Staten Island- Capstone Project Video
Multimedia presentation for economic snapshot
Why you should be on LinkedIn right now
On October 4th, 2012, Facebook made internet history by becoming the first social networking site to reach 1 billion unique users. After a rather disastrous IPO in May, one that saw FB shareholders lose almost 50% of their stock value in just 3 months, a bright spot of good news was well received. Three months later, the stock price has once again normalized, somewhat, and Facebook memberships are continuing to grow. But skeptics are questioning, for how much longer?
Meanwhile, LinkedIn has quietly built itself a member base of nearly 190 million people. It has not been met with the fanfare or the grandiosity that surrounded Facebook’s last year, but it has been respectable. And if the social media gods have anything to say about it, things will be different in the next year, and the years to come.
You see, Facebook has built a network of 1 billion users by opening their market to include pretty much everybody, running the gamut from college students to pre-teens, Americans to Africans, lower class to wealthy elite, parents, grandparents and great-great parents alike. This inclusiveness, while good for overall numbers, could be disastrous for overall fanfare, and a host of other issues that make sites popular to begin with.
LinkedIn may concede in overall quantity of it’s users, but will give no such ground on it’s quality. Professional, employed (or seeking employment), LinkedIn can easily avoid a number of pitfalls that can potentially derail FB in the future. Consider:
1) Pay for memberships: If Facebook were to even charge a miniscule amount for its services, you would see a decline in users by the tens of millions. Number of friends really does not hold much weight if you have to reach into your wallet to connect with them. LinkedIn, however, keeps your host of professional contacts with reach at all times. This is extremely valuable in any employment situations, which becomes even more important in a bleak labor market where real unemployment could be near 15%. Even for a small fee, LinkedIn users would stay at a much higher rate than Facebook users.
2) Professionalism: Everyone has to grow up at some point, whether we like it or not. Eventually, those pictures of you doing a keg stand are not going to hold weight in the professional world.And nowadays, with more and more employers searching the social media of potential applicants, the prevalence of FB use in young adult professionals is likely to decline. There will come a day when the some 21 million college students in the U.S. will have to take off the hoodie and sweats and throw on something more appropriate. Facebook is the hoodie and sweats. LinkedIn is the suit and tie.
3) Connections: Simply put, the CEO of your company is not spending his time surfing Facebook in between meetings. Recruiters are not looking at your status update and chuckling. The connection opportunities you have with LinkedIn, especially since it has not hit its peak in terms of membership, is enormous. Connect with your boss, and his boss, and their boss. LinkedIn can be your free online career enhancement tool.
While it’s difficult to tell if Facebook is a fad, or here to stay, one thing I can say for certain. People need jobs in this country. More people enter and exit the labor force each day, and any tool they can have at their disposal is invaluable to a potential career in any field.
Sign up for LinkedIn. It’s one of the best tools you can still access for free.
David vs Goliath: Some lessons by watching Marcelo Garcia
1) In jiu-jitsu, the development of “soft strength” is one of the key factors in progression of your skills. Strength, power, and force can only get you so far. You have to constantly fight for the advantageous position, which comes from preparation and snap decision making.
2) Timing
The ability to take advantage of opportunities in a moments notice will separate the good for the great. The world won’t wait, you have to learn to manage your time, make decisions to go or not go, and execute that decisions at full speed.
3) Concentrated aggression
If you watch Marcelo, he will often press the action on his opponents. Then other times, he will lie in and wait for them to make the mistakes for him to capitalize on. Aggression confuses people. So too does passivity. Know how to manage the two.
Richard Branson: Adventure Capitalist
Virgin Mobile. Virgin Records. Virgin Galactic?
Richard Branson appears to always have a flair for grandiosity . The 62 year old capitalist-entrepreneur-adventurer has been making highlights for years by way of his larger than life persona and even grander theatrics. But recent news is showing some chinks in the armor for the adventure capitalist’s airplane venture.
On Tuesday, Delta airlines announced that it would acquire a 49% stake of Branson’s Virgin Atlantic, the company he left his beloved Virgin Records to open. Delta will shell out $360 million for an opportunity to move up in to the coveted New York- London route that they have struggled thus far to fully capitalize on. At 10% operational control of the route, Delta has consistently been behind rivals American-British Airways (49%), Virgin (28%), and United Airlines (11%).
Virgin Atlantic has had their share of difficulties, posting considerable operating losses in FY 2011.The Delta deal, which comes at a loss of about $600 million for previous owner Singapore Airlines, is being called a better business deal for Branson than for his investors, suggests The Business Journals.
But Branson, who remains a majority owner of the company, has never been one to skimp on quality and service to make a profit. He has previously offered personal service and back rubs to his passengers, ensuring a higher quality travel experience in comparison to his customers.
Branson claimed in a statement that the merger “signals the start of a new era of expansion, financial growth and many opportunities.”
Which could very well mean another stunt in the near future.
The Opportunist Book Review: The Heart and the Fist
As far as military novels go, The Heart and the Fist is without equal. Eric Greitens story, his life, his work, and his mission to this day embodies what we should all hope to achieve in our lives. The man is simply incredible.
Greiten’s memoir chronicles his life from just before college, throughout his military service and subsequent charitable work. Everything about this book scream ‘overachiever’. Eric graduated with a scholarship from Duke University, upon which he accepted a scholarship to study for his PhD at Oxford. While there, he took every opportunity to travel the world in philanthropic missions, including extended stays in Rwanda, Bolivia, and Croatia during the aftermath of the fighting in the 1990’s. Eric spent months working with the local population, feeding children and clothing those in need. He also extensively chronicled his travels, eventually printing a photo book of his journeys.
Eric graduated Oxford with his PhD in politics, and one would believe he spent his life studying and teaching as an academic, earning tenure and living the good live. Not a chance. At 26 years old, he entered and passed Naval Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEAL training, earning his trident and becoming a SEAL team commander. He served in combat operation in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and Southeast Asia, earning numerous decorations for his service. After leaving active duty, Greitens remained as a high ranking officer in the Naval Reserve, while simultaneously having served as a White House fellow, Urban Development official during Hurricane Katrina, and distinguished public speaker. He has also maintained his own philanthropic endeavor, The Mission Continues, which supports returning veterans in carrying out community leadership projects.
Eric Greitens is a true soldier-scholar. A warrior who fights with his weapon and his mind. The world would be a better place with even 10 more of him in it. I recommend The Heart and the Fist with much praise.
Renewing “The Forgotten Borough”
Business owners in the Zone A region of Hylan Boulevard were crushed seemingly beyond repair by Hurricane Sandy. But six weeks later, several owners have come back and re-opened the doors to the public. With no help from the government, and little from private insurance, people of ”The Forgotten Borough” prove they have all they need: each other.
by John G. Kapetaneas
Just six weeks ago, Joe Del Villa’s Hylan Boulevard store had been inundated with five feet of floodwater in the wake of Hurricane Sandy’s unprecedented trek through the Northeast. Left in the debris was his cleaning machinery; pressers, computers, steamers, dryers- hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment. All gone.
Joe thought it was all over. His business was destroyed. His life was over.
Today, walking by Boulevard Cleaners is equally as shocking as it was then. The lights in front of the store are on. The machines are buzzing. Clear plastic coating covers rows of dresses and jackets like Saran Wrap. All the while customers are darting in and out, spinning the wheels of commerce with an air of “business as usual”.
So what happened?
“For 25 years I killed myself in this business,” Joe says, “Then I took a little break. But now, playtime is over.”
Boulevard Cleaners is just one of a few businesses on Hylan Boulevard that put together the pieces and opened up their doors after Superstorm Sandy’s terrible tirade.
In a process spanning nearly a month and a half, Joe and his family completely gutted and replaced the entire skeleton of Boulevard. He installed two new industrial sized washers, new pressing machines, rebuilt counters, and even power-washed all of the debris out of the building. In no time at all, they were operational once again. For Joe, the process has been marked by hard work, hardship and heartache.
“I lost over 30 pounds in the month already from just running around like crazy,” Joe says with a smile, half heralding and half lamenting his current situation. “I’m not lazy no more. I gotta go back to work again.”
Joe is quick to say that he is blessed, and could not have come back without the help of his family and close friends. Many along Hylan Boulevard, however, have not been so lucky.
“That’s one of the challenges that we have had,” says Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who represents New York’s 60th District of Brooklyn and Staten Island. “A lot of businesses have shut down temporarily…hopefully… because they’ve been washed out. Whether it be flooding or wind damage, it was significant damages to local businesses. It was tremendous. A couple of them are coming online now.
One of those grand re-openings was held by the Colonnade Diner on Hyland Boulevard and Jefferson. After twelve feet of swell devastated the building, Colonnade was forced to close for more than 4 weeks. “We took a beating here,” says owner Markos Platis, whose business lost over a half a million dollars. “I had five walk in boxes full of food; everything went into the garbage. Who knew that this thing was coming?”
Mr. Platis, a Greek immigrant to the United States, has owned and operated the diner for 38 years. He was working the overnight shift when, seemingly out of nowhere, the floodwaters came in and engulfed his store.
“All the water came up. In 10 minutes, the diner was full. I was rescued by the police, 2 o’clock in the morning,” he says with a laugh. “They took me on a boat!”
Markos, like Joe, considers himself lucky even despite the losses he has incurred in the past month. He proclaims that November 2012 was the hardest month of his life—involving near daily 7 am to 7 pm shifts, trying to bring the store back in to order. All of this with no light, heat, or food in the store.
Small businesses along Hylan Boulevard’s flood zone were among the hardest hit areas in all of Staten Island. Add to that, the protections afforded to homeowners and business owners in Zone A districts have been scarce and expensive. With the physical cost of the structure, added to the material costs of the business operations, buying reasonable flood insurance in Zone A is not likely.
“Some of my machine’s here are $30-$40,000 (each),” says Del Villa, “That’s a lot of money to pay insurance.”
On the other end, Platis has been paying flood insurance on his business for years. He found the result to be rather fruitless.“If you don’t have money to back yourself up, if I didn’t have money, I’d be closed,” he mentions. “I have flood insurance… I don’t know when it’s gonna kick in.”
“We’re having a major issue with insurance companies that are denying claims,” adds Assemblywoman Malliotakis. She explains that insurers are giving citizens the “run-around”, in some cases taking weeks to even get an adjuster on to their property for an assessment.
“That has been something that I think has stalled the recovery process,” she adds.
Claire Regan, Associate Managing Editor for the Staten Island Advance, suggest that the island is moving now past the recovery phase. “That was the first part,” she says in reference to the storm. “Then there was the recovery. Now we’re moving into the third phase, of what’s next for the future.”
But the most amazing aspect of this quaint, rather homogenous sub-set of big New York has not been their true stigma of “The Forgotten Borough”. Staten Island has been ignored or underappreciated for decades, so it should come as no surprise that recovery dollars appear to meander their way around the islands’ teeming grasp. Rather, the most interesting, if not inspiring, messages has been the island’s close knit, family centric ethos.
Staten Islanders see people as people.
“You had individual’s here, and you had students, who were impacted like everybody else,” says Mrs. Malliotakis. “They were running distribution sites, they were bringing food, they were doing things.”
“Here’s the difference between our city here, and Katrina in New Orleans,” adds Ms. Regan. “Our city is not going to be wiped out. People are not going to leave. They’re still going to live here.”
People like Joe Del Villa, who washed 6,500 pairs of ruined clothes, in order to save them for his clients.
And Markos Platis, who is throwing a New Years Eve party in the diner, completely free of charge to local residents. “I’d do anything for these people,” he says, shortly before bending down himself to clean scraps off his immaculately clean floor at Colonnade.
The people of the “Forgotten Borough” are stronger than even they know. They have fought back from the brink of oblivion, with little to no help from insurance or the federal government.
Their stories are encouraging. Their characters, inspiring.
To quote Ms. Claire Regan:
“We still are, we will always be a part of New York City
On Sourcing
For many, getting on the phone and calling people is the most terrifying thing to do. Calling a stranger? Even worse. And let’s not even begin to talk about going and speaking to people in person; that’s just crazy talk.
I’ve been extremely blessed to have a job with ABC News that requires me to constantly contact people, often in the most inopportune moments. And it has taught me some things I’d like to share, about connecting with people when you really need to:
Rule #1) Always make the call
– Because if you don’t, The Today Show will. That’s how I look at it. You can enter your own competitor in that spot, but for me, it’s what I’m thinking when something comes in front of me that I’m hesitant to touch. Now it can be another salesman, or your rival at work, or maybe even that guy that likes the girl you’re into. Always assume they will make the call. You make it first.
Rule #2) Empathy is they key
– When calling the family of a kidnap victim, or someone whose family member has recently died; really any delicate situation in which feelings are vulnerable, you never go in business first. Remember that these are people you’re dealing with, not robots, not animals. They’re not just “sources”. Empathy is in actually connecting with the person, trying to feel their pain, irregardless if you ever get a source out of it. I once spoke with a suicidal guy for over an hour– we don’t always understand what’s going on on the other end of the phone.
Rule #3) Don’t over do it
– Too many pleasantries, being too “nice”, comes off as phony and insincere. Be calm, polite, but no need to go overboard
Rule #4) Always err on the side of professionalism
– Unless otherwise noted, always try and start with Mr. or Ms. You can always scale back from too formal, but you can not make formal a too casual. During a broadcast once, I listened to one of our Senior Producers answering a guest questions, always calling him Mr. (example). If she can do it, so can we.
Rule #5) Be yourself
– This seems to be the hardest thing anyone has ever had to do. But it’s the best advice, without question. You are calling a potential source because you, in some way or another, care about the things they know. So get to know them. And let them get to know you. You need to open up sometimes, even if to a stranger.
Where in the World is John McAfee?
In the 1960′s he worked for NASA. In the 80′s, he created the preeminent computer safety program of the time. In the 2000′s he moved to Belize, where he filled his life with guns, tattoos, booze, crazy yoga inspired sex, and police evasion. My how the mighty have fallen.
Or have they?
In the race to stay relevant in a viral world, John McAfee is just another example of a madman-genius who continues to enthrall the American population with his high-flying, wild west attitude. It is exactly that kind of attitude that captivates, and further, entertains the otherwise dull and dreary monotony of the day to day most of us face.
You may criticize him, but deep down you know you love hearing about it.
The same argument could be made for the Kardashians. Or the Jersey Shore. Any real American “institution” in the cultural age that has made you at least mildly regurgitate your lunch is in deed the process of filling a major unfilled attention gap that we all seem to have. That prompts the question:
What are we missing here?
Why is it that we need this cockamamie, absurdly addictive cultural repugnance to shift our attention? Is there such an gaping void in our day to day lives, such a block of unused, unnecessary time that we devote our precious mind space to be cluttered with somebody else’s calamities?
Or do we need to it? Do these cultural abnormalities serve as a model of what we shouldn’t be? I mean, we couldn’t really have the “real housewives” of :::enter your city here::: now could we?
I contend that each one of these relevant (and I use the term loosely) cultural stars embodies some form of unconquered emotional desire in us– something that has long gone unfilled. We may love or hate the Kardashian show, but secretly, who wouldn’t like to have their own TV show?
We can love or hate John McAfee, but there’s something to be said about educating yourself to millionaire status, only to throw it all to the wind and freewheeling your live in tropical Belize. It’s that Jack Kerouac dream that lies within all of us, I think, that makes these people attractive. It makes their stories relevant. It makes them valuable.
And more importantly, it makes us care about them. So much so that we give complete strangers the most valuable thing we have on this Earth: our time.
Campbell’s Soup in a Bag? Good Idea, or Desperate Cry?
Sales up 8%. 52 new product releases in 2012 vs. 3 in 2011. Campbell’s new CEO Denise Morrison is looking to keep her company relevant, and will try whatever she can to do it:
(Via Forbes.com)
(FORBES) Kicking The Can: Campbell’s CEO Bets On Soup-In-A-Bag For 20-Somethings
5 Business Lessons from the Ancients
1) Planning is important. Mobilizing is vital
Victory in business and in life depends on not only being able to creat detailed and realistc plans, but assessing and developing the capabilities to execute those plans. Thought without action, and action without thought, are mutually exclusive.
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
― Sun Tzu
2) Take failure with a grain of salt
Just because one method, one product, one idea did not work for you, does not make you a failure. There are any number of ways to success, you just have to be willing to explore.
“You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain.”
― Miyamoto Musashi
3) Engage your constituents
Your peers. Your classmates. Your customers. Your professors. Everybody has a story to tell. Grab a drink. Play a round of golf. Learn from each other.
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”
― Plato
4) Be bold
Life depends on taking risks. You try and you try again. Never give up on yourself, on your ideas, your passions, and the people in your life.
“There is nothing impossible to him who will try.”
― Alexander the Great
5) It’s up to YOU to lead
Nobody is going to take you by the hand. If you hope to achieve greatness, in any endeavor, you have to take it upon yourself.
“He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.”
― Niccolo Machiavelli
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