Think Tanks and Virtual Wisdom Online
When most people hear the thought of an Online Think Tank, they ponder all the online information flowing and how best to use it to solve problems.
Indeed, this is part of an online think tank and the think tank itself uses the Internet for online meetings and discussions.
However one should not be so naïve to consider only online sources as they seek to find bits and pieces of knowledge to help them in discovering the wisdom, knowledge or information needed to come to solutions to complex challenges.
Indeed, the Online Think Tank also goes through books of all sorts in order to learn from the past, see what thinkers are saying in the present and what authors and writers or even experts in their field are saying about the future.
Do you remember when cable TV first came out and how everyone ended up paying $60 per month for something they thought would be free? Kind of reminds you of some other industries doesn't it? Well and interesting book on this subject and a somewhat scathing report is the "The Billionaire Shell Game - How Cable Baron John Malone and assorted corporate titans invented a future nobody wanted" by L.
J.
Davis 1998.
John Malone was the CEO behind TCI Cable Company, who announced that soon a 500 - channel Information Highway was to be the new media future paradigm.
This statement was a bit forward looking at the time, yet it started a revolution in investments to the industry.
Also conceived where "mirrors in the sky" or satellite cable channel relays, now we know such scenarios as companies like Direct TV and EchoStar and radio followed suit with Cirrus and XM Radio.
It seems those previous events shaped what we have today.
On another Think Tank topic, "the middle east crisis" our Online Think Tank scoured books prior to the first Gulf War, only to find things have not changed much nor has the radical fundamentalism of religion that predicts a dire future that cometh.
We read for a book review; "Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis" by John F.
Walvoord 1990.
It seems many believe we live in the end of times and the rapture cometh.
Indeed, many on both sides of the Middle East VS.
West believe this - Christians and Muslims.
Does that mean they will make it a fulfilling prophesy? This book discusses Oil Blackmail, Religion, Claims to Jerusalem, and the whole ball of wax.
Many of the very same issues today in the Middle East crisis stem from such beliefs and conflicts and the author says the final stage is set for Armageddon.
Of course, the biblical predictions are someone vague and general as to the month and year of the final conflict, nevertheless, it seems many on both sides are headed towards the eventual potentiality that they have chosen to believe.
Today we have the international terrorist organization of Hezbollah, which is financed by the nation state of Iran, that promises to blow Israel off the map, if Iran has nuclear weapons can Israel survive the onslaught?Fear, often drives mankind to do hideous things.
Unfortunately the indoctrination of middle eastern international terrorism is unacceptable in today's world, thus it appears a preemptive strike must occur to prevent World War III.
If we look at all the wars between the Arabs and Israel.
It is obvious in hindsight, that nothing will ever change in the future, and perhaps there will never be complete peace.
If there ever is peace.
It is predicted that following the 17 year peace will be the Armageddon.
If you believe any of this religious stuff, which many people do and you can see the incredible problems that lie ahead.
Throw in a rogue nation state with nuclear weapons in the hands of a proxy international terrorist organization and it is clear, there can be no positive end result, said the Online Think Tank.
But not all of the world is evil, there are a lot of great things being done in the world.
For instance, more and more people are volunteering to go on missions to four in Third World countries and assist the world's poorest people.
Folks are building schools, sewer treatment plant's and assisting with microloans to start free enterprise and create jobs.
Many medical professionals are taking time off and traveling on vacation on their own money to go on medical missions.
The online think tank recently read the book; "Volunteer Vacations - Short-term Adventures that will benefit you and others" by Bill McMillion, Doug Crutchins and Anne Greissinger 2003.
We were amazed all that is going on in the world in a huge number of people who are giving and using their own money to travel to foreign lands.
Simply to help others and there are hundreds of thousands of stories of people who have went on both religious and nonreligious missions to Africa or Central America are being enjoyed by Americans who wish to travel and visit far off lands and do good or volunteer while enjoying exotic lands.
It is a fulfilling journey and considered a vacation by many.
Please read the following; http://www.
charityguide.
org/volunteer/vacations.
htm http://www.
worldthinktank.
net/pdfs/Honduras.
pdf http://www.
worldthinktank.
net/pdfs/Nairobi.
pdf One thing that we often say at The Online Think Tank is that there is nothing wrong with making a profit and free enterprise in the past has solved more problems at all the governments of the world put together.
Free enterprise is brought people together in trade, and in understanding each other's culture and traditions, thus preventing wars and conflict.
Of course, every great concept or entrepreneurial idea or invention needs marketing and a spokesperson.
This is why the online think tank is constantly reviewing marketing books.
This week our team read the following books: 1.
"Infiltration Marketing - Achieve Astounding Sales Increases on a Very Low Budget by Entering Your Customer's World " by Don Debalak 2000.
2.
"The Marketing Plan Workbook" by James C.
Makens 1985.
3.
"Start Your Own Business - A Beginner's Guide" by Vickie Reierson 1998.
4.
"Total Marketing - Capturing Customers with Marketing Plans That Work.
"Published by Dow Jones Erwin, 1989.
5.
"How to Bring a Product to Market for Less Than $5,000.
"Published by John Wiley, 1991.
6.
"Marketing Magic" by Bob Adams, 1994.
7.
"Entrepreneur Magazine - Bringing Your Product to Market.
"By John Wiley publishing, 1997.
8.
"Street Wise Marketing Plan.
"By Adams Media Corp.
2000.
Indeed, the Online Think Tank recommends all these books to someone who is truly interested in promoting their concept that will either help mankind or assist in a profitable product being brought to market, where the proceeds or some of them can be donated towards a noble and worthy common cause all of humankind.
Now let us discuss why we recommend these books, and let's start with the first three and list just some of the great advice that you will receive from reading them.
In Infiltration Marketing -the book described how small companies and concepts can receive big results and either start trends or develop extremely strong brand names.
In today's day and age.
The Internet allows people to market, smaller ideas, much faster.
The book describes infiltration marketing techniques and how to put it all together - and how it is not necessarily important to be first to market, but rather the best and the consumer's choice.
Becoming the market leader on a shoestring may seem impossible.
However, there are many significant case studies in the current information age paradigm.
That proves it is not only impossible is more likely that a small and agile company can be a larger more bureaucratic company to the punch.
A small company can often piggyback on a larger company or on their supplier vendors.
A smaller company is often much closer to the customer's mindset, and therefore can adapt quickly to changes in consumer buying behavior and received all the referrals and cross promotions needed to set a micro brand on a course for a new trend.
In my days developing my company, The Car Wash Guys, many of the techniques in this book, we used although this book had not been produced yet.
And it would have been very interesting to have read this book prior to although a hard work and the school of hard knocks that we learned along the way.
Creating a buzz and interest in a product or service is much easier in a defined local or regional niche or online with a specific group of customers in a social network situation.
Infiltration marketing, discusses the psychological aspects of getting into your customer's mind, making your product or service fun and in becoming main topic at the family's dinner table.
The Online Think Tank recommends reading Infiltration Marketing.
The Marketing Plan Workbook reads much like a textbook and will allow the reader to develop an operational marketing plan to get the ball rolling on a new product or service.
It also discusses the need for upgrading and updating the marketing plan as a perpetual document, as the planning never stops due to new input from customers and modifications to the product changing the product's life cycle.
The operational marketing plan should be a roadmap for management and should not be shown with anyone who is in a competitive business.
And lastly, not to potential vendors of the company who may also supply the competition.
In writing a marketing plan is important to have accurate data, without such you cannot develop the strongest strategy.
Using old data from past products may not always work, however, these might be essential in estimating the potential customer base and developing a pro forma for sales.
The marketing plan for a new product or service is as important as the business plan itself in the should be treated as such, for a business is worth nothing unless it is selling and making a profit.
In the book "Start Your Own Business - a Beginner's Guide" I personally noted that it was the same Publisher as my first authored book, Franchising 101.
This book, however was listed in the Top 40 Small Business Books in Inc.
Magazine and was considered a classic for small business start-ups.
In chapter 1 it discusses the legal requirements to start a business into the following chapters it discusses how to put together a management team, a business plan, a marketing plan, and such considerations as staffing, environmental regulations and whether or not you should start a business or buy a franchise.
The online think tank recommends that anyone starting their own small business pick up a copy of this book.
Online think tanks are a source of virtual wisdom, and yet they draw their information from the real world.
Online think tanks should not discriminate from the information they review or the thoughts that they invoke.
The online world is a crazy place, and the real world is even crazier, and as we finish this online video segment, we would like to recommend one more book.
So that you do not get too hung up on reality: "The Big Book of Hell - A Cartoon Book" by Matt Groening We thank you for joining us this evening, and wish you all the best and hope you will remember to think around the box and outside the box, even if you are all boxed in.
This is Lance Winslow signing off, and thanks for listening.
Indeed, this is part of an online think tank and the think tank itself uses the Internet for online meetings and discussions.
However one should not be so naïve to consider only online sources as they seek to find bits and pieces of knowledge to help them in discovering the wisdom, knowledge or information needed to come to solutions to complex challenges.
Indeed, the Online Think Tank also goes through books of all sorts in order to learn from the past, see what thinkers are saying in the present and what authors and writers or even experts in their field are saying about the future.
Do you remember when cable TV first came out and how everyone ended up paying $60 per month for something they thought would be free? Kind of reminds you of some other industries doesn't it? Well and interesting book on this subject and a somewhat scathing report is the "The Billionaire Shell Game - How Cable Baron John Malone and assorted corporate titans invented a future nobody wanted" by L.
J.
Davis 1998.
John Malone was the CEO behind TCI Cable Company, who announced that soon a 500 - channel Information Highway was to be the new media future paradigm.
This statement was a bit forward looking at the time, yet it started a revolution in investments to the industry.
Also conceived where "mirrors in the sky" or satellite cable channel relays, now we know such scenarios as companies like Direct TV and EchoStar and radio followed suit with Cirrus and XM Radio.
It seems those previous events shaped what we have today.
On another Think Tank topic, "the middle east crisis" our Online Think Tank scoured books prior to the first Gulf War, only to find things have not changed much nor has the radical fundamentalism of religion that predicts a dire future that cometh.
We read for a book review; "Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis" by John F.
Walvoord 1990.
It seems many believe we live in the end of times and the rapture cometh.
Indeed, many on both sides of the Middle East VS.
West believe this - Christians and Muslims.
Does that mean they will make it a fulfilling prophesy? This book discusses Oil Blackmail, Religion, Claims to Jerusalem, and the whole ball of wax.
Many of the very same issues today in the Middle East crisis stem from such beliefs and conflicts and the author says the final stage is set for Armageddon.
Of course, the biblical predictions are someone vague and general as to the month and year of the final conflict, nevertheless, it seems many on both sides are headed towards the eventual potentiality that they have chosen to believe.
Today we have the international terrorist organization of Hezbollah, which is financed by the nation state of Iran, that promises to blow Israel off the map, if Iran has nuclear weapons can Israel survive the onslaught?Fear, often drives mankind to do hideous things.
Unfortunately the indoctrination of middle eastern international terrorism is unacceptable in today's world, thus it appears a preemptive strike must occur to prevent World War III.
If we look at all the wars between the Arabs and Israel.
It is obvious in hindsight, that nothing will ever change in the future, and perhaps there will never be complete peace.
If there ever is peace.
It is predicted that following the 17 year peace will be the Armageddon.
If you believe any of this religious stuff, which many people do and you can see the incredible problems that lie ahead.
Throw in a rogue nation state with nuclear weapons in the hands of a proxy international terrorist organization and it is clear, there can be no positive end result, said the Online Think Tank.
But not all of the world is evil, there are a lot of great things being done in the world.
For instance, more and more people are volunteering to go on missions to four in Third World countries and assist the world's poorest people.
Folks are building schools, sewer treatment plant's and assisting with microloans to start free enterprise and create jobs.
Many medical professionals are taking time off and traveling on vacation on their own money to go on medical missions.
The online think tank recently read the book; "Volunteer Vacations - Short-term Adventures that will benefit you and others" by Bill McMillion, Doug Crutchins and Anne Greissinger 2003.
We were amazed all that is going on in the world in a huge number of people who are giving and using their own money to travel to foreign lands.
Simply to help others and there are hundreds of thousands of stories of people who have went on both religious and nonreligious missions to Africa or Central America are being enjoyed by Americans who wish to travel and visit far off lands and do good or volunteer while enjoying exotic lands.
It is a fulfilling journey and considered a vacation by many.
Please read the following; http://www.
charityguide.
org/volunteer/vacations.
htm http://www.
worldthinktank.
net/pdfs/Honduras.
pdf http://www.
worldthinktank.
net/pdfs/Nairobi.
pdf One thing that we often say at The Online Think Tank is that there is nothing wrong with making a profit and free enterprise in the past has solved more problems at all the governments of the world put together.
Free enterprise is brought people together in trade, and in understanding each other's culture and traditions, thus preventing wars and conflict.
Of course, every great concept or entrepreneurial idea or invention needs marketing and a spokesperson.
This is why the online think tank is constantly reviewing marketing books.
This week our team read the following books: 1.
"Infiltration Marketing - Achieve Astounding Sales Increases on a Very Low Budget by Entering Your Customer's World " by Don Debalak 2000.
2.
"The Marketing Plan Workbook" by James C.
Makens 1985.
3.
"Start Your Own Business - A Beginner's Guide" by Vickie Reierson 1998.
4.
"Total Marketing - Capturing Customers with Marketing Plans That Work.
"Published by Dow Jones Erwin, 1989.
5.
"How to Bring a Product to Market for Less Than $5,000.
"Published by John Wiley, 1991.
6.
"Marketing Magic" by Bob Adams, 1994.
7.
"Entrepreneur Magazine - Bringing Your Product to Market.
"By John Wiley publishing, 1997.
8.
"Street Wise Marketing Plan.
"By Adams Media Corp.
2000.
Indeed, the Online Think Tank recommends all these books to someone who is truly interested in promoting their concept that will either help mankind or assist in a profitable product being brought to market, where the proceeds or some of them can be donated towards a noble and worthy common cause all of humankind.
Now let us discuss why we recommend these books, and let's start with the first three and list just some of the great advice that you will receive from reading them.
In Infiltration Marketing -the book described how small companies and concepts can receive big results and either start trends or develop extremely strong brand names.
In today's day and age.
The Internet allows people to market, smaller ideas, much faster.
The book describes infiltration marketing techniques and how to put it all together - and how it is not necessarily important to be first to market, but rather the best and the consumer's choice.
Becoming the market leader on a shoestring may seem impossible.
However, there are many significant case studies in the current information age paradigm.
That proves it is not only impossible is more likely that a small and agile company can be a larger more bureaucratic company to the punch.
A small company can often piggyback on a larger company or on their supplier vendors.
A smaller company is often much closer to the customer's mindset, and therefore can adapt quickly to changes in consumer buying behavior and received all the referrals and cross promotions needed to set a micro brand on a course for a new trend.
In my days developing my company, The Car Wash Guys, many of the techniques in this book, we used although this book had not been produced yet.
And it would have been very interesting to have read this book prior to although a hard work and the school of hard knocks that we learned along the way.
Creating a buzz and interest in a product or service is much easier in a defined local or regional niche or online with a specific group of customers in a social network situation.
Infiltration marketing, discusses the psychological aspects of getting into your customer's mind, making your product or service fun and in becoming main topic at the family's dinner table.
The Online Think Tank recommends reading Infiltration Marketing.
The Marketing Plan Workbook reads much like a textbook and will allow the reader to develop an operational marketing plan to get the ball rolling on a new product or service.
It also discusses the need for upgrading and updating the marketing plan as a perpetual document, as the planning never stops due to new input from customers and modifications to the product changing the product's life cycle.
The operational marketing plan should be a roadmap for management and should not be shown with anyone who is in a competitive business.
And lastly, not to potential vendors of the company who may also supply the competition.
In writing a marketing plan is important to have accurate data, without such you cannot develop the strongest strategy.
Using old data from past products may not always work, however, these might be essential in estimating the potential customer base and developing a pro forma for sales.
The marketing plan for a new product or service is as important as the business plan itself in the should be treated as such, for a business is worth nothing unless it is selling and making a profit.
In the book "Start Your Own Business - a Beginner's Guide" I personally noted that it was the same Publisher as my first authored book, Franchising 101.
This book, however was listed in the Top 40 Small Business Books in Inc.
Magazine and was considered a classic for small business start-ups.
In chapter 1 it discusses the legal requirements to start a business into the following chapters it discusses how to put together a management team, a business plan, a marketing plan, and such considerations as staffing, environmental regulations and whether or not you should start a business or buy a franchise.
The online think tank recommends that anyone starting their own small business pick up a copy of this book.
Online think tanks are a source of virtual wisdom, and yet they draw their information from the real world.
Online think tanks should not discriminate from the information they review or the thoughts that they invoke.
The online world is a crazy place, and the real world is even crazier, and as we finish this online video segment, we would like to recommend one more book.
So that you do not get too hung up on reality: "The Big Book of Hell - A Cartoon Book" by Matt Groening We thank you for joining us this evening, and wish you all the best and hope you will remember to think around the box and outside the box, even if you are all boxed in.
This is Lance Winslow signing off, and thanks for listening.
Source...