Social Deviants Invade Podcamp Nashville!

Come say hello and check out our session at Podcamp Nashville where we will discuss ways to grow your audience while maintaining the level of engagement you have with your current fans and friends...and have a blast while doing it.

Je T'aime Google

I don't care what "sentiment" says, no way is a kid who slaps his mama's date and the Dorito out of his hand going to upstage the intelligent, engaging storytelling of Google's "Parisian Love" ad.


If it has any flaws at all, it's that the viewer has to read it. Google did well to present it during the Super Bowl because you'd be hard pressed to find viewers who want to watch any commercials at any other time. However, during the Super Bowl, you have people who'd rather watch the commercials than the game glued to the set (I'm a fan of both).

"Parisian Love" proves you don't need a big budget, just a big idea, to communicate well. Google can do a lot of things, from Analytics to Adsense, from Google Docs to Google Wave, and everything inbetween, but they chose to show what made Google great to begin with. It distills down search to its most relevant and meaningful terms. And they did it all by engaging the viewers in a complete story arc that lasts less than 60 seconds.

I'm Team Google.

I'm Gonna Need You To Come In On Saturday... (The Post About Motivation)

Motivation. I used to think it was directly linked to the amount of metabolism you had....I had, which meant I was doomed. I had hardly any metabolism to begin with, and when I turned 30, the little I had packed its bags and left a "Dear Janet" letter on the nightstand that merely said "Good Luck."

Thankfully, I actually become more motivated as my mortal and biological clocks ticked louder and louder. What's been difficult has been maintaining consistency across all platforms -- my health, my family, my writing, my work, etc. I was killing Wii Fit in January, but one flu and one trip to NYC later, and I stepped on the balance board for the first time in a month last night.

Same with this blog. I was so proud of myself for posting somewhat regularly for awhile there. Then...nothin'. I kept saying, it's about being authentic. Don't post if it isn't going to be meaningful to your followers...all beautiful 15 of you. However, I do always have ideas about what to write, but I just lost that routine I so desperately crave to keep me on the horse.

Soooo, I decided to write about that tonight. I watched the Super Bowl (Hell Yeah, Saints!), and I realized, those guys stay motivated. I need to, too. Maybe I'll ask our readers. Share tips on how you stay motivated -- is it carrying a picture of the family or of that Audi you want? Is it psyching yourself up? Is it a pitcher of coffee? Tell me all your tips because I guarantee I'll probably try them all, and videotape myself doing so for a future post.