <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.newyorker.com/" rel="homepage" title="The New Yorker">New Yorker</a></i>) where you have two dogs sitting at a computer and the one at the keyboard says to the other, "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet%2C_nobody_knows_you%27re_a_dog" rel="wikipedia" title="On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog">On the Internet nobody knows you're a dog</a>." While the lure of anonymity may have been initially attractive to some, I propose you really have to be genuine and real to get the most out of this new, online social world.<br />
<br />
Most everything that I put out on the 'net is not filtered or directed to a particular group or segment of my social graph. I know in Facebook you can set up groups and segment friends that may be more "business" related so you can restrict what they can (and cannot see). I also have several platforms that I use, and each has a bit different feel (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/ecook">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericcookmba">LinkedIn</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ericcook">Twitter</a>, for example). But, in most cases what goes out, just goes out and I'm not really that concerned about who reads it. Like it or not, this is "Eric Cook" and sooner or later people will figure me out.<br />
<br />
For example, if someone is a "cat person" and I'm a "dog person" and that's going to cause a problem down the road, isn't it best to know that sooner than later and we both can go on our merry way? Granted, that may be a bit extreme, but you get the idea. So, are you being as "real" as you can online, or are you holding something back? I'm interested in your thoughts...<br />
<br />
~Eric<br />
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<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=513cb790-414a-47cb-96eb-32fdf11c7d63" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-1600211165821611482011-02-23T09:00:00.004-05:002011-02-23T09:00:13.743-05:00Online Reputation Management - This Isn't High School Any Longer...<div class="MsoNormal">Remember in high school when all you cared about was what other people thought about you? You wanted to make sure you wore the right clothes, had the right shoes, hung out with the right crowd, etc... Back then it seemed like what other people thought about you was the most important thing in the world.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fast forward to present day. You’re a business owner (or at least someone that’s responsible to a certain degree in your business’ success). Are the opinions of others as important today as they were back in high school? While your clothing choices are not as big of a deal as they once were, I’m going to say YES, and probably even more so thanks to the Internet.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If someone wants to talk about your business and has an “ax to grind”, the power of the Internet gives even the smallest customer a global voice and s/he can have a significant impact, especially if you're not aware of what's being said about you online. This is much more powerful than back in high school when the worst that could happen is the gossip makes it to the lunch room. No, what's said goes everywhere and lasts forever.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, what are YOU doing to either help ensure that your happy customers have a voice and can get the word out to the rest of the world? Or, and maybe more importantly, what are you doing to monitor what’s being said about your business (good or bad)? You may not be able to get rid of any bad reviews, but you CAN help to ensure that your happy customers know how to post a review and hopefully you can get more good than bad ones online (no, you can't "ask for good reivews", but you can make it easier for them).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Customer_Lobby_Company_Logo_Wikipedia.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Customer Lobby" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/Customer_Lobby_Company_Logo_Wikipedia.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 200px;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Customer_Lobby_Company_Logo_Wikipedia.png">Wikipedia</a></span></span>I’ve talked before about one of WSI’s newest partners, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.customerlobby.com/" rel="homepage" title="Customer Lobby">Customer Lobby</a>, when it comes to managing customer testimonials and reputation management. The service provides businesses an opportunity to help their customers share thoughts and testimonials. Because the reviews exist on a third party site, the credibility goes up and is easy to share and show off. But one of the great thing that I like about Customer Lobby is it makes the review process quick and easy for your customers. As an example, you can <a href="http://bit.ly/wsi-ericcook">check out my Customer Lobby page and see some of my reviews</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">While sites like Customer Lobby will help you ensure that reviews are getting created, there are also some sites out there businesses can use to help keep an eye on what’s being said already, both good and bad.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/product/google-alerts" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image representing Google Alerts as depicted i..." height="65" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0001/2821/12821v1-max-450x450.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="151" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 151px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal">The first is <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.google.com/alerts" rel="homepage" title="Google Alerts">Google Alerts</a>, which scours the web and Googles indexing for key phrases and search terms that you pick. The system can send you updates on several different intervals and is a great way to keep track of your business, your competition, key employees, your market trends, etc…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another tool similar to Google Alerts is <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.socialmention.com/" rel="homepage" title="Social Mention">Social Mention</a>. While you can also check for many of the similar types of phrases (such as your own business, competition, etc…), this service tends to search more in the social sphere and looks into blogs, social media sites and related “non-traditional” web properties.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, one tool that I like to use is good ‘ole <a href="http://search.twitter.com/">Twitter Search</a>. While many people discount Twitter because they feel they just don’t have time to keep up with the quick pace of posting by many, the real-time information stream of Twitter can provide you with an instant look at what’s being talked about online.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I suggest you hop over to any of these sites and put in some of your keywords to see what comes back. Try your business name, industry trends, major competitors and even your personal name. You may need to play with some of the search techniques to "tweak" your results and consider using things like quotes around words you want together and you can use the plus sign to add other terms.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For example searching for <b>eric cook</b> will bring back results that have eric or cook in the results. But when searched as <b>"eric cook"</b> you get those two words next to one another, and the results are much more fine-tuned. Add <b>"eric cook" + wsi</b> and you get any search with my name and my company in the search result. These are much more focused and can really help you get some meaningful results in your search efforts.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By no means is this an exhaustive list of ways to help manage your reputation online. But hopefully a few of these items have piqued your interest in learning more about how to position yourself to better know what’s being said about you and your business online. If you’ve got other tools you’ve used to manage the online chatter about your business let me know. I’d love to hear what you have to say about this. And, if you need some help just give me a ring (269-841-5007) and I'd be happy to help. </div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=18065424-2572-4eb9-b04d-33eb767bb416" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-77434178178094576932011-02-21T20:39:00.000-05:002011-02-21T20:39:58.136-05:00Could This Be My Next Phone...? HTC Thunderbolt - Pretty Impressive!I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time prepping you for this video, but wanted to share this as further evidence of just how far mobile devices have come. This looks like it's going to be an amazing phone and just may have to make it to my short list for things that I just "gotta have". What do you think...? Enjoy, I know I did!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="311" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O0Mx-nkvQUA?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="499"></iframe><br />
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<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://nexus404.com/Blog/2011/02/20/htc-thunderbolt-price-tag-revealed-release-date-not-so-much-htc-thunderbolt-to-cost-299-on-contract-according-to-best-buy%25e2%2580%2599s-buyer-guide-but-that-launch-date-is-still-delayed/">HTC Thunderbolt Price Tag Revealed, Release Date Not So Much [HTC Thunderbolt to Cost $299.99 On Contract According to Best Buy's Buyer Guide, But That Launch Date Is Still Delayed]</a> (nexus404.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://techie-buzz.com/mobile-news/htc-thunderbolt-rooted.html">HTC Thunderbolt Rooted Before Launch</a> (techie-buzz.com)</li>
</ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=fa96ad82-f005-490f-aeba-73eda78a2d43" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-3057666647537000742011-02-21T09:00:00.002-05:002011-02-21T09:00:18.071-05:00What Do We Really Need A Compuer For?<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MacBook_Pro_situated_on_a_wooden_table.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/MacBook_Pro_situated_on_a_wooden_table.jpg/300px-MacBook_Pro_situated_on_a_wooden_table.jpg" alt="MacBook Pro at the desktop." style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" height="262" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MacBook_Pro_situated_on_a_wooden_table.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Ok, full disclosure before we get started. I AM typing this post on my 17" <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/" title="MacBook Pro" rel="homepage">Macbook Pro</a> so the question posed in the title may be a bit premature. But, this past week on <a href="http://www.freewebinarwednesdays.com/2011/02/the-third-screen-leveraging-mobile-to-market-your-business.html">Free Webinar Wednesdays</a> we talked about <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ericcook/mobile-marketing-for-business-success">mobile marketing</a> and how the growing popularity of the "third screen" is giving consumers an easy (and "always on") way to receive, consume and distribute information from the palm of their hand. Combine this with the growing popularity of tablet devices like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/" title="iPad" rel="homepage">the iPad</a> and coming <a class="zem_slink" href="http://code.google.com/android/" title="Android" rel="homepage">Android</a> devices, one has to wonder will the need for a "traditional" computer go the way of the DoDo Bird?<br /><br />I read a majority of my e-mail now on my <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droid_Pro" title="Droid Pro" rel="wikipedia">Droid</a>, not on my computer. I've migrated my business to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.google.com/apps/" title="Google Apps" rel="homepage">Google Apps</a>, so from most any Internet-enabled device I can keep connected, manage my business and stay in touch with my customers. Using <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing" title="Cloud computing" rel="wikipedia">cloud-based</a> services like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.dropbox.com/" title="Dropbox" rel="homepage">Dropbox</a> or <a href="http://www.box.net/">Box.net</a>, one can even move documents off my computer (or at least keep a copy of them online), reducing hard drive storage requirements and making it easy to have access (and a backup) to almost any resource you can think of.<br /><br />Of course there will always be certain activities where we'll likely need to have the processing power, storage capacity and local file management capabilities of a traditional computer. But the real question is... Where is the "tipping point" in all of this? As you make purchase decisions in the future as it relates to technology, will these factors have an impact on what devices you buy and embrace moving forward? I look forward to your thoughts...<br /><br />~Eric<br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=ea6622f3-e6bb-4eb5-9c7d-88b7164985d5" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-86507516300208378182011-02-19T13:23:00.001-05:002011-02-19T13:33:46.241-05:00Using a Partner to Help wth Vendor Contract Negotiations - Can You Save Money and Time?<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/15363811@N00/163621577" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/45/163621577_46c1afdd69_m.jpg" alt="my first desk at MegsINet" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" height="180" width="240" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/15363811@N00/163621577">wjr</a> via Flickr</span></span>To start, I want to ensure those of you reading this post that it's not intended to have any "sales" motive behind it. I'm merely interested in getting your take on the viability of this concept since many of you are involved with your vendor agreements, particularly when it comes to core processing and other "large dollar" investments. As a former banker myself, I know first-hand that these account for a majority expense for many data processors, spending thousands of dollars every month. With the "number crunch" underway at most institutions, I suspect that any ways to save money are being given consideration...<br /><br />Some of you may have experience with vendors that will work with your organization and do "audits" of cost and agreements. I've been through these before when it comes to telephone and Internet service (since many of us miss the subtle elements that unknowingly cost us more money and can be cut - or at least re-negotiated to save money in the future). But I've recently been contacted by a former vendor (and friend) that left one of the major core processors to start a business that can come in to a financial institution and help with this function as it relates to the "big" contracts. I'm wondering, after sharing some of what they have told me are key differentiators of theirs, what your take is and if this strategy holds water.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Key Factors:</span></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">No Risk</span>: They work on a contingency basis and only are paid a percentage of money saved. This protects the institution from having someone come in, charge money and then deliver minimal results that don't justify the cost. I'm told if there is not an opportunity to save a client at least $100k or more, they will walk away.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Former Vendors</span>: They believe this is important since they know where the "skeletons" can be in contracts and can act as an advocate on behalf of their clients. While the initial reaction (if you are a vendor) may be negative to this, they also understand the value of extending contracts when the time is right and how to leverage this for the mutual benefit of the institution and the vendor (signing a 5 or 7 year deal can result in some significant savings for the institution and a longer-term customer for the vendor).</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maintain Existing Relationships</span>: While some in this space focus on helping an institution generate an RFP and shop out the service to get a competitive bid and present cost savings this way, these guys realize that switching vendors (unless there is a good reason), ranks right up there with root canals. Their focus (as referenced above) is working with the incumbent to help achieve a cost savings through product combinations, contract terms and areas for savings that preserves the relationship and helps keep internal operational disruption to a minimum.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Time Savings</span>: You're busy enough these days, right? Rather than you take the time to comb through agreements looking for things that may (or may not) be able to save you money, they take the burden off your shoulders and do it for you.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Proven Results</span>: It's nice to know, that while I'd still consider them a "startup" they have been able to save some clients money in their short time of operation. They have been doing this for almost two years and their average savings over a five-year period (most standard contract terms) is around $750k with an average institution size in the $500MM asset range. I'm sure as with anything else, performance and savings will be a factor (to a degree) based on asset size, but would even a few hundred thousand dollars be worth it (that's what I'm asking)?</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vendor Respect</span>: They have received actual testimonials from some of the major core processors for their work, which seems counter intuitive since they work for the customer and seek to save them money. But, I suspect due to their past "vendor lives" they are able to bridge the gap here and ensure that both sides walk away happy, since the institution and vendor are the ones that have to "live together" once the negotiations are over.</li></ul>I think that gives you the gist of their business model. Since I'm no longer in a position to take advantage of a service like this, but have a great deal of respect for the folks that are starting this up, I'm curious to see what your thoughts are. What are your questions? What are your concerns? Have you tried this before (and did it work or fail)? How much in savings would make it worthwhile to engage a service like this? What else would you want to know before giving something like this a try in your institution?<br /><br />Looking forward to your comments and getting some ideas. In the sense of keeping this informational and NOT sales related, I'm not sharing the name of the company or any of the individual names. Only if you are interested in learning more about the actual service will I share this and ask that you contact me directly so as to not turn this into something that would not be appropriate for this type of forum.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Eric<br />eric (at) poweredbywsi.com<br /><div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217968">Nine Ways to Find Hidden Savings in Your Outsourcing Invoice</a> (entrepreneur.com)</li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2010/12/27/protecting-your-company-from-boneheaded-vendors/">Protecting your company from boneheaded vendors</a> (venturebeat.com)</li></ul></div> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=7b6e6242-45d3-4c9e-8a48-332898a2050f" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>Eric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-29775812305379058452011-02-03T08:47:00.005-05:002011-02-03T09:07:46.670-05:00Is the Digitizatioin of Society a Good or Bad Thing?As consumers shift their offline lives to an online world, the concept of "digitization" has many meanings, depending on your perspective. From a big picture, we are interacting with friends, family and co-workers more electronically than face-to-face. Communication is via e-mail, text messages, Facebook and other online means that in many cases are not only more convenient, but give you the ability to reach out and touch several people at the same time with your message.<br /><br />Check out the following video and see just some of the examples of how business is changing. After you watch it, keep scrolling for some thoughts/observations.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sj0b8sUdGYA?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe><br /></div><br />So, it appears that the digitization of business (maybe even our society as a whole) is inevitable, but is that a good or bad thing? What does this mean for your personal relationships? While I'm happily married (13 years, thank you!), I had a conversation with one of my single friends who said that dating now is a completely different experience than it was a few years ago. The temptation is to "<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=%22eric+cook%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#sclient=psy&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=he0&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&q=%22eric+cook%22+wsi&aq=f&aqi=g1g-v1g-o1&aql=f&oq=&pbx=1&fp=c6ee28c51d57fabe">Google</a>" for information on your date, check out their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ecook">Facebook</a> profile, snoop around their <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericcookmba">LinkedIn</a> information, etc... Think about it, you could show up for that traditionally "awkward" first date knowing more about the person sitting across from you than some couples married 15 or 20 years ago knew about each other before saying their "I DOs". Is this a good thing?<br /><br />From a business perspective, even the smallest mistake or customer service slip can spread across the 'net in an instant. That means someone on your team having a "bad day" can do more damage now than ever - but most businesses don't even have a strategy to monitor (and address) when something like this happens.<br /><br />What do you think? Is this digital shift a good or bad thing for society? Not that we can keep it from happening (that would be like trying to keep the sun from coming up in the morning), but if we KNOW what's going on, we can develop strategies to address the changes the challenges facing us today.<br /><br />Looking forward to your thoughts...<br />~EricEric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19983840.post-72699034709780066862010-11-30T07:37:00.000-05:002010-11-30T07:37:57.218-05:00Lessons From the Mouse: Applying Disney World’s Secrets of Success to Your Organization<a href="http://www.freewebinarwednesdays.com/2010/11/lessons-from-the-mouse-applying-disney-worlds-secrets-of-success-to-your-organization.html">Lessons From the Mouse: Applying Disney World’s Secrets of Success to Your Organization</a><br /><br />This week on <a href="http://www.freewebinarwednesdays.com">Free Webinar Wednesdays</a> I'm excited to welcome <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dennis Snow</span>, of <a href="http://www.snowassociates.com">Snow & Associates, Inc</a>. to talk about his 20 years with the Walt Disney World Company and lessons learned from the "Mouse" to help your business succeed. If you are not yet registered for FWW, please do so <a href="https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/338268614">here</a> and we look forward to seeing you December 1st at 1 pm EST.<br /><br />EricEric Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367069544154159787noreply@blogger.com0