Hover ads can't be as effective as they once were. With so many websites, it seems like you'd have to look elsewhere as soon as you got to the site. Continue reading

Not being lazy with this blog anymore. Continue reading

I still have a New York Daily news that I kept from September 10th, 2001. It is one of the most amazing historical documents I've ever seen. The news on that day—or the way we read receive the news—forever changed with the innocent lives lost the next day. I have not, and will not ever forget. . . but, one of the strangest thing (for me) is that everyone that I know and care about that I shared the nightmare that day with... we all somehow, someway keep in contact with one another and we draw near one another every year at this time... without an organization or an "reunion." ... Not sure if that says how profoundly ridiculous class reunions are or if it's proof that everything is not what it seems... especially the news today. I remember seeing the Black Crowes at the Beacon Theatre 9 days after that... the room was quiet for awhile because I don't think anyone in the room had been "out" in City for a laugh sine that day... I remember Chris Robinson saying one thing which seemed to make everything alright for the moment (funny how music works that way)... for a... Continue reading

Even though I haven't finished this book yet - I will. Truth be told, I was supposed to have read it before it came out. I didn't for a few reasons. One is I was halfway through Martin Lindstrom's buyology and I hadn't quite finished Power fo Pull. (Not to mention a few hard deadlines with clients.) The book, Delivering Happiness, is something you ought to read. It will motivate you. But it can also make you a bit down on yourself. Here's why: Tony Hsieh is one of those humans that comes around every thousand years or so. He is a prodigy. His kind of aptitude and problem solving skills are (in my opinion) not necessarily something you can learn. (Sort of like a young Mozart back in the day... he probably had a divine gift.) This isn't to say that we can't all take a cue from his genius business, his work ethic, his marketing and his 'service based' service. There is no doubt that is where the future of a "company culture," if it is to exist at all will be. If your company or your life is in a stage that may have been transformed or... Continue reading

Zappos and Delivering Happiness The first I heard of launching a book via blogs was from Seth Godin and Linchpin. (You should pick that up immediately, if you haven''t done so already.) One of the "perks of blogging" is sometimes you get free books. The idea is this: through this blog, if I can convince 3 people to buy the book and they tell 2 people... you get the idea. Really marketing 101, right? I received a copy of Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh of Zappos. I haven't read it yet, but I will and I'll review it. Maybe on twitter or maybe here. My first impression, and they are usually everything is this: there was a handwritten sticky on the book... and a handwritten note on the package... Not the kind of "printed handwritten" that is so phony it's beyond ridiculous... but actually handwritten... if this is my first impression, I'm bound to enjoy the tale, as will you... it is available on June 7, 2010 everywhere and you can get Delivering Happiness on Amazon here... I'll let you know before then if it's worth it... Continue reading

This was the same person that taught me that it was ok to dream big. That it wasn't 'foolish to aspire to be a musician,' That it was ok to fail. That nobody's perfect. That life is too short to not do the things that you dream of... He encouraged me to follow my dreams... Continue reading

Why I keep a blog First, I don't think everyone should keep one. It's like driving a vehicle. It doesn't seem dangerous until you do something dangerous with it. I write this because I read some things online today by people who should not be "blogging" or "commenting." In fact, the "commenters" are the most dangerous of all. You ever been to a professional sporting event where the guy or gal in the bleachers yells obscenities at the athletes that are performing at an unconscionably high level? It always strikes me as odd. What makes the "commenters" so insipid is the fact that they hide. Yes, they comment as "anonymous." I suppose I would too if I were to write something as foul as what I read. There are literally hundreds of posts that I've posted here, there and everywhere. Sometimes (yes, it's true) I even credit someone else. No problem here. But I do not beg for attribution. Why? Because it I don't blog for the same reasons some people think of "blogging." Of course, the "blog" has evolved in the past 3 years. The way people do it. The way it's perceived. The list goes on. But, like... Continue reading

These Undowners | Tennessee bluegrass extraordinaires These Undowners | On the web They say a picture's worth a thousand words, and I bet a picture you'll never find... A song is worth a million more, and down here it don't cost a dime... Let the music play This is great stuff. Something for everybody. Yea, I know the bassist. He might be able to hook me up with tickets to their next show. If you are interested (as I am) in music that is crafted by musicians—as opposed to a computer—you'll like this. Harmonies, melodies, flat-pickin', authentic acoustical timbre, organ, mandolin, ... what you'd probably expect from a group of soulful guys from Tennessee. As they sing in Stateline... sometimes the quickest way to get there is just to take things real real slow... I second that emotion. Continue reading

Search marketing is meant for the greater good. The internet likes content and the internet rewards productive content sharing. Continue reading

When I was in the 2nd Grade, I remember memorizing this poem (appropriately by my favorite authors, John Lennon and Sir McCartney): Say the word and you'll be free Say the word and be like me Say the word I'm thinking of Have you heard the word is love? It's so fine, It's sunshine It's the word, love In the beginning I misunderstood But now I've got it, the word is good Spread the word and you'll be free Spread the word and be like me Spread the word I'm thinking of Have you heard the word is love? It's so fine, It's sunshine It's the word, love Everywhere I go I hear it said In the good and the bad books that I have read Say the word and you'll be free Say the word and be like me Say the word I'm thinking of Have you heard the word is love? It's so fine, It's sunshine It's the word, love Now that I know what I feel must be right I'm here to show everybody the light Give the word a chance to say That the word is just the way It's the word I'm thinking of And... Continue reading

Social media doesn't need energy vampires. Continue reading

Seth Godin's Linchpin: Are you indispensable? Linchpin: Are you indispensable? is going to be on sale on January 26th, 2010. It is Seth Godin's new book. I've read it twice. It is, by far, his most intuitive, creative and enjoyable book yet. It will also force you to think—a lot. I could summarize the book for you here, but I won't. After trying to explain the ideas in the book to several people, I found myself flipping through it again trying to find what it was I was trying to explain. The premise of the book is that things have changed. Obvious, right? Maybe, but he presents some extraordinary ideas as to how to reclaim what we have been 'trained' to do (or not to do, depending on which way you look at it.) All I can really write about it is: CAUTION: Linchpin will change your life. Continue reading