Too often business people use the term resource to describe a human being, especially in the software development and marketing agency worlds. Statements like "Do we have any resources available for this project?" or "I need a resource with SEO expertise" put people on the same level as electricity, CPU cycles and bandwidth. Using the word resource to describe a human being makes people feel like a commodity and diminishes their individuality. Dale Carnegie said, If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made an impression on you. Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance. He also said, A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language. I appreciate the unique talents, personality and perspectives that eac... [More]
Mar 27, 2009 • by Jason Sherrill
Have you ever sent a hasty response to an email and wish you'd worded it a bit more gently? Or sent something with an incorrect attachment? Or even forgot the attachment? I suspect I'm not alone in answering "Yes!" to each of these. It doesn't happen nearly as often though since I employed the "Wait 5 Minutes" rule. It's saved at least a few eggs from covering my face and could do the same for you. Let me tell you how. [More]
Mar 6, 2009 • by Jason Sherrill
Have you ever sent a hasty response to an email and wish you'd worded it a bit more gently? Or sent something with an incorrect attachment? Or even forgot the attachment? I suspect I'm not alone in answering "Yes!" to each of these. It doesn't happen nearly as often though since I employed the "Wait 5 Minutes" rule. It's removed at least a few eggs from my face and could do the same for you. Here’s the low-tech and free way to buy yourself a few extra minutes to prevent a mistake after clicking the “Send” button. [More]
Mar 6, 2009 • by Jason Sherrill
I provide a response to this question that a user posed on Stackoverflow.com today regarding SEO tactics, but between the time I started typing and the time I finished, the author had closed the question to new answers, so I couldn't submit my response. Nonetheless, it was a good discussion topic since numerous clients have asked me whether black hat SEO tactics that get a quick rise in search traffic should be part of their internet marketing strategy. If you're reputable, in it for the long haul and want sustained growth, then the answer is definitely "no."
His question was:
This is a question for those of us who can easily recognize when a company is participating in a sketchy SEO scheme to bulk up their search engine rank.
Recently, I've been searching for a moving company. After hearing several estimates, I decided on one company that gave me a reasonable rate (not the cheapest) ... [More]
Feb 11, 2009 • by Jason Sherrill
I'm a huge proponent of staged rollouts for credit union websites, especially if the sites are ground up builds packed with new features. I sometimes have to fight hard to convince my clients of the benefits since most of the time they're giddy with excitement about the new website and want to give their members access to everything on day one. I usually spend a lot of time selling the virtues of delayed gratification, mostly in writing, sometimes verbally. I thought today it would be interesting to try a slightly different approach with a fun new client. [More]
Feb 6, 2009 • by Jason Sherrill
