TypePad Featured Blogs

Generation Integration

Generation Integration is a blog where the stated goal is to "unite boomers, gen-x'ers, and millenials in the workplace". Roberta Matuson, the author, is the president of Human Resource Solutions, and the Generation Integration blog shows off her extensive expertise in the field. She's tackling the real issues, like the reasons your job search isn't working, students picking pay over job satisfaction, and stress in the workplace.

There's a fun side to the blog, of course! A favorite is a post telling everyone to start getting ready (and throw out the chips) because employers may soon start to weigh employees. This practice - meant to keep health care coasts down - has happened in Japan and is starting to come stateside.

I asked Roberta what she loves about her blog, and she wrote:

My blog is a way for me to say what's on my mind without any censoring. That is what makes it so interesting for my readers. They never know what to expect!

Visit Generation Integration.

Jaffe Juice

Jaffe Juice is the blog from Joseph Jaffe:  President and Chief Interruptor of crayon, a strategic consultancy firm that encourages its clients to "join the conversation". With two books and endless articles to his name, Joseph says the primary objectives of Jaffe Juice are three-fold:

1. As an industry evangelist, to walk my talk and understand conversational marketing from the inside out
2. To generate interest and leads for crayon
3. As a thought leadership platform, to secure speaking engagements, press inquiries and partnership opportunities

A few of our favorite posts are: "how many social media experts does it take to make 2009 predictions", about if the glass is half full or half empty "who cares is it's full of 18 year old scotch", and about the communications challenge the Big 3 automakers have.

Visit Jaffe Juice.

Wieden+Kennedy Portland

Wieden+Kennedy is a creative advertising agency based in Portland, Oregon. W+K Portland's TypePad blog gives colleagues, friends, and clients a peek at the happenings and culture that make W+K so unique. Check out their rockin' 25th anniversary bash, where they brought in the Beastie Boys, a circus, and the Rock Steady Crew. Or when Cut Chemist and Lyrics Born start stopping in for lunch.

I asked the team behind the blog how their blog has helped them in business, and of course they had an interesting response. "The blog has been a great way for us to have a voice within our network, industry and community we live in. It is also great way to show our work, but more importantly give a pat on the back to the folks that make these campaigns happen. This is a great place to work, and the passion and effort everyone puts into the work really shows."

Visit Wieden+Kennedy.
 

KnowledgeStar

Read KnowledgeStar, and you’re reading the words of David Grebow, “one of the top direct mail copywriters on the Internet.” As David states, “you’ve consumed my words without ever knowing my name” – but in the pages of his blog, you’ll discover the tips, tricks, and trade of one who makes his living with words. And for those in the business or those seeking to increase their company’s presence and power, the posts listed here can provide invaluable lessons, as Strange Directions, the Meaning of XING and The Long and Winding Road will show. There’s an intriguing – and revealing - visual test too. David’s posts will show how he draws inspiration from people, places, and events, and also provide a peek into the mind of one who uses his talent to “make millions of dollars for people who sell products on the internet with words that moved you to buy.”

Dealer Refresh

Author and automotive businessman Jeff Kershner serves up “obstacles, observations, and opinions of an Automotive Internet Sales Manager,” in his blog, Dealer Refresh. In this capacity, Jeff uses his expertise and experience to help car dealers establish a very successful online presence and propel them to an additional 20%-30% in sales. His advice touches upon many of the themes found in business (especially in the online world), and will be welcomed by virtually anyone in the workplace, both in and out of the automotive/sales industry. Posts on 4 Letters That Will Help You Sell More, Internet Sales Tools and Search Engine Marketing focus on the importance of mixing the immediacy and reach of the Internet with effective customer service to achieve - and surpass - results. To make his blog more interactive, Jeff has added an innovative "Ask/Answer" tool so posters can have their queries answered (and posted) by him. A comprehensive set of links to automotive services (Dealer Resources, Website Design and Automotive Directories to name a few) round out the site.

Water Cooler Hangout

Entrepreneur Bob Poole helps companies and individuals increase their sales and profits, goals discussed with insight, common sense, and a little bit of humor in his blog, Water Cooler Hangout. And just a “real” workspace water cooler serves as a gathering place for information, conversation, and inspiration, Bob’s site is a “place for entrepreneurs and small company owners to discuss marketing and sales.” Employees of virtually every stripe can glean potential direction and ideas; Bob melds imagery from life and business to create innovative posts on subjects near and dear to workers everywhere. For instance, Honey Bees and a Trauma Center ultimately focuses on workplace processes; a memory relates to how we really handle time; why you don’t know Jack (but should), and how a fading art can be one of the best things you can do for a client. Categories from Books to Weblogs offer a variety of topics, and Bob’s talent at weaving seemingly disparate items together to form effective business lessons make this an engaging hangout indeed.

Jobosity

“Have you ever been on an interview or sent out your resume and said, ‘what if?’” Or are you curious as “to why you didn’t get that dream job…or call back for the second interview?” Welcome to Jobosity, the “job blog that will keep you current with employment trends, interview tips and job openings.” And anyone who has looked at the most recent employment statistics, gone on the job hunt, or sat on the other side of the interviewer’s desk will certainly appreciate the candor, expertise, and advice of Coach Phil, the site’s author. His approach mixes experience and dry humor and his posts covers subjects ranging from using references, turning that summer internship into a full-time job, and how to answer that classic interview question: “What is your greatest strength?” There’s time out for some humor, too. Categories on all things job related (from Current Affairs to The Cover Letter to The Interview), networking links, employment-related news articles, and job postings round out this job hunter’s resource. Good luck!

The Mortgage Reports

As anyone who has followed the news knows all too well, the mortgage industry is in extreme flux, buffeted by complex, intertwined forces that include the subprime meltdown, the economy, and the general state of the housing market. Since millions of homeowners (and would-be homeowners) stand to be impacted by the situation, this is definitely a time for rational, reasoned discussion on mortgages and money. Loan Officer Dan Green offers just that in The Mortgage Reports, his blog that covers “mortgages, markets, and other items of interest.” Dan’s mortgage market experience is augmented with the use of charts, graphics, and videos to explain the issues; three of the most recent posts include Dan’s thoughts on locking mortgage rates, the use of mosaics to show why “National Real Estate News” is useless, and a video offering the most simple explanation of the mortgage crisis you’ve ever seen. Dan’s site offers new mortgage market information daily and is enriched with other content, such as podcasts, video clips, and conversations on a host of related topics.

Bizz Flip

Dot-comers Joe Paone and Forrest Kolb blog about business in the pages of Bizz Flip - but it’s business with a twist. As they say in their disclaimer, “we reserve the right to find and report the humor in business and just about everything else”. And they do, from office romances, to flying for business (all is not lost!), to startups. Lessons learned outside the office can be applied to the workplace too, as Life 2.0 will show you. Equal parts tongue in cheek observations mixed with statistics, interviews, and factoids, Bizz Flip’s posts will entertain and enlighten you about the world we work in. Twitter feeds, blogrolls, and facebook listings will likewise keep you updated and informed about everything involving the site and its authors.

Equity Green

Green is the future – of business, of people, of our planet – and in Equity Green it’s the future of real estate as well. How green innovation influences community, investments, growth, and operating budgets are areas which are only now being explored in detail, and the author – a real estate tax advisor living in Salt Lake City – documents them with candor and insight, as you’ll read in posts on green construction, infrastructure, and trends. You’ll even discover the "new" green and how it all impacts areas such as construction, materials selection, design, economics, and more. Interesting reading recommendations from blogrolls to books add to the knowledge base, with subjects such as sustainable architecture helping readers find “equity in green real estate”.