Just Say No to Catchall Email!
For every piece of legitimate email you receive, how many pieces of spam do you filter?
Sadly, the spam/legitimate ratio is frequently +1. And growing.
Sigh.
That’s why I was surprised to see that a few small business folks I hold in high regard still have catchall email enabled at their servers.
Catchall email is a terrible idea. When spammers find out you have a catchall email account (and it usually doesn’t take very long), you can expect an exponential increase in spam. And of course, catchall email account settings can dramatically decrease your efficiency and productivity.
Nonetheless, my colleagues defended their catchall email practice, erroneously believing it a) helps reduce spam and b) increases efficiency! Here are two examples of the flawed thinking behind catchall accounts:
- “Well, when I sign up for various online accounts, I have to give them an email address. So if I sign up for a Google account, say, I tell ‘em I’m google @ mydomain.com . Or facebook @ mydomain.com. Or whatever. I have zillions of email names. That way, I know if I start getting spam at one of the names, then that’s the company that sold my domain name. I’ll know that they are a bad business, and I’ll block their emails, and report them as spammers.”
- “And when I create all kinds of email names, I’m more efficient. I set up my inbox to automatically file every piece of email that comes in by email name into different inbox folders.”
Oi. What misconceptions! Let’s clear ‘em up….
Middle Aged, Cranky, and Loving Web Usability
I love the work of usability expert Jakob Nielson. I really do.
His latest UseIt Alerts are must-reads.
One alert takes a cranky old man’s slap at bad web design. Bad content, bad navigation, big bad badness.
Another discusses middle-aged folks and our declining web performance.
Both contain awesome analyses. Couldn’t agree more.
But keep two things in mind:
1. Criticizing is always easier than creating. Spotting bad design is easy. Creating great design (or content or navigation or anything, for that matter) is tougher. (And more rewarding.)
2. I’m middle-aged. I know how fun it can be to criticize the work of others. Especially whippersnappers.
So please do enjoy and appreciate Mr. N’s work — and his unique style of presenting it!
Double Your Subscriber Numbers Overnight!
Every month, I trash at least 4 or 5 magazines — without reading them.
They arrive in the mail. I stopped subscribing to them ages ago.
photo credit: bravenewtraveler
I’m sure I’m not alone. A number of friends of mine were just grousing about this annoying issue last week. It’s not just a waste of paper. It’s needless clutter. I have to pay to have unwanted periodicals hauled away. And it’s all a huge waste of my time.
But magazine publishers need to keep their subscriber numbers artificially elevated to keep their advertising prices artificially elevated. Pull the plug on your magazine subscription, and 50% of the time, the monthlies keep coming, anyway. The other 50% of the time, you’ll get swamped with sales letters that beg you to re-subscribe — at rock-bottom prices.
Quality of subscriber? Not important.
Quantity? That’s what these flailing magazine publishers are after.
What’s this have to do with your social media subscriptions? I was a little surprised to hear two internet marketing colleagues whine about their paltry number of “subscribers” this week — and the desperate measures they were considering to increase their numbers. One considered a crazy scheme to increase blog subscriber numbers, and another felt like a failure for having slightly less than 1,000 Twitter followers — after Twittering for a few days.
To me, this kind of needless fretting over subscriber numbers seems like a form of mental illness.
- Maybe it’s obsessive compulsiveness - “1 more, no, 10 more, no, 100 more, no, never enough!”
- Or an inferiority complex — “I must be popular, or I’m worthless”
- Or anxiety - “I must have the appearance of popularity, or I will lose face with my colleagues…”
Or perhaps all three?
In reality, the number of subscribers my cohorts have is irrelevant. Ironically, the quality of the relationships they have with their current subscribers — that’s actually very good! Their subscribers seem to love them — in spite of their neuroses! This camp of lovey-doviness should ensure the word-of-mouse (yeah, I meant mouse!) that will increase the quantity of subscriber numbers.
Over time.
But, my neurotic colleagues want instant results, and instant popularity. They measure their value not in the quality of their relationships, but the quantity. (I also suspect my colleagues are attracting an equally neurotic subscriber base, what with the law of attraction being universal and all.) I hope their quantity-quantity-quantity attitudes don’t make their current subscribers feel unappreciated — because that can surely impact long term goals!
Like John Lennon said, “Instant Karma’s Gonna Get You!”
Over the following weeks, I’ll share some of the unethical and neurotic ideas I’ve heard to increase your followers, connections, and subscribers. They’ll work like crazy all right — but I wouldn’t recommend a single one of these tactics!
You don’t want to be like a magazine, after all! Or develop a mental illness…
I’ll also share some ethical and humane ideas for increasing subscriber quantity — and quality.
First up: here is one completely legitimate way to increase your blog subscriber numbers — overnight!
Use the Feedburner FeedSmith Plugin. If you’re using WordPress to self-publish your blog and Feedburner to manager your Blog feed, be sure to use the FeedSmith Plugin for Wordpress. This plugin scoops up all the different ways someone might be subscribing to your feed, and re-directs them to Feedburner. You can keep track of every subscriber.
Now, my sensational headline “Double Your Subscriber Numbers Overnight” is about as true as any headline you’ll see on any woman’s magazine in the checkout stand. You actually already HAVE these subscribers — you just aren’t SHOWING all your subscribers NUMBERS in your Feedburner subscriber counts without this plugin. You can’t brag effectively without it!
And if you’re subscriber-quantity neurotic, seeing a higher number will make you feel better.
For about a second.
(Results may vary. One WordPress user I know only saw a 50% increase. And it took two days, instead of overnight. But that justified the 5 minutes of work it took to download, upload, and activate the plugin. And yeah, bragging rights aside, accurate measurements are actually important!)
Pitching Bloggers: PR Malpractice v. PR Best Practice
Note to PR firms: Let’s say you’re being paid to garner niched blog publicity for your client.
Here’s something you should know about bloggers:
We’re not robots. We’re real human beings!
Let me share something personal with you:
Sometimes, I step away from the computer. I wander about in nature, unfettered by email, IM, and cell phone.
Take this weekend, for example. A fine example of a March spring in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I went for a long and pleasant walk through an old forest.
Twice.
I went shopping for a birthday present for my dad. I visited with family. Enjoyed some laughs over cocktails.
And a friend and I ventured north of town to Frederick Meijer Gardens, to see the Butterflies are Blooming exhibit. Lovely!
I tell you this to demonstrate the humanity behind the bits and scripts that make up this blog.
Now, let’s contrast my weekend with my Monday morning. This morning, I sip my coffee and open up my blog dashboard for the first time in two days. I scan the comments. I approve some, but am chagrined to see 6 identical comments from a PR firm that represents a very promising software company with an interesting new product.
Now, had I seen the first comment on Saturday afternoon, I might have approved it. But six times in two days — with the same trying-too-hard message? Good thing I stepped away from my blog for a few days! I might have let the first comment slide by out of pity!
I had to tell Askimet that the comments were all spam. And, of course, I won’t review the software.
I suspect that a number of other bloggers received the same shoddy treatment from this PR firm. Instead of garnering positive publicity by developing a relationship with a blogger, the PR firm chose to comment spam me. This firm did their client a great disservice.
In fact, comment spamming is PR malpractice. It destroys relationships. And it seriously damages the potential for developing powerful third-party testimonials.
Contrast this PR approach with another software firm that approached me last week. Their marketing guy sent me a short email, telling me that he reads my blog and that his software might be of interest to my readers. He tells me (briefly!) what his software does, points me to his firm’s site, and gives me his complete contact information, including email and phone number.
Now, this sounds like a real human being! And he seems to appreciate that I, too, am a human! Because his email is courteous and professional, I visit his site. Intrigued by his product and his pitch, I write to tell him I am interested in reviewing his product. He responds that he will send me the software via FedEx.
As promised, his software arrived via FedEx this Monday morning — just as I was informing Askimet of the other PR firm’s blog spam. Ah, sweet juxtaposition!
I’m a blogger who likes celebrating butterflies and birthdays. I appreciate conversations. I nurture my human relationships. I want to see good people with good products succeed.
PR firms – please realize that blogs are more than bits and bots.
Blogs are opportunities for starting the conversations that can build valuable, human relationships.
Please respect my humanity, as I respect yours!
Befriending your Parents on FaceBook
To this very day, one rule from teenager-hood remains true:
Anything I do that I don’t want my parents to know about — that “thing” brings trouble.
Every single time!
Today, before I do anything even mildly rash, I ask myself,
How would I feel if my mom found about about this?
It’s kind of an ethical gut check. If I cringe even a little, it’s enough to make me re-consider my tactics.
So I read this article in the Washington Post “When Mom or Dad asks to be a FaceBook friend” with much amusement. Apparently, many 20-somethings are horrified when parents ask to be their FB friends.
Too Much Red : Why I Can’t Shop at Target
I cannot shop at Target stores.
The store design has too much red. Red walls. Red logo. Red shopping carts.
photo credit: Stoichiometry
So much red makes me feel edgy and upset.
Don’t get me wrong: I like red. Used in moderation, red can be a terrific accent color.
I know I’m not alone in this feeling: but I am a minority! Target is a very popular store in the US – most suburbanites don’t seem to mind shopping in an agora where design is so self-concious and contrived that fake blood seems to drip from every surface.
Now, it’s completely appropriate that Target repels me. I’m not their ideal customer. It’s actually quite brilliant that Target uses design elements that attract people who like pedestrian, mass-produced cheesiness — and drives away people who have a more unique sense of style.
What’s your design peeve? We often talk about design that attracts customers. But what elements of design repel people you’d rather not have as customers, anyway?
I Want That Guy, Part II
Where’s my computer guy?
Earlier this month, I mentioned that there’s “a guy” missing from my Rolodex.
(Relax! “That guy” can be a gal, too!)
photo credit: loosepunctuation
“That guy” is apparently shy about implementing some effective word-of-mouth marketing!
Worth noting: “that guy” might be willing to spend $10,000 on a website — or an all-tell, no-sell brochure. And “that guy” might very well fall prey to a pitch from an aggressive cutie-pie account rep from a who-reads-it newspaper or no-one-visits-it website.
But “that guy” won’t spend 2 minutes to pop me a comment or drop me a line. “That guy” isn’t that comfortable with making a human connection, or starting a conversation.
“That guy” will likely invest in a foolish ad campaign that feeds his ego — but it won’t feed his family!
Man! Some folks will do anything to avoid interpersonal communication!
But without that crucial skill, how long can “that guy” stay in business?
It’s little wonder that “that guy” gets picked up by big organizations, who supply him or her with teams to fill in the interpersonal marketing gaps. “That guy” has great tech skills, but little interpersonal savvy.
One more time: word-of-mouth marketing can pay big dividends. If you can’t make conversation — hire someone who can.
Defacing Professional Property?
Years ago, I hastily scrawled “Laura’s Laptop” on the top of my notebook PC with a silver Sharpie Pen. I didn’t think twice about it. I just did it because wherever I go, there’s usually a sea of black notebook PCs. I’ve made the mistake of grabbing the wrong one from time to time. And I’ve been known to panic a moment or two when someone inadvertently walks off with mine.
No one runs off with my notebook anymore. I doubt they’re even tempted. It’s pretty clear that it’s my PC.
However, I’m a little surprised at the reaction of some folks. Some seem upset that I’ve “defaced” my own property. One guy told me it looked unprofessional. Another said my computer was now less “valuable”.
Huh?
What’s the big deal? Where do you suppose these attitudes come from?
(And what’s your favorite theft deterrent?)
Beware of the Frantically Busy
Many Midwesterners freak out about being busy.
“I’m so busy,” screeches a former colleague. “Busy! Oh, it’s crazy. So busy, busy, busy.”
Sure she’s busy.
She’s usually busy saying she’s busy!
Consequently, she’s not getting much of anything else done.
(She does, however, charge her clients for her hand-wringing over how busy she is worrying about how much she has to do. Billable might hours include: midnight bouts of angst, explaining to the client why the project has fallen behind schedule and gone over budget, and reading self-help books on project and time management.)
Beware of the perpetually, frantically, hysterically busy.
When The Customer is Wrong…
Consider the old chestnut, “The Customer is Always Right.”
Well, there’s an extreme value judgement for you! Morality, right and wrong, and eternity — what business maxim could possibly be more suspect?
If you’re a professional, you know that customers often have misconceptions. And as a pro, it’s your job to set them straight.
Embrace the misconceptions of your customers — their lack of knowledge in your field of expertise is often why they hired you!
photo credit: raketen_tim
If you are a professional, customers often approach you with all kinds of misconceptions. They want ”A” — and you advise them that “A” is not in their best interest. You explain why. You document your objections. You refuse to perform the “A” task, and suggest an alternative course of action. The customer may pout, they may argue — and they may even hire someone much less professional to do their bidding.
And if you’re a true professional, you let these clients go. While it might be easier to stroke a client’s ego, to do what they say, and to rack up some huge billable hours doing all the wrong things — you’re a professional. You advise against an improper course of action. And you go on record advising against it. You take a momentary financial hit, but you build a valuable long-term, professional reputation.
Here’s a tip: if your professionals are frequently agreeable and flattering, give them a little test. Come up with a real bone-headed idea, and see if they try to talk you out of it. You can try one of these examples:
- Doctor: I want to eat nothing but butter, eggs, liver, and ham — and lower my cholesterol! Tell me how to make this work!
- Hey Accountant: I ran across a website that told me paying income tax is unconstitutional, so help me to never, ever pay any income taxes ever again!
- Dear Web Developer: I need you to implement my design vision. Code it any way you want, as long as it looks exactly the way I envision it.
- Hi cute little ad agency account rep: My new small business needs branding. Get me a list of national sponsorhsips and campaigns I can buy into.
If you get budgets and timelines instead of arguments against implementation, it’s probably time to part company with your, uh, professionals!
