Podcamp Speech Tomorrow at 11am

Wanted to mention very quickly that I am speaking tomorrow morning at 11am at the very kind invitation of Mark Iljal..  I will be sharing the stage with Beverly Cornell, the 2008 Connectech blogger of the year, talking about how podcasting and blogging is the cornerstone of your online and social media strategy.

Podcamp is free (great price!) and will be located at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 28100 Franklin Road, in Southfield, MI and runs from 9a-4p.

Moving Content…

Hey folks,

I’m using my sunday to move some content over to my new Social Commentary blog so that you can have a little bit better understanding of all the things that are out there in the interactive and social space.

We’re going to inject a little more personality on this blog; and hope you enjoy.  But if things are a little messy for the next day or so, please pardon our dust.

Video Encoding: Best Twitter of the Week

Best Twitter of the Week, and sums up the life of an interactive producer and having to deal with all the formats you need to put out to do good online video:

Merlin, PLEASE re-encode all your stuff in “GleepGlop.” It’s a GNU format I made up at lunch for running lossless video on my inhaler. TIA!

http://twitter.com/hotdogsladies/statuses/712948392

Happy Valentines Day, everyone! Merlin, you’re a genius.

Technorati Tags:
, ,

How To Get Inspiration

A common question in today’s world of 9-5, M-F, and sometimes, constant 24-7 work. It’s either creatives having a block, or managers looking to get more productivity out of a creative department (or IT department – I’d make the argument that programming, is in fact, creative, just a different kind).

Here’s the secret – honor thy energy.

If you’re a creative, your “life energy” is a little different than most folks. And, if you’re trying to tap into previously undiscovered creativity, you need to realize it just doesn’t appear. You need to give it space to do so.

What does that mean?

It means it’s going to show up when you expose yourself to creative situations, and when you work comfortably.

That means that although a suit-and-tie atmosphere devalues you for working at 7:30p and not at 7:30a, it’s OK. Some of my greatest creative inspiration has come after Thanksgiving dinners, or in the middle of a conversation. That’s tough for others to live with, but it’s how it goes. You can’t just “produce” art at a time that your body and mind don’t want to.

I also strongly advocate folks take a good look at David Allen’s GTD system and 43Folders on productivity. I’m not saying you need to join the cult, but there are really good ideas. A key to being productive is not having stress… and having a “mind like water” attitude. Not to mention, avoid timesinks… a great synopsis on avoiding timesinks is here.

But backing up a moment, what is “mind like water?”

Let’s draw a metaphor. The water is your brain, your soul, your you – the rock is the stuff you have to deal with. What happens when you throw the rock in the water? It creates waves and distorts for awhile, but eventually returns back to a serene state.

I’m guilty of this too – where something happens and it just discombobulates you to no end. But, if you keep in mind to keep your mind like water, you’ll be more creative, come up with better ideas, and be much, much more productive.

Technorati Tags:
, , ,

Blogs Help Search and Content, If You Use Them Right

Interesting article I stumbled over at George Dearing’s Blog… and reinforces what we’ve been saying for awhile. That blogs, can in fact, be ranked highly.

Now, I think there is a caveat to this, and was brought up in a discussion I happened to have with some other geeks. The problem is that most companies want to look at these items as checklists, and not part of an ongoing strategy.

One of the things that separate quality, long-lasting companies that are flash-in-the-pans or single-service entities is their persistence in marketing. The realization that when things get tough, the last thing you cut is advertising and marketing, because that is what will pull you through the down time. And blogging, as well as podcasting, should be part of what can be a low-cost alternative (or, frankly, main) strategy.

More and more, people are turning away from TV and onto their laptops and computers for knowledge and recommendations. The days of not needing a website (which I actually had someone tell me the other day) are over – it’s required to stay alive and competitive. That, and you need to prove your value in many markets where the product or service has been commoditized.

Podcasting and blogging help make that case in the minds of consumers, I believe.

Technorati Tags:
, , , , ,