I received an absentee ballot in the mail the other day. Only one problem: I didn't request one. I used one in September for the local (non-presidential) primary, but planned on trekking to my polling site this time. I guess I'm voting early this year. Before...
I had a very revealing conversation with one of the officers on my condo board yesterday. Turns out that for the past year the board has been trying to restore a business focus to our operations. They've fired two poorly-performing vendors and read a third one the...
A lot of companies are enamored with social media and looking for new ways to interact with their customers. Comcast, for example, boasts about its Twitter presence. But what happens when you phone customer service? I shouldn't have to call the CEO's office in...
There are lots of people who know a lot more about business models, trends, and strategies than I do. That doesn't mean I don't want to learn. Here are four business blogs I really like: 1. Management IQ, which looks at management trends and what smart business...
I'm constantly amazed by how many of my communications brethren avoid the blogosphere with excuses like "my clients only care about traditional media" or "I don't have time for that." Well, you'll have plenty of time soon enough if you miss out on a business...
Check out this piece from the Jacksonville Business Journal on why small businesses should consider establishing a blog. The article offers several compelling reasons to blog: add new content to your Web site become recognized as an expert identify potental...
Check out my new Independent Thinking column: Just as not all bosses are great bosses, not all clients are equal. While there is a tendency among many independents and small consultancies to operate as though their next project might be their last, it's...
U.S. airlines, except for "Hallelujah" Southwest Airlines (congrats on the great ads), have so diluted their brands that the companies are becoming increasingly interchangeable. On my American Airlines flight to Dallas last week, the flight attendant went through a...
Google's new browser proves the power of the brand: it has received instant attention and was in short-order downloaded over one million times. Plus the blogosphere's been buzzing with a mix of browser reviews and discussions about Google's business strategy. But is...
Even without the economic downturn, most restaurants would be delighted to have a crowd for happy hour. Especially in the last week of August, when much of official Washington is either in Denver, bound for Minneapolis, or just taking advantage of the downtime...