hojomoblog

hojomoblog has moved.....

2011-03-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

..... to my website at http://hojomo.com

Then halfway down on the left handside!

APPLE SET TO BREAK AWAY FROM

GOOGLE ON MAPPING.....

Our #GeoSocial view is that online mapping & apps should be for the "common man"(us!); Apple likes to maintain exclusivity, and that is bound to prevail. This means, inevitably, in it’s spat with Google, it will move towards “works with iPhone/iPad/iWhatever; doesn’t work so well with Android”.

Commercial chasms will exist, because Nokia has it’s own mapping & now Apple is heading that way too, but does that make it right, or in the common good? Probably not.

We do not need a repeat of the Flash Player debacle, where many websites using Flash have a problem catering for access from mobiles. That is the prospect, even though Google & Facebook are becoming the dominant reasons for users accessing the mobile internet: Econsultancy.

If I choose to use an iPhone, I want & expect full unrestricted access to the growing Google platform, because it is likely to outrun Microsoft & Office in due time. I do NOT want to be forced to run an Android handset as well just to get “proper access”!

What do YOU use? Google, Bing or someone else’s Maps?

Will it hamper businesses adoption of online marketing if there is too much choice, or if access is less than perfectly simple?

Join me on my WebHub at http://hojomo.com then catch up with me on any of my GeoSocial Media links there - I look forward to meeting you!

Banks abuse Offliners….Online Savers earn 37% more than doing it offline...

2010-09-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

One more example of the nation's 4Million unconnected population losing out when they can least afford it, as BBC News revealed a new Which? report today.

Fight back with our new #ElderJelly Programme - who do you know that's not online yet? Whilst this is often the older generation, digital exclusion can be the result of poor rural broadband availability or simply lack of resource.

Hojomo Group's "CotswoldJelly" coworking meet-ups in Gloucestershire have greeted this challenge head-on by building on the message from last week's "iTea & Biscuits" Week run by Age UK and starting "own pace" ICT support at a local Community Cafe every Wednesday.

The forerunner of a soon-to-be-announced Digital Mentoring programme for the county, ElderJelly aims to provide local one-to-one assistance to help anyone who has not yet had the opportunity to get online, and benefit from the savings that often result.

Based in Stroud - a Transition Town - in the Cotswolds, Hojomo is seeking to extend the concept, first throughout rural Gloucestershire & then across the South West

"We don't think asking the banks to put terminals in their branches is a viable solution - that still requires access to transport & understanding of computers in the first place, both of these represent a major challenge for any of the 4Million who live in rural areas" said Howard Moorey, founder of Hojomo Group.

"We are working towards reducing rural isolation and social exclusion by providing localised access for anyone who wants to learn about computers and how they can save you money."

Hojomo Group's interest in internet marketing led to identifying the plight of small businesses in rural communities where growth & expansion are often hampered by poor broadband provision. This in itself means families & individuals who are not yet connected have been unable to make that leap in acquiring the basic skills that are so essential to finding work in today's strained economic environment.

GEOSOCIAL – THE WAY, THE FUTURE...

2010-08-04T02:30:00.000-07:00

...why?

“Because online geosocial networking sites target locally familiar content, participation tends inherently to encourage face to face interaction of users in or around local places.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geosocial_networking )

The fusing of Social Media and Location-based information is destined to become one of the most significant developments in commercial communications technology of the 21^st Century.

Early adopters in North America have developed applications such as Foursquare, Brightkite & Gowalla to revolve around the need, on a personal level, to keep in passive touch with friends whilst keeping open the option of an impromptu meet up. Each of these has a certain fun element built in – becoming a “Mayor”, collecting badges, posting geotagged photos.

GPS has been widely available for many years & has more recently migrated to mobile phones. The social swell is already beginning, with the likes of Facebook, Google & Twitter beginning to optimise their services for location & geo-tagging.

All these & more offer considerable commercial marketing opportunities in the immediate future. The only barrier at this moment is low take-up, which, as awareness grows, is destined to turn into a new tide, and a wave not to be missed.

Transport, Communications, Tools & People

2010-06-20T03:57:00.000-07:00

SUN20JUN10…..

…..DAY DAWNS & THE LIGHT GOES ON!!!!!…..

…..quite appropriate for the Summer Solstice + Fathers Day really (and it's my parents' wedding anniversary too, goddess bless them both)!…..

…..because I've just L1RND the source of my deep seated frustration, and possibly what has made me so angry inside, for so many years…..

I realised a few years ago that my "career path" had been forged from my parents guidance of "get a good steady job & progress through that", much as my father had done.

It turns out that my true passion has always been for Transport & Communications…..but in a variety of guises, right up to the present day.

Engine oil has always been in my blood - my father was an motor mechanic & AA man, I loved motor racing & rallying from a young age, and joined Ford 5 years after leaving school.

Motors, of varying sizes, have been an essential part of my life ever since - cars changing to trucks in 1987. Always involving "Business Development", and talking to people.

"square peg & round hole"

Day has now dawned because I've found that what I thought was a passion for motors - things on wheels - cars, trains, trucks - was actually a passion for what they could do - help you travel (I have always loved to travel, I still love maps, albeit more Google Earth nowadays, and reading the exploits of others discovering far away places).

Those wheels are really just tools to get you from A2B, 2C,2D, etc, to meet people, to converse & communicate, to MEET, LIKE, KNOW, TRUST, people!

My final frustration, for the last few years (with all due apologies to those around me who have caught the brunt of this in any way), has arisen from a fascination with all things "Social Media", from before it was even called that, leading to forcing (fooling?) myself into thinking I had to learn, live & breath the technicalities of how it all works, when, in fact, I DON'T need to know & master that, because they are only tools. They are just methods & instruments for achieving an end result - the Final Third is what I REALLY want & need to be involved in, NOT the Middle Third!

I don't need to know how the car/truck works in order to get in & drive it. Sometimes it helps you to be sympathetic, more in tune, with your chosen mode of transport, but it's not essential.

What I am best at is interpreting/translating/driving: taking something outwardly complicated (esoteric even) and presenting it in a digestible format, one that people can understand & relate to how it can benefit them, individually & collectively. No, that's NOT the same as salesmanship (another source of deep frustration!)

Throughout my time past I have suffered from being "emotionally inarticulate" - I have been unable to grasp, and hence convey, WHY I have been so frustrated, and angry, with myself.

That, in itself, has meant I haven't been a particularly good father, or, especially, a particularly good husband, because I was angry inside, but didn't know why.

I have vowed never to push my own sons towards a career that I think might be right for them - they must follow their own PassionPath - but Adam is set to master Maths & Physics, and lay down the plans for the first real Warp Drive, so that Zefrem Cochrane & Henry Archer have something to work on!

Back to Social Media …..

I spent far too much time trying to understand how it works - to become something of an "expert" - instead of focussing on the true goal of what it can do for people, to make their lives easier, or their businesses more prosperous.

"Nobody gives a shit about YOU!" (So thank you for reading this far!)

"They only care about what you can do for THEM!"

The same goes for the motor - no-one cares about how it works (apart from the commercial niche that has grown up around selling & servicing it) - they just want it to do it's job: get us (or deliver the goods) from A2B.

Social Media is just another phase of Transport & Communications…..

…..That's part of the "Revolution!"

The week that led up to this "Day of Enlightenment" started when, in a conversation with Rhona Jack, MD of Blue Click PR Ltd, I likened Social Media to being more of a Bicycle than a Car: with the latter, you get into a protected environment, start up, point & go, with most of the "effort" being automated (it's "under the hood"), passing, & ignoring, many good things on the way!

With a Bicycle, you have to Pedal & Steer, YOU have to make the EFFORT - it gets you where you're going, yes, somewhat slower, but the Journey is so much more rewarding because you see/learn more on the way - you can smile, wave, say hello, stop & chat, grow closer, RELATE & ENGAGE, far more than ever you would in a Motor.

Perhaps that means that AUTOMATION is actually the curse of our age, when we all were led to believe it was the saviour/blessing!

Don't get me wrong, we need to have Motors/Automation - our world in it's present form could not exist/develop/grow without - BUT, if we lose sight/sound/smell of the countryside on the Journey, we are LOST!

Use of Social Media, as a method of people communicating with people, is it's biggest value (RoI?) and it CANNOT be automated!!

Please help someone you know to get on social media with the minimum of fuss & effort - let's make it a much smaller world!

Thanks for reading the Sunday ramble - how are YOU feeling about your past & your future? Decisions made?

Happy Solstice 2010 to one & all!

Updates, Profiles & Jelly!

2010-05-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Keeping your presence up to date and fresh is an important part of being out here in the great digital universe.

As surfers, we are spending less time on a website than ever we did before, so it needs to be clean & crisp and it must provide the information a visitor is seeking in a very easy to find, easy on the eye, fashion.

I have spent a great deal of time on various social media platforms, and the websites they lead to, over the last six months, and have found that too many are just not updated enough, or don't contain sufficient details to determine who runs the business I am looking at through the "window" they have offered me. That is deeply frustrating.

My own website has remained a holding page for far too long, whilst I awaited delivery of my new space-ship - it is a "Profile Hub" - with links to all the important places where I hope to engage with you, and meet new friends in the months & years to come. My friends at ProfileBuilder have really done the business!

Find it here: hojomo group

Please connect with me & let me know what you think, and find out more about Jelly and the Cafe on my recent guest blog here:-

Local Cafe

I look forward to meeting you!

May 2nd, 2010

Bio
Howard Moorey advises businesses, organisations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value.

You can reach him at: howard at hojomo.com
or catch up on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
as @hojomo @4Pubs @cotswoldjelly & @debtDrGlos

Home is where the heart is: Gloucester & the Cotswold Hills, UK

TIME TO RENAME THE SALES DEPARTMENT?

2010-04-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

I had a telephone call yesterday, at 5.25pm, to my home, showing as "Unavailable" on the screen.

It was from what I'll call a "major financial institution" trying to sell me something. You always know that's what they're doing because the call is from someone you don't know, who introduces themself & instantly tries to be very pally!

You wouldn't put up with this approach if someone tried it in the pub, so why should you accept it when they have intruded into your private space?

In my case, this response is very clearly the effect of the "social web".

I have always been somewhat reticent about being "sold to", but today, as we approach the 2 year mark since Lehman, and I have been on Twitter & Facebook for just over that 2 year point, I'm quite sure I'm not alone in having moved very clearly to being a "Buyer".

This fits the profile of anyone sitting in "time poverty" - I will buy something, on my terms, but only after I have researched the product/service, and it's pricing, and it's supplier, on the net.

By taking that "savvy" approach, I feel I know what I'm getting into - I have been able to research my objective, and find what I'm looking for, through recommendation and reviews.

I am confident that I am getting value, because I have been able to make comparisons, and I have chosen a supplier for my goods or service, again through recommendation or reviews, but not before they have passed my own "tick box test".

I need to have found them on the net, established name, address and contact details, and maybe even found a little about their history, background and experience (if this is the start of a longer term association, and not just a one-off purchase).

This pre-vetting may well include the appearance & content value of their web presence - site & social media touch points - do I like what they say, have I been able to interact with them?

That is the "Meet Like Know Trust" concept in action. It works in networking circles, and it can apply equally in commercial and financial circumstances too. It is also several world's away from the Doorstep Salesman approach attempted through that phone call.

How can I feel the slightest bit comfortable buying anything from anybody who hasn't at least tried to get to know me first, before trying to "pitch" at me?

How much longer will it be before the major corporates, banks, & institutions learn that their Sales Department should now be called their Buys Department?

Engage first. The world is going social. Get used to it. Move with the times!

What do you think?

Howard J Moorey 
April 14th, 2010
  
Bio
 Howard Moorey advises businesses, organisations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value.  

You can reach him at: howard at hojomo.com  or
catch up on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
 
Home is where the heart is: Cotswold Hills, UK

http://twitter.com/cotswoldjelly
http://www.facebook.com/hojomo
http://www.linkedin.com/in/HowardJMoorey
http://twitter.com/hojomo
http://twitter.com/4Pubs
http://twitter.com/debtDrGlos

iPhone 3G + o2 Internet Tethering

2010-03-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

I don't usually get a chance to talk about anything techie, but I hope this may help some of you, if you're having the same challenges as I had with getting tethering to work.

The bit they don't tell you is as follows:-

After you have purchased the Tethering Bolt On, and it's live on your account,
you need to reset your phone like this:-

Settings> General> Reset> Reset Network Settings> (Red Button) "Reset Network Settings"

When you do that, the phone reboots itself, taking a few minutes to get back to your Home screen.

If you then try:-

Settings> General> Network

"Internet Tethering" should now appear!

WARNING: WHEN YOU ARE NOT ACTUALLY USING IT, MAKE CERTAIN YOU TURN TETHERING OFF!!

o2 tell me it takes precedence over any wifi connection you may have available, so you may think you're on wifi, but you'll be using tethering!

Apple site explains here:-
http://www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3gs/tethering.html

and here:-
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3574

iPhone Internet Tethering Bolt On required?
Go here on o2 site:-
http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/internet.html

Hope this helps your iPhone Mobile Internet Experience.

Happy Hunting!!

Howard J Moorey
March 20th, 2010

Bio
Howard Moorey advises businesses, organisations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value.

You can reach him at: howard at hojomo.com
or catch up on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
as @hojomo @4Pubs & @debtDrGlos
Home is where the heart is: Cotswold Hills, UK

Customer Relationship Management or Guest Experience? Whitbread #Fail

2010-03-05T02:57:00.000-08:00

My friend Chris has led me to change my mindset from "Customer Relationship Management" to "Guest Experience", and yesterday I had the chance to savour the difference first hand.

It was a very common scenario, replayed many times a day around the globe - I had arranged to meet with a couple of my co-collaborators from a particular project for a sociable face-to-face instead of the usual Skype or Wave conversations - we all agree we still get something out of the physical meet up - that's good, that's human!

So date & area (Worcester -ish) organised, one of my colleagues picks the venue using Whitbread's Premier Inn website, where a very user-friendly tool allows you to "Email to a friend". He did that, and two of us went to one place (the one he sent details about), and he managed to go to another, and then insist that we go there!

This allowed me to "experience" two different Premier Inn sites within two hours and led me into sharing this comparison. At this point I stress that in no way am I connected with Whitbread, Premier Inn, Beefeater or any of their myriad brand names in the hospitality sector, other than, having been a road warrior for many years now, I have used them extensively across the UK, but purely as a "guest", and I don't even have a loyalty card!

On with the plot - first venue I found OK, simply through address and post code from the email - sat nav did a great job! Not far off the M5 Junction 5 - Bromsgrove South, The Swan Inn. Right beside the main road, good access, free parking.

We tend to search based on the "Premier Inn" brand, although these type of meetings usually take place in the adjacent restaurant, whatever brand that happens to be, pitched at 9.30-10.30 start, after the breakfast rush with time enough before lunch. In this scenario, we are likely to be perfect incremental, "targets" for Whitbread, since discretionary spend (cash or plastic) would inevitably mean coffee/drinks, plus distinct possibility of lunch too, often when the venue is not otherwise particularly busy.

One prime requirement - we need easily accessible power & free wifi!!

Back to The Swan - nice inside, offering just what we need, plus good looking "Chef's Specials" board & a range of real ales too. Pleasant welcome from the young lady setting up tables, together with "help yourself to coffee, I'll run you a tab". Wifi clearly available, with access code written on chalk board on the bar - fair enough.

First hiccup - access screen worked OK on the Mac laptop (except that it needed an email address too - Grrrrrrrr! Woe betide you if I get spam from you as a result!), BUT first #Fail: it didn't work so easily on the iPhone. So much so that I gave up! Gaining access from the laptop was definitely an "experience" because Firefox & Safari browsers both questioned the security certificate used by the"Public" wifi connection, to the extent that they both protected me & kept me out! Email access was less strenuous, so at least I had that.

Now, bearing in mind that this meeting was about various social media strategies, and therefore we would need web access to review our files & sites, this immediately limited the likelihood of progress. So much so that when I made the "where are you" call & was told "we're here, come join us", I was only mildly miffed about having to give up the Cottage Pie & Pint of Worcester Sorcerer, that I had mentally bookmarked for later!

On to venue number 2, one junction down - the Three Pears at Warndon. Totally different experience!! Firstly, Pay and Display Car Park, with the promise of a refund if you buy drinks or food inside! I understand the reason for this - the number of cars parked on the pavement of the access road showed that it's an area well used as a drop off point for meeting up and carrying on up or down the motorway. But, for me, a true "guest" for the morning, the system #Failed again - more of that later.

Didn't have change so had to go in to the venue; accosted the Manager, who simply said "it's not run by us, some third party handles all that".

Met up with said collaborators, who had already noted a lack of accessible wifi. Enquiry received the reply that "no we don't offer it, but the (separate) Premier Inn opposite do." Over to them, but, as I expected, gained the response "yes we have wifi, but only for "guests", and only in the bedrooms"

#Fail - we were intending to be "guests" of Whitbread, on this Whitbread site, but both sides (Premier Inn and Beefeater) were able to claim notional independence of the other and thus avoid responsibility, or, more importantly, any interest in the needs of the "guests".

Back to the Three Pears (despite our ordeal so far, time was dragging on) to sit & order coffees to start. Great meeting, but the "experience" thus far lost them the three potential lunches/drinks AND any chance of EVER getting a word of mouth (Twitter, et al) recommendation, OR a return visit! We just ordered another coffee. In due course "organiser" paid the drinks bill (thanks Paul!) and left for his next meeting, allowing Anna & I to carry on talking yet more strategies!

Then came the final #Fail, to add insult to injury, drinks bill had already been paid so they declined to provide us with a refund of the parking charges! If we had each individually paid for our own drinks, three separate bills, we could have had a refund, but Paul's generosity meant that did not happen.

Result: Total Fail on the part of Whitbread Premier Inn Beefeater, we will NEVER use that location again, or recommend anyone else use it either. Was it worth it for them? Do they care?

"Customer Relationship Management" is nowadays too grand, and overbearing, a title for what should have occurred here.

"Guest Experience" actually sums it up perfectly - Whitbread (and competitors) please live & learn! Follow @chrisbrogan to learn more!

Please, please don't make these mistakes with YOUR customers.

Howard J Moorey
March 5th, 2010

Bio
Howard Moorey advises businesses, organisations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value.

You can reach him at: howard at hojomo.com
or catch up on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
as @hojomo @4Pubs & @debtDrGlos

Home is where the heart is: Cotswold Hills, UK

http://twitter.com/cotswoldjelly

THE DODO IS NOT DEAD!

2010-02-14T01:47:00.000-08:00

This is the start of the Chinese New Year of the Metal Tiger, so let’s get at it – Fast, Strong & Resolute!

In pursuit of “Keep It Simple & Specific”, I like to use the following in navigating through a challenge towards a goal, it may help you too:-

Firstly, use the Chris Brogan model, where “Customer Service” has become “Guest Experience”!

DETERMINE OBJECTIVE
· More Regulars
· More Visitors
· More Warmth
· More Business!

DO WHAT IT TAKES TO ACHIEVE…..
· Connect & converse
· Be where your guests (existing AND future) are
· The magic is in the mix – DON’T put all your efforts in one direction only
· Get feedback, anywhere, anyway you can
· Chat! All sorts of things come to light!!

…..DESIRED OUTCOME
· Closer connections, both with AND between customers/clients is VERY social!
· Understanding the “guest experience” better helps you deliver better
· Be open to new ideas, especially if they arrive out of feedback
· Involve guests in new developments
· Become the hub of your community, physical or virtual

You may need to realign thoughts a little, but could that work for you?

Howard J Moorey 
February 14th, 2010  

Bio 
Howard Moorey advises businesses, organisations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value.
 
You can reach him at: howard at hojomo.com
 or catch up on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter  as @hojomo
@4Pubs & @debtDrGlos

SO WHAT HAS GOOGLE LEARNED THIS WEEK?...

2010-01-16T07:09:00.000-08:00

Hopefully it's "Tech is great, but you still need to put people first!"

Social & Communications Networks begin & end with people, and so do the tools they rely on.

Rule#1: Whatever it is, you MUST make it User/Customer friendly! That includes the support.

If you launch a new service you must have a back-up plan, and people in place to support that service. Similarly, if you launch some new hardware, even if it looks, feels and works great, you still need PEOPLE to TALK to PEOPLE to sort out their difficulties.

With new systems & hardware, especially with both depending on working together, like a phone that only works with networks, and software, provided by a variety of 3rd parties, you are going to have difficulties.

Sorting those challenges must happen in what's now known as "real time" - people on Twitter, people on the phone, available to help NOW, not via email with a 3 day delay!

I have experienced this myself with my own network supplier, O2, here in the UK, just in the last few days, as my contract comes to an end. Reviewing the options is not easily done by email. Like most now, I like to do the research online, but I still want to buy local, or personal, if I want to sort something with the minimum of delay.

I love Google, even though Wave has let me down a bit thus far, and Chrome for Mac took a long time to arrive, and then needed an op system upgrade before you can use it!

It strikes me that the Big G has been catering a little too much towards techies in these launches, and not with real users, who need forethought, like "how are they going to use it" and "how are we going to support it". The debacle with Nexus One therefore seems just like a repeat of recent history.

I am one of the "potential buyers" they should be aiming at - I love my iPhone, but it's contract is about to end, so I'm open to options. I love HTC, and own a good many of their handsets, because they always seem to deliver on "Looks, Feels, and Needs", so I'd be very open to a handset sourced from them. And, having had the iPhone experience, I am very reluctant to return to Windows Mobile. Perfect combination, no?

Don't get me wrong - the iPhone is the best thing, ever, in my book, but that doesn't mean it can't be bested. Hardware reports suggest that Nexus One actually has bested the iPhone, but I am definitely NOT going to step over the barrier to something so new, for use as my primary personal communications tool (with a "get me anywhere, anytime" tag), when I see many reports of poor/non-existent support from an otherwise respected source.

I've been able to use the mobile phone - one of my own personal passions - as the example here, after reading an article from Glenn Chapman of Inquirer.net but how can YOU see this applying in YOUR business, where you are competing with many others, both online & offline?

Are you putting the User/Customer first? They can certainly tell the difference when you do!

PROVIDING they can find you, but that's for another blog.

What do you think?

Howard J Moorey

January 16th, 2010

Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

http://L1RND.com

Social Media is SO last year!

2010-01-07T04:01:00.000-08:00

Social Media has matured alot over the last 6 months, not least in the degree of measurability inherent in your online "presence"

With that measurability comes a level of credibility - you achieve that by ticking certain boxes, like filling in your social networking profiles properly, so people can "check you out" in their own terms.

If someone spends alot of time on Facebook, or it is simply their predominant route to their network of friends & acquaintances, then they will determine your "cred" by whether you post regularly, have a complete profile (some of which will overlap with their own life preferences), and basically show off the real you!

That measurability & credibility leads to Social Decorum, ie. "proper behaviour" online, such as interesting and/or helpful posts, not too much "me, me, me", responsive to approaches, conversational, basically a "participator". Everyone has their own standards that they judge you by - often boxed off and varying depending on the age sector you & they are in (as society goes, "twas ever thus"). If you tick their boxes, you "behave" to their standards, and they are then happy to include you in their world.

Key lesson to learn here is that we are talking about people, that's what “social” is all about!

People run, and work in, businesses, so we are simply talking about people approaching and connecting with one another, in a fashion that has never been available to us before. It's just networking, like we have done since the dawn of time, only today we use new tools - "Digital Media".

That networking is much more comfortable, on a human level, than "sales", "pitching" and "business development" but it still amounts to the same thing, if it is approached with a degree of Social Decorum.

As most of you will by now know, my primary thought leaders are Chris Brogan, Brian Solis, Seth Godin & Jim Connolly, and one thing they all agree on is that business is just "people business". Connect with people properly - don't shout, talk down, or spread viruses - and they will respond properly. If you just try to sell at them in every opportunity you are given, they will simply give you the online equivalent of two fingers (digits?) and unfollow, unfriend, block or whatever else works for them.

Businesses are starting to learn the great advantage being offered to them on a plate through social networking, as evidenced by this superb post by @briansolis.

Just treating people as fellow human beings, and connecting with them properly, affords a level of "customer profiling" that has also never been available to them before. This enables them to serve us better AND develop the goods and services that we WANT (and often will pay for!) and we are happy for them to do that, and happy to offer our opinion to them to assist the process.

That surely is what a connected world should really be about, because, once you achieve Social Decorum, you are already well on the way to building Social Wealth, where everyone on the planet benefits, and gets a little closer together at the same time. FairTrade is but one example of this.

Am I making sense? What do you think?

Howard J Moorey
@hojomo
January 7th, 2010

Bio
Howard Moorey advises businesses, organisations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value.
You can reach him at: howard at hojomo.com
or catch up on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
Home is where the heart is: Cotswold Hills, UK

The Blue Moon and the Hammer...

2010-01-01T06:07:00.000-08:00

Change of Years, Change of Days, Change of Mindset...

That's what last night's Blue Moon means!

There have been three superb blogs in the last few days of the decade that served to focus my thoughts on B2B and why "large" companies have been struggling to "get it" in regards to digital media

Jim Connolly Jay Baer & Amber Nasland

(My other Master Thought Leaders are Chris Brogan Brian Solis & Seth Godin )

We have just finished a decade which brought us the tools & technology to connect people to people, business to people, and people to business around the planet (and beyond too, but that's for the next decade!)

We have just finished a year which defined the tools to use & the places to be found in order to refine & make best use of those connections.

But what good is a hammer, without a human being to hold it?

A computer can be programmed to both hold the hammer and make a defined set of movements with it, but it takes a person to hold that hammer and make a good job, or craft a work of art, with it.

The most fundamental consideration regarding the hammer is that it will always need human interaction to determine what need can be satisfied by using the hammer to create or craft a result.

In 2010, Communication finally comes of age!

The capacity for a Company to recognise that it must treat people as people - they are fellow human beings, not "Customers", "Users" or "Stakeholders" - will define it's ability to survive and thrive in the new debt-laden future.

That approach will require an element of humility, because no longer can business dictate & produce what it thinks people want - it must now consult, get feedback by asking people what they need, and deliver the solution to the best of it's ability.

To some, this already sounds like the norm - they are "doing it right" and growing year on year as a result of implementing this approach.

For many the time to change is now - take the first faltering steps on the new journey - the 1980's term "Business Process Re-engineering" seems particularly appropriate - lay down plans to talk with the people that buy from you, or that you intend will buy from you, when they are "out of the shop", ie. NOT in buying mode.

"Transaction size is no longer relevant"

How's that for a bold statement?
I say it to bang home the reality that the internet is now a place for all sizes of business to implement PRM - People Relationship Management. It does not matter whether you provide a cup of coffee, a brand new truck, or banking services around the world, people are what it's about, and they have become a lot more savvy in the last 12 months. Internet research has become the norm, even if you intend to buy locally.

The emphasis has shifted from Marketplace to Meeting & Talking Place, definitely NOT Pitching Place!

There's a Connected, Collaborative future out there for all of us.

What do you think? Have you made the move yet? Can you make it this year?

I look forward to meeting you,

Happy New Year!

Howard J Moorey
January 1st, 2010

Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

THE MEDIA MARKETING JIGSAW

2009-12-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

Direct mail, email, telephone, exhibitions, online, offline, networking, referrals, joint ventures.

Like any “Marketing Mix”, the pieces involved here can fit together in a variety of different orders depending on 2 key factors:-

1. The sector, i.e. the characters you are aiming to interact with, &

2. The attitude of the Principal – shy & retiring or brash & outgoing, and all the possibilities in between.

There is no question whatsoever that, since Lehman Brothers in 2008, the World has changed, and there’s no going back.

The Internet has been developing at a rapid pace since the turn of the Millennium, and now enables communication and commerce today in a fashion which could not have been anticipated 10 years ago.

The most vital factor to realise is that OUR attitude to transactions has changed irrevocably – in the past we were influenced by the “message”, so Advertising, and those that could directly or indirectly control it, was one of the lynch pins of society – he that could throw enough money at the market could call the shots, and bring in the bucks. Banks, Insurance & Advertising Companies were accepted as foundations of our way of life, largely because they TOLD us what to believe.

Since year 2000 that position has been shifting, and the events of 2008 gave it the final nudge.

The enabling effect of the Web means we are much more in control of “the message” than ever before, largely because we CAN & DO check it out, and challenge it if we want to.

This all means that the way goods and services are brought to market, and consumed, has changed as well. We research online before a purchase. We purchase online in many cases, BUT this is often only lower value items & services, because for larger goods / bigger spends we still prefer to “see the whites of their eyes” meaning that “Meet, Like, Know, Trust” is back as the dominant factor.

This is very much the age of “Digital Media Marketing”, and the approach to that is radically different, not least because it is so much more “Global” in delivery.

Over the last 10 years it has become the norm that, if you are bringing anything to market, you ”must have a website” – your stall in the global marketplace. Now, as that idea has become a reality, maybe even a “new foundation”, there are simply millions and millions of sites. So the question then becomes how do you differentiate yourself from, or “shout louder” in the market than, the others around you?

The answer has finally emerged, to the long lasting benefit of ALL of us, that you must connect & communicate, or “engage”, with your customers and prospects alike, and in doing so provide a higher class of customer service than ever before.

The major advantage that “first movers” are finding in this new territory is that that is NOT just the province of the “big boys”, the corporates, anymore.

Anyone who can master this particular art, and deliver their goods or services reliably and transparently, with the implied back up & support that goes with that delivery, can make a viable niche for themselves, for now & for the future.

So “Interaction leads to Transaction”.

“Twas ever thus” I hear you say – yes, we have come full circle!

Some, smaller, businesses, have operated this way, “offline”, for generations, and may not even need to change, if they’ve already “got it right” in their local community. But the vast majority, of all sizes, are having to adjust to the new times, by rising to the challenge and seeking out new routes to a transaction.

You may notice that I have steadfastly resisted the temptation to use the word “sale” – that still carries the connotation of a one way “thrust” at a “buyer”, so it will eventually become extinct.

The key to all of the new routes to market is that they revolve around “being found”. The words Google and Search Marketing may be virtually synonymous, but the only way to get found is to get involved in “Interactive Marketing” – providing what people are looking for, and engaging with them in the process. The tools to enable this are those that have become known as “Social Media”.

And “Social Media is a Communications process leveraged by Technology” according to Jay Deragon in his recent white paper on Social Media Directions.

How have you communicated with your customers in the past? How will you communicate in the future?

Howard J Moorey

8th December 2009

hojomo group provides coaching, training and insight into Interactive Digital Media Marketing – business development for the future.

Contact Us through directcontact@hojomo.com or phone +44 1865 600085 Here to Help

Changing Times - Why Pubs, & others in business, ignore Social Media at their peril

2009-11-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

As most that know me will be already WELL aware, I am a passionate believer in new technologies for business development! That’s why I am so keen on getting offline businesses (yes, there are still some!!) and “online” businesses – “we have a website, so we’re online” (never mind the fact it’s a brochure and hasn’t been updated for 6 – 12 months!) TO DO THE RIGHT THING & GET INTO SOCIAL MEDIA!!

I’m very passionate about the plight of British Pubs – many of them are getting a raw deal from the Pub Co’s they’re tied to, leaving publicans/managers out of a job, and often waist-high (or deeper) in debt. It is no longer an option for them to use social media to it’s fullest extent, it’s an absolute NECESSITY!

Get yourself a Twitter account, get yourself a Facebook account, and a “Page” and start engaging with your customers past, present AND future. Tell your guests what’s going on and when, what beers you’ve got & why, and get chatting – it’s that conversation that makes the world of difference! You can make friends with other pubs, see what they’re doing online, share experiences, join Facebook Groups like Justice for Licensees and Save The Great British Pub and help build the numbers, find those who really care about the trade, and be a part of the action.

All this can equally be applied to any other business, vocation or passion – you can find others out there who are just as keen to buy as you are to sell.

But, Golden Rule Number One is PLEASE DON’T TREAT SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE CLASSIFIED ADS!

We don’t want to know about what you are selling, we want to know about you, what makes you tick, and how much you’re just like the rest of us!

The markets have changed, the ways of doing business have changed, so it’s fair to deduce that the way YOU pedal your wares should have changed as well!

Make the Net Work for you!

At Hojomo Group we help businesses of all sizes to learn what to do with Social Media, and why it is an essential part of their marketing mix. We also aim to help businesses & individuals where the times have brought a burden of debt that no-one should have to bear alone.

Thanks for reading.

Howard J Moorey

14^th November 2009

2009-09-05T04:16:00.000-07:00

As self-appointed Chief Social Media Officer 4 UK Small Businesses it is my solemn duty to spread the word relentlessly into the UK, as an emerging market, that Social Media is a vital new component in the economic toolkit of the Nation.

This enables us to "Think Local & Act Global" and seize every available commercial opportunity - Social Media levels the playing field for us all to enter, or even create, New Markets, by letting us Meet Strangers & Make Friends (with due acknowledgment to Seth Godin).

Today we network with our Local Communities and with the World in equal measure. Unless those Communities are deprived of fast, broadband, connections of course!
This is still too common an occurrence in many parts of Rural Britain - the connection is non-existent!

How can the "Nation of Small Shopkeepers" survive, and indeed seize a chance to make a Grand Comeback, if it doesn't have the oil for the wheels, let alone the tools to do the job?

Britain IS Back, and I'm Backing Britain!

Join me and support Martha Lane Fox, our new "Digital Inclusion Czarina", in pressing to enable everyone who wants good, fast, Internet Access & Application, to have it by 2012.

The Race is no longer just to the Olympics!

4Networking works, but not anywhere near as well as it would if we were all connected!

"As You Act, Social You Be!" (sic)

Howard J Moorey
@hojomo (& follow @marthalanefox too!)

www.hojomo.com
5th September 2009

Pentangulation – An Explanation: #ThePowerOf5…

2009-06-29T00:47:00.000-07:00

…is a 21st Century Business Technology concept involving the “crafting” of Social Media to provide a Corporation, Company or Small Business with:-

1. A rapid, credible, online presence amongst it’s peers, customers and prospects;

2. A policy of turning strangers into friends – the best customers are friends NOT strangers, and that goes for the best businesses too!

3. Customers, and prospective customers, who will value a direct method of communication with their supplier, and the best channels they could wish for in achieving this (the ones they’re already in!);

4. Coaching in Social Media – the Do’s, the Don’ts & what it's all about;

5. Set up, and handover, or ongoing management, as preferred to suit the needs of the business.

Application of this concept incorporates Marketing, Lead Generation, Brand, Reputation, & Presence Management and Customer Retention. This approach is more about an overall “Communications Policy” than purely “Social Media”

All this is set in the context of a New Economy, post 2008, where transparency, openness and reduced complexity are prime requirements for commercial efficiency.

In addition, an element biased towards enhanced Customer Care, ensures that New Business gains a truly Win-Win result for all components of the transaction process.

The "Social Media" are here to stay – they continue to evolve with every day that goes by – and with such a wide selection available they now provide a reliable, affordable online method of reaching, and engaging with, buyers, customers or prospects.

Can you afford NOT to get involved? With some of your competitors there already, they are gaining the early mover advantage right now!

The New World demands New Ways - for improved Communication, Marketing Support, Delivery, and Customer Response.

ThePowerOf5 offers Win-Win hands down!

“Strangers & Friends” as recognised by Seth Godin @ The Difference

Howard J Moorey
28th June 2009
www.hojomo.com

“ThePowerOf5” is derived from the pentagram invocation of Spirit, Earth, Water, Air, and Fire for recognising earth energies and summoning them to combine for protection and greater good – strength in numbers.

From within this ancient practice comes the recognition that we, as humans, can better understand and absorb concepts and systems if they are first broken down into just five elements which, when combined, encapsulate the whole and represent the basis of achieving greater leverage from harmonising individual, but complementary, strengths.

At Hojomo Group, we offer ThePowerOf5 through affordable, face-to-face coaching and induction, or remote online set-up and deployment, to suit the individual circumstances. This ensures that we can tailor the offer to suit small & medium (“compact”) businesses, operating from one location, or larger corporate enterprises with multiple, national or international, locations, with widely deployed field forces.

MOOREY – where Business & Internet Overlap!

Social Media for Business Networking?...

2009-06-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

For effective Business Networking today you must have a presence in at least 5 different places - that's #ThePowerOf5 - and you must think Local AND Global - and most importantly: Engage with followers as people first & as prospects second.

You would not seriously expect to be able to get everything you want on a shopping trip in just one place would you?

So why should it be any different when you consider networking to promote “Brand YOU” and find business today?

You really need to include a mix of Online & Offline, a mix of Virtual & 3D, AND a mix of Social & Business Networking sites.

There is NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER that this is the best possible time for all sizes of enterprise, to be evaluating, developing and implementing their plans for a Social Media presence.

After the air escaped from both the economic & political balloons over the last 12 months, everyone was impacted to a greater or lesser degree.

From the sharp intake of breath that went with the demise of Lehman Brothers, to the sigh of relief from the inauguration of Barack Obama, and the rollercoaster ride we have endured ever since, there is one primary lesson we have all learned – there has been far too much complexity and opacity in the business, banking and political worlds. Worlds we previously considered to be the foundations of our society.

Now we all want and expect a far greater degree of transparency coupled with a “back to basics” approach to enable us to regain confidence in our National and Industry leaders.

The knock-on effect is that we will all be seeking reassurance of that transparency in all our commercial dealings from now on. How do we do that? We Search before we buy. Whether we want to buy Locally or Globally, we now Search first.

This is the key area where the Internet, and Social Media in particular, have a major part to play. It is also a part that can be taken up for once by small and large businesses alike – there is currently a levelled playing field, where the vast majority of the Big Boys have not yet fully grasped the nettle.

This offers a distinct Early Movers Advantage to small and medium enterprise who, traditionally, are able to manoeuvre and change course much more quickly than the corporate “supertankers”. Smaller businesses can sell to the World!

Face up to the facts that we all start our research on the net nowadays so the first key is getting found! Your website has a major part to play in enabling an easy transaction experience for the buyer – from giving him/her all the information they need about what goods or services you have to offer through to the benefits of taking YOUR offer, ie. buying Brand You, not someone else.

To be found easily you must be in their comfort zone, not necessarily yours!

You must reach out to them and make yourself approachable. That is the reason you need to be involved in Social Media – but be warned, it is most definitely NOT a place to deliver a hard sell message and expect results! It is a place to present yourself for inspection, to prove you are a knowledgeable and trustworthy purveyor of goods/services, and above all that you are a human being with the answer to their needs, NOT an automaton just trying to SELL them something!

PLEASE get your Social Media presence established NOW.

If you’re in the US, check out here how they’re approaching the subject in Virginia.

If you’re in the UK, you can find me in more than 5 places!…
Here: http://twitter.com/hojomo
Here: http://www.facebook.com/hojomo
Here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/HowardJMoorey
Here: http://hojomo.myplaxo.com/
Here: http://www.ecademy.com/user/howardmoorey
& mail me: howard@pubutopia.com

Don’t you owe it to your business to…

gain the Early Movers high ground in Social Media by getting yourself set up NOW, not in 12 months time, when it will be too late?

Thanks for reading.

Howard J Moorey

20th June 2009

Where I’ve come from & where I’ve got to...

2009-06-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

I have risen through the ranks of the Motor Industry in a variety of Sales, Marketing & Management roles over the last 30 years – all have been customer-facing, because that, and geekery, is what I enjoy most – providing service with a smile and gaining sales as a direct result – Win-Win!!

Progress was from Accounts Adjuster (Collections), thru Office Manager, Zone Manager, Business Manager, Branch Manager, Account Manager, Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, Business Development Manager to National Account Manager.

With, at various times, Ford, Renault, DAF, Iveco, ERF & MAN in automotive, and Forward Trust, UFB Humberclyde, General Guarantee & *** in Financial Services.

Whilst being known throughout by both my colleagues & senior management alike, as having a passion for technology & how it can serve us best, both within and outside the realms of business. Enabling efficient data & lead management as well as networking to the benefit of all, in large and small communities alike.

This background leads perfectly to where I am today, still business/customer facing, working to ensure enterprise of every size understands the benefits of Social Media and why they need to be involved in it – targeted lead management, additional sales, lower costs, brand & reputation management, through to customer service & retention, and MORE SALES. That's Win-Win too!

My areas of special interest focus on three business sectors:-

1. Motor & Automotive – Sales, Parts & Aftersales;

2. Financial Services – Asset finance & leasing, property & lifestyle;

3. Hospitality & Events – Pubs, Cafes, Restaurants, Venues, Markets & Regional Attractions.

All based around creating and optimising a sense of community, feeding & cultivating the human need to belong, to be part of something bigger, and believe me Social Media is PERFECT for that!

Now, I’ve ended up in the best possible position I could wish to be in – working with businesses, showing them how new technology (and a slight change of mindset) can

make them more money;
save them time;
reduce their costs (so saving money, as well as making it!);
ease their pain, by letting me do the stuff that gives them a headache – like setting up their Social Media presence and crafting it around their “raison d’etre”;
help them feel better about their place in the new local & global market that’s just starting to unfold.

Wow, it really is a wonderful world!

Thanks for reading.

Howard J Moorey

13^th June 2009

Aka @hojomo & now http://www.facebook.com/hojomo too!

WHAT HAVE I L1RND TODAY?

2009-05-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Web 2.0 sayings came from The Cluetrain Manifesto, as relayed by John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing:-

“Markets are like Conversations – Talk is Cheap and Silence is Fatal!”

But please THINK what you write in 140 characters & how it could be misinterpreted!

In a “conversation” face to face you can correct instantly any misconception.

If it’s a “live” Twitter convo, you can also correct fairly easily.

BUT if it’s time-shifted in any way, so you send something which has to wait till “after tea” or overnight for a response, the person reading may jump to the wrong conclusion about your chosen set of words, or maybe even just one word!

It was a Friday so the regular Twitter practice had begun – under the guise of #followfriday many Tweeple spread a bit of joy, love & kudos by recommending that their own followers consider following others that they have had good interactions with in the past week or more, it may even be just for the great information or insight they provide. It’s a good, fun, particularly “social” practice, and it’s what Social Media is all about!

In my case, I picked up on some recommendations by a wonderful marketer that I hold in very high esteem – virtually hanging on their every word!

I found that one of their suggestions had 16 followers & NO updates!! So I mentioned it in a DM back just in case it was a mistake or maybe the interactions had been offline, ie. face to face, that we would have less knowledge of.

I used the word offline “dealings”, which hindsight shows me, left room for misinterpretation!

This was the classic case where it was left overnight before I discovered my words had been taken in the wrong context. I had never dreamt of anything underhand (call it naivety if you like – I’m one of life’s innocents in that regard, always have been!)

However, my Thought Leader had taken it that I had inferred something dubious – I never meant to, and for that my profuse apologies!

But please take it as a lesson that some things in the Twitterverse need a bit of consideration, if only because of the “delayed reaction” effect!

The global move to greater openness and transparency heralded by the engagement & conversation enabled by Social Media is, I believe, one of the greatest shifts to be experienced by mankind – proving that a connected world is truly a smaller world, bringing us all closer together and able to feel more a part of the “whole” than ever before.

It’s fantastic, and it’s only just beginning, so it’s great to be part of it. Just watch your Ps & Qs a bit!

As a sign off, It also taught me that you seem to be able to delete the offending message completely – I didn’t do it – I know I wrote it (boy, do I know!), but it seems to have disappeared completely from the Twitter system – not retained by my Tweetdeck or Seesmic, or Twitter itself. (Thank you!?)

It has still been a lesson hard L1RND for me!

Have a great week to come, and Think On.

Howard J Moorey
Aka http://twitter/hojomo

www.hojomo.com
May 30th, 2009

From Change 2 Challenge...

2009-04-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

Change is not always easy...

And boy are we ALL going through a BIG change right now!

We are moving from a Masculine Economy, where Big was Beautiful, the only way to get on was to get Bigger – Big Corporates and Big Banks had all the answers, and a Big slice of the successes and a Bigger slice of the Profits…

Or did they?

Come 2008 we started to see the chinks in the armour – the Big Bold Bullish Economic model began to come asunder!

All those layers of complexity – impenetrable, incomprehensible complexity – suddenly proved to be covering up a Global Edifice that was built on Quicksand!

All those Bonuses were actually Bs…

All those Bankers were…

And the Motor Industry was in danger of disappearing up it’s own tailpipe!

And We The People Believed them and the messages they span for us!

Well NOT ANY MORE!

Whether they like it or not, we are moving relentlessly into a FEMININE ECONOMY,
where Nurture, Growth, Trust and Transparency are going to be Paramount!

No longer will we accept the message, be it from Advertisers or Governments, without us being able to see more clearly what the objective is.

We must know & understand our Politicians, Business Leaders, and Bankers, better before we blindly accept what they are saying.

With the Change comes the Pain, as the brakes go on and the pace slows down to the level we feel is right,

Dealing with this Change becomes the new Challenge for us ALL.

But be under no misunderstanding whatsoever, this Change will be good for us ALL – we suffer the Pain together and grow closer as a result.

WE will come out BIGGER and STRONGER as a result – able to accept each other, and our differences, because without them we will all be the same – Bland & Boring!

Grow Closer – a Network of Humans, of ALL Creeds and Races, Connected across our wonderful planet – and Move into the next phase of our development – THAT is the Challenge. SMALLER Businesses, Groups and Communities Your Time Has Come!

Bon Voyage!

Howard J Moorey

April 18, 2009

www.hojomo.com

Repentence

2009-02-21T02:05:00.000-08:00

Just feel I should write today about making a silly business mistake!

I didn’t take my own advice (“Don’t Cold Call, Ever”), and paid the price.

Think I was buoyed up by an excess of caffeine and/or adrenaline from my morning networking meeting, and decided to make a cold call into a shop in my local town, for what I thought were all the right reasons! I had tried to catch this particular lady on several previous occasions with no success.

My Marketing4Business venture has been going for some months now, and is finally starting to gain “critical momentum”, and I had decided at the turn of the year that I wanted to be able to help my local community, and maybe contribute my services in some way to the immense efforts of those running our local Farmers Markets and Artists Shop – so that was what I wanted to talk to her about.

However, I blundered in to the shop & caught her serving behind the counter. I introduced myself, and asked if I could have an appointment to come and see her another time. She asked what it was about, wary of the start of a sales pitch! I don’t like sales pitches, so I don’t do sales pitches, and I wasn’t comfortable with launching into any sort of detail in the middle of a shop with a few customers in it!

I tried to explain that I had personally toured the market on a few occasions recently and noticed that there didn’t seem to be any sort of a box scheme which would allow me to buy a number of items from the various stalls – maybe a week’s worth of the various meat, veg, cheese & olive offerings – to collect later in the day. I had a particular type of box in mind, but we never got that far. She jumped in and said they had costed up a box scheme, for delivery to the door, and had decided it wasn’t viable!

I thought at this stage, maybe they didn’t want to cross horns with the local organic veg box scheme organiser, who she already knew, but I thought since the market goods were varied, and not all veg OR organic, and were going to be sold from the stalls anyway, there wasn’t going to be direct competition. However, all this rationale could not come out because I was not aiming to spout it in her shop environment! I made the fatal mistake here of obstructing one of her customers from getting to her at the till, until she looked over my shoulder, and I saw what was intended to occur, and stood aside.

She assured me that the market had been going for over two years now, and they thought they had got it about right (“so buzz off & stop interfering” was the inference). I took this on board, having no intention of trying to sell ice to Eskimos, and decided now was the time to bow out! I added that it was my intention to try to make my local town a truly “connected community”, so hoped we would meet again at some point. I really believe we have an ideal opportunity to increase the use of Twitter in our local area, and am banging that particular drum slowly but surely, whenever I get the opportunity. For this I was rebuked as “talking too much jargon” – again, certainly not going to get into any further interaction with her, I left politely, but she still felt it necessary to have the last word, so I let her!

I was determined after this event, NOT to feel a failure, because I hadn’t got my point across, but to LEARN from the experience, and move on. I was, and still am, convinced that I would be able to simply help local trades-people to Get More Sales in our challenging economy, that’s what Marketing is all about!

I had made the fatal mistake of thinking that because I had become comfortable with preaching my intentions to my (warm & receptive) networking associates, I could somehow help out without it sounding like a sales pitch. FAIL! No, not fail; LEARN!!

I hate Hard Sell and Cold Calls, and am firmly convinced that the time for both has come & gone – we are now in a much more “Feminine” Economy, where nurturing of business relationships is far more important than just “getting a sale”, and where growth comes from “Meet, Like, Trust”, instead of just taking the same message from door to door, or shop to shop, expecting that the law of numbers means that “every 15 calls will lead to 1 sale”.

So, a very big Thank You to the lady for helping me learn a lesson!

What was it?

When you step out of your network, or comfort zone, remember NOT to talk in the jargon you can safely use there – friends, prospects, clients don’t understand until you explain to them IN THEIR LANGUAGE.

In the New World of Relationship Marketing, build the Relationship first!

This post is offered by way of repentance.

Howard J Moorey

February 20, 2009

www.hojomo.com

2009-01-31T08:36:00.001-08:00

Thanks for the TwiTip @problogger ! First post through ping.fm!

The Future for Banking & Finance is much more Feminine

2009-01-31T01:16:00.000-08:00

By the time of the Davos World Economic Forum, January 27^th-31^st, the message was finally getting home that We The People have become sick and tired of “complexity for profit”, an unwritten modus operandi in the financial world for most of the last 10 years.

That feature in bank processes led to the dominance of hedge funds & securitisation, and, allowed the emergence of what we now know as “ponzi” schemes – all perfect examples of “houses of cards” which, hindsight shows, were simply waiting for the wind to blow, and making hay until it did.

The Wall Street Journal has reported several key speakers focussing on Transparency and Simplicity as being the essential new cornerstones.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "We need clear-cut rules world-wide". This would at least go some way to preventing “macho tactics” by one major economy from gaining it a dominance capable of toppling smaller finance systems all around, the World, as happened with the “Sub-Prime Lending” debacle of 2008.

Back-to-basics strategies are now going to be the objective.

"In the end, what we want is a financial industry and banking-sector industry where you have more capital, less debt, more rules and much stronger supervision," said Italian central-bank governor Mario Draghi.

And, most fundamentally, he stressed that “the only thing that would attract investors...was the assurance of safety and transparency”.

Self-interest, greed and manipulation must be eradicated from the global banking system once and for all. And, that “For All” should become the motto of the way forward in finance.

Technological advances over the last 10 years, and the rise of the Internet and Social Networking, now mean that smaller systems, like micro-financing, can be adopted and linked together, much the way that smaller businesses are starting to find they can band together in joint ventures to work as efficiently as big corporates – this will be another growing trend for 2009 onwards, leaner, more flexible craft speeding past lumbering supertankers.

These new moves will lead to “real products that are simple to understand, easy to price and satisfy certain legal conditions" which Mr Draghi said would help to restart the market.

Among the new rules of the game for banks are likely to be simpler models that rely less on off-balance-sheet vehicles and borrowed funds to drive profits. Less complexity, not more. Regulators are also likely to force banks to be clearer and more transparent about the type of risk that exists on their balance sheets.

The WSJ article went on to point out that “within this new banking landscape, hedge-fund operators face their own changes. Eric Mindich, chief of hedge fund Eton Park Capital Management, said funds will be consolidating. He also said funds will be forced to better match assets and liabilities in order to ensure liquidity in times of stress.”

Another consensus was starting to emerge too - one that highlights that making heavy use of debt will no longer be possible to power growth. Martin Senn, chief investment officer at Zurich Financial Services explained "I think the industry will be required to hold more capital, which will lead to less leverage, which will eventually lead to more stable institutions,".

All serving to ensure that the New World will indeed be a better, far less masculine, place.

Howard J Moorey

www.hojomo.com

January 31st, 2009

The Feminine Economy, Twitter & Networking

2009-01-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

Howard J Moorey January 21st, 2009

7 DIRECT Business Benefits to be Gained from Joining & Using Twitter

The principle of a new “Feminine” Economy took a great step forward with the Inauguration of Barack Obama.

One of the fundamental cornerstones is Networking to build business, create new ventures & new jobs.

You can Network Online and Offline, in 2D & 3D you might say.

Social Networking, through Twitter and Facebook, amongst others, is drawing a great deal of attention around the globe, and it can play a part in development of both new and existing small to medium enterprises.

I had a meeting yesterday with a Network Associate, and he asked for some” Twitter Clarity” – “What are the direct small biz benefits to be gained from Twitter?” he asked.

So here they are:-

1.2009 is, without doubt, the Year of Brand YOU! Twitter is a PROMOTIONAL TOOL.
You need to seize a niche and make it your own – publicise yourself AND your business as one in the same. Prove that YOU can be a reliable source of factual, accurate, information about YOUR business topic.

There is no better way to do that than via Twitter!

This promotion MUST be low key (NOT “in yer face”), and remember, it puts you right in the Global Marketplace, not just a localised, 3D, one!

2.Twitter is an immensely valuable NETWORKING TOOL.

Use Twittersearch (just Google it) to find others who are interested in YOUR subject. It will find those who are talking about it right now, or who mention it in their “Bio” (immensely important to complete this when you set up your account, but you can always go back & tweak it later).

When you’ve found them, FOLLOW them – create your own Online network - watch what they’re talking about – you can always Unfollow them later. When you have got a feel for them, feel free to drop in a comment – if it’s sensible, or adds value, they will respect you as knowing something about the subject, and will most likely respond, and draw you into the conversation. Make new friends, inside AND outside the 3D setting, all around the World!

3.Twitter is an immensely valuable RESEARCH TOOL.

At least some of those people you follow may be online much more than you, and will be finding, and broadcasting, blogs/articles/comments/other “Tweeps” (Twitter Folk) that are worth knowing about, and YOU might never have known about!

Plus, you can again use Twittersearch to look for other current topics, or, indeed, a field you want to find out more about, including the people you may want to deal with/sell to!
Once you have your Twitter Network established, you can always put a question out to them, individually or globally, and see if you get a response.

4.Twitter can be a useful 3D COMMUNICATIONS TOOL.

Keep the promotion subtle, just show you enjoy your time in 3D, or it’s an invaluable resource for your business (preferably both!).

Announce meetings, upcoming or just attended, and what you may have learnt there, or, indeed, new Tweeps you have connected with there!

THE BIG PLUS is that when you are following someone, and they are following you, then you can also send them “Direct Messages” which are Private & non-public – if you know someone is online, it can be a much faster/easier way of making a quick comment, asking a question, or booking an event!

5.Twitter can be a great TOOL TO BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE too!

The more you learn, through points 2 & 3 above, the more you get to keep up to the minute on events and developments in your chosen area – you can find things out NOW, not next week or next month when your find them in newspapers or magazines!

Some of the people you follow could become your “Thought Leaders” – people who Blog about things that are EXACTLY in line with you own interests, and may even be at the cutting edge.

6.Twitter can be a NEW BUSINESS TOOL.

The new connections you make could lead you to new deals, joint ventures, business events, etc that would never have been possible in the “Old Days” (when you were not connected!)

7.Twitter can be FUN too – just like 4N – see it as 50% Business & 50% Social!
You can keep up with the local Gossip & Soap Operas, or maybe even set up your own!

Or you can banter with other Networkers around the country, or in your own group.

MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE is YOU! Use it as part of YOUR Marketing Mix.

It’s up to YOU what you make of it, but I trust the above will help you get the most from this FREE resource.

Use a free tool, TWEETDECK, to keep track of the above.

If you need to know more, or need help with set up,

email me: directcontact@hojomo.com

twitter @hojomo

Our 3D solution in the UK is www.4networking.biz

Most of all keep talking & networking to get yourself a new job, new contract or a new business!

THE ECONOMIC “END OF DAYS” - NEW YEAR, NEW WORLD

2008-12-29T02:45:00.000-08:00

For two thousand years, but especially for the last 100, the world has laboured through the Age of Pisces – masculine times, where leadership and aggression have been paramount, and mankind has followed a model where we needed to be told what to do.

That guidance would be provided by the Church, or the State, or the Military, or by Corporations/Employers, who supposedly “knew” what to do!

Most often this guidance has centred around possession and ownership, either of goods, people, property or lands, with the result that “defence”, and “righteous action” have often been invoked in the name of retention or accumulation.

All these are masculine – ie. (the modern version of) Hunter/Gatherer – traits.

Sales and Marketing, some of the cornerstones of our economy, have for long operated along the same lines. So too has the Banking system.

With the change to the Age of Aquarius, soon after the Millennium, came the opening up of the Internet – a new method of communication, which, in time, has delivered new ways of commerce.

In the last 4 or 5 years specifically, much money has been made, in Banking, Finance, Property and Stock Markets, as well as on the Internet. The common factor being the huge sums made by a small percentage of people, or corporations, always with the promise of riches for many, if they buy this or that affiliate program, or “special offer” – very few of which actually deliver.

Masculinity rules in the Motor World too, and look at the mess that is in, with urgent bail-outs for two of the Big Three in the US. Why? We are tempted to ask when we see the acres of unsold metal parked at strategic points around the various continents, with little likelihood now of it being sold, because the World has moved on from gas-guzzlers.

When we eventually start buying again, we will want fuel-efficient motors, maybe even multi-fuel solutions, with low carbon-impact factors.

This all mounts up to the new frontier we arrive at on December 31^st – the World knows it is not well.

It has developed a condition known by ancient peoples as “life out of balance”, what the Hopi Indians call “koyaanisqatsi”. It is time to get back to basics.

We all enter 2009 certain in the knowledge that we need, jointly, to achieve repair and nurturing (whatever we actually choose to call them) on a global scale in order to recover from the economic instability. What we MUST recognise too is that we do NOT want to go back to the way we were.

Several posts appearing recently on Twitter, and thought leader blogs such as that of Chris Brogan, and Jim Connolly, have led me to conclude that the time has come for a “Feminine Economy”, and that it has already begun within the new methods of communication we now use on a daily basis.

In many cases “the job” has represented a “comfort zone”. Many jobs will be lost in the coming 12 months – that only means that the functions are no longer required, the real people who performed those functions are still needed for their own unique contribution, just not by their current “employer”.

The crucial factor is whether those people have recognised what their unique contribution really is. If not, then they too may have a “life out of balance” – the condition that leads to dis-ease, dissatisfaction, anger and resentment at a personal level, just the same as it does at a global level.

Shirley P Burggraf recognised, as far back as 1997, that:-

"In a world in which people are free to choose between caring and competitive roles, an economic system that disproportionately rewards the competitors and beggars the caretakers will eventually lose its ability to compete because resources are increasingly diverted away from society's basic function of providing a civilized context for human life."

“Disasters are a form of opportunity… a time to reinvent, renew, re-envision and re-engineer” according to John T Unger

“Rules only exist until new rules are created, so make your own!” said Amrita Chandra recently, writing for the Chris Brogan Blog on What Artists Can Teach Everyone About Social Media.

Now, Social Networking, and the spread of a wide variety of Social Media, suggests that these are the 12 Facets of the “Feminine Economy”, and why it’s time has come:-

Communicative – let’s talk, and commune, more, to learn the others point of view;
Non-Aggressive –wars, and banking crises, all cost a lot of money, and ALL start from posturing;
Intuitive – listen more, learn more, and we will feel & understand more;
Networking – getting together for fun and common interest often drives things forward;
Wisdom – only comes from experience, and trying new ways;
Touch – everything we do, or consume, has an impact (often adverse) on someone, somewhere;
Cafe-Based – chat, gossip maybe, small scale, can still lead to development of ideas;
Social – the more we can reject the anti-social, the more chance there is of a longer lasting solution;
Nurturing – will be essential to grow & thrive again, this time under New Rules;
Heart-Sell – has to replace Hard Sell, because that is what got us in the mess in the first place;
Micro-Finance – the new way for local communities, the whole system needs developing again, differently;
Internet – the Web that brings us all together, to strive towards AND ACHIEVE all of the above.

Time for a change? A New Year’s Resolution? What do you think?