Dave Egger’s new novel, The Circle, is fantastic. It’s also an important warning for anyone who is touched by social media (which is all of us). In 1948, George Orwell wrote 1984 as a warning about what could go wrong with a totalitarian society. The Circle is a damn close, and damn scary prediction of what […]
This might be the best software in the world …
January 6, 2014
… but as long as their website is this bad, nobody is going to believe them. Design matters. It speaks to the quality of your brand and the quality of your company. Neglecting your brand design is like having a filthy restaurant. The food might be great, but nobody is going to dare try it. […]
Out of date = lost customers
November 20, 2013
Sad story #1: Tried to buy insurance from a broker that I really like. It would have lead to a lot of other business for them. But some IT guy in their office who is stuck in 1998 set a limit on the size of email attachments they can receive. So I can’t return the […]
Newsletter #942: The “Great Ideas from Tech Stuff” Issue
June 20, 2013
[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] We like to focus on smart marketing that anyone can pull off — whether you’re a candlestick-maker working out of your […]
Mobile: Maybe your company already has a killer app
October 20, 2012
Are you fretting over trying to jump on the mobile trend? Feeling pressured to create an iPad app? You probably don’t need to — because you already have two: Email is the perfect way to deliver mobile information. Everyone already has a mobile email reader, and it always works. A properly designed website looks great […]
Newsletter #907: The “Simple Tech Tricks” Issue
October 18, 2012
[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] Great marketing doesn’t have to be complicated (in fact, the best marketing rarely is) and it doesn’t have to be expensive […]
Your job is not to teach your customers how to use new technology
April 6, 2011
If you have to explain it, don’t do it. Why put a scannable QR code in your ads if you have to tell people what to do with it? You should use the latest marketing and social media technology after your customers and prospects are using them. Be a fast follower, and be ready to […]
Everything is going to be OK
December 19, 2010
Sure, we’ve got a ton of problems. Economy, environment, energy, etc. But we’re getting better and better at solving them … and technology is advancing faster than the problems. Watch this great video featuring futurist Ray Kurzweil. You’ll feel better.
Lessons from the USS Nimitz #1: Keep it simple — It’s not about the technology
June 14, 2009
(This is part of a series of posts about my trip to the USS Nimitz with a group of bloggers. Guy Kawasaki tells the story best. Click the photos for close-ups.) One of my favorite lessons from the USS Nimitz was KEEP IT SIMPLE. The entire flight deck is organized by a simple table-top diagram […]
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