I subscribe to a lot of on-line content - newsletters, RSS feeds, ad hoc industry news, inspirational emails. The material I read faithfully is that which that gives me a current or high-minded perspective on my areas of interest: media entrepreneurship and spirituality. Then there’s the purely inspirational stuff: fashion, design, and make-my-life-easier goodies. I read about half of what I get in those areas. If it’s not useful, I’m quick to can it. Meaningful in-box, meaningful thoughts.
This week, we were jamming in the studio about what on-line content we actually pay for (not much), and what we’re getting for free that we’d be quite happy to pay for (not much) Here’s my list…
What I Pay For:
Media Bistro. I’ve been a paid subscriber for nearly three years and I’ll renew again. Informative and inspiring for my industry. $69/year.
Seth Godin. Seth Is a master of online marketing and good business sense (both the common and uncommon kind). I subscribe to his free, daily email feed.
The response to our newly designed website has been overwhelmingly positive. As we say in the north, “thanks for that, eh!”
WARM ‘N FUZZY FEEDBACK
“Clean and modern but still warm and welcoming.”
“Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better… You all have outdone yourselves.”
“Everyday I am in awe of your brilliance and can’t wait to open my daily Q&A! You’ve done it again and made today fabulous. What a beautiful site.”
CONFUSED AND TICKED FEEDBACK
We received a few messages to the effect of:
“What’s with all the Amazon ads?”
“What happened to all the white space and breathing room on your old site?”
This is where I jump in to say…we love feedback – every kudo, critique and question. Keep it comin’.
Carrie and I had vastly different upbringings. She’s from a family of five. I’m an only child. Her parents planned. My parents partied. Her dad was a judge; mine worked in sports and recreation. But our fathers, as different as they are, both taught us the same essential life lesson: how to give a good handshake.
We’ve interviewed scores of people for potential collaborations. And in an alarming amount of cases, we knew the meeting was over before it had even begun. A poor hand is a show-stopper for us. The Limp Wrist, Floppy Fish, or Grip of Death raise questions about self-esteem, direction, and motivation. In the Western world, handshakes are a language that speaks volumes.
So needless to say, it’s an honour to ask Mr. Kawasaki…
How do you know when you’re inspired?
If you have to ask if you’re inspired, you’re probably not. It’s as simple as that. When something inspires me, I immediately wonder how I can incorporate it in my blog, speeches, tweets, or businesses. Great artists know what to steal.
We’re all for selfless giving – it’s a beautiful and transformative force of nature. But today, we’re encouraging you to be out rightly, gleefully self-centered. Play Chief Operating Officer of your life and take score.
