I am reading this wonderful book given to me by a neighbor because of the conversations we have had over the years.
He and I come from opposite ends of the political spectrum. We both also enjoy discovering new perspectives or at least trying to understand them. This book is about the ability to rejoice in understanding what is around you. To discover who you are. It also has a spiritual aspect to it, not religious but spiritual. A great line about Jesus in the book was spoken by someone who was not Christian who said, "the lovely thing about Jesus was that he was so at home with sinners, because he understood that he wasn't one bit better than they were." We differ from criminals only in what we do or don't do, not in what we are.
I’m constantly amazed at how corporate managers want their marketing or their culture to be different, yet want to be assured of success by seeking reinforcing data. You can’t be different by following others, by looking for certainty in previous examples. Success becomes clear when there is a conviction to produce a product or service that is different or at the very least, one that exceeds expectations. As a business consultant, I am brought into companies to devise creative ways to position a product or company. In this process there is a rush of wanting to be different, yet the closer you get to implementing change, the higher the anxiety becomes.
There is no longer security in the status quo. The only security is in the knowledge you get from your customers, and the conversations taking place among individuals in the market.
I’m posting this just because the article that mentioned me in depth about possibly being behind the NYTPicker blog is wrong, funny, but wrong. The ASSME blog has not posted my comment as of 6:00AM EDT about 36 hours after I submitted the comment so I think it best to make sure my response is somewhere online. I even contacted the editor Sheila McClear who said she would check on it. This is the way their page displays regarding my comment.
I really think the author of the post Steve Huff has taken a satirical approach to the piece. All the same as the guy about whom he is attributing a blog which is about a major international newspaper, I feel compelled to set the record straight.
As a person who counsels companies about understanding the web, I believe my actions are the best counsel in this case. I don’t want Huff’s false premise to stand and gain digital credibility, yet my perception is it is a piece that was done more in the spirit of humor than a factual milestone. Therefore my response is in a similar tone, and those who know my writing on Media Bullseye know I take joy in coaxing a smile out of readers.
So enjoy this post which in large part appears here because I think it necessary not to be absent from this digital record for in this case I am certain of the facts. The smaller and italics type is copied from the response page after submitting the comments.
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
This is a good one, I mean classic conspiracy theory stuff. Tell me Steveo, are you still looking for the pictures of Neil Armstrong stepping foot on the Nevada desert laughing his ass off, “One small step for man. OH no guys I can’t go through with this.” Are you wondering why Armstrong caved? Yeah me too.
Ok Ok, It’s obvious you don’t know me. Want to? , Podcasts back to February 2005, hundreds of blog posts and comments on other blogs, 8,483 Tweets (Like twice what you have and I hate to think what that says about my life) , Facebook, LinkedIn. Oh you never call, you never write, to ask me, “Hey Al what’s with your name as the originator of the NYTpick.com domain a couple of years ago?
I would not have either, you’d have ended up with a boring story like the real reason I registered http://www.NYTPick.com
The real reason was a friend of mine wanted to do a Sunday night conversation podcast of what we thought were interesting articles in that day’s New York Times. Why the New York Times? We appreciate journalism and outside of the Jayson Blair thing,http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/national/11PAPE.html I was a loyal New York Times reader, I cancelled my subscription because of that credibility body blow, nothing to do with not wanting the news on processed trees.
The conversations we thought would be fun never got off the ground. My buddy and I have active families, spending time in the office editing a podcast on Sunday night wasn’t something we could pull off. I let the domain expire.
Now that that’s settled, Steve you write some entertaining stuff even if it is a bunch of Bull. In this wild west of new journalism as long as you spell the name right and get the links for the right SEO phrases, I could care less and you did thanks!
Hey we should do a podcast together about… on second thought, that won’t work.
All the best,
Albert Maruggi
The man behind the man behind the curtain.
Holy Hanna , what did I just do for a laugh?! Lee Odden, author of Top Rank Blog, a wonderful resource, Tweeted this
In a moment of humor, I am trying to be a leading Twitter Comic providing Tweeting improvisation based on other’s tweets, I respond with the following
NOTE: smiley face at end. After I hit send I’m thinking, Yikes! What if it gets RTed? What if it starts a Tweeter trend #MaruggiDrinking or worse yet #MaruggiDrinkingAgain - What if my life insurance company is tracking its customers’ habits and feeding their tweets into their database. What if my in-laws are tracking me, (and they are)? It’s just 140 characters people, a little chuckle. Should my response be “Lighten Up Francis” Should I Tweet a retraction?
Let me consult my influencers.
Oh God, there really is a Tweeter named Doubt, I’m hosed.
Lesson Learned: Social Media will eventually stifle all communication. :> }
Albert Maruggi
President of Provident Partners
Senior Fellow - Society for New Communications Research
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651-695-0174 office
790 Cleveland Avenue South
Suite 221
St. Paul, MN 55116
www.providentpartners.net - Marketing Edge Podcast and Blog at www.providentpartners.net/blog
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