Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 305

How To Podcast - 2012 Edition

There's a renewed interest in podcasting. Maybe a growing interest (depending on who you ask).

Personally, I can't think of  better time for a business to create valuable audio and video content in a podcasting format. In the past week alone, I've had a handful of requests to better understand how I create the Six Pixels of Separation podcast. I answered this question in detail back in 2008 (you can read about it here: How To Podcast), but things have changed. In 2008, I was about to publish my 100th episode (I've now posted over 330 episodes) and I've also switched from a PC platform to Apple.

I'm no professional.

Before digging into the details, let me make one point clear (and it's the exact same point I made back in 2008): I don't think that I have the right formula. My show is very "indie" and it's created and published with a minimal amount of production. I'm not an audiophile and I have no special propensity towards audio engineering. I see it as a fun (and different) way to communicate and connect with people. I'm ok with the fact that it's often raw, flawed and basic.

Here's how I Podcast (but please keep in mind that I am a huge proponent of doing a lot more pre and post production for maximum efficacy):

I don't do much to prep for a show. Over the course of the week (in-between episodes), I simply look at my Twitter and Facebook feed for people saying and doing interesting things and I reach out to those who I think might have something unique to say about a specific topic related to marketing, communications, business books, leadership or personal development.

I record all of my conversations over Skype using Audio Hijack Pro. If I have the luxury of having a conversation with someone in-person, I record it on my iPhone using the iRig MIC Cast. Once the audio is recorded, I use Audacity to record the show. I export that file into WAV format and then put it into a program called The Levelator to equalize the volume. From there, I import it back into Audacity and then export the file as a MP3. Once this is done, I bring the file into iTunes to add the cover album artwork and some additional show notes. I then FTP the final audio file over to our servers. My team at Twist Image created the custom audio player on the blog and I use the blog platform to post the show.   

Because I don't do any audio editing, the whole show is done live... one take (this makes most podcasters cringe - most do multiple takes, edit, etc...). I record the show using a Logitech headset that plugs right into my MacBook Air via USB. Once the show is done, I write up the blog posting in Windows Live Writer and hit the publish button on my blogging software.

It works for me.

I'm sure many audiophiles weep a little when they hear how I record Six Pixels of Separation - no EQ adjustment, no removal of the "umms" and "ahhs", and no editing to "tighten it up." Who knows, maybe somewhere in the next one hundred episodes I'll catch the podcasting bug and break out the mixer, microphone, and audio editing software. But, for right now, I'm just having fun with it.

Mea culpa.

As I said earlier, my way is, probably, not the most professional way to record a Podcast... but it is my way. I'm hoping that my passion, knowledge and insights make up for what's lacking in professional editing skills and audio quality. I'm also quite sure that as podcasting continues to evolve, the demands to produce a higher quality show (in terms of pure production and audio) will force me to figure out a newer way to take it to the next level.

Until then, Happy Podcasting.

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Why Email Needs A Facelift

There has got to be something better than email.

Email has been around longer than you think (you check out the Wikipedia page for the full run-down here: Wikipedia - Email), and while some of the email clients have advanced and helped us better sort the wheat from the chaff, the majority of us still feel that email is like one, big, never-ending game of Tetris. As each email comes in we move it, push it and poke it in hopes of getting it into the right place, but it doesn't end and - like Tetris - the pieces just continue to fall until the screen fills up and all we can do is claim email bankruptcy.

Game over.

For almost as long as email has existed, people have complained about getting too many emails. We celebrate inbox zero as if we just gave birth to a new child. While some lauded the arrival of the first BlackBerry, many saw it as a digital manifestation of the ball and chain that would shackle them (at nights and on the weekends) to their office. While many saw mobile email as a liberating force, many relish the day that getting email anywhere and everywhere was invented. As strange as this may sound, there was a moment in time (and it wasn't so long ago), that once you left the office you did not hear from the office. If something were a real emergency, you might get a phone call to your home number, but those moments were truly few and far between (unless you were a doctor or someone whose job involved a true emergency - as in someone's life is dependant on it). Email makes life easy. With it, comes a new reality: we create more emergencies (the kind that aren't truly life threatening at all).

For most, email is clutter.

If you work at Zappos, never do a reply-all to an email. Other Zappos team members will show up at your desk with a dunce cap for you. Literally. Other companies have equally compelling rules (both written and understood) that help individuals better understand email etiquette. On November 5th, 2012, Marketing Charts ran a news item titled, Clutter: 4 in 10 Say More Than Half Of Their New Emails Are From Marketers. From the news item: "...according to [pdf] a Blue Kangaroo online survey of more than 1,000 US adults aged 18-64, a whopping 43% said that more than half of the new emails in their inbox the week prior to the survey came from marketers (including daily deals, retail newsletters, and sales alerts). In fact, 8 in 10 respondents said that more than 20% of their new emails came from marketers." Regardless of how accurate this report is, we can't deny how challenging email has become. The level of fatigue that the average consumer faces with each and every ping of their inbox is astounding.

Email needs a facelift.

There are several companies (some established and some startups) that are trying to solve the problem of email. Some will tell you that young people don't use email (unless they need to communicate with a parent or grandparent). That these young people are abandoning email and using platforms like texting, chat or even Twitter and Facebook to communicate with one another. Shorter, faster and near-real time. Some of that makes sense, but for the vast majority of corporations, that won't cut it. Email doesn't just need a facelift in terms of making it more relevant to the incoming workforce, it needs to make itself relevant in the social age as well.

Email as a mechanism for tribal knowledge.

When we rethink email, it has to push beyond how we file, store and manage this information. Because email was created before the advent of social media and other collaborative tools, we now need to figure out a way to unlock a lot of this communication. We need to make it as shareable and as findable as possible to those that need it. Think about your daily communications and how much of that information may be valuable to others (it could be a new employee who is not as well-versed on your corporate culture as they should be, and it could be a way to enable others to have access to the information without having it litter their own inboxes). At the same time, we need to ensure (now, more than ever) that private email communications remain that way. In short, email needs to reestablish itself as a channel that drives both value and efficiency, instead of one that simply pesters and annoys.

Wouldn't it be nice to once again enjoy the sentiment, "you've got mail"?

The above posting is my twice-monthly column for The Huffington Post called, Media Hacker . I cross-post it here with all the links and tags for your reading pleasure, but you can check out the original version online here:

The Huffington Post - Why Email Needs A Facelift .

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Living In The Social Era

Episode #331 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.

I do love Nilofer Merchant. I was introduced to her via Tara Hunt and we have been friends for many years. She is an author (The New How), a corporate director and a great speaker on business and innovation. Most recently, she published a new book, 11 Rules For Creating Value In The Social Era, and it's a fantastic read. The book was based on some of her contributions to Harvard Business Review and I do my best to never miss anything that she publishes. In this episode, we discuss her new book and other insights about social media, social business and the future of making money. Enjoy the conversation...

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast #331.

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Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #125

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, the author of Complete Web Monitoring and Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks), Hugh McGuire (The Book Oven, LibriVox, iambik, PressBooks, Media Hacks) and I decided that every week or so the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".

Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:

Neanderthal Babies All Around: Synthetic Biology Is Closer Than You Think - Bloomberg BusinessWeek . "Sure, 3D printing is going mainstream, and everyone's a technologist, so we can probably figure out what that will look like. But most of us aren't geneticists, so the amazing amount of change in that field flies under the radar. According to one person who should know, synthetic biology is much closer than we think -- for better or for worse." (Alistair for Hugh).

B.S. Detection for Journalists - Zombie Journalism . "There's a lot of misinformation on the Web these days. From spurious polls, to photos of Godzilla rising from the waters of Sandy, it's hard to know what to trust. This should be on the wall of every editor everywhere: some quick tips for how to sniff out spurious stories." (Alistair for Mitch).

Proud my 8yo girl failed this worksheet. Wish she had failed it even 'worse' - @gameism . "An 8 year old girl 'failed' this school exercise: given a list of activities ('legos,' 'cooking,' 'board games,' 'computers'... etc), students were supposed to decide which activities were for 'girls,' 'boys,' or 'both.' The little girl who did this test failed miserably... because she decided that just about all the activities should be listed under 'both.' The teacher's comment makes you want to rescue all the girls in this class (and boys for that matter), and have them all shout out, at the top of their lungs, 'I can do anything!'" (Hugh for Alistair).

Read This Touching Email Louis C.K. Sent to His Fans - Mashable . "I've been watching comedian Louis CK 's really amazing show, Louie , which is produced with a level of raw, personal integrity beyond anything I've seen before. Much 'voyeurvision' in the form of 'Reality TV,' is exploitative, and finally as unreal as reality could possibly be. Louie is something different, and manages to transcend the egoism of 'look at me' by somehow getting beyond 'look at me' to a very profound 'let's look at us, together.' Louie is also a performer pushing the boundaries of independence and direct connection with his fans, producing and marketing his tours through his own website. In any case, here's Louie in an email to his fan mailing list, talking about the wonderful strangeness of hosting Saturday Night Live right after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy." (Hugh for Mitch).

Clay Shirky on the Internet as a Distractor and Disruptor - The Atlantic . "The Web went through a massive transition when social media became pervasive. Well, let's look at the bigger picture: it wasn't really social media, it was the fact that publishing anything became free, cheap and easy. Couple that with the fact that anyone could also share and curate content and it has become...well, what it has become. Two of my most favorite thinkers on Internet culture, media and technology are Clay Shirky and Don Tapscott . In this piece for The Atlantic , the two discuss not only what the Internet has become... but what it means for media and more. As usual, this is a fascinating read from two deep thinkers." (Mitch for Alistair).

How Authors Write - MIT Technology Review . "What do you think has made authors better and more explorative writers? Many think that technology is the answer. That technology gave writers more access to the tools of creation. This is one of those amazing pieces that makes you wonder if this type of story could have ever made it to publication in a mainstream magazine. It turns out that composition has a lot more to do with the evolution of the author than technology. Another great read about the power of words and their evolution." (Mitch for Hugh).

Now it's your turn: in the comment section below pick one thing that you saw this week that inspired you and share it.

B.S. Detection for Journalists from Mandy Jenkins

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alistair croll

bitcurrent

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clay shirky

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don tapscott

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librivox

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link sharing

louie

louis ck

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mashable

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mit technology review

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saturday night live

synthetic biology

the atlantic

the book over

twitter

year one labs

zombie journalism

Don't Follow Your Passion

That's not a typo: don't follow your passion.

It may be appealing and something that you think you should do to be successful (and it's something that many career counselors will tell us), but it could well be the worst career advice ever. Cal Newport wants to know what makes people truly love the work that they do. He took this question and turned it into a brand new book, So Good They Can't Ignore You (full disclosure: Newport is signed to the same publishing imprint as I am). He recently spoke at Google about his book and his views on what it takes to become really great at the work that they do. His findings will not only surprise you, but they could well change the course of your career (or how you think about it).

It's 40 minutes worthy of your time. Watch this...

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Success And The Art Of Being A Self-Starter

Who is going where in the marketing world?

Every week, the marketing industry trade publications highlight the comings and goings of the people in our industry. Some love this information because it provides a level of gossip, others simply like to keep abreast of how people within this industry are moving. The digital marketing industry experiences a high volume of turnover. There are many reasons for this. I believe that some of it has to do with the fact that a lot of traditional marketing dollars are shifting to digital and there's a need to find professionals to get this work done. Being a fairly nascent industry, this means that salaries are increased due to demand, but it also means that we have many less senior people taking on more senior positions. The output of this is that talent is both scarce and expensive. This challenge is not be relegated to digital marketing alone, but it is prevalent in other industries. Young people (of which the digital marketing industry is primarily made up of) fall within something Fast Company dubbed Generation Flux which adds to the tumult. 

How do you rise above?

I've seen individuals transcend this challenge and I've seen individuals both stall or falter. In full disclosure, human resources, hiring and nurturing team members has never been my forte (I'm thankful that my other business partners and team members at Twist Image have these skills as their unique abilities, because they're certainly not mine). That being said, I believe there is one, definitive, skill that I see that leads to workplace success (and it transcends what I see at Twist Image)...

Be a self-starter.

Every new workspace has its own language and tribal knowledge. It's not uncommon for it to take a few months for individuals to earn their wings, but in work (and, most other things in life), being a self-starter is critical. This happens long before you accept a contract of employment and it applies well beyond retirement. Some facts about me: I was terrible in high school and dropped out of university. I never liked any of the courses and I could hardly bring myself to sit through them. In today's world, I would probably be diagnosed with ADD. Between us friends, I was bored and uninterested. Through that whole time (from as young as I could remember), I wanted to be have a successful business (or be a part of one). The math was basic: if I sucked in school but wanted to be successful at business, I would have to be a self-starter.

What a self-starter looks like:

Constant learning. There's a reason you're asked, "what have you read about our industry recently?" in a job interview. If you're not learning, living and constantly studying the industry that you're a part of, what does that say about you? The bigger idea here is that successful people know that they have a lot more to learn if they want to grow and get better. If the information about your industry doesn't interest, you may be in the wrong industry.

Willing to make smart mistakes. We all make mistakes. Mistakes are forgivable. What's not forgivable is the inability to not only learn from a mistake but to grow from them. This is somewhat of a cliché, but it's true. My old close quarter combatives coach, Tony Blauer, used to say, "practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect." Mistakes happen. Self-starters don't see them as a negative but rather part of the laboratory of achieving success.

The ascent. I'm the furthest thing from a mountain climber, but I'm constantly gauging my ascent. Which direction am I moving in? It better be onwards and upwards. Stagnation is the enemy of being a self-starter and successful. Make a plan that is a constant ascent.

Life isn't about winning or losing. This is especially true in the marketing industry. Agencies think that the business is about how many pitches they win verses how many they lose. This isn't true. It's about resilience. The job is to keep on going. You're going to win some, you're going to lose some, but if you look at the agencies that have truly ascended the industry, they all have one commonality: resilience. They grow and grow and don't let the losses (which will happen) get in the way of their success. Self starters are resilient. They persevere.

Follow start-ups. You don't have to an entrepreneur to be entrepreneurial. It doesn't have to be a job (it can be the work that you are supposed to do). We are in the middle of an explosion of start-ups. With that has come some of the best thinking on what it means to be start-up. Apply each and every one of these rules to your personal ascent. Every person who is deeply engaged in the start-up community is a self-starter.

Homework. Self-starters don't hate homework. Self-starters know that doing homework (the stuff that falls outside of regular business) is how they are going to lap everyone else. Whenever someone asks, "when do you find time to [insert some kind of activity here]," these people are grappling with how to become a self-starter.

Two questions for you: what would you add to this self-starter list, and/or if you don't agree with me about how important being a self-starter is, what is a better/more definitive skill-set for success?

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Marketing Must Adapt To The New Reader

It's strange to say this, but we're reading more than ever.

We may not be reading Hemingway... but then again, we may be. Years ago, Hugh McGuire showed me how he was reading War And Peace on his iPod Touch. The book was available for free from Project Gutenberg (it still is, along with an amazing array of books in the public domain that have all been digitized). McGuire's thought at the time was that classic literature was never the type of content that people wanted to lug around physically. Having it on your mobile device, where the content can be chunked down into little reading bits may not only make the content more accessible to many more people, but it may actually change the way we look at reading.

It took some time.

It took some time for me to get comfortable letting go of the physical entity known as a book. But, not long after that lunch with McGuire, I had my own e-reader (Amazon's first-generation Kindle) and once I made the switch to Apple's iPhone, the Kindle app completely changed the way I read books. I can't imagine ever buying a physical book again. That's not a big or earth-shattering statement, but what has become abundantly clear is that how I read has changed forever. Reading used to be a planned and scheduled activity ("I'll read before bed," or "I'll read on Sunday morning at Starbucks.") The book had to physically be on me. I had to remember to take it with me and in that activity, I was committing to reading because nobody wanted to lug something around that we didn't use. Now, book reading - because of e-readers and mobile apps coupled with the asynchronous Web (also known as the cloud) - makes reading an event that happens at anytime and anywhere. It's simple to whip out your mobile device and grab a couple of pages (or even paragraphs) while standing in the subway or waiting for your dry cleaning. I don't know about you, but I'm reading more than ever because reading has become somewhat serendipitous in the digital age (instead of scheduled).

We are reading more.

The fear of the popularization of television was that it would turn all of us (but mostly our kids) into zombies. While we can lament the value of social media and so many connected devices, it seems like we are all reading a lot more of our media than ever before. And yes, reading does include Twitter tweets and Facebook updates. I never claimed that we're increasing the quality of our reading... simply that we're reading more.

Some interesting information about how we read.

Two pieces of information about how we read came across my desk in the past little while. MediaPost's Research Brief released a news item on November 6th, 2012 titled, The American Reader. From the article: "According to the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, more than eight in ten Americans between the ages of 16 and 29 read a book in the past year, and six in ten used their local public library. At the youngest end of the spectrum, high schoolers, ages 16-17, and college-aged young adults (18-24) are especially likely to have read a book or used the library in the past 12 months. Americans ages 16 and older encounter and consume more books, as e-books change the reading landscape and the borrowing services of libraries. Although library usage patterns may often be influenced by school assignments, readers' interest in the possibilities of mobile technology may point the way toward opportunities of further engagement with libraries later in life, says the report." We all know this. We know that reading at an early age creates a propensity to keep reading. We also know the impact of literacy in relation to success and society. What's interesting is that as more and more people are saddened by the disappearance of the book in its physical form, it could well be that the digitization of the book is what will save reading and potentially give it a whole new life. The other fascinating piece of news came from Business Insider yesterday courtesy of the news item titled, A Lot More People Read E-Books On Their Computers Than You Realize (it was taken from the same piece of research as the MediaPost item). What is most surprising about this chart is that the most popular way for people under thirty to read an e-book is on their computers. Yes, the computer screen still trumps smartphones, tablets and e-readers. Once again validating the point that we should never be a market of one.  

What you need to know: our reading habits are changing and evolving. Don't count out books, keep on reading and keep encouraging others to read as well!

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The Big Small Screen

The moment may have finally arrived.

For years, I have been blogging about the potential of mobile video. In fact, that's a lie. Long before I joined Twist Image, I helped Andy Nulman launch his mobile content play, Airborne Entertainment. Back then, we were talking about content and video on a 2x2 screen. Nobody wanted to hear about it. Not even the mobile carriers. Well, things have changed in the past decade-plus, but it looks like this past year is really one where mobile video content is beginning to crank through in a big... no, make that major... way.

Is the future of video in the palm of your hand?

There is a valid argument to be made about the challenge in creating and publishing compelling mobile content. We don't consume this content in the same way that we used to consume video content. Think about how the screen is used. Think about how "on the go" we are when we're watching this content, and how it is surrounded by notifications and distractions. I'm not just talking about the notifications of emails, tweets and Facebook updates, but also the general distractions of the world around you.

Physical and virtual collide.

The battle for attention in a mobile content world cannot be diminished. It's a major shift in how we consume video content, and it's even more important because the vast majority never thought anybody would care to watch video on the go, let alone with their mobile devices. Now, we're here. People have devices that are mostly screens, they're watching less and less video content live (a lot more of our consumption is on the go and on demand) and we are quickly getting to a point when 4G and LTE networks are truly delivering mobile content at the speed with which we don't have to deal with buffering issues. Yes, it's getting good.

Really good.

If you need more proof that we're moving into an interesting time with video content and our mass desire to watch it in the palm of our hands, look no further than Business Insider. On November 5th, 2012 they issued a fascinating slide deck titled, Mobile Video: The Small Screen Boom. I could go on and on about the merits of the content, but I won't. These slides say it all.

Take a look...

Now, comes the hard work of figuring out what this will mean to marketers and the media professionals. Something tells me that this is bigger than creating smaller versions of the thirty second spot.

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twitter

On The Road (Warrior) Again

Now - more than ever - it's possible to do business from anywhere at any time.

For over ten years, I've been doing my best to figure out how to be as upwardly mobile as possible. To ensure that I can work from anywhere and have access to everything that I need access to, no matter what time zone I am in and no matter what time during the day the muse to work strikes. None of the gear and tips that follow can compensate for collaborating with a team of amazing professionals (like my team at Twist Image), but having the right frame of mind, mixed with the right tools will turn you into a powerful and mighty road warrior.

Removing the obvious.

There are certain, obvious pieces of hardware that you need to have to make the transition from cubicle to coffee shop. These include a laptop (my weapon of choice is the MacBook Air 13") and smartphone (to keep it all in the family, I'm loyal to my Apple iPhone 5). You don't have to be an Apple advocate like me, but my general guidelines for buying portable computers (from laptops to smartphones to tablets) is to seek out the lightest and most powerful devices within budget parameters. Core to mobile business success is being able to access information as quickly as possible with a device that won't cause too many visits to the chiropractor.

OK, you have the basic gear... now what?

Double-down on chargers. Always have an extra charger for everything (one for your laptop, one for your smartphone and one for your tablet). Leave the extra chargers in your briefcase. These are your mobile powerplants. This way, you can go home (or to the office) and your regular chargers are there and already plugged in. Having an extra set for on-the-go removes the need to remember where the chargers are or having to plug them in and remove them from the home/office.

Plug in. Wherever you are, plug in. Keep your devices as fully charged at all times as possible. My MacBook Air is known for its long-lasting battery life. I can't tell you how many times, I've been stuck on a flight or in a convention center without any access to a power plug and I'm suddenly regretting not taking advantage of the abundance of power outlets at the airport lounge, because I was under the impression that an extra hour of not plugging in wouldn't be all that detrimental.

Ditch the briefcase. The majority of fancy briefcases are not all that functional for those business professionals on the go. Get a nice looking knapsack or backpack. Brands like Tumi, Samsonite, Eagle Creek and others now cater to business people with both functional and stylish laptop backpacks. Much like the gear you are going to stuff in it, make sure that it is a light as possible and has the right balance of form, functionality and fashion. Also remember, too many pockets and areas can also make it difficult to remember and find the gear you need as quickly as possible.

Become a bag lady (or man). Take all of your cables, chargers, headphones, adapters, USB memory sticks, dongles and more and store them in one bag. This way, you're not rummaging through a briefcase that looks like it has become infested with rattlesnakes of tangled wires. Rolls all the wires, wrap them (twist-ties work great for this) and leave them all in this small sack. Eagle Creek (my brand of choice for all of my travel gear) has a Pack-It Specter Sac that comes in various sizes and they are ultra-light. It looks like a large pencil case, but I never have any wires or small devices to worry about. They are all safely stowed in this one bag that fits neatly within my briefcase.

Save it to the cloud. Having back-up copies of documents and presentations is critical in my line of work. And, you never know when a hard drive crash is going to happen and how it could ruin your next business opportunity. Along with always having a back-up on a USB memory stick, I'm deeply in love with Dropbox. Dropbox is much more than a cloud-based back-up system, it also allows me to share and collaborate on larger files with ease. It has an amazing iPhone application, and I've set up my account to always update whatever document I am working on with my local computer to Dropbox. So, the minute I hit "save" on a document, Dropbox is also saving that version to the Internet. The system makes it seamless to grab a document should a problem arise... and problems always arise.

Block out the world. Consumer electronics manufacturers of all shapes and sizes are claiming that their headphones are the best when it comes to noise-cancelling or noise-isolating. Some of them are great, but the majority of them are so-so. While I own a pair of Bose QuietComfort headphones (they are expensive but worth every penny), I rarely use them. They are simply too big and bulky for travelling. The other issue with over-the-ear headphones is that they are difficult to sleep with if you do a lot of flights overseas or the red-eye. Get yourself a good pair of in-ear headphones that are both comfortable and able to block out your surroundings. Also do some online snooping as many of the better headphones also offer foam tips that you can add on for both comfort and more superior isolation of noise. If you're not comfortable splurging on a good pair of headphones, see if family and friends may be wiling to gift them to you for the holidays or an upcoming birthday.

Being your own extension. Whether it's your local cafe or a swanky boutique hotel, finding a power outlet (and one that is available) is increasingly more challenging. I always carry an extension cord with me. There are two functions to this cheap luxury: 1. You have more options in terms of where you can sit, as you no longer have to huddle up right under the one plug in the hotel or cafe. 2. You will make friends because every extension chord also has extra outlets. There's nothing more friendlier than those willing to share their power (just ask the folks in lower Manhattan). Nothing gets me more smiles than when I whip out the Monster Outlets To Go Mini Power Strip. My friend, Chris Brogan (co-author of The Impact Equation and Trust Agents with Julien Smith), calls his extension chord his "friendmaker."  

Ultimately, the idea is to be as connected as possible with the least amount of gear and the most amount of flexibility.

There should be no need to have your briefcase on wheels. Start thinking about what you would need to make your business day as mobile as possible. It doesn't have to happen in one fell swoop and, slowly over time, you will discover what mobile flow works best for you. Don't try to recreate your office while you're on the road, but look towards ways to make yourself (and everything that you do) as lean and mobile as possible.

What are your tricks to being a better mobile road warrior?    

The above post is my twice-monthly column for the Montreal Gazette and Vancouver Sun newspapers called, New Business - Six Pixels of Separation . I cross-post it here with all the links and tags for your reading pleasure.

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Selling The Marketing Dream

Episode #330 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Jonathan Salem Baskin is not only a marketing book author juggernaut, he's now on a mission. The author of Branding Only Works On Cattle, Bright Lights & Dim Bulbs, Histories Of Social Media and Tell The Truth (which he co-authored along with Sue Unerman - Chief Strategy Officer of MediaCom, a WPP agency), is now trying to get young people interested in marketing. In support of the ideas in Tell The Truth, Baskin and Unerman are hosting a contest for college undergrads and grad students to win a paid summer internship at MediaCom's offices in NYC or London. They will also put the best truth briefs in a book entitled, Truth Tellers: How Tomorrow's Leaders Would Change Today's Brands, and distribute it free around the world, giving students a great credential in their job searches. Along with that, Jonathan is a Blogger over at Dim Bulb and a bi-weekly columnist for Advertising Age. His opinions on Marketing, Social Media and the new world of branding will get you thinking and it's a pleasure to have him back on the show. Enjoy the conversation...

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast #330.

Tags:

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