LINKS FROM July 2006
WE ARE ALL CNN (Or New Media That Matters)
Chartreuse is putting up $1,000 to send two people to New Orleans with a video camera to document what's going on.
Tags: journalism documentary blogs politics media2.0
Blog Traffic Week #1: Getting on Top of Digg, Reddit or Del.icio.us is EVIL
Four ways to be a better blogger from okdork.com
Tags: blogs networking writing del.icio.us
social networking segmentation model
A great graphical breakdown of the different segments of social network users.
Tags: socialnetworking connectedness marketing research
"In an exclusive e-mail exchange with our editors, the reclusive vowel talks about what he’s been doing since the year 2000, his investment strategy, and his thoughts on whether we’ve entered a new technology bubble."
Tags: funny interviews web2.0
10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work
"So, you’re seeing too many of those “how to� and list headlines, and want to try a few different angles? Let’s move beyond those common headline formulas you see over and over, and add some new blood to your attention-grabbing arsenal."
Tags: copywriting blogs writing
MySpace a launch pad for next-gen media biz
A nice look at how MySpace plays into Fox's strategy.
Tags: business myspace media2.0 marketing socialsoftware
"Because we underestimate how much variation can be caused simply by luck, we see patterns where none exist. It’s no wonder that management theory is dominated by fads . . . "
Tags: business psychology behavioraleconomics
The anatomy of the 21st-century marketing professional.
Tags: branding marketing trend business strategy planning technology
New services allow print runs of a few, or just one, for customers ranging from aspiring authors to anyone who needs a bound document.
Tags: business diy books nytimes internet
Does process matter? Does outcome matter? Do neither matter at all?
Tags: design process creativity art
Get That Out of Your Mouth #27
"We have to strip away the geekery, the gadgetry, and the consumerism, and instead of explaining why this brave new freakshow interests us, we have to understand what it's doing to us."
Tags: culture technology media writing journalism
"Everything eventually comes down to design. If something fails, it is the designer's responsibility."
On blogging: "I don't consider this writing, I consider this thinking."
"Trust dilemmas seem to play an integral part in attention economies. When deciding how we should direct our attention, we are essentially faced with a continuous stream of trust dilemmas."
Tags: attention trust internet
When a Brand Taking From Subculture Goes Wrong
"If the idea behind borrowing from subcultural phenomena is to look cooler or smarter than you are, it's critical to remember two things: 1)don't stray too far afield from your brand's comfort zone, and 2)nothing truly cool or smart tries to be that way."
I'm Giving Away $1000 on September 15
Kareem is giving away $100 to 10 random people who Digg his video on how to drive stick shift.
Tags: video
"With Desktopple, you can quickly and easily hide all of your Desktop clutter. A quick trip to your menu bar is all it takes."
MySpace's Business Model Conundrum
What happens when MySpace users capitalize on the attention they're getting and convert themselves into branding/advertising opportunities?
Tags: myspace attention business branding advertising
With the accessibility of new technology, it's all about the content.
Tags: art photography design culture technology media
Figure out your running distances easily.
Tags: fitness maps yahoo mashup
Making It or Breaking It with Customer Service
"So innovative customer service these days isn’t as much about innovation as it is about core values. Getting back to basics. Sweating the details."
Tags: innovation customerservice design business
Time Out Chicago reviews Team Tiger Awesome . . .
"It's an emerging rule of thumb that suggests that if you get a group of 100 people online then one will create content, 10 will "interact" with it (commenting or offering improvements) and the other 89 will just view it."
Tags: community internet cgm socialsoftware
"There is nothing wrong with wanting to make money; That's just not why most people use communication tools."
Tags: cgm attention business media2.0
Little guys could take Hollywood out of the picture
"For Hollywood, the solution is not in expanding distribution into new digital channels but in rethinking its entire business model for content creation."
Tags: business internet movies media2.0 cgm
"YouTube dispels the mystical air around witnessing things. The TV audience doesn’t have to stick around."
Tags: youtube television media2.0 culture video trend
The Long Tail Debate Overlooks the Snowball Effect
"So for me, the radical long tail notion is that it’s no longer necessary to “buy� a hit  you can leverage the socialization of the web  combined with the web’s unlimited shelf space  to generate a hit from the bottom up, virtually for fr
Tags: longtail media2.0 business
"We all have the regrettable responsibility to act like some weird hybrid of embedded reporter and reality TV star."
Tags: media2.0 trend internet journalism
"These kids don't need to read The Long Tail, it's just how the world works to them. Rad."
The ONE key thing to know about negotiation
"In negotiation, the one thing that really strengthens your position is the ability to walk away from the deal."
Tags: negotiation communication tips lifehacks
Ruthless Focus on the Customer
From the Mini Cooper to Whole Foods, companies and brands are discovering how superior customer experience keeps 'em coming back for more
Tags: design business branding marketing trend
"I am my brain's publisher."
Lots of shinyness and bright colors.
"Users aren't stupid, they're efficient. They're spending the least amount of effort (i.e. intelligence) as they possible can on each step of the goal they're trying to achieve. If you make them spend more, they'll go somewhere else . . ."
Tags: design ia intelligence quotes usability
"I’m Internet famous. It’s a rough life I live, but I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. And if you actually believe all this shit then you must be Internet famous like me."
Tags: attention blogs identity
Have strong opinions, but hold them weakly "because, otherwise, it undermines your ability to “see� and “hear� evidence that clashes with your opinions."
Tags: business change communication management ideas leadership
World War III: What's In It For You (Or Why The World Feels Like The Voice Of Nina Simone)
"Google and Terrorism works. GM and High Schools don’t."
Russel Davies' presentation on brands and blogs.
Tags: blogs branding marketing
"If your framework doesn’t explicitly account for culture and context, then it is unlikely that you will be attuned to these things when you do your research and design."
Tags: design marketing strategy process culture
Everyone fears failure. But breakthroughs depend on it. The best companies embrace their mistakes and learn from them
Tags: business innovation creativity management
"In the old static-network world, it made no sense to send people to other networks; in the new, fluid world, they’re going to go there anyway, and so the best thing to do is to help them find the best stuff, redefining the value of a network."
Tags: business advertising marketing identity branding networking
Paul Rand's Logos, Flags, Escutcheons
"The effectiveness of a good logo depends on: a. distinctiveness - b. visibility - c. useability - d. memorability - e. universality - f. durability - g. timelessness"
Pirates caused a global crisis in the 18th century. Why is it stage and screen can't get enough of them today? Brian Logan explodes a few myths
THE WAR FOR ATTENTION: SUMMER 2006
"The gestures of our lives are recorded, and we become represented – on “Top 100� lists, blogrolls and Flickr badges of different sizes. And the narratives of our electronic Attention gestures have even crossed back into offline mass media."
Your social life will never be the same, thanks to a digital service called Dodgeball
Tags: city community mobile networking socialsoftware
"Our multiple selves overlap, intersect, and interact in ways that are much messier. Erasure is not an acceptable ideology - every interaction, every mouse-click, every blog entry becomes a new piece in our larger distributed, networked identity."
Tags: identity blogs connectedness
Brand Proving Grounds -- Oxyride Batteries
"So before you embark on creating your BPG, start by answering some simple strategic questions 1. Who are you trying to talk to? 2. Does it communicate the brand idea? 3. Will it break through the clutter? 4. Have you got a seeding strategy?"
Tags: branding marketing science
Saving the World, One Video Game at a Time
Using video games to help people udnerstand complex topics.
Tags: videogames education politics nytimes
Phsyical Scientists & Gutter Thieves
"Recent studies show that you prefer say 100 units of pain now than say 50 units of pain in some time in the future. The anticipation kills us."
Tags: behavioraleconomics economics culture psychology
"Perhaps, as the study’s authors themselves hint at one point, we’ve also gotten better at demarcating what constitutes truly intimate communing  expecting more of our confidants, we have, in effect, defined intimacy up."
Tags: connectedness community psychology internet culture nytimes
An insane amount of Jeopardy questions over the last 20 years saved in one place.
Tags: television trivia
The Long Tail and the Structure of the Media Industry
"In contrast with many others who believe that the long tail will lead to fragmentation, I see the potential for concentration and consolidation of focused infrastructure management and customer relationship businesses."
Tags: business longtail future media2.0
The 1% rule: bloggers can't do maths
The ratio of uploads to downloads on YouTube is 0.065%. In other words, a comparatively small group is uploading the majority of the content.
Tags: youtube video blogs community
Portuguese Football Action Figure
Watch him fall! Again and again and again and again and again.
Tags: funny video soccer cheating
"A new theory suggests that creativity comes in two distinct types – quick and dramatic, or careful and quiet."
Tags: creativity economics innovation psychology art science
"The great Internet search engine is still no match for the passion and expertise of a wise human being"
Tags: internet search connectedness
A Conversation with Steven Johnson, Part 1
"All other things being equal, a person who is used to making active choices while consuming media is going to be more receptive to complex media, even if the medium is a passive one, like television."
Tags: culture interviews internet technology
"I think it would be most excellent if everyone would link to this page, and drive this post up Google's results for the word "Dean." I think it would help him get a head start in the world to have a lot of pagerank right out of the gate."
"We are all eventually going to free agents and it’s important you have people who around you who realizes that and know how to exploit it to your benefit."
Whois Hijacking My Domain Research?
Domain squatters are stealing domains when you search for their availability.
Tags: domains
Four Big Ideas About Open Source
"In short, you can see that I believe that there are serious challenges to the open source model. For all its success (and that success has been world-changing), it's important not to get complacent."
Tags: opensource future
U.S. Trendsetters Go On Strike
"If a collective-bargaining agreement cannot be reached, trendsetters will likely be replaced with scabs."
MySpace to songwriters: sell more shirts
"It's all very much in keeping with the new feudal economics of "Web 2.0": the serfs must be grateful for the hospitality of the proprietor. . . . plenty of people appear to be profiting from digital music - except the people who create it."
Tags: myspace business music media2.0 economics
Social Networks are Killing Email
"Email is now a commodity feature: we can almost assume that we’ll always have some sort of messaging system no matter what software we use. Messaging puts the social in social software…"
Tags: email socialnetworking trend youth facebook
Further proof there's a place for anything on the internet.
Tags: funny cats photography germany history
Can Burberry save itself from the tacky British yobs who love it?
Tags: branding business apparel fashion marketing culture
"Because our modern world has made designers of us all (ready or not), Before & After is dedicated to making graphic design understandable, useful and even fun for everyone. "
How to live happily with a great designer
13 rules including this one: "You don't know a lot about accounting so you don't backseat drive your accountant. You hired a great designer, please don't backseat drive here, either."
Tags: design business management
Should Apple take focus off creative image?
"Apple may have to take the emphasis off its creative image to attract a wider market, according to Apple’s UK director Mark Rogers."
Tags: apple marketing creativity
The story behind the man that powers our president.
Tags: funny video politics germany
An amazing ad on the side of a building from an ex wife to her husband . . .
Tags: funny advertising
Seth Godin is now giving typography advice.
Tags: typography font
3 Ways to Make Consumer Generated Content Better
"To make consumer created content work. They need to inject three elements, editorial, incentives and education."
The Grups and Thinking Beyond Demographics
"Clearly, we need better tools that can help us to examine the psychographics of an audience and to buy and measure performance this way."
Tags: demographics advertising marketing culture
"Instead of fixing the other 7 showers, and bringing them up to par with the best shower --- and making all the showers WORK AS WELL AS THE BEST, or #1 shower.....someone decided to......IMPAIR THE SHOWERHEAD OF THE BEST SHOWER."
Tags: culture education business
The art of the doggy bag.
Using Adoption Metaphors to Increase Customer Acceptance
“Adoption metaphors have a lifecycle. They begin by introducing a new concept. They help us map something new to something we already understand and give us a framework in which to understand the new thing.�
Tags: metaphors language internet innovation ux
Wikipedia entry on the guy who's been living in Charles de Gaulle airport since 1988. Reportedly he's the person Tom Hanks modeled his character in The Terminal after.
Tags: airports travel politics paris movies
"I’m not one to believe that we’re in a Bubble 2.0 or anything like that (aren’t we always bubbular?), but here are a few ideas about why some of the web apps out there fail."
Tags: business internet lists socialsoftware
Basics of search engine optimisation
"Consider the guidelines I describe here a basic level of SEO"
Seven things graphic designers must be cognizant of.
Twilight of the media moguls? Not for this guy. With the $580 million purchase of MySpace, News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch is betting he can transform a free social network into a colossal marketing machine.
Tags: business myspace future marketing media2.0
"The World Cup is over, Italy is the champion, and it's time for a review of some of the highs and lows of the month-long jamboree."
BBDO West's Anti-Graf Ads for San Francisco
"While the world fights AIDS, poverty, global warming, education, and more, it's interesting that BBDO chose - of all things - an anti-graffiti campaign as the first benefactor of their free support."
Tags: graffiti advertising charity
Put Your Words in Materazzi's Mouth
Brilliant. An advertising agency tests out copywriter's by having them write subtitles for the Zidane headbutt exchange. (You can also just do it for fun and send to a friend.)
Tags: funny video soccer copywriting advertising viral marketing
The history of the word 'slut'.
"Over time as consumer created media engulfs the other kind, it's possible that completely new norms develop around the notions of talent and artistic ability."
Tags: design history myspace cgm video
Notes on "Sweet Child O' Mine," as Delivered to Axl Rose by His Editor.
"Hi Axl, Just got your manuscript and demo for the song "Sweet Child O' (sic) Mine." I think we need to talk."
Tags: funny bestof2006 criticism music writing
Apple Computer Nike + iPod Sport Kit
A very close look at how the Nike + iPod works.
Tags: apple fitness attention technology nike shoes
"Every pixel in the illustration represents one person alive on Earth. The first one is you. The rest are everyone else."
Tags: visualization design statistics
Renegade's hiring: "We're looking for someone who's passionate about words. It doesn't matter if people call you a 'writer' or you studied English in college, you just need to enjoy using language to express yourself. "
Tags: jobs writing rmg marketing
A conversation between an advertiser and a big company about consumer generated media . . .
Tags: funny advertising business marketing cgm
Prove your human by identifying hot people.
5 reasons why social networks fail
1. Walled Gardens -- 2. Not integrated with other apps -- 3. Not granular enough -- 4. No real reward or penalty system -- 5. Privacy concerns
Tags: socialnetworking community
Laws of post-network economy: Strategy is a commodity
"In a world where strategy is a commodity, creativity becomes the vital factor from which value flows. When everyone can think strategically about everything, the locus of value creation shifts from out-thinking everyone to out-creating them."
Tags: business creativity trend strategy future innovation
The Takeover (or The Death Of The Geek or Who Will Be Running The Internet Next)
"The common folks will win."
"My views on how planners can best involve themselves in the creative process."
Tags: planning advertising creativity process
Use twttr to stay in touch with your friends all the time. If you have a cell and can txt, you’ll never be bored again…E V E R !
"activeCollab is an easy to use, web based, open source collaboration and project management tool. Set up an environment where you, your team and your clients can collaborate on active projects using a set of simple, functional tools. 100% free!"
Tags: business collaboration software free creativity projectmanagement tools
Hacking Netflix Interviews Netflix CEO Reed Hastings
Really interesting interview with the CEO of Netflix. I especially like what he says in response to a question about a referral program. Turns out when offered a financial benefit, no one really referred any more than normal.
Tags: business netflix marketing movies internet interviews
On media elitism and the "derivative" myth
"Technorati currently shows more than 152,000,000 posts that use the word "I". So that's roughly 300 times more people talking about themselves (and the world around them) than talking about what the New York Times has written about."
Tags: blogs journalism media2.0
"To follow-up on one of the recurring discussions at this year’s Art of Yahoo! conference, I’ve compiled several of my thoughts on effective design reviews with product stakeholders (clients, business units, etc.)."
Tags: design business process tips
"The average half-life of a news item is just 36 hours, or one and a half days after it is released."
Tags: science internet linking research culture
"Zidane's action was . . . less dishonourable, I'd say, than the hundreds of examples of diving, faking, chirping, bickering, bleating and all-round cheating we saw from scores of players throughout Germany 2006"
"His willingness to headbutt Materazzi makes him more of a hero, not less. Admittedly, since France went on to lose, he's something of a tragic hero, but a hero none-the-less."
"I suppose the football fans will be less than pleased with the example that Zinedine set, but a young headbutter really could do no better than to emulate him in every detail."
The 4 Aspects of Passion-centric Web Communities
"This work has led me to believe that there are four aspects that need to be adequately satiated for a passion-based community to thrive and sustain. The four aspects are Entertainment, Social Engagement, Information and Services."
Tags: socialnetworking passion community
At the New JetBlue Terminal, Passengers May Pirouette to Gate 3
"The architect David Rockwell and the choreographer Jerry Mitchell collaborate to streamline the airport experience."
Tags: dance architecture design nyc airports
Zidane blames Materazzi insults
"Sources in France say it is believed Materazzi insulted Zidane's mother."
"There are relatively few universal socially acceptable excuses for interacting with strangers in public spaces, but sport is one of them - useful if you are thinking of use cases for shared viewing of mobile TV for example."
Tags: sports mobile airports culture soccer
"The real power is how personal media fragments the mass market audience by turning readers, watchers, listeners, into writers and video and audio creators. Most of these folks won't make money and it won't matter."
The dance of people in public spaces
"Looking for a new angle on movement vs. environment, Rockwell [hired to design the “interior experience� . . . of the new JetBlue terminal . . . at JFK Airport] took a strange turn: He hired choreographer Jerry Mitchell to help him."
Tags: design architecture inspiration nyc airports dance
Creating & Maintaining a Web Style Guide
"This article describes how to create and maintain a web style guide to better manage your organization’s web presence."
Tags: styleguide design branding tips
"Image Tricks is a free application to edit and generate images. It uses Mac OS X Tiger Core Image filters that transform pictures to unimaginable extent and apply advanced visual effects. "
Tags: software apple free photography
"We've seen dancing hamsters, Animated GIFs, the blink tag and Netscape Navigator all come and go - but what about the more recent trends?"
The Second Crop of Mac Ads is Finally Here!
Amazing spoof of the current "I'm a Mac" ads from Best Week Ever.
Tags: funny video commercial apple advertising
An incredibly honest self-evaluation from Wieden+Kennedy London.
Tags: advertising management business marketing bestof2006
Supposedly it's at Dean & Deluca and the Food Emporium at Union Square.
Video of Zidane's headbutt in the closing minutes of the World Cup finals.
The era of the blockbuster is so over. The niche is now king, and the entertainment industry – from music to movies to TV – will never be the same.
Tags: longtail media2.0 economics trend business
Google Checkout Supports Its Core Search Business
"I believe that it’s [Checkout} actually positioned to solve a perplexing and core problem at Google – how to drive more search ad revenues, especially in the retail sector where search spending is plateauing for top keywords."
Tags: google advertising ebay adsense money
Making Virtual Football More Like the Real Thing
"Multiplayer gaming once meant a bunch of lone-wolf players each trying to do in the others. These days . . . gamers are discovering the camaraderie and esprit de corps that have long been the province of soldiers and athletes."
Tags: videogames sports community
Only practice could make some World Cup players this good at diving.
Tags: funny soccer video sports cheating
If only gay sex caused global warming
"The fact is that if climate change were caused by gay sex, or by the practice of eating kittens, millions of protesters would be massing in the streets."
Tags: globalwarming environment psychology
"Design Matters" with Debbie Millman Content Library
Download old shows with some of the most interesting designers on the planet.
Tags: design mp3 interviews radio
"If you believe that tools influence content, and I absolutely do, then the most important thing we can do with all this technology is to try to build tools that encourage meaningful expression."
Tags: technology creativity communication community relationships blogs
"SimplePie is a very fast and easy-to-use class, written in PHP, for reading RSS and Atom syndication feeds."
Job Opportunities At Nielsen BuzzMetrics
Max is a really cool guy and BuzzMetrics is doing some fascinating stuff. If you're looking for a job in marketing/media in the NYC area, check it out.
Tags: jobs marketing media cgm research
"You only get one chance to make a first impression; why have it be "junk"? Once that's associated with your name or project, it's tough to scrape off." The other side of the "release early, release often" coin.
Tags: design development opensource
"The message reflects one of W+K founder Dan Wieden's sayings, "You're only good to me after you've made three tremendous mistakes." (See also our 'Embrace failure' sign.) Hence, the 12's advice to everyone at W+K : Fail Harder."
Tags: art design advertising management
"In 1981, artist Richard Serra installs his sculpture Tilted Arc, in Federal Plaza in New York City." It was destroyed because people didn't like it.
On the Fimoculous redesign: "Although it might look like I've merely thrown a bunch of widgets on the page, it's actually intended to signal a notion that I've lately been bouncing off people: the future of blogging is self-aggregation."
Tags: blogs design aggregation attention
Design and the World Cup: what can we learn?
A critique of the 2006 World Cup design.
Tags: logos design branding soccer
Robert Scoble answers readers questions on lots of topics.
Tags: microsoft blogs technology business
The People Formerly Known as the Audience
Jay Rosen's state of the media audience.
Tags: blogs media2.0 community trend journalism
The Race To The Bottom ( Or Oprah, Lesbians, Jason Calacanis And The Future Of Blogs)
"So now what’s happening to blogging is the same thing that has happened to all successful media before it.Tits, ass, celebrity, music and sex."
"The new structure that appears through the broken shelves gives space to differently sized books. One element provides a place to sit and read inside the shelves."
Russel Davies: "Blogs blur the line between employees as corporate mouth and employees as people. Blogs work best when they're expressions of real personalities, not when they're written according to corporate guidelines."
Tags: blogs business marketing communication
Shock of the Neue: Graffiti Fonts By Graffiti Writers
"The fledgling type foundry is working with regional writers from the United States to create digital typefaces that take their inspiration from graffiti in their expressiveness, yet are regulated for evenness in typographic settings."
Tags: graffiti typography fonts design
Situational Relevance in Social Networking Websites
"At different times in our lives, different social networks play more or less important roles: they are situationally relevant."
Tags: socialnetworking community friendster myspace facebook
"A profession, problem-solving methodolgy and communication."
Tags: design
ESPN Wants to Be MySpace for Fans
""Monday Night Surround" will feature scouting reports, news and games within a game, where fans from the opposing teams register and battle each other for fan supremacy through trivia, IQ contests, debates and betting contest . . . "
Tags: sports socialnetworking espn television
Why Advertising Agencies Don't Get R&D
"Why the heck are advertising and marketing agencies so often so late to invest in or experiment with new technologies and emerging media, while the marketers and clients demonstrate increasing interest and tendency to pursue them directly?"
Tags: advertising innovation marketing business research