Information User

"The control which designers know in the print medium, and often desire in the web medium, is simply..."

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:31:00 -0500

“The control which designers know in the print medium, and often desire in the web medium, is simply a function of the limitation of the printed page. We should embrace the fact that the web doesn’t have the same constraints, and design for this flexibility. But first, we must accept the ebb and flow of things.”

- John Allsop

The Wirecutter continues to develop. I love this review.

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:18:12 -0500

The Wirecutter continues to develop. I love this review.

A lot of people worked hard on this video and it’s the...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:36:40 -0500

A lot of people worked hard on this video and it’s the first in a series of four. The talent is extraordinary, production excellent and sponsorship wonderfully fitting. Can’t wait to post the remaining three.

Cool to be a part of this. Thanks to everyone. The Wirecutter...

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:17:32 -0400

Cool to be a part of this. Thanks to everyone. The Wirecutter 1.0 AKA Raw Mode. Stay tuned.

"Question: What did you learn from Mark Zuckerberg specifically? Answer: The importance of having a..."

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 08:08:29 -0500

“

Question: What did you learn from Mark Zuckerberg specifically?

Answer: The importance of having a stable and lucid vision at the core of an organization.

”

- I’ve never heard of Cloudera before this article and I’m no real investor but based on this one interview, my instinct says this company will be successful and to bet heavily on it as long as it keeps its leadership in place. Jeff Hammerbacher sounds like he has the tactical skills, vision and is in the right time and place to lead a successful enterprise.

Photo

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:18:07 -0500

Long Form: Excerpts from Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 13:44:00 -0500

Reading Clay Shirky’s book, Cognitive Surplus. It’s an insightful read discussing some of the fundamental societal waves swelling now. As an exercise, I wanted to pull out some excerpts I enjoyed. It’s a quick combination of quotes and rephrasing.

Media production has had 15th century Gutenberg economics applied for the 500 years. That is to say “it’s expensive to own and manage the means of production or if it requires a staff you’re in the world of Gutenberg economics. And where ever you have Gutenberg economics, you’re going to have the producers deciding what’s good before showing it to the audience. In this world almost all media was produced by “the media”. Page 45.
In the old world of Gutenberg economics there was no automatic “publish” button. Today there is.
Publish means to make something public. “Consider the cluster of ideas contained in this list: publicity, publicize, publish, publication, publicist, publisher.”
In rethinking the concept media today, it’s evolved from something we consume to something we use. The connotation of media that it’s “something produced by professionals for consumption by amateurs” is antiquated and Mr. Shirky’s new conception of the word is: “Media is the connective tissue of society.” Page 54.
In 1999 two lead AOL community moderators sued AOL on behalf of tens of thousands of volunteers saying they should have been paid minimum wage. The reason why after years and hours of participating willingly lies in what changed. Page 59.
“Extrinsic motivation like being paid can crowd out an intrinsic one like enjoying something for its own sake.” Page 72.
“The feeling of confidence is often best engaged at the edge of one’s abilities.” Page 77.
The explosion of production in amateur/social media would be curtailing if it only was satisfying a release of pent-up desires. The flow continues to increase though because social media rewards our intrinsic desires for membership and sharing. Page 88.
The social media world connects people with niche interests at very low “discovery costs.”
A surprise is the feeling of an old belief breaking. A surprise is not just new information as we integrate new information regularly.
Many new behaviors like memorizing phone numbers are put there because of inconvenience. Page 101.
“Users can press a tool into service in ways that the designers never imagined, and those new functions are often discovered and perfected not by a burst of solo inspiration but by exploration and improvement among a collaborative group.” See: Dogtown Z-Boys skateboarding in pools. Nice phrase from this? Collaborative competition. Page 103.
“Under the right circumstances, we are good at coordinating our actions with regard for other people, even those not present. The skill isn’t universal, however; it requires figuring out how to encourage mutual regard for one another and balance selfish motivation against it. That challenge of any group dynamic- the Z-Boys and the Impressionist had both competitive and collaborative aspects. What’s new is the prospect of creating that mutual regard across much larger and more widely dispersed groups, groups who pool their efforts without sharing a physical location, and whose creations can be valuable not just for the participants but for the rest of the world as well.” Page 115.
Young people respond to experimentation because they have much to gain and little to lose. The pooh-pooh’ing that happens when people share too much is a derivative on this. If these pooh-pooh’ers, were in the “young person’s” position, they’d exercise the opportunity to experiment as well. Page 123.
A Thomas Jefferson quote: “He who receives ideas from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine, as he who lights his taper at mine receives light without darkening me.” Digital data sharing has similar qualities. Think Napster.
In 1973 Mark Granovetter showed in a seminal paper, “The Strength of Weak Ties,” that people tend to find jobs through casual acquaintances rather than through close friends or family.” Page 128.

Phatic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:17:25 -0500

Phatic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia :

johnbattelle:

In linguistics, a phatic expression (pronounced /ˈfætɨk/) is one whose only function is to perform a social task, as opposed to conveying information.^[1]The term was coined by anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski in the early 1900s.

- You’re welcome.

+1 :)

Prime Links Vol. 1

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 23:38:47 -0500

Prime Links Vol. 1

"They want to bring good things to life."

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 10:12:40 -0500

“They want to bring good things to life.”

- A quote from an article on Richard Bejtlich’s blog on digital security (via blog.alexreinart.com via @CDixon)

Important Information

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:51:00 -0500

A dated Steve Jobs interview I was recently exposed to is so chock-full of beautiful quotes I need more than 140 characters to share them with you. The interview is remarkable for a number of reasons including the moment in time it captures. It’s before the real consumer computer revolution and Steve’s vision is so unwavering. It’s wonderful to read this article with the hindsight we have today in 2010. Steve’s vision comes true. And frankly, based on the conviction with which he speaks, why wouldn’t it. The excerpts I’ve chosen to share below are ones that I haven’t really heard Steve talk about before: About more than just the computer business or about great design and products, he’s actually sharing some of his thoughts and philosophies about life.

“If anyone is reading any of my thoughts, I’d keep that in mind. Don’t take it all too seriously. If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you’ve done and whoever you were and throw them away. What are we, anyway? Most of what we think we are is just a collection of likes and dislikes, habits, patterns. At the core of what we are is our values, and what decisions and actions we make reflect those values. That is why it’s hard doing interviews and being visible: As you are growing and changing, the more the outside world tries to reinforce an image of you that it thinks you are, the harder it is to continue to be an artist, which is why a lot of times, artists have to go, “Bye. I have to go. I’m going crazy and I’m getting out of here.” And they go and hibernate somewhere. Maybe later they re-emerge a little differently.”
“The minute you have the means to take responsibility for your own dreams and can be held accountable for whether they come true or not, life is a lot tougher. It’s easy to have wonderful thoughts when the chance to implement them is remote. When you’ve gotten to a place where you at least have a chance of implementing your ideas, there’s a lot more responsibility in that.”

From:

http://www.playboy.com/articles/playboy-interview-steven-jobs/index.html?page=2

Wipe Your Feet: The Print Is Not Dead, It Is Not Even Print

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:44:45 -0400

Wipe Your Feet: The Print Is Not Dead, It Is Not Even Print:

Peter claims that I have edited this conversation in order to make myself appear more clever. This is true.

A few years ago, in my parent’s kitchen, Peter and I found ourselves on opposing ends of an argument about the future of print media. In one corner: my dad and Peter, matching whiskeys on…

The Content King Needs New Clothes. Solid article supporting an industry truth: Advertising is only a piece of marketing.

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:24:50 -0400

The Content King Needs New Clothes. Solid article supporting an industry truth: Advertising is only a piece of marketing.

Great story about this fella @TristanWalker and how he became...

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:32:00 -0400

Great story about this fella @TristanWalker and how he became the man who is now famous for not calling major brand marketers back:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-arnon/a-foursquare-graduation-j_b_545528.html

tristanwalker:

ha! for those wondering how dennis/naveen let me slip thru the cracks to get the chance to wrk at foursquare!

Great ad execution by Sprint on The Huffington Post today....

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:32:28 -0400

Great ad execution by Sprint on The Huffington Post today. Congrats to @LauraKrebill for making it happen. Really phenomenal, high impact placements.

"There are many places to bet the company or put all your resources in one basket, but sales and..."

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:46:43 -0400

“

There are many places to bet the company or put all your resources in one basket, but sales and deals are not the place.

Additionally, David Olgilvy has some words of wisdom on this topic:

Handling accounts once you have got them is deadly serious business. You are spending other people’s money, and the fate of their company often rests in your hands. But I regard the hunt for new clients as a sport. If you play it grimly, you will die of ulcers. If you play it with lighthearted gusto, you will survive your failures without losing sleep.

Also, it’s when you have lighthearted gusto that you crab at your best.

”

- Why Deals and Sales are Like Deadliest Catch - jonsteinberg (via tedr)

That is a MONEy quote from Ogilvy. Livin it.

(via gross)

alexbalk: It’s Choire Sicha’s Awl, we just blog on it.

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 02:36:29 -0400

alexbalk:

It’s Choire Sicha’s Awl, we just blog on it.

"This is an opt-in experiment for HTML5 support on YouTube. If you are using a supported browser, you..."

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:13:36 -0500

“This is an opt-in experiment for HTML5 support on YouTube. If you are using a supported browser, you can choose to use the HTML5 player instead of the Flash player for most videos. Your comments will help us improve and perfect the mixtures we’re working on. So jump in, play around, and send your feedback directly to the brains behind the scenes.”

- YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. (via gross)

"1. Delete 120 minutes a day of ‘spare time’ from your life. This can include TV, reading the..."

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:07:50 -0400

“

1. Delete 120 minutes a day of ‘spare time’ from your life. This can include TV, reading the newspaper, commuting, wasting time in social networks and meetings. Up to you.

2. Spend the 120 minutes doing this instead:
* Exercise for thirty minutes.
* Read relevant non-fiction (trade magazines, journals, business books, blogs, etc.)
* Send three thank you notes.
* Learn new digital techniques (spreadsheet macros, Firefox shortcuts, productivity tools, graphic design, html coding)
* Volunteer.
* Blog for five minutes about something you learned.
* Give a speech once a month about something you don’t currently know a lot about.

3. Spend at least one weekend day doing absolutely nothing but being with people you love.

4. Only spend money, for one year, on things you absolutely need to get by. Save the rest, relentlessly.

”

- Seth’s Blog: Is effort a myth? (via fred-wilson)

On Brands Today (As shaped by Rob Walker's Buying In)

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:24:43 -0400

I just finished Rob Walker’s Buying In and I found some valuable lessons in the book. It dealt with the meaning of brands in today’s consumer goods landscape. With the rise of the “Pretty Good Problem” (all goods are relatively the same, when you go to buy a stove top you are faced with selecting from 50 different products, yet they will all funtion extremely simlarly), companies and brands need to stand out in order have people purchase them and to, ultimately, reach their goal of profit. Combine this with the basic psycological desire for a single human wanting to be an individual yet part of something bigger and the undeniable fact that the modern day multinational corporation has emerged as a faceless and, decidely, not individualistic entity and what emerges is a need for marketing change; a transition away from the top-down, speak-at, dictation that brand marketing has been for the past 50 years. Once the corporate product has reached that level of functional parity, marketing is the one operation that can offer the product, and really the brand, the thing it needs to stand out: meaning via thoughtful and value-add marketing. For proof of this, see the recent resurgence of artisan, hand made goods and do-it-yourself communities; people love to be a part of something that is unique. For further proof see the emergence of niche fashion brands like A Bathing Ape that are selling one of the world’s most well known commoditites, T-Shirts, yet doing so at an extremely high premiums. Why is this happening? Because the design on the T-Shirt means something more than just wearing a T-Shirt. The Polo logo represents high-class leisure and Mark Ecko’s rhinoceraus represents urban flavor. Communities have hi jacked functional brands to have their own meaning too: the Hip Hop community completely took over Timberland which was designed as a working-class, blue collar functional work boot for factory workers. How and why does this happen? Because it shows that the people who wear it are part of something larger than they are. The ability for the consumer to be able to project what the brand means to them individually is important too. See the success of Hello Kitty and the Lance Armstrong Livestrong bracelet, two phenomally successful products because of their indescriptness. Those products meant something different to everyone.

In a life where all human’s really_need is food, clothing and shelter yet have the ability and luxury to buy things for reasons other than the most basic need of survival, marketing is the one answer that can provide brands with the ability to give their products the chance to shine in a highly evolved, modern market place that is cluttered with the pretty good problem. The niche communities on the Internet are the meaningful places that can create meaning for the big, corporate brands which during the baby boom generation it was fine to be faceless. Although, a transition is occurring; the faceless trend is over now and the marketplace and products have evolved to a state where brands should be more than just a funtional product, rather brands should be providing their patrons with a functional object that helps personify their unique identity and supports who they are as a person. Put your brand in a community and have it mean something to your target audience. Communitize your brand.