While reading “Media Virus” I happened upon the following quote:

“The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it.” - John Gilmore

I had found this quote really fascinating given the recent explosion in popularity of the Internet, especially with blogging and social media. It made me consider censorship and how the world is changing quickly.

The Fence
The author of “Media Virus”, Douglas Rushkoff provided an interesting analogy for the above quote – a chain link fence. If information is traveling over the chain link fence and one of the links is broken, the information continues through another link. This is a powerful analogy which provides a great visual of why censorship does not work on the Internet.

I am currently reading “Say Everything” by Scott Rosenberg. In this book the author documents the rise of blogging and it’s changing role in our culture. I am about 200 pages into it so far – if you are interested in the history of blogging and it’s societal impact – this book is for you. But I digress. In “Say Everything” Rosenberg provides a chapter on political blogging which I believe provides great examples of Rushkoff’s earlier discussion on the Internet and censorship in “Media Virus.”

In the chapter on political blogging Rosenberg discusses how there were slip-ups made by higher-level political figures during public events – events at which the media was present. In some instance the media would not report it, in others they may have reported it – but the information may have been buried deep within the paper, or only provided as a brief mention. There was speculation that the mainstream media was not reporting on these slip-ups as they may have been concerned about damaging their relationships with the political figure in question.

This where blogging and the Internet comes in. There were at least a couple documented cases within “Say Everything” where the author noted that bloggers exposed, or at least elevated the profile of certain transgressions by political figures that were not given adequate coverage by the mainstream media.

Political blogging is one example of an alternate path that information takes when one avenue is blocked. Another example is the role that social media has played – mainly Facebook and Twitter in bringing information to light. This is sometimes political and high profile, but has really been effective for voicing concerns about poor customer service or poor product quality.

A Natural Evolution
It will be interesting to see how the Internet evolves and how society evolves with it to handle the flow of information. Will the Internet remain a Wild West of sorts? Or will regulators and big business step in to censor at certain points? If censorship prevails will it be effective or will the Net simply “route around it?”

One thing is certain, the Internet is an evolving organism of sorts which is changing at an amazing pace – it will be fascinating to see how the Net evolves and how we evolve with it.

“The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it.”

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

Do you need a way of managing clients but do not have a large amount of money or time to spend on a complicated software package? I will provide you with a simple customer relationship management (CRM) system that’s easy and under $100.

It’s A Numbers Game
All that you need to effectively manage your clients is Numbers or other spreadsheet program. Numbers is the spreadsheet program that comes bundled with iWork ’08 and ’09 and costs $79 for a single license and $99 for a family pack. It’s quick, easy to use, and won’t set you back a fortune.

Here is an example of the CRM that I use:

I will address each of the fields starting from the top:

1. Individual or Business Name: Your name or your business name.
2. Item: The individual, sequential item number starting from 1, used for easy reference when discussing among individuals in your business.
3. Client: The name of your client organization.
4. Point of Contact: Individual point of contact within the client organization. It’s important to note that this should be an individual, the person with whom you have a business relationship within your client organization.
5. Address: Client physical address.
6. Phone: Client phone number for your point of contact.
7. E-mail: Client e-mail address for your point of contact.
8. Notes: Relevant notes to your client interaction. For example, I document my first interaction with a client (or potential client) and subsequent interactions. Relevant details about your client should also be noted here to include their likes and dislikes.
9. Follow-Up: The date and manner in which you are to follow-up with the client. Did they ask you to call them later? Meet at a certain location? Maybe request an e-mail? This is the place to put it.

There’s another item worth mentioning. Note the order in which the client contact information columns are listed – address, phone, and e-mail. This is purposeful. I have found that working with clients, or even contacting potential future clients that physically stopping by their location is the most powerful and personal method – this is the most risky and takes a good deal of courage – and this is why it can payoff.  If you are unable to physically meet with a client or potential client then a phone call is the next most personal approach. E-mail is the last method for obvious reasons.

Some may argue with the effectiveness of the prioritization of contacting, I would have at one point. However, it has been my experience that this works if done in a tactful way. It is also important to note that because everyone is different that individuals (clients) may prefer various different forms of communication. Some like physically meeting with you while others may be offended. Some prefer phone, while others e-mail. Some may not even know how to use e-mail (I know this may be tough to believe but it is true). This is the sort of information that may be best documented in the “Notes” section of your CRM spreadsheet.
The CRM spreadsheet is a great way to keep track of your client interactions without spending a lot of time and money. It provides a quick look and is easy to update once you get started.

Good CRM need not be expensive nor time-consuming!
-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

Are you remarkable? It’s a simple question really and boils down to one thing – is there something about you, your product, or service that is worth commenting on? Either good or bad – will people talk about you? Or will you fade into a sea of mediocrity?

Are you remarkable? I was forced to ponder this question while reading Seth Godin’s Purple Cow. Purple Cow is a classic marketing book which made the term purple cow synonymous with being remarkable. It is an equally classic tale – the author and his family are driving through the European countryside and are at first amazed by the sight of cows grazing the pastures. However, over time the appearance of the cows became commonplace – a commodity really. And the inevitable question arose – wouldn’t it be remarkable to see a purple cow? That would be something to talk about!

Being Remarkable
When running your business or living your life you should consider the concept of the purple cow. In society there is sometimes a tendency to not want to be talked about. People talk, so it reasons that you should not give them anything to talk about. Stay within the lines and it will give them less to talk about. This is the safe path and will likely keep you away from trouble or even failure.

In avoiding failure you will also avoid phenomenal success. Average is a commodity, a purple cow is remarkable. The commodity does things the way they have always been done mainly because they have always been done that way – it’s the safe path, or so it seems. The purple cow challenges convention and strives to be different and therefore is worthy of remark. The purple cow flies in the face of this always.

Practicing What You Preach
One of the many aspects that I admire about Seth Godin is that he leads by example. Business and marketing books are supposed to be dry and serious – not Seth Godin – his work is colorful and witty! Nearly all books come in the same shape and size. His books are smaller, shorter, and interestingly enough – packed with more value. Purple Cow even came packaged in a milk carton. Talk about a purple cow!

Purple Cow is congruent in that it instructs on how to be remarkable and at the same time is remarkable in and of itself.

A Time For Introspection
Look deep within yourself and consider the following questions:

1. Are you remarkable?
2. Are people talking about you? If not, why not?
3. How can you as an individual or business become a purple cow, and therefore worthy of discussion?

Put another way, one of my favorite books Do You Matter places a simple test for determining this. If you or your company ceased to exist tomorrow would anyone care? If so, why? If not, why not? Really makes you think.

Are you remarkable?

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding