5 Keys to Twitter

Without a doubt, 2009 has been the year of Twitter. More than billion keystrokes from mainstream media have breathlessly chronicled the 40-person company’s rise to the heights of pop culture. If you’re in media, consume news or surf the Web, think of the last day in which you didn’t hear the word. See what I [...]

You Gotta Believe

I’ve never made a putt I didn’t visualize. Never struck a ball I didn’t watch to the barrel of the bat. Never swished a 20-footer I didn’t see in my mind’s eye.
Each takes belief. 
With enough practice and repeated success, belief becomes instinct, overtaking fear of missing, fear of falling short, fear of failure.
In many ways, [...]

Good Mantra

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 [...]

Bon Jovi PR

“You Give Love a Bad Name” is a timeless anthem of heartache and angst.
Some agencies give PR a bad name. There is the selection process, the excitement, and the promise of what can be. Then the boilerplate letter of agreement arrives. If you’re in PR, there is a flavor long since out of vogue (think [...]

Attention Crash

Are attention spans linked to age?
This post by Steve Rubel poses the question in a Gen-X and-Gen-Y context.
Are we busy looking at what others are saying, trying to stay up with the latest buzz? Or are we OK with the amount of material we’re reading to stay current?
There’s multi-tasking. Then there’s time spent, time gone [...]

Urgency is Lazy

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 [...]

Change for the Better

This short hit in the Harvard Business Review blog is a tall latte with an extra shot.
When Swiss company Nestle reduces a layer of management and empowers line staff, you realize it’s not just a U.S. economic hangover that’s driving change in company status quo.
As more U.S. companies look for ways to cut expenses, it’s [...]

How to Chase Away Customers

During a appointment yesterday with a dental specialist, I noticed a waiting room sign. It said turn off cellphones.
Why?
Because — the sign explained — they are disruptive to others in the waiting room, to the staff, and to the practice.
As I quietly surfed the Web, exchanged emails and responded to TXT messages on my BlackBerry, three [...]

Microbrand Monday: TechSmith

Project management and feedback to agencies and designers can be time-consuming with note taking, talking and emails.
Or it can be as easy as a picture.
One of the most productive software programs is SnagIt from TechSmith. Comes with 30-day free trial. Allows you to save any part of your screen in multiple formats, mark-up, highlight, even [...]

PowerPoint on Blackberry

PowerPoint is part of life on the road pitching audiences. Your laptop carries the slides that are run through a projector. You lug your laptop (and power supply) through airport security checkpoints, in your briefcase, on your shoulder. 
What if you only had to bring your sleek Blackberry and a small Bluetooth-enabled adapter (3.5″ x 2.5″ x 1″) with USB port?
Check out Impatica, [...]