The Venerable, and Super-Influential, Blog

by Pamela Parker on October 26, 2012

In this social-media-crazy world, that age-old user-generated format — the blog — is often forgotten. But this infographic from the Clever Girls Collective shows marketers shouldn’t forget these original influencers.

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Where’s Facebook Going Wrong?

by Pamela Parker on May 29, 2012

Interesting insights from a couple of guys I respect:


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Surviving and Thriving at SXSW: Make It Your Show

by Pamela Parker on March 8, 2012

Photo Credit: Brittany Ryan via SXSW

I know everyone‘s doing it, but I can’t resist. I’ve only been to SXSW interactive a few times, but that’s long enough to make lots of mistakes and learn from them.

  • Prepare, But Be Flexible. Later on this list, I’ll suggest you disregard your carefully-prepared schedule, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need one. In fact, it’s best if you have a schedule prepared that allows for Plan B and even Plan C.Say, you’ve decided you want to go to one panel, or one party. If something doesn’t work out — and shit happens — be ready to move on to the next opportunity. Maybe you’re stuck on the wrong part of town, maybe you let yourself get caught up in conversation with someone you met, maybe a thunderstorm starts up just as you were heading out — whatever the wrinkle, don’t let it bother you. Just have Plan B ready to go, and pivot.
  • Take Care of Yourself. You’ll want to pack as lightly as you can, because you are likely walking everywhere you go, but be sure to have a few key items: Water, so you don’t get dehydrated. A snack (maybe peanut butter crackers or nuts), in case low blood sugar strikes at a time you’re not ready to go in search of food. And, this year, a small umbrella. Along those same lines, wear comfortable, broken-in shoes. There’s nothing worse than hobbling. The same applies to your drinking strategy (yes, you should have a strategy). I don’t agree with the “don’t drink” philosophy, partly because I’m a bit shy and having at least one margarita helps me make conversation with strangers. But, moderation is key. Don’t embarrass yourself, and don’t ruin the rest of the show for yourself. Perhaps set a limit of 1 or 2 drinks per day, and drink club soda the rest of the time.
  • Go With The The Flow. It’s easy to get uptight. Either you become too married to your schedule — so you spend your time rushing around from one event to the next. Or you become a party-chaser — always convinced that the best party is the one that the guy you’re following on Twitter is attending. Guess what? The best party is the one you’re at, right now. The best food truck is the one you stumble upon when you turn the corner. Allow yourself some serendipity. It’s your SXSW, and it may not be exactly as you planned, but it’s likely to be pretty darned good if you seize the moment.

I’ll be aggregating links and such to good posts I find on the subject, posting them below and continually updating. Feel free to drop more in the comments. Thanks!

P.S. On the beer subject, I’d recommend the Real Ale Brewing Company’s Fireman’s #4 — it’s awesome.

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Ira Glass On Storytelling

February 29, 2012

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

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Has The World Really Changed? Yup

February 29, 2012

When the dot-com bubble was mid-burst in 2001 or so, a friend of mine would ask me, “Do you still think the Internet is going to change the world?” As if some poor investments and a negative global economic climate were going to halt the transformation the Internet was bringing to our culture. “Of course,” [...]

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Amazon Prime a Cult?

January 9, 2012

Really insightful post by Jason Calacanis about the “cult” of Amazon Prime, and why it’s so attractive. When you take the $79 leap into Prime, Amazon has you for life. Once you’re in the cult you’re not leaving because leaving means you have the drudgery of having to drive to the store, finding the item [...]

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Moving to Marketing Land

December 1, 2011

I’m both pleased and sad to have said goodbye today to my tenure as a Federated Media employee. I’d been at the company since 2006 — I was employee 18 — and I’ve watched the company grow from a scrappy start-up to a seasoned professional organization. It’s been quite a ride and I’ve met some [...]

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links for 2011-04-02

April 2, 2011

The Mother of all Baby Columns: Making the mommy blogger list – Parentcentral.ca (tags: blogging mommybloggers) How Much Do the "Top Mommybloggers" Earn From Their Blogs, and Is It Enough? | Strollerderby (tags: blogging mommybloggers $) How To Talk About Succeeding In Blogging (Without Really Crying) – Her Bad Mother (tags: blogging) Songs mean a [...]

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links for 2011-03-25

March 25, 2011

Bullshit Blogging: 15 reasons you'll never have an A-List blog |… – StumbleUpon Yes!  (tags: blogging,) Fear of Missing Out and Social Media Before going to SXSW, I deliberately tried to rid myself of this FOMO mentality, so I could enjoy being where I was, and who I was with. It's super-pervasive, though, and I'm [...]

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links for 2011-03-16

March 16, 2011

Lessons from 11 Years of Community Management (MetaFilter) (tags: community moderation)

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