I am at the Graphing Social Patterns West here in San Diego. I am not alone. The fact that I am here makes me part of a group that can be monetized. I have a CPM. I am a CPM. I will pay you for your CPM. All told if there is more than one of us talking, blogging, chatting or communicating about something we have as a common interest, we have value to advertisers and marketers. Okay, how can a company extract that value for its own benefit? Ahhh there’s the rub. Here are some suggestions:
1. Make an application easy to use
2. Keep it easy to use
3. Understand your user wants an intuitive application that is easy and entertaining
4. Keep it fun, even if its work related
5. Friction is the enemy
6. WOMA is only relevant if there is trust i.e. friends/colleagues
7. Everyone is part of a social network, they may just not be online
8. Brand is a challenge, but not insurmountable
9. Advertisers are looking for new channels, make them look smart
10. Give consumers and advertisers the right tools to connect
11. UGC is not just for pictures and blogs, it is for advertisers to recognize and capture
12. Advertisers are very smart, they recognize the complexity of multidimensional social networks
There are many challenges but there are ways to make money from social networking and web groups. Let’s not make it complex, this is where the old is the new new. Advertisers listen closely, we are here to help you succeed like never before.

I have been a fan of Sony Vaio laptops for ten years. They used to be thin, light, fast and filled with good apps. But, after ten years the affair is over. Sony customer service told me, in so many words, I am not a valued customer. My SZ230 had recurring power problems…and for $800 they would be happy to replace the motherboard. Even though this is a “known” issue with this particular model, they insist I pay $800+shipping to and fro, 30 days after the warranty expired. The gods were telling me something and it was time for a change anyways.

The Macbook Air has enough power and apps with a sleek form factor that I went and got one. Yay! I like my laptop again. It is all the things that Vaios used to be. The test of time will tell, but for now I have a laptop that isn’t heavy and burdened by XP or Vista…

I was worried that I would lose all my Microsoft productivity apps. But running Office for Mac seems to cover much of what i need. Plaxo synched my calendar and contacts. Basecamp HQ covers me in project management and Tasktime makes sure I account for my billable hours. So what do I miss about my Vaio laptop? Nothing yet… It took me all of a day to figure out all that I need to do on the Mac. Now it remains to be seen whether I am hindered by a small hard drive, but maybe by the time I notice a 200gb SSD will be affordable.

So, ask me in a year how I feel. But, as of an hour ago…I have a breath of fresh air at my fingertips.

I just got back from Venezuela and Ecuador. I was again reminded how easy it is for me to pack and get ready that I hardly blink when I need to travel in a moment’s notice. I make travel easy by having a “Ditch Bag” ready and packed with some essential tools. I grab the Ditch Bag for travel or sports including motorcycling, camping and hiking. Here are some bare essentials that I keep in my carryon Ditch Bag. (Keep in mind I am male!)

1. 2 - pairs of Ex Officio travel underwear and 1 pair quick dry swim shorts
2. 2 - Under Armour T shirts and/or 1 long sleeve shirt (poly not cotton)
3. 2 - pair black or dark crew socks (light/medium weight)
4. 1 - microfleece beanie
5. 1 - mini umbrella (under $5.00!)
6. 1 - pair flip flops
7. 1 - Petzl Zipka Plus Headlamp
8. 1 - climbing carabiners and 2 - non climbing mini carabiners
9. 25ft 6-8mm rope (1000+ lb static breaking strength)
10. Toiletries kit (toothbrush, floss, comb, bar of soap, medications, ear plugs, sleeping mask, deodorant, personal medications, eyecare kit)
11. Mini First Aid kit (augmented with Cipro/Levaquin, bamboo chopstick, duct tape and rubber gloves)
12. Japanese incense and matches
13. Light silk scarf in a solid color
14. Aloksak storage bags
15. Coolmax sleepsack
16. Zipties
17. Wedge style doorstop
18. 100% cotton bandana
19. Katadyn micropur water purification tablets
20. Package of unscented wipes like TimeOuts Sport Wipes
21. One unlocked SIM ready GSM world phone w/charger
22. Sunglasses
23. Copy of passport and affinity card numbers in a document
24. Personal business cards, 3×5 cards and pen
25. Gmail, Yahoo or other web email address (send copies of travel docs to this special purpose email address)

There may be other items to toss in this kit, just make sure they are essential, and if a burden disposable. If it is something you can buy where you are going, and it adds weight, reconsider the value of traveling too prepared vs. traveling light and smart.

While most of the things I have pre-packed are obvious in their purpose a few may need explanation. Here are my thoughts: Cotton takes too long to dry and I find colored poly undershirts cool enough or warm enough. Japanese stick incense, because you may get stuck in a musty or smelly room. Bandanas do so many things and require their own blog, but keeping one handy can be invaluable. Zipties can be used for securing keys, locking luggage, fixing broken bags and more. Rope can be a toy, a clothesline or in an emergency it a lifeline. To that end, know a few knots! Wipes are invaluable too, but Sport Wipes because they clean you up anywhere and everywhere you are and are big enough to handle tough jobs. Mini umbrellas so you can handle sun or torrential rain wherever you are.

So, this is my “Ditch Bag”, what’s in yours?

In my last article I talked about how to avoid asking and answering stupid questions.  This time I will go over a few simple tips in how to ask good questions.  Again, for this article we are just going to concentrate asking for help and information in the workplace.

Here are some tips to asking a good question/request in the office place:

• Ask explicit questions:  Open-ended questions are open ended time-sucks. People at your office will recognize this and if they are smart, will try to avoid wasting their time.  An explicit question allows the person you asking to put an upper bound on the time and energy needed to fulfill the request. It also gives them a finite target to focus their efforts.
• Show some effort:  If you are asking a question, show you that you took some time to try to figure it out yourself and are really at an impasse.  Before asking a question, go through the steps you took.  This also helps them avoid trying things you already tried.
• Ask the right person:  People will blow off questions that are inappropriately targeted in order to try to protect their communications channels from being drowned in irrelevance.
• Don’t overuse “It’s an emergency”: Your failure to plan does not constitute somebody else’s emergency.  This is true even if you are the boss, it just points out what a poor boss you are.  If you claim everything is an emergency when seeking help, it will diminish your returns when you are really in a bind.
• Be Nice:  Make it clear that you are truly thankful for people spending their time to help you with your issue.  Some common courtesy still goes a long way.

The workplace is a balancing act of personalities.  Although you may be friends with a lot of people at work, odds are that unless you own the company, you did not choose the people with which you work.  Because of this, you will need to change the way you interact with each person to maximize your effectiveness.  The above items are only guidelines.  In future postings I will delve deeper into dealing with different personalities.

We arrived in Venezuela a few days ago, and I can tell you that the people and culture here are resilient and full of energy. I attended a wedding that brought together people from the Netherlands, the U.S. and Venezuela. I talked to a lot of people last night and I have a few small observations. I learn a lot by listening. What amazes me is that the Venezuelans recognize that their leader is capable of making mistakes, yet they have their eyes set on what a bright future the country has despite the hiccups. Like many of my peers, I feel the same of the prospects for America. Venezuelans do not hate Americans, they merely misunderstand what is happening with American politics and why. I learned about their politics here, in one the oldest democracies in South America, and feel pretty good about having come here. The overall point is that through the lens of travel and exploration I learn of others. So, take heart that Venezuela welcomes Americans…leave your prejudices at home, pack your luggage with some light clothes and come to a warm and friendly land…where the President may do wacky things…but the people know the future is a brighter place. Oh, and bring a sense of adventure…there are a lot of things to see and do in this big country!!

A low relative value of the American dollar (I refuse to call it weak) has put American companies and American talent on the sales rack this Christmas. We can finally get out from under the idea that the USA is outsourcing its future. Instead the tables are turning and we are seeing foreign companies looking at America for bargains. Of course the hedge funds got all the good stuff, but Lufthansa’s bid for JetBlue is only the latest example. I can think of a dozen companies off the top of my head that are a fit for overseas buyers. Think old line revenue machines. Because once the dollar gets stronger, these foreign investors will get the revenue and the valuation growth compounded.

My other point is that our talent pool is superior to that of our foreign competitors. We have a spirit and productivity level that is hard to beat. Add in our education system and you can see how our talented engineers, scientists, managers and executives are selling at a bargain price. Except for the lack of being multi-lingual, we can add value to every organization we join. Try and get that from a freshly graduated overseas talent. Let’s watch as the buying spree heats up. I already see people here in Silicon Valley being courted by foreign owned companies…This Holiday Season, America is on sale…for a limited time only. And, who knows when the supply will run out.

There is such a thing as a “stupid question” and most likely, you probably have asked or have been asked one recently. Your ability to ask good questions not only helps find out what (you think) you want to know, but identifying and avoiding bad questions that people ask you can be a great time saver. Dumb questions are one of the biggest time sucks in one’s day.

For the purpose of this article, I am going to focus on questions in the work place. Asking questions is an art form and there are times and places for all sorts of questions to get what you want. A dumb question is asking the wrong type of question at the wrong time. Answering a dumb question is just as bad as asking one.

Here are some of the questions you want to avoid asking or answering:

• The Rhetorical Question - If you are trying to make a point, just make it. I have found that when I am doing public speaking, 90% of the questions are really just statements from people trying to prove how smart they think they are. If you are really trying to find something out, avoid this as you just upset the people you need to help you. On the positive side, these questions are easy to ignore if you are presented with one.
• The Lawyer Question – This is the question that sets up only one way to answer it, and is always a trap. It often takes the form of a yes or no question to something that does not have a yes or no answer. This may be fun if you are a lawyer, but otherwise, it is passive aggressive behavior. People asking you these types of questions are just looking for an argument. You can avoid falling into these traps by stating you don’t know the answer to”that” question, but then ask your own properly phrased question with the answer you want to give.
• The CEO Question - This is where a question is asked that is irrelevant to what is really needed. Often asked by the CEO who asks something that is interesting for them to know, but doesn’t help them at all. I frequently run into this in my management consulting jobs. The executive management will ask for numbers and statistics for some aspect of their business, but when I ask them what they will do if I provide that information to them and they have that deer in headlights look. If you are not going to do anything with the information for which you are asking, don’t ask it. You are wasting everybody’s time. If posed with one of these questions, look to clarify the end result sought before spending your time.
• The “You Could Figure It Out Yourself” Question - This would be asking questions you can probably answer yourself. Beyond short changing yourself, this often irritates people because you are in essence telling them that their time is worth less than your time. This seems to be a widespread problem where people want their information spoon fed and have given up using their own powers of deduction. I see this one in the workplace among peers more than any other type of question. If somebody asks you one of these types of questions, urge them to help solve the problem themselves by going through the resolution process you would take yourself. If you answer these questions on a regular basis, you put yourself in a position that encourages even more of these types of questions stripping you of your valuable time.
• The Ambiguous Question – Any question using undefined words or words whose intent is not understood has an outcome that is often doomed from the beginning. People asking ambiguous questions do so unknowingly because they already have the context needed to understand what they are asking. If presented with one of these questions, make sure you gather the background context if the question can be interpreted in more than one way.

Asking and answering dumb questions can be one of your greatest wastes of time. Learn to identify the above bad questions in the workplace and you can increase your efficiency three fold.

Next time, I will provide a list of tips for asking good questions that will not only get the things you seek, but will also get your coworkers willing and motivated to help you.

While cleaning up my garage, I was looking at 5 motorcycles sitting there waiting for a ride. I realized that I have been riding for 20+ years. My best investment is the best protective equipment, which has saved me countless times. One of the things I get from motorcycling is a sense of balance, awareness and a feeling of accomplishment. Oddly I am not a steadfast advocate of motorcycling. In fact, I really push back on people who want to learn to ride. I have known several people who have been hurt or killed riding. What I really want to encourage is that people learn to ride from experts on a track or area away from cars and other hazards. One of my good friends (B2) wants to learn to ride. My friend (DM) and I, with 40+ years riding experience between us, are going to take her and show her some simple skills and drills. The problem is that she just wants to get out and ride, and in my experience that is a recipe for getting hurt. We are insisting that she can ride only after she masters a few simple skills. Now put on all the proper gear: Helmet, gloves, eye protection, pads, leathers etc. Here is a list of these static skills that she will have to master before the bike rolls one inch. The bike is not running, but you are on the bike.

1. Learn how the clutch works and where the friction points are
2. Learn how to use the clutch for power and safety
3. Learn how to use the throttle for power and braking
4. Learn where the front and rear brake controls are and how to use them
5. Proper foot placement on the pegs – use the balls of your feet
6. Balance skill**
7. How to get the bike in neutral gear
8. Learn how to shift – pattern up and down
9. How to manage the throttle AND the brake
10. Ass placement – where you sit is critical
11. Squeezing the tank with the knees for control
12. Steering with the pegs not the handlebars
13. No death grip – relax the hands and arms
14. Standing for obstacles – getting up and down smoothly
15. Heads up! – Look where you want to go, not at what you want to avoid!
16. Heads up! – Look through the turns and pick your path 30M ahead!
17. How to start the bike – cold start, hot start, flooded engine
18. How to pick up a fallen bike without getting burned or straining
19. How to drop a bike and stay clear of injury
20. Always remember the kickstand or how to stand the bike!

These all things that everyone can practice whether they are a rookie or a professional. You can practice through these without even starting a bike, and if you don’t have your own bike you can borrow a friend’s. So before you get too excited learn these skills, learn them from a professional, master them and build up your confidence and competence. They may not protect you from injury or death, but they will give you an edge in a wonderful and exciting sport…with a lifetime of learning ahead. Happy Riding!

**Balance skill – with the bike off the kickstand, turn the handlebars all the way left or right and firmly apply the front brake, but only lightly put any pressure on the handlebars. Now smoothly get yourself up on both pegs and stand with your ass a few inches off the seat. Try and balance yourself nicely by making tiny pressure adjustments to the pegs (balls of your feet). Be sure to put a foot down when the bike starts to fall! Repeat. Do this drill for 30 mins a day for a week. I dare you! Try and balance the bike for 3 sec, 10 sec, up to a minute. Enjoy!

I can fly right through a speech or blog with the right topic. The other day someone asked me how I come up with great speech and blog topics. I told them that the blogs that interest me are often the topics that stimulate my thinking and actions. So writing about these same topics may only help me, but they are often a dilution or restatement of something I have read somewhere else. So, why regurgitate? What I have learned along the way is that coming up with topics to blog about can be rather easy. The harder part is filtering out the crap. Much like coming up with a topic for giving a speech for a conference or industry meeting, here is what I have been doing for years. I voraciously clip articles and topics of interest.

And, with the web this has just gotten a little more interesting. Certainly we can use Digg, technorati, or del.icio.us but something I ran across the other day that helps me clip and save is an add on for Firefox called Clipmarks. I have just started to use it, with a primary focus on my work, but I can already extend it into blogging and hobby. One tip, is set up folders called “Collections”…for business I used folders named Technology, Strategy, Operations, Finance, Marketing, and Legal.

That said, Clipmarking article ideas will continually build up my blog and speech quiver. Of my clipping here is a short list of ideas for speeches, blogs, podcasts and articles:

1. Write on blogging and what it means to you
2. Describe your observations of everyday business actions that you think are successful
3. Write about what everyday actions make you a better person
4. Write about an interesting technology and how it makes you better
5. Write about your travels and observations
6. Write about tools and tricks that make you happier or more efficient
7. Tell a humorous story
8. Tell about how you overcame a challenge
9. Counter someone else’s blog posting
10. Tell about how your favorite literary character or author has had an impact on you
11. Tell about a quote and what it means to you
12. Come up with a list of tools or ideas that someone else might find valuable
13. Describe a life changing experience
14. Share your work or life skills and expertise
15. Write about web 2.0 tricks and tools
16. Describe your passions and how you are an artist at what you do
17. Write about someone who inspired you and how they inspired you
18. Write about something obscure or obtuse
19. Write about an “AHA” moment or some news flash soon after it happened
20. Write something that has timeless appeal and lasting value
21. Write several things that have a short shelf life and are perishable
22. Write using different experimental writing styles
23. Write about something you have spent time researching
24. Describe how you came across an obscure tidbit or kernel of insight
25. Describe your thoughts about this blog (share linklove!)

So here are 25 ideas to get you started. If you find any value in them, please let me know. Only if I know there is some value here I am pretty sure I can come up with 25-100 more ideas.

I am in the people business. I enjoy building and running winning teams of people. What amazes me is the number of people who have wanted me to hire them that show up for work/life unprepared. Of course, they have a pretty resume and all sorts of credentials. Their references are seemingly impeccable. Oh they make it through the HR and hiring manager with flying colors, and everything looks great. I ask them into my office or meet them in an interview room. They are groomed and seem eager to help our company grow. They tell me about themselves and I confirm that these are some pretty good candidates for high paying jobs. Everything is going fine until I ask a simple question: What are your goals in life?

Okay now I am talking to you Mr./Ms. Hotshot coder, engineer, BizDev, marketing, sales wonk! How can you expect me to hire you when you have no clear goals? Don’t tell me you don’t have any or that they are in you head. Give me that answer and you have failed the interview. The company has a business plan chock full of goals, timelines, and objectives and a map of the tasks needed to achieve corporate goals. Why would I want to hire someone who wants me to set out their primary goals for them? I want people to have goals so I can help them achieve those goals…through a paycheck, through a work culture, through supporting their personal lives! Then they in turn will help the company achieve its goals. Simple and straight. So, before your next interview, before you close this blog, jot down your goals and know why you are working, and what you are working toward. Heck I even have a nice little goal outline to get you started. (I will continue to build up better goal management tools, so stay posted). Enjoy!