Category Archives: Quotable & Notes

Why “old” media struggle online

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Lost Remote’s Cory Bergman on why most TV stations haven’t done well online:

“I’ll give you these four reasons: 1) lack of investment in people and technology 2) unwillingness to take necessary risks 3) TV-driven power structure which results in the inability for web management to quickly allocate resources as they see fit and 4) a bizarre addiction to brand consistency, which limits creative ideas up and down the organization.”

I think these apply to most “old media” companies. Brand extension is not always the way to go.

Show Me Clowns for Jesus National Conference

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Scary_clownThat was the headline of a news release that came in to the Missourinet newsroom this week:

  • Over 200 clowns of every size and shape to tickle your funny bone led by Buttons with his Menagerie of Make-believe Mammals and Chagy the Clown
  • High wire feats and breathtaking motorcycle stunts that will take you to the edge of your seat by Castro and Company
  • Unbelievable juggling skill by the dynamic Cody Byrn
  • Amazing illusions that will surprise your eyes and may change your life by Duane Laflin who will also serve as our Ringmaster
  • And… many more surprises

“Circus of the King” is sponsored by Show Me Clowns for Jesus National Conference. Currently the largest ministry clown conference in the world celebrating its 23rd year of training people to use clowning and the creative arts in ministry.

Terry Heaton: Gratitude

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“…we are most vulnerable at the moment of success. It’s when we choose to shine a light on US and all our greatness. This is why it’s so important that we maintain a heart full of thanks, one of gratitude that will survive the roller coaster ride of life. For in the end, we have no power over anything — only in how we react. And I can tell you from experience, my friends, that a heart full of gratitude will survive where others will not.”

— Terry Heaton

Music videos, guerrilla style

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“As far as I know, MTV and VH1 don’t play music videos anymore; it’s all reality TV and game shows, so I don’t know if they’ll really pick up a video. To me, it’s an interesting time because you used to make a video for a million dollars with a great director. Now, you spend $10,000, if that, with no hair and makeup, and do it completely guerrilla style. For example, we did a song called “God Bless This Mess” about the war and we shot it in front of the White House and nobody stopped us. It’s really really exciting to just go out and shoot, like how Bob Dylan shot “Don’t Look Back” — it’s just a guy with a camera and you’re performing the song.”

— Sheryl Crow on using YouTube to promote her new CD

Dave Winer: “The Small Picture”

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Dave Winer weighs in on the relationship between subscriber numbers (to your blog or website) and actual readership, and why he’s more interested in “the small picture”:

“Ultimately what matters to me is not how many people subscribe to my feed, rather how much of a connection I can make with the people I want to connect with. I’m satisfied that the people I care about read my site.

I’m a blogger not a broadcaster. Blogging isn’t about mass markets, it’s about the small picture. My small picture (and for you, yours). I’m trying to draw a picture, create a frame of reference that’s personal, not corporate. I’m a zig to corporate media’s zag. I am a blogger. I am personal.”

I was a broadcaster for a dozen years. My father for 30+. The company I work for was once all about broadcasting (now less so). It’s a little… unsettling, to realize that I’m no longer a broadcaster.

The Loser Decision

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“It’s an objective fact that life often presents us with choices where the comfortable decision leads nowhere and one that threatens your ego has all the potential in the world. You need a healthy ego to endure the abuse that comes with any sort of success. The trick is to think of your ego as your goofy best friend who lends moral support but doesn’t know shit.”

— Scott Adams

Scott Adams: Bullfighting

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“I normally value the life of a human being higher than the life of an animal. But I think we’d all agree that the best animal is better than the worst human. Bulls usually mind their own business. All they want to do is eat, poop, and hump anything that moos. … On the other hoof, a matador is a guy who didn’t have enough people skills to be promoted to serial killer. Honestly, I don’t see how anyone can root for the human in this situation. I’m delighted when a bull puts a horn up a matador’s sphincter and trots around the arena wearing him like a rapper’s hat.”

More on Bull Schadenfreude.

Scott Adams on Hypnosis

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“…the best super power that hypnosis gives you is a different world view. Nothing in this life makes sense if you assume people are rational most of the time. Hypnosis teaches you how easily people’s memories and impressions can be altered. And it’s not just the gullible people, it’s all of us. It’s humbling. And it’s the most useful skill I’ve ever learned.” [Full post]