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Connecting with your audience isn’t complicated. The movie American Beauty, which won an academy award, earned a decent amount for its investors and gained the adulation of movie goers, was a calculated attempt at capturing the audiences’ and critics’ imagination. The writers, producers and creatives behind the production used a set scheme of symbols to invoke the reaction the movie received.
By playing on themes of vulnerability, overcoming vulnerability and the frailty of human existence American Beauty captured the imaginations of movie goers, satisfied its investors and convinced the Academy of its effectiveness in motivating culture.
Your Self Perception
So if it’s that mathematical why all the confusion?
The problem isn’t what you’re putting out, the problem is what you see when you look in. We like to see ourselves as independent, rational creatures; unfortunately this is simply not true. Divesting yourself of this illusion is one of the first steps towards becoming effective in business.
1 + 1 = x
If you trust that you are unmoved by the mathematics of marketing then you’ll flounder about trying to find some magic key, but admit you’re deeply affected and you’ll find ample market analysis in your own reactions.
If you solidly apply yourself to learning the very basic ideas behind projecting motivation through common cultural cues you’ll find success isn’t so hard to achieve after all. Production cost was an excuse prior to the availability of digital tools. Now the only thing holding you back is your vision of what is possible and your honesty about where you stand.
Posted on October 8th, 2009 by David Metcalfe
Posted in Disaster Recovery, Entrepreneurship, Lisle/Naperville/DuPage Business, Marketing Online, News, Winning Customer Service | No Comments »
The recession hasn’t done much to slow down the flood of technology splashing down on us since Silicon Valley exploded in the 90’s. After the boom and bust of the dot.com era, ideas were launched worldwide that had been fomenting since the 1950’s in tiny alcoves of academia and industry.
40 some years of pressure build up can cause quite a bang.
Kicking Up the Dust
Today’s “cloud computing” buzz is like the dust kicked up by the tech bubble’s explosion, and despite claiming a “virtual” existence, the physical infrastructure for this “cloud” is an impressive bit of machinery.
Google alone operates out of 36 datacenters and with the global interest in electronic medical records, a national health information network, intelligence sharing centers for law enforcement and emergency management, traffic cameras and all the rest, the number of data-centers being opened (and needing construction) around the globe is staggering.
Take a quick look at this worldwide map of data-center locations and see for yourself:
http://www.datacentermap.com/
They may call it a “cloud”, but with this kind of physical infrastructure the so-called “cloud” isn’t very gaseous.
Posted on September 24th, 2009 by David Metcalfe
Posted in Critical Computing, Lisle/Naperville/DuPage Business, News, What's new? | No Comments »
It’s hard to imagine with all those tweets, FaceBook posts, LinkedIn status updates, emails and blog posts that the little mistakes really make a difference. What’s a few grammar errors, factual flubs or poorly worded paragraphs amidst the noise, right?
If you find yourself thinking this, it might be time to step back and reconsider your marketing plan. What exactly are you going for if the small details don’t matter?
Neil Armstrong’s famous words weren’t just an off the cuff remark, they were a well planned strategy to set the media stage for U.S. dominance of space during the cold war. When the public (and the international media) heard him announce “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” some were puzzled by what seems to be a redundant statement.
There was something missing, a little ‘A’ which would have helped the message make sense.
Radio Glitches
All it took was a radio glitch to turn a well placed media mark into a 40 year grammatical gaff. Everyone still remembers the line, but four decades of snarky grammar comments could have been averted with just a little more care.
This is a great lesson for businesses that use social media, if you’re spending time pushing content into the social media sphere why not keep an eye on the quality of what you’re putting out there.
A Few Helpful Reminders to Keep in Mind
• Matsuo Basho, 17th century poet and Haiku master, said that every letter should be written as if it were meant to last through the ages. This may be a high mark to set for your Tweets, but it’s better to keep it in mind than to forget it and end up regretting one of your 140 character outbursts.
• Editing is easy before you send something out, dealing with mistakes after the fact isn’t. This is something that’s been repeated so often it’s surprising there’s still a problem (I admit I’m not perfect in this regard either).
• Make sure your links work. I received an email invitation from a PR firm for a webinar on pitching that contained broken links and obvious editorial mistakes (half sentences that were probably meant to be cut). How likely am I to pay to attend this seminar?
• Remember relevance. It’s one thing to lighten your content from time to time; it’s another to float off into space. Keep things moored on solid ground and you’ll give people a place to go rather than an opportunity to miss you while they look at the stars.
• Context is more important than ever. When there is so much information streaming across the internet it’s easy to lose site of the past, don’t add to this problem by missing an opportunity to add valuable historical context to your social media efforts.
Posted on July 20th, 2009 by David Metcalfe
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Lisle/Naperville/DuPage Business, Marketing Online, News, Professional Development, Winning Customer Service | No Comments »
Those of you who’ve been loyally following the XNet blog may have noticed a bit of downtime over the last couple of months. Well, we’re back on track with a new Blogger and I’ll be keeping you all up to date on the weekly happenings here at our Critical Computing Facility.
A short walk
My name is David Metcalfe and I’m the newest addition to the XNet team. Over the years I’ve worked with MaconRaine, Inc. and the former Bradley Wiltjer Marketing Group, both sponsors of the Silicon Prairie Social, so I’ve been on the periphery of XNet for awhile.
Beyond my personal associations with the folks here, due to the fact that I live in Lisle much of what I do is supported by XNet in one way or another. They host services for Morton Arboretum, the Lisle Library and the Village of Lisle itself. As an active naturalist, reader and resident they support services that I use on a weekly basis.
Off time pursuits
A fascination with culture has lead me to explore every aspect of history, music, art, literature, politics and science that I can unreasonably cram into my day. Outside of XNet I’m the Creative Director/illustrator for The Absurdist Monthly Review, an internationally distributed e-journal that explores avant-garde literary theory, experimental writing techniques and the history of absurdism. I also do a bit of scrawling for my own e-publication The Eyeless Owl and for a variety of bloggers and online authors as the mood strikes me.
On the horizon
It’s exciting to have an opportunity to work with XNet directly rather than just hovering on the border. All the activity around here is giving me a chance to stretch my professional skills and put those nights researching the ebb and flow of culture to good use.
Keep your eyes open for XNet’s newsletter in the next couple of weeks as well as announcements on upcoming Silicon Prairie Social events and an XNet Open House coming sometime in October. We had a blast at the last SPS in April and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone again in September. Also, if you’re a Twitter user, check us out @xnetinfosys .
Posted on July 10th, 2009 by David Metcalfe
Posted in Disaster Recovery, News, What's new? | No Comments »
XNet is proud to announce the next Silicon Prairie Social, to be held on Tuesday, April 28th at Arrowhead Golf Club in Wheaton. We’re looking forward to gathering again with a couple hundred friends and associates from the technology community.
If you’re an XNet customer or are looking at XNet to provide your colocation or dedicated server hosting service, by all means, come to the event and connect face-to-face with us. We’d love to have you there.
For details and to RSVP, visit Silicon Prairie Social.
Posted on April 14th, 2009 by Arthur Zards
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Lisle/Naperville/DuPage Business, News | No Comments »
Following on the heels of our first event, we’re hosting the second Silicon Prairie Social on Thursday, January 24. Below are the details. Hope to see you there!
Silicon Prairie Social 2
Suburban tech and Internet industry mixer
When:
Thursday, January 24, 2008, 6:30-10:00pm
Where:
Mullen’s Bar & Grill
3080 Warrenville Rd., Lisle, IL 60532 (map)
Silicon Prairie Social is an opportunity to connect in an informal setting with like-minded people in technology; the event is specifically for upwardly mobile tech professionals, tech executives, tech entrepreneurs, technology service providers, Internet professionals, Web 2.0 and startup companies, and the mobile industry. (No professional recruiters, staffing agencies, or active job seekers permitted).
The event is free to attend, free drinks and food will be provided. RSVP is required at http://siliconprairiesocial2.eventbrite.com.
For more information see www.siliconprairiesocial.com or contact info [at] siliconprairiesocial {dot} com.
Posted on January 3rd, 2008 by XNet
Posted in Lisle/Naperville/DuPage Business, News | No Comments »
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Brian Clark |
XNet is proud to announce that co-founders Arthur Zards and Brian Clark are recipients of this year’s Innovation Award from the Business Ledger’s Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards. Zards and Clark were honored alongside other award recipients at the Ledger’s awards reception held October 19 at the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, and were included in a special insert in the October 29 issue of the Business Ledger.
For further details, see the following Business Ledger articles:
About XNet
XNet is a privately held, industry-leading Internet solutions provider located in the heart of the Silicon Prairie in Lisle, Illinois. Since 1992, XNet has been instrumental in growing Internet technologies in the Chicago area, and is now the largest independently owned Internet service provider in Chicagoland.
By maintaining close client relationships and a distinct understanding of tomorrow’s technology, XNet has been the leader in Internet solutions for Chicago’s top corporations. XNet’s client list is essentially a “who’s who” of the technology elite, including Blaupunkt, BP Amoco, Lucent, Argonne Labs, Bosch, Abbott Labs, Motorola, and the Morton Arboretum, just to name a few. XNet was founded in 1992 by Naperville Central High School graduates Arthur Zards and Brian Clark.
Media Contact: Ben Bradley, PR Counsel for XNET, 630-221-9844 or benbradley@bwmginc.com.
Contact: Arthur Zards, President, XNet, 630-983-6064.
Posted on December 4th, 2007 by Tim Courtney
Posted in Entrepreneurship, News | No Comments »
Local Internet Provider XNet To Show Off New Data Center at Annual Open House Illinois Tech Industry Mainstay Leaps Forward with Carrier Class Facility
LISLE, IL, Nov 27, 2006 – XNet, the Lisle, IL-based data center and corporate high-speed internet provider, will be hosting their annual Open House on Thursday, December 7, between 4:00 and 8:00pm at their Lisle office, 3080 Ogden Ave, Suite 303. This year’s open house will feature a new attraction —XNet will unveil its new Critical Computing Facility™; a brand new data center featuring carrier class access and reliability combined with hands-on custom support for business customers from XNet’s expert staff.
In addition to the traditional party for customers, XNet founders are hoping to use the open house to bring awareness for one of the only high reliability data centers in the suburbs. “Not enough people know that there is a world-class Network Operations Center right in their backyard with hands-on custom support that far exceeds the high volume providers,” said Brian Clark, co-founder and CEO of XNet Information Systems. “This year, we’re giving local business owners and IT executives the opportunity to see what rock solid redundancy means for their business.”
Co-founders Arthur Zards and Brian Clark have been hosting the annual open house event since 1995. “Customers talk about our open houses for months afterwards. Since we’ve developed a reputation for throwing a good party, people regularly approach me asking when we’re going to host the next one,” said Zards, XNet’s President.
Attractions this year will include a live performance by local jazz band Unaccustomedness, a sushi chef, and a selection of premium beer and fine wine. The company has been providing web hosting, colocation, high-speed internet access, and dialup connections to homes and businesses in Naperville, Lisle, and the surrounding area for the last fourteen years. “Over that time, our passion for rock solid redundancy has built us quite a reputation in the Chicago area.” said Zards. “Our clients include companies like Motorola, the Morton Arboretum, Lucent Technologies, and Argonne Labs, plus hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses nationwide.”
Local business owners and technology professionals interested in attending can RSVP at http://www.xnet.com/openhouse/
About XNet
XNet is a privately held, industry-leading Internet solutions provider located in the heart of the Silicon Prairie in Lisle, Illinois. Since 1992, XNet has been instrumental in growing Internet technologies in the Chicago area, and is now the largest independently owned Internet service provider in Chicagoland. By maintaining close client relationships and a distinct understanding of tomorrow’s technology, XNet has been the leader in Internet solutions for Chicago’s top corporations. XNet’s client list is essentially a “who’s who” of the technology elite, including Blaupunkt, BP Amoco, Lucent, Argonne Labs, Bosch, Abbott Labs, Motorola, and the Morton Arboretum, just to name a few. XNet was founded in 1992 by Naperville High School graduates Arthur Zards and Brian Clark.
Posted on November 27th, 2006 by Tim Courtney
Posted in News | No Comments »
Arthur Zards is the President and co-founder of XNet Information Systems. He is passionate about making the customer experience extraordinary. Arthur also enjoys carving 