Harsher Criticisms

Well, with the good feedback come the bad. I should not say bad, not in this case anyway. I communicated with a manager of the Wright Muir PA law firm down in the Broward area today and came in for some harsh criticisms. Though harsh, it was constructive. But on some level it was a bitter pill. I have to learn to keep an even steady attitude and not rise and fall with the positive and negative comments that I receive. That is easier said than done. I suppose it comes with the territory.

Inasmuch as the comments seemed a bit harsh, I had to admit that there was truth to it. On top of which, the manager was willing to talk about improvements rather than tearing down. And so, I have a follow up call with him on Monday. Harsh criticisms or not, I am looking forward to the follow up call because I think it will help in the development of the magazine.

Among the criticisms was the fact that the layout needed to be improved upon. A little bit sharper graphics and design was another area that was mentioned and the type of paper used. But, the positive was that the content was good. So he was comfortable with what the magazine is about. Now I just need to get the packaging improved.

Even though I agree with the assessment above, I can't help but chuckle at the fact that different eyes yield different perspectives. A couple blog entries ago I wrote about the positive comments that I received from several people that I mailed the magazine to. Yet the same magazine elicited a slightly different response. As far as I am concerned, I will take all the criticisms in a positive light and try to incorporate them in the next issue. After all, it is a learning process.

Magazine feedback

From time to time, I speak with someone about the magazine and they say something that makes me feel good, makes me feel like I am doing something valuable and makes me feel as if I am doing something worthwile. The accountant/realtor I referred to in the prior blog entry told me that he was impressed with the magazine and the layout, color and content. And numerous other people expressed similar sentiments about how the magazine could evolve in a valuable tool.

But the most warming compliment that I have received thus far is from one of the owners of Netspeak Florida that was featured in the latest issue. David McDowell was very impressed with the piece that was done on Netspeak and felt that it accurately represented the services that Netspeak provided. He thought that the piece was one of the best write ups about Netspeak thus far. Now, that felt good. The underlying tenor of the magazine is to allow the business owners to tell their stories. So while he was happy with the end product, we really only printed what he told us. In any event, the writer, Teshie Jones did do a wonderful.

David mentioned that in the future if he had any need for some writing talent he will keep me in mind. And I was happy to hear that. After all, the magazine is trying to position itself to be a resource for all businesses. He also mentioned that he sent a copy to the Cable & Wireless managers (Netspeak is a C&W product I beleive). I hope that will give me some needed exposure. I will sit tight and see if anything can develop from there. In the meantime I promised David I would send him the article so that he can pass it on to people who want him to explain his product. His response: Be sure to put the magazine credits so readers will know where the article came from.

Now that is reciprocity at its best and one hand washing the other.

Speaking of Netspeak, I read that Verizon is suing Vonage over the VOIP patents. Netspeak and Vonage do offer the same type of service to some extent. If Vonage is hampered, that could open up some more opportunities for Netspeak, maybe in areas they hadn't thought of before. Hmm I will keep my eye on this to see what develops.