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.

This weekend my son became a teenager. These are the years when a lot changes, happens and when I believe you start to become the person you will be for the rest of your life. I also think these are the years when I’ll start to know if I’ve done a good job raising him or not.

Happy birthday Dylan. I hope the road ahead isn’t too bumpy for both of us.

Steve is an amazing Creative Director that any company would love to have on their team because he brings the perfect balance of strategic AND creative thinking that is needed in today’s marketing world. He only has that knowledge after years of work on a variety of projects. Those skills don’t magically happen after reading a stack of books and blogs.

After the event, we talked about how he pulled back the curtain a bit on how much work goes into a successful campaign. It was the type of stuff that isn’t talked about enough and we wondered how much of it should be shared to the general population. As he mentioned in his talk, it is very much like a magicians guild or something similar where you want to share some, but not all of the secrets.

One thing I will share about these secrets is that they are more art than science. Because of this the only way you get better is by doing more of the work.

Every single successful campaign I’ve ever worked on (and there have been many) presented us with a unique set of challenges that needed a unique set of solutions. It is only through experience working through these problems that you learn the craft.

The blunt truth is I’m seeing more and more people who do lots of talking about this space, but rarely actually do anything. They haven’t put in the long hours throwing ideas around to come up with the best ones. They haven’t challenged themselves to go so far away from the tree with their creative thinking that they don’t know how to get back. They haven’t put in the time to make a campaign work and then look back at the end and find out how it could have been better.

Anyone can look out at the social world in front of them and come up with a content strategy that leverages all the right channels. But, that doesn’t mean that anyone possesses the needed creativity to make it stand out from the masses and reach their clients goals.

That might be blunt, but I firmly believe it is the truth.

Anyone can take a picture, but not everyone can shoot a photograph. You can pick up a camera and film a video, but it takes skills to tell a compelling visual story. We all doodle, but not everyone can draw a cartoon.

I want to bring some reality to this world and make sure that brands of all sizes remember that while you shouldn’t be scared away because of budgets, you must also realize that you sometimes get what you pay for.

Hire, trust and build relationships with those of us who have been in the trenches and done the work. We’ve spent a lifetime honing our skills, please pay and respect us accordingly.

I’m noodling a lot on this and would love to hear your thoughts. This is certainly not the last post I’ll be writing about this.

Saturday, I was in Chicago for the 2012 Kenmore Blogger Summit. I’ll share more thoughts later, but here is a photo of the winning cooking team of the day that I was part of.

Sunday, the family layered on the warm clothes and headed to the AFC Championship Game. It was the first pro game for the kids. We were rooting for the Ravens since Laura is a big fan and even though it didn’t end up the way we hoped for we still had an amazing time.

New England sports fans are the best and no one can tell me otherwise.

Today around the world, sites will be going black to protest against proposed changes in laws that could effect the entire Internet as we know it.

Known as SOPA and PIPA, they were written to help fight piracy, but in reality could harm more than help. Take a moment to learn more at Google or Wikipedia and then contact the appropriate people in government to tell them not to pass this. Also click on the image above to download a PDF version of the infographic. If you need a funny yet informative explanation The Oatmeal is where you want to go.

Here are two videos that will help explain it all as well. Share these far and wide to help.

I was called last year at this time and postponed it a year since I was just starting out on the book tour for Content Rules and didn’t want to run the risk of being sat on a jury and having to cancel dates.

I’ve been called one other time in the past and got sat on a jury that go around, but at the last minute the trial was canceled. This time around I wasn’t so lucky and for the past two weeks have been serving on a civil case in Massachusettes Superior Court and the process has been eye opening on multiple levels.

I was fascinated by the whole process and I’m more than happy to do my civic duty and serve. I firmly believe that we should each make a point to proudly serve on juries and vote. Those are two cornerstones of our rights as Americans and we shouldn’t bitch about either one of them. Yes, it was an inconvience and I even had to cancel a trip because of it, but I was glad to do it.

The interesting side effect that I wasn’t ready for was because we had to keep our phones off while in session and commuting each day I wasn’t as engaged on all the different social channels as I usually am. Instead of having a constant flow of e-mail, I was only checking it three times a day. I’d watch the news in the morning to be updated on the world around me, but didn’t have the constant flow of information that I was use to.

And guess what?

I loved it.

I don’t like having lost the first two weeks of the year. I hated not working on my new book and missing some quality time with friends and potential business leads on my trip. But, it gave me time to clear my head and really take a good hard look at what I need and don’t need to be successful this year.

I’ve always been the guy to look for the silver lining and in this case I’ve certainly found it. My day-to-day habits are certainly going to change because of this.

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As for the case (since everyone keeps asking), it was a civil case of some greedy parents looking for money that they didn’t deserve. After three years of lawyer fees and two weeks of trial we ruled against the plaintiff because it was that clear of a case to us. I wish the judge had allowed us to flip the decision and rule against the plaintiff and assign damages to cover the defendant’s lawyers fees. I’m still not sure how this ever went to trial.

A Passion Hit is someone who has taken something they love doing and turned it into a livelihood. Maybe they form a company or start an event. Perhaps they realize that doing what they love is the only thing they want to do and they figure out a way to do it.

I wanted to sit down and interview these people for my next book and I believed they’d make for good content to share with you. Each person I talk to has a different story and I’m always looking to interview new people so let me know if you have someone you think would be a good fit.

Since it is a video show, I wanted to film a video about message to explain the show and the concept to people.

While, I still have to edit the video together, my friends at Modern Vintage Media brought their RED ONE over to the house during the holiday break to film it for me. I thought it would be fun to share some screen shots to give you a feel for it.

I hope to have the video finished and published some time next week.

You can subscribe to Passion Hit TV in iTunes, blip or it is available on all other video sites.

I write, shoot photos, speak, record a podcast and produce a video show. Each of those takes talent and time. I know that I bring those to the table when I’m creating and I bring a unique perspective that is mine to each of them.

One thing I don’t do much of (except in the kitchen where I do it every day) is create with my hands and this is something I will strive for in this new year.

My daughter Emily is constantly creating with her hands. Yesterday she got the urge to paint. In our basement she has a design studio where one moment she might be fulfilling an order for one of her duct tape tote bags and then next creating something uniquely her from the craft supplies she has. I love that about her.

I watch videos of knives being made, wood worker’s shops and talented letterpress artists. They all inspire me and make me wish that I could create more with my hands.

I’ve tried doing several things and none of them have grown beyond a spark of interest. Last year when I took part in a Craftsman event, I got to make a pizza peel from a blank piece of wood and that was a blast. But, even though I had fun doing it, it wasn’t something I thought about doing beyond that single event.

This year is going to find me doing more with my hands. It is a promise I’ve made to myself. Lately I’ve been tinkering with the idea of using reclaimed wood to make picture frames since it would go nicely with my photography. Plus, the barrier of entry doesn’t seem that high to give it a try and see if I like it.

I’ll be sure to share any progress I make.

Resolutions are pointless. You set them and never achieve them. You have the best intentions, but that is not enough.

Goals and rituals have a higher chance of success both in the short and the long term. That is where I like to focus my energy.

I also like the idea from Chris Brogan of selecting three words that become themes for the year to follow. Last year I chose Create, Inspire and Teach and the year before that they were Simplify, Focus and Attack. Looking back, they were guiding themes for each year and continue forward as constants in my life.

This year I had a harder time choosing because I don’t take these lightly, but I’m happy with what I came up with.

Self

I’ve always been about helping others and that will never change. Inspiring, motivating, teaching and assisting other people is in my DNA. But, this year I need to focus on myself as well.

A big part of this is my health. I’d like to grow old with Laura and play with my grandkids. I’ve got too many places to see and people to hug in this world. To do this, I need to start thinking about my health across the board. This will require changes and improvements beyond the eating better and moving more.

I also realize that I’ve got to promote my work and me more. I see all sorts of people around me succeeding to a level that I’d like to and yet my humble upbringing is holding me back from raising my hand more. It is hard to even think this way, but I know that it is a truth I need to face. Of course, it’ll be a balancing act and I have no clue how to make it happen, but I will.

It also means that I’m going to stop saying “I’d like to…” and then never going any further. This might be learning to play guitar. Could be about crafting something with my hands. It is both of those and more.

Circles

Google got the metaphor correct that our lives are full of circles.

I have a couple of very close and important circles in my life. Two years ago, one of those circles formed around a weekend in Boston. Another formed around a dinner table in Las Vegas. The relationships formed and the support from within have been very powerful. I want to continue these and take them to a new level.

While these circles can survive online, they can only flourish face-to-face and that is where I need them this year. I’m going to do everything in my power to not depend on any tool. Instead I want to depend on the power of the people in the circles.

Just like when you throw a pebble in to a pond, circles can grow and make other circles and that is where I’m looking and planning. Remember the old days of writer circles and salons? That is where my brain is thinking. That is where it becomes a theme for the year and a powerful one at that.

Amazing

On the surface, this one sure sounds like a load of sugar coated bullshit, but in my heart I need this word and know that it is more than that.

I heard some backlash chatter lately about this word. It is one I use a lot and believe in. It will be a big part of 2012 for me as it is a cornerstone of my next book. If I don’t believe in it than I’m going to have issues writing over the coming weeks and then spending months promoting and talking about.

Yet, it is more than that. It is about finding the amazing things in life with my camera. Sharing in amazing experiences with those that I love. Creating bits of amazement with the talents I’ve been given. After all, if I didn’t believe this than why would I ever believe that amazing things will happen to each of us?

Those are my three words for 2012: Self, Circles & Amazing. What are your three words?

Need some more inspiration? Take a look at some other sets of words from Justin, Chris or Steve who’ve shared as well.

Happy 2012 to everyone!

Yesterday I finished my edits for the paperback edition of Content Rules (coming out in the spring) and while I didn’t have that many major additions, the one I knew in my heart I had to add was to the chapter on photography to add in what we called Social Photography.

The overall concept is that we all have a camera in our pocket when we leave the house with a smart phone.

As you can see in the photo, I use several different camera applications to take, post process and share when out and about. This instant sharing is where the power of social photography comes in to play and I firmly believe that it is changing the world of photography.

You only need to take one look at the growth of Instagram to see how popular this trend is. I remember when The Best Camera from Chase Jarvis was first released. I loved being able to share little snapshots with the world, but it was missing the community that Instagram gave me. I expect there to be a lot more apps for all platforms in the coming year. It is too popular not to happen. Plus, don’t forget that every social network has the ability to upload and share photos while on the go.

At several recent events, I’ve giggled as I watched someone take a photo with a traditional camera and then take a photo with their phone of the preview on the back of the camera to share it online. How far are we away from more cameras having built in WiFi so that they can upload directly? I recently received (but haven’t used yet) an EyeFi card that does this. What I’m really hoping for is that more traditional cameras will add in GPS to them. That is what I REALLY want.

But, the more the world of photography changes, the more many of us cling to the past.

The book in the photo is a collection of my photos that I took and posted to Instagram in 2011. Snapshots of my life that I wanted to have a hard copy of. Instead of ordering a bunch of individual prints (which I haven’t actually seen available now that I think about it) I ordered a hard cover book from Blurb. I’ve had it in my hand only a couple of hours and already it is a cherished possession full of memories.

While I love moment sharing, I know that those moments pass far to quickly and I want to be able to share them with more people and thus need more ways to capture those moments in the long term. The printed book or the CanvasPop print I recently ordered are two great examples of this.

The world of photography is changing at a rapid pace right now and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

2011 was a major year for me. I know that years from now when I look back it will be one of those years where I can see that so much changed in my life.

Of course the main reason for this was the success of Content Rules. It hit numerous best seller lists on Amazon and in Inc Magazine.

Ann and I traveled around North America (and a quick jump to The Netherlands for me) talking about the book and the rising importance of content for everyone. According to TripIt I traveled a total of 77,833 miles and visited 31 different cities this year.

I met so many amazing people, visited amazing new cities and the opening doors of opportunities are still showing themselves even this morning.

I took a look back at what I’ve written this year and was surprised by what I found were my most popular posts. It is really too bad that three of them were based around a blunder by a brand that I still don’t think believes it did anything wrong. But, here is list in case you missed some of them.

My Top Posts of 2011

What this list does show me though is that the type of writing I love doing is resonating with people and that confirms a big part of what 2012 will hold for me with the writing and release of my next book.

I also looked at my three words from the beginning of the year of Create, Inspire & Teach and I think I did ok with them. I’m still noodling over what my words will be for this year. I keep changing them.

But, as the final grains of sand fall away on this year I know that while I could have done more and done better, I’m content and happy with all that I accomplished. There is plenty of room for improvement and fine tuning. I see a lot of that in my near future.

See you next year!

It is the final week of 2011 and in a few short days we will flip the calendars to a whole new year. You’ll read plenty of posts predicting what the year holds and while I could do that, I have no interest.

I do want to share with you the final episode of my podcast for the year. It is an important one to me because I shared a bit of big news from my world and also recapped several different things going on with me right now. I hope you’ll give it a listen.

If there is any advice I can give you on how to spend this week it would be to enjoy the downtime with your family and friends. Get outside and play. Do whatever it is the kids want to do while they are on vacation. Take a few quiet moments to jot down your thoughts and goals for the new year. Watch movies, cook big meals, laugh, play and enjoy your time.

See you in 2012.

My good friend Chris Penn went on the trip of a lifetime earlier this year and asked myself and several other friends to write posts for his site while he was away.

When a friend asks for help, you always say yes.

Chris, being the good guy that he is, has taken all of those posts and assembled them in to a free ebook called Awaken Your Superhero. Download now for Kindle, Nook/iBooks or as a PDF.

I’m honored to be part of this along side a slew of people that I not only respect, but that I also get to call my friends.

Last week before I spoke to a sold out crowd in Rotterdam, Jody Koehler of Coopr sat down to interview me.

I talked about how I firmly believe every company, organization and individual has a story to tell and that content is how you tell that story to the world.

Want to learn more about how to begin using content in your marketing mix? Want to learn how to develop a content strategy that will get you results?

Easiest way may be to read mine and Ann Handley’s book Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business. (affiliate link) 

It makes a great holiday gift

Today I turn 38 years old and as I usually do I snapped a quick photo for random memory sake.

I’ve just returned home from speaking in Rotterdam and playing in Amsterdam. It was a trip full of inspiration and fun, but I’m glad to be back.

Looking at this photo tells me I’m more tired than I feel right now. I’m sure the jet lag is waiting to set in at any time.

Birthdays make me reflective and thankful for living another year. We don’t know how many we get and therefore I try to make sure to live each one to the fullest.

This past year took me around the country and across Canada for the book. I made new friends and spent quality time with old ones. All the hours of hard work spent with Ann Handley paid off as the book became a best seller and people are still talking about it. My family is happy and healthy and while I’ve had some scares and have work to do, my health for the most part is fine.

I always have to stop and think how old I am because it isn’t something that crosses my mind much. I’m sure next year at this time I’ll be freaking a bit as 40 looms ahead of me, but where will I be at that time? My second book should be out by then, but I wonder how people will like it. What work will I be doing and what country might I be returning from then?  Who will be our president and what troubles will the world be facing? What new adventures will my children be setting off on?

I don’t know if I’m any wiser, but I am a year older. Time to make sure this upcoming year is as kick ass as possible.

I owe a big thank you to the team at Coopr for bringing me over. The hospitality they have shown me while here has been amazing. They are a great group of people doing good work for their clients. I hope I see them again.

Here is a video they put together from my speech. I’m making a note not to say “right” so much in the future. *grin*

I’ve still got one more day in Amsterdam. I’m planning on making the most of it!

I’m in Rotterdam at the moment. I’m here for An Evening With C.C. Chapman. (Which is still weird every time I see it or type it.)

Yesterday, after arriving I wanted to stay up all day so that I could help my body adjust to the 6 hour time difference so I do what I do in any city and set off walking around with my camera.

I’ll be doing a full travel journal of my trip when I return, but I wanted to share some photos. Full set here.

I also have an uncurable case of wanderlust, that makes me want to experience everything the world has to offer and meet as many great people as possible during my time here.

But, the truth is every night before I leave on a trip I get a little down and sad because it means another set of days that I won’t be at home with my family where I am most happy.

I know I’m not the only one who deals with this and there are ways to stay connected while I’m away, but it is tough.

Today finds me flying to Rotterdam where I’m speaking on Thursday night and then will get to spend a day in Amsterdam as well. This is an amazing opportunity and one that I’m very thankful for. I can’t wait to walk around these cities with my cameras and capture it all and then share it with all of you.

But, on the flipside I hate the fact that I’ve got an 8 1/2 hour plane right ahead of me. I’ve never spent that long in a chair in my life. It also sucks since I rarely sleep on planes. But, my iPad and laptop are both loaded with content and I’ve got some magazines as well to pass the time.

A great quote I once heard was, “I love travel. I just hate getting there.”

I don’t know who said it, but it fits my feelings perfectly.

It will be an amazing week. I know that.

I know I’ll return home with stories, photos and a new stamp on my passport. I also know that when I wake up in my own bed and the kids come in to give me birthday hugs it will be the best feeling in the world.

Safe travels to everyone else on the road today.

Last month I spoke at BlogWorld and part of being a .tv Advocate meant that I also spent a lot of time in the .tv booth chatting with people as part of the live stream of video that they were producing at the show.

Being a compensated member of this group has been a lot of fun and having the program enable myself and other advocates to make the trip to L.A. was a great idea. I hope they continue this with other conferences in 2012.

A large number of the videos are now available on the .tv YouTube page, but I wanted to share some of my personal favorites that I got to do here as well because I got to chat with some great friends during my time there.

Mitch Joel is a good friend and the host of the Six Pixels of Separation podcast which I take part in when we find time to do a Media Hacks episode. He was very sick when he first arrived, but thankfully felt better and we got to sit down and chat.

Steve Garfield told me he had “a fun idea” for our interview. Since he is a trusted friend I didn’t question it.

We sat down and instead of me interviewing him, he flipped the camera on me and interviewed me with his #Penready supplied camera. I can’t wait to see his camera’s footage of this interview.

Amber Naslund is a woman that I love dearly and on the heels of her inspiring keynote she swung by for a chat. She just announced a new consulting company that I know is going to do amazing things.

Scott Monty and I go way back and I was lucky to get a few minutes of his time to talk about all that is going on at Ford Motor Company. As usual, they’ve got tons happening. I’m actually heading back out to Dearborn next month to see some more up close.

Finally, Lan Bui gave me a demo of the mobile camera rig that was being used to do livestreaming interviews around the show floor. I’m still amazed that one little black box can make that possible. Damn, I love technology!

I also got to sit down and interview Marc Pitman, Lynette Young and Bryan Elliott. Plus a bunch of other great people swung by the booth for interviews.

Again, they are all on the .tv YouTube page so check them out for tons of great content. The variety of people that were interviewed still makes me smile.

The event was a lot of fun and I’m extremely happy that the .tv booth was such a hit with everyone. It was fun to be part of that excitement.

Photo Credit: BlogWorld Expo

Julien Smith is one of those guys that most people will never fully appreciate. I’m lucky that I’ve called him a friend for a number of years and in that time we’ve shared a wild ride of experiences. He’s funny, smart, loyal and most of all challenging.

Some people don’t want challenging people in their lives. They want friends who will always agree with them, never question any decision and will knod and grin at the appropriate times. I prefer to have friends who will always give me their honest opinion, shoot straight and push me to be a better person. Julien has always been this friend for me.

Now, he has taken his challenging nature to a whole new level with his first solo book The Flinch and you must stop reading immediately, click on that link and go get yourself a copy. By the way, it is free.

The Flinch pulls no punches. It has the same sharp tongue writing that Julien’s blog In Over Your Head has highlighted for years. Reading it feels like you are sitting down over a vodka and soda with him as he looks you in the eye and rants straight from the heart.

“It is not a self-help book. I hate that stuff, and I dislike the way its authors treat their audiences with disrespect and condescension.”

That is what Julien told me when I asked him about the book being grouped with other self help rags and he is correct. The Flinch is much more than that. It provides exercises for you to experience. They are not easy, but neither is leaning in to a punch and not flinching. He wants you to feel uncomfortable, but come out on the other side stronger for it.

It is a short read and that is good since you’ll end up wanting to read it over and over. My only complaint about it being only available electronically is that I can’t cover it in highlighter and sticky notes to quickly reference.

And if you are hoping for a Trust Agents 2, this is not the book for you. Any social media douchebags who want everything handed to them on a silver influencer outreach platter should read something else.

The Flinch is for people who want to do better in their lives and jobs. It is for the people who feel like they keep building up momentum, but never break through the wall. It is for everyone who doubts themselves, but knows they can do better. In my mind, this book is a must read book for everyone.

As a parent, I realized that this would be a dangerously awesome book for older children to read, but be warned that it may create a very strong will child. I asked Julien if he grew up with parents who taught him not to flinch and he responded:

“My parents taught me to work on the things that mattered to me. I couldn’t think of something that mattered more than this. Even after writing it, this book still helps me. I hope it helps you too.”

The Flinch is currently available for free on the Amazon Kindle. It is the final writing being published by The Domino Project and I can’t think of a better final encore for such an amazing project.

Julien, I’m damn proud to call you a friend and damn proud of you for writing The Flinch.

Isn’t there a rumor going around that things slow down in December? I swear I’ve heard that before, but I don’t believe it for one minute. *grin*

I just got home from having lunch with Christine Koh and Audrey McClelland. We’ve been trying to get together since summer, but we are all so busy it took until today to make it happen! If you are looking for smart, savvy and awesome women to get involved with on your next campaign or project you should call them. They are both the real deal.

LOTS going on here so I wanted to do a quick update.

My dad had minor surgery last week and this meant that I had to skip a cool event in San Diego to go home and help him recover. I was sad to miss the event as it hit several passions of mine and I had lined up an amazing interview for Passion Hit TV, but family always comes first and it was an easy decision to make. He is doing fine and thank you for all the well wishes. Hanging out with him is always better than any event anyways.

This morning I recorded a new Managing the Gray focusing on making 2012 a success. I’m listening back to it as I type this and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

Digital Dads was just named the #2 Group Dad Blog by the editors at Babble.com. While I’m not a huge fan of lists, it is always great to be recognized and I have to thank all of my great writers and contributors that make the site what it is.

Last night we recorded a new episode of Cast of Dads and as usual the whole gang was in rare form. Where else are you going to hear from five active dads and their opinions on everything from Movember, to two year olds going insane, to football?

Besides all that I’m busy working on the paperback edition of Content Rules that will be coming out next summer and I’m gearing up to go into full writing mode for my next book that will hit shelves in 2012 as well. Stay tuned for more details.

While they have yet to really apologize, I wonder if this new article in Boston Magazine will finally make them and their agencies realize I’m not more than just “one disgruntled blogger.”

Thank you to writer Casey Lyons and Boston Magazine for giving me a call and shining a light on the importance of dads in such a big publication.

Update: Several people have asked for links since there are none in the article. It starts with my original rant immediately after being contacted on Twitter by Ragu. The next morning I posted this list of free advice for them to do better next time. Finally, I shared my final thoughts after I finally got a call from their agency a few days later.

I wanted to play off my book title of Content Rules, but focus in on how with even the best content in the world if you don’t use basic common sense and good manners none of it will matter. You can now watch that speech below. I’m damn proud of how it went and I’m psyched it was captured so nicely on video.

If you’d love to see all the other great panels and presentations given at this year’s Blogworld they are available as part of the BlogWorldExpo Virtual Ticket. (affiliate link)

Photo Credit: BlogWorld & New Media Expo

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I’ll have a house full of relatives. I’ll be up early putting the turkey in the oven and the rest of the day will be a flurry of activity as I prepare the meal. Once I put it on the table, I’ll raise a glass and we will go around and each say something we are thankful for.

As I got thinking about what I would say this morning (and everything I have to do before I raise that glass) it got me reflecting on how much I have to be thankful for.

My family is happy and healthy. The kids are growing up to be good kids and while we have our usual tough time as parents, they are damn good kids and the fact that they know right from wrong and so far have not gotten into any real trouble is a lot to be thankful for.

Laura and I have a uniquely awesome relationship that honestly gets better every day. We’ve been together for a very long time and to call her my best friend would be an understatement. Our life is full of honesty, humor, intimacy and daily good times. I couldn’t be happier with any other woman.

I reached a life long goal last year at this time when Content Rules was finished and about to come out. The past twelve months have been a flurry of travel, awesome reviews, book sales that I never imagined and validation that I know what I’m talking about. We’ve been asked to release it as a paperback and I have the contract for my next book sitting next to me about to be signed. Telling people I’m an author never gets old and I still have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming sometimes.

Financially this past year was not a great one. But, I am thankful because I’ve kept a roof over my head and with so many good people out of work I have no right to complain in this area. Yes, I need to strive to make 2012 much better, but I’m thankful that I have what I have and that is a lot compared to many. Plus, who out there doesn’t always want more? I think it is human nature. I just need to get this balanced out better than it is right now.

I’m thankful that I have no major health problems. The hernia surgery earlier this year opened my eyes that I’ve got to focus more on living a healthier life and I’m thankful that I’ve  finally started to focus on that. No crazy diets or fad jumping here. It is really simple for me. Eat healthier food, get more sleep and exercise more. All of us should be doing those three things and I’m thankful that they are all getting easier for me.

My life is made better every day by the friends around me. People can complain all they want about social media and being burnt out by all the networks out there. Those networks have lead to super important friendships and I’m thankful that I’ve got to spend quality time and share in amazing experiences with many of them in the past year. There is never enough time to do everything I’d like to and I need to fix that in the coming year. I sense open roads, mountain trails and lots of photographs.

We all can complain, bitch and be overly grumpy, but at the end of the day I’d rather focus on the positive and be thankful for what I have.

With too many families dealing with a loved one being on the front line of a war, out of work or in a hospital room, my problems are nothing to compare.

Be thankful. Embrace the hand you’ve been dealt and push forward.

To each of you who have been part of my life in the past year, I thank you for making my life the wonderful roller coaster ride that it is.

I uploaded my first photo to Flickr on October 13, 2004 and have uploaded almost 14,000 photos since then.

I loved that people could leave comments and that my family and friends around the world could see what I was seeing at home and on my travels.

But, this morning as I took this photo of the iced leaves beside my driveway and shared it online, it quickly became apparent to me that Flickr is on the slow death slide to not mattering any more.

Besides Flickr, I now post photos to my Google+, Instagram and 500px accounts.

There is overlap in some of the communities and what photos I share to each is sometimes unique to how I use the services. For instance, I only publish my very best to 500px and Instagram is my home for day to day snapshots.

What got me thinking about this today is that when I uploaded this photo I instantly got reactions and comments on G+ and Instagram. I even tweeted the link out to the Flickr photo and while a bunch of people viewed it not a single comment was left as of me writing this.

I share photos because I love hearing what people think about them. The power of Instagram to me isn’t the filters, but the community of friends that have gathered to see my little snapshots of life and I get to peek into their lives as well. What Jane Quigley calls “moment sharing.”

The interface and displaying of photos on 500px and Google+ is so much more beautiful and interesting to a photographer like me. Flickr hasn’t seemed to make any changes in years.

I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for Flickr because they were one of the first and my favorite for a long time. But, they’ve grown old, stagnant and I wonder what is going to happen to them.

Looking at them feels like looking at a friend on life support and wondering how much time they have left before they pass on into the night. I don’t want it to happen, but if it is going to happen I wish it would happen quickly.

Minutes ago both UPS and the Post Office stopped by to drop off packages within five minutes of each other. Inside the packages was this nice contrast of old vs. new.

What you see here is a beautifully printed photography book called Dark Score Stories promoting the new Stephen King mini series Bag of Bones and the new Kindle Fire. (affiliate link)

I can’t stop smiling because on one hand you have the old fashion book promoting a television show and on the other side you have a high tech gadget which I can read books and watch television shows on. Wonder if A&E will be making the show available on the Kindle or not?

Such a great contrast on multiple levels and both of them make me smile in a big way because while I may be hyper-digital, I still love printed books and photography.

Don’t worry, I plan full reviews of both of these. Not sure which will come first.

This is how my mind works. It never shuts off completely and I’m always noodling on a bunch of different things and eventually they get out and get done.

These lists help me focus on what I need to get done and also remove some of the clutter from my brain. Until they are down on paper or on a screen they just keep bouncing around up there taking up space.

So, on my mind today is.

• Bourbon and how it feels like the next bacon. I’m starting to see a lot of people talking about it all over the place. A few months back when I was in Kentucky for IdeaFestival I had rye for the first time and have learned that I really like it. I’ve bought a bottle of Bulleit Rye and Michter’s Rye and I think I like the second one better for it’s little bit of sweetness it has.
• I’m excited for the Kindle Fire and what it means for living rooms everywhere. Since it is 100% for consuming and zero for creation it could become the device that sits on a coffee table and is used to read, watch and play when you get the urge. Mine should arrive today and I’m excited to see if it lives up to my dreams or not.
• I’ve got a lot of freelance writing projects that I need to get done. I’ve got pieces for Workshifting, Char-Broil and Emma all to write in the coming weeks. Getting sick this week sidelined me from getting those done when I wanted to and I need to unplug and write them. All fun topics. Hoping to get more writing assignments in the coming year.
• I need to edit the second episode of Passion Hit TV. It is going to profile a photographer and writer that I’ve known for years and really got to know more when we sat down and talked. She is an amazing woman and I know people will dig what she has to say since she doesn’t give interviews often, but I sweet talked her into giving me one.
• People expect free stuff from me all the time. Over and over again this week I’ve been asked to help with projects and when I bring up fees and budgets they get real quiet and say “oh we don’t have that.” Ideas, strategies and creativity cost money if you are getting them from an outside source.
• Thanksgiving is next week and I’ve got a lot of cooking to do. I started laying out the menu and am contemplating a couple of twists on old recipes, but I don’t want to go overboard. I’m also thinking of trying a few other meats besides the traditional turkey. Still not sure exactly how many people are coming over, but it is going to be a house full of awesome just like I love it to be.
• Fun to see my Ragu story appearing in a book. The latest writing from David Meerman Scott is called Newsjacking: How to Inject your Ideas into a Breaking News Story and Generate Tons of Media Coverage and he tells the story about how Ragu completely blew their outreach. Amazing how far one person’s thoughts can travel in today’s hyper-connected world.
• I don’t know yet what I want to shoot for our Christmas cards. We always end up waiting until the last minute and I don’t want to do that. If I had been smart we would have shot something during the freak October snow storm we got. I took a lot of pictures but didn’t think to shoot that. Doh!
• Sending out my newsletter has to become a priority. Every time I send one out new opportunities arise and I get to reconnect with people I haven’t talked to in a while. But, I’ve never treated it the way I need to and I’m already setting a goal of making sure I send one out a month next year.
• Excited for all the .tv interviews from BlogWorld to go live. It was fun to see so many people stop by the booth and sit down with Mark, Melissa and myself. Plus, I’m dying to rewatch the Digital Dads TV I did there because the conversation went in a completely different direction than I had hoped for.
• Your eyes open up when you realize that you’ve been on the Earth longer than you’ve got left on it.  None of us know exactly how long we have, but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about this possibility. I’ve still got a lot I want to accomplish before I leave this big blue marble.

Wow, that sure did end on a morbid note, but it wasn’t mean to.

It is just that time of year when I get reflective and looking to the future and there are a lot of things I haven’t been focusing on that I need and want to and 2012 is shaping up to be a year of hard work and I can’t wait for it.

Anything on your mind?

I was looking through Google+ when I saw an update from him saying he was on a plane to Rhode Island. That is a lot closer to me then his usual Denver so I dropped him a note asking what was up and what his schedule was like.

A few text messages later and there in my neighbor’s driveway is Hutch (hard to see house numbers at night from the street) and soon he was in my office being introduced to the family.

We hung out. We caught up. We talked a lot about the publishing industry, our careers and mutual friends. He got to meet my family and play with Roxie. Over nachos at a local restaurant we continued the conversations. There was no agenda, no time limit. Only quality time between friends who don’t get to see each other very often.

This is what friendships are all about. The little moments that you can’t plan for and you never forget. The conversations that don’t have a purpose or goal. When all shields are dropped, phones put away and you are completely in the moment.

Friendships are beautiful things that I worry not enough people appreciate them in today’s always connected world.

Never miss jumping on any moment that may allow you to spend time with someone you care about.

Today we’ve all got cameras. I’m writing this on the plane ride home from BlogWorld Expo and you couldn’t step a foot without seeing someone filming.

While we share, interact and spout on video all the time, we are not capturing the behind the scene moments, the throw away times that someday may turn into a special memory.

I’m thinking about all of this after watching the amazing documentary Pearl Jam Twenty. Seeing videos of songs being written, magical moments on stage and playful times on tour all got me reminiscing about how no one is capturing the world we live in right now like they used to.

We are capturing a polished, I know this is going to end up on YouTube version of what is happening in our lives rather than the nitty gritty, not always pretty, damn we do stupid stuff, home movie style that I’m craving.

In College I made movies. I loved doing it. We documented behind the scenes, we filmed us goofing off in our room and the camera even came out at a couple of parties. We never knew where the footage may end up and we didn’t care.

Yes, I know this was because the worse that could happen then was someone might pop in a tape and show some buddies and we’d be embarrassed. Compare that to becoming the next Star Wars kid and it is obvious that the stakes are different in the world today.

I’m making a promise to myself today that I’m going to begin documenting more of my experiences.

Will I share them? I don’t know. But, I know I want to capture them. The voices of my friends as we share a meal or go on a trip together.

I miss it. I long for it. I can’t be the only one who misses this am I?

A Passion Hit has found a way to take a simple passion and turn it into something so much more. In many cases it becomes their life, work and what they get up every morning for.

I wanted to share these stories with you and that is why today I’m psyched to announce Passion Hit TV.

All of us want to be Passion Hits. We’d love to find a way to do what we love every day. I believe everyone can make this happen with a lot of hard work and determination, but it is never an easy road.

My goal with Passion Hit TV is to allow you to hear from the  people who have found a way. I want them to share their stories, advice given to them by mentors that made a difference and have them give you advice on where to start.

I’m excited about this because it means I get to sit down with amazing people and share their stories to motivate others. Whenever possible my only rule is that I want to do these interviews in person.

To make this happen I’m hoping to find a sponsor for the show, but they’ve got to be a Passion Hit as well so it might be hard to find the right match. If you are interested I’d love to hear from you.

I’m kicking off the show with Baratunde Thurston. I was really happy we got to sit down with him in my hotel room in Louisville while we were both attending IdeaFestival. We talked so long we ended up being late to dinner. Whoops!

I hope you enjoy the show and I hope that the passion these people share will inspire you to do amazing things.

But, I’m now here in the sunny state of California and excited to be taking part in another BlogWorld Expo.

I’m speaking on Saturday morning at 11 and my presentation is title Content Rules, But Common Sense Rocks! and I hope to see a lot of you there. I’m in the mood to really wake some people up and start the day off on the right foot.

I’ll be popping in to some sessions, definitely not missing the keynotes from good friends Amber Naslund and Peter Shankman and going to a couple of the parties.

But, if you are really looking for me, your best bet is to swing by the .tv booth #321 on the expo floor. Trust me you can’t miss it. Just look for the red, black and white lounge with the comfy couches and the live studio filming everything.

As one of the .tv Advocates, I’m going to be interviewing a variety of people to talk about why online video is important and how they are currently using it. Other Advocates will be on hand as well interviewing people and conducting a series of how to classes. On Saturday I’m even going to be doing a live Digital Dads TV from the booth starting at 1 pm PST. All of this will be live streamed so even if you are not here you can enjoy at home.

If you don’t swing by the booth (you should!) than keep an eye out for fellow Advocate and friend Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff who is serving as the man on the street conducting interviews from all over the event.

Hope to see you over the next few days and if you love the image above be sure to let Hugh MacLeod know when you see him here.

Every year that I go, I walk away having made new contacts that lead to friendships and business. Last year we sold out of copies of Content Rules in the bookstore and people still come up to me and talk about sessions I’ve talked in over the years.

Yesterday as they announced the first round of talks for 2012 (including mine), I noticed something that has me worried that a lot of magic of why I love SXSW might be killed as the conference has grown to the size it is today.

Now, I have to mention that I can’t imagine organizing a conference of any size, let alone one as huge as this. Hugh and his team do an amazing job running the show and the challenges they face as they continue to be extremely successful and grow to meet that success is something I can’t imagine dealing with. Don’t take this post as a slam to any of them. They are doing what they need to do and it makes complete sense from a logistical standpoint.

If you didn’t notice what I’m concerned about, they’ve set up different tracks of talks in different buildings. Some of them very far apart from each other.

Granted, this is awesome if you are interested in only one type of session. Interested in “the future of work” then you can hang at the Courtyard Marriott for the day. Want “journalism and online content” then you can chill at the Sheraton. Only interested in the featured talks and keynotes, then you don’t have to ever leave the Austin Convention Center.

What I have always loved is the diversity of sessions and being able to be in one about photography one second, then go next door to listen in on the new world of non-profits and finally swing by a third to hear a case study about a successful transmedia storytelling campaign. A little something for everyone.

The hallway magic of SXSW is what I’m worried about being lost.

The photo above tells a great story of when I got chatting with a world famous author, a leading online parenting expert, a well regarded analyst and the top buddhist podcaster in the world near the escalators of the Austin Convention Center. Where else in the world would this meeting happen but at SXSW?

With the rapid growth forcing talks to be held at hotels spread all over Austin it is going to naturally cut down on these random bits of magic to occur. Instead we’ll bump into other people interested in the same topics as we are since we’ll all be at the same hotel together. This will lead to other great meetings for sure, but don’t we have enough fishbowls already?

I love crossing paths and talking with people from different backgrounds and interests. We may bump into each other in a hallway and then later grab a drink or talk long after the event is done. I live for diversity in my relationships. SXSW has always been a great place to start these relationships for me.

I’m still wrapping my thoughts around all of this, but am curious what you think? I’d love to hear from SXSW veterans and newbies alike.

SXSW is still an amazing conference and I have zero doubts that it will rock this year as well.

You should attend because you’ll meet great people, eat great food and experience a truly magical event. I’m just worried maybe it won’t be as magical as years past. I’ll let you know in March.

Ann and I spoke to a Full Sail University class the other night. I’m a big fan of the school because they are teaching diverse topics that are all creative and business focused at the same time. The questions are always high quality from their students.

One question came from a student who is a member of the band Wake Up Bedhead and he wanted to know what sort of content they should start creating that current fans would like, but that would also attract new fans to their music.

The advice I gave them is the same I’d give to anyone who asked and that is to follow your idols.

This works great when talking to a rock band, but I firmly believe it works for everyone.

I told him to think about his favorite bands and artists. What kind of content would he love to see them release? Would it be them talking about how they come up with songs, video diaries from the road or studio sessions watching them recording the latest album?

My argument being that if he would like to see that from his idols, then fans of his band would like to see the same sort of things from them.

If you are a just getting started with content or want to be doing it better, look at the people in your industry that you think are already doing it great and then follow their lead.

This is exactly why we filled Content Rules with “ideas your can steal” because even if someone is already doing something, you are going to put your own spin on it to make it unique to you.

Any of your idols inspire a piece of content you’ve created?

Anyone who knows me at all knows I’m a total Canon guy.

Up until recently you could be sure that if I was out of the house I either had my Canon S90 or Canon 50D with me and was taking photos with it. While my iPhone does a great job taking snapshots for me, I still like having a more traditional camera with me as well.

Then about a month ago I got an Olympus PEN E-P3 and I’ve been shooting none stop with it ever since.

I was suppose to go Africa next year and I wanted a smaller, but powerful camera as a back up to my 50D while I was there. After reading this review of the E-P3 from Scott Bourne and then holding one in person I had to get one. A close friend helped make that possible and now it goes everywhere with me.

Here are a few of my favorite shots I’ve taken with it so far.

Of course, like any photographer, I got dreaming about new lenses but didn’t want to buy any right away.

Somewhere along the line I saw mention of an adapter to attach other manufacturers lenses to the camera body. Could I really do that? Take my beloved Canon Lenses and mount them on the Olympus?

In fact you can! For only $23 I bought at Fotodiox Lens Mount Adapter and it works like a charm! Sure I have to use manual focus since there is no electronic connection between the lens and the camera, but that is a small price to pay in exchange for not having to buy new glass.

Of course, in another strange twist of fate, I was chosen to take part in the new Penready Campaign from Olympus. This means they sent me (and 999 other lucky individuals) a free Olympus Pen E-PM1 which is sort of the little brother to my E-P3.

It doesn’t quite have all the manual power of mine, but it is a neat little camera that takes some amazing photos. You can see the ones I’ve shared if you are interested and I’ll be posting more. The agreement is they give us the camera to keep and we agree to share at least 20 photos with them. The kids have really liked having a new camera to play with.

Both cameras have shown me that Olympus is a serious contender in the photography market. While I knew their name from the glory days of film, I had never considered them in today’s world.

How wrong I was and how excited I am to keep on shooting with both of them.

Disclosure:
Olympus provided me with a free E-PM1 as part of the Penready campaign.
The E-P3 I’m talking about was not given to me by them.
This post is full of affiliate links and ALL opinions are my own.

In the heat of the Arizona desert, a man can begin to see things.

As I turned the corner off of a typical Scottsdale street I began to wonder if I needed a cold drink because ahead of me I found the retro awesome vibe of the Hotel Valley Ho where I’d be staying while I spoke at BOLO 2011.

I’ve stayed in many a hotels in my day, but I can safely state that I’ve never stayed anywhere quite like the Valley Ho.

Originally built in 1956 and then completely revamped in 2005, this hotel has a colorful and creative vibe from the moment you walk in the front door.

The lobby and bar area leave no room for confusion that while it may have been renovated, not a drop of the swagger and soul of the 50′s has left this landmark. Just look at the colors, shapes and set up of the chairs for maximum lounging and hanging with your fellow trouble makers.

I was given a map to follow to my room and what looked on paper to be confusing is actually masterful in it’s layout as the entire complex hugs the central pool and cafe. You can’t help but be sucked into the palm trees and sunbathing beauties as you drag your carry on across the property to your room.

Of course as you walk in to your room of shiny chrome, leather chairs and personal patio the first thing you notice is the glass wall between the shower and the bed. The perfect tease if one has a lover with them and not flying solo on yet another grand journey.

With each room having their own patio, it makes for the ideal workshifting location or even to watch a Monday Night Football game with a close friend. In both situations, the fully stocked minibar and cocktail shaker will take care of any drinks you might need.

Be sure, to take some time and go to the roof to watch a sunset so that you can fully take in the beauty of the surrounding area as a backdrop for the glowing pool.

After a night of poker or other celebrations don’t settle for room service and instead grab an outside table at Cafe ZuZu where the smile on the waitresses are sure to please and the chorizo quesadillas are to die for. I found myself enjoying the nearby conversations while writing away at my own table.

If you have ever longed for the days when Mad Men poured the scotch and The Rat Pack provided life’s soundtrack then the Hotel Valley Ho needs to be added as a vacation destination. I’m already scheming how I can get back there again to be whisked back to the only time I can think where I’d actually want to wear a suit.

If there was any good that came out of the whole ragu mess, it was a desire to make my own spaghetti sauce.

So last weekend I bought all the ingredients and made a big pot for dinner. Best part is since we have a new freezer I could freeze all the left overs so we’ve got many more dinners of homemade sauce in the future.

Also, since I’m taking part in the Olympus Pen Ready campaign (Disclosure: they give me a free camera and I agree to take photos with it) I thought I’d take all these photos with the Olympus E-PM1 to see how it does. Full review coming of it once I’ve shot more with it.

Hope this helps.

I’ve been trying to process the passing of Steve Jobs.

I was driving into Boston to host an event with Ann Handley when the news popped up on my phone. I was instantly hit with this great sadness and a rush of emotions. I didn’t expect this to happen and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him and what he meant to my life since that moment.

Inspiration is a weird thing. You never know who may give it to you or when it is going to come.

My life was directly inspired by the products that were developed at Apple. When I saw my first Mac I feel in love with computers and needed one. Hours after getting my first iPod I recorded a podcast which would change my life forever. I now live my life and run my business from anywhere in the world from my iPad, iPhone and Macbook Air. Some could write this off to natural technological innovation, but to me it was always something more.

The technology was cool, beautiful and helpful, but the man himself was equally inspiring to me. Early on he told me that I could be one of the crazy ones and that was ok. I remember sitting in my office at Babson and watching his famous 2005 Stanford Commencement Address for the first time on iTunes U and knew that I had to make changes in my life because I wasn’t really doing what I wanted to be.

Looking at my life, the list of people who have inspired me is a long one. The variety is funny when I think about the fact that it would of course include my father and grandfather at the top, but it would also include Kevin Smith, Guy Kawasaki, Marcus Buckingham, Seth Godin and a slew of others.

I’m surrounded by some of the most talented and creative people in the world and they inspire me every day. Most days I’m scared to read the latest post from Karen Walrond or Julien Smith because I know they are going to kickstart something in my brain.

Inspiration is a beautiful thing. You can inspire people around you. Sometimes it will be something small you said. An action you took.

What is great about inspiration is that you can’t force it or plan for it. It is one of those amazing things that will happen, you’ll smile and life changes.

Drawing from Hugh Macleod

Sure, they set up all the needed social media profiles, post their pitches, share their videos and when someone says something nice about them they may respond or share it with others. But, when it comes to really talking to people they can’t do it?

Earlier this week a friend pointed out that I was about to post my 50,000th tweet and when the milestone came to pass someone else asked how many of those were @ messages and I had no idea. Thankfully he looked it up and here is the data thanks to TweetStats.

I was happy to see that based on their numbers, almost half of my tweets (49.46%) directly involve other people besides myself. This means I’m having conversations with people on Twitter and I’m also sharing their content by retweeting their messages.

Yesterday at Brand Camp University, I stressed to the audience that people need to stop worrying about the “right way” to use social media tools.

I firmly believe that if you talk and act just like you do in the real world when face-to-face with people you’ll do well. Sure, that is over simplifying things, but at the root of everything I do believe this. Of course this means that if your a jerk in person…well you know what that means. *grin*

Having a conversation shouldn’t be a chore. You either enjoy talking with people or you don’t. Twitter and social media are not for everyone.

Later I found out that my piece would be part of something much bigger and include writings from other buddies like Joe Pulizzi and my very own Ann Handley. Nothing like getting hired to be part of something that involves such a great group of people. And with that we present you…

These days I rarely use bookmarks, but my morning surf continues and I believe that you need to implement something similar in your life in order to be more productive. This holds true for both individuals and businesses. Like any good recipe, you need to customize and tweak to fit your individual needs.

I’m sure this process will evolve and change, but currently this is what my morning surf looks like.

• I get up, pour a cup of coffee and sit down on the couch with my iPad and flip on CNN. I like having the news on because I know I’ll get the top stories and any breaking news.
• I check my @ messages on Twitter to see what conversations I missed over night and reply to as many of them as I can.
• I then check several Twitter lists I have set up for different audiences to see what they are talking about and read any news I may have missed.
• At this point I’ll tweet some sort of good morning to let people know that I’m awake and is an old fashion manner that is part of my DNA. Plus, by saying good morning people know that the links I’ll be sharing shortly are not some sort of scheduled blitz of links. Plus, this simple tradition always leads to conversations with people.
• New to my routine is then checking my Google+ to reply to comments and see what people are up to there. While there is some overlap with Twitter, there is more unique than same sharing here and I love the different level of interaction.
• Because I love to stay on top of what my friends are doing, I next browse Instagallery which allows me to enjoy my Instagram feed on my iPad.
• My morning paper has been replaced by Zite. It is an iPad app that presents me with articles based on my preferences, previous shares, likes and topics that I have chosen. Every day I try to share 3-5 articles that I think others will enjoy. The built in sharing button makes it very easy to tweet these.
• Finally, it is time to look at my inbox. I clear out all the clutter, spam and other things that I don’t need to respond to in any format. I’ll read messages from people I know and respond to those that are urgent. I’ll leave everything else till later.
• Usually by now it is time for the kids to leave for school. I see them out and flip the television over to NBC as The Today Show starts. It is amazing to see how different networks cover the news.
• Finally, I pull out my laptop and start writing posts, articles and e-mails. While I could do this on the iPad, I type very fast and enjoy a full keyboard when I have lots of writing to do.

This gets tweaked slightly when I’m on the road, catching a plane or on vacation, but in some form it happens every day and gives me a jump start on what needs to get done.

Any business can set up something similar when they first get into the office or open the shop door. The key is that you need to be listening, replying, creating and sharing. Those four things will help you be much more productive online when done properly and naturally rather than being forced.

What routine do you have that helps you?

Success is something we all strive for. As soon as we achieve a certain level of it, we want more. It is wired into those of us who have an entrepreneurial way of thinking.

The formula for success is something that professors, writers and parents around the globe have pondered since the dawn of time. While this may be overly simplifying the whole thing, I believe that at the heart of the matter it all depends on you creating.

Creating a company because you see an opportunity. Creating content to raise awareness for yourself. Creating relationships so that you are surrounded by good people. So many ways to look at creation and all of them point towards success when done right.

Recently, a friend commented on another friend’s success and pondering how they had achieved it. My answer was that he was constantly creating across multiple channels so the chances of him being found and known were greater. Thinking and talking about doing things, is never the same as actually creating them.

This isn’t a question of volume. As we talk about in Content Rules, anyone can create lots of stuff, but the key is to create engaging things that people will notice and share. Businesses have to create what potential customers will want to consume. Bloggers need to create what they want readers or brands to consume and notice them.

Any of us can walk into an event and collect a stack of business cards while shaking a bunch of hands. But, those who leave, follow up and create an actual connection with the people they meet are the ones that will form successful relationships.

So, the next time you hear someone complaining about not being successful enough tell them to shut up and start creating!

I promised everyone a follow-up to the whole Ragu mess that I initially ranted about here, and then offered some free advice here.

This morning, I had a brief call with a manager from Unilever (Ragu’s parent company) and employees at two agencies. I was not provided the names of these agencies, so I still don’t officially know who was involved — and at this point, I just don’t care.

Recall that this began with me wanting to help a brand use social media better than they were currently doing — and once again, I’m walking away feeling empty about the whole experience.

Before I tell you about the call, let me say this: I know I shouldn’t care so much about a poorly executed campaign. I shouldn’t care that yet another brand is trying to be for everyone while really only wanting to talk to some.

But, the fact is, I do care. I do hate seeing silly mistakes being made. I hate seeing something that could be great falling down and being less.

I refrained from writing this blog post for several hours after the fact so that I could fully digest the call with a clear head, including the comments that were made, and reactions as a whole.

I told the representatives on the phone that I think the overall goal of Ragu’s campaign makes sense. Getting kids to eat, providing healthy meals and having an open conversation around this is awesome because all parents face these issues. I also complimented them for realizing that their target audience was mothers, focusing on that market, and naming the program with that solid focus on moms.

Those strategies make sense. That’s good old fashioned marketing. Define your audience, and then go after it.

Do I think this is more of a parenting issue than a mom issue? Damn straight I do, but I’m sure they had their reasons for focusing on only half of the parenting equation. That is Ragu’s decision. To each their own, right?

However, I also reminded them of another longstanding business and messaging strategy: If you want any other audience beyond your target market to be interested in your product, you must make them feel welcomed.

When my first interaction with a brand is an @ spam on Twitter … and when I engage and yet see nothing to welcome me … that is a turn-off. Follow that up with a video that insults me and my friends? Yeah, not exactly the welcoming committee I would have expected.

This is something I’ve taught people and companies for years. A community needs to feel welcoming if you want to see it grow. If a brand is truly trying to reach parents, then it must to use that word and have photos and content featuring of all sorts of parents. If you’re trying to reach teenagers, you don’t fill a website with photos of Grammy and Grampa, do you? I’ve never understood why this was so hard to understand.

From the beginning of this conversation, this was my reaction and my story. I wasn’t trying to influence anyone or change the world with a post. Yet as a recognized expert in this field, I have more than a good idea of what I’m talking about. I’ve developed and executed enough campaigns to know what works and what doesn’t.

Know this: Ragu’s misstep has moved to the top of my “what not to do” examples I’ll discuss on stage in future client presentations and keynotes.

For in the end, Ragu is yet another company that’s using a traditional marketing mentality to run their social programs. It doesn’t work. The company wants to engage people — and yet are not behaving like people themselves. They’re spamming prospects and ignoring opportunities to interact.

I’m still struck by that. In the past few days, this critical conversation has generated hundreds of comments, tweets and posts … and the brand has not replied to a single one of them. That’s shameful.

Silence is not a solution in social media.

Update: After all of this, Ragu finally comments somewhere about this whole thing.

So when Al Letson stepped on the stage last week at IdeaFestival 2011 I had a feeling we were in for something special and I hit record on my video camera thinking I might be right.  Enjoy.

Because of that, I want to give some free advice to the team at Ragu, whoever their social media agency is and any company thinking about getting into social media.

I’ve got the credentials to give this advice. I ran my own marketing agency. I’ve helped develop and execute online campaigns for The Coca-Cola Company, HBO, American Eagle Outfitters and many other companies. I get paid quite well to speak on the subject and consult with companies, but today the advice is completely free.

I just hope it helps.

My free social media advice for today is in direct relation to Ragu spilling all over their own campaign.

Twitter is a Conversation.

As of me writing this it has been 19 hours since Ragu sent their last tweet. This is not a big deal, except that their last batch of tweets were @ messages to several dads to bring attention to their newest video.

On Twitter when you send an @ message you are hoping for a response (they sure did get one from me). You are publically talking to someone and of course you hope they respond. I’ve seen responses to them and yet I’ve seen them say nothing back. It is a two way street and a conversation isn’t very good if you don’t say anything back.

Would anyone think it was a good idea to walk into a party and scream “hey look at me” and then walk back out the door without saying anything else? I think not.

Always Be Listening

This is rule number one of the Internet and without it being a core part of your culture you are in trouble.

You never know what people are saying about you online unless you’ve got your ears up. There are so many tools that can help you do this, but at a minimum you need to have Google Alerts and Twitter Search (both free) set up around your name, executive’s names and products.

Last night there was a SWARM of conversation about my post and tons of tweets, FB posts and other blog posts about the subject. I got up this morning and the conversation was still going on. I talked about it, responded to comments and continued the conversation.

Guess who was not part of it? You guessed right, Ragu.

The Internet Doesn’t Sleep

We live in a world that never turns off. Keeping old fashion bankers hours does not work any more.

Now in this case I know that the sauce hit the fan around 11:00 at night and most brands are not listening except during traditional work hours, but I don’t think that can be an excuse any more.

The fact that these @ messages were thrown out and then whoever wrote them clocked out for the night is dangerous. If you are going to open up a conversation then you need to be sure to be ready to discuss things in real time. If you want to only engage during “business hours” then make that clear.

Play Devil’s Advocate With All Ideas

Whenever I’ve been involved in building a campaign we always sit down and think “what is the worse thing that could happen.” We do this so that it vets the idea and so that we are prepared for it.

Rarely will you run into a full blown crisis, but if you don’t challenge the ideas and at least think about worse case scenarios then you are only doing a half ass job of working with your clients. I’ve worked on some pretty insane campaigns that involved shark attacks, vials of fake blood and giving out bras to teenagers on Facebook. Talk about possible pitfalls, but we were ready for them because we discussed them up front.

Don’t Overreact

I don’t know what (if anything) Ragu is going to do because of all this, but I sure hope they don’t over react.

I remember when the whole Motrin Moms fiasco happened and they instantly pulled the ad and issued a legalese ridden apology. They buried it in the sand and ran away from it rather than using it as something to talk about and learn from.

Tempers can flare and they can die out just as fast. Be calm and everything will be ok. Just don’t do nothing. That is even worse.

If You Want to Engage Parents, Don’t Forget the Dads

A final point that only applies to brands who are targeting parents.

Last night when all this happened I noticed that there is a Ragu Ambassador program. I don’t know how long this has been going on, but they have 25 bloggers involved. Any idea how many men. ONE!

Most of us guys are use to this and giggle about being “the token dad” in a group. Sure we laugh it off, but it is lazy in my mind. I’m still waiting for the day that a brand step up and fully realizes the power of all parents rather than just one group or another.

—-

I’m writing this from an airport in Canada. I have no idea if anyone is listening, but I sure know that a lot of people are talking about my reaction and the campaign.

I truly hope this advice helps Ragu and others.

Ragu, let’s discuss over dinner. Only rule is I get to cook.

3:00 pm Update - A brand manager has contacted me and we are going to chat tomorrow.

Photo Credit: PicsIShouldShare

As a marketer I’ve worked with companies big and small to advise them on how to properly use online media, how to reach out to influencers and how to be smart about content. After years of successful campaigns I know enough to be able to say what works and doesn’t work.

Combine these two aspects of my life and you can understand why I’m so pissed at the stupidity of Ragu and whoever their agency is.

I’ve never interacted with Ragu on Twitter before and honestly don’t buy their product. So when I got the above @ message from them linking to a video I wondered what it was. A quick look at their Twitter stream showed me that they had @ spammed a bunch of dads with a link to the same video. Here is the video:

As the person in my household who does all of the shopping and all of the cooking I took offense to this video. Implying that dads can only cook the simple things and Ragu is somehow going to help make that easier. Give me a break!

I’m sure there are plenty of couples out there where this might be true, but once again we have a brand who has decided to only focus on the mom side of the parenting equation and play into the stupid stereotypes that dads get pegged with all the time.

When will brands wake up to dads and the active role we play in our children’s lives. I’m sick of seeing every company that wants to have a parenting focus completely forget about the male side of the equation. I long for a brand to embrace fathers and really step up and cover both sides of parenting.

Ragu, you failed. You tried to be clever and you blew it. Whoever your agency is that told you this was a good idea should be fired because they are doing things for you that snake oil salesman are selling companies on every day and you’ve written the check for it. You should have known better. They should have served you better.

I’m sure Ragu doesn’t really hate dads, but after this video I can firmly say that there are plenty of dads who will hate Ragu. I certainly now do.

Update: If you are just reading this, I hope you’ll read my follow up giving advice on how it could have been done better and then my final post after Ragu called me.

I arrived in Louisville, Kentucky with zero expectations of what lay ahead of me at IdeaFestival 2011.

All I knew was that the conference was ten years old, brought together a colorful mix of speakers and that they had given me a hotel room and airfare to come down and check it out for myself. With the motto of “Stay Curious,” I arrived with an open mind and was ready to have it filled.

What I was not ready for was the awesomeness of both IdeaFestival and Louisville.

The easiest way to explain what IdeaFestival is would be to say that it is a weeklong festival that brings speakers from every discipline and corner of the world to take the stage and share their stories. It follows the same vibe of better known conferences such as PopTech or TED. But, that would be far to simple of a description and while I’ve never yet been to either of those other two conferences, I think IdeaFestival is different.

First the city of Louisville.

Sure, I knew about The Kentucky Derby and all the great bourbon. But, who knew it has the largest number of independent restaurants per capita in the US, a thriving art scene and a great mix of old meets new architecture around every corner? I certainly didn’t know any of this and unfortunitely since the programming was so amazing at the festival I never got a chance to explore the city more.

I had plans to swing by The Louisville Slugger Museum and Muhammad Ali Center at a minimum, but made it to neither of them. I’m already thinking how I can back down to actually see more of the area in the future. I can only imagine the magical spectacle of Derby Week.

It was also very apparent that the city fully embraces the IdeaFestival. The Mayor wanted to be such a big part of it that he moved his entire office down to the location of the festival for the entire week and spoke several times at the event to thank everyone for coming. There was also a night time gathering at Churchill Downs where we were treated to a taste of Louisville from many local restaurants and businesses. I think I may still be full from that.

Now for the IdeaFestival

Wow, would be the easiest word to describe it. You know the content is good when your brain physically hurts at the end of the day from all the processing it has been trying to do.

When a program welcomes to it’s stage the likes of Azure Antoinette, Parag Khanna, Wes Moore, Cesar Millan, Al Letson, Sugata Mitra and IBM’s Watson it is bound to be a stimulating time. But, even more so than just the people taking the stage I was impressed by the audience. IdeaFestival has made it a point to keep the price of admission as low as possible and to make sure that local students are able to attend and interact. I said more than once how impressed I was with the challenging questions the students asked through out the entire event. I hope this is a trend that expands to other conferences.

I found myself never wanting to leave the theater and getting up much earlier than I usually would to insure that I didn’t miss anything. But, the event organizers knew what they were doing when they put the Science of Kissing session at 8 am. People will show up for that. *grin*

You need to attend IdeaFestival 2012

As someone who attends and speaks at a lot of conferences I don’t say that lightly, but I firmly believe that you need to consider attending IdeaFestival next year.

I say this because my mind is still going through everything I saw and heard. The fact that I had to leave on Saturday morning and missed a whole day of it is still bugging me and I plan on buying a couple of the talks through the Fora.tv channel so I can see what I missed.

Unlike a lot of conferences where you never see the speakers once they leave the stage, I bumped into, chatted with and saw every speaker before and after they were on stage. They were there to engage and learn as much as every other attendee. I remember getting a big smile when one even got up to ask a question at a session. That was another refreshing item was that every speaker left plenty of time for Q&A because it was expected.

The whole IdeaFestival is a climate of curiosity and learning. All you needed to do was turn to the person next to you in the hallway and you never knew who it might be or what you might come away from the conversation with. I certainly made some great new friends at the event, bought a few books to read and even have a great new print from Don Stewart to hang on my office wall.

They haven’t announced the dates for next year, but as soon as they do I’m going to pencil it into my calendar.

Special Thanks

I would not be a good human if I didn’t give special thanks to the people that made my journey to IdeaFestival a reality. Kevin Smokler originally reached out to me about the opportunity and June Sargent took care of all the formalities to make it happen. Also, a special thanks to freelance photographer Geoff Oliver Bugbee who I met at the event and gave me permission to use some of his photos with this post. My photos are here if you are curious.

Finally, for legal reasons I’ll once again disclose that my travel expenses were covered by IdeaFestival and I was given a media pass to the event.