HamiltonBerchman Design Group turns 3 this month of June in 2008. It has been a great adventure to start HamiltonBerchman and work with so many talented and interesting people. I have had the good fortune of working on some great projects and have had the privilege of helping many people and organizations get more from the Internet. Whether a complete web site or a consultation on Internet strategy and best practices it has all contributed to our success to date. I thank those of you who have been involved with me and HamiltonBerchman in any capacity.

What have I learned?
If there was one thing I have learned in starting this business its to never stop asking questions. Ask questions about everything; business, clients, projects, and yourself. Never settle for the status quo because there is always something that can be reexamined, revised, or improved. There is so much potential for growth by asking questions all the time, no matter the project or situation. Asking questions keeps you engaged, keeps you curious, keeps you learning, and it keeps you in the game.

So what is your Internet-based question?
How can I be of service? What do you need to know?

With its early predecessors dating back to the mid-1990’s RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a fundamental tool in getting your content published to the widest audience possible on the Internet. Simply put, RSS is a web-based format for frequently updated content, such as blogs, news feeds, and podcasts.

Why does this matter to you and your business?
Because publishing content on the web matters if you want to get noticed. Good content helps people and raises your company profile as an authority and expert in your field or industry. Frequent content updates can contribute to better results with search engines when combined with other SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts.

RSS feeds are a simple way to package your content in a format that allows it to be spread to a very wide audience. And it makes it easy and convenient for people to receive what you have to publish. A company called Common Craft has done and excellent job at creating a short video presentation of exactly how RSS works, in plain English.

Here it is for your viewing pleasure and a BIG hat tip to Common Craft who create great explanation videos:

Let us know what you think.

About Suzanne’s Cuisine
Suzanne’s Cuisine, located in Ojai, CA, opened it’s doors in 1992. Family owned and operated, Suzanne’s Cuisine is a Southern California, and certainly Ojai, dining destination. The menu reflects many influences—a little Asian, a little Mexican and maybe some interesting spice that was picked up at the local farmer’s market. Suzanne’s Cuisine is open daily (except Tuesdays) for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. www.suzannescuisine.com

About HamiltonBerchman
HamiltonBerchman Design Group helps organizations increase their relevance by designing and developing custom web-based communications and is dedicated to developing a personal and responsive relationship with every client. HamiltonBerchman was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Ojai, CA with their team of professionals positioned in Portland, Austin, Orlando and Poland. www.hamiltonberchman.com

I’ve begun reading the The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual and it struck me, “is anybody out there?” I’m looking for you—the person reading these words right now. I’m interested in knowing what you think. I’m looking for interaction, conversation, feedback. I send this email every month but haven’t heard from you lately.

The power of the Internet is that we all have the ability to communicate with one another on a one-to-one basis, or in groups. We have the power of our voices. The Internet is really not about marketing or commerce although it is very convenient to research and buy things. We can have conversations, share ideas, debate the merits of one thing over another. The power is in the communication and that is a 2 way street. The Internet is about expressing ideas, sharing knowledge, and having conversations and relationships with real people. And that is what I am doing with my company blog and my e-newsletter.

What I love to do is help people find the best way to use the Internet to communicate. Not everyone is trying to say the same thing and everyone listening is not necessarily doing it the same way.

So, the format of my e-newsletters has changed to find out what you think.

All my previous e-newsletter issues were sent to you in their entirety. Sometimes they were weighty emails. Now my e-newsletter provides you with a table of contents and then each piece of content takes you over here to my website to read more and allow you to engage in the conversation. Please share your ideas and opinions… I want to hear what you think!

What is the most powerful thing you ‘get’ from the Internet?

• Information?
• Communication?
• Relationships?
• Business?

I want to know, comment below.

We all feel it at one point or another. The large deadline looming over our back. Whether for a project at work or an errand at home the race is on to get something done before a deadline. The word deadline sounds ominous and can certainly produce feelings of stress and pressure.

Is there really a reason to rush to a deadline? I would say from experience, no. If there is enough lead-time, preparation, and room for negotiation there should be no sense of deadline. However, sometimes we are not so fortunate—something comes up unexpectedly that needs to be handled quickly, or a new project or task that comes up takes priority over what you are currently working on. No matter what the scenario it may create a sense of ‘stress‘ or ‘pressure.’

Feeling a ‘sense‘ of deadline and the ‘stress‘ that it may produce can cloud your judgment. If you are working on a project and the deadline is 8 a.m. Friday morning you may work late on Thursday to finalize everything. But people that need to sign off on the final version of that project may not be in until after 8 a.m. the next day—after the deadline. You may decide that the deadline is the most important thing—everything ‘looks’ correct and you have to hit the deadline. However, it would be best to renegotiate the 8 a.m. deadline with everyone on Thursday once it becomes apparent that meeting the deadline cannot happen without the proper approvals.

You should negotiate the deadline because the quality of the final work may be in question. The combination of pressure, stress, and time constraints may cause an oversight and something that is not correct could get published.
No matter the deadline situation you may find yourself in remember that it is all a matter of perception and perspective. If you speak negatively—”there is no way we can get this done”—you will convince yourself of whatever you speak. If you speak positively—”we can do this, lets ask for some help and see if we can get some more time”—you may find things to go smoother without the stress and pressure.

When looking at the deadline(s) you have you may want to consider these items:

1. Take stock of what is on your plate.
2. Can some tasks/projects be put on hold until you clear the pressing matter?
3. Is there anything you can delegate to a co-worker, assistant, or sub-contractor?
4. Renegotiate the delivery of your tasks, projects, or priorities with your superiors, or your clients. Everyone understands that things change.
5. Take one task at a time and reassess when new things come up.

Getting things done by a deadline will always be with us. The good news is meeting them done does not always have to feel like a monster hovering over you. Take a deep breath, assess the big-picture, offload and delay what you can, and get-to-work!

How do you handle deadlines?

Do you have any unique ways of handling the ‘stress‘ of the situation?