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Don't ask your customers this.

A fascinating and fun listen.

Direction: Your feedback.

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Business infrastructure and the coming consolidation.

If you're in the game long enough, you see that everything and nothing changes at the same time.

Wil’s Sunday: What’s that blinking thing?

While I won't ever consider myself an artist, my father is. And I have to think all that artsy stuff rubbed off on us.

Icelandic football.

"Although at first glance this image looks like a typical football match, your eye is soon drawn to the scenery in the background..."

The cooperative economy?

If you've worked for/with a cooperative, this is what it's like.

Programmatic advertising: A long-term strategy for businesses?

Ad targeting doesn't really work as advertised.

A big change for email marketers.

Updated messaging from email service providers based on yesterday's Apple event.

Email marketing: The new open rate strategy.

We may even see a mass exodus at advertising and marketing agencies along with company changes for internal marketing teams.

The truth and trust behind digital advertising.

How do we truly target an audience with an ad?

Wil’s Sunday: A morning walk, alone, in San Francisco.

As I turned around to make the 15-minute walk home, it all set in. Things would be different.

The art of positioning (a book).

Positioning is fun, and challenging.

The iTunes effect.

Making payments remarkably easy.

The future of investing and smart contracts.

Investing in people and smart contracts will inspire innovation at a much more rapid pace.

Understanding the future.

For some, keeping up with music ensures they remain current. Others keep up with mobile apps. And still others, other topics.

How the creator economy is reshaping business.

If we're changing how we do business, do we also start looking at how we can change business itself? It seems to me the creator economy is opening up a sub-economy: the business creator economy. Or, maybe creating a new vertical with a new acronym: D2CvBo.

Every major automobile manufacturer.

"What will we call automobiles in the future?".

The impact and the rise of the marketing "expert".

We all seem to be experts at everything we're not responsible for.

Deniers and allies.

This story, over the long run, will play out as a short-term revenue grab from folks who have no long-term thinking.

QR codes for the win?

What's the need a digital ID will address?

I'm not saying this is clickbait.

Whether it's a subject line or a headline, I am trying to spark emotion with the reader (or listener or watcher or metavers-er?). I'm sure the reaction to "which should I focus on?" is "both". I disagree.

How subscriber hierarchies can rebuild your marketing approach: A simple outline for marketing success.

If you're audience is owned by another platform, you're doing it wrong.

Perceiving competition.

By focusing on the longer-term vision of your organization, the real competitors will appear.

Perfect timing.

Why ruin something perfect?

Stuck in the middle.

Add something about servant leadership here.

What have you published?

Yeah, two/four years is a long time to learn those topics, especially in today's world. However, couple an education (structure) with personal publishing projects (creative), and those individuals will have the skills and aptitude ready to tackle any real-world challenge.

How did that happen?

Greed is good. Until it goes unmanaged.

A personalized Kickstarter.

It's been fun watching, reading and listening to (and being a part of) the Deploy Empathy go-to-market process.

Off-grid camping.

Camping in Glacier National Park this week.

The bottom line.

Exposing bosses and managers who don't contribute to the bottom line nor contribute to the company's culture.

Disruption in B2B messaging

Selling the steak v. selling the sizzle.

Our own rose-colored glasses.

I think self-awareness is powerful because nobody is good at everything, and in order to “scale yourself” you need to complement your strengths with people who have different strengths. The biggest mistake -- and I’ve seen it made by junior managers up to CEOs -- is doubling down on

Who’s to blame? Headline writers.

Everything about this news is bad.

Your workplace is not your family.

Change is hard?

The next wave of advertising.

And we think there's a lot of digital advertising today. Just wait until personalized advertising starts to flood our eyeballs.

Living as avatars.

This was published on March 23, 2020. Rather prescient, 18-ish months later.

Our quest.

The phrase rearranging chairs on the Titanic is an appropriate way to think about our quest lately. Unless you're Chris Sacca…

The RSS feed is back.

It’s back!

A good user interface.

We may not like it near-term, however the hope (and trust) we have in organizations allows us to believe these changes will be better for all of us in the long-term.

Challenging visions.

"Think different."

Software is the network.

John Gage’s decades-old mantra “the network is the computer” might finally be coming true. Although not because of the network.

A significant shift.

This might end up being a template of how to (correctly) respond to these types of incidents.

Faster, louder, harder.

Taking people backstage. That’s the value.

My published books.

2020 was a crazy year. So crazy, I published my first two books. They won't ever be bestsellers, however it was an itch I wanted to scratch. From layout to design to publication and distribution, it was a process I really wanted to put myself through. No matter how frustrating.

Why subscribe?

My stories help ambitious individuals become successful leaders by delivering concise communications that entice their audiences into action. I make it (seem) easy.

Being creative and productive.

That one purpose? I want to be able to do 90% of my work 100% of the time. That means I need to be able to work on any device, at any time of the day, any where in the world I may be.

Freed. From a hospital?

Just because it's the way we've always done it, doesn't mean it's the right way to do it. This story screams of rubber stamping.

Postapocalyptic.

These boxes reminded me a lot of Las Vegas. Know I know why.

Hangers.

I wonder if boxes are having the same supply challenge? If your laundry is being delivered and there’s a shortage of hangers (or boxes), how do delivery folks handle your clothes?

Buried in poop.

The Charlotte Ledger is such a great newsletter.

Build center-out.

It’s probably going to end in the center. Why not start in the center?

Never. Except for once.

Ps: Don't ever use the words always and never.

Email open rates.

With current and coming change to how communications are tracked, we need to start thinking about new measurements to better understand engagement.

A competition for losers.

So much for the benefits of working remote.

Is it working?

Of all the articles I read and YouTube videos I watch and podcast episodes I listen to about returning to the office, I don’t see an answer to the question: “Is remote / hybrid working, um, working?”.

Opening the door.

See Biden, President: “They’re killing people. I mean they really — Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And they’re killing people…“.

Toys are the future.

“What they failed to anticipate was how rapidly telephone technology and infrastructure would improve (technology adoption is usually non-linear due to so-called complementary network effects).” Source. Chris posted this a decade ago. Still rings true for the decade ahead. I’m using the Google Ad Network to help offset the

4:00 PM

“4:00 PM is the worst; for both the heat and the existential angst. It’s the end of the day, and the questions should be answered. They aren’t.” Source. The pandemic fog is turning into the climate fog. I’m using the Google Ad Network to help offset

We’re not bad people. We just did a bad thing.

“Naturally, the reaction to Wijnaldum flagging social media abuse was for him to… be abused on social media.” Source. A worse thing couldn’t have happened to a better person. #YNWA I’m using the Google Ad Network to help offset the costs of running this site as a test

The new normal of shrugging.

“I realize I could cite some data to support this but I’m not going to look anything up because I don’t want to know the truth. I’m comfortable with “It’s bad.” Also, there’s a huge drought, also, fire season arrived early.” Source. The new normal,

To advertise or not to advertise.

“Digital advertising was on fire in the second quarter, judging by results from Twitter and Snap today. That implies next week’s reports from Facebook and Alphabet could be even stronger than anticipated.” Source: TI Briefing email, July 22, 2021 There’s something new on my site. It’s an

Lorem ipsum IBM Kyndryl.

“Kyndryl will be a new, independent company that is a recognized market leader.” Source. A new, independent company that hangs off the IBM website? I’m using the Google Ad Network to help offset the costs of running this site. Rather not see these ads? Click here to help fund

A dangerous individual.

“A growing market of data brokers that collect and sell data from countless apps has made it so that anyone with a bit of cash and effort can figure out which phone in a so-called anonymized dataset belongs to a target, and abuse that information.” Source. Surprised?   I’m

Issues product roles face.

“For a product group to succeed, it needs to bring together all parts of the business.” Source. With all due respect, which role does not face these same hurdles? Without proper, engaged and agreed upon leadership, this fails every single time.

Humans on top of humans.

“The solution may seem obvious: fix the bug! Here’s the problem, though: software, at the end of the day, is not only created by humans, it is created by humans on top of humans, going back literally decades. There are bugs everywhere.“ Source. This is such a great article

A big one.

“There are many causes for the overlapping dysfunctions that make contemporary American life feel so dystopian, but loneliness is a big one.” Source. “People just want to belong.” When I was much younger, I worked with a guy named Fred. Fred wasn’t his real name. It was Fuad. He

Don’t post about it.

“My answer was that people who like something or simply don’t have a problem with it don’t tend to take the trouble to post about it. You never see people post on a forum saying, ‘Everything’s fine! Just thought you should know!’” Source.

Positioning is simple.

Source.   1. The problem when solved will be simple. 2. Does it check with human nature? 3. Put it on paper. 4. Does it explode in people’s minds? 5. Is the time right?

Ship it.

“All BD bia APIs.” Source. Enjoyed this article so much, I had to post it twice.

Working on some new stuff.

“we’re removing Fleets on August 3, working on some new stuff we’re sorry or you’re welcome” Source. One of the best product announcements ever. For so many reasons.

Making bets.

“The world of Ford is the world of interchangeable employees working on clearly defined tasks. The world of Google is a world of specific employees working on loosely or undefined tasks.  But if you don’t know what to work on and don’t know which person is most

Talk about it.

“Anyone in any industry can appreciate this message from a leader. If we’re working on it, let’s work on it and not waste time talking about working on it.” Source. ”Leadership”.

Tracking fires.

“Across the entire Northern Rockies, we’ve seen an increase in fire activity. With the conditions forecast to be hot and dry for the foreseeable future, we expect to continue to need to share and coordinate amongst ourselves and partners for the duration of the summer.” Source. Feels like this

Scaling a waste of time.

“The last nine months has given me some needed perspective on what’s important and unimportant in work. Some possibly unsurprising revelations: Most meetings are pointless. The office isn’t going back to normal. Writing is a core leadership skill. Underinvest in people at your peril.“ Source. Unsurprising? Yes. Priorities?

Data and relationships.

“Via the FTC, the Biden administration plans a push to place more rules on surveillance and data collection, which should affect many of the largest tech companies in the world.” Source. Get ready for the word ‘relationship’ to dominate advertising.

Opening the ring.

“Staring at my screen, tinkering with a silly little paragraph I’ve written and rewritten for six months, I’m consumed by doubt: What am I doing?” Source. The worst.

Email is being repurposed.

“And then social media got weird and angry, and Slack and its ilk became ubiquitously overwhelming and constant pings on your phone from your brother, your bank and your dry cleaner knocked the shine off instant messaging. The personal touch of a well-crafted email newsletter landing quietly in your inbox

Context.

“There is no extensive rationale provided for each item, something that is often unnecessary in an informed context and can often act as psychic baggage that telegraphs one of two things: You don’t believe the leader you’re outlining the project to knows what the hell they’re talking

It's hard to work.

“The best test of whether it’s worthwhile to work on something is whether you find it interesting. That may sound like a dangerously subjective measure, but it’s probably the most accurate one you’re going to get. You’re the one working on the

Offline sales

“The sales profession is in transition. It’s shifting from an offline, seller-driven, push-based model toward a digital-first, data driven and buyer-focused response. Those sellers who adjust to buyer preferences, behaviors and purchase processes will outperform those that do not.“ Source. While a single instance, I wonder how much

The power shift

“We journalists are touchy about retaining what is often pathetically minimal access to athletes.” Source. “Access”. Those six letters have so much meaning and intrigue behind them. It’s the ‘how’ things are done versus was is being done. And people want to know how different folks get things done.

Uncertainty.

“Twitter’s certainty problem can be amusing at times, such as when a sizable portion of the service’s 200 million daily users become ‘experts’ on the topic of the day, like meme stocks, eclipses, or cicadas.” Source. The above quote and the quote’s article made me thimk about

Saying sorry.

“The downstream effects of such apologies are invisible but they are very, very real.” Source. Damned if you do. Damned if you don’t.

Dynamic ad insertion, for the win?

“Dynamic ad insertion, which Acast pioneered, allows relevant ads for different regions and personas, and so increases the revenue that creators can make from a single piece of content.” Source. Interesting.

Microsoft v. Slack

“Microsoft announced that it is going to bundle Teams with Windows as well as Office. Our reaction is simple: choice is better than lock-in, open is better than closed, and fair competition is best of all. Unfortunately, Microsoft has never seen it that way.” Source. So, Microsoft wants… Games = Open

Just ask.

“Since we usually use an open as an indicator that someone is still interested, we will need to move past that metric to some other kind of action.” Source. How much stock have you been putting into open rates? I mean, they aren’t a true factor in discovering engagement

Apple v. Microsoft: A messaging battle.

“The world needs a more open platform—one that allows apps to become platforms in their own right…” – Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Source. and… “Microsoft said on Friday an attacker had won access to one of its customer-service agents and then used information from that to launch hacking attempts

That’s the entire internet.

I tell him that it’s incredibly disorienting to view everything someone does as performance, and offer that it must be exhausting to have that calculus factor into all of your decisions. “That’s the entire internet,” he says. “Every move now is like, ‘I don’t want people to

Everything in moderation. (Even BS.)

“Maybe, but the study also concluded that skilled bullshitters were not necessarily frequent bullshitters.  Researchers used 1,017 participants in two studies that examined correlations between cognitive ability, the willingness to BS, and the ability to do it well.” Source. Assuming skilled bullshitters knew the phrase “never bullshit a

It’s always going to suck.

“We just went through a year and a half of being forced to do something, and whenever you’re forced to do something you don’t have agency, it’s always going to suck. We invented a bunch of stuff to make the best of a bad situation, but it’

What’s wrong, today?

“I love this idea. If you’re only hearing positive things within a company, something is obviously wrong because something is always wrong, no matter the company.” Source. Great thinking. Maybe the words used need to be a little different though? Instead of ‘bad news’ maybe it’s ‘destructive’ news?

The real reason for shared office space.

“We’ll have offices, [but] we’ll think of them more as landing pads for when people want to come together for collaboration.” Source. I love this approach. It requires some planning and even some scheduling, however it would also provide a smaller real estate budget while using smaller spaces

Hiring remote workers (finally).

“Facebook’s head of recruiting, Miranda Kalinowski, has big hopes for the company’s talent pool — and a secret weapon for filling it. The company has committed fully to remote work for anyone who wants it, and Kalinowski thinks that “companies that are not able to offer it will see

Fear and loathing in Mountain View.

“Fifteen current and former Google executives, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of angering Google and Mr. Pichai, told The New York Times that Google was suffering from many of the pitfalls of a large, maturing company — a paralyzing bureaucracy, a bias toward inaction and a fixation on

Want a challenge? Try changing one word.

Three years ago, I attended a conference in Portland, OR. I still think about that conference as it taught me a few things I still use today. One of the conference topics is how a single word can change the impact of how you communicate, and how you are seen

More tools than employees.

Plus, the average small business owner uses eight marketing tools, in many cases, that’s more tools than they have employees. Source. The race is on to provide a slim customer relationship manager (CRM) solution for small and growing companies. While a prediction for a number of years, Mailchimp has

Product vs. Feature.

“And beyond that, is social audio a product of its own, or a feature inside a messaging or entertainment app?” Source. Hint: It’s a feature. Also, Nextdoor should create an audio feature.

A most terrifying invention.

“Prime is Amazon’s greatest and most terrifying invention: a product whose value proposition is to help you buy more products. With 200 million subscribers worldwide, it is the second-most-popular subscription service on Earth, poised to overtake Netflix in the not-so-distant future.” Source.

Leadership: Defined.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Source. I was listening to a podcast last week–I can’t remember which–and I saved this quote as a thoughtful response to the question: “How do you define leadership?

When businesses become media companies.

“This doesn’t always come from negative intentions. Our business, and crypto, can be difficult to understand, and often people are rushed to post first impressions online, making mistakes in the process. At other times, misinformation comes from people pushing their own agenda, or from those who have a conflict

What happens when your business’s talent gets monetized?

“In it I explain that media companies, while fighting against the platforms, are uncovering an entirely new value in the media ecosystem: being an agency & platform for talent.“ Source. The media industry is all about advertising and subscriptions and Substack and Twitter. “We’re not in the media industry”

Units of time.

“The inner-office stuff is more interesting. You’d probably never think that folks popping by your desk or saying ‘hello’ as you walk to the restroom as units of time. But they are. And as great as they are — and they are great, even for an introvert like myself after

Leaders: Who are you?

What all of us want to know about a leader: Who are you? (Are you here for you or for the greater good?) Where are we going? Do you see me? (Am I part of the plan?) Great episode from the Timelines Leadership podcast.

Socks and Sandals?

“The upside to getting older is feeling total freedom to just wear what you like, letting go of feeling the pressure to conform to trends. There is a sense of being comfortable enough with where you are in your life that you worry less about what other people will think,

The future of work.

“‘By Labor Day, I’ll be very disappointed if people haven’t found their way into the office and then we’ll have a different kind of conversation,’ he said, adding that workers can’t expect to get their New York salaries if they continue to

You are the service.

“So regardless of whether or not you embrace marketing, view it as a necessary evil, or feel entirely indifferent about it, I’ve got three ideas to help you quickly improve your MSP marketing efforts.” Source. Being a managed services provider–or really, any services provider–is messy. There is

Facebook, Apple or the media: Who is flip-flopping their message?

“But the thread running through everything was that if you buy an Apple device, it’s yours. And it’s you. And if you buy, well, anything else, you’re just a slab of meat holding a slab of glass through which the internet will manipulate and

WWDC, the Apple logo and overuse.

“The Apple logo means something very important to the company, but no dollar value can be placed on it. And they could squander some of that value by overusing (or misusing) it.” Source. The focus of that quote is on the Apple developer ecosystem. Seems like a(nother) reckoning is

Soda and your next comms project.

“Therefore the overall concept was to emulate everyday moments you might take a break to have a Diet Coke.” Source. Ever struggle with a communications project? You know there’s a good story and you believe your clients, prospects and market want to know about the story. Yet, you can’

PHOTOS: TAKE A HIKE

November 15, 2020 | Missoula, MT.    

PHOTOS: MOODY NOVEMBER SKY

NOVEMBER 14, 2020 | MISSOULA, MT.

CHARLES M. SCHULZ AIRPORT

October 10, 2020. | Santa Rosa, CA.

THE SILVER DOLLAR

November 1, 2020. | 6:30AM to 7:30AM. | Missoula, MT.

SPEC AD: BLUESTONE LANE COFFEE

My first spec ad, focused on Bluestone Lane Coffee. Using a cinematic film profile on the Canon M50, I turned the color profile to black and white, then used a color match on Bluestone’s light blue color.   NEWS BY EMAIL Sign up with your email address to

THE CAMINO: PHOTO AND PRINT

A few weeks ago, I ordered a print from Imaging Arts. The reason for the order was two-fold: I wanted to see what this particular photo looked like printed I am selling this print, and wanted to better understand the order, shipping and reception experience Since I hadn’t unboxed

SETTING UP THE STUDIO

I’m not a YouTuber. (I do have a YouTube channel.) Nor would I consider myself (yet) a photographer or filmmaker. However, I do like to do all those things. This video is of my set up as I dive into more audio and visual projects. I added lighting,

How to sell a book on Amazon

While I’ve wanted to write a book for as long as I can remember, I haven’t ever been able to figure out what the topic and content should be. Assuming my first book would have to be a bestseller, I waited until that great idea came to me.

I made a book. It’s for sale.

In December, I published my first book. It’s a photo book with words. Not a book-book in the book sense. Still, a book. The book chronicles my December trip to Phoenix, which I wrote about here. You can find some of the images used in this book below. What

Words: Patience

> “These activities are predicated not only on close human contact but mutual affection and good-natured patience, on our ability to put up with one another. Governors can lift restrictions and companies can implement public-health protocols. But until we stop reflexively seeing people as viral threats, those old small pleasures

Photo: Filming BTS

Filming attempt #6…

Video: Going Sideways

A few weeks ago, I took my gimbal and camera with me on a walk downtown. It was a weekday and early in the morning, and the streets were eerily quiet. The idea for this film is from a video by Philip Bloom. Song: Lazurite Dust (ft. Speck, fourstones, spinningmerkaba,

Podcast: Me, Simon Owens and Ribs

I joined Simon Owens on his Business of Content podcast for a quick interview. As a paying member, I get a lot out of Simon’s research and news. Give the episode a listen and subscribe to Simon’s growing media business.    

Photo: Taking A Hike

We went on a hike Saturday morning. We were the only car in the parking lot and the only things not at least 6’ tall.       Shot on iPhone XS.  

RSS / Apple News Test

Apple News feed isn’t picking up recent posts. Working with Squarespace to find the gremlins. (Yeah, that’s right. I’m on Apple News.)

Building Pandemic Messaging

Here’s what it looked like in the morning… And here’s what it looked like in the evening…

Skiing at Snowbowl in Montana

We headed up to Snowbowl for a birthday brunch and to watch the Gelande long ski jump competition. After cozying up in the Last Run Lodge, we headed outside to watch the skiiers. A day at Snowbowl in Montana.

Photographs in Missoula, Montana

I mounted a GoPro-like camera to my Canon M50 mirrorless camera and went for a walk in downtown Missoula. The photos were taken along the walk and at spots from the Double Front diner to the new The Camino restaurant and a quick stop at James Bar on the walk

Ice fishing in Salmon Lake, Montana

Up and out the door before the sun rose, I drove 90 miles north in sub-freezing temperatures to reach Salmon Lake, MT. By the time I arrived, it was 8℉ with a windchill that brought the temperature down to 0℉. Too cold to get the drone in the air. The

That Time I Went to Phoenix

(Get the book, here.) Earlier this year, I flew down to Phoenix to watch the Cleveland Browns play the Arizona Cardinals. Since I arrived on a Thursday and the game wasn’t until Sunday, I had some time for street photography. All the photographs below were taken with my

First Person (POV) Street Photography: Missoula

I wanted to try filming a photography walk from a first person point of view. I picked up a chest harness and loaded up a GoPro-like camera (links below), pressed the record button then hit the street. A microphone to talk through the photographs would have been a good idea.

A Walk Downtown

On Saturday, November 16, Montgomery Distillery released their annual batch of Single Malt Whiskey. I took some photos on the walk downtown. I wasn’t going to miss this year’s batch. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize

A Skate Park in Montana

Reminds me of my Lance Mountain skateboard days.     PRINT FOR SALE  

Boise: The ride home

An eight-ish drive home from Boise, ID.  

Las Vegas: The Strip and Airport

I spent nearly a week in Las Vegas for business at a conference. In between the sessions, I grabbed a few pictures. The stay at the airport was longer than I had planned.    

Knots

While dark, I thought these rope knots where cool looking.  

Early Morning

Early morning at the lake.  

Pier

Specks of snow falling in the picture.  

Boat

  Disappeared seconds later into a cove.   

Red and Blue Kayaks

  Almost orderly.   

Long Walk, Long Pier

  Adapted from “Take a long walk off a short pier.”   

A Bench Swing

  It’s as if the trees are congregating, asking how the bench swing was made.   

Carefree camp

  Good name.   

Snowing on the deck

  Deck. Lake. Beautiful surroundings. What more could you ask for?   

Snow-capped mountains

  I took this picture on October 1. October 1!   

Evening on the lake

  Yeah. It really was this nice. (First snow dropped a bunch on the mountain tops.)   

Lighting the dock

  This took me forever to get straight. After all that, it still doesn’t look straight.   

The bar

  Another conference. Another bar. This one in the middle of a forest.   

Looking North

    On the flight home from Seattle, these pictures were taken on an iPhone Xs. By the way, if you ever fly East from Seattle, sit on the north side of the plane (the right side when boarding). The views – especially during the Winter – are incredible. I’

Going down

  Believe it or not, this was at 7:00AM. I was waiting for my breakfast at Eggslut. : /   

Hollywood

  Probably my favorite picture from this Vegas trip. (As this is posted, I’m back there again for another conference.)   

An Early Morning Walk

  I was actually trying to capture an airplane departing from McCarran, then this fella strolled by.   

Paris, NV

  From the Cosmopolitan hotel to Paris, in ten minutes. Oh, Vegas.   

Vegas Stiletto

  The inside of the Cosmopolitan hotel. Just on the other side is the Chandelier bar. How appropriate.   

Reflecting in Vegas

  We spent a few days in Las Vegas at a conference. It was good to get out and walk around in the fresh air from time to time.   

Sunrises in New York

  Mornings are my favorite time of the day. It’s so quiet and in the big cities, I can watch the city come alive. Oh, and the sun rising off the buildings.   

Breakfast on the go in New York

  Sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches. Donuts. Coffee. All available from the same food truck.   

Yankees hats are everywhere

  It feels like every time you turn around, there’s a Yankees hat walking, riding or driving by. Pretty impressive. (Also, go Mets.)   

A hotel room in New York

  I think we’ve stayed at the same hotel for each of our visits to New York except two times. While it’s been the same hotel, the name has changed three times. No matter the name, it’s a great hotel in a great neighborhood.   

A slice of light in New York

  Finding sunlight in New York can sometimes be a challenge. My focus was on the gentleman stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. The kids passing through the sunlight in the background was a pleasant surprise.   

Corner shop

  One of the greatest things about New York is that you can get nearly anything at nearly any time of the day. At one point, I’m sure these news stands were a little more true to their name. These days, you can get much more.   

Waiting in New York

  I was standing outside of the 72nd Street subway stop in the morning. All the kids were hurriedly boarding busses on their way to school while others were starting their days at a slower pace.   

Standing in line

  A late night stop at Shake Shack is an almost must for us when we visit New York. Not the healthiest of meals. Certainly one of the best!   

A Martini in New York

  We stopped off at J.G. Melon on the Upper West Side during our New York visit for a martini. Didn’t disappoint.   

The Reservoir

  A week ago on this very day we took a walk to the Reservoir.   

Mall shoppers

  We were wandering around the Shops at Columbus Circle in New York looking for the Amazon Go store (turns out, I read wrong – it’s in Lower Manhattan) when I took this shot.   

The World of Ana Sui

View fullsize   We stopped by the Museum of Arts and Design in New York to catch the Ana Sui exhibit. While I don’t know the first thing about fashion, this was an amazing exhibit. As we walked around, I noticed this attendee seemingly mesmerized by the outfits. Very

peaky coffee

View fullsize new coffee shop uptown.  

hailin’

View fullsize put some style into cab hailing.  

shuckin’

View fullsize an annual favorite in new york.  

the whole lot

View fullsize moon. mountains. river, trees. highway. trains. cars. this shot has it all. (and the reason i came out here!)  

another orange dot

View fullsize james popsys doesn’t like these types of shots. i can see why they are fun to take.  

the road ahead

View fullsize the sun was finally coming up. out came the drone…  

the photographer

View fullsize only had to run across the street twice for this shot. two new items: Super Bright LED Headlamp (link): Front white light and a red light in the back. Has been great for early walks to work, camping and morning photography excursions. Charles River Wind & Water-Resistant Pullover

morning moon

View fullsize that time of the year again…  

forest and trees

View fullsize This shot turned out a little darker than I thought. Or, maybe the trees are creating the darkness?  

i’m the orange dot

View fullsize Up early to catch the sunrise over the Clark Fork River near Alberton.  

the fog

View fullsize Reminds me of our time in San Francisco.  

the crow

Walking to the market this morning, this crow was singing his lungs out.  

Campsite in Coram, MT

We stayed and camped in Coram, MT – a few miles outside of the Glacier National Park entrance. This was our second time staying at this campground and with Under Canvas.  

Hiking Glacier National Park

Stop and shoot! So many great stops along the Avalanche Lake hike.  

Avalanche Lake, MT

We went for a hike into Avalanche Lake in Glacier during the Labor Day weekend. Beautiful! Just be aware of the bears – we saw two!  

FLOWERS

Only a few weeks left for summer flowers.   

ENCHILADA TRUCK

Cheese enchiladas + onions, please.   

ROAD CLOSED

I walked through.   

TAMALE TRUCK

I‘ve only been to Tia’s Big Sky once. Shame on me.   

NINJA MIKE’S

I am guilty of eating at Ninja Mike’s. The walk-up window is something more restaurants, bars with outside seating and coffee shops should be doing.   

YOUTUBE’S POPULAR LOOK IS SEEPING INTO MUSIC

You know the look that many YouTubers perfect? The anti-Instagram look? It’s coming to music… > “I cannot think of a more modern horror than a ghost-eyed, grinning person pretending to be entirely unchanged by enormous success and fame.” — https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-loneliest-generation-embraces-billie-eilish

BUS DEPOT

No smoking.   

THE CLEVELAND BROWNS ARE SEXY

Didn’t think I’d ever see these words anywhere near each other… > “Amazingly, it is not hyperbole to say that the Cleveland Browns, whose logo-less burnt-orange helmets, icy home on Lake Erie and hard-luck history embody gritty, lunch-bucket football, have become the NFL’s sexiest team.” —

SWINGS

I liked this shot. I think I could have done better – maybe use more depth?   

RAFTING

I drive / walk by the Last Best Ski & Paddle Shop nearly every day. When walking by this time, I stopped.   

THE CALIFORNIA DMV IS NOW A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY

From the L.A. Times… The governor is putting a lot of stock in Gordon’s Silicon Valley experience, which includes more than three decades in the tech industry working for firms including Cisco. He was a founder of the travel firm MySeatFinder, and more recently was a managing

Detour

On the walk back from the Clark Fork Market, I stopped by the traditional market to pick up a few things. While not along my path, I encountered a detour sign. I wonder how many of us come across these signs and wonder what’s on the other side?  

Rootbeer Floats!

I walked downtown on Saturday morning to take some photos at the Clark Fork Market. The River Roots Festival was being set up at the same time. There was a row of food trucks parked in front of office buildings and an apartment building. Thought this sign in front of

Denver Food Trucks

I kept hearing there were a lot of food trucks in Denver. I was probably in the wrong neighborhood – This one was in front of the Denver Beer Company.    

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver

A small museum packed with a lot of encouraging art.    

Red Rocks

We took a short Uber ride out to Red Rocks. Stunning.    

The Rolling Stones

We’re in Denver. We’re big Rolling Stones fans. We didn’t know the Rolling Stones were in town.    

Booze-injected donuts

When in Rome…      

Video: A diner. In Denver.

We were visiting Denver and stopped by Steuben’s in downtown. I set the Canon M50 on the counter and hit record, capturing the environment around us.     Music: I only want you by kris_sky. Stuff I use to film… ⇢ Main camera (Canon M50): https://amzn.

Clock tower

I was walking around downtown Denver and I caught the shadow off this clock tower. Not sure where exactly – maybe near Union Station?    

Moody sky

From our back deck looking Northeast, the sky looks moody and colorful all at once. I edited this photo by adding structure and definition. I feel like I added too much, yet I still like the way it turned out.    

Tree on a hill

From our back deck looking Northeast, a tree seemed to line up in front of a cloud at the perfect timing. I printed this image.    

Dual Slot USB-C Card Reader

I’ve been doing more and more on my iPad, including updating photos on this website (and other platforms). Part of the challenge is getting photos from the camera and drone to the iPad – that’s where a card reader comes in handy. I picked up the Cable Matters

Peak Design Camera Strap

I generally don’t like camera straps. Their just awkward, especially during the winter months when I have a ton of layers on. Maybe I’m just doing it wrong. Earlier this year, I ditched the shoulder strap and tried the Peak Design Cuff Camera Wrist Strap. I purchased the

Wireless Bluetooth Remote for Canon M50

I have wobbly hands. Sometimes they shake, and most of these times is when I’m about to take a picture. Figures. I use tripods and even the two-/ten-second timer. For whatever, that’s just not satisfying. So I went out and bought the AODELAN Wireless Remote Control (BR-E1A)

PHOTOS FROM RAVALLI HILL

Photos from Ravalli Hill, which sits at the top of the pass between Ravalli and St. Ignatius. With a few fires in the surrounding areas and with the wind picking up, I thought there’d be more haze in the air.

Voking Macro Tubes

  I recently picked up two Voking macro tubes and, using a new Neewer softbox diffuser, I took photos of the new macro tubes. In some shots, they look like they are floating.  

The Best Update In IOS 13 for iPads

The Saved Stories section is listed at the very top! Ie, no more scrolling to the bottom to see the stories you saved to read later. Hooray.

Video: Making pour over coffee (for cold brew)

I’ve been making cold brew coffee at home using the pour over method. Here’s what I use to make the coffee… Chemex Natural Coffee Filters: https://amzn.to/2Xzai0P Cafe Du Monde Coffee Chicory, 15 Ounce Ground: https://amzn.to/2XsJwqR Bodum Pour Over Coffee

The Chicken

I tried a composite photo this morning…    

Video: The Nifty 50

What’s all the fuss about a 50mm lens? Here I review the Yongnuo 50mm lens with Fotodiox lens mount adapter for the Canon EOS M50.  

Product Shot: Whiskey Labels

In this shot, I used the Voking Macro Tube to focus in on two labels: one around the neck of the bottle and one that was embossed on the body of the bottle. Incredible how close the lens of the camera can get to the object.        

Product Shot: Bare Whiskey

In this shot, I used three different lights; The Neewer 16”x16” Softbox The LimoStudio Lighting Kit The NEEWER 160 LED CN-160 Dimmable Light Instead of pointing them in the general direction of the whiskey bottle, the lights were aimed at the wall behind the bottle at different angles, creating

Product Shot: Moody Whiskey

I introduced a new light – the Neewer 16”x16” softbox – to the mini studio last night, then set up the same bottle of whiskey for another shoot. Still struggling with the light placement (it stays light here way too late), I placed a yellow backdrop in front of

Product Shot: Gwin Du Whiskey

After a weekend at Glacier National Park, I came home and set up a mini studio in hopes of starting a product shot campaign. I grabbed a bottle of Gwin Du Whiskey – a collaboration of two of our favorite spots: Draught Works and Montgomery Distillery. The Gwin Du from

Eating Alone

I was watching a video the other day about how to use polarizers and ND filters to increase the “flatness” of videos and photos. After looking for an inexpensive polarizer on Amazon, I ordered the Tiffen 49mm Circular Polarizer and then set up a scene using a dish, different glassware

“So suck on that one.”

Hilarious. > “There were a lot of critics talking about us, but we’re back, so suck on that one.” — http://worldsoccertalk.com/2019/06/13/matildas-stun-brazil-at-world-cup-as-china-send-germany-and-hosts-through/ This is turning out to be another fun World Cup.

Meike MK 25mm F1.8

I’m still relatively green with photography – I picked up my Canon M50 camera just four months ago. And I’ve purchased only two additional lenses in that time: Meike MK 25mm F1.8 (link) YONGNUO YN50mm F1.8 (link) With the YONGNUO lens, I also purchased an EF-M

Transformational Innovation and Brand Building

I’ve heard of – and experienced – marketing and sales teams sitting closer together in an effort to build a closer relationship. This is a naturally difficult challenge to solve as the marketing team is normally responsible for both brand (long term) and demand generation (short term) while the

Looking Toward McDonald Peak

I drove up toward St. Ignatius this morning, leaving around 5AM in hopes of catching the sunrise…   When I found a good spot, I setup the tripod and started shuffling different lenses. View fullsize I tried both long lenses and short lenses, trying to capture the different colors while

West of Bozeman

We drove to Bozeman yesterday for a charity and auction event. On the way home this morning…

The Brooklyn Bridge (book ends)

We have these book ends that mimic the Brooklyn Bridge. The set is really heavy.  

Uncertain Skies

Looking north, beyond the feed mill and trains, the skies have an almost cauliflower feel to them. It didn’t rain on this day. 

Getting An Early Start

I tend to get up fairy early in the morning. 4AM. Sometimes earlier. It’s a good time to watch the city come alive, and to get some reading/thinking done without the distractions that are sure to arrive later in the day.

Cat: Day Two

Day two of the photo shoot with the new lens…

Cat

I picked up a 25mm, 1.8 manual lens this week. A few pictures from this morning’s photo shoot…   

Morning in Bonner, MT

I headed east to Bonner early one morning…

"Does Thursday Work With You?"

  After finishing up some last minute details at home, then jumping in a taxi, this was how we started the day four years ago today…   And as I was being pushed down a long hallway, before hopping onto the operating table, this was the last view I remember…

Squarespace Email Campaigns

    Have you heard all the news about email newsletters? They are back in vogue! They are popular again! They are the new social network! If you’ve been in marketing for any length of time, you know how wonderful email newsletters can be. Of course, if you’ve

A stairway in New York

  Photo taken on March 22, 2019 on a Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45 kit lens.  

A Gin & Tonic in New York

  Photo taken on March 23, 2019 on a Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45 kit lens.  

A bar in New York

  Photo taken on March 24, 2019 on a Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45 kit lens.  

Brunch outside in New York

  Photo taken on March 24, 2019 on a Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45 kit lens.  

Book shopping in New York

  Photo taken on March 24, 2019 on a Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45 kit lens.  

Crossing Broadway in New York

  Photo taken on March 24, 2019 on a Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45 kit lens.  

West 77th Street in New York

  Photo taken on March 24, 2019 on a Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45 kit lens.  

A fruit stand in New York

  Photo taken on March 24, 2019 on a Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45 kit lens.  

A hotel lobby in New York

  Photo taken on March 24, 2019 on a Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45 kit lens.  

A weekend on the couch

  Photo taken on March 30, 2019 on a Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 55-200 kit lens.  

IRL Sunglasses

  A few months ago, I backed the IRL Glasses project on Kickstarter. Those glasses arrived this past weekend.   Even though my view today looks less like it used to…   And now more like…   I still wanted the glasses. For two reasons: I still travel quite a

IDMB #1: Notes

  I dropped the first real episode of my new podcast, I’m doing my best, earlier today. Here are notes from the first show. Everybody makes podcasts. Can anyone make them profitable? (link) A quick aside that I didn’t include in the podcast. Notice the title of the

"Tomorrow will be better"

  It has to be.    

"What a mess"

  Sadness. Anger. Darkness. Everywhere.      

"Call me"

  This weekend was supposed to be different. A three-day weekend. I’ve been meaning to focus on some personal projects I want to get off the ground (again). We were planning for some much needed time away and meeting some of our favorite friends. Plus, Liverpool is playing Bayern

Own The Project

  “ You have to own the project for it to become great. ” Source: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/01/16/the-directors-chair-mati-moltrasio-storytelling-creativity-and-creating-cinematic   Fun interviews to read…  

Nothing To Do

  data-animation-override> “I’m just enjoying having absolutely nothing to do.” — https://m.signalvnoise.com/putting-on-some-wait/ We should all take this advice…  

Cocktail

     

CMOs: Endangered Species

  data-animation-override> “The inability to effectively extract value from data puts a CMO on the path to extinction.” — https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2019/01/11/data-won-t-kill-the-cmo-marketing-will  

Calling In The Goats

  data-animation-override> “In tiny Nevada City, a Gold Rush town in Northern California touting a population of 3,100, folks are big on a novel idea to fight the increasing threat of wildfires: calling in the goats.” — https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-goat-fund-me-20190111-story.html  

Decide Faster

  Great, short clip.  

"Journalists Are People Too!"

  data-animation-override> “While some trends are going to be relevant and interesting to everyone, each journalist should be treated as an individual. When we remember that, our relationships have a much better chance of bringing value to ourselves and our clients.” — https://www.teamlewis.com/magazine/the-importance-of-humanizing-your-media-relations/

"Bring on the darkness."

data-animation-override> “Nearly 60 percent of the American adults surveyed by the Vision Council, which represents members of the optical industry, reported experiencing symptoms of digital eye strain.” — https://www.wired.com/story/give-yourself-to-dark-mode-side/ I’ve been using Night Shift on my iPhone and Mac since it was

Samsung Space Monitor

  data-animation-override> “But Samsung’s latest design suggests an alternative: A monitor that dazzles by demanding less of your space rather than more.” — https://www.wired.com/story/samsung-space-monitor-fetish/ How cool is this thing?    

Censorship?

  data-animation-override> “There is precedent for this strategy. Members of Congress have introduced censure resolutions against at least 12 presidents. The most successful effort was the censure of Andrew Jackson in 1834, when the Senate condemned him for removing federal deposits from the Second Bank of the United States.

Does Homepage Traffic Matter Anymore?

  data-animation-override> “Homepage traffic has been the gold standard for measuring digital marketing success for almost two decades. ” — https://www.thedrum.com/industryinsights/2019/01/03/home-page-traffic-will-no-longer-be-the-measure-your-digital-success Two decades? Yikes, I’ve missed the homepage-success-measurement boat. I’ve always felt homepage traffic was the hardest traffic to

Writing Poorly Block

    Great, short clip.  

Starting The New Year: Polar Bear Plunge

  On Tuesday, 01/01/19, we took the plunge. Here’s our story. The Polar Bear Plunge was held on the backside of The Raven in Woods Bay.     The Raven   It’s about a 90 minute drive north from Missoula. Since it was our first

Prioritize Your Marketing, Like Reddit

data-animation-override> “Implementing roadmaps across the teams that are laddering back to our overall company goals and objectives, and ensuring that all of our strategies are aligning with the mission of the company, which is to create community and belonging for everyone at Reddit.” — https://digiday.com/marketing/

The Flywheel Is Not Intuitive

If you are coming from the world of funnels, does this graphic make sense?   Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaQ8kUKsMyA   I’ve read a few dozen articles and watched a handful of videos and the flywheel concept still isn’t sticking with me. The first question

Digital advertising is a mess

data-animation-override> “This list by no means represents every person or company involved in cleaning up digital advertising. Instead, we’ve tried to include a mixture of executives from brands, publishers, agencies, consultants, and tech companies working to solve the variety of problems plaguing the industry. Here are the 23

What happened to native advertising?

data-animation-override> “Native advertising has been around half a decade, but campaigns are still as successful as ever, if not more. Because they don’t “feel” like traditional ads, consumers are more likely to consume and explore native advertising efforts. In fact, consumers view native ads over 50% more than

Lolo

  We had a bunch of snow come down in late November 2018. I drove up Highway 12 towards Idaho in Lolo, pulled off the side of the road and sent the drone up to see what the snow looked like from above.   Subscribe to my YouTube channel ⇢  

The Daily Stormer

  data-animation-override> “And thus the Daily Stormer was born.” — https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-daily-stormer-20181121-story.html via Instapaper Great – and scary – story. Isn’t this the story of every startup? An idea is born Financing is captured to grow the idea into a “thing” Founder

Cats

  We have three darling cats who tend to hog all the good sleeping spots…   Subscribe to my YouTube channel ⇢   Film stuff I use… ⇢ Drone:: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ Tripod: https://amzn.to/2AxIj4B.⇢ Gimbal: https://amzn.to/2y0y0GV.⇢ Mic: https:

Closing the Brooklyn Bridge

  data-animation-override> “Opening statements in Mr. Guzmán’s trial will begin Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., an undertaking that will require a virtually unprecedented law-enforcement effort to ensure the safety of government witnesses, jurors, other New Yorkers and Mr. Guzmán himself.” — https://www.

BANKSY

The giggling at the end is the best.

Just Please Don’t Do It

data-animation-override> “She said that voters have often approached her to talk about some of these challenges. We know how much pressure you’re going to be under even from within your own party. We know you’re going to be under pressure to fall in line. Just please don’

Taking A Step Back

data-animation-override> “So let’s take a step back. What happened in that room was not the ultimate fight for press freedom. This wasn’t someone risking life and limb against a regime where freedom of speech is forbidden. This was a bloke sitting in a room full of colleagues

As Agreed by Sales and Marketing

data-animation-override> “At the end of the day, the goal of lead scoring is to provide the Sales team with the best opportunities (as agreed by Sales and Marketing) as quickly as possible.” — https://www.fourquadrant.com/lead-scoring-system/ Yep.  

Ourselves or Nothing

data-animation-override> “There is a cyclone fence between ourselves and the slaughter and behind it we hover in a calm protected world like netted fish, exactly like netted fish. It is either the beginning or the end of the world, and the choice is ourselves or nothing.” — https:

Sidewalk Annoyance

data-animation-override> “For New Yorkers, daily life on the street is a carnival, and by this time, most people reacted to the reporters only long enough to snap photos. In typical fashion, few seemed to know what had happened, but all were annoyed by the sidewalk obstruction. A woman talking

The Poppy

data-animation-override> “I do not want to undermine the poppy as a symbol of pride within Britain or offend anyone, however, we are all a product of our own upbringing and this is a personal choice for the reasons outlined.” — https://apple.news/A-GPhVi7rS22MsNi2YK_34g How civil.  

SAN FRANCISCO

    A quick trip to San Francisco and Sonoma County.   Film stuff I use… ⇢ Drone:: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ Tripod: https://amzn.to/2AxIj4B.⇢ Gimbal: https://amzn.to/2y0y0GV.⇢ Mic: https://amzn.to/2yiNoyy.⇢ Mic sock: https://amzn.to/2MyvL0G.⇢ Mic stand:

Do You Like The Color Green?

data-animation-override> “If green is your favorite color, you may find yourself reading a lot of articles — or watching a lot of videos — about the insidious threat from people who like orange. We shouldn’t sugarcoat the consequences. This is surveillance. And these stockpiles of personal data serve only to

Good Programming

data-animation-override> “We have no idea if this programming will be any good.” — https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/23/18015656/apple-tv-streaming-service-launch-2019-amazon-video-netflix-competitor The battle Apple is facing. What is the “good” bar, and who establishes it?  

Culture v. Technology

data-animation-override> “The real solution, of course, is likely to be cultural, rather than technological.” — https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/business/false-flag-theory-bombs-conservative-media.html Maybe, in simpler terms, short-term v. long-term?  

Free Newsletters

data-animation-override> “In order to better serve you (and to keep all of our newsletters free of charge), I’m hoping you’ll take less than five minutes to fill out our end of year subscriber survey.” — https://link.axios.com/view/58415da8d7aaa8687c8b50bc8vk0j.5vcq/ef5fc818 Keep newsletters free

Down To The Atomic Level

  data-animation-override> “We invented a new custom alloy. It’s designed to use fine shavings of recaptured aluminum that are reengineered down to the atomic level.” — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs1HoLs4SD0 Good lord.  

What The Hell Happened To Darius Miles

data-animation-override> “I don’t think the average person reading this in Montana or whatever understands what it’s like to be a kid in that environment.” — https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/what-the-hell-happened-to-darius-miles This is the best article I’ve read all year.  

COCKTAILS

    A few lounges and breweries between New York and Montana.   Film stuff I use… ⇢ Drone:: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ Tripod: https://amzn.to/2AxIj4B.⇢ Gimbal: https://amzn.to/2y0y0GV.⇢ Mic: https://amzn.to/2yiNoyy.⇢ Mic sock: https://amzn.to/2MyvL0G.⇢ Mic

Soccer versus other sports

data-animation-override> “…do we want opera every night?” — https://qz.com/1432150/footballers-like-paul-pogba-have-tougher-schedules-than-nfl-nba-players/ I’m exhausted just reading this article.

Man who halted Nazi nuclear plan dies at 99

data-animation-override> “… the best skiing weekend I ever had.” — https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45938874 Incredible story.

“This did not happen”

data-animation-override> “This did not happen. There’s no truth to this.” — https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/johnpaczkowski/apple-tim-cook-bloomberg-retraction Normally, I’d assume the end result of a story – and it’s criticism – would end somewhere in the middle. This feels like its art (Bloomberg’s story) versus

SUNDAY

    A lazy Sunday… Also, an audio-only version is available below.     Film stuff I use… ⇢ Drone:: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ Tripods: https://amzn.to/2Jq4uQ5.⇢ Gimbal: https://amzn.to/2y0y0GV.⇢ Mic: https://amzn.to/2yiNoyy.⇢ Mic sock: https://amzn.to/2MyvL0G.

BLACK AND WHITE

    Earlier this week, I was watching Jaime Windsor’s video about black and white photography. His video inspired me to pick up my camera and film – right then and there. I didn’t shoot in black and white. Rather, I used this video to see

100 percent v. inaccurate

data-animation-override> “The New York Times’s allegations of fraud and tax evasion are 100 percent false, and highly defamatory. There was no fraud or tax evasion by anyone. The facts upon which The Times bases its false allegations are extremely inaccurate.” — https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/

A TRULY REMARKABLE MOMENT

  data-animation-override> “This is truly a remarkable moment: When have we ever seen a case in which the person who alleges a crime can also in detail describe how it has affected her at a neurological level?” — https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/09/27/

FIND A STEADIER COURSE

  data-animation-override> “We’ve had Clinton, and that produced Bush, then we had Obama, and that helped produce Trump. It goes back and forth. So you can get very excited about a certain direction, but if you look at the history, you do have to find a steadier course.

EXASPERATED WITH LYING

  data-animation-override> “Is the backlash simply a sign that aesthetics are changing, and that influencers need to lie better? Or are people simply exasperated with fakeness altogether?” — https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/facebooks-next-crisis-instagrams-authenticity-problem-jr-little/ Consumers influence change through attention and spend. Here’s what will likely happen next:

INNOVATION: ONE DATED DEVICE AT A TIME

  data-animation-override> “Of course, the answer is no. But if Amazon gets it right, a voice-controlled microwave could bring this dated device into the 21st century.” — https://www.wired.com/story/rants-and-raves-defense-of-amazon-alexa-microwave/ What other “dated device”s can voice increase the user’s experience? TV remote controls.

AN EASY PATH TO OUR AUDIENCE

  Great, short interviews with terrific insights into programmatic. Nice filming, too.  

Are we selling more beer?

  data-animation-override> “The challenge in B2B marketing is that there are so many things you can measure across different activities and channels. As long as we keep our eyes on the prize, my job is a lot easier.” — https://www.chiefmarketer.com/filling-glass-lord-hobo-brewing-creates-new-b2b-content-strategy/ We are *this* close

Slack Frontiers: San Francisco

  The View 👓   The Slack Frontiers conference was held at Pier 48 on September 5-6 in San Francisco. As a heavy user of Slack and as a previous resident of San Francisco, I was super excited to attend the conference.   Slack Frontiers 2018: Pier 48, San Francisco Flying

The simple answer to that is yes

  data-animation-override> ““Sitting in the dugout of the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate two hours before Wednesday’s game, I asked David Wright the question on everyone’s mind: Bottom line, do you expect to play in the major leagues this year? Wright did not hesitate to answer in the affirmative.

Five

  data-animation-override> “My response to Trump is that we have five world titles,” Tite said. “Perhaps historically, he can better inform himself.” — http://www.espn.com/soccer/brazil/story/3630060/brazil-coach-tite-responds-to-president-trumps-world-cup-criticism I don’t think this is a sport the current US President should get involved in.

Stop Selling. Start Building.

    I’m enjoying the content at The Futur. I’ll be a client before too long. And I want the mug.

Seagull Managers

data-animation-override> “Detached high-level managers making all the key decisions is such a widespread affliction that it has its own internet meme, the Seagull Manager. It describes a top executive who is rarely around but flies in occasionally and unexpectedly from who knows where, lands on your beach, squawks noisily,

Standing By

data-animation-override> “While some people rage that, yet again, in America, an ingrate-rebel has been rewarded, there is another narrative that Kaepernick conjures—that of an individual, driven by conscience, fighting a lonely crusade against forces more powerful than he. The odds are far outside of his favor, but no

A "Baffling" Leader

  data-animation-override> “We tend to place a lot of emphasis on detailed historical data as a proxy for the future. Mr. Hackett is saying that approach works well if the future is going to be identical to the past.” — https://www.wsj.com/articles/fords-new-ceo-has-a-cerebral-styleand-to-many-its-baffling-1534255714   What

Divide To Conquer

  data-animation-override> “I think that’s their kind of governing. I think that’s how they think they stay in power, is to divide.” — https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/im-not-going-there-as-trump-hurls-racial-invective-most-republicans-stay-silent/2018/08/18/aab7fd8a-a189-11e8-83d2-70203b8d7b44_story.html Feels like this is going to get a lot worse before

Be Concerned

data-animation-override> ““Fear is powerful,” Obama said. “Telling people that somebody’s out to get you, or somebody took your job, or somebody has it out for you, or is going to change you, or your community, or your way of life — that’s an old story and it has

Creating A New Digital Divide

data-animation-override> “We had an interesting Axios Expert Voices conversation yesterday in Santa Monica about tech and urban mobility. The big question I was left with: If cities continue to get “smarter” while simultaneously pricing out lower-income people, are we in the midst of creating a new digital divide?”

Believe In Sacrificing Everything

Would have enjoyed being a fly on the wall during Nike’s internal conversations on whether to sign off on this campaign. My guess – It was an easy decision to make.

Slowing Down Sales

data-animation-override> “The result is that organizations are opting for the classic management technique to to address this issue–slow things down, involve more people and look for consensus. In this scenario, the organization looks for mutual buy-in or consensus from the organization and that reduces the risk that the

The Kind We Remember

  data-animation-override> “I’m a Democrat. He’s a Republican. But he’s a different kind of Republican, the kind we remember.” — https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/25/us/politics/robert-mueller-russia-investigation.html I saw somewhere that Mueller hasn’t conducted an interview and very few

Stay Away

  data-animation-override> “AirPods, those white wireless ear buds, do so much more than transmit music and phone calls. Even when muted, or off, they declare: Stay away.” — https://www.wsj.com/articles/sorry-pal-i-dont-want-to-talk-the-other-reason-people-wear-airpods-1534949793 Funny reactions to AirPods.

Yes, and...

  data-animation-override> “The more experience and expertise we have in a given area, the more we tend to default to why an idea won’t work, rather than considering how it could.” — http://duncanwardle.com/innovation/how-to-harness-the-momentum-of-your-ideation-sessions/   Earlier this year, I attended the CIMC conference in

Bonneville Salt Flats + DJI Spark

  During a recent road trip, we stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Western Utah. I took the DJI Spark drone up for a few flights and caught a fun angle of the raceway. In this video, I merged the opening sequence with a William Jennings Bryant’

Missoula, Prineville, Sparks: Today's Hottest Tech Cities?

Over the past week, I drove through eight states. It was a planned trip and one I was really looking forward to, especially as I was hoping to drop off at a few specific cities. STATES Montana (start) Idaho Washington Oregon California Nevada Utah Wyoming Montana (end) CITIES Prineville, OR

"Some Personal News To Share"

  Subscribe to podcast →   data-animation-override> “But they can’t do what we do: Cover a community from top to bottom with the kind of depth and analysis you can’t get from two minutes on TV and the expertise your neighbor posting on Nextdoor doesn’t have.”

How Not To Network

data-animation-override> “Because nobody actually wants to be a part of anyone’s network.” — https://medium.com/@jonwestenberg/how-to-not-suck-at-networking-70c5f2cf103e   I worked at a few coffee shops when I was younger. There was one – actually two, owned by the same guy – that I was most fond

"We're Sorry About This"

    The date from the image above is August 16, 2018. To anyone using a third-party Twitter application, Twitter-the-company is severely hampering the ability for its developer community to build features into their own Twitter applications that users actually want.   data-animation-override> “As promised, Twitter is squeezing the

Podcast: Intro music

Yeah, I’m trying to restart this audio project.    

Every Night

I subscribe to Michael Ogle’s Pome “newsletter”: Short modern poems for your inbox Chuckled at this one…

The President's Twitter

data-animation-override> “The president’s use of a public platform like Twitter to talk directly with the American people is unprecedented for the presidency, and it raises legal, ethical, and cultural issues that have never been tackled in American politics.” — https://www.cjr.org/special_report/trump-twitter-tweets-president.php/

FC Barcelona: Content Marketers

data-animation-override> “The recent Griezmann documentary, produced by Pique’s company, is something he thinks should be coming from the club…” — Lionel Messi’s Barcelona retirement: Presidential hopeful Victor Font on a new era http://www.espnfc.com/club/barcelona/83/blog/post/3550238 Great article

It's Really Exploding

data-animation-override> “You can only ignore the will of the people for so long and get away with it.” — https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/an-explosion-is-coming/2018/06/29/c3301b66-7ba2-11e8-93cc-6d3beccdd7a3_story.html This geo-political climate is turning out some amazing articles and authors.

The New Democrats

data-animation-override> “But if the interests and policy preferences of the wealthy take precedence over those of the average citizen, that is the politics of plutocracy, not populism.” And… data-animation-override> “Ocasio-Cortez’s first point was that being opposed to Donald Trump and his actions, while essential, isn’

Speaking of Subways

data-animation-override> “In Byford’s office, on the thirtieth floor of a building in lower Manhattan, an oversized monitor displays a real-time list of subway incidents and significant delays. It’s a detailed, constantly updated vision of Hell…” — https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/09/can-andy-byford-save-the-subways

"The Tunnel That Could Break New York"

data-animation-override> “His success seems to stem from his willingness to spend money and his sheer force of will, a nicer way of describing his willingness to make people miserable until the work is complete.” — https://politi.co/2lV3Xrb I’m not sure there’s another

The City 🍎

We recently took a trip back to New York City, mainly to watch World Cup matches in country-friendly locations. In between games, we did nearly 40 miles of walking through the streets and parks of New York, along with the occasional subway and taxi ride. I used the DJI Osmo

Golf ⛳️

After a trip back from the east coast, I grabbed the DJI Spark drone and DJI Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal then headed out to a local golf course.   Get My Movies → My gear: ⇢ Drone: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ Tripods: https://amzn.to/2Jq4uQ5.⇢ Gimbal:

Come Ride With Me 🚲

Most days, I walk to work. There are days that riding seems to fit the mood. This is short film 6 of 10 I’m filming in 10 days, shooting, editing and posting once per day over the 10 days. (I missed a few days.) #10FilmsIn10Days   Get My

Meeting FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai stopped by our offices this past week. It was a terrific opportunity to learn about new policies and regulations, and to provide updates on some of our key corporate initiatives (in telecom and beyond). A few things that still stick with me: The man himself

Trains 🚂

We hear and see trains all day and all night. This is the fifth of 10 short films I’m filming in 10 days, shooting, editing and posting once per day over the 10 days. (I missed a few days.) #10FilmsIn10Days   Get My Movies → My gear: ⇢ Drone: https:

Rainy Day 🌧

It rained today. This is the fourth of 10 short films I’m filming in 10 days, shooting, editing and posting once per day over the 10 days. #10FilmsIn10Days   Get My Movies → My gear: ⇢ Drone: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ Tripods: https://amzn.to/

Gin and a Record Player 🍸

We picked up a bottle of Whyte Lady gin from a local distillery and paired it with a Dean Martin record. A nice way to cap off an evening. This is the third of 10 short films I’m filming in 10 days, shooting, editing and posting once per

Ⅲ Trefoil

I remember two pairs of sneakers of mine that weren’t Adidas: Nike: In high school, my friend Jeff Thompson and I painted all kinds of silly words onto a pair of Nike soccer cleats. The words were in neon green, yellow and pink. I didn’t have

☀️ Early Riser

The opening weekend of the 2018 World Cup means a 4AM first game. This is the first of 10 short films I’m filming in 10 days, shooting, editing and posting once per day over the 10 days. #10FilmsIn10Days ⇢ Drone: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.

🔟 Films In 🔟 Days

Starting tomorrow, I’m capturing, producing and posting 10 short films over the next 10 days. I don’t know what they’ll be about. It’ll be fun.   #10FilmsIn10Days

X = ?

  data-animation-override> “While it may stand for a whole nebulous world out there that by design points forward, it doesn’t seem to be pointing at anything in particular.” — https://theoutline.com/post/4919/x-why-does-tech-love-the-letter-x Can’t believe I read this entire thing. Feel like I&

⚽️ 🏆 My World Cup Picks (🇦🇷)

Here are my group round picks: Group A: Uruguay, Egypt Group B: Spain, Portugal Group C: France, Denmark Group D: Argentina, Iceland Group E: Brazil, Serbia Group F: Germany, Mexico Group G: Belgium, England Group H: Poland, Senegal And some other tidbits… A country other than Brazil, France, or

⚽️ "get your football fix"

Great play from Apple (via Mac Rumors)… data-animation-override> “Apple also plans to feature World Cup content in the News app through Eight by Eight magazine, and in Apple Music with featured playlists for each of the 32 participating nations.” — https://www.macrumors.com/2018/06/12/

🚴‍♀️ Welcome to Montana

We moved to Western Montana two years ago this month. Interested in joining / visiting? Here’s some of the fun activities under the Big Sky. ⇢ Drone: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ Tripods: https://amzn.to/2Jq4uQ5.⇢ Gimbal: https://amzn.to/2y0y0GV.⇢ More videos

🚨 Breaking News Alerts

After a week of unintentionally missing email, here’s a piece of what I came back to. View fullsize Is there really that much breaking news in one week?

SUNDAY BRUNCH 🍳

A good start to Sunday… ⇢ Drone: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ More videos at https://www.wiljr.org/YouTube.⇢ More stuff at https://www.wiljr.org.   Get My Movies →  

HIKING THE 'M' ⛰

Over the long weekend, I hiked the ‘M’… ⇢ Drone: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ More videos at https://www.wiljr.org/YouTube.⇢ More stuff at https://www.wiljr.org.   Get My Movies →  

📘 Getting Naked

Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni was recommended to me and my team by my boss. A quick read (I read it in a few hours), it is super-insightful and provides a different perspective on how we approach clients. If you haven’t worked in a client-services firm or industry,

CLARK FORK RIVER 🌊

You may have read about the recent flooding near the Clark Fork River in Western Montana lately. Living less than a mile from the Clark Fork, it’s rather frightening to see the height and speed of the water. I took some video last year, then again this year

📙 A Higher Loyalty

On Sunday, I finished A Higher Loyalty by James Comey. It was well-written, and easy and quick read even though there are a handful of questionable statements (or more, depending on your political leaning). Regardless, the book provides some context into the decisions made leading up to and through the

🗞 HAPPY HAPPY MAY MAY!

My email newsletter just went out. Here’s a screenshot of what it looks like. Click below to get your own newsletter! SUBSCRIBE ⇢ SUBSCRIBE ⇢  

🚚 FROM MANHATTAN TO MONTANA

18 months ago, we packed our belongings in a big truck. As the truck headed west towards Glacier National Park, we headed east to Europe for some time away. We moved from the Big Apple to the Big Sky and we get a lot of questions, namely: “Wow. How&

🎥 B-roll

During a recent trip to Vancouver and Squamish, I filmed a handful of scenes hoping they’d turn into good b-roll shots. ⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ More videos at https://www.wiljr.org/YouTube.⇢ More stuff at https://www.wiljr.org.   Get My Movies →  

Will You Pee For Me?

  data-animation-override> “After more than a decade of knowing we’d need a transplant, and after nearly six months of looking, we are so excited to announce that we found a donor!” That was me. Less than a week after finding our donor was a match, we went

📕 Bring The Noise

I just finished the Jürgen Klopp-focused book, Bring The Noise by Raphael Honigstein. Very inspiring and quite reflective of how his time at Mainz and Dortmund are being replicated at Liverpool. Given his comment of only wanting to manage three teams (Mainz, BVB, LFC), I figured Liverpool fans will

🌲 British Columbia

Sights from a quick trip to Vancouver, then up to Squamish and back down to Vancouver. ⇢ Drone: https://amzn.to/2HqQfq1.⇢ Camera: https://amzn.to/2JCEGge.⇢ More videos at https://www.wiljr.org/YouTube.⇢ More stuff at https://www.wiljr.org.   Get My Movies →  

💡 My Email Newsletter

  I sent out my monthly email newsletter earlier this week. Click the Sign Up button below to get your own newsletter. Sign up →  

🌲 CIMC Marketing Conference

  I’m attending this week’s CIMC marketing conference in Squamish, BC. The schedule looks incredible. (Seriously, check out this schedule.) It’ll be my first trip to Canada. I’m hiking the Stawamus Chief. I have a drone.

🚶‍♀️ A neighborhood stroll...

Two more sessions with the DJI Spark this weekend, along with a PSA note… Active Track: I tried using the tracking feature to follow me when I walked around the neighborhood Reveal: Using ‘Sport’ mode (ie, faster flying), I tried two reveal shots PSA: Register your drone

720 v. 1080 (DJI Spark Drone)

I picked up the DJI Spark drone to replace the Cheerwing drone I purchased during the holidays. A few notes: → The Cheerwing drone (link below) is an excellent starter drone→ Lots of YouTube videos share that the DJI Spark is a good starter drone (I think it’s a

☁️ The Original iPad and icloud.com

I bought the original iPad from the Apple Store on the Upper West Side in New York City. I waited in line and remember how goofy it was to high-five the staff as I picked mine up. That OG iPad is still in my bag – it’s my

⚽️ April 4 / 11

  Liverpool v. Manchester City. April 4. April 11.      

🏗 Are Founders Leaders?

  data-animation-override> “A growing body of research backs this up. According to a new Harvard Business Review analysis, “the best leaders know a lot about the domain in which they are leading, and part of what makes them successful in a management role is technical competence.” A newly published

✈️ Guns and Planes

  data-animation-override> “I have heard from many of you over the last few days. Our people and our customers have a wide range of views on how to increase safety in our schools and public places, and we are not taking sides. Our objective in removing any implied affiliation

🗞 Consuming The News

I love to read. One of my first bosses taught me that being a “voracious reader” will bring untold success. I don’t know how to quantify that statement but I do feel smarter after I’ve consumed reading materials. My boss’ statement was focused

👓 "At a shooting range, targets do not fire back"

  data-animation-override> “But these efforts to create warriors out of teachers as a means of addressing school shootings are wrongheaded. I used to be in the Marines, and now I’m a classroom teacher. From these experiences, there is one thing I know to be true: Responding effectively to

🍺 Growlers

data-animation-override> “The first patent using the word “growler,” for a “beer cooler,” was registered in the U.S. in 1901. But as early as the 1800s, beer was taken home from local taverns by the pail, often a chore carried out by children.” — https://vinepair.com/articles/

Abandoning The NRA

  data-animation-override> “Still, by the end of Saturday, more than a dozen of the country’s larger corporations — representing the travel, software, insurance, banking and hospitality industries — had all abandoned the NRA.” Source : https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/24/united-and-delta-cut-ties-to-nra-as-boycott-movement-spreads-to-global-corporations/   Incredible movement.

🌨 Winter And Final Cut Pro

A short movie, and one where I used Final Cut Pro for the first time to edit. Moving from iMovie, the most noticeable differences were in the number of options/features along with color grading and stabilization.       ⇢ More videos at www.wiljr.org/YouTube⇢ More stuff at www.

✈️ 🗽 Coast to Coast

We took a few days earlier this month and headed to New York. In between, we stopped off in Seattle and Portland.     ⇢ More videos at www.wiljr.org/YouTube⇢ More stuff at www.wiljr.org ⇢ Handheld stabilizer: http://amzn.to/2CtYnC7⇢ Microphone: http://amzn.to/2BzuW4G⇢ Microphone cable

Facebook: Time To Rethink Your Basket

Sorta feel bad for those folks who threw everything into Facebook. data-animation-override> “I understand why fear of misinformation and Russian propaganda might lead some to want to return to a world of cute animals and vacation photos. But reducing people’s exposure to journalism is a drastic solution to

🏔 The Valley

I drove out to McCormick Park early in the morning to film the valley from the drone. ⇢ Drone: amzn.to/2BUN22w⇢ More videos at www.wiljr.org/YouTube.⇢ More stuff at www.wiljr.org.    

📺 Disputing A Copyright Claim On YouTube

JANUARY 29, 2018: UPDATE AT BOTTOM Earlier this week, I posted my latest video from my YouTube channel, called 🚘 JUST DRIVE (HOME) 🏡. It hasn’t been the most viewed video and that might be because I received a copyright claim shortly after posting. Here’s the claim: I&

🎙 Letterman and Obama

Watched the Obama interview on Letterman’s new Netflix show.  Great to see Dave back in the chair. His take on being lucky was a misty-eyed watch.

🚘 Just Drive (Home) 🏡

I drove three hours east to Helena a few weeks ago. This is my drive back. Including a stop for coffee. And a spin-out. ⇢ Camera: http://amzn.to/2C5vq0t.⇢ More videos at www.wiljr.org/YouTube.⇢ More stuff at www.wiljr.org.    

📙 Fire and Fury

I pre-ordered the electronic version through Apple’s iBooks and read a big chunk over the first weekend. Overall impression: Some folks are going to have some sleepless nights in the next few weeks and months. There were some grammar/edit mistakes and Wolff’s writing style took

⚽️ Wow! Woweee! Yay!

My Twitter reaction to the Liverpool / Manchester City game. Strong response from Klopp’s club after selling Coutinho (great piece of business) and van Dijk’s absence, not to mention Karius’ start in goal. Firmino’s goal was the pick of the bunch for me. Fun

🚁 Fly

Using the onboard camera (720p), flying over parts of Western Montana. Lots (too much?) of editing. ⇢ Drone: amzn.to/2BUN22w⇢ More videos at www.wiljr.org/YouTube    

🏃‍♂️ Run

Caught this guy running. But from what? Or from whom? ⇢ Tripod: http://amzn.to/2Cj7lmY.⇢ More videos at wiljr.org/YouTube.     

🙀 Three Sisters

Honey, we adopted the mafia! ⇢ Camera: http://amzn.to/2DuprC1.⇢ Tripod: http://amzn.to/2Cj7lmY.⇢ More videos at wiljr.org/YouTube.     

⇢ Let's Drone!

Take two with the new drone. This round was a little better although the guidance (guide?) needs some practice.  ⇢ Drone: amzn.to/2BUN22w⇢ Camera: amzn.to/2C5vq0t⇢ More videos at www.wiljr.org/YouTube      

🍾🍳 Let's Eat!

From San Diego to Montana, a few fun eateries and watering holes.    

🚘 Just Drive

Driving Highway 90 to Helena, Montana in the snow. Ps: Here’s the camera I used to film this video: http://amzn.to/2C5vq0t.    

🚁 Snow. Drone.

Adding an action camera to a drone creates some fun footage. Add snow and it’s even more fun. Here’s the drone I used to film this video: http://amzn.to/2BUN22w. I removed the bumper guards and the built-in camera, then added this camera to

😽 Cat Cleaning

Two cameras. One cat.    

☀️ SoCal

Football. Sunshine. Wine.     

🍷 Bottling Wine

4 people. 6 barrels of wine. 1,800 bottles of wine.    

⤴ More Coffee

I was trying to do something different with this shot, something with a much wider angle and a colored background. It didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped.    

🧀 Grillin' Cheese

Everything was going fine, until the phone heated up…    

⭐️ Montana Evening Sky

Facing towards Idaho during the evening hours. I used a different app this time with the original setting at 10x over ~2 hours. I then slowed it down when editing.     

🌥 Montana Morning Sky

View looking East over Mount Jumbo in Western Montana.    

🚸 Skate

When crossing Broadway or Amsterdam and sometimes even Columbus, you never knew what you’d find.    

🚂 SF MUNI

When we lived in San Francisco, the MUNI was our way of getting around the city. Man, MUNI was awful.    

⛷ New York Snow

One of our more fun activities on a snowy day in New York was to visit Joe’s with lunch and a few cocktails watching the snow. When the snow was heavy enough, they’d close down Amsterdam and the skiers would come out.    

🚄 The Tube

A short video of an arriving train while in London last year.    

🍎 One World Trade

If you ever have the chance to take the elevator to the top of One World Trade, do it. The ride is worth the price of admission on its own.    

👅 Tongue

We were in London for a birthday weekend in June 2016. The Rolling Stones Exhibitionism at the Saatchi Gallery was tops on our list.    

Lolo Pass, ID

Last year, we drove up through Lolo and into Idaho, then back through Lolo Pass.    

Shelter Island Ferry

When we lived in New York, a favorite getaway was Shelter Island. At one end of Long Island, it was a quiet and secluded spot that we could check out from the world if we wanted to. We’d rent a Zipcar, stop at Duffy’s Deli, then

Airport Run!

A 3:00AM Saturday start

📉 Would Suspending Suspicious Accounts Break Twitter?

  data-animation-override> “Over the last year, its automated system caught 3.2 million suspicious accounts per week, a Twitter spokeswoman said.” — https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-twitter-social-media-russian-troll-politics-chaos/   That’s 166.4 million suspicious accounts per year. For the year ending December 31, 2016, Twitter earned

🤷‍♀️ Robots Taking Over Marketing

  data-animation-override> “Automation and data are essential tools that help with outreach, and therefore qualify as a marketing capacity, but human beings are still necessary to begin and end the process.” — https://www.demandgenreport.com/features/demanding-views/why-are-b2b-companies-moving-inside-sales-to-the-marketing-department  

👀 Being Recognized By Facebook 🏆

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been super-focused on Facebook. And for good reason.  Facebook hosted a small business forum here in Montana and we were one of four panelists asked by Facebook to discuss our social strategy, execution and success.  In the picture below, you

⚽️ The Next USSF President 🇺🇸

My vote goes to Eric Wynalda.  As a player, he was brash and played with a chip on his shoulder. As a commentator, I get the feeling he doesn’t care much for establishment rules.  That’s what we need. Someone who isn’t afraid

📺 Second Screen

  data-animation-override> “Some 162.6 million people will use smartphones as a second-screen device while watching TV in 2017.” — https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Few-Viewers-Giving-TV-Set-Their-Undivided-Attention/1016717   Sorry, which is the second screen?

🛁 Bouncing Bubbles

These bubbles were bouncing.

🍸 🥃 🧀 Cocktails and Cheez-Its

We were out and about yesterday, enjoying an afternoon walk downtown. We stopped for a cocktail and a snack. The Cheez-Its were droppin’.

🥑 Cut. Cube. Pop.

This is how a Californian cuts an avocado.    

▶️ New YouTube Channel

I’ve been playing around with multi-media more and more lately. You can find most of my content on this site but in case you are a YouTube fanatic, you can find my new channel here.

🚲 I crashed my bike. I have video.

I’ve been riding my bike to and from work the past few weeks. Yesterday, I thought I’d add video to chronicle the fun. The ride home coincided with a 10lb. box of pears arriving at the office. It was a smooth trip. Until the end.  

🎧 PLEASE LET ME: New Episode!

A new episode of my podcast is now available. This episode has everything: Sliding chairs, airport ambiance and a sudden exclamation. Get it today.

A "Less Important Offering"

A few disclaimers: I’m not buying the Apple iPhone X I’ve been riding my bike a lot lately I’ve been using a standing desk In other words, I might be grouchy. Also, I’m not dialed into the Apple innards and I&

🥇 Gold

  We were sitting at a coffee shop in Portland. Looking across the street, this building seemed to have it all. Including gold.  

⌚️ My Apple Watch Is For Sale

I am selling my Apple Watch for $155USD. You can see me and my Apple Watch in this video with the BBC. Details below: $279.00: Current pricing for a new Aluminum Series 1 42mm Apple Watch Stainless Steel, Series 1, 42mm No bands are included with my

👋 Heading Home

Heading back home to New York, where it’s snowing. We’d soon find out we had a donor match and began planning for surgery. We hope our friends on the Grand Turk Island are doing well.

🕯 View, Night

Our view from the hotel at night. Fisherman boats would arrive as the sun set. As the sun crossed the horizon, a green flash would reflect off the water. We soon found out that it wasn’t worth capturing on camera. It needed to be seen and experienced.

⛱ View, Day

The hotel we stayed at was right off the beach During the day, we would see a few cruise ships, paddle boarders and small boats sailing by. I tried watching a Liverpool game. The Wi-Fi service wasn’t all that great.

🛒 Corner Store

We visited the Grand Turk island in 2015. It ended up being just a few weeks before my kidney transplant surgery. The flight to the island was an experience and the island itself seemed to be split in two. The inner island hadn’t recovered from an earlier hurricane

❋ Small Plane

Our ride to Grand Turk. Jenn sat in the front seat. Next to the pilot.

🛫 Waiting

Our gate at Providenciales International Airport. We had arrived from New York. Our next stop was Grand Turk. It was the smallest plane we had ever been on. We walked past a JetBlue plane, then a commuter plane until we finally arrived at our plane. I can’t remember

🛫 Island Bound

We’ve been thinking about the Turks and Caicos Islands. in 2015, we flew down to Caicos, then hopped on a small plane to the Grand Turk Island. A few pictures from that trip coming up this week.

🎸 Jammin'

  We were sitting at Draught Works when Basses Covered came on stage. They were great.  

👌 Fidget

  A little behind the fidget craze but the team picked up a bunch of branded-spinners. It’s fun to see these little things twirling around in people’s fingers, especially with our logo at the center of all those important and fun conversations. Side note: I dipped

🌦 A Mix

  Looking south in the morning. The mix and color of the clouds, and the contrast of colors in the mountains, sky and trees is neat. We’re in Fall but it sure looks and feels like Winter.  

😼 Cat

  Penelope. The boss of the three sisters. We adopted all three at the same time when in New York. To date, they have traveled in a taxi, a plane and a car across four states. They are five years old.  

🦐 Gumbo

  The Gumbo Bus is parked across the street from Draught Works. I’ve walked from work to the Bus for lunch. The Gumbo Soup was terrific. Looking forward to trying a po’ boy.  

🎤 Mic'd

  I’ve been recording my walks to work and back home. It’s a two-mile round trip walk across parks, schools and neighborhoods before opening up to our campus. You can find a few of the recordings here.  

🍺 Taster

  The Grand Teton Brewing Company was pouring at the Dram Shop. We stopped in for a four-flight taster. The sour was my favorite.  

🌴 Pink-a-boo

  We walked over to Burns Street Bistro for breakfast one Sunday and this little fella was sitting near us. This picture was taken around the same time Irma was marching towards Florida and surrounding areas.  

🐴 Paperweight

  We were sitting at The Dram Shop when this little pony made an appearance. We also grabbed a few stickers.  

🌤 (Big) Red Sky

  After seemingly countless weeks of smoky, brown air, it was nice to see some different colors. The sky is as big as the stories say it is.  

🏔 Air

  This is what mountain air looks like (Yay!)…            

☠️ Air

This is what hazardous air looks like…   Looking southeast at 8:00AM. ⬇️   The sun at 9:45AM. ⬇️    The sun at 11:30AM. ⬇️   The sky at 8:00PM. ⬇️  

⛰ Bison

We drove up to the National Bison Range (with a quick stop at the Windmill Village Bakery)…   Windmill Village Bakery. Yum! ⬇️   At the visitor’s center, entering the range.  ⬇️   Bison! ⬇️   Closer… ⬇️   Hello! ⬇️   The drive… ⬇️   The view… ⬇️  

🐠 Snake River

During our drive to Yellowstone National Park, we stopped off to take in the Snake River.    

🚗 CA ➡️ MT

Return leg. 6 states. 2 National Parks. An unwelcome home.   Sunday, 12:00pm PT. Santa Rosa, California. Russian River Brewing Company. ⬇️     Sunday, 12:30pm PT. Santa Rosa, CA. Just a taste. ⬇️     Monday, 8:00am PT. Santa Rosa, CA. We’re off! ⬇️  

🚗 MT ➡️ CA

4 states. 30 hours. 1,200 miles.   Friday, 12:00pm MT. Missoula, Montana. Packed up and ready to head out! ⬇️     Friday, 3:30pm MT. Lima, Montana. Where smoke from the fires meets the clouds. Also, bugs. ⬇️     Friday, 4:15pm MT. Dubois, Idaho. State

🎥 Scene

Last week was the second annual Last Best Conference, one of the best conferences I’ve attended. It was also the second time I volunteered. Here are a few pictures from behind the curtains.          

😺 Stare-down

A stare-down with a cat normally ends in failure. I had other ideas. (It was a draw.)                

🍎 Cider

Moving is stressful. A flight of cider is not.    

🌾 Depth

In late June, we headed up to Glacier National Park. The park wasn’t fully open due to snow but we pulled off to the side of the road and snapped this.     

🌻 Focus

We went on a quick walk yesterday on the Rattlesnake Trail. It’s so lush this time of the year with lots of opportunities to take pictures of the amazing landscape. Here’s one, using Portrait mode on the iPhone.    

🌹 Rockin'

I took a few different routes this morning: Shooting this outdoors included a lot more positioning of the camera and angle Using the focal point on one specific rose, then setting the exposure to capture the color depth Hosting on Vimeo in an effort to keep the original quality of

🥒 Preppin'

Still on day two. Still using mount (aff. link)) + Filmic Pro. This time, food. (Many more edits than yesterday’s video.)    

☕️ Coffee

Day two of attempting to be creative. I starting using the Filmic Pro app on the iPhone, in addition to using the mount and tripod. Shooting indoors was a bit more of a challenge but it’s a nice day today with plenty of natural light Using the app,

✈️ Tracking Flights

A few weeks ago, I picked up two iPhone accessories to help scratch my creative itch:   Square Jellyfish Metal Spring Tripod Mount (affiliate ink) ↓   AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag (affiliate link) ↓   We’re doing some traveling over the next few weeks and I thought it&

⚽️ Steve's 2008 Showdown

It was 2008. We had moved to New York a year earlier when I read about this Showdown thing that Steve Nash was hosting. Having lived in the Bay Area, I knew about Steve Nash through his basketball success at Santa Clara. In 2008. In New York City. Along with

🗞 Why Is The Liverpool Echo Spying On Me?

Back in January of this year, I tweeted at the Liverpool Echo Twitter account (@LivEchoNews) asking about all the tracking on their website:   @LivEchonews good golly, folks – maybe a little too much tracking? @neiljonesecho @JamesPearceEcho pic.twitter.com/fQH73DZBDx — Wil A. (@wiljr) January 12, 2017   I included

The Next Step In Online Advertising: Offline

“But actual purchase information is a much more powerful signal than a rough location estimate, Jain said. “These companies have to invest in finding the identity of the consumer at the moment when that shopper is at the cash register.”” – Source I’m sure everything will

A Cluster (That Wasn't)

“But even with all of the drama that came with Durant’s decision, the results have been impressive.” – Source   Ingredients for failure: A superstar player joining an already successul team A successful team not having to change its playing style A successful coach leaving the team during the playoffs

Rattlesnake Trail

We went on a short hike yesterday…

Auction

Fun and inspiring auction supporting a new ICU building at a local hospital. Disco fever theme… … bid card… … live auction … … donations received … … not everyone’s a fan …

Nashville

My first trip to Tennessee. Attending a conference in Nashville and enjoying the surroundings. Read more →

Rollin'

The latest episode of Please Let Me. I talk about background audio, how I have been capturing it and what I’m planning to do with it. This is the best episode yet.

Theme Music

I’m starting up a new podcast! The first episode of Please Let Me is available: Theme Music. For future updates: Click here for the Please Let Me RSS feed Click here to subscribe to Please Let Me in iTunes Click here to subscribe to Please Let

Software Is Eating The World

data-animation-override> “To be clear, Apple top executives haven’t given up on hardware, which is ultimately the company’s golden heritage.” — http://venturebeat.com/2017/01/31/apple-thinks-it-can-get-much-bigger-in-software/ The problem with software is that you can’t wear it. You can’t show it off.

That Apple Experience

This is what I ordered on December 7, 2016. 👇    My 13-inch MacBook Pro – Space Gray with Touch Bar arrived on December 22, 2016. An early Christmas gift! After a few weeks of use, things weren’t looking or feeling too good. I figured it was just me

Facebook Is Journalist's New Google Challenge

From January 11, 2017: data-animation-override> “Facebook also regularly changes its algorithms, which can make or break a publisher’s traffic and revenue.” — http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/technology/facebook-journalism-project.html From April 29, 2011: data-animation-override> “The New York Times Company has confirmed recent reports

Then They Buy The Cheeseburger

data-animation-override> “The funny thing is that people who were so afraid of wasting time ended up spending much more time on Twitter than they did on Parlio. They just didn’t perceive it that way, because of the difference in the way that the platforms presented themselves.” —

Broken Breaking News

I found this news, odd: Breaking News (@breakingnews) is shutting down. This account will be quiet while NBC plans for its future. Thank you for following us! — Breaking News (@BreakingNews) January 1, 2017 More than 9 million followers and a terrific Twitter handle name, and it’s being shut

Top 5 Pages On wiljr.org In 2016

Looking back at website analytics from wiljr.org in 2016, there was a lot less traffic compared with 2015. I can imagine a few reasons but in general, it looks like there were fewer stories posted throughout 2016 (including one big story in 2015). The home page isn’t

Endowed Directorship In Transplant Surgery Established

data-animation-override> “You can’t put a price on the leading-edge surgery done at Weill Cornell Medicine. Their quality of care is incredible and we wanted to help keep that going.” — https://give.weill.cornell.edu/milestones/endowed-directorship-transplant-surgery-established Terrific news. Dr. Kapur and the team at Weill Cornell

I Mainly Interact With Push Notifications

M.G. Siegler, via Medium: data-animation-override> “Not too much explanation needed here, but briefly: ESPN is still on my second screen and used a ton, but I mainly interact with push notifications.” Me, one year ago, talking about the importance of notifications. Nice to see audio taking more

Cutting Cords, Consolidating Media

data-animation-override> “If Time Warner’s chief executive officer doesn’t see a future for the owner of CNN and TNT as a standalone company, why should anyone else?” — https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-29/cord-cutters-dropping-cable-force-networks-to-make-hard-choices I’d offer the alternative: The successful media companies are

Value Impressions Over Everything Else

data-animation-override> “Marc Goldberg, chief executive of Trust Metrics, an ad safety vendor, said the effort to remove bad actors ignores that many advertisers value impressions over everything else. They would rather not choose and monitor what websites they are appearing on, he said, because they worry they will miss

To Hell With Gadgets

data-animation-override> “Q; Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without and why? A: To hell with gadgets. I don’t want to live without my cats.” — http://lifehacker.com/im-justin-rosenstein-co-founder-of-asana-and-this-is-1783969267 Enjoyed this, especially as an Asana user for a number of years. Some

The Worst User Experiences On The Internet

data-animation-override> “We will take a page from Quartz and favor high-end advertisements that add value for the user over JavaScript-heavy programmatic ads that degrade performance. We will give users an uninterrupted path to editorial offerings and use design to enhance them.” — http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/12/

This Is Not The Time To Be Scared

data-animation-override> “… but you have to take the initiative to find new opportunities for yourself, too.” — http://www.wsj.com/articles/an-escape-hatch-for-the-professional-rut-1482850801 A fun read about what a high EQ + mentorship + self-awarenss can do for an individual.

Playing Both Sides

Within the first six lines of Mark Gurman’s recent Bloomberg expose on the failings of Apple delivering innovative Mac products:  data-animation-override> “… Apple unveiled the new MacBook Pro with a slimmer design and louder speakers.” If Gurman is trying to create a narrative that shows

Wil Did This

A few months ago, we saw the Fruit Bats live at the Top Hat Lounge. We took some photos and audio, then stitched them together. Hope you enjoy.

The Biggest Newspapers In The World Right Now

data-animation-override> “But the biggest newspapers in the world right now are Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram.” — http://www.npr.org/2016/12/11/505159315/after-trump-roundtable-invite-silicon-valley-considers-post-election-role Newspapers or distribution platforms?

Steve Jobs: World Wide Web Co-inventor?

data-animation-override> “(Despite being a commercial failure, the Next was used by Tim Berners-Lee to help develop the original concept of the World Wide Web.)” — Excerpt From: The New York Times. “The Rise of Apple.”

Scullification

September 19, 1985: Some analysts and former employees are worried that Apple is losing its spark and becoming stodgy, a process some refer to as “Scullification.” Excerpt From: The New York Times. “The Rise of Apple.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/t5jaJ.l

Pivot Forward

I’m at the Pivot Forward conference this week in Portland. If you’re attending, or are in downtown Portland, let’s meet up.  

Interstitials Are The New Ad Blockers

Google is cleaning up the mobile experience… “To improve the mobile search experience, after January 10, 2017, pages where content is not easily accessible to a user on the transition from the mobile search results may not rank as highly. Showing a popup that covers the main content,

Passing The Mic

“They’re not matching the energy of the crowd—they’re a little less, they’re letting the crowd come to them.” https://t.co/cXWZpNJIW8 — William A. (@wiljr) July 31, 2016 As the past two weeks of conventions come to a close, we couldn’t help but

Put On My Gas Mask And Put My Tape On.

Ads suck, we’re all in agreement? According to this guy, not all of us are in agreement. A few other stories are floating around that not only is Snapchat great at ads, but they are also replacing Twitter as the social media powerhouse for journalists. Also, when videos

Don't Lose Your Balance And Fall Yah.

If you haven’t read (or heard) of Longform, you should take a look. The podcasts are excellent. So why care about a publication that seems to be going in the opposite direction of today’s trends (see previous post)? Three reasons: Their content is super good. What

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.

A fun and clever article on how language is changing, thanks in large part to mobile devices and messaging applications. The thought is the meaning of periods–or “full stops”–is changing, morphing more into emotion than punctuation. Read more → Get news by email. Email Address Get it!

It's All Over Now. No, Now. I Mean, Now.

Well, that’s a tricky statement. What if the model became two-fold: Premium subscription: Users pay for access to content with the option to turn ads off and on, along with the ability to join a closed community Free subscription: Ad supported but only ads that meet a quality

100 Miles And Not Fully Runnin'

Is technology automating everything? Is that a good thing? As Adidas notes in this article, the company is looking to automate certain aspects of its shoe-making process. But it won’t be automating everything. That’s smart. There are certain things that shouldn’t be automated, especially

Say Something About Workflows And Success

There has been a lot of criticism of Apple lately. Its services aren’t good enough. Its organization is outdated. Its no longer innovative. (Oh, wait – that last one is from the every year since January 3, 1977.) The criticism is getting louder, especially as Apple’s

Take Me To Your Leader. Meow.

I really liked this story. It’s complex because it feels so right even though there isn’t any solution. In general, I think, we’d much rather see pictures of kitties than being blasted by ridiculous advertising. The complex part of it comes in when answering

Ding. Ding ding ding. Ding.

“…runs on Slack” the new ‘intel inside’ campaign? @intel @SlackHQ @waltmossberg A fun article to think what Slack could (and should?) be. Personally, I am a big fan of Slack and use it for news, conversations, reporting, among many other things. Speaking of news, maybe

When Excel is the Answer to Your Marketing Challenge...

“[Smaller] companies are just getting left behind by the great march to the marketing stack.” An absolute struggle. Email marketing was supposed to be this game-changing, competitive-flattening solution that allowed the Davids to play in the same arena as the Goliaths. It’s no longer enough – there is

Who Cares About Typeface?

“When it’s designed well, typeface has the ability to transcend language.” It’s surprising how much it matters when we don’t notice it. I don’t remember it much when it was in San Francisco, but that’s probably because I was

What Happens When You Sign Up For Facebook Live

I signed up to “Learn More About Broadcasting with Facebook Live”. This is the response I received. Huh? Ps: They ask for my name in the above link, and they clearly know who I am via Facebook. What’s up with “Hi,”? Pps: That link

You Know How To Take Money, You Just Don't Know How To Make Money

“How do I monetize? Still not clear.” Where are we going to get our news if we no longer value it? Lots of news organizations are trying to make money now that readers are in control of how and what they want to read. Ads? Nope. Per article? Maybe (too

Saying Goodbye. Arro + NYC Taxi = 👎 What's Up With Your Data?

Newsletter. Signup. Advertisers Are the Story “…noting that now advertisers are no longer separate from the story…” As if native advertising wasn’t bad enough, Mashable is suggesting advertisers should be part of the story. That’s not going to backfire. Read more… Bye Bye,

Uber Wins

Arriving at LGA, we hopped into an NYC Yellow Taxi. Home, here we come! Then, right after we paid via Arro, the driver asked us to get out and switch cabs. No reason. No option. Get out. Get your luggage. Switch cabs. Fishy. Using Arrow, we had no way

Women Journalists?! Tacobot! Panama Papers? Mother Truckin' Platoons!!

Marketing. Technology. Communications. Newsletter.Click here to subscribe. Turning AdBlockers Into Targets. “And fundamental to this approach is an understanding that adblockers are a new and valuable segment.” Here’s the thing. Advertising doesn’t suck. It’s bad advertising that sucks. That’s

Ads v. Subs

CBS executives said that pursuing a sale of its radio holdings would help the company to shift its business away from the less-predictable advertising sales to the more-predictable revenue sources, such as subscription fees.   http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/16/business/media/cbs-looks-to-exit-radio-business.html   Is this the push

Growth Opportunities

data-animation-override> “That is certainly worth something to someone, but it’s hard to see the growth opportunities. ” — Ben Thompson, Stratechery In his weekly article, Ben goes after himself but also seems to push the idea that Twitter as a standalone company is nearing it’s end.

Page Views

data-animation-override> “Advertisers and publishers are still figuring out the best ways to sell ad space online—and they’re also trying to figure out the best ways to stay ahead of the changing ways we read on the web. But one thing they have figured out is that the

The Selling Of Body Parts

data-animation-override> “Imagine the difficulties and complexities of developing far more rigorous and complex regulations on the selling of body parts. Who would oversee the system? Transplant surgeons? Nonprofit groups? Medicare? Or would independent donor advocates be burdened with uncovering the true motives or hidden coercion behind U.S. transplants?

Committed To Electrification

data-animation-override> “But even with its extended range and mass-market price, the Bolt may still face a difficult battle to lure consumers who are taking advantage of $2-a-gallon gasoline to buy larger vehicles. While sales of pickups and sport utility vehicles soared in 2015, all-electric models and gas-electric hybrids languished

Distributing Content

I’m trying the “write once, distribute many” idea. Here’s how it works: I found this post (one of my favorites) from 2014: Mobile? Who are we kidding? I took that blog post and turned it into a SlideShare presentation I took the same blog

Something Other Than Ads

data-animation-override> “Because knowing that something is an ad likely will affect whether consumers choose to interact with it and the weight or credibility consumers give the information it conveys. ” — https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/native-advertising-guide-businesses Exactly. The FTC even provides a guideline to ensure “

New Zealand. New Flag

data-animation-override> “He has also said that he is tired of the confusion over New Zealand’s flag, which resembles that of neighboring Australia. More than once, he says, he has been asked to stand in front of an Australian flag at overseas receptions.” — http://www.nytimes.com/

Out Of Place

data-animation-override> “As the night wore on, posts on Twitter and Facebook that were not about Paris seemed out of place.” — http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/technology/as-paris-terror-attacks-unfolded-social-media-tools-offered-help-in-crisis.html?_r=0 .

The Importance (And Challenge) Of Segmentation

Last week, I described a very obvious blunder. I fixed this fairly quickly but heard from a few folks that they’d like to know a bit more about segmentation, targeting, etc. as it applies to marketing and advertising. Here goes the first in what we hope is an-ongoing

A Poll: More On Targeting Through Marketing, Advertising, etc.?

A week ago, I goofed when I sent out my newsletter. While embarrassing, it did get me thinking – how many folks know how this marketing stuff works? We all get emails, we all get advertised to and we all hear the crazy news about tracking. Did you know it&

|*FNAME*| (Oops!)

Remember last week’s newsletter? It looked like this… As someone in the marketing profession, I see mistakes like this from time to time. When I do, I cringe and think “oh boy, that sucks – hope it never happens to me”. It happened to me.

Kidney Donation: Regulating An Underground Market

When we went through the process of finding a kidney donor, the underground market for kidneys presented itself to us rather quickly. A clear demand with a equally clear supply that doesn’t match due to social implications. But when you are in the position of finding an organ

Moves A Little Faster

data-animation-override> “The ad is set to upbeat music and moves a little faster than you can really read anything — the young people who are the ad’s target audience prefer it that way, Twitter says, and the rest of us will still be noticing new things when we see

Wil's Newsletter: October 25, 2015

Third and final web-posted newsletter has arrived. Join here to continue reading by email.   A cold week. Who wants temperatures in the 30s? Also, we watched The Seven Five. Was New York really this bad?  Married To Your Business (Gimlet Media): You like podcasts? Startup is back,

Wil's Newsletter: October 18, 2015

Second newsletter is up and running – hope you enjoy! (Join here.) Six months ago on Friday (10/16), an amazing human being gave me a second life. We spent most of the day with him and his family this weekend. Six months. Crazy. The second newsletter is the toughest,

Disclaimer

Last week, I expressed my embarrassment over the recent Mexico v. USA match. I wanted to read The Rivalry (and watch the Costa Rica match) before commenting further. My thoughts: disclaimer? “In soccer, you can only make three substitutions, so there’s not much influence the coach can have.

Wil's Newsletter: October 11, 2015

I’m trying something new. Instead of auto-sending every post from my website, I”ll curate a bunch of stuff I’m reading, sharing and doing and send it by email. Once a week. (I’m posting it here, too for a few weeks to get

The Continued Importance Of Notifications

data-animation-override> “With VIP, you can now have your BFF’s emails included as a notification. Or, you can dive into the VIP folder and flick through the emails.” — http://www.wiljr.org/read/2012/06/25/vip-a-helping-hand-to-email-campaigns The importance of VIPs in iOS was clear but the

A Bronze Medal Then A Kidney Transplant

data-animation-override> “Valuing his privacy and wanting to avoid answering questions on the topic, he did not reveal his condition and his need for a transplant until shortly before these championships.” — http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/29/sports/days-before-kidney-transplant-aries-merritt-wins-bronze-in-hurdles.html Incredible story. Having gone through this recently,

It's (Still) All About Access

data-animation-override> “But I think beyond just the data, it’s the ability to access the data…” — http://www.wiljr.org/read/2012/05/15/applications-data-or-access I was reading Bill Bennett’s piece today on his site being added to Apple News. It will be fun

How To Find The Right Job

data-animation-override> “When I came in to interview, the companies knew about me and I knew about them, allowing us to concentrate more on gaps and matching skills.” — https://jobmob.co.il/blog/blogging-to-find-jobs-case-studies Searching for a job is tough. It can be mentally draining and can 

Apple Watch, the BBC and Me

It all started last week with a few email messages back and forth to determine whether I’d be a good BBC source for an upcoming piece on Apple Watch. As the timing and sourcing became more firm, emails turned to texts. As the confirmed date arrived, texts

Just Missing One Thing

data-animation-override> “Budgeting and headcount can be saved for filling real roles and resource allocation that drives real exponential growth.” — https://medium.com/@ranee/applied-machine-learning-the-future-of-marketing-859472150629 Marketers and non-marketers alike should absolutely read this. I’ll go back to a recent feeling of mine, Make It Pretty,

My Site In Apple News

data-animation-override> “Or, maybe Apple creates a “basic” version of Google Reader, with a premium version that hooks all magazines / books / articles into a single app?” — http://www.wiljr.org/read/2013/03/20/how-we-will-read That was me back in March 2013. Enter iOS 9, where Apple News

Advertising Fail

data-animation-override> “It looks like content. But it is actually advertising. In a perfect world, native advertising lets a brand access the audience of The New York Times in the same way that the news does.” — http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/sarah-snow/2015-06-29/why-native-advertising-fails We thought a lot

Start Podcasting, Today

My first podcast was called “The Daily Scrum” and was focused on agile methodologies for non-developers. It was a lot of work getting schedules to line up, preparing the script, recording, editing and producing each episode. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table

Apple Watch Is Dead To Me

data-animation-override> “Considering all that, what does it say about the person that buys one of these things? I don’t know about you but I hope no one I know buys one. If they do, it will have been nice knowing them…” — http://www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/

Fussing Over Apple Watch

(Want more? Listen.) It’s crazy how fussy people have been over Apple Watch. The battery barely lasts a day. It’s slow. The software is confusing. It doesn’t do what I want. In general, I think our expectations are a little out of

Being Thankful

Just a few weeks ago, we found a good samaritan kidney donor. The donor turned out to be one of the very first people to contact us after we requested help. We couldn’t have been more happy then about this particular person being our donor, and we

We Found A Donor!

After more than a decade of knowing we’d need a transplant, and after nearly six months of looking, we are so excited to announce that we found a donor! This past Wednesday, we were notified that the then potential donor’s initial results were coming back&

Using Remarketing To Find A Kidney

Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:9.0pt; font-family:Calibri; color:black; mso-themecolor:text1; mso-fareast-language:JA;} Over the

I Want Back In

"The medium feels intimate." http://www.cjr.org/first_person/the_economics_of_the_podcast_boom.php A few years ago, my pal and I started The Daily Scrum – a podcast about using agile methodologies in non-software development activities. Neither of us were in it for any fame&

I’m Interested In Finding Out If I’m A Match, But I Don’t Know If I Want To Be A Donor

Over the past few weeks, we’ve had a number of people ask us about the organ donation process, specifically the process of donating a kidney. There has been some hesitation in going from asking to finding out if there’s a match to donating. It’s

"A Disconnected Jumble of Hollow Words Bouncing Along the Canyon Walls"

Talk about a disconnected jumble of hollow words, this article – filed under “Branding” – is genuinely careless in its writing and editing. A surprise coming from HBR. First, this: But the earnings report makes clear that intense loyalty to the iPhone– 87% loyalty, to be

How Do I Ask You For Your Kidney?

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been asking family and friends to help us find kidney donors. It’s the weirdest thing we’ve ever had to do. But we need to find a donor and no matter how uncomfortable it is, the only way we’re going to

Sometimes, the world works the way it should

As you may have seen, we recently asked you to help us find a kidney. If you want to read the reasons why and what we need (and how you can help us), you can do that here. Following that ask, what happened next was easily

I Need A Kidney

This past week, my wife and I met with our nephrologist. The results from recent lab work were encouraging–my GFR (my kidney filtration rate) has leveled off over the past few months. I remain at stage 4 of 5. With these results, we’ve decided

Motivating Interest

By making it explicit that employees are expected to master new skills and by providing them with the time and resources to do so, organizations can prevent boredom, improve intellectual firepower, and enhance their competitive advantage. Motivating teams to acquire new skills can be challenging. But doing so increases both

Storytelling

But Serial is also a story about storytelling. The entire model around the Serial podcast is fascinating, and the storytelling is captivating.

Dreams Don't Come True

Although positive thinking feels good in the moment, it often bears a false promise. Only when it’s paired with a clear view of potential obstacles will it consistently produce desirable results. So why the misleading title of the article? How about: “How to create a positive working environment

iPhone 6 Plus: The First 48 Hours

I picked up my pre-ordered iPhone 6 Plus 48 hours ago. Yes, I ordered the big one. No, I’m not disappointed by the size. No, I’m not returning it for the smaller version. Here are my thoughts following my first 48 hours with my new phone&

More Than An Idea

It’s not about the idea, it’s about how prepared you are. Everyone has ideas, most don’t do the work required to get the job done. ( Source: BizJournals | Mark Cuban takes questions on small business, Shark Tank, more on Reddit ) An oldie but still a

It's In The Details

It is about what content fans want to consume. Do they want every single detail about Liverpool, or do they want a bit more celebrity focused? When will the content go out, what is the length of the content, what is the ultimate length of a video, how long will

Make It Pretty

There are still businesses that see creativity as little more than a cosmetic: a final touch of lipstick to make a product look more appealing. They are profoundly wrong: and the world is full of case studies to prove them wrong. Applied creativity can be as central, as integral and

Quirky Hip Hop

It’s strange to admit it, but this is kinda the job we were born for ( Source: NPR | Questlove And The Roots: How A Hip-Hop Band Conquered Late Night ) I am a hip hop junkie, especially stuff from the 80s and 90s. The Roots take me back

Becoming Entrepreneurial

By contrast, at the Incubator School in Los Angeles, becoming a billionaire is the goal for many kids. ( Source: BBC | The kids running their own companies ) Neat article on kids being taught the entrepreneurial spirit – even starting their own businesses – at a very young age. I

The Winner

What fans wanted, according to the firm, was more soccer, such as colorful tweets at important moments in tense games, and less self-promotion. ( Source: Bloomberg View | Why Adidas Beat Nike at the World Cup ) Another great line: He understands the game. And Nike, let’s face it, is an

The End Is Near

As hard as it is to comprehend, there are human beings on this planet who have no interest in the World Cup. ( Source: New York Review of Books | Confessions of a Soccer Addict ) *Sigh*

!

Although my training tells me not to overuse exclamation points because they are shouty and juvenile, I find myself using them because I fear being seen as unfriendly or insincere if I only use a period. ( Source: NYMag.com | It’s Too Late. Exclamation Marks Are Unstoppable ) When

The Strike And The Bite

Being a supporter of a team or sport can be maddening. All the time and effort put in to evangelizing your devotion can be destroyed in what seems like an instant. THE STRIKE Back in the 1990s, I lived and worked in San Jose, CA. I went to high school

Prediction

USA v. Germany. This is the game that will define the new era of American soccer. After its delectable first two games in Brazil, the Americans on the pitch have provided reasons for the Americans at home to take notice. The Germans on the other hand seem to be going

Change

There’s a mentality here about changing the way things are done, not believing the norm has to remain forever… that’s why I moved here, and that’s a pretty damn healthy way of seeing the world. ( Source: BBC | Uber and Indiegogo – tales of disruption ) Agree. I don&

An Un-American Sport

Soccer is like watching a bunch of Sisyphuses competing against each other by trying to roll the same rock up a hill—without using their hands, of course. ( Source: Politico | Why Soccer Is Un-American ) Lots of articles proclaiming this World Cup cycle is the one where Americans finally get soccer.

Accidental

Do your job, good things will happen.’ So we keep them very narrow-minded on, ‘Do your job first.’ A lot of mistakes are made when you’re wanting to do somebody else’s job.” ( Source: SI.com | The Accidental Coach of the Cleveland Browns ) In the midst of

I Believe That We Will Win

My picks for the World Cup… View fullsize

Born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour

I’ve been in this shit 30 years, too long to just sit and let it be. I’m not going to be the grim reaper. I don’t want to be the grim reaper. But people have to stand up and we need some change, and

Punching Babies

In April, the English Premier League named him player of the year. He has carried the reborn Liverpool side on his shoulders. And yet, despite his widely acknowledged greatness, people hate him. ( Source: ESPN | Luis Suarez is soccer’s most beautiful player ) “Beautiful”.

Chopping Messi

He doesn’t want the foul to be called, because he is feeling it and wants to keep going. At times, he seems almost to grow new legs in midair. ( Source: NYTimes.com | The Burden of Being Messi ) One of the most entertaining aspects in watching Messi.

Balance

Successfully providing feedback this way requires you to trust the people you’ve empowered to have the final say. At the same time, it requires the team to maintain an open-mind and, if need be, defer to your better judgement. On both ends, it requires the subjugation of egos

Finding It

At some level, we have to ask a lot more of audiences in this new world. People will have to be more literate about how media work, and more willing to go deeper on their own. Most of all, they’ll have to be relentlessly skeptical. They’ll

All In

My dream remains intact. I will be there. #WorldCup #allin or nothing https://t.co/s05SkqJ1tW — Luis Suarez (@luis16suarez) May 24, 2014 Phew.

Bumbling

I spent a while trying to think of an ingenious conclusion to this post, so as to give the appearance that I’d been confidently advancing toward it from the start. But on this occasion, more than any other, it would seem appropriate to admit that I failed. ( Source:

Emotionally Unavailable

Every four years one billion people become ’emotionally unavailable’ (h/t), figuring out how much sleep is really needed or how many doctor’s appointments they can get away with over a four week stretch. Even without the mayhem from the irresistible El Pistero, this will be

Mobile? Who Are We Kidding?

Have you seen the gear people strap on every day to / from work? Look around the next time you are in the office or on the train. Do we really need these big bags full of I-hope-I-get-to-this stuff? The more we tout lighter / smaller laptops and tablets, and more powerful

Losing Talent

But he has come here because he’s an outstanding goalkeeper and, I repeat, you don’t lose your talent. ( Source: Liverpool Echo | Brendan Rodgers vows to restore Simon Mignolet confidence )   Good advice for anyone losing confidence.    

Fear El Pistolero

It is this history and tradition that England, Brazil and others must fear in the next World Cup. Luis Suárez will not be playing for himself, but for his team, his people and those who came before him. ( Source: Roads and Kingdoms | The Suárez Conundrum )   Deep look at Luis

Final Ballot

In truth, the player closest to Ronaldo in sheer quality, at least recently, was not on the final ballot: Liverpool’s Luis Suárez, who has scored 22 goals in 16 English Premier League games this season. ( Source: NYTimes | Ronaldo Dethrones Messi as World Player of Year )   I get the

Please

In a season elongated by the World Cup, please, do not let eagerness push you too hard, too soon. ( Source: NYTimes | For Messi, the Best Medicine Is Time )   Probably true of lots of players but certainly of Messi.    

Special Relationship

We have a special relationship; they have love for me and in return I love them back. ( Source: The Guardian | Luis Suárez signs new long-term deal to stay at Liverpool to 2018 )   Should make for a pleasant weekend; tying up Suárez and first place in the league? Happy holidays.

Lovely Arrogance

Tottenham failed to register a single shot on target in Liverpool’s third win in eight away matches in the Premier League this season. ( Source: BBC | Rodgers praises ‘complete’ Liverpool )   Complete and utter dominance. Related: Tottenham are in the market for a new manager.    

No List

How would you react if complete stranger knew your name, what you do for a living, and your email address? Needless to say, you would be a bit wary of that person. ( Source: HubSpot | 8 Dangers of Buying an Email List )   Eight great reasons to not purchase a list.

Exit

  The board’s beef was speed. The directors “didn’t push Steve to step down,” says Mr. Thompson, a longtime technology executive who heads the board’s CEO-search committee, “but we were pushing him damn hard to go faster.” ( Source: Wall Street

Silly Songs

  After each game, the kids eat snacks with great gusto, ride on each other’s backs, and sing silly songs. ( Source: The Guardian | How football (aka soccer) made me wiser )   Those silly songs will be sung loudly next year by millions of “kids”.  

Being Scalable

  Marketing provides tools to make the sales process scalable. ( Source: Inc.com | Get the Most Bang for Your Marketing Buck: 3 Ways )   One of the more exciting and challenging aspects of marketing – how to scale the members of your sales team. The trick, from the marketer’

The End

  In fact, a recent Corporate Executive Board study of more than 1,400 B2B customers found that those customers completed, on average, nearly 60% of a typical purchasing decision—researching solutions, ranking options, setting requirements, benchmarking pricing, and so on—before even having a conversation with a supplier. ( Source:

All Day

  Additionally, a large part of my day is spent meeting with members of other teams inside the company — both on corporate issues and how we might assist them. The marketing team’s job here at Frontline is, at least in part, to be a service bureau to

Tiny Balls

    The tournament does not begin until June, but there is no denying that fortunes will be enhanced, or ruined, based on the order in which 32 tiny balls are pulled from four glass pots. ( Source: NYTimes.com | At World Cup Draw, Stirring the Pots Will Leave Some Shaken

Better Information

    You don’t need more technology news. You need better technology news. That’s why we’re launching The Information–to focus on stories that interest and influence decision-makers while leaving coverage of everyday news announcements to others. ( Source: Jessica E. Lessin, Founder and Editor-in-Chief | The Information

Look At It

    Like the pansy-ass who’s never grown out his beard has no idea what his true natural state is, you have no fucking idea what a website is. All you have ever seen are shitty skeuomorphic bastardizations of what should be text communicating a fucking message. This

Single

    Then, in the days before the game, the build-up in the media means you are even more tense and more focused because you become increasingly aware of how relevant this single game can be to your whole season. ( Source: BBC | Everton v Liverpool ‘like being in a

Walk And Talk

    The innovation that I believe that will come with the team, particularly in the collaborative environment that we’re going to build will be immeasurable,” said Oppenheimer. “We have built the building to be very walkable. You might begin your day in one part of the building and

Learn A Different Language

    They need to be able to communicate with the engineers and designers in a way that instills trust and a belief that the PM knows what they’re talking about. ( Source: The Next Web | Product Managers: Who are these ‘mini-CEOs’ and what do they do? )   I am

Protecting The Club

    As a manager the job is obviously about managing individuals but you have got to protect the club. ( Source: The Guardian | Why that Luis Suárez bid mattered )   Great work by Rodgers, Henry and the club to protect the Liverpool brand without catering to the demands of a

Brainwashed

    If you can brainwash consumers into developing new tastes that make the old stuff look uncool for aesthetic rather than functional reasons, you still have a shot at harvesting more sales from your existing customer base. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Why Apple Wants to Bust Your iPhone )   Analysts

Reporting Up

    It is an opportunity to stop forcing customers to navigate internal organizational structures that are meaningless to them. ( Source: CMO.com | Marketing’s Rise Misses Bigger Opportunity )   I don’t want to think of this as a Chief Consumer Officer-type role but I can envision

Banksy UWS

    A piece on the preservationist-friendly Upper West Side was quickly sealed behind plexiglass. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Monthlong Chase Around New York City for Banksy’s Street Art )   Fun to see this on the Upper West Side and even though it’s caused some folks concern about

Access

    Whether this tradeoff is the right call is up for debate. As someone who uses iWork a decent amount, it’s frustrating that the first update major new release in over 4 years is a regression in functionality. ( Source: Rarebit Studio | Whither iWork? )   I’m

An Evra Shocker

  Lizarzu responded to Evra’s comments, saying: “He blames us for dirtying his image but he is doing a great job of it himself.” ( Source: BBC | Patrice Evra asked to explain ‘tramps’ comment by French FA )   Patrice in the middle of a verbal

Romário The Winner

    He leaned back and laughed. “This is the way you make people think about whether or not they are going to rob you again tomorrow.” ( Source: NYTimes.com | Romário, a World Cup Champion, Is Now a World Cup Dissenter )   The mention of Socrates in any article makes

Frumpy

    Ms Ahrendts certainly had her doubters at the beginning. When it was announced she was taking the helm, some of the more bitchy members of the company’s design team were shocked – how could a frumpy woman who used to run the American working girl-favourite Liz Claiborne

Reinvent

  Instead, Jeff brought about two dozen reporters in to see him in small groups. He did all the product demos himself. Everyone left feeling like they had a special session with this dynamic CEO, and Amazon received great press coverage. It’s a small example of how he tries

Bags Full Of Laptops

    …I think the tablet is powerful in the sense that you can get 90%+ of your work done 100% of the time… ( Source: andersonjr.com | Doing 90% Of Your Work 100% Of The Time )   I still live and work by that % thought. I recently brought

Outside In

    But its way of seeing is foreign, the perspective of the curious outsider for whom nothing is obvious and whose questions are big and naïve and, in their naïveté, important. ( Source: NYTimes.com | An Outsider Looks at Life in America )   I think they are on to something

First

    And then he will proceed to tell you how much the Browns suck. ( Source: Grantland | Black and Brown Blues )   Five weeks in and it’s already been a full season of ups and downs: Injured starting QB? Check. Traded starting RB? Check. Injured backup QB? Check.

High Stakes

    The stakes rise as we approach the debt limit and the risk of default — which the Treasury Department notes could have an impact like that of the 2008 financial crisis and “has the potential to be catastrophic.” Astonishingly, Republican hard-liners see that potential catastrophe as a source of

Unpredictable Perfection

  After a brief discussion with @footballfactman, we came to the conclusion that ‘unpredictable efficiency when attacking’ coupled with ‘repeatable defensive strategies – depending on the opposition’ would be the most effective way for a team to win football matches. ( Source: Liverpool FC | Tactical perfection: Myth

Manchester City And Apple

  I never minded Manchester City as a football club when they were a nothing team; now they’re a top four team, I can’t stand them ( Source: Medium | Apple’s narrative problem )   Seems they both had a good week.  

New York

  In addition to the plumber, there was a food vendor who put her severed leg on ice, a nurse who helped direct their efforts, a woman walking her dog who lent her leash to make a tourniquet, a celebrity doctor who rushed to the scene and a host of

Care To Finish Your Thoughts?

  Reading Marco’s thoughts on Apple’s announcement on Tuesday… In Instapaper, via Web:     In Instapaper, via Read Later:     Care to finish that thought? (Source: Marco.org, Yesterday’s iPhones)    

Geeking Out, SEC-style

  My favorite discovery this year…   (Source: Twitter on Edgar)    

Pure Hell

  What is it like to play in San Jose? Picture a Metallica concert wrapped in nationalism fueled by alcohol and pushed along by the lust for a place in the planet’s most popular sporting event next summer in Brazil. ( Source: Washington Post | World Cup qualifying: U.S. soccer

Not Emotionally Involved

  If you haven’t worked with an editor before, you may be disconcerted by the amount of editing that has been done. ( Source: Daily Writing Tips | 5 Tips on How to Work with an Editor )   Having added an editor ([biased] and a great one, at that [/biased]) to

The Joy Of Business

  Last week, I saw something pretty cool on my walk to work one morning: About 20 folks dressed in suits and professional attire were hooting and hollering and high-fiving as they posed for pictures in front of the New York Stock Exchange. Was it a celebrity sighting? Or, maybe

Defining Brands

  Brands are defined not by the best thing on the product but by the worst thing. – Robert Scoble ( Source: VentureBeat | The core of Apple’s problem is Tim Cook, Scoble says (interview) )   The rest of the interview is “meh”, but I really liked this

The New News

  Viewers will see a news channel unlike the others, as our programming proves Al Jazeera America will air fact-based, unbiased and in-depth news. There will be less opinion, less yelling and fewer celebrity sightings. – Ehab Al Shihabi, acting chief executive ( Source: NYTimes.com | Al Jazeera America Promises a

Balotelli

  Maybe they thought taking the piss out of someone in front of other people makes them stronger or something. ( Source: SI.com | Mario Balotelli has a talent that’s every bit as electric as his personality )   A terrific article on the alleged eccentricity and the background of

Blowing Up History

  This video from Adam Parmalee shows how quickly the whole thing happened. The building, called Warren Hall, had been deemed seismically unsound — and on top of that, it’s only about 2,000 feet from California’s dangerous Hayward Fault. The university decided to demolish Warren Hall

Connecting A Billion People

  If you surveyed people forty years ago, at the dawn of the internet, and asked them, “If you could connect a billion people with a piece of software, what could you enable them to do?” I’ll bet you they would sound pretty ambitious and optimistic.

Start Your Engines

  I’m not expecting Liverpool to make the top four but think there is just enough to see them edge above neighbours Everton this season – especially if they can make the big signing Rodgers seeks before the deadline. ( Source: BBC | McNulty’s Premier League predictions )   Pfft.

Reading Offline

  On a plane. Going through a backlog of email. Finally. No Internet. Here’s what I see…           This could easily be the subway, or a dead spot. Don’t miss out on spreading your company’s good word.   Sign

Distractions

  The challenge is to stand out but not in an annoying way ( Source: CMO.com | Dealing With Distraction )   Be creative and innovative – constantly and consistently – given the tools of today. Our goal as Marketing professionals and evangelists is to build campaigns and conversations that add value

Goals and Skills

  My goal is for employees to say, “Bryan is really easy-going, and he lets us manage our own affairs…except when something really big happens.” ( Source: PandoDaily | The most important managerial skill )   The most important – and most difficult – managerial skill. A terrific article

Household Names

  … and a collection of other players who are household names only in their own households. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Reborn Cosmos Return to the Field )   Lots of terrific news for soccer / football fans in New York lately.   Sign up to receive news by email. Follow me on

When You Are Wrong

  Try to be right all the time, but when wrong, get right as soon as you can ( Source: Daring Fireball | Fitting the Facts to the Narrative )   A good, quick lesson on story telling and journalism.   Sign up to receive news by email. Follow me on Twitter.  

Email Is Dead, Or Evolving?

  Today, your emails must truly engage consumers in relevant, cross-channel conversations ( Source: Marketo | Wanted: Email – Dead or Alive )   I’d think this approach goes beyond email marketing, to “regular” email as well. (Infographic below.)   Sign up to receive news by email. Follow me on

Syncing and Selling

  It’s suggested by multiple actions taken as a result of an integrated marketing campaign that touches the lead in different ways, at different times, with different content, and in different formats. ( Source: NY Enterprise Report | The Selling Sync )   Solid advice on getting Marketing and Sales teams in

Alex Rodriguez

  People who spoke to Yankees officials after Rodriguez’s comments said they were saddened and amused by them, and they pointed out that the Yankees did not initiate the investigation into his reported involvement with Biogenesis. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Rodriguez Said to Seek Meetings With Baseball and Yankees )  

Eating It

  We’ll remember the substitutions just prior to the goals, but the ones where a player is introduced seamlessly into a team and where all concerned know what that offers, is just as impressive. ( Source: The Guardian | USA’s Gold Cup win: five things we learned )  

Wagons And Rising Stars

  Make a conscious bet on the folks you’re going to work for and your commitment to them will pay off much more than those fluffy perks. ( Source: Huffington Post | 20-Somethings Just Don’t Get It! )   Great advice that shouldn’t stop when you hit 30

Engaging Twitter

  When I had lunch with the other Joe Nocera recently, he told me that he tweeted purely for fun. Sometimes he sent tweets to sports announcers or players to see if they would respond (sometimes they did). Mostly, he simply offered up his thoughts about his beloved Yankees. Tweeting,

Starting At 4

  …4 a.m. has become a place of productive peace. That feeling is why I love what I do. I don’t need a vacation. I don’t need to step away. I just need a couple hours a day before anyone else is up. ( Source:

Tuned?

  In April, we said Office 365 is now at a $1 billion run rate. Windows Azure and associated services around it are also over $1 billion. Then there’s CRM Online, and Windows Intune. I really feel we’re at the point where we’re the

What We're Paid To Do

  It’s not just about seeing the world with new eyes, but about using tools and technologies to measure things we were never able to measure…We can then make connections between people and things. As marketers, that’s what we’re paid to do. — John Harrobin, VP

Fixing Leadership

  The notion that you’re trying to control the process and prevent error screws things up. We all know the saying it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. And everyone knows that, but I Think there is a corollary: if everyone is trying to prevent error, it

Forums

  For those of you who grew up on Forums, you know that it’s so, so much more. ( Source: Medium | The Next Facebook — Musings About Text Boxes )   I’m still sold on the responsibility aspect of using all this data. I agree it’d be a

Three Steps To Build Marketing Qualified Leads For Your Sales Team

  I’ve been interested in how stuff works for as long as I can remember. I would open birthday gifts only to frustrate my folks as I grabbed the nearest screwdriver and began digging in. (Sorry!) I still do that today (not sorry!) but in a different way

IT's Changing Focus

  “IT is more relevant today than we have ever been,” said Herbert, who said IT’s importance grows as it frees itself from infrastructure management to concentrating on helping the business. “I would much rather focus on business alignment and creating business value,” Herbert said

Creepy

  Colwell observed that the rate of analytics innovation consistently outpaces interpersonal skills. Creating better customer experiences from hard data required a softer touch. ( Source: Harvard Business Review | When Digital Marketing Gets Too Creepy )   Over the last few weeks, I’ve been digging into our data to build

It Never Ends

  Manny’s game is nearly 40 years old, and like pickup games all over the United States, it has its own rules, code of conduct and culture. In fact, it serves as a metaphor for the nature of pickup soccer as there are games everywhere, day after day, week

Illegible

  It used to be that we’d get letters that were somewhat legible but the machines weren’t good enough to read them. Now we get letters and packages with the most awful handwriting you can imagine. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Where Mail With Illegible Addresses Goes to Be Read

Does Not Interface

  I’m not a cyborg (yet) so I can’t be sure, but I suspect the effect is more the opposite: alienating you from the direct bodily experiences you already have by turning them into technological interfaces to be manipulated. ( Source: MIT Technology Review | Your Body Does Not Want

Who Says What

  The point, it seems to me, is that there’s not much marketers can do when the CEO puts his foot in it. ( Source: CMO.com | A&F Victim Of Voice Of Millennial Customer )   It’s not just the CEO. The article continues: As every prominent

Listening To Apple's Next Big Thing

  This is an early concept video that was made when Project Glass was just getting started. While a lot has changed since then, our motivation to get technology out of the way remains the same. ( Source: YouTube.com | Project Glass: One day… )   “…get technology out

Ripping

  He didn’t see it as his role to rip his players to the media, his role was to motivate and instill confidence in each of his players. ( Source: USSoccer.com | Germany’s Road to Success Paved By Klinsmann )   Some interesting parallels to the US Men’s

Doing

  Trouble is, too often marketers never get past the thinking to actually doing something different. ( Source: CMO.com | Don’t Just Think Different, Do Different )   Thinking is a huge part of the marketer’s arsenal. Reading, thinking, discussing, thinking, planning, thinking, iterating, thinking. It goes into

Fifteen Is Inefficient

  … Over many years we have come to realize how deeply exhausting it is to actually say the entire word fifteen… – Darius Marder ( Source: NYTimes.com | Straight Sets: Quirks of the Game: How Tennis Got Its Scoring System )   It sounds rather silly but can you imagine

Adobe Monthly

  … Unlike Adobe, we think people’s shift from packaged software to subscription services will take time – Microsoft Office director of communications Clint Patterson ( Source: Wired.com | Unhappy Customers Want to Parachute From Adobe’s Creative Cloud )   As someone who remains on CS4, I can certainly

Johnson's Call

  Maybe this is the moment that turns things around for Gus and Fox Soccer. ( Source: Awful Announcing | Video: Gus Johnson Erupts for Wigan’s FA Cup Winning Goal )   I watched parts of this game yesterday. The commentary and play-by-play was awful. Ian Wright knows his stuff, it&

Nothing To Do

  … really the art is trying to set the priorities and assemble a team so you wake up in the morning and actually have nothing to do. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Corner Office: Steve Case on Risk-Taking, or Lack Thereof, in Business )   This is definitely more art than science.

Imperfect

  It’s an imperfect science, and it’s our policy to be massively transparent when we get it wrong. ( Source: Inside Breaking News | A tough call on a big story )   Easier said than done.  

Blame It On You

  Thankfully there’s a simple solution: Take the blame for anything you’re even remotely responsible for. This solution transforms all the negative consequences of blaming others into positive ones. It solidifies relationships, improves your credibility, makes you and others happy, reinforces transparency, improves self-esteem, increases learning,

Abandoned

  I am fairly certain I am going to abandon the résumé process. The Web is your CV and social networks are your references. ( Source: Wall Street Journal | The New Résumé: It’s 140 Characters )   100% agree. What that means for recruiters is probably a closer relationship with

Fiasco

  It’s so advanced that technicians can’t figure out what’s wrong with it. ( Source: USA Today | Berlin airport fiasco an embarrassment for Germans )   Incredible story. Thinking through some of the complex projects I’ve worked through, I can’t imagine how this one even

Off Air

  We have no choice but to develop business solutions that ensure we continue to remain in the driver’s seat of our own destiny. One option could be converting the Fox broadcast network to a pay channel, which we would do in collaboration with both our content partners and

Accents

  Brazilians speak soccer fluently, while everyone else has an accent. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Brazil, Where the Beautiful Game Struts )   A fun article, and one with a telling point: If you want to see the beautiful game being played, go to Brazil before / after the World Cup.  

Demons

  That explains why rather than turning their backs, the Reds intend to put a collective arm around him and help him try to combat his demons. ( Source: Liverpool Echo | James Pearce analysis: Luis Suarez will get chance to emerge from the shadows at Liverpool FC )   Tough week as

Meat Loaf

  This isn’t his first meat-loaf session. ( Source: New York Magazine | Matt Lauer and the Decline of NBC’s ‘Today’ Show )   NBC: Tough few months.  

Free HBO

  In other words, it isn’t financially viable for HBO to offer a cheaper, digital-only subscription, either sold separately or bundled to an Internet service. So, to a point, account sharing is allowed. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Streaming Sites and the Rise of Shared Accounts )   That’s an

Turn The Page

  …good lesson for any team facing the inevitable transition from one generation to the next; when you’re done with one page, turn to the next… ( Source: NYTimes.com | As Scotland Turns the Page, a Lesson for Other Teams )   Probably good advice for non-soccer projects, as

Yes

  Last season, only Barcelona had a greater proportion of their play in the final third than Liverpool – and yet the Reds were outscored by both Norwich City and the relegated Blackburn Rovers. ( Source: BBC | Has Rodgers made Liverpool better? )   There are numbers that can be thrown this

Too Expensive

  Practically no mistakes have been made and the referees see practically everything that happens on the pitch. ( Source: BBC | Goal technology “too expensive” )   Imagine if they could see everything – not practically everything – that happens on the pitch.  

17-1

  There’s not a lot to do as a forward when the opponent is tormenting your back four, outshooting your side by 17-1. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Player Ratings: Mexico (0) vs. U.S. (0) )   Job done. I’m still not convinced the team has put their troubles

Know Now And Use It

  If I knew then what I know now. (Source: Anyone and everyone turning 30, 40, 50, …)   I thought about that recently while playing soccer. One of our recent games was one of the best matches I’ve ever played in. It wasn’t about skill

The Classics

  And that’s why I don’t listen to much modern music anymore, because it just doesn’t stimulate me anymore. ( Source: NPR | Adrian Younge: Looking Back To Move Hip-Hop Forward )   I always blamed it on getting older. I like the reason above better.  

Apple Is Cleaning Up

  We’ve dramatically reduced the environmental impact of our corporate facilities and the data centers that provide online services to our customers. And we continue to invest in ways to achieve 100 percent renewable energy and lessen our carbon footprint even more. ( Source: Apple | Apple and the Environment )  

Who's The Bozo?

  Another way you can let yourself turn into a bozo over time is starting to believe you’re brilliant. You’ve got to be self-confident, but you can’t ever let yourself think you’re too important to have lunch with your employees or meet with real customers…

Just Ship It

  Brotman, the chief digital officer, acknowledges inconsistencies in the experience, but he says it’s better for Starbucks to move faster and make mistakes, than move slower and risk falling behind. ( Source: Fast Company | Starbucks’s Shoddy Square Rollout Baffles Baristas, Confuses Customers )   I really want to

Luis Alberto Suarez Diaz

  To them, he IS Uruguay. ( Source: Liverpool Echo | The Luis Suarez story – How the barefoot boy from the cobbles became a national icon )   The start of a great series on Luis Suarez. Incredible talent. Great story.   [tweetbutton]  

I'm Moving

  I’ll be officially moving to a new news feed on April 30, 2013. What does this mean for you? If you currently subscribe / receive news by email from this site, you’ll be let down on May 1, 2013. If you want to keep receiving news

Missing It

  Beltran and Morrow, who made their international debuts in an exhibition against Canada in January, are outside defenders playing well in M.L.S. ( Source: NYTimes.com | United States Faces Important World Cup Qualifiers With a Thin Roster )   This is where we’re at after a few

Inspire People

  It may look great on paper, but you have to motivate and inspire people. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Corner Office: Ilene Gordon of Ingredion, on the Importance of Mentors )   Maybe the toughest part of being a leader. Inspiring others to follow you.  

How We Will Read

  So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. ( Source: Google Official Blog | A second spring of cleaning )   I’m bummed about the news. I’m a heavy Google Reader user. It’s where I read the bulk of my news (the other source:

Never Always

  You never need to bold or italicize anything in a pitch. If it needs emphasis, well, do it in your writing. Then, three sentences later… The embargo date? Sure, that makes sense. Nothing else, though. ( Source: The Next Web | 5 reasons why reporters hate your PR pitches )  

The Other 10%

  There are devices and productivity, communications, and entertainment services that we believe in, and the way we take those to market and add value around them is slightly different for the consumer and the enterprise, but at their core they’re 80 percent the same. ( Source: MIT Technology Review

Confidence And Humility

  Rob Templeman, deputy chairman of the British Retail Consortium and a former chief executive of Debenhams, said: “Leaders need confidence and humility. They need confidence in their plan but they also need humility in order to be able to adapt to that plan if necessary. ( Source: The Independent

Apple's TV

  There is no reason why Apple couldn’t open up that screen to all sorts of TV apps that work in sync with iPads and iPhones in ways we can only begin to envision today. ( Source: Erick Schonfeld | If Apple Doesn’t Reinvent TV, A Startup Will )   Tick

More On Meetings

  Not only are meetings the most efficient ways to get certain things done, they’re the most effective tools for managing teams–if they’re done right, that is. ( Source: Inc.com | 6 Things You Need to Know About Leading a Meeting )   I said it

Proof

  The Mac Mini has proven itself in a competitive marketplace. ( Source: DataCenterDynamics.com | US Provider Makes Room For Mac Minis In Colo Data Center )   My development pals have normally leaned towards an Ubuntu / Linux environment. Maybe “application” development is moving closer to “app” development?

Marketing (Funnel) Is Dead

  Every person we talk to is a person with a story whose personal experience matters, who has a unique relationship with the campaign. We see this not as a bucket to process but as an opportunity for voter-initiated contact. ( Source: PandoDaily | Let’s kill the marketing funnel, says Obama

Broken

  You have to take a few hours of your life to analyze the ways you use email and determine what parts of your approach aren’t working, and then adjust some of your behaviors. ( Source: TidBITS | It’s Not Email That’s Broken, It’s You )   After trying

Get Out Of The Way

  Perhaps the number one rule of blending into a city with millions of people moving around you is to just stay out of their freakin’ way. ( Source: Tekserve.com | 8 Things You Didn’t Know About How to Ride the New York City Subway )   +1    

Assholes

  As if you needed any additional proof that cats have always been assholes. ( Source: Gawker | Cats Have Been Walking All Over Us for Centuries )   Not just walking all over us, but walking through us at times.    

Hacky-sack

  It’s like hacky-sack with words. ( Source: Rolling Stone | Q&A: Jerry Seinfeld on Teaming Up with Wale )   Jerry. Hacky-sack. Just can’t imagine it.    

3-3

  But it was not to be. ( Source: TheGuardian | Liverpool fall short against Zenit despite Luis Suárez free-kick goals )   As the season goes, just not enough.    

Reinventing Soccer On TV

  The newest entry for viewers to watch soccer games – Dream Football International Federation Network (DFN) – is right around the corner from launching. It combines the innovation of today’s Silicon Valley startups with everywhere-accessiblity. (I was offered a look at the inner workings of DFN, and

Apple Self-Support

  I don’t know if this is something new or if I just never tried before, but I appreciate the ability to copy text from a message prompt:      

Carousel

  It is putting a radio transceiver on your bags that tells you where your luggage is when it isn’t where it should be. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Gadgetwise Blog: Your Lost Bags Sent a Text. Come Get Them. )   Cool idea, especially if your luggage is picked up by

Premier League Fashion

  … Italian Playboy, 1970s East German Apparatchik and Slob in Tracksuit … ( Source: NYTimes.com | Premier League Soccer Coaches Struggle With Fashion )   It’s like NBA and MLB fashion rolled into one sport.    

I Still Have No Confidence

  Klinsmann’s vaunted desire to instil tactical consistency at every level from youth teams upward, may yet pay dividends on the slow burn side of long term technical development in the US, and may be the painful and necessary next step to stop patchworking teams together from the 11

Stay Focused

  What matters is what you cause other people to do rather than what you do yourself. ( Source: NYTimes.com | Corner Office: Terry Leahy, Former Tesco Chief, on Staying Focused )   CEO at 40? Wow.    

Network And Career Opportunities

  Over the past few weeks, I’ve been in touch with a bunch of folks who are looking for opportunities, and with folks who are looking to fill opportunities. It turns out, I know some good people from my days running the UWS WFH meeting, as well as

Ambiverts as Leaders

  We’d be far better off with those who take a more calibrated approach — who can talk smoothly but also listen keenly, who know when to turn on the charm but also when to turn it off, who combine the extrovert’s assertiveness with the introvert’s quiet confidence.

Crap. I Like Scheduling Meetings.

  It wasn’t long ago that I was a maker of things. I was knee-deep in building stuff. I wasn’t overly worried about how things came together, or how I should be communicating with others. If I felt someone needed to be aware of my project,

Heaven

  …it was like someone had dropped him from heaven into the game. ( Source: TheGuardian | Brendan Rodgers wants captain Steven Gerrard to stay on at Liverpool )   I don’t know that it was that dramatic, or if the rest of the squad was playing so poorly (more

24/7

  When you talk about 24/7, it’s that you’re accountable for what you eat, accountable for how you sleep, how you live your live, how serious you take your job. You’re accountable for what you do with your money, choosing your agent, choosing your girlfriend or

Nomadic

  The idea is to use the Internet to scale and automate businesses quickly, and then leverage my location-independence to create a greater wealth of experiences through travel and adventure rather than accrue material possessions. ( Source: CNN Travel | No office, no boss, no boundaries — rise of the nomadic rich

You

  There are instances in which this can be perfectly OK. A lot of the OK versus not OK decision will come down to what you as a user expect to give or get. ( Source: The Uptake | Quora Blogs, Branch and Other Things I Won’t be Using )  

Safari

  We had punk’d the entire crowd. ( Source: Don Melton | Safari is released to the world )   More fun stories from the Safari team.    

HP

  By offering Hurd counsel, Jobs wasn’t merely lending a friend psychological support. Rather, he was going to bat for the legacy of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. A healthy HP, Jobs urged, was essential to a healthy Silicon Valley. ( Source: Businessweek.com | Can Meg Whitman Reverse Hewlett-Packard’

Mentoring

  The mentors frequently learn as much as the students. In the corporate world, formal mentoring programs make sure newer employees are learning all they need to be successful. But, just as importantly, these programs enable mentoring managers to sharpen their skills and become better leaders by interacting with their

Why You Should Get The iPad Mini

I picked up the original iPad nearly 3 years ago and until recently, it’s been my go-to device for all things professional and personal. There were certainly some hiccups and adjustments in switching from a laptop to a tablet – both positive and challenging – but the transition,

Meddling

  What I can recommend is that you stare at the elephant in the room, name it, and deal with it. The maker/manager conflict sits at the heart of many of the development challenges that founder/CEOs deal with as they scale their companies and scale themselves. Conquering it

Soccer Stadium in New York

  Major League Soccer wants to build a 25,000-seat stadium at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. It’s a compelling idea. Once home to world’s fairs in 1939 and 1964, the park has plainly seen better days. Lawns are fraying, athletic equipment is rusting. And it&

Extraverts: Just Leave Us Alone

  When I was a kid I’d read about people who got the chance to meet their favorite musician or sports hero or whatever, and I’d think: No way. I would have preferred then, and still prefer now, to write a letter to whomever I deeply admire and

Dumbing Down The World

  It turns out multitaskers are terrible at every aspect of multitasking. They’re terrible at ignoring irrelevant information; they’re terrible at keeping information in their head nicely and neatly organized; and they’re terrible at switching from one task to another. … Multitasking is one

Locked Away

  It’s also a black box where information is locked away — no one else can get access to information that doesn’t really need to be private anyway. (Source: HoppyCow | what it’s like to work, future-style)   These are really great tools and ideas for working remotely. Working

Never Stop Learning

  So, why quit? … What it really all boiled down to: I wanted to go learn to build awesome things. (Source: Greg Kumparak | What I’ve Been Up To)   Never stop learning.    

Marketing's Value to Sales

  However, within these two suggestions are two very tangible measures of value. The first is pipeline velocity — increasing the speed at which the company moves a prospect from curiosity to close. The second is face time — increasing the time sales people spend meeting with customers versus the time they

In Defense Of Diving

  Sometimes you’re standing there and someone comes flying in, so you move your leg out of the way or you go to ground because you’re scared of getting hit. If I leave my leg there so the referee can see it’s a foul, I risk suffering

Experience It

  But chances are, if I’m experiencing something that feels like a meaningful moment, I’m not going to be looking at it through a smartphone. (Source: NYTimes.com | Bits Blog, Test Run: Facebook’s Poke App Is a Head-Scratcher)   Maybe this is where Google Glasses will

Unorganized Talent

  Within the months leading up to its biggest sports event ever–the 2014 FIFA World Cup–Brazil went from being the World Cup’s most dominant contender to underdog. (Source: Forbes.com | It’s Official: Brazil’s Days As The World’s Ultimate Soccer Power Are

Rational

  … but is everything you do completely rational? (Source: mike skinner…so | to old money chelsea for a visit to my celebrity…)    

Random

  There are so many fake reviews that I’m often better off just walking into a physical store and picking an item off the shelf at random. (Source: NYTimes.com | Amazon Book Reviews Deleted in a Purge Aimed at Manipulation)   It may be the pessimist in me but

Delightful

  …New Yorkers have a delightfully narcissistic habit of assuming that if they’re not conscious of a scene, it doesn’t exist. (Source: NYTimes.com, A Critic’s Tour of Literary Manhattan)   Our first trip to New York included a literary pub crawl, starting at the White

Too Relaxed

  Don’t work in your pajamas or sweats. If you are too comfortable and relaxed in what you’re wearing, your attitude is too comfortable and relaxed. (Source: NYTimes.com, Working From Home, Without the Sideshows)   100% disagree. If it’s not the doorbell then it’

Figment

  While a vocal minority may have claimed that they were holding out for a dedicated Google Maps app before upgrading, it seems that overall, many had decided to already take the iOS 6 plunge long before the app’s arrival. (Source: TechCrunch, Report On iOS 6 Adoption After Google

Oh

  Indeed, prompt action to harness — and enhance — the contributions of older workers will be seen as a key competitive advantage. (Source: HBR Blog Network, How Companies Must Adapt for an Aging Workforce)   Leveraging “seasoned” workers always seemed to me a competitive advantage. You can have all

Calling Your Own Fouls

  So many people, particularly, I think, CEOs and top executives, they get so planted in their old ideas, and they refuse or don’t have the courage to admit that they’re now wrong. Maybe the most underappreciated thing about Steve was that he had the courage to change

Valuing Comments and Their Authors

  For the most part, comments have been a value-add on this site. There have only been a handful of commenters that I’ve had to block – using Disqus and Akismet has helped me limit the more obvious spam. The other day, a comment was left here that

No

  …should I take that as a no? (Source: Gotham Gal, Here is what NO looks like)   Good advice for anyone asking for help (and in a position to provide help).  

Breaking Up Technology Roles

  Proactive CIOs and CMOs will figure out how to work together productively, and as a result, both should be in a much better position to prove their value to the organization. (Source: CIO.com, Does the Rise of the CMO Threaten CIOs?)   To be fair, I don’

"i have no special talents"

  i have no special talents. i’m just very curious (Source: Mike Skinner, but before then i need to be clean and cheerful)    

Ecosystems

  They buy an ecosystem, and the gateway drug to that ecosystem is a tightly integrated user experience. (Source: The Register, Microsoft’s Surface bait-and-switch won’t make people buy Windows 8)   vs.   That’s the walled garden that so many companies are now trying

"It Will Show"

  If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t. If you’re good, you don’t need to tell people. It will show. – Andy Roxburgh, Director of Football (Source: NYTimes.com, Red Bulls: Comes a Scotsman)   Bingo.    

"Yes, You Need Cable..."

  Yes, you need cable to get WatchESPN, but once you’ve logged in you’re effectively untethered from your TV. (Source: The Verge, Why the future of live sports is in ESPN’s hands)   100% disagree that ESPN hold’s the key to the

Brad's Author Bio

  Prior to joining BGR as News Editor, Brad Reed spent five years covering the wireless industry for Network World. His first smartphone was a BlackBerry but he has since become a loyal Android user. (Source: BGR, Microsoft executive Sinofsky departure rumor: Wanted to be CEO )   Nice article. Odd

Easy

  Football is an easy game. Especially when you are watching it from his armchair or from the Sky television studio (Source: Tevez slams England assistant Neville)   It must be a fun / educational experience interviewing Carlos Tevez.  

It's Back!

  A while ago, I had this idea of building a network around a community. I wasn’t sure what that community was exactly but I was excited to bring a bunch of people together to share some common challenges / successes. The idea turned into the Work From Home

"Consider The Context"

  There are lots of ways to show our users that we care: Tell them the truth. Be clear. Show them how our company can be part of their stories instead of telling stories about our company. Think about their feelings when we write. And instead of focusing on blanket

Goal-Line Technology vs. Video Referees

  FIFA’s plan is to introduce goal-line technology but I wonder if what we really should be experimenting with is a video referee. Suppose that person had access to what the television viewer at home sees. (Source: ESPN FC, Football must move with the times)   Great idea

Defending Diving

  It’s not the way to play, though I must be honest and admit this is a tricky area. A penalty to win a tight game once in a while might be a different matter. (Source: theguardian.co.uk, David Moyes aims to end Everton’s era

Where Is Microsoft?

  Some of the questions I’m getting are absolutely amazing to me. And these emails, which are almost child-like in their lack of awareness, speaking volumes about the job that Microsoft simply is not doing communicating this product—and its differences with Windows 8—to customers. (Source: Paul Thurrott&

Why Bother?

  So s/he presses “Publish” and then gets a nasty email 5 minutes later from the PR person, wondering why they didn’t wait for a reply. (Source: The Uptake – Brad McCarty, The Painful PR Circle)   A great, concise article discussing the chasm between writers and traditional-thinking

It Can't Be Done

  If an engineer says something is impossible, it means he doesn’t know how to do it – Attributed to Shai Agassi (Source: Fortune Tech, Shai Agassi’s ouster no surprise)   True of any person in a creative-type role. It’s OK to not know how

Two Sides

  When I can find the person inside me who can do anything, and the person whose the strongest critic of all. (Source: Nathan Kontny, “Write drunk; edit sober.”)   Was thinking (and talking) about this yesterday: The challenge of being creative in business. Balancing the creative process we had

KRS-One / BDP

  I picked up the new KRS-One album: The BDP Album. I was a fan of BDP growing up, especially their Edutainment and By All Means Necessary releases. After a week of on-and-off listening, times sure have changed. I liked the old stuff, which was rough but focused on educating

The Future

  … never lie on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future … (Source: mike skinner…so)   Visually descriptive (and accurate).  

One Week: iPhone 5 + iOS 6

 In short, it’s the best phone I’ve ever put my hands on. My most recent phone was an iPhone 4 whose contract was up in March of this year and had definitely seen better days. The great thing about the old iPhone is that it

Being Fearful

  If you are fearful you don’t make the next steps. If you are frightened to lose you don’t do enough of what it takes to win… – Brendon Rodgers (Source: Liverpool Echo, Liverpool FC will show no fear against Manchester United insists Brendan Rodgers)   Should

The Complacency Cushion

  But with that sort of cushion comes complacency and an innovator’s dilemma. (Source: PandoDaily | It’s Starting to Dawn on PayPal: We Might Really Be in Trouble)   Being both a PayPal payer and payee, I’m glad to find competing solutions that will ultimately help drive

Running Without Listening

  At the very least, they expect advance or engaged communication on an issue that affects the community. For better or for worse, they will extend this unwritten contract beyond the social realm. (Source: AdAge.com, How New York’s Marathon Organizer Is Running in the Wrong Marketing Direction)

Influential Feelings In Death

  Two writers who grew up as Browns fans tried to explain what it meant to have their team torn away from them, and indirectly, why Modell may never be honored as a Hall of Famer. (Source: NYTimes.com, The Fifth Down: Art Modell and the Argument Over Honor)  

Thinking Bigger

  From a business perspective, we compete across many different industries and within many different markets. We believe our primary sources of this competition include, but are not limited to: Football clubs Television media Digital media Merchandise and apparel Sponsorship Live entertainment (Source: sec.gov, MANCHESTER UNITED LTD. F-1)  

Firehose Vs. Trickle

  Pay TV is magnificent, but its a firehose of content when most people need a trickle. (Source: Wired.com | Gadget Lab, Why I’m Cutting the Cord, and How Cable Can Get Me Back)   Providers of pay TV will soon be in the same boat as cellular providers:

"A Much Bigger Fail"

  Using that process, it takes years to determine if something is going to be a hit or not. And that involves millions and millions of dollars. (Source: Nieman Journalism Lab, Agile, social, cheap: The new way NPR is trying to make radio)   Agile project management and NPR. Who

Hurry Up Or Shut Up

  I would personally want to stay away from it unless I thought I had some killer product that I thought was going to be a devastating winner… – Michael Mace, a former marketing executive at Apple and Palm who has a new start-up called Zekira (Source: NYTimes.com,

Distractions

  They take care to filter out as many distractions as possible so they can focus on the work to be done together. (Source: Harvard Business Review, Why Remote Workers Are More (Yes, More) Engaged)   Working remotely seems to get a bad rap because of all the distractions available

"It’s Not Just Marketing"

  Here’s the thing: fuck these embargoes. (Source: Massive Greatness, The Startup Embargo, Revisited)   A fun, painful read about product launches and the use of PR / Marketing / bloggers. Rolls back to the Marketer’s dilemma: Building long-term value while showing short-term results. A fun balance.  

The Daily Scrum, Episode 17

  The Daily Scrum, Episode 17 is now available for download in iTunes!   SHOW OUTLINE & NOTES In this episode, we talk about Wil’s first Agile session and integrating outside teams into the Agile process. (Ps: Looks like there was a hiccup in the feed from Episodes

Progress

  … but after the disappointment of The Hawthorns a week ago, this performance served notice of the potential which lies within Rodgers’ squad. (Source: Liverpool Echo, Liverpool FC analysis – a work in progress, but progressing well)   100% agree. It wasn’t a 180º turn, but

Commoditize

  In other words, Apple’s program for innovation development and protection is about fighting an industry slide into commoditization. (Source: Cult of Mac, Why Apple Sues)   Good review of why Apple is (and should be) fighting Samsung in court.  

Free 7 Day Trial FOX Soccer 2Go: My Review

  We noticed you’ve checked out FOX Soccer 2Go before but no longer hold a subscription. We want you to take this unique Free Trial opportunity to check the service out again and experience the difference.   Hooray! While I’ve been a bit of a downer on

Mush

  Even worse, being exposed to too much complaining can actually make you dumb. (Source: Inc., Listening to Complainers Is Bad for Your Brain)   Good advice. Although I’d be careful with the Shields Up approach. We should be listening to ‘complainers’ to make sure there

My First

  Prepping for my first Agile session…    

"Email Marketing Is The Most Cost-effective Advertising Method Available Today"

  With email, you know within 24 hours exactly which messages have been opened, by whom, what links the openers clicked on, and what part of your message was working. (Source: Harvard Business Review, Why Email Marketing is King)   Data. Data. Data. Allowing marketers access to this data has

Agile Solutions - A Progressive Introduction

  When introducing Agile to a team / organization, acceptance seems to be the biggest challenge. You know, change and all that. But what if the introduction of Agile tools were introduced in a progression? Something like: Sticky notes: The most easily accepted / known tool Collaboration site: Whatever software / solution is

"It's All Getting Messy"

  Via the telephones and other communication lines, this somehow translated into: ‘Get Messi.’ An offer was made for Lionel Messi of about £30 million. Needless to say, it was rejected. (Source: ESPN Soccernet, City accidentally bid for Messi)   2008-09 seems to be when it all turned

Supplemental Tools

  In fact, I’m now so used to my iPhone and iPad that I reach up to touch the screen of my MacBook more than I’d care to admit. It’s simply a much more natural interface than using a mouse. You see an area you want to

Meetings

  … people don’t need to be in the kitchen to enjoy the meal at the restaurant. (Source: Seth Godin, How to run a problem-solving meeting)   Just because you don’t invite someone to a meeting, doesn’t mean they won’t benefit. Great

Harsh

  We’ll have more days like this as well, along the way. That’s the reality of it. (Source: BBC Sport, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers rues ‘harsh’ WBA penalties)   Tough game today, and an awful way to start the season. Only way is up

"Confidence Will Blossom"

  I promise I’ll fight for my life and for the people in this city. I want to use the incredible support to make coming to Anfield the longest 90 minutes of an opponent’s life. I want to see this great attacking football with creativity and imagination,

Throw-Away Phones, Portable Services

  So maybe the developer can’t fix it. (Source: MG Siegler, I’m Not Sure Fred Wilson Truly Understands The Android Fragmentation Problem) (Emphasis mine.)   From a brand / marketing perspective, this must make developers furious. If I built a great app but wasn’t able to

A Close Game, That Wasn't

  Yes, just a friendly. And not many who would have given Puerto Rico a fighting chance against the powerhouse that is Spain. If you didn’t know the score beforehand, don’t look now. Instead, check out these match stats from the ESPNFC report (don’t

Reading: The Path To Innovating and Leading

  … but with business leaders who believed that deep, broad reading cultivated in them the knowledge, habits, and talents to improve their organizations. (Source: Harvard Business Review, For Those Who Want to Lead, Read)   One of the first pieces of advice I was given on how to succeed:

Align

  … the most important skill for managing today’s complex projects and programs is the ability to align the team to the vision of the project and design the project’s organizational structure to align people and project objectives. (Source: Project Management Institute, The Strategic Role of

"Emotional Parsimony"

  Remember, someone you know, respect, and interact with every day is an introvert, and you are probably driving this person nuts. It pays to learn the warning signs. (Source: The Atlantic, Caring for Your Introvert)   Read it. Think about it. But don’t bring it up in

Usain Bolt, Soccer Star?

  “I would not take up the challenge if I didn’t think I was good enough. I am a very accomplished player and know I could make a difference.” – Usain Bolt (Source: ESPN, Report: Usain Bolt eyes Man U)   It wouldn’t surprise

My Interview With A Square Merchant

  On Thursday, I was walking down Broadway when I pulled out my phone to see if there was a Square vendor in the area. Bingo, there was. And it was a coffee cart – just what I needed! I chatted with the vendor, asking him how he liked using

The Daily Scrum, Episode 16

  The Daily Scrum, Episode 16 is now available for download in iTunes!   SHOW OUTLINE & NOTES In this episode we talk Mars, RC cars, Gartner, and Agile chaos. Hello. It’s Been Awhile Mars, Curiosity Remote Control Cars Science Agile + Space Exploration Complacency & Conflict & Chaos

Feeling Comfortable, Being Creative

  People need to feel comfortable voicing their ideas. They also need to feel that it is safe to be creative as well as to collaborate with others. (Source: Forbes, Creativity: What We Can Learn From Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David)   I think a wildly successful sitcom also provides

Stepping Aside

  It’s crazy that it’s been a year since I started the Upper West Side Work From Home meeting. Since that initial meeting of two, there have been nearly 200 members who have showed interest in the monthly meeting. I’m hoping next year will

"The Startup Is You"

  …that kind of money could help people pursue their big ambitions and dreams, rather than settling for a corporate job that they’re not that excited about. (Source: TechCrunch, Former Google Executive Dave Girouard Launches Crowdfunding Service Upstart, Raises $1.75M)   Investing in people. Literally.  

Being Hacked, Creating Passwords, And Social Engineering

  They got in via Apple tech support and some clever social engineering that let them bypass security questions. (Source: Emptyage, Yes, I Was hacked. Hard.)   To ensure my pal doesn’t use this in our next podcast, this isn’t just an Apple / Google discussion. Awhile

"People. Not Technology"

  People are applying the ways they work, with existing media, to Facebook. (Source: Paul Adams, A New Creative Canvas)   Good (video) introduction of Facebook’s strategy towards advertisers (and users).  

Thank You

  I wanted to reiterate our thanks with this brief message. (Source: , Rodgers’ letter to supporters)   Two simple words that can make a heck of a difference.  

Feedback, And Screwing Up

  They answer, and in the process, they tell me what I’m screwing up and what I can do to make their life easier. (Source: Inc.com, Foursquare CEO Details Stress, Chaos of Starting Up)   True of any profession / education combination. I went to school to be

ESPN Soccernet: Another Indecisive Scoreline

  There has to be a way around this (from yesterday’s Liverpool match). Maybe, not mention the score at all? Seems to be the easiest. (And yes, we’ve seen this before.)    

"Speak In The Positive"

  The negation can be so combative. (Source: Mike Skinner)   Good advice.  

Fake

  Many users appeared to be false, such as “Ahmed Ronaldo” – apparently a Cairo-based user who is employed by Spanish football club Real Madrid. (Source: BBC, Facebook has more than 83 million ‘fake’ users)   More troubling news for Facebook.  

Leadership Endures

  Long term business performance comes from leadership culture and careful and continuous development of leadership at all levels. It’s not all about the CEO. (Source: Forbes.com, It’s Not The CEO, It’s The Leadership Strategy That Matters.)   Reminds me of the recent Liverpool

"Then The Good Stuff Starts"

  So no point in waiting in the hopes that you will nail it. You won’t. The enemy will take fire, you will hit the deck and then the good stuff starts. (Source: AVC.com, No Battle Plan Survives The First Enemy Fire)   Really good advice. Get

"A More Holistic Approach"

  How often we are at our desk doesn’t necessarily correlate and certainly doesn’t have an effect on how much we are working on and how good of a job we are doing. A more holistic approach is probably one of the biggest sort of changes I see

A Significant Problem

  It doesn’t help that Facebook doesn’t appear to be taking the allegations seriously. So far they have only responded that “We’ve not seen evidence of a significant problem. Neither has it been raised by the many advertisers who are enjoying positive results from using Facebook.” (Source:

"Don’t take it personally"

  Some simple guidelines for friendship across the personality gap. (Source: Psychology Today, Seven Things Extroverts Should Know About Introverts (and Vice Versa))   Terrific. My favorite: “If we say we’re having fun, we’re having fun, even though it might not look that way to you.”

The Rodgers' Dilemma

  Rodgers’s appointment signals intent from the club’s owners to build something over time, but the manager knows the importance of doing well in his first season. (Source: NYTimes.com, Liverpool’s Rodgers Talks a Good Game)   Sounds familiar, no?  

The Art Of Decept ... Errr ... Persuasion

  Dolinski found that people were more likely to mind the woman’s grocery cart when they had been previously asked to fulfill an unusual request — to tie someone else’s shoelaces. (Source: NPR, Tie My Shoes, Please: How Persuasion Works)   I remember the door-in-the-face technique being

The Inner Circle

  When you go to an expensive restaurant, you’re buying far more than what the chef cooked. (Source: Seth’s Blog, The Circles Of Marketing)   Reminds me of the often quoted definition of a brand from Jeff Bezos, that goes something like: “A brand is

"Welcome to my site"

  The aim is to get people discussing things, giving their opinions. (Source: joeybarton.com, Welcome To My Site)   Congratulations to Joey Barton for owning his voice on the web. I only see Joey Barton when he makes news, which is usually not a good thing. He’s

The Daily Scrum, Episode 15

  The Daily Scrum, Episode 15 is now available for download in iTunes!   SHOW OUTLINE & NOTES It’s the weekend! Mike and Wil record their chat about soccer, personal technology, and the collective and passionate dislike for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview (As

Your Manager's Inferences Are Unconscious

  However, I am saddened that “passive face time” may just be the easy alternative for managers who still do not know how to lead by example and manage by results, and unfortunately write evaluations based on perceptions of physical presence rather than real work product. (Source: MIT Sloan Management

"My Life Is Devoted"

  Nice to see the new Liverpool manager is an Apple guy…    

Soccer And Technology

Interpretation is such a huge part of football rules. You can have all the instant replays in the world, and it will rarely lead to happy, congruent fans and pundits. (Source: The Next Web, Technology in Football? Don’t Overstate It’s Impact)   Introducing instant replays to

Beyond Mobile

Mobile itself is the nuts, bolts, and infrastructure, while mobility is the context which determines if it all works together or doesn’t. (Source: Harvard Business Review, The Future Isn’t About Mobile; It’s About Mobility)   100% accurate. I say it’s access, but

Mental & Virtual Spelunking

I’ve always liked that word. Spelunking. I first came across it during a stop in Utah during an expedition across the Western States in America. Biking. Camping. Spelunking. It’s a fun word to say. These days, the expeditions have slowed down and the spelunking is moving

Writers and Geeks, The Struggle

  I quite enjoy writing and commenting on tech and related news and content, but I am inevitably ultimately overwhelmed by the vast effort that it actually takes to publish my thoughts to the web, and the resulting effort. (Source: Richard Oakley, Blogging sucks.)   The writer in me says

6 Things I Learned From Attending Your Event

  I headed over to a small business event yesterday. I was taught early on to write down three takeaways before attending any event. Here’s what I came up with: I run a monthly meeting, and I’m always curious on how I can make it better.

Creating Content On The iPad

  Sometimes, my writing brain decides to start working at times when my preferred tool is not at hand. I wish it cared about me more than that but it is a very selfish muse. (Source: Enough, About Writing Enough)   Yep. Reminds me of that post about the value

The Daily Scrum, Episode 14

  The Daily Scrum, Episode 14 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode talk through traveling, layovers, tacos, and Agile training.   THIS WEEK’S SPONSOR: YOU? Interested in promoting your service or product? (If ‘yes’, contact me!)   SHOW OUTLINE & NOTES Introduction:

Conversations, Not Slides, Add Value

  My feeling is that PowerPoint is of itself a monologue. … (And even in Presidential addresses, the more interesting stuff comes at the end when the reporters get to ask questions.) (Source: TechRepublic, Want To Have Better Meetings? Ditch PowerPoint.)   I agree. While I don’t think

Opt In

  Those multiple commitments meant that players were coached by four or five different coaches and experienced as many different levels of competition and styles of play. (Source: Grandland, The Future of U.S. Soccer, Part I: The High School Debate)   I wish this type of opportunity was in

Oh. That's Why?

  The company acknowledged using invasive techniques to make money from its apps, but says it dropped those methods at the start of this month because of bad reviews and declining downloads. (Source: CNNMoney, Mobile Ads Can Hijack Your Phone and Steal Your Contacts)   Oh. That’s why

Wednesday’s Work From Home Meeting – A Recap

  Thanks to everyone that showed up on Wednesday! A lot of new faces and a lot of great discussions, including a terrific talk on landing that assignment from Maria. A handful of topics from yesterday’s meeting included: Get Out: If you are looking to land an assignment,

"Do Something Different And Innovative"

  “What makes it difficult is that, just like managing a baseball team, most people think that they’re pretty good at it.” (Source: Forbes.com, Why Do Chief Marketing Officers Have A Short Shelf Life?)   Most people are not good at it.     The English

Using Ohours To Connect With Your Community

  Ever want to join someone to discuss a particular idea? Or, maybe you want to meet new people based on a specific subject or topic when you are traveling? In today’s socially-connected world, how does one get in touch – in person or by phone – with

The Lucky Network

  “Chances are that the people we perceive as fortunate are consciously or subconsciously following the principles of a Lucky Attitude and a Lucky Network. The Lucky are humble. They are intellectually curious. They are optimistic. And they develop great relationships, less through obsequies and architected targeting, but by

The Magic Of Expectations

  “Updates are so routine that when you buy a smartphone or a tablet, you don’t just hope it will be better tomorrow than it is today, doing new and wonderful things that it doesn’t already do — you expect it. That’s the magic

Sadly, I'm Back On LinkedIn

  I’m back on LinkedIn. It took some persuading but, you know, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been” and all that. I initially left for a number of reasons, mainly because of the amount of non-professional-building messages

Liverpool FC 2012 / 13: Starting Eleven

  It might seem that we are months away from EPL soccer but we get an early preview from a handful of July friendlies in the USA. For Liverpool, that starts on July 21 at Toronto. Since that’s less than two weeks away (!!), here’s my opening

Roger Waters: The Wall Live In New York

  Last night, we took the train up to Yankee Stadium to Roger Waters’ The Wall Live concert. What an experience. For some reason, I’ve always been hooked into the emotional music and words from Pink Floyd, then and now. The Wall and The Wall Live both

The Daily Scrum, Episode 13

  The Daily Scrum, Episode 13 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode we dabble in Agile training, then go off-topic and discuss the Apple injunction against Samsung.   THIS WEEK’S SPONSOR: ANVISION Sponsor: AnVision, the team behind TeaTime+, is the sponsor for this week&

Fernando Torres: A Successful, Unsatisfying Run

  (And by “Francisco” I mean “Fernando”. Mind boggled.) An amazing (teams) run by an amazing player during an amazing (individual) stretch of his career…   FIXTURE GOALS SCORED MINUTE ENTERED MATCH OUTCOME Euro 2008 1 (33′) 0′ (Started) Champions World Cup 2010

SEC + Manchester United = Fun Facts

  Competition for talented players and staff is, and will continue to be, intense. (Source: SEC.gov, FORM F-1)   Coverage: The following is a list of all countries where MUTV coverage is provided as of the date of this prospectus: Angola, Dominican Republic, Iceland, Mozambique, Seychelles, Australia, El Salvador,

Closing Deals

  I was in Italy in late spring this year for some meetings. I was taking a cab to one of the meetings and the driver didn’t even acknowledge me. He had the radio on and was listening to a soccer match. He just took me for an American

Work From Home Meeting Adds Second Session In July

Work From Home Meeting Adds Second Session In July Added session meets requests for more business development and networking opportunities New York, NY, July 3, 2012 – The Upper West Side Work From Home Meeting, a monthly meeting of telecommuters and people working from home in Manhattan, is announcing it

Euro 2012 Final: The Most Boring / Exciting Game Ever?

  Looking at these stats gets me excited for tomorrow’s Euro 2012 final: Spain have faced only 12 shots on target at Euro 2012. Half of those were against Italy in their opening game (6). Italy and Spain have had the most shots at Euro 2012 – 99

The Daily Scrum, Episode 12

  The Daily Scrum, Episode 12 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode we respond to the question: “How does test automation fit with Agile?”.     Show outline & notes Introduction: The Daily Scrum is a podcast about Agile Project Management for Non-software Developers

Exhausted

“When we eventually did get it we were so exhausted from chasing that we couldn’t do anything with it,” – Germany’s Miroslav Klose (Source: NYTimes.com, Is Spain Boring? Or Is It You?) Having possession – whether it be in soccer, basketball, or business – is a positive

"Safe Rarely Wins"

If readers are too lazy to copy and paste the URL, and write a few words about your content, then it is not because you lack these magical buttons. … and … That button that says “2 retweets” will be read as: “This is not so great, but please read

"The Future Is Co-Created"

Instead of competing through overpowering strength and scale by yourself, you create value in communities and by sharing power with one another. (Source: Harvard Business Review, Let Your Ideas Go)   For me, this sums up tomorrow’s Portugal v. Spain semifinal.   “A pocket-sized overview of roles,

VIP: A Helping Hand To Email Campaigns?

I’ve been playing around with iOS 6 on the iPhone. It’s good, although because I don’t have the latest version (I’m on 4), I’m not getting the full-blown preview. The one thing I am enjoying is the update to Mail.

The Standing Desk

I’ve been reading and thinking about standing desks lately, mainly in a “pfft, whatever” sense. After more reading and more pfft-ing, I gave in and decided to give it a try. I did it for one day, from roughly 5am to 2pm. A shot of the

Spain v. France - Surprising, Incredible Pre-Match Stats

When three-time World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane clipped the ball past Iker Casillas in the dying seconds of France’s 3-1 quarter-final win over Spain at the 2006 World Cup, it marked the last international goal from open play of one the game’s all-time greats.

The Daily Scrum, Episode 11

The Daily Scrum, Episode 11 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode we’re all about show and tell with both a video and audio podcast featuring Agile tools from Atlassian. Grab the audio podcast here! Grab the video podcast here (standard definition)! Grab the video

Yesterday’s Work From Home Meeting – A Recap

Thanks to everyone that showed up yesterday! A cool respite from the heat was, um, warmly welcomed along with some really fun conversations. Equal to the enjoyable discussions during yesterday’s meeting was that a handful of people were not able to attend due to excellent reasons – more

Think Of Your Own Ideas

We headed over to the Graphic Design – Now In Production exhibit on Governor’s Island a few weeks ago. That’s where I found the piece of art / statement above. I think about this a lot. If you are in any type of creative role (and in

Looking For Work? Let Google Analytics Guide You

The most frustrating thing about searching for a job is the lack of feedback. It’s definitely frustrating when you don’t land a job after an exhaustive search but it’s even more so when you don’t hear back from any of the hiring

"It's Just Not Worked"

Of course there were some internal issues but we will keep them indoors. But believe me we tried everything, it’s just not worked. (Source: theguardian.co.uk, Euro 2012: Arjen Robben hints unrest undermined Holland’s campaign) Egos and communication. Over-inflated and under-used. If you’ve

The Daily Scrum, Episode 10

The Daily Scrum, Episode 10 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode we chat about whether measuring velocity is a waste of time based on the Ken Schwaber article Waste Not.   Show outline & notes Introduction: The Daily Scrum is a podcast about Agile Project Management

Looking Ahead To The Premier League Season

Yeah, yeah. I know we’re knee-deep in Euros and World Cup Qualifiers. But as a Liverpool fan, I cannot wait for the Premier League to start. A few reasons: Joe Cole: Talented kid that lost confidence is coming home. Yes, another midfielder to add to the pile but

Understanding The Big(ger) Picture

Asked about the Messi chants, Ronaldo said: “You know where he was at this time [last year]? Do you know? He was being eliminated in the Copa America, in his own country. I think that’s worse, no?” (Source: guardian.co.uk, Euro 2012: Portugal’s

3 Reasons Why You Should Join Us Next Wednesday

Next Wednesday will be our 10th (!!) Work From Home meeting. The meetings have changed little, with the addition of a speaker and local sponsorships, and they continue to be a great option for meeting other folks who work remotely. I sometimes get asked “Why should I attend?”, so

Using A Podcast To Build Your Authority, Visibility

I’ve always been interested in audio. From hearing the news (NPR, KFOG) to following sports (Jon Miller, Dan Rusinowski) to listening to Gene Burns teach me how to make my first Thanksgiving turkey. I used to take these drives to Moab, UT from San Francisco, CA for a

The Daily Scrum, Episode 9

The Daily Scrum, Episode 9 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode we chat about competition in technology, an agile way of doing Agile, and the article Exposing Agile Software Development Myths.   Show outline & notes Introduction: The Daily Scrum is a podcast about Agile Project

Appearing Slow

I’ve done different testing, especially with the national team, and also with Milan, and as crazy as it might seem, with Milan I was the most agile player on the team in terms of changing directions and all that, and in the top seven in terms of speed. –

Screens

It could even end up being the most valuable screen of them all. (Source: NYTimes.com, Xbox Gives Microsoft a Head Start in the Battle for Every Screen) We have an Xbox and it’s great. I use it less and less for games and more for watching DVDs.

The Daily Scrum, Episode 8

The Daily Scrum, Episode 8 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode we not only talk about Agile and Scrum but we it show it, too! Keep an eye on your player for a handful of screenshots as you listen through the audio podcast. Ps: We had

Fox Soccer + Mobile Devices = ?

It’s been five months (ish) since my last post on Fox Soccer so I thought I’d check in and see if there were any updates. I’m focusing more on the mobile apps that are currently available (versus FoxSoccer.tv), and will touch on the

The Hobby That Keeps Growing (AppleTV)

That means that the run rate is $1.2 billion in content sales for the Apple TVs in use. (Source: Asymco, Beneath contempt: The Apple TV business model) Amazing numbers, for a product that’s been labeled as simply a ‘hobby’. With WWDC coming up in a

Six Thoughts On USA v. Brazil

A few thoughts post USA v. Brazil friendly… Congested USA Midfield: Edu, Jones. They’re the same players. It’s like England starting Lampard and Gerrard (and Barry and…). Mix it up a bit. In a game like Brazil, maybe let Bradley be the holding midfielder

The Free Online Marketing Audit Fallacy

Have you heard of this one? It goes something like: FREE Online Marketing Audit Fill out this short form or give us a call to schedule your free online marketing audit. What it should say: FREE Online Marketing Audit Fill out this short form or give us a call to

Interference

And if they don’t need to touch the ball, they don’t. If the pass is good, his players just let the ball roll across their body position and keep moving it forward. – Paul Jewell, Wigan Manager (Source: The Book, Barca: The Making of the Greatest

I'm A Team Player

I’m a team player. Individually, I’m nothing. I play with the best and that makes me a better player. I depend on my team-mates. If they don’t find space, I don’t find them and I become a lesser footballer. – Xavi Hernandez

Volunteering At WordCamp

I’m volunteering at the upcoming WordCamp conference in New York this year. I’m helping out with registration then sitting in during the Community track. If you’re thinking of building a home on the web and you’re in / near New York, I’

The Daily Scrum, Episode 7

The Daily Scrum, Episode 7 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode we talk about scrum in education, and we chat a bit more about the upcoming screencast session. Show outline & notes Introduction: The Daily Scrum is a podcast about Agile Project Management for Non-software Developers.

Most Offices Are Soul-Crushing Environments

I attended the PandoDaily event yesterday in New York, PandoDaily NY Presents: A Fireside Chat with Matt Mullenweg. Matt’s the founder of WordPress but there’s a lot more to him. Jazz, traveling, BBQ, fan of rap music – the guy is making the most of his

Beer (And Technology)

Now the two are taking their beer to the public with backing from the tech community. (Source: VentureBeat, Adrian Grenier and his beer startup Churchkey crack open morning brews) Lots of beer talk here this week. The Churchkey idea is an interesting one, and an idea that’s value

Visualize, Then Do

You’ve got to think three or four passes where the ball is going to come to down the line. And I think the very best footballers; they’re able to see that before … Much quicker than a lot of other footballers. I don’t know

Using Facebook To Promote Local Events

I’m fascinated with technology. Especially when technology helps small businesses compete on nearly the same level as their larger competitors and peers. The goal with this series is to promote all the goodness of using free / low-cost technology pieces to help support and promote small businesses.   I met

A New Site For Your Professional Skills

The problem is, LinkedIn is kinda lame. (Source: TechCrunch, WorkFu Launches its Less Ugly, More Useful Version of LinkedIn) I’ve never been a fan of LinkedIn. Yeah, I’m on there but I don’t think I’ve updated anything for quite some time. It

The Daily Scrum, Episode 6

The Daily Scrum, Episode 6 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode we talk about making mistakes and we chat a bit more about the upcoming video / screencast session. Show outline & notes Introduction: The Daily Scrum is a podcast about Agile Project Management for Non-software Developers.

Adam Yauch And The New York State Senate

WHEREAS, The music and message of the Beastie Boys evolved over the years, but they can’t, they don’t, they won’t stop changing the face of hip-hop, of music, and of our culture; … WHEREAS, A man of colossal talent and charisma, … RESOLVED, That

What Is Your Core Business?

Do you really want to worry about customizing email and word processing? You give up a little, but you can get back a lot. (Source: CIO Journal, Google CIO Ben Fried Says Cloud Tipping Point Is At Hand) Using the cloud to focus on your company’s core competencies

Yesterday’s Work From Home Meeting – A Recap

Thanks to everyone that showed up yesterday! A really great and fun turnout, with some continuing items that stirred up some questions (and even provided some freebies!). Ask An Expert Community Sponsor June Meeting Other Stuff   ASK AN EXPERT An eye-opening talk from Jamie! We continued our ‘Ask

MCA Tributes Keep Coming In

Just awesome…   (Source: Vimeo, Beastie Boys – Sabotage / MCA tribute)    

Applications, Data, Or Access?

…the important battlefield is not the application. It’s the data. (Source: ZDNet, Google Drive will help kill Microsoft Office) I agree it’s more about the data than it is about the applications. But I think beyond just the data, it’s the ability to

Carrots And Sticks, And Intrinsic Motivation

The students resolve their own conflicts, they give themselves time limits to accomplish tasks and they even are allowed to disagree with the teacher if they explain their reasoning. They have the opportunity to make decisions, and thus learn how to make good decisions. (Source: TechTarget, Can Scrum Change The

The Daily Scrum, Episode 5

The Daily Scrum, Episode 5 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode Mike’s back and we talk about building rockets and becoming an Agile evangelist. Show outline & notes Introduction: The Daily Scrum is a podcast about Agile Project Management for Non-software Developers. Building Rockets:

An Awesome Tribute To MCA And The Beastie Boys

We don’t have to tell you how much Friday, May 4 sucked for hip hop, music and the world in general. … We’ve added more than a dozen classic Beastie Boys tracks, so you can remember the group the best way you can: by showing how

Cable Subscribers Down + Broadband Subscribers Up = No Playoffs

The total number of Comcast cable TV subscribers dropped by about 37,000 in the January-to-March quarter … … and … Broadband, however, was a bright spot. Comcast added 439,000 new broadband subscribers in the quarter… (Source: NYTimes.com, Comcast Reports Progress at NBC, but Declines in Cable

Apple Contract Status Update

Processing.   Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World [Kindle Edition] (This is an affiliate link to Amazon.)    

Massively Self-Delusional

This is the paranoia of a man who is massively self-delusional and inherently insecure about his own background amongst his peers which is how this thing came to be in the first place. (Source: Forbes, The Internal Situation at Yahoo! Is Spiraling Out of Control)   Ouch.   Barca: The

Classy

Coldplay paid tribute to the late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch last night at their concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. In this clip, Chris Martin puts a distinctly Coldplay-ish spin on the Beasties’ breakthrough hit “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party),” transforming it

Growing Up With Yauch And The Beastie Boys

As my friend noted:   @wiljr WTF MCA?????? — Brian Kramer (@KramerRSL1) May 4, 2012   I remember sitting in a bar in San Francisco and the discussion turning to favorite bands of all time. It was a rough bar, but I stuck with the Beastie Boys without any hesitation.

The Daily Scrum, Episode 4

The Daily Scrum, Episode 4 is now available for download in iTunes! In this episode Wil goes solo and talks about three specific topics based on Ken Schwaber’s book and other Agile resources around the web. Show outline Introduction Visibility & Transparency: Why is it so important to

Does Agile Create More Work For Marketing & PR?

I’ve been on an Agile, and more specifically Scrum, binge lately. Learning about Agile project management, talking about Scrum, and looking at courses to help round out my understanding. Since I work with a lot of developers and testers and QA folk, it’s important to better

Bubbles

Costolo said he doesn’t know and doesn’t care, since it doesn’t impact the way they’re running the business. (Source: CNBC, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo On the Business, IPOs, and Advertising) My favorite, and the most accurate, response to the notion we are

Build Your Monopoly

Instead of being slightly better than everybody else in a crowded and established field, it’s often more valuable to create a new market and totally dominate it. (Source: New York Times, The Creative Monopoly) At our last Work From Home meeting, we were talking about this very topic. Instead

Reading And Sharing And Sourcing

Touting efficiency, news-readers give users the opportunity to scan hundreds of articles in a few moments and immediately delve deeper into the most interesting content. News-reading services do all the heavy lifting by aggregating the stories that match your interests, giving you more time to spend reading the news you

Pep Guardiola Steps Away, We All Lose

One of the great managers is leaving the world stage. For a break. A short break, we hope. I don’t follow Barcelona FC closely but when they are on, I’m usually drawn to watching them. And that usually happens in the big games. Champions League, Copa

The Daily Scrum, Episode 3

The Daily Scrum, Episode 3 is now available for download in iTunes. In this episode we continue talking with Mike Maheu, a noted Agile trainer and evangelist. Mike talks us through the Agile process as it relates to teams working in the same physical location versus those teams who are

Is My Idea Any Good?

I had a fun day yesterday, attending a meeting at Columbia University during lunch then heading down later in the day to Charlie O’Donnell’s Not A Pitch meeting. Both of these were terrific (hence the fun day) and I learned a lot. And, in loose conversations,

Are You A Good Sales Person?

But one surprising lesson I’ve learned from my years of experience in the appointment setting industry is that some of the best sales people don’t act at all like the stereotypical “good sales person.” (Source: Small Business Trends, 4 Surprising Things Great Sales People Say) Great list. I&

Agile Is Becoming More Visible

Regardless of your current role, the world is looking for project leaders who are willing to seize the opportunity to do more than simply follow a prescribed process, they are looking for people who actually lead project teams to consistently produce organizational value. (Source: AtTask, We need to be more

Outsourcing Is Not A Bad Word

A fundamental principle of business is that you do things in house that you think can give you a competitive advantage and outsource things that you don’t. (Source: Chris Dixon, Outsourcing Things You Don’t Care About) I like this post. But not for the post in itself.

Barcelona FC = Apple Inc

For long spells Barcelona simply reminded us of their favourite obsession, keeping the ball and exerting a sense of superiority. There are not too many sides in Europe who have the nerve to play with what is essentially a front four and they were quickly in the groove, knocking the

The Daily Scrum, Episode 2

The Daily Scrum, Episode 2 is now available for download in iTunes. In this episode, we introduce Mike Maheu to the podcast. Mike is an Agile trainer and evangelist of best practices when implementing Agile. He talks a bit about examples of Agile deployments – tools and methodologies – and

Yesterday’s Work From Home Meeting – A Recap

Thanks to everyone that showed up yesterday! A great turnout with a few new items that made the meeting even more educational and fun. Ask An Expert Community Sponsor May Meeting Other Stuff   A GREAT TALK FROM JEN! We started a new series at the meetings where a member

Doing 90% Of Your Work 100% Of The Time

However, the effect of tablets will not so much be to push people to work from home, per se, as to encourage them to work from wherever it makes the most sense to be at the moment. (Source: Computerworld, Why Tron is a true story … or how the iPad

A Waste Of Time, Collocated Or Distributed

The net result was wasted effort by their colleagues, unanticipated rework for them, and frustration all around. (Source: Harvard Business Review, Managing a Virtual Team) There are so many good points in this article. As we – as a workforce – get more and more distributed, responses to the questions

What Is Going On At ESPN Soccernet?

Two days. Two blunders. C’mon, get it together:       Spus Or Spurs?(Tuesday, April 17, 2012)       Arsenal Celebrating No Goals?(Monday, April 16, 2012)    

Wembley Will Be A Lovely Place To Visit In May

The team showed a lot of character and we dominated the second half. [Luis] Suárez and [Andy] Carroll’s goals were both brilliant, and Wembley will be a lovely place to visit in May. (Source: The Guardian, Liverpool’s chairman Tom Werner hints at attending FA Cup final)

Comolli Departs, Is Dalglish Next?

Everyone who has come into the club since Damien has been here was of my choice. – Kenny Dalglish (Source: The Guardian, Liverpool part company with director of football Damien Comolli) I think the release of Damien Comolli is being used to soften the blow for Kenny Dalglish. If the

Introducing The Daily Scrum

What the experience really shows is the opposite: that hierarchical bureaucracy is a work culture that no longer fits the marketplace of 2011. (Source: Forbes, Scrum Is A Major Management Discovery) I’ve been exposed to agile processes and methodologies since 2006. Of course, back then I didn’

Microchunk It

Reduce the content to its simplest form. (Source: AVC, The Future of Media (aka Please Take My RSS Feed)) I remember reading this idea from AVC a long time ago. I’m not sure if it was this post specifically or any number of other posts referencing ‘Microchunk&

The iPad Keeps You Focused

The other thing about the iPad that can’t be overstated is that it keeps you focused. You work or engage with one thing at a time. There are no overlapping windows to mess with your mind. Distractions are reduced to a minimum and you can just do what you

Start Building Relationships With Email Marketing

People love seeing their own name. It makes them feel is if the email was written to them personally and not sent to thousands. Online services have simple options to directly insert names from your contact database using a template editor. (Source: Selling Power, Seven Ways to Improve Your Email

Klinsmann's Approach To Soccer In The USA

Most of the current squad is playing in Europe, and MLS is getting better every year. So we can challenge the better nations of the world, if we play them eye-to-eye, keep a high-paced rhythm and enjoy ourselves as well. (Source: Goal.com, Klinsmann says it’s no surprise

Pep, Barcelona, And A Game Of Strategy

He tinkers, revises and, like a watchful gardener, seems engaged in a constant battle against the entropic imperative. (Source: The Guardian, The Question: what marks Pep Guardiola out as a great coach?) We watched this game yesterday and it was one of the most strategic games I’ve ever

We Are In This Together

I think the words You and I can be very decisive, depending on the situation, and should be avoided. Even if you adjust your tone, using You and I creates two separate groups, which distances you from your client’s need. (Source: Justin Cutroni, Avoid I and You in

Pay With Square: A Terrific Experience With Brooklyn Taco

On Saturday, we headed down to the Brooklyn Taco Co. at the Essex Street Market here in New York. There were a few reasons for this: We like that area We miss good mexican food They accept Square The first two points probably don’t need a lot of

How Do You Make Money From Your Blog?

Yesterday was March 31, and a good time reflect on a few things over the first quarter of the year. One of the things I’ve been attempting to learn more about is advertising and sponsoring – both in the traditional sense (ie, offline) and online – through this

Business Cards Are Annoying

I think about business cards. A lot. I’ve designed them. I’ve given them out. They’ve been given to me. I’ve entered them into my address book. I’ve thrown them away. Each time I design / hand out / receive a business card,

QR Codes Don't Work (But Here's How They Can)

Last week, I attended the Marketers Business Development Roundtable in New York. The goal of the event was to: …foster informative discussions among marketing professionals as well as brainstorm new ideas to help assist their clients with their revenue producing initiatives. It was an interesting and fun event, especially

How The Gym Is Like Cable TV

I’m not a gym guy. Not to say I don’t like to exercise. I do. But I’d rather get my exercise outdoors – walking through the city, jogging through the park, or playing a game or two of pickup soccer. I sit at a

No Reception, No Problem

We signed up for Aereo a few weeks back and were invited last week. Since then, we’ve been really enjoying the DVR features and the ability to watch some sports live (well, I am). Here’s a picture of the TV being streamed from the iPad via

Yesterday's Work From Home Meeting - A Recap

Thanks to everyone that showed up yesterday! Another great turnout with more lively discussions. A few topics that were brought up included: The relevance of Twitter (and why it’s important to be using it) Business cards (Sorry, I was way off: 500 for $30 + shipping) Payment processing for

Really? You Couldn't See It Coming?

It’s very difficult to explain,” said the Scot. “We played some fantastic football. We were deserving of our lead and we weren’t even under pressure. With a bit of care and better finishing we might have been three or four up at half-time. You

Why You Aren't Using Google Voice

I do not know.      

Finding Talent In Alternative Structures

But, at the same time, we need to speak with more people in the alternative structures of soccer and maybe look into structures that have not yet been used for soccer in the USA. (Source: Goal.com, Klinsmann says U.S. soccer has to reach out to find talent from

My iPad Feels New

Why? It’s been Aereo‘d. Amazing.       My iPhone, too…        

Tasty Ties

The Milan v. Barcelona match will probably get most of the coverage but I’m curious to see how Chelsea holds up. After last night’s crash and burn by both Manchester clubs, they are the last English club playing in Europe. For me, I’m most

A Lesson In Branding

Your name should be your URL. (Source: Mark Suster, Honest Advice on Starting a Company) I started watching Suster’s talk last night – I’m about 40 minutes in. It’s a great topic and I really enjoy his speaking style. With the quote above, I

Is It Worth Getting A Journalism Degree?

The ability to write well is valuable in a multitude of industries. The ability to report is valuable to all sorts of different interactions—learning how to ask the right questions is part of any college experience. (Source: Mediabistro Why Studying Journalism Is Still a Good Idea) Agree. But I

The New iPad Reviews Are Here

Which one to start with?      

More On Trust

It astounds me how little senior management gets a basic truth: If clients don’t trust you they will eventually stop doing business with you. It doesn’t matter how smart you are. and … I hope this can be a wake-up call to the board of directors. Make the

Distance Is Immaterial

If there’s a commitment from both parties, and a clear set of expectations, distance really becomes immaterial… Source: Fortune, When your mentor is half a world away With the number of communications options we have in place today, this statement was never more true. But I think,

Suarez v. Evra: Haven't We Had Enough?

Shouldn’t we just let this go? Evra was clever at Old Trafford. Luis didn’t shake his hand because Evra’s hand was down there. What else is Luis supposed to do? Would you go to shake someone’s hand if their hand is way

Trust And Commitment

When the relationship is commitment-focused, not transaction-focused (what have you bought from me lately?) between consumers and the company, it fundamentally shifts engagement. (Source: HBR, Why Social Marketing Is So Hard) Sounds like we’re back to the Home Depot model. One of the first lessons I learned –

Kickstarting In The Basement

I’m fascinated with technology. Especially when technology helps small businesses compete on nearly the same level as their larger competitors and peers. The goal with this series is to promote all the goodness of using free / low-cost technology pieces to help support and promote small businesses.   I met

The New iPad - A Few Thoughts On Apple's Announcement

Meh. It’s all good stuff. Higher resolution. Faster processor. More memory. LTE. It’s a nice upgrade, and I imagine the screen is going to be the wow-factor everyone will be talking about once they actually play with it. But for me, an owner of the original

Skipping The News

Hey, the new iPad will be announced today. It’s a big deal, for people in all types of industries. You’ll likely read about it – either by looking for it or it finding you – then move on. But what do you do if you are

Who Ate All The Pies?

The reason people love football is not just the actual game, but the buzz and the sounds of being there… New York Times: Soccer’s Sound of Team Spirit We met some colleagues a few years ago at a New York Red Bulls game. It was a good one,

Are You An "Expert"?

Reid Hoffman at TED on your personal network: …being an “expert” has more to do with being able to find the right information than actually knowing it. (Source: Mashable via Spool) I remember making my way through school with certain instructors giving us the option of opened- or closed-book

Does Your Team Trust You?

After some thought, most eventually say something like, “Well, I think so. I hope so. No one’s said he doesn’t.” In fact, as they ultimately admit, they don’t really know for sure. It’s a question worth asking. Do your people

Manage Your Team, Lead Your Self

Terrific quote from Jerry Colonna… …the hardest part of scaling people is learning to lead your self. (Source: avc.com) As Jerry notes in the article (link below) and on his site (link above), most of the solutions to our challenges come from within. It’s a

Facebook Ads: Below Dismal

The click-through rate for online display ads in general is an alarmingly low one click in a thousand. If you think that’s bad, the published click-through rate for ads on Facebook is 50% below this. (Source)

The Key To Successful Projects

Frequently, close, even intense, collaboration is identified as the key to success on Agile projects. No surprise, that. (Source: Sand Hill Group, Integration of Distributed QA Teams in Agile)    

Stop Selling Crap

I mean it. Stop it. I know it’s hard, since that’s the way you’ve been doing it all along. But things are changing – they have changed – and what you’re doing is wrong. And if you don’t stop selling

Reach Your Community

How do we keep the level of engagement with our customers / partners / prospects / employees without sacrificing a huge chunk of our budget? This question was asked at the end of a marathon review of a team’s technology and communications strategy. It was a tough question to answer, with

Italy v. USA

The United States plays Italy tomorrow in Genoa. With the recent roster moves due to injury, the US team might be in a bit of a hole, but I think they’ll do well. A few meaningless thoughts ahead of the game… ITALY PLAYS FOR THE DRAW I

We Did It! (A Moving Update)

Earlier this week, I mentioned we were moving this site. I’m happy to say the site has been moved. I had a few hiccups that were both my doing (darn NS and htaccess) but the support from both Hover (domain) and Laughing Squid (hosting) have been excellent. Beyond

Yesterday's Work From Home Meeting - A Recap

Thanks to everyone that showed up yesterday, and a special thanks to The Dead Poet for the giveaways! (And congratulations to the winners: @astraiton and @terry_lane!) We had another terrific turnout – Over a dozen people showed up to chat about their experiences of working from home and to

We're Moving! (Domain And Hosting From Go Daddy)

Back in December, I asked the question: Should You Transfer Your Domain From Go Daddy? For me, the time wasn’t right. Yes, I disagreed with a bunch of their practices and public announcements (and still do). But the timing just wasn’t right. Now, it is. I&

A Great Reason For Moving To The Apple TV Is Approaching

If there was ever a good time to move away from cable and try the Apple TV, we may be entering it (emphasis mine)… It’s going to get ugly—it always does, and this year, it already has. But by almost every measure, the 2012 election is going

Apple Messages v. Google Voice: The Next Battleground

I’m a huge fan of Google Voice, both for personal and professional uses. I’ve been a user since it was GrandCentral. Transcribed voicemails. Computer-to-phone-to-computer texting. Inbound call filtering. One number ringing all phones at once. Terrific. I have two issues with Google Voice: Google Contacts My

Watching Soccer On The Computer

Seriously, how great is the Internet? (And no, that’s not Fox Soccer.)     Soccer fan? This is a must read, regardless of your thoughts on Arsenal. Fever Pitch (Book | Kindle) (This is an affiliate link to Amazon.)    

Mountain Lion From Apple - A New Way To Work From Home

Apple released news about their upcoming OSX update, Mountain Lion, and there are a ton of really great features (and I’m sure at least “one more thing”). But here’s one that caught my eye: AirPlay Mirroring Your Mac is on TV. This new feature

How Your Small Business Can Increase Customer Satisfaction

I signed up for Assistly.com desk.com when I heard about their launch and I’ve been using it daily since. It started rough, and has certainly had it’s bumps along the way, but the service has continued getting better and better. With the recent move

Why Does eBay Need My Information? (A Phishing Scam Story)

I was involved with an eBay phishing incident yesterday. Someone had purchased something from eBay and I received the invoice / receipt, along with a notice that my PayPal account was charged. The email was very well done, so I called eBay to make sure they were aware of this. This

How To Build A Marketing Plan For Your Small Business

In today’s hyperactive markets, small businesses need to move quickly. They need to be ‘agile’. (My Code Year lessons are sinking in!) And a big part of the ability to be agile today is to plan, plan, plan. On the marketing side, we’ve been

Do Wine And Technology Mix?

I’m fascinated with technology. Especially when technology helps small businesses compete on nearly the same level as their larger competitors and peers. The goal with this series is to promote all the goodness of using free / low-cost technology pieces to help support and promote small businesses.   Jennifer J.

Do You Want This Guy On Your Team?

There’s this guy who is looking for work. Actually, he’s being pushed out of his current organization. He’s basically been isolated from the rest of his team but they won’t fire him. The whole thing is really odd. He made some comment

Upper West Side: Meet Your Neighbor, Paul

Previous Chat: Adrian   I met Paul on the Upper West Side during one of our Work from Home meetings. What stood out about Paul was that he fit right in, as if we all had been pals for a very long time. He asks lots of the right questions

Why An iPad Is Better Than A Laptop - 9 Months Later

Nearly two years ago, I purchased the first iPad. I still have it, and haven’t moved to the iPad 2 for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is that the original iPad hasn’t slowed me down at all. Then, about nine months ago, I wrote

2012 Journalism & Digital Trends - Recap

I headed over to NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute last night to attend the 2012 Journalism & Digital Trends meetup put on by the Online News Association. The moderator and panel members were great: Jay Rosen, NYU: Moderator (@jayrosen_nyu) Meghan Peters, Community Manager at Mashable (@petersmeg)

Get On The Web In 5 Days For $87

Ever looked at a website and thought “Gee, I’d like to have my own spot on the web. I wish I knew how to get it all up and running.”? Today is your lucky day! I’ve outlined five pieces you’ll need to

Revisiting The Fox Soccer 2Go iPad App

A bit over five months ago, I was very excited to see the release of the iPad app: Fox Soccer 2Go. Hugely excited. Then, five months ago this week, I was hugely disappointed. So, it’s been five months. I thought I’d try the app again. I

Yesterday's Work From Home Meeting - A Recap

A terrific meeting to start the new year – Thanks to everyone that showed up yesterday! Our fourth Work from Home Meeting was awesome – another great turnout! The conversations were outstanding. It was great to see so many people giving and receiving great ideas, suggestions, and feedback. Here’

How You Can Cut the Cable Cord In 5 Steps

You love cable watching television. Who doesn’t? All those thrilling shows that help you escape your otherwise dull lives. Where would you be if you didn’t have access to cable television? It turns out, you would be just fine. In fact, you’d probably have

How To Make A Whiskey Sour

I picked up a few bottles of whisky / whiskey while traveling at the end of last year. I kept a few and gave a few to some pals. After poking around for some recipes, then running my own trial-and-error sessions, I think I came up with a good mix for

Upper West Side: Meet Your Neighbor, Adrian

I met Adrian on the Upper West Side at our first Work from Home meeting. I had been to Sydney a few times and London once (and was going shortly after we met), and it was great to hear some ‘local’ stories. Adrian has an entrepreneurial spirit along with one

Stay In Contact

Too many interruptions from disinterested parties created a chasm from staying in close contact with clients and partners. The inability to keep pace with critical discussions was increasing, and the current solution was only decreasing the amount of time available for these relationship-building opportunities. As the site / product / service / campaign

No Comments, No-reply: Is There A Shift Happening?

There’s MG Siegler’s discussion about disabling comments on his site. Then there’s MacStories’ piece on shutting down comments on their site. There’s a local news blog that doesn’t have its comments turned on, either. Oh, then I’ve

Will Apple (Finally) Bring The Beautiful Game To Fans?

I read this post, Apple Interested In Bidding For Premier League UK TV Rights, Says Report, with great giddiness. Think about that for a minute. The Premier League in the palm of your hands. Watching your team wherever / whenever. In high-definition quality. It seems this would create far more winners

Does The Freemium Model Extend To Services?

Borrowing a quote from the Freemium entry on Wikipedia via Fred Wilson: Give your service away for free, possibly ad supported but maybe not, acquire a lot of customers very efficiently through word of mouth, referral networks, organic search marketing, etc., then offer premium priced value added services or an

Free Marketing

FREE It’s an odd word, Free. These days, it’s normally tied to a bevy of hooks you don’t want to sign up for or ladders you don’t want to climb through. We’re removing the hooks and ladders. We’re offering our services – marketing, sales,

Starting The New Year With A New Site

Over the past few weeks, I’ve made some changes to this website. My goal for this site has been to provide content, ideas, and real-life examples of technology that can help small businesses. I’m hoping the changes made will provide even more help. In general, here

Should You Transfer Your Domain From Go Daddy?

Over the past week, there’s been a discussion about Go Daddy’s decision to support SOPA. Then, it’s decision to not support it. It’s been a tough week for Go Daddy. One of many tough weeks for the domain registrar giant over the

How Would Your Team Respond?

You may have heard about some unfortunate news in the world of soccer recently. Luis Suarez and John Terry are both accused of saying very naughty things to their peers. I’m not here to argue right or wrong, or who’s words were likely said with intent.

How Soccer Explains Successful Marketing

Article first published as How Soccer Explains Successful Marketing on Technorati. It was the Summer of 2006 and I decided to take my wife, newly married, on a new adventure. At 5 in the morning. To a pub. It was the World Cup, and I wanted (nay, NEEDED) to show

9/11 Memorial

I picked up visitor passes awhile back for the 9/11 Memorial. We weren’t in New York ten years ago, but it’s quickly become our home. Getting down there is a bit tricky. We took the 2 Express to Chambers and had to duck through a

Thanks to Technology, More of Us Work From Home, Which Actually Works Out Pretty Well

This is a guest post by Ryan F. on the subjects of telecommuting and technology. Ryan is a big advocate of saving money with an HP coupon and is a freelancer who enjoys writing for the Blog Content Guild. People who work on the computer all day long don’t

Yesterday's Work From Home Meeting - A Recap

These meetings keep getting better – Thanks to everyone that showed up yesterday! Our third Work from Home meeting (a more clever name is coming, promise) was greeted with terrific, clear weather which helped the attendance tremendously – our biggest group yet! The number and quality of conversations was outstanding.

Meet with Ease

Frustrated by missed meetings, employees began voting down the ability to connect with prospects and clients. The frustration was easily understood – different timezones coupled with different calendar / reminder applications was creating havoc with everyone’s calendars.  By utilizing an online scheduling system, employees were able to shift

Will You Please Just Shut Up?

I recently returned from this crazy business trip. I met with over 50 customers, clients, prospects, and partners in 4 different countries in less than 2 weeks. Crazy. Every meeting was outstanding. Or, brilliant in some cases. I learned a lot – more of which I’ll touch on

6 Steps To Creating A Community

Over the past few months, I’ve had some stirring to create some sort of community. What I realized, in looking deeper at the word ‘community’, is that I wanted to bring some like-minded folks together from my neighborhood.   The problem? I wasn’t all that

Yesterday's Work From Home Meeting - A Recap

Our second work from home meetup kicked off a little late yesterday due to poor weather conditions, but we had a terrific turnout. More great ideas, suggestions, and feedback from the group! Here’s a quick recap from our November 16 meeting: It’s lonely: The topic we

Creative, Technology, Reporting - Who To Follow

Ever get tired of the amount of incoming noise when flipping through your daily news? Me, too. Everyone seems to have a handful of websites or authors that they go to during their daily read. I do, too. And I’m sharing my list below. Why this group of

Mobile Nirvana: So Very Close

I’ve been looking for mobile nirvana for awhile now, and I think I’m close. Really close. I’m hoping to build a setup / process / workflow where I can do 90% of my work remote (ie, anywhere). That other 10% I can build into any project

Work From Home - The First Meetup

Our first work from home meetup went off as planned and we had a bunch of great ideas passed back and forth. From the emails and reactions I’ve received, it sounds like a second meeting is warranted. Here’s a quick recap from yesterday’s meeting:

Could You Work A Whole Day With Just An iPad?

That was a question / dare posted on Twitter by my pal Mike. Here’s the full tweet:   It’s a tough question to answer, since we all have different objectives and tasks that make up our daily activities. Plus, there’s a bit of a learning

My Experience With Occupy Wall Street

This past weekend, I ventured down to Zuccotti Park in New York to check out the Occupy Wall Street movement first-hand. I’ve seen it on TV and have certainly read about it via different channels on the Internet, but it’s always good to see things first-hand

Barclays on FOX - Man Utd v. Chelsea

Quick update: Looks like the good folks over at EPL Talk share my sentiments… In case you missed it, Manchester United and Chelsea played yesterday. Twice. Rather, the match was broadcast twice. I didn’t catch the match live, and stayed away from EPL scores after the Liverpool

Embrace Your Inner N00b

Ever have one of those moments, something that awakens some part of you, giving you the big push to get off your kiester and do something? I had one yesterday. Thanks to Nate and his class. I’ve always felt we’re living in an incredible time for

Bye Bye Fox Soccer 2Go

Hello. My name is William and I am a huge fan of soccer. Playing. Reading. Watching. Passion. Emotion. Strategy. History. It’s all there, and it’s all so very good. What’s not so very good is the latest update to Fox Soccer’s iPad

What Are You Looking At?

One of my side jobs is running the marketing and communications for a software / consulting firm. It’s fun. Actually, it’s a lot of fun. One thing I’m always curious about is what people are looking at, and why. When we put up a press

News Flash: Moving Still Sucks

You may already know this, but it might have been a long time since you last moved. I can confirm that moving still sucks. And I don’t mean moving homes, but moving basically anything. It’s an incredible drain on productivity (at least in the short run)

A New York Moment

I work from home, and every now and then, there’s commotion outside. Sometimes big, sometimes small, but always overly dramatic. I took this picture outside our front window the other day. It just seemed like a typical New York moment (without the horns and shouting). I included captions

I Accessed Your Amazon Account - It's For Your Own Good

A few weeks ago, I received an email confirming the purchase of a book from Amazon.com. Everything looked right, except for one thing: I never ordered the book. So I went digging. I contacted Amazom.com’s online chat support to figure out my next steps (phone numbers

Two Weeks, Three Cities, Two Conferences, One Carry-on

I recently finished up a two-week tour of California. Actually, just three cities (or, three airports – however you want to judge these things): San Francisco San Diego Los Angeles My trip was eventful before it even started. I think most are. This one was made up of a handful

Apple Update - iPhone v. iPad: Which is Bigger?

I guess I thought they’d be the same size. I mean, they’re both iOS 4.3.4, right? Definitely different sizes: iPhone weighs in at 666.7MB, where the iPad weighs in at 593.5MB:       On a side note, downloading 1GB worth of

The Best Telephone for the Home Office

Ok, it’s time for me to geek out a bit. Here’s the thing – I’m a keyboard guy. The less I have to do using the mouse, the better it is. By picking up my hand from the keyboard to perform a mouse task

This Central Park Dog Walker Does Not Care About You

It was you who decided to not take responsibility when you were in the wrong, in every sense of the word. It was you who decided to be selfish and arrogant and irresponsible. It was you who injured my hand. It was you who broke my phone. It was you

Who's the Google+ Big Winner?

Seems to me like the big winner, at least right now, is Twitter. Granted, I’ve only picked up an invitation this morning and haven’t fully played around with Google+, but the amount of traffic and hookups on Twitter is amazing. Here’s a screenshot of

Cascabel Taqueria, UWS - Painfully New

After hearing about a new taqueria opening on the Upper West Side, Cascabel Taqueria, from @MyUpperWest earlier in the week, the Mrs. and I stuck it on the calendar for a weekend brunch date. Here’s how I saw it… The Disclaimer A few things before I get

Social Media Can't Help When You're Lost

I was in the park last weekend, sitting back and enjoying a typical summer day in New York. I got a call to meet in midtown around 1 or so. Since it was a nice day, I decided to skip the subway and walk downtown. Maybe make a stop at

Three Reasons Bob Bradley Should Be Removed As USA Head Coach

I think Bradley should be a coach, just not of the US National Team. He’s a good tactician and can handle the day-to-day activities and scheduling that’s needed to keep a team in the right frame of mind for upcoming games. I just don’t

I Think Amazon.com's Security Settings Are Faulty

I just received the following from Amazon: Confirmation that I changed my password Confirmation that I added my mobile telephone number to my account Confirmation that an order I placed was successful The problem is, I didn’t do any of this stuff. Not one thing. The other problem,

well, that was fun

here’ the thing with building things – it takes a lot of effort. lots of input, even if it’s from a single source (ie, me). that’s how i felt over the previous 24 hours. i had a great idea. a terrific one, in fact. after

Learning Something New, Even If It's Embarrassing

It’s kind of silly. Embarrassing almost. But it genuinely feels good to learn something new, even if it was staring you in the face for a few years. For me, this was Instapaper‘s integration with Google Reader. Yes, I used the Read Later link in the

Top Five iPad Apps for Freelancers

I use my iPad for both consuming and creating stuff. With the addition of a few accessories (bluetooth keyboard and a stylus), it’s become my main computer. I do still use my MacBook Pro when I need to hop on Photoshop for some creative work or Excel to

What Do I Need To Get Online?

Follow up on yesterday’s post, where do you start if you’re looking to get online? Firstly, congratulations on making the big step – These are exciting times! Next, listen to the Wall Street Journal. They have a good, albeit a bit confusing, article “A Web

Your Online Presence Is Stale

Ok, you’ve taken the big leap. You have a presence on the Internet! Woo! Now what? You’ll want to tell everyone that you have arrived. You have this great, terrific story and you want people to hear about it. They need to hear about it. Easy

Using Outreach to Build Better Relationships

Ever have a conversation with someone that starts out with a self-asking question? It goes something like this: “How are you?” “Good. How are you?”“Well, since you asked…” It’s almost as if the initially-posed question was asked to get you

Why An iPad Is Better Than A Laptop

With all the hoopla and criticism of Apple’s iPad, there may be something hidden in the way the device is structured to help us become more productive. No, not the “secret” reporting of the device’s location. Rather, Jobs and Co. may be supporting our

How Long Does It Take To Unsubscribe From A List?

I recently went through a purging exercise of a bunch of lists I somehow joined over the past year or so. It was a long and tedious process, but I’m better off for it, and so is my inbox. I’m not overly concerned on how I

Blogsy - Blogging On The iPad, Made Easy

I’ve previously discussed the frustrations with blogging on the iPad. There are a number of apps available for doing so but they all seem to fall short of making mobile blogging simple. That seems to be changing with the introduction of the Blogsy app for the iPad. The

It Can't Be That Hard - Learning About the Other Side

I play soccer on the weekend with a great group of folks. I’ve known Paul (the organizer) and a number of regulars going on five years now. The last few weeks have been a little rough – I’ve developed a case of plantar fasciitis and am

MLS MatchDay iPad App - Second Look

Earlier this week, the Galaxy beat the Sounders in the opening game of the 2011 MLS season. I followed along on the MLS MatchDay app for the iPad and the app made for a good experience. I hadn’t purchased the season pass yet as I wanted to see

MLS iPad App for Hardcore Soccer Fans

After reading Jack Bell’s article in the NY Times, and being curious to see how far the MLS has come with technology, I picked up the MLS app for the iPad. First impressions? Super nice. I also use the Fox Soccer app on the iPhone and iPad and

Why Blogging On The iPad Doesn't Work

I read Brett Kelly’s post The Broken Promise of Blogging on the iPad after searching for blogging apps for the iPad, and I couldn’t agree more. I’ve used a handful of different apps but none of them seem to give me that satisfying feeling

Moving to Tumblr

Hello. My name is William and I love my blog site, but it’s getting too cumbersome to post / communicate / add any kind of value to me or my readers. So, I’m moving to tumblr. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now, and a

New Year's Day in New York - Central Park

           

NYE in NY

New York City, preparing for New Year’s Eve earlier today…      

Five Things To Know About The New Apple TV

We picked up the new Apple TV yesterday and set it up today. The reason? We wanted to stream the audio from movies and tv shows through the Airport Express-connected speakers, along with renting shows instead of buying them. It was super easy to install (one HDMI cable, one power

First Snow of 2010 in New York

      

Working In the Office - A Hinderance?

A few recent pieces are continuing to impress that the most productive business takes place away from the office. How can that be? Jason Fried gives a presentation about how managers & meetings disrupt the workflow at the office. Phil Montero (@philmontero) over at The Anywhere Office has a fun,

Filming, New York - The Goodwife

Picture taken on 85th between Central Park West and Columbus…  

Hello World

Again

Five Bars On The Apple iPhone!

Wow! Earlier this week I finally reached some sort of state of nirvana. Or maybe I entered a box from Pandora. Eh, who cares – I have confirmation that my iPhone is was operating at full AT&T 3G network capacity!     Never mind that the phone is

New York Storm

Fun in New York, with a fast moving and vicious storm running through the city. I had the camera out and was taking audio of the thunder, then switched it over to video when it starting getting serious. I thought for sure that water tower was coming down! Before jumping

Is Doing Nothing Your Best Option?

Over the past weekend, I was reading about Liverpool’s upcoming match against Birmingham City. The big concern is a new manager deploying a new playing style while new players are coming in and others are being sold and loaned out. The chaos leading up to the transfer deadline

Filming, New York - Law and Order, SVU

Picture taken on Columbus, between 81st and 77th…      

Did You Know About The Corner Office?

On the New York Times website, there’s a section called “Corner Office – Conversations about leadership and management“. The conversations about leadership and management come from all kinds of industries, which makes the section so inviting. I have a stack of them to read, all Instapapered

Filming, New York - Gossip Girl

Picture taken on 120th at Broadway…      

Are You Looking For The Competition That Isn't There?

If not, you should be. The problem isn’t with the all the competing businesses, its with the folks who do two things: Decide to do it themselves Decide to do nothing Either of these choices can be awful for us marketers, and really terrible for the customer. As

Labor Day 2010 - A Walk Up Riverside Drive, New York

We took a walk up Riverside Drive today, admiring all the cool, fun, and crazy things in New York. The weather is perfect, and people are certainly taking advantage of one of the last pleasant weekends. I could have put these pictures in a slideshow, but I really liked them

Filming, New York - Premium Rush

At 86th and Columbus…    

New York, Upper West Side, Labor Day 2010

Filming - New York, Bank of America

Picture taken on Columbus, between 84th and 85th…    

What Is A Personal Brand? And Why Should I Care?

Does the term “personal brand” leave you scratching your head? If so, don’t feel like you’re alone – it looks like there are plenty more folks looking for the same results you are (via Google)… … and … The best way to think

Gmail Priority Inbox - The End Of Email Campaigns As We Know Them

Google today announced another option for becoming more efficient in the way we handle our communications – Priority Inbox. For those heavy email users, this will (over time) likely get us back to focusing on content and less on process. Here’s @fredwilson asking for access today: So, what

Google Voice & Gmail

  [singlepic id=29 float=center]   I’ve been using Google Voice since it was GrandCentral, and was thrilled when the invite above showed up in my Gmail inbox. I tried it immediately – the sound was great and it made so much sense. In fact, I moved

Introducing US Soccer's Next, Most Successful Coach...

…Diego Maradona! [singlepic id=28 w=200 h=150 float=center] What? No Good? Ok, let me back it up a bit and explain. The coaching carousel is alive and well in soccer. Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid. Rafa Benitez to Inter Milan. Roy Hodgson to Liverpool. Just to

Summer Streets 2010

We walked over to the East Side yesterday morning, then down Park Avenue and Fourth Avenue during the last weekend of Summer Streets 2010. Here’s a shot looking North, up Park Avenue:   [singlepic id=25 w=400 h=300 float=center]   Then, turning around and facing

Central Park Bagel Bark

We walked over to this month’s Central Park Bagel Bark this morning, after reading about it on the My Upper West site. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but we didn’t realize there’d be so many dogs. The picture below was

Empire State Building In The Morning

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A CAPTCHA Gone Wrong

I tried blanking out the name of the company. It’s certainly not their fault the CAPTCHA came up as it did, but I didn’t think it was a fair association. Pretty bad. [singlepic id=22 w=400 h=300 float=center]    

Answering One Question Will Increase Your Productivity

I was out playing soccer tournament on Saturday. Since I play in the back, I get to watch a lot of the plays develop and see some of the chances that could-have-been. It got me thinking about how we decide to make (or not make) a productive effort – If

Joe Cole's Red Card - Be Responsible For Your Own Stick

I read about, then watched, Joe Cole’s red card against Arsenal and was confused. Yes, it was a clumsy tackle. Yes, it was a foul. But a red card? Seemed a bit much for me. Then I read the post Why Joe Cole’s Red Card Against Arsenal

A Perfect Start To Sunday

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Soccer At Sunset On The Hudson

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A Take On Fred Wilson's Take of The N+1 Theory

In a recent post, Fred Wilson explains a theory he takes great inspiration from, both from the theory itself and from it’s creator: John had a theory he called ‘the N+1 theory’ and while he applied it destructively in his own life, I have often

New Yorkers Are Fed Up

Maybe it’s the heat, or just a coincidence, but it seems New Yorkers are starting to get agitated. And they’re making sure those around them are aware of their rudeness/stupidity/lack of respect. Two recent news clippings underline this: UWS Filming Frustrates Pedestrian to the

Making Meetings Better

I love ’em. I love ’em not. I love ’em. I love ’em… “Them” is meetings. I do enjoy being in them – the coordination, the collaboration, the face time with departments I don’t always get to interact with on a

Baggio Is Back

We mentioned in an earlier post that Roberto Baggio may be re-joining the Italian National Team. It was confirmed last week that indeed, Baggio is back: Italy legend Roberto Baggio has returned to football after his appointment as part of the staff of the national set-up was confirmed by the

(More) Filming in New York (Lincoln Center)

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Desktop Apps Are So 2002

My friend Mike and I had a quick email chat over the weekend. He suggested a new way to post entries to my blog, and thought I should give it a try. Here was my response: the funny thing is, i hardly use apps anymore when i’m on

Filming In New York (UWS)

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This Man Is (Not) Wanted

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Apple 2010 = Microsoft (Circa) 1997?

News from the New York Times that the Library of Congress is pushing for Apple to unlock the Apple iPhone and allow non-iTunes Store Apps to run on the phone sounds eerily similar to the way Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was tightly integrated into Windows. [singlepic id=15 w=

What Ever Happened to the Internet?

Have you ever noticed the different punctuation of the “Internet”? Sometimes it’s capitalized, and sometimes it’s not. Odd. I was always taught there was The Internet … The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite

Oops! WordPress Plugin Goes Bonkers

Oops. I added a plugin to my site this morning and walked away. Double oops, since I didn’t really read the documentation before meandering from the computer.   [singlepic id=12 w=300 h=200 float=center]   As you can see from the screenshot below, I finally

Six Billion People, New York-Style

   What if all of Earth’s six billion people were to live at the density of New York City? — http://urbandemographics.blogspot.com   Study after study shows that dense urban environments, supported by the right transportation, lead to lower health care costs, less dependence on foreign

18 (and More!) Soccer Books To Read

I just found this post, The Ultimate Guide To Football Books. I’m glad I’ve only read two and a half of these – gives me something to shoot for. The entry is nearly a year old, but the comments stretch through 21-Jul of this year. Hopefully

Does the World Cup Matter Anymore?

In a recent article in Foreign Policy, Simon Kuper argues that globalization has dampened the international intensity from the World Cup.  The games are no longer fueled with political, economic, or social unrest, rather they are simply pitting sometimes boring styles against even more boring styles. It seems that the

In Trust We Trust

I initially thought about that phrase while attending the Brooklyn Business Expo back in March. The talk was geared towards what we pitch and sell to our customers – products, services, being nice, etc. The more the discussion continued, the more I realized it wasn’t anything tangible we

The Value of the iPad in the Wild

Every week, I get out of the office and meet with long-time clients, new customers, and prospects. This is a time-consuming process across a number of rolling weeks, including overlapping tasks such as: Find out a list of focused contacts The right message for these folks Juggle schedules to make

A Referee Trying To Take Charge Of Children

Funny quote from the wife of the 2010 World Cup final referee, Howard Webb (via NYTimes Goal blog)… “I don’t know how he does it,” wondered Webb’s wife, Kay. “He can’t take charge of his own children. I don’t know how he manages it on

Roberto Baggio - The Little Train That Did

A recent Sky Sports news article is encouraging – Roberto Baggio is coming back to soccer in a role with Italy’s national team. After a disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign, it’s good to see Baggio being mentioned as part of Italy’s rebuilding. [singlepic id=

Sounds of the New York Subway

Not quite what one would expect to hear on the subway…   Sax on the Subway (Click to play)    

Listening to the Mets Game - In NY, From SF

[singlepic id=11 w=200 h=150 float=right]My favorite time of the year, when the Mets play the Giants, and I get to listen to the games being broadcasted by the Giants team of Krukow, Kuiper, Miller, and Flemming. Go Mets!

Run For (and Through) Central Park

[singlepic id=10 w=200 h=150 float=right]We’re doing our first organized run in New York today. The run, Central Park Conservancy Run for Central Park, will be fun, but quite a challenge given the expected high temperatures and increasing humidity. I did a few runs

A New Look

I refreshed the look of this site, at least the main parts of it. I’ll keep updating the other pieces, but I wanted to get something a little less razzle-dazzle, and more focused on the content. We’ll see how this one holds up. So far, I&

Working Without Seeing

In a recent article on the A VC site, Fred Wilson talks about the challenges in using the telephone as a means to pitch a business to their venture team: And it is so easy to say no over the phone. There’s no real human connection. It’

Four Thoughts When Distributing Content

These days, distributing content to extend its reach is easier then ever. Let’s say you publish a blog post – you can then have that linked into your Twitter account, Facebook feed, LinkedIn profile, etc. A push of one button distributes your content and with a little initial

The Highest Buildings, The Highest Standards

The NYTimes.com puts together a few interviews on local folks and their jobs. Actually, they just enable the process – the viewers ask the questions, the Times post the questions, along with the interviewee’s responses. Quite a clever way to conduct an interview. Here’s an

The World Cup Trophy Comes To New York (Sort Of)

While the World Cup was a few hours away, our Meetup group held it’s own tournament final, pitting Columbia against the United Nations. I wasn’t able to stick around to the final whistle, but I later learned Columbia won 3-0. At the end, our very own

Looking Ahead To 2014

On the eve of the greatest sporting spectacle in the world, we’re already turning one eye towards the next World Cup with the introduction of the 2014 Brazil FIFA World Cup logo:   [singlepic id=5 w=400 h=300]   If memory serves me right, these Brazilians

We Simply Act

Oh dear, Mr. Suarez may be in a world of trouble with the locals… This article is to inform Suarez that, just because we deal with each other with pangas and AK47s, outsiders should not think they can mess with one of us and get away with it, even

A Lesson In Online Discussions and Reputations

A few years ago, while working with a software consultancy company and running uphill to introduce a new product to market, we engaged with a snarky poster in a very valuable discussion room. At the time, we didn’t know who and how powerful this person was that we

Here's Your Customer Response

Hulu, the folks who make an online service that provides TV shows and other video over the Internet, has hit a snag. Or, has hit it rich, depending on which way you look at it. Hulu recently released an app, Hulu Plus, for the Apple iPad crowd. Sounds like a

An Email Campaign Gone Wrong

The fun part of picking up new technology is figuring out whether and how it fits into your life, and if it will actually add value to what you do. This value can come in a number of different and coupled ways. When I picked up the iPad, I was

Learn, un-learn and re-learn

That’s a quote attributed to Alvin Toffler in a recent AdAge article by Oren Frank titled Think Technology Will Bring You Closer to the Consumer? Think Again: Why a Chasm Is Growing Between Consumers and Marketing. And here’s Mr. Frank’s own assessment of sedated

Caught Between the Moon and New York City (and New Jersey)

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More Wine, More Details

Jenn’s re-kick-starting her blog, and she’s got some great news. Check it out.

I Don't See London, I Don't See France

It’s a crazy thought but one that may play out over the next few days in this World Cup – No England, France, Italy, and Germany. To think the stalwarts of soccer may miss the next round is wild, but it’s fun to think about the

Oh, the Irony

Too funny (88′ minute). Even the newsfeed at the very bottom is amusing…    

Oh Baby, It's Here

More World Cup posters outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York:   Oh, and John wants the games to start now.    

Email Bankruptcy, The Lite Version

Fred Wilson talks about the benefits and costs of emailing, leading to occassional email bankruptcy announcements. I always thought that was crazy, but I’m starting to feel the email pain. I certainly receive no where near the amount of email others receive, but it’s enough where

The World Cup In South Africa, and New York

Holy moly, the World Cup is almost here. No more next month or next week, it’s simply ‘Friday’. This will be our first World Cup experience in New York, where there is more everything here (people, bars, etc.) than in San Francisco, where we watched the

Interesting Poll, Not Surprising Results

First Day: An Important Lesson to Learn

Rolling Up Your Sleeves and Getting Your Hands Dirty That’s the title of a post from Fred Wilson from earlier this year. It’s always neat to see how successful folks get to the position they are in today, especially the mis-steps and how they dealt with

My Starting Eleven - USMNT

Did you know the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is right around the corner? FIFA did every bar in the world a favor by scheduling the USA v. England match on Saturday afternoon, eastern. With the recent submission of our 23-man roster, I think we’ll be in

Look Up and See the Furthest Player Away

I won’t hide my bias – I always believed John O’Brien was the missing link in creating a world-class soccer team. The single characteristic that O’Brien had that was missing from other central midfielders on the USMNT was a creative mind, one that is

A View of New York from Up There

Neat movie of building painters in New York, called UP THERE. The views of The City are quite nice, like the one below.     

8 Panels of Glittering Beauty

The unique gold-coloured adidas JO’BULANI version of the adidas JABULANI, the Official Match Ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Fantastic Quote From The NYTimes

        

Allman Brothers Concert in New York

I went to the Allman Brothers concert last night at the United Palace Theater in New York, up at 175th and Broadway. Or as the Allman Brothers call it: “Up-Up-Uptown”. My ex-colleague-turned-friend invited me, and while I’m not a huge Allman Brothers fan (the only music

Traffic Ahead

Morning traffic out of the Port Authority…   

Windy in New York

On my way up to play soccer this morning, I came across a camper shell missing it’s truck…  

Let the Refresh Madness Begin...

   

Fire Trucks on the Upper West Side, New York

We were walking down to the subway yesterday when we noticed a bunch of fire trucks on Amsterdam Avenue between 79th and 80th…     [flagallery gid=1 name=”Gallery”]    

Walking Alone, Among Many

If you ever wondered what it looked like to travel between the Port Authority and the Subway in New York…   Walking Alone, Among Many from William Anderson on Vimeo.  

Let The Countdown Begin

Oh, baby…    

Wise Words from Captain Fantastic

“You’re very tired. You’ve run out of energy, you’re desperate for the game to stop, but you need to try and remain focused and concentrate right to the end. It’s very difficult, because at this level a game is very quick, so after 90 minutes

I Like the iPad Because...

Source: Image …it makes sense for those folks who CONSUME media and are looking for a more efficient way of doing so. Yes, I like my iPhone and my MacBook – both are great for what they do, and they are terrible for what they do not. Yes, the

It's Snowing in New York

We’re getting a good bit of snow here in the city today, and it doesn’t sound as if it’s going to let up anytime soon. Looking out the front window, it looks like the “Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail”

What's Happening To Quality Control?

Over the first two months of the new year, I’ve started to notice a number of spelling, grammar, or just plain lazy mistakes when reading copy – some from the larger publications. What’s happening? Don’t get me wrong, we’re all guilty of

Chromium - A Nice Addition

I’ve been using Google Chromium on the Mac for a few weeks now. I really like it – it’s fast, it’s open, and includes some handy extensions. In fact, I’m able to do most of my communication/interactivity straight through Chromium –

Product Launch - Five Basic Rules

After reading through Chris Guillebeau‘s post on what happens in a typical product launch, I thought “wow, that sounds really familiar” and “wow, I really should have done that”. There are a few things that we did right in the initial product launch, and

Five Steps To Start A Marketing Program

I start a new position soon. How fun is that? Part of the fun is bringing in new ideas and plans learned and developed from previous experiences, both professionally and socially. For better or worse, my fingerprints will be all over this new position and marketing program. While there are

New York Watching New York

We went walking through New York yesterday, which is quite honestly the best part of living here. Watching the Fashion Week come to an end to the Chelsea Market to the High Line, to this little gem. As we ended the northern-bound walk on the High Line, there’s

The Snowy Pitch

You’re gonna need a bigger shovel (said in a Brody tone) … [more here]

Google Buzz

I’m trying Google Buzz and a few integrations with various other tools here.  Apologies for any duplicate posts in the Twitter/Google/Links sections on the right.  My initial thoughts: There are many hooks – from Picassa to Google Mail to registered websites.  That’s nice, but

Protecting the Most Important Brand

I recently left a position with a technology firm where I was the head marketing person, along with a few other hats (it’s a small-ish company).  During my time there, I learned a tremendous number of professional and social lessons, both inside and outside of marketing. The one

Snow-Covered Soccer Field

The Best Part of Waking Up...

…is Jack’s coffee.  So very good. Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee

"Set and KEEP to the agenda"

I took that right from Jerry Colonna‘s most recent post, Board Meetings that Suck.  There’s an entire list of reasons why board meetings (and really, meetings in general) suck, along with a nice list of suggestions to combat the suckiness of these meetings. The first one

The Apple Tablet - I Want One

Apple released it’s latest cure for today’s global economic ails, and I want one. Yes, it’s called something else, but I like ApTab better than the alternative. I was on a conference call, but was madly refreshing the NYTimes Bits blog to get the

Managers v. Leaders

Another early morning, another Economist.com podcast down. In this one, from Harry Mintzberg (“A consistently contrary Canadian academic…”), talks about leaders versus managers. It certainly is a different and interesting view (I’m planning to listen to it again and give it a bit more

How Do You Email?

A few recent and fun posts to read about the challenges and successes in dealing with email. Some Thoughts On Email After Dealing With 500 Emails Taming Email Overload

Creating Customer Loyalty, A Real-World Example

Not too long ago, our team attended a conference in San Francisco, CA. As a vendor, we were tasked with putting together a booth, materials, etc, which kept us plenty busy and since most of us were arriving from out of town, timing and communication became critical. While the conference

The Customer is Always Right (Even When They are Wrong)

Excellent post by Seth today, with a terrific template for responding to a “wronged” customer (or employee or friend or partner…): I have no problem acknowledging that you’re unhappy, upset or even angry. Next time, I’d prefer to organize our interaction so you

How To Say "I'm Sorry"

Ever screw up beyond belief and had to figure a way to apologize? Whether it’s professional or personal, it’s a tough thing to do – but it needs to be done to put it behind you, move forward, and learn from it. Here’s a

How Do You Deliver Your Message?

What would you prefer – something that is flashy and graphically enchanting, or something that is plain? In Entourage talk, would you prefer Vincent or Eric? I think most of us would prefer the enchanting route since we’d like to enjoy doing something while we’re actually

Congratulations to Pamo Valley Vineyards!

Great news from Jenn’s winery at the 3rd annual Ramona Valley Wine Competition… 2 golds (Seduction and 06 Est Syrah) 1 silver (Indian Princess) 3 bronzes (Merlot, Sangiovese, Cab on Fire) 6 wines entered, 6 winners! Congratulations!

Tour de France

Are you watching le Tour de France this year? Versus is broadcasting each stage live on their website, with different methods of watching it – free, for pay, etc. I used to watch this race religiously, and when they set up a race in San Francisco a number of years

My Virgin Experience

I flew Virgin America for the first time, out of Kennedy in New York to San Francisco. I was geared up for a “new” flying experience. It wasn’t anyone’s fault necessarily – I mean, how much can a cross-country flight change? I’ve

Sales - It's Not Me, It's You

A great article on the Small Business Trends website simply reaffirming that when it comes to selling goods and/or services, the customer is always right. Remember that no one likes to be sold, but people do like to buy. Make sure to check out the comments, too. Some great

Rewarding Risk

Seth’s post today on the tradeoff between risk and reward is spot on. I’m especially in agreement when it comes to that first jump (from point A to point B) – that’s the risk you should be focusing on. The way I see it,

The King of Pop v. Michael Vick - Two Similar Brands?

With the recent passing of Michael Jackson, I couldn’t help but think of the similarities between the King of Pop and Michael Vick – the incredibly talented, incredibly troubled football star. On the surface, there probably doesn’t seem as if there are many similarities between the

Jay DeMerit - Today's Key to Success

My buddy JR and I were at Tigin after a round of golf to watch the USA v. Egypt game. The more we watched Jay DeMerit play, the more excited we got. At one point during the game, DeMerit calmly sized up his opponent, then provided a strong, crunching tackle.

Michael Jackson Tributes, In Central Park

This guy, playing “Beat It” on his flute – great sound!

FTC Removes "Unicorn" Status for Bloggers

I guess it takes awhile, but you can now add bloggers as a legitimate source of information, at least according to the FTC: The Federal Trade Commission…can go after bloggers – as well as the companies that compensate them – for any false claims or failure to disclose

Cable a La Carte - We're Getting There

Apple TV. (We’re slowly drinking the Apple Home Entertainment Kool-Aid). We dumped cable awhile back. Sorry, I couldn’t rationalize spending so much money every month when we certainly weren’t getting that much out of it. And the service was terrible. It was all bad.

Your Firm's Financial Health

Anita Campbell, over at Small Business Trends, posted some very useful advice about taking the financial temperature of your small business. But managing your business for financial health is about taking a big picture view of your business, as interpreted through the detail of your financial statements. It’s

Using Trust as a Brand

Seth Godin’s post today is a great lesson for anyone looking to start a brand, or re-brand their service and/or company.

Fear & Fibs, In Management?

Is it possible, in today’s world of rapid collaboration and transparent communication, using fear and fibs is still a viable management style?

Best Kept Marketing Secrets

A great compilation from a lot of great sources. Reading through the PDF, this one stands out for me (via John Battelle)… The best kept secret in marketing is to invest your time in eliciting and responding to your customer’s feedback, even if it’s negative . It’s

The MBA Oath - It's About Time

I like listening to The Economist.com’s podcast – it gives a different flavor to international and domestic news than we get here. I’ll usually listen to a handful at the same time, normally on a Sunday morning. This round, I was excited to see an

A Company's Response to a Resume

It seems like those folks looking for work put quite a bit of time into what hopefully ends up at a mutually-fulfilling position with a firm that inspires them to be very successful. Think about it: Preparing Foundational Resume Preparing Foundational Cover Letter Researching Firms / Industries Reviewing Opportunities Matching Foundational

At Church, In Brooklyn...

…on my way home from soccer…

Responding to Failure

We’ve all had to deal with the “F” word at some point in our professional careers, and we’ll likely have to deal with it again. Of course, everyone defines failure on their own terms but no matter the severity of the failure, it seems

Food for Thought on a Saturday

An easy way to find happiness in business. My favorite section: Learn to Say No Source

Making Money, From Twitter

I read this morning that Dell is tracking revenue directly from their Twitter efforts, and that number has crossed the $3M mark. It looks like they have a good strategy for when/what to post: Dell said it posts 6 to 10 times a week to its DellOutlet account, which

For the Unemployed, and Bored?

Reading through Seth Godin‘s post for unemployed college students and I couldn’t help but think how much I’d enjoy doing most of these items. I may not be in school, and I may not be unemployed, but I’d certainly like to tackle

Yeah, But What's It's Value?

On a recent trip to the west coast, I met with a bunch of smart and fun folks. Some of these people I’ve known for a number of years and some I met for the first time. During some small talk, the discussion turned towards social media and

Traveling Light, or Easy?

Seems like they’d be the same thing, but for the casual business/holiday traveler, is it better to travel light (carry-ons only) or easy (checked bags, nothing to carry)? For my recent business and holiday trips, I think the light version of traveling would have better – less

Local Conferences

After returning from nearly two weeks of traveling, I would have to agree with Fred Wilson’s Conferences post. For the most part. The local conferences here in New York are outstanding – from NYReport’s regular conferences to the New York Times Small Business Summit. These are

A Traveling Twitter

On a recent business trip, I used Twitter to create some excellent relationships. Here’s the quick version of what I did… I made some meetings using email and the telephone I searched for meeting attendees on Twitter I followed meeting attendees on Twitter This helped tremendously with

Quoting Cantona

Eric Cantona, one of the most gifted footballers ever, has a new movie coming out. “Looking for Eric“. Seems shocking that anyone would turn to King Eric for advice, given his past aggressions and hot temper. But maybe that’s how far he’s come. He

People Want to Belong

I’m making my way through Seth Godin’s Tribes book (Kindle version) and realizing how visible the lessons are, even in non-marketing/business areas. The other Sunday, I was in Brooklyn playing a game of pick-up soccer. I was the first person there and a few minutes

Be Gracious in Winning AND Losing

I’ve learned some good lessons over the course of 30+ years.  Family, friends, co-workers, people on the street – they’ve all shaped the way I act and react to some degree. There are two people that have shaped the core of how I (try to)

What Happens When No One Responds?

Part of the fun is designing, creating, and distributing the content.  But what happens when you distribute the materials then you wait for a response – and wait, and wait, and wait – and no response comes? Besides being incredibly frustrating, the idea that you spent a lot of

You Don't Have to Act, Right Now

Information is the big winner.  If you have more of it, you are in a better position to make a more sound decision than someone who has less of it.  The stock market thrives on information.  So does the speed of the internet. But just because you

It's Like Beer, AND Pizza

Listening to a NY Mets game, called by the SF Giants announcers. The best! img_00011

Great Way To End The Day / Week

Sitting on a park bench in Central Park with a cup of coffee and nothing urgent on the mind.

The Bound Book is Dead (?)

Tribes I picked up the Kindle app for the iPhone and recently purchased the Tribes book from Seth Godin. I’ve been on a few trips of mid-size duration lately that I didn’t necessarily call for a laptop, and this app has come in very handy. I

Oh, Those Pictures Up There?

The images at the top of the page? I took those. With the iPhone, mainly. Sometimes you’ll see an image that is really, really crisp. That’s with a nicer camera, but the majority are taken from the trusty little iPhone. You can refresh the page and

The Idea Inflection Point

Seth Godin speaks at TED… I want to argue that we are living through, and are right at the key moment of, a change in the way ideas are created and spread and implemented

Ch-Ch-Changes

You may have noticed that things are a bit different around here – I’ve switched (again) the blog provider I’m using to WordPress (from Apple’s iWeb). The reason is mainly around the idea that I want to post things a bit more quickly, and easily, than I

Rebuilding A Foundation

William Anderson, My Portfolio: Go2Group Website – Rebuilding A Foundation Overview With little attention over the previous 18 months, the Go2Group website had lost its focus and needed a refresh. Since the website needed both front-end and back-end updates, I decided to rebuild the site using WordPress and a theme

Bringing A Product To Market

    Overview The company was initially a services-only company, building the occasional proprietary solution for specific clients. As one solution began to produce more inquiries, I pushed to make it a commercial product. As a services-based company, there wasn’t much experience with developing a plan to launch

Connect In Person

    Overview While face-to-face meetings are incredibly valuable for everyone involved, building onsite meetings can be time-consuming and complex projects. The Work From Home meeting was created in 2011 as a means to bring remote workers together at a local venue to network and discuss the success and challenges

Audience Discovery

    Overview Creating a podcast is a terrific way to reach your audience using audio, where they can listen to your message during commute or leisure time. Including images or video provides additional clarity to the spoken word. Building content for each show is challenging and producing each episode

Attendee Engagement

    Overview Webinars are terrific opportunities to connect directly with your community. Whether it’s a product demo or a company update, a webinar is an opt-in activity that allows you to directly reach your audience. The key to successful webinars is to raise the engagement level between

Reaching Your Community

    Overview This email is one in a series of an ongoing campaign for Pamo Valley Winery. The goal for these campaigns is built around seasonal events, ensuring the winery keeps its clientele up to date on local and regional events. Email campaigns should be a key component to