I know Springwise.com and you sir are no Springwise.com!

I have never really been one to get caught up on the coolest trends and/or worrying about what others are wearing/doing because I am all about just being me....well except for right after the film Flashdance came out and all I wore for 6 months were over sized sweatshirts and legwarmers but even then I was really the only guy I knew doing it.

That aside I have noticed something recently that a lot of the "cool kids" are doing and I really dig it and is actually something that solves an issue I have had for a few years now.

Being an eyeglass wearer I am always on the hunt for cool frames that are a little different but still say something about me....I pay close attention to frames of other folks and have noticed more and more folks buying a funky pair of sunglasses (like Oakley or Ray Bans) and just popping in their clear (not tinted) prescription lenses.

I love this idea since (and this is a generality) sunglasses are usually more interesting then regular eye glass frames and in some cases can be much much cheaper then a crazy designer frame....and if it is Ray Bans you are interested in they have a super cool virtual mirror to see how you would look in any of there styles!

So if you would excuse me I am now off to go find these frames because I think they are awesome and they may impress a certain girl in NYC who I have a crazy big crush on.

Liz Strauss is irresistible!

When I was a kid my Dad used to say I was a people person who didn't really like people!

He thought this because I was a strange kind of introvert who was quiet and would prefer to be alone but at the same time craved human interaction and attention from people.

Unlike my taste in Music (see last post) I actually am different now then when I was younger and now I love and look forward to being around people...I may not always be the most talkative or cause people to stop and stare but I love the company of people...so much so that I am writing this post from the center of Times Square, NYC, and going back and forth between typing and people watching.

Seeing all the folks here got me thinking of some of the amazing people I have met since I started traveling as much as I do. I have written about a bunch if these folks like Lindy, Gary and so many that I haven't written about yet like Justin, Rosemarie, Amber, Maddie, I could keep going on and on.

Someone I have been thinking a whole bunch about in the last few days in Liz Strauss. I had the pleasure of spending some time with her last week in Chicago and while we had spoken a few times on the phone and traded a bunch of email it is a very different experience to sit down and look into someones eyes while you talk....because when you have that "AH HA!" moment it is always cooler to let people share it with you!

Liz has lived in a bunch of places and we have a bunch of mutual friends and this all made for interesting conversation but things got SUPER interesting once we started talking about "what we are up to in the next 6 months" because I answered that I am going to be "remarkable" and her response was something that has made me think a great deal.

She simply said "remarkable isn't enough anymore, you need to be irresistible"

You could easily take this as a tag line or an inspirational quote but I think it is much more...and I may be stretching it here but play along.

Remarkable is something a lot of folks are striving for, some get there and some don't but remarkable is still a very respectable goal. But irresistible is not only (to borrow a cooking term) kicking it up a notch or the next step but more importantly, it is something you can't be without other people.

Irresistibility is an emotion and emotions are what make connections to brands and products/services and connections take real people and real people make the difference.

I am not sure if this is exactly what Liz meant buy this but her wisdom has given me at least 45 ideas I am going to be playing with in the next little while

Oh, and Liz...I can't put into works how much I love this saying and wish I had thought of it first!

Is the internet killing the next generation of "characters"?

Disclaimer: This is probably the first time I am writing about a concept or an idea instead of an opinion. I admit I don't have the answer to this question...but want it so I am asking you to get involved and offer up your opinions and ideas so I can have closure on this.

I love bumping into people I went to High School with.

Not because I like to compare how successful we are or who looks better but because people always tell me how popular I was back then. I find this funny since I never felt like a big shot and had only a few good friends. I was an insecure kid who loved They Might Be Giants, The Pixies and Elvis Costello and would listen to Hip Hop, watch Letterman, spend my Saturday and Sunday afternoons watching movies...oh and I also used to send $75 a month to a guy in New York so he would send me cassettes of a months worth of shows from some DJ named Howard Stern who just talked and talked and never played music.

Truthfully I always felt insulated and different. As hard as I tried I couldn't get into Phil Collins, Rush or whatever the majority of folks were following and while I wasn't being different for different sake I just liked what I liked and that was about it.

Looking back I had a combination of an absolute vital need to please, coupled with the unwillingness to bend at all in order to accomplish it....and this is why people called me a "Character"

While not much has changed in the way of my tastes or needs, one thing is very different..I now know I am not the only one who likes the stuff I like and in all honesty it isn't really that different!

Being part of the final generation that grew up without the Internet "always there" (I got my first computer, an IBM PS1, in 1990) and I wonder what someone would have to do now a days to be different? Just about anything you can think of has not only been done before but also documented on the ole interweb. Simply put...whatever you are into and no matter how unusual you think you are there are 100 others just like you...and this isn't a bad thing because (sexual predators aside) this internet is actually a place that can help you not feel so alone.

So can you help me with this? I really want to know....

Can individualism still exist in the internet age?

Or with the availably of more and different music, fashion, entertainment, education is it actually easier to be different?

...love to hear your thoughts on this!

Six Random Things About Me...I am not sure there are six left!

I’ve been tagged by Mark Blevis to share six random things about me with the world. I considered ignoring the tag since I am trying to make this a more focused blog but someone told me that if you don't act on these meme things, bad things happen to your friends and family and I don't want that....also I have shared so much in the past 398 posts that coming up with six new things was harder then I thought it would be....but here goes:

1- I really don't like clothes and would prefer to be naked or partially naked all the time. Clothes never seem to look good on me and I am so proud of my chest, legs and man parts I just want to show everyone...in fact I rarely wear a shirt on summer weekends (when I am home) and would wear less but I have to respect the people who live beside me. This may sound silly but I think seeing people partially clothed lets you see more of who the person is..in my case you would see scars from past surgeries and some from solving crime (I am Batman) and this is the stuff that really tells a story of who a person is...and since I spend so much time in the sun I am all golden brown.

2- I recently started meditating. I have been curious about meditation for a long time and like the idea of a clear mind since I am hoping it will allow me to be more like a Zebra and open myself up for more inspiration and creativity. So far I am enjoying the process but (and this is true) every time I really go deep inside myself I end up seeing a friend of mine dressed as Wonder Woman and I am beginning to think this friend may be the messiah!

3-I have never fantasized about making "whoopie" with more than one woman at a time but have had vivid dreams about Lynda Carter dressed as Wonder Woman teaching me spanish...Hola!

4- I am not much of a cook but I do make excellent Macaroni and Cheese. The secret is use as little milk as possible so the cheese really sticks to the macaroni and it isn't runny (yuk!)

5- When I found out that Richard Rowntree was diagnosed with breast cancer I gave myself a breast exam. If it could happen to Shaft it could happen to anyone!

6- Instead of putting a lot of different music on my iPod I usually pick two-four bands at a time and load up their entire catalog. Right now I have the entire works of N*E*R*D*, Pixies/Frank Black, Elvis Costello and Handsome Boy Modeling School.


OK....I think that very well be the last six things I have never talked about on this here blog...and since this post is not the sort of thing I have been writing about lately I will be back with one more "off focus" post on Monday before I get back to being all smart and serious and stuff

Oh ya...and I tag David Kruger, John Wurkemer, Eden Spodek, and I cant think of anyone else I guess I will just add them later.

Ever had such a bad experience with something that you could not wait to blog about it?

Now before I get into what happened to me this afternoon I would like to point out that I don't think I have ever bashed a company on my site before (and I am not really going to do it know) and while I plan on handling this report with class and dignity I was moved by the horribleness of the situation to drop my thoughts here.

So here I go.

If you were following my twitter posts this you would already know that I did a slew of errands and juggled some things just so I could sneak away and see the Iron Man movie.

What you may not know is that I LOVE MOVIES! Going to movies is my great escape and I cherish the few opportunities to get to go see film in the theater. With kids and work and other obligations I just don't get to the theater that much...I see a bunch of movies at home and dig that but the experience of losing yourself in the darkness of a big theater is one of my favorite things.

So that brings me to to this afternoon.

I got to the theater at 4:15 for a 4:10 showing of Iron Man. Racing into the theater I was surprised that the movie hadn't started (not even the commercials or the coming attractions). I didn't think much of it and was pretty jazzed by it because I would be able to soak in the whole experience...because for me, experience is the only reason to go to out to see movies and not watch them at home.

After starting 20 minutes late (not a big deal) a weird thing happened. About 40 minutes into the film the lights came up and the film stopped(this was a big deal). 30 more minutes passed before anyone from the theater came in to say anything and all they did say was they think this is a technical glitch and it should be fixed soon. Iron Man started again and I am not sure how much more time passed but the same thing happened again (15 minute wait this time to get it started again) and finally the movie stopped a third time. I actually walked out when the film stopped a third time because I had been in the theater for 3+ hours to see a 2 hour movie. I also left because my cell phone was ringing off the hook asking where I was since dinner was on the table etc.

I understand that technical glitches happen and that is not what bothered me the most....well it did bother me because I was really looking forward to seeing Iron Man and I still don't know how it ends but the thing that surprised me most was that several people walked out with me and were told by the Manager that there would be no refunds or compensation of any kind since they did have the opportunity to see the entire "performance" if they just went back in and sat through the glitches.

This really bothered me and I know why.

I didn't care about getting my money back and I wasn't looking for or expected anything but being told that the theater had somehow lived up to their obligation to us ticket holders because they planned on showing the rest of the film even if it takes 4 1/2 hours to do it was full of arrogance and boggles my mind that this was their idea of an acceptable plan to make this better.

A big part of my job is to make the fantastic people who use our product feel special. I love my job and am always thinking of new ways to do it better. Because of this I was amazed by the shortsighted view of this manager and it left me with such a negative feeling that I couldn't help but share the story.

I didn't stick around to see how this ended up but if the manager does read this I hope he know knows that a negative experience is twice as likely to wind up in blog somewhere than a positive one and he or she (trying to preserve the identity) should really learn some people skills if they are going to deal with people.

....and if anyone can tell me what happens once Pepper Potts downloads all those files to the flash drive I would appriciate if you could drop me an email letting me know!

My Dad says "People who like Sex in the City and Text Messages must be stupid"

I am lucky because I have a great relationship with my Dad. He is almost 70 and I find his perspective on tech stuff refreshing since he doesn't use anything except a cell phone and tends to give you a real unfiltered opinion on things.

This brings me to a conversation we had the other day when my dad asked me to explain text messages to him.....so I did and he then asked if it was only for stupid people. Not really understanding what he meant I asked him to elaborate and here is what I got.

"I went to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall the other day and before the picture started (yes my Dad calls them pictures) there was a commercial for the Sex in the City movie and they said after the commercial you could answer a question by texting your answer to win a prize. The question was multiple choice and after they gave you your three choices they then told you what was the correct answer so no one would get it wrong"

This left my Dad with the impression that texting was complicated and you had to be pretty sharp to do it.

This got me thinking ....and pardon me if I channel Carrie Bradshaw for a moment...

Does making a contest so idiot proof make it too obvious that you are just trying to grab people's contact info for future use and does offering a small prize make it all OK?

I say yes...and no.

I love creative marketing and the way this was explained to me I have to say the concept of saying "Watch this tailer real close because there is a test later" before it ran is a clever way to get people to take note but if you follow that with a "Oh by the way we didn't think you would actually pay attention so here is the answer" sends a weird message that is almost (if not fully) insulting and when you insult people, someone like my Dad will pass on to others.

Because my Dad....he is a talker....and he now knows how to text people.

Help me raise a few dollars for Chairty and I will give you a Get Out Of Jail Free Card

I don't ask for much from the people who lovingly read this blog. Sure I ask you to read it everyday and I ask you to love me unconditionally but I have never once in 350+ posts asked you for any money.

Until today!

FreshBooks is participating in tomorrow's CN Tower climb for WWF and I am "stepping in" for someone in our office who is under the weather and will be climbing the 1700+ stairs to the top of the tower.

I am asking you, my very attractive readers, to sponsor my climb. Anything would be appreciated and if all of you give something as small as $1 I will be doing pretty good. The thing is that the climb is tomorrow (sorry for the last minute request) so I will have to ask you to do it quickly.

Please click here to donate something and please do not be confused by the fact that the name on the account is under the name of Myleen because that is who I am filling in for!

WAIT...What was that...did you ask if you will get anything for helping out?

Glad you asked. Since I appreciate you all and feel kind of funny asking for money I am going to make it worth your while....ANYONE who contributes anything to my climb will get a hand written thank you note with an autographed picture of me in my sweaty climbing clothes....and whoever gives the most to the cause will actually get the sweat soaked shirt that I wore to make the climb!

Getting a sweat soaked shirt may seem like a crappy prize but if you keep it in a bag and not wash it and if you happen to ever find yourself at a crime scene that you caused you can ring out the shirt and introduce my DNA to the scene and saving yourself from interrogation.

Name another blogger that would do THAT for you!

So please help out if you can and I promise to not let you down by having a heart attack!

...and speaking of conferences I am attending

I will be heading out to New York tomorrow for a jam packed schedule of meetings/parties and conferences. The list of all the things I will be doing is too long to list but one thing I think that is super cool (and worth talking about here on the ole blog) is that I am ending my week by attending Blogger Social.

Myself and more than 80 of the smartest/sexiest bloggers in the entire world are coming together in NYC to get to know each other, drink a little drink and maybe just maybe solve the world’s problems!

I am planning on twittering a whole bunch from the “road” and may dive into the blog a bit but I will be collecting a slew of stories and will probably bombard you with a story or two a day once I get back...Oh ya and if you are wondering who I will be hanging out with you can check out this nifty directory or follow any of the links below to see their sites!

Susan Bird Tim Brunelle Katie Chatfield Matt Dickman Luc Debaisieux Gianandrea Facchini Mark Goren Gavin Heaton Sean Howard CK Valeria Maltoni Drew McLellan Doug Meacham Marilyn Pratt Steve Roesler Greg Verdino CB Whittemore Steve Woodruff Paul McEnany Ann Handley David Reich Tangerine Toad Kristin Gorski Mack Collier David Armano Ryan Barrett Lori Magno Tim McHale Gene DeWitt Mario Vellandi Arun Rajagopal Joseph Jaffe Rohit Bhargava Anna Farmery Marianne Richmond Thomas Clifford Lewis Green Geoff Livingston Kris Hoet Connie Reece CeCe Lee Toby Bloomberg Seni Thomas Darryl Ohrt Joe Kutchera Paul Dunay Marshall Sponder Chris Kieff Tara Anderson Jason Falls Paul Soldera Roberta Rosenberg Saul Colt Todd Andrlik Nathan Snell Ryan Karpeles Mike Sansone Jennifer Laycock Neil Vineberg Cam Beck Mike Arauz Matthew Bailey Heather Gorringe John Rosen Cathleen Rittereiser Tamar Weinberg Rita Perea Linda Sherman Matthew McDonald Kaitlyn Wilkins Terry Starbucker
Jennifer Berk Jane Quigley John Wall Scott Monty Kevin Horne Virginia Miracle Amanda Gravel Susan Reynolds David Polinchock Shashi Bellamkonda David Berkowitz Vahe Habeshian

Yes, It is a very impressive list and I am honored to be included on it..I just hope everyone likes what i have included in the conference freebie bag :)

Something that poped into my head while attending the ICE08 Conference

In my opinion there are four reasons people go to conferences.

1-To learn things
2-To catch up with old friends
3-To meet new ones and network like crazy
4-To possibly make out with people from the same or opposite sex and then never see them again.

I fall in the 1-3 category but could probably be convinced on #4 :)

Anyway while attending ICE08 this past week I was struck with an idea on how to make people like me who are interested in networking like crazy have an easier time with it.....and before I get into my idea I should say that this is in no way a complaint about ICE08. I thought this conference was incredible and Michelle Perras (and others) did a fantastic job organizing and running this event. My idea is more a general one in response to all conferences etc.

So as someone who tries to speak to everyone attending the conference (and I am sure I am not the only one) I have always been surprised by Conference/Trade Show badges. Traditionally they have the persons name large and the company name small. Now I like to know who I am talking to so I can offer up a relevant story whenever possible but to read the company name on these badges you need to stare at the persons chest for far too long.....and if it a lady you are speaking to....well you can imagine the impression you leave when you are staring too long.

I would love to see badges have the first name of the person you are talking to in a HUGE font with the last name small and then the company name HUGE and the title small. Heck I would even go further and say badges should be 3x the size they currently are.

Yes this idea is really just to make my job easier and possibly allow me to achieve the designation of MASTER NETWORKER but I can see it being helpful to others as well!

Let me know what you think.

-saul

Rohit Bhargava answers my questions about Personailty

If you read this blog as much as I do you would know that I am a firm believer in the power of personality and how important it is for companies to not only have one but let customers or clients see that they have one.

Rohit Bhargava, writer of the Influential Marketing Blog, agrees with me...or maybe he had come to this conclusion without my help because he has written a new book (available April 25th) called Personality Not Included.

Since I am a huge fan of Rohit, his blog and his new book I am pretty jazzed to have had him answer a few questions on the subject of personality....just for you....by beautiful readers!

So here you go.


Saul Colt: Can a super big company have a true personality or is it more a corporate image?

Rohit Bhargava: One of the ideas I share in the book is that size is not the major determinant of personality. For example, there are many small businesses that don't have a personality and large organizations that do manage to have one. In the end, it comes down to how you end up fostering it from your employees.

SC: Can a company have its own organically derived personality or are they usually an extension of the founders personality?

RB: This is a question that I actually focused on trying to have a good answer for in the book. To do that, Chapter 2 is all about the idea of the "Accidental Spokeperson." One of the insights in that section is that the personality can absolutely grow from an individual or a set of individuals instead of the founder of an organization. There are many places that this identity can "accidentally" come from ... the main point is that you need to recognize this and reward it.

SC: Why write a book on personality? Is this something you can teach?

RB: The main reason is because I believe it is greatest trend in business that no one is talking about. We are talking about components of it, like social media or authenticity or word of mouth, but personality is a way to bring all those concepts together. The other reason was that I felt it was a new and ownable idea that hadn't already had too many books written about it. That not only makes it more interesting, but makes it more likely that people will find it useful.

SC: This may be a Chicken/Egg question but what comes first...the personality or the fan base?...and can you tailor your personality to match your biggest ambassadors?

RB: You should absolutely be open to tailoring your personality to match what your customers are excited about. Sometimes, particularly when it comes to new brands, there is a temptation to define what you stand for after you talk to customers. This may seem like a chicken & egg situation, but your brand needs to stand for something before you can foster brand ambassadors. You can always change it, but you need to start somewhere.

SC: If a company is evil, does that count as their personality?

RB: Hmmm, thinking of any company in particular? You'll be really interested in Wired's cover story this month about Apple, because it essentially asks the exact same question ... profiling how Apple manages to do well while being decidedly "evil" in their approach to business and secrecy (vs. the open source ideals of the rest of the valley). In their case, I'd say they do a good job of being both evil and innovative, simultaneously - so the answer to your question would probably have to be yes!

Oh ya an Rohit answered a bunch of questions from a bunch of other people as well. Follow the link to read a few more and if you are interested in this topic I recomend you picking up the book!

Selling Ice to Eskimos.....when they least expect it!

As some of you know, I spent a bunch of years in the comic book industry and the biggest problem/complaint I would here from other publishers is that it was hard to get people to notice you....or to get them to try your books instead of the tried and true Spider-Man, Batman books.

I used to spend a bunch of time figuring out solutions to this problem and think I finally have it. (and with a little imagination, this can apply to just about any product or service)

Ya ready?

Sitting down?

Stop trying to sell Comic Books (or whatever) to Comic Book Fans!

Sounds simple huh?

Makes perfect sense...right?

Maybe I should explain.

For years and years I traveled all around North America going from Comic Book Convention to Comic Book Convention and while this was some of the best times I have ever had I realize now that I was wasting my time competing with Batman and the likes. Looking back I would have been better off going to places where comic book people hung out but where I could be the only one there.

This was never more apparent to me then this past week while I was attending SXSW. 7500 tech geeks (of which I am one) in one place. I am willing to bet a bunch like/love comic books and not one publisher in the place. With some clever planning I could have probably converted more people in this environment then I usually did at major comic book convention with 50,000 attendees.

Handing out books (or digital versions) at such a place would probably be a better investment then a major comic book convention because people would see this as something different and would also act as a distraction from all the "work" related stuff they will be getting from others.

....and like I said, this doesn't just apply to comic books. If I was a band and was preforming at SXSW I would get there a week early (during the film and interactive festival) and work that crowd before all the other bands hit town.

I could go on and on with examples of ways to work non-traditional audiences for your products but think it would be best if you came up with them on your own.

Or you could just email me and I will be glad to help!

I have a secret speaking thingie Tuesday the 26th!

The sometimes appropriately titled Third Tuesday is hosting another event (tomorrow or today depending on when you read this) and this time it features ME as a co presenter.

The little talk is called "The Wisdom of Mike McDerment" and Mike is going to....well share his wisdom.

So where do I come in?

Well since Mike was wise enough to hire me I am also going to add my .02 and share my ever expanding knowledge with the crowd in my own unique way.

Basically it was too late to add my name to the marquee but I promise I will be speaking and sharing not only "stuff I know" but also hugs and kisses.

Hope to see you there!

Huge companies who think small...are companies who think smart!

There is a good chance this post will go completely un noticed.

Between SuperBowl chatter and Sarah Silverman getting it on with Matt Damon I know people are distracted but this has been on my mind for a few days and figured I would get it down on paper.....er computer screen.

With all the news going on about Microsoft and Yahoo....and Google and Yahoo....and well Yahoo just not preforming as well as they should/could I found it interesting to read an article a few days ago about a HUGE company that has been successful by thinking small.

The Company....much to my surprise was Nike.

Yes I know I shill for them all the time and I don't do it because I want them to acknowledge me with free stuff (but truth be told I would love some free stuff ) but I do connect with the company and is one of the few brands I am absolutely (blindly) loyal too.

Anyway the article spoke about how when Nike CEO Mark G. Parker took over Nike in 2005, the first thing he did was shuffle departments by the sport and not the product. So basically there would no longer be a huge "catch all" department for shoes and instead there would be a bunch of shoe departments focusing on each sport ie:Basketball shoes, Baseball shoes, Jogging shoes etc etc.

Each department became small business and were expected to laser focused on their specialty.

This strategy is fascinating since it will and has allowed Nike to put faces to the departments. I tell anyone who will listen that companies need personality and personalities. With smaller, approachable departments you can hire/steal away people who are authentic in their fields...something Nike did with their Skateboard division. Skateboarders (for the most part) are not going to hop on the bandwagon of some faceless corporation...but they did because Nike filled up their boardroom with people from the Skateboard industry and raked in over $200mm in sales from the Nike Skate division.

I love small companies that choose to be great instead of getting big and faceless but if you have to get big (and sometimes it just happens) I think it is great to see people keeping the "stay small" approach...because it works!

-Saul

p.s. If you are looking for an example of Nike injecting some personality into their work you need to look no further then these shoes. In case you can't tell these are Evil Knievel tribute shoes...That my friends is cool!

Generation Web 3.0 - Are we becoming this?

I received a Seesmic invite toady and I got all excited. I told a friend and he asked what Seesmic was so I explained it as Twitter but with short video messages instead of the 140 characters. This excited him immediately swore off ever twittering again.

This got me thinking...are we becoming a disposable generation that has no brand loyalty or tech loyalty that will only stay with a product or service until something extra shiny comes along?

I can only speak for myself but I am super brand loyal to products and some retail stores but online (and gadgets) I do seek out the shiny objects.

Unless I am sent a message I don't spend much time on FaceBook anymore because I can keep up with people I want to keep up with on Twitter...and not have to deal with the invitations to become a vampire etc. Seesmic looks interesting and may hold my attention for longer but who really knows.

Am I the only one experiencing this?

I don't know if this is the fault of Music Videos or because of Baby Einstein videos but there seems to be no attention span for new technology and if I am right about this Generation Web 3.0 thingie (a phrase I thought up) them I doubt any social media application will be able to rest on what got people originally interesting in it. Getting shiny and staying shiny will have to be the mandate or you will always be fueling your machine with late comers while all the key early adopters will be off to the next thing....and if that is the case I hope the next thing has holograms.

Cause I love holograms.

saul

Seth Godin and I are the same....

I love the Internet!

I love the way it works and functions and the fact that I can post about something and actually see stuff happen as a result.

Yesterday I wrote about Seth Godin (and Andy Sernovitz) and today, like magic, I got an email pointing me to a blog post discussing me and Seth Godin in the same post!

Pretty cool if you ask me.......you did ask me.....right?

-saul

I know you are busy so I am reading the internet for you!

Greetings and Salutations,

Usually I post about things that caught my eye or something I dreamed up but tonight/today I wanted to remind you all that I like to read.

I read everything.

In fact I scour the entire internets daily to find any morsel of interesting information so you don't have to commit the time or energy.

You see any time I find something interesting I share it on my Google Reader I know this probably sounds like a commercial for them but I assure you I am doing this for you and not them.

So any time you need to know what is going on in the world (or at least the parts of the world I find interesting) head over to my Google Share Reader.

Why as we speak there are articles about:
Apple MacBook Air
Penn Jillette
Using Social Media to Meet People
Nike Air Force One New Release Pictures
Marketing Advice and Stories
Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise
Stuff about Saul Colt
and comic book and writers strike info

Go Check em out!

-saul

p.s. and while you are at it...why not bookmark this RSS feed...and this one too!

Possiblily the best sales video I have ever seen!

So I already mentioned that I have a new job...but what I didn't mention is that I have decided that I need a new car to go with this new job.

...and when I say a new car I really mean "a car" because I have been car less for close to 2 years now. I used to really be in to flashy cars and would only want the best of the best but my opionion of cars has changed with my old age and now I really just want something cheap and used since I almost never drive on the weekends and only work 30 minutes from home (by car or 75 minutes by public transportation).

In my inter web sleuthing I came across a car site that almost changed my mind about "car practicality" and I am comfortable saying here I think this was the best sales video for any product I have ever seen.

Click on the Pict...or here

And if that wasn't enough here is another Volvo site for the same V30 Car that is just as good and makes me want to get one....as a marketer I tip my cap to you nice Volvo folks!

-saul

I forgot to mention this but I got me a new job.

I am not one for New Year Resolutions but if I had one it would've been to find a new gig that makes me happy. Back in November I blogged about the fact that I had left my job because I was miserable and it was effecting my health. Before this I had never really thought about "Work Happiness" because I had always been happy where ever I was.

Well I am pleased to say I am Happy again.

About 5 weeks ago I started at FreshBooks and the spring has returned to my step and I am back to doing some innovative creative work.

If I do my job well every Man, Woman and Child will know what FreshBooks is but in the meantime I will tell you. FreshBooks is an (super cool) online invoicing and time tracking service designed to help creative and other service oriented professionals save time and make more money......pretty cool huh!

Anyway I hope all of you out there are as happy as I am and that one day you will work in a place that has such nice things to say about you!

-saul

I adore David Lynch

Having watched Wild at Heart last night I figured it was perfect timing to post this little vignette from David Lynch about watching movies or just about anything on a mobile device.

....and just so we are clear....I am posting because of my Love for David Lynch and not because I have a hate on for the iPhone. Truth me told, if the dang thing was available in Canada I would probably have one because I have drank the Kool Aid and want to look like I "belong" :)

Now on to the Show!

Eight more things you didn't know about me!

ummm...I guess I am it again.

I have been tagged again to participate in a "8 new things you didn't know about me" meme. This time I was tagged by the beautiful and talented Eden Spodek......regular readers will remember that I was tagged back in October so to make this new list "new" I am going to really go deep in the memory banks.

So here goes.

1-My facial hair grows pretty quickly and I have always wanted to grow a mustache that would connect to my sideburns but I have one spot on either side of the corner of my mouth that doesn't grow hair.

2-When I play Poker on my PDA I sometimes cheat so I never run out of money.

3-The last two movies I watched were documentaries - Sicko and Who Killed the Electric Car.

4-A month ago I bought a fully embroidered western shirt with bright red magnolias on it and haven't worn it yet....I am saving it for a special occasion.

5-I have red pants......and I may have to wear them with my new western shirt.

6-While traveling for work I have had 3 opportunities to "make whoopee" with strange ladies (one was super cute) and remained faithful each time. I am only telling you this to prove that I still "have it".

7-If I won the lottery I would build a custom home with a kickass library, trick walls to get to secret passage ways and a Batman inspired "BatCave" basement that would double as a professional home theater.

8-In High school (this was 17 years ago so cut me some slack) my girlfriend at the time and I decided to break up based on whether or not I sunk a basket with my Nerf basket ball net.......I did and we did.

OK so now you know way too much about me. And now to keep this thing going, I’m tagging Josh Fialkov David Kruger, and John Apples