Remain Relevant in Changing Times

Blook 'em, Dano. Are you

Blook 'em, Dano. Are you making money from your blog? Here's a fast, easy way.

Well, we had to know it was coming... and now it has arrived. Bloggers are producing their entries in book form - called blooks - and the publishing industry is paying attention.

Forget months, even years, of trying to find an agent. Scrap the notion that you have to have an expensive PR firm ready to pitch your latest tome to book reviewers and journalists. Bloggers have a distinct advantage over traditional authors: 1) many already have a dedicated following of readers; and 2) their blog provides the perfect free forum for letting people know about their blook.

And what would a new genre be without an award to go with it? Already, there's a literary award designed specifically for blooks. It's called the Lulu Blooker Prize (a Raleigh NC-based self publishing service cleverly named the award after the famous Bristish Booker Prize). Some 16 blooks not associated in any way with Lulu have been selected as candidates for the inaugural awards, which will be announced on Monday, April 3.

The one that seems to be getting the most hype is Julie and Julia, based on a popular blog about a woman who attempts in one year to cook every Julia Childs recipe. Little, Brown published the book just a few months ago and already it has sold over 100,000 copies, thanks in part to enthusiastic supporters of Julie's blog.

Meanwhile, Lulu even has a place on its web site that provides a way for bloggers to instantly publish their own blook, with Lulu keeping 20 percent.

Here's what you can expect next: tons of bloggers will start publishing blooks in part so they can lay claim to being a "published author." And why not? Authors of e-books have done this for years and legitimately so. A book doesn't need to have a designer book jacket and shelf space to make it valuable.

The point is that this new blook phenomenon is going to eventually have a significant impact on the publishing business. I think we'll see a shift away from books that make it to the shelves just because they are associated with a celebrity in some way. Moreover, look for Amazon and similar sites to find ways to work with bloggers to make their blooks even more accessible and profitable. Expect companies to start releasing blooks about their own best practices as a passive revenue stream. The possibilities are practically endless.

So why are you still reading this blog? Shouldn't you be starting your own or at least thinking about how to make money off your own blook?

Are you microchunking yet? Hurry!

Are you microchunking yet? Hurry! Consumers are catching on!

Day by day, consumers are becoming increasingly more powerful. Pay attention to what's happening around you and look for ways your company can be more strategic and dynamic in the way it interacts with customers.

Take the iPod, for instance. Already, it has completely changed the way people view music. People who own iPods rarely seek entire CD's to download; instead, they select the individual songs they want to have ready access to. The same holds true with TV shows and comedy routines. For only $1.99 per episode, we can hang onto what really care about and forget the rest. On my iPod, you'll find selected episodes of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jay Leno's JayWalking, Law & Order, and a couple of movies, plus an eclectic collection of music and podcasts.

Selecting just the things you want and ignoring the rest is what Business 2.0 calls "microchunking." It's a great word to describe the concept of breaking down the media we consume into small bite-size pieces. As consumers, we're quickly losing our patience for things that put much demand on our time.

Another great example of how consumers are becoming more powerful is in how they use their cell phones. Now, thanks to ScanBuy, consumers can download onto their camera phones software that makes it possible to take a picture of a product's bar code. Scan Buy then instantly looks for where on the Internet you can buy the same product cheaper and will alert you. But wait! There's more! With one click- right there in the store - you can order the item and have it mailed directly to you. Essentially, you're shopping in several places at once and saving money at the same time. Is life good, or what?

So what does this mean to your business? First, think about how you can apply "microchunking" to your products and services. Can you break a 30 minute webinar into six five-minute episodes? Do you guarantee the lowest prices? If so, are you checking Scan Buy to make sure you aren't being undersold? Don't wait for your customer just take the power from you. Empower them strategically. The scales are tipping. Move quickly before they fall on you and weigh you down.

Why you should care that

Why you should care that the Top 10 cars are Japanese

I've been car shopping for a few months now, wanting to make sure I make the right decision on my next purchase. So today's WSJ story about the latest results from Consumer Reports really caught my eye. It said that the latest findings indicated that ALL the cars to make the top 10 list are Japanese. It's the first time since the top 10 list was introduced in 1997 that an American car didn't make the cut.

Of course, I immediately went to the list of which cars made it. My two favorites, the Acura TL and Infinity m35 were both there. Somehow, I felt validated and sad at the same time. I've been buying American cars for a long time and, for the most part, have been very happy with them. But my awful experience of owning a 1999 Cadillac Seville ST has caused me to turn an eye toward foreign cars for the first time. There's an excellent chance my next vehicle will not be American. The bottom line: the American auto makers are becoming less relevant to me by the day.

In a three year period, it cost $18,000 to fix "minor" things wrong with my Cadillac. Luckily, I had purchased an extended warranty, so most expenses were covered. Still, I've spent over $2,000 just in deductions. What's worse, my local Cadillac dealer hasn't seemed the least bit concerned about this. In fact, when I complained that the car drank two quarts of oil every 1,000 miles, I was told, "That's not so unusual, especially in a high performance car." I've always felt dismissed, even bamboozled, when I dealt with Cadillac. I mistakenly thought that luxury cars were backed by luxury service.

Sadly, this story of disapointment in performance, compounded by irritation at bad service, is playing out in many industries, not just the car business. Like the Big 3 American auto makers, many companies are getting arrogant and complacent about their offerings. It's easy to think when you're on top that just because you climbed the mountain and reached the peak, you'll stay there. It just doesn't work that way. Relevance must be earned every day.

What about you? Are you riding a high right now? If so, what's your plan to stay there?