Press Release: For Immediate Publication.
John R Bryan
655 W Baker K111
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
mailto:vfwebmaster@virtuallyfree.com
http://virtuallyfree.com/
March 1, 1998
Get A Professional Problem Solver Free!
Your friendly search engine is not just a searching tool. It is also a brainstorming tool. In this age of the Small Office - Home Office, Telecommuter and Telemarketer it is sometimes difficult coming up with new ideas all by yourself. How often have you heard someone say, I just came up with a new idea, brainstorming with myself. Wrong!
The true essence of brainstorming requires two or more brains. It relies on exterior mental stimulation. What the person above came up with was the uncovering of his or her own genius. Theres nothing wrong with that as long as it's the best idea around. So just to be sure that you have the best idea around try your computer and an Internet connection. Go directly to your friendly Search Engine.
Brainstorming is used as a problem solver and/or a new idea generator. When you treat your brain, your computer and your Internet connection collectively, you will be in for a pleasant experience.
There also seems to be a common problem with many Search Engine users and that is what they want the search results to be exactly what they were looking for. Brain storming means getting answers and finding ideas that you did not know existed.
Before you begin to experiment let us, examine some of the basics of "Brain storming."
The number one rule in Brain storming is to allow someone else's idea(s) to interact with yours. Your idea, your project or your problem. Hard to do when you work alone. Huh! However, when you bring your computer and the Internet to the party you are inviting thousands of brains to the problem solving party
The second rule is to let new thoughts get as far out as possible. In other words do not stop or say no to a fresh idea no matter how wild it is. Is this starting to sound like some of the returns we get from SEARCH ENGINE DIRECTORIES? Just bookmark some of the titles and go on until you think you have enough new ideas to keep you busy for awhile. You can also bookmark entire pages and return to them for reference as needed.
The third rule is to not stop the thought trends until they have exhausted themselves. This may sometimes-mean going beyond the recommended top 30 offerings. How often have we come away from a search engine search, feeling that the computer did not understand what we were looking for? Or on the other hand, maybe we did not present the search request properly. In either case, we were unhappy with the results. Do not make final decisions now. Save them and look at them later. What would we think about the same results if we regarded them as input from our friends and associates? Would we look at them a little less demanding giving leniency for our friends and associates shortcomings? Probably! Can you imagine inviting 1,000 friends to a Brainstorming session? You can with your computer!
The only part of a computerized Brainstorming session that is missing is the emotional part. Frankly, that could be a blessing.
For the following illustration, we used Infoseek at: http://www.infoseek.com
While you are there take a look at what our search on the word brainstorming turned up: http://www.infoseek.com/Titles?qt=brainstorming&col=WW&sv=IS&lk=noframes&nh=10
And then compare those ideas (some are ok by the way) to these...
The following is an example of a problem one of our clients had:
"CASH FLOW"
Here are the search results:
Infoseek:
http://www2.infoseek.com/Titles?qt=%22cash+flow%22&col=WW&sv=IS&lk=noframes&nh=10
Note: REAL Estate Analysis Software
http://www.teleport.com/~jrmartin/mini.htm
And the list goes on and on...
Next:
Excite:
http://www.excite.com/search.gw?trace=a&search=%22cash+flow%22
Note: The SOHO Guidebook -- Managing Your Cash Flow
http://www.toolkit.cch.com/text/P06_4001.htm
Another tennant of good brainstorming is that one idea leads to another. This feature is built into Excite in the "more about this" line usually displayed at the bottom of a paragraph. http://www.redflag.com/products.htm
Note: Finance Web
http://www.financeweb.com/
Moreover, these examples are only the beginning... I cannot remember the times I have sat with clients brainstorming ideas with fewer positive results. Now when you have time go back and enter you own ideas or problems to see how many NEW ideas you can be rewarded with?
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