Eggblogg

How to systematically capture notes, links and other bits for future reading or reference

As a new computer wings its way towards my office, I'm doing some digital spring cleaning.

One of the things I find hard is keeping on top of blog posts, news stories that I really need to read, but don't always do so right away because of pressing client work, etc. And even if I do read it, how do I quickly find it again?

Should I set aside half an hour each morning? Should I have a hard and fast rule that once I start reading a blog post I MUST finish it and decide there and then on an action: blog about it, bookmark it, file it for future reference or move on?

It gets even harder when I'm researching on behalf of a client because then I do need to record what I've found in order to report back.

So far I've tried using various tools including Google Notebook and even just bookmarking on del.icio.us.

But I recently came across this brilliant post by Steve Rubel in which he sets out 3 methods of capturing notes or bookmarks, including using a FriendFeed room as an archive. I haven't tried them yet but I will do, as they seem like great tips.

Micro businesses - should we be collaborating more?

I was at the monthly meeting of my ProfitNet group yesterday and someone was talking about having been to a trade show event where the cost of a stand was prohibitive for most micro businesses.

So half a dozen micros decided the answer was to get together and share the cost.  They each turned up with their own promotional material, and agreed to help promote each other while they were there. (Trade show exibition stands aren't cheap - see Michael Fleischner's Top five ways to get the most out of every tradeshow for some good tips.)

Another member of the group discussed how she was getting together with some of her fellow professionals in the same field to offer workshop days, again sharing the costs and the profits.

With more and more of us working in this way, I wonder if this spirit of 'co-opetition' will become ever more the norm: people in complementary or even competitive businesses sharing the costs, effort and rewards of pitching for larger or more exciting projects than could be undertaken by any of them alone.

It's not a new idea, but it makes increasing good sense for those of us who are interested in taking on bigger jobs but don't necessarily want to build an agency empire.

It's not really the same as outsourcing because in that model the outsourcer controls the relationship with the client, allocates the work and decides the markup. The 'outsourcees' are simply suppliers, with no direct relationship to the client. That's not to say that the suppliers don't always get involved, I'm lucky enough to work with some fantastic 'outsourcees' who are more than willing to meet with clients and take responsibility beyond their remit. And I like what this transparency adds to the client relationship.

In a cooperative model, everyone becomes partner-suppliers. It's something I've considered in the past but thrown out as I couldn't figure out the logistics of billing, task allocation and so forth. But maybe that was just an excuse. Maybe it's time to look at it seriously again. What do you think? Has 'co-opetition' or co-operative working worked for you? Is it the future?

A day at Online Marketing & Media 08

Yesterday I was at the Online Marketing and Media 08 show in London. Sam McArthur and I have been going to these shows for quite a few years now, and to be honest I usually come away disappointed. This year was a bit different though, lots of interesting stuff.

First of all, we had booked to hear Adriana Lukas speak about 'new tools for marketers', and although most of the tools she showed us were familiar to me it was very helpful to have some of the functionality explained and demonstrated. It made me realise there's a LOT still to be done on this blog, and in fact I've a LONG way to go in social media generally! I liked Adriana's style, clearly a bit of a guru and a prolific blogger.

We also sat in on a session given by Katy Howell of Immediate Future, again an impressive presentation with a lot of freely shared info about how they monitor and measure online conversations. Good to get a decent seat at it was standing room only at the back - no prizes for guessing what the hot topics were at this show.

Something I noticed about the trade show was that although many of the stands were the same-old, same-old, interestingly there were a number of firms there operating in apparently quite niche markets: German SEO services, online marketing for retailers, email marketing for charities. Could that be how the industry is going, or is it just a case of starting up as a niche company and then being bought out by one of the big boys?

Speaking of which, prize for the most entertaining stand must go to Steak Media, although I'm not sure what the vegetarians thought of it!

I made a Wordle (or two)

Thanks to Libby for this!

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eTips for June

As eTips goes monthly, today's issue includes 3 suggestions for increasing web visibility, beyond SEO.