Good Honest Dollar $$

(A house nearby Yarra Glen, east of Melbourne, completely destroyed by via (Image via Wikipedia released into the public domain by photographer Nick Carlson))

Today I would like to take a break from the subject of business ethics and express my thoughts, prayers and condolences for those affected by horrendous bushfires in my home state of Victoria, in the South East of Australia.

The fires represent my home country’s worst peacetime disaster on record. According to a Bloomberg report earlier this week, the situation as at February 15 was as follows.

• the fires had claimed 181 lives, and it was possible that the eventual toll may reach 300; and
 
• more than one thousand homes had been destroyed, leaving an estimated 4,200 people homeless.

A national day of mourning will be observed across Australia on this coming Sunday (February 22). My thoughts and prayers go out to all have been effected, and particularly those who have lost loved ones or suffered personal injury.

In particular, special thoughts go out to residents the worst effected town, the iconic township of Marysville. Not only has the town been completely wiped out and destroyed, it is believed that up to one hundred of the town’s population of five hundred may have perished (houses are still being searched for bodies).

Prior to its destruction, the town was a local icon and a beacon for tourism. Surrounded by lush green mountain ranges with many fern gullies and a popular walking track to nearby Stevensons falls, the town, which offered a variety of guest houses, galleries, cafes and restaurants, and was popular with tourists, honeymooners and skiers headed for the nearby Lake Mountain Ski Resort. My mother and father had their honeymoon there.

Thankfully, as I understand it, most of the fires have no been brought under control. At this stage, my own family, who live on the eastern side of the nearby city of Melbourne, are not in imminent danger. That said, of course, the majority of residents in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne are on high alert, so I hope and pray for their continued safety.

Again, my thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected.

The following discussion represents my contribution toward “Blogging and Relationships,” a group writing project in which Alina Popesque is challenging bloggers to write about any particularly special blogging relationships which they have developed during the course of involvement within the blogosphere.

For Alina, this project represents a celebration of reaching the milestone of four years as a blogger. I congratulate her for reaching this milestone and I am delighted to be a participant in the project.

This blog is still relatively new, and I am personally still in the embryonic stages in terms of the development of meaningful blogging friendships and relationships.

Nevertheless, there are three people with whom I have shared valuable and worthwhile blogging relationships in recent times – two of which many readers will already be familiar, and one who may not be quite as familiar to some readers.

In alphabetical order (no order of preference), these people are:

 
Brad Shorr 
I met Brad (at least in a virtual sense) very early in my blogging days, and not only did he post the first comment on my original blog, the now defunct Another Ten Cents, and he was also the first commenter on this blog.

Since then, Brad and I become frequent contributors toward discussions on each other’s blogs, and we enjoy a wonderful blogging friendship.

As a blogger, Brad’s writing reflects not only three decades of expertise in terms of sales and marketing, but also a very uplifting nature and personality, which are evident not only in his own writing by also in the constructive nature of his contributions to discussions on other blogs.

The other thing which I really appreciate about Brad is his blogging etiquette, not only his prompt and constructive responses toward comments on his own blog, but also in his frequent contributions toward discussions on many of the other blogs which I personally read and enjoy.

 
Karen Swim
One only has to read Karen’s recent contribution toward Robert Hruzik’s recent group writing project “What I learned from love” to appreciate just how much of herself and her own heart which she pours out into her blog at Words for Hire.

That post represents an extremely moving discussion about her experience of the power of love in the face of tragedy as Karen faced the daunting prospect of letting go during the period in which her husband passed away. Highly recommended reading.

In particular, two key attributes about Karen which I feel are evident throughout all of her writing are her love for others and her passion for the written word, and she is one of those bloggers whom I feel has a passion for inspiring others and helping people to achieve their best.

 
Lauren Bloom
Here’s one blogger with which some readers may not be as familiar, but whose blog I have been following on a consistent basis since I started writing about business ethics.

Her name is Lauren Bloom and with more than twenty five years of experience within the legal profession, she speaks with a great deal of authority about a wide variety of issues with respect to business ethics. At all times, the discussions on Lauren’s blog are very clear and concise in nature, and they reflect an extremely fair minded approach with opinions which are supported by a careful examination of the facts as well as sound basis of argument. A thoroughly interesting blog.

In addition to her blog entries, I am privileged to be reading her latest book, The Art of The Apology, a book which I intend to discuss and review on this site after I finish reading it. This book contains an in-depth examination of about the need for and how to deliver effective apologies in a very broad range of circumstances, and makes for a thoroughly interesting read with some very practical applications.

 
Final Note
Once again, I would like to congratulate Alina on her four years of contribution to the blogosphere, and I hope that her participation within the world of blogging continues for many years to come.

Dear readers,

Today, I will sign off for a short break from blogging.

The schools at which I work are on currently on their winter break, and from tomorrow, I will be taking a short trip with a good friend of mine to Hong Kong and then to Thailand.

I will return from on January 28, and the next discussion on this blog will be posted on either Thursday January 29 or Friday January 30.

I probably won’t be reading or commenting upon many other blogs when I am away, but I look forward to catching up with some of the discussions on some of your blogs upon my return.

See you all on or around Jan 29-30.

Cheers

Andrew

Dear readers,

I would like to wish you all a very happy new year, and I hope that 2009 is a year of happiness, fulfillment and joy for you and your family.

I would like to share my vision for this blog in 2009 and outline my primary objectives for Good Honest Dollar this year.

I would also like to invite you to share any of your thoughts about where you would like to see this site go in 2009, by clicking on the ‘comments’ section above.

 
Outline of blog direction in 2009
Here are the key principles which I feel will drive the direction of this blog this year:

 
• A broader range of topics.

Whilst this blog will continue to be primarily focused around business ethics, I would like to increasingly explore topics which have a somewhat looser or less obvious connection with business ethics as a discipline. Toward this end, I may start to include a progressively greater amount of observation with respect to broader issues relating to business, society, politics or ethics in general.

I feel that this will help me to cover a broader and more diverse range of topics, thereby providing a richer and more rewarding readership experience.

 
• Growth in readership.

In order to maximize the dynamicism and vibrancy of this site, the progressive growth and expansion of the readership base will be a key priority for me this year.

I have been absolutely delighted with the discussions which have developed with readers so far, and I would particularly like to thank Brad, Karen, Cath and Lauren for their input last year.

This year, I would like to build on this further and continue to develop and grow the readership base of this blog, which I feel will add to the breadth and diversity of the range of opinions and perspectives which are put forward in response to the issues raised on this site.

 
• A ‘community forum’ character.

Related to the above point, I would like to see this blog to evolve increasingly toward something resembling a community or discussion forum.

Naturally, I will continue to share my own thoughts and opinions. However, I see the most significant value of this blog coming from you as readers sharing your own perspectives with respect to the relevant topics, particularly as many of you will have a considerably greater degree of breadth and depth of experience with respect to some of the relevant topics than what I have.

Toward this end, I will be placing more emphasis on guest posts, and my aim is to include at least one guest post each month within the discussions on this blog.

 
• Greater focus on the positive.

No credible business ethics forum would ever seek to avoid or gloss over discussion with respect to poor business practices such as fraud, corruption or scandal.

To do so would be counter productive, and my intention is to confront such issues head on in the discussions on this blog.

Nevertheless, I do not wish for this blog to become consumed by such topics, and in order to provide a positive and uplifting experience for readers, I will purposefully dedicate some posts toward the discussion of any positive corporate or individual initiatives or actions which I feel warrant highlighting or discussion.

 
• Advertising.

I hesitate to mention this now for two reasons – firstly because monetization of this blog is not my first priority, and secondly because I appreciate that not all readers approve of advertising on blogs.

Nevertheless, since I am sharing my vision for the year, it seems appropriate for me to share my current thoughts with regards to advertising.

This site will remain free of advertising in the near future. However, toward the second half of the year, I may well consider placing a small volume of advertisements on this blog. Whether or not I do so will depend not only upon traffic and readership volumes but also upon how I feel about this at the time.

In any event, let me stress that the experience of readers and the analysis and discussion of issues raised on this site will always be my primary focus.

Any spare change I may be fortunate enough to earn in the process will always be a secondary consideration.

 
Over to you
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to share your views.

What would you like to see from Good Honest Dollar in 2009?

Dear readers,

I would like to wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas and a very happy new year.

I would like to thank all readers and commentators who have contributed to this blog in 2008,

I will be taking and break from posting this week. I may or may not post one or two entries next week, I have not decided at this point. If so, you will hear from me next week, If not, I look forward to more discussions in the new year.

Cheers

Andrew