You can learn a lot about the web in places you might not expect. Take Superbowl ads, for instance. Anytime a company invests about $3 million just to show you something for 30 seconds, it was probably well-thought-out. If you watch closely, and can get past the bright lights and loud noises, you can learn a lot. Here are three ads that stood out to me.
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Techy? Sometimes. Funny? Often. Relevant? Always.
Topics: Fun Stuff, Web Strategy
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I’ve always wanted to write a legendary email forward. You know what I’m talking about. Something like the email I’ve been getting since 1995 about how “Bill Gates wants to give me his money and all I need to do is forward this email.” Or the urban legend about waking up in a bathtub full of ice after falling victim to a kidney harvesting ring. If you’re like me and need a book that will help you write the perfect email forward, then Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die is the book for you.
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Topics: Web Strategy
Are blogs a lead generation tool?
Someone recently asked me why Worthwhile didn’t market to folks who comment on our blog. He expected to be added to our email list as a result of his comment.
I was taken back by his question — particularly because he would have preferred that we treat him as a lead. My initial response was a bit of a hurried recitation of the golden rule. After all, I didn’t want every blog I commented on harvesting my email address and violating my inbox!
In retrospect, he asked a very thought-provoking question that deserves a more philopsophical response. So, I started thinking. Are blogs a lead generation tool?
I was asking the wrong question.
Our business isn’t about generating a transaction but it is about cultivating a relationship. A blog is a great way to start and continue a business relationship. Instead of contemplating how much information I can take from our readers, I needed to be thinking about how much I could give our readers.
Lead generation is one possible use of blog comments (though not at Worthwhile). However, their highest and best use is listening for feedback on what your readers wan
Someone recently asked me why Worthwhile didn’t market to folks who comment on our blog. He expected to be added to our email list as a result of his comment.
I was taken back by his question — particularly because he would have preferred that we treat him as a lead. My initial response was a bit of a hurried recitation of the golden rule. After all, I didn’t want every blog I commented on harvesting my email address and violating my inbox!
Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Company Culture
“Always Postpone Meetings with Time Wasting Morons”
- Scott Adams
Quick tips for team meetings. Follow these steps and all your wildest dreams will come true.
1. Take the time to think about who realy needs to be there. Never, never invite someone just because you can.
2. Email the agenda ahead of time and ask attendees to DO something before the meeting. If you don’t do this, meeting time will become disengagement time. People are working hard all day. Meetings can easily become a time to check-out for a hour and rest your brain.
3. Be on time. 2 minutes late * 5 people = 10 minutes late. When you’re late, everyone is late, and that adds up fast!
4. Leave the meeting with clear action items. Know what each person is responsible for.
5. Set a time limit for the meeting. Tell everyone how long the meeting will be.
6. Be clear in your communication and open in your thoughts. A successful meeting is a meeting where every participant has clearly and openly stated their thoughts. Your unique perspective is why you were invited to the meeting. Share it.
7. Use a good calendar sharing tool. Google Calendar is fantastic.
PS. Worthwhile team: please hold me to this
Sure, I sort-of stole Jonathan’s blog title from yesterday, but it’s still a good title.
“Always Postpone Meetings with Time Wasting Morons”
- Scott Adams
Fortunately I don’t work with anyone even remotely like the characters in Scott Adams’ Dilbert cartoon except… well, I’ll let you judge for yourself).
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Topics: Industry Trends
Remember when Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator battled-it-out for market share dominance? Well, Microsoft won that battle. Since then, a number of great browsers have been chipping away at Microsoft’s lead. Today, we the surfers have a vast array of great browsers to choose from. Here is my take on your options in 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
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Brandon Godwin on The Internet is Hard: a Case of Mistaken Identity
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