I am used to finding my entertainment on the Web through my favorite pop culture (or basically online tabloid) Web sites- www.perezhilton.com, www.tmz.com and of course, www.people.com. However recently I discovered an entertaining site that does not report on Lindsay Lohan stealing a fur coat or Britney Spears still trying to get custody back of those sweet, innocent little boys. No, this Web site is actually useful AND it is entertaining at the same time. The site is called WuFoo, www.wufoo.com. It is named for the founders two favorite groups, Wu Tang Clan and Foo Fighters. Anyone that can be as creative as Wufoo, well as Renee Zellweger said, has me at hello! The Web site offers free software to build surveys, order forms, registration forms, etc. for your Web site. I have used it a few times and on top of being user-friendly, it is just a really fun Web site. For example, when you are finished and logging out of the site, you are prompted with the famous line, “parting is such sweet sorrow”. Yes, it is very silly. But in a work environment where we tend to take ourselves too seriously, it is nice to chuckle every once in a while. Using a Web site like Wufoo has challenged me to find ways in which Trio and the Nonprofit Nook Web sites can showcase our peronalities. Ultimately that is what Wufoo does, it brings the personalities of the founders into their site. And that is what makes the Web site so unique and fun.

I recently received this “list to live by” from a good friend and thought it was worth sharing. Enjoy!

The most destructive habit………………….Worry
The greatest joy………………………….Giving
The greatest loss…………….Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work……………Helping others
The ugliest personality trait………….Selfishness
The most endangered species………Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource……………Our youth
The greatest “shot in the arm”……….Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome……………..Fear
The most effective sleeping pill……..Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease…………Excuses
The most powerful force in life………………Love
The most dangerous pariah………………A gossiper
The world’s most incredible computer……..The brain
The worst thing to be without………………. Hope
The deadliest weapon…………………..The tongue
The two most power-filled words……………”I can”
The greatest asset…………………………Faith
The most worthless emotion………………Self-pity
The most beautiful attire………………….SMILE!
The most prized possession…………….Integrity
The most powerful channel of communication…..Prayer
The most contagious spirit……………..Enthusiasm
The most important thing in life………………GOD

At Trio Solutions, we practice what we preach. One thing we always encourage our clients to do is market research. The Nonprofit Nook is no different. The Web site has launched, but that doesn’t mean it is complete. It is my hope that it will continue to evolve and truly prove itself to be a vital resource for nonprofits. Although we had some ideas of what would be beneficial on the Web site, we recognized that we needed to hear from nonprofits what they want from their membership in the Nook. Therefore we signed up participants to the first Nonprofit Nook focus group at the SCANPO conference. Focus group participants will be providing feedback on their experience with the Web site over the next few weeks. I am interested to receive the feedback and will be sure to share it with you.

This past Thursday, Trio Solutions Inc. launched our latest service to the nonprofit world at the 11th annual SCANPO conference - The Nonprofit Nook. We signed up an enthusiastic group of nonprofit professionals to help serve as our launch focus group. We look forward to receiving their feedback and making this site the best resource it can be. Our goal is that The Nonprofit Nook will offer a special section on the World Wide Web for nonprofits to gather free information, resources and support for their marketing needs. A place for nonprofits to make the most of their marketing, event and Web efforts. We have lofty plans for The Nonprofit Nook and look forward to providing quality, useful and innovative services for our nonprofit members. Check it out!

We launched our official Facebook page today. Between Facebook and Google what does the future hold? One can only imagine. In the meantime, check us out on Facebook and become a Fan.

Trio on Facebook

When I started thinking about writing a blog at first I wanted to state something really intelligent and industry specific. The first thought that came to mind was the current state of the economy and how companies and individuals are looking for ways to conserve capital and stay afloat.

There is just so much media hype right now about how bad not only the nation, but the world is going to be affected by the current economic slowdown. The media is playing on our fears. I read an article where it said that “instead of taking a near-term hit to profits and investing in long-term growth, companies seem to be frightened by the economy, cutting budgets” this could be advertising or payroll. The article also stated that such short-term thinking is bad for the company and the economy in general.

With all that being said, the employees of companies can help each other and the company they work for tremendously. I recently passed an article around the office that hinted at things employees could do during the economic slowdown to benefit the companies they work for. I do feel that we have a wonderful team at Trio and are well on our way to implementing all of these actions. Teamwork is key, along with multitasking. Even our company philosophy embraces great actions for a great company. (Work hard. Enjoy life. Make a difference.)

And a special note to all employees and business owners: during this time of economic uncertainty - don’t worry so much, be happy… The  media loves to focus on the negative. We have to remember to focus on the positive. Whatever does or does not happen to the economy it will pass with time. In the meantime we need to stay positive and do things that make us as individuals happy. We are a better, stronger team when we are a positive team.

So go ahead find what makes you happy…and do it. For me if I was not currently at work being the good productive employee that I am ;) I would be curled up on my couch with a blanket and a good romance novel (my guilty pleasure). Or listening to my 10-year-old autistic son talk non-stop about the animals he so loves. What makes you happy? Go do it…

During my years at Trio I have had the fun and challenging task of organizing silent auctions for many of our clients. It has become a running joke around the office that I am the queen of silent auctions. And oh how they all know how much I love being a “queen”! And I truly enjoy doing them. That being said, I feel that is ok for me to share one of my biggest pet peeves. Here it is…why do people find it necessary to donate junk to a silent auction? Is it because they feel bad they aren’t giving money and feel that they must give something? Or perhaps they use it as a good excuse to get rid of unsold merchandise? Regardless, you know the saying “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all?” Well today I am coining a new saying, “if you can’t donate anything nice, then don’t donate anything at all”. This may sound harsh, but a silent auction is not a garage sale. This is not an instance where one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Essentially your junk becomes our junk. And we have the fun task of finding a way to flavorfully describe it AND put a value on it. So, in response to my question, when it comes to silent auctions, beggars can and should be choosers. You should work toward collecting a good mix of items. These can range from high dollar items such as a vacation, as well as gift baskets from local stores and other fun packages. You want all of your guests to feel like there is something they can bid on should they choose. And I don’t think you should ever feel bad turning away a someones donation. There are plenty of organizations that would love to have the donated item, just not plenty of attendees that would want to buy it.

With all the media hype about a possible recession, a weaker dollar, and a downturn in the real estate market, a company’s first inclination may be to pull back on expenses and trim the marketing budget. Instead, a company should consider increasing their marketing spending or at least maintaining their current spend. Companies should look at this as a time to strengthen their competitive advantage. Boosting your spend while your competitors are cutting back, can improve your market share and increase your return on investment at a lower cost. If you have to cut your spend then try to maintain the same advertising frequency. Consider switching to radio ads instead of TV, place :15 second spots instead of :30 second spots, or utilize direct mail or interactive marketing such as social networking sites for a more immediate impact. But whatever decision you make, always stay consistent and true to your message and brand. In times like these, consumers find comfort in the familiar.

Jennifer, Jessica and I just got back from a week in Denver and I think I have found a second career. While in Denver, Jessica and I dined twice at the Delectable Egg. It is truly a little piece of heaven on earth! For a breakfast food lover like myself, it had everything from omelets to a healthy french toast made with egg whites and apple juice. I decided on the trip back that Charleston MUST have it’s own Delectable Egg. So, anyone reading this who would like to invest in a restaurant, I am ready to take on a second career. And I am happy to approach Delectable Egg regarding franchise opportunities. As a marketing professional, I understand the importance of keeping your brand consistent. Therefore there is only one thing I would change for the Charleston location…we must add grits to the menu! Bon appetit!

Our worst nightmare came true! Our server crashed (thanks to the storms on Sat. night) and our back-up system doesn’t appear to have worked like we planned. We thought we had our bases covered (nightly backups, surge protectors, external hard drives, etc.) but with all the glory technology bestows on us; it is the biggest ordeal when it doesn’t work. We are all hard at work to recreate the files and to ensure little to no downtime for our clients. We are rebuilding our library - file by file - thanks to e-mail attachments. In the meantime, let’s hope the miracle workers at Data Recovery Specialists in California can deliver on their mission. As for a long-term plan, Trio is going to have a security and data management system tighter than Fort Knox. For other small businesses out there, here’s a good article about data recovery planning. I highly recommend you set your plan in place before you experience the pain.