Michael Jackson's Branding

No I am not trying to jump on the band wagon of getting hits for using the name 'Michael Jackson". What I wanted to do was show you just how important branding is and how Michael Jackson was a master. Let me give you an example.

When you hear the phrase 'moon walk' do you think of:

1) Neil Armstrong
2) Michael Jackson

Of course you think Michael Jackson.

When you hear the phrase 'glove' do you think of:

1) OJ Simpson
2) Michael Jackson

Of course you think Michael Jackson.

It's not just because of his recent passing, it's because he was a Master at branding. He knew that everything about him was a brand. Everything from his voice, hair, face, clothes, to his Howard Huges eccentricity was a brand. Make no mistake he knew what he was doing. RIP MJ

What does that mean to you - pay attention to a master (as is Gene Simmons of KISS & Family Jewels fame).

What you may think is over the top, in branding you and your business, may just be what you need to bring your brand to life.

To read more articles like this click here.

Let's Think 'We' Not 'Me'

This video is so funny, you just have to look at it. But before you watch it, I just want to say that I feel most of us, if we are really, [ really ], honest with ourselves, will admit to having been on either end of this equation at one time or another. The lesson to me here is; show respect the other person, whether you are the client or the service provider. Both sides need to respect each other's need to survive and even flourish if possible. Both need to respect the other's valuable contribution to their lives. The value of the work and of the person. It's not supposed to be a battle of getting the better of one another. We should instead work together for the benefit of each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2a8TRSgzZY

Did You Know Facebook Has Secrets?

I was reading an article today about Facebook and there were a couple of points I wanted to pass along to you.

1. Facebook limits the number of new invites that can be sent in a day, or week. The exact number of invitations that are allowed is a Facebook secret (apparently), but according to my research, if you exceed this secret amount you can get booted.

2. Facebook permits only 5000 friends (from my research). If you go over that a waiting list will be created. However, they can always become a 'fan'.

So do go out and prosper at Facebook, but do keep this in mind.

Jan

WeFollow

From the title of my last blog post you would think I knew about "WeFollow", but I just bumped into this today.

I was on Facebook today and a poster mentioned wefollow so I decided to check out what it is.

WeFollow is a Twitter directory that has just been launched - still in beta they say.

You can register for free.

You fill in 3 tags that describes your interests and people can find you. You can also find folks with similar interests.

In your 'What are you doing?' box, type in @wefollow as the first thing you type, to bring it to their attention. Then you type in a hashtag - the # symbol, immediately followed by any keyword you want to be listed under.

Currently there are no help pages on WeFollow but if you want some good info on it check out Danny Sullivan's post here:

http://searchengineland.com/wefollow-new-twitter-directory-16940

Check it WeFollow here:

http://wefollow.com/

p.s. I added myself as webdesigner, graphicsdesigner, entrepreneur
Come Follow :-)

Have Bing - Will Follow?

Bing (aka Live Search) is the new Microsoft search engine. Is it going to be major competition to Google - certainly not at this point.

When I checked it out myself I only got a "Coming Soon" and a video. So I can't test it yet to give you my views.

You can see the video here:

http://www.decisionengine.com/Default.html

Seems some have been offered the beta version as I found a few articles on the differences between Google and Bing. Here is one article I found that I recommend you read if interested:

http://searchengineland.com/microsofts-bing-vs-google-head-to-head-search-results-20006

Apparently it goes live next week - so stay tuned.

Use Twitter - Who Follows

I came across an article on Twitter use and they had a link to a site that allows you to quickly see who is following you on Twitter and not following you back and visa versa. Thought you might be interested.

http://friendorfollow.com/

Happy Friday!

Jan

Mercury Retrograde and Business

Do you know what Mercury Retrograde is? A basic definition of retrograde is:

"When a planet goes retrograde, it appears to be moving backwards."

The planet Mercury rules communication, travel, contracts, transportation, education.

Retrograde periods are often problematic.

Whether you believe in this or not, have you noticed that communication between clients / customers has been difficult lately? Have you noticed that projects are not going as smoothly or as planned? Have you noticed unresolved issues have returned or people you have not had contact with for quite some time have returned?

Understanding when Mercury goes retrograde can actually help you in business as you are more prepared and more understanding when communication is difficult, etc.

On May 7th this Mercury retrograde started and won't go direct until May 30th. However, everything won't straighten out until June 14th.

Read more articles here:
http://www.jbcr-virtualsolutions.com/tips-and-articles.html