Author Archives: Steve Mays

So they’re not just slackers?

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You know, the 20-somethings that drop out of school, move back in with their folks and refuse to let good work habits get in the way of their lives?

“There used to be four common life phases: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Now, there are at least six: childhood, adolescence, odyssey, adulthood, active retirement and old age. Of the new ones, the least understood is odyssey, the decade of wandering that frequently occurs between adolescence and adulthood.

During this decade, 20-somethings go to school and take breaks from school. They live with friends and they live at home. They fall in and out of love. They try one career and then try another.”

Why is this, you wonder? NYT columnist David Brooks takes pretty good run at explaining what makes them tick (so slowly). You might have to create a free account to login and read the full piece but it’s an interesting read. [via Grow Learfield]

Transaction declared null and void

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A week ago I mentioned that I was selling my Thinkpad (IBM laptop) on eBay. Actually, my pal Henry was kind enough to list it on his eBay account. He told me not to expect much for a 3 year old laptop, so we were all surprised when the high bid topped out at $809! Too good to be true? Yes, it was.

This morning eBay posted a notice that said the transaction was null and void. Not sure why. I didn’t read it closely and Henry says he’s never seen that happen before.

Henry (a deacon in the First Church of eBay) wanted to re-list the laptop but I’ve decided to go a different direction.

After listing the computer on eBay, I discovered that a few people at work were interested in buying it (if the price were right). So, I’ve decided to hold a “silent auction.” I’m going to post a photo and specs on the bulletin board at work and invite anyone that’s interested to submit a sealed bid. On Friday, I’ll open the bids and the computer goes to the highest bidder. Done.

Seth Godin on “the mediocre middle”

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“Most industries innovate from both ends:

  • The outsiders go first because they have nothing to lose.
  • The winners go next because they can afford to and they want to stay winners.
  • It’s the mediocre middle that sits and waits and watches.

They wait for ‘proof’ that this new idea is going to work, or at least won’t prove fatal. (It’s the impulse to wait that made them mediocre in the first place, of course). So, in every industry, the middle waits. And watches. And then, once they realize they can survive the switch (or once they’re persuaded that their current model is truly fading away), they jump in. The irony, of course, is that by jumping in last, they’re condemning themselves to more mediocrity.”

Blogs most trusted form of web advertising

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“Consumer-generated content is by far a more trusted form of advertising worldwide than search engine ads, banner ads, or text ads, according to Nielsen, and is trusted almost as much as physical word-of-mouth. 66 percent of North Americans trust consumer-generated media, such as blogs. Only higher trust ranking was ‘other consumer recommendations,’ which earned 78 percent of respondents’ trust.” [WebProNews via LexBlog]

Recent example: George’s review of the new Sony HRD-CX7 digital video camera. I happen to know that George knows a LOT about cameras, hardware and software. If he likes this camera enough to buy and recommend it, that’s all I need to know.

Buy $1,000 in radio spots, get $2,000 back

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TechCrunch wonders if Google’s radio ad network –Google Audio– is in trouble:

“Google is offering $2,000 to any advertiser who spends $1,000 on a Google Audio ad campaign. The $2,000 comes in the form of a credit on future ad campaigns, but part of it still comes out of Google’s pocket since it needs to pay the radio stations who will run the ads. It amounts to a “buy one, get two free” offer and is good through the end of the year.

If (Google) truly has a better way of buying and selling radio ads, advertisers and radio stations will quickly figure that out on their own. It is not a good sign when Google has to resort to paying customers to try out a new product.”

Update 10/15/07: This from a reader (who prefers to remain anonymous) who works at a radio station that runs Google Audio ads:

“This week we ran on average 18 :60’s a day for Google. They just fill in avails that are on our schedule, so many of them are in the evening between 6p-11p. Some hours may have a Google Ad in each stop set.

I don’t see the checks but I’ve heard they range from $500-$2,000 a month. We do have the ability to block out any hours or programming we don’t want their stuff in.

To me it would just seem to be up to the station owner/company is the money worth tying up the time with these filler type ads.  I’ve yet to hear an ad I thought specifically targets to our region or even state… and no real big name company’s like Ford, GM, McDonald’s, JC Penney, Target or anything.”

Websites: “great” and “good enough”

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Seth Godin on how to create a great website and how to create a good enough website. A few of my favorite nuggets:

Fire the committee. No great website in history has been conceived of by more than three people. Not one. This is a dealbreaker.

Many websites say, “look at me.” Your goal ought to be to say, “here’s what you were looking for.”

Start with design. Don’t involve the programming team until you’re 90% done with the look and feel of your pages.

(Do) not to create an original design. There are more than a billion pages on the web. Surely there’s one that you can start with? If your organization can’t find a website that you all agree can serve as a model, you need to stop right now and find a new job.

IBM ThinkPad on eBay

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Thinkpad200Henry has been kind enough to sell my IBM Thinkpad on eBay. Proceeds will be donated to the local Humane Society. This baby is in mint condition but you just don’t get much for a 3 year old (?) laptop. I paid $3K for the thing and the bidding is at $50.

I’m told that’s likely to jump up near the end of the bidding period (Oct 14) but I shouldn’t count on it. So, if the thing is gonna go for peanuts, I’d rather it go to someone I know. Might be a good box for student or your grandma. Built like tank. I’m only selling it because Henry nagged me into it : ].

Worst jobs for 21st century

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From a Forbes story on job prospects over the next few decades:

“Another endangered species: journalists. Despite the proliferation of media outlets, newspapers, where the bulk of U.S. reporters work, will cut costs and jobs as the Internet replaces print. While current events will always need to be covered (we hope), the number of reporting positions is expected to grow by just 5% in the coming decade, the Labor Department says. Most jobs will be in small (read: low-paying) markets.

Radio announcers will have a tough time, too. Station consolidation, advances in technology and a barren landscape for new radio stations will contribute to a 5% reduction in employment for announcers by the middle of the next decade. Even satellite radio doesn’t seem immune from the changes. The two major companies, XM and Sirius–which now have plans to merge–have regularly operated in the red.”

The U. S. Department of Labor stats identified a few growth areas: Health care, education and financial services.

Saying goodbye to Outlook

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Back in the late 80’s I discovered a little computer application called ACT. It was a DOS app at the time. A year or so later, I purchased the first Windows version while at Comdex. I used ACT for everything for several years. As our company migrated to MS Office, I moved over to Outlook and have been there ever since.

Dwm20050412Over the last week I’ve been moving my digital life from Outlook to the Mac. XP is running great on the iMac, so there was no reason I had to switch but I’ve grown fond of iCal, Mail, Address Book and the other OSX tools.

Don’t get me wrong, Outlooks is a great program. And powerful. But it just feels… cramped and busy to me now. So, I’m spending even less time on Windows at work. I jump over to use Internet Explorer from time to time but that’s about it.

It might just be the result of packing up and cleaning house, but for the first time in years, I  have an empty in-box. Stuff comes in, I deal with and zap it. Very liberating.

Speaking of things Apple, while in St. Louis yesterday, Barb stopped by the Apple store and did a little window shopping. She’s still on board for a MacBook. Stay tuned.