tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post1042129631302223517..comments2008-11-19T05:49:30.658-08:00Sorin Ostafievhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230348116460040790noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-16928533155777572852008-11-19T05:49:00.000-08:002008-11-19T05:49:00.000-08:00@Olivia<BR/>Thank you for the nice words. We'll do our best to focus on some aspects related to project management, from a small virtual team perspective like ours.<BR/><BR/>Maybe you'll also like this post: <A HREF="http://blog.teamness.com/2008/11/working-in-virtual-team.html" REL="nofollow">Working in a virtual team</A> that I wrote about one week ago.Sorin Ostafievhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230348116460040790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-41341454910274492012008-11-19T04:30:00.000-08:002008-11-19T04:30:00.000-08:00Hi Paul &amp; teamness team :)<BR/>I like the idea of your blog so far. It is honest, open, and talks about your challenges as a startup. This is not something that I see very often.<BR/><BR/>For me, it would be nice to read, like you suggested, posts about collaboration and project management.<BR/>Sometimes I believe that things that me and my team (spred around the world) are doing in an overly complicated way may have a very simple and stupid solution. I would like to get insight into some of this solutions :) <BR/>Thanks for the interesting topics! Again, a very fresh and interesting business blog.Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428043559945523572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-11501658074807367342008-11-06T01:35:00.000-08:002008-11-06T01:35:00.000-08:00Iulian, we are very happy to get your insights. Please post them as long as the comment textbox allows. :)Paul Marculescuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819964959134919122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-23181717145597585582008-11-06T01:11:00.000-08:002008-11-06T01:11:00.000-08:00I'll keep it shorter next timeIulian Costachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041714077889520642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-72033217142581677702008-11-05T16:01:00.000-08:002008-11-05T16:01:00.000-08:00Iulian, thanks for your opinion. It's nice to see comments longer than the post itself. :)<BR/><BR/>Your suggestion for blogging about design decisions for features is a good idea and we'll take it into account for future posts.Paul Marculescuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819964959134919122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-67365270100398121902008-11-05T07:30:00.000-08:002008-11-05T07:30:00.000-08:00In a business blog, interesting and very useful would be articles on <B>how a product/feature came to be</B>, not how it works put in a friendly manner.<BR/><BR/>I think also the friendly issue is a bit redundant. If articles were very tech oriented or encyclopaedia style, then we would call the idea “technical writing”. Blogging implies a certain degree of informal language use and personal ideas.<BR/><BR/>But returning to business blogging… let’s remember that the users of a product are … well… users! Not developers of that product. Even if the greatest developer from Oracle uses Microsoft Outlook, he is still a user. In that respect, imagine for a moment that his house is on fire and it takes only an email to save it. He would be more interested in how to <B>use</B> the program and not <B>why &amp; how was developed with a certain technology</B>.<BR/>Users are users and a business blog should help them understand the reasons behind a program/feature. This has a great impact not only on the existing users but also in the prospective customers.<BR/><BR/>Imagine again, if you would, that Mr. Iulian, after reading several business articles from the company blog understands that dividing a large team in smaller groups with team leaders on each will greatly improve the chance of success in that project (just an idea, of course). If he is an existing user, then he will <B>understand why</B> the Teamness collaboration tool was designed that way and <B>start using it more efficiently</B>. If he is a prospective customer maybe he will understand that this is the tool he is looking for because <B>it relates to his exact needs</B>. Ultimately, and this is my favourite, since people are not skilled in every field, maybe Iulian realizes that what he wanted in the first place was wrong and this is the better way to do it. This means <B>changing own needs</B>.<BR/><BR/>Now it will be futile to suggest to the user <B>a better way</B> to do his job unless you back that up with supporting information. This can be anything from other articles from trusted sources to academic papers or in the end market research related to trends, statistics, best practices etc.<BR/><BR/>In the end, if you <B>make me understand what you want to do and why you want to do it like that</B>, then you can save us all some time. I can assess faster if this is the right tool for me or if it goes in the right direction, or … well… not. The “not” is very important to you because then you would not waste time developing a feature that doesn’t fit your idea for a user that in the end will drop the tool. Explaining why you don’t develop it also means time wasted for you. The business blog can explain it for everyone.<BR/><BR/>Now that is what I think it would make for a great business blog!Iulian Costachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02041714077889520642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-73250126880099158572008-11-05T06:46:00.000-08:002008-11-05T06:46:00.000-08:00I consider the blog as a marketing tool that allows to build relationships, create a community of readers and encourage feedback. The feedback received can help you in the future in improving the application.Violetanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-88055370677582819722008-11-05T06:01:00.000-08:002008-11-05T06:01:00.000-08:00Costin, thanks for the comment.<BR/><BR/>I couldn't agree more with you. Microblogging platforms like Twitter help with making contacts, but you actually have to produce content to build the fan base, as you mentioned. They go hand in hand.Paul Marculescuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819964959134919122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-34845171255504276922008-11-05T05:52:00.000-08:002008-11-05T05:52:00.000-08:00I think a blog is an essential PR tool that every startup should have. Posting on a regular basis and especially posting interesting information in a friendly manner is going to give you a fan base that can later help with suggestions and growth. <BR/>Despite the above, I believe a startup should not stop with just a blog; things like Twitter or Facebook are becoming more popular than blogs these days in terms of reach. <BR/>So, I'd say go balance and distribute the resources between blogs, Twitter and a friendly, interactive website. <BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/>CosCostin G. Raiuhttp://www.craiu.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-65351718075480131702008-11-04T08:59:00.000-08:002008-11-04T08:59:00.000-08:00Nice comparison, Eduard. :)Paul Marculescuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04819964959134919122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3886909385533917461.post-75837212816069194462008-11-04T08:33:00.000-08:002008-11-04T08:33:00.000-08:00I think the the scope of "Business Blog" is to decouple somehow the business information from formal to informal. Maintaining a business blog is like going in short pants and Hawaiian shirt in the office. Also is a good way to market your product through a "trend line" like blog.Eduardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12617930580101263618noreply@blogger.com