Successful Blog

How Do You Look in High Definition?

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cooltext443809558_authenticityOne of my favorite contemporary artists is Chuck Close. He is famous for photo-realist portraits that will blow your mind. When you’re standing at the right distance, you’d swear it was a photograph, but if you come closer, you can see that the pixels are all made up of tiny blobs with a dot in the center.

Your business must be accessible and recognizable from a distance and from close up, so you also need to pay attention to the details.

If your audience is viewing you from far away (e.g., via your social outpost on Twitter), do they clearly see the same message as close up (on your own website)? The tools and trappings may be different, but the impression should be the same.

Here’s a low-tech exercise that gives you a quick look at your brand consistency:

Go to each online location where your brand lives (Facebook page, Twitter accounts, LinkedIn corporate page, main website, etc.), and literally print out the pages. Tape them to a wall.

Grab a cup of coffee, and stand back. Does it look focused, or does it look like fingerpainting?

Assess which pages don’t contribute to the impression you want to build, and tweak them until they fit. Remember that cohesiveness doesn’t mean sameness!

Consider your messaging from several perspectives, and the audience will recognize your artistry regardless of the medium.

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O” Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Be Flexible

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A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

“The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.”
— Confucius

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The last few years have been rough on everyone. It seems that just when you think it’s safe to poke your head up and take a chance, another wave of economic bad news hits. But if you look around, there are some who are continuing to thrive despite the bad economy.

Those who have been brave enough to be flexible in their approach have come through in good shape, while those who stuck rigidly to their original plan are out of business. How can you be a flexible entrepreneur, or a flexible business?

Signs of flexibility:

  • Willingness to put aside rigid “policy” when dealing with a customer complaint
  • Freedom given to employees to innovate and think outside the box
  • Constant review and tweaking of methodology to accommodate changing conditions
  • Acceptance of new industry realities
  • Ability to change perspective based on new information
  • Comfort with new ideas, whether they’re from within the company or external
  • Persistence in the face of roadblocks; seeking another way around
  • Keeping the goals solid, but the path toward achieving them fluid
  • Leaving space to dream and create without limitations or boundaries
  • Actively seeking information from different sources

Maybe we should all be doing a bit of corporate yoga.

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Be Healthy

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A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

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Sometimes, you’re cruising along at light speed, taking names and kicking butt, and all of a sudden…bang, you’re sick as a dog.

You suddenly have to rely on others, an uncomfortable position for anyone who is used to being in charge at all times.

In my particular case, I lost my voice completely. No teleconferences, no drive-through ordering, no chatting with friends or reading to the kids. It was humbling and jarring.

But here’s what I really want to share—in the midst of this, I had two different situations where friends stepped in and took over for me, and both times, I had to be almost physically restrained from jumping in to help. (My wonderful husband was on the other coast, providing moral support via text.)

It finally sunk in. While you’re trying to be a human-centered business, don’t forget that you are one of the humans in the center of it! If you aren’t taking care of yourself, and letting your friends take care of you, then you won’t be there for the long run.

So today, go quaff some orange juice, get out the Purell, and if you do get sick, admit you’re human and let someone take care of you.

Heartfelt thanks to my friends Coleen, Elyse, and Susan for coming to my rescue this week!

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Be Prepared

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A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

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Within the last year, I lost a cyber-friend unexpectedly. I use the “cyber” qualifier only because I never met him in person, and I never even spoke with him on the phone. However, we frequently connected on several different social platforms, and he was a long-time customer as well. Imad Naffa was an intelligent, energetic, and prolific person, and I miss him still.

Even though he passed several months ago, I still see his face or his name pop up from time to time in notifications, buddy lists, and my old content. Each time this happens, I take a moment and offer a little prayer for his family.

But it really started me thinking about the consequences of our digital lifestyles. I don’t use pre-scheduled content very often, so when I pass, my voice will stop rather abruptly. However, my hope is that I’ve built a legacy of relationships, useful content, and a company that endures. Imad built an amazing, valuable company and community for those who deal with building codes and permits (http://www.naffainc.com/).

I also want to ensure that those I leave behind can pick up the ball gracefully.

Here are some ideas and resources that can support your digital legacy planning.

Great blog post about digital wills
http://socialimprove.com/blog/can-you-profit-from-a-digital-will

Four steps to manage your digital afterlife, from CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505146_162-57368367/4-steps-to-manage-your-digital-afterlife/

How to notify Facebook of death & account memorials
http://blog.entrustet.com/digital-executor-toolbox/how-to-delete-and-memorialize-facebook-accounts/

Can your heirs inherit your digital downloads?
(Note the response from the anonymous iTunes support employee in the comments)
http://conversation.which.co.uk/technology/digital-download-legal-rights-after-death-amazon-itunes-apple/

How to notify Twitter of death
https://support.twitter.com/groups/33-report-a-violation/topics/122-reporting-violations/articles/87894-how-to-contact-twitter-about-a-deceased-user

Mega-resource list of digital death, memorial or afterlife services
http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/online-services-list/

Have you created a plan to ensure your digital legacy endures?

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Be Happy

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A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

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You’re a hard-charging, forward-thinking, social entrepreneur master of the universe. But have you colored lately? Have you flown a kite? Have you read a novel?

No. Me neither.

Today’s post comes with a mission. If you accept, follow the steps below. Doctor’s orders.

  1. Take 15 minutes today and find a quiet, comfortable place. Turn off your phone, laptop, radio, etc.
  2. Close your eyes and picture your 12 year old self. School just let out and you just got home. You chucked your bookbag in the hallway, grabbed a snack, and you’re free.
  3. What are you going to do between now and dinner? Visualize as intensely as possible.
  4. Write down five things that came to your mind. Ride your bike? Curl up in your beanbag chair (don’t judge) and listen to music? Call your buddies and shoot some baskets?
  5. Now schedule time to do at least one of those activities this week. Schedule it. And while you’re doing the activity, you are not allowed to daydream about the TPS report or worry about how many Tweets you’ve missed. Simply revel in the joy of having fun.

As for me? You’ll find me in the hammock with the latest issue of Bon Appetit.

Would you like to share what your 12-year-old self was up to this week? I’d love it if you’d report back with your results in the comments.

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Be Empathetic

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A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

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One of my favorite summer jobs in college was working for Tourmobile, giving tours of Washington, DC.  History, politics, and my latent ham gene all combined to make it the perfect job.  

One sweltering summer day, at the end of a tour, a passenger stopped on the way out of the bus.  I thought the tour went fantastically, and was ready for a compliment or a tip. Instead, the person said, “you know, I’m a Native American, and I object to your use of the term Indian-giver.”  Indeed, in part of my patter about a particular slice of land on the other side of the Potomac, I had used that term.  I had probably used it a million times.  But this person’s statement struck me, and as I apologized profusely, it became a life lesson.

Your most potent skill as a business person or entrepreneur is the ability to see things through another person’s eyes.  
Take a moment now, and imagine how others view these aspects of your business:

Customer service
New offerings or product features
Design for accessibility
Business partnerships
Marketing message
Contracts and deals
Pricing
Hiring and firing process
Employee benefit

Great leaders are usually empathy practitioners.  Here are some ways you can build your empathetic reflex:
*Practice active listening, keep eye contact and lean in
*Visualize yourself above the conversation, watching
*Do secret shopping on your business
*Don’t configure your customers from Liz, circa 2006
*Use outside tools to evaluate your user experience (user interfaces, accessibility
*Before responding, hesitate a moment to project yourself into the other person’s shoes
*Don’t ever use the phrase, “our policy is…”
*At a large business gathering, proactively reach out to the person who is obviously solo
*If it’s practical, try doing someone else’s job at your business for a day

You have a thousand chances a day to connect with other human beings.  How can you practice empathy today?

“Empathy is the most revolutionary emotion.”  Gloria Steinem

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss