Getting your mind organized – and mapped

“Mind mapping” can help organize your brainstorms. This week, cult favorite Mindjet released a new, online tool for collaborative mapping.

This week Mindjet launched the first online-only version of MindManager, called Mindjet Connect. For $8.99 a month, users can collaborate with co-workers on the same mind map at the same time. A premium version, for $22.49 a month, adds Web conferencing and lets you turn Microsoft Office documents into mind maps.

From MindJet Connect: “Collaborate in real time over the Web. Now you can leverage MindManager on a secure, online environment – allowing you to collaborate around maps with anyone from virtually anywhere.”

Tell CNN if you’ve mapped your mind. Tell us below what your thoughts or successes with mind-mapping might be.

Post from: EveryJoe

Mind-Mapping, MindManager, MindJet, MindJet Connect

Julia Wilkinson tells us the reason Seth asked rhetorically “Why are you not dating your prospects” is “to build communication with them; a way to differentiate yourself from all the other products on the proverbial shelf.”

That isn’t really new news. What he says next isn’t either but it is wisdom surely worth attention;

The other big question he had for the audience was “Is eBay a platform or a job?” As a platform, you can use it to “build something far bigger than you can imagine.

The key, he said, is to “do something remarkable,” which means “worth making a remark about.” The cycle, as it looks like in a diagram, is to “be remarkable, tell a story to your sneezers, they spread the word, and you get permission from them” to keep in touch with them via an e-mail newsletter, blog, etc.”

And the message to disenchanted eBay sellers might be to use your platform rather than depend on your job! Grow your platform into a newer, bigger platform rather than get stuck in a diminishing job. Do something differently…

He also advised people to pick something they have passion about, and advocated giving away ebooks for free to spread the word about your business. “Digital things want to be free,” he said, which brought another laugh, but Godin said tongue-in-cheek he didn’t think it was funny. “The enemy is not piracy, but obscurity.”

I love it! – “The enemy is not piracy, but obscurity.”

Post from: EveryJoe

Is It A Risk To Call Seth Godin Wise?

Once again (I guess I’m reading Ina quite a bit eh?) a hat tip to Ina Steiner at Auctionbytes who lets us in on;

Creating MySpace Storefronts with PayPal Widget

“PayPal’s Storefront widget, which launched recently, lets casual sellers easily create virtual storefronts to embed into their blogs or websites. Now PayPal says the widget can be used on the social networking site MySpace. You can select which section of your MySpace page you want it to appear, the “About Me” page, for example, and you can also add a title or a description.”

Great idea! Paul Fredrich at the PayPal Blog adds: “Once you have created your Storefront Widget and you are ready to add it to your MySpace page, all you need to do is to follow the publishing flow which will guide you through the required steps.”

Everything you might need to know about the PayPal Widget is located at the FAQ’s page.

Post from: EveryJoe

Sell Your Products From Your MySpace Page

Well, regardless of whether your experiment works or not, here is the deal;

Computer Crime Laws Chill Discovery of Customer Privacy Threats

“You’d better think twice before testing your theory. Federal and state laws that criminalize unauthorized access to computers also hobble the rights of customers and security experts to use their own browsers to test whether a computer server adequately protects their data from thieves and fraudsters. This is true even if you don’t damage, delete, alter or change anything and are acting solely with the intent to protect yourself and others. Under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, codified at 18 U.S.C. 1030, obtaining any information from a simple unauthorized access is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, while the existence of other factors (such as causing damage or taking medical information) may make such access a felony. 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(2)(c), (c)(2)(a). California’s computer crime law (Penal Code section 502) also prohibits a number of unauthorized activities with computers and computer networks. Merely accessing a computer system without permission is an infraction under California law. (c)(7), (d)(3).”

Leave the security experiments to someone else who is legally qualified to conduct them!

Post from: EveryJoe

To Instill Fear – Computer Crime Laws and Curiosity Won’t Mix!

What they said;

Safe Payments Requirements
Last January, Bill announced that all new sellers would be required to offer PayPal or a merchant credit card as a safe payment option. This requirement gives buyers a higher degree of protection when transacting with sellers who have little or no track record.

This year we’re expanding this requirement to the following sellers:

* a small number of sellers who have the worst buyer dissatisfaction rates
* sellers with less than 100 feedback
* sellers who list in certain categories with higher rates of buyer complaints.

Also, for a small number of these transactions paid with PayPal, when eBay suspects the transaction may result in a dissatisfied customer, PayPal will delay release of the payment funds to the seller until the buyer has left a positive feedback or 21 days have passed without a dispute.

I’d like to put context around this last detail for our good sellers: Sellers with an established track record and more than 95 percent satisfied buyers in the last 30 days will not have funds held. And, sellers on eBay will continue to receive the vast majority of payment funds much faster than other marketplaces.

What they didn’t say was “required to offer only PayPal! They gave an alternative…

Yet;

eBay mandates PayPal as sole electronic payment method

Email received from eBay Australia 10 April 2008:

“From 17 June you [sellers] will only be able to offer PayPal on your listings and pay on pick up (i.e. paid for when picking up the item).

“Pay on pick up can only be offered in conjunction with PayPal. No other payment methods will be permitted.”

Australian eBayers erupt… then again, they’ve apparently been told PayPal is all they can use!

This flap really confirms thoughts of mine from years ago – policies can be controlled from power – you have to have the power. How do you gain the power? Use the existing system to its fullest! Become successful beyond anything these powers could imagine! Then, you’ll be able to dictate to them. If, indeed, they are in the wrong, a new power will arise out of their ashes. In that case you’ll need patience and alternatives. You can find both! But negativity is self-defeating. Avoiding the issue, running from the issue, whining incessantly, will not help you gain your goals, it will only hurt you.

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay – Safe Payments [Require Positive Attitude]

In an obviously emotional piece, David Carr writes today about some pathetic cost cutting measures in the newspaper world which have cost some very experienced and compassionate folks their jobs.

Speaking specifically of John Conroy, a veteran reporter for the Chicago Reader, David mentions;

“Mr. Conroy was busy dealing with a flurry of e-mail messages that day because on Thursday, he had been laid off. The Chicago Reader, which had published his work for over 20 years, decided it could no longer afford to support his reporting. Citing declining revenue and a need to trim costs, Alison True, the editor of the paper, laid off four of its most experienced reporters, including Mr. Conroy. The Washington City Paper, another newsweekly owned by the same company, announced five newsroom layoffs as well.”

What was so special about John Conroy? David tells us in the words of one Ann Patterson;

“My son, Aaron Patterson, tortured by the Chicago Police Department, would not be alive today, I believe, without your articles about police torture in the City of Chicago. You documented and wrote the realization of police torture, of which we will never forget. You help save my son’s life for which I thank you.”

John Conroy did the investigative journalism that was partially responsible for breaking news that saved the lives of four wrongly convicted black men.

At the end of the 1990’s David had been the editor of The Washington City Paper. He tells us;

“In the time I worked for them, I was impressed by their constancy and their willingness to support good work in the belief that if you produced quality journalism, the business would look after itself.”

And…

“The owners in Chicago sold out last summer to an unfortunately named outfit, Creative Loafing from Atlanta, which has mandated cuts across the organization.”

Creative Loafing initiated the cost cutting which laid off John Conroy and other experienced journalists.

I find this statement by the chief executive of Creative Loafing typical bovine excrement regarding the motivation for these job losses;

‘Ben Eason said, “We are not trying to make any other statement here other than it is a competitive world out there and we are doing what we can to make sure we are putting out an excellent paper in the communities we serve.”’

Right… the business world has turned topsy turvy and what good business does today is lose its best people so they can put out their best product? Horsefeathers Eason!

****************************************

Toward the end of the first page David offers something which I intend to aspire to;

“Investigative reporting can expose corruption, create accountability and occasionally save lives, but it will never be a business unto itself. Reporters frequently spend months on various lines of inquiry, some of which do not pan out, and even when one does, it is not the kind of coverage that draws advertisers.

The smartest Web robot in the world is going to come back dumb if there is nothing out there to crawl across. Thousands of bloggers could type for a millennium and not come up with the kind of deeply reported story that freed innocent men — an effort that takes years of inquiry, deep sources and a touch for making unholy secrets knowable.”

In my blogging past I’ve had some that have called me on my “investigative mentality.” Currently I feel like I’ve gotten away from it. My aspiration is to move back towards it positively because it earns my self-respect. Not necessarily yours, but my self-respect.

Please read David’s entire article. Its about what one does to create and publish true, valued, respectful, honest content for your consumption as opposed to simple sensationalism.

Post from: EveryJoe

Its Not Simply About Content

A few principles I believe ought to hold true for an online start-up as well as an offline from an article pointed to by Blogrunner;

Inside Entrepreneurship: Don’t let funding challenges derail you

“[The] prospective entrepreneur didn’t understand that adversity is not the same as failure. Tougher challenges require a tougher attitude.

In many ways, the reason why most startup entrepreneurs end up relying on credit cards and personal savings to finance their companies is they give up too soon. Many lose faith because of the frustration associated with pursuing the wrong type of funding source for their startup enterprise. It doesn’t have to be.”

“Successful entrepreneurs are determined and creative. They keep improving their business plans, find respected consultants and advisers and take the time to research a seemingly endless list of well-targeted funding partners until they piece together the startup funding they need.”

This is a new ENTREPRENEURSHIP resource for me – Susan Schreter answers your questions about start-up planning and small business financing. She serves as a coach to entrepreneurs and consultant to corporations.

Post from: EveryJoe

Adversity Is Not The Same As Failure

If you work from home in your boxers (as the title of this blog suggests), you probably realize that it’s becoming increasingly necessary to participate in online communities and social media to generate new business. Yet, that very same online presence that you need to attract and retain business clients can also pose a threat to both your identity and ultimately to your business.

The identity threat to your business comes primarily from the threat that someone else will start using your online identity and/or that it will become associated with unprofessional activity. To your clients, your online presence may be the only thing that they know about you. From a business perspective, it represents you.

Don’t think that online identity theft can’t happen to you, this post on the Instigator blog illustrates several cases where two bloggers (either intentionally, or unintentionally) started using very similar avatars in social media. At first glance, one blogger’s symbol could easily be mistaken for the other blogger’s symbol. (In a case like this, I would recommend contacting the other blogger to see which avatar is most branded. Ideally, the blogger with the least branded avatar would agree to change.)

At JasonKolb.com there are some excellent suggestions and reasons for protecting and promoting your online identity.

Here are some additional points about protecting your online identity:

1. Own the domain name that corresponds to your business name. Increasingly, customers are starting to expect that when they go to a search engine and type in “yourbusinessname.com,” your business site will come up. Owning your own domain insures that they will actually reach your business and not the site of some other enterprise.

2. Place helpful content on your site. It doesn’t need to be a blog, but it should be related to your business. Remember that this site may be the first impression that many clients have of your business, and everyone knows how important first impressions are.

3. Perform regular searches on your own name, the name of your business, and any pen or screen names that you have used. It’s important to find out how these names are being used and to make sure that they are not by used anyone else in a negative or professional fashion.

4. Never publish anything online that you wouldn’t say to a client’s face. Even “fun” places like FaceBook and MySpace could become part of your online identity to a potential client who searches on your name. The recent Facebook “scandal” faced by a university president just illustrates that nothing is really private.

With a little extra precaution and care, it is possible to protect your online business identity and present a unified professional image to your clients.

Laura Spencer is a work at home mom (WAHM) and freelance writer. Laura blogs about working from home at http://www.workfromhomemomma.com. Laura blogs about freelance writing at www.writingthoughts.com.

Post from: EveryJoe

How to Protect Your Identity in an Increasingly Public Online World

“CNNMoney.com asked several venture capitalists to reveal what they look for in entrepreneurs before they will even consider investing in their start up. And for the most part, they were all in complete agreement.”

Passion

“Aside from the usual paper trail of credentials, the most important thing is that [entrepreneurs] have a great passion for the idea”

Focus

Beyond a passion for a specific idea, the VCs agreed that “a founder must be seriously committed to making the business a success”

People

Almost as important as the individual driving the business is the team of people backing it up.

Innovation

It may be obvious to some, but many VCs said that finding a start up with a unique approach to the marketplace is unusual in and of itself.

Product

And when it comes to the business idea, investors are concerned with the risk versus reward.

[Don't forget to enter b5media's "Jump Start Your Business" contest...]

Post from: EveryJoe

How To Score A VC’s Cash

Microcosmic as it may be, I believe this exchange between Raj and myself is indicative of the truth behind commenting live, honestly and for free.

What appeared initially, to me, to be a disagreement, evolved into a brief and positively productive conversation within which I learned something about Raj, he learned something about me and we both became able to use this medium to pass along information of value to someone.

Had comments been turned off, or if this had been a static html web page, this would not have happened. Had Raj’s initial comment been paid for, I would have smelled it out and probably deleted it out of hand as spam. If I hadn’t seen it as spam, Raj may not have responded to my return comment at all, we simply would not have had a conversation.

You then, would not have learned about this – Co-Workers.com

Well, perhaps you already knew about it but what about you? Information gets passed along, not everyone has the opportunity to learn everything at the same moment. Which is one of the magnificent things about communication!

With a hat tip to Mashable, we find that “Coworkers.com is a rating system for coworkers, employers and employees, a peer review site that lets you say how you really feel about them anonymously.”

Heck, they even offer us a “Self Review;”

“How do you rate yourself as a worker? Don’t worry, this is just for your personal amusement. You are the only one who can see your self review, and it does not count toward your average rating. So be honest with yourself! Then check out how others have reviewed you… surprised?”

I doubt highly that Jon Warez will afford anyone the opportunity to be of service through his paid comment spam service because, well, he doesn’t care! He’s in it for the money! Wake up folks!

And now, if you have a boss like we discussed you can “review” that boss anonymously and get it off your chest without fear of reprisal.

Post from: EveryJoe

Live, Honest, Free Commenting Has Positive Results