We already knew that working for Google had certain advantages, but believe me, this giant of the search motor takes the welfare of its employees seriously… as shown by this decompression (stress) capsule that is impermeable to sound and light…

Moving around. A slide allows quick access from different floors… There are also poles available… they are similar to the ones used in fire stations.

Food. Employees can eat all they want from a vast choice of food and drink.

Work Station. Each employee has at least two large screens. There are 4-6 ‘Zooglers’ per office.

INOVATION. Large boards are available just about everywhere because ideas don’t always come when seated in the office’ says one of Googles managers.

LEISURE. Pool tables, video games etc. are available in many areas.

Communication. On each floor, there are private cabin areas where employees can attend to personal affairs.

Technical Support. Problem with your computer? No problem… Bring it to this area where drinks are available while it is being fixed…

Health. Professional masseurs (eusses) available.

REST. This room provides massage chairs that you control… while you view relaxing aquariums…

Ambiance. There are many books in this library… even some about programming!!!

My questions are… when do they work? How much do they get paid to work there? And where do I send my application?

As we look back over the last couple of years, we can see a lot of  business that have went belly up. It is sad in some respect, I have had a few friends loose their business, and it sucks for them.

But here’s the thing,  when one business fails another one grows. As a stable small business owner you are poised for explosion. If you  have the knowledge and expertise to weather the storm, you are going to be in a much better situation moving forward.

One of the things all business should is look at their advertising. Old forms of advertising does not work in today’s market.  You as a business owner are missing the boat if you do not take advantage of  all the Web 2.0 and Social networking sites. Most small business don’t have the time to learn all this Web 2.0 stuff, if you are one of those business,  find someone local to you that social networking for small business and pay them to do it.

I have been saying this for the last couple of years, if you are a business owner and you don’t have an online presence you are missing the boat, there is absolutely no reason not to have an online presence. This is the 21st century, run your business like it is or fail. I hate to be so blunt, but it’s time to get serious about your business.

So, when you do decide to get off your ass and run your business like a business, don’t follow the big corporations idea about web design, because they suck at it. Jeffrey Gitomer does a great job of explaining this. Your site needs to be user friendly and have one person in mind, the consumer.  The days of your customers not being able to get a hold of someone at your business are over. If you don’t get back in touch immediately  they will move on, therefore telling others your customer service sucks.

Then internet has made the world a very small place, and everyone now has a say if your business succeeds or fails.

Are times changing??   (Nope) “Times have changed”

OK, I would like to know why contractors, supply companies, and others in the building trade blog? I’m not trying to be facetious, I really want to know, what is your main objective. Let’s take a look at some of the main reasons people blog and see where we fit in.

1) SEO I think that some, if not most of the Contractors and Trades people should blog for SEO. What I mean is, when you blog you should be adding back links to your website and writing specifically about your trade and the specific area you work in. For example, say you were a Plumbing contractor in Annapolis Maryland. Make sure all your post have this back link to your site. As you can see the link says who you are and in what area you do it in.

2) Selling your Product or Affiliate Products Some people have products such as e books, video products, or subscriptions to pay sites. A blog is a great way to sell your products and drive traffic to your money page. These are great ways to generate monthly income. They involve hard work and dedication to make them work, but the rewards could be huge. Just imagine having 2000 people paying you $25 a month for products or services you offer. Remember, the internet has made the world a much smaller place, 2000 people is not that many, but the dollar amount is huge.

3) Blogging local news and events in your area I have thought many times about doing this, I think it would be cool to write about local news, events and businesses in your area. This would be a site that could grow into a money maker also. After you have your followers you could start charging for local merchants to advertise on the site. This is also a great way to get your name out in the community and become known.

4) Blog to Blog Some people find it necessary to blog just because it’s the new thing to do. This is OK to do also. Sometimes we need a place to write our thoughts and opinions.

OK Contractors, what do you blog for?
I think the best thing for you to do is #1, Blog for SEO, If you are planning to stay in the construction business there is no better way to stay a head of your competition and beat them in the search results in Google than to blog. Remember to make your post Keyword Rich with the content that drives traffic to your site.