Here’s our weekly digest of cool stuff from the web. Enjoy!

• Tips on helping landscapes recover from flooding.
• Zero-turns on Dancing with the Stars. That is all.
• Very cool program for Spanish speakers in the Denver area. (via CoCal Landscape)
• Best and worst vehicles for insurance claims and injuries.
• Brooklyn’s Weeping Elm.
• Above: Next time your in Vegas, call up Zappos. They’ll pick you up for a free tour of their new HQ.

Here’s a round-up of some of the best stuff we found on the Internet this last week.

• Zappo’s will give its new trainees three large to quit. (Previously.)
• Landscape architects sound off on the Occupy movement and what it means for public spaces.
• Gibson Landscape discusses the May Rule.
• A podcast from Steve Cesare at the Harvest Group on some of the top HR mistakes landscapers make.
• Seth Godin explains what your real competitive advantage is. Hint, it’s not (just) working harder.
• Finding a market in a dying industry: the USPS.
• Above: Leonardo DaVinci’s to-do list.

I got an email today from Zappos. It seems it’s been a year since I ordered my last pair of Converse All-Stars, so they sent me a note.

It was brief, to the point and a great bit of follow-up. Just a few lines describing what I’d ordered and links to the same pair, as well as a page of other, similar shoes I might be interested in.

Here’s why the note was well-executed and not creepy:

• It’s timed right. A year out, the shoes could stand to be replaced.
• It’s handy. With just a few clicks, I’ll have a new pair in a couple of days.
• Most importantly, in the year since I’d ordered the shoes, this is the only email I’ve received from the company. No newsletter, no coupons.

Follow-up calls, letters and emails — while a great way to get repeat business and strengthen client relationships — can be a minefield. They’re a balancing act between helpful and bothersome. With a little thought and effort, you can turn them into a solid source of business. And not be creepy.

Image courtesy Magnus D