From the category archives:

A Simpler Way

Keep hope alive

August 11, 2009

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Image via Wikipedia
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make me the happiest. Many of us with the nontrepreneurial sprit devote significant amounts of time into activities that have zero chance for payoff. I’m not talking only about direct payoff. I’m talking about zero chance of secondary payoff too. Sure, there’s always whuffie to be had. [...]

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Drop your assumptions at the door

August 11, 2009

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Everyone knows what an “elevator pitch” is, right? Wrong. Over the weekend I attended Laid Off Camp Phoenix. Side note: a great event. You should put one on in your city if you’re looking for work. Some fabulous ideas and connections were made!
During the camp, a speaker suggested everyone prepare their “elevator [...]

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I don’t have to like everything about you

August 6, 2009

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Image by Bobasonic via Flickr
Chris is a gamer and writes about it on his blog. A lot. I’m not a gamer, so I don’t care. So in essence, I have to “put up with” Chris’ writing about gaming.
Tyler likes to rant on his blog. A lot. I don’t have the same passions as he does, [...]

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The Next Big Thing

August 4, 2009

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Image by Crystl via Flickr
On Sunday, I was interviewed by a reporter for the Phoenix New Times. I’ve done a fair share of interviews over the years, and you never know how the final piece will turn out. Sometimes the journalist has a slant, sometimes things get edited down to just sound bites, and sometimes [...]

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Going beyond takedown notices

August 2, 2009

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Image by stevegarfield via Flickr
It’s an understatement to say that digital publishing causes concerns for traditional publishers. Having a digital version of media available — regardless of who did the digitizing — effectively eliminates the control of distribution. Digital files are inherently copyable and sharable, and any business model that relies on the prevention of [...]

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Is your blog missing these 2 critical personal branding features?

January 14, 2009

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Image by robalicious via FlickrBlogging has become ubiquitous. Sites like WordPress.org & Blogger.com make it easy for anyone to start blogging. And there’s no shortage of pros telling you how to do it better.
But before you embark on a journey of self-education, you’ll want to fix two things that many bloggers get horribly, terribly wrong. [...]

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Asperger’s for the social networking crowd?

January 13, 2009

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Image by august allen via FlickrTime for me to make up a new word:
Sociatize (soh-shit-IZE): verb, transitive. The act of converting any event into a social networking opportunity.
Let’s say you found out members of your book club were going to a movie you didn’t want to see. You wouldn’t go along with them, [...]

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The fine line between false praise and encouragement

January 4, 2009

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Image by berbercarpet via FlickrThere exists a fine line between false praise and encouragement.
Encouragement is necessary. It provides a positive support while someone is either exploring their creativity of improving their craft. No one is instantly good at anything, so we all naturally go through a development process in anything that we do.
But unlike [...]

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In praise of shortness

December 6, 2008

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Image by noneck via FlickrThere’s something to be said for a short show. My podcast listening enjoyment has increased 10 fold by:

Brad P. in NJ for A Whole Lot of Nonsense. I wish I cared as much.

Beatnik Turtle’s Song of the Day. I wish I had been as prolific with my music.

The Onion Radio News. [...]

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Why wait for a conference?

November 14, 2008

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Image by sheiladeeisme via FlickrNew Media unshackles the notion of a broadcast schedule. Traditional media is waking up to this fact (hello, Hulu). Audiences have been there for a while (hello, TiVo). Conferences and conventions are getting into the act, albeit from their tech-savvy attendees (hello, uStream).
So what am I waiting for?
On the plane back [...]

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Want the secret to social media success?

August 25, 2008

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People want social media to be an easy fix. Companies look at social media as an immediate replacement for lots of other things they are doing, and they expect it to “just work” out of the box.
That’s not the way the game is played, kids.
Take it from Scott Sigler, arguably one of the most popular [...]

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Taking value away from users to try to force a specific action is almost always going to be less desirable than providing people what they want.

May 29, 2008

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Here’s a little secret: statistically speaking, no one cares about what you have to offer, show or say. But rather than have me beat you over the head with that statement of fact, I’ll let Loren Feldman tell you in this video.
In fact, the collective “they” care so little, “they” aren’t even going to [...]

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Trickle down or ripple effect?

April 10, 2008

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I started my morning with the following tweet:
“Trying to tap into a network of influencers is pointless: it’s very hard to know who really has influence and who’s just got a big mouth.”
That pearl of wisdom comes from Suw Charman in her blog post on Strange Attractor. Like Suw, I’ve always questioned the idea that [...]

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Getting to zero with a Bacn folder

March 23, 2008

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One of the challenges of being a new media douchbag is that I (and probably you) get inundated with email. Friend requests, shouts, updates, Flicker notices, Netflix confirmations… it’s out of control!
The name for all of this… stuff is now “bacn”. Think of it as a form of spam, but spam that is residual, somewhat [...]

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Brain crack

February 2, 2008

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Meet my friend Brian Shaler. Brian… jumps. Well, he does lots of other cool shit as well. But he’s best known (by me anyway) for his jumps.
Brian fell in to my trap the other day. What’s the trap? Simple. I’ve talked before how I tend to assume that I’m the smartest person in any room [...]

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Here’s to the crazy ones

August 30, 2007

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My new favorite quote, attributed to Johnny Appleseed:
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve [...]

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Are you selling what they should be buying?

July 29, 2007

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I’ve been reading Joe Marchese’s Online Spin for some time now. Very good and very dense information on the changing nature of marketing and advertising — including what it means to even try to advertise in the digital space. Always good.
Recently, he posted a piece on targeting. I realize that most of my audience probably [...]

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