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Experience with Wikidot?
Friday, April 27th, 2007

Have you used Wikidot?  Wikidot is an online networking site.  A few characteristics that seem to make Wikidot a bit different are:

Club administrators can decide the look and feel of their club - complete with background colors, ability to issue invitations, layout of the club, and creating a custom layout for the club, if desired.

Club administrators decide whether advertising is allowed and what content is allowed.

The site can be used for commercial purposes (most licenses prohibit this). 

Terms and conditions are clearer and less legalistic than what is typically found.

Club membership is limited to 50 people/club.

These are facts.  A person’s values, perspective, goals, and expectations give meaning to those facts.  People wanting to define their own club are likely to see these features favorably.  Of course, others may reach a different conclusion.

For anyone who is interested in my impressions…  a week after joining Wikidot, I am impressed with the site.  It is not generating revenue yet though and that is always a bit of a concern.  Time, sustainability, and absence of surprises have value for me…

If you have used Wikidot, I am interested in understanding your perspective. 

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Posted in Business Acumen, Cultural Issues, Networking, Resources | No Comments »



Trying to find the Texas Uniform Commercial Code?
Thursday, April 12th, 2007

If you are trying to find a link to the Texas UCC, you may find it here.

The UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) varies a bit by state so it is important to look at the UCC for the state that you are interested in.

As an fyi, rather than relying on the UCC, many firms negotiate terms that are aligned with their situations.

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Posted in Business Tips, Negotiations, Resources | No Comments »



Thanks to Frank Kanu
Monday, April 9th, 2007

Practical Solutions to Business Puzzles now has three elements that may be of interest to you:

  • Technorati tags
  • Related postings
  • Subscription to postings 

Frank Kanu at Genius One helped me with these elements.  This blog from Frank  explains how to add the Technorati tags and the related postings.  It also shares the plugins.  Thank you, Frank! 

And, by the way, Frank has a great book on asking questions.  I believe that he has been talking about asking questions too. 

Posted in Business Tips, Resources | No Comments »



Customer protests: TXU
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006

The debate over TXU’s sale of itself continues. Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is threatening a boycott of TXU according to this story from the Dallas Morning News.

What value would legislative review have? Seemingly, it would reduce the likelihood of the sale of TXU. Is that a good idea?

The three elements that have received extensive coverage are:

TXU’s customers have been promised a 10% rate reduction if the deal goes through.  TXU’s current rates are higher than those of some competitors.  Is this a negative for Texas consumers? 

The buyer is reported to support greener energy.  The reduction in pollution is supposed to create a healthier environment.  As a result, health costs might be reduced.  Again, is this harmful for Texas consumers?

Certainly, ACORN can encourage protests and boycotts by customers.  Legislative review increases cost and may result in the deal being stopped.  Is that why ACORN wants the legislative review? 

If not, maybe someone can help me understand how consumers benefit from legislative review.  What other options exist that might be better aligned with ACORN’s goals?  Why is this issue being escalated?

[t_tag: txu, acorn, energy, business, consumers, boycott, problem solving, solution, legislation, politics, negotiate, negotiation, texas] 

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Posted in Business Acumen, Current Events, Customers, Negotiations, Resources, Solving Problems | No Comments »



Great workbook on leadership
Tuesday, March 14th, 2006

My coauthor, Frank Kanu, has written a great workbook on leadership that helps us think about questions to ask as we plan our activities. 

The workbook relies heavily on the Socratic Method.  What this means is that Frank helps us work through our challenges and our issues.  In short, Frank has suggested some questions to help us think about our situations and plan our approach to the issues we are facing.  

Click here to read what Ron Wopereis, another one of Frank’s friends, says about the book.

Go here if you would like to purchase the book.

 

I’ll be back in a few hours to post my official blog of the day…

Posted in Resources | No Comments »



Edward Craner’s book, “There’s Nothing Gross about Profit”
Friday, March 10th, 2006

A couple weeks ago, I was touching base with my friend, Edward Craner.  Edward is a Director at AT&T.  On the side though, he consults with small businesses, conducts workshops, and writes articles.

Edward has written a really nice little book, “There’s Nothing Gross about Profits” (ISBN 1-4196-1428-2) which is available through Booksurge or Amazon. 

The book is a very nice compilation of proven business tools and principles aimed at

  1. Customer retention
  2. Business growth
  3. Operating efficiently
  4. Creating long-term, sustainable profitability
  5. Creating a competitive view in a company
  6. Leveraging one’s employee base to drive profitability

Edward’s background includes an MBA from St. Mary’s College in northern California.  He also holds certificates from the Institute of Supply Management and the American Society of Quality.

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Template for introductions
Sunday, March 5th, 2006

What would you include in a template for business introductions? 

Here is a boilerplate that has been helpful to me which may be used as a starting point. 

Hello Joe and Sally,

It seemed like the two of you might be good introductions since you have a shared interest in ______________.  Both of you have agreed to the introduction.  Here is a bit more information that may help both of you get to know one another.

Sally, as I mentioned, Joe works with (customers) on (topic).  He wants to (relevant goal) within (timeframe).   It seemed like he might be interested in talking with you about _________________.  Perhaps, the tools and strategy for that you have developed for this area would also apply in Joe’s situation.   

Joe, it seemed like you may know of people at other companies that Sally should meet.  As I mentioned, Sally helps (customers) who are facing issues with (topic).  I thought that she might be able to share some tips and lessons learned on (topic).  

Bob’s contact information:   (phone, cell, website, blog, profile, etc.)

Sally’s contact information:   (phone, cell, website, blog, profile, etc.)

Please let me know how the introduction works out for both of you.  If there is anything that I can do to help you, please let me know that as well.

Revised January 4, 2007.

Posted in Networking, Resources | No Comments »



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