Successful Blog

Thank You, Tom Peters

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Positive Impact

I’ve been thinking all day about a story Tom Peters used to tell back in the early 90s. It went something like this. Bear with me, oral history changes in the telling.

Tom Peters at the Steel Company

It was during the time all of the big steel companies, such as US Steel. were suffering, hurting. One small company — small for the steel business — about 1200 employees was doing fine, growing as I recall the story. Tom Peters went out to Ohio to speak with the president of the company. He wanted to know how this company could be beating the odds. Then he found out something even more interesting. The company had no job descriptions. As I remember, Tom quoted the dialogue this way.

Tom said something like, “How can you run a company of 1200 people with no job descriptions?”

The president answered, “We’re trying a new management technique. We talk to each other.”

Forgive me, Tom, if I got the details slightly skewed. It’s clear that I got the point. I’ve passed it on for years, with your name attached.

Synchronicity

Just now when I went to Tom Peters’ blog to find a link, I found this one. It asks whether the great ideas of the past, such as those of Tom Peters had a positive impact. Click the title to read the short post about it.

Yeah, I think the impact has been positive. I’m still passing it on.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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436 Comments and a Review!

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1 Guy Told the World About It

Last night at Open Comment Night, we had another great and rambling conversation. Mike Dunn of Nomadic Audio stopped by to see what was going on. He live blogged the Open Comments Night. Click the title to see what he said.

Living example of social media

Highlights

Many thoughts were shared between blogger friends. New blogger friendships formed. Art was defined. Plans were made. Marketing ideas were discussed. Stories were told. A good time was had.

Here are some highlights. [Read more…]

Trendspotting — Where 97.9% Fail

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Learn Everything

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We all want that ability to be able to see the next big trend before it happens — what people will be wanting, doing, needing, going to, and buying NEXT. We want to be there ready and waiting for those customers.

Some folks can see that next trend and hit it fairly often. No one can do it 100%. No one can get any customer base to behave 100% predictably.

Good morning, Class.
Find the next trend. Oh yes, 97.9% of you wll fail this test.

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Net Neutrality 5-31-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’ve added these links to the Net Neutrality Page today.

Price, Competition and Net Neutrality

In the comments to that post, I said I really didn’t have an issue with network services differentiated by ability to pay for bandwidth, as long consumers had access to the same services, at whatever bandwidth. That is, I’m not opposed to tiering quality of service based on price. Tiering access to services based on price is a different issue.

In a new comment, Richard Bennett points out that bandwidth is not the only service differentiator.

That’s correct. I’m stating my desire that — where technically possible — all customers at all price levels have access to the same services.

Visicalc co-founder offers a modest proposal

What stands in the way of all this are the Bells. They insist that the phone lines built under regulated monopoly are “theirs,” that no one else (OK, maybe a cable franchise) should be providing that service, and that they should be allowed to use their monopoly power for their own private enrichment.

Into this argument steps Bob Frankston. The Visicalc co-founder has written a satire, in the tradition of Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal, called Paying by the Stroll.

Sidewalks: Paying by the Stroll

I’ve been immersed in so-called tele-communications issues for a long time but I haven’t posted too much lately because I’m not satisfied with net neutrality and am trying to figure out how to explain that the problem is more fundamental (as in “Telecom Phrase”). How come I have to plead for neutrality when we’re talking about infrastructure that we should own?

One of the classic marketing clichs is that people don’t buy the drill, they buy the hole. A good marketer or, for that matter, politician, knows that people want solutions rather than having to worry about every detail themselves. I must’ve been thinking too much about those who want to do us too much good when I went to sleep last night …

Morning of my First Day in At Your Service Village!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

By Popular Demand The Mike Is On

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It’s Like Open Mike Only Different

Here’s how it works.

The rules are simple — be nice.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. . . . Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.

See this post if you want some ideas of things to talk about.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Comment Night Again at 6 Chicago Time

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Tuesday Open Comment Night

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YES, the mike will be open again tonight. So start collecting your thoughts. Remember, you get to bring what you want to talk about.

The rules are simple — be nice.

We got things going really fast last week. If you missed it, stop by this week, and check it out.

Some things we might talk about could include whether:

  • 43 Best Blogs Wiki–Why Didn’t We Do That?
  • What Did You Do This Weekend?
  • Why Do 4 Day Work Weeks Seem Longer?
  • Hey You guys the MIKE is Over here.
  • ANN SUGGESTED:

    1000 Paintings that are selling at http://www.onethousandpaintings.com/home/

AND THE EVER POPULAR, WHERE IS EVERYBODY?

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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