4 Favorite Things About the iPhone 4
Topics: Industry Trends
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I’ve had an iPhone 4 for a little over a month now. I upgraded from a iPhone 3GS and the difference is extraordinary. Allow me to review my 4 favorite features.

Sell Your Video Camera and Buy an iPhone 4
I’m really excited about smart phones coming with HD video. I no longer need a separate device to record great video. Attention Droid users: I know your phones now have HD video, too. I’m already shooting more video than ever and taking up a lot more hard drive space.

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Gowalla or Go Home
Topics: Industry Trends, Social Media
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Combine Twitter, Facebook, healthy competition and an atlas and what do you get? Location-based services like Gowalla and Foursquare.

Location-based services are the new darling of the mobile web. They are getting a lot of press and growing exponentially. How does it work? “Check in” and these services share your current geographic location with a select group of friends… or the entire world. Although they create some legitimate privacy issues, you can have a lot of fun and discover your world in a whole new way if you keep a few things in mind.

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Lessons for the Web from Superbowl Ads
Topics: Fun Stuff, Web Strategy
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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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Book Review: Made to Stick
Topics: Fun Stuff, Industry Trends, 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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Are Blogs a Lead Generation Tool?
Topics: Web Strategy
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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 »