theCynch » Featured http://www.thecynch.com talk nerdy to me. Thu, 19 May 2011 05:09:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://www.thecynch.com http://www.thecynch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/favicon.ico theCynch Nokia CEO Caption Winner: “Yes I’ll wait…” http://www.thecynch.com/nokia-ceo-caption-winner-yes-ill-wait/ http://www.thecynch.com/nokia-ceo-caption-winner-yes-ill-wait/#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:30:31 +0000 Cynthia http://www.thecynch.com/?p=2572

Congrats Lloyd for winning this week’s caption contest! :D

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]]> http://www.thecynch.com/video-post-android-vs-iphone-parody/feed/ 7 Justin Bieber Followed Me on Twitter! http://www.thecynch.com/video-post-justin-bieber-followed-me-on-twitter/ http://www.thecynch.com/video-post-justin-bieber-followed-me-on-twitter/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 23:33:54 +0000 Cynthia http://www.thecynch.com/?p=1993 I talk briefly about some of the things that went on this week like the YouTube change, the overblown hype on the Twitter bug earlier this week, the AT&T-Apple relationship, and a ridiculous-looking Hummer.
I <3 comments!

Here’s some links to the full stories:
YouTube privacy settings
Twitter bug
AT&T-Apple relationship
Ridiculous Hummer

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Let me know what you guys think in the comments! :)

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Until recently, I was just a blogger. Then I decided to kick it up a notch.

Even though I’ve only been doing videos for the past few weeks, I see some distinct pros and cons for each medium.

Here’s some of my observations.

Blogging:
  • Pros
  1. More privacy.
  2. Blog posts can be edited quickly and painlessly if you (or someone else) notices a mistake a few days later.
  3. Cheap. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection.
  4. It’s great for posts that users might want to study for extended periods of time, like photos, graphs, and statistics.
  5. Bloggers can ghostwrite for others. Though I haven’t done any ghostwriting, the advantage of being a good writer is that you can lend your skills to others.
  • Cons
  1. Harder to show your personality.
  2. Readers are less likely to identify with you.
  3. Reading takes more effort on the audience’s behalf. This can be a negative thing since you want to make blogs posts as “easy to digest” as possible.
  4. There’s a lot of competition. Over 175,000 blogs are created daily and there are over 113 million blogs in existence. 184 million bloggers create 570,000 posts every 24 hours.
  5. Audiences are growing increasingly more ADD—meaning that they can grow bored very quickly. It can be difficult to hold attention with text, especially if the same information can be remixed by an entertaining vlogger. (Are you still reading?) :p
Vlogging:
  • Pros
  1. More personality. Every vlogger is instantly unique by their appearance and demeanor. It’s more difficult to convey personality through a written blog post.
  2. More identification with eye contact!! An added bonus is that eye contact can help people retain information.
  3. More flexibility in the types of things you can do or say. (This especially applies to the overwhelming amount of music spoofs…which are nearly unheard of in written form.)
  4. Doesn’t require good writing skills. Some people are good speakers and poor writers. Others are poor speakers and great writers. If you fall into the first group, then you may be the next YouTube star.
  5. If reality TV has taught us anything, it’s that people-watching is fascinating. Vlogging is just another form of that.
  • Cons
  1. It’s another form of public speaking. Surveys have shown that some people would rather die than do public speaking, and 75% of people suffer from speech anxiety.
  2. You cannot edit your work after it’s been posted to YouTube. You can post annotations, but what’s being said or done holds a lot more weight. You could always delete the video, edit your project, and upload a new video, but all the previous links will be broken if people linked to the first version.
  3. More time-consuming. A typical vlog takes me between 4-8 hours (and longer if it’s more complicated like my Floppy Funeral video), while a typical blog post takes between 1-2 hours.  A lot of time was spent initially—figuring out the proper lighting setup, rearranging furniture, practicing, finding props and video-editing. Even pro YouTubers can take 3-4 hours per video.
  4. More expensive. You can use the webcam from your computer, but making your videos look more pro can make a big difference. Some startup costs can include a camcorder, a lighting setup, an editing program, a microphone and tripod(s).
  5. More of a learning curve (if you haven’t dealt with video-editing/lighting setups before).

Bottom Line: I doubt that written blogs will ever die, but it is extremely useful to supplement your blog with video logs. It may be just the thing to kick your blog into the 21st century and to differentiate yourself from other bloggers.

Will video be your key to standing out?

For now, I’ve kept my vlogs light-hearted and entertaining, while my blogs tackle more in-depth issues…like this post! :)

Question for you: Are you a watcher or a reader? Is there a difference in the types of information that you’d rather read than watch (or vice versa)?

CrunchBase Information
YouTube
Information provided by CrunchBase
]]> http://www.thecynch.com/blogging-vs-vlogging-the-good-the-bad/feed/ 16 17 Ways for Lone Entrepreneurs to Stay Motivated http://www.thecynch.com/17-ways-for-lone-entrepreneurs-to-stay-motivated/ http://www.thecynch.com/17-ways-for-lone-entrepreneurs-to-stay-motivated/#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:57:56 +0000 Cynthia http://www.thecynch.com/?p=1012 How to be a successful entrepreneur and stay motivatedWho said being an entrepreneur is easy? It isn’t.

Entrepreneurship takes hard work, motivation, and persistence. To boot, everything you’ve built up can fall apart at any second.

We hang precariously in the balance of succumbing to mediocrity or ascending to success.

We persist, but persistence is a muscle. More often than not, it can strain and weaken.

In my 3 1/2 years of entrepreneurship, I’ve learned to strengthen the persistence muscle—though I’ve had my share of weak moments.

Running a business can be especially difficult if don’t have anyone working with you.

Here are some tips that have gotten me through some of my rough, lone-entrepreneur days. I hope you will find them useful.

1. Adopt a cat or a dog.

I put this suggestion first because I think it’s the main reason for how I’ve managed to stay sane (especially over the last year).

My dog Sammy has been everything to me: pet, friend, son, and furred shoulder to lean and cry on.

If you don’t already own a dog or a cat, I highly suggest that you adopt one. Being around another being that relies on you reminds you that you have a purpose in life.

Petting a dog or cat is also highly therapeutic and is like the Splenda for real-human contact.

A strong suggestion: Please consider adopting from your local animal shelter. Animals from pet stores and breeders are not in danger of being euthanized, while animals at the shelter are running out of time.

2. Take a 5-minute break every hour.

On the hour, take a 5-minute break to do something that helps clear your mind.

But, make sure that you only do it for 5 minutes! Don’t get too distracted or else your work will never get done.

3. Decorate with plants.

Plants are aesthetically pleasing and have an innate quality to brighten up any room. (Sorry if I sound a little Martha-Stewarty here.)

4. Make a work schedule and stick to it.

Being your own boss doesn’t mean that you can do “whatever you feel like,” whenever you want. To become truly successful, you need to create a schedule and stick to it.

I have a whiteboard calendar on my refrigerator, which I use and look at everyday.
Something is scheduled for every day of the week. It keeps me focused and helps me get my work done.

5. If you don’t have time to go out, call, or use Facebook/Twitter to socialize.

If you’re like me and work odd, late hours, then you probably don’t have a lot of time to socialize. I consistently use Facebook and Twitter as an outlet.

You might be surprised at how satisfying and enriching online interactions can be.

6. Vent.

Don’t be afraid of venting. It can be one of the most beneficial things you do for yourself. If you’ve had a rough day, don’t let the tension sit.

Call a family member or friend, or write a rant on Craigslist.

If you don’t vent, all the negative energy is just going to sit on your chest. If you don’t get it out in some form, you’ll likely burst at the seams and have a complete meltdown.

7. Don’t stop moving.

This is a really good point, and one of my favorites.

If you’re constantly working on something, there’s not enough time for negativity to seep in. You’ll also get your work done a lot more efficiently.

8. Listen to audio books.

As weird as it sounds, audio books make me feel as if I’m in a *real,* social, work environment.

Hearing someone else’s voice is soothing on a basic level and the placebo effect will improve your work performance.

Audio books can also be a great way of maximizing your effectiveness.

You can soak up new information from business-related audio books or let your mind wander with fiction-based audio books.

9. Listen to happy music.

I like to listen to music that makes me feel motivated to move and “go.” Although musical taste differs from person to person, I suggest listening to a whatever types of songs that put your in a happy place.

    Happy places = productivity, efficiency, success.
10. Don’t socialize with depressing, negative people.

Although socializing can be an important facet of our lives, be selective with who you socialize with.

Avoid people you can’t vent to. Avoid those that poke fun at what you do and don’t support your business. Don’t feel obligated to hang out with them because of some unwritten social contract.

You’ve gotten this far by being a free, independent thinker. Apply that to your social life and things will fall further into place.

Though this may sound like a “yeah, duh” suggestion, I’ve seen my share of people that have lowered their standards just so that they have a social life.

11. Exercise.

And by “exercise,” I mean sweat it out. Going down the stairs to the parking garage is not exercise.

Put at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise into your day, 3-4 times a week.

I personally run 3 miles a day, and find that I start getting crabby after about 2 days if I don’t—which begins to affect my work motivation.

Besides improving your motivation, exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body and mind. It’s a proven stress reliever, it releases endorphins, reduces muscular tension, boosts your immune system, and helps you get a better night’s sleep.

12. Have a good support network.

If you work from home and don’t get out a lot, don’t let that stop you from having a good network.

It’s easy nowadays to find like-minded entrepreneurs through Twitter, forums, blogs and the like. These are the people that can help you grow your network, stay motivated, and envelope you with positivity.

Locally-based networks would be even better for both personal and business reasons.

13. Breathe.

It sounds so simple, and you’ve probably heard it a million times. I though it was cliche until I actually tried doing it.

Take a few minutes each day to take slow, deep, and even breaths. It helps release pent-up stress and helps clear your mind to zen-like clarity.

14. Work in a clean environment.

Don’t make the excuse that “you’re the only one that’s going to see it [the mess].”

Believe me—a clean, organized environment will make you feel better about yourself, whether you realize it or not. When you enter your work area you will feel more accomplished.

Slobs are typically not the poster children for accomplished people, so don’t be one.

Subconsciously or consciously, we are our own bosses and can be our own worst critics. If we see a messy work area, we can subconsciously pent up negativity. Not good.

15. Work in a clean-smelling environment.

This point sort of ties in with the previous point, except there’s an important difference.

The strongest memories we have are olfactory. If you work in an environment that reeks of new plastic and metal, your impression of your work area will not be as positive as if it smelled like french vanilla.

Invest in a plug-in-the-wall air freshener and your mood, and motivation, will improve.

16. Remember your priorities.

Remember the reasons why you became, and stayed an entrepreneur in the first place.
Write those priorities on your whiteboard (if you don’t have one, I suggest getting one), and look at them daily.

The more firm your priorities are, the more successful and driven you will become (and stay that way).

17. Post some of these suggestions where you can see them daily.

Repetition and affirmation are key: remember your priorities, remember to follow through, and don’t stop moving.

For more content, be sure to follow on Twitter and fan on Facebook!

Related Posts:

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The Old Way:

Before social media, restaurants depended on customers to fill out surveys to gauge customer satisfaction.

Surveys were inefficient because customers would:

  • lie on the surveys to be polite, because they knew that the cute waiter/waitress would read it afterwards
  • OR not fill them out at all.

The paper method of gauging customer satisfaction is flawed from the beginning.

Then Yelp came along, but:

  • only a small percentage of customers use Yelp.
  • the reviews on Yelp can have the tendency to be really good or really bad. Customers have to feel one way or another to pitch in their two cents.
  • there is no real incentive to use the website. No rewards, no social-networking integration.

The New Way:

Now there are location-based services such as Foursquare and Gowalla. Although Twitter remains a great tool for restaurants, these applications are even better because they:

  • help customers find different restaurants instead of just their usual hang outs. It’s great for new businesses!
  • provide an automatic loyalty system. It trims the paper even more by eliminating the need to stamp cards towards discounts or free drinks. (I always forget or misplace my loyalty cards.)
  • give customers an increased sense of exclusivity, just for visiting a restaurant multiple times.
  • create a competitive game between customers. Which customer will be the “most loyal” and will be treated the best this week?
  • provide restaurant owners a wealth of information about their customers with very little time, energy, and monetary investment.
  • provide the perfect amount of emotional distance from restaurants since they are:
    • part of  a customer’s personal, social network.
    • impersonal, just enough, to provide a completely honest opinion of a restaurant’s service (in a similar way to how we feel more comfortable yelling at other drivers on the road, but not in a face-to-face situation).

These LBS (location-based services) don’t mean that Twitter is useless. They just take the weight off of Twitter as the main online-marketing tool. Many restaurants use Twitter to communicate with their customers on a more personal level, and tweets have made an impact on the food-service industry.

One of the best, and most renown use of Twitter by a restaurant occurred last year:

P.F. Changs saw a tweet about how much a woman was enjoying their chicken lettuce wraps. P.F. Changs tracked down the woman to the branch she was dining at, paid for her meal,  and gave her free dessert.

The story has been circulated widely throughout the Internet and has been discussed on multiple websites and forums—all for under $20. (Chicken Lettuce Wraps: $6.50 + Average Dessert: $5.95 = $12.45 plus tax)*

Other businesses spend thousands to get the same type of attention.

Needless to say, P.F. Changs improved its service, gained some fantastic PR, and improved its value to its customers…all which add up to a bigger bottom line.

The Cynch: Paper is out, apps are in. Social-media services improve communication by breaking down formalities. Informal settings are key to listening in, providing great customer service, and improving business as a whole.

So next time you’re at a restaurant and the waiter slips a survey in with the check, just write “I Foursquared it.”

*For more case studies on how restaurants are using social media, check out Twitter09.

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