February, 2007

My husband Colin has a knack for taking the dull and making it interesting. Just take a look at what he managed to do with my office white board. 

He'll just pop in to say hi and while my head is buried in my computer, he'll quickly doodle a little image on my white board and quietly sneak out.

His images usually are about the issue of the day, making a lighter side of it. It's like having my own personal cartoon artist and I love it! 

Here’s some practical advice for anyone who deals with customers on a regular basis (which is most of us). This list was given to me years ago during one of my first consulting jobs. It has helped me make some important decisions along the way and proven to be a great guide.

#1: Professionalism, at all times

#2: Perpetual focus on success

#3: Make the customer feel good

#4: Make the customer look good

#5: Positive attitude at all times

#6: Under commit / Over deliver

#7: Make the customer admit success

#8: Manage customer expectations

#9: Take the administration seriously

#10: Balance commitments with care

#11: Spend money as if it’s your own

#12: Always be prepared

#13: Protect your integrity

#14: Always know your audience

#15: Manage the whole account

#16: Never leave the customer guessing

#17: Don’t get caught selling

#18: Make communications a top priority

#19: Stay clear of the politics

#20: Know when you’re over your head

This video is from Michael Wesch, the Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University. He does a fantastic job of explaining the basics of Web 2.0 in just under 5 minutes. Well done Michael.

[youtube 6gmP4nk0EOE]

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I woke early this morning to the sounds of my neighbors shoveling snow at 5am. I slowly crawled out of my warm bed, made a cup of tea, and debated whether to join the masses. Reading the morning news I discovered we have another 3-5" on the way. So I pulled on my jacket and grabbed the shovel. It's not the ideal way to start the week, but at least I already got my workout in for the day.

The Archives

Everything I ever written.

Last Sunday I finally got to break out my new Gocco print press. I created Valentines for all our friends since we didn't manage to send out any Christmas cards this year.

 The prints were bad for first attempt. Next time I'll use more colors and something other than plain white paper. 

Making the most of our winter days — a couple of kids really help. This week the temps dipped below -10F. When it gets that cold, everything breaks. The washer, automatic garage door openers, and the front porch lights. I guess it's a sign to stay in bed and just focus on keeping warm.