In one of the business groups I belong to, a recent message contained the following sentiment:
>
> but I have been holding off until I have a “perfect product.”
>
This is an easy procrastination trap to fall into.

There is a very fine line to walk here regarding creating a high quality product for release and hanging on until it is *just right/perfect*.

I ask myself whether the changes I want to make:

1) are important to the end user’s experience

2) will have a significant effect on the marketing (such as having a quality picture on the cover)

If the answers to these questions are *No*, then I decide whether the issues I want to change are worthwhile in the long run…

*Perfect* is not a reasonable expectation…

*Extremely High Quality* is a reasonable aspiration! *VeryBigGrin*

My motto for 2007 is *Finished is Better than Perfect*

Does this mean that I am producing poor quality product? Not at all!

What it does mean is that I stop futzing with it, once I have achieved *Extremely High Quality*…

Does it meant that there are some things that I would have preferred to do differently? Sometimes…

I just start a list and apply those points to the next product, and also plan on considering those changes, should it make sense to revise the initial product.

Sharing the Road to Success!

Tink

If you have been considering dabbleing in Web Video, this might be just what you need to get started.

An online friend of mine just released this report:

*Make Your Videos Sell By Lighting Them Professionally for Just Cents on the Dollar*

http://tinyurl.com/2dts5r

I just bought it. It is only $7 and I decided to share the joy!

Quentin is considered an online expert in Web Audio and this Video information meets his usual high standards. I know that I will be doing web video in the future, and this looks like it will give me the starting info that I needed…

I am already spending LOTS of time online researching (especially with 3 TNNA classes in June), so being able to spend just a few dollars and get off to a running start seemed like a real bargain.

After looking it over, I thought that I would take the time to offer more info about it, and possibly aid in the decision making process!

Let me preface this by saying that I have a technical theatre and design background but very little video experience… I know just enough to know that I know nothing!

I have been asking MANY questions of a friend who works in video and trying to glean info from him on how I could do a lot of this myself… and with minimal investment… Note, also that my friend has ZERO web video experience! LOL

Anyway, here is my analysis:

As a stage lighting designer, I know that lighting is critical, but I do have limited resources… being shown a step by step way to produce lighting on my own was quite welcome. I especially appreciated the comparison of florescent vs tungsten.

The step by step photographs for the light assembly and wiring mean that either Jeffrey or I can do it ourselves, always a plus in my book!

The light stand solution, for those of us without access to professional equipment, was also extremely useful. Jeffrey and I had been talking about what we could use, and this looks like a good possibility.

We had also been considering different cameras. Now that I know what Quentin suggests, I can use it as a starting place for my research.

Fortunately, it looks as though my computer will be capable of video editing once I look into getting a video editing card. Again, this gives me a starting point when talking to Freddie, my computer guy.

The 7 Tips section will sure save me time and effort. From my theatre experience, I know that this type of planning is essential, and yes I could certainly figure it out by trial and error, but my time is valuable and for $7, I am coming out WAAAY ahead.

When I started working with Audio online about 4 years ago I spent MANY hours researching… having Quentin feed me the Cliff Notes/study guide for Streaming Audio was, again, a time and energy saver for me…

The evaluation of 10 online Video sharing services (each is evaluated by interface, editing features, the sharing mechanism, and a final verdict based on experience) was again, worth more than $7 in research time and effort… FOR ME!

Right now, my most limited resource is time, and let me tell you, this is saving me a LOT of hours of basic research. Will it answer all of my questions? No, but I now have a starting point to continue my research, and more importantly, I better know what questions to ask.

With this in mind, I consider my $7 well spent… however I also realize that it may not be helpful for everybody. Certainly, if I were a professional videographer with years of experience, about the only useful info might be the evaluation of the online video options…

This report was released as part of a new marketing method which directs payment to the person making the recommendation. Because of that, it took me some time, but I have finally figured out a way to give a link that pays Quentin, rather than me, so here it is… just call me blonde!

http://videohomelighting.com

Or here is my link:

http://tinyurl.com/2dts5r

Anyway, this will give an ordering option to anyone who feels that I should not benefit from a recommendation.

I don’t mind since my primary purpose was to make a good resource available to others.

HTH,
Tink
Not a Video Professional! LOL

I got up this morning and started reading the groups I belong to and was disheartened to see that a very valuable member of one of the groups had decided to leave.

I am seeing a disturbing pattern of behavior on a number of the business groups that I belong to. It seems that someone will post factual, but possibly controversial or just unpleasant information. Members are very quick to take offense and take the information personally, even when the post is simply offering general information.

I have even seen a member take strong exception to a valuable answer being tersely written!

So far, the extreme examples of this behavior have been limited to groups where I am just a member and not the owner, but I’m finding the results heartbreaking, none the less!

One of the specialty groups is relatively new, and most of the members posting are not experienced in this area. However, I know of three experienced professionals who were lurking, and have since left because of discord on that list.

In another instance, the member who was providing information and was attacked had made arrangements for the president, design coordinator, and three company designers to join the group and contribute. She had forwarded list digests to the president so that he could observe how the group functioned, without realizing that those digests contained some particularly venomous attacks (she read the messages online and was behind in her reading). Needless to say, the president decided his company would not participate in the group.

I think that there are several important lessons to be learned here…

1) It has been my experience that when I read something and have a knee-jerk reaction, it is because that message is hitting a little too close to home!

These are business groups, and if I’m serious about my business I need to be willing to take the bad news along with the good news. This means if I knee-jerk, when I read a message, I need to consider why I’m reacting this way. Attacking the person who wrote the message is not beneficial for anyone. Clearly, the problem is my own.

Frankly, I’m at the stage in my life when I realize that what I don’t want to hear is usually what I most need to hear. This is business, and denying the unpleasant stuff I don’t want to hear is not heping me or anybody else!

2) We also need to realize that valuable, thoughtful posts take time to write. (This one took almost 90 minutes) Many of us who are contributing to these lists are doing this in between getting our regular work done. I know that often times I have to decide whether taking an hour or more to write a reply in the middle of a busy day is worthwhile. When you add in the time needed to sugarcoat the information, it becomes an exercise in futility. More and more, if I realize that my information is likely to be unpleasant, I decide it’s not worth my time to contribute and then be attacked or berated for the post.

The fact of the matter is, I’m one of the lucky ones and I rarely get drive-by e-mails, so it is no wonder folks who get more reaction are deciding that it’s not worth participating.

3) If the topic is one with no resolution in sight, then simply agree to disagree…

Group members are adults and can make their own decisions based on the messages posted or invest their own time to do additional research.

Just walk away, Renee! (Note, for those humor challenged groups, this is a musical reference, not finger pointing!)

4) Finally, don’t shoot the messenger, either on the groups or in off-list emails… shooting the messenger can have long term consequences to the overall health of the group! (Another attempt to insert some levity into this topic…)

Do I think that these business groups are useful? Yes, I do, that’s why I’m hanging in here and trying to make a difference!

Have I been questioning whether it is worth my time? Yes!

Certainly, communication that is written can be easily misinterpreted. That is a commonly recognized problem with e-mail and online groups. However, in the case of business groups, I feel that it is the responsibility of the group members reading the messages to keep from flying off the handle! If you really strongly react negatively to a message, then don’t reply until you’ve had time to consider it.

Have I got good news for you!

For once, the little guy has the advantage! If you are the decision maker for your business, and you don’t have to answer to a bureaucracy… you have a myriad of exciting opportunities and marketing tools available!

People are finally coming to realize the Internet is a personality driven communications medium. Needlework is a personality driven industry. This is a match made in heaven!

There are many facets to this, and I address a number of them in my classes at TNNA.

My new class is: Understanding the Differences between Online and Offline Marketing
This class is designed to help Independent Retailers examine the issues involved in marketing their shops both online and offline; to identify the similarities, understand the differences, and learn to apply strategies to succeed in both!

As I have been preparing for this class, I am realizing how very important it is. At the point that I suggested the class topic, I felt that I was fairly savvy about understanding the differences between off-line and online marketing. I now realize that I was just as guilty as of making assumptions as everybody else!

This class has two sessions, one meeting Thursday afternoon, and the other on Friday morning

My second class is: How to Wow - Understanding the 7 Factors that make Needlework Retail Unique
There are seven important factors that are unique to Needlework Retail. When understood and harnessed, these points will guide your marketing efforts and help point the way to new merchandising strategies. Learn how to make these unparalleled components work for you!

I taught this class in June and I feel that it offers a valuable perspective for independent retailers. It deals with many offline issues as well as addressing online strategies. It is scheduled for Thursday evening and Friday morning.

I will be asking those attending these classes for their input on what other class topics they would like to have me develop!

Sharing the Road to Success!

Tink

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