Wondering what to read online?
This Vanity Fair chart provides guidance on what influential blogs cover what and — most importantly — where they land on the scale of scurrilous to earnest, and from news to opinion.
Inverted pyramids need not apply.
At a year-end concert last night in the gym of my local elementary school, there was lots of technology to record the moment: a camcorder, digital camera or cellphone camera for each musician. Parents gathered around to get the best angle during the “Kodak” moment for both orchestra and band.
I shamelessly did the same, but [...]
Deadlines in the news media business are legendary. And real. They’ve always ensured that content (news, especially exclusives) is edited on time and feeds the news hole. A reporter who misses deadline risks:
a) Seeing her/his byline story replaced by wire copy (think outsourced)
b) Disappointing her/his editor and publisher
c) Spending a career on the back pages [...]
If you’ve ever been in the dark hole of a writing project, you’ll appreciate a pop quiz. Which author said this?
“I sometimes think it’s important for writers to have an unhealthy obsession. Besides writing, that is.
A. Carl Hiaasen
B. J.K. Rowling
C. Ernest Hemingway
D. F. Scott Fitzgerald
E. None of the above
Writing, said now-deceased newspaper [...]
When the conservative Economist reports that Facebook is hiring a Google chef away, it’s kind of del.icio.us. The more important question (aside from which company has the best food) is this: Do certain dishes make you smarter?
Let us count the ways and marvel at how food is now being positioned as competitive advantage.
Charlie Ayers, Google’s first-ever “chief food [...]
Oprah’s “Big Give” does what so many TV offerings don’t: work to improve lives. Is it perfect? Not according to some of the fans posting on ABC’s website. But this reality television is refreshing in the way it tackles human drama to help people.
What would be the ultimate big give? The victor starting a [...]
Rob Walker’s Consumed piece in the NYT today explores creatives and their fascination (or inspiration) regarding presidential candidates. A very low-key website featured is www.barackobamaisyournewbicycle.com (no idea what bicycles have to do with it).
When you go to the website, simple clicks on the large text take you through a series of nice things the candidate [...]
If Hick’s Law, Ockham’s Razor, and Chunking elude you, but you’re interested in understanding the basics of design, there’s only one book to own.
Universal Principles of Design, by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden and Jill Butler, is a joy to have nearby. Organized alphabetically and categorically, the book guides you with words, photographs and illustrations that [...]
Naming a high-tech company is among the more delicate chores for marketers.
At startups, company founders can have strong feelings. Engineers can be obssessed with product function. Marketers balance reality and emotion. Some go with a default name that’s safe. Here are 3 popular examples of that naming convention, according to the CTIA website exhibit roster.
Mobile + pick a noun or object (Mobile Complete, Mobile Future, [...]
