There's a computer history museum? I guess if Liberace can have his own museum so can something that has completely altered the way humans live and do business.  Seems fair to me.

The Computer History Museum, located in Mountain View, CA (about an hour south of San Francisco), was first established in 1999.  From their website:

The Museum is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computing history. We are home to one of the largest international collections of computing artifacts in the world, encompassing computer hardware, ephemera, photographs, moving images, documents and software. 

Events and exhibits rotate in and out, so be sure to check back on a regular basis if you plan to visit.  Also, make note of their hours.  They are closed Monday and Tuesday and open from only 12:00pm-4:00pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday and Saturday's hours are 11:00am-5:00pm.  Really, these mid-day hours shouldn't surprise me, after all, that's about the time our IT people roll into the office anyhow, just before taking their 2 hour lunch starting at 1pm.  (Admit it, you laughed at that.)

If you aren't able to venture out to California to check out the museum, their website offers some online exhibits.  Just click and explore.

Guest post by Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk of BBR Marketing.

Most law firms and other professional service firms make every effort possible to acquire and maintain healthy client relationships. Are you giving the same sort of attention to your staff so they will be your ambassadors instead of detractors? Do you really know what your employees are saying about your firm amongst themselves and with your clients? It’s time to find out.

Your employees are a vital part of your service delivery. Since you don’t sell a tangible product, you and your staff are the face of your firm. Everyone on your staff interacts with people every day, and they all make an impression on the people they meet. This is doubly important for professional services firms since your people not only deliver your product, they are your product.

By engaging your staff in a meaningful dialogue about their role in your firm, how it’s managed, and how it could be improved, you will gain valuable knowledge that will help you continue to deliver the best client service possible.

But make sure you do this in a way that will make your employees feel safe about sharing honest feedback; otherwise it’s an exercise in futility. You can do this in a couple of different ways, and a combination of both is usually best.

Surveys
There are many different free or cheap online survey tools that can use. The advantage is they are easy to deliver and return, and can aggregate the answers for you in a way that can keep the names of the respondents confidential. However, make sure you inform your employees about how these surveys are administered and reviewed, otherwise they may suspect that their answers can be tied back to them. Everyone fears repercussions in this process, so allay their fears as much as you can.

Interviews
These can be done in person or on the phone, and will yield more in-depth results. Nearly all of the time, it’s important to have an outside, trusted vendor help with this process, otherwise, your staff will not feel comfortable being truly open with their comments. The advantage of this is not only more honest feedback, but a skilled interviewer can ask follow-up questions that will delve deeper into issues that need to be addressed. The downside is they tend to be a bit more expensive, but the information gleaned usually far outweighs the financial investment.

If you’ve never surveyed your employees, it’s best to start with a personal interview, so you have a baseline from which to judge improvement initiatives. Then you may want to send out surveys on an annual basis after that. I recommend you conduct live interviews ever three years or so to make sure you are still getting frank feedback.

Make sure you ask combination of open- and closed-ended questions, and don’t make it too long. Ultimately, you want to ask your staff a few key questions, so you can uncover valuable information that will help you create a work environment that is healthy and conducive to growth. It’s really an easy process, and one that always uncovers valuable, and sometimes unexpected, information.

BBR Marketing is the brainchild of Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk. She has nearly 20 years of marketing experience working with a diverse range of industries and people, most recently as the marketing director for a mid-sized accounting firm in Atlanta. Her creative thinking and distinctive approach allows her to bring unique ideas to her clients that differentiate them from their competition and give them the tools they need to reach their audiences.

You can nominate your favorite Twits who Tweet out the best Tweets on Twitter on all things Tw-eDiscovery. (Sorry, I was trying to keep the alliteration going.)  In its second year, the Shorty Awards gives us the opportunity to nominate those we feel send out the best content on Twitter.  The nomination categories range from humor, tech and the weird to egocentric, realestate and nerdfighters.  (Yes, nerdfighters, whatever that means.) To go directly to the Ediscovery nomination page, click here.

So who will you nominate for best Ediscovery tweets?  I'm having to think long and hard on this one; I'm just not sure, there are so many great Twits out there.  I'll probably just nominate several and then let them duke it out over who wins.  And of course, one of the great things about Twitter is that you can use it as a great means of campaigning, so if you wish to be nominated, get to Tweeting and spreading the word or start campaigning for your favorites!

Guest post by Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, owner of BBR Marketing.

It’s been a while since I was dating, but when I met my husband, the dating guide, The Rules, was all the rage. I must admit, I never read it, yet somehow managed to find and marry a man without it. But when I was recently browsing through a bookstore, it caught my eye.

While some of the advice in this book may be a bit questionable in application, it does contain some pretty good advice. I’m not dating anymore, but meeting with a lot of new people in an attempt to grow my business. I’m struck by the similarities many of these meetings have to first or blind dates. And with that in mind, I found many of the “rules” in this book apply well to the task of  converting and keeping clients. Here are a few that stood out to me.
 
Be a creature unlike any other
I’ve always said it’s more important to be different than to be the best, and in professional services firms, it’s hard to really stand apart from the crowd. However, if you want to be seen as more than a commodity provider, you simply have to be unique. Are you faster, cheaper, more detailed, fun to work with, conveniently located? Do you serve a particular industry or niche? I’m amazed by the sheer number of firms that introduce their Website with a phrase that goes a little like this, “Our firm provides the best <insert industry> solutions for our clients through excellent client service and on-time delivery.” I’m sorry, but it you can’t deliver a product on time with a good level of client service, you shouldn’t be in business. Figure out what really sets you apart and lead with that. Or better yet, ask your clients what sets you apart and you’ll really learn something.

Show up at parties, dances and social events, even if you don’t feel like it
I realize most of us aren’t going to business dances, but this rule absolutely applies to networking events. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve talked myself out of going to an event because I was tired or just preferred to sit on my couch with my dinner and dog. But if your goal is to meet people, suck it up and go. And remember this, the vast majority of people hate networking events as much as you do. Nearly everyone I talk to would rather have their eyebrows plucked out than attend one without someone they know as a buffer. So march in and go up to the first person you see, introduce yourself and start a conversation. You will not only meet someone new, but will probably make his or her day. And who knows, he or she may turn into your best client. It could happen.

It’s a fantasy relationship unless you go on a date
Yes, this one applies too. We meet a lot of people, some that look like they could become pretty hot clients. But unless you actually do some business together – and get paid for that business – they are still prospects. I’ve met with some people that talk about all the work they do, but when pressed, it turns out that are not really doing that work, but hoping to one day. Sell what you actually do well. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep nurturing those relationships that look promising. But be honest with yourself and quit pursuing those that will never turn into real business. That will give you time to go after those that will turn into actual clients. They may not be quite as sexy as the dream client, but they will pay the bills and help you grow your business. And ultimately, it’s usually not the super sexy client (man/woman) who turns out to be a long-term relationship anyway, right?

What are some of the dating rules that you think apply to a business environment? I’d love to hear your ideas, and it may turn into a future blog.  You may contact me at bonnie@bbrmarketing.com.

BBR Marketing is the brainchild of Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk. She has nearly 20 years of marketing experience working with a diverse range of industries and people, most recently as the marketing director for a mid-sized accounting firm in Atlanta. Her creative thinking and distinctive approach allows her to bring unique ideas to her clients that differentiate them from their competition and give them the tools they need to reach their audiences.