Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

Timeless

As we celebrate the New Year-- at the shrine of time, which we invented -- I wanted to share with you a thought on all that is timeless. This here is Sophia Loren in the much celebrated Pirelli Calendar for 2007. Beautiful, isn't she? The new calendar returns us to the essential atmosphere you could find in the movie sets from the '60s: the subject is photographed in an intimate setting. Dutch photographers Ines Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin present their vision as a search for the intellectual, psychological, and artistic profile of the 5 gorgeous women rendered (Penelope Cruz... Read more →

How Many Bloggers does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?

It depends on the blogger. This cheeky metaphor is to highlight the concept that we think differently based upon our diverse environmental and cultural references. Thinking affects our behavior. I talked about how the sales and marketing groups attract individuals who gravitate towards different ways of doing things—and how understanding those characteristics can come in handy to relate to each other and do great work. Work that produces results and adds to the bottom line. In that post I mentioned various methodologies used to uncover personality and typology styles. In Europe, and particularly in Italy, discussions of astrology and horoscopes... Read more →

The Story of Community

We're living in a world of chaos. That's what Gavin Heaton says in his authored biography. Chaos is not necessarily a bad thing-- it precedes breakthrough in the creative process. Chaos is all right to work with if you are anchored to a core set of values, and you have chosen to live the story that best serves and realizes those values. Gavin is a storyteller, so he knows that a key component of a memorable story is how it connects with another person or group. Story is the emotional space between us. It creates affiliation (Lat. affiliate = adopt... Read more →

How Many Business Practices can Change the World?

2007 seems to be a good year to revisit your plans for sustainable processes and business practices. I’m talking about energy. Wal*Mart is making headlines again with a new solar power initiative –- the world’s largest company has the potential to use its global influence to create a new standard. Joel Makeower at Two Steps Forward outlines Wal*Mart’s solar energy vision. The giant retail operation issued a request for proposal (RFP) to install solar energy systems in its stores in five states. According to the RFP, as presented by Makeower, the goal is to establish alternative sources of energy at... Read more →

Quality. Value. Convenience = Votes

According to Inquirer Staff Writer Stacey Burling, the week before Christmas is QVC Inc.'s last big week of the year. Based on sales history, this is prime time for the Great Gift show and featured products, the TV station's Super Bowl. The instantaneous sales results for the products and programming are thought of as "votes". Here's it how it works. QVC purchases the items it sells from the manufacturers, who agree to provide someone to appear on air for the sales pitch in front of anywhere from 500,000 to 1.5 million viewers it attracts in any hour. Screens loaded with... Read more →

How do I Love Z? Let me Count Z Ways...

What started as an idea at The Viral Garden by Mack Collier, has gone, well, viral and has earned its own Squidoo zlist where voting for your favorite blog has never been easier. I made the list early thanks to Drew McLellan of The Marketing Minute. If you have a Squidoo account, you can go and vote for your favorite blog. As Mack did, I also noticed that many 'famous' blogs started making the list. We all read them, we all know them, now maybe their authors will begin to know the rest of us. Linking to the famous is... Read more →

Your Gift to the World

The Thought is What Counts

Have you ever wondered why we say that when we receive gifts? That may be because we usually buy gifts for the pleasure it gives us. When we choose, we rarely think about the recipient. That's the conclusion Federica Furino reaches in her article for La Stampa. Whether we buy gifts throughout the year, or procrastinate until the last minute, we rarely think if they will be liked. Because a purchase is made first and foremost to satisfy the buyer. And that is true also for online purchases, according to Furino. Maybe so. If the thought is what counts, then... Read more →

Thinking Together: Signal to Contact

Conversation is a space. One in which certain dynamics can be created to protect fragile new ideas until they are ready to be implemented. As well, an environment conducive to open thought and exchange for the benefit and growth of all parties involved. Alas, we live in an age where sound bites pass for communication, a time of polls and surveys that tend to blur meaning and sway opinions. How do we know what we think anymore? When we accept our role in the conversation, we can then shift our attention on creating this space. In Dialogue: The Art Of... Read more →

A Day with Seth Godin

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you might have come across several signs that over time I have absorbed a lot of my terminology, ascribe to many of the ideas, and go for the pure inspiration that Seth Godin provides. I spotted Seth at the beginning of his notoriety as published author on Fast Company magazine, where he used to have a regular column. It was my first read article every month. We met briefly at Fast Company Real Time Philadelphia in 2001. He was wearing a red fez and strolling around with Alan Webber, another one... Read more →