Jonathan Morrow explains the art of the paragraph. He proselytizes the idea that every paragraph should pass a five-question quiz. The first question flatters me immensely: Does it pass the Guy Kawasaki question for whether people should give a shiitake about it? Read the entire post to learn how to make your paragraphs, and therefore all your writing and blogging, better. More help for writers and for bloggers. Permalink | Leave a comment »
Selected by paulvalach
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Holy Kaw!
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The art of the paragraph
22 Nov 2009 | 10:37 am -
Watch these battered hens get a second chance at life
22 Nov 2009 | 10:29 amAfter a lifetime spent pumping out eggs at a dank, industrial battery farm, these ragged rescue hend are given a second chance at life thanks to the cobble hills farm Sanctuary, in small town Ontario Canada. Cobble Hills is a non-profit healing hen house that runs solely on donations, and the kind volunteer work of children from a local troubled youth centre. Click through for the incredible video, and see the chickies experience the outdoors for the very first time. Those little chicken sweaters and matted feathers get me every time! More rescue stories for you animal lovers. Permalink |… -
Will the dogs eat the knitting?
22 Nov 2009 | 10:04 amEveryone has heard the old yarns “stick to your knitting” and “will the dogs eat the food?” But now you should ask if the dogs will eat the knitting. More on needlecraft because when we say we have “all the topics,” we weren’t kidding. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
How and why do we lie to ourselves?
22 Nov 2009 | 8:42 amWalk through a classic psychology experiment conducted at Stanford in 1959. The Psyblog article reminds me of a Choose Your Own Adventure because it's written in the second person. Ready to become a part of history in 1959? Check out the article. Lots more insights into psychology. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Amazing Rugby kick scores £250,000
22 Nov 2009 | 8:32 amCheck out this awesome kick from an amateur rugby player. He was picked at random from the audience and won £250,000 pounds for winning the challenge. His victory face is almost more awesome than the kick itself. Much more video. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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Seth's Blog
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The magic rule of seven (and the banality of alphabetical order)
22 Nov 2009 | 3:35 amIf you approve or create online forms or deal with consumer interactions, I hope you'll think about the following:1. If you have more than seven items in a pull down list, you have failed.Human beings have no trouble keeping seven ideas in their head (hence the seven digit phone number). So, if asked you, "what's your favorite kind of music among: polka, reggae, ska, jazz and country" you can probably juggle those ideas in your head all at once. But if I asked you to pick among 25 movies in a list, it's a lot harder, because you have to keep going back and forth to see if you've got it… -
Benefit of the doubt
21 Nov 2009 | 2:11 amIt's almost impossible to communicate something clearly and succinctly to everyone, all the time.So misunderstandings occur.We misunderstand a comment or a gesture or a policy or a contract.And then what happens?Well, if we're engaged with someone we like or trust, we give them the benefit of the doubt. We either assume that what they actually meant was the thing we expected from someone like them, or we ask about it.If we're engaged with a stranger or someone we don't trust, we assume the worst.The challenge, then, is to earn the benefit of the doubt. How many of your customers, prospects,… -
The amateur scientist (that's us)
20 Nov 2009 | 2:41 amMany people buy a car (probably their single biggest discretionary purchase) based on slamming a door, kicking a tire and judging the handshake of a salesperson.We choose a surgeon based on the carpeting in his office and a politician by his hair cut.During the first week of swine flu vaccines in New York, most parents (more than half!) chose to keep their kids out of the program.Interviewed parents said things like, "I'm not sure it's safe," and "I wanted to see if it affected other kids..."No mention of longitudinal studies or long-term side effects. No science at all, really, just rumors… -
Embracing lifetime value
19 Nov 2009 | 2:46 amIf you walk into a company-owned cell phone store to sign up for a contract, what are you worth?Given the huge gross margins at AT&T and Verizon and the standard two-year contract, I think it's easy to figure on more than $2000 in lifetime value.If you ran a business where a customer represented an additional $2,000 in profit, how would you staff? How long would you make someone wait? If staff costs $25 an hour, how long would that extra person take to pay off?Few businesses understand (really understand) just how much a customer is worth. Add to this the additional profit you get from a… -
Some books for November
18 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pmRandom thoughts from all over for those of us hungry for new ways to think. This month's list is here. The previous list was blogged in September.
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Internet Marketing Blog
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Learning From Leaders: The Inc. 500 and Social Media Usage
20 Nov 2009 | 6:29 amFor the third consecutive year, the Center for Marketing Research at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has concluded that social media is on the rise among businesses. Just released is a rare, in-depth study of how social media is being used by the US’s fast-growing private companies. The study should be an exciting find for any marketer or CEO looking for data on how US companies are navigating the social landscape online.Social Networking and Blogging is on the RiseThe most important takeaway from the study is profound proof that knowledge about social media is on the rise. The study… -
HubSpot TV - The Long Tail and Pigtails with Guest Mike McDerment
20 Nov 2009 | 4:00 amNOTE FROM THE PRODUCERS: Have you ever caught the live show? We broadcast in real-time every Friday at www.hubspot.tv. Click here at 4:00pm ET today to watch the show live. Episode #66 - November 13, 2009(Episode Length: 23 minutes, 33 seconds) Intro How to interact on Twitter: @mvolpe @repcor and @MikeMcDerment with www.HubSpot.tv in your tweet.Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.hubspot.tvYesterday we loaned the stage to Pokin' Holes of Dart Boston Special Guest Mike McDerment: FreshBooks CEO and Co-Founder So, What's FreshBooks?What was your background before FreshBooks?You… -
What Inbound Marketers and Microsoft Can Learn From St. Vincent Hospital's "Pink Glove Dance" Video
20 Nov 2009 | 1:00 amToday I came across a dancing themed video that rocked the khaki pants off Microsoft’s awkward experiment with viral video. The video, posted this week, features the entire staff of St Vincent’s Medical Center in Portland, Oregon donning pink gloves and dancing for Breast Cancer Awareness. As the grand-daughter of a Breast Cancer survivor, I thought the video was touching. As an inbound marketer, I thought it was incredibly fresh and different from the other videos I’d seen of its type. So what’s the deal? Why is this video succeeding while the Microsoft employee video was… -
Top 5 Inbound Marketing Stories of the Week: Online Marketing Dominates
19 Nov 2009 | 10:05 pmDo you (or your boss) still need some convincing that modern inbound marketing is more overall effective and successful than advertising and the other outbound marketing techniques your business has relied on since the Stone Age? Well, we've found a nice little list for you that explains how. The top article on InboundMarketing.com this week offers a concise list of 10 ways online marketing dominates traditional advertising (that's right - just like a ferocious lion dominates its prey)... 1. Top 10 Reasons Why Online Marketing Dominates Traditional Advertising Author: Kim Kolb of… -
Twitter's New Retweet Feature Makes Quality, Unique Content Even More Important for Marketers
19 Nov 2009 | 4:59 amTwitter sure has been busy lately. First, Twitter lists. Now they've recently rolled out their new Retweet function to a beta group of users, making it easier to regurgitate others' tweets. The feature was rolled out to me today, but after testing it out I've started questioning, Does the new feature enhance or diminish the quality of the retweet? Explanation of Retweet Features: The following is Twitter's example of a retweet. Retweets appear in a user's timeline as the original tweet with a note below indicating the user (the person you're following) who retweeted…
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ContentMarketingToday
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Take Your Elevator Speech to a Higher Level. Be Both Brief And Compelling.
19 Nov 2009 | 7:49 pmEngage your listeners so effectively that they will ride with you to the top floor and accompany you all the way to your office enthralled by what you have to say. I was inspired again by Jay Baer’s August 12 post about elevator speeches in which he asserted that the typical elevator speech is too long for today’s attention span. As he put it, "Understand that the Elevator Pitch is Dead. You remember the elevator pitch. The notion that you should be able to describe what your company does in the length of time consumed by the average elevator ride. I’m here to tell you,… -
6 Reasons to Embrace Social Media Today
6 Nov 2009 | 7:47 amSocial media marketing is a trend, not a fad. But, most small to medium-sized businesses have yet to participate fully and enthusiastically. We have just written about a powerful new research study that paints a picture of how thousands of smart companies are already benefiting from the inclusion of social media. What’s clear from that research is that when we evaluate social media, we are not talking about the marketing longevity equivalent of the hula hoop or the Lambada. Social media marketing is here to stay. Because you want your organization to be here for the long… -
Terrific New Social Media Research Study Means It’s Time for Small Business to Get with the Program
6 Nov 2009 | 7:19 amIf you’ve been dragging your feet on social media, it’s time to take both of those feet and jump right in. The just released study on business use of social media from the folks at Business.com is must reading for content marketers who are active, tentative or hesitant about social media. Their research, 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study makes it clear that even small business owners need to take social media very seriously indeed. The study was designed to assess current trends in the use of social media in North American businesses. Based on 2,948 valid responses to… -
Give Your Marketing Real Depth to Deliver Offline and Online Results
6 Nov 2009 | 5:57 amIt’s All About the Power of Deep 3 D Content Over Skinny 2 D Content What’s the difference between 2-D marketing and 3-D marketing you might ask? Plenty! Think of all the junk mail you receive at home or at the office. Tons of envelopes and a few postcards. Virtually everything but the bills will be tossed–and much of that without anyone looking at the individual pieces. There is no depth to all that stuff. But what if you receive a well-designed magazine that clearly matches your interests, even if you haven’t requested it? What’s the… -
Top 10 Lessons Small Businesses Can Takeaway from Smart Content Marketers
23 Oct 2009 | 6:37 amThis week, several client meetings reinforced a vital truth: Content marketing isn’t an arcane theory taught in expensive graduate schools that only billion dollar companies can use. In fact, great content marketing is much more about brains than big bucks. Those client conversations took me back to lessons learned from more than a dozen case studies we featured in Get Content Get Customers. What came through loud and clear was that content marketing requires discipline, patience, and persistence, but it doesn’t require an enormous budget. It’s particularly gratifying…
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Copyblogger
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The Art of the Paragraph
20 Nov 2009 | 6:11 amAnyone can write a paragraph, but not everyone knows how to write one that other people want to read. You’ve seen it: You open a book, and the whole page is one long block of text. Each sentence in the paragraph makes exactly the same point, said in a slightly different way, and you wonder why they didn’t just say it once and be done with it. Every paragraph is the same length (five lines, maybe?), whether it makes sense or not, and it gives the piece a monotonous rhythm. The paragraph makes a point without telling you why that point is important, and you can’t help… -
How to Persuade People to Accept an “Unfair” Offer
19 Nov 2009 | 6:36 amEver heard of Charley Hill? He seemed like an average, ordinary guy. He lived in a mid-sized town with his wife, two children, and a dog. He went to church on Sunday, coached Little League, and drove a pickup truck. He was friendly but quiet, the sort of guy you could walk by on the street without noticing. But appearances can be deceiving. Charley Hill was one of the most successful farm equipment salesmen in the Midwest. People would travel hundreds of miles to see Charley, even when there were plenty of dealers much closer to home. What did Charley have that other salesmen didn’t? Not a… -
Free Report: How to Become a Creative Entrepreneur
18 Nov 2009 | 8:58 amI’ve written another piece of extended content, this time for Lateral Action. Rather than sending you over there, I’ll just tell you about it here. It’s a free 31-page PDF report (don’t worry, it reads fast) called The Lateral Action Guide to Becoming a Creative Entrepreneur. It’s probably the most personal I’ve gotten about my history, but it’s still heavy on actionable, real-life examples. Here’s what you’ll discover: Why I quit my cushy law firm job and turned to online publishing. How I failed miserably. How I then succeeded miserably. How I… -
Landing Page Makeover Clinic #20: TantricSexforBusyCouples.com
17 Nov 2009 | 6:14 amThis is another addition to our ongoing series of tutorials and case studies on landing pages that work. Is it hot in here or just me? Diana Daffner and her husband want to help people find a renewed sense of joy and connection in their intimate relationships through tantra. Their business, IntimacyRetreats.com, offers couples retreats throughout the year, but realizing not everyone can attend a retreat, they also want to promote their books and media products. The URL referenced above is actually the “/shop page” off their main site. Diana would like to use the page as an… -
What I Learned From Writing 42 Guest Posts in 7 Weeks
16 Nov 2009 | 7:12 amBefore you get too impressed, hear this: I did it all in self-defense. Let me give you some quick background. I have extreme Tourette’s Syndrome, as Sonia noticed recently. Tourette’s makes people move or vocalize involuntarily and occasionally results in unspeakable awesomeness. My motor tics range from eye blinking to punching myself in the face to even stranger things. My phonic tics range from clearing my throat to hooting and yowling and snarling and slobbering and screaming like the Tasmanian Devil. Did I mention that I work in a quiet library? There are only a couple of things that…
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Photoshop User TV
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PhotoshopUser TV Episode 209 (November 9, 2009)
10 Nov 2009 | 7:59 amThis video player requires Flash Player 10. If you are not able to watch the video, you may need to upgrade. Click here to install the latest version of Flash Player. SharePreseason Special The new set is nearly complete, but it is an exclusive set that only the most important members of the staff have access to right now. This Week's Sponsors: On One Software | iStockphoto | Mpix Links Mentioned in the Show Contest Winner No contest last week. Stay tuned for the return of new episodes and new contest questions. Photoshop User TV Episode 209 is now playing! Download Episode 209 [In order to… -
PhotoshopUser TV Episode 208 (November 2, 2009)
3 Nov 2009 | 11:35 amShareEditor's Pick New episodes are on the way but this week, the editors have picked some of their favorite tutorials from the past few months. This Week's Sponsors: On One Software | iStockphoto | Mpix Links Mentioned in the Show Contest Winner No contest last week. Stay tuned for the return of new episodes and new contest questions. Photoshop User TV Episode 208 is now playing! Download Episode 208 [In order to download this file directly to your computer, right-click (Control-click on Mac) on the Download link and choose the Save As option.] -
PhotoshopUser TV Episode 207 (October 19, 2009)
20 Oct 2009 | 9:12 amSharePhotoshop World The Photoshop Guys take a tour of the Expo Hall and talk with vendors at this year's Photoshop World conference in Las Vegas. This Week's Sponsors: On One Software | iStockphoto | Mpix Links Mentioned in the Show Photoshop plugins from onOnesoftware.com High quality prints available from artisticphotocanvas.com imagewizards.net offers prints on aluminum Get your lighting equipment from fjwestcott.com Visit Epson.com for your printing needs Get more plugins for Photoshop at niksoftware.com Build a quick and easy flash website for your photos using Showitfast.com… -
PhotoshopUser TV Episode 206 (October 12, 2009)
13 Oct 2009 | 1:05 pmShareCaptivating Episode The countdown to the new set is winding down. In the meantime, check out this interview with Adobe's Julieanne Kost. This Week's Sponsors: On One Software | iStockphoto | Mpix Links Mentioned in the Show Contest Winner No contest last week. Stay tuned for the return of new episodes and new contest questions. Photoshop User TV Episode 206 is now playing! Download Episode 206 [In order to download this file directly to your computer, right-click (Control-click on Mac) on the Download link and choose the Save As option.] -
PhotoshopUser TV Episode 205 (September 28, 2009)
29 Sep 2009 | 9:47 amShareThe Ad Hoc Episode It's Photoshop World week and the set is still being built, but R.C and Matt walk you through cleaning up a Twitter background anyway. Corey comes in a bit later and shows some cool spark effects commonly used on movie posters. This Week's Sponsors: On One Software | iStockphoto | Mpix Links Mentioned in the Show Planet Photoshop is Corey's home on the internet, so find more tutorials, blog and even some contests. Contest Winner No contest last week. Stay tuned for the return of new episodes and new contest questions. Photoshop User TV Episode 205 is now playing!
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PhotoshopStar
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Photoshop Star Cute Text Effect
20 Nov 2009 | 11:46 pmAre you hungry for new text effect tutorials fro Photoshop? I have one more interesting cute text effect for you! In the beginning create a new document sized 300×500 pixels and fill it with color #1a142c. After that create a new layer, get out the Elliptical Marquee Tool to create the selection as on my picture below and fill it with another color #6d56b2. Remove selection with Ctrl+D and apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur with following settings: Change layer opacity to 70% for current layer. Ok, we are done with background and now let’s start creating text effect! Select the… -
Pseudo Surround Styled Effect
19 Nov 2009 | 4:22 amIn this tutorial, I’ll tell you how to create a pseudo surround effect using just Photoshop tools. Ok, lets’ go! Start with creating new document 500×500 pixels. Fill the background with a linear gradient using the color #2d120b and #532803. After that I would like to add some pattern to the background to make the text effect more evident. Get out the Rectangle Tool and create white line as on my picture you can see below. Use Ctrl+T to rotate this line. Hold the Shift button to rotate the line exactly 45 degrees. After that duplicate this layer more times and move left and right… -
How to Design Interesting Stylish Advert
16 Nov 2009 | 2:54 amHere one more interesting tutorial about how to design interesting stylish advert in just a few steps. Get started by creating a new document about 700×500 pixels, resolution (DPI) of 72 pixels and then fill it with linear gradient using colors #0582ae and #0ab7db. Ok, after that find a nice, suitable stock photo to work with. For this you’ll want to use one of the stock photo websites. Also you can use my own picture. Open up the picture and copy it to the main canvas. Then apply the Rectangular Marquee Tool to create selection as on my picture below. Invert selection with Select >… -
How to Create Packaging Gift Paper
13 Nov 2009 | 12:01 amSure, you love to receive gifts, but also you love to make it to. Ok, in this small simple, but useful tutorial I’ll show you how to create your own packaging gift paper to make your gifts unique. Ok, in the beginning create a new document about 1000х1000 pixels. If you want to make print of this paper in future use the resolution (DPI) of 300, but I just tried the default resolution (DPI) of 72. Fill canvas with grey color (#4a4a4a). After that I would like to bring some texture to the canvas. You can feel free to use this one. Open up this file and copy image to our main canvas. Change… -
Make a Collage Using Mosaic Effect
11 Nov 2009 | 8:36 amHere I’ll show you how to make a collage, using mosaic effect. Ok, start with creating a new document sized 500×500 pixels and use the Paint Bucket Tool to fill canvas area with color of #355b00. After that create a new layer and apply the Elliptical Marquee Tool to make a sphere selection as on a picture below, then fill this selected area with color of #97f501 Remove selection with pressing Ctrl+D and for the image jitter apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur with 67 pixels of radius. Then mess with the layer mode. I tried Overlay. Merge two of these layers in one and start…
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The Photoshop Roadmap Blog
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30 Essential Photo Manipulation Photoshop Tutorials for Beginners
19 Nov 2009 | 8:30 amWhenever I have to research for new Photoshop tutorials for my compilations, I always focus on stunning, complex and difficult tutorials mainly targeted for pros. But most of the time you need to perform basic tasks such as red eye removal, or changing a color in a photo. This list is about basic photo manipulation techniques for beginners. Some of these techniques require a bit of work, but many do not. Remember that good results require good starting photos! -
The Fantastic Art of Marco Peis
7 Oct 2009 | 10:49 amMarco Peis - Junior Art Director & Specialist for Graphic Arts from Austria is using Photoshop, zBrush and C4D to create such amazing and breathtaking works. His portfolio is an eternal source of inspiration and ideas. His experiments have a strong and deep impression with remarkable effect combinations besides his sense of balance. Born in Tirol (Austria), he started as a freelancer for some little but well-known agencies. Now he is working at the EuroRSCG Vienna on international clients like Peugeot, Vichy, Telekom, and some more. He told us, that in his job there is demanded much… -
45 Striking Free Star Wars 3D Models for Photoshop
5 Oct 2009 | 2:10 pmSince version CS3, Photoshop has the ability of import and render 3d objects created by third party 3d modeling software. This addition is a godsend specially for those who love creating complex action and sci-fi scenes and had to rely on external 3d software to render the basic layout of the scene and then finish it in Photoshop. This article gathers 45 impressive free Star Wars 3d models that can be opened, tweaked and rendered in Photoshop. These models are free for all projects. But to be sure, check the download page to see if the author has indicated some restrictions. Some of these… -
16 Smashing Photorealistic Text Effects in Photoshop
22 Sep 2009 | 5:43 amIn each new version of Photoshop, Adobe is pushing the limits of photorealism offering new tools to create 3d images or realistic special effects. But those features don’t create anything by themselves. The power is in the ever evolving imagination of Photoshop artists. And this compilation is a demonstration that in most cases, you don’t need any fancy tools other than your creativity and imagination to achieve photorealism with certain ease. I’ve already created other interesting text effects compilations that you may want to check: The 80 best Photoshop text effects on… -
Create an Elegant Technicolor Effect in Photoshop with Filter Forge
9 Sep 2009 | 12:27 pmThis tutorial will show you how to create a simple additive two color Technicolor filter for Photoshop using Filter Forge plugin. Filter Forge is a fantastic tool to create your own Photoshop filters without writing a single line of code or know how to program in any language. You don’t need to buy FilterForge plugin to follow this article. You can download a 30 day fully functional demo here with absolutely no restrictions. If you want to know about many other Photoshop plugins that offer fully functional trials, just read my previous article: 22+ Stunning Commercial Photoshop Plugins…
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Jason D. Moore Photography | A Photoshop & Digital Photography Blog Community
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Points of View Photo Project: #18
20 Nov 2009 | 12:08 amWelcome to the 18th edition of the weekly Points of View Photo Project! Each week I post a source image that is the out-of-the-camera original and offer it up for anyone who would like to take a shot at processing it. This isn’t a contest, this isn’t about who is better, it’s simply a chance to [...] -
Photo Review: Jonathan Goforth’s Chain Whip
19 Nov 2009 | 12:07 amToday’s photo review image comes from Friend-of-the-Blog Jonathan Goforth. Regulars here will know Jonathan from his showing in my BIG Photo Contest over the summer and his regular contributions to the Points of View Photo Project (which will be posted tomorrow and there’s still time to send in your shots by 10pm (Eastern) tonight!). Jonathan has [...] -
So, They Think I Can Teach Photoshop!
17 Nov 2009 | 9:01 pmThat’s right! I received official word that I was selected as one of the Honorable Mention winners in the NAPP So, You Think You Can Teach Photoshop?! contest! And I would I like to take this opportunity to thank the judges for this honor and opportunity. Though it would’ve been awesome to claim the top slot [...] -
November Photo Contest Reminder
17 Nov 2009 | 12:05 amThat’s right! We’re already over halfway through the month and the November Photo Contest only has a couple of weeks left! Regulars will know that there is usually no theme for my monthly photo contests but this month I thought it would be fun to see what you could do with your camera phones (thanks to [...] -
onOne PhotoFrame 4
16 Nov 2009 | 12:05 amAwhile back I received a copy of PhotoFrame 4 as part of the Plug-ins Suite from onOne Software. I hadn’t had time to use it all that much but playing around with textures as I did last week really inspired me to take it for a spin. Here is a shot I took over the summer [...]
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Photopreneur - Make Money Selling Your Photos
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Sales Outlets for Nature Photographers
18 Nov 2009 | 7:42 amPhotography: olivetti Nature has to be among the most popular of subjects for photography enthusiasts. Unlike a model, a tree on a hill doesn’t complain about the cold, a sunset will arrive exactly when you expect it to and you often need to do little more than point and shoot to capture all the beauty you can see. You don’t even have to go looking for it. A photogenic scene can strike you on the way home on the daily commute or during a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. That’s why the keenest photographers carry a camera with them wherever they go. It takes something special to create… -
Microstock Photographer Lands Book Cover for $3.82
10 Nov 2009 | 7:49 amFor most photographers, seeing their photo on the cover of a book should be a highlight of their career. It’s the cover that does the selling so when a publisher decides that their image is powerful enough to attract attention and pull in buyers, it’s a sure sign that they’ve take a great photo. They’ll be able to see their picture on the shelf every time they walk into a bookstore, enjoy the feeling that customers are placing it on their own bookshelves… and the remuneration should be nice too. It doesn’t always work out that way though. Now that images are available on… -
Creative Ideas for Photography Books
3 Nov 2009 | 11:04 amPhotography: chotda The photography books that line the shelves in bookstores and fill your Amazon wish list might all contain wonderful images and beautiful pictures but they also tend to follow a format. The photos focus on a theme, are accompanied by short passages of text, and each photo both stands alone and contributes to an overall impression of the book’s subject. When you’re looking to create your own photo book, those bestsellers always provide good models to follow. Stray out of the photography section though and you can find plenty of other books that are strong on… -
Pitching Your Photos to Foreign Markets
22 Oct 2009 | 5:22 amPhotography: toastyKen One of the biggest changes to hit the business world — including the photography world — during the last few years has been globalization. When you can pay someone on the other side of the planet half the fees charged by a local service provider and receive the same quality, the difference in time zones doesn’t look too awkward. For photographers, it’s created real challenges — and real opportunities too. Now that any photographer anywhere can offer their photos to any buyer, competition has multiplied. Reuters, for example, prides itself not on its ability to… -
Selling Your Old Photos
13 Oct 2009 | 1:19 pmPhotography: Courtesy fotoLibra Building a portfolio of images is a little like creating an investment portfolio. It’s an asset that should continue to bring in revenue on a consistent basis throughout the life of the photographer. For top photographers that’s certainly true. Annie Leibovitz was able to borrow $15.5 million using her images as collateral in part because lenders the Art Capital Group recognized that her work would remain valuable enough to cover the loan. For more typical professionals, creating a stock portfolio is often an investment too, largely because it takes time…
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Bringing Brands to Life
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Employee Engagement Lessons from Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” Part 2
18 Nov 2009 | 6:07 amHere’s part two of my conversation with Ellen McGirt, Senior Writer for Fast Company magazine and Dean of Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” website. Part one can be found here. Thanks again, Ellen, for participating! 5. Many organizations see and hear the potential benefits of incorporating an internal social media framework into their communication strategies but are hesitant to make the leap. What would you say to these folks? Grow a spine. You’ve already lost control! You might as well have some fun. And by the way, this is the golden era of the communications professional. In… -
Employee Engagement Lessons from Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” Part 1
4 Nov 2009 | 6:04 amI’m a big fan of Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” site. The minute it launched, I felt it offered a simple yet highly effective way for organizations to integrate social media concepts into their internal communication strategies. I wanted to know more. So I asked Ellen McGirt, the Senior Writer and Dean of “30 Second MBA,” a few questions about her experiences in launching the site. I was particularly interested in seeing how the “30 Second MBA” framework could be adapted for internal communication purposes. Here’s part one of the interview. And many thanks, Ellen, for… -
5 Big Ideas: What Honda’s Mini-Documentaries Can Teach Non-Filmmakers
21 Oct 2009 | 7:05 pmHere are five ideas from Honda’s new corporate documentary, “Racing Against Time,” to help you take your videos from talking heads to interesting and believable stories. (RSS readers click thru to see the video.) Have you checked out Honda’s “Dream the Impossible” mini-documentary series? The video series features several big ideas in a series of mini-documentaries. And yes, they’re beautifully produced. But here’s the thing. If you deconstruct Honda’s new documentary, “Racing Against Time,” you’ll find five big ideas you can use to make your own videos just as… -
Tom's SpeedLink #12
20 Oct 2009 | 5:52 amTime to share some pretty cool links... 1. New book: "Believe Me: Why Your Vision, Brand, and Leadership Need a Bigger Story." Michael Margolis, my friend and remarkable business storyteller, just released his first book yesterday entitled, "Believe Me: Why Your Vision, Brand, and Leadership Need a Bigger Story." It's a "storytelling manifesto for change-makers and innovators." Yes, I ordered my copy and can't wait to dive in to it! 2. Honda Launches New Docu-Series On Twitter Honda's corporate mini-documentaries are some of my favorite programs. I'll have a full article on this new video… -
9 Super Simple Ways to Rock Your Company Video
7 Oct 2009 | 7:18 pmIt’s the small things that can make a big difference. Anyone can implement these ideas. And the cool part? They’re free or next to free. See if you can sneak a few of these tricks into your next project. It will help your video story feel more believable and interesting. And rockin'. 1. Talk first. Your best storytellers are hiding right under your nose– your employees. Figure our what your video is about. Pull up a chair and get talking. Ask lots of different questions. Employees rarely get this kind of chance to be heard and recognized. You’ll be amazed at what you hear and capture.
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Writing White Papers
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Why ‘Forced Registration’ Can Backfire for Case Studies and White Papers
17 Nov 2009 | 2:28 pmBeing bombarded with marketing from all directions, people have become skeptical. They require proof that your marketing hype isn’t just that – hype. Case studies and white papers provide that extra ‘push’ customers sometimes need to make a buying decision. So, why make it difficult for prospects to get that further bit of proof? If it means the difference between clicking, “YES! I want to buy your widget,” and walking away from your website empty-handed, does it really make sense to force someone to give up his name and email address first? Having prospects register for content… -
Major Study Shows White Paper Power Increasing!
29 Oct 2009 | 3:06 pmListen up businesses! The white paper is here to stay and it’s only getting more important. Or so says a brand new study by Eccolo Media. I covered the main take-home message of their last report earlier this year. But this new study has some amazing findings covering everything from the influence of white papers compared to other marketing tools, how they are shared, their ideal length and when they are used in the purchase cycle. I outline the key findings below. (more…) -
Using Twitter For White Papers
26 Oct 2009 | 3:13 pmAre you scratching your head trying to come up with current trends on a particular white paper topic? Why not tap into Twitter? By using applications that harness the power of this vast network, you can selectively search the Twittersphere for trends in your industry. Set up alerts around key phrases (more…) -
Learn How to Master Facebook and Twitter Marketing in Free Live Streaming Event
12 Oct 2009 | 12:00 amLinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter… To some they’re social media. But for those in the know, they’re free marketing tools that can attract thousands of customers and make millions of dollars for businesses willing to get in the game. That’s according to the “The Social Media Dream Team,” four powerhouse social media professionals (Mari Smith, Jason Falls, Chris Garrett and Denise Wakeman), who will be fielding live viewer questions on finding customers and making money online with social media. The group will appear in free real-time video streams on Monday,… -
White Paper Client Interview Template: Good for Sales Letters, Too
6 Oct 2009 | 1:56 pmAn interesting thing happened while collaborating on some sales letter work recently. While sitting in on the initial client interviews, I found myself going back to Mike’s white paper interview template to “fill in” some gaps while we were talking to the client. Mike’s white paper process is much more interview-heavy than other types of marketing writing, but it’s also much more comprehensive. The “Stelzner method” is more of a guided discussion than an in-depth creative brief filled out over the phone, and I’ve found it much more efficient for gathering information than your…
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Twitter Backgrounds Gallery
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@oxygenna
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@adellecharles
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@fabrikade
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@hughbriss
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@poliquinp
20 Nov 2009 | 9:15 am
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Twitterstop.com
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Is Social Media a Fad?
28 Oct 2009 | 12:02 amSocial Media from dwayne koh on Vimeo. -
Twizzle for Twitter
27 Oct 2009 | 11:49 pmThere’s a new Twitter client for your iphone and it’s called Twizzle. The only free Twitter client for your iPhone with multiple account support, landscape tweeting, in-app web browsing, threaded conversations, and absolutely zero ads. Features: Multiple account support. Landscape tweeting. Twitpic integration to upload pictures to Twitter on the go. Follow your friends, mentions, and direct messages. Retweet, @reply, and favorite tweets. Direct message anyone that follows you. View anyone’s friends/followers, bio, location, recent favorites, tweets, and mentions. And much,… -
Obama Wins Peace Prize. Funny.
9 Oct 2009 | 7:13 amWe woke up this morning to the news that US President Barack Hussein Obama was awarded the “prestigious” Nobel Peace Prize. Our response, as with many others, was one of dismay and questioning “For what did he win?”. What has he really done to win this award? The deadline to even submit your name for consideration was Feb 1st, which means Obama hadn’t even been in office but for a month. He hadn’t even had time to make an impact through his Presidency. Right? Well, because we can only now laugh at this award, we figured we’d give you the ten… -
The Twitter Lotto
7 Oct 2009 | 7:03 amToday’s featured Twitter based site is “TheTwitterLotto.com”. This web site’s jackpot gets bigger every time a visitor arrives at this home page. The money in this lottery is earned from one thing, publicity. The more visitors this web site receives, the higher its value becomes and the larger the jackpot becomes, and with the internet widely available, anyone around the world has the chance to participate! Today the site might be worth $3, but tomorrow it might be worth $10! Check out www.thetwitterlotto.com for more info. -
What’s Happn.in?
13 Sep 2009 | 11:07 amThis past week we tweeted about FacebookLite and a few minutes later we received a message from Happn.in that we started a “Trend” about that particular topic. Of course this grabbed our interest and we headed over to www.happen.in to see what was up. Turns out that this powerful little tool “collects and aggregates popular phrases used used on Twitter within 20 miles of major cities. The ten most popular phrases each hour are posted to this site, and are tweeted four times a day to the Happn.in Twitter account for each city. To receive updates for your city, click the…
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Slashdot
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Colossus 3.5-in SSD Combines Quad Controllers
22 Nov 2009 | 10:12 amVigile writes "The new Colossus SSD comes in capacities starting at 256GB and going all the way up to 1TB in a standard 3.5-in hard drive form factor. This larger size was required because the drive actually integrates not one but four Indilinx SSD controllers and three total RAID controllers in a nested RAID-0 array. All of this goodness combines to create an incredibly fast drive that beats most other options in terms of write speeds and is competitive in read tests as well. Using some custom 'garbage collection' firmware, the drive works around the fact that TRIM commands aren't supported… -
Chrome OS and Android "Will Likely Converge" In the Future
22 Nov 2009 | 8:54 amxchg writes "When Google first announced that the company would be pursuing development of two distinct operating systems, many questioned Google's motivation. 'Google executives, including CEO Eric Schmidt, have downplayed the conflict ever since, asking for time to let the projects evolve. And a few days after Chrome OS was revealed, Android chief Andy Rubin said device makers "need different technology for different products," explaining that Android has a lot of unique code that makes it suitable for use in a phone and Chrome has unique benefits of its own. But Brin, speaking informally… -
The State of Ruby VMs — Ruby Renaissance
22 Nov 2009 | 7:59 amigrigorik writes "In the short span of just a couple of years, the Ruby VM space has evolved to more than just a handful of choices: MRI, JRuby, IronRuby, MacRuby, Rubinius, MagLev, REE and BlueRuby. Four of these VMs will hit 1.0 status in the upcoming year and will open up entirely new possibilities for the language — Mac apps via MacRuby, Ruby in the browser via Silverlight, object persistence via Smalltalk VM, and so forth. This article takes a detailed look at the past year, the progress of each project, and where the community is heading. It's an exciting time to be a… -
New Attack Fells Internet Explorer
22 Nov 2009 | 7:33 amalphadogg writes "Attack code has been identified that could be used to break into a PC running older versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser. The code was posted Friday to the Bugtraq mailing list by an unidentified hacker. According to security vendor Symantec, the code does not always work properly, but it could be used to install unauthorized software on a victim's computer."Read more of this story at Slashdot. -
New Research Forecasts Global 6C Increase By End of Century
22 Nov 2009 | 6:16 amjamie writes with this snippet from the UK's Independent: "The world is now firmly on course for the worst-case scenario in terms of climate change, with average global temperatures rising by up to 6C by the end of the century, leading scientists said yesterday. ... [The study] found that there has been a 29 per cent increase in global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel between 2000 and 2008, the last year for which figures are available. On average, the researchers found, there was an annual increase in emissions of just over 3 per cent during the period, compared with an annual increase of 1…
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TechCrunch
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NSFW: Give me ad-free conversations, or give me death (please RT)
22 Nov 2009 | 10:00 amYesterday I spent the day at TechCrunch’s ‘Real Time Crunch-up’. This despite having no idea what a ‘Crunch-up’ actually is. The important thing is that Erick had asked me to help moderate his panel about marketing within ‘real-time streams’, which is a subject close to my heart. So close in fact, that had he asked me to help moderate a panel about child rape and it’s place in the public school system I couldn’t have been keener to weigh in. I’ll get back to my own contribution in a moment, but first, as a courtesy to my paymasters,… -
Hulu Gets Ripped Out Of Rippol
21 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmWe’ve seen in the past year that Hulu gets testy about their video content being used on other sites or platforms, with Boxee and TV.com both forced to remove Hulu content from their sites and applications. Now startup Rippol is facing the same fate. Rippol just publicly launched their video discovery sites at yesterday’s Real-Time CrunchUp, which combines both complex algorithms with user suggestions to surface interesting video content. Less than a few hours after Rippol launched, the startup’s co-founder Aaron Crayford received notice from Hulu that the video embeds on… -
TechCrunch Interviews (The Very Happy) Skype CEO Josh Silverman
21 Nov 2009 | 1:59 pmSkype CEO Josh Silverman can’t stop smiling in this video interview we recorded in Menlo Park this morning. And no wonder – despite serious legal and spinoff drama, Silverman has managed to close his multi-billion dollar spinoff of Skype from eBay. His legal troubles have evaporated. Skype is growing like a weed. And he’s managed to keep his job running the business. Life is good. All he has to do now is manage board meetings with two of the more forceful personalities on the planet – new investor Marc Andreessen and cofounder/new investor Niklas Zennstrom. Well, that… -
Google Calendar Starts Testing “Sneak Preview”
21 Nov 2009 | 1:57 pmGoogle Calendar is testing out a new feature that should make scheduling events a tad easier than it used to be by allowing you to see at a glance if the event you’re creating will conflict with the schedules of the people you’re inviting. Dubbed “Sneak Preview”, the feature’s name is perhaps more exciting than its actual function, but it should prove to be quite useful. The feature is apparently in a limited rollout right now, so don’t be surprised if you don’t have access to it. Once you’ve activated Sneak Preview (assuming you have access to… -
Bloosky Acquires Tracking202
21 Nov 2009 | 1:52 pmMost TechCrunch readers have never heard of Tracking202. But affiliate advertisers love the service, which manages advertising campaigns on Facebook, MySpace and other platforms. In fact, Tracking202 was at the center of the Facebook click-fraud issue that we reported on earlier this year. Tracking202 users saw a certain number of clicks on ads via the Tracking202 interface, and far more on their Facebook admin pages. The company is self funded and has a number of customers who pay for the premium hosted version of the service. Today they’ve announced they’re selling the business…
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Pogue's Posts
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A $25 App Phone? That's Crazy Talk.
19 Nov 2009 | 10:16 amThis week, Palm released a follow up to the Pre, a cheaper, thinner, lesser phone called the Pixi. The official price is $100 with a two-year Sprint contract, but Amazon is selling the thing for - are you sitting down? - $25. -
Crowdsourcing Comedy on Amazon Reviews
17 Nov 2009 | 8:07 amSome unexpected humor can be found in the reviews of the world's largest online retailer. -
It's Q & A With DP!
13 Nov 2009 | 11:14 amWhy I use URL shorteners-even when not on Twitter. -
Verizon: How Much Do You Charge Now?
12 Nov 2009 | 9:29 amVerizon's cellphones are designed in such a way that you can almost never avoid getting $1.99 charge on the bill for its mobile Web services, even if you immediately cancel the action. -
Fun With Google's Auto-Suggestion Feature
12 Nov 2009 | 8:06 amStart a phrase in a Google and who knows how the search engine will complete it?
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Wired Top Stories
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Vanish! How Wired Readers Caught Our Fugitive Writer
20 Nov 2009 | 5:45 pmIn an age when everyone is following everything, is it ever possible to disappear? On Aug. 13, one man drove out of San Francisco determined to stay hidden in plain sight and test this possibility. -
Shaggy to Bald: Evan's Daily Costume Change
20 Nov 2009 | 5:41 pmWhile on the run, Evan Ratliff snapped a self-portrait each day to document his constantly evolving appearance. -
Stories From the Hunt for Evan Ratliff
20 Nov 2009 | 5:40 pmAfter Evan Ratliff was captured, Wired asked the most active hunters to send in their stories. Why were they drawn to the hunt, what did they do and what did they learn? -
Wired Tests Writer With Series of Bold Challenges
20 Nov 2009 | 5:39 pmWith a week remaining in the hunt for Evan Ratliff, Wired decided to up the stakes with of five challenges hidden in New York Times crossword puzzles. -
Delete Browser Cookies, Clean Up Your Trail of Crumbs
20 Nov 2009 | 3:30 pmThe web is watching you, and it’s doing it using browser cookies — small snippets of tracking code. Do away with them to be free of watchers, and annoy the heck out of Big Brother too.
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Wine Library TV
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Passport to South American Wines – Episode #772
20 Nov 2009 | 4:33 pmGary Vaynerchuk sits down with Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel and tastes three different wines from South America. Having trouble viewing this video? Try the Quicktime version. Wines tasted in this episode: 2008 Quintay Sauvignon BlancChilean Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Vinedo Vintos EstivalUruguay White Wine 2006 Tomero Petit Verdot Other Argentine Red Wine Links mentioned in todays episode. The “Crush It!” Book Tour Great Weekends with Samantha Brown -
Dr Vino Visits Wine Library TV – Episode #771
19 Nov 2009 | 1:47 pmGary Vaynerchuk tastes some Thanksgiving picks with writer and blogger Tyler Colman (aka Dr Vino). Having trouble viewing this video? Try the Quicktime version. Comments on this episode(116) Leave a comment › “Dr Vino Rules. Great guest Gary Vee. QOTD: since we don’t celebrat…” by osvar falcón lara “DR. NNNNNNEEEEEERRRRRDDDDDDO!!!!!!! Somebody get the man something for…” by carl View all 116 › Wines tasted in this episode: 2007 Selbach-oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Kabinett RieslingMosel Riesling 2005 Viking Vouvray Tendre SecVouvray 2007… -
Wines for a Big Event – Episode #770
18 Nov 2009 | 4:29 pmSince Gary Vaynerchuk gets so many emails asking about how to pick wines for weddings and other events, he invited celebrity event planner Marcy Bloom to tackle it with him on the Thunder Show. Having trouble viewing this video? Try the Quicktime version. Comments on this episode(123) Leave a comment › “Great guest! Loved it when she got startled a little as Gary BURST in…” by Joe “Interesting comment on the 08 Campuget Blanc Costieres De Nimes. I of…” by Robin C View all 123 › Wines tasted in this episode: 2008 Campuget Blanc Costieres De… -
California Chardonnay Throwdown – Episode #769
17 Nov 2009 | 4:19 pmGary Vaynerchuk tastes three serious and highly rated Chardonnays and has some big announcements. Having trouble viewing this video? Try the Quicktime version. Comments on this episode(198) Leave a comment › “I’ll be going to Santa Barbara, CA with a friend and his wife that inv…” by Made By Foot “QOTD: will be at a fren’s place, likely to bring a bottle of red. We’l…” by MaRc View all 198 › Wines tasted in this episode: 2008 Brewer Clifton Santa Rita Hills ChardonnaySanta Barbara Chardonnay 2007 Dumol Isobel ChardonnaySonoma… -
A Little Update and a Few Statements – Episode #768
16 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pmGary Vaynerchuk has a few quick things to say. Comments on this episode(76) Leave a comment › “wups! happy belated birthday gary! p.s. the question of the day, 4t…” by ben from boston “I can’t see the video, nothing there,…only the title. What a tease!…” by pacw808 View all 76 › Wines tasted in this episode:
