The next likemind will be Friday, January 15, 2010 in dozens of cities around the world.

In Chicago, it will be at Argo Tea, 140 S Dearborn St. at the corner of Adams and Dearborn Streets in the Loop from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.

I call likemind a gathering of creative-minded people, from various disciplines including Internet, advertising, art, social media, et. al. For more information on likemind, you can read this great article on likemind from the New York Times.

No RSVP is required. You are also welcome to join the likemind Chicago Facebook group.

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The 2009 calendar that hung in my office this year featured 12 different houses from around the world. Who knew when I got it for Christmas last year it would be a metaphor for the year it tracked?

2009 has been an interesting year to say the least. For many people, it outright sucked. For others, it presented challenges many have never encountered or even thought of before. As a result, a lot of thought has gone into what did not happen, what was lost, and what money was not made.

As we pop the cork on whatever beverages we will be consuming tonight, we’ll be not only ringing out 2009 but the first decade of the millennium. Looking beyond 2009 at the other 9 years of the decade, there were certainly many more highs than lows, and those are what I am thinking about over that timeline. And in looking back over the last year, I am thankful for what did happen, what was won and gained and the money I did make. When I think of these things, it makes me smile and fortunate for what I was able to accomplish.

In talking to many people, there is a lot of optimism as we look ahead to 2010. There is a renewed confidence that business will not only pick up, but will thrive in the new year. For small businesses, there are still a lot of things outside of our control. But those things be damned!

Happy New Year to all my friends, family and readers! New Year’s Eve also marks the 3rd anniversary of The Hot Iron. Here’s to year some great conversation in year 4!

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A couple of weeks back I mentioned I was evaluating OfficePort Chicago,a co-working environment, to see if it would work for me. While I was here, the people from Crain's Chicago Business came in to report on OfficePort, and the video report is now available on their Web site as well as embedded below. In it, you can see me in action. hard at work on a client solution.

So what was my verdict on OfficePort? Stay tuned!

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It’s not everyday that someone says you’re a favorite, especially when that someone is Google.

Yesterday I received a letter from Google’s Local Business Team regarding my Internet consulting firm, Dunkirk Systems, LLC. It stated my Google Local listing is a “Favorite Place of Google” and reinforced this with stats – it was viewed 346 times in the 3rd quarter of 2009. Along with this letter of praise came a window decal stating “We’re a Favorite Place on Google” which features a QR code with a link to the mobile version of my Google Local listing. If you have a QR code reader on your mobile device, click on the accompanying photo to see a larger version of it from which you can scan the QR code and navigate to the link, or view the link to my mobile listing in your Web browser.

Where I haven’t done any poking around to see who else got a similar letter, there is some value in this, and just the opposite. First off, Google Local listings work. I have been seeing the hits coming to the Dunkirk Web site from the Local listing in my Google Analytics reporting. It is also yet another way to drive traffic to you and your business. Google Local also gives the ability for people to rate a business, similar to Yelp, which also provides businesses with window stickers.

For a retail establishment, this is a great program to offer the window stickers. But for a business like mine, it isn’t something I can leverage. First off, my mailing address is different from my office location. And my office isn’t typically where I meet my clients or have walk-in traffic. But Google Local doesn’t know this, nor did they ask.

Legendary US Congressman and House Speaker Tip O’Neil is known for his quote, “all politics is local.” Can the same be said for search? Yes and no, with an emphasis on the word “and.” If you don’t have a Google Local listing for your business, set one up right away. Today, there’s many services offered by Google, at no cost, that businesses and Web sites must use. So it’s quite obvious I use them myself, and do business with Google in many ways. Whatever your opinion of them, keeping up with what is offered by the Internet giant is vital.

Business • Mobile Technology • QR Codes • Technology • (1) Comments • Permalink

This week I am working at OfficePort Chicago. OfficePort is what’s referred to as a co-working environment, where anyone from entrepreneurs to small businesses can call OfficePort their own office.

The folks at OfficePort offered me to try it for a week. I selected a “port” by the windows, and the accompanying photo is of the view from its location at 9 W. Washington Street in the Loop, which faces the CBS2/Morningstar building and has a view of the Christkindl Market at Daley Plaza. For the sake of full disclosure, OfficePort offered me the week to work here at no cost, and did not ask me to write anything about them, but I have been compelled to write this after being here a few days.

How is it? So far, so great! As my home working environment is just me in my windowless room, it is refreshing to have others around me, not to mention a view. I’ll sum up my experiences working at a OfficePort Chicago after the end of the week.

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