p14, v7.03 — Business News & Trends

Business News & Trends

Mountain Views News Saturday, January 19, 2013

MVNews this week: Page 14

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

Mountain Views News Saturday, January 19, 2013

BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques

HOW TO WATCH

By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA

Childhood safety experts generally agree on the need to keep children safe while they’re online and
there are many products on the marketplace available for the concerned guardian. A fairly large
number of these products have been thoroughly tested and proven effective for their intended use.
While the technology has for the most part been worked out for some time now, concerned parents
often find that it is the actual use of these tools that give them pause. When, for example, are they
crossing the line from the proper monitoring of their child’s online activities to outright spying in
violation of what they feel to be their child’s “right to privacy”?

Does the use of monitoring tools violate an unspoken trust between child and parent? These are very
legitimate concerns and parental guardians may need to sort out exactly how they feel about such
issues before getting involved with this type of technology. It’s a very real thing to wonder what one’s
growing teenager is really up to with these devices that they interact with non-stop on a daily basis.

Who are they talking to? What are they looking at? What are they sending and, more importantly,
what are they receiving? One supposes that a concerned parent could just simply ask them what
they’re doing but as anyone who has spent any amount of time around a tech-engrossed teenager
can attest, the oft-heard reply of “Nothing” often is prefaced by a flurry of hunting and pecking at
some sort of electronic device. The seemingly opaque world of what our kids are doing online must
somehow be penetrated and examined if one is to effectively keep one’s charge safe. Once the process
of deliberation has been completed, the decision made to use monitoring tools and the software put
in place the hard part begins: knowing and pretending that you don’t know. Now the parent will see
who their child is talking to and what they’re talking about. They’ll see what catches their attention
and what fascinates them. They’ll see what they’re curious about and they’ll see what they send and
what they receive. They’ll get a glimpse of just who their children really are when they’re not around.
This revelation can be a scary prospect, indeed.

Some parents will find out that their teenager really is “normal” and that there’s nothing amiss at all.
Some may find out that their little angel is the ringleader for all the mischief that they we’re certain
those other kids were engaging in. Some will see evidence of risky or risqué behavior that they feel
their child might not be ready for just yet, if ever. And most shocking of all some parents will find out
that their little one is on their way to becoming a fully functioning adult with their own values and
sense of right and wrong.

Regardless of what is revealed the watcher has to know that in their child’s online world he or she is just
a silent visitor and that the utmost discretion must be used to ensure that the balance between their
need-to-know and the counterbalance of their child’s expectation of privacy can both be honored.

THE ART OF WAR: A Guidebook For Business Success

Initial apologies are in order to those who take offense to the use of war as a teaching tool
for entrepreneurs, but the lessons found in the study of military strategy are too numerous and
too valuable to bypass. On a positive note we can glean important lessons to apply to business
from any situation, including The Art of War, an ancient military treatise that has influenced war
strategy for more than 2,000 years.

Attributed to Sun Tzu (pronounced “Sun Wu” or “Sunzi”), a high-ranking general, strategist and
tactician, The Art of War is composed of 13 chapters, each devoted to a specific aspect of warfare.
Sun Tzu is thought to have lived at some time between 771-476 B.C., the time period recognized
by some historians as China’s Spring and Autumn Period. Some historians have questioned Sun
Tzu’s authenticity, wondering if he was a real person or simply a created legendary persona, but
some facts are unquestionable.

The year 1772 marked the beginning of the book’s
importance on an international scale when it was translation
into French. The first completed English version was
published in 1905. Although intended as a guidebook for
the most debased of mankind’s activities of destruction,
The Art of War continues to have a profound impact on
planning, strategy and tactics for military, business and legal
applications. We can approach a study of this document
with the goal of identifying the silver linings that can be
applied for productive enterprise toward economic stimulus
and job creation.

The following list includes the area of focus detailed in
each of the 13 chapters in The Art of War. The Chinese-to-
English translation may have varying nuances regarding
the meaning of specific words, but the principles are ready-
made to apply to business.

1. Assessment – take a look at everything and layout your plans
2. Economize – proceed in a manner that won’t exhaust all of your efforts and resources in one
single engagement
3. Maximize – work smarter, not harder by outsmarting and outwitting your opponent
4. Formidability – establish yourself in the best position possible, then be flexible as to when
you need to attack (proceed aggressively) and when you need to defend (protect your turf)
5. Intangibility – fight head-on when needed and indirectly when it is to your advantage
6. Imperceptibility – operate under the illusion of what you want your enemy (competitor) to
know about you, while being tactical with the implementation of your real plan
7. Out-Maneuver – be clever and perhaps fire the first shot (be the first to do something new,
but do it with excellence), even if silently; don’t put yourself into a position that will force you to be
reactive
8. Strategy – use your knowledge of your opponents, allies and terrain to your advantage in
every situation
9. Vigilance – keep moving and maneuvering your team toward your ultimate goal
10. Situational Positioning – pick the best strategy and use the tactics most appropriate to the
terrain on which you operate
11. The Nine Terrains* – become a master at knowing the nine types of environments in
which you will operate so that you will appropriately apply the principle above (*dispersive, facile,
contentious, open, in midst of intersecting highways, serious, difficult, hemmed-in and desperate)
12. Use Fire – attack with fervor and passion; move fast like the wind, but apply the passion only
to the areas that will result in strategic advantage
13. Intelligence – study your opponents and learn from their strengths and weaknesses

The Art of War was written for one purpose – to serve as a training manual to win on the
battlefields. Today, entrepreneurs can use it for a constructive purpose, developing strategies
and tactics to start, operate and build successful, profitable businesses.

A treatise is defined as
a formal and systematic
written discourse on a
subject, generally longer and
more indepth than an essay,
with a focus on investigating
or exposing the underlying
principle that pertain to the
subject.

SYSTEMS SAVE TIME

Where am I going to get the time to do this?!” We hear this over and over again
at our Social Media workshops and presentations. Business people are busy people and time is a fast
moving commodity.

Most realize the importance of having a strong social media presence today but they worry it will
suck up all their time. So business owners need to think like business owners and remember the
first rule of thumb.... a good business is built on systems! Starbucks checks off your order right on
your personalized cup. Netflix re-invented home video rentals with their system. Your social media
marketing strategies can be built on systems too.

Once you take the time to set up your tools, you’ll be able to get them to work together. For example,
you could speak into your smart phone and it can automatically update Facebook, Twitter and your
Web Site! This is one of my favorite tricks. I installed the Facebook Page app on my iphone and it
takes 14 seconds (yes, we’ve timed it, 19 seconds if I add an image) to update Facebook, Twitter and
our web site - simultaneously.

Basically, you want to develop a system that allows you to “post once and populate many.” You can
start with a blog which can auto populate Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and feed your web site. There
are lots of tools that make the set up for this very easy.

After helping one of our clients build her system, she said, “Once you get everything set up and
working together, social media marketing becomes an easy thing to do!” Getting your system set up
takes some time and effort but once you have it working then you simply focus on feeding the beast
with good content.

Build a system. That’s how you are “going to get the time to do this.”

If you would like a Checklist to help you build your social media system go to www.hutdogs.com/checklists

About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, a creative services business that specializes
in Internet Marketing strategies and Social Media Education for businesses and non-profits. “Like”
them on Facebook for trending news in social media, internet marketing and other helpful tips, www.
facebook.com/hutdogs.

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