ellipsis…

“I’ve noticed that people who read a lot of blogs and a lot of books also tend to be intellectually curious, thirsty for knowledge, quicker to adopt new ideas and more likely to do important work.

I wonder which comes first, the curiosity or the success?”

- Seth Godin

i’ve always been a bit hesitant about using social networking to reach EVERYBODY. i have friends and family (including my dad) who try to accumulate as many friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter as they possibly can. it has becomes a status symbol, with the whole “i’ve got more friends that you do” vibe. i’m not saying that social networking is bad, much the contrary. but i’ve always wondered what use 1000 random friends on Facebook would really be. wouldn’t you want 150 good friends who you have a real connection with.

Seth Godin, one of the best marketers on the planet in my books, posted a couple of videos of himself and Tom Peters at an Amex/Open session. one of the videos is on social networking and it’s place in business. he hits the nail right on the head, “networking is always important when it’s real, and it’s always a useless distraction when it’s fake.” give it a watch below, he says it way better than i ever could. the other videos are on blogging, decency, and the fact that no one cares about you. they are all really good, and really short. you can find them here.

My dad passed this along to me today. It’s a bit old but it still applies to business today. This list is from the first Profit 100 Issue in February 1989.

1) Share the wealth.
2) Beg, borrow and steal ideas even from big companies.
3) Service till it hurts.
4) Don’t lose the small-biz feeling.
5) Pick a niche and make it better.
6) Be flexible, and respond quickly.
7) Have a real fear of debt.
8) Every employee has a first name.
9) Concentrate your resources.
10) Never grow for the sake of growth.

It’s good stuff to keep in mind as we get bombarded by clients.