Posted on April 9th by admin
Ok – so there has been a lot of press lately on Twitter and it seems that its use is growing at a phenomenal rate. I’m actually more of a Facebook user, however, I have decided that it’s time to give Twitter a whirl. So many global happenings are being broadcast on Twitter that it seems that if you’re not plugged in – you’re going to miss out. It almost makes other news internet sites eg news.com.au look like old news. And where does that leave the newspapers!? In my opinion it’s like reality TV on steroids.
Why is it so important to know what’s going on the instant it happens? How is this changing the face of PR? Even evaluation in general? I know that there are many words being written on this and I’m keen to find out more.
I’ve been resisting the lure to ‘tweet’ but I’m going to take the plunge and see what I can learn. I’ll let you know how I go.
Tags: Social media, think
Posted on March 17th by admin
Sometimes I feel so organised I believe that I could almost work part time and be on top of all my projects. Other times I feel so overwhelmed by the sheer number of things to do in a day that I feel like I need to divide myself in two to cope!
I’m sure this is how everyone feels at various stages during the working year. What I’m interested in is how people deal with the general busyness and what they do when this increases to crazy busy.
For myself, I’m a bit of a list writer. I tend to start the week by looking at what I carried over from last week and what needs to happen this week – divided up by days. I keep this list in front of me and find myself adding to it all the time. Mostly I can tick off more things than I add which is a good feeling. It’s basically a mini goal setting exercise for the week.
It’s also important to keep a diary. I often get asked if I keep an electronic diary or a paper based one. For a number of years I was solely paper based, until this year where I bought my iphone and decided to go electronic. This works really well as I also use a Mac and the two sync very nicely. So I am always up to date regardless of where and when I make my appointments.
Another very useful tool for keeping on top of things is an overall project management system where you can see where you are up to on any project at a glance. So whatever your preference for this (I like Basecamp which I’ve mentioned before) I thoroughly recommend looking into using a tool along these lines. Even if it’s a system you develop yourself. It’s important to have a dynamic picture of what’s happening at all times.
Another important thing I’ve found is to take breaks – regardless if how busy you are. I’m guilty of not doing this enough and at times I end up with a crooked neck and a right hand that is spasming from using the mouse! Force yourself to take breaks and walk around – have a cup of tea – read a bit of a magaine. It will keep you fresher and more able to stay on task.
There is a lot of jargon and advice out there about time management, which often takes more of your time to do! I want to hear what happens in real life. Is there anything in particular that helps you to manage your time? In the meantime, I’m off to have a break.
Tags: Project management, Time management
Posted on March 2nd by admin
I have recently completed a project with Coutts J&R which was a Review and Evaluation of the use of incentives/Market Based Instruments for the Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM (BDTNRM) Body. It was finalised in January 2009 with the bulk of the work being finished before Christmas 2008. The report can be downloaded from the BDTNRM website.
This project was a great experience from a project management point of view in that it allowed me to fully use the scope of my project management tool, Basecamp (by US based company 37 signals). I had all members of the project team including, Coutts J&R and BDTNRM as users and we created a project website on Basecamp which became a central place for all files, communications, To do lists, milestones and calendar events.
Feedback was that everyone loved using it and found it incredibly useful. As project manager, I could organise everyone centrally and ensure that all milestones were on track to be completed on time. I think the best thing about using Basecamp is that I don’t need to spend hours setting up and planning the project as all those elements feed into the To Do lists and milestones – which is all brought together anyway. I get a complete picture of where the project is up to at any time.
Tags: BDTNRM, Evaluation, incentives, Project management, reports
Posted on February 17th by admin
Each month I put together an e-newsletter for QualDATA. It was started last August (2008) which means that in February 2009 we are now up to issue number 9.
I know that there is a mentality amongst some that e-newsletters are SPAM. I’m certainly no advocate of email spam – I get enough of it myself – BUT I’d like to think that e-newsletters can be the source of valuable information. I know that I have actually subscribed to e-newsletters (to my own surprise) – as a way of keeping information coming in from credible sources without spending hours looking it up on the net.
The comforting thought is that you can easily unsubscribe from credible newsletters when you find them of no further value. It’s the unsolicited emails that are the cause my greatest inbox grief. I have this one recurring e-newsletter that just won’t stop even though I’ve unsubscribed at least 10 times! This company certainly doesn’t have my goodwill.
This month I’m on a real hunt to work out what makes an e-newsletter work and what is needed to keep it looking and reading fresh. My goal is to make the e-newsletters I put together as useful and as interesting to the end-user as possible. Basically to make the e-newsletter a friend not a foe.
I thought I would put together a top five list of pieces of advice that I’ve found most useful.
- Offer high value and fresh content – This means thinking outside the box of the mechanics of your profession and writing about current issues and events with your slant on things i.e show your expertise and passion. Also writing personal anecdotes about experiences you’ve had in the day to day running of your business wouldn’t go astray. I know that I like to read the ‘light’ stories. What about interviews with leaders in your field? What do your readers want to know about? Think of it as a magazine.
- Send to the right people – Sounds basic, but is very true. If your email lists aren’t targeted, then your information is getting lost and you are more likely than not annoying people. It’s also worth thinking about segmenting your email list. Those who are interested in one aspect of your business may not be interested in another. Maybe two versions is the way to go?
- Be consistent and keep to a schedule – almost every article I read underlines the importance of being consistent with e-newsletters and continuing to send them out to a schedule – be it weekly, monthly, quarterly etc. Be committed! I tell my clients that e-newsletters are about being top of mind and establishing them as experts in their field. Keep sending out the gems of information and you will start to see results. As e-newsletter expert Michael Katz says on the Constant Contact website – Think of publishing a newsletter like exercising. It only works if you keep doing it.
- Keep the layout simple – If it’s too complex, people won’t bother reading. If it takes more than 3 seconds to take the overall content in, then it’s too complex. I know that if I have to think too hard, I don’t bother with emails. Headings need to be short and easy to read, links need to be clear and correctly linked (obvious but annoying if they don’t work!) and the layout needs to be clean not cluttered.
- Be polite - By this I mean let your recipients know why they are receiving your newsletter and always give them the opportunity to opt out (unsubscribe) if they wish. You can do this in a caveat down the bottom of the email, it should be easy to find and no more than a point and click function. The last thing you want to do is to create any negative feelings about your business amongst your contacts through unsolicited contact.
Of course there are many more aspects to e-newsletters to think about – this is just a small selection of advice that I’ve found useful. Below are some links to sites that have some great information. Any more tips are always welcome! Feel free to leave a comment.
The Wealthy Freelancer: 5 Tips for Developing an e-newsletter that makes the phone ring
Constant contact: E-newsletter advice from an expert
Newsweaver: Email Marketing knowledge bank
Urban Route: Tips and Tricks for how to develop your own email newsletter
Tags: communication, e-newsletter
Posted on February 11th by admin
It’s been a tragic couple of days with stories of incredible bravery, amazing miracles and devastating losses from the Victorian bushfires. My heart goes out to all those affected, directly and indirectly by this natural disaster.
If you wish to donate money to help go to the Australian Red Cross website.
Tags: appeal
Posted on February 9th by admin
I find it’s very easy to work on autopilot most of the time. Meaning that you do your work and don’t necessarily think about what it is that you are doing and how it fits into the bigger picture of your profession or even at a less broad level – your workplace.
This is why I’ve started this blog to further explore different facets of evaluation and project management – purely as a challenge to myself to expand my thoughts. It’s not my intention to write big essays on subjects, but share my experiences, observations and ideas. I’m also really interested in your experiences and comments on any of the topics that crop up – so feel free to drop me a line.
Tags: bigger picture, challenge, think