What We Are Eating Infographic

by Charles Sipe on May 4, 2010

See full size image here.

american-average-food-consumption

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Fascinating Documentary on One The World’s Most Amazing Minds

by Charles Sipe on April 27, 2010

This is a really fascinating documentary about one of the most incredible minds in the world. He is a savant, which is a person who is able to perform incredible feats with their minds. He was able to learn Icelandic in a week, and memorize Pi to about 20 thousand digits. What makes him unique among savants is that he has relatively normal social skills. Kim Peak, the man behind the movie Rainman is one of the most famous savants. He is able to read a page in about 10 seconds and remember about 98% of what he read. Peak also remembers virtually everything he has ever read.

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Charles Sipe’s April 2010 Tweets

by Charles Sipe on April 26, 2010

You can follow me at @charlessipe on Twitter

  1. @ryanapeterson Yes I ichirodo implement the 4 hrs of alone time for work #Rework Does your company have any iPod Apps in the App Store? 32 minutes ago via web
  2. @tristawinnie I agree. Pete Carroll is no Mike Holmgren. Some analysts are saying the Seahawks had the best draft. A++! 36 minutes ago via web
  3. LOL! RT @darrylohrt: Tiger Woods congratulated me on my run in NikePlus this morning. Makes me feel like I did something wrong. 39 minutes ago via txt
  4. Does @Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz owe it to Seattle to buy an NBA team and bring them to Seattle? sonicsgate.org about 23 hours ago via txt
  5. Nobody wants to interact with a corporate entity (on Twitter) – remarkablogger http://bit.ly/6XYwVG about 23 hours ago via txt
  6. Just renewed subscription to BusinessWeek. I am willing to pay a little more for the experience of reading the magizine. 2:17 PM Apr 25th via txt
  7. Allowing sites to republish your content with a link back to original article can be a good way to get deep links. -Whiteboard Friday 1:21 PM Apr 25th via txt
  8. My interview about Age of Conversation 3 has just been published on the excellent business blog Eyecube. http://bit.ly/9IWSDB 11:37 AM Apr 25th via web
  9. Seahawks are getting Golden Tate! Woohoo! 5:14 PM Apr 23rd via txt
  10. Google can’t find answers to questions you don’t know to ask but should be asking. 1:02 PM Apr 23rd via txt
  11. RT @MrsEdwardsCFO: Art is the product of emotional labor. If its easy and risk free, it’s unlikely it’s art. ~ Seth Godin, Linchpin 2:58 AM Apr 23rd via txt
  12. Great draft for The Seattle Seahawks. 6:22 PM Apr 22nd via txt
  13. Seahawks made a good choice with Okung. I’m excited. #Seahawks 5:19 PM Apr 22nd via txt
  14. Marketing Lessons from Switch by Chip and Dan Heath http://bit.ly/aAYzgw 4:08 PM Apr 21st via web
  15. Google to Bing is like Coke to Pepsi. Bing could build a better search engine but people would still prefer Google. 2:51 PM Apr 21st via web
  16. RT @JasonmKey this is a good one: 8 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers http://bit.ly/9Wc7E7 via @copyblogger 2:40 PM Apr 20th via web
  17. When milestones seem too distant, look for inch pebbles. -Switch 2:39 PM Apr 20th via web
  18. 94% of college professors report doing better than average work. -Switch 1:46 PM Apr 20th via web
  19. One drawback of free blogging platforms is that they keep credit for your links if you move, – you can’t 301 redirect. 1:30 PM Apr 18th via txt
  20. Learning from failures is overrated.Entrepreneurs who fail are as likely to succeed at their next venture as a 1st time entrepreneur-Rework 10:30 PM Apr 17th via txt
  21. Building a business without a plan for profit is like building a rocketship without planning for gravity. -Rework 9:18 PM Apr 17th via txt
  22. A good way to get links to your site is writing guest posts. Often you can control the anchor text to include keywords. #SEO 8:15 PM Apr 17th via txt
  23. You should only hire when there is more work than you can handle for an extended period of time. -Rework 10:31 AM Apr 17th via txt
  24. My takeaways from the book Rework by the founders of 37 Signals -fascinating book with great ideas http://bit.ly/bh8cvn 1:50 AM Apr 17th via web
  25. Do you know a more cost effective way to get your message out than social media? #Sm201 1:06 PM Apr 15th via txt
  26. Yes The link should be on homepage of socialmedia201.com @schoeny: is there a livestream available for #SM201? 11:53 AM Apr 15th via txt
  27. #1 on Google gets 41% of clicks #2 gets 12% of clicks #Sm201 11:50 AM Apr 15th via txt
  28. 81% of people search online before making a purchase. #Sm201 11:47 AM Apr 15th via txt
  29. Social Media can be an asset that you build up that will provide returns over time. #sm201 11:23 AM Apr 15th via txt
  30. Social Media 201 conference going on right now at Microsoft. Check out the livestream on socialmedia201.com. 11:21 AM Apr 15th via txt
  31. If you create one of the best resources for your industry you will get links. 4:16 PM Apr 13th via txt
  32. The title of your blog post is very important. It needs to catch the reader’s attention and include good keywords. 5:02 PM Apr 11th via txt
  33. I’m volunteering at the Social Media 201 Conference April 15th at Microsoft http://www.socialmedia201.com/ Hope to see you there. 4:28 PM Apr 11th via web
  34. As much as I hate Howard Shultz for selling the Sonics to Oklahoma, @starbucks service is far superior than every coffee shop I visit 2:00 PM Apr 9th via txt
  35. Wow, all Icanhascheezburger sites are Wordpress sites hosted at Wordpress.com -Net @Night 12:42 PM Apr 9th via txt
  36. Zappos has a 24/7 800 number on every page of its site, free return shipping, and a 365 day return policy. -Flip The Funnel 7:31 PM Apr 8th via txt
  37. I was recently able to get the number 1 ranking for my name in Google. Here’s my video on how you can too http://bit.ly/9Ozqne 3:15 PM Apr 8th via web
  38. Fascinating documentary on how the digital revolution is changing society (for better and worse) http://to.pbs.org/ddOb1c 3:07 PM Apr 7th via web
  39. RT @tonyrobbins: “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” Ralph Waldo Emerson 2:31 PM Apr 7th via txt
  40. Check out my listing on @TeachStreet: 1 on 1 Crash Course on SEO $70 http://tch.st/bTtOy3 1:07 PM Apr 7th via web
  41. What are you the best in the world at? 11:37 AM Apr 7th via txt
  42. Identity is often a stronger force than self interest, like when a venture capitalist votes democrat. -Switch 6:34 PM Apr 6th via web
  43. I have held an iPad! I little heavier than a Kindle but much faster. Great browsing experience. Definitely getting one eventually. 5:46 PM Apr 6th via txt
  44. Wow there are some great introductory lectures on Computer Science from Harvard’s David J Malan http://bit.ly/c87Xc1 3:21 PM Apr 6th via web
  45. Wealth – any income that is at least one hundred dollars more a year than the income of one’s wife’s sister’s husband. -H.L. Mencken 2:41 PM Apr 6th via web
  46. How happy are you on a scale from 1 to 10? What would it take to get to a 10? 2:20 PM Apr 6th via txt
  47. The key to happiness: commute time by Jonah Leher http://bit.ly/92GfNQ 1:56 PM Apr 6th via web
  48. How to Train a Dragon was really good. I can see how it got a 97 rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 11:16 PM Apr 5th via txt
  49. Can’t wait to read Tom Peter’s new book, The Little Big Things. It’s also on Audible read by the author for 12 hours! 2:04 PM Apr 5th via txt
  50. iPad has a Kindle app and a Netflix app! But it doesn’t have flash (boo) Source:TwIT 242 1:29 PM Apr 5th via txt
  51. RT @SMBSeattle: Learn social media measurement from @kdpaine on 4/13 at Tribal DDB. Get the info here http://www.facebook.com/SMBSeattle 8:16 PM Apr 4th via txt
  52. Just finished book #7 for the year, The Lost Symbol. Had some high points but was pretty formulaic. #52books 5:43 PM Apr 4th via txt
  53. The Groupon deal for today is a helicopter tour of Seattle for $135. Pretty cool. 6:01 PM Apr 2nd via txt
  54. Links are the engine in search engine optimization. 11:01 PM Apr 1st via txt

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Charles Sipe’s April 2010 Delicious Bookmarks

by Charles Sipe on April 25, 2010

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Non-Traditional Business Thinking From 37 Signals

by Charles Sipe on April 17, 2010

I wrote this article for the Small Business Library blog about my key takeaways from the recent book Rework from the guys behind 37 signals. I really enjoyed this book because it challenged a lot of the traditionally held beliefs on how to be successful in business so it was unique and thought provoking. David also gave a great talk recently at Stanford called “Unlearn Your MBA” which you can watch here.

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, takes an alternative look at starting and building a successful business. Jason and David founded the successful Chicago software company 37 signals based on business principles that often contradict with traditional thinking on business. Here are a few of my favorite ideas from the book.

Get Enough Sleeprework

In Rework, the authors discuss that entrepreneurs often brag about how little sleep they get. The problem with sleep deprivation is that although you work more hours, you will not be able to think very well if you are tired and this can lead to poor decisions.

Don’t Advertise

One of the drawbacks of buying advertising is that you know that some of your advertising isn’t working, but you don’t know which part. 37 Signals uses non-traditional media like their blog, Signal Versus Noise, which has over a hundred thousand readers. They are able to reach a large number of people with their message at no cost besides the time to write thoughtful blog articles.

Planning is Guessing

Often new businesses create 1-year, 5-year, or even 10-year plans. But the authors argue that we can not predict what will happen in the future so plans are often irrelevant when conditions change. And often business owners will stick to their plans simply because they have invested so much time in developing a business plan.

Don’t Get Venture Funding

The authors say that one of the major mistakes that new businesses make is taking outside investment from venture capitalists, but this could also apply to other financing. The problem with having a lot of someone else’s money to spend this can take the business owner’s focus off the important thing, profitability. Often companies that have funding put off worrying about profitability until later, which the authors say is like trying to build a rocket ship without worrying about gravity.

Hire When It’s Painful
Often growing businesses hire quickly to keep up with demand, but the authors warn to be careful not to hire too quickly. They recommend hiring when there’s more work than you can handle for an extended period of time. There are several disadvantages to hiring too quickly. One problem is that it is difficult to eliminate staff once you hire them even if they are no longer needed. They also point out that it is difficult to be truthful if you disagree when there are a lot of strangers in the office as most people want to be polite and non-confrontational.

Check out Rework for more useful advice from Jason and David.

This article has been republished from the Small Business Library blog.

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Gary Vaynerchuk talks about Marketing with Video

by Charles Sipe on April 11, 2010

I am a huge fan of Gary Vaynerchuk’s work because he is so passionate about his work and has tremendous energy. If you need a pick me up, watch any Gary Vaynerchuk video. I recommend his book, Crush It! as well.

Passion-Inspired Video & Other Creative Content (GF502)

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Frontline Documentary: How the Digital Revolution is Changing Society

by Charles Sipe on April 7, 2010

This excellent documentary examines the positives and negatives of the digital revolution on society. In South Korea they have rehab schools for kids that are “addicted” to the internet. “The Korean government are taking an assertive approach to the addressing the social problems created by the net”.

Here’s the link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/

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Fascinating Lecture on Happiness from Yale

by Charles Sipe on April 6, 2010

Academic Earth is an amazing resource for learning. It is incredible we are able to watch lectures from the top universities in the world for free. Here is a terrific lecture on the fascinating field of positive psychology.

Watch it on Academic Earth

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Charles Sipe’s March 2010 Delicious Bookmarks

by Charles Sipe on April 5, 2010

coolroad

  • Important Questions Startup Co-Founders Should Ask Each Other / readit
  • 4 Components of a Successful Internet Marketing Strategy / onlinemarketing readit
  • HOW TO: Create a Successful Company Blog / blogging readit
  • HowStuffWorks “How easy is it to steal a nuclear bomb?” / read science
  • Obama Thundercats A Sword = Awesome | Fork Party / cool
  • Clean, Fast, Flexible Premium Wordpress Theme | frugal Theme / wordpress
  • Create text-to-speech (TTS) podcast from RSS feed for iPod, iPhone, MP3 player and mobile phone / blogging text-to-speech cool
  • ObjectiveMarketer – Social Media Marketing / marketing
  • YouTube – Education – YouTube EDU / video education
  • Subfolders, subdomains and new domains: Where your blog should live | Internet Marketing Strategy: Conversation Marketing / SEO subfolders
  • Why Not? | Yale Economics Lecture / watch
  • An Entrepreneurial Life – You’re the Boss Blog – NYTimes.com / entrepreneurship cool
  • Majestic-SEO : Competitive Link Intelligence / seo
  • Media Converter – the fastest free online audio and video converter / converter mp3
  • Study Finds Facebook Pages Can Increase Customer Loyalty by 36% / read
  • 10 Essential Social Media Tips for B2B Marketers / read
  • Search Engine Optimization Marketing Hub / seo
  • Common SEO Design Mistakes / seo
  • How To Land Big Interviews When Your Blog Is Still Small / blogging interviews
  • 101 Great Blogs You Should Be Subscribing To / blogging cool
  • The Power User’s Guide to Google Apps | Maximum PC / google read
  • Hotel Igloo Village | Vidafine / cool
  • web2feel.com – Free wordpress themes – Tutorials – Tips and tricks » Browse Themes / wordpress
  • Answers For Inbound Marketing Questions | inbound.org / marketing onlinemarketing
  • Katie Lee – How to Cook Up a Food Celebrity – NYTimes.com / cooking
  • Link Building this year | Wiep.net / linkbuilding
  • SEO, Blog, Social Media Get Found Webinar Archive / marketing marketingwebinar
  • cloud.li / twitter

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    Charles Sipe’s March 2010 Tweets

    by Charles Sipe on April 5, 2010

    1. RT @Allyis: RT @Ethany: Great video on Social Media ROI http://bit.ly/dqaHJV 9:57 PM Mar 30th via txt
    2. Why a personal domain is essential for marketers http://bit.ly/bpTyYY 6:55 PM Mar 30th via web
    3. RT @sparkplugonline: RT @TopRank 5 Sure Fire Tactics to Promote a Business Blog http://bt.io/EmeH 2:53 PM Mar 30th via web
    4. RT @HubSpot: What makes a successful Internet marketing strategy? Here are 4 components http://bit.ly/b5LJ3B 1:31 PM Mar 30th via txt
    5. RT @mashable: HOW TO: Create a Successful Company Blog – http://bit.ly/a6ziw5 12:32 PM Mar 30th via txt
    6. 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day -Bill Clinton Berkeley speech http://bit.ly/awKZ4v 7:04 PM Mar 28th via web
    7. This is great RT @foleymo: YouTube EDU Finishes Its Freshman Year With 300 University Partners In Tow http://ff.im/-i6WH2 6:24 PM Mar 28th via txt
    8. Very interesting perspective on being an entrepreneur: An Entrepreneur’s Life http://nyti.ms/a5ylVg 12:47 PM Mar 25th via web
    9. Wow, this is cool. The Tesla Model S electric vehicle will be available in 2012 for $50k. http://bit.ly/bO4VS4 4:24 PM Mar 24th via web
    10. Zach Braff says on his Facebook page that Scrubs appears to be done. http://www.facebook.com/ZachBraff 4:03 PM Mar 24th via web
    11. Benefit of working from home: ability to take a midday break on a Wednesday to enjoy amazing weather in Seattle -sorry office dwellers 3:20 PM Mar 24th via web
    12. How to read a book a week in 2010 http://bit.ly/9cVBdB (I’m at 6 so far so I have to catch up!) 2:51 PM Mar 23rd via web
    13. The idea of repetitive hard work done to the specifications of a rule book is no longer the key to prosperity. -Linchpin 1:09 PM Mar 23rd via txt
    14. RT @TheBeanCast: Uh-oh! NBC blaming childhood obesity on cellphones and video games again. My thought? Obesity isn’t a problem in Japan. 12:14 PM Mar 23rd via txt
    15. RT @cherrygarcia: Yes! Tomorrow is Free Cone Day! How many scoops will be served this year? Go here for location info http://bit.ly/pwl9G 9:17 PM Mar 22nd via txt
    16. Apple should allow the Kindle App on the iPad http://bit.ly/bOq1FN (Kindle iPad App Official Page) 8:54 PM Mar 22nd via web
    17. The blog has become the best marketing tool I’ve ever had. -@tom_peters http://bit.ly/bigVko 5:04 PM Mar 22nd via web
    18. Jack Trout podcast interview on the @Engagingbrand http://bit.ly/aRRSKw 12:28 PM Mar 22nd via web
    19. RT @gajanshe: RT @zooppausa Get Your Story Straight! Guest post by Jan Sheeley from GA Creative http://is.gd/aNZIc 10:38 PM Mar 21st via txt
    20. Can you state your business philosophy in 25 words or less? Via @petecarroll http://bit.ly/dqYeaj 10:34 PM Mar 21st via txt
    21. Everyone who gets a degree in the US should get a Visa -Howard Morgan #TWiST #startupvisamovement 12:02 PM Mar 21st via txt
    22. RT @tferriss: Cool (literally, too) – Igloo Village Hotel in Finland: http://su.pr/237oBX 11:08 PM Mar 20th via txt
    23. Madness! Go Huskies! 4:25 PM Mar 20th via txt
    24. 16 great lectures for learning online marketing http://inboundmarketing.com/university/classes 2:08 PM Mar 18th via txt
    25. RT @avinashkaushik: 100 Incredible Lectures for History Lovers: http://zqi.me/bIkIz1 1:21 PM Mar 18th via txt
    26. Obama chooses Kansas to win NCAA tourney. He would have picked UW but he knows he will win in Washington in 2012. 3:57 PM Mar 17th via txt
    27. Seattle 2.0 Awards RT @seattle20: Just two days left to register with early-bird prices. http://bit.ly/s2areg 1:34 PM Mar 17th via txt
    28. RT @RedFound “The purpose of business is to create cutomers that create customers” @seanodmvp (#thinkCamp live at http://ustre.am/el3m) 1:21 PM Mar 17th via Ustream
    29. Customer service is the shortest path to montetization of social media. @seanodmvp (#thinkCamp live at http://ustre.am/el3m) 1:17 PM Mar 17th via Ustream
    30. Watching the livestream of @seanodmvp from Ant’s Eye View at the ThinkCamp conference. (#thinkCamp live at http://ustre.am/el3m) 1:15 PM Mar 17th via Ustream
    31. Building Brands You Can Trust -BusinessWeek interview Chris Brogan (audio) http://bit.ly/9OJY1Y 4:09 PM Mar 16th via web
    32. To improve spiderability of your site, it is generally a good idea to have 100 or less links per page. -SEOMoz #seotips 3:31 PM Mar 16th via txt
    33. RT @AnswersDotCom: “I am never bored anywhere -being bored is an insult to oneself.” -Jules Renard 2:31 AM Mar 16th via txt
    34. RT @tferriss Why Grow? and Other Wisdom from 37Signals http://bit.ly/czFTgA 10:01 PM Mar 15th via TweetMeme
    35. RT @sengineland Meet The 25-Year-Old Who Saved “SEO” From Being Trademarked http://selnd.com/bn57Hm 9:46 PM Mar 15th via TweetMeme
    36. There is more to life than increasing its speed. -Mahatma Gandhi 9:10 PM Mar 15th via web
    37. Interesting RT @CBlogware: Study Shows 80% of Blog Traffic Comes from First-Time Visitors http://ow.ly/16Mwbp 4:00 PM Mar 15th via txt
    38. Forgot to turn off Twitter sms and woke up to 700 new text messages. Not complaining though. 12:05 PM Mar 15th via txt
    39. Why Word of Mouth Doesn’t Happen -@Ducttape marketing blog http://bit.ly/ahV3Q5 1:25 PM Mar 14th via web
    40. RT @ChrisPirillo #SXSW Report: Number of people in line to meet Cowboys Cheerleaders: 2. Number of peole in line for free hot dogs: 40. 1:22 PM Mar 14th via web
    41. RT @sparkplugonline Fascinating interview with author Simon Sinek on Marketing Over Coffee podcast http://bit.ly/cQueE6 1:01 PM Mar 14th via web
    42. RT @PhenomenalLife: Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls – Joseph Campbell 11:47 AM Mar 14th via txt
    43. Clottey: Example of someone unwilling to take risks RT @joaquinuy: Mike Tyson Punch Out games are more exciting. 10:02 PM Mar 13th via txt
    44. Huskies Win! UW pac-10 tourney champs! 7:53 PM Mar 13th via txt
    45. Social Media is the beginning of a revolution in communication @jeffpulver via Twit.tv 3:05 PM Mar 13th via txt
    46. 12 Open Source Applications You Can’t Live Without -New Horizons Blog http://bit.ly/bYrKVH 3:37 PM Mar 12th via web
    47. If I had an extra $60 lying around I could have my picture taken with the original Spock at Seattle ComicCon Saturday 7:20 PM Mar 11th via web
    48. @bradnelson I got a random DM from you with a link. Did you get hacked? 6:15 PM Mar 11th via txt
    49. RT @mikewhitmore: Social Media 201 April 15, 2010 at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond, WA: http://www.socialmedia201.com/ 6:00 PM Mar 11th via txt
    50. Serial entrepreneurs should focus on core strengths http://bit.ly/a7zMbE 4:06 PM Mar 11th via web
    51. Just picked up Switch, The followup book to Made to Stick. Should be good. 3:33 PM Mar 11th via txt
    52. Great video from @SEOMoz – How to Get Awesome Links http://bit.ly/9XuNQV 11:53 AM Mar 11th via web
    53. @comcastcares Customer service sucked today, fiance upset – “OK! I’ll give you the credit but I still don’t know where you’re coming from” 3:39 PM Mar 10th via web
    54. Skype is so great. 3 bucks a month for unlimited minutes to any phone in US and Canada. 2:46 PM Mar 10th via web
    55. Does #MarketMix have a live feed or will presentations be posted online? 2:18 PM Mar 10th via web
    56. Interesting Twitter experiment @leolaporte picked a rand person on Twitter @LisaTickledPink & increased her follower count from 2 to 17000 1:31 PM Mar 10th via web
    57. I think @teachstreet is brilliant and hope it takes off. Find 1on1 instructors to learn anything (my class http://bit.ly/anNAG0) 12:54 PM Mar 10th via web
    58. Hi @ElbertF from http://Cloud.li. There should be a recording on UStream (Tweethouse channel) from 3/8 It was the @sbroback talk 12:46 PM Mar 10th via web
    59. Pretty cool startup in Switzerland http://hearablog.com It’s like free audiobooks but for blogs – they have 2 Seth Godin posts. 12:36 PM Mar 10th via web
    60. Schools like to teach compliance rather than initiative. -Seth Godin 6:25 PM Mar 9th via txt
    61. This is NSFW but hilarious – The Social Media Guru (it’s a parody) http://bit.ly/aIFrG9 via @SEOcopy 6:13 PM Mar 9th via web
    62. This is NSFW but hilarious – The Social Media Guru (it’s a parody) via @SEOcopy 6:13 PM Mar 9th via web
    63. Best Marketing Books of 2009 http://bit.ly/d0IWXu 3:46 PM Mar 9th via web
    64. You must unlearn what you’ve learned to be successful in online marketing. -@dmscott 2:28 PM Mar 9th via txt
    65. Most categories have 2 brands that dominate the consumer’s mind. -Al Ries 2:00 PM Mar 9th via txt
    66. Correction: Loving what you do is almost as important as doing what you love. -Linchpin (Although the last tweet could also be true) 1:13 PM Mar 9th via web
    67. It is more important to love what you do than to do what you love. -Linchpin 1:04 PM Mar 9th via txt
    68. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Daemon by Daniel Suarez via @leolaporte and Seth Godin. Might read that next. 12:52 PM Mar 9th via txt
    69. Just finished Linchpin. Great book for thriving in the new economy. More of a success book than marketing. 12:48 PM Mar 9th via txt
    70. @ShaunaCausey Its ok to ask for a RT as long as u don’t overdo it. You’re asking peeps who have chosen to follow you to help spread a msg 6:41 PM Mar 8th via txt
    71. RT @sarahfosmo Useful Twip: If you find yourself on an unflattering list, you can block the person and you will removed. #140tc 3:47 PM Mar 8th via web
    72. http://listorious.com/ “A directory of awesome lists on Twitter” @Scobleizer likes this the best (#140tc live at http://ustre.am/5Y8r) 3:40 PM Mar 8th via Ustream
    73. Does anyone know how you can find out about upcoming conferences that are broadcasting on UStream? (#140tc live at http://ustre.am/5Y8r) 3:36 PM Mar 8th via Ustream
    74. Cool! @Dom, Dom Sagolla co-founder of Twitter is telling story of how Twitter started at 140tc Seattle (#140tc live at http://ustre.am/5Y8r) 2:47 PM Mar 8th via Ustream
    75. Question for 140tc panel:can multiple people tweet for a company or should it be limited to 1 person? (#140tc live at http://ustre.am/5Y8r) 12:25 PM Mar 8th via Ustream
    76. Always keep it positive on Twitter when responding to customer complaints. -@bradnelson #140tc (#140tc live at http://ustre.am/5Y8r) 12:17 PM Mar 8th via Ustream
    77. http://cloud.li -a cool tag cloud generator for Twitter searches #140tc (#140tc live at http://ustre.am/5Y8r) 11:17 AM Mar 8th via Ustream
    78. Attend 140 Twitter Conference in Seattle virtually for free! Livestream http://ustre.am/5Y8r #140tc (#140tc live at http://ustre.am/5Y8r) 11:01 AM Mar 8th via Ustream
    79. Super cool startup. The Kiva for student loans. http://vittana.org #140tc livestream http://ustre.am/5Y8r 10:30 AM Mar 8th via web
    80. 10+ Reasons Why Every Business Should Blog http://bit.ly/dmiCLM 10:04 AM Mar 8th via web
    81. Brandon Marshall visited Seahawks HQ Intriguing idea but we would have to give up The #6 overall draft pick as he is a restricted FA 9:28 PM Mar 7th via txt
    82. Create information on the web to help solve the problems of your buyer personas. – @dmscott 9:06 PM Mar 7th via txt
    83. Does the corn syrup in a can of coke count as a serving of vegetables? 7:32 PM Mar 7th via txt
    84. Great tips on growing a business blog from @problogger http://bit.ly/cxxDzW via @chrisbrogan 1:40 PM Mar 7th via web
    85. Tip: If you own your own business, take one day a week to do no work on it and your productivity will skyrocket. 1:18 PM Mar 7th via txt
    86. RT @marketingfeed Few businesses understand (really understand) just how much a customer is worth. -Seth Godin http://bit.ly/bbs0b4 12:53 PM Mar 7th via web
    87. Great podcast discussion of the future of advertising and social media w/ @simonmainwaring @aaronstrout http://bit.ly/90iYBX 12:21 PM Mar 7th via web
    88. My high school, Kentwood wins The 4A basketball championship! 8:49 PM Mar 6th via txt
    89. It’s not an accident that successful people read more books. -Linchpin 12:27 PM Mar 5th via txt
    90. RT @StevenMatsumoto @PhenomenalLife: Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted – Einstein 10:23 PM Mar 3rd via txt
    91. Wow RT @Karl_Ribas: RT @TechCrunch: WSJ: Facebook Revenues For 2010 Could Hit Between $1.2 To $2 Billion – http://tcrn.ch/bS8Gwi 9:58 PM Mar 3rd via txt
    92. Twitter hits 50 million tweets per day http://bit.ly/c3yU5c 7:50 PM Mar 1st via web
    93. Thanks @Shih_Wei , I’m about halfway through Linchpin and it’s really insightful. 2:19 PM Mar 1st via txt
    94. Seattle Twitter Conference next week March 8th $199 http://bit.ly/cMh3I1 1:34 PM Mar 1st via web
    95. Tony Hsieh’s keynote at SXSW 2009 http://bit.ly/aybIyT 1:29 PM Mar 1st via web
    96. Our number priority is company culture…if you get the culture right most of the other stuff will happen naturally. @Zappos 1:24 PM Mar 1st via txt
    97. Congrats! RT @mikehar: woot! sold Picnik to Google today. http://blog.picnik.com/ 12:20 PM Mar 1st via txt
    98. The easier it is to quantify, the less it is worth. -Linchpin 11:37 AM Mar 1st via txt

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    #52books Read 52 Books in 2010 Challenge

    by Charles Sipe on April 5, 2010

    The 52books Challenge challenges you to read 52 books in 2010 or a book a week.

    Julien Smith had a great explanation on his blog on why you would want to do this. From How to Read a Book a Week in 2010

    It feels awesome. It gives you an amazing amount of ideas. It helps you think more thoroughly. It’s better than TV and even the internet. It makes you understand the world more. It is a building block towards a habit of completion. Did I mention it feels awesome?

    Julien who co-authored the great book Trust Agents, gave some excellent tips like it’s okay to cheat by reading some short books, and don’t fall behind, and make sure to make it part of your routine to read a certain number of pages every day.

    Tip: Listen to Books on Audible
    I would add another tip: listen to books on audible. Some people may say that it’s not really reading because you are listening to the text, but I think it is just as good as reading a physical book, and in many ways it is better. This allows you to knock out a bit of reading when you are standing in line at the coffee shop or sitting in traffic. There is also an awesome deal if you go to audible.com/twit2 where you can get 2 free audible books absolutely free (you could cancel your subscription before 30 days and not have to pay for the subscription if you want).

    Tip: Use the Kindle App on iPhone or iPod Touch
    Also if you can get an iPhone or iPod touch, use the Kindle application. It will allow you to pull a book out of your pocket when you have a few minutes to read.

    If you want to join the challenge, you still have time. You can also see how others are doing by searching for the hash tag #52books on Twitter.

    I only have read 7 books so far this year so I need a major rally to achieve the challenge this year.

    So far I’ve read:

    -What the Dog Saw
    -Crush It
    -The Blind Side
    -Linchpin
    -The Road
    -The Next Evolution of Marketing
    -The Lost Symbol
    -Switch (added 4-12)

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    Charles Sipe Podcast Episode 1

    by Charles Sipe on March 26, 2010

     

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    Building Your Personal Brand Online with A Personal Domain

    by Charles Sipe on March 25, 2010

    Personal Branding with a Personal Domain from Charles Sipe on Vimeo.

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    Interesting Interview with Malcom Gladwell

    by Charles Sipe on March 22, 2010

    I’ve read all of Malcom Gladwell’s books and saw him speak. Brilliant stuff. I wish he could be cloned.

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    My SXSW Experience

    by Charles Sipe on March 15, 2010

    I had a blast at SXSWi this year. You couldn’t tell we are coming off the worst recession in decades because the city was buzzing with tons of energetic entrepreneurs and attendance this year was way up.  I stopped by the Facebook Developers conference (via UStream) for a brief moment but lost interest so I headed out to the parties (via Leo Laporte’s live stream). The Mashable party was buzzing and there were a ton of cool people from as far away as Romania (Yola.com) and South Africa. A smart woman from South Africa said that the flight was 32 hours to Austin. Of course Pete Cashmore was there with Robert Scoble and Molly Wood from CNet. Pete said that he had to book the venue for the party 1 year in advance. I followed Leo to Gary Vaynerchuk’s party where Gary was passing out 100 bottles worth of wine and Kevin Rose showed up. The talk of the conference was not Four Square or Gowalla, but rather Leo Laporte’s crowd surfing at the Digg Party.

    So I wasn’t actually at SXSWi this year but it was fun to live vicariously through Leo Laporte’s live stream and following people on Twitter. Hopefully I can make it out to Austin in the next few years.

    Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/mager/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

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    12 Awesome Open Source Apps

    by Charles Sipe on March 12, 2010

    Here is a really useful article from the New Horizons Colorado blog. Check out New Horizons in Bellevue, WA for courses on computers and software.

    Although free software has been around for longer than personal computers, it is only recently that the open source community has produced programs that combine commercial-level functionality with commercial-level ease-of-use. Today, it is possible to run your computer without buying a single piece of software, and to do it 100% legally. Open-source software is software which is freely distributed and for which the source code (the underlying program) is available. There are a number of reasons why someone might develop open-source software, ranging from the desire to sell services such as support or customization (the Gillette model—give away free handles to sell razor blades), on down to such altruistic purposes as the love of programming. Whatever reason the programming team may have for releasing their application as open-source, what is important to the end user is that the software is free and trustworthy (with open code, anyone can find any irregularities in the program).

    Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox
    http://www.mozilla.com

    This is the modern incarnation of what was, for most of us, our first browser—Netscape. Mozilla is fast, efficient, and extremely compatible (it even runs Microsoft Silverlight sites like Netflix Movie Viewer).

    Media Viewer: VLC Media Player
    http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

    Are you looking for a player that plays pretty much every format available and does it well? VLC’s the one for you. It’s fast, small, and easy to use. How good is it? I use iTunes to figure out what file I want, then open it in VLC to actually watch it. Here’s a bonus: if you want to turn your “non-copy protected” DVD movies into files that you can store on your computer and watch on VLC, use Handbrake (http://www.handbrake.fr/) to convert them.

    Photo Editing: GimPhoto
    http://www.gimphoto.com/

    The GNU Image Processor (hence the name “GIMP”) has been around for a while and has gradually been gaining a user base, especially in the face of the escalating cost (in terms of money and computer capacity) of Adobe Photoshop. An enterprising user redesigned the interface to make it feel more like Photoshop and renamed it “GimPhoto”. It is perfect for home users or small business users who do not require CMYK output (if you do not know what it is, you do not need it!).

    Office Suite: OpenOffice.org
    http://www.openoffice.org

    Currently on version 3.2, OpenOffice.org has just about everything you would need in an office suite, and is free. It looks and feels a lot like Microsoft Office and can read and write files in Office format. It also tends to run a little faster than the Microsoft applications.

    PDF Creation: PDF Creator
    http://sourceforge.net/projects    /pdfcreator/

    If you just need to turn documents into PDFs, this is the tool for you. It installs as a printer driver and does that one thing very well. Please note that during the installation process, it gives you the option to install a Browser AddOn which is a co-branded toolbar. You may want to unselect this option.

    Operating Systems: Linux http://www.linux.org

    Although the vast majority of users will choose to run these applications on a Windows PC, it is also possible to use a free and open-source operating system: Linux. The vast majority of the applications listed above will run on Linux, as well. More information on this process can be found at Linux Online Inc.’s site at http://www.linux.org/dist/download_info.html .

    Games

    Frets on Fire – http://fretsonfire.sourceforge.net/ (similar to Guitar Hero)

    AssaultCube     – http://assault.cubers.net/ (free multiplayer first person shooter)

    LinCity – http://sourceforge.net/projects/lincity/ (city building simulation game)

    PokerTH – http://www.pokerth.net/ (Texas Hold ‘Em with computer or online multiplayer)

    Glest – http://glest.org/en/index.php (3D Real-Time Strategy – similar to Age of Empires)

    WinSudoku – http://sourceforge.net/projects/winsudoku/ (no description necessary)

    All of the above games are free and open-source. Many are comparable in quality to applications that would be purchased, as opposed to the typical “freeware” game that can be downloaded from most sites.

    Photo source http://www.sxc.hu/profile/speedy2

    This article has been republished with permission from the New Horizons Colorado blog.

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    Top 9 Marketing Books of 2009

    by Charles Sipe on March 9, 2010

    inbound marketing bookHere are the best marketing books for 2009 listed in order of awesomeness:

    1. Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (The New Rules of Social Media) by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah

    Why and how to market your business online through inbound marketing rather than outbound marketing.

    2.Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson

    Can free be an effective marketing strategy? Anderson explores the history of free and how companies are using free as a winning strategy.

    3. World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories by David Meerman Scott

    Makes a good argument for using social media and online marketing to market your business more effectively. Tons of excellent case studies to support the new methods of marketing.

    4. The Next Evolution of Marketing: Connect with Your Customers by Marketing with Meaning by Bob Gilbreath

    Bob describes a new approach to marketing in which the marketing itself is valuable. Lots of great examples of companies doing meaningful marketing.

    5. Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

    Excellent book about how to use social media to build relationships with your customers and colleagues. Has been called the “How to Win Friends and Influence People” of social media.

    6. Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability and Science of Customer Centricity by Avinash Kaushik

    The followup to the hit Web Analytics An Hour A Day. Kaushik is the thought leader on measuring online marketing and donates all of his proceeds from the books to charity.

    7. Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk

    Gary Vee is one of the most successful personal brands on the web and is one of the best success stories for social media marketing. His book is more motivational than tactical but there are a lot of great ideas too.

    8. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin

    Linchpin describes how to thrive in the new economy that has replaced the broken factory-work model. It is more of a success book, but there are great takeaways that can help you in your marketing or business career.

    9. Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini

    Lots of interesting studies and examples that describe ways to be more persuasive while providing insights into the way we think.

    Other books of note:

    Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time

    Marketing 2.0: Bridging the Gap between Seller and Buyer through Social Media Marketing

    The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business

    The Social Media Marketing Book

    Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone.

    Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods

    Have any book recommendations to add to the list? Leave a comment!

    Also see: Top 10 Marketing Books of 2008

    This article has been republished from Cool Marketing Stuff

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    How To Attend A Conference Virtually

    by Charles Sipe on March 8, 2010

    I attended the Twitter 140 conference in Seattle today…well sort of. I wasn’t physically at the conference but I watched most of the speakers’ presentations via UStream.

    How to Attend A Conference Virtually
    If a conference broadcasts a live stream via UStream, it’s almost as good as being at the conference (or even better). You can comment on what the speakers are talking about and see what others are saying via Twitter in real time (which UStream integrates really well). If you want to network, you can interact with others on Twitter who are using the conference Twitter tag (#140tc) or you can attend the networking event after the conference or the after party which are often free.

    I wonder if there is a website that tells you about all the upcoming conferences that will be broadcasting on UStream.

    You can also view past presentations at conferences by searching UStream as well as YouTube and Vimeo or Google Video. These presentations are a great source for learning although it can be hard to sort through lots of content to find the cream at the top. I have a set of marketing talks at http://coolmarketingstuff.com/video and Marketing Over Coffee has a great resource called Conference in a Box which is a set of good marketing presentations.

    Ted is another great conference that puts up videos of most – if not all – of their presentations.

    Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/afropicmusing/ / CC BY 2.0

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    10+ Reasons Every Business Should Have a Blog

    by Charles Sipe on March 8, 2010

    1. Having a blog helps you create more content on your site, which often leads to more pages showing up in Google search results.

    2. Every new blog post is a potential source for inbound links to your site.

    3. Blogs give you a platform to speak directly to your customer.

    4. Blogs are a place to publish content that solves problems of your buyer persona (the types of people who are likely to buy your product)

    5. Blogs allow you to cover a wide range of topics related to your industry, which takes advantage of the long tail effect in Google searches (About 75% of searches are for unpopular phrases).

    6. Blogs encourage direct feedback from your customers.

    7. Blogs encourage you to think deeply about your field and continuously learn so you can write insightful articles.

    8. Blogs allow you to give free gifts (in the form of valuable content) to potential customers which can develop a relationship with the potential customer.

    9. Each blog post is a potential landing page for potential customers to learn more about your company.

    10. By frequently updating your blog, Google will send its search bots to your site more often. Google often favors sites with constantly updated and fresh content.

    11. Blog articles, when written in a casual voice, can show customers that there are real people behind the company and it’s not just a soul-less corporation.

    12. Business websites that blog tend to get more traffic to their site. See Study Shows Small Businesses That Blog Get 55% More Website Visitors

    Can you share additional reasons why every business should have a blog?

    Article republished from the Sparkplug Digital blog

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    Perhaps the Best Work of Fiction of the Decade

    by Charles Sipe on March 8, 2010

    I read a blog post that called The Road the book of the decade and I can’t disagree. I definitely recommend it, and the Audible version is terrific (the unabridged version).

    My Amazon Review:

    The Road is one of those rare works of fiction that is can affect you on a deep personal level. In The Road you are enveloped into an apocalyptic world which you experience with a man and his son as they struggle to survive the harshest conditions imaginable. With his poetic descriptions, McCarthy gives you a frightening, dark, and realistic story of struggle that you won’t soon forget.

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