A little over a month or so ago, CSS Remix launched a new version of their css gallery. One addition to the new direction was a “Promote Yourself” section with a couple rows of favicons. We tried to purchase one of these spots, but missed out on the row before the price started increasing. This was the first time I’ve seen anything like this.
It seems to be a growing trend, mainly in the gallery sector of sites, but I can see this taking off on blogs (at the footer of every blog post) and many other websites.
27 Tips for Building a Kick-Ass Blog
You may think you’re a know-it-all when it comes to blogging at times, we sure as hell do, but these tips will help you realize how little your ego should be when you skip some of the simplest, most important steps.
Thirty-Five Minutes to Riches
Jack Bauer only has 35 minutes on the clock. He’s piss-poor broke. Which of these does he do?
What Do You Do When A Commenter Just Isn’t Hearing You?
You’ve done it before. You quickly scan an article and in less than a few seconds you already know how you’re going to tell the author how she hasn’t the slightest clue what she’s talking about. This is how you deal with evil commenters like that, besides Douche Baggiing them of course.
How the perfect marketing plan would work
Something that many of us should write in the early stages of our business planning, but few do, this guide is the perfect starting point to the perfect marketing plan.
Most small businesses would define branding as the identity by which their company is recognized and all of the items it’s associated with, whether that be an advertisement, business card, voicemail message, etc… This would be correct by definition. But when it comes to owning something with your brand, many b-schools, books, and articles don’t touch on that.
By owning an object, I mean a physical object, colour, saying, sound, style, phrase, shape, packaging, texture, or anything that you could uniquely call your own. Something that people can identify, relate to, and instantly associate with your brand.
Below, you’ll find 9 examples of brand ownership from the past and present, without the brand. See if you can name the brand behind each item and post your numbered guesses in the comments.
Note: You have to click on number 5 to hear the audio clue.
These examples are pretty easy. Of course, all of the companies behind these brands are massive compared to our small businesses, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try and create a branding object to call our own. It’s actually much simpler for an entrepreneur to find a unique object to own because of our market size and chanches are, our competition lacks any sense of branding insight.
I’ll post the brand behind each of the objects tomorrow. Until then, see if you can go 10 for 10.
You young go getters got pretty close, with 9 out of 10, but that last one may not have been as distinctive a palette as I thought. Here are the correct answers.
NxE’s Fifty Most Influential Bloggers
Yeah, you’ve probably already seen this. But for the handful that haven’t, Collis and his team deserve the plug for putting together one of the best looking lists in a long time.
Google Reader Theme 1.2
Google, hire these people! If only any of your other apps looked half as good as this.
10 Overrated Business Books (and What to Read Instead)
If you’ve gone to b-school or plan to at any point, you’ve probably seen a few of these dated books. The recommended reads will save you the trouble of trying to digest Jack Welch’s old-school approaches.
Can you see the irony here?
It feels good to make fun of advertisers every now and then. Just point and laugh.
Hidden Beer Fridge Perfect For Work
The last agency I worked for had a retro fridge converted into a beer keg in the conference room. This fridge would have saved me the trip.
Kevin Carroll quote
The author of “Rules of the Red Rubber Ball”, an excellent quick read if I may say so, shares an insightful quote on Brand Autopsy.
Brian Dettmer: Book Autopsies
The details and precision of these are mind-blowing. I can’t imagine having the patience to craft one of these masterpieces. Unbelievable.
There are plenty of tools available nowadays to plan your day, set reminders, and assign tasks. You have applications on your mobile phone, you have Basecamp, you have Outlook, you have iCal, and so on.
But what do you do when you’re driving down the highway, remember an extremely important task that needs to be done tomorrow, and ensure you don’t forget it? Jott it. (Disclaimer: YGG does not recommend you talk or use your cellphone while driving on the highway. :)
That’s Jott it, without the down. A verb that seems to be almost as catchy as “Google it”.
This online service was first announced back in December or so on TechCrunch. The idea is that you have a local or toll-free number you call from the phone associated with your Jott account, say who you’d like to send a Jott to (contacts), say your message, and it’s then transcribed and e-mailed to the contact you chose.
Jott is entirely free, but is still in “Public Beta” mode. They are expected to roll out of beta in the near future and offer a Business plan on top of the freebie, most likely with a few new features, no Jott advertising in the e-mail notifications, and an unlimited amount of messages.
Where and when could this be handy? On plenty of occasions, many of which I’ll try and cover today.
I shared my disappointment with Scoble’s prediction as to the future direction of blogs, a week ago. He didn’t take too nicely to my critique of his opinion, but I said at that time that I would send out a dozen or so e-mails asking the opinion of some other bloggers I thought would better fit the role of a creative psychic.
As expected and completely understood, only a few responded. Thankfully, one response from our friend, Collis Ta’eed at FreelanceSwitch, was quite thoughtful and I’ll share a few excerpts of it, along with Neil Patel’s from Pronet Advertising, an amusing response from Seth, and my own.
Last November I received an e-mail from a nice lady named Ann, asking that I add her site to an aggregator I had created. I gladly obliged after the exchange of a few e-mails, not realizing the networking and journalistic aficionado I was conversing with. After being interviewed by her, I promised to return the favour, possibly on another site I helped run (YGG) and would get right back to her.
Much like a healthy baby, this interview finally came to life, nine months later. (Entirely my fault.)
So, without further ado, a long overdue interview with a brilliant individual from MarketingProfs, Ann Handley.
Be a millionaire (at least online)
A cool interactive adver-film that allows you to simulate the lifestyle of a millionaire. All of which is tied into the Dutch Loto. Brilliant!
Core 77’s Hack-2-School Guide
Aimed at students pursuing a career in design, this guide is useful for anyone looking for some creative tips, an inside look at design school, or people with an abundant supply of mock neck shirts and black frame glasses.
Interview with Alex Bogusky
One of the most creative folks in the ad-game, Alex is dug into by ihaveanidea to reveal a humane mastermind who makes the complex creation of advertising look like a walk in the park.
Wordpress as a CMS - Content Management System
Wordpress isn’t just a blogging platform. You can use it to develop your business or personal website as well. This post does a good job at walking you through the process.
Verbarius
A brilliant clock that tells you the time humanely as opposed to numerically. If it gets under $80 I might consider it.
CRANKbait
The most creative fishing lures you’ll never actually use. You’d have to hope the fish aren’t critics and don’t mind chomping on a mini Van Gogh.
Take Responsibility
Save this insightful napkin forever. Print it, frame it, resist the urge to dab your mouth with it.
Twitter Blocks
A creative, albeit somewhat useless, Twitter mashup to show the path of communication of Tweets.
Internet People - The Meth Minute 39
For the one or two people that haven’t seen this…….prepare yourself for the realization that you spend way too much time online and know more about D-list pop culture than World history.
Building A More Communal Blog
A handy guide of 29 points to help you engage and expand the community behind your blog.
PPC Management
Hell Yeah Dude!
Reverse Funnel System for Beach Bums
