Welcome to the New Better World Books Blog!

Posted by Jack on 10.03.2008 at 12:13 pm

OK, it took ages, but Rome wasn’t built in a day either.

In July of last year, I was working in acquisitions, managing the (now gone) Northeast Region. I ran book drives in Ontario, Connecticut and New York. But I knew there was more that I could do; more that I could offer to Better World Books. That’s why in July 2007 I took over control of the blog (notice June 2007 had two posts, July 2007 had 17 and October had 26. I’ve never looked back). At first there were small changes, instituting formatting (Arial 2, black, please!), insisting on more photos, requiring a standardized signature at the top, and trying to tap into content that people would want to read. The fact is, that people who like us do so for two reasons:
(1) Our involvement with our non-profit literacy programs
(2) The fact that we are the coolest online bookseller in existence.

The blog was answering well to (1), but coming up way short on expressing (2), something we all felt was true, but no one would know by looking here at the blog. After hacking away at this job, two things occurred that spurred on a huge change, first of all acquisitions was on the cusp of being completely restructured, and second I was drawing more traffic with better content to the blog.

Xavier called me come wintertime, and after tracking him down after a few months of searching (he’s like a special agent, it’s unreal trying to get a hold of him) he offered me the job of coming out to San Francisco and becoming the CBO, [Chief Blogging Officer]. The first order of duty was to get involved in social media, which I did via a few routes:
-a Facebook fan page
-a YouTube page
-a Flickr photostream
-a Twitter account

and a few less notable efforts.

But the real goal, as it was when I first took over, was to create a blog that was compelling for our customers, stakeholders and the average lover of books. This was going to require a huge restructure of the blog. We started in March 2008 and after I drew up a plan for the new site, we started working with a creative agency to iron out details and enact the plan in June or July.

Now, after tons of phone calls and emails and hair pulling, the new blog is live. It’s not done, as those who stop innovating doom themselves to electronic death, but I’m proud to say, it’s ready to offer you some great new material, such as author podcasts, video interviews and other great features, and we’re ready to listen to what you have to say!

Sincerely,
Jack Hanlon
Chief Blogging Officer and Evangelist
Better World Books

2 Comments » | Tagged Uncategorized, blog, Jack Hanlon, launch, letters to you

Jack and Social Enterprise

Posted by admin on 03.10.2008 at 10:23 am

At the conference, IMPACT invited Better World Books to discuss our awesome business model in a three hour forum entitled “Blurring the Lines: Public Good in the Private Sector.”  Jack represented us on the panel, which also had a fellow Holy Cross grad, Ken DeBlois of the Venture Consortium in Providence, RI and some folks from the Willamette University MBA program.  It was very interesting and the attendees had a lot of great questions, but it was very clear that we here at Better World Books are doing something decidedly NEW.  So new and innovative (I LOVE our business model) that folks at times have a hard time comprehending it.  The example that jumps to mind is regarding the triple bottom line – “Even if you do value social and environmental, won’t profit always be most important?”

Now I’m no business major, but I’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand some business theory as Better World Books offers a unique opportunity to see something very exciting and new in the world of business from up close.  I always start my research projects on the Wikipedia and while you won’t feel like you have an MBA by the time you’re finished with the article, you will have some ideas of good terms to use in your triple bottom line research!

Triple Bottom Line

Social Enterprise

If you want to hear a little more about the topic, a full podcast of this forum will be available later this month!

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, conferences, Holy Cross, Impact, Jack Hanlon, Northeastern University

Another Chapter Written

Posted by Jack on 05.25.2007 at 12:06 pm

Excitement is in the air! Exams are ending, computers and clothes are getting moved back home and gowns with matching hats are being worn around campus and (in the Northeast) all of this is happening in the much missed sunlight. What’s also happening on campus in all the hugs and packing? Better World Books. On over 1000 campuses students are going to bookstores and when they can’t get those books sold back they are putting them in donation boxes, and bookstores are packing cartons with books with new editions. Everyday I get an email from a school either saying “we have 75 cartons to ship” or “we have 10 cartons to ship” or my favorite: “I’ve heard about your program and we’d love to work with you next semester!”

This is the best time of the year, for many people the culmination of 4+ years of hard work. But amidst all the excitement it’s important to remember the people who make all of this possible. As for me I’m thankful for those students and teachers and bookstore managers who have stayed with us through the years, the students just starting and making time to do the right thing, and my own coworkers for making my job one that I enjoy and can do with pride.

Regardless of where you are today, drop those books off, pick up the phone and thank Mom and Dad, and good luck to all of you. Have a great summer!

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, book drive, campus, Jack Hanlon

Introducing Jack Hanlon

Posted by Jack on 03.20.2007 at 12:02 pm

Hi, I’m Jack, the new Northeast Regional Director here at BWB. If you want some info about me, check out our “About our regional directors” page on the site. Done yet…? OK, now that you know everything about me, I can begin:

It’s hard to start anew. I just moved to Boston and started a new job and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I like the area I moved in to and I like the mission of Better World Books, but how will I adapt? Will the people in each area live up to the fantastic experiences I’ve had in the past? Today I can say: Yes, and then some.

I’ve only been with BWB for a month, but from meeting the amazing people at the warehouse, talking to Pat at Books for Africa on a conference call, to even joining an “office” March Madness pool (which I am getting beaten soundly in, by the way), I feel at home already. The first people I met working here were so diverse in background and outlook, but there is one goal that we share: global literacy. This experience has truly made me feel like this is a job that I can, and will, succeed at because of their support system and enthusiasm. I can name at least 10 people who have saved me already, and I’m sure that list will extend, and hopefully, with our new hires I can start building a reputation as an answer guy too.

The best thing about starting though was the crop of emails from book drives encouraging me and showing such excitement about our program. Gary Chang, a Phi Theta Kappa member in New York City sent me the attached photo of how many books he has in his room at the beginning of the semester. You all know how much a picture is worth so I keep this one above my desk, with my eye on the prize.

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, book drive, books, Jack Hanlon, literacy