DISQUS

Thanks for the mention in your post Chris. I appreciate the kind words. I also like the term "natural lead generation methodology." You are right I wouldn't call it that, but it makes enough sense to me that maybe I should :-)

Thanks again,

Greg

Work hard and play hard... its a motto I try to live by. Good message Chris!

- Greg

Chris -

I think your idea is right on, and yes your best customers are definitely worth $50! (of course depending on your industry, but I think most would apply).

Thanks for recommending our book! I appreciate it. We made sure to address the business case for podcasting, and wrote the book for the marketer, or business owner, rather than writing a heavy technical book. Thanks again!

Greg

Wow Chris, lots of great comments! You certainly sparked a debate around permission marketing and thoughts on mass email marketing!

Its a tricky subject no matter which way you look at it, as "spam" is perceived differently from the eye of every recipient.

The point I would like to make is that one of the big trends in email marketing these days around whats perceived as "spam or junk mail" is around relevance. Irrelevance truly is the new spam. So to all of the people who were initially contacted by you, thats the decision that they need to make, is Chris Brogan's content relevant to me?

In my opinion, you went about this correctly. You gave the folks on your list an initial contact message, asked them if they want to hear from you via email, and gave them the clear option to act on that decision.

If you are not relevant in their world, hopefully they opted out, which we handle on the fly for you, and those people will never receive emails from you again.

You know we take permission marketing VERY SERIOUSLY, and would advise you if your mailings generated high complaint rates, etc and your did not. It merely sparked some good conversation around the idea of permission marketing.

Thanks again for using our service! We appreciate it and are happy to help whenever needed.

Best,

Greg Cangialosi
Blue Sky Factory, Inc

I have a Blackberry and an iPhone. I have the Berry Curve 2, with the cam, the GPS, etc. I have also had a berry for the past 6 years.

When the iPhone came out, I waited a few weeks then picked one up. It's slick for sure, and as you said, the media.... you just cant take that away. The music, video, the browser, etc.. it rocks.

However beyond voice, my number 1 need is email on my mobile device. I am on the go a lot and depend on email for many things. When it comes to email for a corporate environment, Blackberry rules the world.

Here is what it boils down to for me. My Curve is sitting next to me flowing email and is my primary phone number, and my iPhone has zero charge and is in one of the pockets in my backpack. Nuff said...

Rock,

G

One of my favorites :-) Going to see Dark Star Orchestra tomorrow night in Baltimore, can't wait.

Hope we get a fat 77 or something in that era.

Cheers!

Chris -

Thanks for including our book in your list, and what a list it is! We all appreciate it. Thanks again!

Best,

Greg

Good stuff, thanks for adding to the conversation. This is an interesting meme and an important one.

- G

Far, far, far from being dead for sure. Like Tom O'Leary mentions above, email is evolving with the rest of the landscape. Its role is changing and despite what other may think, I believe its role is becoming more important than ever.

Sure email has had its challenges and still does, but as a social and certainly a marketing medium, its alive and well and about to be seen in a new light soon.

Thanks for the post - this is a good conversation.

- Greg

As a friend of mine recently said, email is the currency of all accounts. Like you said its not going anywhere... The "email is dead" thing is definitely getting old. Email is the digital driver, the glue of it all. Some of us have yet to see that, thats all.

Thanks for the post

- Greg

Yeah the Xacti really is a sweet piece of tech. The ability to record in HD is VERY nice as well (although I have to admit I dont ever).

Its a no-brainer, its clean, simple to use, good quality and has an external mic jack so you can pull in audio without having to rely solely on the mic that comes on the cam.

Great post, thanks Chris!

- Greg

http://www.rssfwd.com - RSS to email, RSS to Text, etc. Free and functional :-)

And you are right.... email isn't going anywhere!

I will think about that other concept, you got my wheels spinning.

- Greg

I always tell other entrepreneurs, always bootstrap if and when you can. If you ever want to raise money, then do it when you are in a stronger position. Its much easier to raise money when you have a business thats proven, is cash flow positive and ideally profitable.

If you can pull that off on your own, you've already told the investment community you are on the right track. Generally, at this stage you would only be taking money on to advance or speed your growth.

Great post - and yes, watch that bubble and bootstrap it!

Good times for sure :-)

Great post Douglas. We love email and RSS and we love pushing RSS via email with our free service RSSFWD (www.rssfwd.com).

Good break out of the differences, and your right, different consumption habits and preferences for each medium.

Nice work.

Greg

Nice post Doug......and please make sure you stay away from the Treadputer :-)

http://www.feld.com/blog/archives/2006/03/the_t...

- G

Thanks for the linkage Doug. I appreciate your comment. Keep up the great blog!

- Greg

Congrats on making the switch Tom! I am about 1 month in and am loving it!

- G

Chris - was that not a great time! Great hanging with you again, this time on the west coast :-) Beercasting was a good ol time! Talk to you soon.

- Greg

There is a lot of talk about RSS replacing email. However, I disagree and think that adding a newsletter is certainly advantageous. Look at the popularity of FeedBlitz. Think about it, email isnt going ANYWHERE, its the first thing that people check when they get online. No doubt the medium has its deliverability issues, with filters, spam, etc, but if you are pure permission mailer and are working with thr right service, email is SUPER effective. So, in short I do think you should add a newsletter to Venture Files. Maybe I should come up with a blogger program at Blue Sky and make it a no brainer for folks? :-) - GC