Blogs

Last Friday night, NAB appeared to have one of those butt-clenching moments when a not-so-corporate tweet went out via @nab, the banking giant's Twitter account. It read: “Sooooo stressed out. Have to make a tough decision and I know I’ll probably hurt someone’s feelings! Arrggghhh.” The message was retweeted over 100 times. We all now know, it was the beginning of something far grander.

One of the decisions I made when I joined LinkedIn was to become an “open networker.” I’m on a list that says I am open to connecting. Three years later and I have thousands of first-degree connections. Now... I kind of regret it.

Most entrepreneurs, while surrounded with people, walk a lonely road.However, this Valentine’s Day, spare a thought for the wifes/husbands/girlfriends/boyfriends of entrepreneurs, who oftenlive with even greater degrees of isolation and uncertainly than their partners.

The web is no longer a digital version of print. It is the space where conversation is facilitated. Websites are becoming applications that feed information out to various social-based platforms. This means that most brands need to start thinking about their website as a database that organises and distributes information and features to specific groups within the world of social media.

Many Australian companies don’t even provide regular feedback to their staff, let alone have a formal employee development program. This is a costly mistake. As busy managers give less and less time to developing their people, companies are losing the very employees they need to succeed in the long term.

Sometime last year, Anthill's online growth triggered an unexpected and somewhat unwelcome side-effect. The size, reach and visibility we had worked so hard to achieve was attracting a new kind of reader, from the 'uncouth fringe'. Today, I am seeking your help. It's time to combat the trolls... in haiku!

Collective-buying behemoth Groupon is coming to Australia and is now hiring. The company that triggered Australia's recent obsession with deal-sites, such as Ouffer, Cudo and recently acquired Spreets, will initially be trading under the name StarDeals and is rumoured to be considering former MySpace HQ to set up shop in Sydney.

It seems as if every company is now looking to social media as a marketing panacea for the woes of the GFC. In this three-part series, Mark Cameron takes a close look at the social media landscape, describes some of the 'platforms', examines how these are changing the market place and outlines a strategic framework for deploying social media as a branding, marketing, PR and intelligence tool.

Brisbane is keen to spread the word: floods won’t dampen spirits or finances for long. Industry forecasters, IBISWorld, predict the city will receive a $10 billion economic boost due to rebuilding efforts, while Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Campbell Newman says it’s vital at this time to assure business and industry that Brisbane has resumed operations.

Is it just me or are the most brilliant examples of marketing invariably those commissioned to sell the most reprehensible, unpleasant or just plain awkward products and services? While I suspect that this creative piece of packaging won't win any industry awards anytime soon, it nevertheless prompts me to ask the question: Could this be the best (or worst) piece of marketing you've seen all year?

Those of us who are Baby Boomers will, over the next 15-20 years, be the beneficiaries of the greatest transfer of inherited wealth the world has ever seen. What if 10%, or 15%, or even 20% of that inheritance pool was diverted to charities? Can you imagine the positive impact this would have?

As I recently noted, troubled businesses that wait too long to seek financial help end up hurting the Australian economy – to the tune of $13 billion every year. Fortunately, turnaround specialists are committed to insolvency prevention by returning troubled companies to profitability and financial stability. Here's how to make sure you're alert to the warning signs and know when to call for help.

This morning, it was confirmed that Yahoo!7 has acquired Australian group-buying business Spreets for $40 million. The deal is the first of what is expected to become a consolidation of the Australian group-buying market. However, what's truly remarkable about this announcement is the short time-frame between Spreets' launch and its sale, after only 10 months on the Australian market.

Five fingers and a raised hand could be all that’s required to add an extra $2 billion to the Australian economy each year. That’s the money that would be saved if even only half of Australian businesses that find themselves in financial strife put their hands up for help earlier.

Possibly the least sexy aspect of running your own business, backup and data security are nonetheless fundamental to the operation of any enterprise. Think about it: what would happen if you lost all your files and contacts? Catastrophe, for sure – but this won’t ever happen to you, right?

Over the past fifteen years, outsourcing has been an increasingly common practice allowing businesses to reduce costs and therefore pour resources into growth. However, with the upheaval of the last eighteen months, business as usual has seen its foundations shaken and reshaped. Is outsourcing still the best option, or should businesses be trying to claim more of the value chain for themselves? Should they still be offshoring, or will nearshoring bring greater profits in the future?

Just how do you guarantee your security, whatever you deem it to be, when you are “in the cloud”? Well, unlike actually being in a plane and in the clouds, security and safety is up to you. A seat belt, a sick bag and the foetal position won’t help you. If you want it secure, secure it yourself.

Over one hundred climate and energy-focused shareholder proposals have been put before shareholders of 88 U.S. and Canadian companies in 2010. Interestingly, this phenomenon has yet to rise to the top of shareholder concerns in Australia. 2011 would be a good year to change this.

Last week, Anthill emailed a 'sponsored satirical message from the future' to 9,000 members of its 14,000-strong eNewsletter database. The message informed recipients of their success winning a fictional award from the year 2012. Responses were mixed, ranging from "This is hilarious and very clever!" to "I WOULD PREFER NOT TO RECEIVE THIS CRAP!" So, is Anthill likely to run a campaign like this again?

Many Australians may view Malaysia as a tourist spot or source of some seriously hot curries, but there’s much more to the story. In fact, the relationship between the two nations goes back decades, says Tim Harcourt, and as the Malaysian economy accelerates, Australia will continue to play an important role in its development.