Do you, like me, get caught up in the excitement of the Tour de France, watching coverage of the race on TV each day? I am in awe of just how grueling the 3,500 km (2, 175 mile) race is – - and in awe of the mental and physical endurance those riders have who come through the 21 day race successfully.

One of the returning riders this year after three years off is 37-year-old seven- time winner of the Tour, Lance Armstrong. He’s one of several top riders on the Astana team that also includes podium finishers Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloeden.

As the race began yesterday, one of the stories unfolding was how the Astana team director Johan Bruyneel had assigned Lance a support rather than lead role. Spaniard Alberto Contador was named the team lead. He won the Tour in 2007.

Support riders are also called “domestiques” by competitive cyclists. They may be asked to ride ahead and shield the lead rider from the wind, escort them up the mountains, or fetch water bottles from the team car trailing the racers.  There’s speculation that Lance won’t be content in his role as a support rider,  letting Alberto Contador lead the Astana team.

Personally, I think Lance will do whatever is good for the team. When the team was going through some financial difficulties earlier this summer, potentially jeopardizing their participation in the Tour, Lance worked to find another sponsor for the team. Contador on the other hand, shopped his name around with other teams. It also depends on Lance’s motivation to return to the tour. If he is doing it to help further his charitable work, Bruyneel’s gamble may pay off.

Those of you who disagree may point to the rivalry between French racer Bernard Hinault and American Greg LeMond in 1986 who were both racing on La Vie Claire.  Having won the Tour five times, Hinault promised to help Lemond win it in 1986.  Greg Lemond would eventually win, despite repeated attacks from his teammate.

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.  One thing for sure though, if Contador is to remain in the lead with Lance his lieutenant, he will have to show early on he is the boss.

Photo credit: xue891

One of the popular posts on this blog, according to WordPress, is of  the photos my dad took when he visited China, including one of the Great Wall.

My dad was an avid amateur photographer who always had his camera with him.  Here are a few more he took on that trip to China:

Family Restaurant:

Craft Market:

Craft Seller:

Thanks for visiting this page!

Even if you aren’t an avid tennis fan, you may be aware of the controversy brewing over what should be done about pro tennis players who grunt (some would say shriek) long and loud after every shot.

Fans are complaining and opponents say it’s deliberate and puts them off.  In some cases the sound is still ringing around the court as the opponent is trying to make their stroke.

Last month at the French Open, spectators booed 16-year-old Portuguese player, Michelle Larcher de Brito.  Her opponent, France’s Aravane Rezai complained to the umpire, although no action was taken.

The challenge? Proving that a player’s grunting is deliberate – and not a natural release of energy during high-level tennis -  is difficult. However, tennis officials are apparently meeting in Wimbledon this week to see if anything can be done to make enforcement of grunting more official and more explicit.

Dennis O’Connell has been studying the role of grunting in sports for several years, and notes there is scientific evidence to show that grunting benefits your game.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who has won 59 Grand Slam titles, believes grunting is damaging the women’s game.  She recently called it cheating and said it should be banned.

So on the one hand, grunting is an expression of the power that goes into hitting the ball, without which some players would suffer. But it can also be distracting to opponents, not to mention annoying for the rest of us.

I think it’s time to get out the grunt-o-meter and warn players when their shrieks exceed some sensible limit!

Photo credit: Solitaire_6812 – Monica Seles sparked complaints from Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1992

I came home “pumped” last night after attending my first meeting of Victoria, B.C.’s  Social Media Club.

Pumped because I enjoy connecting with others face to face who share my passion for social media. Among my immediate circle of friends, many aren’t even on Facebook. And they don’t “get” Twitter.

So it’s always fun to share and learn from others – there was a wealth of knowledge in the room. We talked about the interesting connections we’d made through social media.

Similar clubs are starting up all over the world. If you have an interest in finding out what all this is about, you can get more information through the following pages on Facebook:

• Third Tuesday
• Social Media Club

Meetings typically include a guest speaker who talks about different social media technologies and trends. There’s also ample opportunity to network. Meetings are casual and open, but focused so you walk away with new insights and ideas.

Who attends? The Victoria group is a mix of people with a good knowledge of social media and entrepreneurs interested in using social media to grow their business. Lots of interest in marketing and communications, and several web developers and SEOs.

Victoria locals wanting to learn more could contact myself, or the club co-founders, Catherine Novak and Paul Holmes. Both are extremely knowledgeable in the area of social media, and very willing to share that knowledge with others.

Photo of Catherine Novak from Social Media Club – Victoria

I missed opening my front door this morning to check out the lead stories in our local paper.

The Victoria Times-Colonist announced last month that it would stop printing a Monday paper. They’re beefing up their online edition so you can still get the breaking news and the latest sports scores.

Editor in Chief Lucinda Chodin blamed the move on the current economic crisis, adding that several other US and Canadian newspapers have opted to stop publishing on Mondays as well.  Newspapers everywhere are under seige as a result of the recession, and the growth of the internet.  Some major dailies in the United States have gone under, or have suffered huge financial losses.

The Newspaper Association of America reports that more of us are getting our news online, and several Canadian publishers are reporting similar trends.  So the challenge for publishers is finding a way to make a profit from that online traffic.

Some say the growth in online and citizen journalist sites will eventually mean the end of newspapers, as we know them. Personally, I’m not so sure, and I certainly hope not.

As much as I enjoy Twitter, Google Reader and online news sites, I also enjoy sipping on my morning coffee, scanning through the morning paper, and seeing how quickly I can do the crossword.

Coffee and Newspaper photo credit: ASystems’

When you think about a company’s reputation – good or bad – what names come to mind and why?

How would you rate some of the companies and brands depicted here?

How many do you recognize?

Six Criteria that Impact a Company’s Reputation:

Charles Fombrun is Chairman and Co-Founder of the Reputation Institute. He has written extensively on this topic, and developed a set of six criteria that a company can use to gauge its reputation and benchmark its competition:

• Emotional appeal: You simply like, admire and respect, or trust the company

• Products and Services: You think the company sells products or services that are high quality, innovative, reliable or good value for money

• Social Responsibility: You think the company is a good citizen – it supports good causes, doesn’t damage the environment, and does right by local communities

• Workplace Environment: You believe the company is well managed, has topnotch employees, and would be great to work for

• Vision and Leadership: You feel the company has a clear vision for the future and strong leadership

• Financial Performance: You’ve been happy with the company’s profitability, believe it has strong future prospects, and isn’t too risky to invest in

The Reputations of the Most Visible Companies in the U.S.:

Fombrun has collaborated with Harris Interactive, and together they have systematically tested these criteria and based on the results, developed an overall reputation scoring system. For the past 10 years they have surveyed 25,000 American consumers to determine the 60 most visible American companies, and then ranked those companies on the six criteria noted above. The results of the latest survey aren’t that surprising:

• Nine of out ten Americans said the reputation of corporations is either “not good” or “terrible”

• The auto industry reported the largest decline in reputation ever

• AIG placed last on the 60 most visible list with a score of 43.78. This was the lowest score since 2005, when Enron had a score of 30.05.

• Out of the 60 most visible list, the top ten companies were Johnson&Johnson,  Google,  Sony,  Coca-Cola,  Kraft,  Amazon,  Microsoft,  General Mills, 3M, and Toyota. (The top five scored 80 or higher.)

Linking Fame and Fortune:

Does fame lead to fortune?  Yes!  Fombrun estimates that a 10% improvement in reputation is worth between 1% and 5% of a company’s market value. Reputations also have considerable hidden value as a form of insurance, acting like a reservoir of good will.  Finally, there is a strong statistical correlation between a company’s overall reputation and the likelihood that consumers will purchase, recommend or invest in a company or its products and services.

Implications for Small Business:

Since most of us don’t have the resources for such a complex and sophisticated analysis of our reputation, what does this mean for small business?

Out of the six criteria listed that influence reputation, the perception of a company’s products and services is the key factor driving overall reputation.  That means that companies wanting to improve their reputations should strive to emphasize product quality, innovation and value.

More on what this means for small businesses in my next post. In the mean time, if you want to learn more, check out the Reputation Institute’s new blog

Corporate Alphabet info: Armoud van den Heuval and Koert van Mensvoort via the Lovely Language Exhibition at Utrecht Manifest 2005.

Fallout from the automaker bailout hearings:

Since Congress and the public lambasted auto executives for flying their private jets to Washington to ask for a government bailout, the business aviation industry has taken a nose dive.

President Barack Obama even took a rhetorical swipe at business aviation when he pledged tight restrictions on banks that receive federal bailout funds. It led to Congress seeking to restrict the use of corporate jets by executives of financial companies receiving bailout money from taxpayers. That provision was removed from the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, bill. But the message sent was there’s something wrong about flying in private aircraft.

Aviation industry free fall:

Industry executives agree business was already in a decline due to the slumping economy, but the fallout from the congressional hearings sent it into a free fall.

Their customers started closing down flight departments and hiding the fact they had a business jet. In some cases they delayed orders or decided they didn’t want to pick up a plane they had ordered.

Cessna has said it will lay off 4,600 workers by the end of March — about 30 percent of its global work force of 15,000 people.

In a colourful quote, president of the National Aviation Transportation Association James Coyne commented that, ” Most of us in the industry feel like we were victims of a drive-by shooting.”

How industry is fighting back:

Out of necessity, the business aviation industry is fighting back, trying to shake the image that characterizes people who use corporate jets in tough economic times as out-of-touch “corporate fat cats”.

They are taking a cost benefit approach and focusing on:

• millions of highly skilled jobs
• lifeline for America’s small and medium size cities and towns
• productivity gains for American businesses
• humanitarian flights

The campaign so far has included op-ed articles in influential newspapers such as the New York Times, a full page ad in the Wall Street Journal, interviews on media outlets such as Fox News, and a series of thirty second television spots. The campaign’s website has numerous resources including one pagers, tips on interacting with the media, testimonials and video/print ads.

Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft have launched PR campaigns as well.

In an innovative move, National Business Aviation Association is offering a three-part webinar series that will help companies articulate the value of business airplanes to a company’s productivity, efficiency and bottom line.

Testifying before congressional lawmakers, National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Ed Bolen recently challenged those who have questioned the value of business aviation or mischaracterized the use of business aircraft.

Warren Buffet also came to the industry’s defence yesterday on CNBC.

What more should the industry do?

1. Engage the services of a market research firm to conduct some nationwide public opinion polls. This will enable them to better guage the progress they are making in shifting attitudes over time. It will also help them better shape their response. How much of this is the result of bad press following the bailout hearings versus the slumping economy?
2. Recruit and use third parties to speak on their behalf.  This is critically important. Scott Spangler makes a good case for this in a recent post on the aviation blog JetWhine, aptly titled, “Share thumbs-up moments with everyone. “ He urges a grass roots campaign, and challenges his readers to talk about the benefits general aviation brings to daily life through programs such as Angel Flight.
3. Tap into social media. Their campaign at the moment is focused largely on PR and paid media, yet there are a number of business blogs and podcasts with a very active following which they could outreach to.  Noted business podcast For Immediate Release had a good general discussion on this issue a few weeks ago, which is where I first heard about it and then decided to blog on it.
4. Close the congruency gap. The fact that industry executives are taking a hard look at their use of private jets is a good thing, given the current economic crisis. The jet debate has been fueled by propaganda on both sides. Company jets can save time and money for time-pressed executives, but when used to ferry a CEO to his Friday afternoon golf match in Palm Springs, it’s hard to justify. The aviation industry must do what it can to distance itself from this image.

What do you think? Who owns this issue? Should the jet makers have seen it coming? What more can they do to turn this around? Is this a full blown crisis, or will it blow over?

This story caught my attention for two reasons. First, I’m passionate about music and the positive impact it has on people’s lives. Second, it’s a great example of  using social media to help musicians be part of a global community and find others who share their interest.

Ninety finalists have won spots in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. These professional and amateur musicians come from 30+ countries and territories on six continents.

Auditions were online and involved several stages. Candidates first submitted a video performance of a piece by Chinese composer Tan Dun. (He composed the music for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.) A panel of judges containing members from some of the world’s most renowned orchestras did the initial vetting and narrowed the field from 3,000 down to 200. Then after a round of voting by the global YouTube community, project artistic advisor and San Franciso Symphony Orchestra Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas selected the finalists.

Tan Dun talks about the project in this short clip:

The winners will meet in New York in mid-April to participate in a collaborative summit on classical music. It concludes with a performance at Carnegie Hall.  You can view the winning audition videos and follow these musicians on their road to Carnegie Hall on the You Tube Symphony Orchestra Channel.

On January 20th, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. Alan Taylor of the Boston Globe has posted 48 photos of the inauguration of Barack Obama which illustrate the far-reaching impact of this event around the world. His collection is a compilation of photos taken by photojournalists around the world. One of photos posted on his site is this one by Susan Walsh with Associated Press.

You can view another interesting collection of photos of President Obama by going to Pete Souza’s website,  as well as that of the White House. Pete is the Obama White House’s official photographer. He takes upward of 1,500 photos a day – and is the photographer who gets to stay when all the other photogs are shooed away. 

If you want to watch the actual inaugural address you can view it here.  

To anyone reading this blog, what stands out most in your mind about this historic day?

General Motors earlier this week issued a mea culpa: poor quality, too many brands and dealers, lacklustre designs, over-rich contracts and too many SUVs. Guilty on all counts. They did this by way of a full page ad in the trade journal Automotive News, which is widely read by industry execs, lobbyists, and other insiders.

That’s the sort of action that will help lower the outrage people felt after the Detroit Three auto makers flew to Washington in their corporate jets.  Peter Sandman, who counsels corporate clients on how to manage stakeholder outrage,  notes that if you are shy about admitting your mistakes, it’s harder for stakeholders to move beyond them. By acknowledging and apologizing for their mistakes, they are now able to move forward.

GM’s messaging on its corporate website has shifted significantly as well. GM was initially trying to draw attention to the potential extent of the auto crisis. It’s now focusing on what it is doing to reinvent itself. Ford has launched its own website called, “The Ford Story”.

And speaking of corporate jets, General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner also announced the cessation of all corporate aircraft operations.

General Motors and Ford are both using the power of social media to put their message forward. GM through its Fastlane blog, and Ford through its social media evangelist, Scott Monty.  He recently wrote an extended post on the auto industry crisis as part of his Social Media Marketing Blog. He links to a number of recent media articles, videos, and has set up a page on Delicious for the US auto industry. If you tag items, “for:US_Auto_Industry”, he’ll add your article, video or audio file to the list.

As I’m writing this, news has just come in that bailout talks have collapsed, scuttled by workers’ rejection of pay cuts. Republican senators opposing the bailout say Americans are struggling to understand why the auto makers deserve bailouts when half a million workers are losing their jobs every month. GM has brought in legal and banking experts to consult on bankruptcy protection and Chrysler has warned it is nearly out of cash.

Although not always easy, it’s critically important at this time that management keep the lines of communication open and be accessible to employees and their families, retirees, the UAW, shareholders, dealers, suppliers, elected officials, and others who are interested and potentially impacted.

What do you think? How is this issue impacting you? What would you advise the Detroit Three management?

(Photo credit: AP Photo/Mark Stahl)