Over the years I’ve been given the opportunity to take part in many cool initiatives and projects working with brands.

My writing, speaking and knowledge has taken me on trips all over this country and beyond, allowed me to play with tons of cool gear and make some great friends along the way.

I ran my own agency and have worked on numerous award winning campaigns for companies both big and small. As the author of a best-selling book on marketing, I believe I’ve earned the right to say I know a thing or two about how to be successful in media.

But, I’ve been noodling over something for several weeks now and trying to pull my thoughts together around it.

To put it bluntly, it bothers me that brand after brand I come in contact with seems to be very eager to show me a good time around a single project, but they never want to commit to anything long term.

They want to date, but they certainly don’t want a relationship.

I held off on writing this post because I wanted to talk to others to see if it was just me over analyzing the world around me. Time and time again I got confirmation that I wasn’t and that other people are seeing this happen all the time.

The general formula seems to be that a company will create an event/junket/program that involves online personalities. They bring us together or send us out something and for a set amount of time they get us talking, creating and sharing about them. It all comes to an end and then nothing. Silence….

I only do business with companies I’m interested in for one reason or another. I’ve turned down plenty of opportunities that just were not a fit for me. If I say yes, it is because I see something more there and want to start building a relationship.

But, I wonder if I’m the only one thinking this because most times I don’t see any long term engagement in the future. I mean one night stands are fun, but after a while most people crave something a bit more meaningful. That is where I’m at right now.

Once we’ve gone through that dating period, I expect (and hope) that the company will continue to share news with me. Tell me about initiatives they have going on, new product announcements and anything else they have that I might be interested in. Since we’ve already become connected they’ve earned the right to do that. Their PR departments should love this because I’m saying we’ve moved beyond the pitch, I want to hear about everything they have going on.

There is also a level of loyalty I feel after taking part in something with any brand. If we had an ongoing relationship then I’d never consider working with their competitors, but again if we are only dating it makes things harder.

Amtrak stepping up and doing a long term sponsorship with me gave me faith that there are brands out there that understand the importance of long term relationships. Yes, a sponsorship is different than a relationship, but I mention it because it shows that they want something more than a quick hit.

Please, let me make it clear that this has nothing to do with dollars, but more about good old fashion relationships. I can think of numerous companies that I’ve tried to form ones with after big events and yet there are only two that have really made it happen. That seems like a lot of wasted marketing dollars without the return that is just waiting to be made.

I’m sure a lot of this has to do with the high turnover rate of individuals and agencies working with brands. As soon as you get to know someone, they may no longer be there. But, the smart company is going to make sure that multiple people know who the friends are so that this doesn’t happen.

Brands, please think about this the next time you plan an event or campaign. We want to work with you and we’d love to do it on an ongoing basis. If you stop thinking only about the short term and begin planning for the long term, amazing things will happen.

Sure, you can wine and dine us and show us a great time. We love the flattery and it makes us feel good. But, then how about calling us back and returning our e-mails when we try to check in just to see how things are going. The world may have dubbed this all social media, but it could have just as easily been called relationship media.

Who is ready to commit?

This weekend around the country there were events and celebrations for National Train Day.

Amtrak had me and the family down to New York City as their special guests and we had a great time.

This was also the first time the kids had ever been there. We wanted to fill the day with memories so we walked around Times Square, explained to Emily she was standing on Broadway and chilled out in Central Park before catching a train home.

Thank you Amtrak for the great day. See you next year.

Not enough pictures? My full photo set is here.

I’m writing this post as our Amtrak train rolls through the Connecticut country side.

Dylan is playing a game on the iPad and Laura is teaching Emily how to play solitaire. It is a difficult lesson as the cards like to slide a bit as we take corners. *grin*

I took the above photo as we left the station this morning to capture my view.

Today is the fifth annual National Train Day and there are celebrations and events happening around the country.

As you know, Amtrak is the exclusive 2012 sponsor of my show Passion Hit TV and when they invited me and the family to be their guest in New York City today I couldn’t say no. Plus, this is the first time the kids will ever see the city so they’ve been excited for weeks. Look at all the fun stuff they have planned for today.

I love taking the train when I’m traveling. Especially when there are enough open seats that Dylan and I could watch The Darkest Hour (his choice and not bad) first thing this morning.

The privately owned train cars are what I’m most looking forward to seeing today. I’ve heard that the people who own them go above and beyond the simple when they deck them out and I’m curious to see them.

If you have no plans today, check out the listing of National Train Day events and see if something is happening near you and bring the whole family.

Disclosure – Amtrak and I have a business relationship. They are covering our travel expenses to take part in this fun filled day.

“You’ve had the sex talk. You’ve had the drug talk. But, what about the race talk?”

I turned to Dylan and Emily and said:

“Ok, here it is all in one big talk.

I don’t care what color your skin is, who you chose to have sex with or what religion you’ve chosen to follow.

Everyone deserves to be treated the same as long as they are doing nothing to hurt you directly. End of story.”

They looked at me with the look of wondering why I was telling them this since they already knew it.

It really is that simple.

I took this photo of myself earlier this week while off the grid with my father. It was quality time doing nothing and exactly what I needed.

Life is extremely busy right now with working on finishing up my next book, client assignments, preparing speeches for upcoming conferences and everything that comes with being part of a family with two very active kids.

Free time is a myth because I know I can always find something to take up every minute of the day if I needed to. That is why you have to make time to do nothing.

It is a bit sad that I need to set an out of office message clearly telling people they were not going to hear from me for three days. Even still, I had several people send e-mails saying something along the lines of “just in case you check your e-mail.” When I say I’m going off the grid, I mean it.

The concept of workshifting is firmly in my DNA. I know that I can work from anywhere in the world if I choose to. But, I wish more people would choose to leave the devices and work behind from time to time and really enjoy life and their surroundings.

It did make me laugh that while I had full internet and cell access when I was in Ghana, I had neither earlier this week in Vermont. I couldn’t check my phone even if I wanted to and the one time we had service, I turned it on long enough only to check if I had an emergency text messages and then turned it back off.

Instead of my usual view of a computer screen this is what I was looking at while offline. Which would you prefer?

Even though we live in a 24-7 world, I promise that taking a few hours or a few days away from it all is not going to kill you. But, it is up to you to make and take the time.

I came back recharged and ready to rock. My productivity has been through the roof and instead of playing catch up, I’m pushing forward. It feeels great.

Stop making excuses and start making quality memories away from your technology from time to time. It’ll lead to a happier life. Promise.

Right now I’m truly off the grid with my dad spending some time recharging in my cathedral of the pines.

We use to go and do something every year and haven’t in several, so a few months back we locked this week on our calendars and it was worth more to me than gold. Instead of a canoe or camping trip like we usually do, we are just heading to a favorite spot in New England and enjoy time together away from everything else.

Best part? No cell phone service or internet. Ahhh…

I hear certain songs and instantly I’m transported back in time to certain memories associated with it.

Now, I may never have been that huge of a Beastie Boys fan, but I dug their tunes and they were a defining band of my youth. When the news broke yesterday that Adam “MCA” Yauch had lost his battle with cancer it hit me like a ton of bricks. Forty seven is far to young to pass away and it was horribly sad.

Last night, Coldplay played this tribute to him. Any child of the 80′s who can watch this without getting nostalgic is missing a soul. I had to share it with everyone.

I had arrived in Accra after a ten plus hour flight from Washington, DC. We had left in the dark of night and arrived to a gray afternoon on the other side of the world.

As we approached the airport, the lush vastness of green quickly changed to a muted multi-colored rainbow of buildings packed together tighter than a deck of cards.

Walking down the stairs from the plane, my eyes scanned the horizon. I was really here. The mother continent as I have heard it called. Africa.

I was brought to Ghana with a small team from ONE to see the work they and their partners have been doing. The GAVI Alliance was rolling out two new vaccines for pneumonia and rotovirus across the country and there was a large celebration planned at the end of the week that we’d be attending. Our agenda also included visiting hospitals, a meeting at the US Embassy and conversations with local business owners to give us an overall feel for the country and the variety of work that was happening.

My wanderlust is strong and I love traveling to new locations to meet the people, taste the food and capture it all with my camera. My new A7 strap would keep my equally new Canon 5D Mark III close to my side and always ready to shoot. It hadn’t been field tested yet, so I had a backup shooter in my GORUCK GR2 at all times. While I didn’t mean for this to be a trip of me testing out new gear, it ended up being that way and thankfully everything performed above and beyond my expectations.

Accra is on the southern coast of the country and is the capital of this nation of 25 million people. We’d be spending the majority of our journey in this general area. I’d like to return some day and head into northern Ghana where the houses are round and the muslim population is much greater. I’d also like to head to the west to see the slave castles and other ports of call that run along the sea. But, there is always an ever going list of places I’d love to see and for now I’d rather focus on the tale of where I’ve been.

The Accra Arts Market sounded like the perfect first adventure. I had come to the country with plans to purchase fabric and beads for my daughter. My son would be getting a mask, drum or other masculine item that caught my attention. The plan was to find my wife a necklace or something that would look great on her. I figured the sooner in the week I found my desired treasures, the sooner I wouldn’t have to worry about them and I assumed all could be found here.

A van of fresh off the airplane from America faces sure does draw a lot of instant attention at a market. The door hadn’t been open for more than a second when “John McCain” nudged me in that way that any guy trying to sell something to you will and propositioned me with, “You want hand carved masks? I got the best shop in the market. Come, let’s go see.”

Now, in any other corner of the world I might assume I was going to be lead into an alley and never come out, but I’ve always had a good read of people and these guys were just born salesmen. They knew a mark when they saw one and they knew why we were at the market.

My advice for you when going into a market like this is be ready to use a firm “no thank you” whenever needed. Granted, in this case it had to be said more times than should be necessary.

Even after we bought a couple of things and had enough it got to the point where the pushiness crossed over to border line worry as we waited in the van for the final two to return. We were surrounded by people trying to sell us stuff. Knocking on the windows, waving and trying to get our attention. It was unlike anything I had ever seen and the whole time was a blur of adrenaline laced with confusion that I’d rather not repeat. It was far from the first impression I was hoping Ghana would make on me.

The crashing sounds of ocean waves, mixed with an ice cold pilsner glass of Club beer will do wonders to make you forget all the ails you. Add in sitting around the table with my fellow travelers dining on Red Red, chicken and the most perfect fries cooked in palm oil that you’ve ever tasted and it was a great night. Plus, this is the night I discovered the magic spicy sweet treat known as bukom kelewele that you absolutely must try if ever in this part of the world.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

We were on a humanitarian mission and we set off the next day early to learn about the 86 year old Princess Marie Louise Hospital whose mission is treating acute malnutrition. They have a dedicated staff and a thriving volunteer population serving the 200 plus patients they see every single day.

Seeing the starving kids on television does not prepare you for seeing it up close and personal. Standing outside the door of the in-patient room we were about to enter I took a deep breath to still myself for what may lay on the the other side of the door.

Thankfully it was not the room full of skeletal children and babies I had feared.

Yes, there was mothers, babies and young children in there, but it was manageable and everyone was very welcoming for us to intrude on their privacy. We were welcomed with open arms and that is when I met the girl that would be on my mind for the rest of the journey and perhaps my life.

Mercy had hope in her eyes. She was scared, but she knew she was going to be ok. It had been a month and a half since a hospital volunteer had found her lying on the ground next to her dead mother. For the first month at the hospital she barely made a sound and most certainly did not speak a word.

When I met her she was overly friendly with a smile that melted your heart. I felt horrible as I asked if I could take her photo. There was no way I could take a photo of her body as it was too painful and what right did I have? I tried to focus on her face. That beautiful face. But, even as I tried to take it, it hurt to do so. I shook and the best autofocus in the world wasn’t going to save that.

I held her hand. I thanked her and told her to get better. She told me she was 13, the same age as my son, and I found myself instantly full of tears. I had thought she was nine or ten at most. I couldn’t imagine my son in this much pain.

I needed to leave and as I said goodbye she tightened her grip on my hand. Her eyes pleaded not to leave, but I knew there was nothing more I could do for her.

We would leave the hospital all changed. There wasn’t a lot of discussion about it, but you could see it the other’s eyes. Nothing really prepares you for a moment like we had just shared.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The journey continued to the other end of the dial.

Through the streets of Accra we would travel. Street signs don’t exist and you know you are not going the right way when you recognize houses and landmarks that you’ve recently passed. As the lead car stopped to get their bearings, our driver stepped out to relieve himself in the middle of the road.

Our afternoon found us spending time with local business owners who had chased a dream and were now living it. Tekura is a shaded workshop full of skilled artisans creating a variety of authentic and unique African art pieces. Stools and elephant tables were the product of the day as they had a large order to ship to Pier One back in the states. We were also warmly greeted at TK Beads where not only would we learn about how they were made, but we’d paint our own as well.

There is no future in bead painting for me, but with the kilos of beads I bought to bring home to Emily, maybe she’ll be rewarded for her creativity. She is already wearing a bracelet she made and everyone at school loves that they she got them from Africa.

Too many people think of Africa as the poor continent with nothing but famine, poverty and war. Yet, as we sat down to dinner with students from Ashesi University and heard their dreams of fighting leprosy, increasing tourism to Ghana and starting new literacy programs you couldn’t help but realize that there is a bright future and endless possibility for Ghana and her people. I was proud to discover that Bentley University, where I graduated from, has an exchange program with them and I can’t wait to find out more about it.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Wednesday, we set off for Africa’s third largest hospital to learn about their HIV clinic and to meet with three HIV+ mothers who due to the agressive treatment options had not passed the disease onto their children.

The fact that 98% of the babies born to HIV+ mothers who use the regimen remain negative still makes me shake my head in amazement. Doris, who I chatted with had one of the biggest smiles I had ever seen and the beauty to go with it. Her spirit is one I won’t soon forget and I hope her wedding goes off without a hitch this July.

Another profound memory would be created here as early in our tour we had been told about the yellow folders that every HIV+ patient was put into. It was a throw away comment, that for some reason I remembered. We walked into this damn room and suddenly we were presented with row upon row of yellow folders. The fact came back to me and I had to ask how many folders I was looking at. More than 16,000 was the answer.

As our conversations came to a close, the sky turned black and you could feel the tingles that come just before a major storm. It may have officially been the dry season, but we were about to get very wet.

The skies opened and gave a refreshing rebirth to the temperature. The outside ceremony we had thought about going to for World Malaria Day became a distant thought and it was announced that we’d be heading to Frankie’s for lunch.

I shocked the room when by impulse I blurted out, “Oh wow, they have great milkshakes!”

The look on the locals faces was pure pricelessness. How in the world did this silly American know that Frankie’s made good milkshakes was written all over their blank stares?

I gleefully explained that I had asked world traveler and author Chris Guillebeau for any suggestions on Ghana and all he told me was where he had a great milkshake. The chances of me winding up there were slim to none and yet now it was happening.

The milkshakes lived up to the dream. It is the little things that make me happy. Especially when you are over 5,000 miles from home.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The big day had arrived. The reason ONE had brought us all me to Ghana.

No more field visit casual. The pressed shirt and good pants got pulled out and we headed to massive celebration with the GAVI Alliance to celebrate the rollut of the new vaccines. There would be speeches, dancers and the First Lady of Ghana all under the hot morning sun of Independence Square.

There were children, students, Chiefs and queen mothers. Camera crews angled for the best shot and drummers provided a rhythm to distract us from the blazing sun shining down from above.

The speeches sounded mostly the same to me. They started with a long list of formal greetings, talked about the importance of vaccines and then thanked everyone. It was formal and sterile as any ceremony of this sort would be.

I was pleasantly surprised when the First Lady took to the podium and with a grin stated matter of factly, “I’m a teacher, so you have to listen to me.” I liked her instantly and at the end of the ceremony I even got to shake her hand.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I had taken a photo before the ceremony of the baby that would be getting the first vaccine. Just another reason why a good photographer should always trust their gut. If it feels like a photo you want to take, push the shutter button and make the image.

Going from this sort of ceremony to the US Embassy made a perfectly logical transition. We were there to meet with a team from US AID to learn about Feed the Future and the other work they were doing in the area. As a taxpayer it is important that we know where our money goes and I’ll be honest that I didn’t fully understand the scope of what this particular government agency does before our meeting.

It was fascinating to hear their focus on everything from agriculture to literacy to consistant power. With one billion people suffering globally from chronic hunger, it is groups like US AID who are working hard over the long term to sustainably feed people. That is no small undertaking, but they have solid programs in place that need consistant funding to be maintained and I hope our government continues to do so.

By the end of the day my head was swirling around ideas on ways that I could work with ONE with a more dedicated focus towards the men of Africa. They currently have a ONE Moms program, but I kept hearing about all the changes and education that needed to be done for the fathers in Ghana and throughout Africa and my mind never sits idle around a presented problem.

I’m still noodling about it right now and hopefully it’ll lead to something in the future.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

With only one day left in the country before we took our late night flights home, the plan was to join other journalists from around the globe to go out in the field to see the vaccines in action.

As our security escorted convoy made it’s way at break neck speed beyond the city’s boundaries the whole landscape changed from the stale gray and dusty red to lush green. The cars climbed up the side of the mountain as we drove past the President’s summer house. The roads narrowed and I was shocked to see speed bumps become very common. I was told that they were for the safety of the villagers.

Nurses greeted us at the first village and explained to us how the elders were gathering under the tree to meet with us. They walked us through their tactics and approaches to making sure that children were given the proper shots when they needed them. You could see that they were proud of their job and enjoyed telling all of us about it.

I love the tradition that when coming to a meeting like this we would walk around and greet each elder one by one. Then we would be expected to sit and they would return the favor.

The Chief of the village had put on his Sunday best and while his English was broken, his smile never went away the entire time we were his guests. I was glad he was very accommodating for my request to have a photo taken with him.

I mentioned to the UNICEF translator in my vehicle that I loved how no matter who I met or where I went in Ghana that everyone had a smile on their face. It didn’t matter if they were begging on the street or working in a restaurant. No matter their situation in life they still had a smile on their face. Her response is one that I’ll never forget, “It is all some people have.”

The second village was further out in the bush. The houses were now clay and because there was not a tree large enough, they had built a special shelter just for our arrival. Knowing that they had taken the time to construct something like this drove home how important of a day it was.

One of the elders got a kick out of calling me “big man” when I greeted him and we all shared a great laugh about that. He’d later tell me that  I was welcome back anytime. I’d love to make that happen.

The children were not too sure about all of us with our cameras walking around and checking things out. I noticed three boys laying on a wall watching me and took their photo.

I walked over and showed it to them and they all got a big laugh. They called over a couple more friends and I thought I’d really blow their minds and captured them on video and showed it to them. If smiles can be bigger than they had on their faces, I can’t imagine them.

Sometimes you don’t need any words and soon kids were coming from all over to have their pictures taken. A portrait I had hoped to take of a kid in a Dots t-shirt soon turned into a massive group shot. Who was I to say no? *grin*

It was a long last day in the field and as we got back to the hotel, we crashed in the bar over cold drinks. We knew that we were on our last hours together and for some of us, our paths might never cross again. You never hope that is the truth, but it is the reality of the busy world we live in.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I’ve been home now for almost a week. I’ve posted all my photos, I’ve chosen some of my favorites photos and now I’ve written this mammoth post that I wanted to serve as a true travel journal for me and others to go back and read at random points of time in the future.

I still dream of seeing the world and there is not a single location on this big blue marble that I don’t hope to travel to some day.

I also now have my third continent checked off on my dream of shooting photos on all them. I may not have eaten the grass cutter or fufu I was hoping for, but it just means I’ll have to do it on another trip.

ONE is an amazing organization doing great work. I’m proud to have been able to take part in just a small sliver of the activities they do on a daily basis. I have a new found respect for the work they and other advocacy organizations do.

Someone on the trip told me that Ghana is sort of Africa 101. If that is true, I can’t wait to take the AP course next time!

Photo Credit of me with camera to Amy Graff.

I’ve always believed that your word is your bond.

Looking someone in the eye, telling them you are going to do something and shaking their hand is as good as a contract. Sure, I know that doesn’t hold up in court and in today’s world those handshakes are happening via e-mail and other electronic mediums it is a whole other ball of wax.

But, even though it is different, it is still important. Perhaps even more so because the Internet never forgets.

Unfortunately, I was reminded of this yesterday when a company that I took several hours out of a very busy schedule at an event to help with a marketing program of theirs, backed out of what they promised me.

Not only did they leverage my name, reputation and valuable time for their benefit, but in the end it was a complete one sided relationship where they got plenty out of it and all I was left with was frustration and a complete distrust of everyone involved with them and their company.

I do a lot of things for free. I enjoy helping people. I like taking part in fun initiatives when they present themselves.

My time is extremely valuable. Everyone should protect their time as one of their most valuable assets since it is the one thing you can never get more of.

But, because of this incident I’m certainly going to be more careful about who and what I agree to work with. Being taken advantage of never feels good and none of us should have to stand for it.

Make sure that you stand by your word. Yes, we all make mistakes and when they happen appologize and move forward to fix the situation. Don’t appologize and you can be sure that you’ll be labeled as someone not to work with and trust me when I say that word gets around very quickly when this happens.

Maybe it is small town of me, but if you can’t stand behind your word and be a good human in the process, than I’ve got no desire to help you out in any way.

I only want to work with good people, doing great things and who value my time.

Life is too short to be an asshat. Be a good person. I promise it’ll be more fun.

I may have successfully uploaded all my photos from my recent trip to Ghana , but I still have to go through and assemble a travel video.

Thankfully the good folks at the GAVI Alliance have published this video highlighting the vaccine rollout ceremony.

Kudos to the team for pulling this together and sharing it so quickly.

The Internet went down and never came back in a stable enough fashion for me to upload while there, so now that I’m home I wanted to get it right up and share with you immediately.

I’m safely home from Ghana, but there will be MANY more photos, posts and video soon.

The internet has been down at our hotel since early yesterday, so none of us have been able to post updates of any length, but there have been plenty of tweets flying around for sure.

The photo above was taken in Ghana’s Independence Square during the GAVI Alliance Vaccine Celebration today. The blue you see behind the arch is the ocean. It was a beautiful location and a great ceremony. I will talk more about that soon.

While I have a connection (spotty at best at the moment) I wanted to share a few audio updates I recorded so that you can catch up on everything.

I did film a video update yesterday and have over 200 photos ready to upload, but neither can be done at the moment unfortunately.

First up is while we are at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, which happens to be the third largest hospital in all of Africa, I asked our guides about how they can get more men involved in the HIV testing they do.

Then after a tour of the HIV clinic, we had the chance to sit down with three amazing mothers who all are HIV+ but their babies are not due to the usage of PMTCT prophylaxis which has resulted in 94% of the babies born to HIV+ mothers at this hospital to not have contracted the disease! I chatted a bit with one of those moms.

Finally, today at the GAVI Ceremony I recorded a bit of one of the speakers who said, “Without mothers there is no immunization.”

I hope you listen to all three updates. They give a great peek in to the voices and sounds of Ghana, both of which I’ve been blessed to experience first hand and I’m psyched that technology allows me to share them with you.

There are so many more stories to tell, thoughts to share and experiences I need to digest and write about. You can expect plenty of updates in the days and weeks ahead.

ONE has made my life a better place by exposing me to all the magic of this part of the world. Thank you for having this ONEDad be part of the ONEMoms team!

It is not going to be until I get home that I can fully process everything I’m thinking, but I also want to capture and share my raw thoughts as they happen.

Today was an amazing day that started at a hospital and ended with us making beads. In between I saw some of the the trouble AND the opportunity that the people of Ghana have. There is plenty of both, but being the eternal optimist, I like to believe that great things are coming.

I’d write more, but we have to run and have dinner with students from the local university. Please listen to the podcast to hear more of my thoughts.

I know that I should be curled up in bed asleep right now, but I feel a duty to document and share everything I’ve seen, smelled and tasted while here in Ghana.

It has only been 10 hours that I’ve been on the ground in Africa with the ONE team and already it has been everything I thought it might be and yet totally different.

Everywhere you look there is poverty, but there is also entrepreneurship. People are making the most out of what they have and smiling while they do it.  There is construction everywhere and an energy that you can feel.

I’ve quickly realized that my grand plans of video taping the experience are not going to happen. I’m certainly a photographer first and video comes second. But, I’m still hoping and learning.

We went to a local arts market and listen to my thoughts that I recorded immediately upon returning. It was certainly a blur of intense memories and I still can’t fully put to words how it felt.

Dinner was beside the ocean where we were serenaded by the waves. Ice cold Club beer, plantain chips and great conversation were on the menu for the night. The steak was tough, but the chicken was juicy and flavorful. I had my first taste of the very local Red Red which is a combination of beans, spices and chunks of fish (it was down home amazing). I intended to avoid the plate of french fries, but that changed as we all discovered they were heavenly good due to the oil they are cooked in.

Of course the people are what make any meal and getting to know Amy, Ana, Rich and the rest of the team was the highlight. Their passion for what they do excites me.

Crazy that all of this has happened in such a short amount of time. I can’t imagine how packed tomorrow will be since we’ll have a full day to fill.

Our plans for tomorrow include a visit to a malnutrition clinic and then to a local furniture maker who has grown their business into one of the largest of their industry here in Ghana. Then we are headed to meet with a woman who makes beads made from recycled glass. I have every plan to buy some while there. I think I know a girl who would love to have them to be creative with. We’ll end the day over dinner with local University students. I’m excited to talk to them about their plans for the future.

My photo set will continue to grow and I’ll be sharing as much as I can on Twitter. Of course you can follow the #ONECampaign or #ONEMoms tags to see updates from everyone.

I’m safely in Ghana and we just returned from a quick trip to the arts market.

I wanted to capture my thoughts immediately upon returning. I was NOT ready for how intense it was going to be. Listen to the file below to hear my thoughts.

All my photos from the trip will be constantly added to this Flickr set if you are interested.

Many of you know that I make part of my living as a speaker. I’ve been on stages around the world. I get brought in to talk to small corporate teams or to rooms full of conference attendees.

Public speaking scares people and I get asked all the time how I can do it.

My response is always, “Once you’ve had a donkey head on stage reciting Shakespeare, you can do anything.”

Today is The Bard’s birthday and I’m writing this post as part of the global celebration.

Go to HappyBirthdayShakespeare.com and you’ll find a variety of posts from around the world also celebrating. There is also a fun video that if you watch you’ll see both myself and my daughter Emily in.

People either giggle when I give them the answer or look at me with a blank stare. Either way it usually leads to a fun conversation.

But, it is true. I get nervous right before going on stage every time. If you don’t, then I think  your not human. But, I always think back to one particular performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as I walked out center stage with the donkey head on and I heard my grandmother laughing out of control. It was in that moment where I had to hold back from laughing myself and remember my lines. Easily one of the most challenging five minutes of my life.

I think back to that and grin. It was such a terrifying moment that now is a happy memory.

I step out onto the stage and get to repeat that intense moment of fright that changes into a great memory.

Thank you Shakespeare!

Photo Credit: The Geek Giant 

Sunday I leave for Ghana and ever since I got the invite I’ve been thinking about how I was going to capture and share the adventure since that is what I live to do.

While every adventure is different, I think I’ve figured out how I’m going to be doing this one and thought I’d share my plan in case it was helpful for others.

Plus, people keep asking me and now I’ll have a post I can point them to. *grin*

The purpose of the trip is to take part in the GAVI vaccine rollout which ONE has been a big supporter of. We’ll be visiting hospitals, clinics and government offices. Between meetings, meals and casual conversations I’ll be talking with everyone from HIV+ parents, to government officials and even a few University students.

I want to remember it all and share all the good parts with the world, so here is my plan:

• I’ve set a personal goal of writing one post or recording an audio update every single day. This will depend on how tired I am and what our day includes.
• I’ll be recording audio updates on my iPhone using SoundCloud. They allow for adding photos and sharing instantly on Twitter and Facebook which I love. There isn’t a way to embed on my blog directly from the app so doing that will have to wait until at night when I get back to my hotel.
• I’m still old fashion and will be writing down notes by hand the whole time. I rarely go anywhere without a Field Notes notebook in my pocket and I’ve got a new one just for this trip. I also bought extras and am bringing them to give away to children I meet.
• I bought a Canon 5DMKIII and if you know me, you know how enthusiastic of a photographer I am. I bought this camera because it will also allow me to film video while there. This will be something new for me to do on the same camera that I shoot still images so it is going to be a bit of an experiment. I’ve bought extra memory cards and a new portable hard drive just for this trip. My goal is to edit together a single travel video when I get home that uses the images, photographs and audio that I capture.
• I bought a SIM card to use while on the ground so that I can share photographs taken immediately with my iPhone. I use Camera+ to take all my photos and then you can expect to see them going out instantly on Instagram and I’ll most likely share them on Google+, Flickr and Facebook. Once I get home I’ll upload all of my photos with the best ones going to 500px as well as all the previously mentioned locations.

That is my plan for the next week. We are on the ground five days in Ghana and I know it is going to fly by in a blur and if I don’t make an effort to capture it all I’ll regret it.

If you really want to follow along at home, there will also be updates on the ONE Blog and Twitter accounts so be sure to follow those. Who knows, something I create might even show up there!

Thanks for all the wishes of a safe journey and excitement around this trip. Feel free to reshare what you like liberally to help raise awareness for all the good ONE is doing in the world.

Only a few days left before I head to Ghana as part of the #ONECampaign and I’m starting to get excited/nervous. Listen to my thoughts.

As I mentioned in the audio update, I plan on sharing the whole experience while on the ground there. Of course there will be lots of updates after the fact as well, but I’m going to be liberally sharing across all my networks while there to capture as much of the journey as possible.

But, I was in Washington, DC a couple of weeks ago and asked Ann Owens from Amtrak to tell me what the celebration is all about.

As you can see, she is very passionate about the event and that is exactly why I wanted to capture her on video.

The series is being sponsored by Cinchcast and will include me chatting with some of the world’s most innovative content marketers.

We are adding new interviews all the time and without any pre planning it is kicking off with my wonder twin sidekick Ann Handley so tune in tomorrow or listen to any of the archived interviews when they become available. I’m sure we’ll talk about the paperback edition of Content Rules and much more.

As a parent it is far to easy to say “you can’t do that” to a child when their imagination gets out of control.

Laura and I have always believed that an active imagination and creative thinking is an important trait for our children to have and have always tried to let them run wild with whatever thoughts they might have.

If you’ve ever questioned why imagination is important, you should watch the story of Caine’s Arcade.

It is kids like this that are going to change the world.

Thank you to Jane Quigley for sharing this with me, to Nirvan Mullick for sharing this story with the world and to Caine’s dad for allowing his son’s imagination to run wild.

When it comes to traveling, I’m not one who likes to leave things until the last minute.

Because of this, even though I’ve still got 13 days until I leave with ONE for Ghana, I’m starting to think about what I need to pack so that I can fully document the experience while I’m there.

Sure, I’ve got to pack clothes and other things, but I’m focusing what I’ll be needing to share the story and experiences both from there and when I return.

Currently on my must go list are:

• GORUCK GR2
• Canon 5D MKIII with 50mm & 24-205mm lens and RODE Microphone
• Olympus EP3
• iPhone & iPad
• 13″ Macbook Air
• External hard drive and extra memory cards
• Head phones
• Field Notes
• Travel Tripod
• Chargers, cables & plug adapters
• Local SIM card with data plan

I’m debating if I throw something like my GoPro or my Sony camcorder in my bag just in case something comes up. Who knows, one camera could die and then what am I going to do?

While there I know I’m going to be using SoundCloud to share audio thoughts and Instagram to share photos directly from the field. Of course that content will be shared across all of my usual channels and there will be longer thoughts and better quality photos shared here and on Flickr when I have time and stable Internet.

For those fellow story tellers of any medium out there, am I forgetting anything?

Yes, I’m a very lucky man indeed.

We’ve sold several translations, but these were the first to come out. So funny how they can change pretty much everything about them when they decide to print them.

An International author? Kind of cool to think about.

The paperback edition (complete with illustrations) hits shelves later this spring.

Long time readers might remember that I was suppose to be in Kenya last month helping teach a class on entrepreneurship.

Due to some unrest, the government officially postponed the trip.  While I still hope it happens some day, when I got the news I assumed I might never make it to Africa.

I’ve got a permanent case of wanderlust. There isn’t a location on this earth that I wouldn’t want to see in person. To smell the air. Taste the food. Meet the people. Those experiences are what I live for.

But, then last week a bit of magic happened and in two weeks I’ll be boarding a plane for Africa and I’m super excited to tell you why.

On April 26th, Ghana will become the first GAVI-eligible country to rollout two new vaccines at same time. They will be pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines, which will save thousands of children’s lives.

As a guest of The GAVI Alliance, ONE has invited me to come along for the journey to be part of this historical announcement and see how their efforts are changing lives on the ground. The White House credits ONE (ONE’s supporters, volunteers and moms) with successfully pushing for the multi-year $450 million pledge of commitments to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI).

Watch this beautiful video to learn more about what is happening.

I’m not sure I can fully express how thankful I am that ONE approached me with this opportunity. While getting seven shots last week was less than fun, I’ve already forgotten them and am getting filled with excitement as I think about the week I’ll spend there and what stories I’ll be able to capture and share.

Last year when the #ONEMOMS program brought some of my friends to Africa, I followed along on their journey.

The above photo was taken by Karen Walrond who was on that trip and who shared all the beauty she discovered along the way. I remember sitting here at home dreaming of going on a trip like that someday. Now, it is a reality.

You’ll be able to follow along on my journey to Ghana as I’ll be sharing as much as I can across all of my channels, but there will also be updates daily to http://one.org/blog and http://facebook.com/one as well.

Thank you ONE for having me be part of something so important and so special.

Africa, here I come!

I’ve spent the past few days in New Orleans as a guest of LG. They flew myself, Jeff Sass and Brad Powell down to show us a good time, watch the NCAA Final Four and learn more about the brand as a whole.

While I’ll be sharing more thoughts and photos soon, I wanted to share this quick video we filmed yesterday with our thoughts on the weekend.

A big thank you to the entire team from LG for taking such good care of us and allowing me to take part in a weekend that I won’t forget anytime soon.

I’m on the Acela right now headed down and back to Washington, DC to meet with the Amtrak team about their sponsorship of Passion Hit TV.

This is a popular route so the train was pretty full this morning and I couldn’t get my usual seat somewhere on the left hand side of the train. I love this side because it faces the ocean and watching the sunrise over the waves is always a beautiful site.

But, as I sit here on the right side looking out the window as we fly through numerous little New England towns I’m noticing all sorts of new things. A cool set of artist studios in an abandoned mill, the funky cube house full of windows and a bit yellow tugboat chugging through the water. The simple act of sitting on the opposite side of the train is showing me almost a whole new world.

What can you do that would give you a new perspective on something familiar?

Is there something you do every day that with a slight shift might change it completely? Think about where you usually workshift, eat breakfast or cook dinner. In your business think about the time and location of your standard meetings, how you reach out to customers or look for new leads.

I’ve talked before about how routines are important, but how can you stay true to your routine but add in a little variety to see if it can give you a fresh set of eyes or open up new opportunities?

Try it today and let me know what little change gave you a new perspective.

I realized this morning, that I’ve been neglecting to do a great job of sharing content that I create on other sites here on my main one. This of course is a rookie mistake and one that I should know better, but life gets busy and you sometimes forget the little things.

As you know I’ve started a new video series called Passion Hit TV where I profile people who have found their passion and turned it into their life. I sit down and interview them about their journey and ask for advice for others who want to go down this path. Amtrak recently stepped up and is the exclusive sponsor of the show for 2012.

The show is available on all platforms and can even be watched on your TV depending on what model you have, but I’ll also be cross posting the interviews here a few weeks after I share them there.

The first interview I did was with my good buddy Baratunde Thurston.

The lighting might not have been right and a hotel room isn’t the best of locations, but what he has to share I think is crucial. This was recorded before the release of his book and taking the stage to keynote SXSW last week. If he doesn’t make you laugh and motivate you to chase your dreams I don’t know who will.

After any major conference like last weeks SXSW, you can be sure there will be plenty of posts complaining about how people didn’t get what they hoped for out of it, the panels weren’t as good as they had hoped for or why it is a stupid conference and they didn’t go. It is the nature of the Internet to complain and it will always happen, but personally I’m sick of it.

Conferences are not cheap. The really good ones are expensive and with travel expenses can cost several thousands of dollars to attend. If you are in business for yourself like I am you have to make sure that you spend every dollar wisely and thus conference time has to be planned smartly or you are just wasting your money. In addition, you must factor in the cost of your time being away as I’d argue that might be even more expensive.

So don’t blame the conference if you don’t get what you wanted out of it. Every conference tells you up front what to expect. It is up to each of us to make the most of it.

Here are some tips for how I make conferences a success for me. I hope they help you next time.

• Plan Ahead – I try to set up meetings and meals with people as far ahead as possible because I know how busy schedule will get. I had one breakfast meeting for Austin on the calendar for three months.
• Don’t Only Spend Time With Friends – It is way to easy to only hang out with your immediate circle. But, you know what? Real friends will undersand when you tell them that you have other plans and will catch up with them later. If you only stay in a single circle of people how in the world are you going to meet new people?
• In Person Trumps Online Every Time – Walking the hallways and seeing people still a slave to their laptop and seeing that they are only on Twitter and Facebook makes me shake my head. You can do that any other day, but you’ve got real live humans walking the halls around you. Leave the laptop in your room and say hi and give a hug or a handshake.
• Schedule Serendipity Time – Kind of doesn’t make sense right? Take an hour and leave your schedule wide open. Sit down, hang out and see what happens. If there are other people around you, say hi and see where it goes. I met someone this week who works for a company I’ve longed to make contact with and it came about by doing exactly this.
• Get Up Early, Stay Up Late – We all have the same amount of time to work with every day and when I’m at an event I want to make the most of it. This usually means little sleep for me and while it may not be the healthiest thing, it is vital for me. While I may have been out till 1 or 2 some nights I was up and out of my hotel by 8 every morning.
• Set Clear Goals - For some people this is a hit list of people you want to connect with, others focus on coming away with at least one new technology that will help their clients. Take the time before leaving to really think about what want to return home having accomplished.

Those are just some of the tactics and approaches I’d advise. The key is that you are only going to get out of a conference what you put into it.

It is up to you to work as hard as possible for the success you crave since no one is going to hand it to you.

I’m a regular on the Acela Express between Boston and NYC and last summer the family and I took the train for our family vacation to Washington, DC.

So, it is with a deep sense of pride and happiness that I announce that the 2012 exclusive sponsor for Passion Hit TV is Amtrak^®.

I’m excited about this for numerous reasons.

One that you might not know is because the railroad is in my blood.

I grew up in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire. My parents still live just across the river from White River Junction, Vermont.

My great-grandfather and his father and countless other relatives worked for the railroad. The house my parents live in to this day was built partially with lumber from a torn down train station that was being rebuilt.

The fact that now I’m carrying on this family tradition in a completely new way that my ancestors could have never imagined gives me big smiles.

From the beginning of Passion Hit TV I wanted to find a sponsor that would allow me the freedom to go out and find the stories I wanted to tell. But, I was obviously very protective of the show and only wanted a brand that I was personally passionate about. It had to be about more than just the money.

This sponsorship will allow me to travel the country and capture the stories of people chasing their dreams and making their passions their livelihood.

I can’t thank Amtrak enough for being such a forward thinking company and embracing the importance of storytelling in today’s world. Having them sponsoring a web series like this validates so much of what I’ve been talking about for years.

If you’ve never thought of taking the train to get to where you are going I encourage you to check out Amtrak.com today to see all the great locations they go. I now have a route map hanging by my desk and dream quite often about the various cities I hope to visit in the coming months.

I hope this news makes you as excited as it does me! Be sure to let Amtrak know your thoughts on this news.

All Aboard!!!

I guarantee that if you haven’t already had someone in your social graph share the Kony 2012 video that you will soon.

This video started popping up on my radar yesterday and I didn’t pay it much attention. I figured I’d get to it at some point. With so much going on right now and so many videos flying by in my streams it just hadn’t fully grabbed my attention enough to warrant a click.

But, then this morning an amazing thing happened when Dylan came in to my office and simply said, “Dad you have to watch this video. I want to help. Can I sign up to donate a few dollars a month to catch this guy?”

Now, we share videos all the time. Funny stuff, new movie trailers and anything else that catches our attention. But, I could tell from the look on his face that it was something more. Laura mentioned to me a few minutes before he came in that Dylan was mesmerized by some video that he had been watching since he got up. To capture the attention of a thirteen old for that long it had to be something special. Commit the thirty minutes to watch this from beginning to end.

The story is one that I had heard before. The tradgedy of what is happening in Africa turning children into soldiers, sex slaves or mutilated kids is an extremely sad one.

But, while Invisible Children has been fighting the good fight for years, they’ve decided that during this election year they wanted to take it to a whole new level and go directly after the man behind the horror and make Joseph Kony a famous man and thus have launched the KONY 2012 campaign.

They’ve called for a national night of action on Friday, April 20th and now that Dylan has asked if he could take part in it, how can I say no? Granted I’ve got to have a long talk with him about what this means and how some of the things they encourage doing in the campaign are not quite legal.

But, as a father I’m proud that my children understand that they do have a voice in global affairs. That every bit helps and that if they step up and try to help that it can make a difference.

I just ordered a couple of action kits to help support and raise awareness for the campaign. Tonight when the kids are home from school and Laura from work I plan on asking the kids how much they’d like to make as a monthly donation.

Get educated, share this campaign and do whatever you can to help raise awareness and support.

My brain feels like this LEGO pit as I try to cram a week’s worth of work into only three days this week.

Thursday morning I’m heading out to Austin, Texas to speak at both SXSW and at the first ever Dad 2.0 Summit. I know I’ve got a packed schedule of meetings, interviews and other fun times scheduled, but I’m also hoping to have plenty of hallway magic which of course can never be scheduled.

If you are looking to say hello, here are your best chances.

• Friday 3:30 pm - Hilton Sheraton – The Power of Visual Storytelling Panel
• Saturday 9 am – Hyatt Lost Pines – Brand Forum Keynote
• Sunday 12:30 pm – Guero’s Taco Bar – AllHat IV

While I have other things in my schedule, those are the only three things that I know for sure I won’t be missing and have planned all other activities around.

If there is one thing I’ve learned about having the swarms of people that will be in Austin starting later this week it is if you see someone, say hello to them immediately because you never know if your paths will cross again. I know more than once I saw someone and thought to myself, “oh I’ll see them again” and then never did. Be sure to say hello!

Hope to see you in Austin!

Back before the holidays I saw some noise about a new company called CanvasPop promoting that they could print out Instagram photos on to canvas.

I use Instagram a lot, but as a photographer I know that they save the files rather small in size and assumed that blowing them up to be printed on canvas would be a rather sad state of affairs. I’ve ordered canvas prints from a variety of vendors over the years and the experience has been mixed. You really get what you pay for in most cases.

But, I figured I’d give it a try since they had a great price and ordered a print for Emily of her and my dad’s dog Abe cuddling. She loves hanging pictures of animals on her walls, so I figured if it turned out crappy she wouldn’t mind. Guess what?

The quality was amazing.

This is a picture of the print hanging on the wall. It wasn’t a great shot to begin with, especially because of the red eye, but it looks great on canvas.

I’m still not sure how CanvasPop does it, but I’ve seen several other friends order prints and their quality is also amazing. Whatever printing process they do, it is the best I’ve seen done from digital files to canvas.

I raved about the quality online and being a smart company they were listening. I know this because their community manager reached out to me. We talked for a bit and I mentioned in passing that I was looking forward to trying their service with a higher quality photo in the future. They offered me a free print as a thank you so how could I say no?

This photo that I took during the Content Rules book tour in Burlington, Vermont has always been a favorite of mine and now I have this beautiful canvas print of it.

Again, the quality was top notch and I think I could spend a small fortune there if I let myself. *grin*

I knew I’d be writing this review, so I asked them if I could get some form of coupon to give to anyone who might read this and want to try it out. I don’t get any kickback from this code, so feel free to share it with whoever you want. I don’t know of any expiration date on it, but there may be one.

Use code CC15 on any order of $80 or more for 15% off your order.

I plan on ordering some more prints in the future. Seeing Jane’s triptych from Paris really makes me want to do something similar. I just have to choose the right shot.

Of course, the problem with finding a service like this that does such a great job is that I need to find the walls to hang all the prints on. But, that is a good problem to have I think.

Those who know me well, know that I have a dream of starting my own school. It is the one thing that if I was to suddenly find a pile of money I’d do for the rest of my life.

I firmly believe that our children are not being taught all the skills that they need to make it in the world today and that worries me. I try to fill in some of the cracks of knowledge with my own children, but I know it isn’t enough. But, I keep pushing and trying and helping wherever I can.

I bring this up because I wanted to give some context behind why these next two videos inspired me so much.

The first is a simple change.

It is an update to the standard desk/chair combo that fills every standard classroom in the world. I saw this when Whitney Hoffman wrote about the concept of remodeling versus redesigning. It is amazing how we sometimes forget that even a little change could help out a messed up situation. I love how student can spin and get into groups quickly, or a classroom can be rearranged without too much hassle. You can read a lot more about the chairs on the Steelcase Node site.

The second is actually a trailer for the book What Teachers Make: In Praise of the Greatest Job in the World (affiliate link) that I just ordered a copy of and can’t wait for it to come out at the end of the month so I can read it. Written by Taylor Mali, if it has half the energy that this video does it’ll be a great read. Thanks to Jeremiah Owyang for tweeting this out earlier.

Neither of these videos or what they are for is going to change education as a whole.

Each is a minor, small change.

But, as I look out at Emily making a snowman in the first real storm of the year, I can’t help but think about the obvious of how one small idea can roll in to another and another and soon you’ve got something much bigger than when you started.

That is why these videos have me excited. That is why I keep dreaming and slowing making progress and plans to having that school someday.

Almost a month ago, I was pitched about a new initiative from a big, old school company using social media in a “cutting edge” way.

I had already seen the campaign and was a big fan of what they were doing.

So much so, that I replied to the pitch sharing my feelings and telling them how I’d love to talk to someone from the company so that I could write about it in more detail, share it when I do speeches and possible add it to a future version of Content Rules.

Now, a month later I’m told that they might be interested depending on my readership numbers. *record scratch*

I politely told them I’m no longer interested because the campaign I thought was fresh and different turns out to just be some more lipstick on a pig. They are still the same old, tired, big business trying to look young and cool even though they are not.

Bums me out because I really dug how they were using storytelling to give a new look at their business. Guess their tired old public relations and marketing team are in fact dinasours since they don’t realize their thinking is going to make them extinct since they don’t have the time for a phone call with someone who wanted to tell the world their story.

My mind has been racing around this subject all week.

Over the weekend I had a double dose of brain candy that got me thinking about journalism and where it is all headed.

I don’t have any answers, but I wanted to start a conversation because I’m curious what you think.

First, I read The Nightly News by Jonathan Hickman which Clarence Smith Jr. told me I had to read. I rarely read comics these days, but anything he tells me to watch, listen or read I always do. After all he is the man behind BOLD Edition which if you haven’t watched, read and viewed you really need to.

The comic focuses on the dark underbelly of the media at large and the length one organization will go to challenge it.

It is a great read that I suggest you all make time for. It isn’t easy or happy, but it is powerful and certainly works the brain in directions you may not want to take it. I’m still pondering some of the ideas in the book because I agree with a lot of them even though their tactics are more than a little over the top.

Then, I finally got to watch Page One, which is a documentary from last year about the NY Times and how it is trying to evolve, stay current and survive in today’s new world of media.

We all know that physically printed newspapers are folding up shop every day and it is a trend that I believe will continue. In five years if you want a printed newspaper, you’ll be paying a steep premium to get one if they are even available.

But, with all this change I firmly believe that we still need journalism. We need long form, highly researched and fact checked stories on all sorts of topics. We need photo journalists capturing the moments of our time and shining a light on things people don’t want us to see. Audio and video reports from all corners of the globe and close to home need to continue to be produced and shared.

I look at what my friend Dan Patterson is up to with his newly launched KoPoint as one direction for journalism. Dan is not just another blogger, he is a true journalist with the credentials to prove it. Yet, he doesn’t report to any one master or editor like traditional journalists. He reports the news he wants to share and stands by his integrity and professional compass to make the decisions of what is “fit to print” or not. He doesn’t have to work for a major network or publication to get his stories out there. THAT is the big shift.

Journalism won’t die and for that I’m happy. The way we get our news is changing rapidly and I can’t wait for it to be shook up even more.

The fact that I can’t sit down and watch news without celebrity gossip and giggling people behind the news desk bothers me. I miss the days when the morning news shows were about the news rather than who is sleeping with who.

Where do you think this is all headed? In ten years where will be getting the news and how will journalists make a living reporting that news?

It is going to be interesting to watch, participate in and help if I can.

This week marked a little milestone in my life as a father when I brought Dylan to see his first R rated movie.

We’ve both been excited about seeing the movie Act of Valor and I had a feeling that it would be something appropriate for him to see and after researching why it was rated what it was, I made the decision that it would be nothing worse than what he saw every time he jumped on the Xbox and started shooting up his friends. If curious, here is my review of the movie.

But, what I wasn’t ready for was how important of a moment this was going to turn out to be between us.

A cornerstone of the movie is something being written by one of the soldiers. In it, he describes several qualities for what makes a strong man and it was around those things that after the credits rolled my son and I talked about rather then the big gun fights and cool action scenes of the movie.

These are the moments that you can rarely plan for as a father, but that you always must be ready for.

I talked to Dylan about the importance of being a good man. About how his word is his bond and he must always remember that even if the promise may seem small or trivial.

We discussed why soldiers would do anything to save another soldier’s life no matter how dangerous it might be and the bond that forms between close friends.

I wanted him to know that everything laid out on the screen did not only apply to the military, but applied to life in general. He needs to know that above all the bullshit, the peer pressure and the drive to have a happy and healthy life, that it boils down to being a good person.

We talked about how I didn’t care what he did in this life, so much as I cared about him growing up to be a man with good manners and respect for those around him. Sure, I want him to be successful in whatever he chooses to do with his life, but it is more important to be a good person than it is to be a successful person.

I have no idea if this will stick with him or not. Fatherhood isn’t something you can do once and forget. It is a constant and ongoing path that once you are on, you never get to leave.

He is a young man now and I believe the next five years are some of the toughest and trial filled years in any boy’s life. I hope he navigates the waters well and that I help him through them appropriately.

Only time will tell.

We wake up every morning with another day ahead of us.

Sure, we focus on the tasks, meetings and other items that must be done before we lay our head on our pillow for the night. But, if you are like me, you do just as much thinking about what must be done tomorrow, next week and in the months ahead.

I love train tracks because they always have a set destination. Even though there are switches and turns, they all lead somewhere that is set. That restrictive nature is a turn off to some and a warm embrace to others.

I’ve been thinking a lot about trains lately and as I looked at maps of where they can go throughout our great country the limitations of not being able to go everywhere is rather refreshing. This was unexpected since I live my life by the mantra of taking the road less traveled.

This all reminded me that limitations can spark creativity.

We all dream of unlimited budgets and more than 24 hours in a day. But, complete freedom can actually hinder you because you have nothing pushing you to complete. Having parameters that you have to play in forces you to produce.

Stop complaining about the things that you see as limits and rather look at them as a way to kick start your creative thinking and have fun producing amazing work.

Yesterday, my life and kitchen were filled with excitement as I made my family’s recipe for homemade baked beans.

I was nervous when starting out because my grandmother and my father had made these for years and everyone loved and desired them. There hasn’t been a church supper or family gathering where these beans have not made an appearance to be praised and then promptly devoured.

With recipe in hand and all the ingredients for success at my finger tips, would I be able to accomplish my goal for dinner?

I followed the recipe closely and even called my father for guidance to fill in some instructions that I knew he had hidden knowledge about, yet had not written it down. There are always nuances and subtle bits of importance that rarely are written down.

The house smelled great all day. The recipe was simple and straight forward and I thought success was going to be easy to obtain since I had followed it strictly and everything seemed (and smelled) to be going as planned.

The family sat down for dinner. My heart was filled with anticipation and nervousness all mixed together.

We ate in silence as the first few spoonfuls entered our mouths.

“They are good, but they are not your Dad,” my wife politely stated.

I agreed. They were good, but they were not great.

What seemed so straight forward and easy really needed years of trial and error to be a success. Following a recipe, guide or instruction manual only gets you so far. Putting in the time and doing something over and over is the only way to really master anything.

I was discouraged. I had let myself down.

Guess what though? If I gave up after the first time I tried everything, I’d never learn how to truly do anything.

This of course is about more than baked beans. Read it again. Take it to heart. Think about it.

And no, you can’t have our family recipe.

Immediately my good friend Jeff Sass asked me, “If this is a video show, why don’t you have a video explaining what it is all about?”

A great question, from a great friend and now I have the answer.

Special thanks to the team at Modern Vintage Media for filming this for me!

You know how I feel about content and content marketing. I literally wrote the book on it.

Any company, organization or individual needs to be strategically thinking about and creating content that is appropriate for them in order to succeed in today’s world.

It is that time of year again.

The month before SXSW happens in Austin, Texas when tens of thousands of people from around the globe arrive in town. The time when it seems at least half of them will start sending out invites to a drinkup, party or other gathering that they hope you and a few hundred other people will show up at.

I only have to take one look at my inbox to confirm that it is that time of year again.

I’m going to SXSW like I do every year. I love the conference, the people and the city of Austin.

While I’ve already talked about how I’m nervous at how big it has gotten, I still know that I will find new business and make new friends while in town. This happens every year and I’m sure this year will be no different.

In the past I use to RSVP for a ton of events and then never make them. You can schedule as much as you want, but the truth is that it all goes out the window when you get on the ground. You’ll end up grabbing a drink with someone and then suddenly three hours has gone away because you are having such a good time and ten more people showed up and sat down with you.

The other thing is that most of the evening gatherings are too damn big for me to enjoy. Thousands of people crammed into a small space, with loud music and a line around the block is not my definition of fun. Sorry, maybe I’m getting too old. *grin*

Besides Ewan’s Breakfast, AllHat and the Wiley Author Party, I’m not sure I’ll actually sign up for others, but you are free to invite me.

I just prefer smaller gatherings where you can actually get to know the people around you. I know last year I attended a small entrepreneur dinner put on by Starbucks and Wired that was exactly the sort of event I enjoy. The photo above was a chance encounter with the woman who drew “the fail whale” while me and some old friends caught up.

I wanted to write this so that people knew I’d be attending (and speaking at 3:30 on Friday about Visual Storytelling), but would understand why I most likely won’t show up at their party.

I really hope our paths cross while in town. I’m going to be looking to interview people for Passion Hit TV, talk to potential new clients and make a shit ton of new friends.

See you in four weeks!

Every day I’m asked how companies can create content that will be engaging enough that people will take the time to consume and then share it with others.

My standard answer is that there are no silver bullets, but I do think that the more types of content you know about, the more you can consider them every time you get stuck with one of those “well what do I do now?” moments.

Today I want to talk about the power of behind the scenes content and why you should consider it.

Do you remember when DVDs first came out? Suddenly movie companies had a lot more space to fill on the media so they began filling them with behind the scenes footage.

For people into making movies like myself, I loved all this bonus content. Back in the days of Random Foo, we tried to always have an extra camera around to capture off camera moments. Now that I stream most movies, I miss having access to all this bonus content.

No matter what your industry is, people love to peek behind the curtain and see how the sausage is made. (How is that for a mashed up mix of two overly used cliche phrases?)

Recently, I shot a promotional video for Passion Hit TV and while I couldn’t afford to have a second person film a making of video, I took screen shots from the raw footage to share in a post until I could edit the video. People loved it.

This week I watched and shared a video from L.L. Bean that showed how a recent campaign took their classic catalog covers and recreated them.

This appealed to me as a photographer but also because I’m a fan of their brand. I’m not going to share their commercials, but I’ll share something like this and did so as soon as I finished watching it.

The team behind one of this year’s biggest Superbowl commercials, VW’s “The Dog Strikes Back” had a feeling the commercial would be a hit so they made this entertaining making of video to show how much work goes into a commercial like this. Best part was that they didn’t make it boring and followed one of our Content Rules of “Do Something Unexpected.”

Finally, I want to share an example of a completely different sort and that is the peek behind the scenes of what it is like to be a speaker at TED. They followed a seasoned presenter and a rookie to showcase what their experience were. As someone who does a lot of keynote speaking, this hit home for me.

So, what kind of stories can you tell that feed into the desire for behind the scenes content?

• Start with people. Profile the employees who make the company what it is.
• Show how your products are made. If you provide a service, show what goes into giving a customer a great experience.
• Quirky, fun and unique are always engaging. What is different about your organization than most?
• Any company traditions? Thirsty Thursdays or Taco Fridays? Perhaps you have a company mascot that sits on a shelf, but no one outside knows about it.

Also remember that while I showcased examples of videos and photography, this can be done through the written word as well. But, words only go so far to show people so I think to do this right you must have a visual element if you really want to make it stand out.

What are some of your favorite behind the scenes moments that you’ve seen companies share?

It is 90 minutes of tips, reactions and a good primer on what we believe it is and isn’t.

Joining me in the discussion was Simon Salt and Jane Ellen. If after watching this you’d like to follow me on Pinterest you can. Enjoy the video.

Yesterday, I got mad at myself as I had a full day that I planned to dedicate to my new book, but for some reason at the end of the day I looked back and had not written a single word for it. Sure, I got other things done, but still I wasn’t happy.

This morning I was reading the latest from Julien Smith and it kicked me right between the eyes. I’m happy to say that as I write this I’ve already written another 2,000 words for the book.

How did I do it? With the amazing combo of Scrivener and Freedom.

Any author not using Scrivener is missing out. I wish I had this when writing Content Rules because it would have made life MUCH easier all around. It allows me to outline my thoughts and attack the book one idea at a time rather than being stuck scared of whole chapters. It is worth every penny and is an authors secret weapon I believe. Buy a copy of Scrivener for either Windows or for Mac. (affiliate links)

Freedom, is a tiny app that I need that does one thing and does it well. It gives you freedom from the Internet.

I’m easily distracted by checking Twitter, my inbox and that dreaded little red box from Google+

We are all guilty of finding ourselves clicking around aimlessly and suddenly an hour has gone by. In worse case scenarios, this can turn into a day worth of not getting much done.

Freedom asks you one question, “How much time do you want free from the Internet?” and when you put in a number it locks off the web from you for that time. There is no countdown clock or panic button. It is a direct intervention against your internet addiction.

From now on I’m going to start every day with a minimum of an hour of Scrivener and Freedom. They are my dynamic duo and best friends right now.

Thank you Julien for the kick in the ass and the reminder to focus. I needed it today.

I’ve picked on Pinterest for a while now because it didn’t provide anything to me. I didn’t need it because the clipping mentality that they thrive on is something I’ve done in Evernote since I first started using it. I’m constantly clipping images, posts and other things that catch my attention into notebooks within Evernote. I go to them often for inspiration or when I’m preparing to give speeches.

This morning I read Chris Brogan’s thoughts on Gentlemint, which is a Pinterest clone targeting guys and while I agree that niche focused networks are a powerful and useful idea, I’m not sold on the need for one here. Not everything has to be separated in to one bucket for boys and a different bucket for girls.

Every social network is what you want to make it out to be. We choose who we follow, what sort of information we are interested in and how we want to use it.

There is no arguement that the majority of Pinterest users are women. Take one look at it and that becomes quickly obvious.

But, I love that Pinterest allows you the user to choose if you want to follow everything someone pins or just what they pin to certain boards. I’ve found myself going into every woman’s account that I follow and unfollowing any boards that might have to do with fashion, jewelery or anything else I’m not interested in. This goes for guys as well because as humans we are all interested in different things. This site is only useful to me, if I tweak it to the point that I find value in it.

I also am only following people that I’m actually interested in what they are sharing. This isn’t about friendships as much as it is about being a good gatekeeper or not. Me? I’m sharing everything from recipes I want to try, my wanderlust, the never ending quest for office zen and other random bits of awesome I might find throughout my day.

I’ve discovered that I like scanning who I’m following on Pinterest a couple of times a day just to see if anything interesting pops up. Everyone is using it differently so I’m currently still curious to see what people share. When I see something that is totally not of interest to me, I go in and edit what I follow from that person. After all I have zero interest in mason jars, dresses or makeup so why follow those? I’m in control.

I’m using Pinterest as an example, but every social network works in the same way. YOU choose who and what to follow. If you are not getting what you want out of it, stop using it or start using it differently. I’m pretty sure Skynet isn’t here yet, so we are still in control.

$3.5 million was the publicized price for a thirty second spot. Add in the actual productions costs, agency costs and you’ve got a lot of money being spent.

As a marketer, I understand the power of a commercial during such a huge event, but I also know the scope of a campaign that could be done with those same dollars.

I’ve worked on projects with big budgets so I know what can be done. Personally I’d rather do something with more long term benefits than a couple days of conversation and then nothing.

My other problem is when the money spent on an ad could be used to directly help others that are leveraged in a commercial.

Specifically I’m looking at the Chrysler ad “Halftime in America” featuring Clint Eastwood (which I loved), but it pissed me off because just think how much help that money could have done directly in Detroit if given to schools, new businesses and people on the ground making the second half a success? I instantly thought of Lemonade: Detroit and how any one of those people could use some of that money.

It is a one of a kind event and as a die-hard football fan, I’ll always be excited about the big game. I just find myself on Monday morning conflicted over the amount of money spent.

Thoughts?

Being able to capture the little things around you and share them beyond your memory is a very powerful and important part of my life.

Earlier this week I spent a few hours in Newport, Rhode Island on Ocean Avenue and I wanted to share a bit of what I saw.

Yesterday I was hired to lead a conversation with the communications team of a large global company. It was their annual retreat and they brought me in to push and pull them to think about the answer to the question of where they wanted to be in five years.

We talked a lot about technology, but also about the culture shift that had to happen in their company to embrace and utilize the ever growing social nature of the world around them and the constant fire hose of information that everyone is trying to deal with.

It was a great discussion and I hope they got as much out of it as I did. In fact I hope I get to work with them some more in the future as they’ve got some amazing opportunities in front of them that I hope they take full advantage of.

But, after my time was done I took some time to chill down beside the ocean.

The meeting was out on a point in Newport, RI and I found a quiet little spot where all I could hear was the crash of the waves rattling thousands of sea rocks and the occasional screech of a seagull.

After leading a room of people through the exercise of future planning, I started doing some of my own.

I’m currently riding the wave of a best selling book and working on writing my next one. I get hired to speak and consult on a fairly regular basis, but no where to the level that I’d like and see others doing. My home life couldn’t be better and I have a loving wife that supports me in all I do.

So, where do I want to go? What mountains do I want to climb or markets do I want to break into.

The crashing waves didn’t bring me all the answers, but the quiet time to think about them helped a lot. I don’t think we take the time for quiet moments nearly as often as we should.