So I’m sitting on the couch watching the Olympics. And they start showing Snowboarding, which is always exciting. Only this time it’s snowboarding meets motocross. Seriously, four dare devils race each other down a track taking jumps and trying not to kill themselves. Clearly there is major skill involved and it is totally a sport, but you have to be a certain breed of person to be that crazy — insane.
Snowboard Cross is like business. A downhill free-for-all a for one goal – TO WIN. In snowboard cross it’s the gold medal. In business it is to see your business and beat the competition.
Often dangerous, business like Snowboard Cross is a game of calculated risk. The snowboarders aren’t just bombing down the hill hoping not to kill themselves. They are taking a strategic approach to the risk to minimize the negative and promote the positive. In the end the snowboarder with the best strategic edge will be victorious. In business the person with the best ideas and execution will beat out the competition.
It’s all about the passion, the love and the strategy. With a little blood, sweet and tears — oh and a little luck, your business can win gold. Take a look at the men and women of Snowboard Cross and apply that to how you do business and you’ll see a difference.
Best of luck!
What do you think? Post your thoughts in the comments.
So we all know Google is extremely innovative. From Google Voice to Google Wave, the company is full of new ideas that blur the line between just ideas and reality.
Google Maps revolutionized the way people look at geography and get their directions. With Streetview, people can view their favorite city from the perspective of being on the ground.
Check out the Google video all about this new feature:
What do you think of Google and it’s innovations? What do you think about being able to view the ski slopes first hand? Post your thoughts in the comments.
Today I had an interesting and eye opening conversation with a Twitter user in Poland. I had tweeted about the amount of snow we got in the northeast and how I was perplexed that people in my complex waited until after the blizzard to dig out, instead of digging out a few times yesterday to ease the load. His response to me was to send me a link to pictures of the destruction in Haiti. After a nice calm back and forth I realized something that some foreigners think of Americans… we’re self-centered.
I simply explained to him that what is happening in Haiti right now is horrific and that my commentary on the snowstorm was just an observation and not a pity-plea.
The fact that someone from Poland responded to me about a topic happening in the US and abroad is neat, because in the past this interaction would never have taken place. This really shows how Social Media really has a global reach.
Watch my response for more insight into this interaction:
Having been involved with social media for more than 5 years I’ve notices trends and ideas popping up. Through out this time I’ve developed a number of theories about social media and how a company or their social media representative can better utilize the avenues given to them by these social networks.
Here are some of the basic tenants
6. Social media takes time – If you don’t have the time and don’t want to hire someone to do social media for you then don’t bother getting into it. You won’t get anything out of it
5. Social media isn’t about broadcasting a message. Social media is about building a community around your ideas and brand. Start a discussion and interact one on one with people directly so that believe they matter.
4. Social media doesn’t have to take hours a day to work. There are plenty of methods and techniques that can help you better manage your time on social networks.
3. Giveaways are always good. It don’t have to be physical things, it can be tips, ebooks, consultations, advise. These are all giveaways in their own right.
2. Customer service. If you don’t monitor your brand through social media you’re missing out on a whole lot. If you don’t keep an eye out to see if people are having problems with your produces, you’re losing valuable time to counteract the negative persona that is being conveyed. By monitoring your brand and interacting with your customers and clients you’re able to help them solve problems and make them feel that their voices are heard.
1. Social media doesn’t have to be a giant task. Come up with goal that you want to reach with social media and address one or two at a time. Doing too much at once will dilute the quality of each task and you’re liable to burn out fast.
What would you add to these ideas in my theory? Do you have other techniques that have helped you?
This was also posted on Linkedin. Be sure to check out the discussion there too.
Most of us remember the days of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 5 and IE 6. To many those were simpler times. Most people were using the Seattle software giant’s browser exclusively and because of that most people knew nothing else.
Come in the new era of browsers. First the classic Mozilla browser, rising from the ashes of the destroyed and defeated Netscape. Later Firefox would take over as the dominant product coming from the Mozilla Foundation. Apple builds Safari and Google builds Chrome. Oh, and yes, let’s not forget about the little engine that would not die, Opera.
With all of these choices in Web browsers and Internet experiences, people began to explore the different options. Each browser boasted “the best Internet experience” with the hope to gain the hearts and minds of Internet surfers.
Yet with all this choice came a problem. With the increased dispersion of users across the plethora of browser frameworks, the Internet began to look different to people depending on how they were viewing the Web.
Enter the push for standards. As people began to have a more dysfunctional experience on the Web, developers and coders and even law makers began instituting standards to “standardize” the experience of the Web.
But with all regulation some browser makers, mostly Microsoft, refused in one way or another to not implement the new standards. Because of this fight, Microsoft has slowed the adoption of standards.
As a Web designer, I’ve gone through the painful process of making the sites I design work with IE, all the way down to version 6. To be perfectly frank, this is a huge time waster, but sadly it is still needed a wide swath of people still use these antiquated browsers to view Web content. Besides being terribly insecure, it can almost be guaranteed that the viewing experience is much less than using an updated, secure, standards-driven browser.
Microsoft, though still slow at adopting many of the standards that other browsers already have, is making inroads to incorporate more and more standards into their newest version of IE, version 8.
The point is this. Instead of fighting the push for standards Microsoft should have been embracing them from the start. If they had done so, who knows what the Internet landscape might be like today.
By adopting standards and updating as new standards come out, browser makers are insuring that there will a constant flow of new innovation on the Web that will be supported and viewable to the masses.
What are you thoughts on this? Post them below in the comments.
So as many of you know my Grandma (Sylvia Goldstein) died this morning at 7:20 am. I found out around 10 am as I was finishing my morning walk.
Grandma was 95 years old. She had recently fallen into the grips of Alzheimers and for over a year she had her good days, her bad days and her horrible days.
My grandma was a very independent, strong and loving woman. She was without a doubt one of the most important women in my life. Since I was little, we always and a very strong bond. She knew how to relate to me. She would come visit from the Bronx to my then house in Yardley (Pennsylvania) and we would play and talk and have a wonderful time together.
As I got older my relationship with my grandma grew. I would visit her at her place in Fort Lee (New Jersey), she had since moved there from the Bronx, as much as I could. When I was dating someone it was very important to me that they met her and when I finally met my wife, Meredith, my grandma quickly met her (and approved, I might add).
We Were Prepared
Grandma’s death was not sudden, we knew it was coming. She had been gradually getting worse. Last Thursday night she slipped into a coma and we all thought it was the end. She was in a nursing home in North Jersey and for a number of reasons I couldn’t make it up. Grandma held on for some reason. Sunday morning my father called me so that I could tell her goodbye. When I did, according to my aunt, Grandma, upon hearing my voice raised her eyebrows and nodded her head. It was as if she knew it was me.
Grieving and coping
To be honest, everyone deals with the death of someone dear to them differently. With sadness comes the need to cope and how you cope is different for everyone. In the Jewish faith, we sit shiva. Shiva is a time, around 7 days, where the mourning family spends time together and remembers the person who died. It’s a coping mechanism and it works.
My family, though doesn’t really sit shiva, it’s a personal choice. After burying our loved one we get together and have lunch and spend time together, but after the evening draws to a close, everyone goes their separate ways. In a way it is a shiva, in miniature form.
Everyone copes differently
With her death, I felt like I needed to do something to deal with the pain of losing such an important person in my life. And though we’re having the funeral in two days, I’ve started to sit my own version of shiva. Being a creative person and having done a Website for my Uncle Lee when he past on, I decided to make one for her. (Click to view)
I’ve also be sharing my feelings publicly with my friends in the social web, Twitter and Facebook and blogging mostly. Many people have asked me why I’m being so public with my grief. All I can say is that I’ve made a conscious choice to share my life with people through social media and by sharing my grief with others, I’m coping and also relating to others who might be going through the same thing I am. The out-pouring of support has be amazing.
All in all, these are my ways of sharing with the world how much I loved her (always will) and how much she meant to me. It relates what I do on a daily basis, Web design, social media and journalism, and helps me deal with the loss.
How do you cope with losing someone special? Do you do anything unique? Post your thoughts below in the comments.
As the hours go closer and closer to the annual celebrate we know as New Years, I can’t help but look back at 2009 with a grin on my face and a proud sense of accomplishment. In 2009, I’ve had my best year so far for my company, Goldstein Media. I celebrated my first anniversary to the love of my life, my wife and I’ve renewed old relationships and forged new ones. 2009 has, overall, been a good year for me. You won’t see me complaining. I’ve grown as a person and for that I’m very thankful.
In 2009, I started up a joint venture with, a now close friend and colleague, Neal Wiser, called A2SM. A2SM is about social media and our addiction to it. It stands for Addicted to Social Media, which many of us are. What makes this friendship with Neal even better is that we met originally at an event in King of Prussia for Twitter enthusiasts. It’s really amazing how far we’ve come in one short year.
I’m really looking forward to 2010, new adventures and projects, as well as new friendships and, of course, new technology.
So here’s to a great past year and here’s to an even better 2010. Have a great night everyone and be safe.
You never really know how important someone is until you’re trying to get work done and all you can do is worry about that person being okay. Right now my father-in-law Elliott is in surgery for his back. It’s a surgery that’s done regularly so I shouldn’t be worried or anxious, but I am.
My wife got up this morning at the crack of dawn to go to the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania with her parents to keep her mom company during the operation. It really didn’t make any sense for me to go then because all they would be doing is waiting in the waiting room for hours. Our plan is for me to come down later to visit and take my wife home, she’s going to be exhausted.
But back to the point of this post. My father-in-law and I get along. I wouldn’t say we’re so buddy-buddy that we would go on a fishing trip together, but we get along and enjoy each other. He’s actually a member of my networking group as well so I see plenty of him. Even with seeing him twice on most weeks, I never totally realized how important he was to me. I know how important he is to my wife. Besides being her father, they worked together in the mortgage industry until my wife left to manage a sports ticket company. But now that something serious is happening I realize how important he is to me as well.
When you get married you always hope to get along with your in-laws and luckily I do. But to be honest, they’ve become more than tolerable, they’ve be come family and I love them.
So I guess what I’m saying is that, though I know he’s going to be fine, I never really new how important he was to me until this operation.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He’s a tough guy and he’ll recover just fine, but every thought helps.
Thanks
Update: My father-in-law is out of the hospital and recovering in the hospital for the next couple of days.
So a few days ago I was Twittering with the people over at Comcast about how my Internet was really slow. George and Bonnie both jumped on and scheduled a time for a tech to come out to my house. Today the tech called me at 4:45pm telling me that he was on his way and would be at my place in 10 minutes. 8 minutes later he was there. About 15 minutes after that he had fixed the problem and that was that. Very professional too. He explained what the problem was and everything. I am very happy with my Comcast service. Check out these download/upload numbers:
So we all know 
Having been involved with social media for more than 5 years I’ve notices trends and ideas popping up. Through out this time I’ve developed a number of theories about social media and how a company or their social media representative can better utilize the avenues given to them by these social networks.
Most of us remember the days of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 5 and IE 6. To many those were simpler times. Most people were using the Seattle software giant’s browser exclusively and because of that most people knew nothing else.
My family, though doesn’t really sit shiva, it’s a personal choice. After burying our loved one we get together and have lunch and spend time together, but after the evening draws to a close, everyone goes their separate ways. In a way it is a shiva, in miniature form.
As the hours go closer and closer to the annual celebrate we know as New Years, I can’t help but look back at 2009 with a grin on my face and a proud sense of accomplishment. In 2009, I’ve had my best year so far for my company, Goldstein Media. I celebrated my first anniversary to the love of my life, my wife and I’ve renewed old relationships and forged new ones. 2009 has, overall, been a good year for me. You won’t see me complaining. I’ve grown as a person and for that I’m very thankful.
