Do Not Fear Failing or Doing New Things
I just came across an interesting interview with Google’s founder Larry page. The interview is about how to change the world. Sounds challenging huh? This guy actually did it, so he has credit to talk about it.
When asked about how to get more people actually thinking about and working on things that might end up changing the world, he answered:
There are a number of barriers in place. Let me give an example. In our first founders’ letter in 2004, we talked about the risk profile with respect to doing new innovations. We said we would do some things that would have only a 10% chance of making $1 billion over the long term. But we don’t put many people on those things; 90% work on everything else. So that’s not a big risk. And if you look at where many of our new features come from, it’s from these riskier investments.
Even when we started Google, we thought, “Oh, we might fail,” and we almost didn’t do it. The reason we started is that Stanford said, “You guys can come back and finish your Ph.D.s if you don’t succeed.” Probably that one decision caused Google to be created. It’s not clear we would have done it otherwise. We had all this internal risk we had just invented. It’s not that we were going to starve or not get jobs or not have a good life or whatever, but you have this fear of failing and of doing something new, which is very natural. In order to do stuff that matters, you need to overcome that.
This advice is good for pretty much anything you decide to carry on in your life. Blogging and online ventures are no exception. If you want to succeed on the web, you will need to let your fear of failure go away, and to try new and innovative things.
Partner: MakeUseOf.com Amazing Websites and Tools you Never Knew About
Comments Off
Do Not Fear Failing or Doing New Things
I just came across an interesting interview with Google’s founder Larry page. The interview is about how to change the world. Sounds challenging huh? This guy actually did it, so he has credit to talk about it.
When asked about how to get more people actually thinking about and working on things that might end up changing the world, he answered:
There are a number of barriers in place. Let me give an example. In our first founders’ letter in 2004, we talked about the risk profile with respect to doing new innovations. We said we would do some things that would have only a 10% chance of making $1 billion over the long term. But we don’t put many people on those things; 90% work on everything else. So that’s not a big risk. And if you look at where many of our new features come from, it’s from these riskier investments.
Even when we started Google, we thought, “Oh, we might fail,” and we almost didn’t do it. The reason we started is that Stanford said, “You guys can come back and finish your Ph.D.s if you don’t succeed.” Probably that one decision caused Google to be created. It’s not clear we would have done it otherwise. We had all this internal risk we had just invented. It’s not that we were going to starve or not get jobs or not have a good life or whatever, but you have this fear of failing and of doing something new, which is very natural. In order to do stuff that matters, you need to overcome that.
This advice is good for pretty much anything you decide to carry on in your life. Blogging and online ventures are no exception. If you want to succeed on the web, you will need to let your fear of failure go away, and to try new and innovative things.
Partner: MakeUseOf.com Amazing Websites and Tools you Never Knew About
Comments Off
Managing Your Reputation Online
Last Thursday I published an article titled Having an Opinion: The Secret Sauce for a Popular Blog. Today I want to talk about the other side of that coin.
As we discussed in that previous article, expressing one’s opinion clearly and strongly can be the secret to generating a lot of buzz and traffic. As you also know, on the Internet pretty much anyone can setup a website and publish his own content in a matter of minutes.
Put together those two ingredients and the result could be someone doing a lot of damage to your online reputation. In order words, the easier for people to express their opinions and to share those with a large number of people, the higher the important of managing your reputation online, and this point is valid for pretty much anyone using the web, from business entities to bloggers and individuals.
Not convinced this is important? Suppose you have just published an ebook or released a web service. After a couple of days one client gets really upset about the quality offered, and decides to write a chaotic review about it. Should some people link to his review, there is a great chance that his post will show up in the first page of Google for the name of your ebook or service, and now the damage is done. Potential clients that end up reading that bad review will stay clear from purchasing your product.
OK, how do I manage my online reputation though?
So how do you manage your online reputation? The most obvious way is to search on Google for your name, website name or product name frequently, making sure that nothing undesired is showing up there. You could also use online tools like Google Alerts to automate this process.
Sometime ago I also came across a related article from Andy Beal on Mashable titled “Ten Tactics That Could Save Your Online Reputation. Here are the final two points, which I think are particularly important:
9. Ostriches are not great role-models
If you find yourself facing a stampede of angry bloggers, with the mission of calling you out on your company’s foul, sticking your head in the sand does not make them go away. You might initially convince yourself that the problem will simply disappear and besides, what harm can a blogger do anyway? In all likelihood your denial will buy you just a day or two before your scandal makes it to the inbox of a New York Times journalist. Game over.
Instead, the moment you see any reputation attack you should take action. It might only need a comment from you in the blogger’s comments section, or it might require your own blog post or video, announcing what steps you’re taking to resolve the issue. The key is to respond quickly, address the situation, apologize if needed, and prevent it becoming the lead story in the evening news.
10. Three words to remember
I’ve written thousands of words on the topic of building a great online reputation, but I’ve managed to condense everything down to just three words for you to remember: sincerity, transparency, and consistency.
Sincerity means wanting to hear from your customers and the desire to truly provide a positive experience with your company. Transparency involves tearing down the walls of corporate rhetoric and PR spin–the more you share with your customers the more you’ll win their trust. Consistency is a vital component for any reputation management efforts. Your customers will forgive your isolated failure, but if you’re not consistently living-up to your brand promise, they’ll find a company that does.
If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know how important I think it is to be honest and 100% transparent, both online and offline.
Andy is also the author of Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online. If your business is highly connected with the web it could be a good idea to read it (it is on my wish list on Amazon already). By the way this is not an affiliate link, I am recommending the book because I actually know the quality of Andy’s work.
Partner: MakeUseOf.com Amazing Websites and Tools you Never Knew About
Comments Off
Embracing the Status of Part-Time Blogger: 5 Practical Tips
I’m sure you read a lot about pro blogging and what it takes to earn a full-time income from your blog. This is a common topic among active bloggers and there are plenty of great articles that cover various aspects of the subject. With the huge amount of focus that is given to becoming a pro blogger, I think that becoming a successful and profitable part-time blogger is often overlooked. Earning a reasonable amount of money on a part-time basis is actually more desirable than most people realize.
The Benefits of Part-Time Blogging:
Stability - As a part-time blogger you can still have the stability of a secure full-time income from another job. There’s no need to quit your day job and jump in right away in order to be successful (although some have done it). As a part-time blogger you have the luxury of earning some money and building your business without the risk that would come along with going full-time right away.
Less Pressure - As a part-time blogger with the stability of a full-time income, you won’t have the pressure to produce or to earn large sums of money from your blog. If you’re able to live off of your full-time income, the blog income is really just extra. If you have a down month when you don’t make as much as you would have hoped, it’s not that big of a deal.
Nice Supplementary Income - Although you don’t have the pressure to produce an income from your blog that can support your lifestyle, you do have the opportunity to earn a very good income from a blog part-time. In my opinion, one of the best reasons to blog part-time is that with a consistent and focused effort you can build an income that continues to grow, even with just a part-time effort. Yes, most blogs will max out at some point on just part-time efforts, but it is typical that most dedicated part-time bloggers find their income increasing. At some point this supplementary income may be enough to consider giving up the day job and becoming a pro blogger, or you may choose to just continue part-time and enjoy the extra income.
Allows for Re-Investment - Blogging to make money is a business like any other. Part of being in business is willingness to spend money and invest in the business. Most bloggers are hesitant to spend any money at all and are always looking for free options. While being careful with your money is a positive attribute, having a willingness to re-invest some or all of your blogging income will give you a better chance of making more in the long run. Part-time bloggers have a much greater ability to re-invest their earnings because in most cases they don’t rely on that income for necessary living expenses.
Pro blogging isn’t for everyone, yet that’s not what you might be led to believe based on the amount of information that is written on the subject. It’s completely possible and achievable to dedicate part-time hours to a blog and build a decent income, and one that should continue to grow with time. If you’re a part-time blogger, which 99% of us are, why not embrace your status and recognize the benefits and opportunities that are involved.
Some Tips for Part-Time Bloggers:
1. Have a Plan - Especially for part-time bloggers, having direction is critical. Do you want to eventually earn a full-time income from your blog? Are you happy just to earn a part-time income? Of course your plan can change over time, but it is important to have a plan of where you want to go with your blog and what you need to do to get there.
2. Use a Schedule - With fewer hours available to spend on your blog, you’ll need to be as efficient as possible. In order to achieve maximum efficiency you will need to schedule your time to assure that you’re working on things that will produce results, rather than just wasting time surfing.
3. Don’t Spread Yourself too Thin - Many of us face the challenge of directing our efforts in the right areas. You probably have ideas for several new blogs you’d like to start or other online methods of making money. Avoid the temptation to take on too much at one time. You’ll have better results, especially with limited time, by focusing your efforts and building a successful blog before adding anything new. Be realistic with yourself about what you can handle and what you simply don’t have time for.
4. Approach Part-Time Blogging as Asset Building - Having a part-time job isn’t always fun. Many times there are other things you would rather do with your free time away from your full-time job. Part-time blogging is really all about building an asset. We’ve seen from the blogs that have been sold in the past that part-time blogging truly is asset building. Whether you want to eventually sell the blog or keep it, the blog is still an asset to you. When you look at your blogging efforts as asset building you’ll see more of the long-term benefits and payoffs and you’ll focus less on the hours that you’re losing for other activities.
5. Re-Evaluate Your Goals from Time-to-Time - Most likely when you first started your blog you had some goals that were slightly different than they are now. That’s a natural occurrence. As you learn about what’s involved with running a profitable blog and about the opportunities that exist, you may change your mind in some way about the direction that you want to take. It’s a good idea to occasionally sit down and evaluate why you are dedicating your time to blogging and where you are hoping to go with it. If your motivation has changed, don’t be afraid to make changes in your approach.
What Are Your Thoughts?
Are you a part-time blogger? How do you see the opportunity for earning a part-time income and where do you hope to go in the future?
Partner: MakeUseOf.com Amazing Websites and Tools you Never Knew About
Comments Off
Customer Support is Key
This should be a no-brainer, I know. Unfortunately it is not. It is incredible the amount of large and reputable companies out there that have poor customer support.
A couple of weeks ago I was purchasing a domain name via a renowned company. I made the payment (it was over $1,000), received confirmation of the payment, and then I was left waiting for the transfer process to begin. I started the transaction on Saturday, so I knew that perhaps they would not be working on the weekend (although they should; this is the Internet!).
Monday and Tuesday passed, and still I had not heard back from them. At this point you can imagine that I was starting to feel uneasy. Not because I was fearing they would fail to deliver the domain, but because I really needed to have control over it as soon as possible to start building the website.
I then wrote an email to the manager that was responsible for my transaction, asking if he had any updates. Sometimes you don’t even expect that they fix the problem immediately, but you want to know what they are doing to solve it, what information and previsions they have and so on. That was my case.
I would be happy as long as he promptly emailed me back saying: “We’re working on it, it should require another day or two.”
But that did not happen. He just replied to my email on the next day, after 30 hours or so.
I mean, are you kidding me? One of the largest domain dealers on the Internet takes 30 hours to reply to a customer’s email?
Needless to say that I was pretty unhappy with the overall experience, and I will think twice before purchasing another domain with them.
Now, remember that this point applies to virtually any company or business entity, including your websites, freelance business or blog. Your readers are your customers, after all. Take 30 hours to answer to their comments or emails and I am sure that they will think twice before coming back.
Partner: MakeUseOf.com Amazing Websites and Tools you Never Knew About
Comments Off
