January 2008
16 posts
Naked… →
This is a hilarious advert; as soon as I saw it I knew I had to find it on YouTube and blog it!
Monetize: A word we didn't need →
Only in the perverted world of the web can something as simple and fundamental as making money be in need of a fancy word like “monetize”. The most basic principle of business doesn’t need an exotic dress and an academic hat. Just a pair of working gloves. It’s no longer either: “How can we make money?” vs “How can we monetize this?”. And the former even benefits from not having “I’m such an ass”...
[On Writing] Biz dev emails and first impressions →
Yesterday I got an email from a biz dev guy at a company that syncs data between different applications from different companies. This was the first line of the email:
I work for an enterprise level integration company that is looking to attack the long tail of the market for point to point integration solutions.
Delete.
Breaking news via Twitter →
Today has been a big news day. The international financial markets went crazy, and the US Federal Reserve cut a key benchmark rate by 0.75% about an hour before US markets were going to open after a long holiday weekend. Last night was a major Democratic party debate, where the candidates started really doing battle with each other. Heath Ledger was found dead in his NYC flat. There were other big...
Layering →
Here’s what we used to do: Create —-> Edit —-> Launch Here’s what happens now: Create —-> Launch —-> Edit —-> Launch —-> repeat Someone asked me which post on this blog represented the turning point of its growth. The ‘breakthrough’ post. It turns out that there wasn’t one. Instead, there were 2,500 posts, one...
Leaders Are Rarely the Best Performers →
I’m re:visiting Tom Peters’ Re:imagine! and stumbled upon this chewy management ditty on leadership…
Leaders Are Rarely the Best Performers A symphony conductor is usually a good musician, but seldom a world-class performer. The most effective university deans are often not the best professors. The ability to lead … to Engage Others and to Turn Them On … rarely coincides with being at the...
What are you doing? We're idea-ting →
The above video is IBM’s tongue-in-cheek look at corporate brainstorming events. This 0:30 ad has been played over and over during each week of the NFL playoffs as IBM reminds managers all over the country to just do it when they get back into the office on Monday. [video: IBM Commercial: Idea-ting Session]
Workaholics →
A workaholic lives on fear. It’s fear that drives him to show up all the time. The best defense, apparently, is a good attendance record. A new class of jobs (and workers) is creating a different sort of worker, though. This is the person who works out of passion and curiosity, not fear. The passionate worker doesn’t show up because she’s afraid of getting in trouble, she shows...
For Firefox users… →
If you want to break through the bulls**t on the Internet, sometimes you need a helping hand. David Friedman blogs at Ironic Sans (a great blog), and a while back he posted a Firefox plugin to “Uncensor the Internet.”
All you have to do is go to his page, and click on the appropriate link to start using the plugin.
Most of the time, you’ll never need it… strangely enough, if people are going to...
And now… a message from Jimmy Carter →
I Got What America Needs Right Here
Sometimes I’m a little stupid, maybe, a little slow in the head, so I’m wondering if you can help me get something straight….
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The easiest way to charge money for software →
Q: What’s the easiest way to charge money for software?
A: Build software that helps other people make (or save) money. Spending money on software becomes a lot easier leap for customers to make if they can say, “I make money when I use this software.” Or “When I finish using this software, I get paid.” Or “This software saves me X hours a week.” (Time is money, right?) People are willing to pay...
Making promises →
Is that what marketing is all about? I think so. Make promises and keep them. Some organizations work very hard to weasel in the promises they make. They imply great customer service or amazing results or spectacular quality, but don’t deliver. No, they didn’t actually lie, but they came awfully close. The result: angry customers and negative word of mouth. It’s very easy to...
Making promises →
Is that what marketing is all about? I think so. Make promises and keep them. Some organizations work very hard to weasel in the promises they make. They imply great customer service or amazing results or spectacular quality, but don’t deliver. No, they didn’t actually lie, but they came awfully close. The result: angry customers and negative word of mouth. It’s very easy to...
Loving Google Maps today… →
Why?
They recently added “Street View” to my old hometown of the Twin Cities, Minnesota. (Minneapolis/St. Paul) Not only that, the Street View functions go well out into the suburbs. I can now see the house I grew up in from Google, as well as old friends’ houses where I spent lots of time growing up.
My sister’s place hasn’t had the Google Street View van go by, but virtually everywhere else...
The Future Is Now →
It is 1973. You are at Disneyworld. You enter Tomorrowland, and after a whirl on Space Mountain you decide to check out the new exhibit on the future of marketing. You hear … “By the early 21st century companies won’t need to deal directly with customers anymore. Robotic computers, called CRMs, will handle all customer relationships. And, in fact, two companies will be able to...
The Future Is Now →
It is 1973. You are at Disneyworld. You enter Tomorrowland, and after a whirl on Space Mountain you decide to check out the new exhibit on the future of marketing. You hear … “By the early 21st century companies won’t need to deal directly with customers anymore. Robotic computers, called CRMs, will handle all customer relationships. And, in fact, two companies will be able to...