Marketing
I Wish to Remember to Feel What My Reader Feels
The most important skill a writer can develop, in any field or genre of writing, is to empathize with his reader, because the reader will always judge your writing ultimately by what he feels. Mastery of this skill has resulted in some of the greatest feats of writing magic, especially among writers of sales copy, [...]
Cats in Sinks
Ran across this site, thanks to StumbleUpon. The title says it all. Cats in sinks. Yup. Pictures of cats in sinks.
This site delighted me not only for the off-kilter humor of the concept, but also because it’s genius from a marketing perspective. It appeals directly to cat-lovers, but with a twist that just makes you [...]
How to “Prove” That Poetry is Valuable
Doug Lasken bemoans a government-school program that teaches kids about exploring sexual fantasies through virtual worlds, in place of teaching them about poetry and literature.
I think the literacy coaches and cadres and their burgeoning publishing empire should be scrapped and the money saved. But not all the teachers present at the 11th grade curriculum [...]
A Message to Spammers
Dear email spammers everywhere. For future reference:
I already have all the medications I need, and I sure as hell wouldn’t get them from Canada!?
I have already had all the news from CNN that I can stand.
I am currently satisfied with my sexual prowess. (Really, I am. Just ask my wife.)
If you really want me to [...]
Check Your New RCN Bill for This Error
I just got off the phone with RCN, because I got my new RCN bill, the first after they switched completely to digital. They’ve proven better at irking me than even Comcast was.
To review, about a month and a half ago, I got an oversized postcard in the mail from RCN. It said, “You’ll lose [...]
Bad RCN! Or, It’s All in How You Say It
I haven’t blogged in a long time, because I’ve been editing my upcoming novel. (And I’m keeping notes, so that I can blog about the experience. First lesson: Editing your first full novel will take 5 times as long as you think it will.)
But this week I got a direct mail piece from my cable [...]
2 Virtual Holiday Gifts Bloggers Love to Get
These are some of the best holiday gifts you can give a blogger. And the best thing about them is they’re absolutely free!
Clayton Makepeace put me onto this idea, and it struck a chord, even though he doesn’t even have a blog. He has an e-zine. Actually, this is also the best gift you can [...]
Reason #217 Why Google AdWords Makes Me Laugh
A quick one: Ran into this recently on a client’s AdWords campaign. At first, it really confused me. The ads weren’t showing? Why not?! Because they aren’t allowed? Why not? On the “details and recommendations” page, Google provided a link to explain why not…
I clicked on the link and discovered it was just their terms [...]
How Google Can Prove Anything With Statistics
First of all, I don’t know that Google is really trying to pull one over on its users. This could just be the work of some clueless PR guy.
On the Official Google Blog today, Brad Taylor, a “Spam Czar” at Google, talked about how Gmail filters more spam now than ever. He links to a [...]
Secrets of Business from Rainforest Cafe
It’s summertime. Lazy days. Vacations. Time off. The kids are out of school. And only 17 16 15 days before they go back! (But that’s a different story.) I’ve been working part-time while they’re home with me over the summer.
Last Friday, my parents took us all out to lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, and then [...]