Pimp my Tweet – a BPO company specializing in Twitter

September 16, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: BPO, Social Media | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

I remember the MTV show long time ago called, Pimp My Ride. But, how come there is no agency that can help give tweets a makeover? Most people write boring tweets that could stand a lot of improvement. There are after all 140 characters and endless tag variations to work with. With all of this flexibility, why is it that most people can’t tweet? Even the biggest profiles that I follow that have over a million followers write very dull tweets. They tweet the title of their blog instead of working some magic out of it most of the time. And when they do rephrase the tweet based on some juicy internal content, it still isn’t all that.

Here is some sales literature from a fictional India based social media BPO company.

Pimp My Tweet BPO Pvt. Ltd.

Tired of the same old lame-ass tweets?
It’s time to put some style in your Twitter handle.
Here is what our experts recommend!

If the tweet don’t flow — then it must go
If the tweet ain’t hype, you must retype
If the link don’t fit, you must find wit
If you put your tag in the wrong spot—good job – Not!

For the dopest, phattest tweets around, come to Pimp My Tweet BPO.

(ring, ring)

SUJATA: Thank you for calling Pimp My Tweet BPO, this is Sujata, how may I help you?

CLIENT: Yes, my Tweets are quite boring actually. I was hoping that you could help.

SUJATA: Yes, we can help jazz up your tweets. Let me take a look…. (pause) Oh, I see the problem.

CLIENT: Were you able to take a look at my work?

SUJATA: Yes. It is not (pause) bad… But, it is too straight. You just tweet straight facts and basic sentences. You need to put some play in yo jive.

CLIENT: Wait a second. You are located in Bangalore, and you know 1970’s Bronx street slang?

SUJATA: Well, it’s actually a problem you see. If aunty ever finds out I work for a company whose title includes the name pimp, I’m in huge trouble. I have rehearsed what I’m going to tell her if there is a problem. It is a typo, and it was supposed to be “Pin My Tweet” — on Pinterest, you know. Aunty is used to typos, they make a lot of them where she works.

CLIENT: Got it. I know how that is. I was at a hamburger spot in Chennai called Mary Brown, and they spelled Mary like Marry which means to have a wedding, etc., if it has two r’s. Comical actually.

SUJATA: You sound like a character. Which makes you 139 short of a full tweet. Well Anyway, you basically need to put some strut to get out of your rut. Do some jive to get out of your hive, and most of all — don’t tag outside your territory, or that could cause a turf war.

CLIENT: Oh, you mean graffiti? Well, the internet isn’t like that.

SUJATA: I know that, but we are trying to appeal to New York Street sensibilities. Our clients grew up on the streets of New York. Generally on more affluent streets if they can afford us, but nonetheless they would be familiar with street culture.

CLIENT: The other companies can barely function in English, but you know our slang — at least the antiquated slang.

SUJATA: We aim(s) to please! And we’ll make your dull Twitter handle into the hippest, coolest, dopest account in Twitter history. Just give us a chance. We offer samples of our work for a low introductory offer. After that we have a contract for a monthly arrangement. 60 tweet revisions per month for one low price of rps3000 / month which is only about $60. And we have a viral surcharge. If any of our tweets go viral, we expect a generous tip.

CLIENT: You’ll get tips, referrals and more if you help me go viral. Thanks a bunch. I look forward to you guys pimping my tweets. Just don’t get up on my honeys.

SUJATA: Oh, no we wouldn’t think of it. And one more thing.

CLIENT: Yes

SUJATA: If you meet aunty on any subsequent trips to Chennai, please don’t mention that I work here. Let’s keep it between you and me. Can you dig it?

CLIENT: Yes, I dig.

Do you have the Rupee mentality?

September 13, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

I know many people who think small.
They think I am foolish because I don’t care that I wasted four dollars on parking or spent too much on my sea bass soy paper roll at Sushi Unico. However, the way I think is just a matter of scale. In my opinion I still think small. As a child, my father was very frugal and counted every penny. I grew up being very concerned over small things. If I lose a pencil at school or wasted a single sheet of paper, I would be very upset. As I grew older, I grew out of this mentality despite constant bickering and protest from my miserly father. The important thing to understand is that the scale of your thoughts influence and affect the scale of your achievement as well. If you only think about the small things, you can never achieve big things. My father went to MIT and Harvard, got the best grades possible, and did well in his career. But, he thought on a micro level and is retiring on a very limited budget — but, comfortably. His mother also thought small and worked hard her entire life to retire on a very tight budget. She was educated and had good jobs her entire life. And yes, she survived until the end, but counting each penny the entire journey on an almost impossibly tight budget.

A story of two identical guys
There was a story that was told to me at Kabbalah Center in Los Angeles. Kabbalah is a spiritual side of Judaism and also currently a sect of Judaism that has an orthodox, yet spiritual interpretation of religion, life and just about everything else. The story was about two almost identical guys. They both were the same age, the same height, and the same IQ. They went to the same type of schools, studied the same topics, and everything else was similar. Their parents had the same type of background, similar incomes, and similar education. One of the guys made a comfortable income his entire life. But, the other became a billionaire! What’s the difference you might ask? One thought big. The average guy just wanted an average life. He could not think beyond what other people were doing. He didn’t think it was possible to become extraordinary. But, the rich guy had a burning desire to be amazing and believed it was possible. He envisioned huge success and worked constantly for that goal.

Losing track of priorities in business
When we do business, we can easily be distracted by one hundred things. There are so many things to pay attention to in our business. There are personal things like family, health, entertainment, social engagements, etc. With a hundred things constantly grabbing our attention daily, it is only natural that we spend a lot of our time thinking about things that are small, or at least not the most important. Business people in India think about their image, whether they get enough praise and respect from their customers and workers, etc. In India, they will think all day if they are paying Rahul a few Rupees more than he is worth for his call center work. They will think if the light bill is too high, and if that Rick Shaw Walla ripped him off. Sure, I think about the same things. Maybe Rajesh took an hour off and billed you for it. Maybe Sangita was on a phone call to her mother on company time. If you spend all day thinking about these things — you have the rupee mentality. In business, you need to try to focus on the bigger priorities which often don’t have analytics. Do your workers have good mojo? What does that mean? Do they have good drive, good energy, and do they gravitate or repulse your clients? It doesn’t matter how little you pay someone, if they lose you clients, they are a disaster. If you pay another guy too much, but he keeps attracting new clients, maybe you should pay him more instead of complaining. Did you miss an important marketing idea or opportunity because you spend an hour arguing with someone over a bill? Did you calculate your loss from getting stuck in traffic yesterday? Instead, spend a little more time staying late in the office to get some critical tasks done. Or spend an hour identifying which of your several dozen tasks is the most important and why.

The point to remember
I have written several quick articles on the Rupee mentality. I didn’t realize that I used that exact phrase twice in a title by accident. Now, I’m using it a third time since it is a catchy phrase that did well. But, the point of this article is to identify priorities and then focus on them. My Guru says, “Focus on priorities and forget the rest.” When you are a busy guy, you have to forget a lot of things otherwise 24 hours a day just isn’t enough. The second point is to dream big and envision your dreams coming through. I’m not saying not to argue over bills or waste time thinking about how the cab company charged you for too much waiting time. Just keep that stuff out of your head for the most part so you can focus on the thoughts that are going to get you your billion dollar empire!

My story — from dreamer to workaholic.
As I progress and evolve on the complicated path of my business, I realize that I want to grow, and that I am growing. The hard part is that I have no idea what I am going to evolve into. I see multiple paths that I could go down, and it is hard to see how they unfold. I agree with myself that I should spend more time meditating on those possible outcomes to strengthen them as well as meditating on huge financial success. Some people spend too much time dreaming. When I was younger I did lots of dreaming and not enough hard work. As I realized that extra hard work had to be done every day, I stopped dreaming enough. We all need to develop that balance of working the right amount and dreaming the right amount. But, when you are dreaming — don’t dream of Rupees, dream of Crores! Don’t dream of pennies, dream of billions!

You might also like:

Think big, but start small in business
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/10/14/think-big-but-start-small-in-business/

How to expand your thinking in business
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/11/14/how-do-you-expand-your-thinking-in-business/

Jeremy’s 11 tips for better business decision making
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/06/29/jeremys-11-tips-for-better-business-decision-making/

Best Motivational Quotes

September 10, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Motivation, Quotes, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Do what you’ve always done and you’ll get what you have always got.” — Sue Knight

“Winners don’t do different things; They do things differently” — Anonymous

“A journey of a thousand li begins with a single step.” — Lao Tze

“A journey to attain 1000 social media followers begins with a single stumble” — disgruntled Stumbleupon member

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it” — Henry David Thoreau

“If you are willing to do more than you are paid to do, eventually you will be paid to do more than you do.” — Anonymous

“Don’t hate the playa, hate the game” — Unknown Rap Artist (sorry, had to add that one)

“Whenever you see a successful person, you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them.” — Vaibhav Shah

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” — Charles Darwin

“The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.” — Bruce Feirstein

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” — Robert Collier

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.” — Jim Rohn

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” — Thomas Edison

“Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential” — John Maxwell.

“I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself” — Robert E Lee.

“There is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust” — Klaus Balkenhol.

“It is often the case that the person with the most authority in an organization speaks the least” — Myself

“He who conquers others achieves some success; But, he who conquers himself achieves the highest level of success” — Myself

The difference between a successful person and a very successful person is that a very successful person says no a higher percentage of the time — Concept from Warren Buffet

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” — Albert Einstein

“Leadership is an action, not a position” — Donald McGannon

“Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar” — Orrin Woodward.

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” — Peter F. Drucker.

You become what you meditate upon. If you meditate on wealth, you’ll attain it. If you meditate on God, you’ll attain God. But, if you practice levitation instead of meditation, you’ll be in danger of being reincarnated as a bird! — Concept from spiritual Masters in India.

“Peace comes from within” — said by many Gurus in India

Who are your best business connections? They are not who you think!

September 8, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Marketing, Popular on Twitter | Tagged , | Leave a comment

I am sitting here doing my monthly article reading. I pour through dozens of interesting (and a few not so interesting) business articles to find interesting content to write about. Well, here on Harvard Business Review I’m reading about how dangerous it is to assume your career is safe. I think it is dangerous to assume anything is safe. In this world, nothing is constant except change — and my Guru says we have to wait for change!

But, your best business contacts may not be who you think they are. Your family, close friends, schoolmates, and close associates at work might not be your best contacts. In a sense it is unpredictable who your best contacts are, and one may be great at one point in your career while another might be good at another time.

It is often the case that your best business contacts are people who you have known for years, but with weak ties. Maybe a customer who you had slightly longer and more interesting conversations with, or a vendor’s assistant who was a little more knowledgeable or interesting. That winning connection could be anyone. Perhaps it pays to keep a database of your interesting connections and try to develop slightly less weak ties with them. You never know what could happen. I met some of the most interesting industry related people I know on Twitter. Unfortunately, they were anti-social and the relationships didn’t last. Maybe I should go back to hanging around at coffee houses — those coffee house types never get tired of yapping with me!

You might also like:

My favorite business dream was about lions and giraffes
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2016/01/23/the-best-business-dream-i-ever-had-was-about-lions-giraffes/

Steve Jobs Principle — the more people you network with outside your field
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/08/28/outsource-steve-jobs-principle-the-more-people-you-network-w-outside-your-field/

You don’t get to the next level in business by being in a hurry
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/11/13/you-dont-get-to-the-next-level-in-business-by-being-in-a-hurry/

Should you work for a startup to learn how they operate?

September 5, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Popular on Twitter, Startups | Leave a comment

Portrait of a startup
I have a friend who wants to start a business. But, he wants to know how other startups do things. There is a certain energy at startups that is contagious — a zeal, a passion, a certain “je ne sais quoi.” The problem with startups is that the people running them don’t always have solid business experience. They are also working on a limited budget and don’t always have the best resources for hiring the right people. There will normally be one or two very talented people who have amazing skills, but are winging it as far as business predictions, human resources, and management are concerned.

Casual is good!
Startups are also fun because they are often casual, have a lot of younger energetic people, and have room for fast job advancement. If the company doesn’t fold, you’ll probably be promoted to Vice President the minute the boss can put someone under you!

Fixed routines might not exist
Companies that are venturing out into new directions are very different from long established companies with set routines and set procedures. I remember when I started my company how I changed my techniques for doing everything. My programmers and employees got really upset. They had just learned my methods, and then I changed them just like that. Being frustrated with change is not a good way to start if you want to work at a startup. You need to embrace change, and also understand the reasoning behind the changes (if there is any.) Additionally, your job description might need to include “other things.” The boss might not be able to afford a full time janitor or social media expert, so you might have to do both when you are not in marketing, you’re in management. If your tech genious quits, you might find yourself in HR when you signed up for a job in sales. If the company grows, but you haven’t yet moved into your new office, you might be stuffed in the corner. But, it’s all good, because this is part of the overall excitement of working for a startup. Personally, I love it.

Learning from the pros
If you want to learn from seasoned business people, the management teams at Coca Cola or Toyota are who I would sign up to learn from. Although they are far from startups, they have the most innovative, top notch managers that you can get. They have had to deal with more complicated situations, growth issues, marketing issues, and tactical situations than you can imagine. Those managers come up with smooth and well thought out solutions to any type of problem while managers at small businesses are often very limited in their thinking — especially if they have no experience like in many startups. Sure, working for a startup might be exciting, but learning from people who are competent is also exciting if you don’t mind being around suits all day long. My psychic and I channeled twenty companies using “magical” means (consciousness.) The results that we found were that the best business advice that we got came from seasoned pros. Organizations like Harvard or Hyundai were light years more sophisticated during the channeling than newly mushroomed companies like Uber or Twitter. My personal experience sounds very bizarre (and it is,) but try to think a little more deeply about the situation. Do you want to learn management skills from someone sound or someone who lacks a stable foundation? Who do you think you’ll learn more from? Personally, I feel you should try it both ways as you will learn different things from each experience.

The failure rate is high
Most startups do not succeed in the long run. There is a lot that can go wrong and many factors that will be out of your control. People who make the most money in business are able to perform a service or create a product that is better than anyone else’s. How can you possible be better when your company has no experience? However, if the owner of the company has twenty years experience working in robotics and your startup is in robotics, then you have a fighting chance since your skills are not just starting up.

If you don’t have the complete skillset
Many people dream about doing business. I once dreamed about it to. Now, I’m really “in business” as my friend Steve used to say with emphasis. The reality is not so glamerous. I need to do twenty types of tasks every day. If I only did nineteen out of the twenty, my business wouldn’t stay afloat. People I hire only want to do one or two tasks. When you ask them to do three, they start complaining. The lady who does incoming calls complains if she has to do outgoing. The lady who does over the phone testing doesn’t want to do social media. The person who likes social media, doesn’t want to write blogs. I have to do all of these things and more — and be good at all of them or I am out of business. If you are serious about working for a startup, you have to multi-task and be good at all of your tasks. If you start your own startup, then you have to do more than multi-task or you are out of business.

Think positively
If you do a good job, you might be the next Google, Uber, Baidu, or Facebook. So, work hard, try hard, and even if things don’t go as expected, you will learn a lot. Stay thirsty for success my friends!

You might also like:

What does Mark Cuban say about startups?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/12/04/what-does-mark-cuban-say-about-startups/

Should established companies create startups?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/01/12/should-established-companies-create-startups/

Interesting startups from around the globe
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/09/27/interesting-startups-from-around-the-globe/

How women can get even with men in the workplace

September 2, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest, Popular on Twitter | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

In the real world, there seems to be very little fairness. This is why I generally recommend that minorities learn to be good at creating their own businesses. That way they get paid much closer to what they are worth without all of the discrimination and affirmative action. Women seem to also always be held back in the workplace due to preconceived notions. However, there are many things women have in their advantage that can help them get even.

(1) Patience is a virtue
Young men are known to lack patience. Men want to get ahead, and fast. Many find it painstaking to endure a boring job for years in order to get a good reputation with their company. Women tend to be more willing to pay their dues and take promotions as they come. Try to capitalize on your patience as a woman.

(2) Building relationships
Women are better at building and maintaining relationships than men. If your job involves managing clients or suppliers, it is in your interests to do an outstanding job and make it so those clients only want to talk to you — and not the boss. That way you have power as you become somewhat irreplaceable.

(3) Unvirtue may not be a virtue, but women do it anyway?
Many unvirtuous women sleep their way to the top. Personally I think this is very immoral, but people do all types of immoral things without batting an eyelash. If you and some chauvinistic guy are stuck in the mailroom as your job, and you use your charms to get a management position during your first year at the company — you can go back to the mailroom to taunt that male chauvinist and show him who got ahead in the long run. Or, as the case may be who got ahead in the short run.

(4) Being less threatening.
Bosses are tired of workers who have all types of demands and who threaten. Of course in the real world, women can be very manipulative and threatening. But, many women are not. So, you can capitalize on being loyal and non-threatening. Your boss will like that and in the long run if you have job smarts, that could help you move up the ladder.

(5) The art of subtle manipulation
In management, getting other people to do what they are supposed to is hard. Although women typically are not respected as authorities no matter how assertive they are (proven fact, not just making this up) women are often good at sweet talking people into doing what they are supposed to. When I need the programmers to get off their rear and fix something, I have to ask ten times. When my female assistant sweet talks them, she only has to ask once and they do it. Hmmm. If a woman knows how to sweet talk, and makes sure things get done, she could be a superstar in management and get ahead of the aggressive guys.

Summary
Well, that’s it for now. Women face the glass ceiling in the work place, but if they use their female charms to their advantage, they can get a significant lead over men in ways you can’t even imagine. Instead of complaining about gender bias, use what you have and combine it with responsible business behavior, and you a good chance to get ahead of the boys.

You might also like:

Is it safe for women to take cabs in India?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/08/22/is-it-safe-for-women-to-take-cabs-in-india/

7 rules for women entrepreneurs to live by
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/01/30/7-rules-for-women-entrepreneurs-to-live-by/

Women programmers in the US and India
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/06/17/women-programmers-in-india-and-the-u-s/

Do you come off the right way to others?

September 1, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Leave a comment

Many of us live in paranoia that we will say the wrong thing and become socially ostracized. In America this is a realistic fear. Others are quick to point the finger at us an make false accusations simply because we said something that “could” be interpreted the wrong way even if there is no proof or likelihood that we meant what we said with negative intentions. India and Asian countries might be more forgiving in this respect depending on the context. Culture is a complicated topic, but let’s stick to the basics here. This article is not about culture, but about personality!

None of us come across the way we want to when interacting with others. We are simply not paying attention, or simply don’t see ourselves the way the other person does. Perhaps you use nice words but avoid eye contact. Or, perhaps you say things that could be interpreted as negative when you meant them as positive. Or perhaps you are too paranoid to say anything of substance. Americans tend to be super busy and keep conversations short to the point that you feel they don’t like you. In India, many people are so lackadaisical (yes, this means you) that they come across as not giving a damn. The Chinese are uptight and spastic in their interactions. Hey! I thought this was not going to be about culture!

I guess in this multi-cultural world, different cultures come across differently. Maybe I’m highlighting some critical cultural points in terms of how we come across.

In any case, in business, the main point is to come across as someone who is responsible, solid, caring, competent, and friendly — but, not too friendly — caring, but not mushy, solid, but not inflexible. I think you get the point. When you talk to clients, try to sense how they react to how you communicate. You’ll master the art of coming off the right way if you do this.

Another interesting point is to help the other person loosen up. I often start business calls off with jokes that worked well in the past. Remember, that jokes can backfire, so pick ones that have a proven track record.

“Hi, this is Frank from XYZ company. I’m calling to check your information on file and verify that you are a real person.”

Since there are so many fake people out there on the internet, most people laugh when I ask to verify that they are a real person. Adding little quirks to your interaction that you may never have thought of can often work wonders and soften situations that can be stressful under normal situations.

Never hire a blogger to help you blog; Hire industry relevant people

August 31, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Semi-Popular, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

These days more and more of us own or write for blogs. There are also hundreds of social media “experts” and bloggers advertising their services on freelance sites hoping to bag their next gig. The question is, which one of them do you hire, and why? I tried negotiating with many bloggers, and the results were horrible. Not only did most of them lack any formal writing background, but they wanted commitments for large amounts of money when I had no indication that they would do good work.

The “What ifs” of hiring a blogger
What if their work wasn’t popular? What if the blogger couldn’t come up with ideas that were any good (none of them could by the way.) What if they weren’t reliable in their work? What if it took too much time to prep them before they could produce their first piece? Can I get a sample? None of the bloggers wanted to invest even five minutes in my cause to give me a few samples unless I would pay them for it. Such a stingy unfriendly attitude! The result was that I didn’t hire even one of these bloggers. I hired a comedy writer instead. He had a strong professional writing background, was really funny, friendly, and appealed to some (but not all) of my audiences! But, what “writers” captivated my audience the best? You’ll never guess.

The disgruntled call center agent
You will never guess where one of my most popular outsourcing blogs came from. It came from a frustrated call center rep. His writing was filled with grammatical mistakes, but it didn’t matter. First of all, my audience is not so particular about nitpicky things. Secondly, I was able to do a cleanup of his work in two minutes. The bigger issue was, the minute I laid eyes on his work I loved it. He captured seven different points of frustration that a call center worker could have and explained them perfectly in a way that everyone could relate to. You could feel his frustration and anguish in every paragraph. I knew the crowd would love it, and they did.

The frustrated call center manager
Two years ago I interviewed this very frustrated Indian guy. He was down on India and down on the entire Indian call center industry. He only would work for Filipino, US, or Central American outfits. After dealing with a hundred or so of India’s “finest” call centers myself, I began to see why he felt the way he did. But, he gave me fifteen ideas for articles to write about. He was an expert at call center metrics, call center marketing, and more. So, by talking to him for 45 minutes, he filled my head with exactly what people wanted to read about. No blogger could do that!

The upset Notary Public
We also run a Notary blog. I create most of the articles myself. We write about Notary marketing, technical & legal issues, Notary comedy and drama articles, and more. We keep it diverse so our audience won’t get bored. My articles are generally popular. But, the other guy who writes popular articles for me is not a blogger — he’s just another Notary. He happens to be smarter, and a lot better organized (not to mention experienced) than the other Notaries. But, he is not a professional writer. He is just a Notary who happens to be a good writer. He also comes up with winning ideas that our readers enjoy reading about.

So, where do I look for a writer?
In the real world, the guy most suited to writing your articles might not have the background necessary to get industry specific content to fill the article. You really need a team. You need someone who can pick great topics, someone who can get relevant information, and someone who can polish your writing work. Sometimes you can do it all yourself, while other times you need help. Sometimes a good social media agency or social media company is the best resource, but not if they hire incompetent or uncooperative employees.

Find people who work in the industry you are writing about to help you. You might have to look hard to find cooperative people, but they are out there. Even if you don’t “need” them, use them anyway to create a diversity of points of view in your blog. Nothing is more interesting than a blog with multiple writers — all of whom have unique and wonderful writing styles and perspectives!

You might also like:

Why you should hire a Comedian instead of a CEO to help you co-blog
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/06/13/why-you-should-hire-a-comedian-instead-of-a-ceo-to-co-blog/

10 quick factors that differentiate a good blog from a bad one
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/08/03/10-quick-factors-that-differentiate-a-good-blog-entry-from-a-bad-one/

Want to be popular at blogging? Write how-to blogs!
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/06/30/want-to-be-popular-at-blogging-write-how-to-blogs/

You might be stuck in traffic, but you are on the road to success!

August 27, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Success | Leave a comment

I first saw this quote on Twitter. It is perfect for Twitter because it is short, fun, and true! But, this quote has a deeper meaning which I learned about yesterday. One of my blog writers is truly brilliant. He writes the most interesting content around. But, he obsesses with small issues and we had an exchange of ten emails over a Paypal fee. He is concerned with small issues rather than looking at the bigger picture! He should acknowledge that he is a popular blog writer with my audience and doing a great job. He is successful where others don’t even try.

As humans, we tend to get stuck thinking about the headaches of the day. What we need to be able to do is to transcend this and look at the bigger picture. Maybe we have to do some task that ties up all of our time. But, maybe this is the task that makes us successful. We need to see the deeper meaning in the small tasks we do. All of the little things we do every day add up to a bigger picture. And perhaps we do a few things daily that add up to ultimate failure as well. I should really stop eating ice cream so often! So, let’s change our perspective, and focus on the bigger picture, and on our success.

It is funny, but a long time ago I figured out what doing business boils down to. Sure there are complicated deals and sophisticated analysis that occur in business. But, the majority of what we do is writing addresses down on pieces of paper, Fedex envelopes, and databases. It is funny that business is really that simple in many ways. Most of the tasks we do are actually pathetically simple. But, if you do them in a disciplined and timely way, those simple tasks can add up to tremendous wealth! So, keep at it!

People who take the first job offer they get might be unhappy in the long run

August 26, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Hiring & Firing, Semi-Popular | Tagged | Leave a comment

When you are out of work and short of cash, you might be tempted to get a job fast. But, this is not always a good idea. When we are in a hurry, we often lose track of the long term goal which is to have a meaningful and rewarding career.

A smart employer doesn’t just interview two or three people. He/she/it knows that finding the perfect person takes a lot of digging around. And just because you make someone an offer doesn’t mean they will take it. Most employers make contact with 100 people to find a single employee. Not all 100 will result in interviews, but might involve a short email conversation about the job at hand. So, why should a job seeker be any different?

In order to compare multiple offers, you need to have multiple offers. It might make sense to interview at one hundred companies. That way you might get a handful of offers and pick the one that caters to your long term goals. Or, you could sell out and find something that pays well in the short run.

It might take two or three extra weeks to interview “enough” companies to get a good choice. That will seem like a long time, and the lost income will see like a lot too. But, if you are stuck fro two or three extra years at a job or company you are not happy with, that will seem like an eternity.

And one last point. A lot of job satisfaction happens when you work with people who you feel good about. Do what Warren Buffet’s buddy Charlie Munger does and do a “walk around.” Walk around the company, shake some hands, get to talking with a few people. Size them up. See if they are the types that you want to be working with in the long run or if you are just being desperate. You might be much happier in the long run doing a dull job with wonderful people rather then a dream job with nightmare coworkers! Think ahead!

In China, hot girls were hired to motivate programmers

August 24, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Management, Motivation, Popular Posts, Software Development | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How do you motivate a stubborn programmer?
My experience with programmers is that very few of them care even slightly about the experience of the people who will one day use their programs. The commenting in the code for other programmers to read is not even that clear in many instances. Most programmers just want to be left alone to do their work the way they want, how they want and when they want. Deadlines are almost never honored, and instructions are almost always taken lightly. Very few programmers were even motivated by money. I offered large amounts of money to many programming companies who politely declined stating that I was, “Not a good fit.” I told them that I am giving you money to do programming work and you are a programming company — how am I not a good fit? The managers at programming companies are as impossible to motivate as the programmers. So, what is the secret?

The Chinese are masters of innovation.
The Chinese have always been an innovative people from thousands of years ago. When they had a problem with the Mongols, they built the longest wall in human history. They even innovated a way to deal with all of the dead bodies of the workers by burying them in the wall! The Chinese created gun powder, many forms of martial arts, gardening, and even new aspects of semantic internet searches. A few years ago I predicted that if anyone could master the art of dominating the computer programming industry, it would be the Chinese. I was right, but not in a way that I expected.

Hiring beautiful cheerleaders to motivate programmers works!
Specialists who understand the importance of building a healthy corporate culture understand that you need positive upbeat people to build a motivated and fun work environment. Cliffbar, Google and Starbucks actively embrace this principle. A few years ago, I had the thought that call centers in Manila and Central America should hire good looking girls to interact with their workers to add a good feeling to their day. Call centers are apparently very stubborn about improving the grueling conditions of their work. But, the Chinese are not. It is commonplace in Chinese companies (and restaurants) for the workers to all get together and share a meal. Eating is an integral part of the Chinese culture, and communal eating is just as much. Eating together makes people feel good and feel more connected. But, I am happy that the Chinese implemented “my” idea of having lovely ladies improve the grueling conditions of the work day. Why not look forward to coming to work? Your wife might not like it, but at least you’ll show up for work and give it your all.

Productivity is up
The programmers in China, India and other countries are mostly male and very anti-social. Programming is a bit like mechanics intellectually. Guys like fixing things while women just want to be listened to which is why guys dominate programming. But, having these ladies around seems to get the guys to produce better. Men tend to be more motivated in general if there is a woman who is appreciative of what they do according to “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. It seems that the Chinese managers must have read that book or have an understanding of the concept. The easiest way to get a guy to stop trying is to have a woman who doesn’t give him any appreciation.

What do these ladies actually do?
The programming cheerleaders buy breakfast for the programmers so they have the energy to do a long day of work. They also chat with the programmers which is very valuable since most of the programmers lack the ability to interact with the opposite gender, or even with their own gender, and probably also with dogs and cats as well (insufficient data for the last claim.) The ladies must be talented and smooth (and probably patient) at interacting with the socially handicapped. In a sense, they are like therapists or psychiatrists in a very pedantic way.

What do the wives of the programmers think about this?
I can imagine that someone’s wife might not want their husband regularly hanging around with beautiful women at work. It is bad enough that your husband works with women, but beautiful women who give them a ton of attention? But, maybe this is what men need. I go through my day getting absolutely no attention from women other than my housemates. Imagine how much better I would feel if I was paid some positive attention by someone in their twenties or thirties who was female and voluptuous. This problem is my fault for living in Los Angeles. Women here are relentlessly unfriendly. But, the minute I cross the border into New Mexico, I get tons of positive attention from everyone! Maybe I should be living there!

You might also like:

Top viral images and how they spread
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/04/05/top-viral-images-and-how-they-spread/

I didn’t get retweeted, but that’s okay
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/08/09/i-didnt-get-retweeted-but-thats-okay/

Is it safe for women to take cabs in India?

August 22, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: India, Popular Posts | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

I keep reading more on this topic. Apparently, I am not the only one concerned with women’s safety. They are not concerned with my safety though — but, that’s another issue.

A fleet of pink cabs!
A new cab service in India has opened with pink cabs that are designated for women. I thought of a similar idea years ago that was for pink rickshaws. The vehicles would be driven by women, and the stops would have security, and the vehicles would be pink in my idea too. I thought of this first by the way!

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/01/19/indias-new-pink-taxi-fleet-for-women-offers-pepper-spray-panic-buttons/

Pepper spray & panic buttons
This cab company with the pink fleet offers pepper spray and panic buttons. One woman in India was raped by an Uber driver recently, and this is a huge reason why women need to take precautions. But, over the last few decades in India, women have not been safe, and taking more precautions seems like the best step to take.

Taking a photo of the cab
I read another article where a woman says that you should not get into a vehicle unless you take a photo of it with your mobile phone and perhaps send it to someone for safe keeping. Once in a while, drivers will take you to an undisclosed location and rob you. It doesn’t happen that often, but women, and foreigners need to be vigilant.

Registered cabs from airports are safer
As a foreigner, I don’t know which cabs to take in India. I normally take rickshaws and deal with their tricks and bad manners. I have a few tricks too which they don’t like which include getting out of the rickshaw when they try to bill me for a 20 minute stop at a gas station. But, airports normally offer the possibility of getting in a registered cab, and you can inform your friends or family what the cab number is just in case.

Martial arts are a good idea!
Indian women are not known for their acumen at violent sports. Neither are the guys for that matter. But, ladies who I know in India are routinely harrassed in parks, and by rickshaw drivers. It is a serious problem. In addition to pepper spray, women need to know how to defend themselves from a headlock, grabbing, or an oncoming bully. If enough women know how to defend themselves, the bullies will be afraid of everyone! Having a good command of Karate or Tai Quan Do is an excellent idea. Long ago I heard a story of a short Chinese lady who was attacked by three huge thugs in New York City. After about 2 seconds, the thugs lay lifeless on the ground. This tiny lady took them all out in the blink of an eye because she was a deadly martial arts master. In addition to Veena & Tabla lessons, some Kung Fu might not be a bad idea.

Plain clothes protectors
Conditions are so bad for ladies in India that they need separate cars on trains, and separate cabs, just to avoid being molested. Additionally, the government doesn’t provide clean places for ladies to go to the bathroom in public which is a huge problem. But, what if there were unmarked guards who roam around parks, railway stations, and roads to protect women from harrassment and other dangers. So many men go around India bothering women, that after a few months, these guards could arrest tens of thousands of these troublemaking rowdy gundas!

Summary
It is not safe for women to take cabs in India, or even go for a walk in the park, or down the street. However, women need to go to work, go shopping and get around. So, taking the right precautions makes sense. And I wish you luck. Just remember — use your newly found Karate skills on the bad guys, not on me!