Thanks to Jimmy for pointing out this great video that he found on Tristan Walker’s blog.
My wish for Martin Luther King Jr. day is for all of us to have a dream. And act on it.
If you can’t see the video, click here.
Keynote For A Cause – Help Haiti
January 16, 2010 | 2 Comments
Taking a cue from Joseph Jaffe’s idea and Mitch Joel’s post, I’m auctioning off a keynote presentation with 100% of the proceeds going to the Red Cross / Haiti Relief.
In addition to the keynote, the winning bidder will also get 100 copies of Seth’s Godin’s new book, Linchpin.
My reserve is set at $5,000.
If you want to put in a “bid”, DM me on Twitter (@clayhebert) or e-mail me: clay [at] tribeswin [dot] com.
I’ll update any bids on this post.
Bidding ends Friday, January 22nd at midnight.
Travel outside of NYC would be over and above.
Step up. And while you’re at it, text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 or text HAITI to 45678 to donate $5 via Salvation Army (in Canada).
Thank you.
[photo credit: hiddedevries]
8 Reasons Why Conan Should Go Direct
January 14, 2010 | 5 Comments
There is an important lesson in this whole Conan vs. Leno debacle.
No matter how famous you are or how many fans you have, if you work for a huge corporation, they own you.
NBC wanted to put Conan’s show at 12:05am. Technically, that’s not even The Tonight Show. It’s The Tomorrow Show.
Conan is so frustrated, he just put the show up for sale on Craigslist.
Sure, Conan could make $40 million over at Fox and probably kill in the ratings but you can bet someday, some rube network exec would move his time slot in favor of The Sarah Palin Variety Hour. Then Conan would completely lose his marbles and he would spend the rest of his days walking around Central Park mumbling like Rain Man…
“……should have had the 11:30 slot…..18 pigeons, definitely 18 pigeons……I’m an excellent comedian…….23 times funnier than Jay Leno……definitely deserved the 11:30 slot…….”
Here are 8 reasons Conan should go direct.
1) Full creative control over his own content
Now he writes a lot of his own stuff but imagine if he wasn’t censored at all. Look out.
2) Not working for Jeff Zucker
3) Not working for anyone
4) Online video worked well for Gary V. and the Monty Python guys.
5) Never having to worry about ratings again
Let Leno have the “ratings” on NBC. His demographic is not Conan’s anyway, so why try to fight for it. It’s sort of like Newhart and Family Guy jockeying for position.
6) Any format, any device
Conan’s demographic consumes content differently. He could make videos of any length that his audience could consume and stream anywhere. iPhones, iPods, Droids, iSlates, other tablets. Design the content to be snackable and sharable and we will snack and we will share.
7) Watching a show at its original time slot is obsolete
I’ve seen plenty of clips of Saturday Night Live in the last few years, but never on Saturday night. My social network does the filtering and the best and funniest clips bubble to me on twitter and Facebook.
8 ) Your own channel means your own audience and unlimited bandwidth
You don’t see Chris Brogan and Seth Godin arguing over timeslots, do you?
It’s your world, Conan. Step out from behind the network execs and own it.
Tools Tuesday: S2H Replay Watch
January 12, 2010 | 6 Comments
Adult and child obesity is a huge problem in America. The statistics are staggering and the future impact on healthcare costs is terrifying.
So what does the cure look like?
Years of nutritional education?
Mandatory Wii Fit summer camps?
Another complete overhaul of the food pyramid?
What if the answer is actually much simpler? What if it’s a colorful $20 rubber watch?
What S2H Replay Is
Imagine a Livestrong bracelet and a Polar heart rate monitor had a drunken tryst one night after the Ironman triathalon. The offspring would be the Switch To Health Replay Watch.
How It Works
After 60 minutes of physical activity (which doesn’t need to be consecutive), the S2H Replay watch displays a unique Reward Code. Users can go to S2H.com and enter their reward code to accumulate S2H Points, which can then be used to earn rewards such as movies, music and magazines.
Why It Will Work
Making It A Game
We’ve already seen the massive success Foursquare has had, turning going places into a game. S2H can do the same for working out.
Imagine the possibilities…
- Parents challenging children and children challenging parents
- Friends challenging friends (which we’ve already seen work with the Nike+ iPod model)
- Teachers challenging students
Community & Tribes
On S2H.com, users can post challenges, view leaderboards and join teams.
Imagine the long-term health benefits if an entire school district adopted S2H and designed specific exercise and reward programs around it?
Simplicity
No cables. No software. Anyone can upload the simple code at S2H.com in any browser.
What Can You Do?
Please spread the word and check them out at S2H.com and on twitter and Facebook.
If you’re a parent, buy a few and challenge each other. Make it a family thing.
If you’re an educator, figure out how to make S2H part of your curriculum or school.
If you’re a company, partner with S2H (they also make branded Kintetic Fit Bands) to help your employees or customers get fit.
Switch To Health is changing the game and really has the potential to increase fitness and decrease obesity in America.
Thanks for listening.
[Full Disclosure: I met the S2H founders and they sent me an S2H watch to demo. It's my new favorite watch.]
Launching Untemplater
January 5, 2010 | 6 Comments
From when we are young, most of us are taught that there are a few specific templates to follow to a successful life.
Template 1
Template 2
Not only don’t those templates work anymore, they aren’t very fun. How many people do you know who can’t WAIT to get to their cubicle every Monday?
I bet you didn’t run out of fingers.
Enter Untemplater.com.
Launching today (they just opened the doors a couple hours ago….if you hurry, there should still be doughnuts and coffee), Untemplater is a unique site that helps you shatter the template lifestyle.
Unlike similar sites and books (like Tim Ferris’ The Four Hour Work Week) Untemplater isn’t a retrospective of someone who escaped and is now looking back and telling you how they did it.
They are, in their own words:
…real people who are in the trenches, working hard to live the life that we want to live. It’s not easy, nor is it glamorous. Untemplater was founded by six twentysomethings who’ve done it: Jun Loayza, Adam Baker, Cody McKibben, Monica O’Brien, Carlos Miceli, and Andrew Norcross. You’ll see our pain, struggles, successes, and failures as we create an existence that we are proud of and enjoy 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
We are MBAs; we are husbands, wives, and fathers; we are scrappy entrepreneurs, authors, and freelancers. We live all over the globe. We’re a small group of unconventional folks who hope to build a thriving community for anyone who ever sought more out of life—and we hope to help you learn how to sidestep the traditional life to find the career, relationships, and lifestyle that makes you come alive!
Sound interesting?
Download the free Untemplater Manifesto
If it speaks to you, check out the site. Join Untemplater on Facebook and follow them on twitter.
If it doesn’t……enjoy your gold watch.
Asking why
January 4, 2010 | 7 Comments
When phones were first introduced into workplaces, there was widespread resistance by management.
“Why should everyone have a phone? They’ll just call home.”
When FAX machines were introduced, there was a great deal of skepticism.
“Why do we need a FAX machine? We’ll never use it.”
When email became available for enterprise organizations, it was not quickly adopted.
“Why would anyone need their own email account? They’ll just email their friends.”
We’re seeing the same thing with social media. Some companies are embracing the new channels and opportunities and learning how to use them to improve their business.
Many are still stuck asking why.
If you only read one thing this month…
December 14, 2009 | 1 Comment
…make it this free e-book from Seth Godin.
Seth has rounded up seventy big thinkers to contribute concise but brilliant one-page essays.
The simple question….
What Mattters Now?
The result is priceless and amazing.
Read it. Share it. Pick your favorite five pages and make something happen now.
Those who can, teach
October 27, 2009 | 7 Comments
This is often how I feel.
When I work with clients, I try hard to teach them about marketing, about customer engagement and how to listen and participate in the social web.
Some consultants prefer to do instead of teach. They are worried that if the client learns how to run everything on their own, they wouldn’t need the consultant anymore.
I would welcome that.
If I can teach my way out of a job, that means the clients are engaging with their customers and running a more successful, more social, more human business.
How can that be a bad thing?
The Space Above
October 26, 2009 | 5 Comments
Having moved five times in the last six years, I’m no stranger to temporary storage units. They’re all pretty similar. You pay a monthly fee and get access to a small space to store your belongings.
When you purchase a storage unit, they are always quoted in width x depth. A 10′ x 10′ space might cost $120 / month or a 5′ x 10′ space might be $80 / month.
Here’s a little secret. The value is in the space above.
The height of the storage unit determines how much you can store. A 5′ x 10′ unit with high ceilings can store as much as a 10′ x 10′ with low ceilings. Now I always pack my items in sturdy, stackable containers.
Think about your own business or relationships. Is there ‘space above’ that you’re not utilizing?
On that long drive, instead of listening to the music, you could listen to a great audio book or catch up with that relative or old colleague you’ve been meaning to call.
On that plane ride, instead of watching the in-flight movie, you could write the business plan for your new idea or draft the first chapter to that book you’ve been meaning to write.
At home, instead of watching House reruns, you could start a blog for yourself or with your child.
Space above is everywhere. Look for it and use it.
[photo credit: merfam]
Impact Wrench
October 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment
What did you do today?
Did those things have a direct impact on your goals?
(You do have goals, right? And you have them written down?)
Zig Ziglar has a great framework for defining and documenting your goals:
* Physical (appearance, exercise programs, medical/dental checkups, weight, nutrition).
* Family (listening habits, forgiveness, role model, supportiveness, shared time, respect, love).
* Financial (earnings, savings, investments, budget, insurance, debt).
* Social (Humor, listening habits, confidence, manners, caring).
* Spiritual (inner peace, purpose, prayer, Bible study, faith).
* Mental (imagination, attitude, education, reading, curiosity).
* Career (job satisfaction, effectiveness, training, understanding, purpose)
If the things you did today didn’t have any direct impact on your goals, why did you do them? What could you have done instead?
What are you going to do tomorrow?
Personally, I’m going to revisit my list of goals using Zig’s great framework and then focus on actions that directly impact those goals.
