@web smith

The most comprehensive list for optimizing the appeal of your...

Tue, 29 May 2012 10:03:57 -0500

The most comprehensive list for optimizing the appeal of your website. The underlying theme is sincerity. If you’re trying to make money with your site through tricks and clicks, it will eventually fizzle out. Content, content, content, and interaction is the model for e-commerce and service.

As they say, It’s all fuel. Remember every game and every...

Mon, 28 May 2012 12:43:00 -0500

As they say, It’s all fuel. Remember every game and every stage - good or bad. Whatever the cards dealt, don’t stay down for too long. Bottle up the encouragement and for everything else, save it. It eventually comes in handy.

An entrepreneurial family - Adrian, Web, Alex, Christopher,...

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:00:00 -0500

An entrepreneurial family - Adrian, Web, Alex, Christopher, Gaston Smith. Manhattan, NYC. (Taken with instagram)

If I had to wear a shirt to California, this summer.

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:37:00 -0500

If I had to wear a shirt to California, this summer.

The Psychology of Appearance

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:47:27 -0500

Linkedin love. The most important social platform for anyone over the age of 20? Linkedin. It is the most misunderstood and underestimated social network. But as solid connections continue to be forged and business deals continue to be affirmed, us grown ups will eventually value Linkedin’s more meaningful social interactions. For many, in business, life depends on it.

But is it your resume that matters most? According to this heat map, your image is the first glance. And often enough, the image is the first element seen by a recruiter, potential client, or a potential partner. How you look, what you’re wearing, and in some cases - attractiveness - can determine who associates and how engaged those associations are.

The heat map’s order of importance? Photo image, latest update, current title, and eventually - your number of connections and recommendations. Even in business, appearance is more important than it should be. It is reality, that while unfortunate, should be embraced. Find every advantage that you can.

Social Growth. There is a growing momentum in the use of social...

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:20:00 -0500

Social Growth. There is a growing momentum in the use of social video services Viddy and SocialCam. While the web apps are becoming fixtures on the iOS and Android platforms, (some) businesses are scurrying to figure out how to best use them to build community and rapport. Best suggestions: (1) product development and client feedback would be a novel use (2) customer service response by video.

LinkedIn continues to grow as the go-to platform for interconnectivity for the sake of productivity. So much so that it is leaving the much better funded Google + behind.

If you have a social strategy, how do you see it changing with the shift in go-to platforms?

"But every circumstance is conditional. Consider the favorable situations first - loyalty,..."

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:29:00 -0500

“But every circumstance is conditional. Consider the favorable situations first - loyalty, brotherhood, friendship. None of it is permanent. These states of being can flourish between people during the day and be reduced to a memory by night fall. Unfortunately, that’s the way that life seems to work. But every circumstance is conditional. Consider the painful situations next - despair, misfortune, solitude. None of it is permanent. These states of being can flourish during the day and be reduced to a memory by night fall. Fortunately, that’s the way that life seems to work. With regards to favorable circumstances, cherish them all - until the very end of today. And for those painful circumstances, persist despite them all - until the very end of tomorrow.”

- ws. (Pg. 17 - “Again and Again”)

Monday Morning Advice.

Mon, 21 May 2012 08:10:00 -0500

Monday Morning Advice.

On Setting Lofty Expectations

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:21:00 -0500

New York, New York. At 24 years old, my younger brothers are truly gifted - two young men who have not only found a way to beat statistics, they’ve pummeled the odds. But then again, so has much of my family. I earlier wrote about the forcefulness behind my Grandmother’s influence in our lives. “Graduate, graduate, graduate,” she would say. “Because if you don’t you’ll either be a janitor or you’ll be on a street corner wishing the that you were.”

She was right. And that is why it is family tradition for everyone to congregate from L.A., Houston, Boston, Richmond, D.C., Charlotte, Las Vegas, Dallas, and - now - Columbus, to celebrate another College graduate. It happens at least once a year but this one was special; It was my brother. The dinner table at B. Smith’s (NYC) had 25 spots reserved by name, a spectacle of a dinner hosted by my proud Dad. Three generations of Smith’s discussed the excitement of my younger brother Alex’s remarkable accomplishments. It is a symbolic gathering of sorts. As “Bar Mitzvah” as it can get for a black family. But for us, the relevance of each college graduation is daunting.

I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this. But nearly half of all men that look like my brothers, father, and myself are unemployed. That’s across the board, across nearly every major metropolitan area. And yes, even the college-educated men that look like me. The numbers range from 40-50% unemployment. There are a host of disqualifying factors - ranging from a lack of preparation, undesirable pasts, and systemic lack of opportunity. Yes, more men that look like me are in prison than are in college. It’s rampant, viral, scary, and damaging. And to some, it is hard to believe. But we’ve always viewed college and persistence as a remedy to this trend.

How can one in two black men be unemployed? It’s likely that you’re looking in the wrong areas if you’re finding it hard to believe. Drive through a struggling area of town anytime between 9 AM and 5 PM. Every week, I go speak to a small group of young men in Columbus. I pick a street corner on a Thursday - around 2 PM - and I just walk up and start talking to them about their next steps. Usually, they are my age. Their initial reaction of “What the hell is this lame doing here?” gives me enough time to engage and explain. The conversation is easy from that point on.

Unlike my family who holds dinners for college graduates, many young people lack the positive reinforcement from loved ones to understand the importance of college or career preparation. Not every family insists that college and the professional pursuit of happiness are non-negotiable expectations.

Much like my grandmother, father, uncles, aunts, cousins, and my mother talked to me. And much like “college” rolls off of my daughter’s tongue because of my conversations with her - it is cyclical. It all starts with giving people a) a vote of confidence b) an understanding of their expectations and c) a glimpse of why meeting those expectations is important. You listen to what you hear, you do what you’re told. You often become what you’re expected to become.

So I watched my father pay for this dinner honoring my younger brother - Alex (on right w/ long-time girlfriend) and the first graduate from the Parsons School of Design - NYC . The other twin graduates next summer. I know that in the back of his mind, he was saying, “Why did I elect to do this?” He’s really picky with his money. In my humble opinion, it was a longterm investment. The message that was communicated - over this past weekend - was heard by my youngest brother, high school aged kids, and elementary-aged family members. And it reminded me of why it was important that I continue to be a positive example.

Confirmation and the communication of expectations can be life changing. At the family dinner, the younger crowd left with a positive connection to college graduation. In this way, the event was a two-fold success. It was a celebration, of course. But for some - it was glimpse at the end of one tunnel and the beginning of another. And once you can see the light at the tunnel’s end, you can develop the intrinsic motivation necessary to finish the task at hand. Everyone has the influence to break the cycle; it generally starts at the grassroots.

One person can effect 50 or even 100 people - for better or for worse. The multiplicity is real and it is absolutely deafening. Keep this in mind when you want things to change around you, whether in your neighborhood or in your family. Influence and affirmation can go a long way.

Manifest progress. 30 minutes a day, chip away. Read this great...

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:23:24 -0500

Manifest progress. 30 minutes a day, chip away. Read this great article on the concept from Mind Folder.

Compare and Contrast. Facebook’s IPO vs. The Tech Giants.

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:31:30 -0500

Compare and Contrast. Facebook’s IPO vs. The Tech Giants.

Good look at a few of my favorite shops in Columbus. Great guys...

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:01:00 -0500

Good look at a few of my favorite shops in Columbus. Great guys at the Milk Bar Boutique and Tiger Tree. I look forward to seeing them develop their national / international e-commerce presence.

How to open new doors.

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:13:00 -0500

How to open new doors.

Fast Forward. Hard to believe that in 2009, we experienced this...

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:38:00 -0500

Fast Forward. Hard to believe that in 2009, we experienced this same event in a North Texas parking lot. There was a patch of grass that we called “Hell’s Half Acre”. But it was much smaller than a half-acre. Jeff Tucker had a jumbotron at the event and we almost didn’t know how to watch the competition on it. The idea was so alien back then.

Any spectator around in 2009 was an immediate relative, likely an athlete’s mother or father. This year? People cheered on athletes that they’ve never met. The best cameras, back then, were owned by a few guys from Massachusetts. Satellite trucks and ESPN, four years later? Most of us would have scoffed at the thought, back then.

Thanks to everyone - from the offices of CrossFit HQ to Rogue Fitness to Reebok who’ve made global growth of a sport a reality instead of just a catch phrase.

"Consider this metaphor for a moment. I watched as an athlete held on to a heavy-loaded barbell..."

Fri, 11 May 2012 21:32:23 -0500

“Consider this metaphor for a moment. I watched as an athlete held on to a heavy-loaded barbell today. As the scenario would go, if she could string together nine final reps without pause, she’d have a chance to win. She could have dropped it for the 15-20 seconds of pain relief before picking it up to complete the task and fared well. But instead, she held on to her immediate source of pain until the finish. And the athlete prevailed because of the ability to just do one more, and one more, and one more - until the job was done. In a moment of pain, the athlete reasoned that the moments after would be more fulfilling than the current was painful. Imagine if we all had the ability to discern the benefits of pain, commitment, and reward during these most excruciating moments in life. Now, stop imagining. Because we do possess this ability.”

- ws.

A snapshot of creative professionals. There is an element of...

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:40:23 -0500

A snapshot of creative professionals. There is an element of hyper connectivity in play but while some may see the crowd as “abnormal”, it appears that this surveyed group is into technological early adoption. The gap between these two groups would greatly dwindle, in just the next six months alone.

Something to remember. - ws.

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:56 -0500

Something to remember. - ws.

SEO improvement can be as simple as this. These things can be...

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:28:00 -0500

SEO improvement can be as simple as this. These things can be done, rather easily, by anyone with front end web knowledge. For more complex SEO fixes, you’re going to need a detail-oriented UX designer with knowledge of PHP, JavaScript, and SQL.

So many of us have wanted #CrossFit to grow in pop cultural...

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:35:00 -0500

So many of us have wanted #CrossFit to grow in pop cultural relevance. Trending topics have been a key factor in boosting that relevance. Yesterday, it took another great step. I happen to geek out on social media analytics so this meant quite a bit to me. At peak traffic (as measured by five different TweetDeck columns), 17 tweets/second were sent - all mentioning Chris Spealler, SPEAL, Spealler, and two common misspellings.

This may be the first year that July’s CrossFit Games week dominates Twitter - as world records and sensational performances are being broadcasted. Pretty cool to see the CrossFit Games social media crew already anticipating that rush by designating last names as the way to mention athletes. If enough people see #Froning, it will accomplish the same visibility goal that #CrossFit would.

Here’s a great blog over at Compete Every Day.

Trickle up. Kanye West made news today by simply going on an...

Sun, 06 May 2012 01:21:00 -0500

Trickle up. Kanye West made news today by simply going on an unsolicited truth-spree. While his spurt of tweets could be deemed hilarious by some, obnoxious by most - it is a great example of how social media can instantaneously influence social networks and more traditional media when the message is sensational (or even aggravating) enough. Anatomy of a Twitter rant.