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To Blog or Not To Blog: Part 2 – Self-Publish or Perish

ABS — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 11:43:08 +0000

We are all familiar with the axiom, “Publish or perish.” In other words, be visible or expect to disappear. Restated for the the 21st Century business world, the contemporary version would be, “Self-publish or perish.” To be even more concise, “Blog or die.”

“Blog or die? Ouch! Aren’t there any other options?”

Sure, you can continue to spend increasing amounts of budget on traditional advertsing just to yield the same results. Yes, there continues to be a place for targeted and intelligent use of such mediums, the fact is their influence is diminishing. In fact, maximizing offline mediums often benefits from integration with online efforts.

With that said, there’s no denying that the internet is the channel that is trending up. More importantly, technology has triggered a shift in the public’s expectations. No longer are marketing messages accepted at face value. The Web 2.0 enabled public shuns spin. They now expect, if not demand, transparency and authenticity, as well as the option to participate. We’ve all said it a million times, “I’ll just check their website…” And if a website hasn’t been updated, what do we think then?

“Oh, I see. A blog is a direct communications channel through which the voice of my brand can initiate and participate in a two-way conversation. It’s about sharing and listening.”

Well done! I couldn’t have said it better myself. A blog is an ideal vehicle for letting people get to know you, and you them. The static “brochure” website model from the previous millennium no longer applies. On the other hand, a blog is an ideal opportunity to:

show your authenticity
share content (e.g., photos) and announcements (e.g., news and/or sales);
share your knowledge and expertise
listen to input and feedback from an engaged public

In short, a blog is a great vehicle for building trust.

“I agree. I have those same expectations. But it still seems like a lot of work.”

Yes, like anything that adds value to your organization an investment is necessary. The good news is, relative to other media channels blogs and blogging are typically cost effective. I’m going to explore implementation in Part 4. But before I address the possible scope of the commitment, let’s first cover some of the fringe benefits that blogging can provide.

Mark Simchock
Chief Alchemist
Alchemy United

To Blog or Not To Blog – Part 1 (The Four Letter “B” Word?)

ABS — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:35:53 +0000

Few words trigger a bio-physical reaction in the hearts and hands of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and small and midsized businesses (SMBs) as the word blog does. The symptoms range from sweaty palms and racing heart rates to a fight or flight adrenalin spike. Or maybe we should call it Blogitis? It’s as if blogging is an unknown, as in fear of the unknown. If that’s the case then let’s begin this series by dispelling that myth. Sit down, relax, take a deep breath and repeat after me, “If Lady Gaga can do it, so can I.”

“OK, I’m not afraid anymore. So now can you tell me what I’m not afraid of?”

Blog is short for weblog. And in a more traditional sense a blog is simply a
diary or a journal. The main difference being, a blog will typically be open
and public. Dear Diary has been replaced with Dear Whoever’s Reading. As a
matter of fact, what you’re reading right now is a blog.

“Oh, that’s it? A blog isn’t so complicated after all”

Exactly! And that is one of the things that makes blogs and blogging so
great – simplicity. It’s a medium that epitomizes KISS (i.e., Keep It Simple
Silly). In addition, the supporting software is such that they don’t require
special technical skills. Other than the potential size of the audience, in
many regards there’s really not much new about blogging.

What is new is that anyone with a mouse, a dream and a desire to express
themselves can reach out and engage the world. Ideally the world will be
just as curious and read what’s being published. It does happen. As a matter
of fact, there are people making a six-figure income from blogging.

“Super! I get it. But I’m a NPO/SMB, why should I care?”

Great question. Thanks for asking. That answer is going to be the focus of
Part 2 and Part 3 of this series. For now, if you have any comments just
leave them below. If your needs are more immediate or proprietary please
feel free to contact me or my friends at ABS. We’ll be glad to discuss your needs and how we might be able to help.

Mark Simchock
Chief Alchemist
Alchemy United

Energy Projects Will Lift Our Economy and Our Community

ABS — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:24:23 +0000

Published in the Trenton Times on September 15, 2010

Energy Projects Will Lift Our Economy and Our Community

Written by John Harmon

We all care about clean water and a safe environment for our children yet this concern does not have to stand in the way of a healthy economy. When it comes to energy production, all too often the media and the public make snap judgments on environmental issues, letting a lack of information lead to the vilification of perfectly safe practices that are supporting economic growth. A good case in point is the current debate over hydraulic fracturing.

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking” in the industry, is a technique that uses water pressure to extract oil and natural gas from rock formations that are impervious to conventional drilling methods. Fracking has a long track record of success and has proven itself to be a safe, effective way to utilize domestic energy reserves that would otherwise go untapped.

Fracking is important because meeting the energy demands of businesses and consumers with clean burning fuels such as natural gas is incredibly valuable to our economy. Best of all we produce it right here at home. Not only does it stabilize prices and make us less dependent on unreliable foreign oil-states and it directly supports millions of jobs. Economists estimate that U.S. oil and natural gas production provides employment opportunities for nine million Americans.

The EPA has carefully studied fracking, determining in 2004 that it does not pose a threat to underground drinking water supplies, an allegation that has been thrown around by some environmental activists. The water and other fluids used in fracking are injected deep into shale formations and contained by thousands of feet of rock far below drinking water tables.

Since the late 1940s, fracking has been used in over 1 million U.S. wells to produce more than 7 billion barrels of oil and 600 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. We’ll need even more energy in the future and more fracking; studies have indicated that 80 percent of the gas wells drilled in the next decade will require fracking.

Fracking is a common part of our countries energy landscape. Fracking has been used in the Marcellus Shale regions for decades and has the potential to provide natural gas for many years to come.

This would supply New Jersey businesses and households with plentiful amounts of clean burning energy, support employment opportunities and buoy the regions struggling economy.

New Jersey and its neighbors could use the help. The Garden State has an unemployment rate at a staggering 9.5 percent while bordering Pennsylvania and New York aren’t doing much better, both above 9 percent and 8 percent respectively. It’s abundantly clear our economy is far from being out of the woods. What’s worse, minority communities are suffering even more than others.

In the Northern New Jersey/New York metropolitan area in 2009, African Americans were more than twice as likely to be unemployed as whites. Last spring, when the nationwide overall unemployment rate was just around 10 percent, 15 percent of African Americans and 12 percent of Latinos were without a job.

We cannot allow unfounded fears about energy techniques like fracking to rob our region of new investments and the ability to regain financial stability. A booming energy industry in the Marcellus Shale region will bring not only ample supplies of affordable energy but also an injection of money into the region’s economy. Similar to any new business venture, fracking projects will need support from the local area. These large energy projects will need workers, supplies and support services from other local companies. The more energy projects here at home, the quicker our economy will recover and the sooner Americans will start working again.

John Harmon serves as the Regional Vice President of New York and New Jersey for the National Black Chamber of Commerce and is also the President of New Jersey African American Chamber of Commerce.

Mobile Device Apps – How Far Will This Market Grow?

Karla Pollack — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:07:59 +0000

The following is an article from the NJ Entrepreneur about the new market for mobile device application development. It’s interesting to consider the increasing role mobile devices play for companies to engage and connect with their customers and employees. And how much more people use them professionally and for personal enjoyment.

I upgraded to the new iPhone this summer and have just scratched the surface for apps I can use as business tools. Not to mention the games the teens in my life have managed to load up on my phone. At least I can now organize all my apps by categories.

Mobile Device Apps—The Entrepreneurial Gold Rush
So much of entrepreneurship is about identifying solutions to problems that also offer the prospect of making money. Such is the case following the founding of Apple’s mobile device App Store in July 2008. Since its launch an entrepreneurial gold rush has occurred with the development of approximately 225,000 third party applications for iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads, resulting in over 5 billion downloads. …

…Universities such as NJIT have also seen opportunities associated with the rapid growth of mobile device technology. Since its first app class in January 2009, NJIT has instructed over 100 individuals on iPhone app development. Certified iPhone OS Instructor Tim Kellers has been on the front line in an industry that offers money making opportunities to technically experienced individuals, as well as those who have had little or no prior training. Offered both in class or on line, participants can build an app in as little as the 6 to 8 weeks of each course’s schedule.

Read the full article…

Kauffman Foundation introduces new online business plan competition platform

Karla Pollack — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:30:31 +0000

This is a great new resource for entrepreneurs and those looking to invest in their ideas!

Business Plan Competition Administrators can:

Create & customize your competition
Manage applicants and judges
Brand it as your own
Facilitate the start of future businesses

Student Entrepreneurs can use the site to:

Search participating competitions
Enable your business plan to be discovered
Post your resume
Find a startup that needs you

About iStart

The iStart Web site is the leading online community for business plan competitions. iStart began as studentbusiness.com – the big idea of three Harvard University students, who have since graduated and gone on to launch even bigger ideas. In 2009, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation bought the site and renamed it iStart. We added more functionality and the public side to increase transparency. Our goal is for iStart to become the go-to site for entering business plan competitions from around the world, browsing pages of plan abstracts and networking with hundreds of innovative, energize entrepreneurs.

The iStart Web site is:

* The catalyst for new businesses. We are dedicated to increasing the number of new firms formed – that’s our big idea.
* Accessible. Thirty days after a competition ends, applicant teams can make their plan abstracts – and their companies – searchable to anyone on iStart. If you want your big idea to get noticed, this is the place.
* Easy to use. Whether you are a competition administrator, a judge or an applicant, iStart helps you work at maximum efficiency and speed.
* Standardized. We offer one simple platform for everything you need – from the call for entries to the final judging round. More functionality. Less time. Sweet!