My Feng Shui is Fenged Up...

Have you ever looked at something and realized, "I'm doing it all wrong?"

Well, I felt I had to share the revelations that I had reading a little book I intend as giving as a gift - but wanted to peruse through first.

Apparently, as my desk looks out to a corridor (and a closet), there are many shelves sending all sorta of Sha (killing) energy - and to add to my Feng offenses a wall is in front of me instead of behind me (at first I read it and went, "how am I to have only one wall?"), my office has Feng Shui issues in it's current layout. At least I have my Executive Desk Gong.

Why post this admission here? Because I think it's really important to realize that when you're doing something wrong - or even not quite right - it's important to correct it.

In the online world, with the ways things change so quickly, you may well have the ability to change tact even if you're currently going about it in, let's just say, the "not optimal" (we want to keep your ego happy) way and not for lots of resources relative to shifts in other media.

Not saying you should abandon strategies willy-nilly; nor it as easy as the next couple weeks where I try to re-arrange myself to be more aligned in the office. However, if you know it's been awhile and it's not working, it may be time to make a change.

In short - one of the things I've learned through all the trials and tribulations (as well as successes) of my venture is - Don't let pride get in the way of your wealth and success.

Weekend Fluff: What if comments online were made at work?

So, have you ever thought about the idea that if all the bad comments that were made online on forums, blogs, and various other web "outlets" were made at work? Well, here's the version of what would happen if this happened in a meeting - NSFW, by the way.



Thanks to 43folders - and they just went through a redesign that is appropriate and beautiful.

Ten Mistakes For Logos/Brand Imagery

These are based off of real-life experience... I've protected the names of the innocent (for the most part), because they do not know the crimes they have committed against all of humanities' eyes. What's sad is that brand imagery can actually cost you a lot of money, as first impression counts.

10. When you sell something to 40-year old men, the logo theme should not be decided by the bosses' 13-year old daughter.

9. Do not use the word art feature in Microsoft Office - see example of large corporation that violates this rule.

8. The "Eurostyle" font and other of the 1995-98 ilk should of been allowed to die a peaceful death. It's not a good technology font (for good examples, see Verdana, VAG, Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, ITC Bauhaus (great Eurostyle alternative), and Neo Sans). In short, if you're an engineer boss, let the graphic design and marketing people do their job.

7. Which leads me to my next point - don't choose the brand imagery for your tastes, choose it for your customers'. What kind of colors/items/fonts do they associate with your line of work? Are your customers looking for strong and conservative? Young and fun? Your job is to please customers and get them to buy from you.

6. Be readable. Can you read it a good distance away, driving past it at 40 miles an hour? Choosing fonts and imagery that is too detailed or the letters blend together can make your logo useless.

5. It's okay to be cute - as long as it makes sense. If you find you need to explain the logo over and over, go back to the drawing board.

4. Old English fonts are for gangstas and hoodlums, not businesses. If you're a gangsta, hoodlum, or sell to them, fine. Exception: Your organization has been around since before 1920, and it's your original, custom art font/masthead (Detroit Tigers, New York Times, etc). In which case, you probably don't have a reason to be reading this save for entertainment.

3. Comic Sans = Amateur. Don't even think about it. Ever. Under any circumstances. Even for what it was designed for, there are better fonts.

2. Don't rip off your competition. You'll be a knock-off from the start, and people do pick up these things in the back of their mind. Inspiration from your competitors and others, however, is a good thing, and is the way great art is created.

1. Be mindful of the other ways your logo could be taken... you may think innocently, but others may not. This obviously someone in a dentist's chair when you think about it - but it's also obviously not the first thing that comes to mind.

I hope these tips help... questions or comments, leave'em, and I'll do my best to answer'em.

Why Traditional Business Doesn't Get Online Initiatives

I'm familiar with befuddled stares.

This is what happens when I try to explain online to traditional business folks. And I had to think about why.

Almost every business class, business seminar, business anything is built upon the concept of scarcity and control.

This is why companies like Verizon are suing to stop the sale of 700mhz band that Google's interested in buying (and others). If there is an open band that cell phones can access, all the barrier to entry of building a multi-billion dollar cellular network to play is gone, opening up competition and lowering prices. I don't blame them - that's all they know.

The web rarely about scarcity - there are a million places to get information. So many people come to me and tell me they have some killer idea that's never been done or thought of before - and I can guarantee you, it probably has. The question is: Has it been done well? Is it a good user experience? These are higher-level marketing items that quite frankly, many CEOs have never delved into. There are plenty of CMOs who don't even really use the Internet. I've met them. I've cringed. Multi-billion dollar companies regularly completely kill any chance of online success because they strangle success in the cradle of a fifty-person committee meeting, coming out of it with a weak, watered-down, and ultimately useless attempt at manufacturing cool (free hint to those folks: if you can't build cool, sponsor cool).

The secret online is in how you pull that information together, how it's packaged, and in some cases, what entertainment value you can provide to get an audience to follow you and spend money with you or your sponsors. I think of the"Will It Blend?" by Blendtec. GENIUS. We're talking about a $399 blender (base model), and I know plenty of people it's convinced to buy it. There are a million and one blenders out there, especially cheaper than it, but talk about showing instant value as well as being entertaining and viral. If it can blend an iPhone, I'm sure it can handle my daiquiri just fine.

On the other hand, we have Walmart with their fake-blogging and Facebook fiasco - continually trying to manufacture cool with a brand that, frankly, simply is not.

It's why some people are hesitant about new media and the web - "you mean I need to give it away something for free to get something? And it has to be good?"

There is some truth to what Seth Godin says about the web - either be the best or don't bother doing it. Why? Because there are a million other people trying to do what you do. In some ways, it's hyper-competitive - and in other ways, it's not - because unlike other mediums, there is a tendency that if your content is REALLY good, it will rise to the top.

I also look at the rise of Facebook - I won't say fall of MySpace - but Facebook undoubtedly is gaining steam very quickly. Why? It's for a myriad of reasons, including clean interface, coolness, etc. but also key to the story is that instead of closing development of applications, add-ons and widgets to enhance the user experience, like some sites do - Facebook has an open API. So does Digg.com. They give it away, whereas in the old model you'd have to pay to play.

This creates ownership - and why I think Facebook is less susceptible to people "moving on" to the next social service, as you have users - key mavens, in fact - who have personally invested in it through the creation of unique tools.

It's becoming very clear that there will be two classes of companies: Companies that get it, and then companies that don't who will suffer for it as the people who live in this new online world, and use as an integral part of their lives, gain more and more spending power.

p.s.- I realize that in this post I've use the word "multi-billion" more than one normally would. I apologize for this. However, I figured it illustrated the point better than "gigantic," "gargantuan," or "fat-walleted."

Cell Phone Drying Tips From Andy Inahtko

First off, Andy is hilarious... useful... and he would like it if I called him "beloved technology columnist." So I shall.

This is an awesome clip on tips to dry out your cellphone - I wish I knew this before now, it probably would of saved me some serious money. Giving credit where credit is due, Andy's blog, the Colossal Waste of Bandwidth (CWOB).

Apple keeps changing the media landscape...

Admittedly, as a content creator for the iPod and iPhone I have skins in the game, but this is possibly Apple, yet again, setting the pace.

First the iPhone came out - and at $599 and $499, a bit pricey. For mac-loving early adopters.

Now, you can buy NEW 8gb iPhones for $399, and 4GBs (I'm sure for a limited time) at $299. Talk about so competitive you now start truly eating into blackberry (I'll be posting the conversion/love story of a sales exec to the iPhone later).

Now, add to that a video player with an OK screen size at $149... and now, you have a mass market device. Next step is $99... but $149? There is now no real financial barrier for everyone to have fully functioning video in their pocket.

The opportunities this opens for organizations, corporations, media - it's the maturation of a new on-demand platform that truly gets close to the democratization content.

Sure, it'll still cost you money or resources (time, sweat, tears) to create GOOD stuff - but this opens it up to companies to have a device that is now going to be delivering audio and video and be as ubiquitos as the television.

Loving ESPN Side-by-Side Commericals

Now this is really smart. Am watching the Detroit Grand Prix, and during the commerical breaks they keep the race on (silent) with the top five leaderboard while ads are in another "window" on the right (with the ad audio).

Pure genius. I for once watched the ads - I didn't feel as motivated to get up and refresh my drink or do anything else... except make this blog post.

Five stars for ABC/ESPN. Hope more people do it during events - basketball? Tennis? All possibilities.

On another note, great job Penske - this is yet another great showcase event for the city.