Search Engines, Our Puny Human Brain...and Jeopardy??

Last week, a giant leap forward in the world of technology occurred. No, Call of Duty: Libya Edition has not been released yet. I'm talking about the Jeopardy exhibition match between IBM's new mega computer, Watson, and former Jeopardy masters Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. While our carbon-based brothers put up a good fight, ultimately Watson and the programming geniuses at IBM walked away with the 1-million dollar grand prize, which will go to two charities.

What I found interesting was Ken Jennings' dissertation thereafter on Slate.com about his experiences with the IBM Super Computer on Jeopardy. He brought up a word that I find to be extraordinarily important in the world of Search Engine Optimization, and just good writing in general. That word is contextual.

Contextual information is data which unravels the overall or general meaning of a given topic.

So, for instance if you hear the word cheesy, you might think the term is referring to one of my awfully-timed jokes (I pray you are never a victim of my attempt to make you laugh......), until I brought up the term lasagna. Now the word takes on a whole new meaning; you've detected a pattern in the topic and begun to unravel the overall context of the root word or discussion.

In the case of his article on Watson and Jeopardy, Jennings stated that he saw very similar patterns between the ways that Watson unravels and responds to clues and that of his own methods:

That machine zeroes in on key words in a clue, then combs its memory (in Watson's case, a 15-terabyte data bank of human knowledge) for clusters of associations with those words. It rigorously checks the top hits against all the contextual information it can muster: the category name; the kind of answer being sought; the time, place, and gender hinted at in the clue; and so on. And when it feels "sure" enough, it decides to buzz.

Contextualization is soooo important for both humans and machines. It allows both the ability, as Jennings noted in both himself and Watson, the ability to get to that main point, and respond accordingly.

A funny thing to also note above is Jennings' view of how humans and machines think very much alike. Granted, there is a significant speed advantage for the computer, but the point is that if enough time were allotted, both human and machine would arrive at the same conclusion, especially since the machine is patterned after human engrams.

(Human engrams...anybody remember the M-5 from Star Trek? Daystrom? Sorry, cultural reference...)

Watson was a major step forward in the advancement of computers, but it is also a wonderful opportunity to glimpse into the mind of a machine that is geared toward searching for answers. Now, let's take a step back and think about search engines for a moment; are not Google, Yahoo, Bing and other engines geared to do pretty much the same thing? You type something in the search box, and Google will seek out the best possible answers to your query, all in a matter of milliseconds.

So what most people do in order for their site to rank well is to add content, and lots of it. Nothing wrong with that, but the writing is geared toward getting it ranked well by the engine, not developing the proper context of the article for the humans to consume and gain knowedge. This is all wrong, since as we noted above, the computer was developed with the likeness of the human, not the other way around.

I'm not saying this like this is new to all of us, I'm saying it more as a reminder. A lot of times when we are writing for our websites, blogs, social profiles, and other search-engine related material, we are writing with the hopes that the machines will pick up our information and present it to somebody sitting in their suit or pajamas and invite them in. The problem is that we've lost touch with the more important one to write our stuff for ---the actual human being seeking the information. Humans are not looking for a stupid search-engine optimized article with tons of keywords and weird heading tags that don't even seem to make sense, they're looking for a real article on how to solve their real problem.

Stephen Chapman of ZDnet today described an unsavory version of this as "article spinning", where you basically regurgitate an article you find on the web in your own words. The purpose, again, is to placate the search engines, with no regard for the humans that ultimately stumble upon it. It's a really awful practice, and the funny thing is that the net result is that it's not even useful. The humans that ultimately land on such a page won't even stay long enough for the content to matter, anyway.

When you write your content for the web, write as if you're talking one on one with somebody. It takes some knack, I admit. but if you can refine your practice, the most difficult part of adding unique content to your site will be 90% complete. Then go back and edit a little bit, sprinkle a few good keywords in there for the search engines (Maximum 5% keywords range), and adjust the tags of your site accordingly.

Above all, the most important endeavor is to make sure you've gotten the main point of your article across to the user - the context of the writing should be crystal clear, so that when the user moves on to a new topic, the one just observed is completely understood from your point of view.

In conclusion, don't try to think like a computer. You already are one. Since computers are trying to be built like you, there's no need to try to impress it. Rather, think like the human that you are, have an opinion, and welcome the opportunity for others to benefit from it when they visit your blog, website or social profile.

Social Media's ROI: CHANGE.

For the last 5 years, I've heard the question "Where's the ROI" used in conjunction with Social Media more often than "Where's the Beef" back in the 1980's.

The problem is that most people try to take platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, and use them for some sort of direct Business or Financial gain. But as you've probably seen over the years, that rarely works.

Some have used the platforms as a branding tool. While this certainly has value, if the branding conversation is one-sided (i.e. the business throws a few posts per week at its followers, but doesn't directly respond to reply questions or discussions), then the net result can be a perceived lack of authenticity. This can kill a brand faster than a bad Groupon commercial:

I remember about 5 years ago I was talking with a trusted mentor of mine in the web development community, and I told him that Facebook was going to be a very important platform, and we should develop and integrate our websites in conjunction with it. He responded that he just doesn't see the value of Facebook and other Social Media, and it would be pointless to change anything we are doing, or try to develop any sort of interface that would be useful for our customer base at that time. In a rare divergence of opinion with him, I decided to use the platform to try and better connect with my community - obviously there was a business purpose, but I endeavored to do it in a more authentic, upfront manner than just putting up a post and expecting the world to respond to it. To this day, when I log on, I try more to see what others are doing rather than focus on posting my own things.

This week we've again seen just how effective Social Media can be as a communication tool. As a result of Facebook and Twitter, Egypt's Hosni Mubarek was removed from power. What happens next is anybody's guess, and hopefully the transition will be as peaceful as can be. But the point has been made, that when people organize around any cause that is near and dear to their hearts, significant change can be the result.

As a businessperson, this may not directly affect you, but you can certainly garner some interesting conclusions on what has happened in Egypt, and how powerful Social Media's influence can be in creating change:

1. If you are not listening to the voice of the people whom you serve, you and your business can become obsolete in short amount of time. Think about it...did we even consider Egypt just a few short weeks ago? Yet on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc., people were organizing and discussing issues, and came to the collective conclusion that it was time to change the system.

2. Even people with limited resources are able to connect, organize and ignite change using Facebook. Thus it makes more sense than ever to always keep these powerful voice in mind as you are growing your business.

3. On the Internet, money does not equal power. The will of the people equals power. Thus, you cannot directly attribute ROI to every online endeavor, rather steer your business in the direction of what best serves your audience.

4. Keep tabs on new innovations. My guess is that the Mubarek government had very little idea that such a revolution could occur in just a matter of weeks. When they realized, they tried to shut down the Internet, which backfired. In addition to listening to the voice of the people, it is very important to stay current on the latest technological innovations. Try out a new service each week, just to see if there is any value to it. If there is, it might help you, your business and your client base. (One that I recently became interested in is Convore - check it out)

I often talk about the reverse 80/20 rule, in which 80 percent of your time on Social Media should be spent listening, serving and conversing with others on random things that build connections with your friends and audience. The other 20 percent of the time is used on the ROI-building activities, such as discussing new services, advertising events, and other endeavors that are profitable. While the 80 percent may not bring direct results, it does wonders for you and your business in terms of reputation.

You may not ever have to deal with a revolution as monumental as that of Egypt, but you can certainly be a part of the community that creates positive change. To do this, consider embracing some of the ideas mentioned above. It will change your business, and more importantly...it will change you - in my opinion, for the better.

Finding Business Value in Those "Stupid Facebook Games"

I hear it over and over again...

• "I don't have time to waste on Facebook games"
• "There's absolutely no point to playing Facebook Games"
• "I can't stand getting 800 Facebook Game invitations"

Yeah, I admit it is kind of annoying after the 742nd time you get invited to play Mafia Wars, or other games that at the core hold no interest to you. Quite frankly, after playing Farmville on and off for a few months, I finally got to the point myself thinking "What's the point"?

After all, I ended up getting in a monotonous routine everyday of checking my farm for 15 minutes, harvesting the crops, planting new seeds, adding new farm equipment, making sure all the neighbors were visited. It was almost like I was married. :-D

So I took a hiatus, and ended my Farmville days for a good 4-5 months. I thought that I was done. But then my good friend Heather convinced me to jump back in the fold with a new game, Cityville. It's basically the same concept as Farmville except you are in control of building an entire city.

Along the way you deal with a variety of easy challenges, such as supplying the local business vendors with goods, collecting rent, building infrastructure, working together with your friends to help their cities, and making sure your consumer population is kept happy as much as possible.

Sound anything like what you do in business each day?

As crazy as it sounds, I have found real value in playing this silly game for a little while each day. (And I owe it to Heather for convincing me. Yes, Heather you can rub it in for as long as you want)

In addition to the game being a much needed quick break from the normal pressures we deal with at Rockland Web Design, it has also helped as a small set of reminders of the all-important basics in building one's business (or city - LOL). See if you find any below that might help you:

• Planning: As your business grows, you need to continually plan ahead to make sure everything continues to run smooth, and it is growing the way you want it to grow.
  
  
• Organization: Every once in a while you can notify your friends about special coin bonuses and other things that you can post to your wall. Because I don't want to annoy people that are not playing the game, I decided to create a special list in Facebook just for my friends that play CityVille. It only took about 10 minutes to build, and now I don't bother anyone but people that play the game, and are happy (I hope) to see updates on my wall.
  
  We have a great video tutorial on our free Rockland Web Design Help Forum which shows you how to build lists in the new Facebook (as of Dec 2010. It'll probably change in 6 months).
  
  
• Logistics: Sometimes you'll run low on supplies. You need to have shipments arrive or farm crops harvested to supply your local businesses, to keep customers happy.
  
  
• Energy: If you do too much yourself, you'll run out of energy. (Sound familiar?) So you need to pace yourself, or try to get other neighbors to help you.
  
  
• Helping others: When you visit and help other neighbors, you can actually gain energy, experience and a few extra dollars. It is probably one of the most important reminders of the game, that if you do unto others as you would want them to do unto you, it will benefit everyone in a Good way.
  
  
• Growing: You'll also gain cash and property rewards (sorry, only virtual) for your efforts. But don't get too hung up on that part. As even Donald Trump said in "The Art of the Deal", he was never really that interested in money, except as a scorecard.
  
  
• Fun: Sometimes if you give yourself a break and distract yourself with a silly game like this, it actually makes you feel better. Imagine that. :-) Oh and also it might make you more productive. A recent study by the University of Melbourne indicated that using Facebook or Twitter at work can help you and other workers more productive by 9%.

If you see anything in the list items above that might hold value to you, I encourage you to try out CityVille, or perhaps another game offered on the platform. Of course, I do urge a bit of caution --- anything not used in moderation can be detrimental. Here are a few quick tips before starting:

1. Talk with a few of your trusted friends about their favorite games. If you hear of one that may entice you, check it out.
   
   
2. Be careful of your privacy settings. As you probably know, many Facebook game makers (notably Zynga) take lack of Privacy to a terribly new level. Before starting, go to the Account >> Privacy Settings in the top right corner of your Facebook account and change or remove anything you don't like.
   
   My best rule of thumb for privacy on Facebook is to never put any info (Your real birthdate, private email address or private phone number) on the platform that you don't want the world to know. I know it sound scary, but it isn't as long as you follow that simple rule.
   
   
3. Don't sign up for games that make you look bad. Not that I have anything against people that play Drug Dealer Shootout Part III (no that is not a game, stop looking for it), but I don't want to play something that might post to friends that I do business with. Thus, I don't play such games.
   
   If you are in the public eye, just be careful what you sign up for. You never know when a fundamentalist radical, um...person might let the whole world think that you did something bad, even if you didn't.
   
   
4. Sign up for the game. Again, when you are told that the game will access some of your information, be careful not to give away anything you don't want to hand over. If you feel too uncomfortable, don't sign up.
   
   
5. Follow the basic game instructions. You'll likely be walked through a few quick tutorials on how to add friends, perform tasks and gain bonuses. This will be the enjoyable part, so just go with the flow. Likely you'll want to add some neighbors; seek out those that are already playing the game, or are cool with you inviting them. Don't send to people that you feel are not interested, it will simply piss them off.
   
   Oh and a side note - you don't need to pay real money in most of these games. Yes the game will go slower, but again it is just a game. Work with your neighbors to achieve goals and you will advance anyway. (Disclaimer: I am not saying the game makers do not deserve money, they worked hard to develop it. If you truly enjoy the game, consider visiting the company's site and looking into making a small monetary, one time donation.
   
   
   
6. Give yourself a time limit when playing. Again, everything in moderation. I recommend about 15 minutes. Set some sort of timer, because these games can hook you for hours if you are not careful.
   
   The browser Google Chrome has a great extension that you can add, called StayFocused, which automatically shuts off any website after you use it for an allotted amount of time. You can tweak the settings, add websites that you want to go easy on, and other things. It's very useful, and it keeps you disciplined to what you configured for your brain. :-)
   
   
7. Know when to end. At some point, you're going to start to get the feeling that you've mastered the game, you've learned all there is to learn, and there is really no point to playing anymore. Unlike real relationships - which God willing will always have a new dynamic to them until the day we leave this existence - we must remember that this is merely a game.
   
   Thus, at that point you should really consider packing it in. In this case, do the polite thing and let your friends know that you are calling it quits. Then, if possible see if you can delete all your settings in the game, so that you don't leave any personal information with a company that has come to an end of its usefulness.

I hope this blog was useful to you. I always try to find some sort of reason for why we do the things we do. Some businesspeople will still look at this post and say "Are you nuts? There is still no ROI! Where's the ROI??"

To this I say that the investment you make is a little bit of your time, and the return is a new experience that, like many others that we encounter, help us to see life just a little more different than we perceived it before. After all, isn't that where the fun is?

Try it out. You might smile a little more today.

An Email to a Friend about Facebook

A week ago I got an email from a good friend and business associate who asked some questions about Facebook. He wanted to understand how to effectively communicate on the Network, in a way that was both efficient, and more importantly, effective. I asked him if I may republish my email to him, and he agreed. I hope it is helpful to you as well.

---

Tom:

I notice you’ve made a lot of “friend” suggestions on Facebook to me recently. I was wondering if you have a particular strategy regarding the people you suggest?

I have a basic strategy, but I admit it is not a whiteboarded/heavily planned one.

I have several lists of friends. Personal, business1 (people I've personally met that do business in the region), business2 (they are business oriented but I don't know them personally), acquaintences, etc. When I sent suggestions to you , I sent ones of people that were on the business1 list. Further, I didn't send everyone I know to you , as I understand that not everyone might be a mutually advantageous friend on Facebook.

But sometimes I will recommend a friend or two that is simply an interesting soul. I believe Facebook is a place to expand horizons in many directions, including non-business. Even this can help business down the road. Remember Facebook started out as a college socialization tool. (by the way maybe we can all get together and go see "The Social Network"!)

I still don’t really get how I can use Facebook strategically (LinkedIn is an obvious tool for me).

Think branding and strategy, not instant sales and tactical activities. They are important too, but it's more about being an active participant in various communities, be they business, charitable or otherwise. If you participate, they remember you...

There are certain ongoing activities you should perform on a daily basis, such as:

1. Post status update (80% interesting articles, wise ponderings, interesting life experiences that you think people might comment back on) and 20% business message (hey I hope to see you at the networking group this week, etc.)

2. Comment on other people's posts: VERY VERY VERY important: after you post a status update, go to your Facebook news feed and comment / like other people's posts. It comes down to the rule "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". Only comment on things that you genuinely have an opinion on, or you can simply click the like button if you like the post. Feel free to be a little humorous, quirky or unique. This is welcomed with most in the Facebook community.

If I were in a retail business or a B2C business, I could be “friends” with just about anyone. But I get confused by friend requests from people who I may have little or nothing in common with. If someone sends an invitation NOT from a suggestion of a friend (you) and I don’t know them and don’t seem to have common interests, I ignore it.

Believe me, I do get selective with adding people I don't know. Sometimes I'll send a message back asking who are you, how do I know you, why do you want to be friends, but generally speaking I don't put a heavy guard up unless I think they are potentially unsavory as a Facebook friend. You can generally get a feel for this by simply looking at what type of stuff they post on their wall, prior to friending them. If you see that most of their stuff is centered around making it to level 127 of the game mafia wars, run. :-D (Not that there's anything wrong with Mafia Wars - lol)

But when someone fitting that profile sends an invitation at the suggestion of a friend, I feel a little uncomfortable.

Feel free to always ask the person who originally sent the friend suggestion.

How do I maintain a balance between personal and business relationships on Facebook?

One word: lists. Start with a personal and a business list. If you are a more private individual, begin by simply communicating with your close family and friends, not business associates. If you use Facebook first to communicate back and forth with family and close close friends, you will eventually be comfortable with expanding outward into the Facebook business community, with a more well rounded understanding of how to effectively communicate with that demographic.

This is actually backed up by one of the ultimate core books "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", in which Stephen Covey states that we need to first work on our circle of influence (the people places and things that we can help make a positive difference in), and only then will our circle of concern (that which we WANT to be able to change) expand. If we apply that to Facebook communities, we should first be genuine with those we trust, and then we will be able to be genuine and comfortable with others.

Thanks for the great questions!

Tom

Social Media: Creating a Good Routine

Good morning! (Wanted to start with that...)

So I'm sitting outside with my laptop responding to a few emails, etc. this morning, and I got a message from a friend mentioning that she is starting up with doing a little Social Media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. She has a great website that encourages people to navigate successfully through their midlife years with a variety of tools such as e-books, audio interviews and blog posts. Check her out here at http://www.midlifeunlimited.com/.

Anyway, since I am very big on Social Media I decided to give her some unsolicited advice about how to go about it successfully. Below is the message I sent her:

Social Networking: I recommend the book The Zen of Social Media Marketing, by Shama Kabani. I got it from the library last month and am just about done with it. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are all discussed, and ties in the importance of your website as the place where you want to attract people.

15-30 minutes a day in the morning, you should start by posting a status update, and then reach out to your friends, colleagues, clients and consumers (in that order) by simply saying hi and responding to their posts. Then, every week make sure you have a compelling offer that people see on their social about you...such as a sale, a new product or service or a new blog post / whitepaper. Add the link to your website or blog to bring them there and talk about it.

Wow that was so good I think I'll expand on it in a blog. Go tohttp://blog.rocklandwebdesign.com/ in like 15 minutes.

Aside from the last admittedly A.D.D. and slightly arrogant line, the information is sound. See, the problem with Social Media is that it is so easy to get sucked into it the wrong way - and instead of connecting with like-minded people that you can help and they can help you, you end up playing Farmville for 49 hours a week, and become addicted to responding to people that are ROFLing while 'doing laundry'. Oh the mirth of it all.

So what do ya do? Well the advice above, broken down a bit more, goes like this:

1. Every week, start out with a plan to offer something new and compelling - a sale, a blog post, an e-book, a video, something that you feel will benefit others, and to a small degree, yourself. (Note: As I get older, I realize it is not a bad thing to offer something that benefits oneself - However it should always benefit others as well. If it is not a mutual benefit, do not offer it. Uh, did I stress that enough? :-))
   
   
2. Now - go to your favorite Social site: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and start off the day with a nice basic post about something that is going on in your life. I don't recommend starting off with the offer. Hold it in your hand, like a good curveball that you can use when the time is right. So put something out there that is fun and interesting - not just doing the laundry. Post it across all Social Networks.
   
   
3. Here is the important part: After you post, go to your news feed of where your friends and colleagues are posting, and respond back with genuine interest. You don't even have to say anything intelligent, you can simply 'like' their post, which is similar to voting in their favor. And truly empathize with people if they are having a difficult time. This should only take 10 minutes or so.
   
   
4. Throughout the day, you'll get a smattering of emails here and there, with post updates from those you've commented on. You don't need to respond to all of them - just hit delete - but if there's any that you want to further the conversation on, click on the link to reply back.
   
   
5. Sometime in the week, you will want to use your curveball. I can't explain exactly when the time is right...everyone has their own unique instinct to feeling out when it is right. All I can say is that when you feel the time is right, don't hesitate. As the late Patrick Swayze said in Point Break, hesitation will make your worst fears come true. Just do it, gosh darn it!
   
   So...curveball = post the message about your compelling offer. For instance, right now we are offering a new service at Rockland Web Design: Digitize Your Business Documents. However the time isn't right to mention it right now, perhaps sometime this week! ;-)
   
   Oh, one more thing...as Shama says in the Zen of Social Media (great book), "Always attract people back to your website." That is the end point where you want people to be.

I am so glad I saw my friend's message today. She gave me the inspiration to write this new blog post. I hope it is useful to her, and others that happen to come across it.

Tom Ossa

Rockland Web Design

(845) 877 - 7333

P.S. If you want an early preview of the Digitize Your Business Documents Service, contact us by going here. Mention your interest in the comments area. Thanks!

How to find God by Losing Your Car Keys

I'm sure you're wondering...

But don't expect any miracles to be revealed in this blog post. The best that I can tell you is that you might think a little deeper about your own life experience, and perhaps find a bit more meaning than you previously had. Maybe not. But either way, let's get started.

The story begins like this: This morning I met with my Thursday networking group ProMetroNet. Immediately afterward, I struck up a conversation with a very nice gentleman sitting next to me, who I found out has a similar love for bike riding. At the conclusion of our talk, we neglected to exchange contact information. but upon our departure we both said (at exactly the same time) "I hope to see you again". Remember this for later.

After Irene and I finished the Coaching Corner radio show today (Thursdays on wrcr.com at 10:07 am), I mozied on down to my car, where I planned to head back to the office to get some Rockland Web Design work done. On the way there, I realized I didn't have my car keys on me! Now I admit, I deal with a lot of details on a day to day basis, as I'm sure we all do, and I sometimes misplace things like my keys. But usually I find them pretty quickly. This time I was at a loss. They weren't inside my car, they weren't in the radio station, and nobody seemed to know where they were.

I was getting increasingly frustrated. I had several deadlines to meet today and as usual, very little time to get it all done. I had my laptop with me, so I decided to head across the street to Panera Bread, where I logged onto the Internet and started to do some work. But I was mostly distracted by the worry that I couldn't find my keys.


Shortly thereafter, I came across a news article that disillusioned me even further. Stephen Hawking, the British Theoretical Physicist who wrote the book "A Brief History of Time", is about to release a new publication that theorizes God did not have a hand in creating the universe. According to his latest findings, his theories all point to the consensus that the laws of physics by themselves were able to create the universe from nothingness. Kind of like making a chicken without an egg or a chicken..

Why would a small news factoid like this depress me? Well I don't know about you, but when I have a bad day, hearing something that challenges my fundamental beliefs on life can be emotionally jarring. I grew up in a very devout Christian household, yet I was fortunate to be blessed (and still am) with a Mom that showed me many different ways, Faiths and Religions on contemplating / relying on the existence of God. This has been a source of strength for me thoughout my life, especially during the difficult stretches.

However, I also believe in the relevance of Science. I'm no genius, but I see the correlations between facts, numbers, some causes and effects. So to reconcile the two, I sought those geniuses that factored in the existence of a Higher Power in their theories (I mean if George Lucas and Peter Jackson did, why shouldn't I?). Stephen Hawking was one of those people. To hear him suddenly flip his theories around was similar to suddenly finding out that the Earth is no longer round -- it's now gone back to flat.

As I said, this story disillusioned me. And at that moment I said a prayer that -- if 'anybody' was listening would've probably sounded more like a Police A.P.B., but a very very silent one. At that moment, the bike rider guy I met this morning walked back into the restaurant...5 hours later from when I met him. We had hoped to meet again; we did not expect this to happen so quickly. Coincidence?

The subsequent 1 hour conversation I had with this gentleman spanned many topics, such as politics, business, life, bike riding and other things. And, without going into too much detail, we also discussed something that that might mutually benefit us and others in a very good, tangible and significant way. We exchanged information this time, and plan to follow up with each other in the coming days.


I hope you can relate to this - a chain of events that led to an effect that could never have happened in a million years, except for some strange, inexplicable set of causes that culminate in a new chain reaction result. Yes I can hear some of you right now saying "bah humbug" it's all cause and effect and absolutely nothing more...but think about it for a moment. Did you ever wonder about when two random events occur next to each other? Did you ever stop to think that there might be more to the random occurrences than just sheer coincidence? The prognosticator Nostradamus tended to associate such closely related writings, occurrences, and coincidences, using them to detect possible future outcomes. Some of his predictions have been strangely accurate, even ones related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the onset of world wars,um and I hope at least a few happy ones.

Before he passed away, my late Stepfather told me on his deathbed that there has to be a God, simply because there are just too many coincidences that occur in our lives. I see such occurrences so often that if I started communicating all of them to the general public, I'd probably be put away for some time (at least I'd get a break from answering emails for a while :-D) But even without such coincidence, I can do something as simple as looking at my hand, move it with my thoughts as normal, and remember what a miracle it is to be able to do so. When we were children we could stare at this miracle with such wonderment. Now as we retreat further into the logical side of our brains, we begin to take for granted that which was originally a miracle to us, including the one we spoke to before we went to sleep each evening. Whoever, or whatever created us...cannot be explained by mortal man. And quite frankly, at some point we should stop trying to do so and just accept it, the way we did when we were brand new.

Stephen Hawking is a brilliant Physicist, but today I am deeply disappointed that he has flipped his views on the role of God in the creation of the universe (BTW to be fair, I don't think he wrote that God does not exist, he simply stated that his theories do not lead him to the conclusion that God had a hand in creating the universe - the Laws of Physics did). Another lesser known scientist Fred Allen Wolfe (a.k.a. Dr. Quantum) , author of the book "Taking the Quantum Leap" once reported on a classical 1920's experiment that showed that the mere act of observation changes the outcome. If this is the case, is it possible that our attempt to seek the true nature of God could hide the Deity from our eyes?

Check it out for yourself...

I should mention that several months ago I met another gentleman at a party that prompted me to write a draft blog about the video you just saw. But I was so astounded that I couldn't put it all into writing, and saved it for future completion. Today is the day that I complete it, with a simple story that begins with losing my car keys.

I hope you see a point in all these ramblings I submit to you here today. If you don't, consider having a dialogue with other friends and family that you think may relate to this. It might open your eyes to something different that you did not notice before. My feeling is that sometimes you just gotta believe. It's as simple as that. And when you do - all sorts of things happen that open your eyes to a much different reality than is right in front of you. Yet it's up to you to take that first step. When you stop believing (which happens from time to time), that's when the universe of miracles, wonder and amazement collapse for the sake of the cold hard numbers, facts, laws and rules, the orderly and linear direct cause and effect that we've all socially accepted as the norm for our corporeal existences. But behind the scenes, there might be something, someone that can be found with a simple 'Dear God'.

The choice is yours.

Oh by the way: Later, after I left my conversation with my new friend, I found my keys. They were on top of the roof of my car.

:-D

Facebook: "Likes" will replace "Links"

It's so cute, isn't it? :-) The little button to the right of this blog...that teeny tiny little 'like' button that makes you want to say "Awww! You are so CUTE! I just wanna take you home and squeeze you and love you and kiss you and push you until you like me back!" (Flashback to Elmira from Animaniacs, Gen-Xers)

Of course I'm exaggerating, and of course your feelings for the like button are not that deep; they are more akin to Sarah Palin - nice woman but a few bricks short of a henhouse. But you gotta admit, it is kind of cute (The like button, not Sarah...focus people!). You wanna push the button. Just so that you can join the others that all say that they like something, anything that validates our collective existences, right??

There's a lot more to Facebook's little like button than meets the eye. I watched Mark Zuckerberg's presentation at Facebook's F8 convention on the new Open Social Graph, and his plans to make the web a more social and connected society can indeed come to fruition, especially since he's got help from heavy hitters in the industry such as Microsoft and others.

Now that Facebook has over 400 million users (more than the U.S. Population, at least prior to results of the 2010 census), it wields a great deal of influence over the web. Sure, Google is the place to seek information, but when you're looking for a really good movie, aren't you going to also want to ask your friends, who have actually seen that movie? Or better yet...what if you went to the Iron Man II website, and actually saw right there that your friends like that movie? Wouldn't that give you a little more rationale for going to see the movie?

Facebook's boldest web strategy yet centers around this little like button, and the implications of it are as far reaching as Google's original strategy to organize the world's information online. I must admit that this is the first time in my life that I have been both excited and worried about a new online technology. In a nutshell, the reasons are these:

1. The button gives ordinary people with little or no knowledge of web development the ability to rank and organize the web according to its usefulness (Yay! Excited)
2. Businesses have a new social tool that allows them to gain popularity very quickly, as well as learn more about their user's interests (Yay! Excited)
3. However, Facebook now has a method for collecting immeasurable quantities of data on each user its social networking platform, no matter where they go online (Um, worried)

I'll explain each a little more in detail.

1. Ordinary web users can now rank and organize the web.

In the early days of Search Engines, it was recognized by web developers like us that one of the best ways to help our clients show up on Google, Yahoo etc. was to call up other businesses in their communities and ask them to place a hyperlink (www.example.com/etc) on their website to our clients. The concept, openly divulged by Google, was that the more high-quality links placed on other websites that point to a client's website, the higher it will rank with respect to its peers in the same category in its search engine.

I must tell you, it was and still is a tedious process. Calling the right people, asking them to place a link on their websites, and often walking them through the process of adding that link takes an enormous amount of time. No complaints, but there had to be a simpler way...

Enter Facebook.

Now, simply by finding and clicking the little like button on any website , you or anyone can instantly make any web page more popular, simply by clicking 'like'. In the short term, this will not do much except raise the number of people that like a given page. But over time, Facebook and partners will be collecting that data, and my hypothesis is that they will be creating a new 'social search engine' that ranks websites according to their popularity from the average user.

This also means that as a business owner, you can more easily spearhead a web campaign to get followers simply by having the like button placed on all your web pages, generating just a little online buzz, and letting it steamroll from there. If the content you are trying to get liked is of good quality, then the buzz will spread, and more and more people will be inclined to push the like button. The content will spread on its own.

But that's not all...

2. Businesses can use this data to find out what appeals to consumers.

Now fast forward a few months after putting some content out there on your website. You have 205 people that like your article on spaghetti, and 12 that like your article about wanting to do some oil-surfing in Louisiana (best example I could come up with). Using that data, you can get a clearer picture of what is wanted and needed by your target audience.

Additionally, you can get a much more accurate picture of who your audience is. If those 205 people that like your article on spaghetti happen to be people who like gourmet cooking, then you as a business owner can refine your future content to attract more of that demographic. In essence, the like button is a very powerful tool for focusing a business' marketing efforts in a more effective manner.

But, there is a price to pay...

3. Guess where all that data goes?

Here's where it gets tricky. In order to create Zuckerberg's vision of a social web, somebody's gotta retain, centralize, and crunch all that data. You can be certain it's not going to be Xerox.

I'd like to pose a hypothetical situation. Let's say your 10-year old kid goes through a phase of finding a lot of, well...controversial stuff on the Internet. And on each site he finds, he clicks on the like button, to let his online friends know that he is interested in this material.

A few websites may not hurt...but over the course of months or years, Facebook could theoretically collect this data, and offer it as marketing data to their 3rd party companies. Even at this point it may still be innocuous, but the point is that now the data has left its home base. And the fact that this information is out there for use by various companies could - in the long run - have as damaging an effect as a bad credit report. In short, it could be very harmful to click on various likes across the web without taking a moment to think about what we are placing our stamp of approval upon.

Conclusion

Facebook's vision of a Social Web is a grandiose one. However I think that it is entirely plausible. Social Tools such as the like button will give ordinary users the ability to give their votes of approval on any content that exists on the web. Within a few short years, the like button will hold as much power as a link from one website to another. It has already begun.

Businesses will be able to capitalize on these new features, beginning simply by having them installed on their websites, and finding what works best for their target audiences. If you would like assistance with adding these social tools to your websites, call Rockland Web Design at (845) 271 - 4488. Most plugins can be added within an hour's time, so it is a fairly simple and straight-forward process for most client sites.

But just as much as we advocate the usefulness of the Facebook Social Plugins, we subsequently argue that consumers will need to be educated on them as much, or possibly more than businesses. I think the greatest danger is to future generations that randomly surf websites and like, like, like, all day long. There needs to be some sort of safeguard, to protect them from being stereotyped as an advocate or purveyor of damaging, harmful or offensive information.

I for one will be researching Facebook's new social plugins, especially the like button, very intricately. I see enormous potential for these tools, especially for businesses, but as mentioned above I do believe that the general public needs to be educated on how to use them properly.

Speaking as a single man without any kids, I am looking ahead and imagining that I will need to make the time to consistently teach my future children (God willing) that they need to make intelligent choices when going online for any reason, and much like Stephen Covey's explanation in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, let them know that there is a space between stimulus ("wow this is a cool website!") and response ("I'm going to click on the like button") that gives them the freedom to make the right choices. And that choice can be as small as pointing a mouse toward the like button.

New Address for Blog

Hey we've moved the blog to a new location, so it's easier for you to type it in your browser. All future posts will be at http://blog.rocklandwebdesign.com

See you there!

Why Blue Collar Contractors Really GET Web Marketing

Yesterday I had a meeting with a local contractor about creating a website for his business. The guy had plenty of questions about what is involved in building a website, which we were happy to answer for him. At the end of the meeting, we both felt confident that his new website would be one that he would be proud to promote to his business community.

During the meeting, he also reinforced something that I've realized for the last year: Contractors, Construction Professionals and generally people that work with their hands in their own business really, really understand web marketing and advertising. The reason is that they don't bog down their message with fancy, flowery, and quite frankly, BS-style language that completely hides the primary message of an advertisement, marketing piece or website. It's cut and dry, to the point and easy to relate to.

This is in stark contrast to how many in the marketing, advertising and web community build their materials. While content is certainly king on the web, the primary reason for it is that search engines need material to latch onto, in order to understand what a website is really about. If (all other things being equal such as links, etc.) you don't add the keyword 'pizza' to your website that promotes your pizza restaurant at least several times, the next pizza store owner will do it, and Google will likely find that location before yours. But sometimes it can go too far, and your visitors will come to your site and get bored with the mission statement, list of clients, about us, etc. etc. Lost in all this is that they are coming to the site to order a damn pizza! :-)

But the contractors we have been fortunate enough to work with know differently. They know that a person that comes to their website is looking for one, maybe two specific things...and it makes perfect sense to create a message that is clear and to the point, directing them to the right location, and creating a good call to action that entices people to contact them. They don't need it fancy, they need it to be direct and compelling.

Another thing I noticed is that contractors generally like to use very bold, stark, contrasting colors. Bright yellows or reds contrasted with black lettering is something they know that is going to be picked by a viewer the moment he or she encounters the message. While the imagery can change, the primary message is wrapped in these big, bold colors for all to see. While it may be simpler than a fancy flash slideshow or a image background, the point is that the visitor is captivated the moment the advertisement, graphic or web piece is viewed. Bonus: It's easy to create, and is cost effective.

I remember my Grandfather Thomas Avenia (may he rest in peace), a bicycle store owner for 60 years of his life, used to have a simple sign in front of his store - "BICYCLES". When you drove past that sign, you knew that there was a store nearby that dealt with bicycles. You might not know if he sold them or repaired them or both, but that large, bold sign told the primary message with one, single word. And it worked! it may be a bit of a stereotype, but truly I believe that people work with their hands truly have a knack for creating this compelling but easy-to-understand message, because somehow they know that they only have 2-3 seconds to get the attention of their audience, and they make it count.

As you are building your message, advertisement or web copy, remember the words of my old boss Alan Shulman from Samsondale Furniture of West Haverstraw (may he also rest in peace): "You have seven words to tell your story. If you can't do it, don't bother."

Why I love the UNDO button

So I was working on three contracts this afternoon, and I accidentally overwrote a LOT of information that I didn't notice, until about a half hour later! Luckily, MS Word saved by butt, because MS Word saves up to 100 UNDOs at a time. But for some reason in this instance I got to go back 184 UNDOs! Whatever it was...rockOn!

Twitter: Instant Search

For those of you that are still unsure of how Twitter will help your business, take a look at http://search.twitter.com.

Looks a lot like Google, right? A simple search engine up at the top of the screen, where you type in the exact piece of information you seek. The difference is stated in their slogan "See what's happening, right now." Twitter is quickly becoming the source for real-time quick snippets of information as they unfold in everyday life.

A perfect example of this would be Tiger Wo...no I'm not gonna go that route because it's been way too overplayed. A perfect example would be to do a Twitter Search on "Kobe Bryant", which will bring up results from all us average, everyday Joes and Janes that will likely mention something about his miracle shot at the buzzer of the Lakers / Heat game on Friday night. (by the way it was absolutely amazing - check it out here). The point is that instead of waiting an hour or two (or even twenty minutes) for a news organization to post an article that Google picks up, it is now possible to search any term, and see how the general public feels about it...right now. :-)

This is an excellent parallel to Google's search engine, which favors information that has been posted for longer periods of time. In case you are thinking that Twitter is going to replace Google, it isn't. The former has already linked Friend Connect with Twitter, and that's just the beginning. My prediction is that the mass market will further embrace Twitter for their surveys of the landscape on breaking news (I hope somebody's watching tweets at the White House), while remaining loyal to Google as their main knowledge library.

To begin using Twitter's search engine, simply type in a term much like you would use Google. The same operators also work; for instance if you are looking for an exact term, put it in quotation marks like this: "Kobe Bryant". (A full list of operators can be found by clicking here)

How does this help you? Here's a quick suggestion: if you are looking for more business, try typing in a generic term that is relevant to what you do. For example - if you are a Realtor, type "looking for apartment". You'll see tons of tweets from people talking about their quest for new digs. If you localize your search using the advanced search tool, you can narrow your results by location. Quite frankly, most of the results right now are in NYC, but as this service continues to gain buzz, you'll get more results in the local area. Here are the tweet results: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=+looking+for+apartment+near:"Suffern+NY"+within:50mi.

Rockland Web Design occasionally searches for tweets based on the term "need a website". The result is a list of some possible future clients. I know I'm giving out some information that other web development companies may use, but it's ok since we're all professionals looking to help the client.

Anyway, I hope this clears up a little of the mystery surrounding Twitter. I would certainly recommend to keep a close eye on the latest innovations that this young company creates around its service. It's yet another cool technological advance that we have at our disposal. RockOn.

The Power of Appreciation

Recently I had a birthday. I'm not saying that to get any more well-wishes (please forward all checks to my P.O. box), rather I am reporting to you on what I noticed from the other side of the coin.

Usually I wax philosophical about how it is a really good strategy to give approbation and praise to those that you have as friends on Facebook. I call it "Social Capital". The idea is that if you congratulate, celebrate, empathize and relate with others in your network, they will do the same for you, and it will increase awareness of your business. More importantly, it makes others feel good.

But up until now I was simply guessing that such a practice makes people feel good. Then, on October 31st I opened up my Facebook to see a bunch of Happy Birthdays on my wall. I have to say, it really made me feel...well, special. And because I felt special, I wanted to personally thank each and every person for the birthday wishes. Since that day two weeks ago, I have had an even greater dialogue with each of those individuals. Some of them are business associates, some are acquaintances, and some are friends. All of them are people that I appreciate to a greater degree, simply for clicking a button or two and leaving a Happy Birthday message.

My point is that you can do the same for others. Follow the golden rule and give the same sort of appreciation that you wish to receive. Not only will it help your business, but it will make your day flow a little better as you find that people really do care.

Tom Ossa

Rockland Web Design

(845) 271 - 4488

http://RocklandWebDesign.com

P.S. Want to integrate all your social networks in a snap? Call Rockland Web Design! We have a simple, very low-cost solution that will save you time and effort, and help your business gain more exposure.

Example of Great Customer Service

I just took a quick lunch break, and went deeper into a favorite book of mine, Zag, by Marty Neumeier. I won't bore you with the details, but it is a book about helping companies to establish a brand for themselves that are unique, and needed in the marketplace.

A great example is on pages 77 -78. A Middle Eastern couple has a coffee shop that they run every day except for Christmas. (Geez and I thought I worked hard) They worked night and day to make sure that their customers were well taken care of; they gradually developed a loyal clientele by giving out loyalty cards, as well as anticipating what their customers needed before they even walked through the front door. For instance, if they saw a customer's car that they were familiar with, the customer's favorite drink would be created before he or she even walked through the door. Customers would get to know each other, and the place turned into a popular coffee bar.

Then September 11th hit.

Ironically, a Starbucks opened up on September 12 right across the street. You'd figure that "9/11", "Starbucks" and "Middle Eastern" converged to put an end to their customer base...but it wasn't so. As a matter of fact, there was a line around the street corner of people who were showing their support for the nice Middle Eastern family, who put their hard work into making their customers feel special.

It just goes to show how important it is for all of us to work hard to take care of the people we serve.

Ok, back to work. :-)

Tom Ossa

Rockland Web Design

(845) 271 - 4488

Why We Are Still Lucky - Freedom.

In the past few months, I've floundered in trying to come up with a suitable blog to close out the three part series "The Good, the Bad and the Lucky". First we talked about all the cool things that will begin to occur in 2009. Then we talked about the controversial changes that we will need to endure. Quite frankly, every time I re-read those blogs, I still could not come up with enough convincing reasons that would cause all of us - including myself - to believe once again that the good outweighs the bad, and we are still fortunate as ever to live in this great Country. I mean, with all the terrible happenings in the world, the difficulties we face on a daily basis, as well as the general negativity of our environments at this integral moment in time, how can we consider ourselves lucky?

I'd like to tell you a story.

A man named J____ was very prosperous in life. J had all the wealth one could possibly desire, as well as a beautiful wife, many sons and daughters, and a rich collection of family and friends with whom he could share his hopes and dreams. The man was also a very successful businessperson, and was well known for the quality of his products and services.

One day, two very powerful associates of J who held sway and influence in much of his life, had a private conversation, and debated who was more favored by this man. They then plotted to destroy his empire, and find out which one of them he ultimately sought for help. One of them volunteered to do the dirty work, the other just kind of kicked back and observed - hoping that J would be able to survive the treachery. First, the "bad dude" (yeah I know...you like my metaphors) set out to destroy his reputation as a good businessperson. Next he spread rumors that he was an unfaithful husband. When those tactics did not work, he finally resorted to assasination of family and friends. In the end, J had nothing left. His business went bankrupt, his wife left him, and his family and friends were gone. He was ruined.

That's when the bad dude started visiting, and tried to convince J to rely on him to help re-build his empire. He tried everything...documentation, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, threats, bribery and extortion, to make this man see that the very powerful indivdual that stood before him ultimately held the keys to his rebound in life.

In the end, it all backfired. J wouldn't listen to the bad dude's reasoning, and threw the man out of his shack. He then chose to seek out the dude that stayed away from involvement in the destruction of his empire, and was secretly rooting for him all throughout his trials and tribulations.

The gentleman altruistically helped J get back on his feet. He lobbied the press to reinstate J's good will with business associates, introduced him to new potential family members and friends. He remarried - this time to a woman that completely trusted him and believed in him. He developed new and stronger relationships with friends. He started a family again. Over time, reestablished his kingdom, which was now stronger than ever.

One day some years later, the Good Dude came to see J. As they reminisced about the good and bad times, J recalled that his friend did not appear during his toughest moments in life. When asked why he did not come to help during his trials, the dude said "I was always available to help you...but you needed to come to me of your own free will."

The story above is actually Biblical in nature. It is the story of Job (with some Footprints in the Sand thrown in for good measure), which in my personal opinion is the mid-point between the Old and New Testaments. Much like World War II vets often say when you speak to them about post-war America, I believe "Something changed after that point".

I don't claim to be a prognosticator, nor do I have any answers to life's complex questions. But I do know that the story above is likely something that we can all relate to at some point in our lives. Whether we are businesspersons, politicians, family people, or even just trying to keep our heads above water, we have all gone through tough times. I think it's safe to say we're all in such a time right now. On a National level, we can look through the last 200 years of our History and say that we have seen many integral moments come and go (American Revolution, Civil War, Great Depression, World Wars, Civil Rights Movement), each with the conclusion of a hopefully better future.

If you look at the litany of positives and negatives that I listed in my blog during this three part series, you'll see at least a few things to latch onto - perhaps creating a greener society for our children's children, or to figure out ways to protect our National integrity without damaging that of others, or to protect the innocent from harm.

The bottom line is this: The reason why we are still lucky is that we still have the freedom to align ourselves with those who want to make the world a better place. Much like Job did, he could see through all of the trickery, deceit and malice; he chose to seek out one who would genuinely help to rebuild his life, and empower him to continue to do good deeds during his existence. We need to be constantly on guard to ensure that we continually seek out such good people, genuinely inspired to help.

Who knows what the world will be like in 20 years? Will a Utopian, interconnected society with less poverty crime and war emerge? Or will it be a post-apocolyptic war zone? Scary stuff...the most troubling part of this is that we might not have a say-so in the outcome. But we do what we can; we still have the freedom to choose what is right for ourselves, our family and friends, our city, our country and even our international friends...we can make that small difference. But we have to care enough to work toward making that difference. The moment you give up on making such a difference is the moment that you'll be visited by that one dude who promises you the world, and ultimately has nothing to show for it.

And during those moments of indecision, remember that if you actively seek out good friends, family and associates...like-minded individuals who can aid you in your journey to creating that Utopian society we all seek, well then you're still ahead of the game.

Voltaire said it quite well in his book Candide: We must tend to our gardens. In other words, don't worry so much about what's going on out there in the world; concern yourself with the things that you have the ability to change.

I don't really know how to end this blog except to encourage you to never stop trying to make the world a better place, not just for yourself, but for others. If you do that, I can assure you that your are truly a lucky person. :-)

The Bad News About 2009 (Part II of III)

In my last blog I began a three-part series entitled "The Good, the Bad, and the Lucky". In part I, I listed a few ways that we can be hopeful about 2009, including reasons such as innovation, volunteerism and environmentally sounder decision-making.

Since that blog, I've been labeled a traitor, a tree-hugging liberal, and several other derogatories that cannot be listed here, kids. However, I think this blog that I write now will balance things out...hopefully so that we can have a completely clear view of what to expect in the future, good and bad. I encourage you to send hate mail/comments if you disagree. No expletives, please.

Now - the bad news. Read on to learn about the downside of 2009.

The Bad: Part II of II

It's been over 2 months since a new administration has taken hold. Are we surprised that the world has not yet become a Utopian paradise as promised during the campaign? 

Luckily, according to the latest Gallup Polls, Americans for the most part understand that our economic and cultural shifts will take time to implement. 60% of those polled still have a favorable view of this administration, and most of those do understand that the nation's current economic woes are not a direct result of the decisions made during the past 2 months...yet.

There are more downsides to 2009, not just economic. At the risk of inducing you to swig a few more shots of Pepto-Bismol, I encourage you to read through the following blog to understand that beyond our personal money and survival concerns, there are some other things to which we should devote our vigilance.

1. Economic seismic shifts - As we've already seen, the President has taken on the Financial Sector and the Auto Industry. In each case,  massive downsizing and reorganizations have been put into play, in exchange for taxpayer funding in the billions. The most recent casualty is Richard Wagoner, CEO of GM (forced out of office in part by the Obama Administration). But the real ripple effect will occur within the UAW, the collective bargaining union that is responsible for the auto workers of American Auto manufacturers.
   
   A little history lesson: according to Joseph B. White of the Wall Street Journal, the UAW's relationship with GM has prevented the car manufacturer from downsizing its operations for over 20 years. When Honda began making automobiles in the United States in 1982, their workers were primarily non-union, which led to a leaner, meaner organization on our shores. GM, in contrast, continued to capitulate to the wishes of the UAW, and subsequently has spent over $103 billion in health care and pensions alone for the past 15 years. Further, another $20 billion will be needed by GM to fund these plans beginning in 2010. Where will the money come from?...
   
   The net result is going to be the same in every industry bailout - bloated, oversized organizations will partly or fully become the property of the United States Government, while it eliminates jobs, increases unemployment, and thusly puts pressure on other industries to remain solvent, primarily by driving prices up to compensate for lost revenues. Taxes will also rise - a lot. On this note I definitely do not claim to be an expert, but speak to any fiscal conservative and you will hear a resoundingly similar theme emerge.
   
   According to latest analysis by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, this pattern will continue to occur for several quarters, potentially ending at the close of 2009.
   
   
2. Moral and Ethical Debates - The stage is set for several very contentious issues to come to the forefront of American Politics, again. Regardless of what side of the coin you fall on, your notions of right and wrong will be challenged. I do not write to change your mind one way or the other on these issues, however I will list a few to remind you of your need to be aware and potentially active in the ongoing national debate:
   
   (Each topic is linked to pages on Wikipedia.org, which explains more about the subject matter. Nothing graphic or obscene is linked, whatsoever)
   
   - Partial birth abortion (pregnancy termination in 8th and 9th month)
   - Euthanasia of terminally ill or advanced age individuals
   - Stem Cell research from human embryos
   - Freedom to worship in a manner chosen by the individual
   - Same sex marriages and adoption by same sex couples
   - Capital punishment / death penalty
   - Torture of detainees by US Government agencies
   
   At the core of these issues, I believe the questions to ask are these:
   - "Who is the individual?"  
   - "What rights are afforded to the individual?",
   - "Should these  rights of the individual be sacrificed for the good of the nation / world?"
   
   Deep questions. Good luck.
   
   
3. National Integrity - A very sensitive topic during the 2008 elections had to do with as the famous / infamous Michael Savage describes; Borders, Language, Culture. As my Uncle and I argue about nonstop, there is a line that needs to be protected in order to maintain the cohesiveness of the United States. It is evident in our National policies toward immigration / national defense, our education curriculum, and our embrace of world ethnicity. But where that line should be varies, depending upon who you talk with.
   
   Reverting back to history for a moment, The Roman Empire formally ended in 476 AD, after centuries of political debate, in-fighting with steadily approaching Germanic tribes, and a military establishment that grew too vast, not being able to change with the times (kind of like GM with swords and horses). Thereafter, until 1453, the Roman floundered as a second rate collection of nations, attempting to regain its former glory and maintain its political influence. 
   
   In a way, we can think of the United States as a modern day Roman Empire, what with all its years of expansion and contraction. The policies of presidents and administrations since the 1950's (when outgoing President Eisenhower warned of the expanding industro-military complex) have brought America to one side of the coin or the other - bend to the will of various nations of the world, or muscle other nations into agreeing with our policies.
   
   It will be very interesting to see if the current Presidential Administration parallels the history of the Roman empire over the next few years. Hadrian's Wall might have already been built (think technology, folks). But has Diocletian emerged to lead our country, or perhaps another infamous emperor?

Conclusion

Obviously, In several parts of this blog, I've been free-flowing to get some ideas out there that might cause you in web-land to ponder our collective futures. The bottom line is that we don't know what is in store for the United States during the rest of 2009. Much of it is likely going to be stressful, and test ourselves and our businesses more than ever before. While I want to keep this blog on a cautious note - I will say that I am still optimistic about the Nation...and the World's future in the short and long term. In my next blog, I will discuss why we are "lucky".

Tom Ossa

Rockland Web Design

(845) 271 - 4488

The Good News about 2009 (Part I of III)

Now that everyone has come down off their contact high with the groundbreaking election (dare I say a well deserved victory), we can all start doing our work to figure out what the heck we civilians should be doing to help turn things around. If you've been following this blog for the last few months, I've been posting advice on how to get everything done more efficiently in the world of web, tech, computers and sometimes your interpersonal relationships (hint: if you try to put  your wife in Hibernate mode, it's time to take a step back from work).

Anywho, in my stream of consiousness way, I'd like to begin a three part series: The Good, the Bad, and the Lucky. Now I know all of you out there in Internet world want to get rolling right away with the lucky...but if you've earned your bones in business you know luck is something that is earned - not freely given. BTW Click here for an article from About.com about the scientific background of luck. So I encourage you to thouroughly read through the first two parts of the series, and then roll with the third. Think of it as your trip through Heaven & Hell on the way to the Truth of things.

So, let's begin...

The Good: Part I of III

Most of us saw history in the making two weeks ago. The election of President Barack Obama has given a decent number of Americans - and members of the International Community - that small slice of Hope that things are gonna get better in the coming years. Of course for some in Middle America, the concept of having a President in office that doesn't think that Jay-Z is a well marketed sneaker manufacturer might be new to some, but I imagine that over time, the culture shock of that revelation will sink in, and we will all live in better harmony with one another.

Beyond this, there are some really, really cool things that the President brings to office. I will cite three in this blog.

For a primer on the first item, please quickly check out this article: Obama's personal win: keeping the BlackBerry - Yahoo! News.

Special thanks to Linda O'Donnell from Home Instead Senior Care for providing this article. 

Awesome thing #1: Yes folks that is correct - Mr. President will be bringing the concept of technology back into the Oval Office. It will start with the Blackberry that he often checks to keep in touch with friends and family (no, he's not TMing Abdimihniminiajed just yet), but if he sticks to his intent, we may just have the first President in history to have a laptop on his desk. 

Seemingly innocuous as it sounds, that is a wonderful cultural shift for Americans in general. As noted in the inaugural speech, the President cited our responsibility to help to return our Nation back to a place that we can all be proud of once again. Part of that challenge to us involves embracing ideas and initiatives that can help us to overcome the latest supposedly insurmountable odds that have been stacked against us. To accomplish this, I feel that embracing technology as a whole will play an integral part of the picture moving forward. More people will get on board - and not just soccer Moms checking up on their kid's activities on Facebook (a good thing).

Just think about the devices you use on a daily basis. From GPS systems to mobile phones to your computer loaded up with Microsoft Office (probably 2003...but you just gotta try 2007 - it rocks), most of us already have all the tools we need to more intricately track the projects, prospects and profit that flows through our hands on a daily basis. And when the financial industry recovers from its severely flawed processes of indulgence, the phoenix rising from the ashes will be - as my good friend Sven from Valley Cabinets says - "leaner and meaner". 

Additionally, new technologically savvy tracking methods, compliance and regulatory practices will be locked in, preventing the most affluent and wealthy of our society from taking more than their share...well, for the most part. I mean there will always be a few people who benefit from bucking the system and causing great harm, but in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it, always."

From an Intenet-based perspective, the picture is even brighter. Just looking at some of the current trends, we can already see a difference:

• One survey cited 49% of retail respondents updating their web presence, either through design, development or search engine optimization
• 76% of those expect higher sales as a result of their initiative
• In December of 2008, Facebook added 222 million new unique visitors, and has grown 10% each month since September of '08. It is gearing itself up as a marketing platform for a new generation of people - not just to throw a fake snowball at your friends list (ugh), but to let your crew know what you and your business are really all about. (Source: Advertising Age - February 2, 2009)
• New kid trends on the block will continue to grow, such as cloud computing - which allows many to start businesses and use only the small amount of resources they need in order to get things done. a good example is Salesforce.com, which charges a monthly rate for Customer Relationship Management tools for the mobile workforce. This translates to a more measured way of doing business - akin to the concept of pay as you go mobile phones, which will open the doors of commerce to a new startup generation.

Positive shift #2 is that sharing and giving are back en vogue. For those of you who sympathize with Bernie Madoff, let me explain in very simple terms: The 2/3 of the world that don't have the advantages that the rest of us are blessed with NEED OUR HELP. And through the advent of new government-inspired programs, as well as truly good-hearted people such as Sensei Mike Malandra, those who suffer will not be forgotten.

Believe it or not, great rewards can be garnered from the simple child-like Faith to give. Take for example Mohammed Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. He took the concept of Microcredit and applied it to the financial industry, offering very small loans to humble impoverished souls who could not offer any collateral. Astoundingly, the loans were paid back, and Grameen continues to grow today. In 2006, Mr. Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Click here to learn more about Grameen Bank.

Even if you're sitting at home in your PJ's thinking "yeah whatever", let me put this out there for thought - I admittedly haven't had that much time on my hands this past year, working to organize Rockland Web Design into a business that can provide attractive, affordable and measurable website results (that's my 5 second commercial). However, one day after our radio show last year I was blessed with the presence of a woman who has struggled throughout her entire life. All she has wanted to do is make a difference...simple as that. And through our now weekly conversations, we're finding ways to keep that dream alive, even when it seems all hope is lost. (If you're reading this, ---------, I'll do my best to help you with the Anti-smoking initiative. ) My point is that you don't have to donate your entire life; just reserve some time each week to give back. Simple as that.

Cool thing #3 is that the world just got a little greener. :-) Over 50 billion dollars of the economic stimulus plan is reserved for energy efficiency projects, such as a smart electric grid, loan guarantees for renewable energy and more. This is a huge incentive for companies older than the first Christmas fruitcake to finally get on board, retool their manufacturing / production processes, and finally keep tabs on the environment.

One of my biggest pet peeves is paper. Way back when I used to work at Next Steps as a technology instructor, and I kept on pushing the staff to go completely digital. And while I do admit that paper has its purpose (recreational reading and quilted wiping), I still can't reconcile the unbelievable amount of paper waste that exists in this area even in light of our efforts toward recycling. So, I found a great tool that may help Rockland Web Design as we return from our networking and on-site Internet service efforts...the NeatDesk! It is a high speed scanning system that allows one to empty their pockets and desks of receipts, contracts and invoices, popping them into an Automatic Document Feeder and digitizing everything. When I saw it in action, I nearly cried.

Pardon the fuzziness, I needed to reduce the size of the embed coding.

Back to the point, a hopefully real green initiative means several things:

• A new industry and opportunity for businesses to in which to grow,  innovate, profit
• A source of employment for Americans searching for the next growth sector
• Less waste and more reusable materials to get our work done
• Perhaps, just perhaps...the existence of a breathable Earth in 2050
• and very, very cool cars - check out the Aptera, currently being tested in Cali

Conclusion

For those of you that are looking for more hard numbers to justify all the Faith and Hope that I've spouted out in this article, all I've got is links to lots and lots of resources which may satisfy the naysaying for now (Peter Griffin: "And for all you naysayers, I have one thing to say to you...Cmon...cmon!".) If you read the next blog: "The Bad, Part II of III", you'll probably relish its content much much more. But for those of you that still have a little spark left in you, those that wonder if tomorrow can actually produce believable, significant meaning in our and others' lives, for those who are ready to RockOn...I salute you. This is your time. Let's get to it.

See you next week. Bring your notebook.

Tom Ossa

Web Strategist

Rockland Web Design

Stony Point, NY

(845) 271 - 4488