Do you have personality? And are you showing it to your blog readers? Do they know what you look like and sound like, and can they get a glimpse of what your office space looks like? Do they know your hobbies, where you live? Right now I'm in pajamas and there's a few strands of hair sticking up in the air. My work space is full of papers, books, coffee and Huey, the cat. But a professional video might show a different view... One of the things I put forth in the Click Predictions ebook for content marketing trends for 2010 is that companies are going to start showing more…
Selected by patsikrakoff
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Writing on the Web
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Why Video Works with Content Marketing to Attract Clients- An Audio Interview
9 Feb 2010 | 6:45 am -
Content Marketing for Online Profits - Video
8 Feb 2010 | 4:10 amHere's my video description of the new ebook I released last week, Content Marketing for Online Profits. I have to ask your forgiveness for my amateur video which I shot myself with an inexpensive Logitech Web cam, on a Sunday morning at home. My intention was to write a polished script and do a better job than this, but I've run out of time. The important message is that if you haven't done so already, please click this link to register to gain access to Content Marketing for Online Profits. It's an online learning program brought to you through MyKnowledgeGenie.com,… -
Content Marketing Profits: Learn for Free...
6 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amIf you'd like to learn about how online content works to get found, get known, get clients and make sales, register for Content Marketing for Online Profits. It's free, and from what readers tell me, it's easy to use and learn from. Click, register, get instant access. Then tell me what you think! -
How Does Content Marketing Lead to Sales?
5 Feb 2010 | 5:32 amThis is the real question, isn't it? After writing good content that educates and entertains, after posting on web pages, blogs, and a few key social media sites... how does content work to generate sales?"Show me the money," you might say.For some people, if the ROI can't be pin-pointed, forget about it. I'll leave the analytics to experts. Google keywords like "return on investment content marketing," for example. There's no question that the return on investment of content marketing can be measured and proven. If it didn't, then why would 6 out… -
10 Content Marketing Success Tips
3 Feb 2010 | 3:24 pmAre you writing this down? Take notes, these 10 tips for online success with Content Marketing are important. I didn't write them, but one of my favorite bloggers did, Adam Singer over at Online Marketing Blog. (#1 top Junta42 Content Marketing blog).Here's what he says:"As more companies, marketers and industry professionals flood the web with content, the value of those with a true understanding of content marketing keeps going up. "More noise increases the value of signal. If your content marketing defines you as that source of signal, you’ll consistently be found,…
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Holy Kaw!
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Google Buzz's official demo [video]
9 Feb 2010 | 11:25 amGoogle has just unveiled its latest attempt to become more relevant in the social media space—Google Buzz. The product is integrated within Gmail and will be rolled out gradually to all of the webmail service’s users over the next few days. While this development is still unfolding, you can check out Google Buzz’s two-minute demo of Buzz in action both online and via mobile. What are your initial reactions? Another soon-to-be-forgotten Google product like Wave, or a Facebook/Twitter killer? Full story at Mashable. Total Google coverage. Permalink | Leave a… -
Darth Vader’s original wimpy voice [video]
9 Feb 2010 | 11:15 amImagine a galaxy far, far away where Darth Vader sounded like any other British bloke strolling down the corridors of the Death Star. Before James Earl Jones provided the menacing voice of the Dark Lord of the Sith, English actor and bodybuilder David Prowse delivered the lines from inside the Darth costume. While George Lucas never intended for Prowse’s voice to make the flick’s final cut, it’s weird to imagine how different Star Wars would have been with a different Vader voice. Full story at Huffington Post. Tons of Star Wars tidbits. Permalink | Leave a… -
7 things you didn’t know about condoms
9 Feb 2010 | 10:14 amRubbers. Raincoats. Inconvenient. Whatever you call 'em, condoms remain a must-have in the safe sex tool box. Long before the days of Durex and Trojans, men used animal intestines to protect their willies (that sounds lovely, eh ladies?) and still to this day use lambskin condoms for latex allergies and supposed extra sensitivity. Want to learn even more fun facts about condoms that will surely impress your friends and potential lovers? Check out Asylum's seven things you probably didn't know about condoms that includes tantalizing tidbits like: Vaseline + condoms = Disintegrated rubber and… -
Horror flick mirror scare mash-up [video]
9 Feb 2010 | 9:25 amHorror movies love to rely on cliches to scare the bejeezus out of us, but does it really surprise anyone that the axe murderer is going to pop in the reflection of a mirror? Ok, yes, it still totally sparks a few pee-in-pants moments. Check out this mash-up of mirror scare moments (fair warning: don’t watch alone in a big, dark, scary house): Full story at Four Four. Boo! Tons of scary and not so scary movie news. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
7 things you shouldn't do on Valentine's Day
9 Feb 2010 | 9:13 amAh, Valentine’s day. February fourteenth marks that special moment in the year when Hallmark cashes in on our emotions and cupid gets busy shooting arrows. Whether you’re indifferent, excited, upset, or madly in love—there are seven things you just shouldn’t do on this lovey-dovey holiday. See a few do-not-do’s below: Go on a first date. First dates are hard enough, why add the extra pressure? Call your ex. Abort mission! On a day like this, it’s normal for your thoughts to drift to the one you used to be with, but you broke up for a reason. So, spare…
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Junta42-Content Marketing
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Seven Ways to Position Yourself for Unlimited Work
9 Feb 2010 | 7:17 amAs Junta42 continues to grow, we've started to branch out and hire freelancers and form partnerships. What I've learned through this process is that the way I make decisions on who I buy from or partner with has completely changed from just a few years ago. Whether you are an experienced freelance writer, a journalist/editor in a media company or brand, or even a marketing professional, there are things you must be doing now to make sure the work is always there (whether you work for yourself or someone else). It saddens me to find that people who I worked with for years at Penton… -
Junta42 Announces Content Marketing Giveaway
4 Feb 2010 | 7:29 pmJunta42 is again putting our money where our content is... Today we launched the $4200 in 42 Days contest where Junta42 will contribute $4200 toward a brand's content marketing effort. Simply put, it works like this. From now until 4/2/2010 any project submitted through the Junta42 system will be eligible for the $4200. All you have to do is sign up to the Junta42 content marketing matching service and select one of our expert, pre-qualified vendors. That's it. See more details here. Any thoughts or questions? Just shoot them over. -
Social Media Usage in Content Marketing Jumps 500% in Two Years
3 Feb 2010 | 6:54 amAs a follow up to our 2010 Junta42 Content Marketing Study, we've been doing some comparisons between content marketing product usage in 2010 versus 2008. The findings are interesting, to say the least Here are the highlights: Significant Increases in Content Distribution Social Media (i.e., Twitter, Facebook) - distribution of content through those channels has increased over 500% in two years. Blog usage has more than doubled. Online video has jumped nearly 2x. eBooks have nearly doubled. Slight Content Marketing Increases Digital Magazines Podcasts Microsites Holding Steady… -
David Meerman Scott on content marketing, social media & what's next
1 Feb 2010 | 3:57 pmHis book was a game changer. Now, David Meerman Scott's updated version of The New Rules of Marketing and PR promises even more. I had a chance to catch up with David recently and got his quick take on the book, social media and content marketing. Enjoy! JOE: From the previous version to the new version, what's the biggest change you thought you had to make? What's the biggest surprise - meaning something you'd never thought you'd actually update? DAVID: When I wrote the first edition of the book, Facebook was only available to those with a… -
5 Keys to Success with Content Marketing
28 Jan 2010 | 6:16 pmHere's a content marketing interview with me conducted by J-P de Clerck. I like the way J-P summed up the key successes and failures in content marketing for me. Hope they are helpful. The keys to success in content marketing: Understanding the informational needs of your customers Knowing how those informational needs mix with your marketing goals and objectives Developing a content program around those needs Being consistent (content marketing is a marathon, not a sprint) Listen and continually evolve the program Failure in content marketing: Selling, rather than…
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Darren Rowse
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Blog Like a Cartoonist – Six Stunning Secrets to Help You Break Through Bloggers Block
9 Feb 2010 | 11:24 amAnd now for a guest post with a difference from Cartoonist Mark Anderson from Andertoons.com who created this comic to illustrate the writing techniques he uses to create his cartoons, and how they can help bloggers push through writer’s block. Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger. Blog Like a Cartoonist – Six Stunning Secrets to Help You Break Through Bloggers Block Share This -
Have a 37 Minute Coffee Break with Me [Audio Interview]
9 Feb 2010 | 5:43 amIf you have a spare 37 minutes today to grab a coffee with me (or at least are doing something that will allow you to listen to something for 37 minutes in the background) check out this interview I did with Robb Sutton late last week. Robb’s also transcribed it for those who prefer to read. In the interview Rob asks me about a whole range of stuff including: my background in blogging my philosophy on lots of sites vs focusing upon a single (or just a few) sites the process of going full time (and my wife’s six month ultimatum) my shift in focus to e-books and membership sites a… -
What Is Your Blogging Goal for February?
8 Feb 2010 | 6:22 amA few days back I asked readers a question: What Have You Been Putting Off and What’s Holding You Back? Some of the responses to the question in comments (and via email and Twitter) revealed a lot of bloggers really wanting to step things up and get what they’ve been putting off done. So – lets set some goals – what do you want to achieve by the end of February? I’m not going to be calling you up to check up to see if you’re meeting your goals – but hopefully in putting them down publicly you’ll find yourself a little more spurred on to reach… -
9 Tricks I Used To Triple My AdSense Earnings In 30 Days
7 Feb 2010 | 6:34 amGuest post by Daniel Scocco from Daily Blog Tips. I have been using Google AdSense to monetize my blogs and websites for as long as I remember. In fact it was the first method I ever tried (I made a whooping $15 on my first month… back in 2005). Over the years I migrated to other methods (e.g., direct sponsors and affiliate marketing), which made AdSense become merely an inventory filler. I was still making around $1,000 monthly from it, but whenever I could I would use other methods over it. Then some months ago I started noticing an upward trend on the CPC of my sites, and I figured that… -
How I Got Some Paying Sponsors Without Really Meaning To
6 Feb 2010 | 6:21 amA guest post by Josh Hanagarne. World’s Strongest Librarian was about four months old when I got interested in sponsors. I’d read the articles about how to do it, and none of them sounded that plausible for me and my situation. For one, my traffic wasn’t impressive, certainly not to the point where sponsors were approaching me. And, while my blog has become slightly more focused in its first ten months, it wasn’t targeted at any group of readers in particular, so I wasn’t sure how confident niche advertisers would be. It’s a little more focused now, but I can’t really think of a…
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Copyblogger
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Does Writing for People Work for SEO?
9 Feb 2010 | 8:16 amHang around web writing circles for any length of time, and the inevitable “write for search engines or write for people” debate comes up. It’s a bit strange, really. Last time I checked, it’s people who use search engines, not some other life form. So you’re always writing for people. Obviously, the debate stems from the fact that search engines are powered by computer algorithms. But as search engines have gotten smarter, writing that pleases people and satisfies spiders is not that far apart, if at all. Let’s look at four factors that work well for SEO and see how well they… -
The Art of Shameless Self-Promotion
8 Feb 2010 | 7:49 amI’ve found it just doesn’t pay to crow too much about what I’ve accomplished. Sure, I celebrate when things go well. But I’ve found that talking too much about my achievements leads not only to criticism, but to disappointment. There’s always going to be someone who’s done more or worked harder. And until they carve my name into the side of the moon, I see no reason in puffing myself up. The minute you get a big head is the same minute that reality smacks you and you realize that you aren’t as cool as you think you are. So self-adulation is something I try to stay… -
Five Areas to Focus On for Effective SEO Copywriting
5 Feb 2010 | 8:51 amWhen I first started Copyblogger in 2006, I was almost militantly against on-page search optimization. Seems strange, since I’d been a successful student of SEO since 2000. It was because I saw all these people fretting over keywords like it’s 1999, and yet they had no links. Their content was weak. Their sites weren’t trusted. You can’t optimize something that’s dead in the water. So my initial goal was to get people to focus on content that attracted attention and links first. Only then do you have something you can make better (that’s what optimize means, naturally). Fours… -
Landing Page Makeovers 2007-2009: Where Are They Now?
4 Feb 2010 | 6:46 amThis is another addition to our ongoing series of tutorials and case studies on landing pages that work. It occurred to me late last year, as I was readying yet another Landing Page Makeover, that the end of one year and the beginning of the next was a good time to do a “Where are they now?” post. So first things first, I went back and contacted all makeover participants from the very beginning of the series. Of the more than 20 contacted, I learned that one is no longer in business, MagicPumpkinArt.com (Makeover #14) and two are in the midst of developing new products or revising… -
Does SEO Copywriting Still Matter?
3 Feb 2010 | 8:28 amIf there’s any one thing that can be said about SEO with certainty, it’s that it manages to cause a lot of confusion. For example, it seems like many people’s idea of SEO was formed 10 years ago, and hasn’t bothered to change with the times. Even an online veteran like Robert Scoble is completely clueless about modern best practices for search engine optimization. So, before we go any further, let me answer the question posed by the headline . . . Yes, SEO copywriting still matters. Here’s why. Search is still the biggest game in town “Pick your survey, search remains one of the…
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ContentMarketingToday
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B2B Media Burning Bridges to Print While Business Marketers Deliver Outstanding Online Content
29 Jan 2010 | 12:40 pmAs Content Marketing Goes from Optional to Obligatory for Business, Penton Suffers and Miller Electric Shines Penton’s shift to online only for Welding Design & Fabrication symbolizes the decline of traditional media. At the same time, Miller Electric shows just how powerful content marketing can be as a replacement for traditional publishing—even when publishers take their acts to the web. Penton’s print magazine launched in 1959 when Eisenhower was President, Sputnik had just gone into orbit, and most TVs were black and white. After decades of success, the print… -
4 Common Sense Social Media Tips for PR and Marketing Pros
29 Jan 2010 | 12:02 pmYes, you can apply the best of traditional public relations practices to the new world of social media Guest post from Kathleen Taylor, APR, President of the Southwest Florida chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association offers 4 top takeaways from their January 2010 Social Media Cafe. Her report from the seminar illustrates that social media is beginning to permeate PR even in a relatively small market such as the Naples/Ft. Myers Fl area. By Kathleen Taylor, APR "The wisdom’s in the room. Make a concerted effort to learn from those around you," said Butch… -
Learn What’s Ahead for Content Marketing in 2010 from 39 experts
21 Jan 2010 | 7:15 amNew Crowd Sourced E-Book Is Also a Brilliant Example of Content Marketing Because all of us are smarter than one of us, you will find lots of value in the new e-book, Key Content Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2010– which even includes my own fearless prediction on content marketing. The genius behind this e-book is Ambal Balakrishnan. She has turned crowd sourcing into an art form. Ambal has recruited 39 experts and given them an opportunity to display their knowledge. She adds her own value by synthesizing the best of those 39 predictions to come up with her own top… -
10 Ways to Win with Online Video
19 Jan 2010 | 6:40 amStand Out from the Marketing Crowd Thanks to Lou Bortone, video marketing guru for this guest post In an over-crowded and hyper-competitive marketplace, video marketing can help you break through the clutter and deliver your message in a powerful and memorable way. Thanks to YouTube, and inexpensive, easy-to-use camera options like webcams, Flip Video cameras and iPhones, online video is now well within the grasp of just about anyone. However, just because creating video is more accessible than ever, that doesn’t mean we all know how or where to use it. As with any marketing tool, you’ve… -
Content Marketing Lessons Driven by the Geico Gecko
12 Jan 2010 | 5:02 amAnd It’s Not Just Content But Mobile Content for the iPhone The Geico gecko campaign is an excellent example of effective advertising because it integrates humor with a consistent product benefit message. Nonetheless, it suffers from the same limitations that afflict all advertising: It calls out to customers whether or not they want to hear the message. Thus, however amusing, it’s still an example of interruption marketing. Because each ad is short, Geico is limited in the amount of information it can convey. There is little intrinsic value to the content of the ads. That is,…
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Writing White Papers
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Before You Start Your White Paper Project, Ask These Questions (Part 2 of 4)
9 Feb 2010 | 4:26 amThis is part 2 of a series on your internal preparation for a white paper project. Second: Who is the ideal reader for this white paper? Get ready to dissect the persona. Too many companies underestimate the importance of this step in the white paper process—determining the ideal reader. When this step is skipped, the result is a white paper that tries to do too much for too many people and ends up boring most of them. Don’t let that fate befall your white paper project. Do some homework on your ideal readers and be sure that your paper floats their boat. This kind of homework is akin… -
Before You Start Your White Paper Project, Ask These Questions (Part 1 of 4)
1 Feb 2010 | 1:50 pmThis post is part 1 of a series on the homework you need to do before you start on a white paper project for your organization. First: What message do we want to convey? Have you ever painted anything: a door, a bedroom, a house? Did you keep track of your time? Did you notice that you spent most of your time in preparation, and that the process of applying paint actually went pretty quickly? White papers are not much different. Organizations that have done all the prep work and established a rhythm and process for marketing content can keep white paper projects rolling without much ado. But… -
Images as Bricks, Text as Mortar - A New Model for White Papers?
21 Jan 2010 | 9:17 amWhite papers are meant to persuade and inform. What if you did all of your persuading with images and all of your informing with text? Last week a freelance writer turning her attention to the world of white papers asked: How important are graphics and diagrams to a white paper? I’m not very good at creating these. Do you think I should check out a few online tutorials on MS Word to learn how to use all those tables and charts? I think about this a lot. A white paper without diagrams is silly, bordering on the oppressive. It’s like children’s literature without pictures. In… -
We’re Giving Away Free White Paper Success Summit Tickets!
13 Jan 2010 | 2:03 pmIf you want to win free tickets to White Paper Success Summit 2010, be sure to check out the contest we have going on over at Junta42. Your chances of winning are VERY good. And the grand prize is two summit tickets and a free consult with me! Go there now and enter to win your free tickets. -
5 Ways to Grow Your Business With White Papers & the 3 Mistakes You Must Avoid
8 Jan 2010 | 11:02 amIs the need for better leads forcing you to rethink your marketing plans for 2010? Are you contemplating using white papers to grow your business? Do you know the common mistakes that make white papers useless? If you’re pondering these questions, I strongly recommend you attend my upcoming webinar (it’s free) called 5 Ways to Grow Your Business With White Papers and the 3 Mistakes You Must Avoid coming on January 20, 2010. I will be joined by Bob Bly (author, White Paper Marketing Handbook) as a presenter at this special free event. By attending this online event you’ll…
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Seth's Blog
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TEDthink
9 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amCan you factor this? If you're like most people, you get a little queasy at the thought. And when you were in tenth grade, you surely wondered why they were bothering you.(the answer is (x-2) times (x-2), in case you were curious.)It turns out that the real reason you needed to do this work was to be able to play with numbers in your head. Abstract numerical thought is an important skill among educated people.Which brings us to TED, a conference held every year in Long Beach. It's going on right now. Watch a few TED videos and try to get ahead of the speaker. They have an idea...it's probably… -
Frightened, clueless or uninformed?
8 Feb 2010 | 2:57 amIn the face of significant change and opportunity, people are often one of the three. If you're going to be of assistance, it helps to know which one.Uninformed people need information and insight in order to figure out what to do next. They are approaching the problem with optimism and calm, but they need to be taught. Uninformed is not a pejorative term, it's a temporary state.Clueless people don't know what to do and they don't know that they don't know what to do. They don't know the right questions to ask. Giving them instructions is insufficient. First, they need to be sold on what the… -
The least I could do
7 Feb 2010 | 3:35 amOne way to think about running a successful business is to figure out what the least you can do is, and do that. That's actually what they spent most of my time at business school teaching me.No sense putting more on that pizza, sending more staff to that event, answering the phone in fewer rings... what's the point? No sense being kind, looking people in the eye, being open or welcoming or grateful. Doing the least acceptable amount is the way to maximize short term profit.Of course, there's a different strategy, a crazy alternative that seems to work: do the most you can do instead of the… -
iPad app of my dreams: the digital talking pad
6 Feb 2010 | 8:10 amHere's the spec. If you build it and it's great, I'll use it and I'll blog it.A while ago, I posted about the talking pad and a modern version of it.I think there's a killer app version of this for the iPad, and I hope someone will build it. The talking pad is an interactive presentation tool for smart people.OverviewIt's a very simple concept: a collection of pages (slides, images, type, let's call them pages) that are easy to navigate in a non-linear way. Along with the standard zoom features, I'd like to be able to write on any of them in real time using my finger. I can also call up, on… -
The relentless search for "tell me what to do"
6 Feb 2010 | 2:26 amIf you've ever hired or managed or taught, you know the feeling.People are just begging to be told what to do. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I think the biggest one is: "If you tell me what to do, the responsibility for the outcome is yours, not mine. I'm safe."When asked, resist.
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Marketing Profs Daily Fix
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Trending ‘Functionall’
9 Feb 2010 | 4:28 amReinier Evers founder of trendwatching.com can always be counted on to weigh in on new trends every month. As is the case with all prognosticating, there’s always the risk of being wrong. But in Evers’s case, I think he’s had considerably more hits than misses. Trendwatching’s latest caught my eye more than most. The headline screams one word: “Functionall.” The subhead: “Why simple, small & cheap appeals to all.” The definition of Functionall: Captures the phenomenon of simple, small and/or cheap products and services designed for low(er)-income consumers… -
MarketingProfs B2B Forum Ramp Up: What I Have Learned About B2B Marketing
9 Feb 2010 | 3:36 amAs part of my journey in developing the content for an educational conference, in this case MarketingProfs B2B Forum, I do a lot of research. I spend a lot of time on the web looking at competitive conferences (and non-competitive conferences) as well as reading many white papers, articles and blogs. We also take seriously any feedback that we’ve gotten from the attendees at our last event and we poll the MarketingProfs community about topics they need education on through crowdsourcing, discussions on our community sites and in the form of questions sent out as tweets. But most important… -
Guest Post: The 4 Pillars Of B2B Marketing-The Lifecycle Of a B2B Campaign
8 Feb 2010 | 6:37 amBy Achim Klor SterlingKlor Communications I recently read an excellent post by Paul Dunay on Social Media Today presenting the 4 C’s of B2B marketing. We’ve known about the 4 P’s of marketing for years: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Paul argues the 4 P’s are primarily a B2C mix. The 4 C’s, however, (Content, Connection, Communications, Conversion) illustrate the marketing mix for B2B. Sounds great, but how should B2B organizations implement the 4 C’s marketing mix into their campaigns? I would like to highlight an approach that has served our B2B agency very… -
Interview With Seth Godin: Linchpin
8 Feb 2010 | 6:21 amIn this Marketing Over Coffee brought to you by MarketingProfs: We talk with Seth Godin about his new book: Linchpin Marketing Over Coffee with Seth Godin Direct Link to File Show length 23:30 00:52 What’s Linchpin about? 02:30 How do entrepreneurial linchpins fit in to large organizations? 05:40 Who are the artists? 06:55 Can you get beyond Dunbar’s Number? Gary V. is using Twitter to add two zeros. 08:10 What is The Resistance? What is Emotional Labor? 11:22 Thrashing – a classic Marketing problem, and yes, Duke Nukem! Real artists ship. 14:16 Is there any future for mass media… -
How To Build a Brand Internationally
5 Feb 2010 | 6:21 amCongratulations! Your company is successful locally, and now you want to share what you do with the world. In many ways, the process will be like re-starting your business. Many of the activities you performed to launch your initial business are the same you will employ in each of your new international markets. However, much of your time will be spent translating (literally and figuratively) to ensure you are locally relevant to your new customers. A Brand = A Reputation The term “brand” can be confusing. Think of a brand as a reputation. Building a reputation in any new market…
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Chris Brogan
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Earn Your GED- Find Success Tomorrow
9 Feb 2010 | 1:30 amNo, not your General Equivalent Degree. The GED to which I refer is “guest experience design.” What the heck am I talking about? I’ll tell you. Old words: customer service. New words: guest experience. Disney, where I am this week, has a concept called a Moment of Truth. A moment of truth is “any time a guest comes into contact with any aspect of a business, however remote, is an opportunity to form an impression.” Note that it’s “an impression.” It can be good; it can be bad. Why “guest?” Because guest is much more hospitable than… -
Pursue the Goal Not the Method
8 Feb 2010 | 1:30 amIn the back of a town car hired to take me to the Kansas City International airport, talking to Jeff, a driver with two kids, self-proclaimed ADD, and a history of quitting rote sales jobs every few months, I realized something of importance to the story of what’s brought me to this place: I am a seeker of the goal, not the method. Now, to unpack. The Method Is What We’re Taught to Pursue We learn our times tables. We learn the 50 states (in the US, at least). We are taught all these rules, these patterns, these systems, these methods. Musicians learn their scales. Painters copy… -
Your Blog From the Prospect’s Point of View
7 Feb 2010 | 7:34 amWhen you use your blog to complain or report sideways about the industry at large, what message is that sending to your potential new clients? If you’re spending your time analyzing what other people in your space are doing, citing why they’re wrong, and providing your commentary about all the things they’re doing, what does your next potential customer come away thinking? Is your negative commentary helping them make a buying decision? I’ve rarely seen the tactic work in traditional advertising. You can graze them a little bit. For instance, I’m a bit fond of… -
Just Lucky I Guess – Kitchen Table Talks
6 Feb 2010 | 1:46 pmIn this Kitchen Table Talks video, I just want to address all the nice folks who call me lucky, or who think I’m just sitting around being handed my lot in life. Can’t see the video? Click here. Direct link to the video “Lucky” is absolutely what I am. Here’s what I do to earn my luck: Write a blog post or two a day. Write a newsletter every week. Comment and connect with others daily. Answer and send hundreds of emails daily. Read voraciously. Work with the best clients I can find. Reach into new markets weekly. Travel extensively. Seems lucky to me. People… -
Some Of The Third Tribe Conversations
6 Feb 2010 | 1:02 pmI’m really enjoying participating in the forums at the Third Tribe site. I was just adding my two cents to a handful of forum postings, and thought that I’d show you what some of the topics we’re talking about are, so you’d have a sense of what’s going on. We don’t really share the contents, because the people participating there like having the chance to speak openly/candidly about their marketing challenges, but I don’t see the harm in sharing a few of the topic titles. Here they are: Favorite copywriting and marketing books? Third Tribe Blogroll? 2…
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Bob Sutton
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Let's Invent a New Word or Phrase: What do you call someone who "opts out of participating in something but then complains about the outcome."
6 Feb 2010 | 11:37 amThis question came in an email yesterday from Mozilla's Asa Dotzler, who is renowned for his skill as an open-source marketer, especially in spreading the Firefox browser. The engine that propels any open source community is having a wide range of smart and hardworking people who generate and refine solutions, and are eager to step in and fix them when things go wrong. So maintaining norms that encourage people to participate in generating solutions and making decisions-- rather than those who don't pitch in or help make decisions but always complain bitterly about the… -
IDEO CEO Tim Brown: "I found it vaguely embarrassing and frustrating to be in an office."
4 Feb 2010 | 1:13 pmI have argued in the past that there are a lot of evidence-based disadvantages to working in an open office, as there are many more interruptions, distractions, and other stressors --- and of course less privacy. And there are quite a few studies that show when people move from closed to open office designs, they don't like it all and their productivity sometimes drops. I had an experience a few weeks back, however, that has me questioning the limits of this research -- and believing that if an organization has the right norms, leadership, and especially collective… -
What a Mess: The Tenure Appeal Meeting at Ohio University
1 Feb 2010 | 1:33 pmI got a comment this morning about the outcome of the the appeal meeting at Ohio University for Bill Reader's tenure case. You may recall that I wrote about this in detail in my post on The No Asshole Rule Versus Compassion for the Mentally Ill. The meeting appears to have been an ugly scene. According to the report in the school paper:"A standing-room-only crowd of students and faculty members in Baker University Center 219 heard Dean Greg Shepherd and Director Tom Hodson defend their decision to deny Reader tenure, calling him a non-collegial bully incapable of… -
I Am Now Blogging at Psychology Today
1 Feb 2010 | 11:43 amI just started blogging at Psychology Today last week. This page and blog will remain the place where I put the lion's share of my effort. Most of my posts will appear here first, and then I will reprint some of them there to reach a different audience. The name of my blog there is Work Matters: Straight Talk and Solid Evidence About Organizational Life. I also will let you know when I write anything in Psychology Today that is now printed here. For starters, I thought a good way to introduce myself to Psychology Today readers was to introduce them to a range… -
You Know It Is Snake Oil When They Say That It Explains 75% of Success in Life
24 Jan 2010 | 12:26 pmI clearly have strong beliefs about what drives human behavior, and think there is pretty strong evidence to support many of them. At the same time, I believe equally strongly that there are no magical cures for organizational and individual problems, or any one theory that explains all human behavior. Behavioral scientists battle over these issues -- and they should, it leads to better evidence -- over things like nature versus nurture, extrinsic versus intrinsic rewards, cognition versus emotion, and on and on, and each of us -- me too -- is probably unduly biased in favor of our pet…
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John Jantsch
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PR is Only Dying If It Isn’t Evolving
9 Feb 2010 | 5:51 amSharePR is Only Dying If It Isn’t EvolvingThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Marketing podcast with Brian Solis (Click to listen, right click and Save As to download – subscribe now via iTunes For this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast I asked Brian Solis, Principal of FutureWorks and co-author of Putting the Public Back in Public Relations, about the future of the PR industry as we know it. There’s plenty of doom and gloom surrounding the practice of public relations in the social web world, but Solis suggests, and I totally agree, that there’s a… -
5 Questions You Should Ask Every Customer
8 Feb 2010 | 5:33 amShare5 Questions You Should Ask Every CustomerThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Constantly seeking feedback from your customers is a great way to learn how to market your business more effectively. If you’ve never done this before, do it immediately as it is one of the best ways to discover what you do that actually differentiates you from your competition. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked with a small business that had no idea what its competitive advantage was until we heard it right from the mouths of happy customers. Seeking feedback is also a great way… -
Weekend Favs February Six
6 Feb 2010 | 8:14 amShareWeekend Favs February SixThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing I’ve added a weekend post routine that I hope you enjoy. Each weekend I write a post that features 3-4 things I read during the week that I found interesting. Generally speaking it won’t involve much analysis and may range widely in topic. (Flickr image included here is also fav image of the week) Image credit: Dr Swan Enjoy! Good stuff I ran across this week: Siri – An iPhone app that acts like a personal assistant – you can ask to find things by name – nearest Starbucks or by broad category –… -
Extending Your Presentations Through the Backchannel
5 Feb 2010 | 5:18 amShareExtending Your Presentations Through the BackchannelThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing The term “backchannel” was coined in the field of Linguistics in the 1970’s to describe listeners’ behaviors during verbal communication. It is commonly used these days to describe the behavior or conversation going on in social media while a speaker is making a presentation. In some conferences the majority of the people listening may be actively Tweeting throughout a speech. Like it or not, managing the backchannel has become a part of presenting, in person or online. -
Analytics from a Really Smart Guy
4 Feb 2010 | 1:19 pmAnalytics from a Really Smart GuyThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Marketing podcast with Avinash Kaushik (Click to listen, right click and Save As to download – subscribe now via iTunes Avinash Kaushik, author of Web Analytics 2.0 is one of those rare people who can take a somewhat dry and mathlike subject of web analytics and make it sound easy and even fun. I got to spend a few minutes with Avinash for this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast for some tips about this important, but often overlooked topic. Web Analytics can seem like a scary subject, but it’s…
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Shel Israel
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Moving Experience
7 Feb 2010 | 1:33 pmI have moved to WordPress as of Feb. 7, 2010. Please visit me at http://globalneighbourhoods.net. If you somehow bounce back to this site, just hit refresh and try again.I will slowly migrate old posts over as well. But you if you are searching for old content, you may want to search here, first.Sorry for any inconvenience. See you on the new site. -
New Book Title 'Blurring Boundaries'
4 Feb 2010 | 11:21 amThis is my third try with this new book. That's not nearly as bad as it may sound.Scoble and I tried seven names before we came up with Naked Conversations. I don't even have a proposal yet, never mind a publisher or publishing date, so there is still lots of time.But having a working title, even one that may change a few times, makes it easier to talk about my book. And the process of name requires me to focus thoughts on what this book is about in the simplest, clearest possible terms.So let me try again:Blurring Boundaries--How Online Enterprise Communities improve … -
New Book Title: 'Blurry Lines'
2 Feb 2010 | 10:56 amI've decided on a working title for my new book, unless of course, someone tells me why it's a bad idea: Blurry Lines--How online communities help companies & customers mutually profit.When I interviewed Mark Finnern, who runs SAP's mentor program, he told me that the companies community networks were blurring the lines between the company and it's customers. The same perception came up again when I interviewed Intuit's Scott Gulbransen who talked about an ongoing collaborative process in communities that let the users say what they wanted in products in discussion… -
TLE Notebook: Intuit's Scott Gulbransen
1 Feb 2010 | 1:33 pmIntuit is one of at least five companies that I plan to profile in depth for my new--still nameless--book. The others are essentially big business-to-big business players. But Intuit is business-to-small business and consumer. My particular interest is the small business side an area generally considered to be too fragmented, limited in budget and late to adopt to be a profitable area to serve. Yet, every small business needs to manage its books and tax records and Intuit is the overwhelming supplier of automated products in this area. Scott said Intuit has 50 million individual and small… -
8 Key Points to my new book
30 Jan 2010 | 11:08 amOne of my exercises in starting a new book is to create two sentences. The first tells you what the book is about and the second tells you who it is for. The challenge is to constrain yourself to two sentences.I'm not there yet. It would be nice, because once I get there, figuring out the Title/subtitle would not feel like such a daunting task.As I've written before, I use this blog as a sandbox, for my books, a place to play and experiment. A place to see what does and does not work. Over half the books I planned to write have never gotten beyond this sandbox. Almost all writers go…
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Valeria Maltoni
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How I Participate in Social Networks
9 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amI'm borrowing a page off the Communicatrix blog to lay out how I participate in social networks. Why? Because we all have a different strategy to how we spend our time and energy to be social and to achieve our goals and since we have a strategy, in the spirit of social, we should make it transparent. [hat tip to Skip Shuda for suggesting it]I've been getting more than many requests from several people in many networks lately. Requests to friend, requests to tweet, to forward, to bookmark, to stumble, the list goes on. Being online for the best part of my day makes me very accessible. That I… -
Are You Customer-Averse?
8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amWe all know the story of how Comcast went from customer-averse to customer-friendly. It started online with a person, and it's making its way to the rest of the organization. You will agree with me that Comcast went from this episode, to this action, to this thinking. They went from customer-averse, to customer-friendly. It didn't happen overnight, still it did. Competition helps, too, so we keep our fingers crossed on any one company getting too big to care.Businesses continue to look for more ways to get new business either from new or current customers -- usually both, in this order. Shiny… -
Trust in Media Down, Good News for Experts
7 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amTrust in business and Government has gone up in the last year, while trust in media seems to be declining across the board -- this is the latest finding of the latest annual Edelman Trust Barometer survey. Take a look at the executive report and see that:Trust in traditional media is trending downward: TV news dropped by 20 points radio news dropped by 17 points print news dropped by 12 points Trust in digital media is still pretty low, and although corporate communications are trending higher than social networks, they're still not that high.We've all witnessed the decline of stretched news… -
The Future Online is Subscription-Based: Why I Joined Third Tribe
5 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amClearly, the title left out a few pieces of information. I believe there is still a future online for free, but increasingly, the way to get things done, to go from conversation to agent, is subscription-based. Why? Accountability, resources, self-selected network, and opportunity to syndicate service, for a fee.The service for a fee model interests me most. That's why I joined Third Tribe as a member this week. The whole velvet rope community concept should make brands pay attention. This is not just a build a community to push your products, or just engage customers in your stuff kind of… -
We Still Get Things Done Through Search
4 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amWith all the talk about social networks and engagement, when it comes to getting things done, we rely on search. The image above was part of the set I used last Fall at the Inbound Marketing Summit when we talked about the importance of creating content for sharing.There was another interesting study I did not mention at the time that confirms a few of the following statements on social media as content delivery mechanism to: help conversions connect to value build relationships extend to influentials engage via education They are all outcomes I've had the opportunity to experience and…
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Dan Pink
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An emotionally intelligent . . . unsubscribe link?
8 Feb 2010 | 3:14 amHere’s a new one, courtesy of Eddie Garcia. Take a look at this unsubscribe link from Groupon. Pretty clever. I have a feeling it could actually get people to reconsider ending their subscription. (Note: Because Groupon is apparently overwhelmed with visitors today, I had to link to a Screenr video of the unsubscribe page rather than the page itself.) -
Factoid of the day: Super Bowl edition
7 Feb 2010 | 11:11 am“According to an operational study of National Football League teams prepared for The Wall Street Journal by Boston Consulting Group, the typical NFL season requires 514,000 hours of labor per team. That’s about eight times the effort it took to conceptualize, build and market Apple’s iPod, according to BCG, and enough time to build 25 America’s Cup yachts. If both Super Bowl teams dedicated themselves to construction rather than football, their members could have built the Empire State Building in seven seasons.” (Source: WSJ, 2/5/10) -
Can watching Pong make you more creative?
3 Feb 2010 | 8:01 amBrandon Schauer at Adaptive Path has put together a 49-second video designed to invigorate your corpus callosum and fire your creative powers. In a blog post, he says that his creation builds on research showing that side-to-side eye movement, by increasing communication between the left and right hemisphere, can increase creativity. If you’re facing a creative challenge today, I’m not sure watching Schauer’s nifty video beforehand will work. But I am sure it can’t hurt. If it doesn’t bring your two hemispheres into harmony, maybe it’ll be effective as a… -
Who wants to design the NEA’s new logo?
2 Feb 2010 | 4:21 pmIn an inspired act of crowdsourcing, showmanship, and democratic participation, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman has turned to us to refashion the NEA’s visual identity. Yesterday Landesman announced that his modest but mighty federal agency was accepting submissions to redesign the logo for the NEA’s “Art Works” initiative. As the NEA blog explains: “‘Art works’ is Rocco’s guiding principle for his work at the NEA. The phrase has three meanings: ‘art works’ are the plays, paintings, dances, films and the other… -
Factoid of the day: Generational divide
2 Feb 2010 | 3:55 pm“According to Julia Isaacs of the Brookings Institution, the (U.S.) federal government now spends $7 on the elderly for every $1 it spends on children.” (Source: NY Times, 2/2/10)
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Escape from Cubicle Nation
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How do you want to lead your life?
8 Feb 2010 | 5:30 pmI had a very interesting coaching conversation the other day with a bright young woman. We were talking about her desire to expand her business and play bigger in the world. (And don’t worry, I asked her permission to tell this story. And no, that is not her picture, it is a stock photo ) When I asked what would happen if she started to put herself out in the world in a bigger way by offering more programs and connecting with more people, she got kind of quiet. I asked her what it would mean to her life if she grew her business. This is what she said: “I would have to be out… -
Your all-or-nothing attitude will bring all stress and no progress
2 Feb 2010 | 5:08 pmI can always tell when new entrepreneurs are starting to crack under the pressure of decisions. They say things like: “I know everyone tells me I have to choose a specific niche, but I really don’t want to limit myself to only working with one type of person!” “What if I spend all this time and energy getting this business off the ground and I find out (no one will buy from me) (I don’t like it) (I have no time) (fill in the concern).” “The URL for the business name I wanted is not available! How can I be successful without a catchy business… -
Question for you: what stops you from testing your biz ideas early? What helps?
28 Jan 2010 | 1:26 pmI am really obsessed with the topic of test often and fail fast. I wrote a whole chapter about it in my book, and still feel like I barely scratched the surface. By “test often and fail fast,” I mean the ability to create a very small prototype or sample of your product or service and get it in front of your target market for feedback. So many new entrepreneurs get paralyzed with perfectionism. And you know what I feel about that! I am writing an article on this topic, and would love your insight into two questions (choose either or both, depending on which apply to your… -
Guest post by Seth Godin: You are not a cog
26 Jan 2010 | 3:00 amI have never had a guest post on my blog before. Until now. Seth Godin wrote a special post for EfCN to celebrate the launch of his new book Linchpin. It comes out today — check it out here. You are not a cog If you have your own business, you’ve already taken a huge step, but it’s tempting, really tempting to let fear take over and let it push you to start following the rule book. You know the rule book I mean. The one with the musts, the shoulds and the of courses in it. The one that’s amplified by most how-to books and blogs, and enforced by banks, in-laws and… -
Registration now open for $100 Business with me and Chris Guillebeau
18 Jan 2010 | 7:01 amGood morning! I am excited to give you the registration link for the program I told you about last week that I am co-teaching with Chris Guillebeau. We will be working intensively with an inaugural group in a month-long program aimed to power-charge your micro business. See all the details here, and if you are interested, grab a seat, because I have a feeling they will go fast. http://unconventionalguides.com/100biz.htm Here is to a fantastic, supportive start to 2010! — Update 5pm MT on 1/18: We had an amazing day — we sold out the February program in 3 hours, and are halfway…
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How to Change the World
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How to Avoid Gullibility
8 Feb 2010 | 3:45 pmWe’ve all been sucked into doing something stupid, right? Fortunately, Steven Greenspan has written a book called Annals of Gullibility. In its conclusion he explains how to avoid gullibility, and I’ve provided a synopsis for you. Read the full story at the American Express Open Forum. More on psychology if you need the advice. -
How to Be Empathetic
4 Feb 2010 | 10:24 pmBy definition, good marketers are empathetic. That is, they have a capacity to understand and care for the needs of others. Bruna Martinuzzi explains how to be empathetic over at the American Express Open Forum. -
How to Not Be Annoying on Twitter
4 Feb 2010 | 10:19 pmAmber MacArthur explains how to not be annoying on Twitter over at the American Express Open Forum. Sage advice for you to develop a great reputation and following on Twitter. More Twitter tips. -
The Elements of Guyle: British Blogging
27 Jan 2010 | 10:06 pmWant to make your blog classier? You should blog like a Brit. I explain how to do this in ten easy steps. -
How to follow the Apple announcement
27 Jan 2010 | 7:56 amFollow the Apple announcement at Apple.alltop. We aggregate over 200 sources there.
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HBR Editors' Blog
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The Day Apple Turned the Web into Junior High
28 Jan 2010 | 6:27 amIn the late 90s I met William Leben, a professor of linguistics at Stanford and director of linguistics at Lexicon, the firm that has named, among other billion-dollar brands, the Mac Powerbook, the BlackBerry, the Swiffer, and the Subaru Outback and Forester. To explain what made a great consumer brand name, Professor Leben gave two examples: Amazon and Apple. Both are brilliant not just for their natural and cultural associations (the largest river in the world in terms of volume, Newton's stroke of genius) but for the subtle ways their phonemes affect our cognition and emotions. Beginning… -
Obama's Bank Reforms Could Be Better — Here's How
26 Jan 2010 | 8:00 amIn a post yesterday, I pointed out that the Obama bank reforms aren't exactly the second coming of Glass-Steagall — and, more importantly, that they wouldn't have stopped the 2008 credit crisis. How could Obama build a better package of financial reforms? There are certainly some interesting ideas around that the Administration could take a closer look at. In a blog about the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission last week I described a proposal by MIT's Andrew Lo that the government create a forensic agency dedicated to investigating major financial "accidents" — a Capital Markets… -
Why Obama's Bank Reforms Aren't Glass-Steagall Redux
25 Jan 2010 | 2:35 pmTwo days after the Democrats lost Ted Kennedy's Massachusetts senate seat, President Obama apparently declared war on America's big banks. The political calculus for this timing may make sense. The US is clearly divided over Obama's healthcare reform bill, which may explain the election loss. It is, however, pretty united in its dislike of bankers, especially with all the headlines about bumper bonuses. But aside from the possible political considerations, what is the reform about? According to a lot of the news hype, the reform represents a partial reinstatement of the famous Glass-Steagall… -
The Huffington Post's Disappointing Sleep Experiment
22 Jan 2010 | 8:10 amThe Huffington Post and Glamour's Sleep Challenge 2010 initially gave me hope, despite the subtitle ("Women, It's Time to Sleep Our Way to the Top. Literally."). Perhaps the allure stemmed from wanting to believe so badly that the situation could improve, even when faced with the fact that only 1.5% of the CEOs running 2,000 of the world's top-performing companies are women. Or maybe I was drawn in because the first HBR article I read was "Sleep Deficit: The Performance Killer", and I'm still shocked by the parallels between lack of sleep and drunkenness. In their introductory post, the… -
Wanted: A Capital Markets Safety Board
14 Jan 2010 | 11:56 amWhen it comes to new technologies, we're usually prepared to face up to risk. It's part of the price of progress. When a space shuttle explodes or a train crashes we don't react by abandoning space travel or railway transport. We look at what we can do to stop the accident from happening again. Is there some improvement we can make? Were we using the technology properly? We look at the accident a lesson — tragic, maybe, but still something to be studied and learned from. That is why the US government set up the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC), which began its hearings this…
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HarvardBusiness.org
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The Non-Deal Between Japan Airlines and Delta
9 Feb 2010 | 10:38 amJapan Airlines has chosen to stay hitched to American Airlines and not bolt to Delta. In a way, Delta may still come out a winner. Though the details are not yet out, Delta's courting may well have forced American and its Oneworld allies to pay upwards of $1.4 billion just to hold on to their existing partner in Japan. Neither American nor Delta is flush with cash. To see them fall over each other to partner with a bankrupt Japanese airline speaks volumes about the importance of business partnerships in airlines and many other industries. Delta knew that it could both strengthen its hand and… -
What We All Lost When Business Lost Respect
9 Feb 2010 | 9:46 amI want to explore the growing malaise around business, in particular in widely-held, publicly traded corporations. I believe we have migrated — quite by accident — to a set of conditions such that in order to operate their corporations, senior executives are pressured toward a form of existence that is substantially inauthentic. And in the course of leading inauthentic business lives, they lose their moral compasses and play games that make them feel ever more inauthentic. This will take several posts, so bear with me while I lay out the first tranche of the argument. At our core,… -
How Working at a Nonprofit is Like Working at the NFL
9 Feb 2010 | 9:45 amThe last of the celebratory confetti has been cleared from the stands in Sun Life Stadium in Miami. But watching the game brought to my mind some interesting parallels between working at nonprofit organizations and working in the NFL — probably because I've experienced both. (Sadly, I didn't play. I worked in the physically safer confines of the front office.) A sense of mission is critical. The nonprofit world is driven by purpose and mission. People see and seize on opportunities to create positive changes that are bigger than themselves. In this year's Super Bowl, many fans —… -
One More Look at Layoffs During the Great Recession
9 Feb 2010 | 9:19 amHere's a brief update on some research we've been doing on layoff practices. For a decade we tracked who was likely to be fired in Europe during an economic downturn. Surprisingly, it was not generally the least productive managers. Over 40% of European managers said they would layoff an older manager even if that manager was a high performer. Twenty eight percent said they would fire younger workers even if they were cheaper or better performers than others. Less than a third of the Europeans surveyed since 1999 said they would fire the employee we called the "weak link," the older,… -
Entrepreneurs: Beware of Vanity Metrics
8 Feb 2010 | 9:10 amIn previous posts, we discussed the common challenges that entrepreneurs face — from those in the garage to innovators inside large companies. In order to tell if we're making progress, we turned our attention from the outputs of models — from things like gross revenues and profits — to the inputs, insisting that the path to successful innovation is to prove the viability of the concept in micro-scale. The idea is simple. Establish baseline metrics by building the minimum viable product — the minimum required to measure the response of early adopters. Then, in each…
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StartupNation
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What’s Your Story? How to Get Publicity
5 Feb 2010 | 4:22 amWant to know how to get some free publicity? Well, in the last couple of weeks, we’ve covered the first two steps in our “7 Steps to Successful Public Relations.” Now, it’s time for Step 3 – Develop Your Story Idea. As a new business owner, it’s easy to rush through publicity efforts in order to concentrate or core business activities and priorities. But before you contact the media or post a press release, ask yourself if the information you’re about to send is really newsworthy. Will a reporter really care about what you have to say? If you can’t answer this question… -
Reflections On A Year Of Weight Loss
30 Jan 2010 | 2:00 pmHi gang, One year ago today, I woke up. THE BAD That’s really the best way that I can describe it. I’ll try to explain. When you are 383 pounds, your entire life is foggy. You are tired all the time. You cannot think very well. Your brain automatically finds reasons not to move, and the irony of it is that your brain is trying to help you. Because you CAN’T move. Not very well, anyway. It is hard to get out of a chair. It is hard to walk upstairs. It is hard to walk around your office. You are, in a way, sleepwalking through your day. You may certainly… -
Who Are You Pitching?
29 Jan 2010 | 5:55 amLast week, we looked at the first step to getting some free publicity to help your business boost sales. Now, here’s the second step in our “7 Steps to Successful Public Relations.” “Who Ya Gonna Call?” Once you have a PR Plan in place, it’s time to get smart with a good dose of research. In this day and age, the media are constantly bombarded with hundreds of emails, faxes and phone calls. The challenge for you is figuring out how to stand out and get noticed. This is something that may be broadly achievable, but more than likely, it’s achievable only on a case-by-case basis,… -
How to Lose Credibility Immediately (Hilarious Huckster!)
27 Jan 2010 | 9:59 pmI was checking in on StartupNation before I headed to bed the other night. A ritual. I remembered one little task I had to do for a cool new StartupNation initiative that will be very video intensive, and in the process I happened across this video. I laughed so hard the neighbors must have heard me! And it’s a great example of how NOT to try to establish credibility with your audience. Click the image below. here’s the link if you didn’t click the image: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YBxeDN4tbk (Word for the wise: Be sure to be careful when uploading your own promo… -
4 Smart & Sensible Marketing Tips for 2010!
27 Jan 2010 | 4:51 pmAre your eyes much bigger than your wallet, or your ability to focus and execute effective marketing in 2010? Has your New Year’s Resolutions come and gone already? How can you ensure you’re not biting off more than you can chew with your aspirations and actions? Here are four tips that you can apply to a fresh, doable mini plan in 2010! Be Realistic: The list of what could or should be done is always long. As much as you want to do it all, be realistic about what can get done today, and in the near future. Make sure you have your plan on paper, and do not over plan. Be realistic…
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Men With Pens
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Can You Finish Your Projects?
7 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pmI have a reputation for confidence. I am the one who knows what he wants and pursues it relentlessly until he achieves it. I will not rest until every single genius idea in my brain has come to life. Except… Well, no. Not really. I’ve achieved a lot of accomplishments, true. This business is one of them. But for every amazing venture you hear about me starting, I’d estimate that at least a dozen others get a stuttering start followed by a lot of frustration that boils up until I throw the project aside and declare I’ll never start another venture again. Until next week. This is a… -
We’re Back – and Bolder than Ever
6 Feb 2010 | 6:19 amYou may have noticed that Men with Pens looks a little different these days. This is the fourth – count ‘em, four – reincarnation of our design since we started this blog back in early 2007, and it’s likely nowhere near the last, despite the fact that I swore this is the absolute very last time ever. EVER. (I know. I said that last redesign too.) This change wasn’t because our readers didn’t like our last design. It’s not because we decided to change everything about the way we do business. Every business needs to shake things up now and then. It’s about finding ways… -
Dating Rules for Courting Your Clients
28 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pmToday’s guest post comes to us from Susan Johnston, the Urban Muse Writer. Enjoy! Anyone who has ever sat through drinks or coffee in their search for love knows that first dates can be both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. Freelancing can be much the same. Courting clients isn’t that different from courting a potential mate. You’re nervous as hell, but you still want to make a good impression and hopefully seal the deal. Whether you’re on a first date or courting your first client, here are five dating rules that you can apply. Rule #1: Don’t give the milk away… -
Are You Trying to Be Too Smart?
26 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pmAs a professional writer, your vocabulary is literally your stock in trade. Other businesses have huge stockrooms full of whatever they sell – frozen food, Gucci shoes, leather satchels… You, you have words. If you’re anything like me, you’ve taken some pains to make sure your stock hasn’t been the same since 1997. You read good magazines and periodicals, and you take note of new words when they’re used. If a friend happens to use a word that is new to you in conversation, you may very well follow up on it just because it sounded especially delightful (thanks to my friend Tess… -
Are You Selling Yourself Short?
24 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pmIf you make your living as a freelancer, you’re going to be asked – constantly – to prove your worth. Your clients want to know if you’re the best person for the job.Your blog readers want to know if you really have the smarts to give them advice. Your social media “friends” want you to prove that you’re interesting, funny, worth their time. With all those people constantly questioning your authority, it’s only natural that you’ll occasionally question your worth. Of course, most of the time, you’ll pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go right back to putting together…
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Home Business Ideas
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Updates! We Have Updates! And Gossip!
3 Feb 2010 | 6:47 pmI have many things to say. You may take comfort in knowing that they are all small things. An update on my ass So, this one time? At a funeral? I slipped and fell down the funeral home steps? Yeah, it turns out I broke my tailbone or something. This is only making the list so lots of people can come in the comments and say “sorry about your ass”. I have to get my joy from somewhere, and there’s an outside chance of a Guinness Book of World Records win. An update on the sale 249 of you lovely people (not including the emails Jamie got) have commented on the Choose Your Own… -
What to Do With the Worm at the Bottom of the Tequila Bottle?
2 Feb 2010 | 7:38 amSometimes being self-employed sucks. You spend every waking hour (and some sleeping ones, too) working on your precious business – it’s your baby, your lover, your ever so slightly co-dependent best friend. You spend so much time and energy on it that your real baby, lover, and best friend complain that there is nothing left for them. But you can’t help it – you are obsessed. You are determined to share what you got with the world. And sometimes people love what you’ve got, love you, and shower you with roses and orders and blog comments and 83% organic dark chocolate. And… -
Johnny’s method for writing about nothing, yet getting paid for something
1 Feb 2010 | 12:21 pmA weird revelation occurred to me in December. Around Christmastime, I realized that by the end of the month, I’d have launched 80 or 90 blogs and would have had my best month ever — and by “ever,” I don’t just mean since I’ve been doing this online thing. I meant that it would literally be my best month ever, and by nearly double my previous best month — all from setting up websites and blogs, and doing business consulting. And at the same time, the most recent post on my blog was a rerun of last year’s “Christmas is Gay.” Of… -
Happy 6th Anniversary To Me, or Way To Not Get Divorced Yet, Naomi
29 Jan 2010 | 7:05 amToday is my 6th anniversary. Jamie has not left me yet, and that deserves a party, doesn’t it? Last year, we had a sale, but it was really boring. (Well, it wasn’t totally boring. The fifth anniversary is symbolized by wood, so the coupon code was wood. That’s not totally boring, right? OK, yes it is. Forget I asked. Keep reading and we’ll pretend this never came up.) Anyway, this year we wanted to do something more interesting. Also, we wanted to put all the responsibility on your head so we could sit around and eat lots and lots of candy. (The sixth anniversary is the sugar and… -
The One Thing You Have To Know About Sales Pages
28 Jan 2010 | 7:33 amI just released some paper productivity planners, and the reason I’m telling you this is not because I want you to run over and buy them – though that would be cool – but instead because I’m going through the very thing that I’m going to be telling you today. Few people actually like writing sales pages, and it doesn’t matter whether they write long sales pages or short sales pages – there are plenty of things we’d rather be doing. When you think about it, though, it’s easy to see why we hate it: writing your sales page causes a lot of…
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CNN/FORTUNE/Money: Small Business
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John Thain's turnaround challenge
8 Feb 2010 | 11:18 amNot so long ago, John Thain's legacy was that of the Merrill Lynch CEO who redecorated his office for $1.2 million before selling the dying investment firm to Bank of America in a controversial deal that is now under criminal investigation. -
For L3C companies, profit isn't the point
8 Feb 2010 | 10:47 amWhen organic dairy farmer Vaughn Chase received a letter informing him that processor H. P. Hood would no longer be taking his milk, he feared he'd be forced out of business. -
Where's the repair guy? Track him
8 Feb 2010 | 8:42 amOne day in 2001, Yuval Brisker was stuck at home, expecting a cable TV technician to arrive for a service call. First he waited. Then he waited some more. Brisker reflected that people all over the world were stuck in the same position, wasting hours without knowing when -- or even if -- a service person would show up. -
Obama pushes Congress for small biz action
8 Feb 2010 | 7:46 amPresident Obama has been talking -- a lot -- about what Washington needs to do to help save small businesses. Over the past week, he's introduced a half-dozen different initiatives aimed at unlocking credit, creating jobs and expanding the Small Business Administration's loan programs. -
Rebuilding a shattered economy
6 Feb 2010 | 8:31 amAs Haiti continues to dig out from the earthquake that leveled Port-au-Prince, local microlenders are gearing up to begin rebuilding the country's shattered economy.
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Lip-Sticking
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It's all bliss!
8 Feb 2010 | 11:46 amI missed it. Did you miss it? Over 500 fantastic women were at the Blissdom Conference last week, in Nashville where they networked, laughed, learned, and did what women do: became sisters of the heart. I did win a $100 gift certificate to Dress Barn, the better to be gorgeous at Blissdom, but I never made it there. I'll be using that gift card soon enough - at BlogPaws, where all the pet bloggers will meet for networking, fun, and education. But, back to Blissdom... I'm so jealous that they not only had Wendy Scherer (@wendyscherer) whom I have yet to meet, but they had Harry Connick Jr… -
It's Not Right But, It's (Not) OK
8 Feb 2010 | 3:42 amby Guest Blogger, Lena West, Chief of Social Media Strategy at xynoMedia(Another blog title ripped from a songstress...) It would appear that with the social media craziness, some of us have lost our minds when it comes to basic Internet marketing common sense. So, as a reminder, it is absolutely NOT acceptable - under ANY circumstances - to share people's contact information or add them to your mailing list without their permission. Period. I was recently invited to what appeared to be a very interesting (read: different) local networking event. Normally, I'm not a "networking event" type… -
Women Doing Good and Getting Recognized for it
6 Feb 2010 | 7:45 amEvery now and then I get something really worthwhile in a pitch. This is one of those times. Yesterday, I was pitched the announcement from SELF Magazine about their program Women Doing Good. Essentially, the magazine is looking the the next "Women Doing Good" - described as "extraordinary women who are working hard and are determined to make a difference, whether it is within their community, environmentally, medically -- or whatever, the sky is the limit." Winners receive $10,000 donation to their favorite charity, they're featured in the September issue of SELF, and they are honored at an… -
Do You Need Your Hand Held?
5 Feb 2010 | 8:29 amBy Guest Blogger, Mary Schmidt, Marketing Troubleshooter I often use examples from politics in talking about marketing. Campaigns are excellent examples of target marketing (and its misfires) as well as using emotion – versus logic - to “sell” something. (Note: people didn't vote for "the Democrat" in the last election; they voted for change. Something neither party seems to quite get.) Then I run across this in a article, GOP Still Short On Women. Gee. Wonder why? Well, you don’t have to wonder once you read this: … -
Thinking - Being - Doing
4 Feb 2010 | 10:47 amIt's no secret that I'm a book publisher in another life. We don't publish just any book that comes in our door - no fiction, no poetry, no children's books. We even turn away business books that aren't a good fit. Since launching The Lip-sticking Society and BlogPaws, we don't plan on publishing many books this year, at all. Mind you, we are working on a truly great leadership book that you'll learn more about in good time. But, for now...the concentration is on working with our readers and experts to create a truly useful, valuable and content-rich site out of this blog and its pages --…
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The Accidental Entrepreneur's Guide
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Why one just-right client is all it takes to get more clients
8 Feb 2010 | 8:58 amIf you've been going round in circles trying to figure out how to get more clients, I have good news for you. If you concentrate on getting to know one--only one--just-right client really well, you can use that to get many more clients. Psst. Applications are open for the Goldilocks Strategy for Getting Clients that Fit Just-Right. Details here. -
Self Care for the Accidental Entrepreneur
4 Feb 2010 | 10:36 amHere's a brief but inspiring video from my buddy Jen Louden. It refers to her upcoming Virtual Retreat, an affordable option for anyone who is strapped for the time and $$ they need for self-care. I've agreed to be a partner in that oh-so-worthy offering. Enjoy! Untitled from jennifer louden on Vimeo. -
How to turn mistakes into profits
1 Feb 2010 | 11:06 amEven the most talented artists need to learn their craft. The same is true of learning how to make a profit when you work for yourself. And we learn largely by trial and error. The artist has the luxury of making mistakes in private, or at least in the relatively private confines of the studio. But attempts to make a profit are necessarily public. And that brings up all kinds of stuff. Embarrassment. Feelings of rejection. Self-doubt. All of which can make you reluctant to try again. And if you don't try again (and again, and again), you'll be lucky if you make ends meet, let alone make a… -
Getting Clients: Your Personal Safety Zone
28 Jan 2010 | 3:18 pmThe single most important tool you can have when it comes to getting clients is a Personal Safety Zone. Find out why. -
Is your business caught in the feel good trap?
22 Jan 2010 | 4:24 pmSo, imagine you're crossing a stream. Half way across, you decide you don't feel like stepping on the next rock. You're just not in the mood. So you don't. And you don't step on the one after that. Do you expect to get to the other side? Of course not. But that could be how you're relating to self-employment. The feel good trap One of the traps self-employment can set for us is believing that it should feel good. Even if our work pulls us out of self-absorption, it's easy for the feel-good trap to keep us from doing less appealing things. Like marketing. Or selling. Or bookkeeping. Perhaps it…
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SharpBrains
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Pumping up the Brain: Reflections on the SharpBrains Virtual Summit
9 Feb 2010 | 11:41 amOn January 18-20, 2010 Alvaro Fernandez and his team at SharpBrains put together a splendid line-up of speakers on a wide range of topics related to emerging brain fitness research, technologies, and markets, and clinical cognitive and mental health issues. IFTF was proud to be a sponsor of this event. Although the conference was virtual, aside from the rigors of travel and a basket of bagels on the hallway table, my level of intellectual stimulation (and fatigue) mirrored most of my face-to-face conference experiences. It was a technical success and the content was first-rate. The conference… -
The Evolution of Empathy
2 Feb 2010 | 6:28 am(Editor’s Note: we are pleased to bring you this article thanks to our collaboration with Greater Good Magazine). The Evolution of Empathy Empathy’s not a uniquely human trait, explains primatologist Frans de Waal. Apes and other animals feel it as well, suggesting that empathy is truly an essential part of who we are. Once upon a time, the United States had a president known for a peculiar facial display. In an act of controlled emotion, he would bite his lower lip and tell his audience, “I feel your pain.” Whether the display was sincere is not the issue here; how we are… -
Will the Apple Tablet Support or Hinder Users’ Cognitive Fitness?
26 Jan 2010 | 7:20 amRumor has it that Apple is going to announce a tablet computer, which may well become a revolutionary new way for users to read and experience all kinds of educational content. Will it support or hinder our Cognitive Fitness? In this article, I describe the criteria that a tablet computer—and its technological ecosystem—must meet in order for the solution to make users more knowledgeable and smarter. To achieve these lofty goals, the tablet must be much more than an “e-reader”. The offering must be an integrated learning environment with which users transform the information that… -
Cognitive Enhancement via Drugs vs. Software
25 Jan 2010 | 1:27 pmSharpBrains Summit participant Peter Reiner, from the National Core for Neuroethics at the University of British Columbia, shares his main Summit take-aways on the potential and challenges of non-invasive technologies for brain fitness. He synthesizes the opportunity well: 1) Cognition is not monolithic 2) Software is adaptive 3) and seems safe, elaborating that: “Will brain fitness software dominate the world of cognitive enhancement? Prior to this conference I was quite skeptical, but the overall impression that I was left with was that brain fitness software may turn out to have some… -
SharpBrains Summit starts today
18 Jan 2010 | 5:16 amThe SharpBrains Summit is ongoing, with 242 participants in 15 countries! thanks to the IT brains at the Institute for The Future and collaborators such as Anett Gyurak, Pascale Michelon and Camille Finley, event is going great. If you Twitter, you can follow my updates here. The Summit hashtag/ feed is #sharp2010. Participants who were actively tweeting the first day: @IFTFHealth @rodfalcon @positscience @billiamjames @drg @FitLifeClubs @performbetter @YoungDrivers @AOborne (Registration is closed now for new participants, please subscribe to our eNewsletter if you want to learn about future…
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Sports Are 80 Percent Mental
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Month Of Birth Determines Success In Sports
7 Feb 2010 | 6:51 pmThe month of your birth influences your chances of becoming a professional sportsperson, an Australian researcher has found. Senior research fellow Dr. Adrian Barnett from Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation studies the seasonal patterns of population health and found the month you were born in could influence your future health and fitness. The results of the study are published in the book Analysing Seasonal Health Data, by Barnett, co-authored by researcher Professor Annette Dobson from the University of Queensland. Barnett analysed the… -
Swiss Team Bobbing For Gold In Vancouver
5 Feb 2010 | 7:02 pmSwitzerland has a long tradition of bobsledding and the Swiss Bobsleigh Federation has a remarkable record at international competitions. Currently, Switzerland even boasts two reigning world champions: Ivo Rüegg in the two-man bob and junior world champion Sabina Hafner. Moreover, pilot Beat Hefti won last year’s world cup season – also in the two-man bob. To be better than the rest, the athletes not only need talent and experience, but also a fast bobsled. No one knows this better than former bobsledder and leader of the “CITIUS” project, Christian Reich: “for a pilot, being able… -
Exercise May Help Schizophrenia Patients
3 Feb 2010 | 7:23 pmPotentially beneficial brain changes (an increase in the volume of an area known as the hippocampus) occur in response to exercise both in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The findings suggest that the brain retains some plasticity, or ability to adapt, even in those with psychotic disorders. Schizophrenia is known to be associated with a reduced volume in the area of the brain known as the hippocampus, which helps regulate emotion and memory, according to… -
Soccer Referees Biased Against Tall Players
1 Feb 2010 | 6:23 pmIn this World Cup year, when football (soccer) passions are running high, supporters might be forgiven for objecting to every decision to award a foul against their team, made by referees. But they might also have a point. Researchers at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University have researched all recorded fouls in three major football competitions over seven years. They discovered an ambiguous foul is more likely to be attributed to the taller of two players. Dr. Niels van Quaquebeke and Dr. Steffen Giessner, scientists at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University began… -
Stroke Patients Benefit From New Brain And Motor Skills Research
30 Jan 2010 | 12:11 pmBioengineers have taken a small step toward improving physical recovery in stroke patients by showing that a key feature of how limb motion is encoded in the nervous system plays a crucial role in how new motor skills are learned. Published in a recent issue of Neuron, a Harvard-based study about the neural learning elements responsible for motor learning may help scientists design rehabilitation protocols in which motor adaptation occurs more readily, potentially allowing for a more rapid recovery. Neuroscientists have long understood that the brain's primary motor cortex and the body's…
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Chris Garrett on New Media
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How to Sell More From Your Blog (Blog Critique: Steven Aitchison)
15 Jan 2010 | 3:54 amSteven Aitchison has a strong blog. Most people would regard his site as a success (in fact he claims it as the “biggest personal development blog in the UK) .. It looks good (using a slightly customized Thesis install) Steven is a good writer therefore the articles are excellent (in fact freelance writing is one of the services Steven offers) He has a large blog and email audience, with nearly 7k RSS subscribers alone (dwarfing some blogging and internet marketing blogs) Traffic is very healthy, and growing (again, dwarfing some blogs that provide traffic advice) Comments are plentiful… -
Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work for You and How to Fix it
11 Jan 2010 | 10:42 amI was reminded on Twitter by a quote how life coaches and gurus often talk about how sports people visualize victory. They say if you use positive visualization, then your outcome will improve. Then there are the people who tell you that if you use the “Law of Attraction”, that is if you ask the universe for something, and you believe, then what you ask for will come to you. The problem is, for most people, experience does not match what they are taught. And that sucks. In the headline I make a promise that you can make positive thinking work. How? Let’s look at this… -
Defeating Procrastination: Become a Finisher
6 Jan 2010 | 3:58 amAnalysis paralysis is just one of my procrastination challenges. A couple of other things have caused me to have to make an effort with my productivity. See if they are familiar to you and your own productivity issues: I have a compulsion to fix things I never think I have done enough Do you have the same problems? The mission here is to go from someone who is never happy with their work, never quite complete, to being someone who finishes and moves on. I have managed it (with a great deal of effort on occasion), and so can you. My big ah-ha moment came when I realized what I was seeing when… -
Go Beyond Blogging in 2010
31 Dec 2009 | 5:16 amYou might have already seen some of my fellow bloggers talking about this product. So much that I actually avoided posting about it because I felt with my Authority Blogger launch you might have gotten sick of hearing me toot my horn, until Michelle gave me an email bottom-kicking … So here I am telling you about it. beyond-blogging is an ebook by two friends from the blogosphere, Mike and Nathan. Both very cool guys, and judging from the names they managed to get to agree to interviews, very persuasive. What they have done is grilled a whole bunch of successful bloggers to find out why… -
Win SEO Audits and Advice from DynamoAsh
4 Dec 2009 | 1:55 amWin Free SEO Consulting If you want lots of free traffic then you are going to need to get your Search Engine Optimization sorted. Most of us are not SEO gurus so we try our best and see what happens. That can never compare with the advice of a true “battle hardened” SEO veteran. Good news everyone! DynamoAsh is offering chrisg.com readers a great set of SEO consulting prizes One grand prize winner will get a full Advanced SEO Audit where Ash will analyze your site and then give you all the advice you need to get your Google on! Two randomly selected blog commenters or Twitter…
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Write to Done
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A Writer’s Greatest Tool: the Smartphone
7 Feb 2010 | 7:32 amA guest post by David Pierce from Digitizd I’m a writer, and I don’t carry a notebook around with me. Heck, I don’t even carry a pen. Do people even use those anymore? Pens. So old school. Instead, I just use my cell phone. In my life as a writer, there’s been no tool more useful or worth the investment than a smartphone. For such a small device, its benefits are enormous. For writers, the benefits might not be as obvious as they are for, say, money managers, but they‚Äôre no less fantastic. Since owning a smartphone (mostly meaning a phone with a functional… -
What Lance Armstrong Can Teach Us About Motivation
3 Feb 2010 | 7:46 amA guest post by Diggy from UpgradeReality.com. Let me paint a little picture. Allow your imagination to go to work. It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon, you’ve just stuffed yourself with a great lunch and you’re all stretched out on your couch. Flipping the channels on your TV to find something that you will allow to steal your afternoon away. You have plenty of ideas you want to start and projects you want to complete, but you can’t get yourself off that couch and get motivated to get to work and start writing. < How Do You Find Motivation? The answer to this question… -
A New Way to Look At Writing Blog Posts
1 Feb 2010 | 7:48 amA guest post by Glen Allsopp who writes about Viral marketing. I wrote my first blog post back in 2006. At the time, blogging was just starting to be used as a way to connect with your audience and attract more eyeballs to your products and services. Back then, I didn’t care about building a readership or writing posts that hit the Digg homepage, I simply kept writing content so that Google would send me more traffic. Of course, a lot has changed since then. I now couldn’t care less about search engine traffic to my blog and instead focus all of my energy on building a vibrant,… -
How to Leave Your Readers Better Than You Found Them
28 Jan 2010 | 3:00 amA guest post by Nathalie Lussier of Raw Foods Witch Why do you write your blog? Maybe you are writing to share your point of view, help others, or just get things off your chest. No matter what the reason you write for your blog, you need to learn how to craft each post to have the greatest impact on your reader. Your readers are granting you their valuable attention, after all. How storytelling applies to blogging In an effort to expand my skills as a blogger, I started reading about the power of storytelling. Storytelling is an age old tradition that is as natural to human beings as… -
The Ultimate Playground: Blogosphere
25 Jan 2010 | 7:00 amA Guest Post by Tomas Stonkus of Uncertain Change I have one question for you: “When did you grow up?” OKAY, that is actually just the first question. Here’s the rest. Do you remember that exact moment when you decided to stop having fun and start being serious? Do you know when your careless smile was replaced by a frown? Do you know when you stopped believing in your dreams and decided to become reasonable? Maybe it was around the time when you stopped playing. Until that point, the whole world seemed to be your playground! There were no rules, no limitations. Everybody…
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Liz Strauss at Successful Blog
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Why Businesses Still Aren’t Engaging Online With Their Customers
9 Feb 2010 | 6:54 amA Guest Post by Frank Angelone Are you a business? Whether you are a large corporation or a small business, you should be engaging with your customers. As many already know, the best way to engage with your customers is through social media. There are so many sites available at your disposal to be an active participant, yet many businesses still aren’t using social media to its full potential. Why is this? Well, I believe it can be answered in 5 bullet points… Laziness. It’s as simple as that. If you don’t engage in social media, your sales for your business… -
3 Simple Steps to Add Irresistible Influence to Your Brand
8 Feb 2010 | 7:20 amMagnetic from the Very First Minute! What makes a person or a company unforgettable from the second you interact? Why do some folks motivate and energize us? What is it about some folks that attracts people so powerfully? What makes a magnetic personality? Is it possible for a company or a brand to have those qualities? Can we carry them online and off? 3 Simple Steps to Add Irresistible Influence to Your Brand The brands and the businesses we love don’t just deliver on a promise. They make us feel good about working with them and feel good about being part of what they’re doing. -
Beach Notes: What Goes into Effortless?
7 Feb 2010 | 7:25 amby Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh A couple of times recently we have seen this man at our local beach, Rainbow Bay, with a didgeridoo ( or yidaki), the traditional Australian Aboriginal musical intrument. This day we saw and heard him playing with the end of the “didge” submerged at the water’s edge. My thought was that there might be some spiritual explanation, connecting with the spirits of the sea, etc. A bit of a web search suggests something more mundane. Evidently the exercise of playing the instrument in this way trains the diaphragm and builds the player’s… -
Thanks to Week 224 SOBs
6 Feb 2010 | 8:56 amSuccessful and Outstanding Bloggers Let me introduce the bloggers who have earned this official badge of achievement, and the right to call themselves Successful Blog SOBs. I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs. They take the conversation to their readers, contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger. I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on. Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community. Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award… -
SOB Business Cafe 02-05-10
5 Feb 2010 | 7:03 amWelcome to the SOB Cafe We offer the best in thinking — articles, books, podcasts, and videos about business online written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection. The Specials this Week are Doc Searls Weblog What you have to appreciate, even admire, is how well Apple plays the vertical game. It’s really amazing. What you also have to appreciate is how much we also need the horizontal one. The iPad needs an open alternative, soon. There should be for the iPad what Google’s Nexus One is for the iPhone. Up the creek…
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Debbie Weil's BlogWrite for CEOs
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Registration for 3/10 Sweets and Tweets With Anil Dash Is Now Open
5 Feb 2010 | 1:48 pmAttn: Cupcake Lovers. A quick update to let you know that registration for the next edition of Sweets and Tweets is now open at http://sweetsandtweets4.eventbrite.com/. The event will be held Wednesday March 10th at 7 PM sharp at the very cool Baked and Wired cupcake cafe in DC’s Georgetown. Tech celeb Anil Dash, founder of the new DC-based incubator Expert Labs, is our speaker. http://dashes.com/anil/about.html Microsoft’s U.S. Public Sector division is the sponsor. Sweets and Tweets features leading voices from DC’s diverse technology community on the use of social media by… -
Just Kiss Me and Other Words of Advice
2 Feb 2010 | 5:12 amHugh Macleod of Gaping Void genius has started sending a daily cartoon to his email list. He’s giving it away, right? Yes and no. He is in fact giving away a JPEG of a cartoon. Like today’s, which is a warm up for Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14th. But he’s also teasing us and goading us to think of his JPEG image as something much more valuable. It’s a taste of what he’s really got on offer: a 11 by 14 inch handsigned print that he’s selling (you heard that right, SELLING) for $125. His message is the same everyday: "Buy The Print Here - Forward this… -
Linchpins, Lizard Brains and Lying to Yourself
26 Jan 2010 | 3:10 pmIt’s one thing to be Tweeting and obsessively checking your email in order to procrastinate about a writing project. It’s yet another to find yourself cleaning the toilet. The lizard brain, as Seth Godin calls it in his new book, LINCHPIN, will always win. Unless. Unless you identify the cunning excuses. And push through what Seth calls the resistance. Gitoutahere lizard brain. The toilet is looking good. Freewriting works. It breaks through writer’s "perfection anxiety." And I’m on a roll. Thank you, Seth. Congrats again to Seth for today’s hugely… -
Shut Up Lizard Brain: I Am Not Procrastinating Today
19 Jan 2010 | 7:19 amI am writing today. I am updating THE CORPORATE BLOGGING BOOK for a Kindle edition. First, I cracked open the procrastination nut with 20 minutes of freewriting. This really works. Mark Levy, author of ACCIDENTAL GENIUS, turned me onto freewriting. Check out his book at http://www.levyinnovation.com/books.html. He just finished revising it and I believe a new edition will be coming out soon. Essentially, freewriting means just what it sounds like. You sit down at the computer, apply your fingers to the keyboard and type, er, write, without stopping for a period of time. I've discovered I can… -
Make Art, Not Work Says Seth Godin in #Linchpin
15 Jan 2010 | 8:56 amI’m sitting in Haft Auditorium on W. 27th street in NYC, listening to Seth Godin talk about his new book. He’s great today. One of the best presentations I’ve seen him do. He’s very focused, driven, so eager to convey his message to us. Which is that it’s OK to go forth and make art, not work. Again, make ART, not work. Making art means being a LINCHPIN who creates change, makes things happen, makes a difference, is generous - and does all this WITHOUT PERMISSION from the boss. You don’t need permission to work in this new way. It’s OK to…
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Marketing Profs Daily Fix
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Trending ‘Functionall’
9 Feb 2010 | 4:28 amReinier Evers founder of trendwatching.com can always be counted on to weigh in on new trends every month. As is the case with all prognosticating, there’s always the risk of being wrong. But in Evers’s case, I think he’s had considerably more hits than misses. Trendwatching’s latest caught my eye more than most. The headline screams one word: “Functionall.” The subhead: “Why simple, small & cheap appeals to all.” The definition of Functionall: Captures the phenomenon of simple, small and/or cheap products and services designed for low(er)-income consumers… -
MarketingProfs B2B Forum Ramp Up: What I Have Learned About B2B Marketing
9 Feb 2010 | 3:36 amAs part of my journey in developing the content for an educational conference, in this case MarketingProfs B2B Forum, I do a lot of research. I spend a lot of time on the web looking at competitive conferences (and non-competitive conferences) as well as reading many white papers, articles and blogs. We also take seriously any feedback that we’ve gotten from the attendees at our last event and we poll the MarketingProfs community about topics they need education on through crowdsourcing, discussions on our community sites and in the form of questions sent out as tweets. But most important… -
Guest Post: The 4 Pillars Of B2B Marketing-The Lifecycle Of a B2B Campaign
8 Feb 2010 | 6:37 amBy Achim Klor SterlingKlor Communications I recently read an excellent post by Paul Dunay on Social Media Today presenting the 4 C’s of B2B marketing. We’ve known about the 4 P’s of marketing for years: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Paul argues the 4 P’s are primarily a B2C mix. The 4 C’s, however, (Content, Connection, Communications, Conversion) illustrate the marketing mix for B2B. Sounds great, but how should B2B organizations implement the 4 C’s marketing mix into their campaigns? I would like to highlight an approach that has served our B2B agency very… -
Interview With Seth Godin: Linchpin
8 Feb 2010 | 6:21 amIn this Marketing Over Coffee brought to you by MarketingProfs: We talk with Seth Godin about his new book: Linchpin Marketing Over Coffee with Seth Godin Direct Link to File Show length 23:30 00:52 What’s Linchpin about? 02:30 How do entrepreneurial linchpins fit in to large organizations? 05:40 Who are the artists? 06:55 Can you get beyond Dunbar’s Number? Gary V. is using Twitter to add two zeros. 08:10 What is The Resistance? What is Emotional Labor? 11:22 Thrashing – a classic Marketing problem, and yes, Duke Nukem! Real artists ship. 14:16 Is there any future for mass media… -
How To Build a Brand Internationally
5 Feb 2010 | 6:21 amCongratulations! Your company is successful locally, and now you want to share what you do with the world. In many ways, the process will be like re-starting your business. Many of the activities you performed to launch your initial business are the same you will employ in each of your new international markets. However, much of your time will be spent translating (literally and figuratively) to ensure you are locally relevant to your new customers. A Brand = A Reputation The term “brand” can be confusing. Think of a brand as a reputation. Building a reputation in any new market…
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Des Walsh dot Com
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China and Feeling For Stones: a Conversation with Zhang Hai Hua
8 Feb 2010 | 10:44 pmAuthor of Think Like Chinese on Des Walsh & Friends show The other week on my Des Walsh & Friends show on BlogTalkRadio, I had the pleasure of speaking with a woman of great accomplishment and business sagacity, a specialist in cross-cultural communication, especially for business between China and the rest of the world. ZHANG Haihua (Helen), author of Think Like Chinese, was born in mainland China and holds an MBA and a Master of Business in Finance from the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia and a BA (English Language and Literature) from Peking University. She lived in… -
Get the Bigger Picture with Social Business One
8 Feb 2010 | 4:13 amNew online community about business social media adoption Being invited recently to participate on the Founders’ Council of the new online community, Social Business One, was definitely an honour: accepting the invitation was a no-brainer. It was not just that I was delighted to be invited to join such a dynamic group of social media practitioners, but that the new community was being formed around a conversation which I believe needs to be built and expanded, the conversation about social media from a “whole of business” or “whole of enterprise” perspective. -
links for 2010-02-03
3 Feb 2010 | 2:01 amIs "Ethical Internet Marketing" an Oxymoron? New Third Tribe community offers an interesting option for online marketers. Note the charter membership until Feb 5th and then the price doubles. (tags: internetmarketing onlinemarketing ThirdTribe) -
Three Excellent Books on Social Media
30 Jan 2010 | 9:45 pmA Triple Book Notice Because I Haven’t Yet Reviewed These Books and I Feel Remiss About That It was actually a resolution of mine well before New Year’s Day, to review all the books that have been piling up alongside my desk, mostly books on or relating to social media. But New Year’s Day came and went. So this is a notice as a precursor to the review I still plan to do of each of three of those books. And while I have read only one right through, I have read enough of the others to be able to recommend all three wholeheartedly. Without further ado, they are: Paul… -
Beach Cricket, Australia Day 2010
25 Jan 2010 | 3:32 pmEarly start for Australia Day 2010: beach cricket in progress, 5.45 am, 26th January, Coolangatta Beach, Queensland. Advance Australia Fair.
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Roger Ebert
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Dear John / ** (PG-13)
"Dear John" (PG-13,105 minutes). A Special Forces soldier and a sweet South Carolina rich girl Meet Cute, fall in love, and pledge to meet and marry when his tour ends in a year. But it s not to be. Another one of those bittersweet Nicholas Sparks stories that laboriously endeavor to wring from us a sad smile. I was sadly smiling not at their loss, but of mine. Although Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried are attractive and well-matched as the would-be lovers, and Richard Jenkins makes autism seem kinda sweet (if it's a mild case), this movie is so doomed to end exactly the way it does that we… -
Fish Tank / **** (No MPAA rating)
"Fish Tank" (Unrated, adults, 123 minutes). The harrowing portrait of a 15-year-old girl on a reckless path toward self-destruction. Her mother, only about 30, is a drunken slut and she seems on the same path. Covers a few days of fraught experiences with sex and anger. Superbly acted by newcomer Katie Jarvis. Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes 2009. Directed by Andrea Arnold. Four stars. -
From Paris With Love / ** (R)
"From Paris with Love" (R, 92 minutes). John Travolta as an American Mr. Fix It who takes a cocky attitude to Paris and backs it up in a messy plot heavy on action scenes concocted from CGI and quick cutting. Nothing original, convincing or involving, although Travolta succeeds almost by being in a movie of his own. Directed by Pierre Morel, whose previous film, "Taken," was much better. Two stars. -
The Last Station / *** (R)
"The Last Station" (R, 110 minutes). On his country estate, in his last year, Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) rules over a household of intrigues. His wife Sofya (Helen Mirren) is in fierce battle with his disciple Chertkov (Paul Giamatti), who thinks the Count should leave his estate to the Russian people, and not to Sofya and their 13 children. Cherkov hires young Valentin (James McAvoy) to act as Tolstoy's private secretary and a spy, but Valentin is seduced by a nubile Tolstoyian (Kerry Condon) and broadens his views about the great man. Sort of a Merchant-Ivory picture with loud… -
Great Movie: The Hairdresser's Husband (1990)
The hairdressing shop is their ocean liner, their lives are a cruise around the world. They will sail the Nile, kiss in the shadows of the Great Pyramids, see the sun set on every earthly paradise, and it will always be exactly like this. Perfect. "The Hairdresser's Husband" (1990) tells the story of two romantics besotted with love, living in a French hairdressing salon, she reading magazines on her perch by the widow, he working crosswords on the red leather bench, the sunlight flooding in. The yellows, blues, tropical colors. The exotic music he dances to. Occasionally at some unheard…
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Neuromarketing
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Cookie Framing
9 Feb 2010 | 5:34 amYears ago, when The Tonight Show ruled late-night TV and when all the guests weren’t celebrities promoting their latest book, movie, or TV show, host Johnny Carson interviewed the Girl Scout who sold the most cookies that year. This young lady, Markita Andrews, set a cookie-sales record that has yet to be broken. [...] CommentsThe title of this post caught my eye immediately when it popped ... by Jon -
Post-Super Bowl Briefing
8 Feb 2010 | 6:36 amVery soon, we will be subjected to a variety of neuromarketing-based opinions on which Super Bowl 2010 ads worked, and which didn’t. While we are awaiting these analyses, I thought I’d point readers at a good article on one kind of neuromarketing study methodology by WIRED writer Alexis Madrigal. It’s accurate, largely devoid [...] CommentsHi Roger- Thanks for the post. You are correct that we are in ... by Ron Wright -
Neuromarketing Foes Use Subliminal Text?
2 Feb 2010 | 5:08 amYesterday I wrote about the latest anti-neuromarketing flap in Guard Your Reptilian Brain! While researching that post, I found an interesting spinoff at another site, Progressives, South Bend. I initially couldn’t find the text “neuromarketing” on that page. When I searched the page text, I found what looked like a short horizontal [...] CommentsGreat catch Roger. As someone very famous once said : Judgment ... by christophe morinhahaha, and I even mentioned subliminals in my comment ... by Sculptor?!?Plus 2 more... -
Guard Your Reptilian Brain!
1 Feb 2010 | 4:28 amEvery year or so, some fuzzy-thinking critic reads an article about neuromarketing, becomes extremely agitated, and tries to raise the alarm about marketers turning consumers into mind-controlled zombies. The latest push of the neuro-panic button began with an article on a site called Truthout (fresh out of truth, perhaps?). Truthout seems to be a [...] CommentsThe writers from Truthout are not fully aware that the ... by CindyLet's be fair. To those who don't understand something, it's ... by Brendon ClarkPlus 7 more... -
WIRED Throwing Biometric Super Bowl Party
29 Jan 2010 | 10:21 amEvery year, there is a burst of neuromarketing-related activity coinciding with the Super Bowl. After all, that game features commercials that people actually watch, and the cost of airing each ad is the highest of any program throughout the entire year. One staple of Super Bowl Sunday is the party – millions will [...] Comments*reposted to my blog* Thanks Roger! by CindyI am a fan of neuroscience and marketing and am glad that there ... by CindyPlus 2 more...
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New York Times
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Findings: Will You Be E-Mailing This Column? It’s Awesome
9 Feb 2010 | 11:00 amA University of Pennsylvania study found that readers of news in print and online had more exalted tastes than might be expected. -
Sinatra Song Often Strikes Deadly Chord
9 Feb 2010 | 9:50 amThe murders of people warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars have spawned urban legends about the song and left Filipinos groping for answers. -
In City Real Estate, Old Clans Are Shrewd Again
9 Feb 2010 | 9:30 amSome families with deep roots in Manhattan kept their heads a few years ago when the market overheated. -
Skeptics Find Fault With U.N. Climate Panel
9 Feb 2010 | 8:56 amRajendra K. Pachauri and the U.N. panel he leads face accusations of scientific sloppiness and conflicts of interest. -
Op-Ed Contributor: Iran’s Two-Edged Bomb
9 Feb 2010 | 8:54 amBelieve it or not, there are some potential benefits to the United States should Iran build a bomb.
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Scientific American
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NASA Readies a Satellite to Probe the Sun, Inside and Out
9 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amNASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is what might be called a satellite for the information age. It is designed to provide scientists who study the sun with a torrent of data--the space agency says the observatory will return 150 million bits of data about Earth's host star per second, or about 1.5 terabytes per day. [More] -
What Happens in the Amygdala... Damage to Brain's Decision-Making Area May Encourage Dicey Gambles
9 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amImagine you've lost your job. You have some money saved, and a chance to double it with a gamble. But if you lose the bet, you'll forfeit everything. What would you do? [More] -
Python Predation: Big snakes poised to change U.S. ecosystems
9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amBrought to the U.S. as pets, Burmese pythons have made headlines with their uncontrolled spread in the Florida Everglades and willingness to challenge alligators for the position of top predator. A report released by the U.S. Geological Survey last fall delivered more bad news: two other constrictor species, also former pets, are thriving in the area, and six others could pose similar threats. Researchers fear that reproductive populations could spread and eat native animals into extinction.The new interlopers--northern and southern African pythons, reticulated pythons, boa constrictors and… -
Distracted Customers' Wait Times Fly
8 Feb 2010 | 9:05 pmYou know what it’s like. Sit chatting with a friend, and the hours can zip by. But once someone puts you on hold [audio: bad on-hold music] or makes you wait in line, each second feels interminable. But Dan Zakay of Tel Aviv University has some tricks for businesses to keep waiting customers happy. He published the psychology research in the journal NeuroQuantology . [More] -
The Advantages of Being Helpless
8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pmAt every stage of early development, human babies lag behind infants from other species. A kitten can amble across a room within moments of birth and catch its first mouse within weeks, while its wide-eyed human counterpart takes months to make her first step, and years to learn even simple tasks, such as how to tie a shoelace or skip a rope, let alone prepare a three-course meal. Yet, in the cognitive race, human babies turn out to be much like the tortoise in Aesop’s fable: emerging triumphant after a slow and steady climb to the finish. As adults, we drive fancy sports…
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Web Content Strategy
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Take the Survey!
8 Feb 2010 | 2:11 pmJust finished taking the A List Apart survey for people who make websites. Help A List Apart form a picture of the ways web design is practiced around the globe. They hope that making this data available will have a positive effect on best practices and employment, and will enhance public understanding of, and respect for, our profession.Take the Survey Here! -
Re-edited Version of the E-book Now Available
30 Jan 2010 | 11:40 amIt took a little longer than I thought (thanks to MS Word issues) but the re-edited version of the e-book is now up on the download page.There is no new content in this version, just a few changes thanks to a great (and third) copy edit. Fixed some typos and a few formatting errors.The new PDF is on the original download page, if you can't find the email with the URL, use the email link in my profile here to send me a note with your name and I'll get back to you.Thanks to everyone who helped! -
Atlanta Content Strategy Meetup this Thursday, Jan 21
19 Jan 2010 | 9:21 amDon't miss this Thursday's meetup—"Content Strategy: What's In It for You?" at 6:30 PM at Ignition Alley.Meetup RSVP Here Drawing cues from this year's heightened focus on content strategy, Margot Bloomstein will address how content strategy differs from just copywriting and how you can incorporate insights from this aspect of interaction design into your next project. Discover how the questions a content strategist brings to the table can enrich your deliverables, learn how your collaboration can benefit your end users, and discuss ways to reframe the RFP to upsell content strategy in your… -
Book Available Again on Amazon
11 Jan 2010 | 7:48 amThe Web Content Strategist's Bible was unavailable for a few days while I was having it re-edited to get rid of a few typos and formatting issues. But everything has been taken care of and it is back up and available for purchase.Gotta love the speed of electronic publishing. -
The Web Content Strategist's Bible - Update
5 Jan 2010 | 8:43 pmWell it's a new year and a good time for housekeeping. The biggest problem in writing a book for writers and editors is that no typo or error goes unnoticed. Thanks to all of you who took the time to write me about errors and formatting issues! I'm not being sarcastic, really thank you, I would hate for anything to detract from the message of the book.But the best way to thank you guys is to take the time to actually fix the problems. So I sent the book out to a super copy editor (if you need a copy editor, let me know and I'll put you in touch) and cleaned up everything we could find.I'm in…
