So I decided to lower my rates at the beginning so I can get work flowing. I guess it’s working. I have been building websites, blogs, teaching about social media and working with some very cool people… I’m having a great time doing it. This is also the reason I haven’t had time to write more for my own blog.

Even thought I should move to regular rates already, I decided to do a couple more projects at a reduced price. Why? I don’t know, I’ve been listening to Pearl Jam a lot lately…

But seriously, I’ll take 2 more projects at a reduced price and then I’ll go to a standard hourly rate. I can’t really put this into a package because everybody wants something different, but we’ll talk and come to an agreement. Some of the things we can include are websites, blogs, social media, personal branding, design and training on how to use all this stuff.

If you’re afraid to jump into the unknown and want to know more about the process, this is what happens:

• You show me what your online brand looks like. If you have a website or what social sites your using…
• We have a meeting in person, video conference on Skype or a phone call to talk about objectives, ideas, costs, etc.
• I create 2 or 3 concepts for your new business or personal brand.
• Once you approved one concept we move into development and we deploy your brand to different social sites.
• Then I’ll train you so you can manage this puppy.

That’s about it, this process is about 2 weeks…

Why do I make it look so easy and cheap? Because it is. With the technology we have available today, there is no reason to be spending a lot of money and time, this stuff is easier than you think. That doesn’t mean “Go learn it and do it yourself”, you already have a career, remember? That means you don’t need to hire a company or build something from scratch.

Believe me when I say I have started companies in less than a week. I know how to get your brand rocking in no time. BTW, read my article “You Can Start A Company Today, Really!” at The{Naked}Elephant.

How to get in contact with me?

Email me of find me on Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin

Microsoft has made its Windows 7 “Release Candidate” version available to download. While this should be good news for the company, it already started generating negative feedback all over the web, a place where news like this spreads pretty quickly.

What’s the issue this time? When you upgrade to Windows 7 and you select the “express install”, it will change your default browser to… guess? Yes, Internet Explorer. Of course you have the option to select “custom install” and you are asked to select your default browser. Most users will select the express route.

The expected reaction has already occurred, other browsers like Mozilla’s Firefox are fighting against it and the public is taking sides on the matter generating some bad comments on the web.

But what’s funny to me is thinking about who makes these kind of decisions over at Microsoft, obviously they don’t understand the game as it needs to be played today. We were playing a different game five years ago, the world changed and these people are not aware of it.

Today, the user controls your brand. People value honesty, transparency, truth and fairness over your multi-billion ad campaign. How is it that having the power and the resources Microsoft has, they are not capable of reinventing, to change their message and re-brand, try to be more likable. How stupid it is to continue with these strategies that brought so much heat to the company ten years ago. Today, somebody at corporate decided it was ok to bring back the “browser controversy” to the table, or simply ignored it. Either way…

On top of that, they are clueless about timing. Right when Firefox is gaining so much market over IE, with a culture behind it, a user developed platform and an underdog story. Can you predict that this strategy will slow down Firefox‘s momentum? I don’t think so. I know there are users that will not even notice their browser has been changed, but the user that took the time to download FF will get it back in place.

This is not just about the technical aspects, this is corporate ego and not knowing what’s up out there. Microsoft needs to start listening to the user.

In the meantime, if you use IE, I strongly recommend you go to Firefox and give it a test drive. “Once you go Firefox, you never go back”… or something like that.

Share your thoughts with us…