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Well it has been on the "to do" list for a while, but we have finally refreshed our USA Directory - mylocalservices.com. With just under 2 million businesses onboard, it was time to spend some TLC and give members more functionality. 

Maybe I can tempt some USA based members onto the forum 

Meanwhile forum wise, I'm still scratching my head, talking to myself, and wondering what on earth to do with it . It gets lots of visiting traffic, helps the rest of the site ranking wise, earns a few quid from adverts,  but has little interaction as most people get their fix these days on Quora or YouTube. 

Good news is spam is minimal and takes minimal time to administer, which is a good job as I seem to be the only one available to do it.

Answers on a postcard, head-scratching continues...

Nicked from Facebook

• The economy is so bad that I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.
• I ordered a burger at McDonald's, and the kid behind the counter asked. "Can you afford fries with that?"
• CEO's are now playing miniature golf.
• If the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you have to call them and ask if they mean you or them.
• Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than General Motors.
• McDonald's is selling the 1/4 'ouncer'.
• A truckload of Australians was caught sneaking into New Zealand.
• The Mafia is laying off judges.
• BP Oil laid off 25 politicians

I was just cutting to the chase 

Now I'm older and wiser, the key is to ensure that you don't have any employees with a bad attitude in the first place. Big organisations and local authorities are dumping grounds of employees ticking over, unmotivated, fed up, but reluctant or unable to do anything about it. These kinds of employees can be catastrophic for a small business and small teams, destroying morale, cohesion and productivity.

So it's down to you to ensure you get the right people on board, and that your business is a right fit for them, as well as you. Few people relish starting a job they have no real interest in or get any satisfaction from.

But make sure you understand current HR rules and employment rights. If you don't, then get advice. Taking on new people doesn't have to be a major risk, it can be managed during a length of probation to ensure both you and the new starter are happy. This will include regular meetings to assess progress, address, and try and resolve any issues. 

If things are still inconclusive for either party, then extended probation can be a possibility or an amicable parting of the ways. The key is ensuring employment contracts and processes are correct, fair and followed.

This should reduce the chance of a bad attitude team member, but if it does happen, then falling back on your HR process, with agreed 1-1 meetings and performance reports, then you can also manage a person out of your business, without fear of retribution. If it's done fairly, the employee will normally concede it's not the job for them, and a bad attitude is just a trigger or sympton of an issue, which may or may not be work-related.

Maybe it's an external work stress that 1-1 meetings will highlight and you may be able to help, such as offering flexibility, time off etc, that will give the employee the chance to resolve whatever issue is impacting their work. The spin off here is you gain a reinvigorated employee that knows you have their back, and in return will give 110%. Win win for everyone 

So the question really is, why does your employee have a bad attitude?

we aim to please 

Welcome aboard  

We got a box of various Indian treats from an Indian sweet shop in Sparkhill, Birmingham, including milk sweets. Far too sweet for my palette but my kids loved them!

fire them

It seems the Carphone Warehouse name is set to disappear as it is absorbed into Currys, following the axing of the PC World and Dixons Carphone brand names. 

I don't know whether they are going out with a bang or just set on bombarding us with spam, but over the last few months I've had 7 sales calls from very noisy call centres with very poor English speaking operatives. I'm not even a Carphone Warehouse customer and certainly haven't opted into any marketing.

They normally start with the same speel, my contract is now up for review with my current provider (it isn't), and they can offer me a new shiny phone and a solution for world hunger.

Seven times they have been told to remove me from any marketing list and not to darken my door again. Maybe now the name is finally going as they become Currys, they will drop the overseas spamming call centre approach. Time will tell...

It's a shame, as they bought Tandys, a regular haunt of my youth, but I shall not be missing the Carphone Warehouse 

This is why this post that was originally written donkey's years ago, is still relevant, because nothing has really changed!

Including SEO agencies like Novus outsourcing ineffective link building, such as link dumping on forums 

Have filled in your survey.

I've been doing quite a lot of research in cryptocurrency and am genuinely fascinated with it. But I haven't witnessed or sensed any demand in crypto payments. I think this is unlikely to change until there is a more formal acceptance and regulation of cryptocurrencies that will then allow them to become more mainstream.

At the moment, they are a high-risk investment, which is great for individuals, but business is reliant on stability and calm, something that has been missing from recent years! I can't see many businesses increasing risk and uncertainty in the near future, but give it 10 - 15 years, with some kind of regulation and protection, then I've no doubt it will be commonplace.