Business Jazz – 1st March 2013 – Changed and Kickstarted

Change is unsettling. We grow comfortable with things the way they are. When they shift an inch, we feel the movement as if it were a mile.

Regular listeners will have noticed changes in the podcast this week. The intro, the tone, the focus.

That's a lot to take in.

If you've listened to the podcast already, we hope you understand why we've tinkered with the formula. If you haven't yet. Here's a quick overview.

While we know Paul will return, we don't know when. All we know is that it will be a while yet. When he does, you'll hear three voices host the podcast – Jane is staying on. With that in mind, it was appropriate to change the intro to include the three of us.

The second change is that we are weaning ourselves off Chris Brogan. He was our genesis, our original inspiration, and won't be forgotten, but there are other great thought leaders in business to look at as well. Besides, who can speak in detail better about what Chris Brogan is thinking – us or Chris himself? So, we're broadening our horizons. We don't stray too far in this episode, though. Podcast regular AJ Leon gets a big mention.

This week

In this week's episode, Roger and Jane look at AJ raised big bucks using Kickstarter to publish a book. Roger tells of Peter Cox, an Irish landscape photographer, who had equal success.

You can listen to this week's podcast using the player at the top of the post or download it directly here: Business Jazz – 1st March, 2013.

We're also in iTunes. We'd love it if you subscribed or left some feedback.

We might be flying the Brogan nest, but please connect with him

If you want to hear the amazing things Chris Brogan is saying, you can subscribe to his newsletter on his website. Utterly, totally recommended.

If you're interested in The Impact Equation, the book he recently published with Julien Smith, you can find it on Amazon US and Amazon UK (these aren't affiliate links, by the way).

Business Jazz Players

This podcast is a collaboration of people dotted around the world. Most of us have never met each other. It's quite a story and it's still evolving. 
If you'd like to read what's happened so far, you'll find it here: Our Story.

Extras

We have a tradition here at Business Jazz of recording a segment of audio around the main podcast, usually afterwards. This week, we skipped it. We'd already recorded four takes of the episode proper, so we were pretty much done. We'll be back next week with the after podcast.

Fraud or apathy: What is academia’s biggest threat?

Diederik Stapel committed a truly massive fraud. And he wasn’t even very good at it. As we know now, he completely made up the data of many – and probably most – of his (very prominent) academic publications.

I have written about him before, because obviously he forms both a fascinating and worrying case. It is worrying not because it makes me suspect there are probably more of such massive fraud cases that currently remain undetected – his fraud was so huge that I have trouble imagining – perhaps naively – that it is not unique. However, I have much less trouble imagining that for every case like Stapel’s, there are probably many more of much smaller fraud, which could easily add up to something even bigger.

Stapel made up all his data regarding pretty much all his publications – and got away with it for a long time. How many people might there be out there who make up only parts of their data for some of their publications…?

It is like cases of insider trading, or rogue investment bank traders; the cases that come out in the open are often colossal cases of fraud (although there is a bit of attention bias), involving billions of pounds, not seldom committed in a rather clumsy way. For every immense, clumsy case of insider trading, how many smaller, more sophisticated villains might there be…?

But there is another reaction to the Stapel fraud that makes me worried. Newspapers that reported on and described his fraud often gave examples of his experiments. For example, he would predict and “find” that people exposed to the world “capitalism” in an experiment would be less inclined to share their M&Ms with others and, instead, selfishly stuff them into their own drooling mouths.

On newspaper websites, people would comment on these articles, and their reactions were remarkably consistent; they never said “tsss, he committed fraud with something as important like that…” (a reaction I imagine they would have had had it concerned a clinical trial of a new cancer drug); invariably, their reaction would be “that’s what these scientists spend our tax money on?! silly things like that!?” and “that’s the kind of stuff that makes someone a famous professor?!”

People seem to not care at all that he made up his data because, to them, it concerned stuff they find completely trivial, irrelevant and infantile. They are not outraged by his fraud; they couldn’t care less.

Now, I am not saying I completely agree with them (I would find it interesting – and potentially even important – if putting people in a capitalist frame of mind would automatically make them act more selfishly) but I am wondering whether apathy and an active disinterest might not be even more threatening to the long-term prospects of social psychology as a field than fraud. To the general audience, their research appears trivial and unimportant.

Stapel has now written a book – I guess largely because he simply needs the money, now that his career prospects in academia have been truncated – detailing his descent into fraud. Perhaps in his next book he can tell us – and the world at large – why his experiments would have been important and worth doing (for real). And hence why people should be outraged by his fraud, because currently, they’re not.

The Business February 27th 2013: The Songs to O’Shea By Edition- Now with 2x the Kevin!

There are Kevins, and there are O’Sheas.  But there is only one Kevin O’Shea.  At least there is only one that we know of.  I mean the odds are good that there is someone else that has both the name “Kevin” and the name “O’Shea”, but that guy (or rather unfortunate girl) would never be the Kevin O’Shea that Kevin O’Shea is.  

This week, we all Kevin to the O’Shea beat.

Established in 1984 following the mergers of Steven and Cathy O’Shea, Kevin O’Shea has been one of San Francisco’s leading manufactures of mirth, laughter, hilarity and all around good times! Kevin has been commonly described as clever, absurd, awkward but in a funny way and too smart for his own good. He has been seen on the Independent Film Chanel and ComedyCentral.com. He is a favorite of comedy festivals such as: The SF Sketch Fest and the Bridgetown Comedy Festival. Go see him now as his 4^thquarter productivity has never been higher!

And more KEVIN! Kevin Camia will join us this week as well. He has been featured on Comedy Central's "Live at Gotham", Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival, AZN's Asia Street Comedy and the San Francisco Sketchfest. His comedy is a mix of dry wit, strange observations and social satire delivered in a "tell it like it is" performance. 

Bringing the beat to Kevin by will be KALX DJ and musical auteur Spencer Owen! Owen arranges all the compositions and performs all of the vocals, instruments and production himself for his home 6-track audio-cassette recordings.  (Which means he does more with his afternoons that I do, but can he say he watched all of House of Cards in 15 hours?  No, I’ll bet he can’t)

You regulars this week are the fearsome foursome, Sean Keane, Nato Green, Caitlin Gill and Bucky Sinister, who is made of steel and one pound Fuddrucker burgers.  

This whole spectacular show is just $5! You can even bring a friend for free!  http://thebusinesscomedy.blogspot.com/

Get there early, we sell out.  

BYOBurrito and we will top it with Business.  Or salsa*, your choice.

*The Business does not have salsa.  They probably gave you some at the taqueria.  Check under your chips. 

Booking Across the U.S.A.

Ready for a road trip?  Although I WISH I could take off and visit all 50 states, I'll have to settle for a blogging road trip to grab some amazing literature activities across the United States.  A blogger from each and every state is ready to share a book and activity related to their state.  I am SO PROUD to be representing the great state of Tennessee.  (Suddenly I feel like I need a sash and crown.)  ;-)

As I began my search for what book I'd like to share with you, I knew I wanted it to be mountain related.  The beautiful Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee are a combination of breathtaking, adventurous, serene, and loads of fun!  Join me on an adventure with a curious bear cub in the Smokies who thinks wandering away from his mother is a good idea.  Unfortunately, he learns the hard way that  investigating human garbage might not be all that it was cut out to be.  This children's book The Troublesome Cub in the Great Smoky Mountains by Lisa Horstman (see photo), would make an excellent resource for environmental awareness activities, a study on animals and their habitats, or even rhyming words since the book is written in rhyme!  I created a FREEBIE story related "foldable" where students can practice key story elements such as character analysis, setting, problem/solution,  predicting, and cause and effect.  A rubric is also included.  Be sure to click on my Troublesome Cub literature activity below to grab your FREE copy!  Don't forget to keep BOOKING ACROSS THE U.S.A. for more amazing reading resources!  Blog hop is below!

Bananas for road trips that I don't even have to pack for,

Alabama: Everyday Snapshots Alaska: Little Wonders’ Days Arizona: Simply Kinder Arkansas: Homeschooling in Arkansas California: Juggling with Kids and The Outlaw Mom Colorado: Learners in Bloom and Living Montessori Now Connecticut: The Teacher Park Delaware: Mama Miss Florida: Teaching Stars Georgia: Fabulously First Hawaii: Teaching With Style Idaho: True Aim Education Illinois: Growing Book by Book Indiana: Teach Preschool Iowa: Surviving a Teacher's Salary Kansas: KCEdventures Kentucky: Chicken Babies Louisiana: New Orleans Moms Blog Maine: Maine Adventure Mom and Country Fun Child Care Maryland: Picture Books and Piourettes Massachusetts: Mama Smiles Michigan: Play DrMom Minnesota: The Wise Owl Factory Mississippi: Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk Missouri- Ready. Set. Read! Montana: The Honey Bunch Nebraska: The Good Long Road Nevada: Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts New Hampshire: Elementary Matters New Jersey: The Pleasantest Thing New Mexico: Enchanted Homeschooling Mom New York: What Do We Do All Day North Carolina: Realistic Teacher Blog North Dakota: ND HealthWorks Ohio: Smart Chick Teacher’s Blog Oklahoma: Herding Kats in Kindergarten Oregon: Journey of a Substitute Teacher Pennsylvania: Land of Once Upon a Time Rhode Island: Smiling in Second Grade South Carolina: Cookies and Kiddos and JDaniel4’s Mom South Dakota: The Wise Owl Factory Tennessee: No Monkey Business Texas: Curls and a Smile and Kid World Citizen Utah: Teach Beside Me Vermont: Burlington Vt Moms Blog Virgina: Once Upon a Story, and The Freckled Homeschooler Washington: Home Learning Journey and Boy Mama Teacher Mama West Virginia: This Week @ Great Peace Academy and Mamas Like Me Wisconsin: Reading Confetti Wyoming: No Twiddle Twaddle USA: The Corner on Character        

Business Jazz – 24th February 2013 – Invite Your Customers to Leave

One of the best things you can do in business is release your grip over your customers and clients – invite them to leave you.

This is a healthy move for both sides.

For you, it brings a dose of reality. The grip you have on your customers is never as strong as you think it is. Your customers always have alternatives, even if nobody else does what you do or builds what you build. Your client can simply decide to do without your unique product or service. That's a choice too. By inviting people to break the bond with you, you'll remove the weaker links in your client base – the people who weren't that into you to begin with, or who have started to feel less excited by you. What remains is a core of dedicated customers.

In this week's episode, Roger and Jane look at an email in which Chris Brogan invites everyone on his mailing list to unsubscribe. During the podcast, Roger does – only to find that the sky didn't collapse in on him.

You can listen to this week's podcast using the player at the top of the post or download it directly here: Business Jazz – 24th February, 2013.

We're also in iTunes. We'd love it if you subscribed or left some feedback.

If you'd like to hear an audio version of the email we're discussing this week, you can listen to it on his blog.

Unsubscribe from Chris (by subscribing first)


If you'd like to have the chance to unsubscribe to Chris's newsletter, you can subscribe first on his website?

If you're interested in The Impact Equation, the book he recently published with Julien Smith, you can find it on Amazon US and Amazon UK (these aren't affiliate links, by the way).

Business Jazz Players

This podcast is a collaboration of people dotted around the world. Most of us have never met each other. It's quite a story and it's still evolving. 
If you'd like to read what's happened so far, you'll find it here: Our Story.

Extras

We have a tradition here at Business Jazz of recording a segment of audio around the main podcast, usually afterwards. Here is this week's:

listen to ‘Wow - @rogeroverall & I had fun with #BusinessJazz as we recorded - here's our debrief’ on Audioboo

Fraction Frenzy Freebie

Fractions were always challenging for me growing up.  Maybe it's because I was simply expected to learn them through memorization and procedure.  I don't recall teachers giving me fractions to manipulate and compare.  I think times have changed!  Teachers are putting fractional pieces in the students' hands for them to see firsthand how they work.  One of the things I like to do when teaching fractions is to break out the pizza boxes from Pizza Hut.  Pizza Hut donated some personal pan pizza boxes to my classroom.  With a little help from parent volunteers and the laminating machine, I created a baggie full of fractional pieces for my students.   Students dump all their fractional pieces into one side of the box that serves as a holding station.  They "SHOW ME" what I ask for on the other side of the pizza box.  You can do a lot of different activities with the pizza boxes and fractions.  1.)  Identify fractions-Simply ask students to show you what 1/3 or 2/4 look like.  2.)  Comparing fractions-Ask students to pull out two different fractions and compare which is larger/smaller.  3.)  Reducing fractions-Pull out fractions that can be reduced and find the fractional pieces that match.  For example, have students show you 4/8.  Then ask them to find another piece that matches the same size as 4/8.  (1/2)  Demonstrate the mathematical procedure for reducing on dry erase boards or Smart board as you go. 4.) Adding or subtracting fractions-Pull out fractions with like denominators and add or subtract.  5/8 + 2/8 = 7/8.  5.) Identify fractional pieces that are MISSING.  Have students show 2/3, but ask what part of the pizza is missing.  If you're interested in learning more about the fractional pieces that fit into the Pizza Hut personal pan boxes, just click on the Fraction Frenzy image to grab them from my store!  :-) 

If you're into interactive notebooking, then be sure to investigate the newest addition to my math interactive notebooks.  This 27 page unit is full of  foldables, flips, cuts and sorts, etc. that allow students to be creative when learning about fractions, but adds the component of explaining their thinking.  If they can write about it successfully, they know it!  You can grab the Math Interactive Notebook-Fractions unit by itself, by clicking the image below OR if you want all 7 interactive notebooks bundled together, you can click that image as well (Cheaper to get them bundled!).  They are designed for 3rd, but I'm hearing great success stories with 2nd  and even 4th grade classrooms using them to either challenge kids or create a review for their students.










Bananas for Fractions that aren't so scary! 

The Business February 20th 2013: The Koll into Diamonds Edition

Alex Koll.  Original Business Man.  Air Guitar Demigod. General All Around Incredible Human Being.

San Francisco has been lucky to have him, but it's time to let the Koll Diamond shine somewhere new.  New York!  He's moving to the Big Apple, but not before The Business sends him off in style.

Joining us for the big Bon Voyage will be Sam Tallent.  Out all the way from Denver, Sam has been described as 'the Black Flag of comedy' and a zine in Denmark said 'Sam is the surreal voice of an earnestly silly generation'. Reggie Watts, TJ Miller, Kyle Kinane, Sean Patton and other quality gigglesmiths have worked with Sam and not complained to management.

We are also pleased to announce the return of Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits!  Difficult to categorize, awkward on a flyer, and impossible to forget, the “pretty songs about terrible things” of Bobby Joe Ebola have become the soundtrack of the “Great Recession” & civilization’s “Slow Apocalypse”. Longtime friends to The Business and even longertime friends to Alex Koll, there is no better guest to play Alex' San Francisco swan song.

The Business is gonna miss Alex.  This is gonna be a special show.  You wanna be there.

We sell out.  Arrive early for a seat.

Just $5!  You can even get a coupon to bring a friend for free right here http://thebusinesscomedy.blogspot.com/

Not so Yummy

Kentucky Fried Chicken is owned, by a company with a distinctively “uncorporate” name – Yum! Brands, complete with the exclamation mark.  This blogger is a vegetarian and therefore has not really sampled its wares. But I am reliably told that its fried chicken, is fairly delicious.  But these days, alas, KFC is not sounding very yummy.

The problem is in China. KFC is everywhere in China. I mean everywhere. Sometimes I wonder if the icon of Americanism in China is not McDonald’s or Coca Cola, but KFC. Every street corner seems to have one.  The Chinese were happily munching or chewing or licking, or whatever you do with fried chicken. All that changed in December of last year. CCTV, that great bastion of broadcasting  and China’s answer to Doordarshan,  aired a program that claimed that local suppliers to KFC had given its chicken excessive amounts of antibiotics.  CCTV is more renowned for informing the world that Xi Jinping had a good night’s sleep rather than do investigative reporting. But, expose, it did. I am not aware of the merits or the details of the case, but you can imagine what happened to the sales of KFC in China. It dropped by a vertiguous 41% in January.

Ouch. KFC has recovered from earlier unfavourable events – SARS and Bird flu, although it was responsible for neither. Apparently, the Chinese can’t be kept away from fried chicken for long. But will it recover from this latest blow ? The Chinese are fed up with food adulteration. Remember baby food adulterated with melamine some 3 years ago.

Yum! Brands , is of course, not just KFC. Its also Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. So the company will ride this crisis. But its exposure to China is massive.  Half its global sales of some $4 bn comes from China. And this is the dilemma of China. The opportunity is massive. But the risks are also high.

This incident also calls into question the issue of safety or desirability of processed foods. Popular perception is that all processed food is bad. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact the so called “fresh” product is often the most unsafe.  Just compare tap water with Bisleri. If you knew what the “fresh veggies” went through before they landed in your shop, you might be tempted to turn non vegetarian. If you bought that raw turmeric from the store – well, I will spare you the gory details of what that goes through. Will you buy milk from the milkman if he brought the cow to your doorstep ? The less said about hygiene in the neighbouring  Udipi, the better.

In general, responsible companies that process food take greater care; from the farm gate to the time it is processed. Like for like, processed food is actually safer than “fresh food” – unless you grew it yourself.  But as the KFC incident, or the horsemeat problem in Europe shows,  there can be disastrous lapses there too.  In the quest for profitability – individual or corporate, risks are taken with food; chiefly pesticides in crops and the cocktail of hormones and drugs with animals.

Any takers for retiring to the ancestral village (Sriram – the distance from Eugene to Pattamadai is rather long !) and growing your own stuff in the backyard ?

Papa, pray for us

Joseph Ratzinger has resigned. Joseph who ? you may ask. And what's in a resignation - after all somebody is resigning from something all the time.  Ah well; its not just anybody. It's Pope Benedict who resigned about a week ago. Popes rarely resign - its one of the few "jobs" for life. The last Pope to resign was Pope Gregory in 1415 to end the Western Schism - a complete mess when there were two competing claimants as Pope.

 

Pope Benedict stated that he was getting on in years (he is 85 after all) and that the leader of a billion catholics around the world needed "strength of body and mind".  While he cited the lack of strength of his body, I dare say his real reason was the strength of the mind.

 

It has been a period of great tumult for the Catholic Church. It was during his papacy that the child molestation scandals in Europe and America burst into the open. Leaked papers from the Pope's butler showed the Vatican in very poor light - messy politics and  the whiff of corruption seemed to permeate even at the top. The Vatican was also involved in financial matters which did not cast it in favourably. The Pope was said to have tried reform, but was said to have been rebuffed. Maybe he was just tired. Maybe God called him to step aside. We will never know. Joseph Ratzinger is retreating into a convent to do what he probably always wanted to do - be with God. Not be a CEO.

 

A CEO is what the papacy is increasingly turning to. The Vatican is a massive organization which needs to be managed just like any other organization. It deals with large sums of money. It deals with global affairs. It deals with thousands and thousands of "employees". It is challenged by globalization - the centre of the catholic world is increasingly no longer Rome, but Latin America. In short, it is facing what every other organization which deals with more earthly matters, faces.

 

It would be a pity for the Papacy to become a CEO's office, although that is the direction in which it is going. The world badly needs spiritual guidance. There is much moral failing in the world, and traditionally, it has been men of cloth who have given mankind, the moral steer.  You could argue that organized religion has done more harm than good - witness the atrocities that have been committed throughout human history in the name of religion. But that would be a one sided view. Religion has also brought great comfort. It has healed many a heart. It has shown the way to many a soul.

 

The world's major religions are in crisis. Islam seems to be driven in a number of directions. Hinduism has had its fair share of godmen and leaders who have fallen from their pedestal - some literally. TV evangelists and faith healers seem to abound. Money seems to have overwhelmed even the spiritual, much as it has done to the temporal.

 

Atheists may disagree with me that the fall of religion is not a bad thing. They may be right. But I am lost in an ocean of despair. Moral failings seem to abound. I am rocked by the tides of sorrow. I see much evil around me. I am not able to accept the value systems that are the norm today.  I am adrift in a frightening sea, searching for a beacon from a lighthouse.

 

Witness the betting going on as to who would be the next Pope. Apparently Canadian Marc Ouellet and Ghanaian Peter Turkson are favourites at odds of 7 to 2. Betting on a Pope ?

 

Papa, Latin for Pope,  pray for us. 

Business Jazz – 16th February 2013 – The Soup Nazi is Your Friend

How easy do you make it for people to buy from you?

Do people even know that they can buy from you?

And do they know what they can buy from you?
 
In this week's episode, Roger and Jane Boyd look at idea's Chris Brogan has about "touchpoints of opportunity" – places where the customer can interact with you or your business. He uses the metaphor of the sidewalk, the storefront and the back room. Roger and Jane end up talking about the Soup Nazi and AJ Leon.

You can listen to this week's podcast using the player at the top of the post or download it directly here: Business Jazz – 16th February, 2013.

We're also in iTunes. We'd love it if you subscribed or left some feedback.

If you'd like to hear an audio version of the email we're discussing this week, you can listen to it on his blog.

See Chris Brogan's Sidewalk


If you'd like to see Chris's sidewalk, and learn about humanizing your business in general, why not subscribe to Chris's emails (the ones we discuss here) on his website?

If you're interested in The Impact Equation, the book he recently published with Julien Smith, you can find it on Amazon US and Amazon UK (these aren't affiliate links, by the way).

AJ Leon is doing some amazing things too. His Pursuit of Everything blog is a great place to go to be inspired.

Business Jazz Players

This podcast is a collaboration of people dotted around the world. Most of us have never met each other. It's quite a story and it's still evolving. 
If you'd like to read what's happened so far, you'll find it here: Our Story.

Extras

We have a tradition here at Business Jazz of recording a segment of audio around the main podcast, usually afterwards. Here is this week's:

listen to ‘Review of #BusinessJazz recording session’ on Audioboo

The Business- The Mrs. Doubtfire 3- The Bitch is Back And This Time She Means BUSINESS Edition

This week, The Business welcomes guests from sorta near and pretty far! Visiting us from the capital city of our glorious state are two golden boys. John Ross was born to be a comedian. In that he was born addicted to drugs. Geez John, way to be born with a silver spoon… IN YOUR PARENTS' HANDS (I know, that was a little strong. I just wanted to prepare you for the subject matter of the evening’s event, which may include junkie parents, spoons and needles. Coincidentally, John Ross played bass for both Junkie Parents and Spoons and Needles). Nick Aragon has the funny bone of the Fellowship of the Ring in his DNA. The comedy is strong with this one. He really beams up the funny. I’m just gonna keep mixing nerdy metaphors until the hate mail really starts flowing). And all the way from London, we are always happy to have the stellar Scott Capurro on the bill. Described by San Francisco Weekly (free press, edited by lesbians and designed by trannies with large hands and hidden agendas) as "stand-up in the very best possible sense - deadpan, ever-alert and hilarious". Scott has appeared in Mrs. Doubtfire, where, effortlessly, he played a homosexual; and Star Wars: Phantom Menace, where, breathlessly, he wore a body stocking. And of course, your regulars! Sean Keane, Caitlin Gill, Bucky Sinister and Nato Green! We sell out, so get there early for a seat. BYOBurrito but make it dress up like enchiladas and clean your house.

What on earth is a KRA ?

I am in trouble because my KRA with CDSL consequent to having submitted some change of KYC, is apparently pending, which I have no recollection of. Therefore I am stuck with my DP who is quoting arcane SEBI rules to make my life miserable.

 

If you don't understand one word of all this, welcome to the club. I don't understand it either ! And I am supposed to know something of finance !!

 

This perfectly sums up the status of how consumer unfriendly the financial sector in India has become. Try doing anything - opening a bank account, or buying a mutual fund  or even changing your address. You will tear your hair in frustration. Such is the state of affairs.

 

This is all because Ramamritham and his political masters have , over the last five years, exclusively been framing rules for catching Kasab.  The starting assumption is that everybody is a Kasab unless they prove otherwise. Rules and procedures have become so complex that an honest simple  man has no chance of understanding, let alone complying.  No wonder that the percentage of the population which even has a bank account is miniscule - fat chance the RBI has of achieving financial inclusion. To understand why they are failing, all they have to do is go and try to open a bank account themselves.

 

I have a Passport Number, a Aaadhar Number, a PAN, a DIN, an IEC, a Cust ID, a DL No, a ST No. It appears that is not enough for Ramamritham. I now need a KRA.

 

Laws must not be framed for the law breaker. They have to be framed for the vast majority who will follow the law if given a chance. Yes, crooks must be caught, but it is even more important to make it simple for the 99% of the population who are not crooks.

 

A beautiful example of killing an entire industry is what they have done to Internet Cafes. In a country like India with a miniscule computer population, but  burgeoning educated class, you would expect a zillion internet cafes at every street corner. No chance. Have you wondered why ? This is what an idiot who wants to start an internet café has to do.

 

• Every cyber cafe owner has to register and obtain a  licence
• Every user who comes to the café has to prove his ID. 
• The cyber cafe owner has to maintain a log of every user, his ID, his photo, and sundry particulars
• The owner has also to maintain a log and submit the return of the log each month of
• History of websites accessed using computer resource at cyber cafe
• Logs of proxy server installed at cyber cafe
• Mail server logs
• Logs of network devices such as router, switches, systems etc. installed
  at cyber cafe
• Partitions of Cubicles inside the Cyber Cafe should not exceed four and half feet in height from the floor level. The screen of all computers shall face the common open space of the Cyber Cafe.
• Cyber Cafe owner must ensure that all the computers are equipped with    safety / filtering software so as to the avoid access to the websites relating to     pornography, obscenity, terrorism and other objectionable materials. Cyber Cafe shall take sufficient precautions to ensure that their computer resource are not utilized for any illegal activity.
• They will be visited and inspected every now and then to ensure that they are complying with rules (of course, those visiting are extremely honest and straightforward and there is no question of a bribe)

Now you know why there are no internet cafes to be found anywhere. I am yet to determine whether they need a KRA too !!

Business Jazz – 10th February 2013 – The Gentle Introduction

Have you heard of this really powerful sales tool?

Don't sell.

At least, don't sell until the buyer is ready – until you have earned the right to sell.

Getting to that point takes time. Too often, we jump straight in. Particularly when we are trying to sell ourselves. Instead of getting permission to talk about ourselves, we just do it.

There are better ways.
 
In this week's episode, Roger is joined by Jane Boyd again to talk about ways in which to introduce yourself to prospective clients in a way that won't bring down the shutters on you. They try to answer questions raised by Chris Brogan in a recent email newsletter, and give suggestions about how to introduce yourself gently to new people.

You can listen to this week's podcast using the player at the top of the post or download it directly here: Business Jazz – 10th February, 2013.

We're also in iTunes. We'd love it if you subscribed or left some feedback.

If you'd like to hear an audio version of the email we're discussing this week, you can listen to it on his blog.

Introduce yourself to Chris Brogan


If you'd like to learn more about getting permission to sell, and about humanizing your business in general, why not subscribe to Chris's emails (the ones we discuss here) on his website.

If you're interested in The Impact Equation, the book he recently published with Julien Smith, you can find it on Amazon US and Amazon UK (these aren't affiliate links, by the way).

Business Jazz Players

This podcast is a collaboration of people dotted around the world. Most of us have never met each other. It's quite a story and it's still evolving. 
If you'd like to read what's happened so far, you'll find it here: Our Story.

The Business February 6th 2013, The "SF Sketchfest means BUSINESS" Edition

The best time of year is here once more!

Christmas? Heck no, we drank our way right through though the holidays (Bucky was drowning in Cherry Coke Zero).

Summer time? Nope, too sticky. Also, The Business has core competencies, not competent cores, so bikini season is right out for us.

Valentine’s Day? Gross. Who are you, anyway? Ug.

It’s Sketchfest time! The best time of all! When comics from all over the country come to San Francisco for three weeks full of incredible shows!!

The Business is very happy to be a part of this annual cavalcade of comedy once more, and we have some of our favorite guests on for the FESTivities.

Chris Knutson is joining us, he is the winner of ACME's Funniest Person in the Twin Cities award in 2010. Plus Joe Tobin, a comedian, writer and Flyers fan based in our own back yard!

We are also happy to have SF star turned LA sensation, Drennon Davis.

From his elaborate characters and sketches, to his provocative songs and animation, Drennon has made name for himself as one of the most innovative minds in today’s comedy scene. His live performances of the Imaginary Radio Program combine live music and beat-boxing with one-man sketches into a shot that the Los Angeles Comedy Bureau writes "not only lives up to its name, but exceeds expectation in that you could possibly think it is." Drennon was featured on NBC's Last Call and was a semi finalist on Last Comic Standing. His new animated show The Long Legs can be seen on MTV's rebirth of Liquid Television.

Your regulars Sean Keane, Bucky Sinister, Nato Green and Caitlin Gill will also be there, all full of Sketchfest cheer!

ALL THIS SHOW IS JUST $10!!

We sell out. So if you want a seat AND YOU KNOW YOU DO, get there early.

BYOBurrito and we will autograph your foil.

Humanising Business Relationships

There is something about the world of business that dehumanises relationships. The other is seen usually as a competitor to be trampled, or a boss to be hated, or a subordinate to be kicked or a peer to be beaten. We often gripe at everybody and anybody around the water cooler/coffee machine/whatever. Office parties are largely gossip sessions where everybody trashes everybody.

 

I met her not so very long ago. She is a confident, consummate professional, very competent in her job. She is poised, articulate, easy to work with and with a ready smile. So it was easy to picture the typical upwardly mobile, confident business executive and deal with her exactly in that manner.

 

Quite by accident, I came to know of the tragedies she had been, and is, going  through.  Tragedies you would not wish on your worst enemy. But you could never ever guess from any of the professional interactions. She is, as I said, poised, articulate, easy to work with. But now that I know, I can relate to the small things, I should have noticed before, but didn't. Yes, she was, and is,  bearing it all with a courage I can only marvel at.

 

People who go through difficulties and tragedies have a remarkably different view of the business world. They are far more tolerant. They are not easily tempted by greed, jealously, impatience and anger - vices that are in small or large measure, endemic in corporate life.  They take victory with equanimity and defeat with grace. They seem to have an altogether different view of the world - a more mature and wiser view, if I dare suggest.

Those of us who are crushed by petty office defeats or exhilarated by a pyrrhic promotion would do well to pause and reflect. Does any of this matter in the larger scheme of things ? Why have we let our lives, and even our very being, be defined by the necessary, but mundane, goings on in the office. In ten years time, or even five, would anybody care ? 

 

This post is a plea to view others we come into contact in the business world as human beings. There is a human heart beating with emotions, with hopes, with sorrows,  and with all those cauldron of feelings that define us as a race. That is not Employee No XX Or Supplier YY we are talking to. That's a member of the homo sapiens species. They may have had a great day. Maybe they are at the peak of joy. Or maybe they are troubled. Maybe there is sorrow being borne.  Whatever; it would do us good to try and understand. Maybe just be that little bit kinder.

 

Meanwhile, I am rooting for the lady to win. Win with a capital W. But then she defines "winning" differently. I should really be rooting for her to win in the truly important things in life, and "win" where , and how, she would want to.

Business Jazz – 2nd February 2013 – Being a Good Neighbour is Good for Business

Being neighbourly isn't a concept taught at many business schools – or at least, we don't think so. But if your intention is to generate business through your online activities, it is a very important one.

Helping others is a great way to build your community. It establishes and deepens relationships. And once the relationship is in place, business will follow – often in very surprising ways.

Paul is unavailable for the next couple of weeks, so in this episode Roger is joined by Jane Boyd to discuss an email by Chris Brogan in which he looks at how to be neighbourly online.

You can listen to this week's podcast using the player at the top of the post or download it directly here: Business Jazz – 2nd February, 2013.

We're also in iTunes. We'd love it if you subscribed or left some feedback.

If you'd like to hear an audio version of the email we're discussing this week, you can listen to it on his blog.

Be Chris Brogan's Neighbour


If you'd like to be a neighbor to Chris (or allow him to be a neighbour to you), you can subscribe to his emails (the ones we discuss here), on his website.

If you're interested in The Impact Equation, the book he recently published with Julien Smith, you can find it on Amazon US and Amazon UK (these aren't affiliate links, by the way).

Business Jazz Players

This podcast is a collaboration of people dotted around the world. Most of us have never met each other. It's quite a story and it's still evolving. 
If you'd like to read what's happened so far, you'll find it here: Our Story.


PS 

Would you like to hear more? We have a tradition on the show. Immediately after each recording of the podcast proper, we record an Audioboo with additional thoughts. We did one this week, but Roger lost his. With a bit of luck, Jane's will appear here later. Stay tuned.