What Venus Williams Taught Me in 1.5 Hours

By Chris Cochran

With the summertime North American hardcourt portion of the pro tennis tour now in full swing, I’m getting eyeballs deep in watching live tennis matches at what are reasonable times of the day for me — no having to get up at 3 a.m. Pacific to catch a live match from Europe or Australia. But the Tennis Channel calls to me throughout the workday, so I compromise by leaving the TV on mute and just checking in when I go to refill the coffee cup.

Continue reading →

Professional Development: Getting Back to In-Person Conferences

By Chris Cochran

I recently returned from the first in-person conference I’ve attended since April 2019. At both that time and last month, it was the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) annual conference, which was canceled in 2020 and was virtual in 2021 and 2022. The 2023 edition was a hybrid conference – an in-person component spanning four days in Milwaukee combined with virtual events held over the last two weeks of April. In some cases, live events from our in-person component were simultaneously broadcast on Zoom.

Continue reading →

Good Year-End Reminders

By Chris Cochran

As an independent information business owner who works from home, it’s important for me to not only be a member of professional associations, but to also participate in those groups as actively as possible so that I continue to learn new things, reinforce established norms, and network with colleagues. I attended a great professional development webinar today hosted by the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) titled “The Good, the Bad and The Ugly: Top Info Pro Lessons for Growing Your Business.”

Continue reading →