Scott Berkun's Blog, page 83

Help wanted: Berkun promotion team

It's time to ask for some help.

A volunteer team is forming to spread the word about my work. If you have pr or marketing experience that's awesome, but anyone with a half-hour here or there can make a huge difference. For starters we're focusing on PR for the new edition of the Myths of Innovation.

If you a fan, or have energy to invest in getting more folks to read my work, join this google group: Berkun promotion team.

People who help most will get signed copies of my books, a fancy dinner ...

Ira Glass live: review

I saw Ira Glass, of This American Life (TAL) fame, speak recently in Seattle at Benaroya Hall.  Years ago I met him backstage at a conference in NYC. He's tall. and thin. And very funny, nice and slightly sarcastic all at the same time.  We chatted about my sacred NYC places tour, which he seemed both entertained and baffled by. Very human and friendly, much like what you'd expect him to be based on TAL.

In Seattle  he spoke for nearly two hours, giving a mix of backstories about episodes...

Berkun fan page: now up on facebook

If you'd prefer to get updates from this blog on facebook, today's your day. There's now a fan page, and it will always show the latest updates from my blog – if enough people like it, I'll do special prizes and fun things there too.

'UX professional' isn't a real job?

Lots of fun was stirred up by this recent post, 'UX professional' isn't a real job.  Which I think was sparked by this tweet:

The post isn't much longer than the tweet. And it's popular. Which testifies mostly to two things:

Some people are very sensitive about job titles.
People in the UX/design/etc world might win the prize for most sensitive.

If ever you want a popular blog post – post about how "UX doesn't exist" or "interaction designers are kitten kicking liars" and you'll be well on...

Is your book idea good? (Yes, I promise)

It will take many hours to write a book.

Therefore, you should write about something you, the writer, finds interesting.  Why not please yourself?

"Will anyone care about my story?" people ask. Yes – you. It starts with you.

Many people with an idea want others to tell them their idea is worthy. Why is their approval of your idea necessary? That's a sales question, not a writing question. If you want thousands to know you, that's an ego problem, not a writing problem.

I say, if you find it...

Being Geek: An interview with Michael Lopp

I had the chance to interview Michael Lopp, of RandsinRepose fame, about his new book, Being Geek. The book, like much of his writing, takes an honest approach to thinking about careers and life in the tech world, and he knows what's talking about, having done stints at Apple, Netscape, and Symantec. Unlike many bloggers, he's dedicated to the craft of writing and it shows in his work.

SB: Your latest book, Being Geek, is described as a career handbook, yet it's way smarter and funnier than...

The founding fathers and their faith

Last week I finished reading Founding Faith, by Steven Waldman. The book explores the history of religion in America, focusing on what the founding fathers believed personally and expressed in their role in government. It was an excellent read and balanced in coverage – the author frequently explains how both modern liberals and conservatives get the history wrong.

Here's some of what I learned:

When someone says "the founding fathers believed X" they're probably wrong. Each founder had...

Quote of the week

Quote of the week:

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie — deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

- John F. Kennedy (#)

Ten points on Freedom and the Mosque (w/Video)

I've never done a "low quality webcam video speaking to camera" thing before, but felt compelled to do so on this issue.

Please watch it first.

If you really hate videos, here's a very loose summary of the what I had to say:

Feelings of anger, loss, sadness and fear about 9/11 and the resulting wars are real – and are worthy of acknowledgment, empathy and respect.One definition of wisdom is how carefully we are in how we choose to convert feelings into actions. A valid feeling can be used as...

Why does transparency matter?

In a series of posts, called readers choice, I write on whatever topics people submit and vote for. If you dig this idea, let me know in the comments, and submit your ideas and votes.

This week it's: Why does transparency matter? submitted by Nick Finck.

Whenever I hear talk of transparency I think of overhead projectors. This dates me significantly, but it used to be professors wrote their lessons on sheets of cellophane called transparencies. These were thought to be clever...