Running Update

Well its been about two weeks since I’ve last ran. Why the break? I just needed one. From everything.

I let my batteries run down far too low. So, I took the last couple of weeks and focused on getting them recharged.

Mission accomplished. I feel great and I am ready to conquer the world. Again!

I have always had he mind set that those who took time off where slackers. That is a statement of a prideful work-a-holic.

Boy! I was wrong. We all need a break every now and then. It renews the spirit, mind and body. Which, I believe, opens the door for improved performance.

So, before you have another melt down. Take some time, and invest in yourself. You’ll be glad you did! .

Social Media Data

According to a new study by Anderson Analytics that involved 5,000 U.S. social media users:

• 61% of social media users are under age 35
• 55% of social media users are female
• 29% of Facebook and LinkedIn users say they could “probably do without” the popular networks
• 35% said they could do without MySpace
• 43% could live without Twitter
• Under 35, people rely on social networks for “fun” and contacting friends
• Older consumers use them to stay in touch with family and friends
• 75% said Facebook was their most valuable network, 65% who cited MySpace
• 30% said LinkedIn was their most valuable network
• 12% said Twitter was most valuable
• 32% of male respondents said using social media for business/career contacts was a key benefit, 22% for females

The Anderson report also found an estimated 110 million people in the U.S., 36% of the total population, use social media regularly. Of that group, Facebook dominates with 78 million regular users, followed by MySpace with 67  million, Twitter with 17 million, and LinkedIn with 11 million regular users.

training to become a runner

Today is day two of training to become a runner. Warm-up walk, 5 X 2min above EMzone, 2min walk . The EMzone is where my heart rate is a certain beats per minute. You find your EMzone by getting on a tredmill and walk or jog at a pace where you can barely still hold a conversation. At that point, you check to see what your heart rate is at that moment. That heart rate then becomes your EMzone.

So, today, I had to run two minute sprints just above my EMzone, 5 times with a two minute rest in between each one.

I found the training a bit challenging but manageable. You must understand, though. I have not run in years. Nor have a worked out on a consistent basis for two years.

None the less, it’s a new journey. And I’m happy to be on it.

My wife and I ran together this morning. She is shorter than me and has a smaller stride. We were still able to push each other and had a great time running together.

Afterwards, I realized that we really needed heart rate monitor watches to better keep track of our EMzones while we are running. And of course, feed my need for a new gadget.

I chose the Garmin Forerunner 50. Amazon had them on sale. So, I bought two.

look at me blogging

Ok. If you reading this blog, it’s because you have either stumbled upon it by accident, OR you are a crop pot web investigator that has some skills as it relates to deep web searches.

Why do I say that? Because I haven’t posted a link to this site anywhere and as of today I haven’t told anyone (aside from my wife of course) that it exists. And, even she has probably forgotten.

That said, I have decided I am going to blog about a few things in my life: My family, my work, and running.

So, sit back. Relax. Grab a box of pop corn and read on. I really hope you enjoy what you read.

Social Mapping to Improve Customer Service

 

This afternoon, I sat on a bench at the neighborhood playground. While my kids played, I was thinking about a recent conversation I had about location services and social-mapping. Companies such as Whrrl, Loopt and others provide the ability to write reviews for businesses and restaurants that you frequent in addition to keeping track of where your friends are located.

While I love the idea of being able to read reviews to help persuade me as I look to find a particular product or a good restaurant to visit in my city, the benefits are so much greater than even a personal benefit.

Imagine how social mapping can aid in the goal of improving customer service.  For example:  If I have a bad experience at a store or restaurant, I may go home and tell my wife and probably a few friends. Those people, however, will probably not tell anyone else. However, if I write a review about my experience with a social-mapping service, I have then told hundreds, if not thousands of people, that the service at that establishment needs improvement. And chances are, they will tell a few people as well, without ever experiencing the bad service first hand. 

The goal, of course is not to shut businesses down, although without reform, they may need to do so.  Instead, the objective is to create a checks and balances service of what we as consumers expect from the companies that earn our dollars.

Conversely, those who have excellent service will benefit greatly from the reviews. Think about it. If you experience good service somewhere, do you go tell 10 friends?  No. You may tell one or two, but we all know that word of mouth is the best form of publicity for small businesses.

Up until now, we have rewarded good service by returning to the establishment in the future.  Now, however, with social-mapping, we can support local businesses by telling the world they exist and they have great service.  That type of social marketing is free publicity that most small business could never afford to pay for on their own.

Or could they?!?! This led me to another thought. What if an entrepreneurial minded person, created a company that provided a service for these businesses that monitored these reviews written by patrons?  That entrepreneur could charge these businesses to provide weekly reports about what their customers are saying.   That type of information and reports would be priceless. What business gets that kind of feedback every week from its customers? The entrepreneur could even charge extra from cleaning up some of the negative feedback from the establishment’s customers through follow-up, incentives, and customer relations.

So business and restaurant owners, you better get on the ball. No longer will patrons be willing to take second rate customer service as an acceptable behavior.  Your patrons will expect excellence and quality from the moment they walk in the door.  Make sure your business is thriving on a spirit of excellence.  Your future may depend on it!

Most Popular Phone in the US (third quarter, 2008)

According to IDC’s report on third-quarter handset sales, Nokia remains the world’s leading cell phone brand by far, with a 39.4% market share, followed by Samsung with 17.3%, and Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and LG, with 8.6%, 8.5%, and 7.7%, respectively.

BlackBerry Curve is the most popular phone in the United States. Apple’s popular iPhone comes in a distant second.

But with only one device on the market, Apple has little reason to be disappointed. Research In Motion, after all, which manufactures the popular BlackBerry line of mobile email devices, has never appeared in the top-five, but has become famous for its strong profit margins in the enterprise smartphone market.