It's Terribly Tasteful

Emergent Behavior and Terribly Tasteful Blogging

The internet is a bright light still on the horizon for some of us, but we want to be part of it because it's the biggest conversation of all time. And we'd like to apply its momentum and possibilities to our businesses.

There are many ways to get there; some terribly expensive, some terribly tasteful. None work the way things did in the past because none of them existed in the past. This is emergent behavior, not predetermined. Let's move forward with that mindset.

Learn as much or as little as you want; it's practically free. That's kind of how it is with the Internet, and in particular Web 2.0, Google, Safari Bookshelf, Wikipedia, VTC Online University, Wordtracker and especially, blogs . Connections are more accessible and easier to find--even in the haystack--thanks to links, keywords, pings, tags, trackbacks, and tweaks (more about this to follow).

Do as much or as little as you like. We terribly tasteful entrepreneurs have a hard time deciding what to learn, what to do and what to pay others to do, because while creativity is boundless, resources are finite. Balance. Learn a little about what you don't know and it will be easier to determine what to keep and what to assign.

By the way, bring others along. What benefits everyone else benefits you. Giving and receiving are the same. You are remembered not for how much you make, but how much you give away. All the above.

My contribution is this: you can be creative and productive and self-promoting without so having so many hands in your pocket. Put on your oxygen mask before you assist others. That's terribly tasteful!

    The print is 11x14 inches. It is a Trompe L'oeil Giclee. The artwork is prepared from a photograph, then the decorative mat effect is applied and the resulting piece is printed on fine art paper. Price includes shipping to continental U.S. Email for worldwide shipping info.

L Words

HTML, OMPL, XHTML, PERL, SGML...

There are a lot of hands in our pockets because we don't know the "L words". Why not? Maybe it's because we have a Life. And Love. And Laundry! To me, it's the same a carburetors, brake pads and that little "check engine" light that periodically makes an appearance on my dashboard. We pay because we don't know. And we are at risk. And we think we need something that, if we don't get it, we will Lose.

Lose what????!!!!!!!

There's another way, and it's terribly tasteful! I hope you'll stay with me on this adventure because I want to be a myth-buster for small entrepreneurs who think they have to spend thousands of dollars and hours to be present on the internet for little or no ROI. If you don't know what that acronym means, it's time to talk with your banker!

Let Morgan Stanley and Pottery Barn spend thousands on their internet presence. They have it. Our terribly tasteful presence, can be just as powerful. On our budgets, terribly lean as they are.

The print is 11x14 inches. It is a Trompe L'oeil Giclee. The lilies are painted from a photograph, then the French mat effect is applied and the resulting piece is printed on fine art paper. Price includes shipping to continental U.S. Email for worldwide shipping info.

Fishbowl Strategy

Have you ever noticed that if people see a fishbowl or ballot box or any other kind of container that already has business cards in it, they will toss theirs in without even knowing why?

What's beside your fishbowl? A generous stack of blank business cards on a terribly tasteful plate with a pen for those with CDD (card deficit disorder). And I don't know if you've noticed, but there isn't a pen shortage any more. A terribly tasteful note beside the blank cards that says, "Your name and email are more than enough, and we promise to keep it to ourselves."

And where is your fishbowl? One by the register for those who purchase. One by the door for those who don't. And in either event, if they don't take the bait, you cheerfully say, "Do drop in your business card; you might win this week! And be sure to include your email." Should they ask what they might win--which they probably won't--you pick up the nearest piece of merchandise and say, "This beautiful __________!" Then, of course, then you have to give something away; we do have scruples after all. I can help you with that.

Of course we do all this in a terribly tasteful way. From Tiffany to Target and Buzz Blodgett to Bed Bath & Beyond Because we are all... well, you know--tasteful!

 

P.S. If you have a speaking engagement, don't forget your fishbowl.