en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/725110 Comments by Des Paroz http://newscubamarketing.com/run-scuba-business-sea-shepherds/#IDComment50915927 Passion (P) is great, and is the fundamental starting point for a business like scuba. I love teaching people to teach people, and thus have the greatest job as a course director. The other thing, the theme of your site, is business knowledge (K) and customer service skills (S). P+K+S= Success We need to have passion (the right attitude), knowledge and skills to be successful. Knowledge and skills can be acquired. They can be learnt through courses like the PADI IDC. But passion is internal. For those with the passion - get the knowledge and skills. For those without a passion, the message is clear. Find something you are passionate about and jump into that wholeheartedly. Thu, 7 Jan 2010 20:51:27 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/run-scuba-business-sea-shepherds/#IDComment50915927 http://newscubamarketing.com/perform-big-names-scuba-social-media-marketing-3-easy-steps/#IDComment49570739 Geeks! ;-) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:44:33 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/perform-big-names-scuba-social-media-marketing-3-easy-steps/#IDComment49570739 http://newscubamarketing.com/attracting-generation-divers/#IDComment49359712 I guess this is where we need to look at diving being a continuum of activities that revolve around the whole theme of being underwater in magnificent aquatic environments. For some people simple recreational dives and snorkeling adventures are the ticket. For others, diving on deeper wrecks and some moderate skin diving are the game. And for others again, tec diving or serious free diving are important aspects of the game, and are the very things that grandparents are unlikely to be able to do - or want to do. Maybe tec diving - or at least deeper recreational diving - needs to take a greater prominence in our marketing efforts. The new PADI Tec 40 Course, for example, is a great program that really caters to that arena, as is say that TDI Intro to Tech program. Going tec without being full on teccy! Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:37:34 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/attracting-generation-divers/#IDComment49359712 http://newscubamarketing.com/attracting-generation-divers/#IDComment49347956 I remember Holly Beck's comments at Dive Fuel in 2007 or 2008 were quite insightful. As a kid, she used to visit Caribbean resorts with her family. As a non-diver, her image of divers was basically "fat old men in speedos pushing everyone else out of the way at the breakfast buffet so they could get to their dive boat". For a variety of reasons, we in the diving community have a lot of room for improvement when it comes to marketing to the younger generation. We have all the elements, as you say above, to be an attractive activity for all age groups, but we need to get the message and the medium right for the Gen Y folk. Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:49:28 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/attracting-generation-divers/#IDComment49347956 http://newscubamarketing.com/long-fish/#IDComment48810362 Happy birthday Nick. Taking the rest of the week off? Have all your Christmases come at once? Have a great break! Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:50:53 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/long-fish/#IDComment48810362 http://newscubamarketing.com/suunto-beta-aweinspiring-update/#IDComment48562993 Had a chance to look at the site, and am quite underwhelmed. Navigation is clunky, page rendering is ordinary, and the use of Flash is somewhat unimaginative. More than anything, why would I ever want to visit the site? Theres nothing there that would have me want to come back after an initial, cursory, visit. Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:15:50 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/suunto-beta-aweinspiring-update/#IDComment48562993 http://newscubamarketing.com/suunto-beta-aweinspiring-update/#IDComment48434222 I'd have to say ho hum to this. A website like this one looks is a glorified brochure. NO need for a beta of that. Give me some new functionality that makes life different, then that might be cool. Using flash and minimising the use of social media is a good way to stay low on Google juice. People want content more than flash. They want enhanced value more than content. This should be an alpha test!:) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:49:01 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/suunto-beta-aweinspiring-update/#IDComment48434222 http://newscubamarketing.com/twitter-sucks-worse-diver-current/#IDComment47770543 OTOH I believe Twitter is a better forum for open conversations. Teaches us to be succinct. Facebook is becoming less and less useful as a communications tool. The SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) is aweful, especially with farmville, zombies, etc. Also, we need to be really careful about the privacy issues with Facebook, particularly in the last week with the changes to their policy. Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:13:53 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/twitter-sucks-worse-diver-current/#IDComment47770543 http://newscubamarketing.com/twitter-sucks-worse-diver-current/#IDComment47743621 Heh heh! My pet peeve is when the SNR (signal to noise ratio) is so high that it clutters your feed. Frankly if I see 10+ posts from someone in less than a minute it tells me that its automated or at best piled up. They never respond to conversations, because they're shouting not listening. They get unfollowed PDQ To use the phrase from the Cluetrain Manifesto (one of the best marketing books IMHO), "markets are conversations" ;-) Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:15:29 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/twitter-sucks-worse-diver-current/#IDComment47743621 http://newscubamarketing.com/twitter-sucks-worse-diver-current/#IDComment47738137 A Retweet can have two purposes - one is to add comment, and another is simply to pass on a message. I use if for both. Sometimes a message stands on its own 2 feet. Sometimes its already at 140 characters. You sound judgemental as is to say that retweeting should never happen without adding comment. But if there's nothing else to add, just to spread the message, then adding additional noise just for the sake of it is pointless. Of course, if ALL that someone does is blind retweeting, I'll probably vote with me feet and unfollow them in favour of those that they are retweeting. I think that being part of a conversation is knowing when to add comment, and when to let the original comment stand on its own 2 feet! Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:53:48 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/twitter-sucks-worse-diver-current/#IDComment47738137 http://newscubamarketing.com/stop-whining/#IDComment47221405 There are two types of days broadly for me - days when I am out teaching, consulting or otherwise onsite, and days when I am in the office. On the former days I spend 1 hour or more on web and social media. On the latter it can be a couple of hours easily. Got to invest and communicate with people. Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:16:35 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/stop-whining/#IDComment47221405 http://newscubamarketing.com/scuba-marketing-goals-2010/#IDComment46972135 The MI rating deserves a name that reflects the effort required to get it. A PADI MI (can't speak for other agencies) has a very broad range of teaching experience at all levels, and clearly has a good track record in doing what they love. Good luck Eric on your quest! Sun, 13 Dec 2009 07:34:46 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/scuba-marketing-goals-2010/#IDComment46972135 http://newscubamarketing.com/underwater-digital-photography-gateway-drug/#IDComment46341694 A great thing about the DUP course is that it can be integrated with the OW Course. Extra staffing (apart from the course Instructor there needs to be a "Photo Pro" who manages the photo process - the photo pro needs to be a DUP Instructor) is required for safety and logistics, and to make sure that the core skills of the course continue to be the focus. This means a new diver can have a small digital camera in their hands on some of their very first dives. Pretty cool if done properly! Wed, 9 Dec 2009 04:49:56 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/underwater-digital-photography-gateway-drug/#IDComment46341694 http://newscubamarketing.com/underwater-digital-photography-gateway-drug/#IDComment46327739 Hi Nick, the PADI Digital UW Photographer course has been around in its current form for several years. PADI did not "unveil" this at DEMA, but was simply working with professionals to get more of them to use the program! I agree that the SEA method is brilliant. Whilst I learnt UW photography on a Nikonos, and used film for several years, the biggest advantages of digital are the simplicity and the instantaneous feedback you get by reviewing the LCD. I wholeheartedly concur that digital photography is a gateway for many divers and non-divers to get into and/or expand their diving. Wed, 9 Dec 2009 01:33:27 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/underwater-digital-photography-gateway-drug/#IDComment46327739 http://newscubamarketing.com/mandatory-online-tools-scuba-business/#IDComment46327386 Nick, the emphasis on getting instructors to promote gear, con-ed and local is not new. There's some additional workshops in the IDC, but the emphasis in teaching presentations has been there for many years now. These things are important - people need gear, training and opportunities to dive. So an instructor needs to promote these things so people can the most out of their diving! Wed, 9 Dec 2009 01:30:00 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/mandatory-online-tools-scuba-business/#IDComment46327386 http://newscubamarketing.com/greet-customers/#IDComment45619913 Hi Nick, great stuff and thanks for the link. I love the "10 feet or 10 seconds rule". Thu, 3 Dec 2009 00:45:48 +0000 http://newscubamarketing.com/greet-customers/#IDComment45619913