Embedded Video, how exciting!

Thanks Warren (http://fitbrits.blogspot.com/) for the tutorial on embedding a video in your blog, here's the result!


If someone can now help me get the paragraph spacing right, it'll be perfect! (Hint)

Thanks so much to Neil http://www.husqvarnastudio.co.uk/ for giving up his time for free (and if you knew him you'd know what a gift that is!) and talking to us about customer service. I hope you found it enlightening. Dan, that bottle of Cava disappeared...has your mum bought that sewing machine yet? Anyhow- thanks Arkwright, it was a good one. We'll return to the subject very soon, I am sure!

I had the following email from Chris Davies http://www.bigtreeproject.org/ and will pass it on as requested - "Could you also pass on to Hive students Open Office http://www.openoffice.org/ You can open all Word, PowerPoint and spreadsheet documents, etc... AND its 100% FREE!"

I have been having a number of conversations with people about Intellectual Property (IP). I heard a really interesting Radio 4 programme last week called The Bottom Line, all about Trade Secrets and IP. It's hosted by Evan Davis, the guy in charge of the Dragons Den! http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/bottomline/bottomline.shtml. You can download the podcast or listen online within a week of the episode. It's worth 30 minutes listen anyway, I listen whilst I am washing pots!

(Why is there so much washing up by the way? There are only two humans in our house, but tons of washing up everyday..how does that happen? Is the dog leaving his washing up for me to do when I get back from work, are my neighbours eating their tea at my house, have I got greedy ghosts?)

align="justify">The Hive is a member of East Midlands Incubation Network http://www.emincubation.co.uk/ , as a result I get a newsletter from them each week. This week's newletter had news of the following e-tool which you may find useful. Iwatched the first five minutes, have a look and make up your own mind http://www.wipo.int/sme/en/multimedia/

News- update on the latest

I'm in holiday come down mode. It's rubbish when you get back from your week in the sun and everyone says 'You don't look that brown!' Let me just say this, I am browner than my holiday buddy Wendy... admittedly she has got red hair and pale skin, more of a Scottish tan really.

As a result, I'm not really feeling like posting this blog. So if it just turns into a random list of links, bear with me and plough through them.

• Don't forget next week's Pathway to Enterprise Event on Customer Service, led by Neil Coles. I shall be his stooge for this seminar, so sympathetic faces in the class please. 10th October 2007, at the Hive 12 - 2pm (Lunch included) please book your place before it's too late!

• Whilst I was away, I received details of another business plan competition run by HSBC and supported by NCGE. You should consider entering if you are either a student or have graduated in the last year since May 2006. Prizes are good though, up to £20,000, so if you feel it’s worth trying for, please let us know and we'll do our utmost to help. The closing date is Friday 23rd November but click the link for further details
  
  http://www.unipreneurs.hsbc.co.uk/index.php

• A big thank you to all of you who provided me with information for the Business profiles to use in the recent NTU celebration of progress across the University over the past 3 years. They were really great and very useful. We used some of them as A4 size posters on the stands outlining and also produced a rolling display of Hive Business Winners, which outlined your names, Company name, logos, photos etc and just one or two key points from the information you provided us with. Many thanks for your help

• Last link provided by Warren, try it, it helps you calculate how many calories you burn ding all sorts of activities, check out the church dancing!! http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/search.php?searchpro=dancing&search_type=activities&grp_id

getting closer to video podcasting...

I was trying to get this video podcast thingy to work on blogger in draft. But since at present I am having difficulty, here the link, instead!


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g


I found this on the blog from the nlabwomen Women, Business and Blogging Conference http://groups.google.com/group/nlabwomen

It kind of says it all about web 2.0...

Indian Summer

The year is conforming to type. The sun waited for the kids to go back to school and then remembered it's supposed to warm us! Mark my words, it shines when it's finals time, to tempt all the students out of revising and then comes back out again when summer holidays are over. If you had the misfortune to go to a university by the coast, like I did, you'll know that revising on the beach seems like a great idea, until you actually sit down in the exam hall...

I digress, as usual. It has been a busy summer really, getting ready for the new intake of SPEED students. I hope they get as much out of their placement as the original crowd have. The real hard work starts here, but I really am looking forward to seeing the businesses start up and then thrive in the Hive environment.

For those starting web based businesses I thought this web based book worth a look, Mike Huxley at the Hive@Mansfield put me onto it, thanks Mike! http://www.entrepreneur.com/downloads/10waystoimproveyourwebsite.pdf

It's actually called 'I hate my website!' - which is actually something I hear quite alot. Gotta confess though, I hear it most often from people who've done it on the cheap. That leads me neatly to Toby's quote of the day... 'You buy cheap, you buy twice!'

Think about it, it's true. Websites designed and made by mates can be tempting, especially when cash is in short supply. But consider this, your friend may start with good intentions, but as time passes other things could get in the way, things that earn them more money. What about the guilt you may feel in constantly asking them to make amendments in their spare time? How would you feel if they totally wreck your branding?

Talking of guilty, I feel bad that I failed to update this blog since I went to V. Not because I had such an amazing time I lost ability to type, just because the mud fouled up the typing fingers!

Discussion Groups

OK, the next in a long line of virtual tasks has been completed. The SPEED module on NTU's VLP now has a discussion group! I want your opinion, so visit the VLP https://elearn.ntu.ac.uk/ making sure you log in correctly, visit the SPEED0001 module which you should have access to as SPEED students and click discussions at the bottom of the left hand menu. I wonder if as NTU students you would be more comfortable with a discussion board that only people who are actually on SPEED at NTU can see?

I know I have banged on about customer service before, but this time my question is different.

So, my question is- how do you measure customer satisfaction? This question has been troubling me recently. You see, I have been on a massive learning curve since joining NTU, not only people and procedures, but technology too. I have used lots of different tools and resources, and have been using this blog and other means to try and share them with you. As you would expect , I don't like the feeling that all this resource is wasted, or that I'm barking up the wrong tree...

(Aside- my dog Jack spends alot of time barking up the wrong tree. He has a squirrel fetish, so any slight rustle from above his head and well, you can't tear him away. Unfortunately the squirrels just hop quietly onto the next tree and away!)

But it's not all about me. What I really want to know is how do you measure what people want if they don't respond to you at first?

1. If they don't actually tell you to stop or that's it's rubbish, carry on, eventually somebody will tell you they like it. Very few people bother you when things are good.
2. Have patience. People can be slow to respond to stuff they see, have I mentioned the marketing wisdom that people have to see an advert SEVEN times before they respond to it? Depressing but more or less true.
3. Be persistent - if you throw enough balls at enough coconuts, you'll win a fish. I never thought I'd end up quoting Men Behaving Badly, but there you are.

In my past life in sewing machines, we used to say we sold one machine after three demonstrations, I guess that was experience, but it was pretty accurate. The first two demonstrations you do are really hard, but on the third things are clicking and your pitch is going well, and suddenly the customer is handing over the cash. I'm not saying it's always one in three, you'll find your level.

So I'm gonna keep on trying out new stuff and telling you about it, and hopefully you'll find it useful. BTW thanks for the tips on abbreviations, got not worries now.

Great website (in a research capacity you understand) http://www.askoxford.com/ go to the FAQs to learn all sorts of stuff about the English language you didn't know you needed

What does lol mean?

Help me please...I have been ashamed to admit to anyone that I don't know what 'lol' means! It's now got to the stage where I am afraid to ask the person including it in their text or email. I have been hiding my disgrace on this matter so I am coming clean, as I have puzzled over it for a long time. I have only just worked out what btw means, well I think I have! So can someone please give me a definition?

I have been mulling over the use of web 2.0 in a business context, how can it help my business to allow Joe Public to have control over the content of my website? I know many people are concerned about this, in business and other contexts for example politics or the workplace. I see it like this, if I want to sell to someone, I need to strike up a conversation with them. And if my business has a web presence, how can it be a conversation with them if they cannot reply?

Many people worry about the nature of web 2.0, whether it can be controlled or not. That's the scary part for people, will a disgruntled customer be able to post their complaints, will they be truthful or accurate? Firstly, as I banged on about before, if you have a great relationship with your customers complaints should be rare. If they feel comfortable in their relationship with you, they will take it directly to you, because they trust you to sort it out. Secondly, if you do get something inaccurate or worse, the customers you have a good relationship with will react to this , and your detractor will be in the minority. In fact, maybe this is the best way for issues to be resolved. You will look good and you won't have lifted a finger or paid anyone to do it for you!

BTW (!) who says that anything I post here is accurate or truthful, that's web 2.0! People power...or is that Puppy Power http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrappy-Doo

If you want a really good example of what web 2.0 is really about follow this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFAWR6hzZek

Enjoy! But don't forget, lol- what does it mean?