Tag Archive - twitter

Put Customers and Employees First, Not Money

August 10, 2010 in Business, Featured, Leadership with 10 Comments

CUSTOMER FIRST 265x300 Put Customers and Employees First, Not MoneyIf acquiring money is at the top of your list, something else eventually suffers. This statement has proved to be true for centuries and was recently mentioned by well known blogger Tara Hunt. Here is an example that is certainly the case when, as an animal or pet becomes a profit center, the animal’s natural instincts are hampered. For example, horses who naturally love to roam for miles and eat all day get locked in stalls twenty-three hours a day so they don’t get injured or use up their energy frolicking in a field. Dogs get bathed religiously yet aren’t allowed the rough-and-tumble play they like because they need to have a show coat. And even when winning a competition seems more important that earning money, the two go hand in hand when a winner can demand higher prices for puppies or stud fees.

“Designing your products and services for monetization first, and people second will probably leave you with neither.” – Tara Hunt

In your business, think about your customers first…they are the ones handing over the money. Keep in mind the old adage that says if someone has a good experience, they tell one person; if they have a bad experience, they tell a dozen. And it’s not just customers you need to consider. Don’t place money over employees either…you will definitely have few revenues if your employees aren’t emotionally or monetarily invested in your products and services.

Are you looking to expand your business? If so, is it to appeal to your wants or is it to enhance the overall customer experience?

Be sure not to miss the #custserv chat held at Twitter every Tuesday night at 9pm ET.

Ideas, Trends, and Fads – Both Good and Bad

May 29, 2010 in Business, Finance, Health and Wellness with 9 Comments

good ideas Ideas, Trends, and Fads Both Good and BadThere are some good ideas…and some bad ideas. Ken Hakuta should know, as for he is known as “Dr. Fad” and made quite the name for himself when he introduced the Wacky Wall Walker to the U.S. market. It became one of the best-selling fad toys of all time. Hakuta earned over $20 million while selling 250 million rubber spiders over a period of just six years!

Ken Hakuta can also attest that what may seem like a bad idea to somebody may be viewed as a great idea to somebody else. Everybody knows of an idea or concept that they’ve heard about and thought was not going to go anywhere (heck, look at Twitter!) and then, wham! – several years later the organization not only succeeded, but the idea spawned other related ideas and the business grew exponentially. Think of the Pet Rock, Chia Pet, and any other of stress management desk toy.

Always be on the lookout for new ideas that appeal to the masses. As you go about your daily life, look through a different worldview at the jobs people are doing around you. Are there ways we can be doing these jobs more easily? Are there certain aspects of an industry that you find fascinating? Do you find yourself attracted to businesses and markets that help people? Are you seeing something that will make people’s lives easier? By answering these questions, you might be able to brainstorm and think of something unique that the market will respond to in a very positive way.

What is Twitter?

October 26, 2009 in Technology with 11 Comments

Twitter 256x256 What is Twitter?Twitter is a messaging service that shares a lot of characteristics with communication tools you already use. It has elements that are similar to email, IM, texting, blogging, RSS, social networks and so forth. But a few factors, particularly in combination, make Twitter unique:

Messages you send and receive on Twitter are no more than 140  characters, or about the length of a news headline. That means they’re really easy to write and read.

Messages on Twitter are public, like blog posts, and you don’t have to give people permission to see what you’ve written. That means you can readily meet new people on Twitter.

The messages are opt-in, and people choose to get a stream of others’ messages. (On
Twitter, this model is called “following.”) That means you have to be interesting, or
people will choose not to get your updates.

You can send and receive the messages via a variety of mechanisms, including mobile
phones, PCs, websites and desktop programs, and they’re distributed in real time. That
means that Twitter can fit with nearly anyone’s workflow.

When you add all that together, and you throw in a dose of the friendliness common on
Twitter today, you get a powerful and appealing communications platform that turns out to
be highly useful for a slew of personal and professional needs.

Recent Department of Labor Statistics

October 11, 2009 in Finance with 6 Comments

Statistics 300x261 Recent Department of Labor StatisticsOn the last business day of August, the number of job openings in the U.S. was little changed at a series low level of 2.4 million, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate was little changed and remained low at 3.1 percent in August. The total separations rate was little changed and remained low at 3.3 percent. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by
industry and geographic region.

Job Openings

The job openings rate was unchanged in August at a rate of 1.8
percent. The number of job openings has fallen by 2.4 million, or 50
percent, since the most recent peak in June 2007. The job openings
rate was little changed in August in all industries and regions.

Over the 12 months ending in August, the job openings rate (not
seasonally adjusted) decreased for total nonfarm, total private,
government, the majority of industries, and all four regions. The rate
was little changed in construction; wholesale trade; real estate and
rental and leasing; educational services; and other services. 

Hires

The hires level was little changed at 4.0 million in August but has
declined by 1.6 million, or 28 percent, since the most recent peak in
July 2006. The hires rate was low in August at 3.1 percent and little
changed from July. The hires rate was little changed in August in all
industries. The hires rate decreased over the month in the West and
was little changed in the remaining regions.

Over the 12 months ending in August, the hires rate (not seasonally
adjusted) declined for total nonfarm, total private, and government.
The hires rate decreased for mining and logging; construction; retail
trade; finance and insurance; educational services; and state and
local government. The hires rate fell over the past 12 months in the
West and was little changed in the remaining regions. 

Separations

The total separations, or turnover, rate was little changed in August
and remained low at 3.3 percent. The total separations rate (not
seasonally adjusted) decreased over the 12 months ending in August for
total nonfarm and total private. Total separations includes quits
(voluntary separations), layoffs and discharges (involuntary
separations), and other separations (including retirements).

The quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or
ability to change jobs. The rate was little changed in August at 1.3
percent. The quits level was 1.7 million in August, which is 45
percent lower than the most recent peak in December 2006. 

Over the 12 months ending in August, the quits rate (not seasonally
adjusted) was lower for total nonfarm, total private, government, the
majority of industries, and all four regions. The industries for which
the quits rate was little changed over the year include
transportation, warehousing, and utilities; information; finance and
insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; arts, entertainment and
recreation; and federal government. 

The layoffs and discharges component of total separations is
seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, total private, and
government levels. The layoffs and discharges level for total nonfarm,
total private, and government was little changed in August at 2.3
million, 2.2 million, and 135,000 respectively. The corresponding
layoffs and discharges rates were 1.8 percent, 2.0 percent, and 0.6
percent. The number of layoffs and discharges in August was 46 percent
higher than the recent low point in January 2006.

The layoffs and discharges rate (not seasonally adjusted) was little
changed over the 12 months ending in August for total nonfarm and
total private and increased for government. The layoffs and discharges
rate rose in mining and logging; construction; nondurable goods
manufacturing; and state and local government. The layoffs and
discharges rate increased in the Midwest and was little changed in the
remaining regions. 
     
The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted. In August,
there were 321,000 other separations for total nonfarm, 263,000 for
total private, and 58,000 for government. Compared to August 2008, the
number of other separations was little changed for total nonfarm,
total private, and government.

The total separations level is influenced by the relative contribution
of its three components—quits, layoffs and discharges, and other
separations. The percentage of total separations at the total nonfarm
level attributable to the individual components has varied over time.
The proportion of separations due to quits declined from 61 percent in
January 2007 to a series low of 38 percent in April 2009. It then rose
slightly and stood at 41 percent in August 2009. The proportion of
layoffs and discharges reached a series high of 55 percent in July
2009 then dropped slightly to 54 percent in August 2009.

Net Change in Employment

Over the 12 months ending in August, hires totaled 50.9 million and
separations totaled 56.1 million, yielding a net employment loss of
5.2 million.