Send Snail Mail Via the Internet with ePostIt and SnailMailr

On August 26, 2009

Send Snail Mail Via the Internet with ePostIt and SnailMailr

The world revolves around e-mail, right? It certainly seems that way -- right up to the moment you encounter a client who is firmly in the Stone Age and requires stuff to be sent via the good old US Postal Service. For times like that, it might be easier to send postal mail using the Internet than breaking out stamps and envelopes yourself. Intrigued? Here are two ways to let the Internet send your old-school paper-and-pen mail for you: ePostIt is a bare-bones service that lets you write a short message and mail it for free. That's right, it doesn't cost a penny. ePostIt can send your text-based message and up to four digital images to addresses in the US,...
On August 26, 2009

Multitasking: You’re Doing it Wrong

Maybe you're reading this blog while simultaneously g-chatting with a colleague, absentmindedly scrolling through the headlines online and also occasionally noting down the odd idea for today's meeting. If you would proudly offer this as evidence that you are a Gen Y multitasking ninja, you may be deluding yourself suggests recent research out of Stanford University. A group of researchers there found: People who are regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information do not pay attention, control their memory or switch from one job to another as well as those who prefer to complete one task at a time. In a series of experiments, those that multitask regularly were found to be less able to screen out irrelevant information,...
On August 26, 2009

Stanford Prof: Why You Need a Communications Strategy

J.D. Schramm of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (GSB) helps students develop their verbal and written communications skills in several very hands-on course offerings. In an era of texts and Tweets, he believes that strong communications skills can give individuals a leg up in their careers and that great communications should be used for strategic advantage by more companies.  He also delivered the most organized answers this reporter has had the pleasure of transcribing. BNET: What do you try to emphasize in the communications courses at the Stanford GSB? Schramm: Our flagship course is Strategic Communications, which is a full quarter-long class. About 80 percent is presentation skills and 20 percent is business writing. We look at how we...
On August 26, 2009

Beware of Breaching Unwritten Contracts

Companies looking to cut costs and avoid layoffs can sometimes risk a serious backlash from staff. I've seen firms implement pay freezes, introduce flexible work practices, and make big alterations to their pension plans. The more radical are even talking about lending staff to competitors. These types of change can be difficult to put in place. Firms have to plan carefully and consider how any change may affect compliance with the law. Changes like these often breach contractual terms and conditions of employment or agreements made with trade unions. Consequently they need careful thought, communication and often consultation and collaboration with staff to enable successful implementation. There have been some notable exceptions of management failure, such as British Airways' very public...
On August 26, 2009

Manufacturers: Be Sure Your Product Information is Consumer Ready Webinar Recap

Linda’s note: Sally McKenzie was gracious enough to not only present our webinar this month, but also to provide this post — an “excerpt” of the presentation (please view the webinar replay for the full meal deal). For more ecommerce expertise from Sally, you can check out her Ecommerce Consulting Blog or follow her on [...]
On August 26, 2009

The Difference Between Compliance and Security

With a seemingly endless supply of expert consultants and solutions on the market, many IT departments in critical infrastructure industries have made significant inroads in the past few years into becoming compliant, striking a balance between rigorous attention to regulatory chapter and verse, while still making time to support the critical projects and initiatives that keep the organization operating.
On August 26, 2009

Apple Floats, but Will It Fly?

Take a look at your favorite online stock tracker site and check out the year's activity for Apple, starting at the beginning of August last year. Then compare that with Tuesday's closing price. On Aug. 8, 2008, Apple's closing price was $169.55. At Tuesday's close, it was $169.40. After a year of new gadgets and a stock market crash, the per-share loss is 15 cents.
On August 26, 2009

Customer Experience and the Magna Carta

Last week I was doing some research for a speech, and I remembered something from a weekend stint at a cooking school that I decided to run down. I was trying to make a point about customer experience when it occurred to me that the idea has ancient roots. Hospitality law is a body of law that deals with the hotel and restaurant industry.
On August 26, 2009

Government Failing Small Business?

The U.S. Government awards a great deal of contracts each year worth a lot of money. One of its goals is to award twenty-five percent of these contracts to small businesses. Now that does not mean that they will be prime contractors but they may also team with bigger companies to share in a large contract. That is one of the more common ways to meet this goal. On all contracts the prime must submit small business subcontracting plans and report on their progress in meeting their goals. This data is then tabulated and compared to the twenty-five percent goal. The Small Business Association (SBA) reported that in 2008 only twenty-one and a half percent of all contracts went to...
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