Tuesday, July 28. 2009Time Flies When You're Writing ThoughtsJohn Linton It was exactly two years ago today (counting the leap year's extra day) that I took on a bet with an old ex-colleague that I could write a 500 word plus a day 'blog' without missing more than 5 days (illness, travel, impossible internet locations) within the year. I won that bet a year ago (though I have to remind you if you're reading this, Tony, that I have yet to see the prize - perhaps you're saving it for me as it certainly wouldn't travel very well) and for a variety of reasons I decided (with no bet involved) to continue to do it for a second consecutive year - which ends today with this, the 731st consecutive daily blog entry. In total I have written well over 700 words on average each day and by doing so I have met the objectives and have achieved all of the seven (perhaps eight) benefits that the original articles he gave to me in July 2007 said would be achieved from such an exercise. It has been an interesting 'task' in all sorts of ways and, although I have seen the results with my own eyes, I definitely would not have believed they were possible before actually seeing them materialise one by one over the past two years. I don't see any value in going in to any details of the 'good things' that writing these random thoughts about Exetel, my personal association with Exetel and other interests and our country's various political and financial vicissitudes over the past 24 months - they are related to a particular company, person and of course a specific time and place and set of particular situations. What I can say is that such an exercise has been immensely valuable to Exetel (and to me personally) and has returned the time and effort put in to it many thousandfold. Such a deeply personal endeavour will, obviously, always be dependent on the individual writer and the circumstances in which they operate. Each person who writes a 'blog' will do it in their own very personal way and 'aim' it at their own idea of a particular set of audiences and obviously each 'entry' will be dependent on the individuals personal state of mind and the events and interactions they have been involved with over the preceding twenty four hours or, if you are like me, what is uppermost in your mind when you decide to write your next 'blog'. I can see why few, if any, senior managers of large companies wouldn't write a blog. The legal ramifications and other 'political' issues would make it a pretty emasculated/heavily (self) censored piece of writing. I guess you have to have the freedom from such constraints to be able to write pretty much whatever it is you want to - or be as irresponsible as I so often am as so many 'kind' people have pointed out to me over the past two years. However for people involved with tiny/very small companies, like Exetel, I can absolutely recommend writing a blog as a very, very effective way of developing your business in all sorts of ways you would never have thought of. I can't tell you that writing a blog has added XX% to Exetel's revenues or Y% to our net profit but I can say it has saved us many hundreds of thousands of dollars (I know exactly how many) and has given us opportunities and accesses to people and possibilities that would never have happened without it. We created Exetel as an 'on line' company and I think we can safely say, that after five and a half years of ceaseless development we do operate one of the most highly 'on line' automated companies in our industry. We have enjoyed some, small, measure of success in our endeavours to date and I would suggest that there are now three on line (two way) personal communication media between our customers and ourselves that have played a pretty major part in whatever success we have enjoyed to date. The first of those, and still the most intensely practical in a problem solving sense, is the Exetel forum which was up and operating before we took our first order - I wrote the first entry on January 4th 2004. Through the efforts of the dedicated forum admin people and the many Exetel personnel who give their time to helping customers with whatever problems they encounter we have been able to keep all and any generic problems we have ever encountered under a fairly fierce spotlight and therefore ensured they have never 'escaped the notice' of Exetel's management. However, like the other two on line two way communication functions it has been the five and half years of constant improvement suggestions that have enabled Exetel to become aware of so many different needs and desires of our customers and to constantly improve every aspect of our business. The second communications medium between us and our customers has been this blog - which apart from the 'published' comments has yielded a constant stream of suggestions on how we could improve the current business but even more importantly alerting us to new and different products, services and opportunities - as well as new and better pricing for services and products we already sourced from other suppliers. The third on line medium, and one suggested by our forum chief administrator is the suggestion box that allows any customer to send their views direct to Exetel's directors and averages three implemented suggestions every day of the week. It has had an amazingly positive effect in making hundreds of small improvements to all of our ten services and the ways they are procured, changed and administered as well as several 'large' changes. In these three ways we have maintained, and maintain, a very lively interaction between Exetel's customers, Exetel's personnel and Exetel's management, directors and owners. Without being able to really know - I would think that Exetel's customers have more direct access to any level of Exetel's personnel and very real access in terms of getting any issue directly addressed or any suggested improvement seriously considered than any other communications company in Australia. I would have thought that this is a unique and highly beneficial 'support' aspect and that is is better provided by Exetel than by any other 'support organisation' of any company with which we compete. I can definitely recommend writing a blog for any tiny/small business manager. I have to write daily because of my own problems with personal discipline but I would think two or three times a week for a more disciplined mind than mine would be quite sufficient. For those kind people who read what I write occasionally and send encouragement and suggestions - thank you for your support - it has been a pleasure sharing some thoughts with you. For those, amazingly persistent, ill wishers who read so many of my meanderings with the apparently sole objective of writing your poisonous comments to me with such amazing regularity - thank you too - it gives me immense pleasure to know that I can continue, so casually and effortlessly, get so deeply 'under your skin' that you have to keep reading day after day so you can write your rubbish to me - does the word "masochist" resonate with you in any way? Trackbacks
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I enjoy the read each morning.
It's my window into the communications industry. Thanks John! And best wishes for the future. Regards, Comment (1)
Congrats on another blogging milestone. I for one hope you continue blogging for a long time yet to come.
I enjoy reading your blogs and somehow my brain has rewired itself so I can't read "Kevin Rudd" without thinking "Krudd" and can't read "Stephen Conroy" without thinking "Stupid Stephen". Thanks!... I think. Here's hoping you eventually get to partake/indulge/quoff you 1st year blogging prize some time soon! Comment (1)
I am an avid reader of your daily musings and I find today's final two paragraphs sum up what your daily blog does mean to lots of readers. I am pleased to say that I find your blog frank and enlightening and not many (if any) business men would share their thoughts with others as you do. So if you can keep on with the good work please do so as I am sure there are many out there who would miss their daily "fix"
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For a moment there I thought you were going to retire from writing your blog... thankfully you are not!
I have learned a great deal from reading your musings and hope you continue to do so. Lets hope that some of your thoughts which to me are common sense, permeate through to those people running our country.... Comment (1)
Wow! ~ 700 words each day. Well done.
It's nice to know that we can help in our small way by giving Exetel feedback either through your blog or in the forum. An example was as close as yesterday. I suggested placing a Wireless link on Exetels home page. It was there later the same day! It's also nice to have a small understanding of how 'our ISP' is run, and why certain things are set in motion, even if on the surface not all are happy. Comment (1)
Yes John, through this blog, you have welcomed us into Exetel such that we do feel that it is "our ISP", we can feel some of the stuff that you are feeling, and provide feedback to help (or hinder) you in that process.
Thank you for providing that oportunity. Comment (1)
This blog provides a frank and honest insight into the management of a small business in the aging telco industry.
it is this quality that convinced me to sign as an exetel customer and recommend friends and family to go the same. Keep it up. However, I do think you could express what you really mean to say in at least half the word space. I'm sure you've heard of KISS "keep it simple stupid". If the blogs were shorter it would make them easier to read as well as write. it could also potentially attract more readers and potential exetel customers. just some feedback from a reader. Comment (1)
I have had an ulterior reason for increasing the blog 'wordage' to over 1,000 a day and I agree it is too much for a daily meandering.
I will cut it back to 500 for the near future. Comments (2)
Congratulations, John - your blog is essential reading for me every day. I, too, hope you continue to share your thoughts with us well into the future.
Best wishes Comment (1)
JL,
your a legend -- I truly don’t think I’ve ever read a blog / musing that calls everything exactly as it is - warts and all. My one fear is that you will one day call it a day -- firstly on the blog and secondly on guiding Exetel through the maze of running a successful ISP in Australia. Do you realise you may well be the last of your type to create a successful ISP which evolves from a small company to a fully fledged ISP force in AU. THEIR IS NO ONE ELSE LIKE YOU JOHN, anyone that wants to understand the internet in AU needs to read your vision for internet in Australia. cheers bill Comment (1)
Blogging has certainly been one of the most rewarding things I've done. Keep up the great posts, JL.
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Congratulations, John, on the completion of another year of highly informative, frank, sometimes in-your-face reflections of 'our' ISP and how it interacts with (or reacts to) other organisations.
It is fascinating to read an account of your dealings with various suppliers. It's clear that you, as a business customer, are often getting 'done over'. It's also clear that, as end consumers of those very same suppliers, we are getting 'done over', too. (Example: $0.08 Exetel SMS vs $0.22 mainstream retail SMS) Yours is one of only two blogs/newsletters I make a daily effort to read (probably says more about me...) because of its no bulls**t approach to reflecting on a given market. I do not agree with 100% of your writings (probably good for both of us), but you make an interesting read. I agree with the above writer to write more briefly. (The KISS principle.) Perhaps 300 words / 3 - 4 paragraphs would be enough. Get in, punch, get out. Looking forward to further rants / writings / revelations. Cheers, Comment (1)
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