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May 2007 Archives
May 7, 2007
You never know
I'm a firm believer in continuous learning. When I was in high school, I stuck around in OAC (that's Grade 13 in Ontario...or, was. Only 12 now) so I could go to University instead of College. When I was in University, I stuck around for a 4th year so I could get my Honours. When I left University, I went to College. And now that I'm out of College, I'm still learning. I go through old notes, I read old texts, I keep EVERY project I've written or worked on since University to use as reference, and I read industry blogs with valuable information.
I think the greatest reason for absorbing as much information as possible is: You never know.
You never know everything
You never know enough
You never know when you'll need it
I read blogs about sales, I kept all my materials from my sales course, I'm a member of the Canadian Professional Sales Association. Am I going to go into sales? Doubtful. But you never know. Personally, I think sales techniques are applicable no matter the situation. They're all about being persuasive and personable. So I learn about sales.
When I was doing my postgrad, I (like many of my classmates) disliked learning about Direct Marketing and Supply Chain Management. But I still went to every class, and still kept all my notes. And paid attention as much as I could. I didn't really expect to ever do anything with them, but I learned anyway. And guess what my first internship was? Doing direct marketing for a company that specialized in supply chain management solutions. You never know.
I learned Photoshop, HTML and CSS so I could post my online comic. It was just a hobby. I've since used PS to work on the direct marketing campaign I mentioned above (and to do projects in class), and I'm currently responsible for writing the code to redesign the website for the company I'm currently on contract for. I turned a hobby into meaningful work.
Learning all about new things (even ones outside your expertise) is not only great because it keeps your mind sharp and can teach you something interesting, but you may find yourself in a situation not too far down the road where you end up using it.
Learn all you can, because it may lead to an opportunity. You never know.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on May 7, 2007 9:48 PM Permalink
Why blog?
Reading some of my favourite blogs got me thinking about my purpose here. So I figured, hey, why not share? Because eventually, somebody's going to ask the question, "why should I listen to you?"
So, months after I first started this blog by talking about blogs, I'm back on the subject.
I have one of those afflictions, where I start thinking about things, then I start forming opinions. And I often want to share those opinions. So I decided one day to start this one up (it certainly didn't hurt that I had a catchy name in mind).
But there's a problem: for people to read (and continue to read) a blog, it has to offer them something. Something interesting, something compelling, something (occasionally) original. Problem is, I chose business as a central theme; and while I'm diving head first into the arena, I have very little experience. A graduate certificate in Marketing Management, and two internships. But no agency experience, no client-side marketing. So if you're looking for a seasoned veteran's observations on the biz environment, you're fresh out of luck.
Fortunately for me, this blog is far from purposeless. For one, I'm writing for practice. I've said before that writing is one of the best and most versatile skills available, easily usable in nearly every profession. For example, my Father once told me that, as an Engineer, he expected to spend his life working with numbers. Instead, he writes reports and presents tenders; numbers are for entry-level. So I grew up with this sort of expectation. It's stayed with me all this time, so I do what I can to stay sharp. It doesn't hurt that I've developed a strange new interest in copywriting.
As I said earlier, I get ideas and opinions. So this is my outlet. I began thinking that I could take what I had learned in school, then discuss it here in order to archive my thoughts and try to learn my lessons in greater detail through discussion. And the best thing about blogs is their networking aspect, and the tendency for writers to all feed off one another. So I could simply look at something I read on another blog, and add my two cents. That's something I really ought to do more of in the future.
As an aside, since I'm focused on business, I fully intend to steer clear of political discussion or related matters. I have my own feelings on current events, but they don't belong here. One thing I've always hated was finding out that somebody whose work I admired held views to which I was diametrically opposed. And it can make enemies (including readers who like to leave harrassing comments). So I'm going to avoid that, if I can.
Now, we return to the beginning: why should anybody read a business blog by a "newbie"? Well, for one, since I'm new to the whole business world, I can write about this stuff with fresh eyes, without being totally lost in biz-land. And hey, I'm bound to make mistakes; if anyone with greater experience happens along, then perhaps it can lead to a discussion that EVERYONE (myself included) can learn from.
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on May 7, 2007 10:50 PM Permalink
May 17, 2007
The most beautiful site nobody can see
They say that beauty is skin deep. They also say that it's what inside that counts. And beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The same holds true on websites. There are a lot of great looking sites out there. And when visitors arrive to your site, you want them to stay; so naturally, you want it to look good.
But what if that comes at a price?
Too many times, I've seen sites that look terrific; they have all the colours right, a great layout, easy navigation...but when you look below the surface, you find yourself scrolling through endless ugly code before finding any content.
So what? Code IS ugly. It always has been, and though it may not always be, it will for some time to come. But you have to remember who looks at the code: search engines. And bloggers with too much time on their hands.
Let's face it, while every search engine is different, they usually have a cut-off point for how many lines they're willing to read of your code before the spiders stop reading. And with the dwindling power of Meta tags, it's becoming more and more essential every day to make sure your content and its keywords are in the right place. This is the same problem people encountered a few years ago when Flash sites became the big thing.
Really, what good is a great looking website if nobody can FIND it?
I think this is part of the reason for the move towards cleaner, less busy sites. Not just the fact that those cluttered messes are horrific to look at and use; but if there's less junk in the trunk, you get faster load times, less chances for something to go wrong (God forbid you miss a semicolon in your CSS), and a better chance of being noticed when your potential readers click "search".
Until next time,
JW
Posted by JW on May 17, 2007 9:46 PM Permalink
May 30, 2007
What's the net worth of your network?
Let's talk about Jim. Jim's been looking for a job for some time now. And he's been hearing all this talk about "networking". It's not what you know, it's who you know. Friends in high places. And all those other clichés. So he decides to give it a try. He asks his friends and his family to keep an eye out for people who could help him, and starts talking to people he knows through them.
Jim doesn't get a job.
Now, what about Trevor? He's also out on the hunt, and keeps getting told to network, network, network! So he does. He goes to parties, he goes to networking events, tradeshows; anything he can! He hands out business cards and collects them in return. Entire forests have disappeared to fuel his search. After a few weeks, you'd be hard to find anybody in the county who doesn't have his card.
Trevor's in line at the Employment Resource Centre with Jim.
Finally, there's Harry. Harry is in the same boat as Jim and Trevor. So he starts talking to people he knows who aren't in his immediate circle of friends. He attends parties and events, but only hands out a few cards and collects a few in return.
Harry gets a job.
So what happened? Harry seemed to do so much less than Jim and Trevor. And numerically, he did. But where Harry got it right was in the VALUE of his network.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that networking is just a matter of asking anyone around, and contacting as many people as possible. So they end up with a veritable leaf-pile of business cards and an address book the size of the yellow pages, but they don't mean anything.
Asking friends and family is an alright way to start, but the problem is that you're going to make connections inside a network you already have. Chances are the people your close friends and immediate family know are people you know already too.
Trying to collect massive amounts of contacts sounds tempting, but it's akin to advertising these days: too much noise, not enough value and interest. If you meet someone, introduce yourself, give them your card and move on, they've forgotten who you are 10 seconds later. And if they DO remember you, it will be as someone who wasn't interested in them enough to stick around.
The fact of the matter is, you want to build a meaningful network. When you meet somebody new, stick around and talk to them. Try to key into their values and interests. Listen closely to what they say, and try to pick up on something. Once you can demonstrate your interest in that one thing, it shows them that you were not only paying attention to what they're saying (which is a BIG plus), it tells them that there's a connection there. And when you talk to them later, remember to leverage that connection, bring it into the conversation again. Keep repeating this step. You want to get to know that person so they can get to know you. If somebody in a position to help you remembers who you are and sees you as somebody with whom there is common ground, you are far more likely to be first in their mind when your dream opportunity lands at their doorstep.
Remember, be a Harry, not a Jim or Trevor.
Until next time,
JW
