Just ran across this new and improved domain name search tool called Domize.
There are lots of cool things about domize I could mention, but the one thing that really stuck out to me was how it encrypts all of your domain name searches (Notice the “https” in the URL).
Good domain names are increasingly becoming scarce, and when you find one that’s actually available you want to know your ‘precious’ is safe until you can take possession or sleep on it a bit. I haven’t heard of any other domain name search tools out there that does this yet. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. :/
What’s your favorite domain name search tool? How does it compare to domize?
Whenever someone pours time and energy into a business, blog, product, project, etc their is a chance something will go ‘Red’. ‘Red’, meaning something is broken.
It could be a new marketing strategy you just implemented, an investment you just purchased, or a business’ finances operating in the negative. Ideas turn sour, things go wrong and you’re left with a mess.
The tendency for most, is to simply blame it on some external factor: economy, customers, oil prices, competitors, you name it. Or, just simply throw up there hands in frustration and give up.
Of course one of the most obvious reasons for not wanting to label something as Red, is nobody likes to admit they screwed up. But, as we all know, settling for something that is Red or mediocre at best is no way to be successful. After all, recognition of failure is a vital component in growth.
It’s Red for a reason
The concept of Red can apply to just about anything:
Projects fail
Marketing strategy flops
Demand for a new product is non-existent
65% on a test
Relationships damaged.
Low traffic to your blog or website
Spam
Being overweight
Etc…
Of course, making the Red go away isn’t always easy. In fact, sometimes it can be quite costly; perhaps ones reputation, career, or life. However, recognizing that it exists and does so for a reason, is the first step in finding a solution to the problem.
I realize this isn’t anything new, but for some reason I felt compelled to put it in writing. It’s just too easy to pass things by that are broken and label them as orange (semi-broken) or yellow (good enough) at best, and convince ourselves that all is well. For me, knowing that something is Red, for a reason, emphasizes its brokenness and shows me the need to fix it.
What do you see as being Red in the Blogosphere, Business, Marketing? Is it Red for a reason?
Business, Marketing, Blogging - it all seems so forced sometimes. The push/pull mentality that often surrounds these services is what ends up being corrosive. Why is it that we tend to look for the benefit of the transaction, instead of the joy in making a contribution? I’ve talked about attention and the effect it can have on economics. But is attention what we really ought to be seeking after? What is the benefit for the one giving the attention? Is there a benefit?
Most would say it’s our instinct to look out for ourselves first, make sure we are taken care of, receive something for our efforts. But do we actually gain anything by forcing others to listen to us? Would the intention of serving others perhaps fulfill the original desire of ‘receiving’ something for our efforts? There is a lot of concern as to whether the US market economy is unstable and tipsy at best, but what about the Gift Economy? Granted, the market economy is important and does have a close tie with our lifestyle, career, and security but where does the Gift Economy come into play? Does it matter?
The Gift Economy holds together the most vital characteristic of society - Love. Without love everything else falls apart. The market economy could be at its peak, but without the steady heartbeat of the Gift Economy, money holds no value, trust doesn’t exist, security is worthless, and freedom is useless.
What would happen if we took a different approach? What if we changed our strategy? What if we cared more about the customer than ourselves? What if we truly wanted to serve instead of take? Would we be setting ourselves up entirely, at the mercy of those “devouring” our precious gifts? Yes, probably. But who would win? For me, it all comes down to what constitutes winning. When the dust settles, what prize matters most? Is it money, popularity, knowledge, power? All of these are natural acquisitions when participating in the Gift Economy, but no that’s not really what I care about. I care about loving others well. And the only way to successfully accomplish this is to be part of the Gift Economy.
Are you participating in the Gift Economy? What are your thoughts on the Gift Economy and its effect on Business, Marketing, Blogging, etc?
Nick does an excellent job explaining how JQuery works and goes into detail on implementing each example. I won’t attempt to regurgitate Nick’s beautiful post, but here is a sneak peak at the JQuery Demos.
I ran across this video of a cleverly designed ‘Newton Virus‘ for Mac’s. According to its designer, it was made to revive the golden era of “fun” viruses, which were created to pull pranks on your friends. I totally want one! :)
Here’s the theory: Focusing on one particular thing, minimizes distraction and directs attention, allowing one to pour all of their energy into the completion of a task. All of the non-important stuff fades into the background, stress vanishes, mind is clear, and simplicity arrives.
This is great and all, but is it practical? Especially when juggling several things at once?
I recently wrote an article on living a ’slash’ lifestyle. I am a huge fan on being a ’slash’, but does this keep someone from being productive? Do we compromise our ability to do something well by spreading ourselves out too thin? I think we need to take good look at what the real issue is here. Is time the issue, or is it a lack of focus?
Lack of Time or Not Enough Focus?
It seems as though there isn’t enough time in the day to accomplish what needs to get done. I have a feeling this is just a result of having a lack of focus. Let me explain…
When I am focusing on one particular project or task, directing my attention specifically towards its completion, everything else fades away. You’ve probably heard the phrase: “Being In the Zone”.
Multi-Tasking
In today’s day and age, we have become experts at multitasking. You’ve probably seen someone driving down the interstate, talking on their cell, selecting the next track to play on their iPod, and eating Chinese - multi-tasking.
Granted, sometimes multi-tasking is necessary, but do we really need to be hyper conscious of our ‘optimal performance’ 24/7? I don’t think so. In fact, I think it hinders our productivity.
Put Things Off
Nick has written an excellent article over at Put Things Off, where he talks about how the “‘Productivity’ craze is out of control”. I totally agree with him. I think there is too much emphasis in being hyper efficient, and not enough on being effective. There are a lot of really efficient people out there running around in circles, not really accomplishing their goals.
Are you an expert hyper multi-tasker? Do you get more done when you focus on one particular thing or when you hyper multi-task? What is your experience?
I just learned the other day that WordPress, by default, attaches a ‘NoFollow’ tag to all homepage links added by readers in comments. This acts as a deterrent for spammers abusing a blog’s commenting features, trying to gather a bunch of inbound links to increase pagerank.
Although I do agree that spammers shouldn’t benefit from this sort of behavior, it takes away link love from the everyday reader involved in discussions.
So, I decided to install the Lucia’s Linky Love WordPress plugin and will now be allowing DoFollow on links for regular commenter’s. I may receive some additional spam related comments, but I think it’s worth the risk. Plus, I’m using the Akismet plugin so I’m not too worried.
I have been reading the The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss and just finished watching this video, where Tim and Marci Alboher talk about their latest books with Google employees.
I haven’t read Marci’s book One Person/Multiple Careers yet, but am really interested in her perspective on simultaneous interests. I am especially intrigued by her newly coined word ’slash’ and its impact on an individual’s lifestyle.
Being an entrepreneur and someone that becomes obsessively passionate about one thing after the other, I would consider myself to be a ’slash’, often saying I enjoy business/marketing/web development/design/photography/reading/biking/etc.
So, is being a ‘Slash’ a good thing or a bad thing?
Well, I think it depends…
Being A Non-Slash:
Being a non-slash keeps you from spreading too thin and allows you to direct your main focus and attention on one primary interest. This is how specialization came about. Specialization can be good, if the specialist is actually passionate about what they do. But what if they aren’t? What if it’s just part of going with the flow? Not Good. This is why you see people that are really good at what they do but hate it. IMHO specialization puts people in a box. Being a specialist creates an imaginary safe haven, providing a comfortable mold that they can settle into, becoming resistant to growth.
Being A ‘Slash’:
Being a ’slash’, allows you to be creative and gives you several outlets for pursuing your passions. This removes any possibility of becoming bored or feeling stuck in a rut. Their is a possibility of becoming spread too thin, but after a while familiar interests can be set to auto pilot and you can redirect your focus accordingly. I think one of the most obvious benefits of being a ’slash’, is the ability to have constant growth and joy in pursuing new passions. Passion is the key term here. The ’slash’ mentality opens up a whole new world of opportunities and adventure for you to explore.
But I don’t have enough time to pursue all of my passions?
This is where The 4-Hour Workweek and Tim’s technique’s come into play. What really fascinates me about combining Tim’s technique’s and the ’slash’ lifestyle, is you can have total freedom to experience the things you are most passionate about.
Are You A ‘Slash’?
Are you a ’slash’? If not, why? What’s holding you back? If so, how do you find time to pursue all of your passions?
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