The Business Blog at Intuitive.com

This is how participatory mainstream media should work

I have watched with growing disappointment as the trolls and jerks who are automatically screened from most blogs through splendid collaborative tools like Akismet have found a new home in the comments section of the local newspaper here in Boulder, the Daily Camera. Far from illuminating the story and adding thoughtful, intelligent commentary, too many comments are like these:

[On a story about a party gone wrong at the University of Colorado] "CU Meat heads. Like trash in the streets, the cretins can always be counted upon to show up and leave their greasy residues."

[On a story about an apartment building burning down] "Wow, a burning bush. If you look closely at the smoke on the wall, you can see a face looking back at you. This whole thing is divine."

"Is it Clinton's fault yet? I just got here."

"Wow, there are a lot of jerks posting tonight."

These are tame. The Daily Camera staff has to be rather vigilant, and it's quite common to see a discussion where 25% or more of the comments are "(This comment was removed by the site staff.)"

Nonetheless, it's a fine line between having coherent editorial control, managing the content of a site and its tone and censorship, and it's darn difficult to impose any sort of discourse quality metrics. Imagine a site that said "Note: sarcasm is not allowed."

That's a cause of frustration and too many people I talk with here in Boulder tell me that they skip the comments attached to articles on the Daily Camera's Web site because of the tone, hostility and generally poor discourse.

And that's too bad - though understandable - because they wouldn't see the great example of participatory citizen media in one of the latest stories on the site, a story about a boy being knocked off his bike by an RV just up the street from my place. A terrible story with a good ending: the boy is actually in good shape and his primary injury appears to be abrasion wounds from being dragged by the vehicle.

Within all the asinine comments about how bikers in Boulder are arrogant and don't follow the rules of the road are two comments worth pulling out, however:

"Thanks to those who have showed support. I am the boys father, and I want to report that he is currently in the hospital, and he is going to be okay. He fractured an ankle, has a nice quarter sized chunk missing from his right elbow, and has MASSIVE road rash, mostly on his back and shoulders. Will probably be in there for a couple days. He didn't stop at the stop sign, he looked right, there was a truck with a trailer parked to the left (possibly illegally that close to an intersection) that he pulled past and was hit. Frankly, they thought the helmet saved his life."

and then, just a few comments later:

"I wish to second the fact that the driver was NOT going 40 mph. I spoke to a witness-I am not sure about a parked truck with trailer. I think that person stopped AFTER the accident to try and help. Thank you, people for all the help received at the time. The boy was at my house when this happened."

How often do you get to read a news report and then see additional information from two of the key players in the story? In this case, while we didn't hear from the injured boy or the driver of the RV, we did get candid comments from the boy's father and the mother of the other boy whose house the injured boy had been visiting.

Imagine this ability to reach out to the local community and get candid supplemental information from key players with other stories too. The ability for story subjects to add their own commentary is a terrific feedback mechanism and can not only ensure stories are accurate but also help keep journalists honest too.

It's participatory mainstream media. With all its warts.

Welcome to Journalism 2.0.

First things first: Sign up for the Blogsmart News so you can stay up to date on the latest insider tips and ideas for your Internet business and marketing efforts. Better yet, sign up right now and you'll get a free copy of my "Insider's Guide to Blogging" ebook too!

Bloggers as PR vigilantes

My friend Rick Calvert of Blogworld Expo posted a note last night asking Should bloggers blacklist PR firms? His starting point for his article is an earlier note by Stowe Boyd, The Growing Backlash against PR, Spam and the Rationale for MicroPR. He in turn points to Gina Trapani, who has created a PR Spammers Wiki, where "she and others can publicly 'out' PR firms that are spamming bloggers or using other unsavory spammish practices."

I find this entire sequence of vigilante justice, as embodied in the concept of "outing" being applied to this situation, ridiculous. On the one hand, I constantly hear bloggers and other so-called new media journalists complaining that corporations and public relations firms aren't taking them seriously and then we get this sort of daft misbegotten idea where if a PR firm doesn't meet the ideal of interaction with a blogger, they can be digitally tarred and feathered.

I also get a lot of email from PR agencies, some of which is lame and poorly targeted, but much of which is interesting and worth receiving. When I get something I don't like, I send a one line note akin to "Not my beat, please drop me from this list" and it's done, no problem, no foul, no tar, no feathers.

When I get a query that attracts my attention, I appreciate the ability to type in a quick reply without having to dig up a contact person (they've already sent the message) and engage in a dialog with the pr agent or company representative. I'm candid and polite, and sometimes will point out how poorly their PR represents the company and other times take the apparently huge leap of forgiving them for not being perfect and focus on the message - the product or service they're promoting - rather than the contact query.

As a result, I dare say that I have an excellent relationship with just about every major PR agency in the United States, and a lot of smaller ones too.

The difference? I'm not out to change the world and I'm not arrogant enough to think that I should dictate how they should communicate with me, I just accept that there are inherent limitations in the system and try to make the best of it nonetheless.

This appears to be a minority perspectively, however, as embodied by comments like this one from Stowe:

"The root cause here is the delusion on the part of the clients that this sort of PR carpet bombing works, that mass media messages embedded in a press release or press release-ish email work, and that we, the bloggers, actually react positively to this junk."

Hate to break this to you, Stowe, but it does work and that the alternative suggestion of so-called MicroPR is at best idealistic and cannot scale, which is why it's doomed before it starts.

If I hire a PR firm to represent my company, I don't want them telling me all this hooha about "fostering the conversation" as a justification for why they only contacted seven people after billing me for 30 hours work, rather than contacting a few hundred targeted contacts. Further, I'm confident that a good PR agent can get me more visibility with their few hundred qualified contacts than a one-on-one twitter conversation with seven "perfect targets".

As someone with a foot in each camp (I write columns for both a monthly magazine and local newspaper but I also run very popular weblogs) I know that while it's not maximally efficient for the burden of selecting what's interesting to be dumped onto me as a journalist or citizen blogger, it's still far better than me never seeing the "offbeat" releases that might just catch my attention because they're not on "my beat".

Among other things, this boils down to a problem that most information researchers are familiar with: serendipitous resource discovery. You encounter it each time you pick up a printed dictionary to look up a word, just to find yourself browsing other words and enjoying the wealth of our language, or, what I did as a child, look up something in an encyclopaedia and find yourself immersed for hours in the tome.

What bothers me isn't that there are some self-important bloggers who are trying to "fix" a system that I don't really think is broken, but that there's a fundamental incongruity between wanting PR people to pay attention to them and view them as legitimate media outlets AND a desire to simultaneously change the rules of interaction without consideration of the full picture.

Rick offers a pithy retort to Stowe, Gina, and the blogger vigilantes:

"Will you occasionally get pitched something that is irrelevant to you or that is personally uninteresting to you? Of course. Too bad. Get over it or get a new job."

Well said, Rick!

However you spin it, I think that if you want to play in the world of mainstream media, journalism and public relations, you would do well to understand the dynamics and communications channels (especially the efficiencies of the system) and learn how to maximize your results rather than jump into digital yellow journalism and try to blacklist or humiliate PR professionals who might just view their job differently to your average blogger.

Me? I prefer not being part of a lynch mob, whether I knew I was being shanghaied into it or not...

Join me at the Colorado Capital Conference on May 22

If the idea of spending a day with a few hundred entrepreneurs sounds great, then you really should join us at the Colorado Capital Conference later this month. We have two keynote speakers, Simon Leung and Marc Silverman, and have eight workshops that day, along with eleven companies pitching and hoping for a funding event.

The workshops are going to be terrific:

• Financing 101
• Building a Winning Team
• Venture Labor: Don’t Confuse Stock Options with “Monopoly Money” to Grow Your Company
• Marketing 2.0 – Buzz and Social Media
• Making your Company Capital Attractive: How to Get from Here to There
• Revenue Generation: The Life Blood of Growing Business
• Valuations: The Key to It All
• How to Expand Your Overseas Sales

Any guess which one I'll be running? Yes, it's "Marketing 2.0" and I'm glad to also say that I'll be co-running the workshop with Jim Franklin, head of Oracle's Crystal Ball Global Business Unit.

We won't just be talking about new media and social networking as avenues for promoting your entrepreneurial venture or startup, however, we'll be developing a specific set of strategies and tactics for an organization to follow to maximize the benefit of modern marketing tactics while minimizing the associated cost. What company? Well, you'll have to join us to find out!

I hope you can join us. I know it'll be a day well spent and I'm excited about being able to participate in this event. Join us: register for the Colorado Capital Conference today (and take advantage of early bird pricing until May 9th)

How do you create buzz as a small business?

A few days ago I saw a query on PR Newswire (see my article how to gain more visibility in the mainstream media) from a reporter asking for some ideas about how small companies can gain more visibility in the new online world, the universe of social networks. The world you're immersed in at this moment if you're reading my weblog or RSS feed.

I gave him a pithy answer and thought it'd be interesting to also post it here and see if we can garner some additional thoughts and ideas about how entrepreneurs, startups and small companies can get some (positive) notoriety online.

Here's what I said to him in my email:

I think that I can offer you some help with your upcoming article. I actually work with small companies all the time to help them create buzz and visibility in their marketplaces, and my general response is:

do something goofy but interesting and of relevance to your market

For example, a gas station might run a promo where people submit their funniest stories about meeting people at the pump, and every week a winner gets a free fillup. Or they could be videos posted on YouTube, etc.

The point is to be a bit out of the box: small businesses that use traditional mainstream PR are competing with big corporations using the exact same channels, and will inevitably have poor results. It's hard to shine when you're in the shadow of someone much, much bigger.

So what do you think, dear reader?

What smart ways would you utilize to help your company - or client's company - gain visibility and buzz?

The Tax Implications of Customer Loyalty Cards

There's a very interesting sales tax issue brewing here in Boulder, as reported in the local paper. Seems that someone in city hall has gotten the inspiration to tax a local coffee house, Vics, for the hundreds of free cups of coffee they hand out to frequent customers.

Lots of companies in Boulder have the customer loyalty device in question: a frequent buyer punch card or similar. I have about a dozen of them in my wallet or car glove compartment and they're all generally the same: get ten punches and the eleventh is on the house. Whether it's an expensive coffee drink, a burrito, a smoothie or even a sandwich, companies from Safeway to Wahoo's Fish Tacos have these ubiquitous cards.

According to the paper, Vic's owes the city approximately $3,000 in unpaid sales tax, which is being labeled "use tax". Rather than just pay it or register a complaint through the chamber of commerce, Vic's has brought its fight public by putting up a Web site and hosting a fund raiser for its legal fund. You can check out the site at Vic's Espresso.com.

I'm torn on this issue because on the one hand, I really like the loyalty card idea and it does help me decide to return to my favorite haunts on a regular basis, but tax revenue from commercial transactions are also an important source of funds for the city and the myriad of services I enjoy as a resident too.

Vic's basic argument is that the sales tax for the paid portion of the loyalty transactions (e.g., the ten cups you have to buy to get the eleventh free) are sufficient and that the cost of the eleventh cup is already factored into the price of the ten paid cups, so the city's already received the sales tax in advance for that freebie cup.

If you think about the economics of running a business, that must be true because however inexpensive the cost of a free burrito, sandwich or latte, it's still non-zero and that money has to come from somewhere, but I have to admit that it makes me feel a tiny bit squeamish that the price of goods is artificially inflated to pay for freebies that I might not every enjoy if I'm not a regular patron of the establishment.

At some level I think it's a pragmatic issue: both residents and visitors to Boulder clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of loyalty programs through their shopping and eating habits, and anything that keeps customers coming back to a local business must be good -- in the long term -- for Boulder's tax coffers.

My conclusion: the city should be happy with the tax collected by the paid portion of the loyalty program and happy that local businesses have such an effective tool to help generate more business and revenue.

The alternative really can cripple smaller businesses in particular. No "10% discount for frequent customers", no "buy three get one free", none of that, not even down by CU, where these programs are omnipresent. The end result is to take away an effective retail business tool, and that could prove a greater cost to the city than any potential tax revenue from these loyalty programs.

Sorry NewsGator, I'm switching to FiltrBox

I have been a fan of NewsGator for many years, and count company founder Greg Reinecker among my friends. In the last few years, however, they've moved in the direction of corporate information portals and cobrand their splendid RSS reader for large corporations, media outlets, etc. They're doing great, but as an entrepreneur and (I admit it) information junkie, I migrated from NewsGator Online to Google Reader about a year ago and haven't looked back.

Except for one problem: NewsGator has very sophisticated search capabilities that are neatly integrated into their RSS reader, and after years of successive refinement, my current search query is the unwieldy:

NewsGator: Keyword search for intuitive.com or askdavetaylor.com or blogsmart or findability.info or "dave taylor" -hockey -kings -wwe -wrestling -alberta -government -"Best MLM Company"

It's long, ugly, complicated, but it works very well to help me keep track of mentions of my business anywhere in the blogosphere.

I could use Google Alerts for the task, and I do have some Google Alerts running, but it doesn't search as big a pool of information as NewsGator does.

Nonetheless, using NewsGator Online in addition to Google Reader is tedious at best, so when I had a chance to sit down this afternoon with my friend Ari Newman, head of Filtrbox, and get a quick demo from him, I was struck at how incredibly easy they're going to make it for all of us to have -- and continually tweak and improve -- highly sophisticated searches.

The most important part: Not only is Filtrbox stepping through more information sources, but I can easily create an RSS feed and -- and here's the kicker -- subscribe to that feed in Google Reader.

Now, finally, a way to have everything integrated into a single place.

As I said when I started, sorry Greg, I'm leaving NewsGator Online after many years, and can finally centralize everything in Google Reader, thanks to the powerful filtering capabilities of Filtrbox.

Note: Filtrbox is not yet open to the public, but Ari assures me it'll be ready for everyone in just a few weeks...

Interview with Kyle, a 15yo Internet entrepreneur

I recently bumped into Kyle, a very sharp 15yo entrepreneur who is just starting to make a name for himself online with his nascent extreme-days.com site. Luckily, he was up for an interview...

Q: Tell me about your Web site, first off. What's your main topic and why?

My topic is electronics, but I'm trying to focus on things that you can customize. I want to help people through the process of customizing whatever it might be that they have. Later on I would like to be able to sell the things that people want most that are customizable.

Q: Your site looks great. Where did you learn how to design a Web site?

Thank you, I never took a class or anything on this, I was always interested in photo designing and editing and stuff like that. My Mom is really artistic and I guess I inherited that artisticness because I definitely didn't get it from my Dad. I have just been interested in doing that sort of thing and I just got better and better at it I guess.

Q: Remind me, you're 15, right? Awesome. When I was fifteen I think I spent most of my time just reading science fiction novels, certainly not doing anything in the online realm (of course, back then online = dial up BBS systems, but that's another story). When did you get interested in doing something online?

I think I got interested in doing things online when I started doing a lot of research. Before I started my business' I only used to go online for IMing people and occasionally, an email or two, but mostly for online games. Then I got interested in hacking websites and stuff. I never wanted to do anything to hurt anyone's websites I just wanted to be able to say that I could hack a website. I never accomplished this because I didn't want to get into any trouble so that sort of scared me off. I got into modding and customizing things when my cousin told me about hacking my psp. I just like the whole idea of being able to make the items that I purchased perform at its maximum capability, after all I did spend the money for it and I think that everything should be able to be customized.

That still didn't really answer the question so I'll just say another sentence or two for the answer. My Dad had a big part in me getting online as well. He didn't really get me into using the internet, just making money on the internet. He would always come up with ways for me and my sister to make some money and when I started learning about how to make money online I just thought that, that is the ultimate lifestyle. Being able to build your website or websites whenever you wanted, in your underwear and make money from it.

Just the other day I was slacking off as usual, and was playing Guitar Hero 3 for almost the whole day. Then later on when I went back to my computer I had money waiting for me from orders.

Q: Okay, you have more social bookmark icons than any site I've ever seen. Why so many and which of these many services do you actually use?

The main reason for this is because I was planning on taking a poll from visitors to my site of the top 10 or 15 social bookmark sites that they use and just having those up there. As you can see I haven't gotten around to this yet, mostly because my site is new and not many people know about it yet.

Q: Are you on MySpace? FaceBook? What sites do you and your friends actually use with frequency and what appeals to you about them?

Well, almost all of my friends from school still use MySpace. I was never allowed to have a MySpace or a FaceBook because that's what my parents said. This was kind of a bummer at some points because everyone was talking about it all the time, but I got over it. I still am not allowed to have a personnel one. I have a business MySpace and a business FaceBook, but I don't really use them that much. I definitely prefer FaceBook over MySpace mainly because I think FaceBook looks a lot cleaner and organizes things in a better way.

I usually just call them or talk to them through AIM, or other instant messaging services.

Q: I see you have the donation form on your home page. Are you planning any other ways of making money from your Web site?

Yes, I am planning on selling the customizable electronics that are of the highest interest of my viewers. Later on I might sell T-shirts or something along those lines.

Q: I have to ask, since my kids bug me about this stuff: how old were you when you got your first iPod or Mp3 player? Your first computer? Your own email address? Your own cellphone?

I got my first iPod nano when I was 13. I ended up having to buy another one, but that's another story.

I don't remember when I got my first computer, I think I was about 13 as well. Being as I still have the same computer now, I need to get some money so I can get off windows 2000.

I think I got my own email address when I was 11 or 12. That took a while of bugging my dad to set one up for me. I went through a year or two of being just about the only kid in the class who didn't have an email when the kids used to pass around the email lists. I really never used it then, I just wanted one to be like everyone else.

Last, but not least, my cellphone. Well I got my first cellphone, which is also my current one, a month after I turned 15. This took an even longer time of bugging my Dad to get. When I finally convinced him to let me get one, I had to pay for the phone and the bill. At this point I am still paying for it, which I don't really have a problem with since I'm making money with my businesses.

Q: What's next for KRS Marketing, your online development business?

Well, I think in the future I might start another site for magic. I really like to do street magic, but I don't get a lot of time to practice it. If I do make a magic site I think that would push me to practice more.

Thanks for sharing, Kyle. I can only imagine how much you'll have accomplished by the time you're in your late 20's.... :-)

Earn More from AdSense with Joel Comm's new "AdSense Secrets 4.0"

If you've never delved into the world of Internet marketing, you might be a bit surprised to find out that there's a whole world of sharp folk who are selling the dream to hundreds, if not thousands, of people every month. Some of them apply what they learn and themselves become success stories, and I've had the privilege of meeting quite a few of those too. For many, it's just a dream, but for the few who do something with the knowledge they gain, it really can be a pathway to greater success.

While I generally hang around executives and startup entrepreneurs, I also have quite a few friends in the Internet marketing space, including the Stompernet team, and I even occasionally speak at an Internet marketing event, though I generally don't have the right kind of products for those to be profitable for me.

Another "IM" guy who lives just a few miles from me and has helped me out quite a bit over the years with inspiration regarding making money online is Joel Comm. He really made a name for himself in the AdSense space, but he also created The Next Internet Millionaire and many other creative online properties.

More importantly, Joel wrote what is still one of the very best books on how to actually make money with Google AdSense, his The AdSense Code book. I have a copy (signed, natch!) and found it a great reference for different ways you can integrate AdSense into your site to maximize your earnings.

The big news is that he's just released the fourth edition of this book (now titled AdSense Secrets) and he's priced it sufficiently low that it's crazy for you not to just click on the link and buy a copy: $9.95.

> > Click here to buy a copy of "AdSense Secrets 4.0" for only $9.95 < <

Wade through all the sales copy, or just skip to the bottom for the 'buy' button. :-)

I will note that this is an ebook, so you'll be able to drop this onto your iPhone, PDA or other portable device and absorb the information in bite-size chunks as you have the time. Or, better, sit down one afternoon, pad in hand, and go through the entire book, writing action items and to-do items as you go. It'll definitely pay for itself!

The Splendid Logic behind Blockbuster Acquiring Circuit City

The Wall Street Journal this morning is reporting that Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) is trying to buy beleaguered consumer electronics retailer Circuit City (NYSE: CC), which the market is not to thrilled about: Blockbuster stock dropped precipitously in early trading while Circuit City stock jumped up.

The market analysis is that the deal would be less than stellar for Blockbuster, but would be a needed shot in the arm for Circuit City. At least, that's what the change in share price seems to suggest.

But it's actually a darn interesting idea, one that is a clear and logical partnership if you have walked into an outlet of the more successful Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) chain: Best Buy devotes a good 50% of its floor space to DVDs and music CDs. It's an interesting mix because it shows the company focusing on both players and content, whereas Circuit City has barely any space devoted to movies and therefore is missing out on the "blade" part of the old adage that you give away the razor and sell the blades (or, the modern equivalent, lose money on the printer but make a killing on the cartridges)

Further, Blockbuster stores now stock limited hardware too and it would make so much sense for Blockbuster to expand to having a store-within-a-store where people could, for example, buy a Playstation 3 and rent a half-dozen games to go with it, or buy a low-end Blu-Ray player and get a few free rentals on the spot so they can enjoy the marvelous world of high-def TV.

Co-branding offers great potential too: For example, why not have a "Blockbuster Video Central" located within Circuit City, denoted with a different design, color scheme, and even an employee or two in Blockbuster uniform, and -- a key idea -- allow people to rent movies while they're in Circuit City.

Vice-versa works too, of course. Imagine walking into Blockbuster and there's a 500sf corner where they're selling the ten hottest items from Circuit City's video inventory, along with special in-store promotions. Have one well trained Circuit City employee (yes, I now that's an Achilles heel of modern retail consumer electronics stores) on site and now the Blockbuster folk can focus on recommending movies and games, while the Circuit City person can answer compatibility and capability questions.

Just as critical, the two chains need to act as one in all but brands, so if I were to buy a DVD player at Blockbuster, I could take it into Circuit City for repairs, and if I rented a few movies while at Circuit City buying a new phone, I could drop them off at the local Blockbuster and they'd magically find their way back to the correct location. For that matter, buy a DVD player or TV at Circuit City and get three months of free membership in the Blockbuster online video rental service that competes directly with Netflix.

I'm excited at this prospect and think it holds great potential for mutual benefit in a way that most potential acquisitions/mergers don't seem to truly offer benefit to both the acquirer and the acquired.

Yes, there are storm clouds on the horizon, most notably the razor-thin margins of consumer electronics which has been what hobbled Circuit City in the first place and the imposing recent entry of Wal-Mart into consumer electronics, but there's a logic to this partnership that makes me puzzled why the Journal is reporting that Blockbuster is bringing its offer public because "[Circuit City] has failed to give the "due diligence necessary to allow Blockbuster to make a definitive proposal."

I think Blockbuster + Circuit City is a solid pairing. Now let's see what the market thinks and how it all unfolds...

---

Additional reading on this topic in the blogosphere:

• NewTeeVee: Blockbuster tries to buy Circuit City
• GigaOm: Blockbuster Bids for Circuit City
• Hacking Netflix: Blockbuster Trying to Buy Netflix
• Between the Lines: Blockbuster sees media convergence
• Gearlog: Blockbuster offers to buy Circuit City

Fair warning, though, most of these bloggers - and most of the blogosphere - seems to be clueless about the true benefit both of these important retailers can see from this potential acquisition, even as we move as a society to a digital world. It's not about the price, it's about the logic of the partnership.

Video interview with Bill Vick: Social Media and Searching for a Job

I had the pleasure to spend some time talking with Bill Vick of Xtreme Recruiting.TV, talking about social networking, new media, and recruiting. Here it is:

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What's interesting is that we recorded this by utilizing Skype Video conferencing and on my end, I was using the video camera built in to my Macbook Air. No advanced tech, no $700 studio lights, and, as you can see, no set either (that's my living room fan in the background). Nonetheless, pretty good, pretty darn good.

Learn How To Make Money Blogging, with Darren and Andy

[Updated to fix broken links! Sorry!!!]

Having spent years in the blogging space and having been a speaker or participant at most of the major new media conferences in the last few years, I'm privileged to know just about everyone on the so-called blogging "A list". They're a good bunch, all in all, not too many that are snooty, though their egos are, uh, well, 'nuf said on that! :-)

A surprising number of these folk have leveraged their online visibility into success in other areas or grown their weblog into a "blogging network" or multi-author, multi-site empire. For the rest of us, the bloggers who prefer to have things stay simple and small, most are still trying to figure out how to realize the magic of traffic --> revenue rather than traffic just producing hosting headaches and larger ISP bills.

A couple of people have done just that, however, turned an avocation into a vocation, gone from casual hobbyist bloggers into professional online writers, producing great content day after day, week after week, gaining a following and understanding how to turn the dream of revenue-from-traffic into reality.

One of the best at this is Darren Rowse, who runs Problogger.com. We've never actually had the pleasure of meeting (logistics are a bit more tricky since he's based in Australia), but every time I read another of his blog entries my respect for him goes up another notch. If you're not reading his site, you're missing a gold mine of ideas and blog revenue info.

Darren's a "six figure blogger", someone who has mastered the science (it's not an art) of building significant traffic, producing top-notch content, and transforming it all into a veritable river of income. Sounds good, doesn't it?

Now, let me also talk about my friend Andy Wibbels, who runs the ingeniously named Andy Wibbels.com, consults to a lot of companies about how to use blogs and social media, and has written one of the best primers on the jargon and concepts behind blogging too, Blogwild! A Guide for Small Business Blogging. In a very different way, Andy also gets how to leverage visibility online into a very comfortable living too.

Given their backgrounds and position in the blogosphere and new media business world, it's not an exaggeration to say that when Darren and Andy put out a course on how you can become a six figure blogger, you should pay attention.

If you're still trying to figure out how writing about a subject you've a passion about can be lucrative, you're the perfect student for this course.

I chatted with 'em about the course (which starts in just a few days!) and learned quite a bit more about it. More importantly, I found out that it costs less than what you'll probably pay for airfare alone to your next Internet conference. You'll have access to both of these sharp guys and a chance to learn their insider secrets, something that'll undoubtedly pay for itself within just a few weeks.

I don't like just promoting something without some sort of special deal for you, my readers, so I am making this very special offer:

Register for their six figure blogging course through my affiliate link (below), email me your registration receipt, and I'll send you a signed copy of my popular book Growing Your Business with Google as supplemental reading. That's a good deal, I'd say!

My suggestion to you, before the clock runs out, they start the course and you're left wondering how to turn your tiny trickle of money into a river of revenue, is to stop thinking about your future and do something about it:

Click here to sign up for Six Figure Blogging
with Andy Wibbels and Darren Rowse!

I'm confident in their ability to deliver top-notch material and you should be too.

Redbox sends warning to customers about credit card skimming

Crisis management is a topic I address with frequency on this weblog as I realize that all companies mess up and have bad things happen, but how they respond, that's the big difference between success and failure. I've also written about McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) backed DVD rental startup Redbox before too.

Apparently the company had someone install a credit card skimmer on one of their devices and found it. Not good at all! What's important is that I haven't seen this news show up in the mainstream media (or blogosphere yet), so seeing how the company has notified its customers - even the vast majority of their customers who are unaffected by the problem - and is aggressively dealing with the issue is quite informative. Read on, this is the entire email sent out, then I have some additional commentary at the end...

To Our Valued Customers:

A few days ago redbox detected and removed an illegal credit card skimming device at one of our 7,400 locations. At the same time, redbox also discovered evidence of skimming attempts in two other locations. Skimming involves the placement of an illegal device above the credit/debit card reader on a vending machine, ATM, or in this case a redbox. These devices are used to illegally read or store personal credit card information.

Even if your redbox was not targeted, it never hurts to pay a little extra attention and check for any unusual activities or changes at your local redbox. If you suspect your redbox has been tampered with (click this link to see pictures of skimmer devices: http://www.redbox.com/creditcardsecurity/ ) please call 866-REDBOX3, e-mail alerts@redbox.com , or notify the store/restaurant manager of your concerns immediately.

Although there is no evidence currently that these skimming attempts were successful, consumer security is a top priority for redbox. Reviewing transaction records, there is a possibility that up to 150 customers may have been affected. Although only a small percentage of the millions of customers who use redbox each month, redbox has notified the major credit card companies so that they can monitor the situation. The redbox team is also working with local authorities to investigate the incidents and ensure your security.

Skimming is not new (click this link for more details: http://www.uboc.com/ ). It has been attempted numerous times on ATMs, gas station pumps, and now redbox has been targeted. Redbox has been aware of these industry threats and has spent significant time and resources to prepare for them. The 7,400 redbox locations are visited frequently by redbox associates to maintain smooth operations and an optimum customer experience. In this case, a redbox associate found evidence of skimming attempts and initiated the actions in the team's response plan (including this e-mail message).

Redbox greatly values our customer relationships. As a result, redbox is open and direct in our communications about this type of situation. The redbox team also utilizes industry-leading technology to ensure you have a safe shopping experience and aggressively combats attempts by criminals to defraud customers. Please see the questions and answers below for some additional details on skimming and how redbox ensures the safety of your account information.

Sincerely,
Trina Graham-Hodo
Director, Customer Service

Bill Caputo
Director, Security

Additional Questions / Answers:

Q. What is credit card skimming?

A. Skimming is the theft of credit card information used in an otherwise legitimate transaction. It often involves the placement of an illegal device above the credit/debit card reader on a vending machine, ATM, or in this case a redbox. For more info click these links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_fraud#Skimming
http://www.uboc.com/about/main/0,,2485_703976951,00.html

Q. What does redbox do to protect consumer credit card information?

A. Redbox employs state-of-the-art security technology to ensure the privacy and security of our customers' data before, during, and after their visit to our kiosks. Customer credit card information is encrypted the moment it's swiped through our readers. Redbox uses further layers of encryption to protect all data transfers, too. Kiosks are also actively monitored and regularly inspected both on-site and remotely. Redbox never moves or stores unencrypted customer information. Credit card information can not be accessed by outsiders or even by redbox employees once the card is swiped at a kiosk.

Q. Where can I get more information on credit card skimmers?

A. Please use these links to get more information on credit card skimmers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_fraud#Skimming
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/infotheft/2007-07-31-gift-cards_N.htm
http://www.uboc.com/about/main/0,,2485_703976951,00.html

Q. How do I know if a skimmer is on my redbox?

A. Redbox credit/debit card readers are standardized for all locations. Click this link for pictures of the two approved readers and some examples of skimmer devices: http://www.redbox.com/creditcardsecurity/

Q. Who should I call if I have questions?
If you suspect your credit card information was improperly used, contact your financial institution immediately. If you have specific concerns related to this incident and redbox, please visit http://www.redbox.com/creditcardsecurity/ or call 866-REDBOX3. Please do not reply to this email.

So what do you think? Did they address the situation calmly, professionally, thoughtfully and effectively? I think so.

Embattled Circuit City embroiled in another ugly proxy battle

A very interesting story is unfolding at troubled consumer electronics retailer Circuit City (NYSE: CC), where a shareholder group is publicly stating its desire to have Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Phil Schoonover oustered.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the dissident shareholder group, Wattles Capital Management (led by Mark Wattles), has a 6.5% share in the corporation (which, at the current depressed share value, is worth 50.8 million dollars. 12 months ago it was worth over $200 million. I'd be upset too!)

6.5% doesn't sound like much, certainly less than a controlling interest, but in the way of publicly traded companies, Wattles is bringing its proxy battle to the annual Circuit City shareholder's meeting and not only is pushing for a replacement for Phil Schoonover, but also has a proposed new lineup of five Directors for the corporation.

What I find interesting about this story is that I share the concerns and criticisms of Schoonover. In fact, I wrote on this very blog quite a while ago about Circuit City downgrades employees, guarantees eventual demise. The Journal reporting in this latest story parallels exactly:

"Wattles said Mr. Schoonover and his senior management team appear to have focused on cost-cutting measures with little or no consideration for their negative impact on revenue and gross profit, referring to the company's year-ago layoff of 3,400 workers. To much criticism, Circuit City replaced them with lower-paid staff."

During this same time period, industry publication Twice has been reporting recently that competitor Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) has been retaining its strong industry lead in the consumer electronics market.

On the other hand... a recent report in Twice shares the result of a consumer survey that notes "price was the leading factor [in consumer preference for one store over another], cited by 70.8 percent of respondents. Selection was cited by 55.6 percent, followed by location (45.9 percent), "quality" (36.5 percent) and service (26.4 percent)." Most important to this discussion of Circuit City: "Knowledgeable salespeople were the least important factor, cited by 20.2 percent of respondents."

Savvy consumer electronics industry watchers have seen this coming for years, but the same report also indicates that more people would rather buy their CE at Wal*Mart (NYSE: WMT) than Circuit City, which is a death knell if I ever heard one. I mean, Wal*Mart? Have you gone into a Wal*Mart and tried to buy any electronics? Target (NYSE: TGT) maybe, but Wal*Mart?

Wattles is right in being unhappy with the performance of Schoonover and his Board of Directors. Circuit City has reacted stupidly to the challenges of the current consumer electronics industry. But what I haven't seen mentioned in any of the stories I've read about the proposed changes to the Board is the threat of online retailers like Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), where the lack of physical storefronts means that they can have a significantly lower overhead. If indeed almost 71% of people consider price the most important factor in a consumer electronics purchase, I suggest that the cost of physical stores -- and stores that aren't well run and efficient -- is far more of a problem than anything else.

Overhead, that's what can kill a retail company in this new century, and even a comparison of Circuit City and Best Buy is revealing: Circuit City's overhead (sales, general and administrative expenses) is $25 per $100 in sales while more nimble competitor Best Buy pays $15 per $100 in sales. That's a massive difference!

There are two reasons I find this situation interesting, obviously. The first is that I like Circuit City and have been distressed to see the obvious mismanagement by the executive team, but the other reason is the demonstration of how a vocal minority can have a significant effect on a corporation. Think about it: this is all coming to pass because a shareholder with less than 10% of the stock is, in the immortal words of Peter Finch, "mad as hell and not going to take it any more!"

Snapfish support isn't very supportive after all...

I know, this is a tempest in a teapot, but I can't help but be amused by the interchange from Snapfish support. I'm a fan of the site and often use it for prints, but this time I uploaded about thirty photos from a recent trip to Hawaii and encountered what seemed like a bug.

I sent in a bug report (which wasn't easy to figure out: they don't really want to hear from customers as far as I can tell):

"03/30/2008 01:41 PM: Got a problem: My photo album AlbumID=21902554 has a picture set as the cover image but it's a picture I subsequently deleted. Now I can't change it. A bug?"

Their response was speedy - less than 12 hours - but apparently from the other side of the looking glass or something:

"Hi Dave,

Thank you for writing to us.

Please be informed you that our records indicate that you had 6 Albums in your Snapfish account under this email address: d1taylor@ gmail.com. We suggest you once again check your albums in your account."

Is it just me, or are they completely disconnected from my query and bug report?

This sort of pleasant, but completely pointless interchange reminds me why people hate tech support and are constantly frustrated with their gadgets, gizmos and software systems. And sometimes I am too. Go figure. :-)

Cool new startup for bloggers: Scratchback tip jar

Disclaimer up front: Jim Kukral, the founder of Scratchback, is a good friend of mine. Nonetheless, I've always been interested in creative and unusual ways for bloggers to make a buck while still keeping their focus on creating compelling content, so when Jim told me about his new startup, I was quite interested in learning more. The result of my questions to him are the interview, published here.

Q: Scratchback is a "tip jar". Tell me what the purpose of a tip jar is for a Web site?

ScratchBack is an online "tipping" system. It allows you, the publisher, to accept tips and "give back" links or images in return (all links are nofollow). You name your price on your tips, and you earn money from every interaction through our easy-to-use automated system. It's free to sign-up, and you can have a TopSpot widget on your website or blog in minutes.

Q: There have been many tip jar systems, from the "donate" link through Paypal that have been around for years to the "buy Dave a chai" link on my own web site. Why something new, and why now?

Actually, the Buy Dave a Chai is one of the inspirations for Scratchback, thanks. We just took it a step further. You're still tipping someone, but now you get something in return for your tip. Why now? Well, as you know Google came down hard on webmasters selling text links. Scratchback fills a need in many ways:

1. It's a unique and fun way for to accept tips,
2. It allows link selling to happen that's safe and secure and Google friendly.

All links are nofollow so Google doesn't consider them against their terms. Also, we're unique because we'll let the user customize their widget for their own site colors and graphics if they want to.

Q: Do you have Scratchback implemented on your own site, Jim? How's it going?

Yes, I have the widget in use on many of my blogs, and of course on the Scratchback site itself. It works great! Visitors enjoy using it and participating with brands.

Q: Who should use ScratchBack?

It's built for everyone, from small blogger, to HUGE publisher, regardless of traffic. Smaller sites or blogs will find that their TopSpots can generate some extra income that they might not be getting from other sources. Big publishers can use their TopSpots to allow everyone to participate on their sites beyond just reading or leaving a comment. If you like to have fun, and you think your readers like the information you have to offer, than this is something for you.

Q: How do you make money as a service? A percentage of the transactions?

Scratchback takes a commission from each tip to pay for bandwidth, hosting and administrative fees. The current commission structure is set for 90% for the publisher and 10% to ScratchBack, after paypal fees of course!

Q: You have a long and rich background with online sales and marketing. Do you see, down the road, a way to tie Scratchback into the affiliate world?

Yes, as a matter of fact, we're having discussions with affiliate networks and merchants right now about integrating some type of affiliate offer either built into the widget design, or some other way.

Learn more about this service and even consider adding it to your blog, all at Scratchback.com.

Is Linux ready for "the masses"? Nope.

There's an interesting, albeit very (very) long article written by Rip Linton entitled Linux Not Ready for the Masses? Bull that, rather inadvertently, does a great job of demonstrating one of the main reasons that Linux is not, in fact, ready for the masses: Rip makes an impassioned intellectual argument for the positive value of change but in this instance completely misses that perception is more important than reality.

His arguments are based primarily on his own experience in the computer industry, years of learning how to wrestle with and overcome the challenges of new and different technology. Interesting reading, particularly since I too have been involved with the Unix community for decades.

There are a few key points he makes that I want to address:

"Most users love to learn new things and really like it if they are one of the first in their group to learn something"

In my experience that's not true. In fact, most people - particularly in a corporate environment - are interested in getting their job done and getting out of there, not learning new tools and techniques. That's why there's still such an installed base of Windows 95 and Windows 98, along with MacOS 9 (yes, I hear from users of all these systems).

This is a key point, because just about every Unix / Linux / GNU person I've bumped into during the 25 years (jeez!) I've been associated with that community has a high level of intellectual curiosity about the tools they use for their work. They like getting incremental updates, they like playing with new tools, they're curious. That's great, but it's not the way most people work and it's a mistake to assume that it is.

"Training and perception are the keys to successful change"

Agreed, but this assumes that people want to be trained and that the benefit to the business - and the individuals - after the training is sufficiently high that they'll accept being trained in the first place. Worse, most corporate trainers are terrible teachers, boring and fairly unforgiving of those who aren't immediately grasping the new concepts or tools.

Nonetheless, my main point is that, yes, perception is key to successful change. And since the perception of Linux is that it's far more geeky and difficult to work with than Windows, this needs to be addressed directly in the marketplace too.

And, to be honest, it is harder to work with Linux than Windows or Mac OS X because you can't go to Kinko's and buy an app for your Linux box, you can't just plug in a printer and get it to work, and you can't get your friend to pop over and help you fix things. No perception involved, this is just the reality of working with an unpopular system in the marketplace.

"The person installing and training on new systems and software must know it so well that they make it look easy"

That's a good point, but it's extraordinarily difficult to pull off. If nothing else, there's the whole "demo syndrome" where things inevitably fail when you try to show others how to use them. You see that again and again at trade shows, for example.

"If there are problems, they should be resolved without making it look like it is difficult to overcome issues."

This is good in the sense that it recognizes that perceptions are critically important, but on the other hand, so many things associated with Windows are mind-numbingly complicated (and some times well nigh impossible to fix) and yet... somehow that doesn't seem to slow down the adoption of Windows in the corporate environment or at home, for that matter.

Finally, my main disagreement with Rip is that people don't embrace change, they run away from it screaming. There's a cliché that addresses this too: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Windows, particularly Windows Vista, is basically broken, but it's not so broken that people are eager to fix it by going into a completely different world, an alien world of geeks and hourly system patches called Linux.

Is Linux ready for prime time? No, it still isn't. After decades of development and effort by the folks that enjoy new tools, gizmos, and poking around with things on a daily basis.

But maybe you disagree? Share your thoughts, let's talk about it!

The nightly popularity contest of social networks

As I am currently many time zones away from just about everyone who reads this blog (I'm on Hawaiian time) when I wake up and first check my email, it's already mid-day on the continental United States and I am noting an interesting phenomenon: with all the social network notifications that I receive, every morning is like a mini-popularity contest now.

Well, maybe a popularity contest of just me, because I can't see what level of invites other people are getting, of course!

Whether it's someone who is now following my Twitter feed or FriendFeed, or friended me on Facebook, LinkedIn or even become my pal on Digg, it's a fascinating experience. (I don't get notifications from MySpace because I receive 20-40 friend requests each day, usually from spambots)

This morning, for example, I wake up to see that Steve Rubel has subscribed to my FriendFeed, Kealeboga Segola has added me as a friend on Facebook, Dave Henderson and condredege are now following me on Twitter and Marvin Turner, JD MBA has forwarded me an introduction on LinkedIn.

I wonder whether the growing popularity of social networks is simply because of this daily affirmation that we're popular and have even more friends than we did yesterday...

How do you interview people for your blog?

One question that I encounter occasionally from neophyte bloggers is about one of the most powerful methods of building content and also (shhhh) one of the best ways to build up some very high quality inbound links for your weblog: interviews.

Now I'm not talking about bringing your camera crew and lining up some local production team to help the "location shoot" look great (though if you're at that level you doubtless already know what I'm talking about) but more the humble interviews built around either email or phone-based question and answer sessions.

Standard approach is to identify a half-dozen or so celebrities or highly visible people in your market and ask them directly if you can interview them. Generally, this is a good place to slip in an ego stroke or two, like "I've been talking about your new book for a year now, it's so great" or "really appreciate your insight on the current bond market" or "I'm really interested on how you gained your sharp perspective on politics". Think of it as grease on the wheels, perhaps.

Why approach more than one? Because some folk will just ignore your request or reject it, sometimes because they want to be paid and other times because they're either buffeted by these sort of queries or just uninterested in you and your project. No worries, lots of other people say 'yes' so you should have success!

As part of your invitation to be interviewed, I encourage you to highlight that you'll do the production work (formatting the final document, editing the audio, whatever) and that you're then happy to make that available for their own promotional purposes. This gives them a further incentive and since there's no cost other than time, if you flub it up horribly, they can always skip referencing it on their own site / newsletter.

Making participation easy and efficient is a definite win and will increase the chance of you succeeding in your fledgling interview efforts.

I prefer email interviews, personally, because I'm a text guy so I'll tell you that my secret here is to ask if I can interview them, then send them a list of 10-12 questions and highlight "if you don't like these questions, edit them, skip ones that aren't interesting and add new ones if you'd like". This lets them help move the interview towards areas they want to highlight and I can always mail back "one more question" if they are skipping an area that I think is of particular importance. More importantly, since I'm not seeking a Pulitzer for investigative reporting, it lets them retain some control of the interview too.

For a phone-based audio interview you can use the same general approach by emailing questions in advance of the call. This also lets you ensure that your interview goes well because your subject has had a chance to prep and perhaps pull together some notes. You can do the same: have your homework in front of you so instead of saying "you have a big company" you can say "Your company sold $35.3 million worth of widgets last year..." or similar and sound smart. And that's undoubtedly a good thing.

Finally, when you are done, spend the time and effort to clean things up, edit for coherence, spelling and grammar (as appropriate), clean up audio passages to chop out the ums and ahs, the interruption from the cellphone call at minute 13, etc. Then send a copy of it to the interview subject simultaneous to publishing it, with your gracious thanks for their participation.

For bonus points, you can also ask them if they have any colleagues who would enjoy being interviewed, and if so, whether they could perhaps send out a quick introduction for you. That can open doors that you might otherwise never even know are there.

Finally finally, a quick example: my interview with Spain Dad, which came out of us connecting and me being surprised at the level of personal information he published on his blog. I think it's an interesting interview. Do you?

Google Maps smacked down by the Pentagon

I read this headline in the Wall Street Journal and said "well, duh, yeah."

Pentagon Bans Google Earth from Mapping Military Bases.

The article explains that "A message sent to all Defense Department bases and installations around the country late last week told officials to not allow the popular mapping Web site from taking panoramic views inside the facilities."

Michael Kucharek, spokesman for U.S. Northern Command, said: "the decision was made after crews were allowed access to at least one base. He said military officials were concerned that allowing the 360-degree, street-level video could provide sensitive information to potential adversaries and endanger base personnel."

I can only be aghast at the poor judgment of military police who let any Google Map (or MSN Earth, etc etc) teams drive onto a military base and take detailed panoramic photographs of the facility and its exact layout.

In my opinion, it's worrying enough that you can pick any random military base and find a nice aerial photograph of it. For example, here's Andrews Air Force Base, quite close up:

Now this image unto itself isn't necessarily going to help a terrorist plan an attack, but the level of detail is rather extraordinary and if you look for a larger military establishment like Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base it's certainly foreseeable how good on-ground intel could aid a foreign national far more than a Marine who seeks to figure out where "building 1101" is actually located on base.

I think that the challenge of finding a balance between vigilance and openness is a tricky one, and the ever-wider availability of geo-data makes it a particularly tricky issue. But it's not just limited to Google Maps and military establishments either: services like Yahoo's new Fire Eagle make it easier for someone to track your location (assuming you sign up for the geolocation service, still in early beta). Is that a good thing?

How do we balance privacy, security, pragmatic vigilance, optimism and openness in the twenty-first century?

Vote for Startup Story Radio on the Clear Channel network!

If you've been paying attention, you'll know that I'm the informal co-host of Startup Story Radio, with my pal Rob McNealy. We have a great time and every Saturday at noon you can even listen to the live audio stream on the KKZN AM760 site.

We broadcast through the Clear Channel network and they just announced that they're doing a listener survey to find out which programs are popular. Rob and I would most appreciate if you would spend 90 seconds and vote for our program!

---> Go here to vote for us

Remember, we're broadcast out of Denver on AM 760 and if you're not a resident of Colorado then please indicate that you listen to our live audio stream.

Thanks!

Connect with the brightest folk in Colorado @ BrainJam!

Early in 2007 I hosted an event that we informally called BrainJam and was really delighted at how it worked out. We had about 30 people attend this informal "unconference" and while I admit that we kinda made it up as we went along, it worked out really well: everyone who attended got five minutes in front of the room.

Some people talked about their new startups or their idea for a cool startup, some people tried to hire developers or other people to staff up their companies, some just talked about relatively random stuff that was of interest to them and one or two talked about their skillset and asked to be hired.

Most importantly, it was egalitarian. Everyone got five minutes and everyone listened, so we all had a good time and there was a LOT of networking going on, especially over the pizza boxes.

Last year we had the event at Mobius (thanks Brad!) but this year we've booked a larger, more posh venue at Rally Software Development in Boulder. It's going to be awesome!

But don't sit here, quick Go to BrainJam and sign up!

Startup idea: GrabMyName.com

I just blogged a muse on the newly reborn Business Blog Consulting entitled Do we have to join every social network? but I'm still thinking about the dilemma.

The problem is that once you absorb the message of you are your brand then it becomes increasingly important that you grab your "standard handle" on new sites as they arise.

From reserving your "channel" on YouTube to the external URL on MySpace or handle on Twitter, it's an increasingly big challenge.

And so, my idea for a startup: GrabMyName, a service where, for $5/month, the system will automatically "pre-sign" you up to any new social network or social networking tool that comes on the scene. You enter your email address into the GMN system and every time it signs up to a service on your behalf, it emails you a notification along with the temporary password it's set up.

Would you pay for a service like this?

Should you ever issue a press statement about your competitor?

Even though they never let me keep the multi-room music system that they sent as a review unit :-), I have still always admired Sonos as a company, with their combination of terrific product, attractive packaging and smart marketing. In many senses, they're like a mini-Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) , albeit minus The Steve.

Nonetheless, the chutzpah of the message they sent out in response to an announcement by another cool company, Logitech (Nasdaq: LOGI), is quite something:

---

Hello Dave,

As someone that has seen and met with Sonos in the past, we wanted to drop you a note about a new product launch that is scheduled for this week that has been positioned as a competitor to the Sonos Multi-Room Music System.

Following their launch at CES, we understand from all of the information we have gathered that Logitech has positioned the new Logitech Duet as a price-cutting alternative to the Sonos Multi-Room Music System.

Since we have been in the market for over three years now and have shipped more than 300,000 units, we felt this would be a good opportunity to clarify a few and update you on a few things about Sonos and the relation to the Duet.

With your permission, we would like to send you a one-page document that covers four questions we have commonly received about the comparison of the Sonos Multi-Room Music System and the Logitech Duet over the past month.

Of course, if you would like to speak with a Sonos executive about the upcoming Logitech Duet launch or anything else related to music and entertainment in the digital home, just let us know and we’d be happy to arrange.

Thank you as always for your time.

Regards,

Thomas Meyer
Sonos, Inc.

---

In all my decades of being in the industry, I can't think of a previous communication from a PR company or corporate flack that was quite as brazen. At least they didn't include the "four questions" about how the Sonos unit is superior to the Logitech unit, but it's still quite a remarkably aggressive approach.

What do you think? Can you envision similar sorts of communication between similarly sized corporations and do you think it's a good strategic move?

A Surprising Social Network Barrier to Growth: Invitations

I've written before about the mistake that many people make using the default invitations - in particular with LinkedIn (see don't send generic LinkedIn invitations!) - but what's amazing to me is how many of the newer and perhaps less well known social networks aren't learning from the experience of the big guys.

Two cases in point that are in my inbox right now, one from Naymz.com and one from Fast Pitch.com.

Here's exhibit A, the invitation from Naymz:

click for a full-size image

What the heck? This is really extraordinarily ugly and formats so poorly in my email program (Microsoft Entourage) that it makes me wonder if the people with Naymz have ever actually received an invitation. Yech. I won't join just because it's ugly.

Exhibit B, from Fast Pitch, is even more interesting:

click for a full-size image

My understanding is that Fast Pitch is a legitimate professional networking site, but really, this whole coy "a colleague has invited you" is a huge spam warning flag and there's also no way in heck that I'm going to join a network that sends that kind of invitation.

So what the heck? Is it so hard to produce attractive, coherent, intelligible invitations to join new social networks as they are created?

Sheesh.

Podcast: Coaching, Social Media and Web 2.0

Last week I was invited to join my long-tim