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<channel>
	<title>Ryan Stephens Marketing</title>
	
	<link>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog</link>
	<description>Building Intimate Business Relationships</description>
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		<title>Some Mistakes I’ve Made</title>
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		<comments>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/some-mistakes-ive-made/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 May 2012 23:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Stephens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[relationship marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/?p=1576</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TweetJulien Smith&#8217;s short, incomplete list of things he&#8217;s done wrong has inspired me to share my own list. 1. Chasing a &#8216;dream job.&#8217; In theory it sounds good, but in retrospect it&#8217;s tough (especially if you come out of school during a recession) to ever close the gap on your peers who took the money [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="tweetbutton1576" class="tw_button" style=""><a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fsome-mistakes-ive-made%2F&amp;text=Some%20Mistakes%20I%26%238217%3Bve%20Made&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fsome-mistakes-ive-made%2F" class="twitter-share-button"  style="width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweet-button/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;">Tweet</a></div><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>Julien Smith&#8217;s <a href="http://inoveryourhead.net/a-short-incomplete-list-of-the-things-ive-done-wrong/"><u>short, incomplete list of things he&#8217;s done wrong</u></a> has inspired me to share my own list.</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/forget-the-dream-job-take-the-money-run/"><u>Chasing a &#8216;dream job.&#8217;</u></a> In theory it sounds good, but in retrospect it&#8217;s tough (especially if you come out of school during a recession) to ever close the gap on your peers who took the money and ran.* <b>Money isn&#8217;t everything</b>, but that low(er) starting salary in my <b>first job has impacted other offers</b> along the way. </p>
<p>You&#8217;ll learn that you probably have no idea what you want to do with your life, that most jobs are pretty malleable and it&#8217;s more important to work with great people anyway. It&#8217;s not popular advice, but chase the dollar signs right out of school. <b>Money gives you flexibility down the road</b>. </p>
<p>2. Being too risk averse. Most of it <b>comes down to fear</b>, but I didn&#8217;t understand that at the time. I didn&#8217;t take a call with <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/"><u>Ramit Sethi</u></a> in 2009 and I didn&#8217;t help <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/kathyireland"><u>Kathy Ireland</u></a> with her book launch that same year. </p>
<p>The latter was more complex (<i>potentially a conflict of interest with the organization I was working for</i>), but with both of them it ultimately boiled down to &#8220;What could I possibly offer these people that they don&#8217;t already know?&#8221; </p>
<p>If you&#8217;re relatively young you won&#8217;t have the breadth of experience that your elder co-workers have, but that doesn&#8217;t mean that you can&#8217;t provide value on projects and in niches where you have accumulated a lot of knowledge and/or experience.</p>
<p>3. <b>Dated someone just because they looked good on paper</b> and met some imaginary criteria of what a girlfriend should encompass. If you have a choice between &#8220;what makes sense&#8221; and wanting to throw someone against the wall and make out with them 24/7 even if you fight like insane people, pick the latter. It won&#8217;t work out, but it&#8217;s better than a passionless relationship.</p>
<p>4. I&#8217;ve spent way, way, way too much time filtering out noise. I need to <b>spend less time consuming and more time creating</b>. I&#8217;ve learned infinitely more since I culled down my blog reader, stopped clicking on sensationalist Twitter links and started reading more books. Speaking of&#8230;</p>
<p>5. <b>Not reading enough books</b>. I try to read one a week now, and I alternate fiction with non-fiction. I&#8217;m enjoying reading again for the first time since I was like 10-11. Surprisingly, I&#8217;m learning almost as much from the fiction books.</p>
<p>6. Not saying &#8220;Hi&#8221; to Julien in front of the Austin Convention Center at #SXSW 2011. In the split second I had to introduce myself my lizard brain said, &#8220;What does a ridiculously conservative, relatively close-minded dude like me have in common with a guy with tattoos and gauges? (Again &#8211; fear being the elephant in the closet, I suspect.)</p>
<p>Still Undecided On:</p>
<p>My Degrees in Communications, English and Marketing. I enjoy what I do, but part of me wonders if I could&#8217;ve made a bigger impact on the world had I become an developer, engineer, etc.</p>
<p>How insanely frugal I am. I get a lot of comfort out of the huge safety net I&#8217;ve built up, but for what!? I could&#8217;ve traveled more, experienced more, treated others more. As I get older, start a family, etc. maybe all the savings will come in handy, but I don&#8217;t want to leave this world poor in experiences merely because I insisted on being wealthy in the bank. </p>
<p>But like Julien said, <b>none of this matters</b>&#8230;</p>
<blockquote><p>Life isn’t made up of the things you did wrong. It’s made of the things you did right. &#8212; Julien Smith</p></blockquote>
<p>What about you? What are some mistakes you&#8217;ve made along the way? What would you have done differently? Let&#8217;s learn from one another in the comments.</p>
<p>*I&#8217;m not advocating ill will against your friends. I&#8217;m merely stating that if you do damn good work and desire to elevate through corporate pay grades knowing industry averages, what your worth and how to communicate that to leadership matters.</p>
<p><center>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</center></p>
<p style="border: 2px dotted #ff6600; padding: 10px; background: #fcf8c0 none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">If you enjoyed this post please consider <a href="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/RyanStephensMarketing"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">subscribing</span></a> to receive future updates or connecting with me via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ryanstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Twitter</span></a> or <a href="http://linkedin.com/rlstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">LinkedIn</span></a></p>
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		<title>7 Things You Should’ve Learned in School</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RyanStephensMarketing/~3/iiw0_lzI518/</link>
		<comments>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/7-things-you-shouldve-learned-in-school/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2012 02:20:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Stephens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/?p=1547</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tweet Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley via Compfight 53% of Recent College Grads Are Jobless or Underemployed reports the Atlantic. FIFTY-THREE PERCENT!? I genuinely wish I could say I was surprised. But it&#8217;s about as surprising as the promiscuous girl&#8217;s relapse less than a month after she returns from church camp. &#8230; &#8220;college for all&#8221; is [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="tweetbutton1547" class="tw_button" style=""><a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2F7-things-you-shouldve-learned-in-school%2F&amp;text=7%20Things%20You%20Should%26%238217%3Bve%20Learned%20in%20School&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2F7-things-you-shouldve-learned-in-school%2F" class="twitter-share-button"  style="width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweet-button/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;">Tweet</a></div><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p><a title="Arizona State University" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12836528@N00/3887095398/" target="_blank"><img title="Arizona State University" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3506/3887095398_aef8697ea0.jpg" alt="Arizona State University" /></a><br />
<small> Photo Credit: <a title="Kevin Dooley" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12836528@N00/3887095398/" target="_blank">Kevin Dooley</a> via <a href="http://www.compfight.com/">Compfight</a></small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/04/53-of-recent-college-grads-are-jobless-or-underemployed-how/256237/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">53% of Recent College Grads Are Jobless or Underemployed</span></a> reports the Atlantic.</p>
<p><strong>FIFTY-THREE PERCENT!?</strong></p>
<p>I genuinely wish I could say I was surprised. But it&#8217;s about as surprising as the promiscuous girl&#8217;s relapse less than a month after she returns from church camp.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8230; &#8220;college for all&#8221; is the wrong mantra. We need to be talking about &#8220;skills for all&#8221; instead.</p></blockquote>
<p>The article is primarily talking about more tangible skills like writing code or administering an IV, but being successful goes beyond those things as well. A programmer who can&#8217;t communicate with his team and a nurse with no empathy for her patients won&#8217;t get hired.</p>
<p>Which begs the question&#8230;</p>
<p>What are some other skills young professionals <strong>should&#8217;ve learned in school?</strong></p>
<p>I asked seven wicked-smart <a href="http://u30pro.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">under 30 professionals</span></a>. What follows are their responses:</p>
<p>1.) <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/education-reform-diana-antholis/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>What it Means to Work</strong></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.enteradulthood.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Diana Antholis</span></a> discusses the fact that we are taught the skills necessary for certain jobs in college, but we are not prepared for what happens when we actually enter into those jobs.</p>
<p>2.) <a href="http://jakecripe.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/lets-take-back-our-education/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Life Skills 101</strong></span></a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/jakecripe"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Jake Cripe</span></a> explains that we need to learn life skills like networking, public speaking, how to change a tire and how to do our taxes. He also explains why teachers are soldiers going to war without weapons.</p>
<p>3.) <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/schools-need-to-teach-entrepreneurship/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Entrepreneurship</strong></span></a><br />
<a href="http://samdavidson.net/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sam Davidson</span></a> insists it&#8217;s time to make the connection between education and entrepreneurship. &#8220;Perhaps the reason we don’t have more people starting more companies that could jump start our economy is because our country spent the last 20 years educating them to do anything but,&#8221; he laments.</p>
<p>4.) <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/emotional-intelligence-is-key-for-workplace-success/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Emotional Intelligence</strong></span></a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/TomOKeefe1"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tom O&#8217;Keefe</span></a> urges students (and educators) to stop playing the memorization/regurgitation game and to focus on increasing emotional intelligence by enhancing the soft skills such as effective communication via body language.</p>
<p>5.) <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/personal-finance-should-be-taught-in-schools/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Personal Finance</strong></span></a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/rpulvino"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Rich Pulvino</span></a> understands that debt and unemployment are two things that have a stranglehold on recent graduates. Teaching students how to find the right credit card deals, manage debt, save money, and invest properly will help combat the confusion they often encounter upon graduation.</p>
<p>6.) <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/its-okay-to-fail/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>It&#8217;s Okay to Fail</strong></span></a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/patrickbjohnson"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Patrick Johnson</span></a> would&#8217;ve tried a lot more things, both academically and with respect to his future, had he known it was okay to take risks and to fail.</p>
<p>7.) <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/authority-expertise-dont-make-you-a-good-leader/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Leadership</strong></span></a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/mmbizon"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Michelle Bizon</span></a> starts by admitting that leading isn&#8217;t easy. She goes on to explain why neither authority nor expertise make you a good leader, and that we don&#8217;t learn leadership in school despite the fact that it&#8217;s imperative to establishing a bridge between theory and performance.</p>
<p>What are we missing? <strong>What do you wish you would&#8217;ve learned in school?</strong></p>
<p><center>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</center></p>
<p style="border: 2px dotted #ff6600; padding: 10px; background: #fcf8c0 none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">If you enjoyed this post please consider <a href="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/RyanStephensMarketing"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">subscribing</span></a> to receive future updates or connecting with me via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ryanstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Twitter</span></a> or <a href="http://linkedin.com/rlstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">LinkedIn</span></a></p>
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		<title>Playing the Game</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RyanStephensMarketing/~3/We6F7yn-W3A/</link>
		<comments>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/playing-the-game/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:04:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Stephens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/?p=1536</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TweetWe all know the type. Most of you have worked with and/or for at least a couple in your career. Most of them excel at fooling the boss into thinking they&#8217;re working hard and some even have the audacity to explain to you that &#8220;they know how to play the game.&#8221; Your first inclination is [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="tweetbutton1536" class="tw_button" style=""><a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fplaying-the-game%2F&amp;text=Playing%20the%20Game&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fplaying-the-game%2F" class="twitter-share-button"  style="width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweet-button/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;">Tweet</a></div><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>We all know the type. Most of you have worked with and/or for at least a couple in your career.</p>
<p>Most of them excel at <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/10-ways-to-fool-your-boss-into-thinking-youre-working-hard/"><u>fooling the boss into thinking they&#8217;re working hard</u></a> and some even have the audacity to explain to you that &#8220;they know how to play the game.&#8221;</p>
<p>Your first inclination is to call them out or tattle. Most of you will refrain from this approach knowing full well it won&#8217;t do you any good and in most instances make you seem like a whiny baby. (Note: You *are* a whiny baby!)</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the dirty little secret about these &#8220;game players.&#8221; They&#8217;re not stupid. Not by a long shot. And they do some things well that can be perceived by <b>bad management</b> (or perhaps <b>busy management</b>) as valuable. </p>
<ul>
<li>They know how to network and increase visibility with leadership.
<li>They know how to appear active and busy. (see: e-mails at all hours, lots of meetings, exasperated sighs)
<li>They know how to manage you in pursuit of their own goals and log your successes as their own (or the teams&#8217; with emphasis on <b>their</b> leadership).
</ul>
<p>Here&#8217;s the rub: Life is not fair. Get over it. </p>
<p>Find <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/the-silver-lining/"><u>the silver lining</u></a>.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the best advice I can possibly give you:<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVHLoLf5gcM"><u>Stop giving a damn about what other people think</u></a> and worry about yourself.</p>
<p>Rather than worry about co-workers intent on &#8220;playing the game&#8221; I encourage you to do the following instead:</p>
<ul>
<li>Maintain your integrity at all costs, even if it costs you and/or your organization business.
<li>Take responsibility for your mistakes AND those of your team.
<li>Give vigorous attention to each task-at-hand and work your ass off regardless who&#8217;s watching &#8212; even if your achievements go unnoticed.
</ul>
<p>If these don&#8217;t work, then go to an organization or a company where they will. Find a company full of smart people and great leadership that is making a positive impact on society. Work there!</p>
<p>The truth is that &#8220;game players&#8221; sometimes win the game they&#8217;re playing.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t play their game.</p>
<p style="border: 2px dotted #ff6600; padding: 10px; background: #fcf8c0 none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">If you enjoyed this post please consider <a href="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/RyanStephensMarketing"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">subscribing</span></a> to receive future updates or connecting with me via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ryanstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Twitter</span></a> or <a href="http://linkedin.com/rlstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">LinkedIn</span></a></p>
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		<title>The Most Important YouTube Metric Isn’t What You Think</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RyanStephensMarketing/~3/UZpyIfG_7E8/</link>
		<comments>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/the-most-important-youtube-metric-isnt-what-you-think/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:02:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Stephens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[online marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Videos]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/?p=1511</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TweetRarely is the most important metric the one on the surface. Your Facebook likes don&#8217;t mean much. Neither do your Twitter followers. You already know how I feel about impressions. They&#8217;re an incomplete business metric, at best. Views are NOT your most important YouTube Metric. One million views don&#8217;t mean anything if those people are [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="tweetbutton1511" class="tw_button" style=""><a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-most-important-youtube-metric-isnt-what-you-think%2F&amp;text=The%20Most%20Important%20YouTube%20Metric%20Isn%26%238217%3Bt%20What%20You%20Think&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-most-important-youtube-metric-isnt-what-you-think%2F" class="twitter-share-button"  style="width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweet-button/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;">Tweet</a></div><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>Rarely is the most important metric the one on the surface.</p>
<p>Your Facebook likes don&#8217;t mean much. Neither do your Twitter followers.</p>
<p><a href="ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/impressions-are-a-garbage-business-metric/"><u>You already know how I feel about impressions</u></a>. They&#8217;re an incomplete business metric, at best.</p>
<p>Views are NOT your most important YouTube Metric. One million views don&#8217;t mean anything if those people are clicking to start watching your video and closing the window after 20 seconds of boredom and/or frustration.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/YouTube_Views.jpg"><img src="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/YouTube_Views-300x280.jpg" alt="YouTube Views Are NOT the Most Important Video Metric" title="YouTube Views" width="300" height="280" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1512" /></a></center></p>
<p>But if views are not the most important metric, what is? Let&#8217;s take that journey.</p>
<p>First find the &#8220;<b>show video statistics</b>&#8221; button on the bottom right next to your views:</p>
<p><center><a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Show_Video_Statistics.png"><img src="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Show_Video_Statistics-300x258.png" alt="" title="Show Video Statistics" width="300" height="258" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1514" /></a></center></p>
<p>That button brings up additional metrics including demographic and location information. Pay attention to these, but we&#8217;re still not there. Click the &#8220;<b>view more statistics button</b>.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/View_More_Statistics1.png"><img src="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/View_More_Statistics1-300x92.png" alt="" title="View_More_Statistics" width="375" height=150" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1521" /></a></center></p>
<p>Now we&#8217;re getting pretty close. On the left-hand column under &#8220;view reports&#8221; you&#8217;ll find, &#8220;<b>audience retention</b>.&#8221; Click that.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/audience_retention.png"><img src="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/audience_retention-300x102.png" alt="" title="Audience Retention" width="375" height="150" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1517" /></a></center></p>
<p>That delivers this valuable little diddy:</p>
<p><center><a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Video-Retention-Graph1.png"><img src="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Video-Retention-Graph1.png" alt="" title="Video Retention Graph" width="550" height="312" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1526" /></a></center></p>
<p>You see, it doesn&#8217;t matter if you have 12,000 Twitter followers if none of them read your tweets, and <b>it doesn&#8217;t matter if you have 100,000 YouTube views if all those views aren&#8217;t leading to sales, more subscribers, more affinity for your brand, et al. That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s crucial to know how many people are watching ALL of your video.</b> </p>
<p>The chart above tells me that 82% of viewers were still watching after 45 seconds, 69% after 1:30, and about 60% made it through the duration of the video. It&#8217;s not great, but it&#8217;s better than most of the videos I&#8217;ve done thus far. Video isn&#8217;t my expertise, and I&#8217;m still learning. Watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYlCVwxoL_g"><u>Ze Frank&#8217;s return</u></a> to see a master at work.</p>
<p>What could I have done differently to retain more viewers throughout the entire video?</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s some things to keep in mind:</p>
<ul>
<li>Err on the shorter side with videos. I&#8217;d aim for 2:00 minutes, 3:00 maximum (unless it&#8217;s a more informative how-to tutorial).</li>
<li>Get to the main point of your video as quickly as possible.</li>
<li>Consider using calls-to-action before the end of the video.</li>
</ul>
<p>What else should we be considering? Here&#8217;s your chance to teach me in the comments!</p>
<p style="border: 2px dotted #ff6600; padding: 10px; background: #fcf8c0 none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">If you enjoyed this post please consider <a href="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/RyanStephensMarketing"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">subscribing</span></a> to receive future updates or connecting with me via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ryanstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Twitter</span></a> or <a href="http://linkedin.com/rlstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">LinkedIn</span></a></p>
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		<title>Is Ryan Stephens Online Home Careers a Scam?</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RyanStephensMarketing/~3/pZs8EWd_ZvE/</link>
		<comments>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/is-ryan-stephens-online-home-careers-a-scam/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Apr 2012 02:54:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Stephens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/?p=1561</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TweetIn short, yes. But I&#8217;m not that Ryan Stephens. Judging by my recent traffic, someone with my namesake is pedaling some &#8220;work from home and make millions of dollars&#8221; nonsense. Stop wasting your time. I assure you that it&#8217;s a scam. Here&#8217;s the rub. If you&#8217;re one of those people looking to get rich quick [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="tweetbutton1561" class="tw_button" style=""><a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fis-ryan-stephens-online-home-careers-a-scam%2F&amp;text=Is%20Ryan%20Stephens%20Online%20Home%20Careers%20a%20Scam%3F&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fis-ryan-stephens-online-home-careers-a-scam%2F" class="twitter-share-button"  style="width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweet-button/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;">Tweet</a></div><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>In short, yes.</p>
<p>But <b>I&#8217;m not that Ryan Stephens.</b></p>
<p>Judging by my recent traffic, someone with my namesake is pedaling some &#8220;work from home and make millions of dollars&#8221; nonsense. </p>
<p>Stop wasting your time. I assure you that it&#8217;s a scam.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the rub. If you&#8217;re one of those people looking to get rich quick exerting minimal effort and working in your pajamas then <b>you landed on the wrong blog</b>. I&#8217;m not rich and neither is the clown trying to convince to throw away $97 dollars.</p>
<p>I have news for you. If it sounds too good to be true&#8230; IT IS!</p>
<p>Look I get it. I really do. </p>
<p>You would love to pay off your debt. You hate your job and fantasize about being your own boss. You want spend more time with your family. Maybe you just want to supplement your income.</p>
<p>Most people have been there at some point in their lives. I assure you that the <a href="manvsdebt.com/"><u>Adam Baker&#8217;s</u></a>, and the <a href="http://www.themiddlefingerproject.org/"><u>Ashley Ambirge&#8217;s</u></a> of the world exist. They did it.</p>
<p>But guess what!?</p>
<p>They worked their asses off. </p>
<p>I know a lot of people that make a full time living online. And I&#8217;d be happy to link you to their blog(s) or even introduce you to one of them if you&#8217;re serious about learning.</p>
<p>But if not &#8212; if you&#8217;re just trying to get rich quick with some online home career bullshit, then kindly hit back and don&#8217;t come back to this blog.</p>
<p>I have a full-time job that I love for an <a href="http://www.mdanderson.org/"><u>organization I believe in</u></a>.</p>
<p>I make a little beer money on the side helping people with the following: </p>
<ul>
<li>Creating integrated digital strategies that drive revenue.
<li>Establishing a relationship between social media metrics and business metrics
<li>Facilitating intelligent growth for online communities
<li>Leveraging social technologies to scale external marketing efforts and an internal culture of sharing
</ul>
<p>Beyond that I&#8217;m particularly interested in extending the internet/web/mobile disruption we&#8217;ve seen in media to other industries like education and healthcare in order to address the challenging economic and social issues of our time. </p>
<p>I also <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/book-reviews/"><u>read a lot of business books</u></a> and bitch about <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/american-education-you-deserve-better/"><u>education in America</u></a>.</p>
<p>If any of those things tickle your fancy then by all means, let&#8217;s connect. Or if I can help you achieve your goals (or connect you with someone else who can help you), I&#8217;d love to hear from you.</p>
<p>But to reiterate, if you stumbled across this blog because you were looking to get rich quick and start a career working online from home you&#8217;re shit out of luck. </p>
<p>Stop waiting for hand outs and start grinding.</p>
<p><center>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</center></p>
<p style="border: 2px dotted #ff6600; padding: 10px; background: #fcf8c0 none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">If you enjoyed this post please consider <a href="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/RyanStephensMarketing"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">subscribing</span></a> to receive future updates or connecting with me via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ryanstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Twitter</span></a> or <a href="http://linkedin.com/rlstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">LinkedIn</span></a></p>
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		<title>Stop Stealing Dreams Review</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RyanStephensMarketing/~3/wppj3NmQVrA/</link>
		<comments>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/stop-stealing-dreams-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:07:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Stephens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/?p=1502</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TweetIn order to efficiently jam as much testable data into a generation of kids, we push to make those children compliant, competitive zombies. Every teacher, every student, every administrator, and every parent should read this manifesto. Seth Godin&#8217;s Stop Stealing Dreams is free and quick to consume. You really have no excuse. I&#8217;m tired of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="tweetbutton1502" class="tw_button" style=""><a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fstop-stealing-dreams-review%2F&amp;text=Stop%20Stealing%20Dreams%20Review&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fstop-stealing-dreams-review%2F" class="twitter-share-button"  style="width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweet-button/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;">Tweet</a></div><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><blockquote><p style="background: #E1E8F2; padding: 15px; margin: 0;">In order to efficiently jam as much testable data into a generation of kids, we push to make those children compliant, competitive zombies.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/stop_stealing_dreams.jpg"><img src="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/stop_stealing_dreams-300x261.jpg" alt="Seth&#039;s Godin&#039;s Stop Stealing Dreams Manifesto" title="Stop Stealing Dreams" width="200" height="161" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1506" align="right" /></a>Every teacher, every student, every administrator, and every parent should read this manifesto. Seth Godin&#8217;s <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/stop-stealing-dreams"><u>Stop Stealing Dreams</u></a> is free and quick to consume. You really have no excuse.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m tired of seeing smart talented people thousands of dollars in debt while they mindlessly drone around in a cubicle doing a job they&#8217;re not passionate about. </p>
<p>Seth&#8217;s manifesto gets at the heart of the problem. The industrial revolution is long gone. The economy has changed and yet school&#8217;s haven&#8217;t. They still insist on rote memorization, crushing dreams, amplifying fear and churning out obedient factory workers that adhere to the status quo and fit into &#8220;the system.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote><p style="background: #E1E8F2; padding: 15px; margin: 0;">The good jobs of the future aren’t going to involve working for giant companies on an assembly line. They all require individuals willing to chart their own path, whether or not they work for someone else.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here&#8217;s some quotes that hit home:</p>
<p><b>On shitty teachers:</b><br />
If all the teacher is going to do is read her pre-written notes from a PowerPoint slide to a lecture hall of thirty or three hundred, perhaps she should stay at home.  Not only is this a horrible disrespect to the student, it’s a complete waste of the heart and soul of the talented teacher.  Teaching is no longer about delivering facts that are unavailable in any other format.</p>
<p><b>On the irrelevance of facts in today&#8217;s world:</b><br />
In the connected world, reputation is worth more than test scores. Access to data means that data isn’t the valuable part; the processing is what matters. Most of all, the connected world rewards those with an uncontrollable itch to make and lead and matter.</p>
<p><b>On linchpins:</b><br />
Scarce skills combined with even scarcer attitudes almost always lead to low unemployment and high wages.</p>
<p>The future of our economy lies with the impatient. The linchpins and the artists and the scientists who will refuse to wait to be hired and will take things into their own hands, building their own value, producing outputs others will gladly pay for.</p>
<p><b>On being a dreamer:</b><br />
Dreamers aren’t busy applying for jobs at minimum wage, they don’t eagerly buy the latest fashions, and they’re a pain in the ass to keep happy.</p>
<p><b>On memorizing facts:</b><br />
If I can find the answer in three seconds online, skill of memorizing a fact for twelve hours (and then forgetting it) is not only useless, it is insane!</p>
<p>When access to information was limited we needed to load students with facts. Now, when we have no scarcity of facts, or the access to them, we need to load them up with understanding.</p>
<p><b>On what schools should be teaching:</b><br />
The two pillars of a future-proof education: # 1 Teach kids how to lead. # 2 Help them learn to solve interesting problems.</p>
<ul>
<li>When we teach a child to make good decisions, we benefit from a lifetime of good decisions.
<li>When we teach a child to love to learn, the amount of learning will become limitless.
<li>When we teach a child to deal with a changing world, she will never become obsolete.
<li>When we are brave enough to teach a child to question authority, even ours, we insulate ourselves from those who would use their authority to work against each of us.
<li>When we give students the desire to make things, even choices, we create a world filled with makers.
</ul>
<p><b>On the cult of ignorance in the U.S.:</b><br />
The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that &#8220;my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.&#8221;</p>
<p><center>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-</center></p>
<p>This is something I&#8217;m very passionate about.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/american-education-you-deserve-better/"><u>my rant on the fact that American education deserves better</u></a>.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s some <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/education-reform-resources/"><u>great articles/videos on education reform</u></a>. (Feel free to send me more to add to the list.)</p>
<p>And finally, here&#8217;s some wicked smart young professionals <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/education-reform/"><u>discussing what they wish they would&#8217;ve learned in school</u></a>.</p>
<p style="border: 2px dotted #ff6600; padding: 10px; background: #fcf8c0 none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">If you enjoyed this review please consider <a href="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/RyanStephensMarketing"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">subscribing</span></a> to receive future updates or connecting with me via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ryanstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Twitter</span></a> or <a href="http://linkedin.com/rlstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">LinkedIn</span></a></p>
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		<title>Stop Running to the Front of the Pack</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RyanStephensMarketing/~3/pcV3B98oXhY/</link>
		<comments>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/stop-running-to-the-front-of-the-pack/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:31:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Stephens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationship marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Videos]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/?p=1497</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tweet &#8220;One option is to struggle to be heard whenever you&#8217;re in the room&#8230; Another is to be the sort of person who is missed when you&#8217;re not. The first involves making noise. The second involves making a difference.&#8221; &#8212; Seth Godin Growing up playing multiple sports I was always the kid that had to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="tweetbutton1497" class="tw_button" style=""><a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fstop-running-to-the-front-of-the-pack%2F&amp;text=Stop%20Running%20to%20the%20Front%20of%20the%20Pack&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fstop-running-to-the-front-of-the-pack%2F" class="twitter-share-button"  style="width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweet-button/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;">Tweet</a></div><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>
<blockquote>
<p style="background: #E1E8F2; padding: 15px; margin: 0;">&#8220;One option is to struggle to be heard whenever you&#8217;re in the room&#8230; Another is to be the sort of person who is missed when you&#8217;re not. The first involves making noise. The second involves making a difference.&#8221; &#8212; Seth Godin</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Growing up playing multiple sports I was always the kid that had to be first. You may say, &#8220;That&#8217;s great. You should be pushing yourself. You should be challenging your teammates,&#8221; and you&#8217;re probably right. </p>
<p>But&#8230; what I slowly began to learn was that there was a time and a place for being first, and there was another time. A time when being a teammate and not showing others up mattered more (i.e. warm-up laps and long, slow days for those of you who ran long distance). </p>
<p>Running full speed during warm laps is a great way for your teammates to start resenting you and the same thing holds true when you&#8217;re the person who ALWAYS has to talk during team meetings at your office.</p>
<p>Whether you&#8217;re an employee who thinks you&#8217;re getting ahead by standing out or an employer who encourages and reinforces this behavior I hope you&#8217;ll watch this quick video and reconsider.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="480" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RAhr0KxAXx0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Are you making noise or making a difference?</p>
<p><center>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</center></p>
<p>Tweet This: (Copy &#038; Paste into Twitter):<br />
[Video]: Stop Running to the Front of the Pack &#8211;> http://ow.ly/9HDzO  </p>
<p style="border: 2px dotted #ff6600; padding: 10px; background: #fcf8c0 none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">If you enjoyed this video please consider <a href="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/RyanStephensMarketing"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">subscribing</span></a> to receive future updates or connecting with me via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ryanstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Twitter</span></a> or <a href="http://linkedin.com/rlstephens"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">LinkedIn</span></a></p>
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		<title>The Education of Millionaires Book Review</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RyanStephensMarketing/~3/hIY50LG_Tuk/</link>
		<comments>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/the-education-of-millionaires-book-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:54:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Stephens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[networking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/?p=1476</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tweet I&#8217;ve been waxing poetic on all the ways American education fails for over a year now. Not only do I find it disheartening that we still insist on the status quo of churning out compliant factory workers, but I&#8217;m empathetic to the plight of my peers who fell for the promise of higher education&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
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<p>I&#8217;ve been waxing poetic on all the ways <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/american-education-you-deserve-better/"><u>American education fails</u></a> for over a year now. Not only do I find it disheartening that we still insist on the status quo of churning out compliant factory workers, but I&#8217;m empathetic to the plight of my peers who fell for the promise of higher education&#8217;s return on investment.</p>
<p>But what&#8217;s the answer if a <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/in-the-basement-of-the-ivory-tower-book-review/"><u>college education is no longer worth it</u></a> for most people? (We&#8217;re excluding physicians, lawyers, engineers, etc.)</p>
<p>Self learning.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;The magic of teaching is vastly overstated, mostly by teachers, and by those who staff programs that have economic interest in teaching prospective teachers how to teach.&#8221; &#8212; <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/in-the-basement-of-the-ivory-tower-book-review/"><u>In the Basement of the Ivory Tower</u></a></p></blockquote>
<p>After interviewing a wide range of millionaires for his book, &#8220;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591844207/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=ryanstepmark-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325&#038;creativeASIN=1591844207"><u>The Education of Millionaires: It&#8217;s Not What You Think and It&#8217;s Not Too Late</u></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ryanstepmark-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=1591844207" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />&#8221; Michael Ellsberg contends that most successful <b>people learn their most critical skills outside of school.</b></p>
<p>Ellsberg argues that education is not the same thing as academic excellence and highlights 7 success skills that people can leverage to become financially successful in their own careers. Leveraging these 7 skills you should be able to create a career for yourself that can&#8217;t be outsourced, offshored or automated. </p>
<p>I won&#8217;t discuss all 7 here (you&#8217;ll have to read the book), but the skill that resonated most for me was having an entrepreneurial mindset. He explains that <b>people with the entrepreneurial mindset relentlessly focus on the outcome they want to produce in the world and in their lives.</b> Alternatively, people with an employee mindset feel satisfied working harder and harder without paying attention to whether their efforts are producing the outcomes they want.</p>
<p>You can&#8217;t be the type of person who aimlessly follows &#8216;orders&#8217; from your boss. Proactively go out and find problems within your organization, help solve them, AND THEN return to your boss to show them the results. That&#8217;s how you succeed; that&#8217;s how you get promoted.</p>
<p><b>On the employee mindset:</b> </p>
<blockquote><p>People with the employee mindset may work hard. Very, very hard. But they haul ass along a path others have created for them; they don&#8217;t create their own path. <b>They are the passive recipients of instructions, orders and guidance, not the active creators of their own world. They do not have the answers; someone else does. They do what others around them tell them and expect them to do.</b> They hope &#8212; indeed, expect and demand &#8212; that, if they please the people above them, a steady stream of benefits will flow their way. (&#8220;I did what you told me. Now give me my reward!&#8221;) If the reward is not forthcoming, they complain and get bogged down in bitterness and resentment, like a child who didn&#8217;t get a candy from Mommy.</p>
<p> To people with the employee mind-set, power resides elsewhere, not within themselves. There may be some safety and security in clinging to the employee mindset because those with employee mindset rely on someone more powerful and resourceful than themselves to save them and shield them from risk.</p></blockquote>
<p>Here are two additional quotes I really appreciated:</p>
<p><b>On reciprocation:</b></p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;If you want to succeed, find leaders who are doing amazing things in the world, and push them up. Find powerful people and help them reach their goals. If you’re of service to them, they will be of service back.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p><b>On entitlement:</b></p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;There are two decisions you need to come to in order to be free, and to be more effective. First is that you are not entitled to anything in the world, until you create value for another human being first. Second, you are 100 percent responsible for producing results. No one else. If you adopt those two views, you will go far.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>I&#8217;m not really the audience for Ellsberg&#8217;s book anymore, but I sure wish someone would&#8217;ve handed to me as an undergraduate. If you&#8217;re looking for direction and/or guidance in your education or career I encourage you to pick up the book. The people out there tinkering, starting businesses, failing, refining their ideas through exploration&#8230; Rest assured they&#8217;re getting ahead and acquiring valuable real world experience in an ever-changing world. </p>
<p>To be clear, I&#8217;m not telling you to forgo a college degree (maybe one in the arts), but I am pleading with you to take control of your life &#8211; before it&#8217;s too late.</p>
<p>Was your college education worth it? Was it applicable to the job you&#8217;re doing now? Do you catch yourself following orders and getting complacent rather than proactively searching for solutions? What is something you wished you learned in school? <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/education-reform/"><u>Here&#8217;s some topics other young professionals wished they would&#8217;ve learned in school</u></a>.</p>
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		<title>The Only Interview I Ever Bombed</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RyanStephensMarketing/~3/ynu3jupYarc/</link>
		<comments>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/the-only-interview-i-ever-bombed/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:19:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Stephens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationship marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/?p=1470</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TweetI&#8217;ve been fortunate in my career that I haven&#8217;t had to interview too much &#8211; though I enjoy the process and learning from those interactions as I hope this post will illustrate. There was a handful of times I didn&#8217;t get the gig. Of those, I was usually in the final 2-3 candidates; however, there [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="tweetbutton1470" class="tw_button" style=""><a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-only-interview-i-ever-bombed%2F&amp;text=The%20Only%20Interview%20I%20Ever%20Bombed&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-only-interview-i-ever-bombed%2F" class="twitter-share-button"  style="width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweet-button/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;">Tweet</a></div><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>I&#8217;ve been fortunate in my career that I haven&#8217;t had to interview too much &#8211; though I enjoy the process and learning from those interactions as I hope this post will illustrate.</p>
<p>There was a handful of times I didn&#8217;t get the gig. Of those, I was usually in the final 2-3 candidates; however, there was one time in late 2009 when I flat out BOMBED an interview.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s talk about that time.</p>
<p>The interview was with an up-and-coming social business firm based out of Austin and I fell in love with the work they were doing from the onset. The interviewer was a brilliant strategist who I admired a lot. For the first time in my life I was a little intimidated.</p>
<p>When I found out that I would have the opportunity to interview/have a conversation I started reading EVERYTHING I could about social business. I read everything the company had written, and I didn&#8217;t just read it, I thought about it.</p>
<p>I took an inordinate amount of notes and dove deep into the content. I thought about how it was applicable to marketing, the workplace, organization architecture and much more. I pored over it for hours and felt like I had something semi-insightful to offer from almost every vantage point.</p>
<p>On the day of the interview, I was nervous, but felt like I was more prepared than I&#8217;d ever been for anything in my life. I had notes scattered out (it was a phone interview) and though I was ready to answer ANY question.</p>
<p><b>I thought wrong.</b></p>
<p>We didn&#8217;t talk about <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/how-social-business-will-impact-employees/"><u>social business</u></a>. We barely talked about the organization at all. The interviewer asked me questions about myself. </p>
<p>&#8220;What did I want out of life?&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;Where did I see myself in five years?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Why did I want to leave sports marketing? Sports marketing is fun.&#8221;</p>
<p>Ummmmmmmmm&#8230; I wanted to talk about measuring a social brand and capturing value from today’s emerging technologies and evolving operating environments.</p>
<p>The funny thing is that I&#8217;d learned more about myself in 2009 than I ever had before, but I was completely unprepared to articulate most of that to someone else. </p>
<p>This company was full of brilliant people that could teach me social business. They were looking for someone who fit their culture, who wanted to learn, and consistently push him(her)self beyond their level of comfort. Hint: That&#8217;s what <b>most</b> companies want. They can teach you the rest.</p>
<p>In a world where most people are looking for a quick fix, (popping Adderral and anti-depressants like they&#8217;re candy) most of us are completely unwilling to turn the lens on ourselves. To think deeply about what we think, feel and believe. And how experiences, thoughts, and feelings impact our lives and they way we interact with others. </p>
<p>I encourage you to spend more time reading <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/incognito-book-review/"><u>books that challenge you</u></a> and <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/how-stoicism-helps-cultivate-relationships/"><u>retreating into your own mind</u></a> more often. </p>
<p>Understanding who you are is crucial in understanding what you&#8217;re capable of and how you fit into our fancy little ecosystem. </p>
<p>Had I done that, I might not have gotten the job, but I wouldn&#8217;t be writing posts about that one time I bombed an interview.</p>
<p>What about you? Have you ever bombed an interview? What would you have done differently? What are your favorite interview tips?</p>
<p><center>————————–</center></p>
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The Only Interview I Ever Bombed (And Why) &#8211;> http://ow.ly/9wpgz </p>
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		<title>10 Ways to Fool Your Boss into Thinking You’re Working Hard</title>
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		<comments>http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/10-ways-to-fool-your-boss-into-thinking-youre-working-hard/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:36:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Stephens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/?p=1454</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tweet Are you like most people? Do you want to aimlessly float through life collecting your paycheck and living for the weekend? If you have no desire to become a linchpin, but you still want to fool your boss into thinking you&#8217;re working hard so you can obtain that elusive raise and/or promotion then these [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="tweetbutton1454" class="tw_button" style=""><a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2F10-ways-to-fool-your-boss-into-thinking-youre-working-hard%2F&amp;text=10%20Ways%20to%20Fool%20Your%20Boss%20into%20Thinking%20You%26%238217%3Bre%20Working%20Hard&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fryanstephensmarketing.com%2Fblog%2F10-ways-to-fool-your-boss-into-thinking-youre-working-hard%2F" class="twitter-share-button"  style="width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweet-button/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;">Tweet</a></div><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p><center><a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/slyworking.jpg"><img src="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/slyworking-300x240.jpg" alt="Slacking off at Work" title="Slyworking" width="450" height="320" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1467" /></a></center></p>
<p>Are you like most people? Do you want to aimlessly float through life collecting your paycheck and living for the weekend? If you have no desire to become a <a href="http://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/linchpin-book-review/"><u>linchpin</u></a>, but you still want to fool your boss into thinking you&#8217;re working hard so you can obtain that elusive raise and/or promotion then these 10 tips will set you in the right direction.</p>
<h2><b><font color="blue">1.) Send E-mails at Ridiculous Hours </b></h2>
<p></font>Right before you go to bed send out one of those e-mails where all you did was casually look over a document and announce that &#8220;It&#8217;s good to go.&#8221; Make sure you CC someone else so they know how late you&#8217;re working too. If your office uses Outlook you can use the delay delivery feature to send stuff at 5:30am and on Sunday afternoons.</p>
<h2><b><font color="blue">2.) Turn Your Desk into a War Zone</b></h2>
<p></font>It is a clear indication that you&#8217;re working on multiple projects if you have stuff scattered all over your desk. Printouts, binders, folders, notebooks. Stack it all high. Put some excel spreadsheets on top. Everyone knows poring over excel is intense.</p>
<h2><b><font color="blue">3.) Outsource Everything to Co-Workers</b></h2>
<p></font>This is a key one because at some point something has to actually get done. Get a candy bowl, buy them lunch/drinks &#8212; basically do whatever you need to do to get them to like you and then persuade them to &#8220;help&#8221; (see: do) you with your work. Most of the time you should take all the credit, but throw them a bone sometimes and they&#8217;ll feel appreciated enough to help you next time you need it.</p>
<h2><b><font color="blue">4.) Schedule Tons of Meetings</b></h2>
<p></font>Most people think that if you&#8217;re in meetings you&#8217;re working and progress is being made. Most people haven&#8217;t read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Read-This-Before-Meeting-ebook/dp/B0057ZER34"><u>this book</u></a>. Peter Drucker says meetings are a concession to deficient organization. We either meet or work. We can&#8217;t do both at the same time. Until your boss realizes that most meetings are worthless keep your calendar full of them.</p>
<h2><b><font color="blue">5.) List Off All The Things You&#8217;re Working On</b></h2>
<p></font>Most companies have status meetings where you alert everyone on the projects you&#8217;re working on. Don&#8217;t just announce the most impactful projects or the things that have changed since the last meeting. List every single thing you&#8217;re working on. Don&#8217;t just stop at tactics either. Let them know you e-mailed so-and-so and are awaiting a follow up. Really up the ante and make sure your to-do list spans multiple pages.</p>
<h2><b><font color="blue">6.) Say &#8220;Uh huh&#8221; and &#8220;I Like That Idea&#8221; Loudly in Meetings</b></h2>
<p></font>Visibility is key to proving you&#8217;re working hard. Don&#8217;t sit there quietly in meetings and not say anything. Processing all the information in order to fill a gap with a valuable contribution is a waste of valuable time. Make your voice heard. Nod a lot, and say &#8220;Uh huh&#8221; like you&#8217;re really engaged. Agreeing with someone else works well and stating the obvious, provided it won&#8217;t be contested by someone smarter than you is also a great strategy.</p>
<h2><b><font color="blue">7.) Carry a Folder, Binder or Laptop Everywhere</b></h2>
<p></font>Maybe you&#8217;re going to Target to get the latest Hunger Games book, but if you look like you&#8217;re going to a meeting or to someone else&#8217;s office they&#8217;ll never know. Bonus points for perusing the document as you walk down the hall towards your phony destination.</p>
<h2><b><font color="blue">8.) Always Leave the Office Last</b></h2>
<p></font>I know this is counter-intuitive to your desire to slack off, but this is the best way to guilt your boss into giving you a raise or a promotion. Play on Facebook, read a magazine or make personal phone calls when most people start leaving. Once everyone is gone, wait a few minutes and then leverage rule #1 by sending off a few obligatory e-mails. If your boss and/or co-workers follow you on Facebook go one step further and announce you&#8217;re finally leaving after an exciting day at the office.</p>
<h2><b><font color="blue">9.) Learn Fancy Industry Jargon</b></h2>
<p></font>You don&#8217;t have to actually know what you&#8217;re talking about, but if it sounds like you do everyone will be impressed. Get a few trade pubs, scour a couple of blogs and commit to learning a few nonsense words every week. Flowery language with no real substance makes you look super smart and we all know that smart people work hard.</p>
<h2><b><font color="blue">10.) Act Really Stressed and Make Sure Everyone Knows</b></h2>
<p></font>Audible sighs, massaging your own temples and announcing you have no more capacity to anyone who will listen are fool-proof tactics. Also, make sure you drink lots of caffeine, act frazzled and occasionally toss a few sheets of paper or yell at the printer. Work creates stress so the the more stressed you are, the harder you&#8217;re working. It&#8217;s a proven theorem.  </p>
<p>I&#8217;ll be completely honest. In a lot of organizations shit like this probably does work, at least for awhile. (The skeptic in me says it works more often than it should, for longer than it should, in more organizations than you would suspect). </p>
<p>But I hope that it doesn&#8217;t work in your office. <b>In good companies you&#8217;re not fooling anyone. Not your boss and certainly not your co-workers</b>, who will typically keep quiet hoping leadership will notice until you step on their head in an attempt to ascend the corporate ladder. </p>
<p>So keep leveraging these tactics at your own discretion, but I hope you don&#8217;t find yourself in a high-profile position where you have to step up your game. Rest assured I&#8217;ll be rooting for you to fail.</p>
<p>Do you know anyone in your office that employs these tactics? Does leadership notice?</p>
<p><i>Photo Credit:</i> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/slworking/"><u>Slyworking2</u></a></p>
<p><center>————————–</center></p>
<p>Tweet This: (Copy &#038; Paste into Twitter):<br />
10 Ways to Fool Your Boss into Thinking You&#8217;re Working Hard &#8211;>  http://ow.ly/9l2zd </p>
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