Did You Know - Web 2.0

Fascinating. Simply Fascinating. We are living in exponential times.

Featured in Great Lakes IT Report

I'm very proud to tell you all about our Podcast/Green initiative being featured in the Great Lakes IT Report.

How Can A Podcast Help Save The World?

We just sent this release today, and thought I would share it with you all:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (July 10, 2007):

HOW CAN A PODCAST HELP SAVE THE WORLD?

3,200 pounds of CO2 emissions at a time. That’s the estimated carbon footprint of reaching just 2,000 people in one place, and that’s if no one has flown to the meeting or conference.

Podcasting almost completely eliminates this imprint, by making content accessible in a high-quality form, online, anytime, and on the go. And since podcasting regularly reaches ten to one-hundred times the original audience, your message in front of 200 can reach 2,000... 20,000... or more.

To help reinforce this environmental commitment, the Royal Oak - based interactive agency Portage Media Solutions is now purchasing 250 pounds of carbon offsets for every person who contacts them about professional podcasting for their business or organization.

Beyond being a green enhancement to your corporate communications or marketing efforts, podcasting can save up to 98% on your media distribution costs vs. teleconferences and direct mailing.

To learn more about carbon offsets, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offset

To learn more about podcasting, visit http://www.portagemedia.com/what-is-a-podcast.pdf or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

To learn more about Portage Media Solutions, visit http://www.portagemedia.com

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An Answer To The Cold Call Jitters...

I was rumaging about this weekend, and realizing how much one needs to embrace cold calling. This of course will not replace my networking, my meetings - however, the good 'ol cold call is an effective way to drum up new business. Problem is, that although there are sales skills within me, my "mirror" view always seems to be that of entrepreneur or visionary - not salesperson (more on that in my "Business Lessons" series very soon).

So, into Google the search goes - and voila - a piece of podcast gold.

"The Cold Calling Podcast" is full of really useful information - and I can say in the ten episodes that have been devoured, there has been more information than a library of books could tell me.

There is a lot of content I need to catch up on - but I already fully recommend it.

Finding An Old Diamond - Rediscovering "Lead the Field"

Whilst going through my various books of digital or dead-tree format on a multitude of subjects, I tend to drift back to the ones about business and personal development (or humour - John Hodgmans latest, although long in audio format, has me in stitches).

But flipping through those resources I ran across one of the more inspirational works for many of todays "positive people" - and that was Earl Nightingales' "Lead the Field" (along with "The Strangest Secret").

Although an older volume - I think the copy I was given (one of the greatest gifts any of my friends has ever given me) was published in 1986 - it is completely appropriate for today and still has lots of pertinent information and got me serious about going down the path of truly believing in myself.

I'm re-listening to it, and one of the more interesting parts is about personal worth.

So many people I have run into think that they're not worth anything, or feel underpaid or undervalued (hasn't everybody at some point?), but a tip to remember is that if the hydrogen atoms in your body could be utilized, according to some scientists - that would be worth $85 billion dollars as it is enough energy to power an industrialized nation for a week.

So think about that internal worth - that $85 Billion dollars that is stored in you - and how you can unlock it. I leave you with the formula to make that happen:

The amount of money we receive will always be in direct ratio to the demand for what we do, our ability we do it, and the difficulty in replacing us. - Earl Nightingale

Cross-Platform Video Panel Online

Another blogger, Bob Tacy, and myself were talking about the 313digital Cross Platform Video event - well, good news, it's online, free for all, to take a look at and watch.

So enjoy - it's in video format online, as well as audio - and you can subscribe for free to the podcast in iTunes and get every 313digital educational event delivered right to your desktop or iPod. Should go without saying, but as a tip, you'll need a broadband connection (DSL, Cable, etc) to truly enjoy the content.

http://www.portagemedia.com/313digital

Disclaimer - 313digital is a client of my company, Portage Media Solutions.

Merlin Mann's War On Clutter

One word to describe this new series by Merlin Mann - amazing.

This is all about tips on keeping clutter out, getting rid of clutter, and all the other miscellany that you don't need anymore.

Anyone looking to focus and be effective can benefit from this. So far, there has been three sections (I strongly suggest going in order):

1. My War on Clutter
2. My War on Clutter: Never "organize" what you can discard
3. My War on Clutter: The Tools to Purge BIG

Business Lessons Series #1: If you're running a business, it's not about you

Hey all - so I decided to sprinkle in a new little series I call "Business Lessons." I'm an entrepreneur, and so I thought it important to share the information I gleaned and then ask the community for their constructive help in making that info even better for everyone.

Had a great conversation last night (mostly listened, though - remember, there is a reason you have two ears and one mouth - keep the ratio the same for listening to speaking) and it really hit home to me.

Early on, we made some choices based on what we liked - and running a business, that's okay sometimes and part of your freedom - but some of the choices affected customers and clients, providing them with an experience they didn't like and created a barrier for sales (namely, our location being in downtown Detroit).

In a nutshell, we found through surveys and experience that our target clientele didn't like downtown Detroit very much at all - and it was a serious negative in the purchasing process of our clientele from this region. They found it inconvenient... which we didn't see because we lived and worked there. Our mistake was that in this region, people want to park right next to the place of business and it needs to be free or almost free - as well as in a familiar area where there are other people in your industry.

So Lesson #1 - It's not about you, it's about your clients and what they want.

Judge these books by their colors

This might be the first business series I have read where people who assume when they see me on the People Mover or in a coffee shop think I'm reading Mao Tse Tsung (that actual question has occured, multiple times).

There are two red ones - a yellow one, and a green one that I need to buy - but no, it's not eastern philosophy (I save that for my GTD moments and "mind like water") and no, I haven't regressed in my reading patterns to kindergarten.

They are books by Jeffrey Gitomer - a sometimes loud, no b.s. and always useful series. They have made a large impact for me and my marketing knowledge growth (as any company only goes as far as it's marketing) and he's coming to the Ritz Carton in Dearborn the morning of Friday, October 12. This seminar - and I've been waiting for him to come to Detroit for awhile - focuses on the "Little Black Book of Connections," which I have found quite useful. If you follow the Black Book link, on that page will be listed most of his other books in the series.

p.s. - I love the graphic design - simple, bright, loud - and the binding, as one person said at a recent party, is "fabulous." These books are built to last and be read and re-read (a true rarity in these days of disposable paperbacks).

Plans are the Right Price for iPhone

**Warning - a mini-rant is enclosed in this post**

I just go the word on the iPhone plans - and they're the right cost.

For $99.99, you get 1350 minutes, 200 texts, and unlimited data. Perfect.

Goodbye Verizon, great service, but, alas, no iPhone.

This is the wonder of a mostly-unsubsidized phone. At $499, Apple is making money on the device and puts it in a reachable price point - reducing the monthly price.

There are a few questions for the iPhone - but considering our companies' work flow is 100% mac centric, not using Windows beyond testing, other client's servers and error checking, we've been waiting for this device since our "switch" four years ago.

**Begin Mini-Rant**

I had talked to Verizon about offers in competition - but they started to slam Apple engineering. Completely wrong answer to an Apple person who knows their engineering skills - even more hilarious when you know the small fact I flat out stated the reason I want an iPhone is the seamless integration with my mac and can Verizon match it.

That, and cellphone sales reps crawl my skin. I've never been told the truth by them, and always do all the research myself.

**End Mini-Rant**

I'll be buying from the Apple store directly - they've always treated me very, very well, even if I'm buying a $20 item.

This device, I believe, will be a game changer. I'm sure there will be bugs the first month or two, but, it is revolutionary in true Apple style.

So iPhone, I'll see you in September. Work out your issues, and we'll start our relationship then.

If you need more iPhone madness, go to http://www.applephoneshow.com