tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40304991025354233432024-02-08T04:29:06.883-08:00Tanya's Tenacious ThoughtsThis site is no longer maintained - visit the links in the sidebar to access current relevant sites.Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-71110343570740450742013-05-07T01:27:00.000-07:002013-05-07T01:27:58.902-07:00A reflection for life...If you "seek" happiness, it will elude you. If you "give" happiness your own happiness will result. Yet we are all, after all, only human and humans are needy creatures.<br />
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To constantly give and never receive will eventually wear down even the most resilient. Though we don't give with intention to receive - to receive provides the refueling every soul needs.<br />
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They say if you want to be successful, then surround yourself with successful people. If you want to be happy, surround yourself with happy people. But take heed, nothing in life is free and to every action there is a reaction. If you are not willing to pay the price and do the work you will not achieve the results you desire.<br />
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It is not enough to merely surround yourself with what you wish you were. You must also "be" what you wish you were. For if you are not, then you will not be what others wish to surround themselves with. Being surrounded by it simply makes it easier to maintain - whatever 'it' might be.<br />
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If you surround yourself with happy people - remember, they too wish to be surrounded by happy people.<br />
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If you want to receive, you must first learn to give. Then you can learn to give wisely and that's when you'll find you receive more than you dreamt possible. <br />
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If you give of yourself to the right people they will instinctively give back to you. If they are the right people and if you are giving what they want.<br />
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The golden rule is often misunderstood: "Treat others as you wish to be treated." In a primitive fashion this has made sense to us for centuries. Yet many take it too literally. In reality, to get what you want, you must give what they want. To give what they want speaks of true understanding and connection - if they are the right people, they will then seek to connect and understand what giving back to you means for you, not them.<br />
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To "seek" to receive will never work, yet we all desire to receive. If you are a decent person and someone gives to you, you instinctively desire to give back. This is why giving is so powerful. In order to receive (or continue receiving) you must give, it simply can't work any other way.<br />
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If you think you are giving but never feel like you receive - you may want to first question if you understand what the other wants, second if the other understands what you want and third, explore if you are surrounded by the right people.<br />
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If you find that you often receive, you should be asking if, in return, you are giving what is wanted... literally ask.<br />
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If you want to surround yourself with happiness, make sure you are the happiness others wish to be surrounded by.Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-70531749144285566852012-08-14T22:55:00.001-07:002012-08-14T22:55:52.155-07:00Missing the pointSaw an article today on Mashable about Google running a newspaper ad to promote online search advertising. Comical from several angles & perspectives. But most comical were the comments.
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<br>What slays me is that all the print vs digital arguing that goes on still completely misses the point of marketing!
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<br>It all has a value & purpose - but most of the 'copy' being used is crap & doesn't connect to the customer. A vehicle is nothing more than a vehicle - if it gets you from A to B it works. Some have more style and flare than others some run smoother than others. But no matter what the vehicle is, if it's got no gas it's useless.
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<br>An effective ad campaign that reaches the same sets of eyeballs repeatedly will work far more effectively even if only reaching a few people than an ineffective ad campaign that reaches millions only once each. And copy to marketing is like gas to a car.
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<br>Marketing 101 for those of you who seem to have forgotten or perhaps never knew. Love how everyone these days is an expert. Lol
<br>Sent from my BlackBerry :)Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-3251301846630668152012-06-10T03:13:00.001-07:002012-06-10T03:13:38.598-07:00Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should beI've said it before, but it warrants repeating: just because technology enables us to do certain things doesn't mean that we should necessarily do them.<p>Each new generation brings new ideas. Some of those ideas are amazing and ground breaking, but some of them just plain suck - at least for certain applications.<p>I was raised by entrepreneurs to become one myself and it has oft been repeated & proven throughout my 20 years of experience that a computerized system is only as good as the manual system on which it is based.<p>Yet countless times I, like so many other hot-blooded raring to go youth (meaning pretty much anyone under 40 with drive & ambition), have spent hours trying to prove that theory wrong - only to crash & burn.... eventually. This is exactly what I see happening with technology all around us and especially within the media industry.<p>What concerns me the most is the number of seasoned experts who are stepping aside & letting it happen. Is it because they are lacking the fight & energy they once had? Are new techies simply more convincing that they are able to shake the beliefs these seasoned experts know to be true?<p>Surely the current state of circumstances surrounding Facebook must be re-opening some eyes? I'm not saying that progress & change are bad - not at all, I thrive on them as much as our society does. But where are the tried & true manual systems behind today's technology? In particular behind the digital drive of media?<p>Abandoning the facts of what we know works & thinking that something completely new can be born without any logical & thorough follow through is suicide for business & in this case an entire industry.<p>Media needs to be the leader they have always been. For content & for advertising. The current haphazard approach can only end badly. It doesn't mean utter extinction, but it does mean a whole lot of casualties & lost time & money until someone stops the runaway train and puts it back on track.<p>I'm rebuilding the track but I'll certainly need some help getting the train back on it.
<br>Sent from my BlackBerry :)Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-21429334358510674022012-06-04T06:00:00.000-07:002012-06-04T06:00:08.922-07:00My peeves about complaints without suggestionsSo I have to admit that one of my pet peeves is when opinionated people feel the need to post thoughts about what is wrong with any particular topic, yet they never have any useful suggestions as to how to fix the problems they complain about.<br />
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Having said this, I find myself at cross purposes. <br />
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If you've read any of my blog, you know I'm working on a large project that I intend to have massive influence on the media industry - both in print and digital.<br />
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None-the-less, it may occassionally come across as though I might be one of the very people that annoys me! But in many ways my hands are a bit tied. <br />
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I intend to discuss in more details the problems that media is currently facing - however - please note, that while due to confidentiality and rights protection I won't be publicly offering up what my solutions are, I most certainly do have a solution formulated for every problem that I will be referencing.<br />
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I pledge to you that I will never discuss or complain about any problem that I don't already have a solution either completely figured out or at least well under development.<br />
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However, if you want to discuss the details about any particular solution that I have, you will need to be willing to join my team on some level. In particular we are currently in need of Advisors to help shape the project; Investors to fund it and Programmers to bring it to life!<br />
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Fortunately, I am a very approachable and personable person. I may not always be the fastest to respond, but so long as you send me an email that is legible, with clear intent, open minded and friendly - I will respond.<br />
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And by the way - as more information is released on this project and as certain individuals ponder the idea of joining our Advisor team, please note - we DO want "devil's advocates" as well. Obviously some positive reinforcement is good, necessary and desired, however, progress does not come from everyone being completely agreeable. But I warn you - do not tell me something won't work unless you have a better solution to present. If we all play by these rules, we should get along just fine!<br />
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Ciao for now!<br />
TanyaTanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-4103713406088134752012-06-03T16:12:00.003-07:002012-06-03T17:27:26.234-07:00Warren Buffett’s Newspaper Purchase - my thoughtsThe following is a rather long comment piece I posted on an article of Clay Shirky at: <a href="http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2012/05/warren-buffetts-newspaper-purchase/" target="_blank">http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2012/05/warren-buffetts-newspaper-purchase/</a> regarding "Warren Buffett’s Newspaper Purchase".<br />
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But I cover a number of points that I think belong on my blog as well. So here you go: <br />
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1) Don't kid yourself commenters... Clay is right, Warren will unquestionably make money on this deal one way or another. If you don't understand business and investing, I would suggest that you don't worry about it - what does it matter?<br />
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2) Depending on which stats reports you read for which area, you will find that less than 80% of the North American population are counted as being "Internet Users" - <a href="http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm" target="_blank">http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm</a><br />
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What these stats fail to tell you is what exactly that 80% are doing when they're online. My 75 year old grandmother would check her email, look up some geneology and then get the hell out and if anything she didn't recognize came up, I got I phone call.... BUT.... she would be counted as an "Internet User" - but ask her where she would get her "news".... newspaper, TV and radio.<br />
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So this raises 2 points. The first being - who the hell holds the right to say that the roughly 20% of the North American people who are not "Internet Users" should no longer have the right to read their news in print? I mean let's face it, we're talking 20% of almost 350 million people... that's almost 70 million people! But worse than that... out of the world population of 6.9 billion people, less than 33% of them are "Internet Users" - that means roughly 4.6 billion people shouldn't be allowed to expect their news in print?<br />
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Secondly, just because someone is declared an "Internet User" doesn't mean that they do everything online or that they are always plugged in. Statistics have always been easily manipulated to paint whatever picture a person wants it to paint (even my numbers above - because let's face it, what are the percentages of those non-Internet-Users who are illiterate and can't read a newspaper or who are living in third-world countries and don't even have access to a newspaper or the Internet...) - but the point is, let's be responsible and look at this stuff from more than one set of eyes. Furthermore, try talking to a number of "Internet Users" and ask them whether they get their news: online or offline? <br />
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Another set of stats I've seen declares that 25% of Americans get their news online! And it's declared as if that should be an impressive number! Seriously?<br />
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3) Having said this - am I a bleeding heart, 'save the print' person? No, I'm not. I am deeply entrenched in a project that will massively change the digital landscape for media and advertising. <br />
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Two of the things that this project will achieve (among many others) include: 1) it will bring an organization level to news and content never before seen publicly online and it will make embracing news online a source of enjoyment and pleasure for EVERYONE - even the non-Internet-Users of today. 2) it will redefine the print publication, free them of their struggles and allow them to stabilze.<br />
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Will print make a rebound? I highly doubt it. <br />
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Will it ever see the likes of its Golden Era again? I highly doubt it. <br />
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Can it be stabilized and once again turn a profit? In some cases, absolutely it can! <br />
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Will more print focused newsrooms continue to die? In some cases, absolutely they will.<br />
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It is a rare ability to see the world through multiple eyes - but that's what is needed to get through the current state of media and the print industry. Tunnel vision in any direction will be fatal.<br />
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Is Warren Buffett a fool for buyng up certain print publications? I hardly think so!Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-8817561744782870372012-06-03T11:55:00.000-07:002012-06-03T11:55:08.842-07:00New York Times Co. can't be saved.... I disagreeQuote from article: "Neither Bloomberg nor any other suitor owns a big enough magic wand to make the company’s problems disappear." <a href="http://www.investorplace.com/2012/05/bloomberg-cant-save-new-york-times-co/">http://www.investorplace.com/2012/05/bloomberg-cant-save-new-york-times-co/</a><br /><br />I strongly disagree. It may not be a "magic wand" as that would imply not requiring any work... however, I do have the answer - not just for the NYT - but for all media, print media, newsrooms & journalists who care to step up to the plate.<br /><br />The question becomes - who will listen? <br /><br />My weakness? I'm not already part of the "in-crowds"; I don't have a big name and portfolio to "wow" people with and I don't have the dollars to simply "make it happen" without help. <br /><br />But let me ask this - so far, what earth-shattering, life-changing results have the "big names with portfolios and connections" actually managed to achieve in terms of long-term plans, results and sustainability?<br /><br />Spend a day scouring Twitter and reading articles by the likes of Mathew Ingram, Jeff Jarvis, Clay Shirky - or the ones retweeted by these same groups of journalists and the only answer you can logically come to is that there has been no long-term plans, results or sustainability that will make a big enough impact on media and especially the print industry.<br /><br />I'm easy to find if you care to look - between Twitter, Facebook and Linked-In and I'm the Publisher of the Gateway Gazette in Southern Alberta.<br /><br />Who wants to take action with me to truly fix this global problem rather than spending so much time and money discussing what the problems are?<br /><br />TanyaTanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-18966349107169800742012-05-07T06:59:00.001-07:002012-05-07T08:12:59.150-07:00Get with the times or get left behind....This may seem a bit random, but one thing that really bugs me is how new technology seems hell bent on leaving behind the people who are the very reason for our existence.<br />
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I'm a techie & I too am guilty of poking fun at my parents for just not "getting it" even if done with the most love possible ... It's something that's been done for generations regardless of the industry.<br />
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But really, if technology is so damned smart why can't it be designed to be easy & user-friendly? <br />
Well the answer is it can be & in my world it will be. I would estimate that a good 40% or more of my time is spent helping non-techies adapt to a world that would leave them behind without a moments thought. Sink or swim seems to be the general attitude of many people leading the tech world.<br />
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Interestingly, a similar attitude also seems to be dished out to the print media industry. "Get with the times or get left behind" is the pretty clear message.<br />
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Perhaps it's my Libra traits driving me, but I believe there is a lot more opportunity to create a balance. We can move forward with technology & all the wonderful opportunities it creates but we can also do it in a way that helps the whole rather than serves the elite.<br />
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According to Roy H. Williams our society is about half way through a pendulum swing towards a zenith of "we" which will peak in 2023. If that's the case then perhaps we should be focusing just a little bit more on how to help our parents & grandparents survive this technological transition. If we're so smart how's about we find a way to "include" rather than "exclude" the very people who made our existence possible?<br />
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Sure everyone has the right to "figure it out" but it wouldn't hurt if we made it a little bit easier for them. Hell I know executives who are pushing "technology" or "digital" who don't even know how to use the very tools they are preaching about. Is it their fault? Perhaps a little bit. But at the end of the day it's the creators who have the ability & the responsibility to make new technology a tool that can be used by everyone.<br />
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And that is a huge portion of my mission!<br />
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Another interesting side note on Roy's pendulum theory is that the leaders in much of technology come from the time frame when the "me" cycle would have driven their most impressionable years. So it's really not that surprising that technology has taken on something of a selfish persona. However, the time has come for us to address this.<br />
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To the youth of technology & of the "me" era I say "get with the times or get left behind"... The next ten years are going to be about "we" not "me. And in the "we" era, no one likes a selfish brat.<br />
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:)<br />
<br />Sent from my BlackBerry :)Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-847242147035721152012-05-06T14:35:00.000-07:002012-05-06T14:35:33.035-07:00Deeper media issues than the symptoms present<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are a
lot of problems with media in general today whether you’re looking at it from
the perspective of the downward spiral of print media, the shift to digital
challenges, the decline in the quality of journalism in general, the lack of
sustainable revenue models online, the list goes on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But at the
end of the day these problems are all just symptoms, much like a fever is a
symptom of a bigger problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, we live in a society that tends to have knee jerk
reactions to symptoms and our first course of action is almost always to treat
the symptom first – we take Tylenol or a cold and flu remedy to deal with the
fever and runny nose before we ask the question “Why do I have a fever?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if you treat the fever for too long
without addressing the real problem, the real problem will continue to worsen
and in extreme cases can even turn fatal.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The current
state of media is no different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Print
media came down with a fever and industry leaders around the globe immediately
jumped in as healers to treat the symptom, but no one ever really managed to
get to the core of the problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately,
treating a symptom will almost always provide a false sense of security, or
well-being, as some improvement will take place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, the core problem is still festering below the masked symptoms
and as things worsen the finger pointing starts. Executives get blamed for
complacency and a lack of action being the cause of the provided remedies not
working. Management gets blamed for remedies not producing sufficient results.
The industry as a whole gets blamed and criticized when setbacks occur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But pointing
the finger at executives or management over the current state of print media is
like blaming a family physician when known medicines don’t work on a new and
unknown epidemic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not to say that
they are blameless, but it is to say that they are not likely to have the
remedy or even necessarily know how to find the remedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing they are most guilty of is not
finding the right questions to ask and the right people to ask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when all is said and done, placing blame
in any direction isn’t productive and won’t solve anything. The important thing
now is for everyone involved to be open minded enough to accept the real
problem and embrace the solution.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the
symptoms for the print media ailment is the movement of readers and advertisers
from print to digital, causing a decline in revenues, so leaders pushed for
print to transition to digital – mostly using the same techniques that were
used in print.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But since losing readers
and advertisers to digital was only a symptom, the techniques of treating that
symptom have been superficial in their results, leaving the core problem
unchecked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of this, additional
symptoms have developed to the point that everyone is now scrambling to deal
with an onslaught of symptoms while underneath it all the core problem is
slowly turning the situation fatal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The real
unfortunate part is that the core problem isn’t actually as difficult or
complex or challenging as one would assume and could have been a relatively
easy fix – but that type of assessment rarely becomes apparent until hindsight
sets in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, by taking this
symptom treating approach we have ended up creating a secondary infection.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I know the question that burns at your mind is "So what is the core problem and the secondary infection?" You may actually already know the answer and are merely curious whether or not I in-fact know it. Well as much as that may be the case, I'm afraid I'm not quite ready to take that level of detail public - not yet. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We need to align with some Investors and associate partners first - but I assure you, something big is coming - hopefully sooner rather later!</span></div>Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-3714497752271319162012-03-21T22:35:00.000-07:002012-05-06T14:22:22.069-07:00Is print dead?Print is unquestionably on a different path of life. What it "was" it will never be again. What it will become is at the heart of what it became. What will fill its void is within the peripheral of most & is the very soul of what drives our creation.Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-6868015866352795922012-03-19T20:00:00.001-07:002012-03-19T20:00:00.827-07:00Henry Ford really was a smart guyHe likely didn't consider it much at the time, but it's really quite amazing how much impact one man can have generations later - not that Henry is the first one, but I'm not writing an essay on historical influencers here lol.<br />
<br />
However, one of Henry's quotes that is truly a favourite of mine is "If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse!" Makes me smile every time.<br />
<br />
This goes hand in hand with a more recent statement by Mark Zuckerberg that was along the lines of "Meeting the needs of tomorrow rather than the demands of today." I wonder if young Mark will be revered as much as Henry more than half a century after his passing? I digress.<br />
<br />
So with such smart and obviously successful people making such simple yet profound statements, why is it that mentors, teachers and leaders of so-called-progress still push the concept of "survey your customers" to the degree that they do? I don't mean to devalue the importance of research, it most definitely has its place and something I spend hours upon hours doing. But it is not always the be-all and end-all of the answers to forward movement and progress - in fact, it can be downright stifling. At least in the way that most people tackle it. It's like businesses who try to track their advertising by asking a customer "how did you hear about us" - most of the time their answer simply can't be trusted (as confirmed by advertising guru Roy Williams). <br />
<br />
To truly lead in progress you absolutely must do so much more than ask people what they want or what they think they want. As Arlene Dickinson says in her book Persuasion, not only do you have to "listen" but you have to also hear the subtext of what they're not saying. Which is exactly what we're doing in the development of our media revolution.<br />
<br />
Our consumers currently know what they like and don't like in the products they have access to, but it's virtually impossible for most of them to even begin to fathom what our product will do for them and their lives when there is nothing tangible for them to compare it to. But we can say with confidence that it's a whole lot more than a "faster horse"!Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-89948367242815676912012-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:002012-03-19T06:00:00.675-07:00The state of journalismAs I mentioned, I follow a fair number of newspaper people and journalists - I'd love to follow more, but wow the ones I do follow certainly provide ample material to keep me reading for hours!<br />
<br />
I find it very interesting how there are so many common threads with professional journalists, regardless of which part of the world they're from. Here's some of what I've gleaned in my reading travels, in a general sense:<br />
<br />
1) they feel under paid<br />
2) they're frustrated at their work being pirated across the Internet<br />
3) they're unhappy with the number of amateur writers gaining momentum through blogging<br />
4) they're uncertain about what the future holds for them<br />
<br />
And is it any wonder with comments like "As career journalists we have entered a new era where what we know and what we traditionally do has finally found its value in the marketplace and that value is about zero." being made by leaders like John Paton. However, let's not jump to taking it out of context, as John also goes on to say "This has been one of the most gut-wrenching struggles for me to deal with because clearly journalism is not without value but, for sure, how it is largely practiced in print today – particularly “he said last night journalism” – nearly is valueless."<br />
<br />
John is absolutely correct - to a point. But there really is much more to it and while the whole concept of "Digital First" sounds great it will only truly be great if it's done properly. So far, it's not being done properly.<br />
<br />
I'm really not kidding, there is a massively better way to handle the print to digital transition. A way that will have journalists jumping for joy at the income levels they will be capable of earning. A way that will have consumers saying "finally I can begin to rely on my trusted newsrooms again". Better still, a way that will completely reverse the plummeting bottom lines of newsrooms everywhere. <br />
<br />
When you're ready, let me know. In the meantime, I'm continuing to flesh out specific details, formalize business plans, draft operation strategies... all the fun stuff that goes into something great!Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-56737804656311964112012-03-18T20:00:00.002-07:002012-03-19T19:53:01.494-07:00The frustration newsrooms must feelHaving spent most of the weekend working away on various websites I can't help but ponder the extreme frustration so many newsrooms must feel. But let me start at the beginning.<br />
<br />
I'm a bit different in the newspaper industry - always have been the black sheep and was featured as an Insurgent in a New Hampshire paper (of all places) in our early days, but that's another story. To keep this on the shorter end of my epistles, the black sheep trait that I'm speaking of here specifically is that I was a born techie meddler far before I considered entering the newpaper realm. But in my region, I was way before my times (by about 15 years) - so evenutally I conformed (which took me 8 years). I learned to focus on print and push my digital love affair to the back burner (rather ironic now in light of the state of things).<br />
<br />
As time went by, like most independent, small publishers without a parent company to fall back on, I found myself buried under the stack of day-to-day operations. This resulted in pushing me farther and farther from my digital dreams, to the point that now, in the face of radical changes in the print industry I find myself working insanely late hours and most weekends in an attempt to revive my digital drive.<br />
<br />
As a techie meddler I know enough about the digital world to be dangerous and lack enough hands-on skill to be frustrated. I know what I need to do and what I want to do, but not how to do it all myself. As the Publisher of a small, bi-weekly community newspaper I also lack the resources to hire the people to do it for me. So - I learn and I make progress, albeit slowly. But after several hours I start to ponder many of the newspaper people that I have met in my travels and I can't help but to empathize with them and what they're going through.<br />
<br />
Why? Because opposite to me (for the most part), newspaper people, first and foremost, have a love affair with news, journalism, the flow of a newsroom... they are not often born techies and I've seen first hand the frustration that goes along with a non-techie being forced into the digital world. It's really not pleasant. If you can't relate to this, perhaps try to think of a parallel situation - a child that hates school, or a particular task that you always dread having to do but know that you absolutely must do it. Think about how that task makes you feel or how being around that child makes you feel? Think about the quality (or lack of) of what is getting done under pressures of force. Or perhaps consider the overwhelming anxiety that flows through a person who finds out that they can no longer work a job that they've done for 40 years and there is nothing else that they know how to do.<br />
<br />
Honestly, this is not a lifestyle I would wish on my worst enemy. The frustrating thing for me, is that I know there is a better way, I have the solution... but as it turns out, patience is not exactly one of my strengths ;)<br />
<br />
The business model I referred to in my previous post addresses this exact situation (among many others). For the sanity of the newsrooms, I sure wish I could make it all happen at a much faster rate to help you guys out. But fear not, I'm nothing if not tenacious and I will find a way.<br />
<br />
I am looking for board members, advisors and investors to help lead this media revolution - so keep that in mind as you ponder through your day. If you'd like to chat, let me know!Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-40869507336317287042012-03-17T04:41:00.000-07:002012-03-17T04:41:09.744-07:00An Entrepreneurial Dilemma<b>Scenario</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>You're part of an industry that's been struggling and declining on a global scale from every possible angle. The leaders in the industry have been trying to solve the dilemma through trial and error processes but unfortunately have achieved little more than bandaids and false hopes - despite their valiant and dedicated efforts.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>You're a small fish in the industry, but you've been investing a huge amount of time researching, planning and most importantly "<b>listening</b>". The result ends up being the conception of a solution to this global scale problem - a solution unlike anything else that anyone else has managed to develop. A panoptic solution that would be the catalyst of a global revolution in your industry. A solution that provides conservative revenue projections into the billions per year in the early stages. A solution that would end up being a "Facebook" success to your industry.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>The "gurus" of entrepreneurs and start-ups insist that in order to gain any momentum or attention with such a concept you must launch a working model, even a mini version, on a public scale to prove viability.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>But here's the thing... protection of Intellectual Property in this regard is near impossible. So a small fish, without the resources for a massive global launch, manages to go live with a mini-version that proves to be a viable concept. It gets the attention of the big fish - but there is nothing stopping them from simply adopting and expanding on the concept without any consultation or compensation back to the founding entrepreneur who developed the concept.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>So what's a small fish to do?</i><br />
<b>**All comments, suggestions and advice gratefully accepted on this one**</b></blockquote><br />
Sure it might be a noble idea to simply hand over an industry salvation solution to the people with the resources. But let's face it, money talks and I've got a family to feed.<br />
<br />
I am the above referenced small fish and yes, I've conceptualized an extraordinary solution to the problems print media has been facing for the last decade. <br />
<br />
A solution for:<br />
<ul><li>the challenges newsrooms have been facing in their transition from print to digital, in their content being pirated across the Internet and in finding the viable revenue model; </li>
<li>the frustration journalists have been facing in the devaluation of their trade (and simply not getting paid a fair wage, or even at all, for the hardwork they put into their reporting);</li>
<li>the hopelessness that businesses have been facing as their advertising efforts produce less and less results during this chaotic approach to marketing in a new era;</li>
<li>the future needs, wants and desires of the consumers - though they themselves aren't likely aware of what those needs, wants and desires are just yet, but it's coming - putting us one step ahead and "building for the needs of tomorrow rather than the demands of today"</li>
</ul>There is nothing particularly 'magical' about my solution - it's relatively simple (in concept) and extremely logical, which is why it is nearly impossible to argue against the viability of it - even when there is a lack of viability 'proof'. Of course there will be nay-sayers who will try, there always is - but it's pretty tough to hold a compelling argument against logics, common sense and black & white bottom line projections once you know all the facts.<br />
<br />
I follow a fair number of media people through Twitter and they're all pretty much saying the same things. So which ones of the power and money people are going to pay attention to what I'm saying here? I'm not a fly-by-nighter or someone full of hot air. My solution has been sufficiently developed in concept that it could enter the production phase immediately. It could feasibly launch version 1 within 12 months on a global scale with the right partners grouped together.<br />
<br />
What's stopping me? A lack of resources... ie: connections, money and people.<br />
<br />
Unlike Facebook, I can't build a mini-version of this, under the radar and build it up into something that will catch someone's attention to approach me on it and then transform the print media industry - there are just too many people specifically looking for something like this to run with. It would be swiped, modified and duplicated before I could barely get it off the ground. <br />
<br />
So for this project to launch and to have the global impact it's capable of having, I need to recruite the partners capable of bringing it to life. Being a Canadian, I would first and foremost love to see it be a team of Canadian founders that bring this to market - but at the end of the day, it simply needs to get to market by whatever means necessary.<br />
<br />
<b>If you agree with any of the following:</b><br />
<ul><li>that the print industry is suffering</li>
<li>that the "solutions" to date have been little more than bandaids and false hopes</li>
<li>that journalists are under valued and under utilized</li>
<li>that the general quality of journalism is declining (for various reasons when looking at the "whole") or at very least being diluted by less than professional writers</li>
<li>that digital advertising has not been consistently delivering the results to the businesses that they had hoped for or needed (ie: noticable increase in sales)</li>
<li>that businesses have been treading the marketing waters and succumbing to media hopping in the hopes of finding <i>something</i> that works </li>
<li>that many consumers are becoming more and more disconnected from "news" - especially at local levels</li>
</ul><b>If you are in a position to be a founding partner in a global project that will be the catalyst of a media revolution;</b><br />
<br />
<b>If you have the connections to investors looking for a world changer with an enormous return;</b><br />
<br />
Then let's talk.<br />
<br />
<i>I'd sure appreciate you sharing this to see what kind of thoughts just might be out there.</i>Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-234904072401696562012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:002012-01-30T06:00:07.941-08:00The process of finding an agentI know there are a ton of websites and blogs out there on this topic - I know this because I've pretty much read them all. Wow! Who'd have thought there could be so much information, and so much of it contradictory, on one subject?!<br />
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But here's a couple little things that I've personally found so far. Now, granted I'm not "published"... yet.... but, none-the-less it's my 2 cents worth at this point for those interested.<br />
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1. Research Agencies and Agents, but believe it or not, Goggle is not the best way to find them. Personally I use a free account with Author Advance: <a href="http://www.authoradvance.com/">http://www.authoradvance.com</a>. It has an awesome search function and has close to 2000 agents listed within it from all over the world. Whether or not it's an exhaustive list - who knows, probably not, but I do know that it'll take me some time to filter through all of them and hopefully I'll have representation before I get even half way through. (Got me fingers crossed!)<br />
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2. Once you have their website - use it! Go to each agents' profile to find out what they are looking for and also find out what their submission guidelines are and again - use it! You don't need to be super crazy strict about "following the rules" - but at the same time, not much point on sending a Query on a Fantasy novel to an Agent who only handles non-fiction memiors.... and even worse if you get their name or gender wrong! So do yourself a favour and do your research.<br />
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3. Which brings me to the point of getting things wrong..... I couldn't believe it when I started finding out just how many Query Letters get tossed out by an agents assistant or intern because of typos! So again, do yourself a favour.... read, re-read and re-read again - then get your friends and family to read it too - to make sure you've got it right.Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-14689522637310073822012-01-29T15:42:00.001-08:002012-01-29T15:42:50.476-08:00Testing mobile bloggingSo since I always seem to be on the fly & getting better at typing on my BlackBerry... Thought maybe I'd try this out & see if perhaps I can stay a little more on top of regular blogging... Wish me luck! Lol<br>Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerryTanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-60432655262222757502012-01-28T19:17:00.000-08:002012-01-28T19:17:35.445-08:00A terrific philosophy on life<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both." James Michener</span></span></h6>Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-67933986018549183762011-06-14T19:41:00.000-07:002011-08-06T15:26:54.575-07:00The inspiration of musicSo I find this interesting. I'm a musician, have been all my life. Not only can I play several instruments and sing, but I also love a huge array of genres and artists. Yet while writing my book music wasn't really a big part of the process. There weren't any particular songs or bands that instilled inspiration in me - perhaps it was all just coming together too quickly. However, last week my son was playing the song The Scientist by Coldplay. This is a song I've loved since the first time I heard it, yet I'd never really paid close attention to it. But for some reason, this particular time it kind of spoke to me. Now I'm a person that very much likes to understand the story within a song or at very least my own interpretation of the lyrics, so I went online and pulled up the lyrics. It's now a song I often play whenever I'm working on different aspects of my book (re-writing a passage, researching agents, sending out query letters etc).<br />
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The reason I was so drawn to this song is because as I was listening to it more closely I started seeing scene clips from my book. There are two particular scenes within Awakening that are very vivid when I'm listening to this song. Just thought it was kind of neat.Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-13685256630808314612011-06-13T11:35:00.000-07:002011-08-06T15:23:49.218-07:00Summary & Thoughts on Chapter 1?For the few that will make their way through to this blog at this time, I would really love to hear your feedback on Chapter 1 of my book.<br />
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Here is a basic summary of the book:<br />
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After overhearing she has a twin sister Amanda is beyond distraught. She is dumbfounded when her parents confess she’s an elf possessing immense magical powers. Yet Amanda resorts to atypical recklessness, fueled by her need to rescue her sister, and kicks her intensity-meter up several notches. Thus causing an already dangerous development of powers to be more life threatening than she realizes.<br />
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Prior to a necessary relocation to the Elven village and reality shifting dreams, Amanda’s heart was devoted to her boyfriend Jordan. However, her rediscovered identity brings to life the intense and arrogant Caelsah, from her dreams. Amanda grits her teeth every time he swoops in to rescue her from her own recklessness. Yet it doesn’t stop her insides from taking roller-coaster dives when his smoldering eyes penetrate hers. This causes an immediate reaction of guilt as Amanda begins to question her love for Jordan.<br />
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She’s quick to realize her destiny’s at odds with her heart’s desires. While her divided focus puts everything at risk: her life, her sister’s life and both the human and Elven worlds by placing them in a path of inescapable tyranny at the hands of her sister’s abductors.<br />
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You can access Chapter 1 through my website under the Portfolio link at: www.tanyathibodeau.homestead.com.Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030499102535423343.post-81847807034054658272011-06-13T01:12:00.000-07:002011-08-06T15:35:42.489-07:00The story behind my story<a href="http://www.tanyathibodeau.homestead.com/"><i>(Continued from Biography page of main website.)</i></a><br />
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So who was this new author that gave me the inspiration to put pen to paper?<br />
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Stephanie Meyer with the Twilight Saga. Now hear me out. I've read the countless blogs and forums out there chastising Ms. Meyer's writing, I've heard the groans and complaints of Edward and Bella. I've also read dozens upon dozens of books over the years and am well versed in the difference between literary genius and entertainment. I will concede that Ms. Meyer's writing is not that of the ageless classics such as Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, J.R. Tolkien..... oh how the list goes on. However, I will also openly commend Ms. Meyer for what she was able to achieve - that dozens of classic literature have been unsuccessful in doing - reviving a love of reading once again in young people. Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling are other authors who have also accomplished this. But the thing that inspired me the most by Ms. Meyer was her previous lack of notoriety. She was simply a normal mom living a normal life. When you read the likes of Austen, Brontë, Dickens, Twain or Tolkien, you are often left with a feeling of awe, at least I always was. "How on earth did they do it?" But it was the very fact that Ms. Meyer wasn't the author of a classic novel carried through generations of study and analysis that caused me to pause and wonder if maybe, just maybe.... if she could do it, well, perhaps I could too.<br />
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I started discussing possible ideas with my kids, my intention was to engage them, plan out a full outline together and pick away at a project chapter by chapter over the weekends. The reality? The kids planted a few seeds, definitely offered some inspiration, then as the planning turned into work.... "Oh look a cat!" .... kids will be kids. But for me, it was too late. The wheels had started turning. What surprised me the most is that typically I am a "planner", I often plan to the point of no action if I'm not careful. But one day I was just itching to simply take a stab at putting together the words of my idea, so I sat down at my laptop and started... yes, it was a lot harder than I expected. Determined, I grabbed a notebook, sat down and started out the old fashion way - with a pencil and paper.<br />
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What happened over the next 45 days stills boggles my mind. While continuing to work full time running a newspaper, commuting 45 minutes twice a day between my office and home and still finding a few minutes for family time here and there, I created from scratch an 88,000 word, YA novel that has set the stage for at least two sequels. Am I a literary genius? HIGHLY unlikely! However, I did it. I actually wrote my first book. <br />
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Both excited and nervous I managed to talk a small handful of people into reading my MS. Much to my relief, they didn't hate it - but to my surprise, they liked it! My next challenge was to talk my 12 year old son into reading it. This took a bit longer. Not being an avid reader, books are not the top of his priority list - with the exception of Rick Riordan's work, which he loves to the point of numerous re-reads - he really wasn't enthusiastic about reading my book. But he was in many ways the audience I was writing for. So with a bit of pleading and coercion, and the help of a digital e-reader, I managed to talk him into at least checking out the first chapter. I was on pins and needles. "What was taking him so long to read one chapter?" Well, as it turned out, it was several chapters that were taking him so long - 17 in fact. Chapter one had apparently passed his scrutiny and I had one of those very rare "loss of words" moments when he finished the book and said:<br />
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"I hate the ending." <br />
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"Seriously?! But why?!"<br />
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"Because you haven't even started the second book yet and now I have to wait!" <br />
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I would imagine that it will take years for my son to realize how instrumental he was in giving me the courage and confidence to truly pursue the idea of publishing a book.<br />
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I wish at this point I had some ultimate, climatic ending to share like "within a few weeks I had an agent...... etc" - unfortunately, that is not the case. To this day I am stunned that while I managed to write an 88,000 word first draft in 45 days (which meant an average of over 1,000 words per hour) - yet over a year later I am still struggling to create a Query Letter that I am even remotely happy with.<br />
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To the credit of my Mom, she encouraged me to just start submitting my QL regardless - at least I'd be taking some action! At this point I should probably mention that I'm a bit quirky, really not much like the other kids on the block. Through all my research of writing and publishing I've read countless entries pep-talking writers to not be discouraged at receiving rejection letters, to keep their chin up, to keep at it, persevere and so on. So I guess it kinda makes sense when my entire staff was somewhat dumbfounded at my squeals of delight when I received my very first rejection email. But you know what that rejection email, and every one after it, has done for me? It's made the whole process real. Me - just an average, ordinary gal - has actually written a book and took the plunge to submit a Query Letter to some of the most prestigious and well known Agencies around the world.<br />
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However, now that the buzz has worn off a little bit, I'm back down to business as now I have a new challenge. To actually get the attention of a real live literary agent. Wish me luck!Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08604907348079880729noreply@blogger.com0