Author: coolerinsights

Nothing Beats Sheer Hard Work

September 11, 2010 Personal Branding disabled comments


Thomas Edison worked endlessly to become the world’s greatest inventor, with a record 1,097 patents to his name (picture source)

There are no secret potion you can quaff for instant riches. Nor will that two day workshop bring you instant fame and glory.

Our world is full of shamans, witch-doctors, snake-oil salesmen and ‘gurus’ encouraging people to take short cuts to success. We are relentlessly bombarded with pitches to instant riches, fame and glory.


Please Let Me Be Alone!

September 4, 2010 Blog 1 comment


Albert Einstein was often lonely (image source)

In the increasingly interactive, urbanised and 24-by-7 connected world, there is value in unplugging oneself from the grid to spend time alone. With social technologies and smartphones constantly connecting us to others in our social sphere, such an imposed isolation may bring us much good. Having that “pause which refreshes” is important as it allows one’s mind, body and soul to rejuvenate themselves.

Often, the greatest inspiration comes from instances of isolation, unfettered by the crowding and conforming concerns of the community. Many of the great geniuses created their pièce de résistance alone, in a place where they can focus all their intellectual and emotional energies on the task at hand. Momentarily freed from the mutterings of mundanity, their are able to weave their magic and make that masterpiece of science, art, literature or religion.


Can You Make Money from FREE?

September 2, 2010 Book Reviews 1 comment

Well, apparently Chris Anderson, author of New York Times bestseller The Long Tail and editor-in-chief of WIRED magazine, seems to think so. Moreover, you can still make a decent living out of it.

In his book, FREE: The Future of a Radical Price (which you download completely for FREE though I have the paid paper version), Anderson shared that charging people $0.00 for goods and services can only be possible primarily through cross-subsidies. These could take the following routes:


How To Finetune Your Social Media Strategy

August 31, 2010 Social Influence 1 comment


Its not about the platforms but how you use them (courtesy of Blogworks.org)

I was invited to the Strategic Online PR & Media Relations Asia 2010 conference to share how my organisation embraced social media and managed to glean some useful lessons from the other sessions.

There were a broad range of topics covered – online campaign planning, crisis communications management, brand communications, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), defamation law, social media sentiment monitoring, and web analytics.


Why Facebook Hasn’t Killed Face-to-Face

August 29, 2010 Blog disabled comments

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Social technologies and networks have driven demand for meet-ups like Social Media Breakfast

One of the greatest misunderstandings about the rise of social media platforms is that it will replace the need for being physically present at places and events. After all, it is far cheaper contacting somebody via Twitter, Internet Messaging, Facebook or Skype than to meet them in the flesh.

Now that social technologies have gone mobile, your iPad, iPhone, android or symbian smartphone allows you to plug in and participate in conversations 24 by 7. Need richer levels of interaction? Simply get a mobile broadband device or tether your 3.5G phone to your laptop and you can share documents, wikis, blog posts, presentation slides, spreadsheets and more.


Talent Attraction through Social Media

August 22, 2010 Social Influence disabled comments

Source: The Sirona Says Blog

In an age where the competition for talents becomes red hot, the most important strategy that any organisation needs to have is to get the right people in, motivate, retain and develop them. With more and more Singaporeans spending a large amount of time online, it is critical that any HR recruitment strategy should examine how social networks and channels could be deployed in the fierce battle for talent.

In my view, there are two key ways to a social recruiting strategy: develop compelling organisational content, and leverage on the right channels and connections.