I’m always reading these “how to blog” lists, well not so much of late, but I was reading them.  They all say consistency is key!

“Blog on a consistent basis, if it’s one time a week, then make sure you do it…”

In reading that, it seemed easy enough - but nope! Anyhow, it’s retarded for me to even blog about blogging (no offense to the retards who read my blog). I’ve been so busy doing that I haven’t had time to really tell about any of it - so here goes.

Wait! I have to share this video from Home Skillet Fest - I think it’s rad.

Ok, here goes…

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The always on mentality - it’s a choice. The quality of your work - another choice.  The quantity of your work - another choice. There is only so much you can control and the rest you have to let go and enjoy the ride.

Occasionally, I hit a speed bump. Something that doesn’t feel quite right in my gut, something that brings me to the uncomfortable conclusion, yes, I still have much to learn. Don’t over-extend-promise-deliver, all of these things get you in trouble in one way or another.

“Why Do It?”

Currently I feel over-extended in the planning of Home Skillet Festival. When it was the only thing in my life that I really did for myself (as I was working for someone else), I didn’t question the why do it? But now, with We the Media moving ahead at full steam, I am questioning the why. A music festival in my hometown of Sitka, Alaska where there are multiple bottlenecks - why?

Growing up there, I remember other people tried to do things like Home Skillet Fest and it would only last a couple of years. There was something so sad in the informative moment, “they’re not doing it this year.” All I could think of was, “why?” Now with the third festival right around the corner, all deadlines inching painstakingly closer, I know why.  Because it is fucking hard. It’s not hard in the doing or the known - it’s hard in the unknown.  Will our catalogs be printed in time? Will these tickets sell? Will these artists get on the fucking plane?

Somewhere, instilled deep inside, there is a fire that pushes me through moments like these. Everyone must find their internal burn. You have a choice.

(Holy shit I published this)

(Happy Independence Day)

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It’s difficult to tackle any web project and avoid attempting to, “shoot the moon.” Ideas are plentiful and examples even more so. I rep We The Media - that is my sole position. Finding work and finding talent are what I do by day, by night I design, code, and fight crime. I get to wear many hats, which is both burdensome and rewarding. Variety is the spice of life - and a busy life goes speeding by.

Speed is a trait of the entrepreneur, we make things happen quickly, we all think “I can do this or that.” It’s what makes us quit our jobs, it’s what makes us just start things for no reason other than our own thoughts, it’s also, as time goes by, a huge weakness. It’s super tough to rely on anyone else, but it is also absolutely necessary. Often times we think up a strategy and execute without consulting those who have proven valuable. Often times a knee-jerk reaction comes across as a painful execution and an even more painful blunder.

With the WTM website - I could have just designed and built the whole thing. But I know someone who can do it better - and without his help, WTM wouldn’t be where it’s at. It’s been a very slow rewarding process building out wtmworldwide.com piece by piece. We have more that we would like to do - but we are not rushing it. Well, maybe I am pushing it, but have realized a slow marinade is just what the site needs.

Why the entry then? We have carefully launched the We The Blog. WTB, I guess, is an aggregate of all We The Media member blogs. I’m already feeling the pressure because Nick Onken blogs way more than me - I need to keep up! It is just one more channel for us to spread our message of love for the creative souls out there.

Check it out.

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As a creative, I once looked wearily upon “networking.” Never because I thought the ideas generated between people or the relationships they had were inherently bad - I was skeptical of networking because it never felt natural to me. A forced relationship at most - brought about by people leveraging each other for personal gain - what good could come of that?

networking gives me tears

Moving from college where one has a pseudo-something to offer to a professional setting where one gains their real value - I have experienced some profound insight. No, nothing new or original - but my tendency to learn by doing and emulating has given me the real reward of what networking truly is - connecting others.

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Yep, that’s a new word, or at least I think I made it up (and if I didn’t, it’s like me to think I made up a word). The bro-conomy, to me, is the economy that exists between “bros.” Or better put, between people that you have, or would like to have, a more than a business/client relationship with - it’s something quite special. So special in fact, that in receiving a $90 dollar sweatshirt for $300+ dollars of work, you are immediately satisfied and feel that you got the good deal.

Think Bro-conomy, Think Big

So how does one crack the bro-conomy nut? When I was at an agency I noticed the guys who were making the deals getting all sorts of cool shit. Occasionally it would trickle down and I would get something like the aforementioned hoody or a circle-hoe. But for the most part it stopped right before the schwag hit the creatives. I think the most important part is exposure to clients. Before the end of this long winded, much adu about nothing post, I’ll talk about web design, a few tips to help one thrive in the bro-conomy, and a few of my own personal bro-conomy stories.

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Theresa Tran, of Tease Marketing, once said something to me in a conversation that resonated heavily, “You have good, cheap, OR fast, you get to pick two.” After mulling it over in my head for a little while, it made perfect sense. And as I broke off to go start my own business, it’s something I chalked up as a cardinal rule.

“You have good, cheap, or fast, you get to pick two.”

I have been on my own freelancing (or running my own business) for nearly six months, a few things have occurred to me. Cheap is a relative term - relative to the client paying the money as well as relevant to what you’re making across the board for all projects. Good, when doing business for yourself, isn’t so much an option as it is a requirement. And lastly, fast is the speed at which we do business period - people want everything yesterday. So do clients really ever pick two out of three? Or do they just automatically assume to run the table. After all, the customer is always right.

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It seems that every five years or so there is a splash in the airline market with a whole new low cost carrier. First it was Southwest Airlines, then JetBlue, and now there is Skybus. While I love the fact they are trying to approach the RyanAir/EasyJet no frills and cheap fairs realm, it seems like they closer to the “life lessons” realm. As in, you get what you pay for.

Their fares are ridiculously cheap if you know you want to travel six months ahead of time. They’re also perfect if Columbus, Ohio is your destination. There are a 14 starter cities and all of them lead to Columbus (only), which seems a bit strange, but then again I was told never to underestimate the drawing power of, “The Buckeye State.” Wait, no I wasn’t. That’s lame!

So attach the rigid route structure, to the fact you have to pay for each bag you check, to the fact it’s almost entirely self serve, to the fact the prices are only good if you get in first; the airline with the most startup money in history becomes nothing more than a cheap imitation of a real airline. And the real issue lays with the fact it still isn’t that cheap.

I’m sticking with other two airlines I mentioned. SkyBust! Zinggggg!

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I read something where someone said Google should acquire feedburner. I only noticed because I just went to feedburner.com and saw their new disclaimer. I kind of liked the separate entity of Feedburner, but their voice seems to match well with Google. We will see.

Perhaps there will be feed integration into Google analytics. Seeing all of my eggs in the Google basket is all fun and games until they start misbehaving, let’s hope it doesn’t happen.

You have 14 days to opt out of feedburner giving Google your data.

Good times.

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I think Stumble Upon is an interesting acquisition for any company. eBay decided to purchase Stumble Upon.

StumbleUpon is a great fit within our goal of pioneering new communities based on commerce and sustained by trust

Wait huh? I think Stumble Upon is a great, “I’m bored and want to fall into a vortex of entertainment” tool. But how does it fit with a huge auction corporation? I really want them to prove me wrong, but I think they will ruin Stumble Upon like they ruined paypal (or failed to keep up).

Oh well, another will pop up. I better start coding.

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A few days later there seems to be a general consensus around the web; A) Microsoft is using this threat as a marketing ploy to strike fear into the hearts of those thinking of switching from MS to any open source system, namely Linux and B) Everyone agrees it’s a foolish move.

I read Jonathan Schwartz’ blog entry on the subject and it definitely gives some perspective as to where the Microsoft beast is headed with their hard line, uncooperative attitude towards the Open Source Community and collaborative standards in general. Sun was faced with the same choice when they started losing to open source, and ultimately came to the conclusion; if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

At this point, Microsoft can still easily turn the ship around, but if they keep going the direction they are heading, it’s curtains.

** Update

back·fire -fired, -fir·ing, noun
to bring a result opposite to that which was planne or expected: The plot backfired.

Apparently the report quoted may just prove the opposite, Microsoft is more susceptable than Open Source when it comes to patent infringements. Read it here..

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