http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:06:37 +0000 MyBB http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1159 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:47:35 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1159
We have just launched our new job site, the site is there to help connect employers and candidates without too much fuss. We have kept it simple and bright but would like feedback from users about their experiences using the site or any suggestions they have to make it better.

If you are currently looking to hire someone we are offering a FREE ad. Just type ojb2012 in promobox to place your free ad.

http://www.ourjobsboard.com

Regards,

The team]]>
We have just launched our new job site, the site is there to help connect employers and candidates without too much fuss. We have kept it simple and bright but would like feedback from users about their experiences using the site or any suggestions they have to make it better.

If you are currently looking to hire someone we are offering a FREE ad. Just type ojb2012 in promobox to place your free ad.

http://www.ourjobsboard.com

Regards,

The team]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1157 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:53:32 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1157 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1155 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:21:12 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1155 In the past a lot of money was invested by the current shareholders and this makes it very difficult to raise new finance from potential investors.
I am considering starting my own limited company with the aim of buying the business.
Any potential investor could then have a relatively large stake in the new company for a reasonable investment.
I could not afford to cover potential liabilities the current business has.
Is it possible to buy the existing company, transfer the assets and bits I want into a new company and then close the old business (with its liabilities) ?
Is this legal?
Are there any costs or risks associated with doing so?]]> In the past a lot of money was invested by the current shareholders and this makes it very difficult to raise new finance from potential investors.
I am considering starting my own limited company with the aim of buying the business.
Any potential investor could then have a relatively large stake in the new company for a reasonable investment.
I could not afford to cover potential liabilities the current business has.
Is it possible to buy the existing company, transfer the assets and bits I want into a new company and then close the old business (with its liabilities) ?
Is this legal?
Are there any costs or risks associated with doing so?]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1153 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:24:06 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1153 Most companies have free or reasonable membership fee (below £100) should you decide to become their member but some are over the top!!

Over the TOP would ask you for 2 levels of membership, to get Auction listings you pay £250 and to be their so called "retained client" you pay £1800, yes £1800!!

You will be made aware of lots of below market value property deals which can earn you or save you money and the aim is to get you on board as a client with positive feedback from (internet) clients you do not know or have any reference of. When you are up for the membership, you will be asked to provide your account or credit or, debit card details. Now be very careful here, sales people will be very fast, enthusiastic and quick enough to want you to confirm or "activate the membership" over the phone the moment you've given your financial details.

Remember, once you have paid the "membership" money and activated your account you can never ever claim it back, "better think it's lost" or stolen if you can live with that :-)

What are the real benefits in becoming a paid member, none!, Why?

1. Auction properties: You can get them for free from any auction site, it's simply free.
Call the auctioneers and they will be happy to provide you with the list via email or mail they have to sell their stuff to you and make commission, don't they.

2. Some will tempt you as their retained client:- If by any chance you decided to become their retained client (where you are promised the listing of property 1st) by parting with £1800, you will be asked to "commit" to the property you have never seen in your life so that can be taken off the market.

The moment you said yes, you are obliged to pay them their 2.5% commission upfront + any deposit required to secure the property (normally 10 percent).

Now who in their right minds would agree to even commit to buy a property not viewed and give the fees upfront, which again cannot be "claimed back" !!

What if the property you bought has major repair works OR

Annoying neighbours, you might need some kind of insurance to protect you for few BMV deals. This could be the reason it was sold at less value in the first place.

Leasehold flats in London unless in high profile areas of Kensington etc are very hard to sell if lease is below 80 years so beware on that too, properties are normally 15-20 percent cheaper already because of this.

So few rules to remember when you are dealing with any company who asks you for membership fees and their commission or any form of payment upfront without the facility of viewing.

Stay away from companies who asks for fees to be their client.

Do not commit to anything over the phone!! In some and you can lose all your money paid!
Only ask for written invoice and then decide should you get tempted for this money loosing "adventure". Companies have "cooling off" period but if the invoice you receive is later then "cooling off" period?

Do not give your account details over the phone, once gone, they are out of your hand.

Do not pay upfront anything. If they want you as a client they can show you the property and give you a timeframe of 24 hrs to decide to put offer.

Do not commit to or pay their fees upfront to BUY the property, only on exchange of contracts as that might never happen if the vendor decided to back out!

All the above points are only for you to be safe and how to save money in current climate and put it to better use.

You can search about some companies by googling their name and on sites like: moneysavingexpert and singingpig and newspaper site guardian, observer and property-system.

---

What do you think?

Discuss.]]> Most companies have free or reasonable membership fee (below £100) should you decide to become their member but some are over the top!!

Over the TOP would ask you for 2 levels of membership, to get Auction listings you pay £250 and to be their so called "retained client" you pay £1800, yes £1800!!

You will be made aware of lots of below market value property deals which can earn you or save you money and the aim is to get you on board as a client with positive feedback from (internet) clients you do not know or have any reference of. When you are up for the membership, you will be asked to provide your account or credit or, debit card details. Now be very careful here, sales people will be very fast, enthusiastic and quick enough to want you to confirm or "activate the membership" over the phone the moment you've given your financial details.

Remember, once you have paid the "membership" money and activated your account you can never ever claim it back, "better think it's lost" or stolen if you can live with that :-)

What are the real benefits in becoming a paid member, none!, Why?

1. Auction properties: You can get them for free from any auction site, it's simply free.
Call the auctioneers and they will be happy to provide you with the list via email or mail they have to sell their stuff to you and make commission, don't they.

2. Some will tempt you as their retained client:- If by any chance you decided to become their retained client (where you are promised the listing of property 1st) by parting with £1800, you will be asked to "commit" to the property you have never seen in your life so that can be taken off the market.

The moment you said yes, you are obliged to pay them their 2.5% commission upfront + any deposit required to secure the property (normally 10 percent).

Now who in their right minds would agree to even commit to buy a property not viewed and give the fees upfront, which again cannot be "claimed back" !!

What if the property you bought has major repair works OR

Annoying neighbours, you might need some kind of insurance to protect you for few BMV deals. This could be the reason it was sold at less value in the first place.

Leasehold flats in London unless in high profile areas of Kensington etc are very hard to sell if lease is below 80 years so beware on that too, properties are normally 15-20 percent cheaper already because of this.

So few rules to remember when you are dealing with any company who asks you for membership fees and their commission or any form of payment upfront without the facility of viewing.

Stay away from companies who asks for fees to be their client.

Do not commit to anything over the phone!! In some and you can lose all your money paid!
Only ask for written invoice and then decide should you get tempted for this money loosing "adventure". Companies have "cooling off" period but if the invoice you receive is later then "cooling off" period?

Do not give your account details over the phone, once gone, they are out of your hand.

Do not pay upfront anything. If they want you as a client they can show you the property and give you a timeframe of 24 hrs to decide to put offer.

Do not commit to or pay their fees upfront to BUY the property, only on exchange of contracts as that might never happen if the vendor decided to back out!

All the above points are only for you to be safe and how to save money in current climate and put it to better use.

You can search about some companies by googling their name and on sites like: moneysavingexpert and singingpig and newspaper site guardian, observer and property-system.

---

What do you think?

Discuss.]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1152 Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:36:10 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1152
This will back up the present reduction in Corporation Tax rates, which encourages and helps business growth.]]>
This will back up the present reduction in Corporation Tax rates, which encourages and helps business growth.]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1151 Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:27:05 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1151 Good news for the world - Growth in the US economy picks up in fourth quarter.

With all the doom and gloom news around, it is good to see the US in growth, as this will have a knock-on effect on the rest of the world and of course to the UK.]]> Good news for the world - Growth in the US economy picks up in fourth quarter.

With all the doom and gloom news around, it is good to see the US in growth, as this will have a knock-on effect on the rest of the world and of course to the UK.]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1150 Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:21:30 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1150 Facebook going public

Facebook has began the process of becoming a publicly-listed company which values the social networking site company at over £50 billion! Now that's what I call an internet success story.

And to think when it first started out with Mark Zuckerberg it was a simple student site and only recently overtook Google in terms on online users.]]> Facebook going public

Facebook has began the process of becoming a publicly-listed company which values the social networking site company at over £50 billion! Now that's what I call an internet success story.

And to think when it first started out with Mark Zuckerberg it was a simple student site and only recently overtook Google in terms on online users.]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1149 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:21:15 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1149
admittedly the banks did help put the world into the present economic predicament, but let's move on. Everyone has the same opportunity to do well in this world, whether you are born poor or with a spoon in your mouth, if you work hard you can make a success. So rather than complain about what others earn or have, work on your own success.]]>
admittedly the banks did help put the world into the present economic predicament, but let's move on. Everyone has the same opportunity to do well in this world, whether you are born poor or with a spoon in your mouth, if you work hard you can make a success. So rather than complain about what others earn or have, work on your own success.]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1147 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:51:17 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1147 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1146 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:10:19 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1146
There are ways to save money and one of them is "not to lose due to greed".

Now a days there are various companies offering you to take advantage of recession and provide you with "below market value / BMV properties", some of the names are Choices Acquisitions part of bigger group and also operate as choices co uk estate agents, fasttrackproperty, Axis etc (google bmv properties).
Most companies have free or reasonable membership fee (below £100) should you decide to become their member but some are over the top!!

Over the TOP would ask you for 2 levels of membership, to get Auction listings you pay £250 and to be their so called "retained client" you pay £1800, yes £1800!!

You will be made aware of lots of below market value property deals which can earn you or save you money and the aim is to get you on board as a client with positive feedback from (internet) clients you do not know or have any reference of. When you are up for the membership, you will be asked to provide your account or credit or, debit card details. Now be very careful here, sales people will be very fast, enthusiastic and quick enough to want you to confirm or "activate the membership" over the phone the moment you've given your financial details.

Remember, once you have paid the "membership" money and activated your account you can never ever claim it back, "better think it's lost" or stolen if you can live with that :-)

What are the real benefits in becoming a paid member, none!, Why?

1. Auction properties: You can get them for free from any auction site, it's simply free.
Call the auctioneers and they will be happy to provide you with the list via email or mail they have to sell their stuff to you and make commission, don't they.

2. Some will tempt you as their retained client:- If by any chance you decided to become their retained client (where you are promised the listing of property 1st) by parting with £1800, you will be asked to "commit" to the property you have never seen in your life so that can be taken off the market.

The moment you said yes, you are obliged to pay them their 2.5% commission upfront + any deposit required to secure the property (normally 10 percent).

Now who in their right minds would agree to even commit to buy a property not viewed and give the fees upfront, which again cannot be "claimed back" !!

What if the property you bought has major repair works OR

Annoying neighbours, you might need some kind of insurance to protect you for few BMV deals. This could be the reason it was sold at less value in the first place.

Leasehold flats in London unless in high profile areas of Kensington etc are very hard to sell if lease is below 80 years so beware on that too, properties are normally 15-20 percent cheaper already because of this.

So few rules to remember when you are dealing with any company who asks you for membership fees and their commission or any form of payment upfront without the facility of viewing.

Stay away from companies who asks for fees to be their client.

Do not commit to anything over the phone!! In some and you can lose all your money paid!
Only ask for written invoice and then decide should you get tempted for this money loosing "adventure". Companies have "cooling off" period but if the invoice you receive is later then "cooling off" period?

Do not give your account details over the phone, once gone, they are out of your hand.

Do not pay upfront anything. If they want you as a client they can show you the property and give you a timeframe of 24 hrs to decide to put offer.

Do not commit to or pay their fees upfront to BUY the property, only on exchange of contracts as that might never happen if the vendor decided to back out!

All the above points are only for you to be safe and how to save money in current climate and put it to better use.

You can search about some companies by googling their name and on sites like: moneysavingexpert and singingpig and newspaper site guardian, observer and property-system.

Take care
Money saved is money earned!
]]>
There are ways to save money and one of them is "not to lose due to greed".

Now a days there are various companies offering you to take advantage of recession and provide you with "below market value / BMV properties", some of the names are Choices Acquisitions part of bigger group and also operate as choices co uk estate agents, fasttrackproperty, Axis etc (google bmv properties).
Most companies have free or reasonable membership fee (below £100) should you decide to become their member but some are over the top!!

Over the TOP would ask you for 2 levels of membership, to get Auction listings you pay £250 and to be their so called "retained client" you pay £1800, yes £1800!!

You will be made aware of lots of below market value property deals which can earn you or save you money and the aim is to get you on board as a client with positive feedback from (internet) clients you do not know or have any reference of. When you are up for the membership, you will be asked to provide your account or credit or, debit card details. Now be very careful here, sales people will be very fast, enthusiastic and quick enough to want you to confirm or "activate the membership" over the phone the moment you've given your financial details.

Remember, once you have paid the "membership" money and activated your account you can never ever claim it back, "better think it's lost" or stolen if you can live with that :-)

What are the real benefits in becoming a paid member, none!, Why?

1. Auction properties: You can get them for free from any auction site, it's simply free.
Call the auctioneers and they will be happy to provide you with the list via email or mail they have to sell their stuff to you and make commission, don't they.

2. Some will tempt you as their retained client:- If by any chance you decided to become their retained client (where you are promised the listing of property 1st) by parting with £1800, you will be asked to "commit" to the property you have never seen in your life so that can be taken off the market.

The moment you said yes, you are obliged to pay them their 2.5% commission upfront + any deposit required to secure the property (normally 10 percent).

Now who in their right minds would agree to even commit to buy a property not viewed and give the fees upfront, which again cannot be "claimed back" !!

What if the property you bought has major repair works OR

Annoying neighbours, you might need some kind of insurance to protect you for few BMV deals. This could be the reason it was sold at less value in the first place.

Leasehold flats in London unless in high profile areas of Kensington etc are very hard to sell if lease is below 80 years so beware on that too, properties are normally 15-20 percent cheaper already because of this.

So few rules to remember when you are dealing with any company who asks you for membership fees and their commission or any form of payment upfront without the facility of viewing.

Stay away from companies who asks for fees to be their client.

Do not commit to anything over the phone!! In some and you can lose all your money paid!
Only ask for written invoice and then decide should you get tempted for this money loosing "adventure". Companies have "cooling off" period but if the invoice you receive is later then "cooling off" period?

Do not give your account details over the phone, once gone, they are out of your hand.

Do not pay upfront anything. If they want you as a client they can show you the property and give you a timeframe of 24 hrs to decide to put offer.

Do not commit to or pay their fees upfront to BUY the property, only on exchange of contracts as that might never happen if the vendor decided to back out!

All the above points are only for you to be safe and how to save money in current climate and put it to better use.

You can search about some companies by googling their name and on sites like: moneysavingexpert and singingpig and newspaper site guardian, observer and property-system.

Take care
Money saved is money earned!
]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1145 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:51:38 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1145
I have tried about every helpdesk in the search for one that fit my needs, spending a lot of time and money in the process. This includes Kayako, Cerberus, and DeskPro.

I tried really hard and with the help of friends to figure out the first two. They were very complex, and ended up being spending too much of my time and my friends' time trying to figure them out. Both times, we never figured it out with enough confidence to use it will real people. I tried a couple other packages, spending more money on "tuition" but in the end did not meet my needs. Finally pulled the plug on the last one when they created a new package and stopped supporting my "lifetime" license.

In desperation, I tried iKode help desk this year, vowing to stop supporting people if this one didn't work.

Much to my surprise, I actually loved iKode. It is as complex as the others, but has a very intuitive interface and process flow. After a long time of testing other software, my knee-jerk reaction when using iKode was "gee I wish they had this feature", and 9 times out of 10, it was there. The friends who helped me test the other packages all agreed it was very intuitive, and had no trouble using it in a short period of time.

iKode help desk has a demo version you can download and try out as well, as I'm sure the other packages do as well.

I know I sound like sales rep for them, but I am really not. Just a customer with a crush. I have spent much time and much money trying for years to find a helpdesk that met my needs, and whose process matches mine. Obviously the other packages are fine, as many companies use them, so please don't mistake this as a slam to either of the other packages. Just sharing my experience.]]>
I have tried about every helpdesk in the search for one that fit my needs, spending a lot of time and money in the process. This includes Kayako, Cerberus, and DeskPro.

I tried really hard and with the help of friends to figure out the first two. They were very complex, and ended up being spending too much of my time and my friends' time trying to figure them out. Both times, we never figured it out with enough confidence to use it will real people. I tried a couple other packages, spending more money on "tuition" but in the end did not meet my needs. Finally pulled the plug on the last one when they created a new package and stopped supporting my "lifetime" license.

In desperation, I tried iKode help desk this year, vowing to stop supporting people if this one didn't work.

Much to my surprise, I actually loved iKode. It is as complex as the others, but has a very intuitive interface and process flow. After a long time of testing other software, my knee-jerk reaction when using iKode was "gee I wish they had this feature", and 9 times out of 10, it was there. The friends who helped me test the other packages all agreed it was very intuitive, and had no trouble using it in a short period of time.

iKode help desk has a demo version you can download and try out as well, as I'm sure the other packages do as well.

I know I sound like sales rep for them, but I am really not. Just a customer with a crush. I have spent much time and much money trying for years to find a helpdesk that met my needs, and whose process matches mine. Obviously the other packages are fine, as many companies use them, so please don't mistake this as a slam to either of the other packages. Just sharing my experience.]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1144 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:50:07 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1144
In the beginning of the email place their name, the human eye catches familiar words and our names are the most familiar to us. By personalizing the email you make your client feel special and not just a number. Any client will tell you that they go back to the places that treat them like individuals rather than just a statistic.

Email marketing is efficient to get traffic. I am doing email marketing for my business and website now. It brings me 500+traffic every day! I use the iKode newsletter software, it is a web based email marketing software for creating, maintaining and sending your mailing lists. Manage your email campaign using statistical tracking, time sensitive autoresponders, custom subscription forms, personalized mailings, advanced real time graphical reporting, and more. You can download the php newsletter software for free now!]]>
In the beginning of the email place their name, the human eye catches familiar words and our names are the most familiar to us. By personalizing the email you make your client feel special and not just a number. Any client will tell you that they go back to the places that treat them like individuals rather than just a statistic.

Email marketing is efficient to get traffic. I am doing email marketing for my business and website now. It brings me 500+traffic every day! I use the iKode newsletter software, it is a web based email marketing software for creating, maintaining and sending your mailing lists. Manage your email campaign using statistical tracking, time sensitive autoresponders, custom subscription forms, personalized mailings, advanced real time graphical reporting, and more. You can download the php newsletter software for free now!]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1139 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:31:18 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1139 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1138 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:52:26 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1138 Sri Lanka is a one of the favorite tourist destinations in South-Asia. It is famous for its religious tourism, ecological tourism, historical tourism, and holiday tourism. On the other hand no more war in this beautiful country.

we have beautyfull land near the rainforest and next to beautyfull waterfall deep south part of the sri lanka.

Looking for Foreign Investor in a Profitable small hydroelectric and ecotourist project,

any parties interesting to invest for this this project, please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail.

any parties interesting to invest for this this project, please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail.




　]]> Sri Lanka is a one of the favorite tourist destinations in South-Asia. It is famous for its religious tourism, ecological tourism, historical tourism, and holiday tourism. On the other hand no more war in this beautiful country.

we have beautyfull land near the rainforest and next to beautyfull waterfall deep south part of the sri lanka.

Looking for Foreign Investor in a Profitable small hydroelectric and ecotourist project,

any parties interesting to invest for this this project, please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail.

any parties interesting to invest for this this project, please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail.




　]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1137 Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:31:19 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1137 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1136 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:00:26 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1136 How to earn money by google ads]]> How to earn money by google ads]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1135 Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:39:07 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1135 I have just conquered thh problem of logging in. For some reason 6-7 weeks ago I couldn't log in and my password was rejected. So I went through the process of lost pasword. This never worked and wouldn't accept my efforts.

This morning I manually enetered the new password instaed of doing a cut and paste and it let me in.

I have nevr had this issue before where I could not cut and paste the new password. It simply would not take it. I hade been checking it was correct on a document first.

Anyway back now.]]> I have just conquered thh problem of logging in. For some reason 6-7 weeks ago I couldn't log in and my password was rejected. So I went through the process of lost pasword. This never worked and wouldn't accept my efforts.

This morning I manually enetered the new password instaed of doing a cut and paste and it let me in.

I have nevr had this issue before where I could not cut and paste the new password. It simply would not take it. I hade been checking it was correct on a document first.

Anyway back now.]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1134 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:31:06 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1134 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1133 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:05:10 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1133
I'm just a small local retail business but am looking into some accounting software, so I don't have to get an extra someone in to maintain account records]]>
I'm just a small local retail business but am looking into some accounting software, so I don't have to get an extra someone in to maintain account records]]> http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1132 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:51:10 +0000 http://www.in-business.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=1132
Author: Todd Barr, CMO, Alfresco

In our experience every marketing team is different, but increasingly they have a few things in common. For a start it’s rare to find the whole team in any single place on any given day. More often we find teams distributed across cities, countries and fairly frequently, continents. The members of that team have also changed: full time employees are usually in the minority among a collection of contractors, freelancers and agencies who are treated as an integrated part of the team rather than a simple supplier.

These changes have all sorts of economic and social drivers, but they bring with them challenges of their own: collaboration is harder when you are not all face to face, you all work to slightly different processes, and at different hours.

The most common tools of collaboration don’t help to overcome these issues. I have yet to meet the person who proclaims a love of conference calls. While it may be good to talk, it’s not necessarily good to all talk at once. Then there’s email: endless chains of debate as multiple versions of documents get passed back and forth between stakeholders. Some comments are in the document, some are in the email. Some people inevitably don’t receive things because the attachment was larger than their corporate server would allow.

So what’s the answer? Based on our work with marketing teams around the world, here are a few tips that we have picked up:

Define your process early: The deadline is rarely as far out as we would like, so it’s easy to leap into projects with both feet. Even if we have time to lay out the project roadmap to all the stakeholders, how often do we spend the extra time defining the process we will all use to operate? We might agree a weekly conference call, actions or status report but that’s rarely enough. Some of the most successful teams I’ve seen take the time to design a set of rules for collaboration and carefully induct every team member into that process. It takes time but it saves a huge amount of pain down the line.

Set the culture: Alongside the formal processes it is vital to define a culture of collaboration: for example, how open and widely should feedback be distributed? We have all seen evidence of the little sub-discussions that take place, often via email again, when people don’t want to let certain members of the team see critical feedback. Things like this split teams and consume lots of additional time. Defining an open culture of feedback, and even a policy on tone and format, can make everyone much more comfortable with a truly participative approach.

Capture, capture, capture: We’ve noticed a huge amount of loss in collaborative projects: loss of data, discussions, ideas, revisions, and even whole documents. Time is lost and frustration caused because information is not captured at every stage, or if it is, it is often captured in formats that are easily lost or can’t be shared or searched. Documents have to be recreated and decisions questioned. If things do go bad, blame can be misattributed. However you choose to collaborate, a formal process for capturing and sharing as much of the data of the collaboration is vital.

Where’s everyone at? When you’re in the same office you get all sorts of information from your colleagues, starting with the most basic: are they in the office, what are they working on, are they happy. When you work at different hours on different sites, this is much harder. Status updates shared across the team, via social networks or collaboration platforms can give a real sense of community and keep people feeling connected to the team.

Open access: There is huge diversity in working styles today: even in the type of devices we choose to work on. With so many people working on the move and out of hours, it’s important to make sure that they can access the team, the content, documents and processes. Making sure that documents can be accessed and read on iPhones, iPads, BlackBerrys and Android devices will keep the project flowing around the clock.

Leverage social mechanisms: The rise of social media has given us some new tools to consider for the workplace. Not so much the networks themselves – though these can be useful – but rather the mechanisms they use. I’ve already mentioned the status update above, but the ‘Like’-style voting function is increasingly prevalent too. I’ve seen some teams use this to define priorities, select ideas from a pool, and even to approve content. Consider bringing social mechanisms like this into your team’s collaboration processes.

Because every team is different, this advice will mean different things to everyone. But I can say with some confidence that even the process of examining how you collaborate can have benefits – it’s just not something we get the time to think about very often.

Whether the changes you make are around process and culture, or collaboration and social platforms, time spent considering the way you work together can have a serious impact on productivity and happiness throughout a team.]]>
Author: Todd Barr, CMO, Alfresco

In our experience every marketing team is different, but increasingly they have a few things in common. For a start it’s rare to find the whole team in any single place on any given day. More often we find teams distributed across cities, countries and fairly frequently, continents. The members of that team have also changed: full time employees are usually in the minority among a collection of contractors, freelancers and agencies who are treated as an integrated part of the team rather than a simple supplier.

These changes have all sorts of economic and social drivers, but they bring with them challenges of their own: collaboration is harder when you are not all face to face, you all work to slightly different processes, and at different hours.

The most common tools of collaboration don’t help to overcome these issues. I have yet to meet the person who proclaims a love of conference calls. While it may be good to talk, it’s not necessarily good to all talk at once. Then there’s email: endless chains of debate as multiple versions of documents get passed back and forth between stakeholders. Some comments are in the document, some are in the email. Some people inevitably don’t receive things because the attachment was larger than their corporate server would allow.

So what’s the answer? Based on our work with marketing teams around the world, here are a few tips that we have picked up:

Define your process early: The deadline is rarely as far out as we would like, so it’s easy to leap into projects with both feet. Even if we have time to lay out the project roadmap to all the stakeholders, how often do we spend the extra time defining the process we will all use to operate? We might agree a weekly conference call, actions or status report but that’s rarely enough. Some of the most successful teams I’ve seen take the time to design a set of rules for collaboration and carefully induct every team member into that process. It takes time but it saves a huge amount of pain down the line.

Set the culture: Alongside the formal processes it is vital to define a culture of collaboration: for example, how open and widely should feedback be distributed? We have all seen evidence of the little sub-discussions that take place, often via email again, when people don’t want to let certain members of the team see critical feedback. Things like this split teams and consume lots of additional time. Defining an open culture of feedback, and even a policy on tone and format, can make everyone much more comfortable with a truly participative approach.

Capture, capture, capture: We’ve noticed a huge amount of loss in collaborative projects: loss of data, discussions, ideas, revisions, and even whole documents. Time is lost and frustration caused because information is not captured at every stage, or if it is, it is often captured in formats that are easily lost or can’t be shared or searched. Documents have to be recreated and decisions questioned. If things do go bad, blame can be misattributed. However you choose to collaborate, a formal process for capturing and sharing as much of the data of the collaboration is vital.

Where’s everyone at? When you’re in the same office you get all sorts of information from your colleagues, starting with the most basic: are they in the office, what are they working on, are they happy. When you work at different hours on different sites, this is much harder. Status updates shared across the team, via social networks or collaboration platforms can give a real sense of community and keep people feeling connected to the team.

Open access: There is huge diversity in working styles today: even in the type of devices we choose to work on. With so many people working on the move and out of hours, it’s important to make sure that they can access the team, the content, documents and processes. Making sure that documents can be accessed and read on iPhones, iPads, BlackBerrys and Android devices will keep the project flowing around the clock.

Leverage social mechanisms: The rise of social media has given us some new tools to consider for the workplace. Not so much the networks themselves – though these can be useful – but rather the mechanisms they use. I’ve already mentioned the status update above, but the ‘Like’-style voting function is increasingly prevalent too. I’ve seen some teams use this to define priorities, select ideas from a pool, and even to approve content. Consider bringing social mechanisms like this into your team’s collaboration processes.

Because every team is different, this advice will mean different things to everyone. But I can say with some confidence that even the process of examining how you collaborate can have benefits – it’s just not something we get the time to think about very often.

Whether the changes you make are around process and culture, or collaboration and social platforms, time spent considering the way you work together can have a serious impact on productivity and happiness throughout a team.]]>