Monday Mornings with Madison
July 16, 2012

The Benefits of Anticipation

Issue #241

Summer is here and many are in the throes of planning their summer vacation.  Plan away.  It’s actually good for you.  How so?  Researchers from the Netherlands set out to measure the effect that vacations have on overall happiness and how long it lasts.  They studied happiness levels among 1,530 Dutch adults, 974 of whom took a vacation during the 32-week study period.  The research controlled for differences among the vacationers and those who hadn’t taken a trip, including income level, stress and education.  Published in the Journal of Applied Research in Quality of Life, the study showed that the largest boost in happiness comes from the simple act of planning a vacation. Vacation anticipation boosted happiness for eight weeks! Continue reading →

Comments Off on The Benefits of Anticipation
July 9, 2012

What A Company’s Website Says About That Company

Issue #240

Ever visited a company’s website and thought ‘ugh?’  A website says a lot about a company, and it is often the first point of contact between the company and the customer.  Business people know that image matters.  Some would even go so far as to say that image is everything and that the public’s perception of that image is reality.  The image that a company portrays becomes its reality.  If a company’s image speaks of success, then that success becomes real.  In fact, so many business people think this is true, that they take it a step further and advocate a “fake it ‘til you make it” image philosophy. Continue reading →

Comments Off on What A Company’s Website Says About That Company
July 2, 2012

What Do Search Engines Value In Websites?

Issue #239

What do search engines value in websites or web pages in order to rank them higher?  This is the million-dollar question.  No doubt anyone who could definitively and conclusively give a complete and correct answer to this question could become an instant millionaire.  But it basically is a trick question because anyone who can answer it, would only be able to answer with regard to how one particular search engine’s algorithms work, not all, and even that is an ever-moving target.  The answer valid today would be obsolete tomorrow… or soon thereafter.  It is a question over which SEO professionals obsess and marketers distress.  And the question to which few will confess that what is believed is as much supposition and speculation as insight and intelligence. Continue reading →

Comments Off on What Do Search Engines Value In Websites?
June 25, 2012

Why SEO Should Matter To Every Business

Issue #238

Are you one of the many who don’t know what SEO stands for… and truth-be-told you don’t really care?  Do you think that SEO is the marketing department’s concern?  If you are the owner, Chairman, President, VP, CEO, COO, CFO, Controller, or the Director or Manager of a department in any company anywhere today, you should care about SEO.  And if you are a salesperson, you should definitely care about SEO. Continue reading →

Comments Off on Why SEO Should Matter To Every Business
June 18, 2012

Protecting Accounts and Private Information

Issue #237

In the news lately, there have been reports about the hacking of contact information, user names, passwords and account numbers for a myriad of companies.  From LinkedIn to Sony to VeriSign, companies are falling prey to cyber thieves who slyly steal millions of pieces of data from vulnerable companies.  Unlike bank heists or muggings, these thefts occur gracefully in cyberspace, without guns or masks.  Yet, the consequences can be just as damaging and costly to the companies and their customers as an old-fashioned burglary.  And there may be even greater consequences to society at large.  Security experts believe hackers are frequently targeting valuable digital information. Continue reading →

Comments Off on Protecting Accounts and Private Information
June 11, 2012

To the Point: The Power of Being Concise

Issue #236

In a world where knowledge is power and information rules, there is a growing push to share ever more messages with others.  Sales and marketing teams are focused on more ways to ‘get the word out’.  Newsletters.  Eblasts.  Websites.  Magazines.  Advertisements.  Journals.  Handbooks.  Pocket Guides.  Articles.  Press Releases.  Tips.  Search engines compound the problem by rewarding the generation of ever more content.  But it doesn’t stop with sales and marketing efforts.  Leaders are also intent on communicating their mission and focus to their staff, customers and investors.  Fireside chats.  Letters from the President.  State of the Company Addresses.  Strategy Sessions.  Annual Reports.  There is just so much to say.  Talk… talk… talk.  Words abound.

With so much focus on generating real and valuable information, showcasing expertise and sharing vision, businesses have adopted a ‘more is more’ approach to communication.  More touch points.  More words.  Why use two words when you can write twenty?  Why express in two minutes what can be said in said in a video in ten?  Why send one communication when you can send five?  Why publish a short blog post when the same information can be explained in a more detailed article?  Indeed, what is noticeably absent in all that chatter is brevity.  Lost is the art of being succinct.  Yet, there is power in being concise.  When it comes to business communication, sometimes less is more.  So when is it best to be brief and why?  And is it possible to be economical with words without being terse? Continue reading →

1 Comment
June 4, 2012

Excellence versus ‘Good Enough’

Issue #235

In the world of software development, there is a concept called the Principle of Good Enough.  It favors quick-and-simple software designs over elaborate systems designed by committees.  Once a quick-and-simple design is deployed, it then evolves as needed, driven by user requirements.  Some good examples of this kind of design include the development of the Ethernet and the World Wide Web.  That is why most software have newer iterations such as Internet Explorer 8 and Microsoft Office Word 2007. Continue reading →

Comments Off on Excellence versus ‘Good Enough’
May 29, 2012

Falling On Deaf Ears

Issue #234

Ever had a conversation with a coworker or friend that you knew was hearing you but wasn’t really listening?  Ever sat down to talk with your boss and knew you’d made the same point before – perhaps many times before – but you just weren’t getting through?  The words came out of your mouth but weren’t absorbed by the other person.   There weren’t any sound barriers or language impediments.  There was no physical hearing loss.  The person could certainly hear you, but they just weren’t listening… the proverbial deaf ears. Continue reading →

Comments Off on Falling On Deaf Ears
May 21, 2012

Breaking the Desk-Ache Blues

Issue #233

How many hours do you sit behind a desk each day?  One of the few things that most employees — from entry level staff to C-suite execs — have in common is that they spend a lot of their work day behind a desk… sitting in a chair, probably in front of a computer, either typing, calculating numbers, researching, reading, filing, talking or pushing paper.  Compared to the back-breaking conditions of manual labor jobs such as plowing fields or digging ditches, earning a living by sitting in an air-conditioned room in a comfy chair at a sleek desk is certainly a major improvement.  Or is it?  Although no one would argue that tough manual labor in the hot sun or frozen tundra is physically daunting and exhausting – especially in the middle of a scorching summer or brutal winter – there are also some drawbacks to working behind a desk all day, day after day. Continue reading →

Comments Off on Breaking the Desk-Ache Blues
May 14, 2012

The Disadvantages of Hand-Held Devices

Issue #232

Once upon a time not so long ago, people went through life without having a mobile phone, smart phone or tablet attached to their hip.  They somehow managed to walk down the street without taking a call.  They could watch their child’s soccer match without doing a Google search.  They could relax on their living room couch at the end of the day without responding to a text message.   They could eat dinner with the family without replying to a client’s umpteenth email.  And children could talk about their day at dinner without playing an electronic game.  Adults and children alike weren’t continuously “plugged in” and yet were somehow still industrious, successful and happy.  Those days seem gone forever thanks to the “Hand-Held Device Revolution.” Continue reading →

Comments Off on The Disadvantages of Hand-Held Devices