http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Sat, 9 Apr 2005 17:05:41 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/04/09/170541.php Yvonne DiVitaHonestly...when is the Internet going to be as 'real-time' as it purports to be? As someone who is contantly on the lookout for updated research data, for information on Internet usage, by gender, I am thoroughly annoyed with reports such as the one out of eMarketer this week: It's a Woman's Web. The report notes that women dominate the web, and suggests that, perhaps, we're reaching a "tipping point.""In its early days, the Internet was a man's world. People wondered if women were ever going to be 'techie' enough to come online. As late as 1997, males made up 65% of all Internet users," so the report begins.Truth is-- women have dominated the web since 2002. We slipped over the 50% line way back then, and we haven't stopped. According to the report being promoted by eMarketer, Women Online, "Females have long embraced the Internet as a communications medium, having shown strong interests in online games, health content and music, but now adult women, who dominate consumer spending offline, are shifting more and more of their shopping online."Yes, eMarketer, and anyone else who cares to listen...women like shopping online. So much so, that I wrote a book about it. I'm discovered that women are strong Internet users, and that anyone doing ecommerce should be considering the impact that women have on their bottom line. Let's look at some facts regarding Jane's power online: from Road and Travel online, "The facts are this; women purchase more than 50% of all new vehicles, 48% of all used vehicles, influence 80% of all sales, comprise 40% of all business travelers, influence 80% of all luxury and family travel, own 38% of all US businesses contributing $1.6 trillion to the national economy, and have now reached 54% of all Internet users." Whew!From the Center for Women's Business Research, "Despite the recent economic downturn, more than half (55.3%) of women-owned firms with revenues of $1 million or more reported sales growth over the past three years."In addition, the center reports, "Annual expenditures by women-owned enterprises for just four areas - information technology ($38 billion), telecommunications ($25 billion), human resources services ($23 billion), and shipping ($17 billion) - are estimated to be $103 billion."So, where is Dick in this equation? Today, Dick is often standing by Jane's side. Or, he's advising her on her business processes and/or business finances. Dick shops online, also, of course, but not as much as Jane, and not with the focus Jane has for shopping. He goes online, gets his electronic toy or the gift for his wife/girlfriend, and goes on to other things.Jane is a comparison shopper-- as noted in January by Laura Rush, writing for e-Commerce-Guide. Her article, "Women, Comparison Shopping Help Boost E-commerce Holiday Revenues" revealed the truth about shopping online: "The e-commerce gender gap appears to be widening, as more women opened their purse strings than men last quarter: the percentage of purchases made by women reached 62 percent in the fourth quarter with men accounting for just 38 percent of transactions," and it was written about the 2003 Christmas shopping season!To get a glimpse of what happened Christmas of 2004, we need only turn to Businessweek online, which gave us this article, "Holiday E-Tailing's Year of the Woman: Online purchases by women, already the majority of Web surfers, are exploding -- and merchants all over cyberspace are taking note." So, why is eMarketer so far behind the times? Why is this news about the women's market considered relevant, up-to-date, and current-- when it's not? Why is everyone still focused on Dick when Jane is taking charge! Pun intended-- since women carry over 80 million credit cards.If you're into ecommerce, or know anyone who is, understand that Jane not only buys for herself, she buys for everyone else she knows! And, she recommends or influences 90% of the goods and services bought and sold in this country, according to the U.S. Census bureau.You bet it's a woman's web. Online--Jane rules! That's all there is to it! Culture27951@blogcritics.org Sat, 9 Apr 2005 17:05:41 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/20/145306.php Yvonne DiVitaSeneca Falls, NY is the home of the Women's Rights National Historical Park. Since this month, March, is National Women's History Month, and March 8th was International Women's Day, it only seems fitting to do a post on Seneca Falls and the Women's Rights National Historical Park. After all, I live only 45 minutes away.The women most noted when the subject of women's rights comes up are Susan B. Anthony , whose motto was, "Failure is not an option," and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. But, they are not the only women who were fighting for women's rights in the 19th century. Amelia Bloomer, the woman who introduced Susan B. and Elizabeth Cady to each other, deserves mention when one has a discussion of women's rights. Amelia is reponsible for more than the historical introduction of those two noted women. She is also responsible for helping to change the way women dressed, in the mid-19th century.Before Amelia, women were forced to endure the most uncomfortable of conditions-- in their everyday dress. They wore hoop-skirted dresses with hems that trailed along the floor. These dresses often weighed 40 lbs. and came with corsets designed to give every woman an hourglass figure. Determined females such as Anthony, Stanton, and Bloomer, once introduced to the more comfortable dress of ballooning trousers, with a short overskirt, adopted this 'fad' and never turned back.In 1849, Bloomer advertised her pioneering spirit in print by starting a publication called The Lily, the first newspaper in the U.S. owned and operated by a woman. It advocated the message Stanton, Anthony and Bloomer wished to promote: women's rights-- the right to be educated, the right to own property, and of course, the right to vote, which was not granted until 1920. One cannot discuss women's rights without also mentioning Frederick Douglas, an early reformer, a staunch abolitionist and a friend of the women who so desperately sought equal rights in a country that professed to offer freedom to the masses. Rochester, NY, the home of the Susan B. Anthony house, has statues of both Frederick Douglas and Susan B. in a park located in the cultural district, where so much history took place. History that young people today know little or nothing about, it seems. Young women today seem woefully unaware of the ridicule endured by these women, and men like Frederick Douglas, of the abuse heaped upon them, and the suffering--including imprisonment-- for attempting to advance the lives of women and slaves. It's now, during historical moments such as this month's focus on women's rights, when some newspapers and TV shows pay homage to these courageous women and men, that some of the truth gets told. To learn it all, or--as much as we have on record (who can truly believe ALL of the truth is available, that the meager writings and historical biographies can begin to cover the reality of life in a day when women were better 'seen and not heard' or when blacks were supposed to be free but were still just indentured servants?), one must visit the Seneca Falls Historical Museum.To have the opportunity to relive history, to walk through the homes these women lived in, trying to imagine the struggles they endured, stopping to read about them in the historical writings and preservation of their homes, is truly a trip worth making. Why not plan it now? Why not help celebrate Women's History Month...visit Seneca Falls, and be sure to bring your daughters and sons. Culture27005@blogcritics.org Sun, 20 Mar 2005 14:53:06 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/13/134613.php Yvonne DiVitaSelf-publishing, POD or print-on-demand, and vanity presses; these are all methods of taking a manuscript and getting it into print, for sale. As someone who has a vested interest in this, who published a book last year using POD, I'm still amazed at the number of people who are misinformed about what these three terms mean.There are many writers out there with stars in their eyes-- looking to self-publishing as the holy grail. I talk to many of them on a weekly basis; both locally in Rochester, NY, which is the print-on-demand hub of the world, and online, through email, or my blog at A-ha! These are writers who have a story to tell and who know they probably won't make it through the filtering process at a big publishing house. Or, they've tried that route and been burned.This post is to help explain the New World of Self-Publishing. A place where authors really do have the control-- but often don't have the knowledge-- to get their book into print.Let's look at how the publishing world works today; a comparison of traditional publishing and POD, which has become synymous with self-publishing.First of all, being self-published is NOT a BAD thing. Self-publishing your work does NOT mean you are unworthy of being published by the likes of Random House or MacMillan. There are numerous self-published authors who went on to become best-selling authors, who chose the self-publishing route to get their leg in the door. Self-publishing got readers interested in their work, and attracted big name publishing companies. The stigma of being a self-published writer is placed on writers by the big publishers, to protect their image of being in charge of print publications. It's time for self-published authors to stand up and shout, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any longer!"Okay, let's dispel some myths. First, an explanation of the various forms of self-publishing is in order:1. Self-publishing itself is a term to denote the author's involvement in not only writing, but producing, his or her book. When an author chooses to bypass the traditional publishing route (a route that could take years to make it to bookstores, and is fraught with disappointment because traditional publishers want ALL rights, or as many rights as they can get, and then...may or may not publish the book-- it happens, you get to the end of the contract, book is done, even printed, and the publisher has found a new darling, so...you're left out in the cold. The book sits in the publishers warehouse-- and gathers dust), he or she is considered a self-published author. This means she or he went to Kinkos and had the book printed, and paid a pretty price for however many copies she or he desired (or had enough cash for), or he or she went to a printer and had the printer handle the job. In the end, the author is left with numerous boxes of books...to sell.2. Vanity Presses-- are still in operation today. These are companies that purport to aid authors by doing the printing of their book. An author submits a proposal of their manuscript, the vanity press acts like a traditional publisher (sometimes, not always) and accepts or rejects the manuscript. Few manuscripts get rejected. Once accepted, the vanity press requires an upfront fee, usually in the thousands of dollars, to handle the printing of the book. Generally, again, these books will be hardcover. The author has, essentially, bought hundreds of copies of his or her book, and now has the onerous task of selling them. Vanity presses are never a good choice. IMHO3. Subsidy publishers-- as close to a vanity press as you can get. They want a large cash outlay up front, for very little return.4. Print-on-demand: POD is a new form of self-publishing. There are a number of options available to the author, using this form of self-publishing. Xerox and Kodak have made it possible to print ONE BOOK at a time, for the same cost as printing a hundred books. (they seldom actually print ONE book, they usually print them in batches of four or more, then hold onto the extra copies until orders come in.)Here's how this works: in POD, the author contracts with a publishing company to print his or her book once it's completed. Reputable companies give the author guidance in setting margins, choosing font style, and formatting the inside look of the book. They sometimes also help with cover design. For this, they require an upfront fee. It's generally thousands less than either a subsidy publisher or a vanity press would require.Once the author delivers a PRINT READY manuscript to the POD company, that company -- for the most part -- OUTSOURCES the printing to a reputable POD printer, usually, but not always, here in Rochester, NY. Lulu.com, one of the largest POD companies online, and the cheapest, outsources its printing to Lightning Source, a book distributor that deals with companies in the Rochester, NY area most of the time. Lulu gets its money from sales of the book-- so the author receives 75% royalty, while Lulu only takes 25%. However, Lulu sets the price of the book. They also do not do any marketing. The book sits in their database waiting for someone to find it. The only book I know of that has reached best-seller status at Lulu is The Hardball Times, which sold 500,000 copies-- because bloggers took it up and promoted it all over the Net.Companies that offer POD have a distinct advantage both over traditional publishers and vanity presses. POD companies can publish your book for much less, they sometimes (not always) offer a marketing package, and they take a smaller royalty cut.4. Author Services: another arm of POD. An author services company works with the author to make sure the book is exactly what the author wants. An author services company combines the power and ease of POD, with the expertise and insight of traditional publishing. An author gets personal assistance in the writing and editing of her book, as well as the design of the cover-- both front and back-- and has an experienced professional to interface with the POD printer, to make sure everything is done properly, and on time. An author services company does not abandon the author once the book goes to print. They offer marketing plans, which the author may purchase upfront or negotiate after the book is printed, and they also have a bookstore associated with their company. A bookstore that can't rival Amazon, but, which pays the author a much higher royalty than Amazon, which should encourage authors to send family and friends to their publisher's site to buy their book.Amazon, by the way, takes a big cut out of the set price of the book, and even lowers the price at whim. One wishes Amazon would open a dialogue to explain the purpose of this-- well, we know it's to sell more books-- but it undercuts the Author Services ability to sell the book at retail, and doesn't do the author any good. Of course, this is America. That's business, I guess.In conclusion, self-publishing today isn't the same game it was back in those old Dick and Jane days of the previous century. Self-publishing using POD is a respectable way to get into print, pays better royalties, and comes with marketing help, if one is willing to invest some cash upfront. Self-publishing using just a POD company is still better than a vanity press, but has numerous pitfalls. Lack of communication is one, lack of expertise is another. By choosing an author's services company, you get the best of both worlds because unlike a POD company, an author services company makes its money on more sales of the book. The upfront cost merely helps keep the doors open. Author services' companies rely on their ability to market and sell your book, to make their profit.Let's look at a few famous folk who started their writing careers by self-publishing:Beatrix Potter: The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Edgar Allan Poe: anything, he was totally self-published and did not receive renown for his work until after his untimely death. Tom Peters: In Search of Excellence John Grisham: A Time to KillThe list could go on for pages. You get the drift. So, don't whine and wail if your book gets turned down by a big NY publisher. In fact, unless you're willing to wait a year or longer for your book to get into print, don't waste time on them. They'll come calling...if you choose an author's services group to help you get noticed by the buying public. It's not a matter of luck-- it's a matter of professionalism and expertise and marketing.Get published when you want-- by investing in a good author services company that understands print-on-demand. You won't be sorry. You may get rich. You may just get famous. But, you won't get taken to the cleaners. Books26673@blogcritics.org Sun, 13 Mar 2005 13:46:13 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/27/111133.php Yvonne DiVitaA girl-friend recently mentioned a book on marketing she was reading -- a book she recommended I get my hands on since it offered a new approach, according to her. She told me a little bit about it, in reference to a project we were thinking of working on together, so...I did what anyone would do: I clicked over to Amazon to see what the fuss was all about.As a professional who writes on marketing to women, I decided this was a decent buy. It wasn't overpriced, and the Amazon reviews were favorable. Lest you believe all Amazon reviews are favorable, be advised-- the public will out you if your book is trash. This book, The Anatomy of Buzz, by Emanuel Rosen (Doubleday so the book says, Currency, so Amazon says, New York, 2002) passed the Yvonne test for offering Search Inside the Book, and for not being out of my price-range. I was prepared for another, "Word of mouth only works when you talk," kind of book; in other words, a lot of obvious advice on how to get the word out. A testimonial on the back cover, from Seth Godin, author of Permission Marketing, says, "Clear, lucid...The last chapter by itself is worth the entire price of the book!" a statement which might lead others to flip to the last chapter and read it FIRST, but which made me determined NOT to read it until I arrived at it.Rosen spends a good deal of time explaining the buzz surrounding another book, Cold Mountain, by Charles Frasier, a book which was given to me as a gift shortly after it was published. Unlike the folks Rosen talks about in his book, I had not heard of Cold Mountain, was not aware of its rising popularity, and did not, after reading it, go on to rave about it to family and friends.However, if asked, I would admit reading it and saying I enjoyed it. When the movie came out, I was first in line to see it.Does this constitute 'buzz'? Not in my book. But, apparently, my experience with the book is singular...a fact I am proud of-- being someone who doesn't always follow the crowd, and all.Meanwhile, I was into the better part of Chapter 6, "How the Buzz Spreads" and struggling to finish. I admit, I was in a perverse mood at the time. I was tired of best-selling authors like Rosen and Godin telling poor little me, over and over again, to talk about my company, to print proper business cards, to join networking events and speak up, to create buzz out of thin air. To my delight, as I read on, I began to get it. No, really. I began to get it in ways I had not gotten it before.Rosen's book started to educate me, instead of lecture me. What a difference! I have to admit, some of his advice is the same advice I give to clients, but, the way he said it, validated my knowledge, instead of questioning my motives. For instance, on p. 96, under the sub-title: "Understanding How Buzz Spreads," he presents a bulleted list that every marketer, every company executive, every employee, should memorize:* From whom do your clients or customers typically learn about your product? * What do people say when they recommend your product? * How fast does information about your product spread compared with other products? * Who are the network hubs?And more. That is a partial list. I ended with, "Who are the network hubs?" because that's an important part of this book, and a crucial question to understand. Further on, two paragraphs later, Rosen explains that network hubs are unpredictable, "But real networks are not linear or predictable," he says. "People talk to each other unpredictably."There was a valuable lesson. One I hadn't thought of before. One that resonated with me immediately. As Rosen notes on the very next page, "There's a big difference between going after an elite group of forty influencers and going after a broad, less visible population of four thousand of them."This leads into Part Two of the book, "Success in the Networks." Here's where the meat of this book is. Here's where I came away with notes and scribblings and ponderings, and not a little excitement. "The Power of Gossip," is a section of its own, and should be copied and pasted on the wall closest to your desk. Of course, I glommed on to this section because...I deal with marketing to women, and everyone knows women like to gossip. (men like to gossip, also...but they pretend they aren't gossiping...they coin their gossip-speak in business terms and throw in a sports reference, or a car reference, and think that absolves them of actually gossiping; as if!). But, women gossip without even trying. Women cannot open their mouths to speak without talking about someone-- a family member, a friend, a colleague, whomever. And...while some might insist what they're doing isn't gossiping... most women shrug their shoulders and consider it their God-given right.Rosen said it better than I'm saying it here. He said, "We love to talk about people." But, not boring people. Oh no! "We do, however, talk about colorful and unusual people." Think Paris Hilton, Elton John, President Bush...Therefore, as he explains further in the book, the goal is to work with network hubs, to "Give them something to talk about," and, "Stimulate Them to Teach Others." As I approached the end of the book, Rosen was able to further impress me by showing me how to work network hubs, how to identify them, how to find more of them, how to track them and be receptive to them. This is a 'how-to' book of major proportions. It's not a repeat, well, mostly not, of all the other marketing advice you've already read. It's not an, "I know, you don't," kind of book, either. It's an instructional guide on the power of creating buzz-- true, effective, powerful word-of-mouth buzz that can get you noticed. It's a compilation of all the best articles I've ever read about word-of-mouth, all in one place, by someone who gives me the impression he cares, sincerely.I like that. Now, let's see if I can put his words into practice and create some buzz. Watch this space. Books26062@blogcritics.org Sun, 27 Feb 2005 11:11:33 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/20/135714.php Yvonne DiVitaNow, WB television aficionados may think this book refers to Lex Luther from Smallville fame...and oh! if only it did. He is a favorite character of mine-- that bald head just begs for rubbing!But...no, this book is not about Lex Luther-- but it does have everything to do with the Lexicon of life: words. The Joy of Lex by Gyles Brandreth is a book about having fun with words. A delightful romp in the hay with your favorite...wordsmith, be that a she or a he, or both-- who am I to judge?It's an old book...if you consider anything produced in 1980 to be old...which I don't but...one must bend to the will of public opinion and in this new millennium, anything created before 1990 is probably old. Covered with mold, no doubt-- according to the general populace. In fact, glancing down the copyright page produces an even earlier date-- one I hesitate to share-- lest it label me -- but, one must be honest: the book in its original format was printed in...I hope you are sitting down...1948! Well before most of you were born! My goodness...that's even before I was born!Never mind. This is a fun, happy, wondrous book. The sub-title gives it away, "How to have Fun with 860,341,500 words." So, let's have some fun.Brandreth calls himself a "word freak" in an attempt to explain why he wrote this book. But, really now, we can't leave that alone. Wordsmith is more appropriate, being this is a new millennium, and all. Perhaps in his day people who played with words were freaks. One can only wonder.No, he's a wordsmith and a darn good one, at that. He explains the origin of the crossword puzzle on page 12, explaining that this "epoch-making puzzle appeared on December 21, 1913" in the Sunday edition of New York World. In 1924, Simon and Schuster published The Crossword Puzzle Book, their first publishing venture...which was considered a risky venture--but which sold over 40,000 volumes, and spawned hundreds more just like it. Chapter 38 is an especially fun read. It deals with "Graffiti--the Greatest." Brandreth says, "There is no form of literature so old or so universal as graffiti." Then, he goes on to share a bit with the reader. For instance (these are HIS writings, not mine...and I neither endorse them nor refute them, I merely share them):Stop air pollutions: quit breathing. Lower the age of puberty. Up with miniskirts. Down with hotpants. Don't hate yourself in the morning...sleep till noon. Unemployment helps stretch your coffee break. You think Oedipus had a problem--Adam was Eve's mother! Eggheads of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your yolks.All right. Enough of that!Let's move on to "Repartee." Quick and witty quips to amuse friends and family. And to cut your enemies to the quick! (from pages 95-101)Edna Ferber (Pulitzer prize winning author) is purported to have had this conversation with a hotel clerk:Clerk: "I beg your pardon, Miss Ferber, but is there a gentleman in your room?" To which Miss Ferber replied, "I don't know. Wait a minute and I'll ask him."A reporter once asked the great Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi for his full address. "I think," said Verdi, "that Italy will be sufficient."An infatuated young man was sending his girlfriend a telegram which read, "Ozzy loves his Woozy Woozy Woozy Woozy Woozy Woozy." "You can have another 'Woozy' without it costing any more," said the post-office clerk."No, thanks," replied the young man. "I think that would sound rather silly."??????? (reviewer's note only...not included in book.)Zsa Zsa Gabor, when asked how many husbands she had had, replied, "You mean apart from my own?"And so on...page after page of eye-blinking repartee.There is more delight and laughter in this one book than I have found in dozens of others-- which purport to be written for laughter, while Brandreth's book is written for-- the joy of lex, of course! When I'm at a loss for a quote, or something silly, or just a comment on the English language, I pull out this book and it saves me--I never have to doubt that it will.I leave you with one of Brandreth's suggestions for a sleepless night: repeat after me, "Wacky Walter Wiesman was Warsaw's wittiest waltzing waiter. When Walter wooed women, wow!"Good night! Books25740@blogcritics.org Sun, 20 Feb 2005 13:57:14 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/13/103110.php Yvonne DiVitaA few months ago I printed off a report from Diversity Inc. titled, "What's Appropriate for Women to Say at Work?" The answer was: only PG rated stuff.I meant to write about it--add my two cents--for weeks and weeks, but it just didn't fit into the regular content of my own blog, so, it got shuffled beneath other papers and reports, and, ultimately, forgotten.This weekend I decided to tackle the desk clutter. Not clean it up, mind you. Just tackle it. That means going through the top layer, the most obvious layer, and chucking outdated material. Lo and behold! there was the Diversity Inc. article and...remembering how annoyed the article was when I first read it, I decided this would be a good day, a good time, a good venue to get this subject off of my chest-- if I may be so bold, being a woman and all, where thoughts of 'chest' bring on images of-- bosoms???According to this article, a young woman working at a Florida utility company was fired for saying the F-word. I'm a prude, I don't say the F-word, but...I'm also an American and my likes and dislikes are my own, I don't impose them on others. So, it angered me that this young woman could be fired for...spouting off. Especially when, in my experience, men are never chastized for their language--in or out of the office.The article, and this is most disturbing, went on to agree with my assessment, saying, "Would the same thing have happened to a male employee? Hamburger (the young woman who was fired) says no and many high-ranking women executives agree." The emphasis is my own. The thinking is-- and this is aimed directly at younger women who grew up around four-letter words much more so than we baby boomers-- that "...it doesn't matter if it's fair or not. You can control yourself a lot better than you can control others.!Hello? Men get to curse and tell dirty jokes and the women are supposed to just put it down to boys being boys? Yet, if they elect to join in, they're ostracized or FIRED???? The report went on to note that curse words weren't the only language we ladies should be careful about. Phrases such as "screwed up" or "stay abreast" or "get it off my chest" are PG rated when men say them, but X rated when women say them--because they bring on sexual thoughts in the minds of the men hearing them!Hello!!!Personally I think four letter words used in an offensive way are all objectionable. Personally, I think everyone could use a good dose of not only common sense, but of respect. But, hey, that's just me. I get to be 'cocky' because I'm a writer...and this is the Internet...and I'm self-employed. I just don't get it when a company is allowed to apply standards to one gender that it doesn't expect the other gender to follow. This article, so it was noted, showed up in The New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, Businessweek, and even Newsweek. But...did you know about before today? Was there a furor about this unequal treatment? We hear about bloggers being fired all the time-- sometimes for good cause, others not. But, who heard-- who read--who paid the tiniest bit of attention to this article back in November when it appeared across so many industry publications?Apparently, no one. Even I set it at the bottom of my pile of "to get to's". Shame. On me. On the utility company that fired Linda Hamburger. On a society that still treats women as second class citizens in the workplace. If you were here now you'd hear me heaving a big sigh. Because, back in the late 1990s, I worked at a call center with a group of young men, recent college graduates, who felt it was their duty to flavor their conversation with four letter words---especially in front of the women, including me, someone old enough to be their Mom. I asked the young girls if they were ever offended by the language, and they said yes-- which was why they gave as good as they got. ???? I told the boys I didn't appreciate it...and was promptly put in my place; if I didn't like it, I could leave the group.Such is life. I didn't leave the group. It was MY group...we all worked on one project together. I did my best to grow a thick skin and wondered why no one in management cared...then, I got out of there as fast as I could. I wonder if those boys are treating the women they work alongside today as if they are less important, less intelligent, less valuable to the team. And, I wonder when someone is going to call them on it. After reading the Diversity Inc. article, my hope that this double-standard can ever be broken, is waning.The final sentence in the article says, "Experts advise women to save the rage for when it counts: salary and promotion."I'd like to meet those experts. They don't live on the same planet I do. They are the reason so many people gasp when I tell them about my book, Dickless Marketing: Smart Marketing to Women Online. Ha! It's about Dick and Jane, folks...and why Jane should be your target market online...I tell people, going Dick*less doesn't have to hurt. Just concentrate on Jane-- she does all of Dick's shopping for him, anyway. I guess if I worked for the utility company Linda Hamburg worked for, they would have fired me for writing such a book. I rest my case. Let it be known--Dick and Jane--and their double-standard of living-- are alive and well in the 21st century. More's the pity. Culture25450@blogcritics.org Sun, 13 Feb 2005 10:31:10 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/01/30/173233.php Yvonne DiVitaI just returned from the New Communications Forum: Blog University held in Napa Valley last week.The conference lived up to its hype-- it was international, it was educational, and it was fun. Held at the Silverado Resort, which lent a vacation flavor to the ambience, this conference was abuzz with all things new and technical, yet didn't lose the all important focus on people-- real people, the living, breathing, eating, sleeping people that make up the world : personal and business, alike.Elizabeth Albrycht and Jennifer McClure organized a stimulating and exciting conference with a large group of not only A-list bloggers, but also PR execs and company reps who were eager to learn more about blogging. That the conference was a huge success is testament to the hard work these two ladies put in, and to the willingness of so many people-- there's that word, again, people-- to participate, either as speakers, presenters, or attendees.Blogging is a people task...as a business tool (Matthew Pobody said it's "a new tool in the toolshed"), it surpasses a static brochure, even a company website. Now, no one said companies should trash those traditional marketing methods... in fact, as Matthew notes, blogging is just another part of any companies overall marketing plan-- not a replacement of such. Meanwhile, presentations by the likes of Shel Holtz, on Crisis Management using blogging, and discussions with Evelyn Rodriguez on her thoughts about the personalization of blogging, not to mention-- well, yes, to mention-- listening to Small Business Trends blogger, Anita Campbell talk about branding via blog, one can't help but embrace the power of the written word--in marriage with appropriate graphics--to influence customers, vendors, prospects, and partners, alike, and how it's a vital part of this new online business tool.A few of the visitors and presenters at the Blog University forum came directly from the Blog Business Summit, which was held earlier in the week in Seattle. It will be interesting to see them post about each event-- to compare the two or to give them separate billing and separate remarks, which they both, no doubt, deserve.From my perspective, I went to meet people. To connect. To interact. To learn some new blogging techniques. I came away with all of that, and more. There was a renewed sense of purpose -- to make sure my blog posts mean something. There was a sense of completeness, having met many of the bloggers I connect with, via blog and email. Perhaps best of all, I have pages and pages of notes (I was perhaps the ONLY person not actively blogging the conference-- me and the laptop just could not get along!), with comments and input in my voice-- a true value to blogging-- which I will use to write about the forum all this week.I may be a bit behind...drawing up the tail end, so to speak, since most everyone else has already blogged or begun blogging about both the Forum and the Summit. But, I don't mind. Sometimes, the best is saved for last.I know now, that I can more fully appreciate Hugh Hewitt's book, BLOG. Which I will report on at a later date.Business blogging-- the term is fast becoming a cliche. By the end of the year, when people say "blogging" that's what they'll mean. The journal blogs and diary blogs will be passe. It will be all business. Mark my words. Culture24899@blogcritics.org Sun, 30 Jan 2005 17:32:33 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/01/22/123551.php Yvonne DiVitaEntrepreneurs are a unique brand of businesspeople. Successful entrepreneurs know that one great idea, a newly designed mousetrap, a new flavor of potato chips, a unique and outrageous new design for women's shoes, are great starts, but they also know that a vital aspect of being in business for themselves is being connected. Some entrepreneurs start out being too shy to entertain a worldwide view of their company. They limit marketing to their own "backyard." In their own backyard they can see if their products and services will fly, without losing too much face. But, eventually, they know they need to get out into the real world and see what the folks out there think. That means pressing some palms, greeting some strangers, joining business groups, and networking groups, and getting noticed. Networking, however, has long been the millstone around entrepreneurs' necks, pulling them down, creating drag on their good intentions, and oftentimes preventing them from moving forward. I asked some friends recently what networking meant to them and each one heaved a big sigh before admitting that networking was a task, a chore, something they dreaded, yet it was something they attempted to do on a regular basis, without much success. Why? Because networking involves being around a lot of other people, and most new business owners are uncomfortable in crowds.ENTER: Networlding Melissa Giovagnoli and Jocelyn Carter-Miller; two women who easily take the fear out of building a human network, one that will help you go places you never thought you could go, have written a book to help shy entrepreneurs succeed. This book is touted as, "The best friend a career could have." The book: Networlding: Building Relationships and Opportunities for Success (Jossey-Bass, Inc. San Francisco, CA 2000) provides information on the jacket back that sums it up nicely: "A career safety net for the new economy, Networlding shows you how to build the mutually beneficial relationships that are the real keys to job satisfaction, career advancement, and personal fulfillment in the 21st century."While the book is strong on career advancement in the corporate world, its 203 pages of advice are equally applicable to entrepreneurs. It reveals how net-worlding is different from networking by teaching the reader more than how to meet and greet people. It delves into the influence our core circle of contacts have on us, and on our business success. Influencers Giovagnoli and Carter-Miller demonstrate how to form a circle of people around you that works with you, not against you. "Your primary circle," they say, "is made up of the people you interact with most frequently." Then they say to limit this to 10 people in order to keep track of where you are going and how you plan on getting there--likely with the help of some or all of these 10 people. Then, they say, add as many "influencers" as you can. Influencers are doers, not observers. They have the ability to get other people to act. Influencers have achieved their status based on their own accomplishments and contacts. It often seems that people who are influencers are out of the normal entrepreneur's realm, but Giovagnoli and Carter-Miller advise us not to think that an "influencer" is unapproachable just because she or he is part of an elite group. The trick is in learning how to approach the influencer. They go into more detail on that aspect in the book. Covisioning Another thing this book teaches us is that in our circle of friends we should include people who have visions similar to our own. This involves "a willingness to blend one's vision with someone else's rather than insisting on a singular vision of how things should be done."I look at this as improving our listening skills and taking the time to actually hear what the other person is saying. In a recent sales workshop, I learned that people spend too much time second-guessing others. We don't actually 'hear' what other people say, we let our thoughts drift or only give half our attention to the conversation, then wonder why we're misunderstood when we offer our opinion or comments. It's because we have certain expectations from the person we're talking with, and unless we pause, open our minds, and listen carefully, we risk alienating someone who could be a good connection, a good friend, a good colleague.Giovagnoli and Carter-Miller call this covisioning, looking and listening outward, instead of inward.Connecting in Cyberspace One of the best parts of this book is its recognition of the Internet as a great "pathway" to advancing your network. "The Internet is a more responsive communication medium than any other," they say. Shy people can be confident by being anonymous until they are ready to reveal who they are; women need not reveal their gender until they are comfortable and secure with the other person. Plus, it allows people to talk across boundaries--across the city, the nation, and the world. But, best of all, the Internet is full of influencers--and many of them post their e-mail address on their Web sites. Even better, they accept notes from just about anyone! I've personally widened my networking circle using this method. It works. Networlding has so much valuable advice and stories it's impossible to list them in one short review. I advise you to buy the book at Amazon.com or your local bookstore and learn how to be a master at meeting and greeting people, using the skills outlined in Networlding. Books24554@blogcritics.org Sat, 22 Jan 2005 12:35:51 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/01/15/113610.php Yvonne DiVitaWhat do Ray Kroc, the innovative businessman who took the Mc Donald's hamburger worldwide, and is recognized as the acknowledged leader in franchising in the U.S., Dave Thomas, the man who single-handedly gave Ray Kroc a run for his money by opening a competing hamburger joint (which he named after his daughter, Wendy), and an early 20th century female entrepreneur with cascading long hair, have in common?Success.Success and an entrepreneurial spirit. Yes, we can also say they all possessed a keen business sense but it was their inherent understanding of how to do business, a sense that was as much a part of their nature as their shoe size or their eye color, that propelled them down the road of success. So, why is it that I can mention Ray Kroc or Dave Thomas and you immediately know who I'm speaking of, but if I mention Martha Matilda Harper, you haven't a clue who I'm talking about? I submit that it's because Martha Matilda Harper was a woman far ahead of her time. Her gender has relegated her to invisibility. Despite her outstanding success in a world that did its best to deny women a place in business, Harper, not Kroc or Thomas, single-handedly invented the franchising business, as we know it in America today.It's All About MarthaMartha was a small woman, less than five feet tall. Her defining feature was her luxurious mane of long, flowing hair. How she raised herself up from a world of poverty to the status of an educated, successful business entrepreneur-- virtually on her own - without financial help from family or friends, and how she managed to gain the friendship of women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Mrs. Alexander Graham Bell, as well as the wives of several U.S. presidents, and even some royalty, is a tale burdened with moments of despair and desolation, but one that ends in triumph and tribulation.Born to a poor family in Ontario, Canada in 1857, Martha was bound out to relatives at the age of seven. Her father was determined to hold onto a parcel of land he'd no business purchasing in the first place. The only way to do that was to send Martha into servitude! Perhaps her mother did not care to see seven-year old Martha sent away from home, perhaps the young Martha was devastated to be sent away from home, but society at the time dictated that women do as their men required, so Martha was sent away.After twenty-two years of domestic servitude in Canada, Martha immigrated to Rochester, NY, at the age of 35. She continued in service for three more years managing to secure positions in upscale homes, and, having learned over the years that a pleasant, helpful attitude put her employers in a better mood each day, Martha became a trusted friend in addition to being a servant.It was this attitude of helpfulness that would help make Martha's fortune for her. Yes, she had a product that proved popular, and in her stubbornness, was able to get a store location that would attract upscale customers, but it was her customer service - an unheard of idea at the time - that was the true foundation of Martha's success.Hair Raising StakesHistory remembers Martha for her long hair; a beautiful mane that cascaded down her back all the way to the floor; a shimmering cloak of beauty and softness. It was her hair that opened the door to business success for Martha. It was the scientific formula of chemicals and hair treatments, kept carefully guarded in her room, which aided her in becoming a marketing marvel in the nineteenth century. Her biography can be read in more detail at these Web sites ...Winning the VoteMartha Matilda HarperIn August of 1950, her death led the newspapers of the day to write things such as: "No respectable woman entered a beauty shop, nor would a respectable office building house one, when Martha Matilda Harper opened her first cosmetic business in Rochester, NY, using her own floor-length hair as advertisement."And, "Miss Harper's death last week-end in the same city ended a success story that unfolded like a melodrama with a rags-to-riches plot, as one of the earliest cosmetic sagas." [Martha Matilda Harper and the American Dream by Jane R. Plitt, Syracuse University Press, 2000]Throughout her life, Martha held that the customer was always right! Service to the customer was the most important part of owning a Harper business, as she often told "her girls." Biography after biography shows the deep sense of commitment this wondrous woman put into serving those who frequented her beauty shops. In its day, her shops attracted royalty, president's wives, society matrons, and thousands of others all over the world, who swore by the Harper beauty method. When, at the age of 63, Martha married a man more than twenty years her junior, no one thought much of it. After all, she was a beautiful woman who had taken care of her health over the years and possessed the energy of a woman twenty years younger! (In her book on Martha, Jane R. Plitt notes that in Martha's day, it was not uncommon for women to marry younger men.)Harper Beauty SalonsMartha's story is far too important, to be relegated to this short note. As her business grew, she invited other women, women who might have been locked in servitude as Martha herself had been, to open Harper Beauty salons. She trained them carefully and insisted they use her products. She even insisted they buy their equipment from her. For a small fee they were able to start an already thriving business, build it into personal success using proven methods, giving Martha a small percentage of the profits. To accomplish the goal of assisting others in becoming business owners, Martha opened her own training facility, another venture that brought in capital but served the greater good.If this sounds familiar, it is. It's the same popular franchising model for selling fast food. The next time you shell out your $5 for that hamburger and fries, remember who really started the franchising business model...Martha Matilda Harper. In a man's world, no less. Wow. Why isn't anyone talking about that? Books24267@blogcritics.org Sat, 15 Jan 2005 11:36:10 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/01/05/101844.php Yvonne DiVitaAuthor Lynne Truss doesn't fool around with punctuation. When she puts a comma in a sentence, adds an ellipsis, uses a semi-colon, you can bet it's a punctuation mark that belongs wherever she puts it.Rightly so. Punctuation is the bane of many writers, this one included. Somehow, it's always easier to spot others' mistakes--commas where there shouldn't be any, or places in text where there should be one--than it is to proof one's own work effectively. The eye seldom detects those minor typos, inconsistent commas, semi-colons, or other common mistakes we all make (thanks in part to typewriters and keyboards that have minds of their own, I'm convinced) in our own writing. Yet, we make them, nonetheless.This is why every writer needs a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves by British author, Lynne Truss.It's been said, by better writers than many of us (and some writers not nearly as good as many of us) that the computer age has made sloppy writing acceptable. Certainly, it can be argued that text messaging and hurried emails carry numerous grammatical mistakes, and that composing a proper note in an email is fast becoming a lost art. Lower case text in all sentences is standard with some writers. Lack of a subject line to identify the email content is not so much a gaffe as pure laziness on the part of the sender. Ms. Truss attempts to put writers who do not know how to write properly, to shame. My favorite part of her book is the introduction, where she uses my favorite sentence, with its two forms of punctuation, to prove a point I make in much of my writing--about the differences between men and women:"A woman, without her man, is nothing." Conversely, in this day and age, "A woman: without her, man is nothing."There are more gems throughout the book, but the title is probably the most famous, at this time. "Eats, shoots and leaves," according to the backcover of the book, refers to a joke, which goes like this:"A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shot in the air. "Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. "I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "Look it up."The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation. "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."More often than not, Truss uses such humor to make her point, sprinkling little touches of subtly throughout the book, despite the paragraphs criticizing a world that is allowing the English language to sink into a mire of bad punctuation and even badder (sorry) grammar. In "The Tractable Apostrophe" she writes,"Now, there are no laws against imprisoning apostrophes and making them look daft." Pity there aren't.This writer implores other writers to buy this book and read the chapter on commas, please. Not that I am an expert at comma usage-- far from it. I refer to Truss and Lapsing Into a Comma, by Copy Desk Chief, Bill Walsh of the Washington Post, as much as I refer to my Strunk and White. In "That'll Do, Commas," Truss gives writers 2 exacting reasons to use commas, ones we would all do well to memorize:"1. To illuminate the grammar of a sentence 2. To point up--rather in the manner of a musical notation--such literary qualities as rhythm, direction, pitch, tone and flow"As Truss notes, "If only we hadn't started reading quietly to ourselves. Things we so simple at the start, before grammar came along and ruined things."Her final advice on comma usage: "Don't use commas like a stupid person." And so, I recommend we all learn to be smart about commas, to learn the proper usage of the semi-colon, and be more aware of language as a communication's tool--one that can as easily MIS-communicate, as it can communicate.Truss advises, in her final pages, that "Punctuation is a means, and its end is: helping the reader to hear, to follow."Hear, hear. Books23927@blogcritics.org Wed, 5 Jan 2005 10:18:44 EST