A few weeks ago I posted at The Scientist blog about a new jewelery store that had opened up near my office … and I was concerned that this jewelry store was headed for a sad fate if they didn’t soon figure out their “Unique Selling Proposition (USP).” The USP is that unique value that a business brings to the market to differentiate it from other businesses.

Grants must have a USP as well. In the current environment, “me too” proposals don’t cut it. There has to be something unique and powerful about what you’re proposing to do, or it won’t stand out enough in order to receive that 1 in 10 vote that is good enough for funding.

Yesterday I visited the jewelry store in question, and met the owners. It is a young fellow in his late 20′s, and a woman of about the same age who appears to be pregnant who is his wife. They are both sweet folks – but when I went in, the store was dead quiet. It reconfirmed what I wrote before, only with a personal touch. These are now real faces, young people with a dream, and if they don’t figure it out, that dream may die a quick death.

This is happening in science, too. Young scientists struggle to get funding for their work, and eventually throw in the towel. They may see senior scientists struggle, and say to themselves: “why should I bother?”

It is brutal, but there are solutions:
1. Take personal responsibility. Yes, I know that’s an alien concept – but with both the jeweler and with many young scientists, doing a better job of things like identifying and developing that Unique Selling Proposition would make an enormous difference.

2. Do a better job of communicating the value of science to society. This would lead to a turnaround in the slow, steady decline in public support for science.

If you want help identifying your USP, you can sign up for a complimentary strategy session, here.

Mostly I get very positive emails thanking me for the free and paid advice I give on dealing with the challenges of a modern science career in these days of shrinking budgets and overworked people.

But from time to time I get an email that is just downright negative.

A few days ago, it was an email that was complaining that I’d taken one of my free grantwriting videos down (on how to write a killer specific aims).  The person was downright pissy about it, and ended the message with “dissapointed.”

I understand.  I’ve done that to others before.  I deserve it, because I’ve given it.

But, here’s a note to both myself and others who would take this tack: it doesn’t get you what you want.

I believe that such an approach comes out of a deep-seated fear or lack of confidence that things will work out.  It is a belief that most people are trying to screw you.

Honestly – for years I went through life thinking that anyone trying to sell me anything – or who worked in tech support for a company that sells stuff – is just there to screw me.

It is a cynical view that produces exactly what it seeks to avoid.  By assuming that someone is trying to do you wrong, and approaching them with that attitude, they are far more likely to want to do you wrong!

My recent emailer is case-in-point.  I had just started a project of reorganizing my videos, and left it unfinished.  It was a mistake.  Now, if she’d just said: hey Morgan, I’d really like to see that first video that you took down, is there a chance you could send me a link? I would very likely have responded positively.  But instead she assumed that I was doing her evil, and took to scolding me about it (note: this was for a FREE resource I was providing).

My response?  Hey, sorry, but I don’t like dealing with negative people, life is too short.

Her response? Your customer service sucks.

My response to her response: You’re not a customer, and my goal is to attract customers for my services whom I like to work with.  I don’t enjoy working with people who are bitter and negative towards me from the start!

Her response: no answer.

I think it is particularly easy to be negative like that when one is feeling cornered and trapped in their job/life situation.  But don’t let that happen to you.  Force yourself to approach people positively, and it will take you one big step towards breaking the whole cycle of negativity.

Ok, so it turns out Google was saying my site was “infected by malware,” and traffic was dropping off.

But you didn’t bother to tell me (nobody did). Please – if you ever see a message like this on my site, let me know!

The problem appears to be fixed now. I’ve submitted the site for a re-review by Google to make sure.

I have a few new blog posts ready as soon as it clears Google.

Until then, I hope you are have a great weekend.

Morgan

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7z7lUaIkeM

Normally we’re perhaps a bit too serious on this blog, but since it’s Saturday, it’s time for something a bit more lighthearted – our recent attempt at carrying 400 lbs of bananas on a 2-wheel cargo bike (> 1,000 bananas).

Check it out and have a great weekend!

The “law of gravity” is referred to as a description of the phenomena of apples falling from trees and airplanes falling from skies (unless they are overriding the “law of gravity” with the “law of jet propulsion”). Laws are human made contrivances, often overturned or broken. The phenomenon of gravity existed long before Newton named it a “law”. Morgan discusses this with some live experimentation.

I’m salivating over Apple’s new iPad. The name is awful, but the idea of having something like an iPod touch on steroids is awesome. I’m thinking about all those nights lying in bed with a computer propped up for reading… replaced by an iPad. And instead of travel lugging around a heavy laptop… an iPad. Taking notes from a meeting .. iPad. Reading books, listening to music … iPad. Instructional videos (like the ones from my Perpetual Grant Dynamo course)… iPad.

I was so excited that I ordered one within minutes of when they became available to order (from the conference I was attending last week – ordering the iPad was more fun than listening at that particular moment. So shoot me).

And here’s the thing, I ordered the first iPad for you. Yes, I’m going to put off my personal gratification, and I’m going give out this iPod to one lucky person (I just sent in an order for a second one, for me — but it won’t come as soon).

How, I hear you asking, could you win this iPad?

I’m going to have a little competition here. I’ll announce the competition here, next Monday morning, March 22nd. Better stay tuned!

It will be super easy. It will be super fun. And you may end up with an iPad, for free – one of the first ones on the shelves. I’m going to go over to the Apple Store, pull out a crisp stack of bills (ok, probably a credit card), buy the thing, wrap it up, and send it off to the winner.

You’ll want to get started on this competition early on.

(BTW – I reserved the high end 64GB WiFi model that I’ll be paying $699 for, I didn’t cheap out on this one).

There is a common viewpoint among scientists that our fascinating universe arises from a bunch of billiard-ball like atoms bouncing off one another. Not true, says Morgan, it’s all a process…

By the way, if you like this, you can get more by subscribing to my email list. It’s that little box in the upper left corner of the page. I promise. I don’t bite (usually).

In today’s episode Morgan Giddings discusses the Oscars, pop culture, and a new idea for a science gameshow.  Science is fun, so why isn’t it ever portrayed that way on TV?  A science gameshow would help cure the boring science blues.