Really, why? Well it was on my mind! I also typed it on my new iPad with a Journal App that I fell in love with, so there. By the way, yes, still on blogspot with every good intention of moving to WordPress. I am thinking next weekend, its a long Holiday one and I don't have my kids, I'll be in New York, alone and mostly bored, not that anyone pays attention...
I am really disappointed in the NBA. I used to be a very big fan as a kid. I look back at the early 80's and I wonder if I am just being nostalgic or is there something to it. The night before last I was watching the Flyers hockey game and in-between periods I switched over and the NBA Draft Lottery was on, that's what initially got me thinking about the topic...
Anyway, I watched and sat there comparing it to the NFL which seems to do everything right when it comes to drafts and dealing with college players. On the flip side you have the NBA; their silly one and done college rule and this 'lottery' that is staged to determine who gets the first pick through the 14th, I think. This should be exciting stuff!!!! It's what can shape a future franchise right? Not so fast my friends --- not only is drafting NBA talent a hit and miss, moving target but thanks to stupid contracts and salary restrictions it is downright convoluted. On top of that, I really no longer understand what it takes to be an NBA player and I have to tell you, I love the college game and think I am fairly knowledgeable, but I look at the mock drafts put up by experts and I scratch my head...I know maybe 10 names from the college game and I really wonder what their impact is going to be. The overall #1 seems to be John Wall, a skinny 19 year old kid that played one year at Kentucky, because quite frankly, he had too. Now I am not knocking the kids' talent but I don't think he is NBA ready and I don't necessarily mean from a skills standpoint, though I think the top 10 point guards in the game will eat him for lunch for the next two years. What I see is an immature, self absorbed, talent laden kid that will never reach his max potential because he will no longer be 'taught' the game of basketball. All of that is sort of off topic but because year after year this same thing happens, it has made the NBA an inferior product. David Stern, the NBA Commissioner, can stick his head in the sand and point to TV ratings all day long but I see empty buildings and complete apathy about the future. You, Mr. Stern, got very lucky with an influx of talent in the Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul class. Enjoy it now because I don't see the future staying 'rosy'.
Watch your older brother, the NFL, and learn; you can market the player but at the end of the day it is the team that matters. Fans will always appreciate great talent but we fall in love with teams, winning and enthusiasm. When you hand 19 year olds $40 million without any track record of success you are creating an atmosphere of individualship and greed. Coaches are not respected in the same way as they were before and veterans are seen as has beens that should just go away. And fans? Do they even know we are there? Just ask Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, but that is a whole different rant!
I am glad my 76ers are no longer relevant or this would all frustrate me so much more and there is an indictment in itself. I look longingly at my Dr. J jersey, the 1983 championship banner and my Moses Malone '4,4,4 Sixers' shirt with longing and passion, for another time and another era, but no longer for basketball...
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Change is never easy...
...but it is inevitable
With that said, I think it is time that I say goodbye to dear old Blogspot. Fear not, I am not giving up on blogging (though it seems that way from post infrequency sometimes) but I am beginning the search and transition to a new 'home' for my blog. If you have read a post a little while back, there are a wide range of things that I will blog about (at least TWO ok?) and it seems disjointed to have them in the same place without a way to delineate them so a reader doesn't get stuck in something they are not overly interested in. I am also intrigued around the concept of building 'personal brands' and developing my own. i don't want to run multiple blogs for this reason, so I am looking at some 'tabbed' type of format which will allow the reader to view blogposts by category. For a great resource on a true 'Personal Brand', thanks to hard work and the Internet, you should GOOGLE Gary Vaynerchuck and pick up is book "Crush It".
So with that said, I am looking at Wordpress as a new potential home. Now, I like to think I am fairly tech savvy. Really, I know my way around social media and networks and really isn't that the ONLY thing technology is about these days? But when it came to researching a new home for my blog I came to realize just how much I have to learn and as I poured through document after document just how smart you really have to be to get all this stuff right. Just trying to figure out how to transfer 200+ blog posts seems to be a Herculean feat right about now. On top of that I want my URL to be without the 'name of blogging company' inserted in it, so I have to buy a URL and make sure all the pointing stuff works, plus as I plan to disable this one I need to point you all over somewhere else, etc...
Needless to say it's making my head spin a bit, but the reality is that it's a great exercise for me and helps build my credibility in 'living a digital life' which is at the core of my Employer's, Definition 6, philosophy.
As I do all these things, I have also been attending a lot of conferences in the past few weeks. Whether directly or indirectly everyone of them has made their focal point around Social Media. It's incredible how dominant the topic has been and I absolutely LOVE it! One of my favorite concepts is that of being 'hyper local'. The basic idea is that thanks to smartphones, social media and some pretty cool technologies marketing can be extremely targeted and highly localized. I agree 110% BUT I am concerned with how a local business will actually capitalize on this opportunity and as Gary V. says, "Crush It". For enterprise clients and even mid size firms they have the bandwidth to hire both internal experts as well as outside consulting groups and agencies. But how does the local pizza parlor do it, or your neighborhood bookstore or chiropractor? They need help, the landscape is forever changing. Working in the small business world I know the two greatest challenges - TIME and MONEY. They never have enough time or the money to throw at such a bold effort in the same manner as say Coca Cola. What they do have is desire and intention. I feel there is a whole niche market here that needs these services and can do great things with them but doesn't have anyone 'servicing' them. I have some really great ideas around that, and I digressed a bit, but it came to mind while struggling with my own limitations.
Anyway, not sure when I will finish the transition or if I will have any more posts here before then...you just never know ;-)
With that said, I think it is time that I say goodbye to dear old Blogspot. Fear not, I am not giving up on blogging (though it seems that way from post infrequency sometimes) but I am beginning the search and transition to a new 'home' for my blog. If you have read a post a little while back, there are a wide range of things that I will blog about (at least TWO ok?) and it seems disjointed to have them in the same place without a way to delineate them so a reader doesn't get stuck in something they are not overly interested in. I am also intrigued around the concept of building 'personal brands' and developing my own. i don't want to run multiple blogs for this reason, so I am looking at some 'tabbed' type of format which will allow the reader to view blogposts by category. For a great resource on a true 'Personal Brand', thanks to hard work and the Internet, you should GOOGLE Gary Vaynerchuck and pick up is book "Crush It".
So with that said, I am looking at Wordpress as a new potential home. Now, I like to think I am fairly tech savvy. Really, I know my way around social media and networks and really isn't that the ONLY thing technology is about these days? But when it came to researching a new home for my blog I came to realize just how much I have to learn and as I poured through document after document just how smart you really have to be to get all this stuff right. Just trying to figure out how to transfer 200+ blog posts seems to be a Herculean feat right about now. On top of that I want my URL to be without the 'name of blogging company' inserted in it, so I have to buy a URL and make sure all the pointing stuff works, plus as I plan to disable this one I need to point you all over somewhere else, etc...
Needless to say it's making my head spin a bit, but the reality is that it's a great exercise for me and helps build my credibility in 'living a digital life' which is at the core of my Employer's, Definition 6, philosophy.
As I do all these things, I have also been attending a lot of conferences in the past few weeks. Whether directly or indirectly everyone of them has made their focal point around Social Media. It's incredible how dominant the topic has been and I absolutely LOVE it! One of my favorite concepts is that of being 'hyper local'. The basic idea is that thanks to smartphones, social media and some pretty cool technologies marketing can be extremely targeted and highly localized. I agree 110% BUT I am concerned with how a local business will actually capitalize on this opportunity and as Gary V. says, "Crush It". For enterprise clients and even mid size firms they have the bandwidth to hire both internal experts as well as outside consulting groups and agencies. But how does the local pizza parlor do it, or your neighborhood bookstore or chiropractor? They need help, the landscape is forever changing. Working in the small business world I know the two greatest challenges - TIME and MONEY. They never have enough time or the money to throw at such a bold effort in the same manner as say Coca Cola. What they do have is desire and intention. I feel there is a whole niche market here that needs these services and can do great things with them but doesn't have anyone 'servicing' them. I have some really great ideas around that, and I digressed a bit, but it came to mind while struggling with my own limitations.
Anyway, not sure when I will finish the transition or if I will have any more posts here before then...you just never know ;-)
Friday, March 26, 2010
Enough is Enough
Yes, I am about to commit blasphemy in its highest form, right here on my blog --
DEAR ESPN, PLEASE STOP COVERING FLORIDA FOOTBALL LIKE WE ARE THE ONLY PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY
There, I said and I feel a little bit better. I know at least one of you might have just dropped a coffee mug and said 'woo hoo', but lets not get ahead of ourselves here (and clean up the mess please). I didn't say to 'stop covering Florida Football' just discontinue what you are currently doing. By that I mean, it is March people, we just started SPRING PRACTICE!
Here goes my rant, and I feel like Deonte Thompson (in that I am going to say how I feel and hope that everyone reading it doesn't dissect it, twist it, or fuck with it so they can make a headline). I guess I better digress first, because the Deonte Thompson 'real quarterback' quote is what got this whole thing started (and by the way there is plenty of blame to go around, including on Coach Meyer)...
The other day after practice, one of our WR's is asked to compare his old QB (Tim Tebow) to his new one (John Brantley). The WR in question, Thompson, said that, and I am paraphrasing, it was a little tougher with Tim because he might run, scramble or throw it at the last second. This meant he, as a WR, had to always be on his toes, and sometimes, quite frankly he wasn't. On the other hand, Brantley, is more of an 'pure passer' in that he drops back, has an idea of where he is going and delivers the ball in a much more rhythmic pattern, or as Thompson called it, "a real quarterback". There is where all the trouble began (big shocker, alert the world) one of Timmy's old teammates doesn't think Tim is a REAL QB!!!! Orlando Sentinel, Mike Bianchi (you douchebag -oops, personal opinion) let's make it a HEADLINE!!! Write a column, a blog, let the world know that a 21 year old kid says that 'Football's Lord and Savior is not a 'real QB'... I think you sense my sarcasm...
Do we really have a story here? Not really, but it is March and in between basketball games, baseball is in Spring Training, no one cares about basketball or hockey until the play-offs and Tiger's come back is 3 weeks away, so the National Sports News needs 'filler' and what better filler than another person dissing the Savior that is Tim Tebow! The PTI guys debate it and concur that "hey, it's really no big deal" and I thought, thank G-d that is over...but...nope, and here is where Meyer added fuel to the fire...the next day at practice HE goes after the reporter. Now I will tell you, I am glad he said something. My hope would have been that he would have pulled him aside and had a quiet discussion, but nope, he goes off on a rant, and yep, it's all on tape. So instead of this silly thing dying it is mushrooming and now it has spun out of control.
Last night, all I hear about is how Meyer is sticking up for Tebow and how this affects Tebow, and what it does to his draft status, etc...now I am scratching my head...Meyer was not in ANY WAY sticking up for Tebow, he was sticking up for his WR and current player. He was TRYING, though not succeeding, in trying to put the comment in perspective.
Like I said, there is a ton of blame here. One person I am not blaming is the original reporter, Jeremy Fowler, who asked the question. He did his job and I don't think he took the quote that much out of context. The person that did was Mike Bianchi at his paper that decided this needed to be his COLUMN of the day. He's the one I'd like to see Meyer in the back room with. I also understand that ESPN will cover anything and everything, but as a Florida Alum I am growing weary of the daily coverage and that sounds strange. To put it in context, I am a great Gator fan, but too many I am their worst nightmare as Gator fans already have a reputation about arrogance in the SEC. Layer that on with my Philadelphia sports upbringing and yep, I can be downright obnoxious. At least I admit it and I am seeking help (Step 1 complete - LMAO). In years past I would be rolling around like a pig in shit with all this coverage, but today I am afraid to turn on SportsCenter to see what is next. I love Tim Tebow, I love Coach Meyer, but at the end of the day the constant scrutiny about 'perfection' and 'Mr. Perfect' grew tiresome and hurt the team. I was hoping for a quiet Spring, one of developing young talent and of talk of re-building and then a nice build up to the Fall where we unleash John Brantley on the college football world...
Now, I just hope to go a weekend without seeing us on the 'crawl'
DEAR ESPN, PLEASE STOP COVERING FLORIDA FOOTBALL LIKE WE ARE THE ONLY PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY
There, I said and I feel a little bit better. I know at least one of you might have just dropped a coffee mug and said 'woo hoo', but lets not get ahead of ourselves here (and clean up the mess please). I didn't say to 'stop covering Florida Football' just discontinue what you are currently doing. By that I mean, it is March people, we just started SPRING PRACTICE!
Here goes my rant, and I feel like Deonte Thompson (in that I am going to say how I feel and hope that everyone reading it doesn't dissect it, twist it, or fuck with it so they can make a headline). I guess I better digress first, because the Deonte Thompson 'real quarterback' quote is what got this whole thing started (and by the way there is plenty of blame to go around, including on Coach Meyer)...
The other day after practice, one of our WR's is asked to compare his old QB (Tim Tebow) to his new one (John Brantley). The WR in question, Thompson, said that, and I am paraphrasing, it was a little tougher with Tim because he might run, scramble or throw it at the last second. This meant he, as a WR, had to always be on his toes, and sometimes, quite frankly he wasn't. On the other hand, Brantley, is more of an 'pure passer' in that he drops back, has an idea of where he is going and delivers the ball in a much more rhythmic pattern, or as Thompson called it, "a real quarterback". There is where all the trouble began (big shocker, alert the world) one of Timmy's old teammates doesn't think Tim is a REAL QB!!!! Orlando Sentinel, Mike Bianchi (you douchebag -oops, personal opinion) let's make it a HEADLINE!!! Write a column, a blog, let the world know that a 21 year old kid says that 'Football's Lord and Savior is not a 'real QB'... I think you sense my sarcasm...
Do we really have a story here? Not really, but it is March and in between basketball games, baseball is in Spring Training, no one cares about basketball or hockey until the play-offs and Tiger's come back is 3 weeks away, so the National Sports News needs 'filler' and what better filler than another person dissing the Savior that is Tim Tebow! The PTI guys debate it and concur that "hey, it's really no big deal" and I thought, thank G-d that is over...but...nope, and here is where Meyer added fuel to the fire...the next day at practice HE goes after the reporter. Now I will tell you, I am glad he said something. My hope would have been that he would have pulled him aside and had a quiet discussion, but nope, he goes off on a rant, and yep, it's all on tape. So instead of this silly thing dying it is mushrooming and now it has spun out of control.
Last night, all I hear about is how Meyer is sticking up for Tebow and how this affects Tebow, and what it does to his draft status, etc...now I am scratching my head...Meyer was not in ANY WAY sticking up for Tebow, he was sticking up for his WR and current player. He was TRYING, though not succeeding, in trying to put the comment in perspective.
Like I said, there is a ton of blame here. One person I am not blaming is the original reporter, Jeremy Fowler, who asked the question. He did his job and I don't think he took the quote that much out of context. The person that did was Mike Bianchi at his paper that decided this needed to be his COLUMN of the day. He's the one I'd like to see Meyer in the back room with. I also understand that ESPN will cover anything and everything, but as a Florida Alum I am growing weary of the daily coverage and that sounds strange. To put it in context, I am a great Gator fan, but too many I am their worst nightmare as Gator fans already have a reputation about arrogance in the SEC. Layer that on with my Philadelphia sports upbringing and yep, I can be downright obnoxious. At least I admit it and I am seeking help (Step 1 complete - LMAO). In years past I would be rolling around like a pig in shit with all this coverage, but today I am afraid to turn on SportsCenter to see what is next. I love Tim Tebow, I love Coach Meyer, but at the end of the day the constant scrutiny about 'perfection' and 'Mr. Perfect' grew tiresome and hurt the team. I was hoping for a quiet Spring, one of developing young talent and of talk of re-building and then a nice build up to the Fall where we unleash John Brantley on the college football world...
Now, I just hope to go a weekend without seeing us on the 'crawl'
Monday, March 22, 2010
Newbie tips from SXSW
The following is going to posted to my Company's Blog, so I thought I would share it here as well…
We have plenty of experts at Definition 6 and several of them were able to join me at SXSW this year. In their blogs they will give you great insights into the fantastic technical content and incredible creative features that SXSW provided. As for me, I was your basic wide eyed child seeing a new world for the first time. Every experience and many of the sessions were sensory and information overload but I did bring back a few good nuggets that will be helpful for 2011 and beyond:
- Do NOT ignore the early panels and sessions – I am an early riser and not a 'huge' partier so this one for me was easier than some of the other Conference Attendees. Every day sessions began at either 9:00 or 9:30; set your alarms early, get up stretch (workout if you do that) because you are in for a fully packed day!
- Speaking of panels and sessions – there are TONS of them and if you don't pre-plan your day you will get lost, overwhelmed and miss things. SXSW has gotten so big that many sessions no longer take place in the Austin Convention Center (ACC). They use the Hilton across the street and several other hotels around downtown Austin. If you aren't paying attention you could very well miss your session.
- Use the tools SXSW provides – If you weren't using my.SXSW.com then you missed out. Additionally, I am an iPhone user and the SXSW app was a LIFE SAVER! Everything from my custom schedule to maps to venues, it is a must have.
- Network, Network, Network – I know this sounds rather elementary for a Conference, let alone SXSW, but I would focus on where and when you can do your best networking. For me, I found that to be in TWO places. My favorite place to network was before a panel/session. For a generally small panel I would arrive about 30 minutes beforehand (take note, for big sessions, like Keynotes, I would arrive 60 minutes before, take a good seat, and be ready to talk to my neighbors. I met everyone from the head of Interactive for a Fortune 50 to someone who had actually read one of my blog posts! The second place was in the 'Lounges' on the second floor of the ACC. In general, I had about 60-90 between sessions. I would head up to the Bloggers' Lounge and process my thoughts and get to meet great people from around the world.
- Bring your laptop! – A few folks suggested I leave it behind but for me it was my SINGLE BEST TOOL at SXSW. Why you ask? During every panel/session there was a hashtag for Twitter associated with it. I would open up TweetDeck and add a column for that hashtag. From there I could pose a question, make a comment and follow what others were saying. This actually became ANOTHER great 'place' to network as I started picking up 'followers' and I began to 'follow' others in the room.
- Work the parties – At least until 10:00pm or so. I noticed that most of the sponsored after hour gatherings were also good places to network but only up until a point, and that point was generally around 10:00. From then on places were very crowded and the atmosphere was no longer conducive to very strategic business talks. Stick around, pick up cards and talk about your business but think of that like early snow – it's coming down but it most likely won't 'stick'
- Book in advance – Hotel rooms fill up fast! See you March 15th, 2011.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
From the Blogger Lounge...
I'm on Day 3 here at SXSW while most of the folks here got here on Friday. There is definitely the growing sense of weariness as the Interactive Crowd is wrapping up and getting ready to move on for yet another year.
For three days now I knew this 'Blogger Lounge' was here but I haven't had the time to swing by and quite frankly I was a little bit scared. Now that I am in here I am full on scared!!! There are about 8 round tables set up with 8 seats per table and laptops are up and people are typing away furiously. If you have been reading me for awhile you might recall my first real Starbucks experience, well, this one tops it. At least for my trip to Starbucks I had directions and guidance, here I feel like a complete alien. Let's face it, I am a quasi blogger at best. I need lessons, I need help!!! I am afraid to even open my mouth as something completely stupid will come tumbling out...
So here I sit, with another 90 minutes before my next session. Loving that I can recharge though. Speaking of recharging, I don't think I mentioned the AT&T recharging stations here. They have this mini-locker set up where you open a locker with a key, put in your iPhone, lock her up and boom your iPhone is charging. I haven't needed it but it is super cool. I was sitting and watching though and this was the general behavior --- put phone in, stand off to the side, wait 3 minutes (tops), open locker to check phone, respond to email/texts, repeat for 30 -45 or until the phone is charged enough to go 2 more hours...
Sat in two good sessions this morning, the first about the changing dynamic of how sports is distributed. One of the panelists is the CEO of the Major League Gaming and another was the Interactive guy from Dr. Pepper who advertises with them. Pretty interesting to hear what is described as sports and how monetization of online video continues to evolve. The second panel was on Location Based Advertising and it had light bulbs going off for me the whole time. It was mostly a pitch from the speaker but it clearly has relevance. More later I'm sure as I took a ton of notes. Next up is a panel on the changing dynamic of the magazine space which is big for me and two of our clients in the publishing world and then I wrap up with an panel on Facebook.
All in all I have not had a single bad experience at SXSW and I really see where Definition 6 will have relevance here in 2011.
For three days now I knew this 'Blogger Lounge' was here but I haven't had the time to swing by and quite frankly I was a little bit scared. Now that I am in here I am full on scared!!! There are about 8 round tables set up with 8 seats per table and laptops are up and people are typing away furiously. If you have been reading me for awhile you might recall my first real Starbucks experience, well, this one tops it. At least for my trip to Starbucks I had directions and guidance, here I feel like a complete alien. Let's face it, I am a quasi blogger at best. I need lessons, I need help!!! I am afraid to even open my mouth as something completely stupid will come tumbling out...
So here I sit, with another 90 minutes before my next session. Loving that I can recharge though. Speaking of recharging, I don't think I mentioned the AT&T recharging stations here. They have this mini-locker set up where you open a locker with a key, put in your iPhone, lock her up and boom your iPhone is charging. I haven't needed it but it is super cool. I was sitting and watching though and this was the general behavior --- put phone in, stand off to the side, wait 3 minutes (tops), open locker to check phone, respond to email/texts, repeat for 30 -45 or until the phone is charged enough to go 2 more hours...
Sat in two good sessions this morning, the first about the changing dynamic of how sports is distributed. One of the panelists is the CEO of the Major League Gaming and another was the Interactive guy from Dr. Pepper who advertises with them. Pretty interesting to hear what is described as sports and how monetization of online video continues to evolve. The second panel was on Location Based Advertising and it had light bulbs going off for me the whole time. It was mostly a pitch from the speaker but it clearly has relevance. More later I'm sure as I took a ton of notes. Next up is a panel on the changing dynamic of the magazine space which is big for me and two of our clients in the publishing world and then I wrap up with an panel on Facebook.
All in all I have not had a single bad experience at SXSW and I really see where Definition 6 will have relevance here in 2011.
SXSW Report - Observations from a 'newbie'
* I knew I couldn't party like a rockstar but I had hopes that I could party like an 'internet' star. Sorry to say but nope! Two nights in and I have been in bed by 2:00am both nights. Maybe I am starting too early or maybe I am too old, either way, when I see 'tweets' from friends letting me know that they are still going at 5:00am and my alarm just went off to go for a run...well, enough said.
* The Apple MacBook Pro is by FAR the #1 choice for computing in this crowd; yes, I brought mine, and my DELL as well (hey, I'm in Austin) but the PC has stayed back in the room for work purposes.
* Gary Vaynerchuck is just as good in front of 3,000 people as he was last month with 120 people. If you never heard of Gary, you can check out his site here - http://garyvaynerchuk.com/. He is SXSW legend at this point and regardless of anything else he is brutally honest and I like that. He also gives me hope that what I and the people I work with are doing the right things by our clients, our colleagues and our stakeholders. Still trying to get some one on one time with him but I realize that will have to happen back in New York.
* PEPSI sucks --- ok, maybe you don't think so but I'm a Diet Coke guy and I cn't get it here!!! I give PEPSI credit for stepping up in the Interactive Space and getting their brand out, I just wish it were my friends at Coca-Cola.
* I really get this 'stuff'! I'll never be a techie or be able to grind away in geel speak (despite what some of my less tech savvy friends believe) but from a philosophical and energy level I am right there. I can't remember how many years it has been since I knew that my skills and talents were so meant for the place that I am at.
* Everyone is a 'social media expert' and you know what? That's cool with me. There are so many places to gravitate towards there will never be one authoritative voice on 'what's next'. As long as you keep an open mind and continue to learn; not allow yourself to get 'boxed' into one technology or one platform then I think there is room for everyone. The tent is literally open my friends.
Wrapping up here --- panel on the future of Sports Journalism --- go figure, I have an interest there :)
* The Apple MacBook Pro is by FAR the #1 choice for computing in this crowd; yes, I brought mine, and my DELL as well (hey, I'm in Austin) but the PC has stayed back in the room for work purposes.
* Gary Vaynerchuck is just as good in front of 3,000 people as he was last month with 120 people. If you never heard of Gary, you can check out his site here - http://garyvaynerchuk.com/. He is SXSW legend at this point and regardless of anything else he is brutally honest and I like that. He also gives me hope that what I and the people I work with are doing the right things by our clients, our colleagues and our stakeholders. Still trying to get some one on one time with him but I realize that will have to happen back in New York.
* PEPSI sucks --- ok, maybe you don't think so but I'm a Diet Coke guy and I cn't get it here!!! I give PEPSI credit for stepping up in the Interactive Space and getting their brand out, I just wish it were my friends at Coca-Cola.
* I really get this 'stuff'! I'll never be a techie or be able to grind away in geel speak (despite what some of my less tech savvy friends believe) but from a philosophical and energy level I am right there. I can't remember how many years it has been since I knew that my skills and talents were so meant for the place that I am at.
* Everyone is a 'social media expert' and you know what? That's cool with me. There are so many places to gravitate towards there will never be one authoritative voice on 'what's next'. As long as you keep an open mind and continue to learn; not allow yourself to get 'boxed' into one technology or one platform then I think there is room for everyone. The tent is literally open my friends.
Wrapping up here --- panel on the future of Sports Journalism --- go figure, I have an interest there :)
Monday, March 8, 2010
Personal Space
Everyone knows the story of the 'close talker'; you know they guy who gets right in your face - happy, sad or indifferent, and always invades that invisible barrier.
It's funny how those things come about. Why for some are there no boundaries and for others there seems like a 'wall' that is built that people can innately feel, even from just a picture.
Last week I paid attention to yet another one of these 'social boundaries' that I thought about today while in traffic trying to get out of the city. Its the escalator. Think about it, I bet it is something you are not even conscious about unless confronted with the situation first hand, like I did last week. As I was walking in the Atlanta Airport Terminal on my way to get my car I was having a conversation with two other people. When we reached the escalator I got on and one of my fellow conversationalists got on WITH ME. Yep, same step. The whole way down he kept talking and I felt uncomfortable. To be honest (my least favorite cliche phrase) I just assumed something was wrong with me! That is until the drive this morning when the third person in the Friday conversation was in the car with me. I asked him he noticed the escalator 'moment' and much to my surprise he said YES. So it got me to thinking --- what's the escalator rule and here is what I came up with.
- Same Step. When you are with your child, spouse, significant other or immediate family member then the same step is appropriate. You can argue close friend as well and for women this boundary may be a tad bit looser, but for most guys the next one is more common.
- The One Step Rule. You are friends or colleagues. One person is above or below the other (depending if you are going up or down) and one party can easily turn to the other and a normal casual conversation ensues.
- Two step MINIMUM. You are a complete stranger and I am waiting for two escalator steps to roll before I step on. It's common courtesy or at least it keeps me comfortable.
Maybe the most fun 'personal space' rule for men is Urinal Etiquette but if you think about it, the escalator is pretty high up there.
Safe travels on the escalator of life my friends.
It's funny how those things come about. Why for some are there no boundaries and for others there seems like a 'wall' that is built that people can innately feel, even from just a picture.
Last week I paid attention to yet another one of these 'social boundaries' that I thought about today while in traffic trying to get out of the city. Its the escalator. Think about it, I bet it is something you are not even conscious about unless confronted with the situation first hand, like I did last week. As I was walking in the Atlanta Airport Terminal on my way to get my car I was having a conversation with two other people. When we reached the escalator I got on and one of my fellow conversationalists got on WITH ME. Yep, same step. The whole way down he kept talking and I felt uncomfortable. To be honest (my least favorite cliche phrase) I just assumed something was wrong with me! That is until the drive this morning when the third person in the Friday conversation was in the car with me. I asked him he noticed the escalator 'moment' and much to my surprise he said YES. So it got me to thinking --- what's the escalator rule and here is what I came up with.
- Same Step. When you are with your child, spouse, significant other or immediate family member then the same step is appropriate. You can argue close friend as well and for women this boundary may be a tad bit looser, but for most guys the next one is more common.
- The One Step Rule. You are friends or colleagues. One person is above or below the other (depending if you are going up or down) and one party can easily turn to the other and a normal casual conversation ensues.
- Two step MINIMUM. You are a complete stranger and I am waiting for two escalator steps to roll before I step on. It's common courtesy or at least it keeps me comfortable.
Maybe the most fun 'personal space' rule for men is Urinal Etiquette but if you think about it, the escalator is pretty high up there.
Safe travels on the escalator of life my friends.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Monthly 'Dump' - February, sort of since it's March already
Man could I play on that word, but I won't! It seems like I am going through stretches of wanting to write but not being able to formulate full posts and other times where random thoughts strike me that don't require a full post but I want to express them. I thought I would add in a monthly 'dump' here as to what has crossed my mind. Hopefully I'll remember most of them, or at least recall where I jotted them down...
* I don't think I have ever been more excited for baseball! Maybe it is living in New York but I can't wait to go to Yankee Stadium, take the train 'home' to Philly and the 'Bank' with long lost friends and even the thought of taking in a Mets game is somewhat appealing (at least I own plenty of Orange and Blue in case I chicken out of Phillies gear).
* I am beginning to get sad about the end of LOST. The show has certainly run its course and this season started off rocky but I am back and fully engaged. It took me 4 years to catch on and while I spent 6 months getting caught up I stayed away from all the internet stuff...now, alone at night, I pour through content. I have even gone back and started all over and the context and complexity that is layered in is really fascinating me. My favorite subject in school became English thanks to one of my High School English Teachers. She taught me to read behind the words; to understand subtext, symbolism and foreshadowing. In those teenage days I thought she was a whack job...today it is the biggest blessing I have been given. It helps keep my observational skills sharp and in terms of LOST has opened up a whole new world of debate and conversation.
* I really need to rant on a sports topic. I also caveat this with the fact that my opinion here is currently skewed because of my love for all things Florida Gator related. As most of you know, I love the Gators and I love the NFL. So it would make sense that in a year where 10 former Gators will most likely be drafted, I am paying attention to the NFL Combines and things draft related. What I am now disliking is the complete dissection of every little nuance and facet into these micro numbers that seem to take the person out of the equation. From a Fantasy Football guy I know that sounds a little off since according to many all I care about is statistics but at least those stats are related to actual game play. At the NFL combines they have kids running the 40 yard dash and doing a standing jump. Very rarely will an NFL player need to run a straight flat out 40 yards as fast as they can and unless you are playing Special Teams trying to block a kick when the fuck are you jumping straight in the air trying to 'touch something'. Look, I get the need to break all this down but up until a few years ago it was done with and for the people who needed to see it, the teams and their scouts. You know who doesn't need to see it? A back up college QB on a D2 team that never got to play a down 'because of an injury' and is now clearly bitter about it and uses his platform at ESPN to rip whomever he wants --- yes I am talking to YOU Todd McShay ---leave my Gators alone or I am coming to Bristol --- now that's a thought :-)
* I am ready for SPRING!!! Holy crap have we gotten a ton of snow in New York and even when I spent a week in Atlanta we got 4 inches. I want to explore the greatest city in the world! I want to walk and run in the Park, I want to see people in less clothes (please take that in whatever you deem as the proper spirit), I want the cold to end!!
* February was a month of many high notes but it also saw my daughter in the hospital for 6 days (yes she has gotten better) and it also marked the loss of a dear family member. Life is a cycle and it must come all the way around but sometimes it seems like the end should never come for some people and that is how I felt about Grandma Ruth. She will always be in our hearts and as I heard her eulogized so eloquently, her legacy will live on in our children.
* I don't think I have ever been more excited for baseball! Maybe it is living in New York but I can't wait to go to Yankee Stadium, take the train 'home' to Philly and the 'Bank' with long lost friends and even the thought of taking in a Mets game is somewhat appealing (at least I own plenty of Orange and Blue in case I chicken out of Phillies gear).
* I am beginning to get sad about the end of LOST. The show has certainly run its course and this season started off rocky but I am back and fully engaged. It took me 4 years to catch on and while I spent 6 months getting caught up I stayed away from all the internet stuff...now, alone at night, I pour through content. I have even gone back and started all over and the context and complexity that is layered in is really fascinating me. My favorite subject in school became English thanks to one of my High School English Teachers. She taught me to read behind the words; to understand subtext, symbolism and foreshadowing. In those teenage days I thought she was a whack job...today it is the biggest blessing I have been given. It helps keep my observational skills sharp and in terms of LOST has opened up a whole new world of debate and conversation.
* I really need to rant on a sports topic. I also caveat this with the fact that my opinion here is currently skewed because of my love for all things Florida Gator related. As most of you know, I love the Gators and I love the NFL. So it would make sense that in a year where 10 former Gators will most likely be drafted, I am paying attention to the NFL Combines and things draft related. What I am now disliking is the complete dissection of every little nuance and facet into these micro numbers that seem to take the person out of the equation. From a Fantasy Football guy I know that sounds a little off since according to many all I care about is statistics but at least those stats are related to actual game play. At the NFL combines they have kids running the 40 yard dash and doing a standing jump. Very rarely will an NFL player need to run a straight flat out 40 yards as fast as they can and unless you are playing Special Teams trying to block a kick when the fuck are you jumping straight in the air trying to 'touch something'. Look, I get the need to break all this down but up until a few years ago it was done with and for the people who needed to see it, the teams and their scouts. You know who doesn't need to see it? A back up college QB on a D2 team that never got to play a down 'because of an injury' and is now clearly bitter about it and uses his platform at ESPN to rip whomever he wants --- yes I am talking to YOU Todd McShay ---leave my Gators alone or I am coming to Bristol --- now that's a thought :-)
* I am ready for SPRING!!! Holy crap have we gotten a ton of snow in New York and even when I spent a week in Atlanta we got 4 inches. I want to explore the greatest city in the world! I want to walk and run in the Park, I want to see people in less clothes (please take that in whatever you deem as the proper spirit), I want the cold to end!!
* February was a month of many high notes but it also saw my daughter in the hospital for 6 days (yes she has gotten better) and it also marked the loss of a dear family member. Life is a cycle and it must come all the way around but sometimes it seems like the end should never come for some people and that is how I felt about Grandma Ruth. She will always be in our hearts and as I heard her eulogized so eloquently, her legacy will live on in our children.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
A letter to a friend
T,
Thank you for finally getting back to me. These last 3 months have been very difficult not hearing from you. Fact is I care about you! I know you are always pulled in 5 million directions and like to remain private but yet I still missed you. While you were gone though nobody stopped talking about you, and not much of it was very nice. Fact is, as you pointed out to me on Friday is that it was justified. You did some really bad things. A lot of people out there are still wondering how you could do all of those things to 'them' but I am not one of them. Personally you didn't hurt me. Even as someone I admire and respect for how accomplished they are in business i understand everyone is flawed. I do feel deeply though for those you hurt. I am glad you took some time to acknowledge them. Of course it was your immediate family first and they will hurt the deepest and those wounds may never fully heal, but the other relationships in your life can be repaired. Your business partners need you as badly as you need them. You will get a second chance with them and you know it. There are others though that won't ever be able to express to you the difficulty you have put them through. How do you explain to an 11 year old who sees you as 'larger than life' that you are not only human but that you took advantage of your position, exploited it, and in hindsight exploit him and millions like him.
As sad as I am though, you know what, I want to believe you, I want to see the humanity through the rigid exterior. I have learned over the last several years that everyone has their own story and no one person can truly understand what it is like to walk in an other's shoes. So, I like many, will be here for you. We will wear our hearts on our sleeves and hope beyond hope that you conquer your personal demons, for this is really where you and 'I' connect. It is where you connect with the world, not with a 350 yard drive. We ALL fight our demons. We all do the wrong things and we all have to pay the price. The smartest line you delivered was the one about overcoming adversity. I am right there with you brother.
The road ahead of you is a long one, and you will never be the same. In my mind that's a good thing. You can actually become BETTER! You already have given so much in charity and have helped thousands of kids that needed it. Now you can take this experience and quadruple those efforts. Live your life with humility at every turn. Open your heart to the word not just your checkbook. In therapy discover what it was like to feel pure joy because as I see it, that's what you are seeking. Hopefully what you are learning is that no one person, or experience can give you that joy until you find it in yourself. Be thankful for all your blessings and celebrate them above all else.
If I have one bit of advice or critique from what you said to me on Friday; don't go anywhere near deflecting what you have brought on upon yourself. No reasonable person should be following a two year old to their school, however, YOU brought that upon your daughter. As senseless as it seems those photogs are doing the job they are paid to do. They would not be invading your privacy if it wasn't for your actions. As crappy as that sounds you and the family will live with this for quite some time. The more contentious and accusatory you get about it the less we will support you.
I do really wish you well my friend. I hope that someday, no matter the outcome, you will look back at this experience and it will have made you and those around you better people. Then the actions you took in these trying times will have shown your true contrition.
Your Friend
Thank you for finally getting back to me. These last 3 months have been very difficult not hearing from you. Fact is I care about you! I know you are always pulled in 5 million directions and like to remain private but yet I still missed you. While you were gone though nobody stopped talking about you, and not much of it was very nice. Fact is, as you pointed out to me on Friday is that it was justified. You did some really bad things. A lot of people out there are still wondering how you could do all of those things to 'them' but I am not one of them. Personally you didn't hurt me. Even as someone I admire and respect for how accomplished they are in business i understand everyone is flawed. I do feel deeply though for those you hurt. I am glad you took some time to acknowledge them. Of course it was your immediate family first and they will hurt the deepest and those wounds may never fully heal, but the other relationships in your life can be repaired. Your business partners need you as badly as you need them. You will get a second chance with them and you know it. There are others though that won't ever be able to express to you the difficulty you have put them through. How do you explain to an 11 year old who sees you as 'larger than life' that you are not only human but that you took advantage of your position, exploited it, and in hindsight exploit him and millions like him.
As sad as I am though, you know what, I want to believe you, I want to see the humanity through the rigid exterior. I have learned over the last several years that everyone has their own story and no one person can truly understand what it is like to walk in an other's shoes. So, I like many, will be here for you. We will wear our hearts on our sleeves and hope beyond hope that you conquer your personal demons, for this is really where you and 'I' connect. It is where you connect with the world, not with a 350 yard drive. We ALL fight our demons. We all do the wrong things and we all have to pay the price. The smartest line you delivered was the one about overcoming adversity. I am right there with you brother.
The road ahead of you is a long one, and you will never be the same. In my mind that's a good thing. You can actually become BETTER! You already have given so much in charity and have helped thousands of kids that needed it. Now you can take this experience and quadruple those efforts. Live your life with humility at every turn. Open your heart to the word not just your checkbook. In therapy discover what it was like to feel pure joy because as I see it, that's what you are seeking. Hopefully what you are learning is that no one person, or experience can give you that joy until you find it in yourself. Be thankful for all your blessings and celebrate them above all else.
If I have one bit of advice or critique from what you said to me on Friday; don't go anywhere near deflecting what you have brought on upon yourself. No reasonable person should be following a two year old to their school, however, YOU brought that upon your daughter. As senseless as it seems those photogs are doing the job they are paid to do. They would not be invading your privacy if it wasn't for your actions. As crappy as that sounds you and the family will live with this for quite some time. The more contentious and accusatory you get about it the less we will support you.
I do really wish you well my friend. I hope that someday, no matter the outcome, you will look back at this experience and it will have made you and those around you better people. Then the actions you took in these trying times will have shown your true contrition.
Your Friend
Friday, February 19, 2010
Big Brother is here and I am embracing him
How many of you out there when you first saw FACEBOOK said, "that's silly, why would kids do that"? Be honest. When FACEBOOK started it was for kids on college campuses only and that was my first reaction. Why communicate on the computer when you can just walk across the proverbial Quad? Well, like 350 million + people I am thrilled that FB 'opened' up to allow anyone in. It has allowed me to connect, reconnect and express myself in ways that were impossible just 3-4 years ago.
It seems like as each new technology is released in the Social Media spectrum there is an initial resistance and then a fairly quick acceptance and adoption. Clearly this is what happened to TWITTER. Basically a concept that was developed at SXSW (South By SouthWest Music Festival in Austin, TX) as a way to let people know what concerts and clubs were hot up and down 6th Street, is now being used as a bona fide business and marketing application. It truly can be THE great equalizer for small retailers when trying to battle the 'big guys'. If you are in business and aren't finding relevant applications for a TWITTER feed then you just aren't trying. Personal case study - lots of big companies are now using employees and technology to track twitter feeds when their name comes up. Good, bad or indifferent a smart company can react to positive or negative feedback in a timely way. In sales there is an old axiom that says when you make a mistake and take ownership for it, fix it and make it better you have actually done more good than had there never been a problem in the first place. Three weeks ago I was sitting on a MISERABLE flight from LaGuardia to Atlanta. The weather was getting dicey, the flight was packed and I was already ornery. I noticed the Flight Attendants basically had the same sentiment as I. I even heard them cursing under their breath about dumb passengers and them wishing the flight would get cancelled. I thought, let's see if DELTA is paying attention, so I tweeted that I was receiving horrible customer service on DELTA flight # XYZ. I thought, someone is monitoring this and will at least Direct Message me an apology. Nothing. I was PISSED. I am an Platinum member at Delta. I have my own # to call when I want something. I am freaking George Clooney (if only at 30,000 feet) but I got nothing! I know had it been JetBlue or Airtran or SouthWest someone would have been in touch with me. You wonder why the big airlines are getting their asses kicked?
The 'newest kid on this block' is GEO TAGGING. Geo tagging is using smart phone technologies like GPS and phone apps to allow you to tell anyone in your network where you are at any given time. Like the technologies above my first initial thought was "why the F would I want everyone know where I was all the time" and seriously I still feel that way, but what I know now is that sometimes it is to MY advantage for folks to know where I am and even more so, it is amazing what a savvy marketer/promoter can do with that information. So I started using FOUR SQUARE ( as my geo tagging site. I have not been 'great' at doing it very often but I have tried and there are certainly times I don't want everyone to know where I am but as I do it more often I see the possibilities. Two weeks ago I was at a Social Media event so I thought, what a better place than here to 'TAG' myself, so I did. Within 3 minutes I had two people, who had done the same thing, find me and 'friend' me and then we had a REAL conversation, face to face about business (WOW!) and then I got a text from the BAR asking me if I wanted a complimentary cocktail...you bet your ASS I did!! There in lies the power. Its as simple as the Jergens (I think that was it) shampoo commercial from the 80's, "if you tell two people, and they tell two people...". I could have gone on my FB page to my 655 friends and said, "come down to ABC Bar in the next 30 minutes and tag that you are here your first drink is on the house" how quickly would that have spread? The applications are limitless and I am really excited to bring these ideas to three of our clients in the next couple of weeks.
Like all the other early adopters I am taking some heat when I post where I am and for the most part I laugh about it, knowing that in 6 months these same people will probably me right there with me :-)
It seems like as each new technology is released in the Social Media spectrum there is an initial resistance and then a fairly quick acceptance and adoption. Clearly this is what happened to TWITTER. Basically a concept that was developed at SXSW (South By SouthWest Music Festival in Austin, TX) as a way to let people know what concerts and clubs were hot up and down 6th Street, is now being used as a bona fide business and marketing application. It truly can be THE great equalizer for small retailers when trying to battle the 'big guys'. If you are in business and aren't finding relevant applications for a TWITTER feed then you just aren't trying. Personal case study - lots of big companies are now using employees and technology to track twitter feeds when their name comes up. Good, bad or indifferent a smart company can react to positive or negative feedback in a timely way. In sales there is an old axiom that says when you make a mistake and take ownership for it, fix it and make it better you have actually done more good than had there never been a problem in the first place. Three weeks ago I was sitting on a MISERABLE flight from LaGuardia to Atlanta. The weather was getting dicey, the flight was packed and I was already ornery. I noticed the Flight Attendants basically had the same sentiment as I. I even heard them cursing under their breath about dumb passengers and them wishing the flight would get cancelled. I thought, let's see if DELTA is paying attention, so I tweeted that I was receiving horrible customer service on DELTA flight # XYZ. I thought, someone is monitoring this and will at least Direct Message me an apology. Nothing. I was PISSED. I am an Platinum member at Delta. I have my own # to call when I want something. I am freaking George Clooney (if only at 30,000 feet) but I got nothing! I know had it been JetBlue or Airtran or SouthWest someone would have been in touch with me. You wonder why the big airlines are getting their asses kicked?
The 'newest kid on this block' is GEO TAGGING. Geo tagging is using smart phone technologies like GPS and phone apps to allow you to tell anyone in your network where you are at any given time. Like the technologies above my first initial thought was "why the F would I want everyone know where I was all the time" and seriously I still feel that way, but what I know now is that sometimes it is to MY advantage for folks to know where I am and even more so, it is amazing what a savvy marketer/promoter can do with that information. So I started using FOUR SQUARE ( as my geo tagging site. I have not been 'great' at doing it very often but I have tried and there are certainly times I don't want everyone to know where I am but as I do it more often I see the possibilities. Two weeks ago I was at a Social Media event so I thought, what a better place than here to 'TAG' myself, so I did. Within 3 minutes I had two people, who had done the same thing, find me and 'friend' me and then we had a REAL conversation, face to face about business (WOW!) and then I got a text from the BAR asking me if I wanted a complimentary cocktail...you bet your ASS I did!! There in lies the power. Its as simple as the Jergens (I think that was it) shampoo commercial from the 80's, "if you tell two people, and they tell two people...". I could have gone on my FB page to my 655 friends and said, "come down to ABC Bar in the next 30 minutes and tag that you are here your first drink is on the house" how quickly would that have spread? The applications are limitless and I am really excited to bring these ideas to three of our clients in the next couple of weeks.
Like all the other early adopters I am taking some heat when I post where I am and for the most part I laugh about it, knowing that in 6 months these same people will probably me right there with me :-)
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