Hound Dog Blog

BREAKING NEWS: FOX News chief plans to take on Google

I can't help but to comment on this. Not because I can, but mainly because it's been a long time since I couldn't get past the first sentence of a paragraph only to be completely and utterly taken aback.

From Jeff Jarvis' blog buzzmachine:

We are all allowing our journalism – billions of dollars worth of it every year – to leak onto the internet. We are surrendering our hard-earned rights to the search engines, and aggregators, and the out-and-out thieves of the digital age. - Murdoch

Of course, this isn't really what Jarvis was pointing out. Jeff Jarvis has been pointing out the this kind of delusional thinking for... well, as long as I can remember... but this (Murdoch's thinking) thinking, if it were anybody else would be considered completely insane—literally.

To think that you could fight search engines in today's world could possibly get you institutionalized.

I almost feel bad for the man. Perhaps he's worth billions—whatever it is—I'm sure he's not concerned about the money. He's probably concerned about the same thing he was a few years back when his news channel started to wane. He's trying to tighten up his organization—the problem is the 'organization' is in the form of a search engine!!!

Personally, I don't know much about the man. I don't favor his news channel, but you can't deny its success. It certainly has energized a large number of people. Our most treasured right, IMHO, is our freedom of speech. He has exercised this—and done it well, especially when viewed from the media / marketing spectrum. 

I have a good friend that I played music with. A very good friend. Also, and amazingly gifted teacher—even before he officially became one. He told me a few months back something that really resonated with me...

His students don't believe that downloading music (without buying it) is stealing

Reserve your judgment as I did—because if you listen to a band called Widespread Panic or the Grateful Dead, they gave away ALL their music. The music industry largely hindered these bands—perhaps you could make the contra argument (I could anyway)—but they played for their fans, who traded tapes and went to shows and ... well... there is tons on the interenet about this...

The fact is... fighting a search engine on copyright, intellectual property and being 'scooped' goes against just about everything ... well... just do some research about copyright laws! And look and see why they were set in the first place... BREAKING NEWS!!! they weren't set up for LAWSUITS!!!

The Huffington Post (Arianna - to be precise) summed it up perfectly:

Aggregation, on the other hand, within the fair use exceptions to copyright law is part of the web's DNA. Period.

Thanks Tim Tebow

In January, I wrote in this blog this post about Tim Tebow staying at UF this year

I hate to be a 'literal Monday Morning Quarterback,' and I am by no means in anyway qualified to talk about the game of football (the U.S. version, that is). But Tim Tebow 'not entering the draft early' is not NEWS (that is, if you went to school at the University of Florida and watched this kid play the game).

via hounddog.typepad.com

As I sit here and type this, the Gators are up 37-10 agains FSU. 

This is Tim Tebow's last game.

It's easy, if you're not a Gator fan, to not understand what it is about Tebow that makes him such a superstar.   

Of course, if you look at him as a prospect for the NFL, you will likely not get him. But if you are a Gator—and you know who you are—you'd understand what it is about him.

All schools have some sort of spirit, from high school down—but for some reason or another Tebow has really captured a sort of imagination and all that glitters in Gainesville. 

On merit alone (and this is a shortlist) he has won the Heisman—as a sophomore, and has 2 National Championships. The list goes on... records he holds... google him... it's worth it.

Tebow may not be the next John Elway or Joe Montana, but he is University of Florida's most sacred undergrad. 

Is he really that good? I guess that depends on whether you consider the intangibles—beyond the records he holds, and will hold for a very long time.

Thanks for the 4 years Tim Tebow. Though there are a few more games—it's been fun watching you play.

Which makes more sense (part II): linux vs windows

Ok, I've been neglecting my blog—I can't stand reading that. But I do have an excuse—I can't stand those, either

... Truth is though, I have been blogging, just someplace else: for work. That's a good excuse, right? I enjoy it, too! ... now for the post...

. 

My last post I put out a message about Linux vs Windows hosting. Let me be clear, I really want to know the answers. I am not linkbaiting or trying to get attention through 'popular' searches. 

Thus far, this is what I've found (and thank you for your replies, btw) - and I've just interpreted for the sake of brevity.

• More hosting takes place on Linux than does Windows
• it depends on what you are trying to do
• Windows gives you support that Linux does not because Linux is open source
• Windows gives us support for anything that might go wrong
• Windows has companies contracted, therefore switching hosts is too costly
• Wordpress.org is not compatible on Windows servers
• Linux is newer, therefore offering less stability

Please understand, that this is what I've interpreted from friends, colleagues, and internet buds as to the differences. 

The reason for the inquiry (on my part) is because I am vexed. I'm vexed as to why wordpress.org is incompatible with Windows. I have to confess, I have VERY limited knowledge of the workings of software... 

All I can really infer from this is that 'the people' (the open-source people) - that would be Linux are quickly institutionalizing their operating system simply because of its utilitarianism. 

Again—HUGE DISCLAIMER—I know not what I'm talking about... comments and insight are more than welcomed, they are appreciated and treasured (in this regard)—even if you can just point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it.

Thanks again! And a big shout out to The Radeys. Get well soon Brandy, and thanks Ted!

Help wanted: Linux vs Microsoft?

Please help me understand the differences between Linux hosting and Microsoft hosting...

I have no understanding... Pros and Cons... feel free to email them also.

thank you.

misunderstood,

alex

Lengthy emails and Comic Sans

I can't read blog posts that are lengthy. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the same reason I can't read legalese. Short sentences are perfect for the 'click happy folks' like me. More than that... I'm stumblin'... sorry...

Don't get me wrong, I love intellectualism, but it simply has no real place in the blogoshpere, unless of course that is what you are creating.

It goes the same with email. {not spam, in re last post} Three paragraph emails are ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

But... not as ridiculous as the email I got today. It was sent to TENS of Thousands of professionals and it had words and links that were font-faced as such- (and I'm not kidding):

Lorem ipsum ergot sum cum laude http://www2.roman.caesar.et.tu.brutei.com/_utm_eleagre.eeet.ii./an/and when you click there call, me, talk we should.

Really? I mean, I'm not a typesetter, but you have to be kidding me? Should we take this seriously in todays world? 

Have you not heard of the pretty-link? or not using Comic Sans anymore, unless, of course you are writing a comic?

Oh my... what do I know, anyway... at least I got a good laugh.

Spam kills permission

Social media made permission marketing obvious

All who read this blog are aware of my adulation for the wisdom Seth Godin writes and speaks—sometimes I wonder if he knows how out in front he was with permission marketing. 

Facebook— sometimes it seems like everybody is in advertiser. Or, at least, some people always think they have to be ... and this is so far from the truth. 

Social media has a way of making us feel as if we are doing something right, even though we might not be. 

For me, facebook and twitter were (and still are) places I went while I was alone and slightly confused as to the direction my life was going. 

I believed (and still do) that these media channels transcend human relations in a magical way. 

That's why any time someone flagrantly misuses my 'news stream' or 'twitter stream' it ticks me off. {sorry for the rant} ... and that is why ...

I HATE SPAM

... a LOT... what's so bad about junk mail is not that it's a useless, time waster, but how many 'defenses,' 'excuses,' and 'validations' that spammer's have. FYI: shameless self promotion is not spam, but it can be. It can be when you lose the human element of the message. Spam (at it's core) is a message. It's a self serving purpose—who likes that? Who wants to buy something from someone that only wants to help themselves? Not me.

ADVERTISING IS NOT BAD

What one person believes is spam is (I presume) important to someone else but this does not make it ok. In fact, this is precisely what makes it so bad. And... 

"What is the best font to use?"

Fonts are the key

Fonts are the most critical aspect of web design. More is not always better and less is not always more. For some reason this is the most over developed and overtly misused (and I, too, have been or am guilty of this) design aspect of websites. Too many different fonts on a webpage are a complete turn off—I have no empirical evidence here, but from personal browsing experience, too many different fonts and I'm clicking elsewhere.

Fonts are family

There is a reason why fonts are arranged in a family and it isn't because the font developer was trying to be cute. Fonts are arranged in a way that your eyes and your attention is are best suited. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but the exceptions only prove the rule. When a font is decorated or hard to discern, you're brain is telling you you're better off with an easier to read font. Thus, just like your 'family,' the idea of a font family is just as important if you are laying out a page or creating a form or designing site or a real estate brochure.

Fonts are your handwriting

Unfortunately, the days of handwritten letters are behind us. Incidentally, it is precisely this that makes the gift of letter writing a skilled and valuable craft in the information age. Even more of a craft is the art of a well crafted email, blog, or website—mainly because that is how most people communicate. This is something that has been somewhat bastardized, mainly because 'non-designers,' like myself, are able to publish them. But, after much experimentation and many articles and books later, I have developed some semblance of an online handwriting (which is not as easy as picking your favorite font, btw, because browsers and operating systems render them differently—see links below about this topic). 

Tables and forms

I just read another blog post about how 'social media' is changing businesses and consumers. And all I can think is that it isn't changing anything. It has changed everything. Period to end. 

People resisting the forces of social media (or even more dangerous—businesses) are merely attempting to protect a system using yesterday's business tactics that aren't working (or, at least not as well anymore).

It's ok to not participate. That's the beauty of social media. If you ain't social, you don't have to socialize. But attempting to manipulate and malign the tools is just a plain bad idea. In fact, the forces of social media will effectively nudge you out the door. Sorry, don't mean to be so frank. But it's true.

It's the same thing with the person who was telling me about a fortuitous career ahead of him a a travel agent. Sorry to say, but the internet has changed that business... drastically. 

I don't know what my reaction is going to be the next time I hear:

facebook (or twitter) haven't proven themselves yet

I do know one thing though, I'm not going to run to a computer and do a competitive search analysis and line it up on an excel spreadsheet. I may, in fact continue to blog about it, tweet about, and post it to my facebook wall. 

Just embrace social media. Not because it's fun. Not because it's viral, but because it's good for business. Maybe not right now. But in a little while it will be... and a table and form-laden static website will be comparable to the pony express.

Sorry, but the need for proof that facebook, twitter, etc are powerful is called denial.

It's for a good cause

My mom sent me this article about the actor Paul Haggis taking a stand—ultimately denouncing a larger cause. I might add, it took him 35 years. 

Last night I attended a 'think tank' comprised of an array of marketing specialists. On the panel was a travel agent and a rep from a world renowned—and highly revered—department store. The travel agent was vehemently defending a business which has almost certainly seen its last day—that of a travel agent. The other rep from the store spoke in sobering truths. 

One of the issues was about cause marketing. Cause marketing is defined by Wikipedia here:

Cause marketing or cause-related marketing refers to a type of marketing involving the cooperative efforts of a "for profit" business and a non-profit organization for mutual benefit. The term is sometimes used more broadly and generally to refer to any type of marketing effort for social and other charitable causes, including in-house marketing efforts by non-profit organizations. Cause marketing differs from corporate giving (philanthropy) as the latter generally involves a specific donation that is tax deductible, while cause marketing is a marketing relationship generally not based on a donation.

This type of marketing psychology, however, is exactly the same type of delusion that actor Paul Haggis denounced. (I don't doubt that there are some that have excellent intentions)

At what point does the emperor have no clothes? At what point does a yellow wrist bracelet or a pink ribbon become just a piece of jewelry? I don't know the answer, but I'm certain that anyone who is quick to tell you everything about what they know and slow to find out anything about you is drinking Kool-Aid—the purple kind. 

Search gliding

There are so many different ways to reach your website. It's really amazing. You can put a photo like this:

You can put a photo like this:  

You can even put a link like this: with these words: The Hound Dog Blog and the way to see a picture of Alex Beattie smiling and Alex Beattie's hands playing a Martin guitar.

All of these (for now) are ways in which this site can be reached. Of course, that doesn't mean anything though... it's just an observation.

Also, you can find this site through this pic: