War Is Over

It hardly seems 27 years have passed.
Give yourself a 10 minute present - watch the entire vid...its more than worth it.



A message from Yoko right here.

Thank you to whatsnextonline.

Newspapers and Innovation

I love it when David Reich tosses in his 2 cents on newspapers and innovation - then takes a moment to send email and let me know he posted. Try as I might to keep up with newsreaders and rss feeds, they overwhelm me. Email communication is current. It gets my attention. Or maybe its most familiar. Some say email is already dead. We are living in an disastrously short life cycles if thats the case.

David references an article in Advertising Age by Marc Brownstein. Marc jumps on the "not quite dead yet" ship by writing that newspaper owners are entrepreneurial. They are not lacking in the desire to innovate. And they still make a little dough to boot. He admits newspapers don't have the same number of advertisers or readers as in the past. He suggests that some of each group have migrated to online. He argues that editorial staffs continue to write good - if not excellent - stories and that newspapers are willing to try new things.

Full disclosure which bears repeating - I work for a newspaper but everything I blog about them is my own thoughts and feelings. Here are a few innovative things we are doing where I work - blogs from staff and editors (no marketing blog yet but someday...), contests, community events and promotions, live AP updates, video blogs, niche publications, online comics and games, discussion boards, live coverage of daily news meetings, email notifications and marketing - plus we still deliver it to your door, if you choose. The toughest part is we do it with fewer and fewer people. Like David says, "eyeballs are eyeballs" and we're all trying to figure out where they are looking, what they're looking for and how to get them to pause for a moment.

Later -

Added 11.14 - Mark Goren's 3 part QAD at Transmission Marketing on the Canadian Newspaper Association campaign

Blogs and New Advertising

What do they say about the road to hell? It's paved with good intentions? My intention was to post sooner - a briefer hiatus, so to speak - and with no excuses - here goes.

This article* by Adrienne Fawcett from MediaPost - Marketing Daily caught my eye the other day. Call me a sucker for a good headline. Someday I'll be able to write one :)

8 Of 10 Americans Know About Blogs; Half Visit Them Regularly

Eight in ten is a whole pile of people - just like the picture over there. And 50% visit regularly - that's pretty amazing. Admittedly, its rare that I talk with anybody who doesn't know what a blog IS but it seems we are still in the early phase of what a blog can DO. We discover as we go - the stream ripples and rolls. And, of course, there are as many "whys" to blog as there are people. Here are excerpts from her article and my reactions:

"The high awareness is surprising given that blogging is an emerging media outlet," says Tom Mularz, senior vice president at Synovate eNation, which conducted the online survey of 1,000 U.S. adults. "The segmentation on awareness and usage, and on people having their own blogs, is driven by age, with obviously younger people more active in blogging." Nearly 90% of 25- to-34-year-olds know what a blog is, compared to 64.5% of those age 65-plus. Similarly, 78.4% of 18- to-24-year-olds report they have visited a blog, compared to just 44.7% of older Americans.

Not sure I agree its "obviously" younger people "active" in blogging - although I'm closer to 65 than to 34 so everybody's younger. I'm just being a little picky with words today. What IS obvious would be blogs are transforming communication and conversation. Which is what good advertising and marketing should be about.

Almost half of the respondents said they visit blogs to be entertained. What types of entertainment have they given up now that they are reading and writing blogs? Any emerging media poses a threat to traditional media, but at present, 87% of the people who read blogs said they don't spend less time with other media now that they're reading blogs. Of the 13.3% who do say they have ditched old media habits, newspapers, television and magazines have taken the biggest hits.

This makes confusing sense. I'm a little surprised at the almost 90% of blog readers spending the same amount of time with other media? Are people sleeping less? There are still 24 hours every day - right? And the low 15% who've ditched traditional media. Much of what we in the newspaper business tend to hear is just the opposite - high percentages ditching at a more rapid rate. This is today's good news - tomorrow might be different. Will reading blogs become a habit? A ritual for future readers?

Ad spending on blogs is still in its infancy....a recent study by Nielsen BuzzMetrics and Nielsen's BASES research division found that new products with higher ad spending on traditional media tend to generate greater buzz in the blogosphere. But the eNation study, conducted in late July, shows there is real potential for ads on blogs. Among people who have visited a blog (485), 43.2% said they have noticed ads on blogs, and three out of 10 people in this group said they have clicked on ads while visiting a blog. Among the youngest consumers, a whopping 61.2% of 18- to 24-year-olds said they have noticed ads on blogs.

My initial impression is that ad delivery online must take a different form quickly. What we see today on blogs (and websites) seems to be not so cleverly disguised subliminal messaging. Does it really sell anything OR is the network (community) we associate with more the influence than the ad? I'm leaning toward hearing about a product or service from someone I trust being the "close" of a sale. Here seems to be the real potential and not a banner ad. I believe blogs - and those who blog - help in this step toward a making a decision.

Some advertisers are trying to slip brand names in through the blogosphere's back door by recruiting bloggers to write favorably about their brands. Recently, a rep for Marvin Windows and Doors sent a flattering (exact replica) e-mail to several house-bloggers (including this reporter at The Fixer Upper House) to "better understand how Marvin can better interact and inform you as a home remodeler and blogger." She offered to provide "how to" tips and recommendations along with updates on company innovations and products. The company's "end, end goal," the rep said in a follow-up note, is to expand "Marvin's footprint as an expert in windows and doors." She teased at the potential for future promotions and advertising, but added, "That's really several months away."

Some organizations see the potential in building the conversation. Note how the representative says future promotions and advertising are several months away. We are still trying to figure this whole thing out. The future is huge.

So who's blogging? Eight percent of Americans have their own blog. "That's high, given that blogging was unheard of a few years ago," says eNation's Mularz. It's also surprising that more women than men are bloggers (given that men tend to dominate the computer/tech fields). Nearly 14% of men versus 20% of women have blogs, eNation reports.

To contact Adrienne - go to her blog. She's a friendly sort and responded promptly to my email.

I remain conflicted with online advertising. There has GOT to be a better way.

* need registration to view - its free. Just depends on how many registrations you want to juggle. Which brings up a whole other topic - for a later post.

The Next Big Thing

Bet you've heard that before :) Springwise is a site that delivers. You too can become a spotter! A treasure trove of creative ideas and the marketing behind them. Springwise is out of the Netherlands - get on the mailing list and try to keep up with whats going on around the world. A little heavy on US trends but very fun stuff from China and Japan.
I recently saw a van driving around town with a moving advertisement which changed every minute or so. It was something I'd never seen before - a mobile billboard. Submitted as a novel approach - too late - it had already been spotted. Gotta be quick these days!

An Astounding Gift - Past, Present and Future

Drew McLellan blows my mind with his example of genuine love for college grads. And to get it all together in less than 2 months! If you're not hip to his just posted e-book - check it out here. The version with pictures is best :) A surprise with every contributor. Amazing in it's diversity of thought and ideas, this is a stroke of brilliance, folks. Unfolding as clouds move across a clear blue sky. Flowing as the river during the Spring thaw. This is gift to grads and beyond. Heck, lets call it what it is - a gift to everyone associated with a conversation community.

Check the contributors - WOW - and then check their blogs.

Aaron Potts Andy Brudtkuhl Andy Nulman Andy Wibbels Ann Handley Ann Michael Anne Simons Becky Carroll C.B. Whittemore Carolyn Manning Chris Cree Christine Brown CK Darren Barefoot David Reich Delaney Kirk Derek Tutschulte Designer Mike Doug Karr Doug Mitchell Drew McLellan Joan Schramm

Kevin Hillstrom Lewis Green Liz Strauss Mario Sundar Mark Goren Mark True Mary Schmidt Nick Rice Patrick Schaber Paul McEnany Phil Gerbyshak Roberta Rosenberg Roger von Oech Rosa Say Seth Godin Sharon Sarmiento Stephanie Weaver Steve Miller Steve Sisler Terry Starbucker Toby Bloomberg Tony D. Clark Valeria Maltoni

And if you haven't already done so - be sure to thank Drew for HIS generosity!!!

Are marketing blogs positive or negative?

Kevin Hillstrom has a keen analysis on the MineTheData blog today. I picked it up from a post on JaffeJuice. Bless those feed readers :) Kevin digs into The Viral Garden's top 25 Marketing Blogs by creating 9 categories to analyze. He's trying to find out whether his hypothesis - that top marketing bloggers are negative toward brands - is true or false. Not to spoil the fun - you need to read, it's good - he concludes his assumption is false. He does discover some key differences around brands between the 1-10 group and the 11-25 group.

What grabbed me about his analysis is the recognition of "perception" at the very start. We all live with biases and perceptions. When we recognize them, it takes effort on our part to make sense of them. In addition, he uses a tool that is often overlooked in this age of technology - paper and red marker. He clearly spent some time with the exercise. It reminds me of a statement often made about the press - specifically newspapers. Some people say "They're too liberal". Some say "They're too conservative". Ever notice how its always "they'? It gets loud and rowdy along the spectrum at times. It swings back and forth. In 2000, I got tired of hearing it and decided to "analyze" the columns we ran in our paper. Can you guess? Almost 50-50 - a slight tilt toward conservative. Good enough for me to consider it balanced.

Kevin's 9 categories of posts can generally be used to analyze the blogs I read for positive/negative comparison. I had never thought of looking at them through that lens. But it does beg the question: In addition to links from other blogs and staying power (longevity) - what drives the really good ones to to the top 25, 50 or 100?

And this is totally subjective but I'd classify Kevin's post as a positive comment on the marketing blogosphere :)

Who Reads Newspapers Anymore?

It looks like a few people with blogs sure do! Let's start this with my standard disclaimer - I work for the local newspaper. I'm biased. And I love any talk about - for or against - newspapers. I don't write for the paper - I market it. Mark Goren at Transmission Marketing posted on an award-winning newspaper ad campaign and asks the question

"But did it sell any newspapers?"

According to Mark's sources the answer is a resounding "no". Not a surprise, as newspapers have watched circulation decline for a couple decades. Since I was in circulation for most of those 20 years, I've often asked the question, "Why did my boss keep me around?" :) David Reich at my 2 cents - whom I've shared comments with (if you haven't checked his blog - just do it) - posted about Mark's piece. He asks the question:

"Any other ideas to help newspapers grow their readership, whether in print or online?"

The three suggestions mirror Mark's and he gets comments from Lewis and Cam. Lewis is a newspaper guy and has added to my perspective. While I've not talked directly with Cam (about newspapers anyway) his comment goes directly to an online newspaper question - "Do you drive the reader from print to online or from online to print?" Then he suggests a more capital friendly approach to readers who get free content. I'm going to assume that means "Why not charge for the content?" And David follows up with a "what if" a newspaper website posted capsules of the story and pointed to the "full story" in the print edition. That would sell a few more single copy. You can read all this if you go to David's post.

Allow me a little ramble here. Its not my intent to be simplistic or presumptuous. But I do speak with pride. I think newspapers too often get a bum rap. Let's assume we all want a perspective on local news. It's what has sold the newspaper since the turn of the 20th century when more and more publishers got presses. For the purpose of this post, I'm talking US newspapers. Prior to that most of the news came from the big cities via transportation like Pony Express, the Union Pacific, etc. People got the news from the "national" viewpoint during the western US expansion. It provided (and still does) a daily history. I've recently read 3 books - Team of Rivals, Devil in the White City, and The Worst Hard Time - and am astounded at the local newspapers that are cited in both the prose and the bibliography.

But more than merely wanting a perspective on local news - we want to be part of the community. We want to know what's going on around us. As intelligent humans, we have a strong desire to help create a thriving environment where we exist. A local newspaper provides an "avenue of discovery" we can travel down. We want to be part of the solution - not the problem - and a good newspaper reports on the community. Good news and bad news - 365 days a year (366 in leap year) - and now, with online websites, 24/7.

Altruistic? Probably - and still circulation declines - one subscriber at a time. Readership is another measurement altogether. Some recent research shows total newspaper readership - which counts online - among 25-34 year olds is up 15% (source:Scarborough 2006) . A recent story in Editor & Publisher (industry bias to be sure) says the same thing in a different way. What we do here is give full online access to home delivery subscribers. We call it added value. You can subscribe online only for $7 a month - but I get home delivery so haven't paid real close attention.

If you are a local newspaper reader - Bravo - keep reading! My guess is that most of you are. When you get a chance - visit the paper in Spokane (links are everywhere on this blog:). Most of the website is accessible. Tell me what you think - or not. We have a long way to go in exposing the overall value of newspapers.

Here's an informative page -regarding advertising - from the Newspaper Association of America.

And thank you David, Mark, Lewis, Cam, Cord, and Robyn for carrying on the newspaper conversation. As our editor says - News is a Conversation.

Are you a Conversation Architect?

David Armano gave a presentation at MarketingProfs Thursday, March 29, 2007. He blogs a bit about how he felt following the talk here. My feeling is he's a bit tough on himself. I understand we all have communication preferences. We all feel there are arenas where we are more effective. But I feel he pulled together an enormous amount of information. He stated it clearly. I'm not sure you can ask for much more. Embedded below are the slides he used - courtesy of Slide Share where you might be able to see the text a little better.





First off, let me say David, Mack Collier, and Gavin Heaton are the triumvirate that nudged me into this "blogging" thing. To varying degrees they move me along. (Here's where I always stumble - by rights every one of you who visit here are the ones nudging me along - it's beyond humbling). I'd like to capsulize the main ideas of David's emerging media conversation that effected me the most.

The obvious - and foremost - thing for us to remember is we serve people. Whatever our vocation, calling, job, gig - call it what you will - if we are not putting people first - it won't work. We might call them customer, consumers, readers...but cut to the chase...and its people. And people want good experiences. Part of a good experience is good design. In order to help create good experiences, we need to be good designers. Design is not about making something look good - thought that is part of it - but its more about creating an experience that is pleasurable. I would say its about imparting a degree of happiness into the receiver of the message. Both Starbuck's and O'Hare airport are designed well - just differently. As bloggers, part of what we do is design conversation around topics of common interest. We are designers. Slide 8 debunks "designer" myth. Slide 9 shows some excellent design elements. The Target prescription bottle almost makes me want to come up with some sort of malady - just so I can get medicine in that container!

I could spend a long time on slide 10. It shows the building blocks of a digital experience. Built on a firm foundation of brand, business and users, Armano states the fundamentals as usefulness, usability, and desirability. Take some time looking at the questions asked in each pillar. The final two pillars take the experience beyond the expected - to sustainable and social. What this point says to me is if we want our brands to stick around they must maintain AND evolve. In emerging technology, they must also be social. I feel this is part of a blogs value. This part of the conversation naturally turns toward ROI - something I am aware of and my boss consistently reminds me. It is, however, difficult to quantify the time spent building a social network. Intuitively, we know it pays. But where does the rubber meet the road? After all, the bottom line got that title for some reason :)

The next group of slides are examples of digital experiences. I was impressed with some of what Dell is doing. My experience has been a bit less than satisfactory with them. We have a 2nd pc at home - it is a Dell. They packaged a whole bunch of extras on it. I have little problem navigating my way through a lot of it, but my bride is the main user. Her time at a keyboard is considerably less than mine (she's a nurse and deals with real people problems :) - start up was frustrating for her and, at times, still can be a pain. Mostly its the little things - filters, pop-ups, expired this and that. But it looks like Dell is reaching out. I'm impressed with how they've responded at Dell Hell. David devised a little Experience-o-Meter (if your reading, David, you really ought to patent it...maybe get one of these crazy geeks to build a widget! - imagine having it for pages and sites you visit - I'd like one that goes below acceptable for Windows Media Player - grrrrr) and he puts them beyond the basics and to the next level.

I was thrilled to see a newspaper site featured in the presentation - USA Today. While I'm a biased reader of my newspaper - The Spokesman-Review - just the fact that newspapers are on the radar as media engaging emerging tech is encouraging. One day I'll go into the journey we are on here. In a nutshell, News is a Conversation is a major part of it. We are a paid registration site for most of the local news but there are many places you can move around. USA Today seems to be a step or 2 ahead of us insofar as building a social community. David rates them "next level" in places - not quite "beyond basics" in others. I too wonder about storing pictures on their site. One thing I can imagine is that they may decide to post member "snapshot" someplace on their site. Similar to getting your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone (I guess its WIRED this generation) - one day you might say "A photo of mine was published in USA Today". Next is a little riff on You Tube, then examples of blogs - one which takes it to the next level, the other not so much.

The pair of slides that pulled it together were 31 and 32. They are pretty self-explanatory but its where the title of this post is stolen - as bloggers and marketers who blog - we need to become "conversation architects". I love that - what a great job title! Bravissimmo, Armano! The goal - to develop our blog, our brand and our organizations into valuable community experiences.

I'm not a Twitter user - though this presentation has me right on the edge. The conclusion focused on the enormous potential it holds for gathering a community. I was about to register last week and it was a day Twitter experienced crashes and problems. I get enough frustration without asking for it - so another time :)

Sharing is the best way of learning for me. I hope highlighting these points has helped reinforce some of your thinking. Even more, I hope you've found food for thought. Enjoy the weekend - I'm off for a nice bike ride! The sun is shining in Spokane!

Why To Blog?

Mike Sansone - Converstations - takes part in the tag meme that gives 5 reasons why I blog. Similar to this collage - but without the picture - by CK'sBlog. When she asked the question "Why blog?", my response was to learn. Now Mike "I'm tagging you now right between the i's"

I'm giving it a shot - this will be down and dirty - and a direct rip-off of my mantra - live, love, learn, lead - help each other to succeed. However, it's honest!

1 - I blog to learn more about technology - I'm an old horse...well not old old...but the revolutions around the sun are greater than 50! Some people are 60 ;)
2 - I blog to live to my greatest human potential - As humans we have a deep desire to communicate and share. We don't get where we are without others. Most of us fall short - no guilt intended - we ARE human. My belief is we have the chance to become more human in collectives. We need to take the chance and the risk.
3 - I blog to love - the love that comes from action in a community - from being a part of something that affects change. The love that flourishes when relationships are built. My blogging is intimate and personal - it flows in the river of my being.
4 - I blog to lead marketing newspapers to a new level - while I have not quite figured out how to translate my blog activity into "reality" i.e. making the boss some dough, the activity is valid. There is no magic bullet. I continue to build a network of great marketers, gain insight into marketing ideas, into marketing products and to use web 2.o tools.
5 - I blog to help others succeed - with any good fortune one or 2 might feel a small ripple form this corner of the blogosphere.
6 - Bonus answer - I blog to practice discipline. Making the commitment to translate thoughts into print on a consistent basis is a goal. It takes discipline - a self characteristic in short supply at times.
7 - Double bonus answer - I blog to focus the lens that I've polished for these many years - When I get comments and feedback, it helps me sharpen views.

I'm not tagging anyone at this point due to a technicality. I haven't officially been tagged - at least by the rules as I understand them :) - correct me if I'm wrong!

Weighing In - What IS news?

When celebrities die, folks eat it up. Couple a celebrity with va-va-voom figure and a tragic life...its all over. Inundation in the media. Lewis Green rocked my Friday world today with this post. I was easing on into the weekend and he asks all these hard questions :) - I'm kidding, of course. Love hard questions. CK has a post here and a different question. Cam Beck weighs in with a comment at both spots. Keen insight!

My intrigue centers around newspapers and how it played in them. In casual chat around here yesterday it was foremost in everybody's mind. Would that people were as conversational about global warming, cures for cancer, or any other number of topics. I was rather dreading how it would play in this morning's paper. More specifically, I distinctly remember thinking "It's not front page news!" - but it is news. I'm not an editor. It ran on page 3 - right next to Scooter Libby trial.

Here's the recap from Newseum. If you don't want to link, it says of the 509 newspapers they track it was on the front page world wide. My unscientific glance found a handful with no mention on page one - but for arguments sake we'll go with the Newseum observation. So what's that say about us as readers? About newspapers? Does it matter? And don't hold back...I take nothing personally (or at least make a valid attempt).

I believe we are what we read. And we read what we are.

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Ads

Like Char at Essential Keystrokes I watch the Super Bowl for the ads! Its for darn sure the game is anti-climactic. Ever since Joe Namath predicted the Jets would beat Johnny U and the Colts its been a non-sports event for me. And I'm a little compulsive about the ads - blogging anyone? - I write 'em down with a general first impression. No need to leave just yet - I won't be giving comments on each of them :). I will tell you the link to all of this year's commercials is at the bottom of this post. They have them listed by quarters - but they are decidedly NOT in the order that I saw them. Maybe they aren't intended to be...told you I was a little obsessive. But I think the sequence of the ads gives them greater weight. There were 71 ads by my count (that's without the CBS promos of there own shows - next year I count those). It includes the post game ads. Cars come out on top with 17 individual ads. Beverage (soda/beer) is next with 15. Food follows with 9 unique advertisers. Online business ties food but only because 2 outfits played the same ad twice. Now THAT is a lack of creativity - or a mocking of the viewer - I haven't yet decided.

All day long I've heard how bad they were this year. Super Bowl 2007 was not the strongest line up of ads but time usually plays a part in great commercials. I'm glad slapstick is making a comeback. Can anybody name a year that was clearly better than any other? Where's the beef? Here are my highlights - excuse the ties:

Best Use of Music - tie - Chevy's People who Love cars Love Chevy's and Honda's CR-V with Elvis. Great music overlaying excellent graphics!

Oddest juxtaposition of 3 ads - Sprints connectile dysfunction sandwiched between Coke (and its bottles) tribute to Black History and Frito-Lays "What getting here represents". Poor production choice and don't tell me the producers don't have a choice. If I was Coke, Sprint or Frito-Lay I'd be flat upset.

Oddest juxtaposition of 2 ads - eTrades "things you can do with one finger" following a Flomax ad.

Most puzzling ad or what do they do? - Garvin.com - GPS?, MP3?, make paper dinosaurs?

Most graphically appealing - Coke's Rube Goldberg cartoon and Fords EDGE

ASPCA potential protest - Blockbuster's mouse - poor mouse

Best punchline - Whats the ax for? Its a bottle opener.

Here's all of them.

Added 2.08.2007 - a history of Super Bowl ads by the numbers from Media Research

How Green are you today? Tomorrow?

Today is a blog publishing day! Hooray! And for a change of pace, I ran into this video about a scooter from Piaggio - they call it MP3. No it doesn't play music but it sure looks like it sings! Its got 3 wheels.

Its a little bit spendy ($7K) but a trick little machine. The video runs about 4 1/2 minutes. If you want to read about it - this is the spot. All sorts of video here, too.

I'm a tree hugger - plus I sing folk songs and bluegrass. This little vehicle has been around all year and I'm only just now seeing it? A quick Google search returned blogger postings beginning May 2006.

I know its impossible to keep track of everything - but how can we expect to change the world (and help preserve Mother Earth) when cool items like this seem to be secrets? Is it marketing - intentional or poor? Is it failure of mass media? Is it only a US phenomenon? I'm curious - feel free to rant if you choose.

Seven Lessons in Seven months

This post inspired by MarketingProfs Ann Handley Seven Lessons post. Lewis Green calls her "the Muse" at MP.

Its seven months in the world of blogging for me - to the day - exactly...20 posts...43 comments...a move in Technorati rank 24, 368 with one reader making me a favorite. Note to self - one reader at a time is absolutely OK. I got into this to join in the conversation and - as CK's collage points out to learn. Anything else is frosting.

Lessons I've Learned that have been reinforced since June12, 2006 -

• You get when you give - its not necessarily about posting but about commenting. I had left a few comments on a few blogs prior to o6.12.2006 and had received a response. It felt like sound in a soundproof room. And no padded walls - yikes! I set about to compose a blog. Suddenly on day 2 of my journey, I left a comment and linked to Mack Collier at the Viral Garden - he said thanks for linking and the fun began.
  
• Bloggers care about other bloggers - when I hadn't posted for a while Gavin, THE Servant of Chaos, sent me an email and asked where I'd been? He's got plenty to do. Taking time to ask me was beyond the expected. That email got me back to posting and commenting.
  
• Ripples in the water continue to grow - influence in this huge pool comes from many sources. David Armano at Logic and Emotion is one of the very best at dropping the pebbles. The magic is there it only depends on how much you want to make of it.
• The technology has made it simple - But not easy. Me create a blog? Use XML? Understand a tag? Link to another spot on the web? Yep, simple. Whats not easy is keeping up with all of it. Plus you can do it on the cheap - all it costs is time and we've all got 24 hours.
  
• Its easy to get distracted - there are a ton of places to get lost. See Google search :) - adopting some sort of discipline and becoming more selective is a worthy goal. And it all becomes part of the journey.
  
• Bloggers are good writers and critical thinkers - just a statement based on observation.
  
• We are, as a blogger culture, only now just beginning. Its a culture within a range of cultures. The activity of communicating great distances over topics of common interest can only add to our humanity. Its huge, its vast, and yet only a drop of the potential is evident. We can effect the common good and make the world a better place. Yes, we can change the world.

There's my lessons! There will be many more along this path.

Men, health, and....mustaches?

I'm staring to dig MarketingProfs - its full of wit, wisdom, and sound advice. Come the first of the year, a premium membership is considered. I drop in on the DailyFix occasionally - or rather it drops in on me. Today I found a great post on an item we hear all too little about in the US - prostate cancer and men's health. Seems a bunch of guys in Australia grow mustaches in November. It draws attention to a change in attitude about men's health. It opens the conversation.

The photo you see in the upper right of this blog is an exact representation of yours truly. I'm a man and I wear a mustache. I'm also reluctant to talk about my health. While I'm reasonably healthy its not because I'm comfortable talking about it. It's an awkward conversation. Even within the health care system, depression and cancer are not high on the list. I have a routine procedure scheduled for next month and only those closest to me will hear about it. Fortunately, I am blessed with male friends who listen AND are able to share feelings.

So Bravo to the organization that imagined this month long focus -

True Confessions of 101 Bloggers and Podcasters

Here is a fun post at Freaking Marketing (love the blog name) about a new book - True Confessions of 101 bloggers and podcasters by Ted Demopoulos. Its out soon, and while I'm not one of the 101 - no room for the "only blogs on occasion" blogger this time around. The interview makes it explicit that these are not the top 101 bloggers. They ARE bloggers who have leveraged the power of the blogosphere. Plus bloggers who blog for different reasons.

Which gives me a chance to shout out to Mack Collier - one who continues to leverage and grow...and do it with humility.

Something I fail to remember - and maybe you, too - is how "new" blogging is as a means of communication. And it continues to evolve.