Archive for the 'WhyDoWork Insider' Category

BloggingMix Reader Questions & Change Management

Since we acquired the site BloggingMix.com I’ve received quite a few emails and comments from readers wondering about how we managed to set things up so quickly, why we decided to migrate content over to WhyDoWork, and how we plan on moving forward. This post was the tipping point in getting moving on covering some of the questions received and it’s a great topic to cover anyways.

I thought I’d make a quick post to address some of the concerns (which are valid) on how and why we migrated everything so quickly.

How the Heck Did All the Content Get Here so Fast?

Wordpress 2.5 has a nifty little feature set called import and export (pretty self explanatory). The next step is to use a 301 redirect, which I discussed last week to point visitors and search engines to the new content. All the links that once pointed to content on BloggingMix, now point to that same content on WhyDoWork.

Are you Crazy? You’re Going to Lose All the SEO and Back-links!

To search engines, a 301 redirect is synonymous with “moved permanently“. For the most part, all the Google juice and links over time will be credited to the WhyDoWork Blog.

Don’t you think that a Slower Movement Would Be Better?

One reader had suggested possibly writing on BloggingMix for a month or two, gaining a following on that site, and then announcing the switch over would be a better solution to the problem. That is definitely a viable option, but I suppose it all comes down to how you manage change, and the anxiety associated with change. 

One important factor to consider when doing any acquisition is that most people are scared of change. 

Much of my previous corporate work has been within the realm of change management consulting so I’ve seen this effect first hand. At mention of the word “change” some shudder, some go in denial, some lash out, and a small few embrace the change. One of the most critical things I’ve learned about change is to be honest. While I could have written on the BloggingMix site for a month and transfer over then, I wouldn’t have the time to give both sites my full attention. As opposed to peeling the ‘band-aid of change’ slowly, we made the switch, and we’re ready to move forward with the change, facing risks and challenges with an open mind.

What About the Community?

Indeed merging two communities together is not an easy task. Corporations large and small struggle with blending two different cultures and it’s no different in the blogosphere. As a member of the WhyDoWork community, there’s little to no impact associated with the change. As a member of the BloggingMix community, if you’re not a change lover the change may seem extremely difficult to deal with.

We are not seeking to replace the community growth that has gone on at BloggingMix. We have our own community of loyal visitors and we are not forcing you to keep reading - we’re inviting you to keep reading.

Each of the almost 31,000 members at this site is an important asset. Why? Everyone either wants to know, or knows something about making money and succeeding with websites on the Internet. This is a wildly powerful collective group. Through the acquisition merger of BloggingMix and other such sites we intend on introducing more and more people to what we’ve all learned about making money online, have some fun, and help each other succeed.

If that sounds like a community you would like to be a part of, I invite :) you to stick around! 
 

p.s. If you have any ideas on what you’d do differently I’d love to hear them!

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WhyDoWork Insider WhyDoWork 05 May 2008 10 Comments

BloggingMix.com Joins WhyDoWork

passing the torchYet Another Blog Acquisition

I’m very pleased to announce that our second blog acquisition in past month has been completed (the first was in early April). Some further details on the purchase of the new site are still up on BloggingMix.

BloggingMix will bring to us some tremendous content and a great audience. The previous owner of the site Rocky has been invited to be an occasional guest poster on the WhyDoWork blog. With a new service launching soon he no longer had the time to maintain his site which is where we stepped in to assist.

Blogs Are Not Permanent

This is a point that I often stress. A blog that is a one man show is extremely difficult to sustain over the long term. Lives change, interests change, and needs change, which is why many blog owners end up selling at some point. Will we be there to purchase every single blog that covers making money online? Not a chance! But we are always on the lookout for complimentary sites priced fairly that have great content.

Welcome BloggingMix Readers and a Sneak Peek

The BloggingMix domain and site (much of which already directs to the new permanent locations here) will be retired sometime this week. As I mentioned on my intro post at that site, I hope you enjoy the writing over here. We have a simply amazing new service launching at WhyDoWork which will bring traffic to our members websites and help you improve your online business or blog: all for free.

Stay tuned for exciting updates on this as development is nearing completion.
Enjoy your Sunday! :)

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WhyDoWork Insider WhyDoWork 04 May 2008 2 Comments

Respond to This Post and Become a Multi-Millionaire

manPerhaps Jeff Bezos would have had more responses to his job posting way back in 1994 had he used that as the posting title. The point of bringing up a job posting from 10 years ago is not without motive; I’ve always wondered if I am making the most out of every opportunity (as I’m sure everyone does) and try and make sure I don’t let great opportunities pass me by.

Would You Have Responded to the Call?

By all means the job posting in the link above might be something easy to overlook. It’s very brief, doesn’t say a whole lot about the company, and the resumes are going back to the lister: a sure sign that it’s a one or two man show. Do you know what became of the work described in this posting? It’s now Amazon, a $33,000,000,000 (that’s billion) company. If you had responded to this job posting and got the gig, there’s no doubt you would be a multi-millionaire today.

Opportunity is There: Reach Out and Grab It

A closer look at the job posting does reveal some signals:

“help pioneer commerce on the Internet.”

“you should be able to do so in about one-third the time
that most competent people think possible”

and the most impressive in my opinion, the signature at the end:

“It’s easier to invent the future than to predict it.” — Alan Kay

Stop and Smell the Roses

I’m posting this for no other reason than showing that there’s opportunity out there for all of us, often times right under our noses. Don’t dismiss everything that comes your way as within the ordinary; taking a closer look might reveal the extraordinary. :)

In other not entirely related news, we recently acquired the site BloggingMix.com. It will make a great addition to the WhyDoWork brand and we’re really excited about the acquisition. Stay tuned for more exciting details.

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WhyDoWork Insider WhyDoWork 01 May 2008 3 Comments

Are You as Smart as You Could Be?

i am so smart. s-m-r-t.

The answer is probably no. Traditional school of thought has been that your IQ is at it’s maximum potential when you’re relatively young, which is why IQ tests are usually given in the 3rd or 4th grade. New research out of the University of Michigan has suggested that with simple daily brain exercise, you can actually increase your intelligence capacity.

According to the study, “Fluid Intelligence” (called Gf) is the ability to reason, solve new problems and think in the abstract. It correlates with professional and educational success and it appears to be largely genetic.

Past research has suggested you’re stuck with whatever Gf you were born with, but new research suggests the gains from training your mind daily can actually increase your mental capacity across all activities.

The task the study participants were given involved tracking small squares on a simon!screen, and pressing when a square was in a duplicate location; kind of like the sweet game Simon from the ’80s. Participants played the game for about 20 minutes a day for a max of 20 days.

The sample size on the study is somewhat questionable with only about 70 adults in total, but it does give hope to all of us that hope to keep our feeble minds sharp as we age.

If anything the study reinforces how important it is to train your mind on a daily basis. Dig out your old Simon game from the basement and keep up the Sidoku puzzles - you still have a chance to be the next Einstein! :)

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WhyDoWork Insider WhyDoWork 29 Apr 2008 Leave a Comment

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