I was recently asked to do a “sketchnote” for a panel discussion in my town, Burlington Vermont. For those not up on the latest buzzwords, sketchnoting is basically doodling while an event is going and letting other people see your doodles. It has something to do with visual thinking. Or doodling. Either way it’s pretty […]
Category Archives: Putting things in context
Three views of a secret: social marketing “rock stars.”
This edition of three views is about “rock stars.” Which is different from actual rock stars. There are inherently desirable and not-so-desirable aspects of rockstarness. The “Three Views” series gets its name from the title of a piece of music by a guy whose entanglement with the not-so-desirable aspects of rockstarness is tied to his […]
Three views of a secret: Moment marketing
Content, how it is made and how it is delivered, is changing. I suspect that we are, right now, just past the peak of “content marketing” or “inbound marketing.” While it’s true that the making of content by marketers and humans is unlikely to abate, the way we find it will change. It has to […]
Jakob Nielsen should know better
There’s this confidence game (aka con) that’s been going around. It’s called lying with data. A friend of mine recently fell for the lying with data con as performed by Jakob Nielsen. Jakob Nielsen should know better. Any successful con involves three
Content demonstrates
If your organization is just beginning to get beyond the “5 great ways to blahblah” kind of advice so that you can get strategic with your content creation, use the thoughts below as a starting point as you assemble your plan. You may find thinking this way more valuable and practical than the 5 inane […]
No more traditional media
Don’t worry, this isn’t a “death of” article. I’m simply giving notice that the phrase “traditional media” really isn’t very useful. Sure it’s handy as a shorthand way of referencing print, TV and radio. But in the long run, I think the phrase “traditional media” does more harm than good; both digital and real world […]
Pattern Recognition: Dreadful Efficiency
There’s this thing I’ve noticed. Maybe you’ve noticed it too. In some environments projects and ideas thrive. And in other environments it’s like nothing can take root. Sometimes the difference between these two environments has to do with cultures or specific personalities. But not always. Or at least not consistently enough to make it obvious […]
Social Haptics
Innovation doesn’t occur when something new is created. Innovation occurs when people start behaving differently. There are a many factors at play when examining what and why people do things one way and not another. If a new behavior requires the use of an object or tool, how well that object or tool is suited […]
Three Shibboleths of Social Media
When you read all of the free advice about social media out there you’ll hear a few common phrases: “You have to” “No one likes” “Everyone likes” and so on. Typically these phrases are followed by something that worked anecdotally for the person who is giving you the free advice. Very rarely there’s a thin […]
Ten secret killer apps to download now that are guaranteed to make your sources go viral
You know, you don’t have to read articles like this. They aren’t about you or your device or what you should really be doing right now. Moreover, they won’t guarantee your content will go viral either. Also, so what if your content “goes viral?” Lots of people will see it and maybe that’s good. Or […]