January 2008
31 posts
Thinking Blogging by a Thinking Blogger →
I can remember how excited I was when I received my very first link to this blog. It was as if I had made a new friend on the other side of the planet. And I know that many others continue to feel this excitement — the joy of connection, a meeting of minds or a discussion in the offing. So today I was excited to see a link from the very clever Mark Hancock (who has exceptional taste in...
Web Trends in Beta →
Hot on the heels of Ross Dawson’s trend predictions for 2008 comes the IA Web Trends 2008 — in Beta (with thanks to Jen from Innovation Feeder). There are obvious design similarities here (I believe the IA folks from Tokyo were inspired by Ross’ efforts last year), but this map has a different focus. It is more to do with the brands behind the trends, with the trends variously...
South Park Yourself →
This is a nice little bit of web fun to break up the marketing heaviness of the last couple of days … SP-Studio allows you to create your very own South Park-style avatar. You can choose a whole range of clothing, style and expression options so that your avatar looks just like you. See the resemblance here? OK this is more Servant of Chaos meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer … but at...
Forget Influentials, Embrace the Curious →
Yesterday’s post on Influentials generated some great comments and got me thinking (yet again) … and this is where it is going … Process Over Targeting In building your marketing/digtial strategy and beginning to execute, the challenge is not in the targeting, but in establishing a transmissable message. It is about creating a flow between participants in the conversation about...
A Dash of Pauly →
It has been a long time between drinks, but Paul McEnany promises to return with more ideas, analysis and cursing in the very near future. In the meantime, he leaves us with this gem. It is even G-rated.
Hee Haw Marketing BS ad from paulmcenany on Vimeo.
The Dream of Influence and the Democracy of Action →
Over the last couple of days there has been a rash of conversation, discussion and analysis around the concept of “influence” — driven by the publication of Duncan Watts and Peter Dodds article on Influentials, Networks, and Public Opinion Formation. David Reich points out that the Fast Company article, Is the Tipping Point Toast, offers a little more context on Duncan Watts and...
Brands -- Are Bloggers in Your Sights? →
From the outside, the “blogosphere” is a weird, anarchic and slightly self-obsessed world. With over 70 million blogs and countless thousands starting up each day, it is little wonder that most brand managers, marketing directors and CEOs have no idea where to start. But have you thought about it? Who are these people who write blogs? And how would you respond if a...
The Carnival of Content →
ReTraToS de CaRnAVaL // CaRniVaL PorTraiTs Originally uploaded by JucaFii
When I first started blogging I remember reading about blog carnivals — those group writing projects based on a set topic. Carnivals are hosted by an organiser, with contributors from all over the world submitting an overview and a URL to their post. They are a great way of discovering new blogs, interesting topics...
How Do They Do It? →
Trophy Cupcake Holiday Cupcake Originally uploaded by cakespy
There are some bloggers that continuously amaze me with their content, thinking and energy. Just when I think that I cannot write anything more or spend any more time writing (most of my blogging is done late at night), I will find some piece of inspiration that gets my brain ticking over and my fingers tap, tap tapping. Inspired by...
My Media Week →
HINES_digestion.jpg Originally uploaded by printzerostudios
Neil Perkin tagged my on this interesting meme — which asks us to look at our media consumption over the past week. So, let’s take a look at what I ate, drank and osmosed over the last week: Books I have been snack-reading a number of books for the last month or so. I am previewing Michael Port’s new book which is...
Friday Folly - January 25, 2008 →
It has taken me almost a month to bring back the Friday Folly … but here is the first for 2008. This one is from the ever vigilant Stanley Johnson. As Stan says, “What I don’t know is who comes up with ads like this. And why”. Good question.
Need to Plan Visually? Now You Can! →
visualisation-table Originally uploaded by servantofchaos
I love the way David Armano translates concepts into visuals. I am envious. It seems effortless (which is a sure sign of mastery). I, on the other hand, have little to no visual skill. Well I can do composition and layout, but not design. Not like a real designer. In my last job I would often be working on a whiteboard discussing...
Winning and Influencing in Social Media →
‘how to win friends and influence people’ Originally uploaded by bubbo-tubbo
Over the past few months Valeria Maltoni, the Conversation Agent, has been on fire. She has written scores of long form, well thought-out and clearly articulated blog posts that offer genuine analysis and raise challenging questions. Just start here and work your way through the last few weeks to see...
Blog with the Stars →
Estrellas Invitadas / Guest Stars Originally uploaded by Alfredo Grandjean
OK … that may be over-stating it … but I am approaching a milestone with this blog. That’s right, a cause for celebration … a time to make hay, shake things up a little. I am a few comments short of 2000 — and the person who makes the 2000th comment gets the chance to write a guest...
Is This a Marketing Coup? No It's Just the Junta →
As I keep a fairly close eye on incoming web links, referrals and so on, I am always surprised when I find myself mentioned on an unknown website. Even more so when I find that I am on a list … after all one of the purposes of a list is to let participants know that they are on it. It took the digitally ambidextrous Greg Verdino to point me in the right direction of Junta42 — a...
Twitter Tells Me Heath Ledger is Dead →
Heath Ledger Originally uploaded by Howie_Berlin
This morning I was shocked to see the announcement that Heath Ledger is dead. I used to like seeing photos of Heath taking his kids for a walk or out to the shops. I am sure this will be a devastating time for his family and friends. The fact that I found this out on Twitter marks another interesting twist in the relationship between...
Blending Trends and Brands in 2008 →
Today was a bit of a Ross Dawson fest for me. Not only did I listen to the podcast that he recorded with Stan Relihan, I also found this cool Shanghai Tube-inspired map of trend predictions for 2008 (download the PDF here). While I don’t necessarily agree with the mainline destinations on the map, they do provide great food for thought. However, I do like the way that different trend lines...
The Charm of History →
100_2154 Originally uploaded by servantofchaos
Hypertext is a great pleasure. First up, there is the anticipation of the click … the clean blue link colour of an unvisited site stands out against the white screen, beckoning. It is unmistakeable. Sometimes I can pause for a moment while at other times I launch right in. Then, as my digital request is sent across thousands of kilometres...
Enterprise 2.0 Executive Forum in Sydney →
Next month, Sydney plays host to the Enterprise 2.0 Executive Forum. Hosted by Ross Dawson’s Future Exploration Network, the conference should be a festival of ideas and case studies of what works and what is on the cards in the rundown mishmash of social media and large scale business. There are a wealth of good speakers lining up, and the venue, Luna Park, captures the beauty of Sydney...
Confession Time - 8 Things in 08 →
Confession Originally uploaded by Heather.Isabel
Normally I am all over a meme. I have willingly joined in the Eight Random Things, Z-list, O-list and the Zombie Apocalypse (as well as many others). I find them a great way to discover new links, sites and content as well as a great opportunity to disclose something new about yourself. After all, blogs are, in many ways, a slow striptease where...
A Mind Full of Stories →
old stories Originally uploaded by Mr. Mark
This year is already confounding me. There are shifts in my thinking and in my actions that I am yet to understand. I am looking at the ghosts of last years’ ideas and wondering where they stand — whether they are real, imagined or waiting to be shouted into existence. And all the while time is standing still … it feels like the...
Here is Something To Talk About →
Men I would marry III Originally uploaded by ♥ shhexycorin ♥
Not quite a year ago, Drew and I asked a question — would you like to write a business book. And over 100 people responded from all over the world … contributing 400 words each to the book Age of Conversation. Part way through the project, Drew and I decided that we would go ahead and do it again in 2008....
Music as the Soundtrack to our Lives →
When I first visit a new friend’s home I find myself drawn to two things — their bookcase and their music collection. From these two personal, living artefacts I can glean many things … I look for similarities with my own collections and also for differences. I look for recognition — is there something that I have heard about but never explored? What stands out and why? By...
Twitter Over Delivers →
I am pleased to see that the community collection for Ashley Spencer has achieved its goals — $5000. Through the work of a number of dedicated folks and through the generosity of a wide Twitter community, Ashley’s family will have at least a little financial respite in the immediate term. For those of you who have not heard the tragic story, click here and here. And for those of you...
The Co-creation of a New Calendar Girl →
Calendargirl avant la lettre Originally uploaded by dirk huijssoon
Late last year I was looking around for some music and happened upon a spectacular open source music project. It is the brainchild of Tamara who made the effort to write and record the vocal track for one song each month. These were then made available to the CCmixer community who would mix and engineer the tracks and then...
Is That CHANGE in Your Pocket? →
Yesterday, as I watched the Twitter messages flash on the bottom corner of my computer screen I saw something that made me freeze. In less that 140 characters I suddenly knew more about about the life (and unfortunately, the tragic death) of someone I had never really met. A link came through to announce the terrible news that Ashley Spencer (known on Twitter as AshPEAmama) had died in a car...
Visit the Aussie Bloggers Forum →
3332_eureka flag Originally uploaded by thomask
For many, blogging can be a lonely exercise … at least at first. It takes time to learn the ropes — figuring out which blogging system to use, how to promote your blog and how to grow an audience or community around your site. When I first started I can remember being excited the day that I received 10+ visitors — reaching...
A Slow Start to '08 →
This year has started in a very different way for me than last year. As some of my longer term readers will remember, there were quite a few dramas and a few surprises at the time. Not only did I come to a new understanding of the value of life, but also the importance of family, the generosity of friends and the need to focus on creating lasting, beneficial change in a circle that is as wide as...
There Are Only 90 Days Left! →
When CK first started talking about getting a few bloggers together I wondered whether it would really be possible. After all, many of us live in far flung places … with busy lives, work commitments and (let’s face it), budgets to live within. But I did like the idea (first meetup in NY and the following year in Venice - yay Gianandrea) and loved the thought of meeting face-to-face...
