Tag Archives: nevada

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Swinging My Way to Golfer

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Historically, I have not been much of a golfer. The sport never really fit in to my busy schedule as a kayaker, skier, mountain biker, and general mountain enthusiast. But I have been a few times, and in each case I have enjoyed it despite the tests of patience and humility.

This past Friday might have been a turning point for me. I found myself out at the Lakeridge golf course for the A2N2 annual golf tournament. My friend and colleague, TJ Crawford lent me some clubs and took me under his proverbial wing to show me the finer art of what constitutes a real golf swing, as opposed to stepping up to the plate for some grass and window removal work.

By the end of the day I felt like I was really progressing. There might actually be something to this golfing thing. Who knows, it might even be time to include a bag of golf clubs to my arsenal of outdoor accoutrements. Or was it the alcohol?

Here is a little video I put together of our day.

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Voracious Vegas

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Back from a weekend in Vegas, and needless to say I am feeling a little rough around the edges. The primary motivation for the trip was to catch The Police at the MGM Grand. They ripped it up, and I just hope that I am still kicking that much ass when I am their age.

Also hit Pure, Rain, the Ghost Bar and various other locales that serve up beats with bountiful amounts of alcohol. Stayed at the Flamingo because of the central location, pool size, and affordability. The place is getting a little old, but it did the trick.

Vegas is still experiencing mad construction. I am amazed at the sheer velocity of growth. I think the population is around 1.9 million, and flying in to the airport, looking down at the development, I would believe it. How is this growth sustainable? I don’t know, for the Stakes are High for Las Vegas Water. 

 

Vegas has great entertainment, shopping, and restaurants, but I prefer Reno’s sense of community, size, and open space. The other huge differentiator – Reno’s got water. I hope the Biggest Little City will continue to make those attributes a priority. The other positive aspects of Vegas we can continue to integrate. Until then, it is just a short flight away.

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Reno, Nevada: The Biggest Little City in the World

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There has been some recent chatter in the local blogosphere regarding Reno and how much it kicks ass. For the most part I agree. The city has evolved tremendously over the past few years, and the renaissance that is going on in downtown Reno is fantastic.

I have a graduate degree from the University of Nevada, and I have lived and owned a home in Reno for three years now. I’m digging it. But if you took away Lake Tahoe? Hmmmm. That would make things a little tough. Of course, that is not the case, but it is certainly one of the reasons why entities like the RSCVA refer to the region as Reno-Tahoe. Its close proximity is a major asset to living here; and there are many more. Still, negative perceptions regarding Reno persist.

A friend of mine flew down to San Jose yesterday for business, and he headed into the hotel bar to wind down from a long day. He sat next to a rather large ad exec, and they struck up a conversation. The man asked, “Where are you from?” My friend replied, “Reno,” and the man immediately countered with, “I’m sorry to hear that.” Without hesitation my friend sarcastically replied, “Yeah, it sucks, you should definitely not go there.”

My friend’s response amuses me because it says so much with so little. I know so many people from Reno that would have immediately dove in to some long laundry list for why Reno is actually a great place to live. In part, they would have felt that it was their citizenry duty to stand up for the place they live, but the comment would have also triggered a certain amount of self-consciousness for which they would have felt compelled to defend.

My friend was not self conscious about the man’s comment, and he instead probably did more for the Reno brand than any long diatribe about its benefits. I have a suggestion for anyone here in Reno encountering this kind of negativity. Politely give the individual directions to the nearest I-80 onramp.

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Nevada Business Journal

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The following is an article I wrote for the Nevada Business Journal:

Blogging for Business
Why should businesses care about blogs?

There has been a lot of talk about blogs lately. Politicians and businesses alike are entering the blogosphere at a surprising rate. Why? Currently, more than 57 million American adults read blogs.

For a long time blogs were simply thought of as conduits for personal expression by individuals who were not in the buying stage. There seemed to be no real application for business. This popular misconception turned out not to be true.

Blogs are in fact websites. They are hosted on a server, built on the same programming languages, and most importantly, indexed by major search engines like Google and Yahoo. The major difference is blogs give businesses a personal voice, and they can be built and launched for far less money than it takes to build a website.

The Power of Search

“Internet penetration has now reached 73% for all American adults,” according to Pew Internet, which is an authoritative source on the evolution of the Internet. This means there are millions of potential customers that are online every day looking for specific products and services that you offer.

Internet users search for products and services by entering specific terms or keywords into search engines. These keywords or terms produce immediate results that introduce users to many different companies vying for their business. But how do they find you?

Search Engine Optimization

Search engines place a significant amount of importance upon fresh, keyword-rich content, and the more relevant content a business puts online the better. Blogging software helps you publish this information easily and frequently.

Search engines also put a lot of value into linking. Companies will find online conversations that are based around what their company has to offer. One blogger links to another blogger because they find value in what they have to say. This continues the conversation until multiple bloggers and websites are linking back to original creator of that content. This helps push your website or blog to the top of the search engine results.

Differentiation & Demonstration of Expertise

Consider for a moment that a potential customer is shopping online for a particular product or service that you have to offer. They type in a specific keyword or phrase, and several competitors appear in the search results. They click through to one of the websites and begin to analyze their offerings in regards to price, benefits and presentation. They return to the search results to compare that initial experience against other competitors. After a few more clickthroughs, the potential customer has not found any distinguishing differences.

But then they find your company’s blog. Your blog demonstrates a personality with a voice and a willingness to share information to further empower their customers to make the right decision about what they want to buy. Instead of representing an impenetrable and impersonal corporation with no direct connection with its customers, you are seen as a personable and interactive company that wants to engage its’ customers.

Bringing Businesses and Customers Together

Blogs not only help with search engine optimization and differentiation from competitors, they also offer a way for companies to understand their customers better. Blogs are a chance to establish ongoing dialogues with customers and receive useful feedback that empowers a business to become better at what it provides.

Blogging is a time commitment, and it is not for everyone. But if you love to write, and you are passionate about what you do, then you will find that blogging is a powerful tool for attracting new business, creating loyal customers, and developing a deeper understanding of what can make your company even more successful.