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Daniel Benoni

On the (un?)importance of design - 0 views

  • On the (un?)importance of design
  • We recently underwent a Cinderella-like transformation: A total redesign of the WP Engine website from despicable steaming pile of hideousness to a designed, thematic — dare I say artistic? — sleek new look. Does it matter?
  • It was such a contrast, customers emailed us saying “Thank God you fixed that horrible website. I was embarrassed when referring you guys to friends.” But hold on. They were still customers. And they still were referring us to friends. So I wonder, did it really matter?
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  • It must have mattered. Look how bad it was. Not only were the pages just ugly, they were peppered with database errors and CSS blowups
  • . It doesn’t prove design doesn’t matter, but it does suggest design may not be the deciding factor.
  • Can you see at what point in time we changed design?  No?  Must not have made a difference. Let’s look at time-on-site:
  • Nothing. But this is all superficial — what Really Matters is the Conversion Rate: are more or fewer people signing up each week:
  • Hmm. Looks like everything objective is saying “it doesn’t matter.” But as much as I respect and follow Lean Startup theory, objective measurements aren’t the only things that matter. Those customer emails matter too.
  • The other day we landed a large customer who said they could tell from our website that among our competitors we’re more mature and ready to handle a bigger customer like them. I can tell you — objectively — that we’re among the youngest of our competitors, and although I have a list of reasons why “we’re better,” the truth is that particular customer would probably be served just fine by several of those competitors. Was it the design that gave us that edge? Could be. Didn’t hurt, anyway.
  • Still, the more I look at the importance of design in the startups in my little career, the less it seems to matter.
  • Modern Lean Startup theory blares out from the red-tiled rooftops of Stanford: Seek the Data and Ye Shall Find! First the bounce-rate. If our website design was repulsive — literally — the bounce rate should now diminish. Here’s the data:
  • An even more extreme example comes from my second company ITWatchDogs. I displayed its old homepage at the magnificent Webstock design conference in Wellington earlier this year; the crowd whooped at our violent assault on the visual arts, complete with calliope menubar colors, two broken images tag above the fold, and a layout model that could be seen as a “grid” only after consuming a pillowcase of mushrooms:
  • But you’re anticipating the punch-line — ITWatchDogs grew every month, made millions of dollars, stole business from competitors with billion-dollar market caps (and professional-looking websites), and had a successful exit.
  • Of course it’s only fair to also point out some of the many instructive counter-examples: Hipmunk is the same thing as Orbitz or Travelocity — the only difference is amazing design, not just because it looks good but because it’s so useable. In the words of Joel Spoksly — the design “affords usability.” (P.S. Early Hipmunk team member Alexis Ohanian is so cool and smart and rich and funny and successful and good-looking that really he doesn’t deserve to be alive. (P.P.S. Hey flamers, for God’s sake it’s a joke! Don’t you realize I’m just sore from losing the Pecha Kucha competition to him?)) I always use and recommend Amy Hoy’s time zone tool only because it’s just nice to use and look at. (P.S. she also authors a terrific blog aimed at the solo entrepreneur.) Many people credit Mint’s smash success with their terrific design. Considering how many features were broken for how long, it’s hard to argue. 37signals documented — with data — how design changes results directly in more credit-card-swiping customers. It doesn’t get more “business value” than that. So where does that leave us in the “matters / doesn’t matter” question of design?
  • I think you can go either way, but you must decide whether or not you’re going to value design as core to your startup’s identity, and then act consistently. Here’s what I mean.
  • It’s clear from the outset that design is the only competitive advantage Hipmunk has over its competition. Specifically, by making the flight-search problem pleasurable and useable instead of feeling like you’re navigating pivot tables from Excel ’98.
  • They don’t have better data, better branding, better name, better SEO, or more money. Just better design, and not just easily-copyable incremental improvement, but a quantum leap better.
  • When design is that fundamental to the business — how it acquires and retains customers, garners attention and referrals, and distinguishes itself in the market — obviously design can be the most important thing.
  • Conversely, at ITWatchDogs the company’s internal and external culture was that we’re low-cost, friendly, approachable, regular guys, who understand exactly what you worry about, exactly what your budget is, and we nail it. The site might have looked bad, but our message couldn’t have been clearer.
  • But it is useful to decide where you come down on the question of design in your startup, because if it’s important you’d better work on that right now and develop a consistent culture of valuing design through-and-through, and if it’s not important you’d better decide what is important and nail those things all the harder, because you’ll be competing with people who are using superior design to cover up their lack of competency in those same areas.
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    Design, important or not
Daniel Benoni

Nat Turner (The product feedback cycle) - 0 views

  • how many different variations of the “product feedback cycle” there are.
  • What he means by this is simply, how long does it take and how many layers does feedback on the product go through before it gets to engineering.
  • There are a few options.  First, you could have clients talk directly to engineers.  While that in theory is the shortest path the feedback cycle could take, that’s typically not the best solution.  Most engineering teams prefer to stay “heads down” and not be interrupted, and are also rarely involved in the client day-to-day, so context switching is hard for them.  You should definitely have interaction there, but probably not all the time. 
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  • The other option, and probably most common, is to have someone or several folks dedicated to “product management.”  That probably makes sense in larger organizations or as companies grow,
  • However, I personally think that this is very dangerous for an early company, and I’d go so far as to say it’s a major red flag.  Here’s an example of what you want to avoid
  • it’s a good sign and highly preferable if the founders focus and own the product process.  Ideally they’re also able to “go deep” and be involved in the entire product management process, writing the specs for engineering teams, managing the priorities, etc…
  • I think the founders of a startup need to be very cognizant and controlling of the product management process, at least until you become a larger organization, and avoid the temptation to hire “someone dedicated to product.”  In my experience, the more people/layers you add to the process and the further the founders step away from the product management the process, the worse the outcome.
Daniel Benoni

What Do You Stand For? - 1 views

  • 10 Experts, 10 Predictions, 1 Year January 6, 2012 at 9:06 AM by Research & InsightsLast month we looked back at the top trends of 2011, but now that the New Year is upon us, it's time to look forward to what 2012 has in store. We've convened the biggest and brightest minds in cause marketing, corporate responsibility, nonprofit marketing and volunteerism to share their top predictions, programs and issues for the New Year.As for our perspective, we say look out for an influx of disruptive campaigns in 2012. The cause industry continues to mature, and with the flood of new campaigns in the market, companies and nonprofits must do more to make sure their cause stands out in the chatter. Companies will make bigger and braver commitments, support broader and bolder issues and increasingly go out on a limb all in the name of cause. We'll also see more companies support niche causes and partner with smaller, more nimble nonprofits for further differentiation. Let's shake things up this year!
  • My one cause marketing prediction is that by the end of 2012
  • 2012 will see the rise of the employee activist. As 2011 saw the second coming of the consumer activist with powers heretofore inconceivable, the new year will bring the awakening of the most powerful brand ambassadors - the employees. This year employees will awaken to the opportunity they have to create real change inside the corporation and in their communities, simultaneously. Corporations will embrace the chance to help their employees to make that change."
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  • "As CSR and sustainability continue to converge into ‘business excellence,' we will see a growing recognition within executive ranks to understand, recognize and leverage the value of a responsible and sustainable work culture. 2012 just might be the year when change management becomes institutionalized as a prerequisite for growth and profitability."
Daniel Benoni

The 7-Stage Evolution of a Socially Responsible Brand - 0 views

  • For decades, the decision to be an environmentally and socially responsible company has been based on the bottom line: Would it be profitable?
  • In terms of traditional accounting and the legal requirements of corporations, costs always outweighed benefits.But it now seems that this equation is starting to lean the other way as brands recognize the potential financial and reputational advantages they can gain by engaging with consumers around the shared ambition of building a better world.
  • We can see this already happening among some leading brands such as Pepsi, Google, Nike, Patagonia and Starbucks, who have all earned consumer respect for their involvement
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  • ow did this come about? In large part, it is because the payoff for corporate engagement with customers has risen dramatically as a result of social media.
  • As the brand’s customers become loyal fans, they use their social networks to spread the word about that brand, driving even more new fans to join in. This dynamic may have its initial upfront costs, but it pays off in the end through an extended global audience of buyers and fans.
  • Transforming a brand into a socially responsible leader doesn’t happen overnight by simply writing new marketing and advertising strategies. It takes effort to identify a vision that your customers will find credible and aligned with their values.
  • The Seven StagesThe process of becoming a brand leader in the next decades will be an evolutionary one involving at least seven stages.
  • Unsustainable corporate self-interest
  • Self-directed engagement
  • C-suite reflection
  • Consumer facing self-interest:
  • Self-directed reform:
  • Brand leader:
  • Brand visionary:
  • Indeed, if we consider the online reach of companies like Facebook and Twitter, the offline reach of companies like Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, Coca-Cola and Walmart, and the fervent consumer loyalty that companies like Apple, Nike and Patagonia inspire, it’s easy to imagine how a web- and social-savvy population could coerce these companies — and any others who want to follow their example — into becoming the leading global brand visionaries of the future.
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    Describes exactly why Corporate Social Responsibility is the bomb right now. It's a "you better hop-in" bandwagon that most companies can't ignore now!
Daniel Benoni

How to effectively launch your new product or service | PressDoc Blog - 0 views

  • 1. Define the message you want to communicate and to whom If you’re launching your company, introducing a new service or making another important announcement, first ask yourself why people should care about it.
  • 2. Write your press release(s) Now you know who your audience is and what message to bring across, it’s time to craft the actual press release. Remember, the goal of the press release is to convince journalists, bloggers and other influencers that your story is worth spreading to their following. Writing a good press release warrants an entire different article, but the most important thing to remember is to tell a story.
  • 3. Create a list of PR contacts It’s time to create an overview of all the bloggers, journalists and influencers you want to reach. Let’s call them your PR contacts.
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  • 4. Optional: Determine which outlet gets the scoop In today’s media landscape, a story covered 15 minutes ago by another blog can already be considered old news. Therefore depending on the type of news and the market you’re in it might be wise to give one specific media channel the scoop.
  • 8. Distribute your press release In a previous step you set up draft emails for all your PR contacts, now is the time to send them.
  • 6. Write draft emails In the previous step you have probably only sent out the news to a handful of contacts on your contact list.
  • 7. Make the announcement When the day finally comes, you can publish your press release (or have it published automatically if you’re using the schedule option).
  • 5. Send personalized emails to journalists, under embargo If you decided not to give the scoop to a certain blog you can still let journalists know about your announcement before you actually make it public.
  • 9. Thank the people that covered your story Congratulations! Now that your press release is out in the open you should see some coverage happening. Be sure to enjoy all the free publicity your company receives and thank the people that cover your story via a personal email so you can start building a relationship with them for your future press releases.
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    couverture de presse, press release
Daniel Benoni

Tufts fraternities partner to maximize community impact and philanthropy - Jonathan M. ... - 0 views

  • Last month, Tufts Inter Fraternity Council, made up of representatives from all the fraternities on campus, launched a partnership with Tisch College to strengthen their capacity to have a positive and constructive impact on campus, in the local area, and in the global community.
  • As I worked on that and heard about the fundraising and volunteering that other fraternities were doing I started thinking about the impact we could have through collaboration
  • philanthropy summit for organizations to share fundraising resources and tips, and found that other fraternities were looking for ways to collaborate as well
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  • each of the ten fraternity chapters on campus agreed to sign on and to collaborate on a philanthropic endeavor this semester and in the future
  • all fraternities will collaborate philanthropically around an agreed upon theme, sharing resources and co-sponsoring fundraising events together
  • Because fraternities at Tufts are already so busy with their individual chapter philanthropic activities, it was initially challenging to get all the chapters to sign on
  • However, once everyone came to the understanding that this was not intended to be a burden but rather a supplement to their ongoing activities, things began to develop well.
  • ollaboration really has great potential for better utilizing our manpower to maximize the effect we can have
  • hopes the partnership will help change some of the stereotypes about fraternities.  “While the point of this project is to increase the philanthropic activity of chapters, it is also very much to improve recognition of the philanthropic work chapters have been doing for a while now,
  • reek chapters participate in or host multiple philanthropy events a semester and the campus doesn't always hear about them, so by bringing all of the chapters together it is hoped that awareness of fraternity charitable activity will increase.
  • that people often have misconceptions about fraternities and don’t hear about the good work fraternities do - even though that is the bulk of what they are about. “I actually came to Tufts partly because I thought it didn’t have a strong Greek presence, which was something I really wasn’t interested in,” he explained.  “But when I got here I found positive role models in upperclassmen fraternity members and I was particularly impressed with the goals of Delta Tau Delta.
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    Partership between different fraternities and how they want to improve their brand image.
Daniel Benoni

Pro Bono Standards & Valuation - Pro Bono 101 - Resources - Lead Pro Bono - Taproot Fou... - 0 views

  • Pro Bono Standards & Valuation In partnership with the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), Taproot Foundation has developed standards for pro bono service to professionalize the field and ensure the consistent quality of services delivered to recipient organizations
  • Examples of Pro Bono Service HR team audits the HR systems of a nonprofit Finance team develops managerial accounting systems for a nonprofit Property development team helps a nonprofit secure and design office space Creative team develops a nonprofit's annual report Working as part of her company's pro bono commitment to a nonprofit, a professional tax accountant provides tax consulting to needy individuals in the community
  • Examples of Other Skills-Based Service (Not Pro Bono) Executive serves on a nonprofit board and gives informal advice Manager coaches high school student on a business plan competition An accountant independently provides free tax services to an individual in the community who can't afford tax advice Engineer designs a technology curriculum for an after school program Working as part of her company's pro bono commitment to a nonprofit, a software designer sets up staff computers (setting up computers is not within the core description of a software designer's professional expertise)
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  • Current Dollar Fair Market Valuation Pro bono work should be valued at Fair Market Value (FMV) and recorded as non-cash giving in CECP Survey Question 9.  FMV is the hourly or project cost that a paying client would incur for the same service. Companies are encouraged to use the three scenarios below to assist in determining the FMV of services rendered.  The dollar values in the scenarios below are based upon current U.S. salary data adjusted to account for geographic differences and typical fee-discounting practices.  CECP is currently unable to provide dollar-value assistance for non-U.S. pro bono service. Paid-release-time service that does not meet the pro bono criteria should be recorded at a dollar value that is appropriate to the skills involved in CECP Survey Question 22 (do not include pro bono hours in Question 22, as that would be double counting hours recorded in Question 9). When in doubt, the current Independent Sector rate is appropriate.
  • For companies with minimal pro bono tracking capabilities In the absence of employee skill area data and internal billing rates, CECP recommends using an estimate of $120 per hour for pro bono service projects. This is based on a rounded average billing rate for mid-level employees across disciplines, highlighted below. For companies with moderate pro bono tracking capabilities Companies that track the seniority level or skills deployed in pro bono projects should use the following chart to value pro bono hours if internal rates are not available.
  • For companies with robust pro bono tracking capabilities Companies should use their best internal billing information to determine the FMV of services rendered. These valuations should be adjusted to reflect billing differences by: geography, seniority level, rate discounting, employee skill area, etc. To do this, companies must track project metrics that affect billing rates so that an accurate, defensible valuation for pro bono contributions can be recorded. CECP strongly encourages companies to track pro bono to this level of specificity whenever possible.
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    GREAT INFORMATION. To read! - Use cases leads - "What to track in pro-bono" - References, etc. 
Daniel Benoni

Yael Cohen: The New Generation of Karma Junkies - 0 views

  • Flash forward to 2011, and philanthropy is the new black. Everywhere you turn, people are spending a few months abroad to build a school
  • volunteering at the blood bank in the evenings after they finish their 9-to-5 job. Everyone has a cause
  • This nouveau philanthropic righteousness is definitely making the world a better place and is empowering a generation to believe that they, as concerned citizens of the world, can make a difference to global issues
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  • Why now?
  • what's with the boom in charity work in recent years?
  • candidates for medical school are becoming more and more qualified right out of university. With great grades and amazing recommendations, it can be hard to differentiate yourself from the pack. Enter philanthropy.
  • It adds some much-needed clout to your character and shows you can commit yourself fully to a project and see it through until the end.
  • Bus ads, billboards and online banner announcements all broadcast the latest causes to hit the scene. Perhaps all this good karma talk has seeped into our collective subconscious minds and led us to believe that the only way to live a worthwhile life is to include a little do-gooding in our daily activities.
  • the most important factor at play when it comes to philanthropy: the pure, selfish, unadulterated sense of warmth and happiness that comes from knowing that you've just used your valuable time to help someone who's not you
  • we've all started realizing that helping other people is just another way of helping yourself.
  • classic debate over whether or not there is truly a selfless good deed that one can partake in, because no matter what altruistic endeavor you're undertaking, you are still selfishly reveling in every little good vibe and pat-on-the-back that comes your way as a result of your labor.
  • behind every good charity organization, there stands an army of amazing volunteers. So, here's to all you karma junkies, altruism enthusiasts and kindness fanatics out there. Consider yourselves all cyber high-fived, because the work you're doing is actually making the world a better place.
Daniel Benoni

How to Increase Internal Corporate Community Engagement - 7Summits Blog - 0 views

  • Internal communication and collaboration within intranets has documented solid ROI’s encouraging companies to look to it more and more for increased innovation and decreased costs.
  • Q. So how do you activate your internal community to reach a positive ROI? A. Facilitate Employee Engagement within the platform. A successful company and a thriving corporate culture doesn’t come from an org chart and people identified by numbers it comes from HUMANS, community, and allowing other users to benefit from each other’s expertise. Successful internal community participation directly and indirectly helps users across divisions and regions achieve their goals, find experts, and collaborate efficiently.
  • Successful internal community participation directly and indirectly helps users across divisions and regions achieve their goals, find experts, and collaborate efficiently.
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  • Internal communication and collaboration within intranets has documented solid ROI’s encouraging companies to look to it more and more for increased innovation and decreased costs. While many organizations have achieved these positive ROI’s, the process to realizing them is often challenged. Activating the community, and getting users to interact with each other becomes a difficult behavioral change, but one that is invaluable to the company as a whole and its employees
  • No one is participating because companies are simply using a different communication medium for the same old message. The voice of a community should reign relevant to the workers, not the executives, a common mistake we see with many failed internal community and intranet projects.  The fastest way to make a community relevant and to gain participation is to make it human and to upgrade the messaging to fit the distribution tool.
  • Identify ambassadors/ Experts: Don’t ignore those able to deliver genuine knowledge, identify them, embrace them, and give them room to speak in a HUMAN voice. Engagement breeds engagement. People who are most likely to contribute include natural leaders, employee’s active on other social networks, and members who had a say in the initial community planning stages,
  • Recognize these experts: Thank users who do participate. Many companies build communities prompting “Find an Expert” “Ask a Question” but the true value of the question and answer feature is getting people to answer those questions.
  • Invest in Information Architecture and User Experience: We’ve seen several communities that are lacking engagement because it is unclear to users HOW to engage.  Investments in information architecture are often over looked, even though they are vitally important. 
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    great article to support the need of an internal collaborative tool facilitating community engagement!!!
Daniel Benoni

Charitable Checkin Turns Your Good Deeds Into Rewards - 0 views

  • aking the checkin and making it philanthropic
  • lets users post their actions via SMS, web, email, Foursquare or Google Talk.
  • ach act earns the user points that can be redeemed for actual rewards and discounts
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  • choosing to snack on an apple rather than a piece of cake
  • or larger projects like volunteering your time to a non-profit
  • users start to build a social identity based on their actions.
  • where users flesh out profiles based on their philanthropic interests.
  • This concept of a charitable social layer has taken off on other online platforms like Jumo or Causes.com. People are becoming more conscientious of how they’re perceived online. This social layer based on philanthropic interests is both an easy way to track causes and a positive way to self identify.
Daniel Benoni

HOW TO: Decide Which Charities Your Business Should Support - 0 views

  • Giving is big business. Every year non-profit organizations solicit companies in the hope of obtaining
  • Giving USA reports corporate giving increased 5.5% to $14.1 billion in 2009.
  • Businesses are willing to give, but are often confused as to which causes might be best for them.
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  • Businesses can build stronger relationships with their stakeholders through their charitable endeavors. Helping others while helping themselves can lead businesses to bigger profits.
  • on’t forget your employees
  • Clarify your business’ values
  • Find out where your stakeholders are donating
  • First Steps
  • Picking a Charity
  • Determine the criteria for the potential charity
  • arrow it down: Search for charities that meet your criteria. Here is the tedious part. Giving USA cites there were more than 1 million charities in the United States in 2009. You may want to enlist another person or a committee to help with the selection process. GuideStar.org has a wonderful search function that allows you to pick through its database by criteria
  • Compare mission statements
  • Make sure organizations are registered
  • Transparency and accountability
  • Trustworthy non-profits will discuss their programs and finances
  • Give your partnership a trial run. Test your partnership by donating to a small project before doing a large campaign.
  • Charities are a fulfilling way to further the mission of your organization while helping the community in which you live and work. Keep these tips in mind the next time you conduct your next cause marketing or charitable campaign, and your organization will be sure to come out ahead.
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    This article is the bomb. We should rehearse it before pitching to a company and show how the process should be done and how we can help them go through it with Invup!
Daniel Benoni

Build, market, measure in parallel - LaunchBit - 0 views

  • First-time web entrepreneurs often tell me "Oh we're moving really quickly...we're launching in just 6 months."
  •  The trouble is that product traction isn't just about getting a product out the door.
  • Your biggest competitor isn't any company or individual.  It's time -- the duration you have before you run out of money, morale, and the enthusiasm your significant other/family has for your endeavors.
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  • The trouble with my last company was that our experience in software development came from large companies, where your job is just to ship code.
  • So we thought that a launch was just about writing the code.  And, we did that in 6 months.  But, what we didn't account for was that in a startup, you don't have a ready large group of users just waiting to use your product. So, your launch time must also include a cycle of user experience and marketing.
  • So, if you do everything in series in a drawn out way like we did: build, market, measure, it's a cycle that can turn months into years.  Eric Ries suggests that shortening an iterative loop and going through such a loop multiple times quickly is the key to success.  I would take that a step further and suggest not only cutting activities to shorten that loop, but to do as much of this loop in parallel.
  • Our workflow looks like this: get your Unbounce or LaunchRock page up from Day 1 and start marketing before you have a product.  You can gauge interest and get signups from the very beginning until you're done with the first iteration of the product.  Start getting the Craigslist posts out there on Day 1 to get feedback and potential customers immediately.  Once you have enough of an idea of what to build, start mocking up your idea.  Get those mocks back out to potential customers to make sure you're on the right track.  Iterate as much as possible on paper before building, because it's much faster to re-draw than to re-code.  "Delete features" on your paper prototypes as well, reducing what you need to actually build in code.  Try to code as little as possible to shrink that build time to about 1-2 weeks.  By the time you're done building your first prototype, you've already acquired users from doing marketing in parallel.  This puts you in a position to start measuring usage and gauging interest immediately before iterating through that loop again.
  • Build, market, measure should happen as much as possible in parallel to reduce your launch time and keep your money, morale, and support up.
Daniel Benoni

The Spinnaker » Blog Archive » Greek Life competes for volunteering at the On... - 0 views

  • included within the campus community, conducted a competition amongst sororities and fraternities for accepting mentors for OCT members. 
  • The winning team will be announced April 15. The incentives include a trophy from OCT, recognition on campus, volunteer hours for resumes and the experience of helping the community.
  • “I suggested we hold a competition,” Andes said, “where teams from sororities and fraternities can compete on the basis of who can accumulate the most number of hours by volunteering at OCT.”
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  • “My brothers and I don’t volunteer for just another trophy on the shelf,” said Matt Ziegler, a UNF electronic media junior and vice president of fraternity Pi Kappa Phi. “To have peace of mind knowing I am devoting my time to people who appreciate my help is the real reward.”
Daniel Benoni

Why Top Brands Are Investing So Much Time In a Social Media Leaderboard - 0 views

  • Why Top Brands Are Investing So Much Time In a Social Media Leaderboard
  • Massive brands like Intel, Audi, Microsoft, Ford Motor Company, Toyota and AT&T have also invested in EA and are quickly rising up EA’s business leaderboard. The real-life success of a company seems to directly correspond with EA’s scoring algorithm. The Fortune 500 ranks public companies by the most after-tax revenue for the year, but how does EA determine its scoring? “We really look at the following: Activity (how much and what you do), audience (who’s listening) and engagement/interaction (how are people engaging you),” Dups said. “So if you can break down any network in that way, you can figure out what we listen to.”
  • Getting In Early
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  • So if brands aren’t necessarily going by their EA network score to judge their return on investment, how do they know if their time is well spent? Robert Scoble thinks it’s too early to say whether brands will see a major return on their EA investment. “It’s something fun to play around with, but that’s all I’d be doing right now if I were a company,” Scoble said. “That said, you could get a lot of PR by playing around with services in early stages of the game. Everyone remembers [the companies that were early to] blogging and Twitter. No one cares about the 3,000th one there.”
  • Intel is seeing results from being an early adopter. “As one of the first Fortune 50 brands on EA, we got first-mover credit,” explained Rhoads. “People noticed we were participating and were able to interact directly through the game with a very active, pre-existing community. It’s very satisfying to invest in that community and I think gratifying and perhaps surprising when a brand re-invests back in you. As far as results are concerned, it’s hard to tell.”
  • While larger companies are always among first adopters for new social networking sites because they have more resources and staff, the true test will be if smaller companies will flock to EA as they have to Facebook and Twitter. Most companies will likely need harder evidence of return on investment in order to justify getting into the game
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    Potential partner, they could use our score in their algorithm, we could ask them some question about their algorithm, we offer them a social value in their score and they drive us really interesting traffic and brands! To check soon!
Daniel Benoni

CharityVillage® Research: Say "Thanks," keep in touch, and deliver on your pr... - 0 views

  • Bell Canada, for example, receives 9,200 requests for either philanthropic or sponsorship support each year
  • ell faces a major challenge in dealing with these applications, and making the difficult decisions concerning which to support and which to turn down, while striving to get good value for its sponsorship investments. Overall, she points out, the objective is "to connect to the things that matter"
  • Bell does not sponsor individual athletes, individuals who simply have an idea or cause they wish to promote, or business launches. If applicable, Foster points out,
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  • The applicant must be financially sound, and Bell will be strongly impressed by organizations with low administrative costs which can offer a partnership that will fit its corporate vision and strengthen its position in the niches it wants to occupy.
  • crucial for Bell to have telecommunications exclusivity in the project
  • s it a unique made-in-Canada concept?
  • Is it likely to attract positive public attention?", "Is the applicant a Bell Canada customer or potential customer?", "Does this proposal present an opportunity for a commercial return for Bell?", and "Will there be a role for Bell employees to play?" No organization, Foster points out, will ever meet all of the criteria, "... but the more 'Yes's, the better your chances."
  • Offer proposals that make commercial sense to Bell Canada
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    Charity Sponsorship.. from the company point of view. Good to read before we go meet a company for a feedback!
Daniel Benoni

Does Expending Resources on CSR and Sustainability Destroy Economic Value? « ... - 0 views

  • Corporate Social Responsibility isn’t about giving money away and adopting the latest cause of activists. CSR and sustainability are approaches to business operation and execution that build employee engagement, improve environmental performance, create positive social impact, enable operational efficiency, reduce cost, foster innovation, strengthen relationships with customers and consumers and ultimately…create business advantage.
  • Dave Stangis, VP for Corporate Responsibility with Campbell Soup Company responding to University of Michigan Professor Aneel Karnani’s infamous editorial in The Wall Street Journal, “The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility.”
  • Is it the misperception that CSR is a cost, a tagged on responsibility, and therefore, unnecessary for companies? Or that CSR is completely estranged from the notions of capitalism as Professor Karnani believes — and is, in fact, the wrong argument?
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  • When properly and strategically implemented, CSR does not lose money, it makes money. Over the long term, it is a viable business strategy that focusses on long-term sustainable impacts (including profitability). Arguing against reducing energy, water and waste costs, along with fines, meeting onerous regulatory standards imposed due to improper actions, etc. is as foolish and short-sighted as arguing against oil changes for your car (it costs money) or the installation of safety devices that protect consumers (such as safety belts and airbags) because they increase the cost of the vehicle.
Daniel Benoni

Dan Shapiro » Vesting is a hack - 1 views

  •  
    Startups are a lot of work!  He quits AcmeCorp and takes a cushy executive gig at a fortune-500 tech firm.  Jill's left solo. Years pass.  Jill first works without salary, then pays herself a pittance.  She bootstraps the company, starting with consulting and moving on the develop a highly successful web service.  As she brings on staff, she issues stock to new employees, ultimately handing out a half-million shares of the company.  Eventually she's the CEO of a 50-person firm, pulling down a respectable $200k per year as the CEO; nearly as much as Jack's pulling down at his gig (not including his benefits and bonuses).
Daniel Benoni

Jason Pugatch: Corporate Philanthropy: The New Popularity Contest - 0 views

  • Corporations have, not surprisingly, turned their marketing lens to the social networks, and they're running their corporate giving programs like a race for prom king.
  • Too often, it's the popular kid, and not the most deserving one, who wins. This type of giving poses definite ethical questions. That corporate marketing divisions are using social responsibility as a way to boost the bottom line is the least of these. The aforementioned $200,000 is actually but a part of the $5 million Chase claims to have donated
  • There's another advantage for Chase to hand out money this way: they're splashed all over your Facebook news feed as good-hearted bankers with whom you might just want to do business. But are these dollars solely devoted to helping charitable organizations, or are they just another way of advertising? A multi-billion dollar corporation shouldn't be allowed to write-off advertising as a charitable contribution.
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  • the neediest and most in need of charity -- are not always those with the loudest voice.
  • Non Profits who serve them would rather write a grant and be evaluated by program officers (who hold expertise in specific giving areas) than waste time running in a popularity contest.
  • Those in charge of allotting corporate, shareholder dollars to charitable organizations have an ethical and fiduciary obligation to uphold best-practices when giving.
Daniel Benoni

Why your company should have a single email address - 0 views

  • Yet, when it comes to email management, most companies seems to adopt a somewhat broken posture: either they don’t advertise any public email or they advertise too many of them.
  • The right number of emails to be advertized by your company is ONE.
  • Fragmented communication issues were numerous and yet subtle. Here’s some anecdotal evidence: Sales team pitched a prospect with the usual 3min introductive verbatim, later to discover that the prospect was already very familiar with our technology, as the prospect was already one week into integrating with Lokad. As a result, the pitch was less than useful, and the sales team appeared clueless. (They were clueless.) Support team, not aware of the importance of a prospect, replied with a short email pointing toward our online documentation to a VIP (Very Important Prospect) who was basically asking for a direct call. Not only we missed a big opportunity to engage with a VIP, but we appeared somewhat carefree too (VIPs expect to be treated as such). A client with a technical question our billing, unsure of the proper contact, decided to separately email sales@, support@ and billing@. He got 3 distinct answers, triple effort for us, and one of them, poorly phrased, seemed to bring a different answer. We spend hours undoing the confusion afterward.
Daniel Benoni

Quebec 'certifies' firms for work-life balance - The Globe and Mail - 1 views

  • new business certification as an innovative way to put the province at the forefront of the work-life balance movement
  • uebec
  • d is a seal of excellence that sends th
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  • This stand
  • e message that Quebec promotes the right balance between work and family
  • So far there has been lots of interest from companies and public organizations
  • McMaster University business professor Nick Bontis said he’s not aware of any other government certification programs similar to Quebec’s
  • “We’ve been doing it on our own for two years
  • “We view it as an investment.
  • erformance rewards system that allows staff to trade points for such services as child care and house cleaning.
  • This is still a hard sell to corporations.
  • This is a program for companies of all sizes and in all sectors,
  • think this is amazing. It sends a signal to the rest of the world that Canada is pushing the envelope
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