Genuis of Bruce Lee

Since I was a teenager I've loved Bruce Lee films. No matter how badly dubbed or acted I can watch them time and time again. Just showed my boy his first Bruce Lee clip and he loved it. The thing that most people miss in my opinion is that its not about violence its the artistry of it.

The control and discipline it takes is phenomenal. Just wish I could make the same achievement.

The end of the recesson has been announced

I said it would come didn't I! I was just reading the BBC website a guy from the Nationwide said that UK house prices would drop by 25% from their high point but that all would be better by 2010.

All reported by the BBC wrapped up inside a bad news story.

The media announce the beginning and the end of the recession in one fell swoop!

Lomography Wall in Yorkshire

I've only just got my Lomo Supersampler and as you can probably tell I'm pretty excited. I'd love to organise a Lomography Wall exhibition in Yorkshire, ideally Leeds.

Can't do it on my own as I've not got enough pictures yet. If you're in the area or know someone who is then please let me know. You can leave a comment or contact me directly.

Lomography is so amazing

My Lomo camera just gets better and better. The few shots I've had out of it are amazing. I've just started building my profile on the Lomo site and for the camera I have the Supersampler there is a feature where the site will animate the shot. This works best with a picture with lots of motion in, clearly, but the effect is amazing.

I'm trying to link to my profile but can't see how to do it easily. Here's a link to the Lomography Homes search for Richard Michie and you'll find my stuff (I hope). If not you'll definitely find a whole new world of images you never knew existed.

Google Chrome screen draw

Still testing Google Chrome. First gripe: I don't think the screen draw or the font rendering is a nice as IE. It all looks a bit to sparse and doesn't add enough weight to the page. What do you think?

Google Chrome

Just downloaded Google Chrome and I'm using it to write this post.

At first glance it's very bear. Maybe I'm used to all the clutter of IE and the shock of the new is always a bit off putting. Literally only just loaded it so not had a chance to test it properly.

I'm kind of surprised it doesn't have the functionality of the Google Toolbar built in to it. That seems like a lost opportunity especially as early adopters of this will be SEO and web builders who almost insist on having those tools. Maybe they are for further down the line.

All in all it looks good. I'm going to try using it all day today and see what I think later.

Odd Things

Driving through Hillsborough in Sheffield tonight.

Saw two guys carrying a piano, which is pretty odd in Hillsborough.

100 yards down the road a one legged man!

All too random for a Tuesday night

Google launch an IE killer

Google have just announced they are about to launch their own web browser - Chrome.

Just the next step towards the Google virtual desktop as far as I can see. Question is why has it taken them so long to do it? I still use IE can't get used to Firefox. I'll give Chrome a go, I use most Google stuff anyway.

Reaching your audience

A great way to acquire new customers is to take your existing database and ask a data company to supply you with "look-a-likes". These customers will have similar characteristics to the ones you already have. If you're starting from scratch you can tell the data company who you'd like and they can supply that for you.

Problem is that these people are cold. They've never heard of you or your service, or they'd already be customers. A great idea is to begin to spread your product/service by piggy backing your product with something that similar customers will buy.

Great idea if you have something you can distribute free. If it's close enough you're getting your self into the hands of the right customers without giving them any risk. If you're close enough they become your marketing strategy all on their own. Seth Godin sums up the idea here.

If you're small enough and the product fits why not try it?

Glimmer

Life's full of little glimmers.

So keep a good watch out for them

Lomo pics

Just got back my first lot of pictures from my Lomo Supersampler. I'm well impressed.

Becasue you get a stream of pictuures they seem to capture life, because it captures movment on one frame the Lomo captures the moment in an amazing way.

How did you get here?

I don't mean to work, your PC, out of bed or even to this blog. I mean how did you get to do whatever it is you do? Why do you live where you do? Why do you like certain food? Love a specific tune? Have your world view?

Lots of things have changed for me recently and maybe because of that this question has been playing on my mind.

In my mind I'm so far removed from my upbringing that when I drop back into it, it seems almost alien. I know that my upbringing has built my psyche this far, it's helped me develop to where I am and made me who I am. But when I analyse it I struggle to see these connections.

For the record I had a great upbringing with no major traumas and I have a very loving family. Just sometimes I can't see the connection.

Hey make a list

Not a new idea granted but something that most people overlook.

When you have loads of stuff to do, I know you're just like me, break it down into small parts and make yourself a list. I used to use pen and paper only problem is that way you write down what's at the front of your mind which isn't necessarily what is your most important job.

I now use word and use the auto number function. I brain dump it all and then rearrange it on screen. If you get it right you should get quite a long list of pretty small jobs.

The reason small jobs on the list are important is that having one big job summed up in a line means it's too daunting. Break large jobs into smaller chunks.

I said it's not a new idea. But I bet most of you don't do it.

Ikea Presentation Style

I just read this great post on Presentation Zen about the simplicity and effectiveness of Ikea's signage and how it can be used as a direction for presentations.

I love doing presentation design and follow the Presentation Zen ethos. I've never thought of slides as billboards before but after reading this I think it gives the idea more clarity and it's a easier way to get across the message to any slide designer.

Design it like it's a billboard.

Comment spamming

I thought that the practice of content spamming had died. It's unethical, stupid and is done without much thought. On here I have verification for comments, the who ever spammed me had to do it manually. I love people adding comments and links to their own or other sites which help or add to the discussion. That's what blogs are all about as far as I'm concerned.

But just adding a list of keywords with links to your sites and no comments is just dumb. Needless to say I removed the comment spam. My site I'm sure doesn't have much clout but if you want to use whatever it has please do it constructively.

Michael Stipe on the One Show

I'm just watching the One Show on BBC 1. It's a throw-away magazine programme, just now it's doing a report on Cabbage White butterflies. For some bizarre reason they've got Micheal Stipe on. God knows how they got this booking.

Michael looks totally bewildered especially as he was sitting next to Gyles Brandreth! This is one of the oddest things I've seen in ages. I'm assuming that Stipe's Agent is about to be fired after this.

Adventures with my Lomo Camera

Today I bought my first lomo camera. I was undecided between the Holga which I'm sure is more versatile and the Supersamper which takes really cool four shot pictures.

I wanted to see how I got on so I went for the Supersampler. What a great camera. I've take a few pics already and can't wait to develop them and see what I get. I'm taking it to Leeds carnival on Monday should get some great pics there with it.

I think what sold me was the way its all packaged and sold. I saw a tv programme years ago on Lomography and I've wanted a camera ever since. Today I saw one and thought I should just go for it. The box is amazing all on its own I've never seen anything packaged as well. I comes in space age plastic and has a wittily written user manual that easy to use and understand. There's a great coffee table book of pics that comes with it (that could sell for £20 on it's own).

The camera is a delight to hold, its made of rubber and is simplicity itself. There's no conventional viewfinder just a bit of rubber on the corner.

The whole experience is very analogue. This isn't a camera this is a whole new way of life! I'm very excited!

As soon as I've had the pictures developed they'll be uploaded here.

In the meantime get yourself a lomo camera

Funny Mood

I'm in a funny mood today. I put a lot of work into my online profile - this blog, linkedin, facebook, comments on other blogs and sites.

Question is, is it doing me any good? It's a lot of work and time to keep it all up to date. Am I wasting time? Or building stuff in reserve, can't decide today.

George Carlin's Views on Aging

I was emailed this George Carlin routine the other day. Rather than forwarding it and clogging inboxes I thought a better idea was to post it here. Read to the end it's worth it.

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life ! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But! wait!! ! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and make it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into ! your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them.'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3.Keep learning. ! Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's family name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them , at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Is anybody listening? Does it matter?

When I first started this blog I had Google Analytics on it so I could measure the traffic. For whatever reason I took it off. When I had the stats I'd get excited that I had say 5 readers in a day. Since I took it off and forgot I'd done it I now don't really care how many readers I have.

I'm thinking does it really matter? And my answer is probably not.

If what I write is read by only me then at least I'm relieving my mind of it. If you are reading this too then maybe it makes you think. If you're not reading this then at least it made me think.

Hey I'm only an armchair thinker so please excuse the fact that this may not make any sense at all. Frankly I don't really care, these are my thoughts.

In an ideal world everyone should be able to do this and say what they feel. But, respect and human decency mean that you can't do that with everyone.

Maybe I should be bolder on here. Maybe I should stop doing it. Best idea? To do it when it feels right. Not many things you can do that way are there.

Have a great day and do what makes you happy.

Broke my blog and updated the design

I just tried to remove Google Adsense from my blog and managed to break the site. So to fix it I've gone for a new design, what do you think?

Working for the rat race - any ideas?

Sometimes the rat race is fun. The excitement of finishing a great project, the promotion and the paycheck, obviously.

But lots of the time its stress for no gain mentally of monetary.

I must find a way to get the buzz of the achievement without the stress. Must exist somewhere, but where?

Your help is appreciated

Here's Wikipedia definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_race

New Facebook? - New Coke?

Just upgraded? to New Facebook.

Not sure if I like it or not. Was old Facebook bad?

There doesn't seem to be any improvement in performance just everything is moved around and I can't find it any more.

The chat function was great when added. But why change the GUI?

What do you think?

A I Hate new Facebook group has already launched.

Recession? Or just a trick of the mind?

I'm no financial expert, if you could see my bank balance you'd know that.

But I'm sure this recession is fueled by the media. Sure there have been issues with Sub-prime mortgages, but they have been coming for a while. Why suddenly in the last month or so has the recession word come to the fore?

In my opinion it's been fueled by the reports in the media, if the public are told enough times that there's a recession then they believe it and stop spending. They then spread the message that there's a recession and the whole thing spirals.

In about a years time the media will report that the recession is easing and that the signs are looking better. Coming out will take longer than getting in. People believe bad news quicker and start to spread the word. Good news is harder to sell in as people don't want to feel fooled.

But the message will start to eek it's way out and before you know it it'll all be over. Not much will actually change only the message.

I think this is what's called a self fulfilling prophesy!

Watch the details when you cut costs

In time of recession what do most businesses do? They cut costs, they drop marketing and stop the ads. What kind of signal does that send out to hard pressed customers also in the recession?

• It says that you probably went under with the recession.
• That you have no new products.
• That you don't care about service.
• That you don't care about them.

That last one's a bit of a tough one but let me explain. If you have a friend for years and you've been through the good times together, they got what they needed from you and you made a nice profit out of them too. How will they feel if you suddenly don't talk to them anymore?

They feel hurt and find someone else to talk to or buy from.

Changing your friendship hurts too. A friend who suddenly stops offering you coffee when you visit changes in your eyes.

Business is the same, when the little things change customers are upset and look for others who can give them what they were used to.

So when you cut back, be careful what you cut back on and ask yourself how would you feel if your friend did this to you?

Here's a great post on watching what you cut back on.

Take heed! Customers really do care!

The future of music? The 17!

Driving home last night I listened to Radio 2's Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Marconie show.
The guest last night was Bill Drummond who you may know as the driving force behind the KLF. Bill had a brainstorm one day and decided that all music was now just repetition and he threw out all his recorded songs and decided to find something on a much higher plain.

His idea was The 17. Simple idea. Take 17 people, no musical talent needed, and get them to make a noise. Any noise is fine, record it and play it back. Once you've played it once destroy it. That way the music lives only in your mind and the only way to hear it again is the re-create it again. And because it was only performed once and no recordings exists no two performances will ever be the same.

I'm not sure if this is genius or just a gimmick. What do you think?

Have you ever recommended a book you've never read?

Seth Godin is pre-launching his new book The Tribe on his only on his blog.

Seth's books are must reads for anyone in marketing because they are a guide to how business should be done and how thinking differently about the world of business helps everyone.

Seth's concept for pushing this book is pure genius and should become the subject of a entire book on it's own, written by a better man than me I'm sure.

Seth's promise is that for all pre-orderers of his book he'll offer untold benefits. Seth has such a loyal following that the offer is already oversubscribed, it was only added today (29th July). Even without this the book is due to be massive, the really clever part is that he's got all the pre-orderers, me included, all ready spreading the word about it. I've no idea what the book is actually about yet but I'm already so sold that I've bought it and I've recommended it to my work colleagues.

Have you ever recommended a book you've never read? I haven't - 'til today.

Order your book now. If you're quick enough you can join the tribe too! Look he's even got me to give a free plug. The man is a legend

Really good advice for writing copy

Seth Godin points to this really good article on writing copy. There are some really good points in here which I'll be trying to put into my own ranting, writing whatever you want to call it.

I've no idea if anyone is reading this but hopefully you are and will be kind or cruel enough to tell me whether I'm interesting or crap. Knowing either will be useful because how can I develop otherwise.

Anyway here's the link: How to say nothing with 500 words.

Enjoy

Instant Karma's gonna get you!

On Monday I had a very strange night. I was travelling back from Sheffield about 11pm. As I got to the M1 to Leeds, two girls flagged me down.

They said they'd got stranded in Sheffield and someone had given them a lift as far as Barnsley. Being an idiot and reckoning that no one should be stood at the side of the motorway at 11.30 at night I gave them a lift to Leeds. They obviously turned out not to be murderers, or I wouldn't be telling you. They could have been prostitutes though, though that's just a guess!

Anyway I dropped them off near the town centre and felt quite smug with myself. In my head I thought "that'll be great for my Karma, thoughtless act". But Karma has a way of getting you back.Two minutes later in one of the rough areas of Leeds I got a puncture! I rang my friend to come and watch my back, while we were changing the tyre 4 boy racers flew past at about 100 mph and nearly killed us!

So on my birthday I bought a new tyre!

To top it all on Friday (13th), the cover for my allow on the new tyre came off, so now I need to replace that two.

Needless to say I wondering if all this Karma and Buddhist stuff is worth the hassle and I should just turn into a selfish knob head like the rest of the world!

Been lazy!

I was going to write that I'd been to busy to add to the blog. But that's crap, I've been too lazy.

Lots has happened to me, I've got a new job at Direct Relations, a Marketing Agency, and I'm loving my new role of Senior Account Manager.

My laziness has had a strange effect on the PageRank for the blog. Last time I posted the PR was 0. I guessed that Google had been playing about again, the blog was fresh and looked after.

Nearly 5 months later, my PR is suddenly 3! I've done absolutely nothing to the blog. I know age of site is a factor in Google's algorithm but freshness is supposed to be one too.

As ever I have no concrete explanation.

I'm sure a better bet is to keep your site/blog up to date. Being lazy isn't much of a tactic whatever you do!

Google playing with PageRank again

Google appear to be messing about with PageRank again. They've just downgraded themselves to an 8/10, which seems strange. Google is the most used site in the world so how come it's not a 10?

Everything you read tells you to ignore the PageRank as it's out of date and no real indication of the quality of a site. I tend to agree but if that's case why do they still use it?

The real issue is don't sweat the PageRank, if you rank well for your terms in the serps and the cash/conversions are still rolling in then everything's fine.

How insignificant are we?

How insignificant are we in the greater scheme of things? I often think abut this.

I'm 5 ft 11, so I'm not too big anyway. Then think about how big your city is, then your country, then the continent, then the world. Move on the solar system, then the galaxy, then the universe!

Right now think about how important what you're doing really is.

Humbling isn't it?

Take a read of this http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/02/21/galaxy-hubble-stars.html

Tom Peters 100 ways to make more money

Over on Change This a site full of manifesto's, need to write one myself. Tom Peters who's always a very inpiring read has put together the second half of his 100 ways to make more money manifesto.

For those who've never read Tom before, this isn't 100 ways to make a quick few quid. These are truly life changing attitudes which are simple to impliment but that you won't think of while you're stuck up you backside getting on with things and wondering why you're getting your share of the good stuff. Having just read this, lots of little light bulbs have gone off and just reaffirmed for me why I'm changing jobs.

Tom's manifesto is available as a PDF download from the site so you can read it at your leisure and pass it round to your friends and colleagues.

Great design makes all the difference

I'm a sucker for great design for it's own sake. If a great design helps to sell products then even better. Most of the time it does.

It's part of the intagible bit of marketing that most of the public think they can't see because they're "not designers or artists". The thing about great design and art is that the man/woman on the street instinctivley knows good design, they just never trained themselves how to recognise it or describe it.

This is a great site I've just found which has some of the best product and packaging design I've ever seen. The examples are clear and work wonderfully, enjoy.

New BBC Homepage Beta

The BBC have just launched a Beta of thier home page. It looks like they've put a lot of work in to it and the functionality looks great.

It's not very subtle though and could do with a little refinement. Still it shows how the BBC want to enbrace online and I think they've been very brave.

What do you think?

Seth Godin on the Placebo effect

Seth's come up with the goods again. This is a great blog about marketing and a definate read.

It got me thinking about something my mate asked me the other day.

"How do you become and artist?"

My answer is that it's down to perception. As soon as one person, who apprears to have authority, says you are something and give you the title then everyone else will accept it as well. The next objective is to find someone else who agrees with the first person. Then you begin to get a chain and it all builds from there.

Doesn't matter what you want to be as soon as one other person says that what you are, job done. Most people are nervous to give themselves the title though.

So if you want to be an Actor, Rock Star, Model, Marketer (god help you), jockey, keep listing for ever. Then tell someone that's what you are not long after guess what you'll have managed it.

Good Luck in your new Careers!

Google Adwords test

Just spotted a little Google test on my site. The Ads, see above, now have little shuffling arrows so you can go to the next ad. Great idea and preumably a great way for Google to see which ads convert best and pass this back. Only problem is the randomness, you've no idea what's coming up.

What marketing equals

Seth Godin hits the spot again on what marketing is about. I really don't know where he get's his inspiration from, just wish he sold it! Here's his blog on what Marketing equals.

To get a bit of the Seth Magic, give his books a go. My favourite is the Purple Cow. For me this is one of the greatest marketing books of the last few years.

If you know something talk about it

I've just given a free consultation to two guys who are friends of my boss. The original idea was that they needed help with Pay Per Click campaigns. What they really needed was help with marketing thier product full stop.

They've got a business which sells high performance car days, you know 6 laps in a Ferarri. They are getting over run with booking but want to make more out of it.

I probably spent about 1 hour with them and mentioned Pay Per Click for about 2 minutes. They were looking at the problem from the wrong end.

They needed overall advice on how to get thier product to market at the lowest cost with the biggest return on investment.

The best bit of advice I gave them?

Make it easy for your customers to book, get the crap out of the way and make it simple. They'll be adding a large click here to book button to the top of every page.

The return on investment will go through the roof. I'll guarantee that.

If you've got a problem with your site, I'll happily take a look. Failing that ask someone you know who isn't a marketer, doesn't know your product really and doesn't use the web much. If they can't make your site do what you want your customers to do then you need to think again.

My best critic like this, my wife.

Drayton Bird Probably the best marketer still living

Ok maybe I over egged that.

But Drayton is world renowned and his techniques get results. His books are best sellers and he'd quoted all over the marketing press. He launched his blog last year (here's my claim to fame) after I suggested he should.

His blog is far better than mine and his language is far more colourful. Take a look you'll get some great insights. By his books you'll learn more than you could ever use.

Here's Drayton's Blog, enjoy!

Testing Google AdWord Campaigns

I've just discovered how to test where Google Adwords is showing your ads. This is useful because if you are using personal search on Google it's skew the positioning based on your previous searches and click through. Meaning that it'll show the position it thinks suits you best not what the vast majority of users will see. Which is a great idea on a personal level but terrible when you're paying for the ads yourself.

Anyway to check the positions using Google UK do your normal keyword search and then add

=&adtest=on to the end of the URL.

You'll then get a page with a warning saying this is a test site as well as a background telling you the searches are just previews.

For the US add &gl=us.

To some people this must be old news. It's new to me at least.

The Brute Chorus

With luck I've dropped on the next Arctic Monkeys. The Brute Chorus are amazing and this track The Cuckoo and the Stolen Heart is awesome.

They're going to be massive

TV's future

This week I missed the beginning of Louis Theroux: Behind Bars this week. I love Louis' shows so I was a bit gutted. I assumed it would be shown again soon on the digital channels. Then at the end of the programme they announced that you could see the whole show again for 1 week on the BBC iPlayer.

I've just watched it again online. This is surely the way the web should work. The time when everything is free will soon be on us. The way the status quo will be maintained will be via rarity.

We're already seeing free Albums from Radiohead and the Charlatans. That's because they know that by increasing their exposure they can sell more tickets to their gigs and sell more t-shirts which is where they make their real cash.

TV will go the same way. You'll still pay for live events or first showings but after that they'll be free.

Lateral thinking on Google Adwords

I just found this great clip of a fantastic use of ASCII characters in Google Adwords. From the comments I can't be sure if this was cleared by Google or not. In my mind Google should allow this as it's breaks the mold and makes people try harder.

The idea will only work for companies who can visualise their products, but that means it wouldn't saturate the market. Spoof or spam I still love this idea. What do you think?

http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2007/12/sixt_ascii_text_ads.php

Too long

It's been too long since my last post. Been too wrapped up in things before Christmas.

Strange thing Christmas. It seems to put people in positions and situations they aren't happy with or used to. Why do we allow this to happen just because it happens to be December? Maybe I'm being over analytical. I've put myself in situations like that several times this year and now I'm sat thinking why did I do that. I wasn't fair to the people I was with (I wasn't truthful enough, other wise I wouldn't have been there) and it wasn't fair to me either.

From today I'm going to be truthful to myself first because surely by doing that I'll be truthful to the people I love and who love me. I don't mean that I'll be painfully truthful, because that would mean hurting people and that in itself wouldn't be true to me.

What's this got to do with marketing? Well if you want to be really good at anything then you need to be truthful to your self and your customers. Being a trickster or worse a liar can only be a brief thing, you'll eventually be caught out and customers, like your friends and family don't like being lied to and eventually piss off and leave you.

So take the truth forward and believe in yourself this year.

Marketing company websites which still have flash entrances!

I've just been researching some marketing agency websites and I'm shocked. Of the 40 or so I've looked at at least 80% still use flash animations on thier home pages.

Flash animations on home pages serve two purposes to my mind.

1. They stop search engines crawling the site.
2. They really delay the really important people thier customers!

If you really have to use flash then embed it in the page!

Oh yes, if your flash animation is that good and engaging that I'll want to watch it why have you given me a skip into link?

First Direct - Beating customer expectations

I've just opened a First Direct account. They have a great deal which means that as long as you pay in a certain amount each month after the first month they give you £100. This is exactly the way banking should work.

For years the norm has been to give banks your money and in exchange they give you a puny return, while they make billions from your cash.

They then have the temerity to charge you for letters, statements and be closed just when you need them.

How much sense does it make to be a company which supplies people with cash and then to close on Saturday when the majority of people actually need money or want financial advice about a loan or mortgage. Only banks would put barriers in the way of allowing customers to interact with them. They instead force customers to make appointments in the week when they should be working. While I'm at it why do doctors and dentists do the exact same thing? Open all weekend and close a day in the week if you really have to.

Anyway to get back to the point. First Direct say that they'll transfer the £100 after the first month of banking with them. This sounds fair enough so image my surprise when they transferred the £100 13 days after I opened my account.

First Direct are different because they change the banking conventions and exceed customer expectations. If you business can do both of these and do it well then you're on to a winner. Anything less and you're just another also ran.

Happy Birthday Helvetica

Yesterday was the 50th birthday of the typeface Helvetica. On last night's Imagine on BBC1 they celebrated this great typeface. Helvetica is all around you, so much so you probably don't even notice.

One sad note for me is that Helvetica has no been overtaken in usage by the far less elegant Arial. The reason this far less well constructed typeface has beaten this design classic is down to that old demon - Microsoft.

Helevetica has copyright and design issues. Clearly Microsoft loved the typeface but didn't want to stomach the costs so they invented Arial. In last night's show designers said that Helvetica is the default. And if you own any DTP programmes I know you'll agree.

But for the rest of the world who only use Word and Excel then the default is Arial.

If only Helvetica had been designed when the new rules of spreading ideas and designs had been around then your word files and presentations would be just that little bit more elegant.

How Halloween has changed (UK Edition)

I'm a child of the 70's. In England the 70's (the real one not the one on TV) was very brown.

Begrudgingly in the my parents allowed me to celebrate Halloween. It was frowned on as too American. Anyway the upshot is that we never had pumpkins. They where far to exotic and colourful.

No,we were given Turnips.

My mum would cut the top off and score the surface. Then I'd be issued with a blunt tea spoon to scrape the insides out. My Dad would then use a sharp knife to cut out the all important face, while I nursed my bruised hand from scraping a rock hard Turnip with a blunt spoon.

Tell that to English kids these days and they won't believe you.

Using Social Networking sites and the future of Marketing

On Linkedin John Cass asked "What is the future of marketing? What strategies, processes and tactics are in marketing department of 2015?"

This is a great question and one that if I could answer would make me a millionaire.

For my ten pence worth. Nothing will really change that much. People are people. The issue now for Marketers is that our customers are now a lot closer to us and can effect our businesses in ways we never imagined before.

There are two ways of looking at this.

1. We can stay frightened at the "Nasty" customers who aren't happy with our us and are telling everyone and spoiling our profit margin.
2. We can engage with our customers and listen to what they tell us and act one it. That way we'll ensure that they spread the word about what great companies we have and how "they really listened and did what I asked them to."

For the last 100 years or so business has been moving away from interaction with customers. From the corner shop we moved to the faceless supermarket. Now we've gone full circle. Even the largest companies have to take notice of the little guy. They now have real power and can spread good or bad for you and your company in the blink of and email.

Which would you rather they do?

Don't be afraid. Dive in and engage with your customers. If you're afraid of doing it then do you have ask yourself "Have I got something to hide"? If you have then start changing. If they don't know what your hiding, they soon will. And they'll tell everyone!

Social Networking Experiment Update

After sticking my toe in the Facebook water a week ago, I'm pleased to report that it's going really well. In fact better than I expected.

From a standing start there are now over 300 members of the Applied Language Translation and Interpreting Group. If you are interested in being a translator or interpreter then I'd recommend signing up to the group and to our suppliers data base www.talkbase.net.

Should you be nervous on Facebook?

I've started using Facebook recently and I've set up a few groups for work. We're a Translation and Interpreting company so to get more linguists to register with us I set up a group. It's worked really well. If you're a linguist on Facebook please join.

While I was looking for other related groups I found this quite scary one for United States Intelligence Community. It's an open group so anyone can join. What I can't tell is if it's a spoof or not. It looks pretty official and if it is maybe you should be nervous.

The web is a really weird place sometimes!

Naming a product to suit your audience

I was just watching a re-run of I'm Alan Partridge and spotted the ident in the corner of the screen. I did a double take when I saw what the name of the channel was.

UKTV 2 (a digital channel in the UK) has just changed it's name to

DAVE

Dave is a very brave thing to call a TV station. It definitely makes it stand out from the crowd and at the same time identifies it with it's core audience.

Dave shows classic TV for English Men aged between 25 and 40 (that's me). Dave's shows include Top Gear, Have I Got News For You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

Dave's a great name as far as I'm concerned and my hat's off to the team who came up with it, but especially to the guy who paid the bill and stood his corner.

More Marketing Books you should read

Since my last list I felt a bit ashamed that I'd missed some classics out. To re-dress the balance here are a few more marketing books you should read.

1. Purple Cow - Seth Godin
2. Full Frontal PR - Richard Laermer
3. Naked Conversations - Robert Scoble and Shel Israel
4. Commonsense Direct & Digital Marketing - Drayton Bird
5. Open for Business, How to write letters that get results - Courtney Ferguson
6. The World is Flat - Thomas L Friedman

I've read all of these and they've helped shaped my marketing view. If you've got any recommendations or views on these books I'd love to know.

Here's a link to my previous list of Marketing Books you should read.

Law of decrecesing returns on Email Marketing

When I did my Direct Marketing Diploma there was a rule of decreasing returns which went along the lines of this:

Once you've mailed a file return to the same file again but exclude people who responded the first time. This rule generates more sales. You can keep doing this at least 10 times so that our list gets smaller and smaller but your only working on people who don't buy or respond.

I've been trying this same rule with email marketing. Using Campaign Monitor you can segment any list and include only those people who didn't open the initial email or click on a link etc. I opted for the didn't open as I figured that didn't click a link was a bit too risky and would produce a barrage of abuse and spam complaints.

I re-emailed about a week after the initial offer. The strange thing is that the law seems to be broken at least for these campaigns.

There are two options

1. My campaign was crap (very likely)
2. The rule doesn't work for email

I've seen independent result for this on a traditional paper based mailing. I've even done it myself and had a lot of success. But for some reason it's not worked with email.

If anyone has any different experiences I'd love to hear them as I'm sure this should work.

Getting around the postal strike

In the UK the postal workers are on strike. I'm not going to get into the details but it's causing lots of issues and doing them no good at all.

In an age where less and less post is being delivered anyway all they are doing is speeding up the process of people looking for other avenues to deliver what would traditionally go via Royal Mail.

Hats off to Marketing Week who have thought through the problem. My weekly issue can't delivered this week, so quick as a flash they've just delivered it by email. Great I still get my copy.

What will have happened now is that the management will have looked at just how much cash they've just saved. As well as the postage they've saved the print, the fulfillment, the repro and all the admin charges associated.

So how long do you think it will be 'til they offer a split subscription? You can have a PDF or if you insist a paper version. They discount the PDF version and then pretty soon the printed version will be fazed out.

This was of course always going to happen with weekly trade magazines where the biggest outlay is the print and distribution, it just that the Royal Mail strikers have just begun to unwittingly accelerate their own demise.

Remote PowerPoint and presentation tips

At my company we give our presentations via the web. This saves traveling time and the planet. Presenting via the web has it's own issues. Most notably that you're not there in person. Here are a few tips to help you out if you do that same as we do.

Your PowerPoint presentation

• Keep it simple and to the point
• Avoid bullet pointed lists that you're going to read out to them. Save yourself and them the time and just send them the document so they can read it themselves.
• Be passionate

Your desktop

• Make sure your desktop is as clear as possible. If for any reason you have to click on it you don’t want customers to see other customer’s files or clutter on the screen.
• Ensure you have your company wallpaper on your screen. It's easy to do and look so much more professional than a picture of your favourite car or your wedding day, or your cat (however cute).
  
  Your Customer
• Your customer may have a different screen resolution to you. Make sure they can see what you can before you start your presentation. You don’t want a customer to miss something at the edge of your screen. You can do this by moving your mouse from corner to corner of your screen and asking if they can see it moving.
  

Oh my god I'm skydiving!

I've decided to do a tandem skydive for charity in December. I'd really love it if you'd sponsor me, you can do it on this special website http://www.justgiving.com/throw-management-from-the-plane all the details are here. I'm trying to raise cash for a much needed hospice in Huddersfield.

To stick with the theme of the blog, I wanted to share with you how I'm trying to promote the skydive. As well as the donation site, I've also set up a facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5412826380. And invited my contacts on Linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/in/rmichieappliedlanguage

I'm encouraging people to pass on the details to try and raise as much cash as I can for the charity. I've never tried the social network route before, and wanted to see how well it worked. If any one has more ideas I'd love to hear them.

I'll keep you up to date on how the experiment goes as well as the skydive.

How PowerPoint can and should be great

I attended the a translation industry conference this week in London. The people involved in this industry are highly intelligent, witty and engaging people. They write for a living.

Translation is probably harder than original writing, you have to get under the skin of the original to ensure you convey the right meaning.

So you'd have thought that the presentations, using the ubiquitous PowerPoint, would have been engaging, funny, intellectual, challenging even.

No. They all used the same dull, formulaic bullet point approach.

For me getting to London isn't easy, there are cars, trams, trains and tubes involved as well as hotels well away from where I need to be. So I get quite annoyed when a presenter either just reads out loud to me what I can plainly read for myself, or uses really complex diagrams that even they don't understand or explain.

If that's what you're going to do save me the hassle and just email or post me your notes, because I can read!

Only one presentation used any humor and only mine didn't use bullets. I'd have loved to have used humour but the subject matter didn't fit.

I know everyone hates giving presentations, but at the end of the day they have to be entertaining or at least informative. Reading aloud what I can all ready see it just a waste of my time and yours. Please don't do it.

Next time you have a presentation to give. Drop me an email, I'll be more than happy to take a look and give a few pointers. Alternatively take a look at Presentation Zen, you'll never look back and bullet points will be a thing of the past.

Information overload

I love the Internet, it's made businesses, social networks and connected the world in millions of unimaginable ways. One issue I'm having though is keeping track of the information I receive. Only 10 years ago the only real communication was phone, letter and fax. How did we survive then? How did anything get done?

Today I have information overload. Here's a list of what I use daily.

• Company Email
• Gmail
• Text
• Microsoft Instant Messenger
• Skype
• Blogger
• Facebook
• Linkedin
• Squidoo
• Ebay
• YouTube
• MySpace
• iTunes
• Phone
• Mobile Phone
• TV
• Books
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Letters
• Second Life (not very ofter though)

It's amazing that we survive. Your brain can only take in two pieces of information at any one time so it's really no wonder so many people live online. All their attention is spent there.

Inspiring story

A colleague in our Indian Office just emailed me this very inspiring story. I thought I should share it.

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons.

The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied! "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!

Using all the media you can

As Google takes over the world and acquires more and more sections of the internet. Using more and more media will reap huge rewards.

So if you've got video footage, get it on YouTube and tag it up properly. If you've pictures make sure they have targeted alt tags. If you've got a book out make sure Google knows about that too.

The more you have indexed the better, as Google begins to bring all it assets together and shows them in the search results.

List of online marketing books

On Linkedin the other day a question was asked about what were the ultimate books about online marketing. The guy who asked doesn't have a blog so I posted it on mine. This is a pretty impressive list which also includes some of the all time marketing classics. I've not read all of them but it's a great starter list for anyone.

• The Long Tail - by Chris Anderson
• Citizen Marketers - Ben McConnell and Jakie Huba
• Waiting for Your Cat to Bark - Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg
• Word of Mouth Marketing- Andy Sernovitz
• Strategies and Tools for Corporate Blogging by John Cass
• "Secrets of Word of Mouth Marketing" by George Silverman
• Scientific Advertising - Claude Hopkins
• Tested Advertising - John Caples
• How To Write A Good Advertisement - Victor Schwab
• Ogilvy on Advertising - David Ogilvy
• Triggers - Joseph Sugarman
• Breakthrough Advertising - Eugene Schwartz
• The Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords – Perry Marshall
• The New rules of marketing and PR: how to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing, & online media to reach buyers directly by David Meerman Scott
• The new influencers : a marketer's guide to the new social media by Paul Gillin
• Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking by Andy Sernovitz
• Smart Start-Ups: How Entrepreneurs and Corporations Can Profit by Starting Online Communities by David Silver.
• The Big Red Fez by Seth Godin

Real customer service from IKEA

This weekend I had to buy a new bed. Best one I could find was Ikea in Leeds. I like Ikea it's cheap yes but the quality is pretty good. I had a budget and their designs fitted it.

So off I went to Ikea to get my bed. Browsing the shop as always was easy and enjoyable. I ordered the bed and mattress very easily. Picked up the flat pack sections for the bed and paid. To get my mattress I had to go round to the collection centre. This looked pretty easy. Ikea had already got my money and I was confident that they wouldn't let me down when I picked up my mattress.

God I was wrong.

When I arrived the queue was massive, some people had been waiting for over 3/4 of and hour and were getting very irate.

But the was one beacon in all this. The smiling and very over worked lady handling all these angry and tired customers. As I stood there waiting in the queue she smiled and acknowledged each and every customer even speaking to the queue to apologise for the wait they were experiencing. The guy in front to me had been waiting for 40 minutes and when he got to the front he said he wanted to complain, rather than giving this man the usual response the lady I now know as Denise said "Certainly, just fill in this form and the customer service people will see to your complaint, I'm so sorry for the delay, I'll just have a quick check to see if your parcels are here." This instantly calmed the man who didn't bother to fill in the form. At one point Denise called for help from the front house staff at Ikea and was told they couldn't spare anyone.

This was a big mistake in the long run for Ikea. The customers who had a happy warm feeling about their new piece of furniture were now only remembering the bad and boring experience they were now having. This was the experience that they would remember. I'm sure the marketing and PR team fro Ikea would be fuming.

Denise even helped a man who's baby needed changing because the nappy dispenser in the toilets was broken. She then made sure she spoke to the mother of the baby to ensure that they were all ok.

I'll be writing to Ikea to let them know about the hard work Denise did. I hope they take note and advance her to head of customer service were she clearly needs to be.

Leeds Carnival

Just got back from Leeds Carnival, it's run in conjunction with the Notting Hill Carnival in London. I had a great time, the atmosphere, costumes and the curried goat were brilliant. I took loads of pictures which I've added to my new facebook page.

I've added my favourite one here.

Blog 150! SeoMoz guide to Social Media

I know that using social media will be good for my site and company. I already use linkedin. I'm sure there are ways to use MySpace, Bebo, FaceBook and the rest but I'm never sure where to start. If you're like me then this Whiteboard Friday from SEOMoz is for you. Enjoy



I never thought I'd reach this many entries!

Google Book results

I'm using my friend's PC at the moment so I don't have my bookmarks. So to get to pages normally on there I'm searching Google for the pages.

I just searched for Seth Godin so I could read today's blog. I got very weired book search results I've never seen before. When I followed them the results got stranger. After a couple of results which showed shots of chapters from Seth's books it showed other related books and then finally a map of all the places mentioned in the book, with links. All great in theory but surely not for Seth's books, they're not travel guides.

Maybe Google have just set my aspirations too high now, but it's disappointing when things aren't perfect on the results.

Things to buy a bloke

I'm your typical bloke. And when ever people buy me things as a gift they never get anything I'd like (of course there have been exceptions!)

So to help all those people who don't know what to buy for me or any bloke come to that I decided to make a list. So in no particular order:

• A big iPod, obvious I know but a definite winner
• Some really great books. George Orwell, Irving Welsh, something classic I've never read before, stretch my mind. I love that.
• A really great meal. Not a Bernie Inn. Somewhere special, tapenyaki, sushi, Bulgarian food. It doesn't need to be expensive, just different.
• A really nice tie. I know that sounds too easy, but a really nice tie goes a long way.
• Take me to see a comedian I've never heard of.
• Or a film I would normally turn my nose up at.
• A day at a Gallery.
• Drive a long way to see or do something that only takes an hour to do. As long as it's great enough, the drive's well worth it.
• Take me to a city I've never visited. Edinburgh was great, Sofia is fantastic.
• Get me to do an activity I've never done before, Archery, flower arranging, bungee jumping
• Get me some cool furniture. A clock, a really cool cup even.

I think the gist here is surprise and really getting to know someone. This is my list, you have a different one. Make sure your friends and loved ones know yours and importantly that you know theirs. Surprise is the key, but you really need to know someone to pull it off. Take the time it's worth it.

Change in attitude

For a long time, I've done what was expected of me. Worked hard, got married, had kids. From the outside all looked rosy. Most people take this journey, it's what's expected. And there are lots of people are a very, very happy doing just that.

Until recently I was one of those. Don't get me wrong, I still love my family so much it hurts. I still love my work, I'm very lucky I enjoy what I do.

But recently I've started to do things I'd always put off. I love painting and visiting galleries. Comedy makes me happy (not much of a surprise I know). I've read books I should have read years ago, not business books either, ones with stories and meaning. I've thought about stuff, sounds simple but you forget.

What I've realised is that for a long time I forgot who I was and everyone suffered. My point is that whoever you are, whatever you are doing, don't forget you. It's easily done, I can testify.

Go out there and do something different, make a difference. You'll feel better and as a consequence so will all the people around you. Making people happy is great, remember to start with yourself.

It's only by doing this and challenging yourself to be happy and do stuff that you produce great results, physically and mentally. Everyone has the ability to be great, just stop staring at your navel first.

Blog action day, do your bit

I've just signed up to take part in the Blog Action day.

The goal is to bring the blogging community together, for just one day, talking about one issue — and for Blog Action Day 2007 (Oct. 15, 2007), that issue is the environment.

Not sure if I'll be accepted, but I'll join in anyway. You should too

Linkedin

Linked in is a social media site for work. I'm sure there are millions of others but Linked in is really easy to use and build connections.

Here's my profile - Richard Michie on Linkedin

It takes seconds to sign up and complete the screens, then you can begin to make contacts. Networking from your laptop, what will they think of next. Crazy eh!

To sign up visit here

Banksy, quality graffiti

If you've never heard of Banksy then you should. He's a graffiti artist with a brain. I can't really describe what he does, he doesn't bother so how can I start.

Best thing to do is take a look yourself, believe me you'll keep looking once you start.

http://www.banksy.co.uk/menu.html

There's fighting in Sherwood!

I'm sure you've seen the films and the TV programmes about Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest. If you've never been, Sherwood is just south of Sheffield near Worksop.

I took my kids this weekend and we had a great time. When we arrived there was no sign that anything different was happening until we go to the Major Oak, which is the tree which it is thought that Robin lived in.

When we go to the Oak we saw a demonstration of medieval sword fighting, had to hand combat and fighting with bow staff's. We tried archery and then we all had a go with the swords and the armour. The day was actually better because it wasn't really advertised. I'd definitely recommend it if you are Sherwood way.

BBC add social networking to thier site

Social networking is now mainstream. It's so much so that the BBC website which is the most visited in Europe and one of the biggest authority sites in the world has added social bookmarks to it's site. Expect a huge wave of big name copycats.

Hiring a Web Marketing Manager

I'm looking for a Web Marketing Manager to work on http://www.appliedlanguage.com/ and my other sites. If you're the one I need you'll have the following skills

Experience of Search Engine Optimisation
Search Engine Marketing
Link building strategies
Copy writing skills
Handling Pay Per Click campaigns
Project Management Skills
E-commerce experience
Keyword analysis
Website analytics and conversion

The Web Marketing Manager can work from any of our offices. Currently we have offices in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Chenai in India and Huddersfield in the UK.

If you're interested please email me rmichie@appliedlanguage.com or richard.michie@gmail.com with your CV

Simpsonise Me

If you like the Simpsons you love this site where you can make yourself or anyone else you have a picture of into a Simpsons Character.

Here's me

Goodbye Tony Wilson

At the weekend Tony Wilson the man who shaped my musical tastes died from cancer. If you've never heard of Tony, it's probably because he wasn't from London but Manchester. If he'd been from the south, everyone would know who he was. But if he'd not been a northerner, there's no way he would have had the insight he had.

I never knew Tony, but the bands he handled and the record label he ran inspired me years ago and still do today. I'm sure you've heard of Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays. Although not on Factory Records he also inspired The Smiths, The Fall, The Stone Roses and the whole Manchester scene.

Now that Tony and John Peel have gone, I don't know who'll find the new bands anymore. Maybe we'll just have to live with the X-Factor finding them for us.

Tony was also a great Marketer, though I'm sure it's a title he'd hate. His belief in Manchester and the artists around made it possible for his to take a run down industrial city and make it a cultural centre for the 21st century. Without him Manchester would just be another northern city.

Edit. Just found Tony Wilson's Obituary on the Guardian

Presentation Zen

I'm an avid reader of Presentation Zen. If you're putting together an type of presentation check this site out first! You'll be amazed the difference the theory makes.

I was just reading a blog about Steve Jobs presentation style and I came across this amazing passage.

This is so cool

“Mushin no shin” (The mind that is no mind)When a swordsman is in the moment and his mind is empty (or the “mind that is no mind”) there are no emotions stemming from fear, there are no thoughts of winning or of losing or even of using the sword. In this way, says Daisetz Suzuki in Zen and Japanese Culture, “both man and sword turn into instruments in the hands of the unconscious, and it is the unconscious that achieves wonders of creativity. It is here that swordplay becomes an art.” Beyond mastering technique, the secret to swordsmanship rests in obtaining a proper mental state of “no mind” where the mind is “abandoned and yet not abandoned.” Frankly, if you are engaged in any art or even a sports match (think Tiger Woods) you must get rid of the obtruding self-consciousness or ego-consciousness and apply yourself completely, but also, as Suzuki says, “…as if nothing particular were taking place at the moment.” When you perform in a state of “no mind” you are free from the burdens of inhibitions and doubt and can contribute fully and fluidly in the moment. Artists know this state of mind, as do musicians and highly trained athletes.

Comedy in the Park

Last night I went to Comedy in the Park at Kirstall Abbey in Leeds.

I love comedy but I'd never been to something like this before. The setting was amazing, the stage and seating was set right in the middle of this ancient ruin and gave a brilliant atmosphere. We were sat right on the front row which was a bit frightening as comedians have a habit (sorry about the pun) of targeting people. Luckily I managed to avoid it by one seat, clearly the lady to my right was a better target.

I had a great time and haven't laughed so much in a long time.

The point, at least for this blog, was the great way the event worked. The juxtaposition of the ancient Abbey and some great new comedians worked so well. It hit a very good long tail of comedy and the niche loved it.

I'm keeping my eye out for the next one.

Going the extra mile makes all the difference

I called The Eden Project today to speak to their web team. While is was put on hold the hold music made a real difference. It wasn't the usual musak or maybe even jungle music or they could have tried bird song. No they stayed totally on theme and gave me a quick fact.

Did you know that scientist in Japan found a 10,000 year old Magnolia seed. They planted it and to their amazement it grew

The only problem was that as I was on hold for a while the same fact was repeated again. It's the first time I've call them so maybe they change it each day. I'll call again tomorrow and let you know.

If they only have this one it's a shame and they should think about at least adding 10. They have so many stories they should ensure they tell them.

Disagreeing with Seth

It's a first. This morning I read Seth Godin's blog as I do every morning.

Today however I was surprised to see that for the first time I disagree with him.

In his post Letters, Brochures and Email he says that you should never write an email like a Direct Marketing letter. I think he should have added a caveat that you should never write like that if it's a one to one email with a colleague or customer you are interacting with. But when you are trying for a sale of any kind, long direct marketing writing is what wins.

The theory has been tested to death over the years before the Internet was even thought of. I'm sure it's horses for courses but sorry Seth don't agree.

The Demise of Sheffield United

For my sins I'm a Sheffield United fan. As you may know we were relegated from the Premier League last season under very strange circumstances.

Just found this amazing Hitler/Sheffield United Clip on YouTube.

Enjoy!

Marketing Art - David Hockney at Salts Mill

This weekend I visited Salts Mill in Bradford to visit the permanent David Hockney exhibition. For those who don't know, Hockney is one of the world's most celebrated "pop" artists. Andy Warhol is one of his contemporaries.

Hockney was born and bred in Bradford so it's a great testament to the city to combine a great old Mill complex at Saltaire with the city's most famous son.

Inside the Mill is where things are really cleverly marketed. The whole thing is run on the basis of a museum so it's free to enter and look around. Where the marketing comes in is with the congruency of the things available to buy. In the centre of the gallery are hundreds of high quality books on all subjects for all ages. On the second floor is a restaurant dedicated to Hockney. Not some fake themed thing. They just hang great original artwork and photographs around and combine it with great food. The queue to be seated is massive.

To tie in with this there's a great shop selling top line home ware. The shop has Le Corbusier and other great designers, at £3000 for a chair this is no ordinary home store.

Because Salts Mill has carefully chosen what they display and who they display it to, no one feels marketed to. And that's the really, really clever bit.

Raising cash for Barnardo's

At Applied Language we're raising cash for Barnardo's who have a fund running in Huddersfield for homeless children.

We're walking from Meltham near Huddersfield to Saddleworth near Manchester. It's about a 10 mile walk but it starts at a sandwich van and ends at a pub so it won't be too bad.

Here's a picture from last years walk. That's me in the hat at the back.

If you'd like to donate to this worthy cause then please visit the charity page I set up and give as much as you can.

Anthony Gormley - Another Place

Yesterday I went to Liverpool to see Anthony Gormley's Another Place. To describe it is quite difficult, essentially it's a beach full of statues of Anthony Gormley all looking out to sea.

As the tide comes and goes the water rises up and over some figures while others only get half submerged. As they stand there the sea takes it's toll and seaweed and barnacles grow on the statues. The beach is so large and there and so many figures it's actually quite spooky. It was raining when I visited which just added to it.

Interpreters needed

Sorry to keep posting about the day job but these things have to be done. Applied Language are expanding into interpreting and are looking for highly skilled interpreters to sign up at our online portal www.talkbase.net.

If you are an interpreter or a translator then visit the site now and add all your details. All the work is freelance so you can even fit it around your day job. We are looking for all languages but particularly Asian ones.

We offer face to face as well as telephone interpreting and you can choose which you'd prefer to do.

Looking for a link builder in India

As part of the website development for my daytime job at Applied Language I'm looking for a link builder to work from our Indian Office. The website ranks really well in Google and receives over 120,000 unique visitors each day. Here's the job description please email me if you are interested

• Contacting website owners via email and phone
• Ensuring that the links are “clean” and pass back Google Page Rank value to our site
• Ensuring that all links are relevant
• Managing the negotiation of link exchanges
• Hitting targets for numbers of links gained
• Regular progress reports
• Liaison with the Marketing team and webmaster

Essential Requirements

• Knowledge of Internet marketing techniques
• Knowledge of Google webmaster rules
• Strong English language skills
• Good IT Skills

Public Relations and SEO

Over on Aaron Walls blog he gives a fantastic blog about how PR is the way to go with SEO, Blogging and business in General.

We use PR as a main tool for spreading the word about the company. without it we wouldn't be as well known as we are. It's pretty cheap too if done correctly. Don't be scared of PR use it well.

Has Google rounded down your sites PR?

I noticed recently that the PR (little green bar) has been lowered on my site. For at least 2 years it's been PR 7. The ranking for our keywords is fine, the number of visitors is fine as well.

I know that the little green bar doesn't give much information and can't be relied upon but it's just a little disconcerting.

Have Google rounded down PR's in general? After looking at a few other site I think they have. Any ideas? If Matt Cutts is reading I love an idea of what's happened.

If you've had a similar thing happen to your site let me know.

Google using user data to help serps? Surley not!

There's a rumour that Google are using Google Analytics and other Google tools to tweak the way search rankings are shown. I'm sure this is no surprise to anyone, though Matt Cutts denies it.

Great tips for improving media coverage

Here are some great tips for improving your media coverage.

In my Direct Marketing background I never really trusted PR. I've since learned that you have to be very trusting with it and take your time. essentially the coverage is free and if it helps to spread your message and deliver that kind of return it's got be a good thing.

Take the tips and use them wisely, it pays off.

Still searching for a PR Executive

The hunt for a PR Executive still goes on. The position is for Applied Language Solutions a translation and interpreting company. We've recently been on Dragon's Den are featured regularly in both National and local press and have 8 offices around the world.

Our customers are some of the biggest organisations in the world: Google, Yahoo!, United Nations, Robbie Williams, NHS trusts, HSBC.

The job is based in the Huddersfield office and the perks are fantastic, where else would you get all this:

• Free lunches
• Free Fruit
• Free MP3 Player
• Free 20 minute Massage ever 2 weeks
• Free Laptop
• Free Broadband at home
• Your birthday off each year
• A Duvet Day to take when you like

Plus you'll be working for me and I'm not that scary look.

Come on please apply! Email me rmichie@appliedlanguage.com or richard.michie@gmail.com with your CV and expected salary.

Only the best and brightest should apply.

Apple launch Safari for Windows

Apple have released a version of the Safari Browser for windows. I love Apple products and if I had the choice at work I'd have a Mac. Unfortunately Microsoft have a strangle hold still so I have to plod through on my PC.

Now you can get a little bit more Mac on your computer by downloading Safari.