Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 2:54 pm. 0 comments
i am nearing the completion of my business degree at penn state and have finally decided what it is i really want to do. at first i always wanted to own and manage my own bar and restaurant. then i just wanted to work as an office manager. then i thought being a big shot manager would be best. now, i realize i don’t want the stress, long night and weekend hours, or unhappiness that i’ve learned comes with that job. i am still in the beginning of my internship here at jumpfrog, but already i absolutely love it. it’s wonderful not having to deal with grumpy people every day! coming in here and working on a project or meeting with a client is a million times better. i believe i have found my career of choice!
It’s been a while since I had made a post (over two weeks). I can’t speak for anyone else not posting, but at least for me things have been busy. I’ve been out of the office a lot and juggling my workload so it’s actually completely slipped my mind. I’m guessing with the others (I use the word others loosely, since there’s only one other person who’s ever blogged) have faced similar problems.
While I’d like to say that’s gonna change, I can’t really. I may be travelling part of next week and all of the following week, then travelling to AC for a conference the second week in October, and more travelling at the end of October. Man I’ve been getting around a lot lately. I’ll do my best to make an actual informative post. I’m in the process of setting up some tests for adWords quality score, SEO results, and keyword targetting. If I find out anything good, I’ll try to pass along the knowledge. I feel I should be giving back, since I’ve spent a lot of time reading other blogs, gleaning knowledge and tips whenever/where ever I can.
Bruce Clay wrote a great blog about how to treat your best assets in your company. Having been on both sides of the fire, I can say Bruce nailed it. I’ve been in jobs where I was treated poorly despite giving everything I had, and had my heart and soul sucked out of me. I’ve also been in jobs where I was treated like a rock star when I deserved it. Now, having employees under me, I can only hope I’ll take those experiences and treat them the way they deserve to be treated.
To give credit where credit’s due, here’s the link to Bruce Clay’s blog: http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/archives/2008/09/happy_employees.html
Posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago at 9:36 am. 0 comments
A startup is a hard thing to manage. The dedication and time required is intense. I’m finding myself coming in to the office at 7:30am and leaving around 6pm. Nights and weekends tend to be spent either working or researching, though there is still time to do non-work-related things. It’s tough with a startup, especially in this industry, since everything moves so quickly, we’re all struggling to keep up. That’s the beauty of it, though. There’s always something new to do. Some new SEO trick to try out, a new affiliate offer to market, a new banner to create, a whole new niche market to drive PPC traffic to, toying with behavioral targeting, the works.
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago at 4:39 pm. 0 comments
So as things move forward, clients keep coming in, our staff expands to accommodate our gaps in skills, it’s neat to step back and see what we’ve done so far. There’s been some adversity, but we’ve fought hard to get where we are. We suffered several setbacks that many (all) startups experience, common pitfalls that we believed we’d be able to avoid but sure enough found ourselves knee deep anyway. But hey, life is nothing but a set of lessons, it’s your choice if you want to learn from them.
So with this growth, we’re finding out there’s more and more things we need to do. I swear, Jeff has rearranged our office around once a week for the past two months. The only thing that’s stayed static is my desk. No one touches my desk :D. But there’s always work to do, making sure job descriptions are defined and being fulfilled, work is getting done. It’s tough, but necessary. I’m starting to lose focus on this blog post, so I’m gonna stop with the work talk.
And WOOHOO!!!! I’m done with one big project. 800,000,000 more to go. Or just four, sometimes it’s hard to count when I’m wearing shoes. I have trouble with simple math sometimes, but I can bang out advanced math in my head. It’s like when I shooting pool, the easier the shot, the less likely I am to actually make it. But give me a shot where I have to bank it two three times and I’ll do the vector calculations in my head and usually get pretty darn close if not make the shot.
I work a lot through the week, that’s nothing new. Usually I don’t have Friday night plans, but I’ll tell you what, when it comes to having plans, it really makes Fridays almost impossible to work, especially the hour or two before you’re gonna leave.
I have a pretty in-depth project that I’m working on which will require quite a bit of concentration to piece together. Looks like it won’t be happening today.
Posted 5 months, 2 weeks ago at 8:48 pm. 0 comments
Like many others i’m sure, i get caught up in life and spend time avoiding the important matters at hand. Let’s start over…Recently i have become aware of a change i want to make and will work towards it. Part of making changes in your life requires taking responsibility. Taking responsibility for yourself and the part you play as you affect the lives of others. We had/have a client that promotes healthy habits. It seemed too simple that making small changes in your life could actually have an impact. Well, every day, i think of that one special person in my life that i have the privilege to be a part of. My daughter reminds me everyday of how she grows and learns and makes simple changes. Although she may not be aware of them, she is constantly changing her daily habits as she learns new things. Never stop learning and never stop trying new things. And don’t be afraid to go back to old things and approach them in a new way. So for my new change in life, i’m going to keep it simple. I’m going to make a list and i’m going to do my best to follow it as it may affect myself and those around me. And who knows, practicing this simple discipline will help me become more organized, focused and energized. So do a favor for yourself and try to stick to something new everyday. Hell, drink water for three days, yes ONLY water!
Posted 5 months, 2 weeks ago at 1:10 pm. 0 comments
This is a very entertaining miniseries created by Joss Whedon (”Buffy the Vampire Slayer”,”Firefly”) starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. Check out the trailer.
Posted 5 months, 3 weeks ago at 12:58 pm. 0 comments
Motivation is hard to find. Some days you’re as focused as can be, other days you couldn’t concentrate to save your life. I got through bouts like that and I’ve watched others do the same thing. Sometimes a little push, like working on a new project or trying to do something I’ve never done before, is all it takes to get myself back on track.
I work several jobs, I dabble in many different things, so my attention is almost always divided between projects. I multitask really well, so that helps, and I don’t usually have a problem. My memory is pretty good, plus I rely on notes and my cell phone to keep track of projects, due dates, everything in my life. Either way, I keep good tabs on myself and do whatever I can to keep myself motivated.
The problem comes when coworkers aren’t quite as motivated as they should be. Problems with their personal life, boredom, hatred for their job, discontent, any number of things can affect someone’s motivation. So what do you do to get them back on track? I haven’t quite figured that part out yet, but when I do, I’ll be sure to let everyone know.
