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Here is a link to an article that I wrote late December 2005. Most of it is relevant today as people are still making a resolution to not make a resolution

Life Beyond Code :: New Year Resolutions anyone? (Dec 17, 2005)

Wish you all a fantastic year ahead!

I was excited when Seth hosted the Z-List on Squidoo. With Squidoo’s popularity, this would have resulted in a ton of traffic for many good (but not popular) blogs. I think the only problem there was that it was not on the original Squidoo but was offered on the new offering called Plexo. The users were not only able to add to the list but could also vote up or vote down other blogs on the list.

On the personal front, “Life Beyond Code” started off at #12 but within a day or so tanked to #300. I have to admit that I felt sad to see that so many people voted the blog down. Upon further investigation and once I understood that there were people who were gaming the system (unfortunately) there was nothing to feel sad about. Read Seth’s follow-on post about it here:
Seth Godin :: Zlist Update

I have always believed that there are somethings that are not suitable for democratic process. If the system can be “gamed” there are always a small number of people that would want to “game” the system and get some short-term results. And, they will get some “short-term” results.

What is fascinating is that to game the system it requires some effort and thinking. They have to plan, design and act to get some traffic. The key question is do they want traffic or do they deserve to get traffic? If they focus on using the same planning, design and action to make their blog more valuable, they may win in the long-term.

Imagine this scenario - you accidentally click on a link and go to a blog. The blog owner thinks he has a new visitor. On your part, you look at the blog and browse through it for a few seconds and you instantly make a decision whether to visit this blog or not. If the blog was not visit-worthy, you not only get out of the blog, you will also make it a point to not go there again.

My $.02 -

If I have to summarize in one paragraph:

I am yet to read Bob’s latest book. It’s on my list of books to read. I have totally enjoyed his earlier books.

Bob Sutton is Professor of Management Science and Engineering in the Stanford Engineering School, where he is the former Co-Director of the Center for Work, Technology, and Organization, an active researcher and cofounder in the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, and a cofounder and active member of the new “d.school,” a multi-disciplinary program that teaches and spreads “design thinking.”  Sutton is also an IDEO Fellow and a Professor of Organizational Behavior, by courtesy, at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Sutton received his Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from The University of Michigan and has served on the Stanford faculty since 1983.Sutton studies the links between managerial knowledge and organizational action, innovation, and organizational performance. He as published over 100 articles and chapters in scholarly and applied publications. He has also published eight books and edited volumes.

Optimist warning: Many times the focus in our lives is wanting what we don’t have and in that quest, we may forget to enjoy what we already have. Think about Bob’s question and you may start taking notice of things that you should already be happy about in your life.

Bob’s Quought for the Day is

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Should a company continue to charge for a service that they are now offering for free?

Let me explain my experience with Xdrive.

I had signed up for an Xdrive (provides storage space for a fee) account late last year as one or our projects had a need to constantly exchange large files with several vendors. After the project, I forgot about the account. Of course, I did remember it again when AOL (AOL acquired Xdrive) charged me $99++ for renewal of the service. This would seem fine but the problem was that the service that I had signed up for was almost offered for free. So, I called a representative and asked me to cancel the account and give me a refund. Not only was the representative very confused, she offered me only a partial refund. When I asked her for the logic, she would only say something that would start with “If you were an AOL member…”

There was no point in talking to her further as it would cost me more money (time) and chances were that I wouldn’t have succeeded anyway.

My $.02 for XDrive: Doing something “contractually right” at the expense of losing customer trust may provide some short-term profits but will cost you more in the long-run.

UPDATE Dec 30, 2006: This was a list that I had posted at the beginning of last year. Today is not my birthday. My birthday is on Jan 2. I am bringing this back up as most of the items in the list are still relevant. Also, this is not my 300th post

Today is a special day for me for two reasons:
 

So I decided to write something different…

NYR (New Year Resolution) Generator

97. Try to live in the PRESENT
             
               “Past is history

                 
  
                
- Deepak Chopra

Once again, here are some wishes to you and your families for a fantastic new year!

Being passionate about building relationships, I was quickly attracted to the work of Keith Ferrazzi and have learnt a lot from him and his book in the last year. I am excited to present Keith’s contribution to the series.

Keith Ferrazzi is one of the rare individuals to discover the essential formula for making his way to the top through a powerful, balanced combination of marketing acumen and networking savvy. Both Forbes and Inc Magazines have designated him one of the world’s most “connected” individuals. Now, as Founder & CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, he provides market leaders with advanced strategic consulting and training services to increase company sales, and enhance personal careers.

Ferrazzi has been widely recognized by his peers, is a frequent contributor to CNN and CNBC, and has authored numerous articles for leading business publications, including Forbes, Inc, the Wall Street Journal and the Harvard Business Review. Ferrazzi was an early leader in the quality movement as the youngest examiner of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

My $.02: Think about Keith’s question and you will discover the ultimate secret of networking for the master himself.

Here’s Keith’s Quought for the Day

Keith’s note accompanying the question: The second part is where folks get stuck, and what we call defining your currency.

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

(click on the button to read the background for this series)

I met Tony recently but immediately was fascinated by his work - combination of brilliant art and simple insights. You too will be fascinated if you visit Tony’s website. As a special, Tony was kind enough to send one of his drawings along with his question.

Tony Clark wears many hats. He is an artist, writer, speaker, and small business owner. Tony is also the producer and host of The Creative Venture, a weekly podcast designed to help creative people earn an income from their unique talents and gifts. Tony is the founder and principal consultant of EfficiencyLab, LLC - a software and Website renovation company. ACtually there are so many things that Tony does from his nest that it is impossible to list them here. Please read more about him here.

Optimist warning: Think about Tony’s question and you will realize that the best time to start something that you are passionate about was yesterday

Tony’s notes accompanying the question: We can spend too much time waiting for someday to pursue our passions. There’s no perfect time to follow your dreams, there’s only right now. And right now is as good a time as any.

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

I am a long-time fan of the blog Creating Passionate Users. So it is exciting to see that Kathy Sierra agreed to participate in the “Quought for the Day” project at short notice. Thanks Kathy.

Kathy Sierra has worked for the last decade in game development (Virgin MGM, Amblin’),interactive advertising (producer of Nestle’saward-winning Wonka.com), new media, artificial intelligence, and computer-based learning. Her most recent stint was as a “master trainer” for Sun Microsystems, and before that she spent several years developing and teaching the New Media and Interaction Design courses at UCLA Extension’s Entertainment Studies Department. She is the co-creator of O’Reilly’s bestselling Head First series (named to the Amazon Top Ten Computer Books for the last three years), and the original founder of javaranch.com, a programming community website with more than a half-million unique visitors each month

Optimist warning: Think about Kathy’s question and you will also quickly conclude that you should never take anything or anyone for granted.

Kathy’s Quought for the Day is

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Steve Farber is the president of Extreme Leadership, Incorporated — an organization devoted to the cultivation and development of Extreme Leaders in the business community — and is the co-founding director of The Center for Social Profit Leadership. His book, The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership is a recipient of Fast Company magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award and was named one of the ten best business books of 2004 by the on-line resource, CEO Refresher

My $.02: Think about Steve’s quote and you may increase your personal accountability by a notch instantly.

Steve’s Quought for the Day

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

For starters, Dave Taylor wears many hats - author, blogger, teacher, geek, businessman and a great friend. When I watch Dave working on his dozen or so projects with same passion, I sometimes doubt if Dave is only one person or has he secretly mastered the human cloning project
Dave Taylor has been involved with the Internet since 1980 and is widely recognized as an expert on both technical and business issues. He has been published over a thousand times, launched four Internet-related startup companies, has written twenty business and technical books and holds both an MBA and MS Ed. Dave maintains three weblogs, The Intuitive Life Business Blog, focused on business and industry analysis, the eponymous Ask Dave Taylor devoted to tech and business Q&A and The Attachment Parenting Blog, discussing topics of interest to parents. Dave is an award-winning speaker, sought after conference and workshop participant and frequent guest on radio and podcast programs.

Optimist warning: Think about Dave’s question and you may start getting your priorities right.

Here’s Dave’s Quought for the Day

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!