Disqus - Latest Comments for Eric Eggertson

Re: The Ugliness of Pride in Blogging

Eric Eggertson — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:57:41 -0000

The idea that everything on the web is sacred, and must be preserved for posterity is transparency taken to its extreme.

If you've alerted people about what you've done, I'd say you've fulfilled any obligation you might have to be transparent to your readers. People insisting that you can only achieve transparency and honesty in one pre-defined way is too doctrinaire for my taste.

The strike-through thing is a convention, not a requirement.

Re: Blogging means business [growth]

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 16:54:13 -0000

Great picture of Trevor Cook, by the way. He looks so young in that photo!

Re: Bloggers bash Microsoft again, but where’s the disclosure?

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 15:42:13 -0000

Lee: I don't think Microsoft/Edelman did an elegant job of handling this. I agree with Neville that the biggest issue about this is disclosure, which was left to each blogger to think of and do something about.

As for whether it's a bribe, or a legitimate way to get their product in front of influential writers, it seems like a hybrid to me. A lot of people don't have computers that can handle Vista well, so equipping reviewers with the right machine avoids some of the "I tried it and it was awful on my computer" comments. I think the whole thing would have gone under the radar if they'd asked people to return the PCs, or give them as prizes or to charities/non-profits.

Re: Tagged again, like I was last summer

Eric Eggertson — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:53:24 -0000

There's a certain organic quality about good nicknames that is hard to replicate when you sit down and build one from scratch.

They have to be simultaneously complimentary and just a little bit cruel. They have to originate from the person's name or station in life, but they should amplify something about the person that resonates with others.

And they should be memorable.

I had an elementary school teacher we called Little Hitler. She loved the name, partly because students who hadn't dealt with her in the past tended to tread lightly for the first hour or two, just because of the name. And for a substitute teacher, a couple of hours of terrified silence can make a huge difference in getting through the day.

Re: On being a nobody

Eric Eggertson — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 03:25:54 -0000

Lee: This blogging thing can be isolating. You write and link and comment and read and all that stuff. Sometimes the connection is immediate, but often there's only an indirect connection, or none at all.

I begin to understand why folks arrange geek dinners. The act of getting together in person makes the online experience a bit less solitary.

Re: Help out a poor colleague in need

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 19:37:44 -0000

There, but for the grace of God, go I.

It's not inconceivable that I might do the same thing as Neville -- start from scratch. Rebuilding something like an online presence is much easirer if you've already done it once, so I'm not too worried about our pal Neville.

But links don't cost anything, so I think this is a good idea, Lee.

Re: Dembot - Why Mahalo is Fundamentally Flawed

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:30:16 -0000

Wow. I could barely plod my way through that bloated lead paragraph. Sometimes less is more.

Re: Facts get in the way of a good story

Eric Eggertson — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:19:05 -0000

Orlowski has been using the same sensationalist technique for years. Not sure how it keeps working for him...

Re: When does a whisper become a shout?

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 17:23:14 -0000

The (broadcast) TV networks use public airwaves, and in return must present programming and news that serves the public. That doesn't stop them from running house ads, which is essentially what the Google tips are.

Methinks the critics protest too much. Still, there's nothing wrong with keeping an eye on Google and trying to prevent them from using unfair tactics to freeze out competitors. I just don't think this is a good example of such anti-competitive behaviour.

Re: A Web 2.0 revolt against Yahoo management

Eric Eggertson — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 03:12:13 -0000

Nice post. Thanks. I want to watch how this develops.

Re: Alec Baldwin calls Dora the Explorer

Eric Eggertson — Wed, 02 May 2007 19:00:02 -0000

What an ass. Glad Dora didn't take it personally!

Re: Alec Baldwin calls Dora the Explorer

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 03 May 2007 08:44:12 -0000

Leigh: That has to be the best part of the tape - his failure to nail down his daughter's age.

You can bet his publicist knows the ages of everyone in the Baldwin universe without checking their notes. So he doesn't need to remember insignificant details like that.

Re: Drudge the king-maker for online news

Eric Eggertson — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 01:15:51 -0000

I don't mind if a site that aggregate hundreds of sources pushes out a refresh every once in a while. It saves me from clicking Refresh to see if anything on Techmeme has updated.

But Drudge? Yeah, sounds like phoney page inflation to me.

Re: Facebook: Dave Winer brings the hate

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:53:28 -0000

The Internet doesn't reward manners. Traffic flows to the latest online train wreck. It seems Dave W. feels he has to savage somebody every second or third week, in order to get a bit of attention. And it works every time...

Re: Facebook: Dave Winer brings the hate

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 23:27:02 -0000

Works on me. I never read him except when he's trashing someone. I guess I miss all his wisdom in between trash talking, but I can live with that.

Re: Soap Opera 2.0: More on Blognation

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:30:19 -0000

Weird, and getting weirder.

Who needs new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and The Family Guy, when there's As the RSS Aggregator Turns to watch?

Re: How To Make Every Workday Feel Like Saturday

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 01:57:25 -0000

Feeling a little bit in control of my schedule helps me deal with any weird hours that come my way.

When it's work, work, work all the time, I feel like I'm on an endless treadmill. Chop a few items off the list. Definitely.

Re: The Freelancer’s Guide to Setting Perfect Deadlines

Eric Eggertson — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:12:27 -0000

Love the photo! These are good tips.

One thing that's really important about deadlines is communicating with the client when you're likely to miss a deadline (especially if it's something beyond your control). There may be things they can do to compensate if they find out ahead of time. If you phone them five minutes before something's due to let them know there's been a delay, you'll just piss them off and make THEM look bad (you already look bad).

Re: Is Microsoft Dead?

Eric Eggertson — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:48:25 -0000

Brett: Not dead, just behaving more predictably.

There are lots of companies that do very well, despite some flaws in their senior managers. Microsoft has done very well with the development of Xbox Live, which is very consumer-oriented. That success is overshadowed by the monolithic corporate leviathan image, but it's still worth noting.

Re: When Stats Become Your God

Eric Eggertson — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:54:36 -0000

There are some tricks to blog promotion that a lot of successful bloggers have listed. Top 10 lists, for example, snappy headlines, visit other blogs and leave comments, etc. For some blogs, those tricks are a natural extension of the content. For others, they are awkwardly tacked on.

After a period of laying low, I'm actually trying to be a bit more self-promotional these days. Hey, I write about public relations, so self-promotion is a natural extension...

Re: The Changing Effect of Social Media

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 14:38:04 -0000

You're right about needing to stand out in a crowd.

I think what helped Flickr break through the clutter was its founders' and staff's insistence on paying attention to, and being part of, the community of users, and their willingness to highlight unique and intersting photographers.

The kind of people who gravitated toward Flickr were hipper than average, more plugged in to social media than average, and proud of something they felt they had a part in making successful.

They became evangelists for something that stuck out from the crowd of photo sites, despite the fact it didn't even offer photo printing during its long beta stage.

Plus, Stewart and Catrina weren't afraid to talk about the Flickr experience at conferences, to other companies, and to the media, in ways that made it seem irresistably cool.

The cool factor is hard to achieve, but once you get there, word of mouth takes over and you can achieve the perception of uniqueness and interestingness.

Without that, you're just another ordinary company in a crowd of ordinary companies.

Re: Things heard in a NYC Starbucks at 3am

Eric Eggertson — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 12:26:41 -0000

“Can I plug my laptop in that outlet under your legs?”

Wow. Pickup lines have changed since I was on the market!

Re: The Pirillo Effect

Eric Eggertson — Sat, 04 Jun 2005 21:57:08 -0000

I experienced the Pirillo Effect. He was very polite, and cleaned up after himself. I hear Bill Gates leaves chewed up pieces of competitors ground into your carpet. Definitely use Scotchgard before invoking the Bill Effect.

Re: Eric! You Fool! Be Quiet!

Eric Eggertson — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 05:44:38 -0000

Are you maintaining radio silence on Tim Horton's double-doubles, poutine and humility? If any of those get loose, they could spread across the U.S. like purple loosestrife!

Re: Naomi Klein vs Fox Business News

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:49:36 -0000

Klein is one author who doesn't need any handlers to help her get her point across.

I suspect they expected her to be a bit more of a rabble-rouser, and less of a skilled debater.

Re: Why We Love MyBlogLog And Why You Should Too!

Eric Eggertson — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 23:06:40 -0000

I'm having fun checking out a bunch of sites through MyBlogLog. The way it's set up makes it seem a bit more social than browsing Technorati, or something.

Nice blog, by the way.

Re: I’m talkin bout Shaft!

Eric Eggertson — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 14:37:28 -0000

Your offer is accepted. ;-) Does it come with rechargeable batteries?

FYI, I'm not necesarily asking anyone else to boycott Sony, I'm just saying that when I have any option whatsoever, I'll go with the other guys, whoever they are.

Re: Jumping on the bandwagon

Eric Eggertson — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 14:21:59 -0000

Best predictions for the year I've seen!

You left out the prediction about Rubel's posting on "hacking customers" where he describes how to double- and triple-bill for the same work. Followed by "hacking outplacement" and "hacking foodstamps."

Re: Sucking up

Eric Eggertson — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 12:50:52 -0000

Ha! I minimized this page and then scrolled over the icon for IE. The pop-up text box reads:

"Sucking up at Marketing Begins at Home".

So I guess we know where sucking up begins...

Re: Whoopsie!

Eric Eggertson — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 12:13:06 -0000

It's also something you never want to hear your surgeon or your proctologist say...

Re: Dumb PR move of the week

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 09:47:20 -0000

I think $100 is pretty standard compensation for a focus group or usability test.

Maybe to avoid criticism they should have invited homeless people to try out their press centre. With luck, there would be some current or former journalists in their sample group. ;-)

Re: The bottom line

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 10:06:43 -0000

Totally agree, except the part about companies not analysing whether to have a receptionist.

The place I worked a few years ago went through an efficiency exercise, and decided to do away with receptionists for each floor of the building. They were replaced by a centralized switchboard, phone queues, and a commissionaire in the lobby who knows nothing about the company.

For in-person visitors, the process of being greeted by the elevator was replaced with a convoluted process of sending the person who was being visited to the main elevator bank to try to meet up with the person who was visiting them. It worked best when you knew what the person looked like. "I'm wearing a red carnation," or something like that.

Not only should we not insist on a rigorous cost-benefit analysis for blogging, we should take a good look at whether all the cost-saving decisions we make are, in fact, exercises in Dilbertian stupidity.

Re: Ten years

Eric Eggertson — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 23:39:41 -0000

Good on you. Some things, like good wine, improve with age!

Re: 2007/06/30/pownce-invites/

Eric Eggertson — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:28:08 -0000

Someone sent an invite to jetrois.

Re: Naomi Klein vs Fox Business News

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:49:36 -0000

Klein is one author who doesn't need any handlers to help her get her point across.

I suspect they expected her to be a bit more of a rabble-rouser, and less of a skilled debater.

Re: Be Nice Today

Eric Eggertson — Tue, 01 May 2007 13:42:42 -0000

Chris: I followed your advice, but I think I must have got the details mixed up. The facilities here in jail are nice, and they even let me use the computer for a few minutes. Please wire me some cash so I can post bail!

Just kidding... Great suggestions!

Re: 100 Comments- Mojo for Video

Eric Eggertson — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 13:30:05 -0000

Bleu and Jason hit on the everyman quality and the strong hook. Good points.

For me, an online video works if it surprises me, delights me or amazes me.

So, go do something surprising, delighting or amazing, in a way that isn't cliched, and you stand a chance at getting my attention. Since countless companies have been routinely failing to do that in their traditional advertising campaigns, I'm not spending a lot of time waiting for a flood of commercial videos that blow me away.

Take chances. Aim for the niche, not the mass market. Do something fun. Do something daring. Let talented people try new things, even if they're not as technically skilled as the pro down the street. Be willing to target your inner child. Then you might get past the impulse to copy what's worked for someone else.

Re: Guy on community…

Eric Eggertson — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 00:21:57 -0000

Yeah, life as an A-List blogger is so cushy. All you have to do is take flak from hundreds of people who criticize just about everything you do.

I'll take my relative obscurity, thanks. At least the only potshots I take are from my family, wanting to know if I'm going to finally get of the f***ing computer.

Re: Bad news, my mom is in hospital

Eric Eggertson — Wed, 10 May 2006 00:29:43 -0000

Sorry to hear the news, Robert.

Re: A week in Montana did me some good

Eric Eggertson — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 23:01:26 -0000

In the spirit of "there's no such thing as a bad idea when brainstorming," here are some possibilities:

bandwidthbeat.com
cathoderaygun.com
blisteredeyeballs.com
vidnation.net
reboottv.com
rebootvideo.com
geekcasting.net
geekwidth.com
blathercaster.com
mileagemayvary.net
geekautopsy.com
ingeekwetrust.com
totallytech.tv

Sorry, geeksgonewild.com is taken!

So is nerdopolis.com.

Re: Scoble says half of all Live Spaces aren’t blogs*

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 23:12:20 -0000

"But, I wrote the book and we put that definition in there and no one argued with it when it became the best-selling blogging book. So, too late to argue the definition now."

Ah, what a crazy world it would be if the act of publishing something made it true!

It's never too late to argue about the definition. Otherwise, why would you have posted this to your "blog" (if in fact it IS a blog)? If it was too late to argue about it, you wouldn't have bothered.

Reading your disclaimer in the right margin, I see you don't guarantee "the quality of the opinions or anything else offered here," so I take that as an admission that you could be wrong. ;-)

Re: The blog counting game

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 23:35:55 -0000

Robert: You're totally right. You're just not right about the argument that you're currently making. Trying to apply a narrow definition of "blog" is fruitless.

Now, arguing about what makes a blog worth reading, or worth advertising on, or worth recommending to a friend... that's a different argument. Just remember, one person's garbage is another person's treasure, so you're unlikely to get total agreement no matter what point you want to make about blogs.

Re: Big Company PR: turning the heat up on the PR kettle

Eric Eggertson — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 18:54:21 -0000

In past years, I'm not sure the average reporter or columnist would have agreed that a story "broke" in the blogosphere, if that's where it first appeared. The story didn't become real until it appeared in a traditional publication or on a network.

That's changing, and I think public relations practices have to adapt to the new normal.

The news release was supposed to level the playing field between different media outlets so that everyone heard the same announcement at the same time. But it's such an over-used tool that companies no longer know if a news release or news conference will get them the attention it once might have.

Your idea of making announcements where the enthusiasts are already gathered is a good one. Not only are you able to get a bunch of peers talking about your announcement, but any media/bloggers present have dozens of experts handy to interview about their take on the announcement.

As for whether you should leak to A-list bloggers, D-list bloggers, or reporters, I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer for that. Ignoring one group and pandering to another group leaves you vulnerable if you ever find yourself needing to explain your company's actions to the group you've been ignoring.

Apple's announcement about the video iPod seemed to do just fine without major leaks.

Re: Andy says I’m an RSS stealer thanks to Google Reader

Eric Eggertson — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 22:32:17 -0000

"By the way, have you ever talked with the publisher of the NY Times? I have."

Hey, back off on the caffeine, Robert! Don't start talking about yourself in the third person, either, or we'll need to do an intervention. ;-)

Maybe you're both right. Certainly, a lot of blogs whose content you republish benefit from increased traffic, so you're right.

Your blog (and the link blog attached to it) serves a commercial purpose (your career advancement, self-promotion, etc.) and is closely tied to your commercial activities. So maybe Andy's right - it's for a commercial purpose, and you gain a very valuable currency (authority) through your use of others' content.

Just because you're pretty sure you're right doesn't mean you have to curb-stomp the person you're debating with.

Re: One thing I hope dies in 2007

Eric Eggertson — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 13:14:49 -0000

While I find a lot of the other memes less interesting (I don't do a lot of quizes in Cosmo, either), the five things meme is actually a good icebreaker that gets people out of their zone of comfort for a few minutes.

I'm thinking of starting "Five reasons to unsubscribe from my blog", but I doubt it will take off in a big way...

Re: Pissing off the blogosphere…

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 14:45:59 -0000

Out of these 77 comments, I think Aaron's is the one you should seriously considering following up. A 30 second teaser (whether on YouTube or on your site) isn't a bad idea for some of your videos:

> My suggestion: If you really want to get linked by the other blogs, provide your content in a way that’s accessible to them — a 30-second YouTube clip with the best stuff from your long video, then “deep tease” to the long video.

Re: The most expensive pocket digital camera?

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 08:29:46 -0000

When you're shooting with low light, you make choices about what's in focus and what's not.

I thought having the Podtech logo in focus, and you a bit fuzzy worked fine. The shot reminds me of my first camera, an Olympus OM-1 with a 1.4 50mm lens. Loved that camera while I was learning how to compose photos...

Re: Microsoft about to enter into patent war?

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 13 May 2007 21:27:40 -0000

I suppose Microsoft suing to protect their patents is slightly more palatable than the companies whose sole purpose is to buy patents and sue anyone who comes close to violating them.

This would play better for Microsoft if they identified a portion of their patents that they feel should legitimately be freely used by anyone, and find a way to give them to the world.

Re: Note to myself about social networks

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 19:23:48 -0000

Once Skynet becomes self aware, none of use will want to belong to social networks. It will just tell the machines what we're doing, and how to find us.

Re: Get on ScobleShow, get fired

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:42:18 -0000

Most public relations people I know are happy to put "subject matter experts" in touch with media or others, when the time is right.

Just as most companies have tight financial controls in place to keep from getting ripped off and to keep employees from temptation (or from being wrongfully suspected of financial shenanigans), most smart companies have policies in place about who talks to the media or outside groups, and what they say.

For publicly owned or regulated companies, it protects the employee from saying something that could inadvertantly cause problems with regulators, or with the stock price. Far better to have somebody vet the interview who knows about Sarbanes-Oxley and any other complex rules on public disclosure of info.

There's plenty of media training and public speaking training available to help middle managers or people lower down the food chain handle themselves when talking publicly about information that hasn't been officially disclosed. The training also helps them choose better ways to communicate complex concepts (simplify, use examples, don't over-explain).

Management usually doesn't want everyone running around sharing information without any warning, and without any limits.

PR policies are in place to protect the company, but they're also in place to protect the employee.

Re: Nokia tries to get leadership position back from iPhone

Eric Eggertson — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 20:13:32 -0000

I got an unlocked Nokia e61 so I wouldn't be locked in with a company. I like having a keyboard I can use with my big thumbs.

Nice screen, wifi access. A bit clunky, but I'm happy.

Re: The $600 Apple Tax (UPDATED: now only $300 for me)

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:17:27 -0000

I think part of the reason people might feel yanked around over the iPhone prices is the uber clevernesss of Mr. jobs, who acts like everything is part of a master plan that he won't let you see.

As for gas prices, no one in N. America can complain that we're paying too much. Look at prices in Europe if you want pain.

Re: TechMeme list heralds death of blogging?

Eric Eggertson — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:48:29 -0000

If you have an editor, it's not a blog.

I hope that doesn't include my wife, who sometimes helps me find what I'm really trying to say hidden in a long, rambling first draft.

Re: Facebook lets me back in…

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:45:42 -0000

You can use Facebook for something besides Scrabulous? Jeez, I'm behind the times...

Re: Why Facebook has never listened and why it definitely won’t start now

Eric Eggertson — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:41:59 -0000

Congrats to you, Maryam and the kids!

Re: Bum Rush the Charts statistics update - 9 AM ET

Eric Eggertson — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 01:02:15 -0000

Thanks for all the time and energy you put into this, Christopher.

Re: The Ugliness of Pride in Blogging

Eric Eggertson — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:57:41 -0000

Re: The Attention Economy: Is it Too Much?

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:22:38 -0000

Keep it simple. I still like the idea of having some tool that pulls together my various social media rantings and brings them together in one place. But even that sort of thing can be done simply, or awkwardly.

Re: Dancing with Bears

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:19:24 -0000

Not everything I write is going to be profound.

Once I get past that roadblock, I'll be fine. Thanks for sharing the story.

Re: There is No ‘We’ in Media Interviews

Eric Eggertson — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 08:14:57 -0000

Good point, Jolina. I mentioned it on Common Sense PR:
http://commonsensepr.com

Re: The Ugliness of Pride in Blogging

Eric Eggertson — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:57:41 -0000