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Fan of the Times

May 30, 2011

I like reading the NY Times online. Their quality of journalism is certainly higher than most others. Since they have moved to a 20 articles free per month limit I’ve been thinking about exactly how much I like the times. Enough to actually pay for the content?

I think the answer to that question is yes, but as a marketer I can’t help think of a few methods the NY Times could use to drive up their revenues in addition to the subscription model. Another model would be sharing. I already share a lot of NYT articles on twitter because they’re interesting. In addition to me perusing their site and absorbing ad-impressions, my sharing activity drives more visitors back to their property who in turn read, see ads and also share…and that’s a value to the NY Times, feeding into their advertising revenue model. I think there could be a viable advocacy system here where non-paying readers can earn additional free articles each month by sharing. This could be gamed, but there are likely a number of checkpoints the NY Times could install to prevent abuse. Especially if they leverage their existing login/share platform – Times People.

So if you are listening, NY Times execs, this enhanced freemium approach could be worth looking into to.

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Mistakes I won’t make again

April 10, 2011

This post will be updated as often as more content is generated (i.e lessons are learned)!

-running with lower-back pain (herniated disc). This rolls up to larger “listening to your body” category…

-buying house surrounded by trees (cleaning gutters)…

-running a marathon in February (obvious)…

-pulling a work all-nighter…(again obvious)

What mistakes have you learned from? Let me know by leaving a comment  – and keep it clean!

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When circumstances change – hello Foursquare and Dunkin D’s

March 14, 2011

Foursquare take 2 – On May 21st 2010 I made my 1,214th Foursquare check-in and then quit. I had loved the game and the challenge of becoming mayor of every would be destination in my life. The problem was my iPhone 3G was too damn slow – which could be traced to a combination of issues: iOS 4 didn’t jive with the old school 3Gs and the AT&T signal quality was bollocks, pretty much everywhere I went. Yesterday March 12th 2011 I made my 1,215th Foursquare check-in and I’m thrilled to announce it was quick, easy and fulfilling with the Verizon iPhone. Everything I knew it could be. I’m gonna give the game a second chance now that I’ve upgraded my equipment and carrier and see if it can infect me the same way again.

Dunkin Donuts take 47 – I recently got a train station parking permit at the best (for me) train station in town. This station is a couple of minutes closer to home and pretty much guarantees I get a very good seat on the train each day, unlike my previous station. With the old station I gave up my morning cup of Dunkin Donuts for a cup of the local brew which was right on the way. Aside from the very rare occasion, I had all but abandoned Dunkin Donuts coffee for the convenience and rhythm the local joint afforded me in my commute. Now I’m happy to report Dunkin Ds is closer and – I’m back to the cup a day Joe I was.

Sometimes you will lose customers through something that is no fault of your own. The trick to insulate yourself from this inevitability is to give obsessive focus to making your product as good as it can be. When circumstances change (and they always do) you’ll be well positioned to always be welcoming back a segment of brand fans you’ve lost touch with.

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Learning about your parents – Y2K style

February 6, 2011

At the time of this writing, I am 34 years old while my son is 4. The last five years of my life have been fairly well documented via social media.

I have been actively maintaining this blog since 2008 and have somewhere between 70-80 posts capturing the thoughts and stories circling around my mind. I have also had and been updating my Facebook and Twitter handles for the same or more amount of time.

This presents a unique generational event – when my son and kids of other Gen-X’rs are grown, they will have a window through which to view and learn about their parents. Assuming WordPress, Twitter and Facebook don’t shut down, all of the gripes, joys, thoughts and interesting share-worthy articles over the years will be showcased in a chronology that tells my/your story over years.

Pretty cool to think about. I wish our parents would have had a similar opportunity to document their lives and thinking – but I’m glad my son will have that available to him when he wants to learn more about his Dad.

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The New Years Eve purge

January 1, 2011

2011 is basically here as I write this at 8:06PM Eastern Time on December 31st. For the second straight year i find myself cleaning / purging / dejunking / donating / tossing / shredding / filing like crazy in the days leading up to the the new year. I’ve found the fresh start & clean slate a new year brings are even more satisfying when I can rid myself of the mental dross and physical junk that has crept into my life over the past year. Here’s to happy tossing – and a happy new year!

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Some Inspiration for You

November 28, 2010

I was scanning my Twitter Favorites tonight and came across these 4 inspirational tweets lined up back to back.  Check them out and let me know what you like (or don’t like about them)…

InspirationalTwitterQuotes_christopherboynton.com

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Mastering your work

October 19, 2010

As i watched Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers blank the Yankees last night in game 3 of the ALCS, an intriguing thought popped into my head…How good am I at my job?

Am I Cliff Lee or Derek Jeter or A-rod good? Maybe Rafael Nadal or Tiger Woods good?

These guys are at the top of their professions and reliably perform at the highest levels. Is making a comparison between a business career and elite athletes totally misguided? I don’t think so.

We’ve both got a job to do, both getting paid for the application of our top skills & abilities, and both have results to deliver.

It’s fun to watch someone at the top of their profession. Yes, I enjoy witnessing the dominance. Mostly though, I like watching because it helps me raise my game and motivation to win at my game, when I put their performance in context of a paid job – just like you and I have.

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