I got home from my first trip to the SXSW interactive conference this year. This is what I learned:

1. It’s not really a conference or even a festival as the organizers say it is. It’s a happening. At 30,000 people, it is so large and complex, you don’t really attend SXSW, it just happens to you. As Liz Strauss says, it’s like being dumped into the middle of your twitter stream.
2. Throw planning out the door on what sessions you will attend, who you will meet and what you will do. If you are too pushy or goal oriented, it is easy to be a douche bag here.  A lot happens at after hour parties some that are officially publicized, some that are by invitation only and some that are secret. There are “lounges” where people drift in for food, drink and conversation. You need to really glide along seeing where the people, the Twitter stream and events take you; I am convinced this is the best way to learn and meet people.
3. There are lines everywhere. Get used to it. Unless you are a social media rock star, you won’t be going through the VIP entrance. But, good karma is everywhere...

I got an e-mail from Apple today in my inbox. The iPad is coming April 3rd. Pre-order now!

Apple has a great track record of making innovative products. I am a huge Apple fan. Thanks to Steve Jobs, Apple and team are brilliant at product development and design. Seriously, could the Iphone be any simpler or more fun to use? And Apple TV is so smart.  As well, the iPod is one of my best friends (it goes everywhere with me). I have five iPods– annually adding  the newest, coolest model to my collection.

Because I am such an Apple fan, I was perplexed about whether to purchase the iPad. Thus, I went to the experts. I asked James Garvey, owner of Work2Home, Inc. and a technical solutions expert for his opinion. James said,  “I am not purchasing the iPad in this initial release. For example, the iPhone didn’t even copy and paste or have multi-tasking in the first version. So are we getting with the iPad? A large iPod Touch? Not really groundbreaking. Not WOW. Yawn.”

Garvey further explained, “Typically, when companies launch a product...

How do I get inspiration for my business blog so that I know what kind of articles, videos or podcasts to post is a question I am often asked.

One of the great ways is to read other peoples business blogs – and not always blogs in your own business niche as you can be inspired to develop content learning from others.

So here are seven ideas that might help you develop a content strategy for your business blog:

1. Get ideas from your RSS feeds – remember to model not copy articles respecting the copyright of the original site where the content is posted and always give attribution and a link to the source article

2. Explore the blogs listed in the Technorati blog directory HERE or in other niche directories

3. Review the list of business blogs that are listed in other peoples blog rolls – the list that many bloggers have on the side bar of their business blog

4. Do a search within Google using the Google Blog search engine to find other business blogs for inspiration

5. Review your email, your Facebook Page or Tweets that you receive for questions that your people ask you and turn those answers into blog articles

6. Think about the questions...

Back in December, I wrote about some of the trends that would be influencing all of our businesses in 2010.  I thought it might be helpful to look at some of these trends a bit more closely.

Let's dig into the trend that we've actually been anticipating for the past several years.  After all, we've known that the baby boomers are such a huge group -- there's no way their crossing into the 65+ category wouldn't throw our society a curve.Look at these facts:

• By 2020, people over 65 worldwide will outnumber children under the age of 5 for the first time.
• By 2020, 22% of western civilization will be 65+.
• The ratio of workers to retirees will continue to fall.  Today it’s 3:1.  By 2030, it will be just over 2:1.

So what does that mean for all of us?

For so long, mass marketing has been all about the young.  As this trend takes hold, marketers are going to shift their attention to those boomers.  Remember, this group of seniors is tech savvy, active and has quite a bit of...

Yesterday I added my two cents on sensationalism across so many aspects of our lives. 

Today - I want to share my perspectives on the signs of a great leader. Not the sensationalism oriented gurus that seem to be popular today. Those approaches may not be the best to follow. As Dale Carnegie said, "Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain -- and most fools do."

So how do we know when we're following a true leader? Well, that's something we all have to decide for ourselves. But I have some ideas about what it takes to excel- as an expert and a leader. So here's my list.

1. Positive, no Matter What.  Leaders don't jump on the easy bandwagon of negativity. A true leader is determined to find the positive no matter how ugly things appear. They hold fast to their positive vision - tirelessly seeking the best outcome for all. Anyone can throw in the towel and succumb to  negative, woe-is-me, finger-pointing thinking. Leaders rise above the negative path - finding positive aspects in any situation to help their followers find a better way to live and grow.

2. Problem Solving. When there are issues, leaders focus on solving them...

We hear it time and again; the qualities of a successful startup business leader or successful entrepreneur: “risk taker” – “not averse to risk” – “takes chances” – “will take a gamble in hopes of winning” – “not fearful of uncertainty”, etc. – so much so - that it is ingrained into our thinking.  Risk-taking is inherently what it takes to succeed when starting one’s own business.  Or is it?  A new perspective plays out several examples of successful business billionaire-entrepreneurs who simply buck that trend with clear markers to the contrary.

Malcolm Gladwell is nearly always a provocative if not a fascinating read.  After studying a characteristically stimulating recent piece of his in the January 18, 2010 New Yorker titled “The Sure Thing” I learned something new about successful business people, mainly entrepreneurs.

The facts bear out in Gladwell’s research and research cited by other sources whereby countless examples of entrepreneurs are better at calculating the downside and avoiding risk than they are at...