Hound Dog Blog

Figment's metacognition and blogging

If you still don't believe me, and your vocation has to do with media, marketing, advertising, or sales, maybe this will convince you.

Maybe the first question shouldn't always be: How is this going to make me money? Maybe the first question should be How could this not make me money?

So, here is another clip from 2 intellectuals. One of them, Seth Godin, is a genius and out in front of nearly every new business trend which has borne fruit in the last 10 years. If you don't believe me, read his post written on May 20th, 2004 (which was one day before my Dad died, though nothing to do with this post). This post is frighteningly accurate. Almost like he had a crystal ball.

Seth's Blog: Five years from now

The larger point, to me anyway, is the old-school folks and the naysayers completely unwilling to adopt, adapt or even try, are bottlenecking the system. Also, I can only presume they aren't reading this blog and wouldn't understand the post's relevance. Id, but I am not myopic, I tend to think a bit differently and also write a blog.

So, here is another short clip of Seth Godin and Tom Peters about blogging. Yes, what you compared to knitting once. Oh, the places you'll go.

Ad impressions

I just returned to NYC, and it is truly a remarkable experience, to say the least. Some things have changed dramatically, and other things haven't changed at all. Mostly, I've changed, which has to do with my present occupation (advertising / marketing) and NYC's Gravitas in relation to media as a whole.

 

Since I left in 2005, twitter, facebook, et. al, were in their infancy. They certainly were not given any of the credence anyone in the business of media gives them today. It no longer surprises me that people are involved in social media and willing to share bits and pieces of their lives, what surprises me is that there are people unwilling to take advantage of these tools. 

The question as to whether social networking is valuable to businesses, and if so, what types of businesses, was asked to one of my favorite authors, Seth Godin:

 

His response, as you can see for yourself, is worth noting. Trust and authentic relationships still trump any tool that speed up your daily routine. What's more, the one's looking for the magic wand or the silver bullet in social media, ironically, are the very people who misuse these tools. Namely by spamming and their lack of consideration.

The point: just because you can do a mail merge or send 4000 emails with an opt-out clause, doesn't mean you should. In fact, the rewards are much higher if you don't.

The Big Apple extract

Just got off the road. Now in NYC. Everyone and their brother had something to say about my desire to relocate. I don't think many people realize why I felt the need to do this. But here's one glaring detail.

I was not happy with the lifestyle in Florida. I love my career (and I am very fortunate indeed, to be able to work from my laptop). I love being near my family. But my lifestyle and goals suit this city - even with all the standard criticisms (i.e. dirty, smog, traffic, expenses, etc.) These things don't bother me - as much, anyway. 

If I were to point to the one attribute that NYC has (and it has many), it would be the way in which culture and the arts are embraced, not rebuked. 

Here's an example: I went to the Village Voice, for giggles, to see what was going on in music around town. The search gave me literally (just in music) 78 results! From every spectrum of every genre of any music I know of. 

Of course, I didn't come here on vacation. I moved to grow. To grow my business, my spiritual health, my mental health, and the unknown, of course. For some reason NYC extracts this from you. Not to mention I have amazing friends here that have never steered me wrong. In fact, I should have listened to them 4 years ago. 

 

Thumbing through blogging

While I'm writing this, I'm in my Element (literally a Honda and figuratively in the middle of nowhere). I'm traveling North, stuck in traffic - which I am clueless as to when it will end - on the way to Tennessee. I am also not 'writing' (literally anyway), I am 'typing.' (or am I)? See, since I am moving at a snail's pace on I-26, I am blogging with my thumb (my right thumb - even though I am left handed) and I cannot stop thinking about the fact that I am composing something with my 'thumb' on my 'phone' on the 'highway' in South Carolina while operating a vehicle... To think that the telegraph and a word processor were once considered 'cutting edge' is mind boggling, largely because blogging with one's thumb will also someday be passé.

20 things about 10 years gone - including Kool-Aid

By the time this posts, I'll should be nearing or in South Carolina on I-95.

I was staring at my fully packed Honda Element and a nervous 3 and 1/2 year old Beagle so I started thinking about things that have changed since I moved my life since last I had done this, which was 10 years ago.This is what I've come up with. 

20 things that have changed in the past 10 years:

1. My destination, New York City, has changed - the landscape, that is. Last time I arrived there were two towers on the Southern end of the island. 
2. My iPhone is now my road atlas (or at least Google Maps is).  
3. My iPhone tells me all I need to know about the Subway with an app called KickMap. 
4. As referred to in a prior post, when someone 'demands an apology,' tell them to go fly a kite. (I just learned this yesterday). 
5. In hard times, some people help, and some people don't. Just the way it is. So, expect nothing, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. 
6. Key West is a fun city, filled with talented musicians, artists and history. An incredible place to visit. 
7. Vancouver, BC is one of the world's most beautiful places, even on a cloudy day. 
8. San Diego, CA is a close second to #7, and (from what the locals told me) rarely cloudy. 
9. If something is called _____ Education, and you have to 'enroll' others to 'get it' and you don't know what 'it' is, and they tell you that you won't ever get 'it' if you don't go out and 'enroll' others, it's bullshit (pardon my french - but I am passionate about this one). 
10. If you ever encounter someone 'enrolling' you, like #9, steer clear, very clear. Don't even eat their food, let alone drink the Kool-Aid they have in their fridge. 
11. You can't teach someone how to sell a product that you cannot touch. It requires the transfer of emotion. If you are not an emotional person, and you are selling an idea, go into another profession, because mass emails don't transfer emotion. 
12. The 2 words human being are 2 words that weren't meant to be manipulated into junk philosophy. They aren't a play on words, they are just two words. So, the notion that because you are a human, does not necessarily mean that you are 'being human.' - this is faulty logic. 
13. Florida is different than it was 30 years ago. Still a lovely place, but dramatically different. 
14. A category 1 hurricane on the East coast of Florida is and can be catastrophic. 
15. The Space Shuttle lift-off is a sight and a feeling (the earth shake) is a once in a lifetime experience.
16. I read a lot of books, and I don't need them (unfortunately) anymore. 
17. I learned how to play the ukulele.
18. Beagles are great friends and family. 
19. Life doesn't always work out as planned. 
20. Nobody told me there'd be days like these... Strange days indeed. 

Maybe you shouldn't apologize

Black Crowes album out 9/01/09. Yes, you should buy it, and yes, I am promoting it. It's called 'Before the Frost" and here's a clip they released for free:

Download I Ain't Hiding

 

I learned a valuable lesson today, and that is, don't apologize to 'weasels,' 'proven liars,' or 'people with little or no ambition.'

I thought, since I am going back East, I would clean up a mess with a friendship gone awry. Well, here's how it went: bad to worse. Why?

Because when someone is 'amoral,' they don't and can't see what is right and wrong. Sorry to get on a soapbox. There is a difference between amoral and immoral, by the way. There is a difference. 

Again, I defer to the sage advice that was given to me by someone who hasn't steered me wrong: 

Be careful who you choose to be your friends.

Lunacy on my Mac

I know this isn't 'new,' but this afternoon, I took an entire tour of the first 'moonwalk' on Google Earth narrated by Andrew Chaikin.

It really is intense, and I highly recommend it. Probably as close as I'll ever get to the moon.

Just shows how much information we have available today. It's complete lunacy.

It's really worth the ride.

Hand jive

Who doesn't like tips? I love when someone says to me, "This will help you. This is exactly what you need." Especially when I trust and respect that person.

I am fortunate to work with people who advise often, and I am fortunate for the advice I have gotten. Usually, advice is free. Unless you are at the psychiatrist's office, then not so much.

Two bits of advice I've received in the past 2 years from one person that I have great admiration for:

Be careful who you pick to be your friends. [probably some of the best advice] and 

Don't let anything get in the way of your dreams. [something akin to what my Father would have said]

On the other hand (pun intended), I received advice from someone who quite literally took his hand, (his very small hand, with very oily palms, you know the kind) and literally put it in my face, during a professional business meeting and shook it. This is disrespectful. The signal was loud and the signal was clear. 

This is my hand used for demonstration purposes only. My hands, however aren't oily and they are used to create things such as blogposts, guitar melodies, and nice handwritten letters.

The Ruby

The Ruby. The ultimate gemstone and symbol of life.

The Ruby Slippers. They were placed on Dorothy's feet in arguably, the greatest movie of all time, The Wizard of Oz. The slippers are the ultimate symbol of hope, beauty and strength which ultimately lead to the plot's climax. The gem-stoned shoes are more than just designer shoes. They are the keys to her happiness. The film's genius is catapulted through its colorful imagery and contrasts in so many different ways. For one, the first 20 minutes are in black and white while in Kansas, then magically transcends to Technicolor brilliance upon arrival in the land of Oz with munchkins, good witches, bad witches, flying monkeys, horses of different colors, a Yellow Brick Road and an Emerald City. And last but certainly not least, Toto. Toto was Dorothy's best friend,a Cairn Terrier, and revealed that the Wizard was a charlatan by crawling under the curtain.

My Morning Song. The 6 minute anthem on The Black Crowes' sophomore release: The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. I think this record has had more influence on me than any record by The Beatles. This not only influenced my guitar playing, but influenced my thinking. The lyrics embody the idyllic spirit of Rock 'n' Roll and the gritty, uneven rhythms rival, if not triumph the greatest rock n roll tunes ever. This song, My Morning Song, however was not one of their singles. But it is the best song on the record, and the lyrics to the chorus go like this:

March me down to the seven seas
Bury me with a ruby ring
Kiss me baby on an Easter Sunday day
Make my haze blow away

These are just two reasons why Rubies mean so much to me. She, Ruby, is also my best friend. And she also can smell b.s. a mile away, and she never looked away from me, not once. She is a hound dog, after all.

A new model for the wheel

The phrase: 'We don't need to reinvent the wheel" is irrelevant. Not literally, that is, but figuratively. Sometimes the proverbial 'wheel' needs to be thrown out completely and traded in for _______. I don't know the answer, I am hypothesizing, but I think Seth has a pretty good model for the new wheel in his book Tribes and Permission Marketing.

Just about every sentient being has heard of craigslist.org, right? Perhaps you didn't know that Craig Newmark, yes the person whose list it is, is the New York Observer's 15th most powerful person in New York Real Estate.

Craigslist has an insane business model - or at least akin to a new wheel, anyway. The site concentrates on the user. The site generates revenue from employers posting job listings (in some cities, not all) and real estate listings. Everything else, like the Sony PSP 1001 you bought, or last years iPhone are uploaded for free. 

The argument is that these sites are disruptive. And they are absolutely correct. They are disruptive. But so is spam, and so is the disrespectful salesperson in your office doing the spamming and selling classified ads - they don't work and they cheapen the product. (of course, making a living selling classified ads is not really an option today, or is it?)

Malcolm Gladwell and Chris Anderson disagree on the economics of free. And, I, just as usual agree with Seth.

I'm not sure it's appropriately named. Because the word 'free' has a connotation that something has no value. Personally, I think craigslist promotes capitalism and is another tool in which you can sharpen your entrepreneurial skills in the free market.

Of course,I'm no economist, but I'm glad craigslist, zillow and pandora exist.

This is Malcolm's review.

This is Chris Anderson's reply.

This is what Seth wrote.

This is where the discussion continues on Squidoo.com.