The Blog has moved to www.GlennShepardBlog.com

We’ve Moved!

Glenn Shepard — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:38:12 +0000

The Blog has moved to: www.GlennShepardBlog.com

Please visit us there.

Play that Funky Music White Girl

Glenn Shepard — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 01:52:17 +0000

Speaking of cell phones, there’s a strict policy against cell phones in the White House. It’s reeeeeeeeeeally rude to have a cell phone ring when you’re meeting the President of the United States. A few weeks ago, a reporter’s cell phone when off while White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was holding a press briefing. To make it even more embarrassing, the reporter’s son had programmed her phone to play a rap song, “They trying’ to catch me ridin’ dirty”. But the ever-quick-on-his-feet Mr. Snow handled it with grace by laughing and saying, “Play that funky music white girl!”. What a great line. I reeeeeeeeeeeeally hate cell phones, but accept that there’s probably no place left in my life where I can escape them. I sure hope there are no cell phones in heaven. Then again, if there are, at least the coverage ought to be pretty good

But How Do I Tell Time Without My Cell Phone?

Glenn Shepard — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 01:50:03 +0000

Hats off to an unnamed professor at Vanderbilt University who required his students to go for 24 hours without any electronics, including television, cell phones, games, and computers. Afterwards, they’re supposed to discuss what it was like to be “unwired” for a day, like it was on the old days (as in 1997). But in the funniest twist I’ve ever seen, a reporter happened to interview a student who said that his cell phone went off and he had to remember not to answer it. When asked why he was carrying it to begin with, he explained that he needed it to tell time. Apparently he’s never heard of one of those non-electronic time keeping devices people used to wear on their wrist.

“There is Not a Black America and a White America”

Glenn Shepard — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 20:30:42 +0000

Just as planned, the article on race in last week’s newsletter generated a flurry of e-mail telling me how I don’t understand that it is not one America. I wonder how these same people would have responded if I said there is not a black America and a white America. I didn’t say that; Barrack Obama did. What’s interesting about Obama is that he’s gone much further, much faster, than any black politician in American history. But unlike Jesse Jackson, he doesn’t make everything a racial issue, or focus on injustices, real or preceived. Obama seized the opportunity that is now avalailable to anyone in this country, and ran with it. Click here if you’d like to watch Obama’s video, and notice how little he focuses on race, but how much he emphasizes opportunity.

Don’t Go for Windows Vista

Glenn Shepard — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:18:50 +0000

I just received this e-mail from my colleague Glenn Welt in Las Vegas. I’ve said this a million times, but he brings more facts to the argument than I could offer. Here’s what he wrote:

“Good news. You don’t have to waste your time or money upgrading to Windows Vista. Reasons:
1. PC Magazine tested identical systems using Windows XP to Vista. Vista runs up to 40% SLOWER than XP.
2. You’d have to re-learn the location of many functions that you spent years using in Windows XP.
3. Lots of popular peripherals (such as a number of current HP printers) won’t run under Windows Vista. I guess the directors at HP were too busy spying on each other and forgot to create drivers for Vista.
4. I tested Vista for 3 months. Can’t think of 1 thing it offers that I need or want, except for a new desktop wallpaper that has a nice palm tree. If you want that wallpaper file, let me know and I’ll email the JPG file to you.

Anybody remember Windows ME? It was the last egg laid by Microsoft. In my not-so-humble opinion, Vista & ME are cousins.

Glenn Welt
President
www.Checksnet.com

This is Disappointing, and It is Unacceptable!

Glenn Shepard — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 01:09:56 +0000

If you resent corporate executives receiving millions in bonuses even when their companies perform poorly, wash your ears out with this. Michael Dell, who founded Dell Computer, removed his CEO last week and stepped back in to fill the position himself. Dell lost its #1 position to Compaq, and now Michael is kicking buttocks and taking names. He cut the number of managers who report to the CEO from 20 to 12, and slashed bonuses. In How to Be the Employee Your Company Can’t Live Without, I wrote about how Michael’s streamlined way of doing business allowed him to surpass Compaq computer, which was hampered by bureaucracy. Now the tables have turned. Michael sent an email to his staff last week that read, “This is disappointing, and it is unacceptable. We have great people … but we also have a new enemy: bureaucracy, which costs us money and slows us down. We created it, we subjected our people to it and we have to fix it!” Way to go, Michael.

India’s Got It Too

Glenn Shepard — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 01:14:05 +0000

Last week I wrote about how many Americans squander so many opportunities to succeed because they’re so busy whining about the hurdles they have to overcome in order to succeed. Turns out it’s not just us. We received the following e-mail from a reader in India:

“Thanks. Highly motivating. This is true not only in USA but in India, too. Opportunities are many but those who can recognize, take risk & catch them are few.”

Regards,
Anand S. Sharma
Corporate Head – HR
Lumax Industries Ltd.
New Delhi, India

Thanks for your e-mail Anand. Interesting that you experience similar problems there too.

Blog Crash

Glenn Shepard — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 01:33:30 +0000

One of the casualties of having to move the main website so quickly last week, as I wrote in yesterday’s blog post, is that blog postings from January didn’t transfer over. These will have to be individually recreated, but we’re not yet sure exactly how to recover the comments, which are what I consider the most valuable, including those who dissent. So if you have posted a comment in the past and don’t see it, please accept my apologies and know that we will recover them. But keep them coming. We love hearing your opinions and have made it easier for people to comment now by allowing anonymous feedback.

How to Get New Customers on the Internet in 60 Seconds or Less

Glenn Shepard — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 18:50:52 +0000

Younger employees in today’s workforce who grew up surrounded by computers have a level of technical literacy unimaginable just a decade ago. The price they have paid for it, however, may be higher than anyone has yet realized. Because they’re so accustomed to everyone being instantly accessible via cellphone, IM, or text messaging and downloading their favorite songs at the push of a button, they’ve come to expect everything to come quickly and easily. Since business if often about solving problems to which solutions are often not quick or easy (i.e. GM and Ford teetering on bankruptcy), Generation Instant Gratification is proving to be ill equipped to handle many of the challenges of the work world.

Last Wednesday, we started having problem publishing changes on my main website (www.GlennShepard.com) to the Los Angeles based web hosting company that has never had so much as a hiccup in its service. Its young tech support staff made a few guesses at the problem, turned out to be completely inept at solving it, and quickly gave up. We immediate signed up with a competing web hosting service called Bluehost, and within another 30 minutes, my main website and another (www.PreviewSeminar.com) had been moved to Bluehost.

Bluehost will not get all of our business, because they don’t allow unlimited domains like the L.A. company (I have around 400 web addresses). But they have got their foot in the door thanks to their efficiency, good customer service, and user friendly interface. This whole experience illustrates how the technology that makes it so quick and easy to access anything also makes it quick and easy for customers to take their business elsewhere when a company’s customer service is lackluster.

How Does $40,000 for a Losing Day Strike You?

Glenn Shepard — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 19:18:34 +0000

While I’m all jazzed up about Peyton Manning finally making it to the Superbowl tomorrow, I think it will be worse if he makes it that far and loses. But regardless whether the Colts or “Da’ Bears” take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy tomorrow, don’t feel to sorry for the losers. Each player of the winning team will take home $78,000 just for being there (even if he sits on the bench), and each member of the losing team receives $40,000. Not a bad gig if you can get it.