Two great presentations from The Secret Diary of a Bonafide Marketing Genius

How do you become a bonafide marketing genius? You create great, irreverent, comprehensive presentations like “What the F**K is Social Media?”

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And what else do bonafide marketing geniuses do? Every now and then, they share great, irreverent, comprehensive presentations from other marketing geniuses, like Paul Isakson's "What's Next in Marketing & Advertising?"

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Hat tip: PR Squared

Side Project

I've started a second blog called "Play One More For My Radio Sweetheart," where I'll focus on another one my favorite things--great music. Well, at least what I consider great music. One song a day, with a little commentary. Stop by and stay, if you like what you hear--but don't forget to come back here, too.

An Emphasis on productivity

Thanks to Nicole Wilkins, my post on "Productivity tips for every hour of the day" was reprinted in the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce's Emphasis publication on Friday. Nicole was a participant in the YLNI Leadership Institute session that I facilitated, and she's a contributor to the Chamber's blog, The Daily Dose*.

One thing I wanted to mention based on some good-natured comments I've received since Friday: no, I don't always take my own advice. There are plenty of days when I eat lunch at my desk, stay well past five, put off the tough tasks, and waste time. But I still think it's important to do what you can, when you can--which is the main idea behind the post. Even if you don't start your day the right way, you still can be productive. You just need to pick your spots, and do what works for you. So don't try to do it all--just do as much as you can, and you'll get more done and have more time to do the things you really want to do.

*Which was just picked up for national syndication by Amazon.com and Newstex. So, congrats, Nicole, and everyone else at The Daily Dose.

Recommended reading: Let My People Go Surfing

Last week, I mentioned Yvon Chouinard's Let My People Go Surfing in my a post entitled "What I learned on my summer vacation." I checked the book out after reading about it on AdPulp, a blog that says a lot of things I like about advertising, marketing, and life in general. It's no surprise, then, that I enjoyed Let My People Go Surfing quite a bit. It's not for everyone, but if you're looking to make your work life more meaningful, become a better marketer, or learn more about some the most pressing environmental and political challenges we face, it's definitely worth your attention. It covers a lot of ground, and it's not your average business book. But that's what makes Let My People Go Surfing so worthwhile.

Instead of writing a review, I'm going to excerpt a few of my favorite passages. If you like what you read here, I'd encourage you to check out the rest of the book*.

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I've been a businessman for almost 50 years. It's as difficult for me to say those words as it is for someone to admit to being an alcoholic or a lawyer.

I've never respected the profession. It's business that has to take the majority of the blame for being the enemy of nature, for destroying native cultures, for taking from the poor and giving to the rich, and for poisoning the earth with the effluent from its factories.

Yet business can produce food, cure disease, control population, employ people, and generally enrich our lives. And it can do these good things and make a profit without losing its soul. That's what this book is about.

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Everything we personally own that's made, sold, shipped, cleaned, and ultimately thrown away does some environmental harm every step of the way, harm that we're either directly responsible for or is done on our behalf.

All the more reason, when we consider the purchase of anything, to ask ourselves, both as producers and consumers: Is this purchase necessary? Do I really need a new outfit to do yoga? Can I do well enough with something I already have? And will it do more than one thing?

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People who aren't in the clothing business can count themselves lucky not to have the problem of fit. The way a company sizes clothes--what you call a small or a medium, whether you design for physically fit people or those who aren't--will always satisfy some customers and distress and turn away others. At Patagonia we pattern our sizes to our core consumers, who are active and in better shape than the average snowmobiler or bait fisherman. This may mean we lose potential customers in order to keep our core customers happy. So be it.

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When I die and go to hell, the devil is going to make me the marketing director for a cola company. I'll be in charge of trying to sell a product that no one needs, is identical to its competition, and can't be sold on it merits. I'd be competing head-on in the cola wars, on price, distribution, advertising, and promotion, which would indeed be hell for me. I'd much rather design and sell products so good and unique that they have no competition.

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I don't really believe that humans are evil; it's just that we are not very intelligent animals. No animal is so stupid and greedy as to foul its own nest--except humans.

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It's no wonder we're no longer called citizens but consumers. A consumer is a good name for us, and our politicians and corporate leaders are reflections of whom we have become. With the average American reading at only an eighth-grade level and nearly 50 percent of Americans not believing in evolution, we have the government we deserve.

With our winner-take-all, nonproportional system of government in the United States and with all branches of federal government and major media under conservative, antienvionrmental control, a lot of citizens are left disenfranchised. Now more than ever we need to encourage civil democracy by speaking out, joining up, volunteering, or supporting these groups financially so we can still have a voice in democracy.

*If you don't, there's always Who Cut the Cheese? or Great is Good or whatever the hell they're called.

Really simple video on RSS feeds

I'm a big fan of RSS feeds because of the way they simplify my time online. I subscribe to feeds from about 50 blogs, as well as everything from daily news from Journal Gazette and the latest entries on the Snopes.com Urban Legends site. With a quick browse through Google Reader, I cover a lot of ground in just a few minutes. If I had to visit these same pages individually to see when they were updated, I'd never keep up.

I'm such a big believer in RSS that last night I planned to find a video explaining how it works so I could post it here. Well lo and behold, The Good City has beat me to it, posting about Common Craft's "RSS in Plain English" video earlier today. In just three minutes, you'll learn how to save yourself hours a month.

So, how did I find out about the Good City post? An RSS feed to Google Reader, of course.

AdPulp on our web conservations

In this post, AdPulp does a nice job of breaking down some of the differences between monologue-driven communication, like e-mail and blogs, versus dialogue-driven communication, like IM and Twitter:

People want to engage by creating stories with others, as they would in real life. When one tells a story in real life, other people add to it in real time (which can be annoying to the storyteller). Twitter mirrors this, whereas a blog is more traditional in its storytelling structure. On a blog a writer offers something, then comments come in, but it's not a conversation just like email is not a conversation. IM and Twitter are conversations; thus, the excitement around them.

This may help explain why IM is gaining preference over e-mail. And while I still don't entirely understand the Twitter phenomenon, the analogy to a conservation seems apt.

New to the blogroll: AdVerbatims

This morning, a friend sent me a link to the "AdVerbatims: Overheard in Advertising" blog. A sample, and evidence of why it's more-than-blogroll worthy:

#384 - "Overall, it's a great ad. But I don't like the headline, and I don't like the layout" - "What do you like? The border?" - "Well...yes" (Conversation between Client and Agency)

A Trunk-load of bad advice

Penelope Trunk, the self-proclaimed Brazen Careerist, has some advice about typos that goes beyond brazen right into just-plain-bad territory. After making some good points about how typos in blog posts and reader comments aren't a big concern, she has this follow-up in the comments:

I actually think that a few typos in a resume are fine. It’s too hard to not have typos if you’re customizing your resume to every job. And, it takes such insanely careful proofreading to catch typos in your own resume, that maybe an error-free resume is a sign that someone is an obsessive-compulsive and not a good hire. Just a thought.

"Just a thought." But not a very good one.

The problem with Trunk's advice (spelled out more completely in her 2006 post, "You sent your resume with a typo? Get over it") is that it encourages people to be lazy with a key first impression. Her post was likely a response to a 2006 study (or one like it) concluding that 84% of executives won't consider candidates whose resumes have a typo*. Trunk's erudite response?

I don't believe it.

That's great. When the research doesn't agree with your need to say something controversial, just ignore it. More good advice.

I may be more sarcastic than others, but I'm not alone in my criticism of Trunk. One of the best arguments against her advice, for example, comes from Vigorous Writing:

[I]f Trunk simply argued that commenters on blogs shouldn't worry about correcting the author's grammar, I'd be in her corner. But, she took this legitimate argument and ran with it to an unattractive and dangerous place, namely that it's okay to use incorrect grammar in most kinds of writing because the only thing that really matters is the argument.

As a career advice columnist, Trunk certainly has to know the importance of a job interviewer's appearance and presentation. A candidate may be highly qualified (similar to a strong idea) but if he doesn't present himself very well (similar to a post with several grammar typos), then he's hurt his chances at getting the job (similar to people ignoring your great idea because they're distracted by your typos).

The bottom line is that you can believe Trunk, and take risks with your resume, or you can do the difficult work it takes to get it right, which includes:

1. Running spell check before you print/send. Sounds obvious, but still worth mentioning.

2. Having someone else proofread it. As mentioned in a previous post, good writers know that they can't catch all their own errors, so they have a trusted proofreader give it a second look. It's a step worth taking, even it means you can't send your resume right away.

3. Striving for perfection. You may not always get there, but it's an important target to aim for when you're sending a resume. Why? Prospective employers are looking for an excuse to put your resume in the "no" pile. A typo doesn't guarantee that's where it will land, but it sure doesn't help your cause.

4. Or, hiring someone to do it for you. I do agree with Trunk on this one: if you can't write a resume that's error free, you might be better off leaving the details to a professional. In fact, this is one the best arguments against Trunk's claim that details don't matter. If they didn't, why not just wing it yourself?

As Trunk states, "not all typos are created equal"--and that's why it's so important to avoid them on your resume. If you're a blogger, typos won't completely ruin your rep. If you comment on blogs, people probably should cut you some slack if you include a few typos. But remember, in most cases, your resume acts as your surrogate, a first impression designed to get you in the door. As such, there are few pieces of writing that demand a higher sense of urgency with the details. (And as one commenter mentioned on Trunk's blog, Seth Godin's post last week about "scraps" is worth keeping in mind.) After all, if you can't get it right on your resume, why should an employer expect that you'll get things right if he or she gives you the job?

*The post this links to is signed by an "Anthony J.," but it's a guy named Anthony Meany, not me. Why does Anthony Meany go by "Anthony J."? I dunno, but you can ask him.

"New" Ford logo?

April Fool's Day joke, or not? There are good arguments on both sides of the debate going on at Brand New. I'm siding with the skeptics, but the fact I'm not 100% convinced means that Brand New has done a pretty good job with this one. And if nothing else, the post offers a great overview of the history of the Ford logo, and an insightful look at why logos are a lot more complex than they may seem.

Communication resources from YLNI Leadership Institute

Earlier today, I facilitated a YLNI Leadership Institute session on communication, and I promised the class I'd provide a list of resources--things I mentioned throughout the day and resources supplemental to the class. So, here they are. For those of you who attended, thanks for your participation, and good luck with the remaining sessions.

Articles and books
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
“The Brand Called You” by Tom Peters
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
“Employers Cite Communication Skills, Honesty/Integrity as Key for Job Candidates,” National Association of Colleges and Employers
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath
Your Call is Important to Us: The Truth About Bullshit, by Laura Penny

Blogs (Misc.)
The Daily Dose (Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce/Nicole Wilkins)
Downtown Fort Wayne Baseball (Brian Spaulding)
The Good City (Jon Swerens)
Good URL Bad URL
“The Newbie Guide to Blogging” from Lifehack.org
Seth Godin's Blog
SoundBite Back

Employment Communication
“36 Beautiful Resume Designs That Work” by JobMob
VisualCV.com

Instant Messaging
Google Talk
Meebo
Yahoo Instant Messenger

Listening
“8 Ways to Avoid Conversational Narcissism” by Hello, My Name is Blog

Online Classes--FREE
Communicating Across Cultures from MIT OpenCourseWare
English Grammar in Context from LearningSpace
First Year Chinese from Utah State University
Spanish 1 from MIT OpenCourseWare
Spanish: Espacios públicos from LearningSpace

Presenting and PowerPoint
“70+ PowerPoint and Presentation Resources and Great Examples” by meryl.net
Create Your Communications Experience
“Deliver a Presentation like Steve Jobs” by Carmine Gallo
“How NOT To Use Powerpoint” by Comedian Don McMillan
“Really Bad PowerPoint (and how to avoid it)” by Seth Godin
Six Minutes: Public Speaking and Presentations Skills
Toastmasters

Productivity
“The World's Most Organized Man” by Joe Kita

Reference
Definr.com
OneLook Dictionary Search
Visuwords
Wikimapia
Wikipedia

Social Networks
Smaller Indiana
Facebook
LinkedIn
Ning

Tools
ACPL card
Bubbl.us
Dragon Naturally Speaking
Flickr
Google Reader
Google Pages
Jott
PDF Hammer
PDF Online
YouTube

Writing
Daily Writing Tips
Grammar Girl
Journal Gazette Letters to the Editor
The Lonely Writer (e-book) by Geoffrey Hineman
News-Sentinel Letters to the Editor
Synonym.com
Thank-You-Note-Samples.com
“Why Writing Like a College Student Will Kill You Online” by Copyblogger

Misc.
“Did You Know 2.0” from Shift Happens

If you read nothing else, read #1

A great list from Ian Lurie's "Conversation Marketing": The Internet Marketing List: 59 Things You Should Be Doing But Probably Aren't. My favorite item on Lurie's list is right there at the top:

1. If you have a Flash introduction on your web site, delete it. If you don’t agree, try this: Shove your head into a bucket of water. Stay in there, not breathing, for 10 seconds longer than is comfortable. That’s what you’re doing to your customers. Delete it, please.

Yes, Flash intros look cool. But just because you can do something cool, it doesn't mean you should. Remember, if it doesn't advance the conversation with your customers, get rid of it. Unless you're in the Flash animation development business, all a Flash intro does is get in the way.

And if you need more ammunition to make a case against Flash, here it is.

Twitterpated

I don't see myself jumping into the Twitter pool anytime soon, but this video at least makes it easy to understand. If you've been thinking about starting a blog, or you're just looking for an easy way to communicate glimpses of your day to the outside world, Twitter may be a good place to start. (And if you're looking to communicate instructions to an audience, you could do a lot worse than a video like this.)

Hat tip: The Marketing Technology Blog

SBB to The Daily (Ad) Biz: "Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

Today's quote of the day comes from the blog The Daily (Ad) Biz, in a post about McDonald's leaping onto "the corporate social responsibility bandwagon":

Fonzie’s strapping on his skis as we speak.

The post referenced a McDonald's ad touting the company's fair hiring practices (click on the image below for a larger version). The Biz was critical of McDonald's chest-pounding (as was AdRants), calling it "tangental to the product offering" with "trite copy that is kinda familiar." As such, the McDonald's ad was further proof that the entire notion of corporate responsibility has "jumped the shark."

In this case, I think McDonald's is damned if it does, damned if it doesn't. Tell the world that you strive to employ a diverse workforce, and they criticize you for being self-congratulatory. Don't say anything, however, and they'll assume you're not socially conscious. At least by spending money on your message, you're showing the world that you think diversity matters. Is McDonald's doing it for selfish reasons? Maybe. But I'll take selfish aspirational ads over selfish misanthropic ads any day.

But back to that quote for a minute. Whether or not I completely agree with the sentiment of the post, "Fonzie’s strapping on his skis as we speak" is a fine turn of phrase. So, to you, The Biz, I say: "Ayyyyyyyyyyyy!" And if you know anything about The Fonz, you'll know that's high praise indeed.

If you're completely lost, here's some info on The Fonz and the origin of the phrase "jump the shark." BONUS COVERAGE: click here to learn whether your favorite TV show has jumped a shark of its own.

Learn by example: the Six Minutes critiques

I mentioned the Six Minutes Public Speaking and Presentations Skills Blog yesterday, and I've added it to the blogroll. It's a great resource for anyone who makes presentations for a living, or who isn't taking the opportunity to present out of fear or a lack of knowledge.

One of the best things on Six Minutes is a series of detailed presentation critiques. Each one includes a video of the presentation, along with insight into what the speakers do well and constructive criticism about what can be improved. It's the next best thing to having one of your own speeches evaluated--and a lot less painful.

The speakers critiqued on the site include:

• Majora Carter
• Steve Jobs
• Al Gore

The people behind the posts

Two markedly different recent events provide stark reminders of the power of blogs--and the very real consequences involved for those who provide fodder for bloggers and commenters.

The first, obviously, is the Nancy Nall/Tim Goeglein blockbuster. I've discussed this one already, but I'll summarize by saying that blogs have real power today. Nall's post went from local curiosity to national news within hours, and Goeglein turned in his resignation not 12 hours after it first appeared. At the risk of sounding biased, I think Nall's post was very much fair play. Sure, she doesn't like Goeglein, and sure, she had mocked his writing in the past. But it was Goeglein's blatant plagiarism that caused his demise; Nall just hastened it. (Goeglein acknowledged as much in today's News-Sentinel.) It may be too soon to say where this story will end, but one thing's for sure: Goeglein has lost his job, maybe along with some future opportunities that were available to him as of Thursday. That's pretty serious stuff, regardless of who's to blame.

Tonight, Nall announced that she's shutting down comments on the Goeglein post. It's a matter of both self-preservation and maintaining the civil tone she strives to set, she explains:

Keeping up with the moderation queue is making it tough to get anything else done, and I think all that needs to be said has been said. The more recent poo-flinging is starting to get on my nerves as well. As many of our regulars have noted, this is a blog that keeps things fairly friendly, even when we’re fighting. I’m putting pretty much everything through in the interest of letting everyone have a say, but it’s really unwieldy now.

The important thing here, I think, is that Nall seems to understand that there are real people behind the posts and comments on her blog. While you might criticize her for calling attention to Goeglein's writing, she did notify the News-Sentinel first, as Leo Morris noted on his blog on Friday. Now she is making the judgment call that things are getting out of hand in the comments. Both appear to be good, carefully considered decisions.

Blogs, however, aren't always so civil, and things don't always end so well. Take the story of Paul Tilley, for example. Tilley, the creative director of DDB Chicago, committed suicide on February 23. Some are speculating that the way he was treated in blog postings and comments had something to do with it, as The New York Times reports:

Before his death, Mr. Tilley had come under particularly harsh criticism on the advertising blogs. AgencySpy, which is written by an anonymous advertising industry employee, was perhaps the most biting.

In a Feb. 19 posting, the site quoted excerpts from an internal e-mail message Mr. Tilley had sent to subordinates, in which he wrote: “Too many of you are only doing good work. And some of you are doing work that simply isn’t good enough.”

AgencySpy wrote that Mr. Tilley “needs to go back to management 101,” adding: “At one point, Paul thought he could make it as a game show host. Doesn’t one need to be charming for that?”

The site then published 12 comments peppered with personal insults aimed at Mr. Tilley — among them an insult signed by George Parker, the author of the AdScam blog.

Friends of Tilley's and blogs like the daily (ad) biz have suggested that someone doesn't commit suicide as a result of what they read on a blog--and they're probably right. But when bloggers create a hostile, uncivil environment, they're certainly not contributing to a constructive dialogue. The hard part is judging what's newsworthy and relevant, and what's just a personal attack.

When I first started this blog, a friend gave me some good advice: the tone you set will be the one adopted by the majority of your visitors. Keep things civil, and most of them will play along. But go into the gutter, and some people will be inclined to follow. And they likely will be the voices that dominate the conversation.

I'm lucky, because this blog's subjects aren't inherently controversial, and the traffic is slow enough to prevent much, if any, bickering. But if there's a lesson to be learned from Tilley's suicide, it's that even the most benign topics can lead to some ugly online conversations. And if there's a lesson to be learned from the Nall/Goeglein story, it's that a blogger has some control over the tone, even when the subject matter is politically charged or otherwise controversial.

If we hope to truly enhance our communication environment with help from technology, nothing is more important than remembering that there are real people behind the posts and comments we make, and that there are real consequences for the things we say online. As technology gives us the safety of physical distance, it also can make us forget the true power of words. You're responsible for what you say online, just as you're responsible for what you say in the real world. Nancy Nall and Tim Goeglein are learning that lesson as we speak, and they seem to be handling it as constructively as possible. As for Paul Tilley, it's not clear whether a more civil tone would have made a difference--but that, of course, is enough to make you think before you hit the submit button.

Will the real Tim Goeglein please stand up?

Someone commenting under the name "Tim Goeglein" posted this on Nancy Nall's blog at 4:42 a.m. (it's the 289th comment):

You will pay Woman. One way or another. If it’s the last thing I ever do. You will pay and pay dearly. You cost me my job and now I have to find another one to feed my family.

You’re an jerk of the highest order.

What comes around, goes around, remember that.

Tim

My guess is that it's an imposter, based on Goeglein's contrition yesterday. But given the antipathy between Nall and Goeglein, and the pace at which this story has developed, you never know.

Tim Goeglein, Nancy Nall, and the speed of 21st century communication

The Tim Goeglein plagiarism story broke just 12 hours ago, and it's already moved from humble blog post to national news sensation. It's a great example of the speed at which communication moves today, with lessons for bloggers, writers and anyone else who's interested in old or new media.

I've been out of town most of the day, yet I was able to follow it pretty closely thanks to RSS feeds, wireless access, a Blackberry, FortWayne.com, Panera Bread, and e-mails from friends. A timeline of what I heard when:

- I check Google Reader at about 7:00 a.m. Just another day in the blogosphere, it seems.

- "Copycat" first appears on nancynall.com at 7:38 a.m.

- I break for lunch about 12:30. I'm sitting in a Panera Bread in Kokomo (consistently great wireless internet access, by the way), when I read this Fort Wayne Observed post.

- Which leads me to this Journal Gazette story.

- Which leads me to this News-Sentinel story.

- A friend e-mails me some thoughts at 1:30 p.m., helping shape my understanding of what's going on

- I disappear into meetings all afternoon, but when I get home another friend has e-mailed me this AP story

- As of 8:00 p.m., there are 242 comments to Nall's "Copycat" post

Let's make one thing clear: Nancy Nall didn't bring down Tim Goeglein. Tim Goeglein brought down Tim Goeglein. But still, this is pretty amazing stuff. A few takeaways:

- Blogs matter. They matter a lot.

- Don't plagiarize. It's bad and you can get fired.

- The Internet is your permanent record, and it's everyone else's permanent record, too. Blatant plagiarism in 2008, then, is pretty stupid. (In fact, we all should be aware of the Internet's lengthy memory, as The Marketing Technology Blog aptly pointed out on Monday.)

- Blogs matter. They matter a lot.

- Great blogs combine the best of old media--fact checking, good judgment about what makes a story a story, and good writing--with the best of new media--immediacy and interactivity. Nall has an advantage in being a journalist, but this is really a case of collaboration. Nall posted about one instance of Goeglein's plagiarism, then her commenters found others. It's unclear whether he would have been compelled to resign if it only happened once, but being revealed as a serial plagiarizer--with 20 offending columns identified so far--sure didn't help him.

- News has always traveled fast, but today the citizen journalist can break a national news story in a second.

- And if you're the subject of this news, your first response matters. Goeglein seemed resigned (pun intentional) to the worst from the start.

- Hell hath no fury like a blogger scorned. Nall's criticism of Goeglein goes back quite a bit, and it seems likely that she wouldn't have been as quick to call him out if he was a friend. This probably would have caught up with Goeglein eventually, but Nall and her commenters/collaborators brought it to a quick, certain conclusion.

- Newspapers can still be incredibly relevant when they commit to covering a story as it happens. Make no mistake about it, this was Nall's baby. But the local papers did a good job of becoming part of the conversation. (The Sentinel, however, loses a few points for refusing to acknowledge Nall's former employment with the paper in their early coverage. They had a chance to include an interesting angle, and they chose not to. Hard to say why, but they probably felt outshined. And while they should have, they made things even worse by ignoring the obvious.)

- Blogs matter. They matter a lot.

Today, Nancy Nall demonstrated the true power of new media, while also defending the integrity of old media. In doing so, she showed how media are changing, and how quickly communication can move when you have a good story to tell.