Archive for October, 2009:
BBC Transparency
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
I recently applied for a job producing one of the BBC’s leading drama productions. It is a series that I have worked on and been connected to ever since it began. I have 20 years of the right experience and as objective as I can be, I thought I’d have a pretty good chance.
I came 2nd. Nobody remembers who comes 2nd right? Normally this wouldn’t have bothered me at all. I have been a freelance filmmaker all my life and have grown totally impervious to the endless rejections, but this one got under my skin.
the guy that was appointed had already done the job for the last year. He was a safe bet, neither exciting or a risk. A nice comfortable pair of slippers that the exec producers could slip on with any wrinkles. Of course, he was going to get the job long before interview day. He was a shoe in. Nothing wrong with that; I’ve appointed people I know many times, but at least I didn’t waste anyone’s time advertsining for a job that didn’t really exist.
The BBC is obsessed with marketing itself as transparent and open to scrutiny. The playing field is supposed to be level; equal opportunity for internal and external candidates alike. This is an absolute lie. Most BBC jobs have gone or have people lined up long before they ever hit the pages of Broadcast magazine.
In period where we all, filmmakers and viewers alike, wondered what happened to the great brave drama series of 20 years ago, it’s not difficult to see why. The BBC takes the path of least resistance in all its staffing terrified that anything or anyone might stand out. Ok as a philosophy if you are a bank, but totally unacceptable if your business is producing original thought provoking programming. This comes from people with something to say not those who know how to say nothing.
What Is A Blog?
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of Top-Web-Entrepeneurs-Plan-It.com:
What is a blog? It is often considered an easy path to fame and fortune on the Web. Is it? Find out here, once and for all.
Entrepreneurship Blogs
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of Top-Web-Entrepeneurs-Plan-It.com:
Looking for entrepreneurship blogs? Allow me to suggest two that I consider essential to top Web entrepreneurs and those who aspire to become one!
Investment Types for Retirees
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
Remember when you used to get a paycheck every Friday or on the 15th and 30th of each month? That was income you could count on. That was security. Well, the days of a steady paycheck are largely behind you. Now that you’re retired, you have to arrange your own income. It may come from more than one source. It may be paid at irregular intervals. It may be larger some months than others. But if you set things up correctly, you’ll have a stream of income you can count on to pay your bills and meet your needs.
Now that you’ve retired, your income may come in several different forms. You may get returns on your personal savings. You may receive a pension or be able to take withdrawals from retirement accounts. You may be receiving (or entitled to receive) Social Security benefits. Each source, standing alone, may not seem like a whole lot of income. But put them together, and you may be surprised at how large your monthly income really is.
All those years you saved and saved, and for what? A rainy day. Well, here’s that rainy day. Now you can begin to use your savings to give you retirement income. Instead of putting money into these investments, you can begin to take money out of these investments.
- Bond mutual funds – Interest
- Certificates of deposit (CDs) – Interest
- Commercial annuities – Income
- Common stock – Dividends
- Corporate bonds – Interest
- EE bonds – Interest (free from state tax)
- 401(k) plans – Income
- Money market funds – Dividends
- Municipal bonds – Interest (tax free)
- Pensions – Income
- Preferred stock – Dividends
- Real estate investment trusts (REITs) – Dividends and/or capital gains
- Regular IRAs – Income
- Roth IRAs – Tax free if withdrawals taken 5 years
- After initial contribution and on
- Account of being 59½ or meeting
- Other conditions
- Savings accountsInterest
- Stock mutual fundsDividends and/or capital gains
You don’t get any income (or capital gains) when you’re only getting back what you put in (called your basis or investment). So, for example, when you buy a commercial annuity, the only part that’s income is over and above what you put in. Each annuity payment, then, represents a return of your own investment and income earned on the investment; you’re taxed only on the income, not on your own investment.
In terms of what you have to spend, it doesn’t really matter whether the income is labeled interest, dividends, or something else. However, it’s important to know the label because this affects the tax treatment of the income. In the end, it’s after-tax income (what you have left to spend after you’ve paid your taxes on the income) that matters.
For example, you live in New York and receive $1,000 interest from a GM bond and $1,000 interest from a NYS Triboro Bridge and Tunnel Authority. Are both payments equal? The answer is probably no. Let’s say you’re in the 28% federal income tax bracket. After paying tax on the GM bond, you’ll have $720; however, there’s no federal income tax on the NYS bond, so you’ll have the entire $1,000 to keep. But don’t also forget the impact of state taxes. States with an income tax typically levy it on out-of-state bonds but not on in-state bonds (in the preceding example, the NYS Triboro Bridge and Tunnel Authority bond was an in-state bond for a person living in New York). But state income tax applies to both in-state and out-of-state bonds in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. No state income tax applies to in-state and out-of-state bonds in Indiana, North Dakota (if the state’s short form is used), and Utah.
In addition to income on your savings, you can generate payments by using up your capital. For example, suppose that you’ve saved $50,000 that you’ve invested in CDs. As they become due, you can use some of the cash rather than buy new CDs (you can always tap into your CD before it matures, but you’ll pay a bank penalty). You can spend this cash as retirement income.
The Failings of Men: What Recent High-Profile Sex Scandals Can Teach All Managers
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
ESPN’s firing of its lead baseball analyst Steve Phillips over his affair with a 22 year-old production assistant is just another in a litany of high-profile sports and media stars getting in trouble over their sexual indiscretions. At ESPN, there have been other allegations involving several of its most prominent on-air personalities. Yet, there is a wider roll call of shame that includes such sports luminaries as coach Rick Pitino, Kobe Bryant, and a whole host of players from the Minnesota Vikings in what was dubbed the “Love Boat” scandal. Lest you think this is a U.S. problem, recent sex scandals have involved sports icons across the globe, including Formula One boss Max Mosley, soccer star Ronaldo, and star rugby player Matthew Johns. And of course, the media world is still digesting the David Letterman sex scandals and alleged blackmail attempt, and the political sphere is still grappling with South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and his “hiking the Appalachian Trail” with his South American “soul mate.”
What “lessons learned” should executives take away from these scandals and the negative media attention that they cast on both their organizations and their most prized talent? The first is that organizations must have active sexual harassment training and policies in place. It’s 2009, and the importance of both simply cannot be overstated. Second, there has to be clear communication that no matter what the environment and who is involved, there will be zero tolerance of sexual harassment. Indeed, some analysts have criticized CBS for not taking stronger action against David Letterman, due to the fact that while one sports announcer or analyst can be replaced, a “franchise” personality such as his cannot be nearly as easily. So, do you have a “too big to fail” standard – or double-standard-in your organization? Finally, one must look around your own organization and ask a simple question: “How well do you REALLY know what’s going on?” Workplace romances are a reality today. However, relationships between superiors and subordinates are a dicey proposition at best – and still, even in this day and age, inadvisable. You should ask – as ESPN and other companies are undoubtedly doing today in the wake of such prominent cases and the attention they cast on the thin – and often fast-moving and blurry lines between mutual consenting adults and sexual harassment – if there are cultural issues that your company or organization needs to seriously address.
As we have seen, lives, careers, and corporate images can take a severe beating in our 24/7/365 media culture when such negative stories come to light – as they almost invariably will do in the age of participatory journalism. Thus, as you read this, ask yourself a simple question: “Do you really know what’s going on?” If not, the legal, financial, and image implications may be costly and irreparable.
Online Visibility Tip: Usernamecheck.com Protects You
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
Protect your online identity and reputation by locking in your preferred username on as many social networking sites as possible. Visit Usernamecheck.com to check if your preferred username is available, then set up accounts where you don’t yet have visibility. Many thanks to my colleague Rachna Jain who alerted me to this tactic. Watch the video to learn the second reason why doing this is important!
Stay tuned for the launch of my new Online Visibility Secrets program! Sign up for VIP early notification here.
Got a tip for boosting your online visibility? Share it here! I’ll pick a random tip on Saturday and send the winner a copy of Paul Chaney’s excellent new book The Digital Handshake!
Web 2.0 For Small Business Is Here!
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of Top-Web-Entrepeneurs-Plan-It.com:
My November newsletter is out a few days early this month because the news cannot wait!
The big news this month is that the power of Web 2.0 is no longer exclusively available to multi-million dollar Web entrepreneurs.
Web 2.0 business building power is now accessible to small business owners and … within existing budgets!
Small business is bigger than ever!
Read all about SBI! 2.0 with Web 2.0 capability here.
The Basics Of Internet Market Research
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
If you are going to have a successful internet business, then it is important that you know the basics of internet market research.
Internet marketing is any way that you seek to improve the awareness of your business in the online marketplace. It is common for a person to dive haphazardly into internet marketing programs without knowing their target audience, or even enough about their business.
This is what makes internet market research so important. By conducting this research you are better prepared to know who your target audience is as well as the best methods of reaching them.
Many companies find that the markets in which they serve are filled with customers, competitors, and continually changing marketing conditions.
Meeting the demands of these constantly changing market conditions is one of the most difficult aspects of marketing. It is because of this that market research is so important.
The same marketing techniques that work today are not guaranteed to work in the future. This marketing research can provide information on what the target market is going to look like in the future, and how to prepare for it.
Research is the process of gathering information in order to learn about something. Yes, that is a simple definition of something that is actually quite complicated. For the marketer, research is not simply for the purpose of learning, but is an extremely important ingredient in the decision making process.
Internet market research will give you a full picture of both what is occurring and what is about to occur in the marketplace.
When it is performed well it can let you know what the best choices are to be made. Marketing decisions are less risky when you have looked at all available options.
There are countless decisions to be made in business that are effected by marketing; these include: target markets, products, distribution, promotion, pricing, external factors, and others.
Each of these marketing segments will require research. It is important that you perform the correct research for each of these segments or you will be wasting your time.
Because marketing involves people, it is one of the social sciences. Social science is the study of people and how they react to different situations.
In marketing, you study people and how they react to different marketing campaigns. Many marketing research techniques, such as surveys for example, are in actuality scientific experiments.
Not all marketing research will require studies to be performed, but if these studies are not performed correctly then they are producing inaccurate results.
Of course, any research, no matter how well performed, has the ability to be wrong. It is because of this that you must undertake many different methods of research in order to produce the most accurate results.
Research reliability depends on making sure that the data gathering leads to accurate results. If you always make sure to conduct the proper Internet market research, you will find that your business will be much more profitable than if you had not.
Posterous Can Help Extend Your Online Visibility
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
A few days ago I shared the video below with some clients. You may benefit from it as well.
At <a href=”http://blogworldexpo.com” target=”_blank”>blogWorld and New Media Expo, I attended a presentation by Steve Rubel, a blogger I’ve been following since 2005. He recently declared <a href=”http://www.gordonwebbo.com/go/blogging”>blogging to be on it’s way out and is now “lifestreaming” exclusively on Posterous. I stick to my opinion that Posterous is a blog, simple, but a blog nonetheless.
Steve Rubel talked about how essential it is to be “ubiquitous” - you have to be everywhere you think your ideal client/customer/patient/reader etc. hangs out. Posterous gives you the ability to aggregate your content on one site and syndicate that content to multiple other “embassies.” It’s about being discoverable and visible. Here’s my take on Posterous (click here if you can’t see the video in your blog reader):
I like using Posterous for photos which get distributed to Flickr and Facebook simultaneously. Just one action for me to take to get my images in three different locations. My Posterous use is sporadic yet it does help extend my visibility online so I need to be more strategic about what I post there. Here’s <a href=”http://blogsquad.posterous.com/” target=”_blank”>my Posterous site.
How do you use Posterous?
Related post:
<a href=”http://www.biztipsblog.com/2009/10/posterous-and-pingfm-please-use-wisely.html” target=”_blank”>Posterous and Ping.fm: Please Use Wisely
5 Programs to Help You Boost Your Business
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
Based on where you’re currently focused on developing your business, there are many opportunities for you this week and next from both me and several colleagues I whole-heartedly endorse…
Wednesday, October 21, 10 am PT
I’ll be interviewed by Becky Cortino about business <a href=”http://www.gordonwebbo.com/go/blogging”>blogging on blogTalk Radio
<a href=”http://www.blogtalkradio.com/RedRiverWritersLive” target=”_blank”>Red River Writers Live blog Talk Radio
Wednesday, October 21, 12 pm PT
“How to Use Keywords, the Magic Magnets That Pull Consumers and Journalists to Your Press Releases”
Hosted by Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound
Registration details here.
October 19 – 23 (check sched for times)
David Frey’s Publicity Telesummit
9 Experts Talk About How to Use PR to Build Your business (no charge!)
My interview about <a href=”http://www.gordonwebbo.com/go/blogging”>blogging and PR is on Thursday, October 22 at 2 pm ET
Details and registration here.
Thursday, October 29, 10 am PT
Kathleen Gage presents a free teleseminar on how to create an Amazon bestseller campaign. This is the last time she’ll be offering this program. Since Kathleen has created and managed many super successful Amazon campaigns, she’s the gal to go to for this info.
Kathleen Gage also has an exceptional report on how to become a bestselling author.
Finally, if you’re looking for guidance on how to get better results with your business blog, I invite you to get my complementary 5 part video course on “How to Get the Best Out of Your blog.” Get the videos at <a href=”http://masterbusiness<a href=”http://www.gordonwebbo.com/go/blogging”>blogging.com” target=”_blank”>http://masterbusiness<a href=”http://www.gordonwebbo.com/go/blogging”>blogging.com
To your outrageous, amazing success!
