Overused Buzz Words- The Waldo Factor, part 6

LinkedIn has released it's list of the ten most overused buzz words that show up on LinkedIn profiles, resumes, etc. In order, they are -

1) Creative
2) Organizational
3) Effective
4) Extensive experience
5) Track record           
6) Motivated
7) Innovative
8) Problem solving
9) Communication skills
10) Dynamic

Each of these terms has a use, but apparently, just about everyone likes and uses them.

Does this mean they necessarily should be removed from your profile? Not automatically, but if replacement terms can be used, you need to consider it. A simple thesaurus check in Word can yield some decent results:

Creative (original, inspired, resourceful, innovative)

Dynamic (lively, active, energetic, vibrant, self-motivated).

Your LinkedIn profile can potentially be seen by over 135,000,000 professionals, so it really needs to resonate with those you wish to influence. Feel free to be creative and experiment.

Using tired, overused terms and phrases does not make you stand out.

What can you do for 2012 to stand out in your niche?

SmartPay! The Federal Credit Card Program ROCKS!

I have been a huge fan of the federal credit card program since it started in 1989 (IMPAC in the 1990s, SmartPay since 1999) . I have written about it, spoken about it, even did the lunch speech at the MasterCard Government Financial Summit for the card program a couple years back.

The SmartPay program encompasses the purchase card, travel card, fleet card and the integrated card (a card which can do 2 or all 3 of the above functions).

In FY 2009 the Federal government spent $30 billion through the SmartPay program, with two-thirds of that going to the small purchase card - $19.9 billion. There were approximately 25,100,000 micro-purchases made with the SmartPay card.

The SmartPay program is great for many reasons.

First, it allows front line government personnel (civilian and military) to purchase goods and services when they need it without the painfully slow procurement process. The per-purchase limit (micro-purchase) is $3,000, so these people are not out there buying cars, buildings, etc. They are buying stuff they need to do their jobs. This actually ends up saving the government money (a cost-avoidance situation) because paper-based procurement costs mount up in personnel time used to do the procurement. The use of the SmartPay card avoids those costs.

Second, because of the total volume the government spends, each agency gets a rebate from the issuing bank.

Third, it allows companies without government contracts an opportunity to get some government business, including direct marketing companies, catalogers (especially BtoB catalogs), and even small-town main street type stores.

Any purchase under the $3,000 per-purchase limit (micro-purchase) does not require a government contract. And the SmartPay card can be used for the ARRA (stimulus) program.

I have consulted with over 50 open-market (non-contract) companies since the early 1990s about going after open market government business, and the results have been extraordinary. Several companies were able to ramp up to seven-figure annual business via the open market targeting micro-purchases. At least one company went into the eight-figure annual open market sales arena. My track record in this niche is unparalleled.

I have an article in a recent DM News on this you can read here:http://www.dmnews.com/government-credit-hasnt-dried-up/article/160372/


Two things: if you want to discuss what I can do for you, simply send me an email and we can set up a time to talk. Mark@FederalDirect.net

or here's the deal for companies that don't currently sell to the government but want to, and for companies that are selling to the government and would like to fine tune their efforts.

We will:

1) review your product/service category to determine the spend, see who the competition is, and determine how much each competitor is making;

2) define who the actual buyers are and how to best reach your target audience (direct mail, web-based activity, events, etc) with specific recommendations targeted to your niche, prioritize the agencies and offices to target;

3) determine if there is an opportunity for you under the stimulus program, and what it will take to pursue the stimulus funds;

4) discuss in realistic terms the resources you will need to successfully pursue government (Federal, state and local) business, including staff, training and other outside resources;

5) our recommended step-by-step action plan for your company, including the information you need for your web site to attract online government buyers;

6) include a one-year membership at http://www.governmentmarketmaster.com/ (an Amtower & Company web site that provides ongoing education on the government market; $499/yr value) - in effect a year long graduate course in B2G;

and as a bonus I will include my 4 CD set, The Ultimate Government Sales Jumpstart Program (priced separately at $195). And of course a signed copy of Government Marketing Best Practices, the best selling book on doing business with the government.

This is not boilerplate stuff - each report and action plan is customized for the client company. It will be delivered via a taped 60-90 minute teleseminar (which you will be able to download) with both a written report with a recommended action plan and a PowerPoint to use during the call.

The investment for this a one-time only special is $4,995, prepaid.

This is a "first-come, first scheduled" offer.


Get in touch with me ASAP if you want to take advantage of this. The anticipated response will fill my calendar for the next couple months.

And we do take credit cards.

Email me @ Mark@FederalDirect.net or call me @ 301 924 0058
to schedule your customized B2G research project and reference this blog post.


May you have a successful B2G 2010!


Mark

Twitter, and Blogging and LinkedIn – Oh My! Why to leverage social networking tools for smarter, faster and cheaper B2G marketing.

The basic goal of marketing is to get attention from a targeted audience, then to influence that audience in some positive (positive for you) way. If your job includes growing your pipeline and growing your business, gaining and retaining customers, growing your overall influence in your niche, and do so in a cost effective way – you need to read on.

If your job is to make sure you keep pace with your competitors or set the pace for your niche, you need to read this.

If you could reach key people in your niche, at least in part, with readily available tools that you can use yourself, would you seriously consider using the tools?

Oh, and did I mention they have a minimal cost?

LinkedIn, blogging and Twitter each represent low-cost and no-cost tools that allow you to reach and interact with targeted audiences.

While there is no doubt that social media has changed the marketing landscape, there are still many doubters and very slow adopters. And even for many of those who have adopted one or more of the social networking tools do not use them to anywhere near the full capacity.

In fact, many sign up and then sit and wait for something to happen.

I still have conversations with people who still maintain that LinkedIn is only for those seeking work, that blogging is for those who have way too much extra time on the hands and that Twitter is for Twits. These people, and their companies, are way too busy for peripheral activities like LinkedIn, blogging and Twitter.

As other media venues stagnate or shrinking, each of us still needs to reach key audiences. The information gathering habits of many in our market have changed and we must change with them.

I am only highlighting 3 tools here but there are many others in use and some just coming along. Webinars, podcasting, web radio and video, FaceBook, GovLoop, TFCN and many others are out there offer good-to-great value for those who leverage them properly.

Being on LinkedIn is no longer simply a ‘nice to have’ activity. If you are not there, you are in a rapidly shrinking minority. LinkedIn is a great venue for identifying key government influencers and those trying to sell to them- resellers, SIs, manufacturers and others. The entire roster of the top 100 contractors (the Washington Technology list) is represented on LinkedIn, as are most of the top GSA Schedule contractors. Overall there are over 50,000,000 professionals on LinkedIn. While not all are overly active, there is enough activity to merit your active participation.

In order to begin to use LinkedIn properly, your profile needs to be filled with enough information to get the attention of those who view it. I will address this at my December 7 B2G Social media event – see the link at the end of this post.

As of today (11/27/09) there are exactly 3,100 groups that have something to do with ‘government’ on LinkedIn. Aside from those, there are niche groups covering all manner of subject matter from various technologies, products and services. When you identify the right groups to join, you can share your thoughts, do research and otherwise participate in the discussions germane to your niche. Participation here raises your overall visibility in your niche and display an area of expertise.

Cost of participating on LinkedIn? $0. While there are paid levels for those wishing to use more tools, basic participation is free.

According to blogging diva Debbie Weil, blogging is different from conventional web sites because blogs are interactive, conversational in nature, created via an instant publishing platform (no IT staff required), offer an involvement factor that web sites lack, and can create a thought leadership position for the blogger. Web 2.0 thought leaders David Meerman Scott and Chris Brogan lead with their blogs. They post regularly (and intelligently) and both have developed massive followings as a result.

Blogs also allow you to truly position yourself as a niche master or thought leader in a specific niche. This occurs not by regurgitating information from other sources but by evolving your own thoughts on the niche and commenting on the positions of others as necessary.

Cost for blogging? There are both free and paid blogging tools, but even the paid ones are not expensive. Select the one that best suits your needs.

The one I personally have the hardest time with – Twitter is becoming clearer to me all the time. Chris Brogan’s blog on Twitter is a great place to start: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-business/ .

The first issue with Twitter for B2G is ‘are there really enough people in the government market using Twitter to make a difference?’ While open for debate, perhaps the best answer is the number continues to grow. The publications, service providers, many thought leaders and government contractors are officially tweeting on a regular basis, as are many government agencies.

Following some of the publications (WashTech and others) on Twitter allows you to get instant news updates, calendar reminders and more.

Twitter is becoming more and more widespread in B2G marketing and it can no longer be ignored.

Cost for tweeting? Twitter is free.

So why should you bother to engage in using these social networking tools? If your job includes growing your pipeline and growing your business, gaining and retaining customers, growing your overall influence in your niche, and do so in a cost effective way – you need to start using these tools on behalf of your company.

If your job is to make sure you keep pace with your competitors or set the pace for your niche, you need to be here.

If you need to know more, please consider attending our upcoming event on December 7 in Tysons Corner, Virginia:

http://www.governmentmarketmaster.com/events.html

Speaking in Beautiful Virginia Beach

On October 8, I flew down to Virginia Beach to speak to the Hampton Roads chapter of the American Marketing Association about using LinkedIn. It was a great group of about 75. One very proactive member, Andy Hilton (National Sales Manager - WAVY and WVBT at LIN Television) reached out to connect with me as soon as the topic and speaker were announced. Now if I ever need to know anything about buying TV time, I am connected to an expert.

The luncheon event was held at the new (and green!) Virginia Beach Convention Center. If you are looking for a great mid-Atlantic venue, you gotta check this place out! My contact there, Pamela Lingle (also connected to me on LinkedIn) would be happy to have someone show you around. And the food is great!

My friend, author and photographer Vincent Schilling, shot the event including the pictures here.

If you get the opportunity to speak at HRAMA, or just visit the Convention Center - take it. It is a nice place to visit and a wonderful crowd. And when you go, tell Andy, Pamela and Vincent that Amtower says "Hey!"

Me On (and in) LinkedIn - Why I Love LinkedIn

Like almost everyone else who has joined LinkedIn, I sat there for over a year and did not do much.

I would look at the screen and nothing would happen. I would lean my head against the screen and whisper "connect with me" and nothing would happen. Short of lighting incense and chanting, I was at a loss as to how to proceed.

Then a couple things happened. I read Jason Alba's book, I'm on LinkedIn, Now What? Then I read David Meerman Scott's The New Rules of Marketing and PR. I added the lessons from each and went (in April, 2007) from 150 contacts then to over 1,700 today, from 1 group to 50 (yes, 50) groups, from no Q&A to "Best Answers" in 10 categories and being a regular Q&A user, from 5 recommendations to over 200, from a flat, short profile to one that, when printed, runs over 40 pages!

In short, from not having a clue to starting to maximize the value of this really incredible tool.

In my August 2008 seminar (Government Marketing Best Practices, version 7.0) I stated that any business magazine or association that does not have a social media back end is doomed, because they are natural online and offline communities.

Today, hundreds of of business publications and associations have groups on LinkedIn.

Why LinkedIn?

It is the ONLY major social media platform designed for business professionals. It is a natural home for business groups and publications.

It is also a grossly under-utilized tool for many of those registered, but like me 2 years ago, these are people waiting for something to occur. Don't wait - act!

I share my lessons learned in a 3 Cd set. It says it is for "B2G" (business-to-government), my market. But the lessons apply to anyone.

Plug the CDs into your computer, get on to your LinkedIn account, and listen to the CDs while you navigate LinkedIn. Start maximizing the value of this totally cool tool for you and your business.

Good luck!

http://federaldirect.net/order2008gmbp.html

GovTips

GovTip of the week:
There are thousands of government contractors on LinkedIn. Many of these are open to connecting with other contractors directly and through the groups on LinkedIn. Listen to the free audio on using LinkedIn for B2G at http://www.governmentmarketmaster.com/sampleaudio.html


There are a ton of events, emails, blogs, podcasts and other "information" sources that only seem to regurgitate readily available info. Many of these venues still get it wrong, mangling the facts, adding opinion as fact, or worse, perpetuating market myths.

Since 1991, I have produced over 120 events (seminars, conferences, summits, in-house sessions and more) to provide real, actionable information on doing business with the government. When I don't know something, I find those who do, experts like Steve Charles (a sales and contracting expert and EVP at ImmixGroup), Courtney Fairchild (GSA expert and president of Global Services, Inc), Max Peterson (Federal sales expert and VP, Civilian, Dell), Bob Davis (business development expert formerly of CACI and Accenture), and many others.

Many of these people have presented at Amtower & Company events, some have been featured on my radio show (noon Monday, Amtower Off Center, 1500 AM in DC, archived and simulcast at http://www.federalnewsradio.com/ ).

And now we are accumulating the vast majority of this information at http://www.governmentmarketmaster.com/ . This is a paid member site, but the cost is low and there is new information every month - podcasts and webinars.

Take a look.

Content guy as a keynoter

I am a good speaker, but not a great speaker. I am known for content - stuff you can use, either right then and there, or whenever (if ever) you get to it.

But I am a content guy, not a polished platform guy.

Overall, I think it's fair to say that I am not your usual conference speaker. I dress in all black, wear cowboy boots (or black sneakers), and don't wear ties. I am easy to find as I am not small and dress this way all the time.

Yet I am the keynote at the SEWP conference next week. For those of you who don't know what SEWP is, the NASA SEWP (Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement) GWAC (Government-Wide Acquisition Contract) provides the latest in Information Technology (IT) products for all Federal Agencies. It is a truly great government contract and it hosts it's own event every year, and they asked me to keynote.

Who was I to say "no"?

So when I speak in Austin on Tuesday to kick off this event, I will tell them up front that this is not your typical keynote and that note taking is encouraged. I will give them some info they can use, if they so choose, or ignore. You can lead a horse to water....

And I will report back here next week to let you know how I did and what I told 'em.

Some current and upcoming B2G Stuff

A couple items of interest to the B2G community.

My friends at World Wide Technology are hosting a webinar on Putting Stimulus Doallrs to Work:
http://www.wwt.com/external_content/stimulus_registration.html
WWT is a major provider of Cisco, Sun and other high-end IT products to the government.

The Montgomery County (Maryland) Chamber and its GovConNet program is hosting a Procurement Conference and Expo Wed May 13 - here is the link:
http://www.montgomerycountychamber.com/pubs/main/Procurement_Confer_1.cfm
The lineup is very impressive.

My friends at Onvia are hosting a webinar on May 20, 2009
https://onviaevents.ilinc.com/perl/ilinc/lms/register.pl?activity_id=pwmyvmp&user_id=
This is regarding the economic recovery initiatives that are under way. Onvia is always a good source for this information. Onvia Webcast: Recovery Projects are Underway – How to Secure your Success.

I am back on StartUpNation
http://www.startupnation.com/articles/9439/1/government-contracting-gsa-schedules.htm

For those of you not familiar with http://www.startupnation.com/, is is an information portal for new and small businesses, filled with articles, podcasts, etc, from a variety of niche experts. Take a little time to browse the site.

I am also in the current Maryland Daily Record in an article regarding private business clubs - see
http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article.cfm?id=11411&type=UTTM

Oracle buys Sun

The NY Times reports Sun has been purchased by Oracle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/technology/companies/21sun.html?_r=1&ref=technology&pagewanted=print

What does this mean for the government market? Until 9/30/09 (end of FY) - nothing. The deal won't close until summer anyway, and no one wants to disrupt ANY end-of-FY deals. But they will be disrupted to some degree.

Any pending deals for Sun's competitors are now in some jeopardy, as Sun now has the financial solvency of Oracle behind it. With a compelling product and solvency, Sun is now poised to regain marketshare.

And Oracle's recent deals with Dell and HP? One can assume that these will not be vigorously pursued, but stranger things have happened.

And what does this mean for the various channel partners (VARs, SIs, etc) of Oracle and Sun, who are not always the same players?

This deal will be very interesting to watch as it unfolds.

Not that I have an opinion.

To (Social) Network, or Not to Network

This morning I attended a great event put on by Market Connections on winning government business. The panel was comprised of 4 market professionals and the Editor of Washington Technology (this is not to imply the editor is not a market pro, but he is a journalist, the others are front line folks). Lisa Dezzutti presented findings of the recent Market Connection studies on how contractors are marketing - great stuff and now my weekend reading! It was a great event for networking and the info was top notch.

I got to ask a couple questions near the end - so I asked how many people in the room were on LinkedIn. Of the 75 or so B2G market pros, and nearly all raised their hands. Then I asked how many heard about the event on LinkedIn. About half had their hands up.

Several times over the past month or so I have run across those who think LinkedIn is

- a joke
- a job site
- a time waster
- full of people living in the parental basement

And if they think this way about LinkedIn, what do they think of Facebook and Twitter?

And yes, despite my rant last month, I am still on Facebook, and using it a little. I am also now on Twitter and have about 260 followers. I also use www.FederalContractor.us, www.GovLoop.com, www.BeltwayNetworker.com and a few others.

But LinkedIn remains my social networking focus.

I am not here to convert those who remain convinced of the above myths about whether or no social networks are useful ("Maybe they are for some, Mark, but not in my area...." is the typical whiny remark.)

I do not care if you do not wish to migrate where the world is moving.

I do not care if you want your business to operate under marketing rules that were dying in the 1990s.

I do not care if you are brainstorming in a closet with a like-minded sycophant.

The market, and marketing, moves with or without us.

I prefer being on the bus before it leaves the station.

If you prefer otherwise, do not whine to me about it.

And if you are not on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twiter, GovLoop, FederalContracting or BeltwayNetworking, you may not be hearing about to many events in the future.

Not that I have an opinion.

Why People are leery of events, part 4, and FaceBook

Back in Feb I wrote about the Economic Recovery event being offered in DC. I wrote about this 3 times, as it appeared to be a non-event, with no speakers and no real information. When you went to the web site, there was vistually nothing there; no real agenda, no speakers, etc. And then the venue kept changing and getting (seemingly) smaller.

Well, they are back, and the subject line in the email was "Register Now - Billions in New Spending!" and the email was from "Recovery Summit ". This is now a 2 day event which desribes itself this way: "The American Economic Recovery Summit is designed to introduce the specifics of the federal government’s massive economic recovery programs to American business and to the American people. "

I have yet to find someone's name associated with ANY of the emails that have gone out on this. Nor have any speakers been identified.

Draw your own conclusion. I have drawn mine.

***

re: My Facebook rants, also from February., in regard to facebook's privacy snafu. Well, I did not pull out of Facebook. A number of rasons, not the leats of which is there are many people there, who, for some reason, are not on LinkedIn. So, I am still there (sort of under protest), but I still concentrate the bulk of my social networking efforts at LinkedIn. Ahead of Facebook, the Federal Contracting Network (http://www.federalcontractor.us/) is now my #2 network.

Not that I have an opinion.

Book World & Washington Post Revisited

In the Washington Post (Sunday, March 8) in both the Business and Outlook sections, there are book reviews. Outlook has eight (one starting on the front page, with pages 6 and 7 devoted to books - history, a memoir. science and more The Business section has one in Michelle Singletary's column.

Keep it up, folks! It isn't book world, but they are trying. I've got to give credit to them and would love to see still more.

Is Space Advertising Dead?

I just received a question from a government marketing pro I have known for a long time, one I respect tremendously. Here is the question:

"Mark, Is print advertising going to be dead in federal IT over the next 12 to 18 months? I still see print as a big brand building tool for folks like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, etc.yes it needs to be integrated with online and new media but it will never be replaced. Am I way off base?"

Here is my response:

"Your instincts tell you the same thing mine tell me. Space ads are already on life support and anyone telling a different story is living in a fantasy world. Possible space will die, but hopefully not. Can the big companies afford to the let print venues die? I don't think so, as none seem to have a strategy to live without them and their (the pubs) ability to reach a very broad audience. Last August (in my Government Marketing Best Practices seminar- http://www.federaldirect.net/order2008gmbp.html) I said that trade (niche) publications that did not adopts social networking strategy would die. There is still time - but they have to move FAST!!!"

In the GMBP seminar last summer, I pointed out that trade publications (and trade associations) serve a niche, a community of people who share a market. These commonalities are perfect for creating a social network so the proactive professionals in that community could better interact. Further, I said that these communities were going to occur with or without the publications. I said straight out that trade publications and associations that do not adopt a social network on the back end of their publication or group would cease to exist. Information dissemination and digestion is changing, and it is changing fast.

Since that time we have seen the birth of two social networks in our market: www.FederalContractor.us (aka TFCN, The Federal Contractor Network, which serves the contractor community) and www.GovLoop.com (which serves primarily a Federal employee audience, with some contractors). These are robust forums and each is growing.

I don't think we can afford to see the demise of trade publications, as the quality of the information they provide is critical to the decision making process in the government and contracting communities - in our shared community. Each of the publications that serve this market provides the vital intellectual nourishment required for us to collectively grow.

I am not referring to unfettered, unregulated growth of government spending. I am referring to the growth of a joint community that better serves the needs of the government and us as citizens.

Your thoughts are welcome.

End of Week Notes

The Government Media and Marketing Networking Reception is Tuesday, Feb 24 at 7:30 AM at the Tower Club is Vienna, VA. To register, go here - http://www.eventbrite.com/event/263857204. I would suggest registering now as this may sell out. This is a reception - not a lecture. You can meet and talk to editors, reporters, radio hosts and a few PR folks. Tony Welz & Evan Weisel put on great events. If you attend, look for me.

My radio show Monday (noon, 1500 AM, simulcast at www.FederalNewsRadio.com ) features Louis Numkin and Gretchen Morris of FISSEA, the Federal Information Systems Security Educators Association. The 22nd annual FISSEA conference will be held at the Gaithersburg, MD Capus of NIST March 24-26. These are great people who work tirelessly to get the word out on computer security in federal agencies. They also provide in-agency education on all things related to computer security and are big advocates of the various security certifications available. I have been watching them for almost 20 years, ever since Lynn McNulty (who then worked in Dr Jim Burrows Computer Security Lab at NIST) told me about them around 1991. Time flies when you're having fun!

The ASBC held two Business Over Breakfast events this week: the usual one at the Tower Club on Wednesday (with over 40 people), and then one this morning at La Madeline in Columbia, MD (with about 12 people). I was lucky enough to atend both. If you haven't attended one, come next Wed to the Tower Club, but pre-register at www.TheASBC.org .

I also was at the Tower Club Thursday meeting with Bob Gosselin of EMC. While we were in the dining room, at the same time The Washington Breakfast Club (part of the ASBC) was hosting an SRO crowd across the lobby in the Fairfax Room...

This past Monday I had a one-on-one meeting with the Howard County (MD) BRAC Director, Kent Mesner. BRAC plans are proceeding and will certainly impact the national capitol area on both sides of the river. If Mr Mesner's name sound familiar, he went under the title Colonel Mesner when he was commander of Fort George G Meade.....

Why I Am Leaving Facebook

On the front page of the Baltimore Sun today there is an article titled "Facebook Faceoff" - an article that details Facebook's change in its privacy policy.

From the 2/18/09 Baltimore Sun, page 1:

"The change allows Facebook to keep user content such as photos and phone numbers even if members delete their accounts. Under the old terms, the license expired when users left Facebook."

The changes occurred quietly on Feb 4 but there is now a huge outcry. Again, according to the Sun, Facebook's Chief Exec said:

"We wouldn't share your information in a way you wouldn't want."

And just, pray tell, how the hell do you know what I want???

Their objective, apparently, is "continuity" - so others can continue to contact you. Well, continuity boy, I am easy to find on the web, and Facebook is one place you will no longer find me. While I am fairly certain they will reverse this policy, they will do it without yours truly. Amtower is leaving the building.

Adios Facebook. Here's hoping you soon become a footnote on how not to do things in social networking.

IMMEDIATE UPDATE:
Facebook apparently did reverse it's policy
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=54746167130
but if you read this carefully - they are far from done. I am maintaining my decision to vacate facebook altogether and concentrate on (in order of importance to my business) LinkedIn, The Federal Contracting Network, GovLoop, Plaxo and possibly PerfectNetworker. You can also find me at Twitter - http://twitter.com/amtower

Social Networking Myths and Voluntary Ignorance

Recently I have had conversations with alleged industry thought leaders and mavens who are loathe to acknowledge social networking as a legitimate business tool. As a result, these people are being marginalized and replaced without knowing why or how this is happening as well as that it is happening. These people are not simply not participating in social networks, but actively demean social networks and those who use them at every possible turn. This type of voluntary ignorance will result in the Darwinian elimination of these people as thought leaders.

These people are assuming several things about social networks predicated on outdated notions that may have been true when MySpace was the only network out there. These myths are perpetuated by the voluntarily ignorant, but that’s OK – they are simply making way for a new generation of thought leaders while they themselves face extinction.

Among the myths believed are

- all social networks are like MySpace and are filled with childish ramblings and pictures of people drinking in their underwear
- LinkedIn, MySpace - they're all the same
- anyone on a business social network is just looking for a job
- there are no legitimate connections to be made on these time-wasters
- they are only for people under 25
- social networks are not secure
- if you join you’ll just get more spam
- I can do all that stuff much better offline
- the “conversations” on social networks are vacuous and of no business use
- and on and on

I will not attempt to refute these on a line-by-line basis, but suffice it to say that those who believe these and other myths have missed the Web 2.0 boat, and they will be staying on Fantasy Island a while longer.

It is not incumbent upon me to attempt to educate the voluntarily ignorant, especially when they are obstinate in their ignorance. I have halted my efforts in educating these people and as a result have reevaluated their position in my universe.

When they marginalize social networks and those using them, they have marginalized themselves in a way that they may never see.

When and if they finally get a clue and test the Web 2.0 waters, they will find themselves not only behind the curve technologically, but out of the thought leadership loop they thought they were driving.

Not that I have an opinion....

End of Week Notes

The Meet/Network with the B2G Press event I referenced a few days ago now has a web site for registration - http://www.eventbrite.com/event/263857204. I would suggest registering early as this will sell out. If you attend, look for me.

My radio show Monday (2/2/09) will feature Bob Woods, CEO of Topside Consulting (www.topside-consulting.com). Bob is a former Federal CIO (GSA, VA, others) and we thoroughly discuss what the transition means to both senior Feds and the contractor community. This is a good interview. The show airs at noon Monday on 1500 AM in Washington, DC and is simulcast on www.FederalNewsradio.com, where it will also be archived. On Monday, Feb 9, my guest will be Kevin Plexico of Input.

I will be in the February issue of Washington Technology...comes out Monday.

At another 1105 media property, Wyatt Kash, editor in chief of Government Computer News (www.GCN.com , also takes the top spot at Defense Systems magazine (http://defensesystems.com) while retaining his role at GCN.

And in case you missed it, I was also featured at www.TheStreet.com
http://www.thestreet.com/story/10458382/1/the-government-as-a-rich-business-client.html

Have a great weekend!

Washington Post's "Book World" Vacates the Buidling

The Washington Post announced today that Book World would no longer be a stand alone supplement in the Sunday newspaper. The paper said it would continue book reviews in the Style and Outlook sections of the paper. Katherine Graham, former Post chief executive, once said "the mark of a good newspaper is its book section." I will not pass judgement until I see what the Post does, but I do not hold out high hopes. I don't blame the Post - this was simply a business decision made by someone who does not feel the same as Mrs Graham. This move will, though, contribute to the decline of reading in America.

Book World was always my "first read" on Sunday. I read between 75-100 books each year, roughly balanced between history, biography, business and fiction, and it was always fun to see the top 10 lists for DC readers. My "to read" stack is always high.

The Post rarely covered business books, though, regardless of how popular or good they might be. A couple days ago I started to fill this niche in my own way, with a section at one of my web sites to be called "Amtower on Business Books" - or something along those lines.

The first interview/review is already up -
http://epiphanybook.com/scottinterview.html
and it is an audio interview (downloadable) with David Meerman Scott on his upcoming World Wide Rave, to be released the first week of March. David provided me one of the advance copies and I have already read it twice (that only counts as once on my "75-100" list). This is a great book and a pretty good interview.

I have already scheduled the next interview/review, which will be with my long-time friend Robert W (Bob) Bly, perhaps the most prolific business author today (with over 75 books). I will be talking with Bob about his excellent new book, Persuasive Presentations for Business. I will interview him early next week and the review will be up by next Friday. I have many of Bob's book in my business library (downstairs in the office; the fiction library is upstairs). This book is an excellent resource for anyone in business, as we all need some help when it comes to speaking.

I hope to do at least one of these every month.

A survey I read about in the Post said that one in four adults read no books last year (the study was in 2008). Most only read one book per year. Enough said.

RUMOR ALERT:
Actually this is more than a rumor. FOSE cornerstone exhibitors CDWG and Microsoft will not be exhibiting this year. The FOSE web site lists only 248 vendors signed up so far and many biggies are missing. Others AWOL include PC Mall and GTSI. Despite massive early web PR (starting last summer, and inlcuding the prerecorded phone call I had over the weekend), overall interest in FOSE seems to be way down. Even with the merger of the show with GovSec (they say it is two different shows in the same place at the same time, but it is really one big event), I look for attendance to be down.

Other major events, like MacWorld, have announced they are folding - and Apple has something other shows did not - truly raving, incense-burning fans with little Steve altars in dark corners of their basements. Mac-ism is a cult bordering on a religion.

On LinkedIn people are asking if the Comsumer Electronics Show (CES) is done. Has the day of the mega-event passed? Or will it morph? Is this something we want to save?

With all the Web 2.0 tools out there, any show that wants to stay alive better be seeking the help advice, buyoff from the significant bloggers, podcasters and tweeters in their respective markets.

It is time once again to recognize the good, the bad, the ugly and the just plain silly in the world of Washington, DC, the Hill and doing business with the government with my occasional AMMIE Awards. The AMMIES are for recognition either ‘above and beyond’, or ‘beneath and barely believable’. There is no committee for selection, these are purely my choices. There is no statue or plaque - simply a public acknowledgement of a job well-done, undone, or shouldn't have been done. These were announced on my radio show, Monday, January 12 on WFED, 1500 AM.

First – true public service recognition: in 2008 two extraordinary women announced their intention to leave public service: Diedre Lee – who left FEMA in early 2008, and Karen Evans, who left OMB in late 2008, or maybe she’s still there for another week or so. In any case, these are two people who had a positive impact – Dee Lee in procurement and Karen Evans in IT. These ladies get the AMMIE for a Job Truly Well Done.

Second, Congress getting the SSSSBD Award for giving itself a pay raise in the worst economy in our history without having to vote on it – the get the Sneaky, Slimy Self-Serving Back Door AMMIE for giving itself more money when so many have so little.

Third, the SBA gets the Spin of the Year AMMIE for the December press release on the accomplishments of the Bush Administration in the area of small biz. Suffice it to say that there was enough spin in this document to reverse the course of history.

Fourth, and finally, to possibly former senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota. The day after the election, with a couple hundred vote lead, he called on his opponent comedian and radio host Al Franken to concede. Now, with the recount apparently done, and being behind by about 200 votes, Mr Coleman is threatening legal action. For those who do not recall, Mr Coleman is also the guy who lost the Governor race to radio host and former wrestler Jesse Ventura about ten years ago> This affords Mr Coleman the unique position of being only person in American political history to lose to both a comedian and a professional wrestler, winning him the Rodney Dangerfield I Can’t get No Respect AMMIE.