Disqus - Latest Comments for sethsimonds

Re: Disclosure Policy of The Michel Fortin Blog

sethsimonds — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:48:29 -0000

"Remember, all mar kets, busi nesses, motives, and results are different. Yours will be no excep tion. As with every endeavor, there’s inher ent risk. You even stand a chance to lose money. So please use dis cre tion when mak ing a pur chas ing decision."

THAT cuts to the heart of the issue. We have an entire generation of bloggers who have been instructed to use an authoritative voice and speak emphatically about the products, services, etc. that they wish to sell.

I think you've done a good job here. Bases covered. The question is, now that you've got an expressed policy, will you be targeted for an audit over a blog that discloses to a lesser degree?

That said, I'm betting your tip jar won't fare as well if you keep it below the disclosure policy. =)

Re: Cult of the Obvious

sethsimonds — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:13:32 -0000

Hi Stuart.

First, a great quote:

"I have made this letter longer than usual,
because I lack the time to make it short"
-- Blaise Pascal, 'Letters Provinciales' (1657)

"Give us more than a dream. Give us actionable and salient points. Theory doesn't mean anything unless it is backed up by measurements and facts. But most of all? Don't defend the obvious."

You just took 300 words for another, to use your phrase "shot across the bow of obvious."

Now, another quote:

"Be the change you want to see in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Instead of pontificating about how bloggers need to change, why not actually write something substantial yourself? Why not show us what to do and lead us in a positive direction instead of simply talking about how we should all do things differently?

I think you'd do well to take a lesson from Godin and practice using fewer words when you're really not saying much.

"Now lets take it a step further and stop writing about patently obvious things."

I agree. I'm excited to see what you post here as you usher in a new era of clever relevance.

Re: Response to Barbara Talisman’s Misinformed 12for12k Post

sethsimonds — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:27:41 -0000

Re: Twitter Advertising on Facebook? No Thanks

sethsimonds — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:08:16 -0000

I hate seeing the #fb tagged Tweets and vice versa. All they do is tell me that the author is trying to spread content too thin and maximize imprints for the least amount of effort.

Re: When Was The Last Time You Shhhh’d An Audience?

sethsimonds — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:32:19 -0000

Hi Allison!
I think a LOT of people really do get SM as just another conduit for
communication. It'll definitely be interesting to see what different
companies do in this space!

Mcferrin is, without a doubt, very high on the list of people I'd like to
spend an afternoon with. I love that he has enough confidence in his message
that he tells the audience to stop applauding so he can continue.
Excellent!

Thanks for stopping by!

Re: How Do You Respond To Racist Jokes?

sethsimonds — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:13:47 -0000

Yeah, that's not funny. Goes with the group of "your mama" jokes and the
people who enjoy telling those.
I tend to laugh at jokes that make witty plays on stereotypes.

There are a lot of jokes out there that don't rely on crushing a specific
group of people in order to make a point. Those are the best ones!

Re: Why Teens Don’t Tweet

sethsimonds — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:52:31 -0000

I think that's a lot of it, yes. I've met some very cool Teens through
Twitter...and most of them are promoting a business of some sort.

Re: Authenticity and The Attack of The Snark

sethsimonds — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:01:23 -0000

sounds like you're using it as spice. Well done, sir! =)

Re: Authenticity and The Attack of The Snark

sethsimonds — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:35:20 -0000

I'm not saying you should/shouldn't say particular things on Twitter. Just
giving a head's up to those who are figuring out the balance between
professionalism and bar chats.
I think we're very much in agreement on using profanity and sarcasm for a
reason and not as meaningless attempts at giving a narrative edge.

Some of the do-gooders actually do a lot of good, though. I still appreciate
them. =)

Thanks Connie!

Re: British Troops Told to Tweet and Blog

sethsimonds — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:07:29 -0000

So, essentially, they're allowed to talk about the weather, what they had to eat, and what music they like to listen to?

Re: How Do You Respond To Racist Jokes?

sethsimonds — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:00:17 -0000

Good points, especially the third. If we are confident in our beliefs and
have the strength of character to stand by them, I think we give real
communication a boost. Tough stuff and I really appreciate your input!
Automattic is the Wordpress guys. My issue is still the hijacking of comment
threads. If Disqus releases them or ID comes up with a way to extract them,
I'd consider a switch or just my normal comments. The out-of-the-box
comments from Woo are quite lovely.

Re: How Do You Respond To Racist Jokes?

sethsimonds — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:48:16 -0000

well-said! I like the idea of "if I'm offended I'm thinking about something
I may not have thought about previously." It'd be interesting to see what
others say on that.
Thanks Justin!

Re: How Do You Respond To Racist Jokes?

sethsimonds — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:51:25 -0000

Hi Danny,

"I think it's stupid and should be condemned to a bygone age."

I'm with you on that, but how does one navigate the conversations that are happening right now? It's simple to say that colleagues know each other so this won't be an issue...but what about the new employee, the client, or all the people who actually take issue with comments made but don't have the chops to speak up about it?

I think the "PC crowd" may have taken some things a bit far in their focus on symptoms instead of root causes. The root causes are no fun to deal with.

As to your second response, Disqus continues to be an issue with an ungainly moderation system that doesn't sync with Wordpress whatsoever. I unapproved the thread last night because it really didn't seem to add anything to the discussion. Disqus seems to have pulled your reply with it.

As soon as they release the threading, I'm thinking it's time to drop the plug-in.

Thanks and sorry if there was any misunderstanding!

Re: Whose Story Are You Telling?

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:38:40 -0000

Sharing them can be an awful lot of work, too. Bullets and lists are much easier to scan than narratives so it takes a lot of effort to have a story flow easily in a web format.

A challenge for us both? Let's do it, Amy!

Re: Whose Story Are You Telling?

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:37:05 -0000

Edward,

Thanks. I'm a big fan of Steinbeck & Gladwell (He'd be thrilled at the association) and the post format is just one of a few I've been playing with lately. Seems to be a winner and I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

Now I have to surprise you with future posts and that gets more difficult with time.

Have a great weekend!

Re: When Was The Last Time You Shhhh’d An Audience?

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:29:58 -0000

I'm sure, with a bit of practice, you'll be one of the best!

Re: Why Teens Don’t Tweet

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:56:12 -0000

I still wouldn't want them to know.

I answer "what are you interested in?"

And, as they have for years, my parents have no interest in what I say. =)

Re: Why Teens Don’t Tweet

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:45:11 -0000

Your son is right on target, I think. Twitter is great for content discovery. When you find somebody you like, what do you do with them? You invite them to a different platform to have a real conversation.

I find Twitter a great place to share and find, but not to sustain.

Thanks Eline!

Re: Why Teens Don’t Tweet

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:31:46 -0000

The adult version is even worse though. Grown people saying things like *giggle*, etc. Enough to drive a person nuts. =)

Re: Why Teens Don’t Tweet

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:15:04 -0000

Hey Angelo! I wasn't trying to trick anybody. Just experimenting with other ways of making a point besides bulleted lists and "here's the take-away" posts.

I like your idea of using phones for emergencies & keeping in touch w/ parents. There's nothing wrong with learning to enjoy silence and analog conversations with real friends, eh?

Re: Why Teens Don’t Tweet

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:38:59 -0000

"fun-employed." = freelancers?

I think I'd have a much easier time of convincing a teen to blog than to use Twitter.

Re: Why Teens Don’t Tweet

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:35:37 -0000

Such an adult treatment of things! =) It's definitely cool to watch the platform grow up.

Re: Out With #FollowFriday, In With Connected Communities

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:23:23 -0000

Your two cents sound a lot like sense that would work well in real life,
too! I'm glad you've found a way to use Twitter that works well for you.
Best of luck!

Re: Whose Story Are You Telling?

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:36:32 -0000

Perhaps I'm just not familiar enough with traditional marketing to know any
better? =)
Always glad to bring up questions...they're always ones I'm working through
as I write a post and especially as I process reader comments.

Sending multiple thanks right back at you. Have a fulfilling weekend, Jay!

Re: Why I Unfollowed 45,000 People On Twitter

sethsimonds — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:28:17 -0000

Hi Keith,
I'm glad I have the opportunity to throw a few questions into the mix every
so often.

If somebody provides content that you find valuable, I think the discussion
of whether or not they follow you on Twitter is of little use. If you can
find value that is based on reality and not just the presence/absence of a
direct message option, I think the end result is more sustainable and
perhaps even a bit more fun!

Once you've switched things around and had a chance to get a feel for your
new Twitter space, drop me a note? I'd like to know how things work out for
you.

Thanks!