Flight's Blog
This exquisite Hollywood Hills house is on the market for $4.95 million. This LA classic estate architecture incorporates elements of the city lights into its ultra-modern details. Designed with different materials that range from stone to wood and concrete, its architects have created a nearly flawless modern structure. The state-of-the-art lighting reflects itself in just the right amount to create an astonishingly open space for the outside world to blend in with the interior. The home also features stone wall accents, high windows, modern Italian kitchens, marble bathrooms, spectacular Los Angeles views from every angle of the house, and absolute privacy. I think I am in love! One of the sitting areas features wall-to-wall glass to create an impression of being suspended in the sky. And the pool area, with its infinity pool, cascading water wall and breathtaking views, is to die for. http://creationblue.blogspot.com/
Swiss artist Daniele Buetti prefers to work with multimedia, and these powerful images are a good example of her thought-provoking work which often involves glamorous models, celebrities, photography and scarring. These women have all been under the scar treatment of luxury brand names. Are they scarred, tattooed or earmarked by these famous luxury perfume brands? It makes you wonder what is going on, which is part of the artist’s intention. Daniele Buetti lives in Berlin and Zurich and has been widely exhibited with her Photoshopped artwork since the mid 80s. Her art plays on gender, identity and consumerism. http://blue2design.blogspot.com/2009/04/luxury-brand-scarring-fashion.html
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I just wanted to let everyone know that I do not consider myself to be an expert on the topic of social networking or social marketing. This Hub is based solely upon my own experiences with using a wide variety of applications and platforms. The opinions and advice contained herein were formed as a result of my own acts of trial and error, my countless hours of reading, and simply from watching how other people did things. Another thing I'd like to note is that, due to the nature of each "beast", I tend to think that social networking and social marketing go hand-in-hand (for the most part). Introduction
I think it is safe to say that there is absolutely no shortage whatsoever with regard to the available options when it comes to social networking and social marketing. It seems like everyone who has access to a computer also has a Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter account these days. Heck, most people even have accounts for all three services (and then some).
While a majority of the people out there use these types of services for their own personal reasons, there's no question that more and more businesses today, both large and small, are using these platforms to expand their reach and spread brand awareness, despite what some people may say.
Yes, believe it or not, there are naysayers out there who believe that businesses should not get involved with social networking websites in any capacity. Why? The most common reason seems to be that there's no perceptible ROI involved with doing so. Another common reason is that social networking websites can tend to be "immature".
Do I agree? Yes and no. I can definitely see both sides of the coin as far as this debate is concerned. However, just like with any other approach you may take to drum up business or build professional relationships, there are numerous factors that need to be taken into consideration prior to embarking, or not embarking, on the social networking journey. Some Factors to Consider
1. Do you have the time?
Maintaining a social network account to ensure that it is always up-to-date takes time. In fact, it can take a lot of time, especially if you have more than one account. If you're already wondering how you're going to get this or that done as a result of a lack of time, then you probably don't want to mess around with social networking right now. On the other hand, if you have someone who is willing to take on the role of "Social Networking Guru" for you, then I would definitely consider that option if I were you.
2. Can you add something of value?
Now, I'm not talking about a valuable product or service -- after all, we all know that your product or service is the best in the world -- what I'm talking about here is the value that you can add to the community. Do you have information or resources you can share that may help someone else? Remember, relationships of any kind are a two-way street. You need to give in order to receive. If you don't feel like you can offer any value, I'd advise you not to jump into the social networking arena until you can; otherwise, the only thing you're going to end up doing is wasting your time and possibly hurting your company's reputation.
3. What's the size of your niche?
Social networking platforms can undoubtedly be brilliant venues for certain types of companies, but let's face it ... your particular niche just may not translate very well. If you offer a product or service that has been cemented into a micro-niche, especially a local one, there's honestly not very many directions you can take. Does this mean that social networking may be an exercise in futility for you and your company? Not necessarily. A lot of your success really depends on what you expect to get out of the whole social networking experience
4. What do you hope to accomplish?
Let me break the bad news to you right now -- you will not get rich overnight (or even in a few months or years, for that matter), you will not suddenly have more customers than you know what to do with, and you will not become the most popular person around. Yes, there are exceptions, but they are few and far between. With that being said, you have got to make sure that your goals are realistic. If you are unable to establish realistic goals for yourself and your company, you might as well shut it down right now, because unrealistic goals aren't going to get you very far.
Closing
As I mentioned before, social networking and social marketing can be amazing tools if they are used properly. Just like with traditional networking and marketing, you have to be smart about your execution, or else you're going to fall flat on your face. You've also got to keep in mind that social networking and social marketing should be parts of the whole-- in other words, they should be treated as branches, or extensions, of your traditional networking and marketing plan(s).
Useful Links - Ryze
A free business networking website. - Facebook
Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. - MySpace
See what’s happening on MySpace! Find friends & classmates, meet new people, listen to free music & build playlists, share photos, watch videos, start a blog, read celebrity news, get cool apps, free IM & more ... - LinkedIn
LinkedIn strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts. LinkedIn is a networking tool that helps you discover inside connections to recommended job candidates, industry experts and business partners. - Twitter
A website dedicated to micro-blogging. - Digg
Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. From the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog, Digg surfaces the best stuff as voted on by our users. - Biznik
Grow your business faster and more profitably with Biznik, the local, independent business networking community where collaboration beats competition. - Entrepreneur Connect
You can use this network to connect to service providers, suppliers, advisors and colleagues. Just like LinkedIn and Facebook, there are professional groups that you can join or create.
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In the 60’s, the visual art movement known as pop art changed the face of fine arts. The movement continues taking new forms, blending with new technology as time passes. There are many photorealism artists, but Diego Gravinese is a new member of The Factory. With his technical brilliance in photorealism, he is able to perfectly executes photo transformation onto the canvas. And just like Warhol in the 60’s became popular and controversial due to his silkscreen method, so too has photorealism become Diego Gravinese’s source of buzz. To some, replication of photographs can not be considered art, but through centuries we’ve seen that wherever debate has existed, therein also lay a new art form. Gravinese’s paintings are an artistic movement of the new century, merging technology, commercialism and a brilliant idea with exceptional technical skills. Check out some of his work in the gallery. http://www.diegogravinese.com/
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When starting a business, don't go in under-capitalized. Business does not run on hopes, dreams, or optimism; it runs on money.
Do your research. Who will your customers be? Where are they going to come from? How will they get your product or service? What will make them buy from you and not the place down the street?
You may think at the outset that you are going into business to be your own boss, to have more free time, or to keep your own hours, however the reality of being in your own business is that you will have a complete bastard for a boss and you will work harder than ever did before. You will be your own cheap labor, and you will move your business forward, particularly in the beginning, through self-exploitation.
Be cautious. Try to have a ‘Plan B' and an exit strategy. A large percentage of small businesses fail.
Customer Service
Always be professional and polite. Never get angry.
One of the advantages of having your own business is that you don't have one big boss, you have a lot of little bosses. If one of these little bosses fires you, well, that's not as bad as getting fired by one big boss. But if you notice that all these little bosses are getting together and deciding that you just aren't worth the aggravation, you might consider a change in attitude.
The old saying, ‘if you do not service your customers your competition will' holds true. Always be ready to go the distance for your customer. Often a transaction that seems small and insignificant and maybe even annoying can be your introduction to a new client that ends up doing a lot of business because you helped them out. Every interaction with a customer is a chance to sell yourself to that customer.
Do what you say you are going to do. If you say you're going to call a person back, call them back. If you say you're going to email, email. If you say you are going to sell a product or service for a certain price, try to do so, even if you end up taking a loss. Doing things this way will differentiate you from your competition and cultivate that increasingly rare commodity, customer loyalty.
Bad news travels twice as fast and twice as far as good news. It will take you years to establish a good reputation, but only a few short weeks to destroy it.
Pricing
If you have too much work and are not making enough money, raise your prices.
When you raise your prices, your good customers will say that you deserve it and your customers that won't pay in less than sixty days will say goodbye. For this reason, reasonable price increases can be a win-win option for you.
If you don't charge enough money, your customers will think that your product or service is not good quality. Charge a price that is fair to you first and fair to the customer second.
The Government
Pay your taxes on time, every time, even if it means you eat pasta every single night for dinner and your kids have to wait a month for new shoes. You can't fight city hall. They have their own army and you don't. Also, their interest rates are not at all competitive so you want to make damn sure you NEVER owe them any money past the due date.
Professionals
You need a lawyer. You need an insurance agent. Unless you are in the financial industry, are rich or own a lot of property, you do not necessarily need to have an accountant. This brings us to our next topic.
Keeping the Books
You need to keep immaculate perfect records. You need to do this for self defense in the event of a tax audit, but more importantly you need to do it so that you have control of your business. Without accurate bookkeeping, it is impossible to control your business. Toward that end, investigate bookkeeping software. Quicken, Quickbooks and Peachtree all offer bookkeeping software packages for small business. However, the important thing is that you make sure that all income and expenses are documented religiously without fail, because bad books will kill a business.
The Frog in the Pot
This old metaphor has a frog in a pot of water. Put a fire under the pot, the frog will not notice as the water temp gradually increases, but will stay in there until he's cooked.
Know when to get out. Always be ready to cut your losses and bail out. Keep your emotions out of it. This is the exit strategy I mentioned earlier. It's just another business decision. Review your options and if you find that you have none, exit stage left. Don't get caught in the vortex and go down with the ship. http://blueinnovative.blogspot.com
http://blueinterview.blogspot.com
http://creationblue.blogspot.com
http://blue2trend.blogspot.com
http://blue2fashion.blogspot.com
http://blue2design.blogspot.com
The Joy of Business
Being in your own business is thrilling and liberating. When times are good, you ride high. Your work goes to no end but your own income (taxes and fees may apply). Just go in with your eyes, ears and mind open and keep them that way and you'll be fine.
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