dispatches from the new world of work

Link roundup

Our Cool Friend Nick Morgan recently published a manifesto at ChangeThis.com that we think anyone who speaks publicly will find useful. Check it out.

Regular commenter Ian Sanders sent us a link to a good customer service story on his blog. Actually, an over-the-top, awesomely out-of-the-ordinary, beyond-what-you'd-ever-expect customer service story.

Tom Asacker is another person who comments regularly on our blog. We got to know him because Tom Peters used to quote something fun he wrote in a letter to the editor at Fast Company magazine (don't ask how long ago). Asacker sent us a link to a PDF at his site you might enjoy reading: Wealth Flows from Health. Again, customer service is the focus, but it encompasses many aspects of business health.

Here's an article that smacked of Tom's leanings so much that it jumped out at us. "The Forgotten Market Online: Older Women" lays out the case that "New Fashion Sites Target Youth—Though Most Web Apparel Sales Are to Women Over 35."

For those Free Agents out there (and the people who love them), this recent article, "Self-Employed Depression," from the New York Times will most likely ring all too true.

Finally, someone turned us on to a new service which might be useful to someone who doesn't have their own website. Nombray.com is about collecting your online identities (LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, etc.) in one place.

Postscript: Cool Friend Andrea Learned blogged at her site about logo genderfication, and we thought you might like to read what she has to say.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 06/08/09.

Comments

Thanks for going to the trouble to share these. The last one is a bit ironic to me today, as I was talking today with one of my key clients about the stress they feel trying to manage identities and contacts on so many different services and sites. Web-based services are proliferating as fast as they are disappearing (if not faster), which leads me to think the dust ain't likely to settle the way it has in the past in more "traditional" forms of marketing, such as magazine advertising.

A large part of my business of late with clients has expanded because they just don't have time to try and create/maintain presence via so many web-based sites and services. If it was just one or two, that would be one thing, but it's like 10-12 minimum for some of them. It represents a logistical nightmare for them, but they feel like they're behind the competition if they don't do something about it.

At times, it's simply a mess.

Posted by Dan Gunter at June 8, 2009 10:18 PM

Thanks for the Nick Morgan link. As one who has had to sit through a number of excruciatingly bad presentations recently, I can only endorse his advice. And I'm thinking about asking our IT people if they can make it appear as a pop up any time anyone in the company launches PowerPoint... including me!

Posted by Mark JF at June 10, 2009 1:50 AM

I agree Mark - Nick's tips are spot on. I love the bit about failure to rehearse. I find the ONLY way I can write my presentations is by rehearsing - endlessly! I have tried to start logically with powerpoint and I can't do it. My tip is always create the powerpoint to match your talk not the other way round.

one of the biggest presenting problems in the corporate world is that a horribly large % of people are trying to present a powerpoint that was not written by them.

Posted by PaulH at June 10, 2009 4:32 AM

The "Self-Employed Depression" article was a great eye-opener. As one who has virtually been self-employed my whole life, with jobs in between to support my main gigs, as a artist first and then a consultant, I could not help but to say "there for the grace of God go I." But I must also say that I would have it no other way.

It was good to see TP's quote in this piece, as it was the "Brand You" article that really got me moving in business. I thought: "You mean I can take the sum of who I am, including my varied professional experiences, and craft a unique niche? Way cool!"

After reading "Brand You" I copied and mailed it to all of my 11 siblings who are mostly all entrepreneurs. The article was life-changing, a real revelation. It also got me back then to think about "The Being Brand," which is the summation of who we all are, including our experiences and aspirations, and how it is translated personally and professionally to make a difference.

Thanks, TP!

Posted by Judith Ellis at June 10, 2009 10:17 AM