This post brought to you by our Guest Blogger - Dana Petersen
As international commerce continues to grow, our global workforce becomes more integrated and some employees are getting an edge by learning a second (or third) language or seeking job assignments abroad. Likewise, your regular business contacts may include non-native English speakers or business partners overseas. Even if you have no time to learn another language, you can still do your part to be a good communicator.
Whether your medium is written or verbal, messages must be clearly stated. When communicating with a non-native English speaker, avoid idiomatic expressions such as, "it's like pulling teeth" or "getting my ducks in a row". Phrases like these may be unfamiliar even to fluent English speakers and they do not translate easily. Instead, say what you really mean: "it's extremely difficult" or "I need to organize things".
In addition to language barriers, be aware of conflicting time zones. When scheduling web meetings or phone calls, you may need to consider both international and U.S. time zones. Some countries observe daylight savings time, but others do not. When possible, confirm appointments by stating both times - your local time and their local time.
As instantaneous communication grows to reach new markets, transacting business is paradoxically more simple and more complex. Technology can overcome logistical issues and create opportunities for new partnerships but it does not guarantee our success. Like it or not, as the business world continues to grow smaller, our professional responsibilities grow ever larger. ¿Estamos preparados?
*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
This is Cute!
You'll want to check out our latest press on www.AgWired.com. We ran into Chuck Zimmerman and Laura McNamara at the Farm Progress show. Not only was there an interview - but a key opportunity for Norah's first photo opp!
http://agwired.com/2008/08/26/aggie-lance-makes-farm-progress/
http://agwired.com/2008/08/26/aggie-lance-makes-farm-progress/
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Hurdles: Beijing and Beyond
This post brought to you by Dana Petersen - our August Guest Blogger
With all eyes on the Olympics, I can't help but envy how the athletes make things look so easy. The perfect routine? You got it. A new world record? No problem. Regardless of their seemingly effortless performances, all the competitors have developed their skills with years - and in some cases - decades of training.
Despite all the preparation, setbacks can happen. Injuries are especially frustrating for athletes because they impact their professional lives in a personal way. Hungarian weightlifter Janos Baranyai suffered a dislocated elbow. American sprinter Tyson Gay was favored to win the Olympic 100m event, but he lost his rhythm in the semifinal heat and didn't qualify for the final race. American gymnasts Paul and Morgan Hamm were sidelined by lingering injuries and couldn't even compete in Beijing.
Unlike these athletes, your on-the-job training doesn't require starting blocks, but that doesn't mean there aren't any hurdles in your path. You will undoubtedly encounter challenges in your career that test your skills and your patience. These issues may add tension to the work environment or they may be closer to home. Keep in mind, what defines people is not the height of their hurdles, but how they choose to overcome them.
Training day and night doesn't guarantee a world record, but overcoming obstacles does guarantee personal growth. Even if you don't take home the gold, clearing those hurdles one step at a time will lead you to the finish line and to the next chance to prove yourself.
*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.
With all eyes on the Olympics, I can't help but envy how the athletes make things look so easy. The perfect routine? You got it. A new world record? No problem. Regardless of their seemingly effortless performances, all the competitors have developed their skills with years - and in some cases - decades of training.
Despite all the preparation, setbacks can happen. Injuries are especially frustrating for athletes because they impact their professional lives in a personal way. Hungarian weightlifter Janos Baranyai suffered a dislocated elbow. American sprinter Tyson Gay was favored to win the Olympic 100m event, but he lost his rhythm in the semifinal heat and didn't qualify for the final race. American gymnasts Paul and Morgan Hamm were sidelined by lingering injuries and couldn't even compete in Beijing.
Unlike these athletes, your on-the-job training doesn't require starting blocks, but that doesn't mean there aren't any hurdles in your path. You will undoubtedly encounter challenges in your career that test your skills and your patience. These issues may add tension to the work environment or they may be closer to home. Keep in mind, what defines people is not the height of their hurdles, but how they choose to overcome them.
Training day and night doesn't guarantee a world record, but overcoming obstacles does guarantee personal growth. Even if you don't take home the gold, clearing those hurdles one step at a time will lead you to the finish line and to the next chance to prove yourself.
*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
How To post an Aggie-Lance Short E
Follow this link to watch a short video on how to post a Short E on Aggie-Lance.com!
Aggie-LanceHowTov.1
Aggie-LanceHowTov.1
Monday, August 18, 2008
Farmers absorb latest from new media
From Journal Gazette - Ft. Wayne, IN
Podcasts, YouTube discuss techniques for grazing, breeding
Think of it as moo media.
Cattle farmers anywhere in the world can pull up YouTube’s Web site and watch Purdue University’s videos on grazing and breeding techniques. The collection’s most popular video has been downloaded more than 2,200 times in eight months.
The YouTube channel is just one way agriculture companies and educators are using new media to reach farmers. Text messages, blogs and podcasts are opening new information channels within the agriculture industry.
Click here to read full article
Podcasts, YouTube discuss techniques for grazing, breeding
Think of it as moo media.
Cattle farmers anywhere in the world can pull up YouTube’s Web site and watch Purdue University’s videos on grazing and breeding techniques. The collection’s most popular video has been downloaded more than 2,200 times in eight months.
The YouTube channel is just one way agriculture companies and educators are using new media to reach farmers. Text messages, blogs and podcasts are opening new information channels within the agriculture industry.
Click here to read full article
Friday, August 15, 2008
Aggie-Lance now Supports Short Term Employment Opportunities!
They're called Short E's!
Short E's (Def. Short Term Employee Engagement lasting less than 1 year)
Consultants. Internships. Seasonal Work. Explosive Growth. Special Need Situations.
All of these are times when you might need to hire an employee for just a short engagement. Whether it is four weeks, fourteen weeks, or forty weeks - an employee hired for a specific short term engagement is often the answer.Aggie-Lance offers a solution to help you attract great applicants for your short term employee engagements - it's called "Short E."
How does it work?Simple. When you post a "Short E." on our site, you empower your job posting to reach out to hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, through social media. Aggie-Lance has developed a social networking application that automatically communicates employment opportunities for facebook users to see. Keep in mind there are more than 90 million active facebook users to date!
Our XML feeds are posted on affiliate web sites throughout the internet. That means that not only is your job posted on Aggie-Lance.com, it is also being seen immediately on dozens of other sites and blogs as well.In addition, your posting will be communicated to current registered job seekers, linked in our newsletter, viewed by hundreds of passers by each week, and forwarded on by friends of friends. We empower word of mouth marketing for our job postings better than anyone else in the industry.
They're called Short E's!
Short E's (Def. Short Term Employee Engagement lasting less than 1 year)
Consultants. Internships. Seasonal Work. Explosive Growth. Special Need Situations.
All of these are times when you might need to hire an employee for just a short engagement. Whether it is four weeks, fourteen weeks, or forty weeks - an employee hired for a specific short term engagement is often the answer.Aggie-Lance offers a solution to help you attract great applicants for your short term employee engagements - it's called "Short E."
How does it work?Simple. When you post a "Short E." on our site, you empower your job posting to reach out to hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, through social media. Aggie-Lance has developed a social networking application that automatically communicates employment opportunities for facebook users to see. Keep in mind there are more than 90 million active facebook users to date!
Our XML feeds are posted on affiliate web sites throughout the internet. That means that not only is your job posted on Aggie-Lance.com, it is also being seen immediately on dozens of other sites and blogs as well.In addition, your posting will be communicated to current registered job seekers, linked in our newsletter, viewed by hundreds of passers by each week, and forwarded on by friends of friends. We empower word of mouth marketing for our job postings better than anyone else in the industry.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Influence through Social Media
Who in the agriculture industry is using social media as a mode of communication with their clients?
Social media is so new, growing so fast, and changing every day. The most advanced early adopters are light years ahead of most. But what can we do besides just reading about it?
Last week we hosted the first ever social media tele-seminar focusing on why we should use social media in the ag industry. You can download it here. As a result, we think there are more questions than answers at this point.
So we pose the question to you: Who in the ag industry is using social media, and doing it well? Feel free to post your responses to this blog, or email feedback@aggielance.com.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Social media is so new, growing so fast, and changing every day. The most advanced early adopters are light years ahead of most. But what can we do besides just reading about it?
Last week we hosted the first ever social media tele-seminar focusing on why we should use social media in the ag industry. You can download it here. As a result, we think there are more questions than answers at this point.
So we pose the question to you: Who in the ag industry is using social media, and doing it well? Feel free to post your responses to this blog, or email feedback@aggielance.com.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Anything Seem Funny to You?
This post from our freelance guest blogger - Dana Petersen:
Like me, I'm sure you have received your share of e-mail mistakes. These errors can grab your attention and obscure the author's intended message. A recent example from my inbox used the word "seam" instead of "seem". It's a harmless misspelling, but also one I haven't forgotten.
Nobody is perfect, but professionalism and proofreading are both marketable skills. While many typos are innocuous, others may be embarrassing or even offensive. One method for eliminating common mistakes is slowly reading the message aloud. Focusing on each sentence allows the reader to quickly identify problems a spell checker may overlook, such as missing words or punctuation.
Larger projects including specialized documents, presentations or lengthy e-mails may seem overwhelming. Take a break and refresh your inbox because help may be just a click away. Is there a colleague or supervisor that rarely makes an e-mail error? Not only is that person probably a good proofreader, but he or she may even enjoy proofreading. Don't be afraid to mention that you noticed your co-worker's exceptional e-mails when making your pitch for some proofreading assistance.
As business communication continues to develop, so do our writing tools. It may sound silly, even obvious, but proofreading is a skill that never goes out of style. In a perfect world, the messages we write would always be free of errors. In this imperfect modern age, proofreading skills are not easily duplicated by technology. Before you hit send, ask yourself one simple question: are my seams showing?
*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.
Like me, I'm sure you have received your share of e-mail mistakes. These errors can grab your attention and obscure the author's intended message. A recent example from my inbox used the word "seam" instead of "seem". It's a harmless misspelling, but also one I haven't forgotten.
Nobody is perfect, but professionalism and proofreading are both marketable skills. While many typos are innocuous, others may be embarrassing or even offensive. One method for eliminating common mistakes is slowly reading the message aloud. Focusing on each sentence allows the reader to quickly identify problems a spell checker may overlook, such as missing words or punctuation.
Larger projects including specialized documents, presentations or lengthy e-mails may seem overwhelming. Take a break and refresh your inbox because help may be just a click away. Is there a colleague or supervisor that rarely makes an e-mail error? Not only is that person probably a good proofreader, but he or she may even enjoy proofreading. Don't be afraid to mention that you noticed your co-worker's exceptional e-mails when making your pitch for some proofreading assistance.
As business communication continues to develop, so do our writing tools. It may sound silly, even obvious, but proofreading is a skill that never goes out of style. In a perfect world, the messages we write would always be free of errors. In this imperfect modern age, proofreading skills are not easily duplicated by technology. Before you hit send, ask yourself one simple question: are my seams showing?
*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Citizenship for Your Career
This post is submitted by our August Guest Blogger - Dana Petersen.
Citizenship for Your Career
Community organizations offer opportunities for leadership and philanthropy, not to mention a break from your workday routine. Weekly or monthly activities are a great way to meet other leaders in your community or your profession. Likewise, if you are looking to apply personal skills and talents that are under-utilized in the workplace, taking an active role with a local chapter may provide a channel for creativity.
Organizations come in all shapes and sizes. Professional groups such as the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) or the American Business Women's Association (ABWA) provide opportunities for networking and professional development. From the American Red Cross to Heifer International, philanthropic organizations focus on service and outreach. You can make your mark as a new member by applying your skills to publicity or fundraising.
If you have children, community youth groups such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H and FFA stress the importance of personal goals and leadership. Many groups are in need of adult volunteers for special events or projects such as roadside clean-up or leadership camps.
If you are concerned about the cost of joining an organization, remember that your employer may grant flex time for community activities or help with travel expenses for workshops and conferences. Also, many employers will reimburse a portion of your membership fees. Don't wait - make the most of your summer by being active in your community!
*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.
Citizenship for Your Career
Community organizations offer opportunities for leadership and philanthropy, not to mention a break from your workday routine. Weekly or monthly activities are a great way to meet other leaders in your community or your profession. Likewise, if you are looking to apply personal skills and talents that are under-utilized in the workplace, taking an active role with a local chapter may provide a channel for creativity.
Organizations come in all shapes and sizes. Professional groups such as the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) or the American Business Women's Association (ABWA) provide opportunities for networking and professional development. From the American Red Cross to Heifer International, philanthropic organizations focus on service and outreach. You can make your mark as a new member by applying your skills to publicity or fundraising.
If you have children, community youth groups such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H and FFA stress the importance of personal goals and leadership. Many groups are in need of adult volunteers for special events or projects such as roadside clean-up or leadership camps.
If you are concerned about the cost of joining an organization, remember that your employer may grant flex time for community activities or help with travel expenses for workshops and conferences. Also, many employers will reimburse a portion of your membership fees. Don't wait - make the most of your summer by being active in your community!
*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.
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