So how do we pick the best partners? Remember when your folks told you to choose your friends wisely?    They were trying to protect you, but they also knew that you'd be judged based on your friends. People perceive us in part based on who we hang around with, who we point to as 'friends' and associates. That's why all these sayings apply to business and life! Birds of a feather flock together. smart man surrounds himself with smart people. You are only as good as the company you keep. The wrong ones drag us down. Where's the synchronicity? MORE >>

We all feel so powerless to do anything to stop them - so we do the best we can and delete and block - again and again. The last few weeks I've had a barrage of pornographic messages on Twitter. They are obscene, graphic and embarrassing. block the senders and delete the messages, but they just keep coming. My other friends are getting them as well. My email reflects Twitter. Everyday I get a multitude of invasive, downright obnoxious and over the top communications. Companies suggest they'll make me rich, young girls suggest things I don't want to mention.  MORE >>

  Even as we are scrambling to reinvent ourselves in the marketplace, with the best intentions and focus- the way we've always done it drags us backwards. I am the lightening rod for people's response to impending change.    T here's nothing like a strategic consultant showing up to stir the pot and bring all the tough 'stuff' to the surface. eople don't usually respond well to change. Anything but. Especially in tough economic or financial situations – when the company environment is already tense and constricted. That one eludes me. MORE >>

  Treat customers the way you'd treat your mother or sister or best friend. Yesterday I wrote a post about my dilemma with a few vendors of late - wondering if I was expecting too much from my vendors as their customer. Your responses told me resoundingly that I was not expecting too much - that we all have some basic expectations when it comes to customer service.    Many of the folks who responded were even more outraged than I expected by the treatment I'd endured at the hands of these vendors. Wow  - I guess I'm not expecting too much after all.  MORE >>

  I personally value the connection this creates for me with bloggers that I've been reading for a while and it helps me to find the best content from them.  Tony: I would add that one of the nice things about the system is that it uses social filtering to surface the best stuff.  We help them by combining aggregation with filtering; we bring them all the best B2B marketing and PR content in a convenient package.   So, having something like the Best Of feed provides a way for that 90% audience to become introduced to this great content. MORE >>