Disqus - Latest Comments for Chris Wilson

Re: Are blogs and podcasts improving our mental health?

Chris Wilson — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:38:40 -0000

Mark,

I don't know if this is the same thing, but we know that having a support group is a large part of therapy when it comes to achieving goals in life. Whether we're talking anger management, weight loss, alcoholism, or what-have-you.

I've found in several cases that blogs and podcasts fill this need at least to some extent. My first podcast, Answers for Freelancers! pulls in roughly 700 other listeners, many of whom are just glad to know that other people face the same problems they do.

My blog, 9 Months to Tri, helped me personally while I was in training in 2007-08 to run my first triathlon last year. While I often was the only one actually running, swimming, lifting or biking much of the time, turning around and chronicling what was happening felt a lot like I was doing it with a group of people, and that helped to keep me motivated and moving forward.

Hope that helps!

Re: Some Conversations have shifted to Twitter

Chris Wilson — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:18:41 -0000

not gonna post my twitter address. Too many conversations as it is. My network grows well enough thru word of mouth, and seems a bit more meaningful that way.

Good observations, tho.

Re: Use Delicious to uncover your brand (and improve your SEO)

Chris Wilson — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:40:26 -0000

Jeremy,

I would think it would be to see how other people classify you, rather than how you classify yourself. I had a client who refurbished industrial furnaces that are used for cooking high-heat materials (steel, ceramics, etc.) Their entire SEO was based around the phrase 'furnace'. What they found out after a little research was that they should have been targeting the word 'oven'.

Using Del.icio.us is just a way to see what other phrases people might be searching for you for by seeing how those who have found you have tagged. you. It might open up words and phrases you hadn't yet considered targeting. Its just a great little extra tool in an SEO tool bag.

As for me, I was so excited to go to del.isio.us and see who had bookmarked and tagged my site, Answers-for-Freelancers.com.

When I got there, though, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I can count the bookmarks on one hand. :D :( My fault, though. haven't really started promoting it.

Good tip, though. Thanks,

Chris

Re: WARNING: Do NOT load Quechup

Chris Wilson — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 17:14:31 -0000

I got a slew of invites last week, and thought it must be something people were loving, since they were all signing up at once. I even signed up, but there is no way to enter email addresses by hand, or to upload vcards or tab delimited files, and the service didn't work with .Mac.

To top it off, there was no way to 'befriend' the people who previously had invited me. So, befuddled and annoyed, I walked away. I even twittered my annoyance as I left.

Looks like I was actually 'spared' quite a bit of embarrassment and shame.
Thanks for the post!

Re: FAP457: Student Debt Relief Act of 2007, Free Stuff Friday, California financial aid, College Goal Sunday, Jen Foster

Chris Wilson — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 10:11:37 -0000

Chris!

Checked out your show for the first time this morning. I've been meaning to for a while, but I've got like, 280 podcasts lined up ahead of you. Egads! I need a direct jack into my skull.

Anyway, great stuff. Based on the name of the show, I just assumed that you only talked about financial aid for students. But after hearing you at Podcamp, then gift-casting at Managing the Gray and New Comm road, I could tell you had a lot of things to say on a number of different topics, so I decided to listen to the show sooner rather than later. I haven't been disappointed. Great job, keep up the good work, and I've already got some great info to pass along to my self-employed audience at Answers for Freelancers!

See you soon,

Chris Wilson
http://www.answers-for-freelancers.com/

Re: Gunpowder in every wallet: Why markets are going crazy

Chris Wilson — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:41:56 -0000

Chris, very nicely explained article. Since I'm an artist and not a financial expert (but I've recently started working on it, thanks to the power of social media) can you tie this information into how it would affect items like our 401K?

Does the danger come from the fact that these lenders the same ones managing our portfolios, or are we just looking at a market drop in general across the board?

Thanks,

Chris

Re: Gunpowder in every wallet: Why markets are going crazy

Chris Wilson — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:43:33 -0000

OK. Very cool.

Where did you find that nifty plug-in for the signature?

Re: What is a Brand?

Chris Wilson — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:06:28 -0000

Chris,

The biggest distinction a brand has is that it is owned by everyone outside of the thing being branded. It is the full mental and emotional weight that an observer carries in relation to the 'branded'.

The biggest mistake any company, any entity, any person can make in dealing with their own brand is to believe that they own their own brand.

We can do things to promote a certain view of ourselves, such as tell stories, create experiences and provide examples. We can decide how it is we WISH to be branded, and set out goals and plans to try to create that branding, but in the end, our brand is held by those outside ourselves.

If it were any other way, we could control exactly how other people see us, and others could never influence our brand with their own reviews, criticisms, praise, or opinions.

The strongest brands are attributed to those who authentically try to live the story they tell about themselves, and those around them see evidence that the stories are truthful, believe it, and pass it on to others. I.e., Apple, Inc.

If you can't live up to your own story, then you've lost all influence over your brand, and the world around you will brand you based on what they see and how they interpret it. I.e., Microsoft.

If you can't live your own story, you deserve whatever brand people give you. But if you can live your own story, it will eventually weather any ridicule, pressure, criticisms and slander thrown at you and people will recognize it.

(the other) Chris Wilson

Re: Has Harley Ditched it’s Brand for the Hollywood Spotlight?

Chris Wilson — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:12:00 -0000

I think Harley-Davidson did a great job of riding a brand that was originally handed to them by Hollywood. How much of a hand in the original appeal that Harley had, I'm not entirely sure, but it was the stories, not the marketing, that built the Harley brand.

Its not secret that Harley makes more money in a year in fashion merchandise than it does on its actual bikes, and they've worked that appeal very well over the past decades. There's no crime there, but they're still living on past stories. I don't think Hollywood is their problem, but I certainly don't think that simply matching bikes up to faces is the answer. Looking at Easy Rider, it wasn't Peter Fonda or Dennis Hopper that sold Harley bikes, it was the story of Wyatt and Billy and their discovery of America, that sold the bike.

I think Harley could seriously use some Hollywood, but it needs to be more than endorsements and some nice product placement. Agreeing with Stuart, above, its not likely that the hero of the 00's will drive a Harley, but how about the 10's? the 20's? Fuel efficient in a world of ever expensive fuel. Easier and cheaper to maintain than a car. Freedom in a world of SUVs and Minivans. Possibilities are endless and stories abound. They just need to be told.

As a side thought, and speaking of bad-asses, even Jim Kirk in the newest Star Trek movie has a motorcycle. It was low key and non-obtrusive, but it was in two very significant scenes. And it WASN'T a Harley. Its a small thing, but if they'd stop missing these smaller base hits, it might not matter if they don't find their next home run right away.

Re: Local TV Transforms – Towers and Transmitters Meet the Social Web

Chris Wilson — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:44:30 -0000

A company like NBC is in a prime position to create the right kind of local media community on the web. They have the news, the contacts, the advertisers, etc. all lined up. And so far, very few entities have done it in such a way the the community can all participate.

I've seen a number of local 'news sites', but for the most part, its still just content being delivered to an audience. There's really no attempt at building a community.

If you build it, they will come. It'll be interesting to see if the NBC execs get it, and do it right, or if it will just be another http://ctnow.com/ .

Re: Are you in or out?

Chris Wilson — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:41:40 -0000

Great article, but I ain't got time for robbing the Vatican. I'm launching the 2nd phase of my wife's business this weekend, and I (or, i should say, 'we') haven't slept in weeks. ;)

For the last few weeks we've been assuring our 8 year old daughter that it would all settle down soon, and we'll take her out for a family 'launch' party. Being in business for yourself can be very hard, but also very rewarding. My kid had her father at home almost every day of her pre-elementary life. That alone is worth all the struggle.

Re: Designing in a vacuum: Spec Work hurts the client, too.

Chris Wilson — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:00:51 -0000

David,

Honestly, I saw the same add (thrice, apparently they've got three of my email addresses in their system)and at no point did it jump out to me as anything that is new or isn't already out there. It did seem a bit odd for iStockPhoto (a place I really like, btw) but just didn't phase me.

While I was reading your article, I was unsure why I wasn't feeling the same anger you had. I personally don't like any type of commercial 'contest' site or 'stock' logo site. (Pure contests just for fun or perhaps for humanitarian causes are another matter altogether). I think they hurt the artists, demean the clients, and put both artists and clients at risk for various reasons. Still, it didn't phase me.

It wasn't until I got to the final paragraphs of your article that I realized why. I was already there with you in many ways. The key isn't to sell what everyone else sells, or in the cheapest way; the key is to differentiate yourself. As an artist, you ABSOLUTELY do NOT want the type of client that will pay for art like this. They aren't your market. I realized that a while ago. If you do end up landing a client like this, they tend to be absolutely horrible to work with, anyway. Sometimes real nightmares, impossible to please and hard fought to land in the first place, and to get to pay up at the end.

So, I acknowledge that they aren't my market, this is not the sandbox I choose to play in, and so no skin off my nose. It actually makes finding my market easier, since they draw the clients I really don't want away from me in the first place.
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