The initiator

“I’m just here to learn.”

Learning is fine. Listening is good. Consensus is natural.

But initiating is rare and valuable and essential.

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eBook design and motion graphics

If it’s worth doing, it’s probably worth paying to do it very well. If you’re going to do a presentation or write an eBook, spend the money to do it right.

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“All I do is work here”

Over the past few months, I’ve had quite a few interactions with several people who work at a (previously great) brand.

One person will email to ask me for a favor or a connection, and I’ll point out that just yesterday, I got three emails, all spam, from three different people at the organization either selling me something irrelevant or sending me a press release I didn’t ask for.  And the unsubscribe button doesn’t work.  Read the rest of the article here.

Win, place or show?

One of the biggest brands in the world is getting ready to go online, and they’re aiming to not win.

Sure, they’ve been online all along, but now it’s become clear to them that the web is a real thing, and that a placeholder website and a few gimmicks aren”t sufficient. They’re trying to generate online income and respect and audience.

Now, the choice: The safe thing is to organize to show. Showing up without glaring error and a major meltdown is something you can organize for. You say, “well, if everything goes well, we’ll be in the top ten in our industry, and perhaps we’ll hit the top three.” In our industry. That means that when the overall global winners online are tallied up in a list at the end of the year, there’s no way you’re going to be on it. It means that the very things that made you one of the most powerful brands in the world will be missing, because all you’re striving for is pretty good.

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Making it up as you go along

Just wondering: Is there any other way to make it up?

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Four videos about noise, social and decency

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Social norms

The math for handshakes is difficult. You have to stand, look, squeeze, time and end in just the right way or it’s weird. Skip the handshake or do a six-second version and people look at you funny.

Interpersonal relations have had thousands of years to develop. Online, there’s been no time.

There are people who tweet in a way that rubs you the wrong way. Marketers who build businesses that seem scammy to you, or build websites that feel wrong. I get plenty of email from people that just doesn’t feel right, whether it’s in ALL CAPS or just difficult in tone or approach.

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Welcome to island marketing

If you run a business on a small island, every interaction matters and every customer is precious.

There’s a finite number of people you’re going to be able to sell to, and every person you interact with knows everyone else, so you always have to be on your best behavior. You can’t say, “tough” and then go on to the next person. You can’t run ads that churn and burn through an endless supply of naive prospects. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and on the island, that impression matters.

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