Here are a couple of photographs of Stephen Colbert that I happened to receive from someone who knows someone who knows Stephen.
Nation, you can’t photoshop this stuff. This is the real deal. You can watch Stephen on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report (the T’s are silent).
Having been a fan of DiggNation, I’ve also been checking out some of the other shows Revision3 has to offer. I’ve never really been a huge fan of Om Malik’s blog but I think he makes a good technology TV host. He has a blunt manner of speaking and the kind of solid opinions on the technology industry that you won’t find in a clueless CNN correspondent.
This bit from his last show cracks me up.
I made a snide remark on the GigaOM show forums. Just snide enough to make it onto the show apparently.
“When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you rot. Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?”
This statement is a quote of Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s. Even if you don’t like McDonald’s, or just dislike fast food in general, you have to agree that McDonald’s is probably the best known and recognizable restaurant in the world. Ray obviously did something right.
When your green, you’re growing. Its true. When I get involved in a new field, new hobby or sport, it consumes me. I want to learn everything there is to know. I want to read about it constantly. I want to iterate my new found knowledge or passion with those around me. I want to teach it to anyone who will listen.
One subject that is new and interesting to me is that of Internet marketing. A good Internet marketer will recognize unsatisfied niches and identify marketing vehicles that can spread virally throughout a community. Conventional wisdom suggests to look to the old guard to learn the techniques of Internet marketing. But I propose that its not the winners of today’s Internet traffic that hold the keys. Its the up and coming rising stars that are the ones to watch, engage and partner with.
Here is an example:
OnPulseIM is a hot new make money online blog that focuses on all niches of making money online including Internet marketing. Check out. They have contests, how-to’s, news and information on Internet marketing from an up-and-comer’s perspective. Be sure to check out http://www.OnPulseIM.com if you are serious about earning money online.
Here is a quote by hockey great Wayne Gretzky.
“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
Train yourself to think ahead of the game and you can beat the competition in any field of endeavor.
Its no secret. I’m an Apple fanboy. But I’m an informed Apple fanboy. For instance, I don’t believe Steve Jobs is God. But I do realize that he is not of this earth. I don’t tell everybody that Mac’s are better than PC’s (because I don’t want to get life-spammed with personal requests for free Mac tech support.) My PC friends all seem to have a tough time handling all the Windows questions they get from friends and family. I only know a small handful of Mac users so the free tech support requests are few and far between.
Also, I’m not an early adopter. So I don’t have an iPhone yet. I’ve played with a few iPhones and I am smitten. But I like to wait for version 2’s and revision B’s before I take the plunge.
One of the best sources for Apple iPhone information, hype, nerdery, discussion and fanboyism is available here:
Scott Bourne is running a contest to win an iPhone. So click the link above and show your love.
Sidenote: Its an iPhone — not an Iphone.
Love them or hate them, top ten lists have become an extremely pervasive format for [tag-tec]blog[/tag-tec] posts in today’s online popularity contest known as blogging. Top ten lists seem to be a handy way to get traffic one’s blog though. Why is this? Is it because the reader sees the headline and thinks “Wow here’s a nice concise list of things I am interested in - AND its only ten! Sure I can read that before my ADD kicks in” ?
So here is my list of reasons to avoid top ten lists:
1. They’re bait - Top ten lists are a psychological tool bloggers use to attract traffic to their sites. To bloggers, traffic = increased readership = ad [tag-tec]revenue[/tag-tec]. So think twice before bookmarking that article on the “top ten ways to earn a paycheck by sitting on your ass” (unless you really really enjoy sitting on your ass.)
2. Its quantity over quality - Even though ten seems like a short, digestible, easy-to-follow number to a reader - to a blogger, ten can take a long time to reach when trying to squeeze good content out of noodley, idea-dry fingers. So usually after about three or four items in a top ten list, the content gets weak, less compelling and overall DUH in nature.
3. Love and hate - Often times a top ten list will go something like this … “Top ten things I love about … ” or “Top ten things I hate about … ”
Now love is cool. I get love. But hate? But do we really need more hate in our daily reading and bookmarking? C’mon people now. Smile on your brother. Everybody get together. Try to love one another right now.
4. Thin ice - Top ten lists can be dangerous. I recently stumbled upon a list called “[Top ten] Appliances to plug into one single overloaded outlet!” Really! You can’t make this stuff up.
5. Amateur writing - The art of top tenning should be left to professionals. A professional top ten list maker is someone who has been in the top ten composition business for a long time. I’m talkin’ decades. I’m talkin’ about David Letterman.
6. Where’d it go? - Content publishers (aka Bloggers) love to get their content on digg.com for the traffic. The social networking site digg.com is arguably the most popular social news site out there. If you find a top-ten list on the front page of [tag-tec]digg[/tag-tec], chances are there are a few thousand other readers trying to access that top-ten list as well. All that traffic will quickly bring down a bloggers $5/month cheapie webhost leaving you with no way to read about the “Top ten places to find your Remote Control!”
7. Passe - Top ten lists will eventually go the way of the dodo bird, tube socks and WHAM! Don’t get left behind holding a pile of bookmarks pointing at top-ten lists that promise you riches, smarts, dating success and overall happiness. They make pills to satisfy these human cravings. Consult your doctor.
8. Teasing - Sneaky bloggers like to leave you wanting more. So they will use a technique that saves them time by jotting down nine half-assed ideas and calling it SUBTLE HUMOR. Avoid male bloggers who claim to use subtle humor. Women mastered the art of subtlety millions of years ago.
9. You’ve seen it before - Chances are the [tag-tec]top ten[/tag-tec] list your are reading (except this one) is regurgitated content. What? You thought regurgitation was only for mama-birds feeding baby-birds? No sir. Bloggers thoroughly love having top-notch content that drives readers to their blog. The only thing they love even more is “borrowing” someone else’s content to use as their own. It saves them time and brain cells. It ties into the whole sitting-on-ass lifestyle mentioned in item #1.
10. Eleven - Everyone knows that the finite number TEN is so played out. Does anyone remember “These go to eleven”?
I’m giving away 8 invites to Pownce. Pownce is a mash-up of Instant Messsaging, File Sharing and Social Newsing. 
Its FREE (w/invite) so join up and be one of the cool kids! Put a request in the comments and I will send you the invite to your e-mail address. Be sure to use a valid e-mail address of course. You can use Pownce on Mac or PC or in any web browser for you lonely Linux champs. Pownce is the brainchild of Kevin Rose (pictured at left) and his friends.
