Archive for May, 2006
Your Favorite Fringes
As the web is now all about the long tail, about those weird nooks and crannies of information and like-mindedness that appeal to small subsets of people and not the masses at large, I want to know about the places you visit.
Where are the sites out there that you LOVE that you know precious few people know about? Which sites are just packed with great stuff, and you just can’t believe people aren’t giving them kudos?
Give us URLs to go visit these sites. Fill up the comments section. Send mail. Raise the roof and let’s get this whirlwind tour of your favorite fringes started!!!
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How Do Voice Response Units Help?
Just a customer service gripe: Just how helpful do you think voice response units are when filled with HORRIBLE content? Sweet sappy voices pumped up loud telling me about services as if I just recovered from a head injury does not inspire me to do new things with you. Peppy canned music that doesn’t exist on the radio is not soothing. Silence is equally not soothing, but it’s marginally less annoying than those “please continue to hold” messages barging in every 20 seconds.
I think that lots of the built-in misery of voice response units come from surveys that were conducted in the 80s. Thus, people’s adoption of technology wasn’t all that far along. We needed all this reassurance. Marketers thought that people were interested in hearing really long, canned, syrup-sounding ads about other products while waiting an inordinate amount of time for service reps to come back from changing the oil in their cars or whatever they do for five minute pauses.
How to Help
- Update the Music- Whatever music is on your line, let me guarantee you that it SUCKS. Sit there and listen to your own music for five minutes. Relaxing? Bullshit.
- Make Opt Out Options Early- Give folks the chance really early to bag out of the robot treadmill early. Believe me, it’ll up your customer service calls a bit, but I’ll tell you this: If your voice response unit is TRULY helpful to customers, people will use the system.
- Keep things simple- If you’re not sure how, start calling other customer service numbers. You. Not some group. Do you know what happens when you hire someone to make you a voice response system? They make a SYSTEM, not something helpful. They try to make sure they cover everything. Streamline. Cut it down to nothing.
- REALLY test things. Go bareback- It’s conventional wisdom that voice response units help call centers save time and money. Are you sure that’s true for yours? Try going straight to agents for a full month. Yes, it will cost you money. Yes, it will be tricky, and you’ll have to add reps for the duration. Plan it out. Measure your customer service metrics before and after. What? You’re not measuring customer satisfaction with all your processes? Get real.
- Think of Your Parents and Grandparents- If they can’t use it, throw it out and start again. Oh, and you know why 30-somethings call your VRU? Because your website isn’t self-service enough. Want to save customer service money? Expose more of your customer options on the web. Make them easier to find. Make it easier to feel helped.
- Add chat- If there were live chat on more sites offering customer service, I’d call less. I’d rather just get through it.
I just got off the phone with annoying person two and 9(NINE!!!!) minutes of hold time for something as simple as rescheduling an internet cable install. Losers. But in case you think I’m talking out my butt about Voice Response Units and customer service, I was lead engineer on one for five years, and I worked in and around them for 16 years. I know of what I speak.
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New Post at D*I*YPlanner.com
I wrote about story mapping at DIYPlanner.com
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Become a Johnny Appleseed of Prosperity
You’re creative and passionate, and you’re not focusing all that energy on your day job. Why? Because maybe your passion doesn’t directly relate to your job. Or maybe you’ve already tried to share your passions at work and were shot down for whatever reason.
Turn your thoughts to building your own projects.
The Fruit of Many Trees
If you were a farmer, would you grow one plant and hope that it grew productive, that it would feed your family? Just one tree. Seems reasonable to spend all your time on that tree, because then it will produce fruit in abundance. No, of course fire won’t come. Animals won’t pluck the fruit. Disease won’t cripple the tree. Of course not.
And yet, most of us rely on one job, one source of income, one way to feed the family.
Instead, consider ways in which you might add fruit to your table from more than one tree. Are there ways you can tend to your day job and still grow some new opportunities? Not such that you’d be at odds with your day job, mind you.
Love the One You’re With
Don’t cut corners on your main source of income to find a way to build a second source. That’s not fair to your employer, and it could cost you your job. Continuing on with the tree concept, you have to keep everything well tended, watered, and nurtured, or you’ll have nothing.
Consider instead ways to separate out what you might be able to do to make some extra income by finding time to do that work in what used to be your TV-viewing time. Look for ways to include your family in your idea of growing some more sources of food for your table.
But always consider your day job to be the one you’re with, or do the right thing and shove off.
Trees Grow When You’re Not There
The best kind of extra income you can make is the kind that makes itself with a minimum of tending. Try not to come up with ways that require you to be there to make the money. For instance, taking a second job playing guitar at restaurants means you have to be there for every penny you intend to make. Selling your book collection on eBay can be a part time evening affair. Get your family in on the gig. Give your kids half of everything they make selling your stuff. After the first money comes rolling in, you’ll have to be sure they’re still working on the “old” stuff pile.
Think of other ways to make money while you’re not there.
Potential Futures
These new trees give you some possibilities for the future. You can stay with your day job, that firm old tree that gives you food, shade, a canopy to shild you from the rain. Or you can chop the old tree down once you get enough coverage of your income needs from your new trees.
It depends what you want from life. In my personal ideal world, I’d do what I am currently doing as a 30-hour part time job for free, only I’d be paid to do it, and I’d produce even better content of differing types, because I’d be able to focus on it. You might want the extra money to give to your local church or other really deserving charity. Paul could use your donations to help find water for villages in Africa. It doesn’t have to be about greed.
Consider growing more trees in a way that you can nurture and maintain them all. It might help in several ways, including setting your mind at ease for fear that you might lose your job. It might give relief to your debt issues. And it might be a great way to recognize the passions within you without having to make a full-scale leap from your current job.
Oh, and to that end, I’ve created a Tip Jar to try and build some money up to fund some new creative content ideas I have. Don’t feel obligated, but if you can, throw a dollar or two my way. I’ll make sure it comes back to you in the form of more projects like the ones you come here to read about.
(Some examples in development right now: a new book, an ongoing web-comic, new podcasts)
So, thanks in advance, and start growing your own trees for your new projects and plans.
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Index Cards for Creativity
(by eclectic echoes)
What’s great about index cards? They’re inexpensive. They’re ubiquitous. They promote USE instead of fear of wrecking something (which happens to me around my beautiful Moleskine journals). Index cards really can be useful.
My grandparents kept them in the kitchen all the while I was growing up. Grammy would use them for grocery lists, or to remind me to ask my parents something I’d forgotten to ask too many times in a row. My brother and I used to draw on the white side of them: he’d draw martial arts dudes, and I’d draw superheroes.
Dave draws all kinds of things on his index cards. He’s cuckoo for them! (In the good way).
Storytelling- Use index cards to lay out scene elements in a story. Use one card per scene moment. Then, you can arrange the cards in whatever order you’d like the story to progress.
Business Brainstorming- I did this tonight. Use one card each to come up with ways to make money. List the basic premise, then how much you want to charge, your audience, the time involved, and questions to be answered.
Organizing- Merlin Mann created the Hipster-PDA a long time ago now, but they’re still really popular. Now there are even hacks to the organizational hack, over at D*I*YPlanner.
Journaling- Here’s an exercise: write out how you feel about yourself and the things going on in your life, one per day, for a month. See what you think. Revisit the exercise four times a year.
Lists- Keep lists of your next actions, lists of groceries, list of library items to borrow. Lists are perfect for index cards.
Character Cards- Writing a story? Keep details of your characters handy and organized. Maybe your character, Felicia, likes to drink grape juice, whereas Aunt Tiddly would vomit at even the scent of a grape.
I bought 500 cards (3×5″) at Staples for $3.19 US. I imagine similar deals can be had in an area near you. Compare the price of those cards to nearly anything else you’d want to use and organize and keep on your person, and I think you’ll find them handy.
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Focus Tricks
There are lots of demands on your time and attention, and these get in the way of you being able to do your job, or more importantly, the creative things that bring you passion. How can you manage your focus and your attention better? Here are some ideas.
- Unplug from the Internet- Not just kill your email, but shut down your browser capability as well. This will keep you on the desktop if your task is computer-based.
- Visual Reminders- Use a cork board or white board and put your primary focus requirements there in HUGE letters. Use dark markers and bold text to ensure that when your eyes drift from your main function, you have a visual reminder of what you’ve gotta complete.
- Use Milestones- You know those thermometer billboards people use for fund raising, the kind you see out front of the new library or church? Use a similar visual cue to remind yourself just how far you have to go to complete your task.
- Headphones- If you have to focus in a work environment, throw the old iPod on. Listen to whatever it is gives you focus. For me, that’s podcasts. I’m not sure why, but someone talking in my ear while I work is more relaxing than music.
- Post a Sign- Stick a sign up near your desk saying, “I’m busy right now. Catch me later?” or something similar. I’ve used this often. You get lots of weird looks, but most people respect your need for a “virtual closed door.”
- Look Up- Focusing sometimes requires us to close out all external sources for a moment to draw from our heads what it is we’re working on. Try looking up towards the ceiling, as if you’re looking into your own skull. (I don’t know why, but this seems to work well).
- Short Bursts- Sometimes nothing works. Try getting through the next five minutes only, and then promising yourself a quick trip back and forth to the water cooler or the coffee machine. When you get back to your desk, promise yourself another 10 minute burst. And so on. Incremental steps can sometimes get something big accomplished.
- Scatter shot- Another variation on the bursts theme is to hit lots of little things all over your task list, aiming specifically at the things you’ve just been neglecting for no real reason.
- Know when to Quit- Sometimes, it’s just not the right time to try and focus. Take a full-on break from what you’re doing. Give yourself permission to get up and leave the area. Go. And let your energy come back to you. This sometimes helps to relieve pressures that you’re not even fully aware exist.
What are some of YOUR focus tricks?
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Discipline
Ask yourself this question right now: Do I have more excuses or more discipline?
If the answer is A, repeat the question often.
The two keys to discipline are repetition and small victories. The two keys to discipline are repetition and small victories. By succeeding, you grow. By growing, you succeed on larger battlefronts.
Repeat.
Dig. In. And. Push.
If you are THINKING about doing something, don’t. Just do something. Get started. Start now. Afraid? Who the hell cares? Unless you’re “thinking” of doing a solo flight in an airplane without training, do it.
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Resources I Love and Use Often
Let’s try this again, shall we?
The following links are to books and products that I love and use often. I would’ve said daily, but I don’t use some of them every day.
The 8th Habit — Dr. Covey’s 7 Habits was a big seller in the 1990s. I think the 8th Habit is a great re-telling of the best of the habits, but also a great new structure around which to consider all the lessons. The latter 1/3 of the book gets spiritual and religious, and that’s not for me, but the first bunch is really worth it.
Re-imagine! — Tom Peters is DANGEROUS! When you read him, it makes you want to do subversive things, like demand the best from your organization and yourself. It makes you want to rush out and be very effective. Read this book at your own risk.
Core Performance Essentials — Mark Verstegen’s fitness book is not a beginner’s fitness book. However, it’s got all kinds of really great exercises that are for flexibility, core strength, agility, and all in a very holistic way. It’s a great book for picking up really effective exercises to get things done for you and your fitness.
Story — This is a new favorite of mine. I only recently purchased it, but it’s already replaced my previous favorite writing books of all time. In fact, I gave away all my other writing books after getting through only the first 70 pages of this. It’s a great tool for understanding how to write fiction.
The Shipping News — One of my favorite fiction books of all time. I refer to it often for its use of language. Proulx writes short sentences. She is an influence. I write short. Because Annie wrote short.
Eating Well for Optimum Health– Dr. Weil’s book is excellent at giving you as much science and medicine as you can handle while learning why to eat which foods. It’s a little dry at times because of this (the audio got me through), but it’s a fascinating read, and worth your time. I use the book often to remember glycemic index numbers and the like.
Rise of the Creative Class– This is kind of a “bible” book to what I believe with regards to people and their work lives. So much so, in fact, that I think Florida’s book will inspire the book I write about working my way in the 21st centure. This is a great read and a must-own for all the times you’ll want to point it out to people.
Podcast Solutions– Since taking up podcasting, I’ve needed this book almost every time I’m ready to mix down. I met the author, Michael Geoghagen, and it makes it all the better. Great for someone interested in breaking into podcasting.
Business 2.0 Magazine — One of only three or four print magazines I actually still need in print. Business 2.0 in print features all the great graphics of XPLANE, not to mention articles that I often rip out and refer to daily for weeks at a time. I often find myself poking my finger at a certain line over and over, nodding, and saying, “Now that’s what we’ve gotta do.” (Never is it what I REALLY end up doing.)
Apple iPod Nano (2GB)– My generation-one iPod finally died. :( (Poor Lazarus). I got a Nano (as a father’s day gift) after trying to endure the radio for only four days. I listen almost 100% to podcasts, and this made it much nicer to get back to my babies. If you want podcast suggestions, I’m building that into a wiki, to be revealed shortly.
Wacom Intuos 3 Graphics Tablet - I use this for drawing the stuff you see on Drawbox, and I use it as my primary mouse these days, too. (I actually own the Intuos 2, but you can’t get those new any more, sadly). If you’re into art, I’d recommend this and a cheap scanner (as pen/pencil and your hand are still the best starting point).
The purpose of the list was just to tell you what kinds of things I use as resources in a given day. I guess when I look up at the list, I should add a million-ty-two websites, like bloglines.com, lifehack.org, most of your sites, etc. But let me put that in another post. Chew on this for a few.
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Videocast: Franklin Park Zoo
I just published a video of a trip to the Franklin Park Zoo up on Grasshopper Factory. It’s interesting for a few reasons. One, the footage of the gorillas is neat because they seem so wise and sentient (and so bummed out to be in a zoo). Two, I think it’s a nice thing to share with people who don’t have a zoo nearby, or who can’t get out to a zoo.
Let me know what you think.
You can see it HERE.
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Make Good Use of This Blog
Anonymous writes in and asks, How can I find everything you’ve written about related to a tag you’ve posted at the bottom of the article?
Well, lucky for you, this blog has a Blog Search feature. Go to this URL: http://chrisbrogan.blogspot.com (Tracy- this will keep the URLs native). At the upper left part of the page, next to the B logo and the word Blogger is a search box. Type in the search term of your dreams, and you’ll find every instance where I used that word or term.
I use this feature OFTEN to reference posts I’ve made in the past. It’s pretty useful to me.
Of course, once I get off Blogger, that won’t work, but I’ll share howto information at that point.
The reason I use those tags, in case you’re wondering, is that they allow people using the popular blog searching tool, Technorati, to find information related to the tags. That way, if someone’s looking on Technorati for things pertaining to business, they can find posts I’ve written that I think relate to business. (This, for you bloggers, is also a great way to drive more traffic to the site.)
33% of my new website-only traffic comes from Technorati visitors. From there, it’s my goal to get folks to subscribe to my RSS feed.
So there. Was that helpful?
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