Martin P Wilson

goldlogol

Ideas, Innovation, Inspiration, Insight, IT

Facilitation and Mentoring for Success.

The Art of SEOThe Art of SEO is subtitled Mastering Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and is an essential guide for all who own, design or write for serious websites

Web sites exist for a wide range of reasons but to be successful search queries must be able to find them and so sites need rank well in search results. Most visitors will find web pages by searching through Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu and others. As result, good search engine optimisation is the tool that maximises the visibility of the site and is the key to generating traffic for the site.

The Art of SEO sets out to demystify search engine optimisation and explain what search engines need to be able to rank web sites properly. SEO is often seen either as an arcane and mystical process or as a battle between web content providers and the search engines. As The Art of SEO explains in the opening chapters it is neither. In reality, search engines and web site owners with original information to share have a common interest in providing relevant information that matches web searches.

Read more...

Killing Giants by Stephen Denny10 Strategies to Topple the Goliath in Your Industry

Killing Giants by Stephen Denny is not the first book on the subject of how smaller enterprises can compete successfully with the market leaders. However, it is probably the most accessible and its ideas are straightforward to implement.

Practical Messages Clearly Presented

The ways in which Killing Giants presents the ideas lend themselves to creating practical strategies for any business that is competing against much larger incumbents. Denny stresses he is not providing advice but telling stories from which the reader can learn. Killing Giants consists of ten broad messages. One, or more, stories, illustrate each section. From each story, Stephen Denny pulls out what he sees as the key lessons and puts them into a wider context.

At the end of each chapter, Denny pulls all the lessons together with the overall message. So while the content is not advice of the form: do this, that or the other, Killing Giants steers the reader to possible strategies. The reader is then left to apply what they have learnt, the ideas, to their own situation. It works well as the ideas are practical and the messages are down to earth so reinterpreting top specific situations is straightforward.

As Stephen Denny clearly expresses the ideas with minimal management jargon applying them to real-world situations should not be difficult. Readers can adopt some immediately and others will require more thought. The ability to move quickly will encourage the smaller business owner to use the ideas. Used with imagination and commitment the ideas in Killing Giants should enable the smaller player to claim their niche.

Read more...

New Business Road TestDetailed guide to strategic preparation needed before writing a business plan. Entrepreneurs must know the risks and threats when starting a new business.

Anyone who has watched the television programme "Dragons' Den" will be aware how ill-prepared many entrepreneurs are when seeking investment. They often do not seem to understand their market or their business. The New Business Road Test guides would-be founders of start-up businesses through the key questions they need to understand if they are going to maximise their chances of success.

What Entrepreneurs and Executives Should Do Before Writing a Business Plan

As the book’s subtitle suggests, The New Business Road Test guides those starting new business through the analysis needed to write meaningful business plan. It is divided into two parts.

Read more...

Adventures of an IT Leader Cover - Stephani Finks/Asaf HanukaA strong story makes this management self-help book a good read. Is it a novel or a guide for a new Chief Information Officer or IT Director? Surprisingly it is both.

 

Extended Case Study Gives Advice to Prospective or Experienced CIO

The cover design and the writing style makes The Adventures of an IT Leader look and feel like a novel. As such it has many merits. The characterisation is good and the writing is engaging – it encourages the reader to keep reading - it is a better read than much pure fiction and it yet it still provides a lot of valuable advice.

Read more...

Quick Thoughts

Has Military Action Ever Dissuaded Tyrants?

Syria - flagIn his speech before the war in Iraq Tony Blair, the UK Prime Minister, argued that not intervening would send a message that tyrants would feel at liberty to act without consequence. By military action in Iraq, he argued, those who would perpetrate atrocities would think twice. There would not seem to be any evidence, before or since, that would back up that contention.

We now have David Cameron, the current Prime Minister, making essentially the same arguments – do politicians ever learn from history?

Read more...

Government Spending is not Driver of Growth

Parliament Square London IC02001If more public spending is the only way to create growth then surely governments have become too large a part of the economy? Government is about spending and has little to do with creating wealth.

The best government can do is move wealth from individuals and business to those who serve government.

Read more...

Capped Bonuses, There May be Trouble Ahead

Politicians do not seem to be good at imagining unintended consequences. The cap on bankers’ bonuses, however popular, may be counter-productive in reducing risk.

Dark Stormy Skys and Beauty Often CoexistIf a smaller proportion of a trader’s income is at risk if a trade goes wrong they may pursue high-risk opportunities to get that big win. If it works they guarantee the full bonus and could also use it to negotiate a higher salary (and bonus) for the following year. If it fails the downside is limited by the capped bonus to a smaller part of overall income. At the end of the day traders are competitive and gamblers at heart so will they be more likely to pursue the big win when their own risk is limited?

Copyright © 1995-2010 Solidus Ltd & M-dash.

All Rights Reserved.Copyright Explained.