Traditional vs Online Universities

Traditional vs. Online Universities – What’s the Difference?

by Ryan May

Online universities and traditional colleges that offer courses in physical classrooms have the same end goal: provide students with an educational experience that enables them to grow in their chosen field and eventually earn a degree. But although their purpose is the same, both possess significant differences in the approach they take, setting them distinctly apart.

Distance learning definitely has its upside, especially for those who can’t afford the time or costs associated with attending a standard brick-and-mortar university.

Benefits of Online Learning

§  No pre-defined class schedule

§  No commute to campus

§  Lower tuition

§  Fewer fees (parking, activity, etc.)

§  Ability to engage online with classmates around the country (and the world)

Disadvantages of Online Learning

§  Direct contact with instructors and classmates, providing learning through immediate feedback

§  Physical textbooks and supplemental materials that are believed to be more beneficial when consuming large amounts of content

§  Student participation readily encouraged (and often accounts for a portion of the final grade)

§  Potential for networking and social interaction with other classmates (some of whom you may end up working with one day)

Curriculum – where the buck stops

Like any investment, higher education requires considerable background and planning to select the institution that will best meet your specific needs. Similar to buying a car or a new computer, different universities vary wildly in the value they offer with respect to their online courses. So when trying to determine which one is right for you, it’s important to know that the main difference between the two is in the curriculum… and how it’s presented.

In fact, this is often cited as the primary difference between online universities and courses offered in traditional classrooms. And depending on the university, the difference can be vast.

Coursework that’s offered online attempts to use a formal education process through which the students and instructor interact via the web even though they are not in the same place (and many times not even in the same country). This means all exams, quizzes, lectures and reading are completed online, with course materials delivered via websites, electronic textbooks and streaming lectures, typically provided in an on-demand format. More so than any other consideration, this structure represents the biggest difference between the two styles of learning, specifically because it may have less of a lasting impact on some students due to the limitations of the electronic medium.

It’s been reported that many people require interpersonal interaction to learn effectively and when that connection is removed, as it is through online universities, it alters both the learning experience and potential for retention of the material.

This system of curriculum distribution is very different from that provided through the traditional college classroom. At a brick-and-mortar university, many courses require your physical presence, enforcing an attendance policy that can often significantly impact your grade. While attending class, students are also required to listen and take notes during the lecture and are often tested on the material as its presented in class – some of which is not found in the companion reading material.

As a result, instructors must provide more detailed feedback to ensure the information has been presented clearly, as the student does not have the luxury of reviewing a streaming video feed or re-browsing a web page.

In addition, many colleges are rushing to market with online courses in an attempt to capture this rapidly-growing segment, and are providing versions of their courses that – though technically still providing the same information – do not fulfil the requirements for accreditation. This lack of accreditation often means credits earned may not transfer or be applicable to a degree.

So when signing up for an online university, make sure the curriculum is (1) accredited and (2) transferable or applicable to your end goal.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin

Source: Business Dictionary

Created in 2009, it is a digital currency that is completely decentralized. Facilitates payments by using peer-to-peer technology and can be used on the internet or in brick and mortar stores. It is considered a type of crypto-currency because it uses cryptography for security, making it extremely difficult to counterfeit.

Why Is It Important?

Bitcoin has been changing the way people purchase items. However, the only caveat is that the acceptance of Bitcoins is purely voluntary. Bitcoin has been in the news a lot recently due to its highly fluctuating market value in 2013, reaching its peak of $1,200 per coin and then dropping 50% shortly after to $572 per coin after the Chinese Central Bank created regulations regarding the use of Bitcoins. Bitcoin's popularity and value thrives on its growing acceptance. Recently, Overstock.com announced that they would consider accepting Bitcoins in 2014. There's also been some concern that Bitcoin is being used for illegal activities such as gambling because of its unique decentralized market. Overall, Bitcoin has the potential to be a big game changer for some industries and economies. As a result, many governments and companies are keeping a close eye on its development and acceptance.

What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a consensus network that enables a new payment system and a completely digital money. It is the first decentralized peer-to-peer payment network that is powered by its users with no central authority or middlemen. From a user perspective, Bitcoin is pretty much like cash for the Internet. Bitcoin can also be seen as the most prominent triple entry bookkeeping system in existence.

Who created Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is the first implementation of a concept called "crypto-currency", which was first described in 1998 by Wei Dai on the cypherpunks mailing list, suggesting the idea of a new form of money that uses cryptography to control its creation and transactions, rather than a central authority. The first Bitcoin specification and proof of concept was published in 2009 in a cryptography mailing list by Satoshi Nakamoto. Satoshi left the project in late 2010 without revealing much about himself. The community has since grown exponentially with many developers working on Bitcoin.

Satoshi's anonymity often raised unjustified concerns, many of which are linked to misunderstanding of the open-source nature of Bitcoin. The Bitcoin protocol and software are published openly and any developer around the world can review the code or make their own modified version of the Bitcoin software. Just like current developers, Satoshi's influence was limited to the changes he made being adopted by others and therefore he did not control Bitcoin. As such, the identity of Bitcoin's inventor is probably as relevant today as the identity of the person who invented paper.

Who controls the Bitcoin network?

Nobody owns the Bitcoin network much like no one owns the technology behind email. Bitcoin is controlled by all Bitcoin users around the world. While developers are improving the software, they can't force a change in the Bitcoin protocol because all users are free to choose what software and version they use. In order to stay compatible with each other, all users need to use software complying with the same rules. Bitcoin can only work correctly with a complete consensus among all users. Therefore, all users and developers have a strong incentive to protect this consensus.

How does Bitcoin work?

From a user perspective, Bitcoin is nothing more than a mobile app or computer program that provides a personal Bitcoin wallet and allows a user to send and receive bitcoins with them. This is how Bitcoin works for most users.

Behind the scenes, the Bitcoin network is sharing a public ledger called the "block chain". This ledger contains every transaction ever processed, allowing a user's computer to verify the validity of each transaction. The authenticity of each transaction is protected by digital signatures corresponding to the sending addresses, allowing all users to have full control over sending bitcoins from their own Bitcoin addresses. In addition, anyone can process transactions using the computing power of specialized hardware and earn a reward in bitcoins for this service. This is often called "mining". To learn more about Bitcoin, you can consult the dedicated page and the original paper.

Is Bitcoin really used by people?

Yes. There is a growing number of businesses and individuals using Bitcoin. This includes brick and mortar businesses like restaurants, apartments, law firms, and popular online services such as Namecheap, WordPress, Reddit and Flattr. While Bitcoin remains a relatively new phenomenon, it is growing fast. At the end of August 2013, the value of all bitcoins in circulation exceeded US$ 1.5 billion with millions of dollars’ worth of bitcoins exchanged daily.

How does one acquire bitcoins?

As payment for goods or services.

Purchase bitcoins at a Bitcoin exchange.

Exchange bitcoins with someone near you.

Earn bitcoins through competitive mining.

While it may be possible to find individuals who wish to sell bitcoins in exchange for a credit card or PayPal payment, most exchanges do not allow funding via these payment methods. This is due to cases where someone buys bitcoins with PayPal, and then reverses their half of the transaction. This is commonly referred to as a chargeback.

How difficult is it to make a Bitcoin payment?

Bitcoin payments are easier to make than debit or credit card purchases, and can be received without a merchant account. Payments are made from a wallet application, either on your computer or smartphone, by entering the recipient's address, the payment amount, and pressing send. To make it easier to enter a recipient's address, many wallets can obtain the address by scanning a QR code or touching two phones together with NFC technology.

What Do Women Want

An interesting story sourced.

What Do Women Want?

Ali - Admin

Young King Steven was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighbouring kingdom The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Steven’s youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Steven would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.

The question?…What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Steven, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch’s proposition to have an answer by year’s end. 

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.

Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged. 

The last day of the year arrived and Steven had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first. The old witch wanted to marry Jack, the most handsome man in the country and Steven’s closest friend! 

Young Steven was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life. He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Jack, learning of the proposal, spoke with Steven. He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Steven’s life. 

Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Steven’s question thus: “What a woman really wants, she answered…...is to be in charge of her own life.”

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Steven’s life would be spared. And so it was, the neighbouring monarch granted Steven his freedom and Jack and the witch had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and Jack, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was in his room. The astounded Jack asked what had happened. The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.

Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day….or night? 

Jack pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman with him?

What would YOU do?

What Jack chose is below.

BUT….make YOUR choice before you scrolls down below.

OKAY?

Noble Jack said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself. Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life. 

*Now….what is the moral to this story?*

The moral is…..

If you don’t let a woman have her own way, things are going to get ugly.

What is the opposite?

What Is The Opposite? - Hilarious Interview

Interviewer: Let me check your Vocabulary.

Dumbo: Okay Sir.

Interviewer: Tell me the opposite of good.

Dumbo: Bad

Interviewer : Come

Dumbo: Go.

Interviewer: Ugly.

Dumbo: Tugly.(he didn't had the answer)

Interviewer: Tuglyy?

Dumbo: Uglyyy.

Interviewer: Shut Up.

Dumbo: Keep Talking.

Interviewer: Okay now stop all this.

Dumbo: Now carry on all this.

Interviewer: What the Hell is wrong with you?

Dumbo: What the heaven is right with you.

Interviewer : Get Out.

Dumbo: Come In.

Interviewer: Oh my God.

Dumbo: Oh my Devil.

Interviewer: You are Rejected.

Dumbo: I m selected...

Thank you so much Sir!

The Butterfly Effect (Know the meaning)

The Butterfly Effect

In 1963, Edward Lorenz presented a hypothesis to the New York Academy of Science. His theory stated simply, was that:

A butterfly could flap its wings and set molecules of air in motion, which would move other molecules of air, in turn moving more molecules of air—eventually capable of starting a hurricane on the other side of the planet.

Lorenz and his ideas were literally laughed out of the conference. What he had proposed was ridiculous. It was preposterous. But it was fascinating!

Therefore, because of the idea’s charm and intrigue, the so-called “butterfly effect” became a staple of science fiction, remaining for decades a combination of myth and legend spread only by comic books and bad movies.

So imagine the scientific community’s shock and surprise when, more than thirty years after the possibility was introduced, physics professors working from colleges and universities worldwide came to the conclusion that the butterfly effect was authentic, accurate, and viable.

Soon after, it was accorded the status of a “law.” Now known as The Law of Sensitive Dependence Upon Initial Conditions, this principle has proven to be a force encompassing more than mere butterfly.

A Touching Love Story

A Touching Love Story

by Vijayakumar

As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years.

The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue.

Then I saw the dateline; 1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years ago. It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting on powder blue stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner. It was a 'Dear John' letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him any more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that she would always love him. It was signed, Hannah. It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way except for the name Michael, that the owner could be identified.

Maybe if I called information, the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope. 'Operator,' I began, 'this is an unusual request. I'm trying to find the owner of a wallet that I found. Is there anyway you can tell me if there is a phone number for an address that was on an envelope in the wallet?'

She suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment then said, 'Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can't give you the number.'

She said, as a courtesy, she would call that number, explain my story and would ask them if they wanted her to connect me. I waited a few minutes and then she was back on the line. 'I have a party who will speak with you.'

I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped, 'Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was 30 years ago!'

'Would you know where that family could be located now?' I asked.

'I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some years ago,' the woman said. 'Maybe if you got in touch with them they might be able to track down the daughter.' She gave me the name of the nursing home and I called the number.

They told me the old lady had passed away some years ago but they did have a phone number for where they thought the daughter might be living. I thanked them and phoned. The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home.

This whole thing was stupid, I thought to myself. Why was I making such a big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that had only three dollars and a letter that was almost 60 years old? Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was supposed to be living and the man who answered the phone told me, 'Yes, Hannah is staying with us.'

Even though it was already 10 p.m. , I asked if I could come by to see her. 'Well,' he said hesitatingly, 'if you want to take a chance, she might be in the day room watching television.' I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home.

The night nurse and a guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the third floor of the large building. In the day room, the nurse introduced me to Hannah. She was a sweet, silver-haired old timer with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eye. I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter. The second she saw the powder blue envelope with that little flower on the left, she took a deep breath and said, 'Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever had with Michael.' She looked away for a moment deep in thought and then said softly, 'I loved him very much. But I was only 16 at the time and my mother felt I was too young. Oh, he was so handsome. He looked like Sean Connery, the actor.' 'Yes,' she continued. 'Michael Goldstein was a wonderful person. If you should find him, tell him I think of him often. And,' she hesitated for a moment, almost biting her lip, 'tell him I still love him. You know,' she said smiling as tears began to well up in her eyes, 'I never did marry. I guess no one ever matched up to Michael...'

I thanked Hannah and said good-bye. I took the elevator to the first floor and as I stood by the door, the guard there asked, 'Was the old lady able to help you?'

I told him she had given me a lead. 'At least I have a last name. But I think I'll let it go for a while. I spent almost the whole day trying to find the owner of this wallet.'

I had taken out the wallet, which was a simple brown leather case with red lacing on the side. When the guard saw it, he said,
'Hey, wait a minute! That's Mr. Goldstein's wallet. I'd know it anywhere with that bright red lacing. He's always losing that wallet. I must have found it in the halls at least three times.'

'Who's Mr. Goldstein?' I asked as my hand began to shake.
'He's one of the old timers on the 8th floor. That's Mike Goldstein's wallet for sure. He must have lost it on one of his walks.'

I thanked the guard and quickly ran back to the nurse's office. I told her what the guard had said. We went back to the elevator and got on. I prayed that Mr. Goldstein would be up. On the eighth floor, the floor nurse said, 'I think he's still in the day room. He likes to read at night. He's a darling old man.'

We went to the only room that had any lights on and there was a man reading a book. The nurse went over to him and asked if he had lost his wallet.

Mr. Goldstein looked up with surprise, put his hand in his back pocket and said, 'Oh, it is missing!'

'This kind gentleman found a wallet and we wondered if it could be yours?'

I handed Mr. Goldstein the wallet and the second he saw it, he smiled with relief and said, 'Yes, that's it! It must have dropped out of my pocket this afternoon. I want to give you a reward.'

'No, thank you,' I said. 'But I have to tell you something. I read the letter in the hope of finding out who owned the wallet.' The smile on his face suddenly disappeared.

'You read that letter?'

'Not only did I read it, I think I know where Hannah is.'

He suddenly grew pale. 'Hannah? You know where she is? How is she? Is she still as pretty as she was? Please, please tell me,' he begged.

'She's fine...just as pretty as when you knew her.' I said softly. The old man smiled with anticipation and asked, 'Could you tell me where she is? I want to call her tomorrow.' He grabbed my hand and said, 'You know something, mister, I was so in love with that girl that when that letter came, my life literally ended. I never married. I guess I've always loved her. '

'Mr. Goldstein,' I said, 'come with me.'

We took the elevator down to the third floor. The hallways were darkened and only one or two little night-lights lit our way to the day room where Hannah was sitting alone watching the television. The nurse walked over to her.

'Hannah,' she said softly, pointing to Michael, who was waiting with me in the doorway. 'Do you know this man?'

Hannah adjusted her glasses, looked for a moment, but didn't say a word.

Michael said softly, almost in a whisper,
'Hannah, it's Michael.. Do you remember me?'

She gasped,
'Michael! I don't believe it! Michael! It's you! My Michael!'

He walked slowly towards her and they embraced. The nurse and I left with tears streaming down our faces.

'See,' I said. 'See how the Good Lord works! If it's meant to be, it will be.'

About three weeks later I got a call at my office from the nursing home.
'Can you break away on Sunday to attend a wedding? Michael and Hannah are
going to tie the knot!'

It was a beautiful wedding with all the people at the nursing home dressed up to join in the celebration. Hannah wore a light beige dress and looked beautiful. Michael wore a dark blue suit and stood tall. They made me their best man. The nursing home gave them their own room and if you ever wanted to see a 76-year-old bride and a 79-year-old groom acting like two teenagers, you had to see this couple. A perfect ending for a love affair that had lasted nearly 60 years.

If this inspirational message blesses you, pass it on... Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only love will leave footprints in your heart. May God hold you in the palm of his hand and Angels watch over you.

Why God Made Daughters

Why God Made Daughters?

When God created daughters,

He took very special care,

To find the precious treasures,

That would make them sweet and fair...

He gave them smiles of angels,

Then explored the midnight skies,

And took a bit of stardust,

To make bright and twinkling eyes ...

He fashioned them from sugar,

And a little bit of spice,

He gave them sunny laughter,

And everything that is nice ...

He smiled when He made daughters,

Because He knew He had,

Created love and happiness

For every mom and dad...

 

Thinking out of the Box

Thinking Out of the Box 

Every company has a performance appraisal system in place to measure the effectiveness of its employees. Employees are normally rated in most of the companies in the above categories. Apart from the above nonperformance category is also there, which is not depicted here ) . Needless to say everyone wants to be rated Outstanding. What is the yard stick and how do you measure these aspects?

Employee "A" in a company walked up to his manager and asked what my job is for the day?

The manager took "A" to the bank of a river and asked him to cross the river and reach the other side of the bank. "A" completed this task successfully and reported back to the manager about the completion of the task assigned. The manager smiled and said "GOOD JOB"

Next day Employee "B" reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task as above to this person also. The Employee "B' before starting the task saw Employee "C" struggling in the river to reach the other side of the bank. He realized "C" has the same task. Now "B" not only crossed the river but also helped "C" to cross the river. "B" reported back to the manager and the manager smiled and said "VERY GOOD JOB" 

The following day Employee "Q" reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again. Employee "Q" before starting the work did some homework and realized "A", "B" & "C" all has done this task before. He met them and understood how they performed. He realized that there is a need for a guide and training for doing this task. He sat first and wrote down the procedure for crossing the river, he documented the common mistakes people made, and tricks to do the task efficiently and effortlessly. Using the methodology he had written down he crossed the river and reported back to the manager along with documented procedure and training material. The manager said "Q" you have done an "EXCELLENT JOB".

The following day Employee "O' reported to the manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again. "O" studied the procedure written down by "Q" and sat and thought about the whole task. He realized company is spending lot of money in getting this task completed. He decided not to cross the river, but sat and designed and implemented a bridge across the river and went back to his manager and said, "You no longer need to assign this task to any one". The manager smiled and said "Outstanding job 'O'. I am very proud of you."

What is the difference between A, B, Q & O????????

Many a times in life we get tasks to be done at home, at office, at play….,

Most of us end up doing what is expected out of us. Do we feel happy? Most probably yes. We would be often disappointed when the recognition is not meeting our expectation.

Let us compare ourselves with "B". Helping someone else the problem often improves our own skills. There is an old proverb (I do not know the author) "learn to teach and teach to learn". From a company point of view "B" has demonstrated much better skills than "A" since one more task for the company is completed.

"Q" created knowledge base for the team. More often than not, we do the task assigned to us without checking history. Learning from other's mistake is the best way to improve efficiency. This knowledge creation for the team is of immense help. Re-usability reduces cost there by increases productivity of the team. "Q" demonstrated good "team-player" skills,

Now to the outstanding person, "O" made the task irrelevant; he created a Permanent Asset to the team. If you notice B, Q and O all have demonstrated "team performance" over and above individual performance; also they have demonstrated a very invaluable characteristic known as "INITIATIVE".

Initiative pays of everywhere whether at work or at personal life. If you put initiative you will succeed. Initiative is a continual process and it never ends. This is because this year's achievement is next year's task. You cannot use the same success story every year. The story provides an instance of performance, where as measurement needs to be spread across at least 6-12 months. Consequently performance should be consistent and evenly spread.

Out-of-Box thinkers are always premium and that is what everyone constantly looks out for. Initiative, Out-of-Box thinking and commitment are the stepping stone to success. Initiative should be lifelong. Think of out of the box.

This is the extended version of this episode:

This manager went to his reporting authority immediately after all the subordinates had finished their assigned tasks and submitted his consolidated report with an expectation of a word of appreciation. Alas! To his utter dismay he heard him talking to the Accounts chief: “Hey! Immediately settle the account of Mr. X (this manager). I never knew he has a set of self-starters who don’t need to be supervised at all.”

Moral: only such of those tasks that cannot be completed without the ultimate solution of the manager should be assigned by him to his subordinates!

(Make sure that the many negatives in the sentence do make sense!!)

Have a great day!!

 

9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service

An excerpt from 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service by Chip R. Bell

Monogram the Moment

The Fly-Fishing Principle

It looked like we were going to have to spend the night in the car with the cat! Not a good idea! We were traveling to South Texas and had targeted Austin as our halfway overnight destination. We realized two hours out that we had no hotel reservation on a Friday night UT football weekend. Plus, we travel with our cat. We called the usual hotels—Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Motel 6—all with the same response, "Sorry, no pets!" "Why don't we call the Four Seasons Hotel?" my wife suggested. I thought, "Oh, no. Three hundred dollars a night!" When she sensed my resistance, she coyly asked, "What if we just called them to see what they say?" You know where this story is going! "We'd love to have your cat," the front desk clerk sang into the phone. "What's your kitty's name? We want to register your little kitty." "Taco," my wife answered, "Taco Bell!" When we arrived at the Four Seasons there was practically a welcoming party—all eager to greet THE cat. After the "oo's and ahs" we arrived at our gorgeous lakefront guest room. The hotel staff had already set out a serving tray with a logoed bowl for cat food, another for water, and a small cat toy. My wife was super happy, Taco was super happy, but I was still not liking this pricey event. But the monogrammed moment came the next morning when we ordered room service breakfast. When the bellman knocked on our door, Taco immediately jumped to the middle of the bed. As the bellman entered the room with our breakfast, what do you think were the first words out of his mouth? You guessed it! "Good morning, Taco!" As soon as the room door closed, I could hear my bank account cry. My wife swooned, "I'll never stay anywhere but a Four Seasons hotel. If the room service guy knows the name of my cat, why would I stay anywhere else?" Customers love monogrammed service. Monogrammed service is a lot like fly-fishing for trout. Most fish are complete suckers for a juicy worm on a hook dangling in front of their face below a cork floating above on the surface of the water. Not trout. Trout, like customers, prefer a monogrammed adventure. You must carefully study what the trout are eating, buy or fashion a fly to mimic their cuisine, authentically present the fly to the trout, and the moment you get a bite, slowly draw the trout to a net because what separates you from the trout is a line slightly larger than a thread. Please don't push this metaphor too far. There are parts of a fishing metaphor that do not work when it comes to great customer service—like hook, catch, or reeling in. But regular fishing is to fly-fishing what whittling might be to scrimshaw or what baking pre-sliced cookies might be to gourmet confectionary baking! Fly-fishing is all about personalization—with a fish instead of a person! Monogramming service requires time and care; it cannot be a knee-jerk or fast-track response. It is unique to the customer and it must always be sincere and authentic. Customers know if your brand of service is a trick, an empty gesture, or a selfish ploy. When service is genuinely personalized, it reminds customers they are vitally present in an important service relationship. Having customers' names on an offering or their needs embedded in it, informs customers they are valued recipients, not just typical end users. What can you do to apply the FLY-FISHING Principle? Display the upbeat attitude you want your customers to have. Never let customers leave disappointed. As they do at Starbucks, repeat customers' names often so you will know them when they return. Even if you can't always give customers what they want, you can always give them a great service experience. Use the optimistic attitude of, "The answer is 'yes,' what's the question?" Listen to learn, not to make a point. Customers will indirectly tell you ways to personalize their experience. Thank customers like you really mean it. And never forget they have options. Customers feel valued when you show you never forget that fact either.

Google & Innovation - A History

Google and Innovation – A History

by Leo Sun

Google has become such a massive, dominating company in the field of web search that it has entered the cultural lexicon as the de facto verb for searching for information on the World Wide Web. Founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford PhD candidates , in 1998, Google started as a fledgling search engine in a sea of competitors, including Yahoo, Excite, Hot bot, Lycos, Info seek, Alta vista and a slew of other small start-ups vying for a piece of the lucrative Internet search pie. One by one these competitors fell, and Google remained as the last man standing, a search engine that dominates almost every major Western market, and has since expanded into advertising, mobile technologies and cloud computing. During its rapid growth, the company, worth nearly $200 billion, has made enemies of the entire tech industry as well numerous national governments, due to anti-competitive practices and privacy concerns. Just how did a tiny little research project from two graduate students evolve into the 800-pound gorilla on the Internet?

Humble Beginnings

Google grew up in the late 1990s, when competing search engines were attempting to find the fastest algorithms for their web spiders crawling the Internet. Like its future arch-nemesis Apple, Google was first established in a garage in Menlo Park, California. Page and Brin then hired Craig Silverstein, a fellow PhD candidate at Stanford, as the first employee, and together they attempted to create a search algorithm faster, more powerful and more accurate than its peers. As Google attracted more visitors, it got the attention of some major players in the tech industry. In August 1998, Andy Bechtolsheim, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems, invested $100,000 in Google to help it get incorporated, but the winds suddenly picked up in June 1999 when a group of major venture capital firms ploughed $25 million in the company, betting that Google would be the last search engine standing by the start of the new millennium. In 2001, Page and Brin hired Eric Schmidt from Sun Microsystems as the “grown-up” of the self- proclaimed “Google triumvirate”, and appointed him CEO.

IPO and Corporate Culture

Google’s IPO in August 2004 was well-timed, after the dot-com crash became a distant memory, and attracted massive investor interest. Its IPO shares were priced at $85 per share, but jumped to $100 on the first day of trading and later would hit $700 in October 2007. Page and Brin became instant paper millionaires, but maintained that the company mantra, “Don’t Be Evil”, would never change. Although many investors were concerned that Google would be irreparably changed by going public, the company proved them wrong by continuously promoting innovation in its Googolplex, which has become an icon and template for designers of office space with a focus on fostering employee innovation.

Growth and Innovation

Ever since the beginning of the 21st century, Google has been focused on acquiring other technologies to outlast its fallen search engine brethren. In 2004, Google acquired Keyhole, Inc., which produced a product called Earth Viewer which would eventually evolve into Google Earth and become a major part of its Google Maps initiative. In 2005, Google acquired Android, a developer of mobile software which would become the company’s main weapon in the smartphone war, which would erupt three years later. In 2007, Google acquired YouTube, the most popular video sharing site on the Internet, and DoubleClick, a major part of its advertising initiative. These purchases are but a few of Google’s many acquisitions over the past decade, but are symbolic of Google’s foresight for the future of the Internet.

Google also became obsessed with the “cloud” before anyone was even aware of the term. Google realized that Bill Gates’ attempt to embed Microsoft’s browser into the operating system in 1998 was the future of the Internet. However, Gates was struck down by the U.S. government since he was trying to sell it for a profit. Google came in with a different angle. By introducing cloud based services such as Docs, Mail, Photos, Video, Blogs and Books all accessed by a single sign-in, Google created the content before they introduced the operating system – Chrome – which was in fact just the company’s Internet browser locked to all of its cloud-oriented sites. It then used Microsoft’s strategy to force widespread adoption of its new mobile operating system, Android, by spraying its system across multiple platforms of fragmented hardware. Best of all, Google offered all of these services for free, much to the chagrin of rivals Microsoft and Apple.

Although the company has profited handsomely from its innovations, there have been some questionable missteps. In 2010, the company famously started its own power company, Google Energy, investing $38.8 million into two wind farms in North Dakota. Investors wondered just how these power plants, which would power 55,000 homes, fit into the company’s long-term game plan. The company has also made some bizarre investments, such as a human-powered monorail and a self-driving car running on Google maps. Many of these missteps have led investors to question the company’s fiscal discipline and long-term strategy.

The company has also been fighting a losing war with Facebook, which has a very different, inside-out approach to becoming the new king of the Internet. Google’s social networking initiative, Google+, has yet to make a dent in the social network kingpin’s market share.

In April 2011, Google acquired 6,000 Nortel Networks patents in an attempt to keep them out of Apple’s hands. In August 2011, Google continued fighting against Apple by acquiring Motorola Mobility for a staggering $12.5 billion. Many analysts believe that Google is destined to ruin its own pristine margins by continuing its desperate battle against the iPad and the iPhone; through Android, Google is claiming market share but is unable to successfully monetize these devices. However, many of these side businesses – cloud computing and Android – are merely moats protecting its core revenue source – search and advertising revenue. If Google can continue to grow this moat as well as its core revenue, then the company will continue to raise massive amounts of disposable cash that it can randomly throw at acquisitions in hope that one will stick and become the “next big thing”. It’s a chaotic approach, far from the staunch conservatism of Microsoft and the sleek efficiency of Apple, but it works, and Google’s still one of the most innovative, fastest growing companies in the market today.