Making coffee this morning with one of the network news shows on in the background, I caught the tail end of an interview with Michael Wolff. Wolff, the provocative essayist, author, and columnist, was promoting his latest book, "Television Is the New Television". Something he said reminded me of Pamela Anderson.
General
Most articles in this category address general Web and Internet issues. Some of them are rants and ramblings that may have less to do with the Web and the Internet and more to do with life lessons and business lessons.
Everything can be gamed
Everything can be gamed. Broadcast emails can use merge codes to make you think you’re the only recipient. Views and likes and mentions can be bought. Introductory offers can hide the small print so many layers down that you forget to even look for it. But these games — and the traps within them — might say more about the game creators than about those who accept the invitation to play.
Lessons Web Developers Won’t Learn in School
When I was interviewed recently for a blog article about “lessons Web developers won’t learn in school”, I knew without blinking what I’d say. If you’re a client of a Web developer, you might find what I had to say ostensibly arrogant. If you’re a fellow Web developer, you might be emboldened to let your cynical side run free. I hope neither is the case.
Before you gripe and whine
If you are a business person prone to griping and whining about the social media learning curve, let me try to cure you. Meet my (91 year-old) mother-in-law.
Disambiguating Call To Action
I’ve been working with a number of clients recently on Web-site CTAs (Calls To Action).
In an effort to reduce ambiguity and confusion and to suggest a common vocabulary for planning and talking about CTA implementations, here are my working definitions of the components that comprise a Call To Action.
How To Get 1,000 Twitter Followers In 24 Hours: Follow 1,016 People On Twitter
I’m kidding with this title, but it’s no joke. This does appear to be the strategy many follow to get Twitter followers. Call me curmudgeonly. But please explain it to me like I’m a six year-old: How does one follow 1,000 people on Twitter (not to mention 99,953)?
Mistaking Me For Someone Who Cares
We all know that guy, the guy who tweets 48 times a day and appears never to have had an unexpressed thought. The guy who makes you think, “I’m sorry, but you must be mistaking me for someone who cares.” It’s easy to let the fear of becoming that guy discourage us from blogging and posting to social networks. Don’t. You’re probably not that guy. And if you start becoming that guy, people who care about you will let you know.
Social Networking is a little like Baseball
Social networking is a little like baseball. Neither is rocket surgery, but both have their complexities and nuances. If you’ve decided to finally take the plunge, to give social networking the old college try, I say go for it. But have patience. Be prepared to tread water for a while. Every social network has its own peculiarities that take some time to comprehend.
About.me: WTF?
Today I tried to contact someone a trusted friend referred me to. My friend had given me the link to the fellow’s About.me page. A page on which I could find no telephone number. No email address. (Forget about a snail-mail address.) When I clicked his About.me page’s Email Me button, I was given the opportunity to send him a message — but only if I either joined About.me or authorized About.me to access my Facebook or Twitter accounts. Is it just me, or is anyone else annoyed by this kind of crapola?
Why I Love Firebug for Firefox
Here’s a short video demonstrating just one way Firebug can help in Web design. I really don’t remember what I did before Firebug.
(Hat tip to compadre Mickey Mellen who inadvertently shamed me into upgrading to Snagit 11, which I used with glee to produce and upload this screencast.)
If you’ve got your own screencasts showcasing ways you use Firebug, please feel free to post them as video responses on my YouTube channel.