links for 2007-03-31
March 31st, 2007 by Nomadishere
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believing in equality of people
Archive for March, 2007
Syncretistic Business & Marketing
March 30th, 2007 by Nomadishere
Syncrestistic:
“The attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties…” via.
“Consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought.” via.
Holistic approaches to marketing and business need to be applied practices to succeed today. Politics is on the band wagon and we all know eastern and homeopathic health buff’s have understood “the whole picture” and how it relates to living healthily for a very long time.
This “whole picture” mentality can do great things for your business, however, the whole picture may be bigger than you think.
Consider the word “Syncrestistic” during thoughts on future direction for your business or marketing efforts. “Union of different principles or practices” means thinking outside of your particular realm of business or marketing and into other areas of your life. Ask yourself what other schools of thought, what other principles or practices can you apply to be greater?
This may include painting, studying quantum physics, spirituality, gardening, camping… whatever it may be, it can probably add more value to your business and marketing efforts than you thought. For example, while camping, you must be efficient, pack light, focus, stay calm, enjoy being calm, think ahead, be prepared, etc… See how you can apply these principles to business and marketing? I thought so. 
Apply syncrestism by spend time honing skills that may not be so obviously related to business and marketing, and asking yourself how you can apply it to other areas of your life.
What types of “non-business” and “non-marketing” things do you do? What does it take to do them well, and how can you apply the principles to your business and marketing efforts?
Great Quote: Specialization is for Insects
March 30th, 2007 by Nomadishere
“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects.”
—Robert A. Heinlein from The Notebook of Lazarus Long
From the about page of John Pozadzides Blog
I am going to be reading more of this guys stuff.
links for 2007-03-29
March 29th, 2007 by Nomadishere
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full force
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no remorse
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regret
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departing from the “right” “normal” course
Songs of Doing - Mar 2007
March 23rd, 2007 by Nomadishere
Once you have taken the necessary steps of forgetting the familiar world of fact, and thus remember who you are at the deepest level; you must find your place in existence and commit to it with all the devotion of the highest priest. Otherwise, you only contribute to the ever growing clutter, confusion, uncertainty, doubt, laziness and fear that consume the apathetic masses. Know, however, these are not the people to be worried of, rather, it is the ones who understand this but choose a place of selfishness. This is why we must sing a song of doing.
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links for 2007-03-21
March 21st, 2007 by Nomadishere
How To Create a Successful Company Today: Increase Profit Per Employee and Hire Geeks
March 21st, 2007 by Nomadishere
Today I rediscovered a software development business called Jackson Fish Market and am happy to find more and more people who share my views on how to approach business, and successfully operate one today.
Many companies, as Hillel points out, are built on a foundation of hopes to flip, or hopes to attract a large and loyal enough audience to generate revenue through advertising. The math he points out is simple, yet something few people think about. I spend my days immersed in marketing so math and data is always top of mind, however, not many think about the seriously ginormous amount of traffic it takes to create a healthy business based on advertising revenue alone.
The truth is, companies who are in business simply to flip or generate advertising revenue have very high chances of failure.
They have a high chance of failure mainly due to a shared mindset that everyone will retire. We all talk about the importance of commitment and passion in the workplace, but the reality is most people are looking forward to retiring, or the company their with selling.
Today, Hillel admits he never wants to stop working. He works because he loves it. This is exactly what my definition of a Geek is. He also shares my view on living the life you want now. This is also a part of a philosophy of being what I call a “Nomad”.
He states, “I don’t want to stop working. Ever. I couldn’t find the study I thought I read that showed that people with a place to go every day lived longer. But even if that was disproven I’d still want to work forever. It’s who I am. It’s how I want to spend my time. I don’t want to wait until I’m in my fifties, sixties, to spend extended time with my family, doing what i want, traveling the world, etc. To me the time to have those experiences is now. This is not a statement that having those experiences later in life is without value. It’s more that I don’t know why I should have to wait. I want to have those experiences now and later.”
I’m glad I rediscovered Jackson Fish Market. Hillel and I think *a lot* alike. We’ll have to get together sometime and revel in our similarities. I have a feeling Walter is just as cool :).
In summary the best way to create a successful company is to hire geeks and keep them happy by compensating them well. Focusing on how to increase your profit per employee and overall level of happiness (which leads to increased productivity, communication and everything else you need to run a successful group), is a much better way of creating a successful company today, than operating to flip.
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links for 2007-03-19
March 19th, 2007 by Nomadishere
links for 2007-03-18
March 18th, 2007 by Nomadishere
Social Media Participation Is Good For Everyone
March 18th, 2007 by Nomadishere
The playgrounds and news hubs that exist today in the social media space exist because of a desire humans have to find, create and share information; to learn, to teach and to have meaningful, substantiative interactions. They exist because individuals are working to add value and substance to their social, personal, and professional lives and communities. They do not exist to allow a business to communicate to potential customers. It is important for business people who interacts with it to understand this difference.
Why do people publish?
People publish on the Web with a variety of motives. Of course businesses and individuals publish products and create stores on the Web in hopes to sell, but there are just as many other people, if not more, who are attempting to connect with like minds, absorb and share quality information, news and entertainment. People publish in the this space in hopes to share a message or information they believe to be valuable; or because they aspire to offer the most inspiring commentary on a particular topic. Some people do it to keep a live, globally accessible diary, filled with text, images, video and audio. Others publish simply to interact with their community of interest or to display their creative work.
There is one thing all participants of social media have in common.
Its a give and take situation. They absorb and consume information and media of all kinds, but they also interact with it, share it, comment on it, create it and otherwise give back to the space. In a lot of ways these creators are not much different than more traditional creators like journalists, writers, painters and musicians. They value what they do and they try to create value.
Social media is based on its authenticity and value.
One of the greatest things about social media, as many have agreed, is its authenticity. Its real-ness. People who are avid participants in social media expect this real-ness. As the space matures they are also growing to expect value. Sure humor, things with shock value and intrigue, really any kind of hook, can draw attention. But today people are all really after insight, edge, truth and meaningful commentary on the most current events of each day, and in each area that interests them.
Because of this media consumers have become hyper-sensitive super-critics, they expect so much more in terms of substance and value, or level and form of entertainment. They are desensitized to blatant advertising, and if you write with the sole purpose of selling a product or drawing an audience these harsh critics will smell it from a mile away.
And it’s good for everyone.
Now this is not to say that social media participants aren’t also shoppers, its simply that web users are growing more and more diverse and complex, more sophisiticated. This is a good thing for all of us. We are, as a result of this mass social media consumption era, creating better (and exposing those already existing) writers, journalists, thinkers, educators… and its all created through an authentic effort to particpate in the social media world. People blogging to teach something they know or share insight they have into a certain topic. Or experts hoping to add understanding and value to a certain industry by sharing his commentary and thoughts with the world.
Social media participants who create to share their views and insight, try to add substance to a particular channel through a well-created piece, and accomplish it - get my attention. I absorb it everyday. When I find them I add them to my RSS reader. When I see some blog thats obviously some PR or marketing campaign in disguise, that has little substance or value to it - I forget about it in a millisecond and usually never see it again.
I’m in marketing and even I understand this simple fact. I understand it because I participate, every day, and I’ve grown a keen eye for spotting crap, just like all the other social media participants out there. Our numbers are growing fast, and the media is continuing to be more controlled by the masses. As it should be.
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