Archive for the ‘Clay’ Category
2010
05.17
Tags: Clay, DR. WHAW?
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This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Clay Schossow.
- The Smartest Books We Know — Absolutely awesome list from Fortune of 75 books that people should read. They range from high brow economic theory to lessons in survival to biographies of America’s greatest corporate titans. It was fun just reading through this list, I can’t wait to actually check out some of the books.
- Brand Journalism and the Boeing Site — I’ve notice a lot of high tech companies, such as Intel and HP, who have been trying to put a face to their brand in recent commercials. They’re trying to personify large, confusing technology companies. David Meerman Scott does a great job of explaining how Boeing has done the same thing with their new website and how it is working well for the company. A good, quick read.
- This is How Apple Rolls — Nice read from the talented John Gruber. He looks at the evolution of different Apple products over the years and their relentless strive to perfection. They usually don’t launch as the ideal device, but the company keeps testing, listening, and refining to get the iconic products that we all associate with the brand.
- So You Need a Typeface — Pretty awesome infographic that helps you determine the best font for what you’re trying to do. As someone who always struggles with choosing the right type, I thought this chart was quite helpful.
- Diaspora’s Curse — No doubt, you’ve likely heard the buzz about the grassroots start-up Diaspora over the past week. Jason Fried does a great job of breaking down why all the attention and funding may be a bad thing for the company. While I think Fried typically exaggerates arguments to the point of annoyance, I think he’s spot on in this case. As someone who bootstrapped a startup while in college, I agree that we wouldn’t have been able to be nearly as successful if we had the comfort level of funding and attention that the Diaspora guys have already experienced.
I think today was one of the best reading days I’ve had in awhile, so I hope you enjoy the articles and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
2010
05.11
Tags: Clay, DR. WHAW?, Measurement, Social Media
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So, there’s one thing I forgot to tell everyone when I started DR WHAW. My middle name is “Worthless” — as in, I’ve missed my last few weeks of posts. Sorry for sucking, everyone! Between family visiting, a trip to Jazz Fest, and some business travel, DR WHAW had to take a backseat. However, I’m here to assure you that I’m back
with a vengeance (I’ve always wanted to say that, ha). Here’s this week’s things I
Didn’t Read While Hard At Work (but wanted to!):
DR. WHAW? – May 10, 2010
- T-Squared Six Month Stats — I wasn’t familiar with the Texas Tribune, but was introduced today (h/t Steve Rubel) via this blog post. Their experiment in New Media Journalism is going very well, and this post provides some insight into what has been contributing to success. Maybe the most interesting thing is the importance of data in their posts.
- The Right Way to Make Your Social-Media Mea Culpa — While much of this post is just your typical “When you screw up on social media, apologize and engage,” I liked the post because it provides a really great overview of the current dilemma with Boeing and that big brand’s efforts to fix it.
- Introduction to Online Payments — It seems like online payment processing is a consistent snags that our projects seek out. Clients want to sell things online but are weary of all the lingo, security risks, and transaction fees. For years, I’ve been trying to break it down and help my clients understand the process, but this quite thorough post does a significantly better job than I ever could. Check it out and keep it handy to forward on to your clients.
- Web Design Trends in 2010 — Usually I avoid Smashing Magazine and would definitely resist putting it on this list, but I think this post is definitely worth skimming over for everyone in the web industry. It’s a great, visual read on what’s going on in the space, and it will help you be a better judge of work, client for web design firms, and more complete online marketer.
- Facebook, zinga, and buyer-supplier framework — Nice, short post from Chris Dixon on the economics and theory behind the Facebook-Zinga relationship. I thought this post was worth sharing, because this theory is applicable to many other web startups around right now, especially those sprouting up around Twitter.
Well, there we go folks. First post in several weeks and I hope it was worth the wait.
2010
04.12
Tags: Clay, DR. WHAW?, Growing up, public relations, Social Media
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This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Clay Schossow.
Greetings, all! I ran a 10 mile race on Saturday, so that instantly made me feel that my weekend was a really productive. However, I neglected to factor in the dehydration into my Saturday evening drinking, so Sunday’s pain quickly erased all of Saturday’s productivity gains. With that being said, I’m excited to kick off the week and get to work. Here’s what I Didn’t Read While Hard At Word (but wanted to!), today, and hopefully it gives you motivation for your week.
DR. WHAW? – April 12, 2010
- Not Disruptive, and Proud of It — This post from Smart Bear’s founder, Jason Cohen, is a really great defense of creating products and services that are incrementally better rather than aiming for totally disruptive. He also points out that many of the products and companies (e.g., iPod and Google) that we think of as disruptive started out as just shooting to be incrementally better than their competitors. This post reminded me of what we’ve always said about our software at NMC — it’s evolutionary not revolutionary. That philosophy has worked well for us and it’s great to see such a prominent entrepreneur making a case for it.
- 4 Reasons Why PR Agencies Are Taking Over Social Media — A short, but insightful piece from Jason Keath. I’ve always maintained that social media was one of the best things to ever happen to the PR industry in the past several decades, and Jason does a great job of elaborating on this point and explaining why social media and PR practitioners are such a great fit.
- 5 Innovative New Business Models to Consider in 2010 — Rohit Bhargava takes a look at five businesses that are making money in different ways and how their models work. It’s always interesting to see people using new revenue models, and eschewing the commonplace ad-supported or pay to play models. I always thought Mint.com had an interesting revenue model, and appreciate Rohit opening the shades on several other new strategies.
- Google Unveils New Google Docs — OK, this one is kind of cheating b/c I did read and watch it while I was at work. However, I think it’s a huge deal for those of us who spend a good portion of our days writing and communicating with others. Personally, I hardly ever use the current Google docs. They’re hard to format, the collaboration isn’t actually that fluid, and they can’t import cleanly. This new infrastructure looks really promising and is definitely going to cause me to give another hard look at Google Docs.
- Happiness – 10 Key Things We Know — In the spirit of my run this weekend, here’s a list of things from the Saatchi & Saatchi CEO we know about happiness. You’ll see exercise clocks in at #10, and I have to agree that training for the race certainly helped lower my stress levels; after a busy and crazy day, rather than just going home and stewing, I would get out there and work off the stress. Also, I love #5: “Expressing gratitude enhances your own wellbeing and that of the recipient.” This point really made me think of all those people or clients who never say thank you for anything, and it’s true that most of them are generally unhappy.
Well, that’s my list. A little bit all over the place from business planning to philosophy. Hope you enjoy it and that your weeks have started off well!
2010
04.05
Tags: Clay, DR. WHAW?, Entrepreneur
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This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Clay Schossow.
I had a nice, relaxing weekend, and I hope all yours were equally pleasant. However, before I can say the weekend, the week, or even the year has been pleasant, I need everyone’s help. I need you to root against Duke tonight. As a Tar Heel, I can’t stomach watching them win a title and I hope you’ll help me out with some Bulldog cheers. Today, my mind was mainly consumed with nightmares about a Duke championship and with work, so here’s what I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work (but wanted to!).
- Making It Look Easy at the New Yorker — One of my favorite styles of writing is a profile. The NY Times did a wonderful job profiling the Editor of the New Yorker, David Remnick, his recent projects, and how he gets it all done (espresso!). It’s shorter than most profiles, but a really phenomenal read. I definitely recommend you checking it out.
- Formatting Your Blog Posts — This post is from one of our neighboring web development companies, located just down the road from us in Carrboro. It’s a great overview on how to make your posts more readable and scan-friendly through informed layouts and good use of images. If you’re a blogger, you should definitely check it out.
- Why MBAs fail at Entrepreneurship — The title of this post may seem cliche, but the content is anything but that. A recent Harvard MBA looks back on his recent experiences at a startup and assesses why MBA grads aren’t necessarily cut out to be entrepreneurs. I think the piece also does a great job of just exploring the idea of entrepreneurship, in general, and is a great read for someone thinking about starting their own company.
- Workaholics of the World, Go Home! — A nice piece from the Denver Egotist. I’m not about to shrug this off and say that I’m against burning the midnight oil or don’t stay at the office late myself, but I think the core message is right: place quality over quantity. Also, it’s so silly when people stay at the office after they’ve lost their motivation. I can remember plenty of times I’ve been in after midnight, feeling heroic about my effort, but just surfing Facebook and g chatting with West Coast friends. Once you’ve stopped being productive, you’ve got to get out of the office, reboot, and start over the next day.
- Anybody But Duke: The Case for Rooting Against the Blue Devils — OK, this has nothing to do with PR, marketing, social media, or entrepreneurship, but it’s a must read for every literate person on the planet. A great, analytical look at why Dook is evil and everyone should root against them, tonight.
Well, that’s my scattered list. Hope you enjoyed and that #5 gave you a little laugh, but you still took the message to heart. Here’s to another week and to Spring!
2010
03.23
Tags: Clay, DR. WHAW?, Search
Posted in Clay, DR. WHAW?, Marketing, Search | View Comments
This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Clay Schossow.
After a bender in Vegas and a red-eye straight to the office, it’s amazing that I’m still able to read. So, after celebrating that fact, I quickly turned to my Google Reader and found these gems that I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work (but wanted to!) to help you all to start your week:
- How CRE Made $1 Million for SEOmoz with One Landing Page — I know that this title initially sounds spammy, but it’s actually one of the most thorough and helpful articles I’ve ever seen on a landing page case study. CRE walks you through their entire process of identifying SEOmoz’s problem, strategizing a solution, and executing the plan. It’s very long, but is a must read for anyone doing online marketing or curious about best practices.
- New Study on Scrolling and Content Below the Fold — Jakob Nielsen conducts a great study with interesting results on reading habits of web users. Almost everyone of our clients gets scared of having any content below the fold; we assure them that in this day and age, people fully understand and are prepared to scroll on most pages. This study reconfirms that fact, but it also demonstrates that 80% of attention is paid above the fold. So, while you can count on users scrolling, you better not put any vital info or calls to action down there that you want the majority of visitors to see. I expected the 80% number to be lower, but Nielsen’s study is very scientific and has repositioned some of my theories on usability.
- How to Kill a Great Idea — This Inc. feature looks at the history of Friendster and its founder, and uses them as an metaphor for the general dangers of the VC-startup relationship. Are startups taking money too soon? Do VCs have an inherent conflict of interest when they’re only trying to have 2 out of 20 investments really succeed? The article explores these questions and also delves into the psyche of a visionary entrepreneur who majorly struck out and is now usually the butt of jokes.
- Groupon Marketing Results — I’ve been enamored with Groupon lately and have been recommending it to clients and friends who run services companies. I hadn’t seen any case studies on it, but I just love the model and know that it’s tempted me and friends to buy many things we normally wouldn’t. So, it was nice to see Phil Greenspun publish the results of his Groupon experiment for helicopter lessons. While, the results displeased him, because they sold too many, they demonstrate to me that this really is a valuable tactic that can be leveraged by services firms.
- 9 Content-Driven Link Building Tips — Great article from my friends over at PR 20/20. They provide some really great tips and tools to leverage offsite link building, which is the most important element in gaining your site credibility and high search engine rankings. If you’re not doing all of these, you should definitely at least give them a shot as they the longtail benefits can be incredible.
A pretty marketing-heavy group of links, but I think these are really valuable resources to consider when marketing your own business or your clients’. Let me know your thoughts on the individual articles and on the list. Thanks!
2010
03.15
Tags: Branding, Clay, DR. WHAW?, Marketing, public relations, Social Media
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This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Clay Schossow.
Hope everyone had great weekends! My posting requirement has been reduced to just Mondays, as Rebecca has been able to recruit some awesome, new DR WHAW contributors to help out with the rest of the week. Hopefully, this helps me bring you even better material, too! It’s been a busy 8 days, so I’ve fallen behind on my reading but was excited to get caught up today after work. So, here’s what I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work (DR WHAW), but wanted to!
- Zappos pranks itself for new ads — I was familiar with the new Zappos campaign from Mullen, and I knew that the dialogue was from actual customer service calls, however, I didn’t realize that the agency had actually “pranked” Zappos to get the material. Pretty cool! This post has a nice look at the campaign and how it came together. It’s always great to see original, innovative, and effective advertising.
- Why the “Fail Fast” Mantra Needs to Fail — Really wonderful post from entrepreneur and VC Mark Suster. He looks at the silly notion of “failing fast” for entrepreneurs and how it is disrespectful to investors and customers. The point of being an entrepreneur isn’t to scam investors for $$ and then try out a random idea that may or may not work, but will resolve itself quickly, either way. Real businesses are built on solid ideas, plans, and execution. Good look at this “rally cry” and why it’s a bunch of BS.
- What a Small Shop Should Expect After Being AdAge Agency of the Year — Quick, inspirational read about a small interactive shop in Arkansas that was named Small Agency of the year in 2009. The CEO talks about the changes in their hiring, bidding, etc.
- Sometimes Brands Do Beautiful Things — Good review by Angela Natividad of all the cool social marketing currently going on by brands. You’re probably familiar with most of these campaigns, but maybe not all of them. Also, I absolutely love this line from her post: “American law treats companies as if they are human, and now people demand proof that you are: do you care about what is happening to them? Do you want to create exceptional experiences that enrich their lives, or do you just wanna broadcast messages all around their personal space?” Cool way to put it and exactly spot-on.
- Endless Love? — This post from Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts looks at the how love and attraction are a real scientific fact. I’m sure we’d all had inklings that these feelings were rooted in the brain, but I love how Kevin spins it to have you look at if you’re spurring love from your current clients? Are you just ignoring them and letting the spark die? He gives a couple of tips to keep current clients engaged and the love flowing.
This was definitely an Advertising-heavy addition, but I think these are some good reads! Hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts!
2010
03.08
Tags: Clay, DR. WHAW?, Entrepreneur, Marketing, public relations, Social Media
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This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Clay Schossow.
I had a really relaxing weekend, only to get back to the grind today. Over the past 6 weeks, I’ve been training for a 10 mile run in April. I’m not much of a runner at all, but I’ve really enjoyed the training. I run 3 or 4 times per week and find that it’s a really great time to just think about work, life, blogging, and more. After every run, I come home and jot down (via iPhone, of course, ha) at least 2 notes on things to do or write later that night. Just giving a little plug for others to give it a shot. Now here is what I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work (but wanted to).
DR. WHAW? – March 8, 2010
- Pandora Turns Profit Due to iPhone — This NYT article is a great look at Pandora, the music service that so many of us know and love. What we may not know about is the uphill battle the company has been fighting for the past 10 years. Good news though, as Pandora turned a profit last year and is on pace to hit $100 million in revenue in 2010. The article shows the admirable persistence of the company’s founder and first employees, as they worked months without pay to keep this company going.
- Digital Agencies Get Back to Business — This brief article from ADWEEK looks at how digital agencies were considered a joke in the dot-com era, but now have a chance to really transform the client-agency relationship. Digital agencies now have enough cred and bravado to take ownership of major client projects, not just ad placements, and some have already started to do some innovative things. I fully believe that agencies can reinvent the traditional model and this article looks at one of the many options.
- Architecting a Social Web Marketing and PR Strategy — Great in depth look at why and how to build a web marketing and PR strategy. Also, just for Rebecca, it also includes steps to measure the success of the campaign. At first, I was a little hesitant of this article, because it was just dropping stats and buzzwords, but it really gets into the nitty gritty at the end and is a valuable read for any web marketer.
- MIT Entrepreneurship Review — Great new idea and site from MIT. While this is a site and not a single article, I had to include it in my list since it just went live and has a lot of great content. I think this resource will open up a lot of interesting discussions and is an absolutely wonderful marketing and engagement strategy from MIT. From the site’s About, “The MIT Entrepreneurship Review (MITER) is an online publication focused on thought-leadership in entrepreneurship and innovation. MITER engages in rigorous, expert-driven, and insightful discussions, providing a view into what entrepreneurs, particularly at MIT, are doing to address the most critical challenges faced by industries such as energy, tech, and life sciences.”
- InSITE Q&A with Fred Wilson — Here’s a great set of videos that form an hour and a half Q&A session with Venture Capitalist Fred Wilson. In them, Wilson offers everything from guidance on the next big things to details on his Twitter investment to general entrepreneurship advice. I listened to all 12 videos while doing some work and found them to be really entertaining and valuable.
That’s my list folks, hope you enjoy!
2010
03.03
Tags: Clay, DR. WHAW?, Entrepreneur, Growing up, Marketing, Social Media
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This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Clay Schossow.
Here’s what I Didn’t Read While Hard at Work today, March 3. I’ve subscribed to several new blogs in the past week and am pleased to see they’re already churning out good content, so expect to see more from some of these writers. This post is definitely heavy on entrepreneur-content, but all of these are really stellar and I hope you check them out!
- There’s no room for The Idea Guy — Great, short post from David Heinemeier Hansson of 37signals and Ruby on Rails. I speak with a lot of young entrepreneurs about their businesses as they get ready to pitch it at the Carolina Challenge or are doing a presentation for their class or are actually trying to build something. Its surprising how many of the teams have an “idea guy” who maybe came up with the rough, initial concept, but isn’t really pitching anything else in. A startups most valuable resource is time, and you can’t have someone that isn’t dedicating time to building the actual product. Furthermore, that initial Idea that he/she takes credit for will likely be totally different by the time the company launches. Build your startup team around people who bring action, not just ideas.
- 25 Web 2.0 Applications to Grow Your Business — Neil Patel put together a great list of apps that every entrepreneur, social mediaite, or businessperson should check out. I use just about every app on this list, but also a few that I had never heard of and plan on checking out. I also liked this post, b/c I wrote a similar one about my digital entrepreneur’s toolbox a couple weeks back. It was nice to see some good overlap between the two.
- My Biggest Mistakes — Scott Berkun’s blog is a new one to me, but I’m enjoying it so far. He’s a very successful business author and consultant. In this post, he lays out eight of his biggest mistakes. It’s always nice to see someone successful let you know what they’ve done wrong, so you can try to learn from them. I know I’m doing several of the things on this list and hadn’t necessarily classified them as mistakes, but I’ll now pay closer attention to these activities and maybe make some changes.
- Alex Bogusky Interviews CPB Creative Directors — As I’ve done before, I’m breaking the “read” rule and posting something to watch. This is an absolutely awesome interview of two CPB Creative directors, conducted by one of the agency’s namesakes, Alex Bogusky. I really loved this video and think it’s one of the better advertising interviews I’ve ever seen. They cover everything from scaling the business to creativity to ad school to their favorite ads. I jotted down some notes from this one that I’m going to hold onto and maybe turn into a blog post. You won’t be disappointed!
- As Shops Transform, Marketers Must Adapt Too — Interesting read from the AdAge CMO blog. The author lays out the expected changes in ad agency culture over the coming years and then how marketers must counter those with their own adaptations. I’m a little shaky on a few of the agency changes he predicts, but think he nails the characteristics of a successful, modern marketer.
Goodnight, folks!
2010
03.01
Tags: Clay, DR. WHAW?, Marketing, Social Media
Posted in Clay, DR. WHAW?, Marketing, Social Media | View Comments
This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Clay Schossow.
I hope that everyone had a great weekend! The US had a nail biter of a game against Canada, and while that one didn’t work out, we still had quite the showing at the Olympics. I left my laptop at work over the weekend, the first time I can remember doing that in months. So, I had a nice stack of things to read on Monday evening after work. Here are some of my favorite posts I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work:
DR. WHAW? – March 1, 2010
- Make Your Corporate Websites Relevant by Incorporating Social Media — I always tell clients that their website is the “hub of their online activity.” Everyday, I see a different brand trying to make their Facebook page or Blog the center of their online marketing, however, it’s impossible to ignore that a website is the only way to truly incorporate all of your other online efforts that add to marketing success. This post does a great job of outlining what social media to incorporate into your site and how they can make your site more relevant and effective. They are easy steps that can pay big dividends.
- New Report Suggests Corporate Blogging Has Reached a Saturation Point — This post looks at the adoption of corporate blogging by Fortune 500 companies and deduces that growth has leveled off, meaning that corporate blogging may have reached a saturation point. While the facts are irrefutable in showing that big companies have leveled off in blogging, I don’t think it in any way means that corporate blogging has reached a saturation point. While blogging may be an old school technique to some marketers, it’s still a new technology to many; like most technologies, you’ll have a spike in early adopters and then a leveling off point before others dive in. That’s what’s happening with blogging. It’s not done, just getting started. Furthermore, media darlings like Twitter and Facebook make for nice, concrete stories, while blogging has a more nebulous and fluid history, which lessens the likelihood of PR attention, reducing the quick growth potential. So, this study is interesting to read, but by no means should be read to say that blogging is dead.
- Magic Numbers of Agency Growth — A MUST READ for anyone who is looking to start their own agency. Great post by Phil Johnson on different growth thresholds and how it affected how he ran his business. He’s very candid and helpful in the article. As someone who had a business double in size in the past year, I thought this was a really helpful and relevant article. If you’ve started or ever dreamed of starting an agency, you should definitely check out this article.
- And Google Begat… — Great article on all of the Angel investors that have resulted from Google and the millionaires that it has spung off. This story really shows the multiplier effect of innovation, as hundred of smart, young people are able now able to invest in other brilliant ventures due to the success of Google. I love the idea that Google’s fortunes will not only result in a historical company, but also lead to hundreds of other successes via angel investments.
- Own Your Online Brand — I know it seems like I put Fred Wilson in every one of my posts, but what can I say, the guy pumps out really amazing content. This post is about owning your online brand and how important it is to diversify your digital footprint. I know our company has a rule that we wouldn’t hire anyone that isn’t present in several different online media, and it’s awesome to see a major VC enforcing the same rule and only hiring people that blog. This post reinforces what I tell every class I teach: create compelling content and have authentic interactions with others. Enjoy this great read.
Well, that’s What I Didn’t Read While Hard at Work Today. Hope you enjoyed it and it helped smooth out the start to a new week!
