Matrix Group International

Month: December 2008

  • I’m a Victim of Identity Crime!

    I’m a Victim of Identity Crime!

    Identity ThiefA few months ago, a suspicious charge from Carfax.com showed up on my corporate American Express card statement.  I called Amex; Amex promptly reversed the charges.  The next month, another charge appeared; I called Amex and Amex again reversed the charge but also recommended that I change my card number.  I even contacted Carfax but they said they could not provide any information on the charges, that I had to go through my credit card company.  How ridiculous is that?

    So I changed my card number but the Carfax charge comes up again.  Now I was really worried.  Does the thief have access to my personal accounts?    How did he or she get my new card number right away?  So again I called Amex and here is what I learned: (more…)

  • Another Way to Give This Holiday Season

    This holiday season, we are encouraged to “give our time, not gifts.”  I applauded the sentiment but then wondered just what it means to give time.  Here are some ways I have found:

    • Give List lists ways to support communities and causes this holiday season (and year-round for that matter) that don’t necessarily require writing a check.  Ideas include:  donating frequent fliers to soldiers so they can fly home and visit their families; send a note to someone who works for a non-profit and thank them for their work; and create a video about an organization or cause that is important to you and post it on YouTube.
    • Volunteer to be on a Board of committee of a local non-profit.  Organizations all over the country are experiencing a dearth of people willing to donate their time and expertise.  Several years ago, I called the Executive Director of a non-profit that I admire (Doorways for Women and Families) and asked how I could become involved.  Today, I serve on the Board and help organize two fundraising events.  I have helped raise a bunch of money, but I have also learned a great deal about non-profit management and fundraising, experiences that have benefited me at work.
    • Philanthropy.com put together a list of ways to support social causes without giving money.
    • The Daily Green lists 20 ways to give without giving “stuff”

    (more…)

  • Sign O The Times: I Can Feel the Recession Everywhere

    Sign O The Times: I Can Feel the Recession Everywhere

    Photo of a recently laid off personIt’s the holiday season but it’s not a joyous time for a lot of people.  I can feel the recession everywhere.

    • Every time I get together with friends, someone says, “I have a friend who just got laid off.  S/he is terrific, can you help?”
    • A buddy who runs a medium-sized government contracting firm was asked by a government agency to submit a letter from their bank saying they were in good financial standing; this, despite a history of working together that spans many, many years.
    • Every single candidate we interviewed for a recent Network Administrator position had recently been laid off.

      • (more…)

  • Have You Googled Your Name Lately?

    Have You Googled Your Name Lately?

    Search the WebOne of the goals of the last redesign of the Matrix Group Web site was to make my bio more prominent in search engines. I had previously resisted putting any information about me on the Web site for a variety of reasons, but my new biz team reasoned that since I do a lot of speaking and writing, people will Google my name; when that happens, we want the Matrix Group Web site to pop-up on the first page, if not first on the list of results.

    I typed “joanna pineda” into Google tonight and this is what I found:

    • An interview that I did for The Washington Post back in 2003 is the number one result.  This makes sense, given The Post’s Google page rank.  Here’s a wikipedia page on how Google page rank works.
    • This blog, The Matrix Files, is the 3rd listing.  This is great, exactly what we wanted.  The blog strategy is working.
    • The About Joanna Pineda page on the Matrix Group Web site is the 4th listing.  Fabulous.

    (more…)

  • Retailers: When Soliciting Feedback from your Customers, Be Ready for It!

    Retailers: When Soliciting Feedback from your Customers, Be Ready for It!

    Gingerbread TrainThe holidays are all about traditions and last Saturday, my son and I engaged in one of my favorites: we created a gingerbread train.  I’ve been making gingerbread houses for years, first by myself, then with my niece and nephew. and now with my son.  This year, we updated the tradition to decorate a gingerbread train because CJ is obsessed with trains.

    I picked up the gingerbread train kit from Target, the manufacturer is Create a Treat, Ltd.  The cute box says: We want to hear from you, send a photo to myhouse@createatreat.com.

    Now, I’m not one to send photos of my kid to various contests.  But I thought it would be fun to send a photo of our finished gingerbread train. So I sent a nice message with a nice story to myhouse@createatreat.com.  So what happened?  You guessed it: the message bounced back with this message:

    The message you sent to createatreat.com/myhouse was rejected because it would exceed the quota for the mailbox. (more…)

  • Why Your CEO Needs to Be Part of Your Next Web Project

    Why Your CEO Needs to Be Part of Your Next Web Project

    Whenever we start a project, especially if the project is related to branding or design, we ask for time with the CEO, Executive Director, President — the top staff person. It’s not always easy to get time with the CEO, and we often don’t get it.  However, we have found that our most successful projects have at least minimal CEO involvement, especially in the early stages, when we define goals, users and organizational identity.

    Here’s why I think your CEO needs to be part of your next Web project.

    The CEO can best articulate why your organization needs to exist. Earlier this year, we were kicking off a project with a professional society in the military space. The Executive Director was discussing the mission and goals of the organization when he said “our members protect the world’s waterways.” A few seconds later, a staff member said, “I’ve been working here for several years and I’ve been waiting for that explanation of why we exist and what our members do.” (more…)

  • Tribes by Seth Godin

    Tribes by Seth Godin

    My favorite marketing guru, Seth Godin, tells us how to lead using social networking tools.

  • Matrix Group’s Favorite Tech Gifts This Holiday Season

    Matrix Group’s Favorite Tech Gifts This Holiday Season

    Okay, so it’s December 5. I feel like I have tons of time before I celebrate Christmas with my family, but I know that I need to get on the ball with my holiday shopping.  So I asked my staff for their favorite gadget gifts; this is what I got back.  Some items are oldies but goodies, some are outrageous, all are loved by at least one Matrix Group staffer.

    • Japanese toilet – I’ve asked Santa for a Japanese toilet this year.  Japanese toilets have heated seats, front and back sprays (heated, too), blow dryers, and even music.  I cannot understand why they are not more popular here in the US!
    • XO laptop – The OLPC (one laptop per child) movement works like this:  $400 pays for one laptop for you and one for a child in a developing country.  The laptop has a nice screen, terrific software for kids, and it’s virtually kid-proof (love the sealed keyboard).
    • Nerf Vulcan Automatic Heavy Blaster – This is the biggest, baddest, Nerf gun ever.
    • Yoda Star Wars Force FX Lightsaber – Harout got one and it looks, sounds and feels like the real thing; love the lightsaber hum!
    • If you’re on the Dark side of the Force, you’ll love the Darth Maul double-sided lightsaber.

      • (more…)

  • Surviving in this Hellish Economy

    Surviving in this Hellish Economy

    Okay, it’s official. The economy is in a recession, but what are you doing about it? What is your company or organization doing to weather the storm or even thrive in it?

    I was recently interviewed by Jill Foster for the Network Solution blog on a variety of topics, including using social media for recruiting and what we’re doing here at Matrix Group to survive this hellish economy.

    When our fiscal year ends next June, I want to be able to say that we were counter-trend and that our company grew, despite the recession.  Here are my top strategies for surviving this economic bloodbath. (more…)