I’m right now in the middle of reading a book and it just occured to me how reading a book, hearing a special speaker at a meeting, listening to a podcast or attending a class will often help me do one thing but not the thing I expect. We often expect to go into a place of instruction or ispiration with hopes of getting a list or special formula for acheiving a special task however I have found that I am often fortune to get one good nugget of information I can take with me and use.

Our brains can only hold so much stuff. They say at one time we can only remember 7 things at a maxium. That is one reason telephone numbers are set up they way they are. Even better is a 3 or 4 step process. Even with taking good notes their is usually one thing we hear or see that inspire us to take further action.

What helps you get your focus?

Are you providing opportunities for customers or other people to focus or are you dumping too much information and confusing people?

Does your logo, web site, business card, photos, etc. help people remember that “one thing” or do they get overwhelmed with a long list of products and services?

One of my biggest pet peeves in both new and old media is seeing the same thing or formula day after day. Soap Operas have often been a target of many a joke with people saying they could watch one episode a year and not really miss anything. Several radio talk show hosts are guilty of this as well. I’ve all but stopped listening to certain radio shows not because of their political or philosophical stance but rather I feel it’s a waste of time hearing the same thing over and over again. I’m probably going to get into deep water and offend some people by saying this but one radio show that is guilty of this is the Dave Ramsey Show. Before I say anything critical I love and deeply appreciate Dave’s stance and principle of being debt free. I also appreciate how is confronts callers who try to make excuses for their debt behavior however as a listen I have noticed the show does get into a formula of sorts and while kind of “cute and funny” in the beginning playing the “FREEDOM!!!” sound clip from the movie, Braveheart gets extremely old to the point I want to shout, “Enough Already! I get it!”

In the 90’s The Ken Hamblin show was on the local talk radio station in my city. Ken’s referred to himself as the “Black Avenger” and in my opinion he tried to bring home the point he was black (or African American if you prefer that term but he said “black) and conservative. I “got it” the first few times listening but hearing anything over and over and over again can be a big turn off. Maybe the mindset in radio is repetition because they are expecting turnover ever so often but in the past few years I have had the opportunity to listen to many more hosts and read writers either in the new media through blogs and podcasts or in the old media of print journalism or broadcast media and I have enjoyed and stayed a long time reader. listener or viewer as a result of the hosts or writers “keeping it fresh.” Here are some of the things I have noticed that have kept things fresh for content producers;

• A catch phrase at the beginning or end of the show is fine but don’t let such stuff “hog up” the whole presentation
• Respond and comment on current events - people are often in “shock” during times of change. Help them cope with your unique product or service
• Avoid stereotypes, cliches and out of style terms
• Dare to be eclectic - a local auto repair shop has a radio show hosted by the owner who also loves classical music which he uses for bumper music. Definitely not a stereotype and the unique mix doesn’t get old. BTW, The show is know as the Driving Line and is now available as a podcast. I highly recommend it.
• Be known for consistently surprising your audience in a good way.

How do you keep it fresh and what experiences have you had with encountering things that “got old” way too quick?

Ok, technically our company has not been around since 1801 but something that happened in 1801 that influenced many aspects of our business and maybe even the economic development of the area we live and work in. One of my favorite series of documentaries growing up was Connections hosted by James Burke and this tale of how an innovation in the early days of the 19th Century basically made us who we are today.

Jacquard’s Web by James Essinger tells the story how a hand loom led to the birth of the information age. The book covers a lot more than just one man’s attempt to automate the fine art of spinning silk but also chronicles the birth of the information age in a time you may not have thought any serious computing was going on. No, it wasn’t electronic computing as we know it with circuit boards and wires but this was a time when computer programming was born. On the left you will see a photo of the Jacquard loom with the early 19th century punch cards that made the automation of spinning intricate designs possible.

This is fascinating to me as a Greenvillian because at one time Greenville,SC was known as the textile capital of the world. A place where a lot of “computer programming” was going on and most people did not even realize it. I’m proud that our company name is somewhat inspired by this innovation that occurred over two centuries ago. This area of the United States is not only home to many web developers but we are a budding center of innovation and technology. I’m thankful we have a great networking and educational group like the GSATC to provides many opportunities to network and learn from other technology professionals and innovators. While textiles is not the prominent business in the Upstate that it once was you will discover that Greenville is even more of a technology center with such companies as BMW and Michelin as well as centers like ICAR.

If you are the least bit interested in either the history of computing, textile or innovation I encourage you to read Jacquard’ Web. What are some surprising things you have learned about your industry? What lessons of innovation and inspiration can you glen from the historical ties to what you are doing today?

You can now view Greenville,SC and surrounding areas in a whole new way. Google Street View is now available in the Greenville,SC area. In the photo her you can see our office. The technical address for our office is 1 Cleveland Street, Suite 203 in Greenville, SC however our office is on the second floor of a building known as the ARP Center. The ARP is the administrative offices of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church denomination. Two of our clients, World Witness and Outreach North America are also located in this building. Our office is my easily accessed via the Camperdown Way side of the building as seen in this photo. For those familiar with Greenville we are located between the Chamber of Commerce, Falls Park and the School District of Greenville County Office building.

We’re very thankful to have such a centrally located place of business. It’s a pleasure to take a walk to Falls Park at lunch time or to take another short walk to attend an event at the Chamber of Commerce. You can find out more about our location and explore surround areas via the Google Map below. Feel free to click on the arrows along the street in the photo as well as click and drag on the image below to spin around and go for a drive around town!

View Larger Map

That was the question someone asked me the other day as I was standing in the order line at the Subway restaurant near my office in downtown Greenville,SC. The reason I was asked that by a complete stranger was I was wearing my black golf shirt that had our company name and logo on it. Actually it was the name of our “portal domain” - SpinningSilk.com and our old logo but regardless of the specific details the name caught the eye of someone as something slightly unusual and out of the ordinary. When I told him we provided web design services the initial reaction was; “I’ve noticed the are a lot of those around.” reminding me that we definitely have a lot of competition in the market. This opened up the door to say we also provide print design, audio and video services. This was definitely an elevator speech moment.

In the world of textiles silk is finer, stronger and more lightweight that a lot of the other materials out there. While silk is used for a lot of delicate things it is probably the least wimpy of fibers. For those of you readers outside the Greenville, South Carolina area it might be worth noting that Greenville was once known as the Textile Capital of the World. I know at least two other competitors who have textile themed names. Neither have nothing to do with web design or other new media services. It’s just a guess but while the current technology is exciting and fun to use I would bet the idea behind out company name is anchored in a concept of visual imagery instead of focusing on one product or service. Just as Apple, Inc. was not called “Cupertino Computers” we decided to brand ourself in a similar manner.

I didn’t excel in the way I would have wanted to but I did learn a few key things from that brief encounter. The other person was expecting something different and remarkable from our company name. Did I let him down? Should I have even mentioned we provide web design services when in his eyes and and in the eyes of many it doesn’t seem so unusual anymore, at least in the Upstate of South Carolina? I place where textile creations were also common place.

In my next encounter I will meet or exceed the expectations of the inquisitive person standing next to me in line. More than likely I will down play specific services and address the “pains” that are out there. Speaking of spinning silk my next post will look back on the year 1801, a famous silk spinner and he help usher in the computer revolution. A computer revolution that made complex designs in textiles using silk a reality.

Are you using your company name to capture the attention of people you meet? How?