Blog 3 - Raul Colon - photographer, digital marketer & writer living on the beach in Puerto Rico.

Why Stolen Cars & Pictures are nothing to brag about!

January 31, 2011 by Raul Colon

Photo credit by calignosus

How do you make sure you are sharing content legally and most importantly with the consent of the author?

While participating on #Blogchat which I have been participating for a few weeks I read a few tweets related to sharing photos online.

The following tweet really caught my attention not only is it creative but it has a very clear message:

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/ahockley/status/31908186885722113″]

@ahockley point was a ver easy way to explain what many people do by taking a photo without proper authorization to make it appear like it was ok.

When I am searching for a picture for my posts and I don’t use my own I mainly use Flickr’s Creative Commons.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/RickCaffeinated/status/31905488207618048″]

My new online friend @rickcaffeinated which is another encyclopedia of knowledge also recommended wylio.com in his tweet:

I used wylio.com for the previous pic and I have to admit it was very efficient and it expresses well the term of sharing which most people participating in #blogchat effectively did.

A great resource to share, remix, and reuse legally is creativecommons.org

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation.

Briefly here is an overview of the Creative Commons

Attribution means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work – and derivative works based upon it – but only if they give you credit.

Noncommercial means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work – and derivative works based upon it – but for noncommercial purposes only.

No Derivative Worksmeans:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.

Share Alike means:
You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

Where do you get your images for your blog posts?

Are there any other tools you recommend that facilitate the process of choosing an adequate image for your post?

Have you see anyone copying without attribution or adequate permission?

Are Your Family Values the Same as Your Business Values?

January 15, 2011 by Raul Colon

Photo By ~Sage~

One of my biggest concerns these days as a New Dad is keeping the same type of commitment with my new daughter Daniela that I normally give my clients and their efforts. Thinking about my commitment it occurred to me that maybe more business owners should align both value systems.

Yes I know there are exceptions but I am talking more about those norms and rules that should be the same on both sides.

Raising Responsible Children = Building a Responsible Team

Most parents thrive to raise responsible children. But how many business owners are committed to having a responsible team. Different to our children and family members which we don’t get a chance of evaluating them before creating a relationship, we do get a chance in choosing people who will join our team. I sincerely think that you need to identify those responsibility traits in the recruiting process of your candidates. After identifying the right candidates who seem responsible you need to create an atmosphere that inspires responsibility.

Manners & Morals

The same manners and morals you apply in your family should be applied in your business efforts. From table etiquette to phone manners their should be no difference in the way you act towards your clients, team members, and other stakeholders. Think of how you would improve your relationships taking this approach. What manners should be the same in all relationships? Do you think any should be different?

Focus on Money

Many family problems are aligned to money issues. The same applies in business if you are only focused on making money from your clients or resources you will end up having issues. Focus on nourishing your relationships and being loyal to your efforts and the money will follow.

Support & Encouragement

When your family members run into an issue your nature is to be there for them. If you do the same with your clients, stakeholders, and team members you will create closer relationships. Always support does individuals that need help and encourage positive behavior.

If you are successful at finding a balance or equality in values in your personal life and business life you will create great experiences. Just as you would create family traditions you might be able to repeat successful projects and maintain long term business relationships.

Can you identify more qualities where it is key to maintain the same values with Family as with business acquaintances?

Why not treat everyone like family?

Just Think! If PR Tourism had a Surfer & @franklogic on their team!

January 11, 2011 by Raul Colon

I have commented on various occasions how disappointed at the approach the Puerto Rico tourism office to splurge our money into very low return advertisements, ignoring local resources, and the worst part not projecting the real value of Puerto Rico. Today I published Puerto Rico Tourism Does It Better? Really? given the terrible job they have done trying to promote tourism.

The worst thing about the Just Think campaign their competitive advantage is not needing a U.S. Passport instead of focusing on the great resources Puerto Rico can offer.

After creating that post a cyber friend @franlogic someone who I admire for his talent in online marketing share this video he had posted on his blog Solpersona.com back in August on a post titled Puerto Rico’s beauty branded through a digital video narrative.

I am going to keep this post as short as I can although I have a follow up post on this subject in a day or two. I really think that the video does a better job at inviting someone to visit Puerto Rico than most of the Puerto Rico Does it Better Campaign.

My recommendation to the Puerto Rico Tourism office is to at least hire a Surfer with this type of vision and someone as talented as @franklogic to be able to promote such a video online. I would be more than happy if the Puerto Rico Tourism Office would invest in resources like these than wasting their money on big agencies that don’t even measure the performance of such a campaign.

What do you think of the Video?

Puerto Rico Tourism Does It Better? Really?

January 11, 2011 by Raul Colon

Puerto Rico Tourism Does It Better By Not Believing in Local Resources.

A few days ago I wrote Puerto Rico 1st Needs to get the Product Right regarding on how clueless the Puerto Rico Tourism office is towards online marketing and blogs.

Today I was watching TV when I saw the current ad that they are running with the “Just Think Campaign”.

Other than the images I clearly think this advertisement is clearly disconnected from the island in the following ways:

The narrators voice does not represent our culture in any way.
Energy of the images and video is does not tie to Puerto Rico projects.
Music in background is dull and boring
The video is not inviting.
Call to action is not clear.

Not Inviting

Overall I really don’t think this campaign invites anyone to act upon the advertisement. I wonder how they are measuring the the cost of all these main stream advertisements. I say cost because someone needs to convince me otherwise that they are getting the adequate return on investment on the expense they are incurring.

A few weeks ago I found out that the Puerto Rico Tourism office is using an outside of Puerto Rico firm to handle social media (which might not be a good idea if they had someone locally getting the real Puerto Rico perspective). I was very disappointed because how can you convey a message of inviting people when you go to the outside to grab resources.

I really would like the Puerto Rico tourism department to evaluate how many dollars are being thrown away to the outside when our tourism industry does not bring in the dollars to help the economy. I really think that an adequate campaign can keep some of those dollars (or even better yet, most of them) locally and help improve the economy while bringing more people to visit Puerto Rico.

Once again why don’t they make the investment in some of the many issues that can be easily addressed with most of the money being thrown away.

Do you think non local resources can create the proper connection to promote Puerto Rico?

Is the current campaign inviting? Does it make you book a trip to Puerto Rico or at least recommend it?

Updates

Comments of this post from Facebook:

Hispanic Marketing and Online Media Group by @mikeyrivera

Comments of this post from LinkedIn:

Friends of Puerto Rico by Tony Flores

Defining Influence with 3 Key Questions

January 10, 2011 by Raul Colon

I see how many people try to measure the influence of themselves and other individuals. Online their are various tools which measure influence. I have tried many with the purpose of understanding how they measure influence.

The problem with many of these tools measuring influence with numbers, re-tweets, twitter follows, blog subscriptions, and many others. I do understand and believe this will give you a general idea but the biggest problem with Influence is that it is tied to too many factors.

So in reality there is no right, wrong, or precise way to measure it. So I will try to define influence with a few factors.

1. How do you benefit from Influence?

By having the ability to influence the people around you we can move things forward without pushing, forcing, or telling others what to do. When I was in the military I interacted with many people who thought that just by having a rank they where influential. In reality the most influential people where the one’s what where examples to follow. Those eventually scaled up in rank quicker or decided to leave the military to a structure where influence would be more valuable than having a position of authority.

2. How does Influence affect the workplace?

In any work environment having influence will make your job easier. When you gain support from peers, managers, or subordinates you are able to accomplish a lot more. I have see how influence creates tighter relationships at all levels of many organizations. I have heard on many occasions how people will execute faster and enjoy their job a lot more when they have a figure of authority or team member that influences them.

3. How to Influence People?

When people see that you really care that usually is the start in influencing people. I think that by not caring many people who could influence others very easily end up not having that ability. There are certain general skills that should be part of your ability to influence:

Interpersonal
Communication
Presentation

Don’ts on achieving influence

If you want to influence you need to persuade, care, and build your community. What you don’t want to do is to push or bully people into what you think is right. If you push someone to do something against their will or when they have no interest your community and influence deteriorate greatly. Online I have seen grown people from Lawyers to Public Relations professionals bullying people into accepting what they think is right. Those people don’t realize that they lose credibility and their ability to influence.

How do I approach Influence?

In reality I don’t think about influencing people I just do what I think is right. I focus on helping people and connecting with those people who have similar interests. I might not have much influence but if I can help just one person with my actions it is well worth it.

How do you define influence?

Do you focus on gaining influence?

What other skills or qualities do you see in highly influential people?

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