Keenan 411

Jim Keenan is a Senior Sales Executive, Enterprise 2.0/Web 2.0 Connector, an Entrepreneur still trying to get it right, and a PSIA Certified Ski Instructor for Vail Resorts. Husband to Big E and father to four great kids. In a nut shell, I'm a Sales Guy. Life is good!

Business Blogger Contest

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If you’re looking for more exposure for your blog or you can’t get your fill of killer business material you should check it out. Writers AND readers who comment can win. I like that readers who comment can win too. It drives participation.

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Plus there are 2 books for both the winners of the Top 10 Titles and the Top 10 Commenters. And the books include:

  • Wordtracker Masterclass: Blogging For Business – 50 Steps to Building Traffic and Sales by Chris Garrett. 5 books valued at $39 each
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  • New Community Rules by Tamar Weinberg. 5 books valued at $16.49 each
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Find Out More

Do you want to find out how you can win these prizes? Then read more about the Sugartone Sweet Business Blogging Contest.

Sugartonem

March 14, 2010 | Filed under: Web 2.0/Social Networking | Comments |

How Much Is Your Name Worth?

Ten years ago I tried to buy my last name, keenan.com Another Keenan owned it. He refused an offer of $5,000. I wouldn’t pay more for it. He has since sold it to a company called Keenan. I suspect I will never own my last name. That bums me out. Jim Keenan is also owned by someone else, although it’s an individual. I suppose, for the right price, I could have jimkeenan.com.

I don’t own my name and I don’t like it.

I think it is critical we own our online brand and that includes our names. I have bought my two daughters names and will be buying my, soon to be arriving, third daughters as well. I am securing their Facebook pages, their Twitter accounts and more. Will they use them? Who knows? But if they do, they will have their names.

Names are becoming a market. We can share names offline. We can’t share names online. User names and web domains are acquired on a first come, first serve basis. Once gone, they are gone forever. Depending on your name it could be very expensive to get after the fact. If your name is John Williams, expect to pay big. Deshawn Breznican, on the other hand, will probably be available for a while.

In a world were our online presence is the biggest asset we have, owning our names will be one of the critical investments we’ll need to make.

Have you invested in your name yet? The longer you wait, the more expensive it will be.

I wonder if we will see more Deshawns, Chantels and Matravius’s in the coming years. That would certainly solve the problem.

If I can’t get jimkeenan.com maybe I’ll change my name. How many Matravius Keenan’s can there be?

March 11, 2010 | Filed under: Asset of The Future, Web 2.0/Social Networking, What I Think! | Comments |

IPhone Experiment

A few hours ago, just as I’m heading out of town for a week, my Macbook crashes. Nothing but the grey screen of death.

I am now without my computer for at least a week.

I figure rather than get upset I’m going to run a little experiment. I’m only going to use my IPhone.

I will be using only my IPhone for the next week. I will use it for my blogging (writing this post at the airport now), Twitter, e-mail, Facebook, LinkedIn, feedreader, blog comments, web-surfing and more. It will be my only device.

I’m curious to know if the type pad will get me frustrated, especially for longer posts and e-mails. I’m also curious how I’ll feel about the browser speed for surfing and commenting.

I use my IPhone for many of these things now, but mostly in a mobile capacity. It will be interesting to see how I feel after a week of just the IPhone.

I will update you with my thoughts when it’s over and I get my beloved Mac back.

Do you think I will miss it?

February 28, 2010 | Filed under: Random, Web 2.0/Social Networking, What I Think! | Comments |

When Banks Aren’t Needed

Image representing Prosper as depicted in Crun...
Image via CrunchBase

I’ve been arguing for awhile that social media is changing everything and peer to peer lending is an example of this.

Peer to peer lending sites like Prosper pair people looking for a loan with people looking to lend.

Prosper in its own words:

Peer to Peer Lending—Rewarding for Borrowers and Lenders

* Peer to Peer lending is a financial community made up of individual people seeking lower rate loans and investment opportunities with higher returns.
* Borrowers apply online for a loan. Lenders bid on loan listings. Registered lenders have access to the borrower’s credit information. They can view the purpose of the loan, the borrower’s Prosper Rating, and more.
* If the loan gets enough bids, funds are placed in the borrower’s bank account. Payments are automatically deducted from their bank account.
* Lenders enjoy the rewards of this alternative investment: they receive monthly payments of principal and interest.
* The high costs of banks are removed because we connect people directly: everyone benefits.

I dig this concept. In many ways banks are no different than any other type of “agent.” They are middlemen. They loan our deposits to others and make money on our money. I like the idea of cutting out banks.

Prosper creates a more personal component to lending. I can see how loans could be evaluated by the people who know the space in which the money is being used. Rather than have a “loan officer” determine if the 10 grand you’re asking for to start a hair salon, people who know something about starting hair salon’s etc decide if the loan is worth giving.

I can also see people incorporating their social profiles or their online presence which could increase the comfort level and relationship component of the transaction. Just like the relationship bankers have with their clients but deeper.

To the extent that the Prosper network can grow to million of users it could can have a huge effect on the access of capital. It spreads capital, rather than it being aggregated in an industry.

I’m also intrigued with the lending component. Prosper has the ability to provide an alternative asset class to a portfolio. They currently tout returns of 6 to 14 percent. Micro-lending or peer to peer lending is a unique way to add debt beyond bonds to a portfolio.

The downside to prosper as I can see it is on the lending side. What concerns me is those looking for a loan. Why are they choosing Prosper? Why aren’t they going a traditional route, if they have good credit? Why are they willing to accept a higher interest rate? I do think Prosper and other Peer to Peer lending companies will attract a higher risk clientele. Felix Salmon has a good post on the downside. I especially like his “adverse selection” assessment.

I haven’t tried Prosper yet. But I am curious. I’m intrigued by the peer to peer lending concept.

What about you. Would you loan someone money this way? Would you borrow money in this fashion?

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February 15, 2010 | Filed under: Asset of The Future, Entrepreneur, Web 2.0/Social Networking, What I Think! | Comments |

Mobile Safari Plug-Ins, Where are They?

Apple just launched the IPad. Yup, I’m pretty sure I want one. Why, I don’t know. I have a Kindle. I have an Iphone. I have a Macbook Pro. Technically speaking, I don’t need one. But it does have that cool factor.

One of the things that will definately work against my urge to splurge will be the use of the mobile Safari browser. I use my Iphone just like my laptop. I read blogs. I blog. I tweet, I play on Facebook, and Linkedin. The thing I do most on these sites is share and mobile Safari makes sharing hard because it doesn’t support browser plugins. I can’t save posts for later using Instapaper. I can’t create a bit.ly link. I can’t share to my Tumblr page or clip to Evernote. These are just a few of the things I do directly from my browser. On the IPhone these are all separate apps not integrated with Safari. That’s a problem. Cutting and pasting between apps just sucks.

I want my mobile experience, IPhone or IPad to be just like my laptop experience. I shouldn’t have to adopt slower, more cumbersome ways of getting stuff done to be mobile. The app store is awesome. Now, I’d like to see Apple start extending plugins to their mobile browser. It just plain makes sense.

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January 30, 2010 | Filed under: Random, Web 2.0/Social Networking, What I Think! | Comments |

Social Mentors

Fred Wilson wrote a great post the other day called, Role Models. In it he talked about the importance of role models for young entrepreneurs who are just starting out. I agree with him. No one makes it alone. Having a mentor can make all the difference.

Mentors are hard to come by. It’s not like they have a Walmart for mentors.

The mentor/mentee relation can take time to develop. Other times it’s a simple introduction. Despite how they are developed they are normally off-line, face to face, personal, relationships. One of the most difficult parts of finding a mentor is access. Successful, accomplished experts are hard to come by.

Fred’s post got me thinking. Social media is providing a new type of mentor, a “social mentor.”

Social media provides the two critical pieces of mentorship; access and information.

Mentorship is about providing guidance, experience, knowledge and support. Social media, through it’s blogs, comments, Tweets, Fan Pages and more allows an informal mentorship to take place. Blogs share experiences and information. The comments allow readers to ask questions. Overtime, the author and regular commentators build a relationship. The author becomes responsive to his or her regular readers and provides provocative, informative, answers to their questions. The same applies to other social media sites. The experts engage with the novices and share their experience and knowledge. Bang! A “social mentor” relationship is created.

I’ve seen examples of this all over the web. The best example I’ve seen is Fred’s blog. Fred writes great informative posts everyday. He receives 100’s of comments on those posts. He has a good following of regular commentators who comment often; asking questions, and engaging with Fred. I can’t prove it, but I’d be willing to bet a number of these people see Fred as an informal mentor.

Social media is changing a lot of things. How we define mentors is one of them.

Nothing will replace the power and benefits of an offline mentor/mentee relationship. But where it used to be all or nothing, social media is creating a very happy and beneficial medium.

I’m beginning to find a number of social mentors. What about you? Who are yours?

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January 27, 2010 | Filed under: Entrepreneur, Leadership, Personal Development, Web 2.0/Social Networking | Comments |

A Day Without Social Media

Yesterday I was off the grid. I didn’t post to this blog. I didn’t have my Tweet stream up. I didn’t read any blogs. I didn’t visit Facebook, or LinkedIn. I didn’t check in anywhere using Foursquare; that’s probably because I sat at my desk all day. I was off the grid for pretty much the entire day. (OK, I did tweet twice)

Being off the grid was strange. I definitely noticed a difference. My day was less interrupted, more focused, and in many ways more productive.

I usually start my morning reading my RSS reader. I then check my Twitter stream and then do a blog post. Throughout the day I follow my Twitter stream, retweet good sales posts and tweets I like as well as keep up on events of the day. I get much of my news from Twitter. At the end of the day, I check Facebook, add a quote or good story to my Tumblr page and read some more blog links I liked.

Being on the grid, helps me stay connected and keeps me informed. I like the flow of information, the relationships and discoveries being online creates.

Despite how much I enjoy being connected and all the benefits it provides, something strange happened in my one day sabbatical. I was more focused. There were fewer distractions. I didn’t feel the stress to deliver good content. I didn’t feel the pressure to share or to “give”. Being online is as much about sharing and giving as it is about getting. It’s what’s best about being online. However, yesterday, for me, I learned it can create a lot of pressure and distractions.

One day off the grid was a relief. It was focused on one thing. I got more done. It was nice.

Despite the relief from my one day sabbatical, I missed being online. I enjoy it.

In the future, I think I will take more days of “the grid”. They are good recharge moments. However, the next one won’t be because of a big project deadline. I’ll do it just because. It sounds nice.

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January 23, 2010 | Filed under: Random, Web 2.0/Social Networking | Comments |

Sales Needed at Enterprise 2.0 Boston

I need your vote:

Back in November I posted how a Sales track was conspicuously absent during Defrag. I made a note of how Enterprise 2.0 companies have a very difficult road to hoe when it comes to selling their wares to companies. Most Enterprise 2.0 companies have been started by technologists and lack the experience, knowledge and understanding of B2B sales. So rather than chirping about it, I figured I need to do something about it.

I’ve put in to do a sales session at the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston. The session is called Enterprise 2.0-Someone Has To Sell This Shit.

It looks like not enough people read my earlier post, because it appears there isn’t another sales track at Enterprise 2.0 Boston.

Enterprise 2.0 isn’t like Web 2.0 or other consumer products. There is no “build it and the will come.” A decision must be made in order to penetrate a company and drive revenue. Someone has to say “yes,” I will buy your product. Getting to this stage takes effort, and strategy. With my partner in crime Paul Dunay and we will break down the sales aspect of driving Enterprise 2.0 into the enterprise.

So, do us a favor and go vote. Thanks!

If we make it, I’ll post our presentation here.

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January 9, 2010 | Filed under: Enterprise 2.0, Uncategorized, Web 2.0/Social Networking, What I Think! | Comments |

Revelation vs Resolution

Everyone is looking forward, making New Years resolutions and planning for 2010. It is the thing to do. I am too. But, as I’m looking forward, I couldn’t help but pause and take a look back. I wondered; was there anything different, unique for me about 2009. The obvious came to mind. I started this blog, my girls had a number of firsts, the economy was rough, but as I thought about it, it occurred to me; 2009 did have a very unique element to it. I made more friends online than I made offline. My network grew.

I have always been a big fan of networking. I believe there is tremendous value in engaging and knowing lots of different people. I have gotten most of my jobs, started businesses, hired employees, acquired new customers, and more all from my network. Despite, my appreciation of networks, over the past few years, mine has suffered a little. I’ve moved, gotten married, had kids, started a new job, and work out of the house. None of these things are conducive to building or managing a network, especially working from home.

In 2009 my network grew. Not in the traditional sense, by handshake and physical meeting, but online.

Twitter, Facebook, and this blog have been instrumental in introducing me to new people. These aren’t just fans or followers, but people I respect for their knowledge, people I enjoy for their person and people who have been helpful. The experience in meeting these people has been no different than meeting people offline. The fact that I’ve never met them in person has had no impact on the value of the relationship.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know these people. They are making a real impact in my life. I’m working with some. I’m collaborating on sales efforts with others. I’ve assisted others in selling and promoting their products. It’s just like my offline network.

My network grew in 2009. Not in the traditional way, but in a new way.

I don’t think this is an anomaly, I suspect next year my online network will be even bigger, not only for me but everyone online and this is a great thing.

Did your network grow in 2009?

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January 4, 2010 | Filed under: Asset of The Future, Personal Brand, Web 2.0/Social Networking | Comments |

Don’t Follow Me on Twitter

I have 884 Twitter followers as I write this. It’s not a lot, but it’s not a few. I have a very active and engaged Twitter following. They are good peeps. Thanks all!

I follow 324 people. That’s not a lot either. But, it’s a 324 people who have impressed me with their tweets and their online engagement.

I use Twitter for information and to build relationships. Relationships and information are how I determine who to follow, who to RT and who to engage. I don’t fish for followers. I don’t follow people in hopes they follow back.

When someone follows me, I check out their profile, read their recent tweets, check out their bio and their blog and then determine if I want to follow them back. It’s pretty simple.

Lately, somethings been happening that is bugging me. I’ve been getting followed a lot and when I go check out their profile they are no longer following me. There have been times where I liked someone, and followed them back, only to have them have to refollow me, because they stopped following me after they started following me. I don’t like when people manipulate the system like this. It is in authentic.

In social media, authenticity is everything. Trust is paramount. I don’t trust anyone who appears inauthentic. Baiting me to follow you is inauthentic.

Don’t follow me unless you like my tweets, you like this blog, or you find me engaging. I don’t need my email cluttered with follower bait.

I’ll follow you if you tweet good stuff, and are engaging; whether you follow me or not. To me it’s not about the follow, it’s about the engagement and that’s authentic.

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December 28, 2009 | Filed under: Asset of The Future, Web 2.0/Social Networking, What I Think! | Comments |

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