Synergy in the Workplace
I recently came across an article that talked about creating balance and synergy at work. The author gave three steps that I thought were very helpful.
First, hire people that have well rounded personalities.
I think that well rounded individuals are more likely to be diverse, and diversity brings innovation.
Second, tap into employees talents.
If you tap the talents of your employees they will be happy and productive. If employees enjoy what they are doing they are likely to do their best work.
Third, balance your strengths.
If strengths are balanced you are likely to have more collaboration amongst employees.
I think that synergy in the workplace is essential to being successful. These three tips seem very simple, but I think implementing them can do great things for the workplace.
Social media must be legit, this week my mother and my 77 year old grandmother both set up facebook pages. It seems to me like the older generations are getting interested in knowing what the young people are into these days. I has been funny to hear my mom get excited about finding old friends that she hasn’t talked to in forever.
With the significantly increased number of “older” people getting facebook pages, it would seem that this would add another spectrum of companies that could start using facebook to advertise their products and services to the older generation.
Until recently I don’t think you would see many advertisements for canes and walkers on the side of your profile, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see in the near future, companies geared towards serving the elderly getting involved with social media. Pretty soon there will be an application that will allow you to order your meds and have them shipped straight to your door.
With social media it seems like there are hardly any boundaries these days, you think of a great idea and chances are you can make it happen.
Smart phones are the phone of the future. It is amazing how much information you can gather from such a small piece of equipment. The i-phone has gained great popularity from the public, and now other carriers are now releasing similar phones into the market. The phone itself isn’t way exciting but ability of the applications that run on these phones could change the way we live and carry out our everyday life.
For instance the Shop Savvy application could change the way that we shop. Comparison shopping just got a whole lot quicker. Instead of driving from store to store to find the cheapest price now all you have to do is scan a bar code. I think this technology will force prices down, because people will have easy access to the cheapest prices in town.
Another application that will be handy to have is WebMD. It’s pretty much like carrying a nurse in your pocket. Specific medical ads in and around this application have great potential.
The Audi Company has done something very creative and smart with their application, they have created a free game with multiple levels. This game gets people hooked and is a great way to advertise to people about their local Audi dealer.
I personally really like the idea of i-Stanford, an application that allows viewers to see a map of campus, location and times of the campus shuttle, university news, grades and other school information. The creators of i-Stanford are working with other college campuses throughout the country to develop a similar application for their school. I think that this is an awesome idea that students would really catch onto. Sound to me like it could be rather costly though.
I had never had a desire to purchase an i-phone but after learning about all the cool features that they have I expect to be in the market for one soon. At the beginning of this year there were over 15,000 applications, expect that number to increase dramatically in the near future.
As Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites continue to grow in popularity, many are beginning to wonder what they are worth, and how their worth can be tracked.
There are many ways to market a product or service on social media sites, some of which include banners, ads, widgets, and video, but how do you establish a dollar figure to the worth of these?
Researchers are trying to find out if people accept information differently when they get news from friends rather than getting it on line organically. I think that for me personally if I get information from friends I am much more likely to act on that information rather than if I had gotten it organically online.
New Technologies are making it easier now to track viral spreads. I like the idea that Razorfish has to track successive generations of users. I think that it is a great idea; I think that this idea will catch on real quickly if they can keep the costs down. Having this data will help companies to understand the effectiveness of free spread, which could save companies millions of dollars in advertising each year.
Social Influence Marketing is the marketing of the future. With facebook, i-phones and other technology news is traveling faster than ever before and is getting to more people than ever before.
I think there is a lot of money to be made in social influence marketing. I think that once it is understood more clearly, companies start using it to benefit themselves.
The Dallas Mavericks signed all-star point guard Jason Kidd to a 3 year $25 million dollar contract this offseason, but how much will it benefit the Mavs?
At 37 years old the Mavericks might be making a risky move by signing the aging point guard. Since signing with the Mavericks in 2007 Kidd’s assists per game and points per game have both gone down. Last season Kidd had a career low for points per game and his second lowest assists per game average ever.
Kidd will most likely be ending his career right where he started it back in 1994 but not at the same level as he began. As a rookie in Dallas, Kidd was named NBA Co-Rookie of the year with Grant Hill. Since then he has been a nine time all-star, led the league in assists per game five times, and has been selected as an all-NBA 1st team player five seasons.
Kidd will be a solid starter for the Mavericks next season, but don’t count on him to put up league leading numbers and all-star caliber play every night.
The Los Angeles Lakers made a bold statement to the rest of the NBA this offseason by reaching a deal to sign Ron Artest. His deal was rumored to be for three years and 18 million dollars.
The Cleveland Cavilers made some big noise last week when they reached a deal to sign big man Shaquille O’Neal, and the Orlando Magic added a great player by signing Vince Carter, but neither of these moves compare with Artest joining the reigning NBA Champion Lakers.
Ron Artest the former 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year brings an added toughness to the Lakers and another reliable scorer that will make them even better next year.
Although Artest has had behavior issues in the past he proved last year that he can make a positive contribution to a squad. During the 2008-2009 season Artest averaged 17 points per game and five rebounds.
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Razorfish and CafeMom recently joined forces to produce an interesting study on moms and the technology that they use.
Studies show that moms are now using social media, text messaging, and video games more than ever before.
This should be music to the ears of anyone that wants to sell their product since moms spend the most money. Having this knowledge will make it easier for advertisers and marketers to know who they should focus on when they try to get thier product out.
I think their are three main reasons for moms going digital. First of all going digital saves time. The internet makes it much faster and simpler to compare products and look up information.
Second, going digital helps cut down on costs. There is no better way to find the best deal than looking for a product on the internet.
Third, digital is fun, it’s current, it’s up to date. Moms these days want to be hip! The internet gives them a great way to stay current, stay in touch, and to stay up to date about what their children are up to.
In today’s world it is essential to focus on mom’s, if you don’t it could be fatal. Mom’s are what keep the world, and it’s money going round.
Carlos Boozer suprised almost everyone today by not opting out of his contract and becoming a free agent. Boozer will return for his 6th season with the Jazz and will make 12.7 million dollars.
Lower than average numbers, a poor economy, and teams saving up for a run at Lebron James and Dwayne Wade at the end of the season make this a brilliant move for Boozer.
Playing along side Deron Williams gives Boozer a good shot at increasing both his points and rebounds and will almost automatically put the Jazz in the playoffs. Look for the Jazz to make a deep run in the playoffs if both Boozer and Williams can stay healthy.
Now the question for the Jazz is whether they will be able to sign Paul Millsap and Mehmet Okur. Utah has the option to match any offer given to Millsap, but whether or not they are willing to spend the money is another question.
The creation of the internet has brought a lot of power to the general public. For the many years before the internet the public could do very little about their unhappiness with companies, products and service. These days companies better watch out.
I think the power given to the public to express their opinions is a great thing. It makes companies accountable for their products and services; it drives costs down, and helps consumers find the best product on the market. Another good thing about this freedom of expression over the internet is that your advocates are able to write good things about you and make you look good.
Then there is the other side, there are those called badvocates that love to passionately criticize. The thing that is so dangerous about them is that they spread their bad news like fire. They move fast and furiously to tell everyone about the bad experience that they had. On average they tell fourteen people, and I’m sure those fourteen go on to tell other people also.
The key to fighting off badvocacy is to be honest and to produce good products. Ignoring the badvocates will do nothing but make things worse. Be prepared for them and defend yourself. If you have made a mistake don’t be afraid to apologize. Embrace the dissatisfaction and looks for ways to solve problems. Most importantly keep your advocates happy.