We'll Know When We Get There

ta. da.

2011-08-30T14:25:00.002-05:00

the moral of the story

2011-08-24T22:32:00.002-05:00

Is that someone thought I had the capacity for greatness and I just won't let him down until I have run out of my ways to get myself there.

on the lookout for signs

2011-08-21T22:30:00.009-05:00

stay tuned

2011-08-14T16:41:00.005-05:00

After three and a half years, I made the decision to leave my job. It's been a long time coming and there is a back story that there's really only one other person who will ever understand completely, but — in the middle of a horrendous economy — I am going to do my own thing. I'm going to work with the best creatives and strategists I have had the opportunity to work with during my 15 year caree r to develop creative solutions that bring people together to create social and policy change.

(More on that later.)

I keep saying that I have never felt this unsure of the future before in my life, but I think it's more that I presumed at this stage in my life I would be a little more confident about the path. It's like thinking, when you are 14, that you'll feel like a "grown up" when you're 30: a big ol' lie.

Right now, I'm fighting the urge to take a six month hiatus, get in my car and go for a drive across the country spending time with people I love, asking them why the hell they think I was put on this earth and if they think I could pull off that conflict zone photojournalist gig I have always dreamed of.

Last night I made a spreadsheet of the 52 places (in the order in which I would visit them) I wanted to go to on that 6 month trek.

Stay tuned.

a reminder

2011-05-08T21:01:00.003-05:00

Veronica is finding her voice and reminding me to use mine.

in which I discuss something that makes me feel less than sane

2010-07-28T20:53:00.006-05:00

I shall now attempt to write a post in which I discuss something that makes me feel less than sane without leaving you with the impression that I am not less than sane.

Already on shaky ground, aren't I?

I have this thing; it's an obsession really. I got it in my head months ago that I rarely have really good conversations with anyone. By "really good" I don't mean smart or funny or whatever. I mean conversations in which I feel like I am completely immersed — and they are as well — like we decided to hold hands and jump off a cliff together, confident that where we landed would be cool and refreshing like a lake in the middle of July or that it would be soft and pliant and we'd inevitably laugh as we bounced back up in the air — still holding hands — our insides jostled and silly.

Immersed.

Trustful?

I hear everything you're saying; you hear everything I'm saying. No distractions from the second track of thought running along in parallel; the track of doubt that — in addition to pulling my attention away — is populated by what I'm really thinking, including all the things I want to say but won't or want to ask but won't. And no distractions from wondering what's playing on your second track.

I don't have those conversations.

I don't hear everything you're saying and I don't say everything I want to say.

Ever.

And it's making me lonely.

That is all.

beautiful

2010-07-09T07:29:00.007-05:00

I cried like a baby. This is a beautiful testament to survival and to family. Goofy and geeky and filled with love.

“If someone would tell me here, then, that I would come sixty something three years later with my grandchildren, so I’d say ‘What you talking about?’ So here you are. This is really a historical moment.”

not "the" story, MY story

2010-07-05T17:46:00.008-05:00

I've received a few emails lately from people interested in speaking to me about my pen pal relationship with John Hughes, i.e., producers, filmmakers. It's been a while since I've received messages like these; most of them came in the days and weeks immediately following John's death — which is now almost a year ago.

The messages from John Hughes fans have never stopped.

Like those initial messages, I am flattered by the interest from those who want to tell the story, but I already made the decision that I was not going to follow that path for a number of reasons — some of which have to do with John, some of which have to do with me.

The majority of the messages are very kind and from people who seem to be fans of John themselves. The odd thing is that there have also been messages that suggest that the story will be told whether or not I want it to be.

Wait, let me rewrite that — not "the" story, MY story.

And, apparently, that's something that's totally cool. Okay, not cool necessarily, but kosher, as in I have nothing to say about it.

At least that's what Tod Goldberg told me earlier today. (I asked Tod if I could use screen shots of his tweets in this post and he said yes. I'll remove them if he asks me to do so.)

Read from bottom to top. Sorry, I'm too lazy to grab each tweet separately.

By the way, don't shoot the messenger; Tod's not saying it's right, he's just saying it is.

Does anyone else think this is bullshit or am I just ridiculously naive?

looking for a reason to be somewhere

2010-04-25T06:04:00.004-05:00

I graduated college just before I turned 24 (I had dropped out for a year and a half) and, after a month or so of lingering, I moved to London with a work visa I had secured from the British Universities North America Club (BUNAC).

I had a rather vague plan to continue to pursue some of the thinking I had done in my senior thesis. (Div III for those of you fortunate enough to orbit or even enter the Hampshire College universe). My work had been centered on media literacy education and, as I was happy to tell you in those days, England was light years ahead of the U.S. on the topic. Hampshire had given me a small grant — a Threshold grant — that was intended to support students to do just that — continue the work they had done in school.

But, really? I think I just wanted a plan, a reason to go somewhere and, ultimately, to be somewhere. And so I lied to my parents (who wouldn't have stood in the way if they knew the truth, but I lied to them compulsively anyway) and concocted a tale that involved already having a place to live when I got there.

I didn't, of course. I barely knew where I was going to lug my suitcase when I got off the plane. But I found an apartment — on Mordaunt Street in Brixton — and a job — near Liverpool Street Station — within a couple of weeks of being there and everything worked out just fine.

Why did I tell you that? Why did I think to post that this morning?

Because, this morning and for some time now, I have been desperately looking for that thing that was inside me that enabled me to do what I did. I wanted a reason to go somewhere, a reason to be somewhere and I found it.

I need to find it again.

watching a classic tragedy unfold

2010-01-30T13:20:00.007-05:00

From J.D. Salinger's obituary in Friday's Washington Post:

He was unable or unwilling to sustain close personal relations with anyone, she (his daughter) said. "His search…led him increasingly to relations in two dimensions: with his fictional Glass family, or with living 'pen pals' he met in letters, which lasted until meeting in person, when the three-dimensional, flesh-and-blood presence of them would, with the inevitability of watching a classic tragedy unfold, invariably sow the seeds of the relationships undoing."

i'm back

2009-12-23T11:30:00.004-05:00

I was looking through posts last night in an attempt to gather information that a friend had requested about "favorite" movements. (I sent her details about Etsy and the DIY community, the Green My Apple campaign and Dallas Clayton, whom I referred to as a "burgeoning movement" in my idealistic and hopeful eyes.)

And then this morning, when I should have been getting ready for work, I discovered Topsy.com and, for the first time, started browsing the tweets that had been written in response to "Sincerely, John Hughes."

And I remembered — for the 1,784th time — that I really love blogging because it is a chance to write — about what I want to write about. It is my space to do the thing that makes me happiest in this world.

I'm back. I apologize for my absence. I love you, Twitter, but it just ain't the same.

having an impact

2009-11-07T13:20:00.008-05:00

I've become increasingly aware of people who are doing what they want to do with their lives and having a positive impact on others' in the process.

I wrote recently about Dallas Clayton, who wrote a beautiful book for his son to inspire a little boy to think big and, when he couldn't find a publisher, published it himself and is now giving copies away.

I watched Jonathan Demme's Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains this morning, about a former president who is willing to ruffle feathers and speak his mind because he lives according to a code of justice and has no other option.

I have, for years, admired my friend David Wilson, for developing the truly inspiring True False Film Fest in his hometown of Columbia, Missouri, capturing the attention of filmmakers from around the world for his love letter to documentary films, his beloved hometown and his family.

I have obviously written about my childhood mentor, John Hughes, who rejected a world that nevertheless embraced him and encouraged me and instilled in me a desire to follow my own passions.

Then there's my friend, Christie Herring, a documentary filmmaker who is working hard to complete her film, The Campaign, about the campaign to defeat California's Prop 8, which, one year ago, overturned the right to marriage for same sex couples.

There was a great pos t about Christie and The Campaign this morning in The Huffington Post, with Georgianne Nienaber relating today's fight for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people with her own experiences in the gay rights movement of the mid-1970's. It was a lovely reminder to me that, once again — people can do what they want with their lives and have a positive impact on others' lives in the process.

It sounds so stupidly obvious, doesn't it? But how many of us are really doing it?

I don't think I can say I am.

another chapter for the book

2009-10-14T08:18:00.002-05:00

In college, my friend Andrew and I would rationalize bad behavior (on our part) or painful experiences with the comment that it was "another chapter for the book." In essence, we believed these things made us more interesting, gave us more fodder to tell tales.

It's a notion I still believe in.

I am a more interesting and thoughtful person because of the obstacles that I have had to overcome. I have better stories to tell because of those obstacles and due to risks I have taken.

They are another chapter for the book.

Unfortunately, it won't be THAT book. I am not writing the book about my pen pal relationship with John Hughes — for reasons I'd rather not discuss, but which sadden me.

Another chapter for the book?

Not this time.

dream big

2009-10-04T20:47:00.004-05:00

Dallas Clayton is the guy behind Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are-related blog, We Love You So. He's also the author of An Awesome World, which is why I am completely enamored of him.

Dallas Clayton is awesome.

It's not just that Dallas wrote a book for his five-year old son that is completely inspiring. He's also traveling all over and reading the book to kids and giving away a copy of the book for every one he sells.

And the message of Dallas's book, the message that every kid should hear — whether you're five or 35 or even 75 — is to DREAM BIG.

You can read the whole book online, but when you get to the end, you're still likely to want to buy a copy for yourself to remind yourself to dream of "rocket-powered unicorns" or to inspire someone else whom you hope will dream of "dancing wild animals with diamond-coated wings." Or maybe you just want to buy a book so Dallas can give someone else a copy to urge them to "dream a dream as big as big could ever dream to be."

The book proposal is on hold. I'm dreaming big, but I think I'm also dreaming different.

mahatma gandhi never looked cuter

2009-10-02T05:50:00.004-05:00

"School children dressed as Mahatma Gandhi take part in a cultural programme on the eve of Gandhi's 140th birth anniversary, in the central Indian city of Bhopal October 1, 2009."

This picture makes me smile.

The kid, second from the left, looks like he may not embrace non-violence as much as the man he honors would have liked.

someone, can you hear me?

2009-09-20T13:00:00.007-05:00

I finished the first draft of the book proposal about five minutes ago and sent it to my agent. It's far from perfect, but I got to the point where it just needed to be DONE. The purpose, at this stage, is to get a publisher to commit to it, not to win a Nobel Prize.

Concerns? It sounds more depressing, or at least melodramatic, than I intend it to be. I literally wanted to write across the top of it, "THIS WILL BE FUNNY. YOU WILL LAUGH. I PROMISE."

But I refrained. Hopefully my sense of humor will come through.

(Please, let it come through.)

I still need to hear from someone to know that it's okay.

(Someone, can you hear me?)

And then, if it goes forward, I'll have to deal with the ramifications of being honest about life on the Byrne Fields ranch.

Crap.

So, I'm still trying to decide which John Hughes I most closely resembled as a teenager (in terms of character, not looks — or even gender.)

Here are the contenders:

Alison Reynolds (The Breakfast Club)

Duckie Dale (Pretty in Pink)

Samantha Baker (Sixteen Candles)

Andie Walsh (Pretty in Pink)

Watts (Some Kind of Wonderful)

I think Alison might be in the lead…

i'm sorry, 826

2009-09-15T05:43:00.007-05:00

The guilt.

As part of my job, I advise nonprofit organizations on donor relations. The general message is that donors — because they're people — like to hear "thank you" and that, increasingly, donors like to feel they are integral to helping an organization to meet its mission, not just by giving money but as ambassadors for the organization or the cause. The latter is a notion that predates Barack Obama's presidential campaign, but is easily illustrated by the campaign's purposeful decision to frame their messages using the collective pronoun (we), suggesting all Americans had a role to play in changing the direction of our country.

"We are the ones we've been waiting for, we are the ones we seek."

When I have my donor hat on, this is what I am hoping for from the organizations to which I give my money. I don't just want to write a check, I want to feel engaged. And, yeah, I should just be able to revel in the reward that comes from knowing I've contributed to achieving a mission in which I believe,

BUT I REALLY WANT SOMEONE TO SAY THANK YOU.

(That was a set up. A long one.)

I'm feeling really guilty this morning. Over the weekend, having not heard from 826 — after making a (in my world) significant contribution to them — I sent the organization an email with some advice on donor relations and letting them know they had lost me because they had simply neglected to say thank you.

(I suck.)

Yesterday, Lauren Hall, the organization's Development Director, sent me an email to apologize for not being in touch sooner.

"I would like to follow up soon, maybe you would consider talking with me on the phone? I feel awful about all of this. The truth, like I stated below, is that our individual donors are our livelihood, and in the past we have prided ourselves on our effusive donor appreciation. It's just that yours was delayed…Your donation was the talk of the WEEK, completely lifting our spirits and inspiring our work. We are so grateful for the exposure that you've afforded us with heartfelt mentions on your blog. All of this has been incredibly exciting and motivating, and I'm sorry it's taken us a minute to let you know all this!"

(Have I mentioned how much I suck? Did you notice she said it took "a minute" to get back to me?)

Then, last night, when I got home, there was a nice little package for me from 826, which it seems they mailed before I sent my email. A t-shirt, buttons, a couple of publications put out by the organization and a handwritten note signed — not just by one staff member, but four — including a suggestion that I come by and visit them if I am ever in San Francisco.

Hey, 826, consider this my apology for my impatience. You do a great job with donor relations. Now get back to work doing what you do and stop worrying about me and my whining. You've got me for life.

If you want to make a donation to 826 and promise not to give Lauren a hard time for not getting back to you immediately, then head this way.

you were right

2009-09-13T11:22:00.004-05:00

Photo by Flickr user the_trial used under Creative Commons license.

Yeah, so I might be writing a book about being pen pals with John Hughes.

For all the naysayers who said I wrote "Sincerely, John Hughes" because I was a wannabe writer looking to make it big, go ahead and have a field day. But when you're done, get back to me on how precisely I managed to manipulate a half million people to come and read the blog post, because I'd like to use that same power to convince Congress to support meaningful health care reform.

For all the truly supportive and wonderful people who came by to read the post and to take the time to share their own stories, thanks again. It was surprising and, as I have said before, overwhelming, but appreciated. I hope you'll keep coming by in the months to come as I put my ideas together. Maybe you can help me to think through what is worth sharing and what is just boring stuff about ME.

I don't know for sure this is going to happen, so don't head over to Amazon to pre-order just yet (presuming you have any interest). Someone needs to decide it's worth the paper it's printed on and there are a few folks from whom I would really like to have their blessing, but I'm ready to write.
I've started looking through my journals from the time and watching the movies John made in that period to get the wheels spinning.

First things first, I need to finish this proposal. I'll let you know how that goes.

Thanks again.

what makes a good pen pal?

2009-09-01T12:58:00.003-05:00

I admit it, I look at my blog stats. I'm not religious about it and I don't get weirded out when numbers drop (my ego is not that fragile), but I am fascinated by what brings people to the site. The best is when I discover a new blog or Web site that's linking to me.

That's how I found SoulPancake, a site created by Rainn Wilson with the aim of making "Spirituality, Creativity and Philosophy cool again…engaging the user to "Chew On Life's Big Questions."

The story of my correspondence with John Hughes has prompted them to ask,

Who (dead or alive) would you choose to be your pen pal, and what you say to them in your first letter?

I have a new pen pal who came to me as a result of the interest in the blog post and for whom I am incredibly grateful. (I'd like to take the correspondence to pen and paper at some point, but for now we're corresponding via email.) And, well, I would love to still be able to write to John. But is there anyone else?

They need to be able to — and clearly love to — write; an "interesting" life does not equal good pen pal.
They need to be reflective. Observations about the world around you make for good reading.
They need to balance — over the course of the pen pal relationship (not necessarily in a single letter) — sharing stories from their life with inquires about mine.
They need to trust that they have my confidence and I need to trust that I have theirs. There's honestly nothing better than the intimacy that comes with that sense of trust.

So, I guess it's not a single person, but someone who, like John, who can deliver on these four points.

Like my new pen pal.

How about you? Let the folks at SoulPancake know.

geek for machines

2009-08-30T13:11:00.012-05:00

Here are some of the photos I took while on my recent trip to Amsterdam.

If you haven't been to Amsterdam before, the most remarkable thing about the city are all the bikes. (Forget the pot smoking and prostitutes; what's so remarkable about that?)

These bikes were those locked up on the south side of the city's central train station.

I'm a geek for machines.

I have a horrible sense of direction, so I started using the canals to help me to figure out where I was on the map. Apparently this is better for me than a GPS screaming "YOU ARE HERE!!!" in my hand.

When I took this photo, I was thinking about how green the water looked, even against (or because of) the green of the boat.

I should have gotten closer, because what caught my eye were the letters on the sides of the buildings on the other side of the bikes.

As I walked away, I also wanted to take photos of the guys in the coffee shop on the left side of the frame, but I am too shy to take photos of strangers. You know what they sell in coffee shops, right? Well, this one wasn't filled with white guys with dreadlocks and stupid looks on their faces who look like they have been wandering ever since Phish stopped touring. These guys were the old guys you see hanging out at the local barber shop in Queens.

Lines and corners and big beautiful windows. I coveted those apartments with floor level windows overlooking the canals.

There were some buildings that jutted forward, either because their foundations had shifted or because of the shifting of the buildings around them. Or, likely, both.

It's like a movie set, isn't it?

My pictures are about shapes and textures and lines. I would love to take photos of the textures and lines of people's faces, but I tend to travel alone (primarily for business) and, like I said, I'm too shy to take photos of strangers. I need to invest in a good telephoto lens so I can do it without them seeing me.

Okay, that sounded creepy.

where the wild things are

2009-08-28T06:18:00.002-05:00

I tried to tweet about this, but 140 characters didn't do it justice. 826LA, the LA branch of the organization I asked folks to make donations to, is going to be doing a "special preview screening" of the new Spike Jonze film, "Where the Wild Things Are" on October 1 in Los Angeles at the Arlight Theater to raise money for the organization.

Dave Eggers, the film's screenwriter, is the founder of 826National.

If you want to see the film and participate in the Q&A after the film (with Eggers, Jonze and actors Catherine Keener and Max Records), it will cost you a well-spent $75. If you want to mix and mingle at the after party, your ticket will cost you $200.

Tickets are going fast. I'd like to be there. If you get a chance to go, come back and tell us how it went.

I am still waiting for my check from the New York Post so I can send my donation to 826. I'm hoping it's in my mailbox when I get home from Amsterdam tomorrow.

patience and fake plastic trees

2009-08-26T17:27:00.006-05:00

I'm going to write a post about the insanely funny, embarrassing, I didn't know I was starring in a bad romantic comedy experience I had tonight.

But I'm in Amsterdam, it's 12:30 am and I need to go to beddie bye so I can go to a meeting in the morning.

Tomorrow.

For now, I give you Jeff Tweedy singing Radiohead. Because that's a spectacular thing.

Update: I think I'm going to let that really, embarrassing thing die and not tell the story. For now.

stops and starts and flows

2009-08-13T22:03:00.007-05:00

This comes down on Sunday, but it's an interview I did on BBC Radio on August 7. I like it because they asked me to read the blog post in full.

When I write, that's how I edit. If it sounds good out loud, if it feels good on my tongue, than it passes muster.

I'm a fan of the rhythm of words, of how punctuation and the use of paragraphs (is there a word for that?) creates a cadence of stops and starts and flows.

Do you read your stuff out loud too? With the door closed or with an audience in the room?

I have the door closed.

Fast forward to 1:16:00 if you want to listen.

Update: The BBC piece is no longer available online. But they sent me an mp3 file and I've posted it to Vimeo. Is it just me or is it really slow?

Making Lemonade

2009-08-11T14:30:00.011-05:00

This is a film (Lemonade) about people in the ad agency world who lost their jobs and found something better on the other side, including their happiness and an unexpected new sense of self worth.

Yeah, I work in the industry. Don't read too much into it. Read THIS into it. If you're not doing what you want to be doing right this very minute, you might want to reconsider.

I'm getting this out there for a Twitter friend, the film's writer and co-executive producer and former agency ACD. Watch it. He's a good man, that Eric Proulx (@eproulx) and I think he might be doing what he was meant to be doing all along.

Sincerely, Alison Byrne Fields

2009-08-08T05:55:00.007-05:00

Okay, so yesterday scared the crap out of me.

The phone calls and emails from reporters and literary agents and movie producers and the thousands of comments from John Hughes fans that I wanted to acknowledge and respond to? More than I was prepared to handle — literally and emotionally. Individually, you guys are great. Collectively, I wanted to crawl under my desk and curl up in the fetal position.

I'm shy. No, really. Sure, I mouth off on Twitter and I can pull off a client meeting, but I get anxious when I'm the center of attention. I'm a private person. I'm an honest and forthright person, but I have always been very cautious about what I share — and with whom.

Beyond that, my correspondence with John has always been an important part of my life, a chapter that informs who I am today. Putting it out there to be analyzed and critiqued risked the possibility that some of the beauty that I saw in it would fade. I've always pushed my clients to be willing to listen to criticism and, for example, allow negative comments to be posted on their Web sites, but right now, I want to delete the comments from the (very very few) who chose to sully something lovely and innocent with their ugliness. As I said yesterday on Twitter — in one of my less eloquent moments — "People who say mean things suck. Kindness feels better — to you and to me."

And the condolences. I don't feel like I deserve those. John's wife, his sons, his grandchildren. They deserve your condolences. Think of them and, if you're so inclined, pray for them as they get through this difficult time.

Mostly though, I was scared I was betraying John. Would he want me to tell these stories? Was it wrong to talk about his phone call? He was raw. Was he trusting me with something and did I not show that trust the respect it deserved? Would his family or friends think I was betraying his trust to get the attention I never wanted in the first place? I do not want to be known as the woman who revealed why John Hughes left Hollywood. John Hughes wasn't Deep Throat and I'm not Carl Bernstein — or Bob Woodward.

What was amazing about this experience — besides all of your kind comments — was hearing from John's sons. As I told both of them, it is very obvious to me that the generosity their father showed me was something they have both inherited. Thank you, John. Thank you, James.

So, a few things.

I'm not doing any more interviews. Okay, maybe one more. Rachel Sklar got in touch last night and I like Rachel. I'll talk to her and maybe we can do something fun together.

The blog post will be reprinted in full in tomorrow's New York Post. I received a very small fee for allowing them to do so and I am going to give that money (plus some extra) to 826 National, an organization that works with young people (ages 6-18) and teachers to encourage writing. Because of John's encouragement of my writing and the encouragement that many of you have given me to write, it seems fitting. I'd like to ask each of you to do the same or to consider volunteering. 826 National has locations in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Ann Arbor and Boston.

I checked with the Hughes family and they support this idea and encourage you to also consider giving to the American Heart Association or Northwestern Memorial Hospital in John's memory. $10, $20, anything you have would have an impact (remember, it's the little things.) If things are tight and you don't have any extra money and you are in the Chicago area, please consider volunteering for the Northwestern Memorial Hospital. I am confident they would welcome your support and it would be a lovely way to demonstrate your admiration for John.

To all of you who have written to me on Facebook and Twitter to thank me for the post, I am sincerely appreciative for your graciousness. And for those who have encouraged me to keep writing, thank you. It is the thing I like to do most in this world and I guess I just got a major kick in the pants to keep at it.

My apologies to those of you who have asked to be my "friend" on Facebook, but that space is for people I already know. Please don't be offended. Most of the content I post on there wouldn't make any sense to you anyway. It barely makes sense to the people who know me. You can obviously follow me on Twitter, which many of you already have chosen to do. But just know that I'm not always "beautiful" and "touching." Yeah, I mean, I am hardly ever "beautiful" and "touching." I'm kinda grumpy.

The moral of this story? Speak up, believe that there are people out there who will listen. And if you have the opportunity to be the "listener"? Listen. You have the power to change someone's life. Oh, and another thing. Do what makes you happy, according to your rules. Stay true to your values. I'm going to try to remember these lessons myself.

My friend Spike said it would be over today. Doesn't one of you want to make a wacky video about your cat? I hear those are really popular.

Sincerely, John Hughes

2009-08-06T16:41:00.016-05:00

I was babysitting for my mom's friend Kathleen's daughter the night I wrote that first fan letter to John Hughes. I can literally remember the yellow grid paper, the blue ball point pen and sitting alone in the dim light in the living room, the baby having gone to bed.

I poured my heart out to John, told him about how much the movie mattered to me, how it made me feel like he got what it was like to be a teenager and to feel misunderstood.

(I felt misunderstood.)

I sent the letter and a month or so later I received a package in the mail with a form letter welcoming me as an "official" member of The Breakfast Club, my reward a strip of stickers with the cast in the now famous pose.

I was irate.

I wrote back to John, explaining in no uncertain terms that, excuse me, I just poured my fucking heart out to you and YOU SENT ME A FORM LETTER.

That was just not going to fly.

He wrote back.

"This is not a form letter. The other one was. Sorry. Lots of requests. You know what I mean. I did sign it."

He wrote back and told me that he was sorry, that he liked my letter and that it meant a great deal to him. He loved knowing that his words and images resonated with me and people my age. He told me he would say hi to everyone on my behalf.

"No, I really will. Judd will be pleased you think he's sexy. I don't."

I asked him if he would be my pen pal.

He said yes.

"I'd be honored to be your pen pal. You must understand at times I won't be able to get back to you as quickly as I might want to. If you'll agree to be patient, I'll be your pen pal."

For two years (1985-1987), John Hughes and I wrote letters back and forth. He told me - in long hand black felt tip pen on yellow legal paper - about life on a film set and about his family. I told him about boys, my relationship with my parents and things that happened to me in school. He laughed at my teenage slang and shared the 129 question Breakfast Club trivia test I wrote (with the help of my sister) with the cast, Ned Tanen (the film's producer) and DeDe Allen (the editor). He cheered me on when I found a way around the school administration's refusal to publish a "controversial" article I wrote for the school paper. And he consoled me when I complained that Mrs. Garstka didn't appreciate my writing.

"As for your English teacher…Do you like the way you write? Please yourself. I'm rather fond of writing. I actually regard it as fun. Do it frequently and see if you can't find the fun in it that I do."

He made me feel like what I said mattered.

"I can't tell you how much I like your comments about my movies. Nor can I tell you how helpful they are to me for future projects. I listen. Not to Hollywood. I listen to you. I make these movies for you. Really. No lie. There's a difference I think you understand."

"It's been a month of boring business stuff. Grown up, adult, big people meetings. Dull but necessary. But a letter from Alison always makes the mail a happening thing."

"I may be writing about young marriage. Or babies. Or Breakfast Club II or a woman's story. I have a million ideas and can't decide what's next. I guess I'll just have to dive into something. Maybe a play."

"You've already received more letters from me than any living relative of mine has received to date. Truly, hope all is well with you and high school isn't as painful as I portray it. Believe in yourself. Think about the future once a day and keep doing what you're doing. Because I'm impressed. My regards to the family. Don't let a day pass without a kind thought about them."

There were a few months in 1987 when I didn't hear from John. I missed his letters and the strength and power and confidence they gave me and so I sent a letter to Ned Tanen who, by that time, was the President of Paramount Pictures (he died earlier this year). In my letter I asked Mr. Tanen if he knew what was up with John, why he hadn't been writing and if he could perhaps give him a poke on my behalf.

He did.

I came home from school soon after to find an enormous box on my front porch filled with t-shirts and tapes and posters and scripts and my very own Ferris Bueller's Day Off watch.

And a note.

"I missed you too. Don't get me in trouble with my boss any more. Sincerely, John Hughes."

Fast forward.

1997. I was working in North Carolina on a diversity education project that partnered with colleges and universities around the country to implement a curriculum that used video production as an experiential education tool. On a whim, I sent John a video about the work we were doing. I was proud of it and, all these years later, I wanted him to be proud too.

Late one night I was in the office, scheduled to do an interview with a job candidate. Ten minutes or so into the call it was clear that he wasn't the right guy, but I planned to suffer through.

Then the phone rang.

1…2…3…4…a scream came from the other room and 1…2…3…my boss Tony was standing in my doorway yelling, "John Hughes is on the phone!!"

I politely got off the phone with the job candidate who was no longer a candidate and

Hit. Line. Two.

"Hi, John."

"Hi, Alison."

We talked for an hour. It was the most wonderful phone call. It was the saddest phone call. It was a phone call I will never forget.

John told me about why he left Hollywood just a few years earlier. He was terrified of the impact it was having on his sons; he was scared it was going to cause them to lose perspective on what was important and what happiness meant. And he told me a sad story about how, a big reason behind his decision to give it all up was that "they" (Hollywood) had "killed" his friend, John Candy, by greedily working him too hard.

He also told me he was glad I had gotten in touch and that he was proud of me for what I was doing with my life. He told me, again, how important my letters had been to him all those years ago, how he often used the argument "I'm doing this for Alison" to justify decisions in meetings.

Tonight, when I heard the news that John had died, I cried. I cried hard. (And I'm crying again.) I cried for a man who loved his friends, who loved his family, who loved to write and for a man who took the time to make a little girl believe that, if she had something to say, someone would listen.

Thank you, John Hughes. I love you for what you did to make me who I am.

Sincerely, Alison Byrne Fields.

compelling supporters to join your fight

2009-07-12T18:47:00.002-05:00

The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof has been on a roll lately with his columns about the right — and the wrong — way for charitable organizations to compel supporters to join them in the fight to meet their mission.

Earlier this week he argued, as he had in 2007, that the public is more compelled to get involved if they see themselves as saving one person — one cute kid, one mother who has persevered — versus the millions who may find themselves in the same situation.

"There’s growing evidence that jumping up and down about millions of lives at stake can even be counterproductive. A number of studies have found that we are much more willing to donate to one needy person than to several. In one experiment, researchers solicited donations for a $300,000 fund that in one version would save the life of one child, and in another the lives of eight children. People contributed more when the fund would save only one life."

People want to feel good. They don't want to think about the enormity of a problem that they can never truly solve. They want to write a check and believe they have had an impact.

Quite a few well-meaning people who see themselves as experts in issues marketing did not take too kindly to Kristof's comments. They'll have to get over themselves.

Yesterday, Kristof praised the marketing efforts of Scott Harrison, the founder of charity:water, an organization that has raised $10 million in the past three years from 50,000 individual donors and has provided clean water to one million people in Asia and Africa.

Why does Kristof think Harrison been successful?

He can assure new donors that every sent they send will make it to the field. He can do this due to the support of 500 of his "most committed" supporters, who pay to cover all administrative costs.
Donors can see the impact of their work. They can name wells and get the GPS coordinates to identify their wells on Google Maps.
Finally, charity:water has, creatively, embraced social media.

Assure your donors they're money is being spent effectively, allow them to see how they have made a difference and use social media to help facilitate building relationships with your supporters and tapping into their networks.

just dreamy

2009-05-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

david lynch puts baby in the corner

2009-05-10T19:44:00.000-05:00

hang 'em high

2009-05-10T19:34:00.003-05:00

This piece from Andrew Sullivan about Dick Cheney's persistent attacks on the Obama administration over the past four months (and this weekend in particular) is EXCELLENT.

It's not just that I'd love to be allowed to frolic in the wading pool of Obamadoration without the bellowing of a grumpy old man getting in the way; I've been astounded by Cheney's insistence on making appearance after appearance, weekend after weekend. Hey, Cheney, you're out! You're done! Your reign of terror has come to an end!

But Sullivan things we should just let Cheney hang himself — and take the Republican Party down with him.

"Those of us who want him to face real accountability should, of course, welcome all this. Cheney does not seem to understand that he is incriminating himself further with every interview, every time he adjusts his story, every time he moves from torture as a 'no-brainer' to a 'last resort,' every time he assaults yet another person who knows too much about him and what he did."

I can get behind that. Who wants to book Cheney for next Sunday?

latest

2009-02-22T19:44:00.003-05:00

I'm not giving up. I've maintained this blog for more than four years and I can't walk away from it, despite appearances to the contrary.

I'm working with a friend, however, to create a new site, something that will serve more as a calling card for myself — both professionally and personally. I am hoping that the new site will compel me to get back into the groove.

The aim is to transfer the content from this site to the new site, but feature it in a different way.

I'll keep you posted on the progress and, in the meantime, I'll try to post here more often.

change has come to america

2009-01-24T20:33:00.001-05:00

"If you don't stick to your values when they're being tested, they're not values. They're hobbies!"

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Fox News Fear Imbalance

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

the oath

2009-01-23T12:25:00.000-05:00

shop

2009-01-03T22:32:00.000-05:00

best practice for blog commenting protocol

2009-01-01T19:57:00.004-05:00

Joey DeVilla at Global Nerdy posted this blog commenting protoco l from the United States Air Force yesterday. (It came to me via Dave Armano on Twitter.)

It's a super simple way to communicate the information that I have been sharing with clients via "commenting protocols," which are tailored guidelines for who, when, where, why and how to respond to brand mentions online.

These documents are generally a few pages long and I've never been confident that they really get shared and absorbed throughout the client's company or group in a way that I would like them to. If the client still wants the detail that comes in the commenting protocol, we can provide that to them, but this style of document makes sense for them to have to share internally to really get people on board. It's easy to understand and easy to share and can still be tailored to the client's specific situation/brand message.

end of year wrap up

2008-12-13T13:30:00.013-05:00

It feels a bit like cheating to write an end of year blog post when I haven't been posting much, but I'm a sucker for tradition and a touch obsessive compulsive, so it's going to happen. And, well, I'm resolved to get this blog going again in 2009, so consider this a new beginning.

Anyway, this is my, I believe, fourth end of year post. I generally wait for Kristen to tag me, but she's pretty much abandoned her blog as well, so I'm not sure I can wait that long.

Here we go.

What did you do in 2008 that you had never done before?

Spoke at a funeral

Became really comfortable with public speaking — in fact, I get a rush from it now.

Did you keep your new year's resolutions and will you make more for next year?
Last year I said that I didn't make new year's resolutions and I kept to my word. Well, maybe I need to start making them and sticking to them because things NEED to get better. I've made 15+ resolutions for 2009 and things ARE going to get better.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
I feel like everyone around me is getting married and having babies, which makes sense because I am a single woman in her (late) 30's and we get like that. Anyway, a couple of friends with whom I was close in college had babies: Freyja and Kira. My new friend Ashton also pushed out a puppy and Mark's wife Maureen had a baby at the beginning of the year. I think that's it. Let me know if I missed anyone.

Did anyone close to you die?
My grandmother, Ruth Fields, died in February. And, yes, this has something to do with my answer about what I did this year that I have never done before. I read something at her funeral that she had asked to be read. I remember it rhymed and kinda felt like something you'd cut out of Reader's Digest and tape to your refrigerator if you were into taping things about not being sad after you're dead on your refrigerator. We're planning her unveiling now and I miss her horribly. I also know that, when I wrote last yea r that no one close to me had died, I would be writing about her death this year.

I miss you, Grandma, and I always will.

What countries did you visit?
I traveled a great deal this year, but primarily the 2,306 (according to United) miles between Washington DC an Seattle. Internationally, I only traveled to The Netherlands in August and to France in October.

What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Some success at business development would be nice. But there's one thing I spent way too much time in 2008 really really really wanting that I would love to have in 2009, but I think maybe it's better just to, instead, regain my sanity and perspective and stop wanting it so much.

Maybe I shouldn't want it at all, as a matter of fact.

What date from 2008 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
How can I say anything but November 4? Holy shit. Woke up godawful early to vote and ended the day in tears amazed, AMAZED when Keith Olbermann announced that Barack Obama was projected to be the next president of the United States. Wonderful, beautiful, hopeful.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I don't really feel like I pulled off any great achievement this year. It felt more like endurance; I kept going despite it all. Sorry to be such a drama queen but it just was not a banner year. The bar is low, but 2009 will be a marked improvement.

What was my biggest failure?
That I merely endured?

Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was pretty healthy this year. I'm sick now with a cold, but the body stood up pretty well. Keep going, baby.

What was the best thing you bought this year?
I have worn my black Frye boots so often this year that I had to have the heels replaced. I am embarrassed by how often I wear them.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
I cried when Hillary Clinton called for Obama to receive the Democratic nomination by acclimation from the floor of the Convention. I respect her tremendously and know how badly she wanted the nomination — and for the right reasons — but she rose above in a way that all of us should aspire to.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Sarah Palin is repulsive. She is an idiot. But even worse than Sarah Palin are the fools who fell for her crap. You should all be sent to Guantanamo and forced to stay there for seven years without a trial. Okay?

Where did most of your money go?
Buying other people drinks and dinner. And dresses. I bought a hell of a lot of dresses this year.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I got pretty damn giddy about the election.

What song will always remind you of 2008?
There are two songs: "I Found a Reason" by Cat Power

and "Beautiful Child" by Rufus Wainwright.

Compared to this time last year are you happier or sadder?
I think I might be sadder. It's been a tough year. But I'm hopeful, so the chin is up.

Compared to this time last year are you thinner or fatter?
I think I might be fatter. I'm definitely not thinner. That's next year.

Compared to this time last year are you richer or poorer?
Richer.

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Showed love.

What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worked. But more importantly, resented working. That's crap.

How will you be spending New Year's?
I celebrate on New Year's Day and generally just go to bed on New Year's Eve. I know it makes me sound like a boring old lady, but I want to capitalize on the hopefulness of the new year by waking up feeling good and spending the day doing something that makes me happy.

Did you fall in love in 2008?
I was in love when the year started . . .

How many one night stands?
No more one night stands for me. Late night text messages from friends with whom I have an understanding? Yeah, those, those happened. But I won't count.

What was your favorite TV program?
I tend to watch more television shows on Netflix now than on television. Whole series at a time. Discover a great show and then watch the hell out of it. Friday Night Lights is the latest. Season 1 was leaps and bounds better than Season 2, but I'll definitely be tuning in for the premiere of Season 3 on NBC on January 16.

Do you hate anyone know that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't hate people. But I do dislike a couple of people whom I didn't even know last year. How's that?

What was the best book you read?
I loved Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail by Hunter S. Thompson, particularly in the midst of the election. I wish Hunter was around to cover this one.

What was your greatest musical (re)discovery?
My love for Liz Phair returned with a vengeance this year after I saw her at the 9:30 Club in DC in August. I had been listening to Exile in Guyville and then realized after the fact that Whip Smart was amazing.

What did you want and get?
A Democrat in the White House.

What did you want and not get?
I don't want to get into specifics, but I lost something I didn't even know I had. The biggest surprise was in realizing how much I wanted it when I realized I couldn't.

What was your favorite film of this year?
"He could wield a pretty effective sword against what's going on right now."

I loved Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson.

What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I was at my grandmother's funeral on my birthday and I was as old as the hills.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting that thing I wanted.

How would you describe your personal fashion statement in 2008?
This year's uniform was a dress, black tights and black boots. And the headbands continue to go strong.

What kept you sane?
Who — Ray Page, Japanese salary man

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I have to be too old to answer this question with any dignity. Jason Bateman remains my longest running crush. I've developed new crushes on Kyle Chandler, Zach Gilford and Taylor Kitsch on Friday Night Lights. Hunter S. Thompson is my dead crush.

What political issue stirred you the most?
I'm pretty much at a boil at all times when it comes to politics, so this question has never worked for me. I had tunnel vision this year. I just wanted to WIN.

Who did you miss?
Grandma.

Who was the best new person you met?
Ray Page, Japanese salary man

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008?
I've learned a fair amount of humility in 2008 and he'll hate to hear it if he ever reads this, but I credit my friend Ray Page. I listen to his feedback in a way that I have never been able to before because I sincerely trust the source and, in the process, have gotten better at listening to feedback from others.

It's a really mutually supportive friendship that makes me pretty damn happy — except when we rag on each other mercilessly and I want to scoop his heart out and eat it with a side of fries.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your ear.
Mental wounds still screaming
Driving me insane
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train.

get a personality

2008-12-01T20:29:00.000-05:00

One of the oft repeated tips for a successful blog (so 2005) was that you should try to be consistent and stick to one topic. The thinking was that your readers would come to rely on you as a resource for your area of expertise, whether it was social media, knitting or fan girldom.

Well, that tip should be tossed out the window when you are using Twitter. While you can establish yourself as a great resource for a particular topic, the "best" Twitter users are those who take advantage of the medium to let their true personalities come out.

Sure, you're a marketing genius. But you're also a dad or a mom who likes Fraggle Rock and rides motorcycles and sings karaoke on the weekend — at least when you're not baking blueberry muffins, getting a new tattoo, remodeling the bathroom, traveling to yet another conference or client meeting or drawing cartoons on the back of business cards. You like Nick Cave or you drink too much scotch or you have an unhealthy obsession with Mad Men. You get angry, you get excited, you laugh at bad YouTube videos and you occasionally just need to put the blinders on and get some work done.

In other words, you're human, you're worth rooting for and you're worth tuning into to hear what happens next.

I submitted this tip at Twitter for Dummies.

have your starbucks and drink it too

2008-12-01T08:09:00.004-05:00

from the fabulous Chris_J on Flickr

It's common to hear global health advocates try to break down the billions of dollars needed to defeat the "big three" — HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis — in terms that are easy to grasp and to perceive as "reasonable".

One of the most popular is one that Columbia University's Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, a special adviser to UN Secretary-Generals Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon, has used on more than one occasion — reminding us all how much we spend on that morning cup of Joe.

"Three dollars per year from each of us. That's all we're talking about, a cup of coffee, once per year from a Starbucks."

Did someone tell Starbucks?

From November 27 through January 2, Starbucks, through its partnership with (RED), is donating 5 cents to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for each purchase of one of three "Exclusive" coffee drinks. On December 1, World AIDS Day (tomorrow), Starbucks is expanding the program by donating 5 cents for each "hand-crafted beverage".

(RED) has been relatively successful in raising funds for and awareness about the HIV/AIDS pandemic by asking very little of consumers. Buy something for yourself, feel good about it, appear socially or politically conscious, and throw a few dimes to cover the cost of AIDS medication for people in Africa. It's a win win all around, even if some folks think it's a scam.

With news of the global financial crisis confronting us every day, we're all looking around to see where we can eliminate costs and, judging by Starbucks' financial performance lately, that morning latte or afternoon Frappuccino might not be making the cut.

Will the new campaign help the coffee/lifestyle company to reverse that trend? Will the guilt of paying $3 for something you could make for a quarter back at home be alleviated knowing you will be helping to save lives? Can we have that cup of coffee and still triumph over the big 3? Can you have your Starbucks and drink it too?

The President-Elect's Social Media Grade - So Far

2008-11-22T22:55:00.004-05:00

Barack Obama, since winning the Presidential election, has indicated that social media will be a part of his presidency, just as it was a part of his presidential campaign.

In the 18 days since he was elected, he has launched Change.gov, the Web site of "the Office of the President-Elect" and has done two weekly addresses via YouTube on the ChangeDotGov channel.

So, how is he doing?

Change.gov/Grade = B -

The most impressive part of Change.gov is the speed with which it was launched, just two days after the election, on November 6. But what about the content?

Positive:
1) It has a blog that is updated almost daily and often multiple times per day, meaning the site is giving a reason to users to keep coming back. (You can sign up for an RSS feed for the blog.)
2) The blog posts incorporate video from the ChangeDotGov YouTube channel, as well as photos, making it (albeit slightly) more visually compelling.

Negative:
1) The blog does not accept comments which, as far as I am concerned, means that it's NOT a blog and is instead simply a series of press releases written in more conversational tone and listed in reverse chronological order. Boo.
2) While the site encourages visitors to submit their comments on agenda issues , these comments are not able to be seen by other visitors to the site. In fact, it's unclear what will become of the comments. What then, is the motivation to submit? Peter Kim recently wrote on his blog that the incentive for social media participation is the "activation of the feedback channel - that others agree, disagree, share, favorite their content." What is the incentive when the content seemingly falls into the abyss, never to be heard from again?
3) This same sense of an "abyss" applies to the site's "An American Moment: Your Story" feature. What are they going to do with this content?

ChangeDotGov YouTube Channel/Grade = B-

Barack Obama is alternately being compared to Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt — pretty good company to keep. The FDR comparison was only heightened with the launch of Obama's "Weekly Address from the President-Elect," which is being compared with the former President's Fireside Chats, which were used to provide comfort and motivation to the country in the midst of the Great Depression.

Positive:
1) Posting content to YouTube encourages its viral spread, particularly because of the feature which allows users to cut and paste code to embed it on their blogs, social network profiles, etc.
2) The "Inside the Transition" videos from transition team members, particularly the video from Heather Zichal, a member of Obama's Energy and Environment Policy Team, are great. Heather responds directly to comments that have come in on Change.gov (so, THAT's how they're being used), helping to communicate that the new administration really just might be listening.

Negative:
1) Both comments and ratings have been disabled. Is someone afraid of a little honest feedback?
2) Barack Obama is a great speaker. There's no doubt about it. But his style in these Weekly Addresses is all wrong for the medium. I know, I know, he's President-Elect and he needs to present himself as "presidential." But we already let him know that we think he's presidential by electing him to the Office. Now we're counting on him to change what that means. Obama? Yeah. Relax a little and come out from behind the desk. Give us a reason to want to share them with our friends — our friends who don't suffer from insomnia.

Do you agree that Obama could be doing better with his social media efforts?

4 Reasons Why Obama Should Still Engage in Social Media

2008-11-22T21:33:00.003-05:00

Barack Obama is being called our "first social media President" due to his use of online word of mouth marketing to be elected President of the United States. Those of us who have been proselytizing about social media to our clients and colleagues simultaneously feel an inevitable sense of validation and a tinge of fear (and frustration) as clients feel inclined to ask, "Why can't we do what Obama did?"

(Folks, Obama's marketing campaign cost $640 million and had the key ingredient of any successful word of mouth marketing campaign: a really excellent "product" with a great story to tell.)

But now what? How can he continue to engage with social media successfully once he is in the White House — and should he?

Four Reasons Why Barack Obama Should Continue to Engage with Social Media

Number One: The 2012 Election is Already Underway

The 2012 Presidential election started on November 5, maybe even the moment that Barack Obama took the stage with his family in Grant Park. He is going to need money and the same grassroots infrastructure to get reelected and there's no time like the present to get started.

Number Two: Young Voters

Young voters have disproportionately voted for Democratic candidates in the past two presidential elections and the Republican Party, as it focuses on rebuilding itself following its huge losses in this year's election, is likely to be investing in strategies to engage young people and sell them on the Republican brand. To retain their support, Obama, with millions of young people already in his camp, must rely on young voters to engage their peers — and younger siblings and friends — as word of mouth ambassadors by reaching out within their social networks on his behalf.

Number Three: His Network Makes Him Stronger

November 5 was not only the start of the 2012 election for President, it was the start of the 2010 congressional election. Obama's former colleagues in the Senate and House would love to have the support (financial and grassroots) of Obama's network. Knowing that it remains intact — and, perhaps, is growing in size and strength — gives Obama a powerful bargaining tool and people to call on and mobilize when he needs a helping hand to see his policies through.

Number Four: He Has Created Expectations that He Needs to Live Up To

When I talk to people about social media, I explain to them that I think social media has contributed to and is reflective of a change in the relationship between consumers and the brands with which they do business. Consumers have expectations that brands need to live up to to be successful:

1) consumers want brands to listen to them,
2) they want brands to be honest and transparent, and
3) they want brands to provide them with the opportunity to help them achieve their missions.

Obama, as a brand, lived up to each of these expectations, in part through the use of social media. If he turns his back on them now, by demonstrating that he is no longer willing to listen, to let them in, and to involve them in creating "the change we want to see," he will lose them and he will have demonstrated that "change" was nothing more than a campaign slogan.

Do you have any reasons to add to the list — or do you think Obama should shut down his Twitter account now that he's heading to the Oval Office?

It looks like he has already made that decision . . .

how can you settle?

2008-11-07T16:53:00.002-05:00

Via The Frisky, where Amelia quotes the friend who shared the video with her as saying, "How can you watch this and ever, ever settle?"

Am I inspired or frustrated?

good morning

2008-11-05T06:41:00.001-05:00

president election barack hussein obama

2008-11-05T00:27:00.000-05:00

homer draper

2008-10-29T20:21:00.002-05:00

mmmmm, bacon

2008-10-13T15:18:00.004-05:00

I am on a diet and I am a vegan and to throw in for good measure, I am a Jew (meaning I should not be eating pork even if I wasn't a vegan who was trying to lose weight).

But those little bits of reality are not getting in the way of the fact that I can't get this thing off my mind.

Actually, I can't just get it off my mind, I can taste the damn thing.

(I guess I am also someone who does not want to die of a coronary, which should count for something.)

it's okay to feel morally superior

2008-10-11T13:52:00.001-05:00

via Jossip

i love nate fisher

2008-09-06T18:09:00.002-05:00

for the sake of a rhetorical flourish

2008-09-04T19:30:00.003-05:00

The Republican Hater's Ball -- Jay Smooth responds to Sarah Palin's weird ass hostility toward community organizers. Brilliantly. Share.

"For you to go on that TV show and spit in those people's faces for the sake of a rhetorical flourish -- is disgusting."

we can do this

2008-08-23T18:32:00.000-05:00

a washington celebrity

2008-08-11T07:14:00.006-05:00

Barack Obama comes back swinging in response to the McCain's accusations of Obama as a celebrity, along the lines of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

Here's the original ad from McCain.

And, what the hell, here's the response from Paris Hilton, probably the best of all.

del.icio.us tags: tools

2008-08-11T06:08:00.002-05:00

Grou.ps allows users to create online "social groups," adding the features that best meet your community's needs.

Share photos, videos and bookmarks; create a group calendar; collaborate via a wiki; aggregate content via a group blog; communicate by posting to the community forum.

Despite being free, there's no branding and no ads. And there are more than 20 templates to choose from, all modifiable — only integrate the features your group needs.

Check it out and let me know if it works well for you.

my only nod to the olympics

2008-08-10T07:55:00.001-05:00

The Olympics are a phenomenon that just passes me by -- like the Super Bowl, bowling, Lost (sorry, Kristen) and the Jonas Brothers. But this ad made me feel happy and patriotic. Best rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" EVER. Apparently Coach K played the song for the U.S. men's basketball team during practice for inspiration.

Nice.

when the door closes behind him

2008-08-09T15:33:00.007-05:00

I voted for John Edwards in 2004 in the Massachusetts primary. I voted for him again in 2008 in the DC primary, even though he had already pulled out of the race, as a sign of my continued dedication to his ideals.

(There was no question that Obama was going to win the DC primary, so don't bother giving me a hard time about "wasting" my vote.)

I greatly admired Edwards' eloquence about class in our country. But it was his personal experience — being born "the son of a mill worker" and developing his own personal wealth and privilege in society — that was most appealing to me.

I was raised, primarily, by a single mother who often relied on AFDC and food stamps to care for her two children. Today, I am upper middle class, unconcerned about the cost of groceries or a gallon of gas beyond its impact on our economy and on the lives of others for whom I feel empathy. I have earned my education among children of extraordinary privilege. I have traveled all over the world through my work; seeing, eating, drinking and experiencing things that most never will.

Despite the fact that I am no longer poor, I have never let go of being a kid raised by a single mom, living in federally subsidized housing and buying groceries with food stamps. I can't. There is part of me who feels like an "impostor" as I recline my seat in first class ("if they only knew the truth"), but there is also a part of me who wants to make sure I never forget, to take pride in what I have done to get here.

My support of John Edwards came from my sincere belief that, like me, he could not — would not — forget. It also came from my belief that knowing what it took to change his destiny would make him better at not only creating policies that would effectively address disparities in our society, but capable of inspiring others to follow in his path. He would know that it takes more than money from federal and state agencies to change people's lives. It takes overcoming the ingrained belief that life is defined by obstacles. It takes opening eyes to opportunities and believing that those opportunities are yours for the taking.

Yesterday, when I heard the news that John Edwards had betrayed his family, I was devastated. It felt like the fall of my personal hero. I tweeted, " Oh, John, you ruined the fantasy," incapable of saying anything more.

This morning, I read Elizabeth Edwards' diary from yesterday on Daily Kos.

Although John believes he should stand alone and take the consequences of his action now, when the door closes behind him, he has his family waiting for him.

I am no longer devastated; I am disappointed.

I am not disappointed that John Edwards violated the "sanctity of marriage" because it is not an institution I revere. I am not disappointed that John Edwards allowed sex to cloud his judgment, because there are few, if any, of us who have not allowed the same. I am not disappointed that John Edwards went back on his word, because his word to me was to dedicate himself to eliminating class disparities in this country and, I believe, he will continue to do so.

I am disappointed that John Edwards reminded me he was fallible. But, mostly, I am disappointed that he hurt his wife — whom I admire greatly — and his children. He stopped, for a moment, being the hero he could be, to them. He forgot who he was and what he had done to get there.

If, as Elizabeth says, his family will be waiting for him when the door closes behind him, I will be there too.

Some Things I Find Funny

2008-08-03T19:27:00.012-05:00

The lovely people at This Recording, my favorite blog, have an ongoing series of posts about the things they find funny. Molly was the latest to post, but Lucas, Karina, Danish, Elisabeth, Tyler, Georgia and Alex have all thrown their hats into the ring as well.

My turn. Join in if you feel the urge.

Jeremy's latest haircut, Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segal on How I Met Your Mother, the lobster scene in Annie Hall, Martin Sheen as serial killer Kit Carruthers in Badlands

Julia Louis Dreyfus in The Adventures of New Old Christine, Bob Newhart, mom bloggers (Heather Armstrong, Eden Kennedy and Chris Jordan), Judd Apatow's television series (Freaks and Geeks and Declared)

people who speak loudly at funerals, the bus ride to the African Village with John Bell at Disney World, Hunter S. Thompson, the finale scene in the season three finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm (and most every other scene in the series),

Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, videos of small children swearing, Tobias' business card on Arrested Development

Jason Bateman in Smokin' Aces, watching the GI Joe Pork Chop videos with Ray and Shawn

Paul Rudd, Family Guy, Hugh McLeod, Gonzo

the scene in Fearless Freaks where Wayne Coyne has the kids reenact the Long John Silver robbery, Rushmore, someecards.com, As Time Goes By

Natalie Portman raps

when other people fall down.

elevator speech

2008-07-19T12:59:00.003-05:00

Twitter is down, so I suppose I need to post.

The thing is, I'm at BlogHer08 and I'm feeling guilty for not posting to my blog. @Beth77 let me know (with a slight tinge of sarcasm in her voice) that we were meant to have our elevator blog speech down here, but "I don't post to a blog that is essentially about nothing," doesn't really have a great deal of allure.

This is my almost four year old blog about social media, politics, things I read and, occasionally, me. I post to it because I think I'm a good writer and because my voice is consistent with who I am and because I have a serious case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which means that I can't leave it behind because it would be UNFINISHED.

But I like Twitter better because, as I commented on my friend Minjae's blog earlier today, it's been the most social, social media, I have ever used. Despite being a horrible introvert, I actually like talking to people.

Twitter is back up again. See ya.

delicious tags: twitter

2008-07-12T18:53:00.000-05:00

Alexandra Rampy, aka @SocialButterfly, pulls together a great list of elected officials and government agencies on Twitter. I love the fact that the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, is on Twitter. Does it bother me that he's not following anyone back? The standard answer is yes (listen, people, listen), but I'll give him a pass on this one.

Craig Daitch at Thought Industry schools Mountain Dew on their misuse of Twitter: "Twitter is not an excuse to graffiti your followers with random generic advertising messages. I mean, nobody is stopping you from taking that route, however fair warning, nobody will pay attention."

something original to say?

2008-07-12T07:52:00.005-05:00

(I am such a lazy blogger now that I am posting email message responses.)

@hmmiller sent an email to @raypage, @dmiller1973 and myself about this post from Jeremy Fuksa asking, "Are blogs still relevant?"

My response?

I have practically completely stopped blogging as a result of my twittering and the fact that I am, in general, busy as sh*t.

I like to think that blogging has jumped the shark because it makes me feel better for being such a loser.

And, well, Dave Armano (@armano) made the comment that “blogging is so 2005,” so I feel somewhat justified in that thought. (Actually, he said "blowing," but talk to his therapist about that.)

(I think all of those of us who have been blogging for a while now — four years for me — are a little freaked out about the possibility that we have put so much into might actually be a little lame now.)

BUT, with all that said, Kevin’s right that there’s just no replacement for writing original, thoughtful pieces on your own site (a tweet from @kevinrose was what prompted Jeremy to write his post).

Maybe this jumping the shark will separate the men from the boys (I love using misogynistic metaphors) and leave behind just those folks who actually have something original — and thoughtful — to say.

I want to be one of those folks.

del.icio.us tags: tools

2008-07-11T17:00:00.001-05:00

The Awesome Highlighter enables you to highlight text on a web page and create a unique URL of the marked up page. A good tool for sharing content or creating citation links for reports, papers, etc.

Down for Everyone or Just Me allows you to check to see if that site you're trying to access has crashed or if it's just all one big plot against you and you're ability to get sh*t done.

del.icio.us tags: blogs

2008-07-04T17:57:00.003-05:00

eMarketer released a collection of research earlier last month about blogger demographics:

According to BIGResearch, the average age of bloggers is 37.6.
However, according to Deloitte, younger bloggers are more likely to maintain their blogs — or read others — on a weekly basis.
The majority of bloggers are white, but the numbers are in line with the U.S. Census Bureau's demographic breakdown of the United States.

Piers Fawkes at PSFK generously shares a list of "boomer blogs" his team pulled together for a client. (Thanks, Piers.) I had heard of Time Goes By via the ladies at BlogHer. I'd be interested to know what qualified a blog to be added to the list (so, I asked.)

people aren't going to talk about you

2008-07-04T16:58:00.005-05:00

I've grown more willing to tell clients that they can't expect to generate positive word of mouth about their brand or product or issue if it, well, sucks. I mean, there will word of mouth (actually, there probably already is), but it will essentially be warnings to their friends, family members and co-workers to stay the hell away.

But there's more to it, says Seth Godin (in this post from way back in May).

Smart but simple; the kind of post that, if this was a slapstick comedy, would compel me to smack myself in the forehead — the universal signal for "duh."

People aren't going to talk about your product or service if . . .

it's embarrassing,
it's not cool,
they're not sure if it's cool,
it's SO cool, they don't actually want other people to know about it,
too many people already know about it, or
your values conflict with their own.

Just one more reason why social media, no matter how shiny and fabulous, should not be seen as the answer to all that ails you.

Thanks, Seth.

Crossposted on the agency blog.

who else is at the party?

2008-07-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

One of the first things I do when I get to a party is to look around to see who else is there. Sure, there could be a great spread, good scotch at the bar and a DJ who knows what he's doing, but if the crowd sucks or, well, if it's just you and a host who looks a little embarrassed because no one else is coming, the party is never going to quite going.

Am I the only one? Probably not.

So, when there is yet another social network, I'm not interested in joining unless I know that, in addition to all the pretty features, there are some people in the network with whom I, well, want to be social.

Hope Equity, a new social network from Heifer International, brings people together who are interested in investing in solutions to hunger, poverty or the environment. Looks great, great organization, but who the hell else is using it? Will I be playing in the sandbox alone? Do I really need to create a profile before I see what organizations I can contribute?

delicious tags: environment

2008-07-03T19:25:00.003-05:00

JetBlue has launched Jetting to Green, a new environmental initiative.

BP is promoting its Helios House eco-friendly gas station in Los Angeles through thegreencurve.com. I tried to take the test to assess where I am on the "green curve," but got defensive over poorly worded questions that don't take into consideration those of us who own cars but rarely drive it and (oops) haven't washed it for, um, years.

Patagonia encourages you to vote on November 4 and to do so based on how they score on the League of Conservation Voters National Environmental Scorecard.

i am a Twit

2008-07-01T09:27:00.003-05:00

I'm all set to head to the BlogHer Conference this year. Haven't been since 2006, when I went with my favorite girl blogger, John Bell, when our adventures included interviews by the pool and a trip to Santa Cruz to see Social Distortion.

Since the event is not called "TwitHer," I need to get my act together and make the commitment to post every day until I get there -- on July 18.

Can I get away with saying this is today's post?

delicious tags: design

2008-06-23T18:46:00.003-05:00

Google shares the ten principles that guide their design: useful, fast, simple, engaging, innovative, universal, profitable, beautiful, trustworthy and personable.

the me i wish i had the balls to be

2008-06-17T21:01:00.004-05:00

It blows my mind that this preview of the film that Liz Phair made to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Exile in Guyville only features interviews with GUYS.

That album is the ultimate pissed off, slightly f*cked in the head chick album (screw Jagged Little Pill, the character that Liz Phair plays in Exile in Guyville could kick Alanis Morrissette's Dave Coulier-loving ass).

You should have interviewed ME, Liz. I would have told you about the tape that David made me, which lyrics reminded me the most of Andrew, how others thought of me when they heard the CD -- the me that I wish I had the balls to truly be, in 1993 and in 2008.

(But I do love the fact that one of those guys is John Cusack. Someone, at some point, sang those lyrics alone in their room to their Lloyd Dobler.)

Update: Thanks to Tim F. for pointing me in the direction of this piece from Ann Powers at The Los Angeles Times.

"Double-consciousness is what Phair expresses on “Guyville” – the impossible position of a woman trying to be true to herself in a man’s world. These songs don’t vacillate between desire and contempt for the men they address; they tangle these feelings together until they can’t be undone. In a song like “Flower,” with its unprintable lyrics, Phair showed how girliness is obscene and profanity is sweet. “Mesmerizing” presents seduction as an act of violence and a longed-for goal. In “Glory,” Phair’s crush comes on like a lizard and a king."

del.icio.us tags: politics

2008-06-16T17:22:00.000-05:00

The Pew Internet and American Life Project released their report yesterday on The Internet and the 2008 Election. Not surprisingly, more Americans than ever — 46 percent — have used the Internet, email or text messaging to get information about the campaign and to share it with others. Are there ANY surprises? Actually, the big shock for me was that SO FEW Americans have made online political donations — 6 percent. Read it for yourself.

i was lonely

2008-06-13T10:24:00.004-05:00

This morning's cartoon from Hugh MacLeod.

Hugh MacLeod is one of the reasons I haven's been posting. He's one of the 79 people (I'm pretty selective) I follow on Twitter. Read his bio at Gaping Void and you'll know why.

del.icio.us tags: moms

2008-06-08T21:05:00.003-05:00

Revolution Health, which The Washington Post reported will be doing an additional round of lay offs this week, released momScore last month in connection with Mother's Day. The tool "evaluate(s) maternal and early childhood health across the country." Proud to say my home state of Connecticut ranks #2, second only to Vermont. My adopted hometown of DC ranks #20. The lowest scoring states are all in the Southern half of the country, with Mississippi coming in at the bottom.

Max Gladwell, who posts at Sustainablog as well as his own site, refers to moms are the most "formidable" of the "demographic groups gaining power through the social web." This post lists 16 "blogs and tools that are part of the nexus of social media, green living and motherhood." Max started following me on Twitter (I'm not worthy!) and I'll be returning the favor and subscribing to the RSS feed on his site so I can hear more.

they even talk alike

2008-06-03T08:05:00.002-05:00

My friend Josh had an odd obsession with Patty Duke back in college, which makes this great new spot from MoveOn.org that much more entertaining. "Identical cousins . . . at times they even talk alike."

del.icio.us tags: twitter

2008-05-25T20:13:00.005-05:00

Still collecting content on Twitter to get ready for my upcoming training. Luckily, there's lots o' sh*t out there, probably written by Twitter junkies during the many occasions when the site is down.

Todd Mintz posted 101 Everyday Uses for Twitter on InsideCRM this past week. 101 sounds like a hell of a lot, but Mintz's point is that Twitter has "more possible uses than a Swiss Army knife." Not a great deal of analysis, but a good read nevertheless because he lets the Tweets speak for themselves, contributing an excellent structure to the content.

Lee Odden at Online Marketing Blog polled the blog's readers to gain some insight as to how THEY are using Twitter, with the majority of responses falling into the broad categories of sharing (and promoting) sh*t and schmoozing.

Jennifer Woodward Maderazo at PBS' MediaShift has her own take on the value of Twitter. She's a fan, with the site going "above and beyond (her) original expectations in terms of usefulness." She finds it to be particularly useful for her reporting. "If you put out a question to 800 people, someone's bound to have an answer."

Matt Dickman at Techno//Marketer believes Twitter is "the ultimate customer service tool." Joshua March doesn't agree. I fall somewhere in the middle. I think companies should have a presence on Twitter if their customers tend to be early adopters who are inclined to talk about customer service and have some reach or influence. I don't think Twitter should become a core part of your customer service strategy if they are not. Like March says, trying to teach the majority of your customers how to use it is not going to make it something that's well-received. Despite the fact that I agree with March, I wish he used the term "social media" and not "social marketing" to describe his site. (Oh well.)

Seattle is my second home these days, so I shared this post with my peeps in Seattle who I count among my "followers." It's the Most Famous Twitterpreneurs of Seattle, the kings of the 2.0 geeks in the land of the Space Needle. At least one of the comments on the post picked up on what I noticed: "What, no women entrepreneur-twitterers?"

According to Compete, traffic on Twitter doubled between February and April, when approximately 1.2 million people were using the site and the percentage of time spent on Twitter, relative to the overall time spent online, has quadruped in the past six months. Nearly a quarter of the users are "heavy users," which, I am embarrassed to say, means 6+ tweets per month (I average that per day, folks) and overall, users skew young (18-24) and male. (But the experience you have on the site is dependent on who you're following, so, if you're worried about spending too much time with little boys, don't fret.)

I posted about Noah Brier's brandtags, so I hope you've checked it out by now. Here's how folks are tagging the Twitter brand: annoying, pointless, stupid and useless? Who are these people? ;)

For you design lovers, Wallpaper Magazine is on Twitter now . . .

Finally, Palin Ningthoujam at Mashable posted 140+ More Tools to the Twitter Toolbox they created last September. I am officially completely overwhelmed.

two out of three

2008-05-25T15:52:00.002-05:00

Does this ad make me laugh?

Yes.

Does this ad make me want to share it with others?

Yep.

Does it make me want to take action to address deforestation?

No.

Two out of three . . . is bad.

del.icio.us tags: tools

2008-05-23T14:51:00.005-05:00

Kurt at Random Knowledge has pulled together an amazing list of sites to check out when you're hunting down images (like when you're trying to make a Power Point less lame). I head to Flickr myself, so I'm grateful to have more options.

Cause Caller helps to organize callers to petition policy makers or others. However, I'm not sure what they do with the phone numbers you give them. There's nothing in the FAQ to answer that question.

del.icio.us tags: twitter

2008-05-17T18:17:00.005-05:00

I'm going to be doing a Twitter training at the agency late next month and I'm collecting great content in the meantime.

Here's some of the latest:

Comcast is one of the many companies who is using Twitter as part of their online customer service. Of course, I still hate Comcast, but maybe just a little less.
Firehose is a real time Twitter timeline. Don't try to read it. Just try to take it in: people want you to know what they are doing right now.
Twitter (and all-around) rock star Dave Armano gives you his tips on How to Twitter Conferences Like a Rock Star. Because I'm not a total social media wanker and don't go to conferences every week, I've yet to have the chance to tweet from a conference, but I'm looking forward to the chance. It's got to be better than my lame attempts to live blog conferences. In the meantime, I think Spike Jones from Brains on Fire does an excellent job of tweeting from conferences and we have a deal that he will attend conferences on my behalf if I fly him first class and put him up in boutique hotels.
TwitBuzz is trying to capture what is generating the most conversation on Twitter (I have a serious aversion to the term "buzz.") It looks like they measure popularity through the number of links to content. They also rank the folks who, I believe, are generating the most tweets. (Is that what it means to be "most social?") The tool is meant to address "the desperate needs for management" of the content on Twitter. I don't see it.
Finally, Stephen Baker writes about "Why Twitter Matters" at Business Week. It's definitely worth a read if you're trying to shed some light on the microblogging site. If you want to check out some of the research for the piece, look to the source. Baker asked fellow tweeters what they think. Check out the slide show that accompanies the article as well. (I had no idea Biz Stone was so hot.)

lazy blogger tactics

2008-05-16T13:16:00.002-05:00

I have a couple of posts I've written on other sites that I wanted to share.

Today, I wrote my first guest post at PhilanTopic, the Foundation Center's blog , yesterday, after the Ca Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage, I wrote a post for the agency blog.

Lazy blogger tactics.

Shoot me.

thank you, CA Supreme Court

2008-05-15T13:30:00.002-05:00

“In light of the fundamental nature of the substantive rights embodied in the right to marry — and their central importance to an individual’s opportunity to live a happy, meaningful, and satisfying life as a full member of society — the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all individuals and couples, without regard to their sexual orientation.”

The California Supreme Court has ruled in favor of gay marriage.

pitting a black man against a white woman

2008-05-15T11:43:00.003-05:00

GeekLove asked me to post her videos about Hillary after reading my post about Marie Cicco's piece in the Post.

They're a little long, but they are, nevertheless, inspiring and should remind us all (yes, including Hillary) that the revolution that is the 2008 election should not be remembered as an election in which we allowed the media to pit a black man against a white woman and, in the process, let an old, white, millionaire man win.

difficult to disavow

2008-05-15T05:38:00.002-05:00

photo by Danielle Zalcman

While many have denied the role that misogyny has played in this year's election, Marie Cocco's op-ed in today's Washington Post makes it difficult to disavow.

dream. team.

2008-05-14T16:59:00.001-05:00

Edwards, son of a mill worker and my candidate of choice, is endorsing Obama.

Make your own Obama poster.

del.icio.us tags: brands

2008-05-12T15:21:00.001-05:00

Noah Brier has launched brand tags, collecting tags to assess people's perceptions of a wide number of brands -- from Burt's Bees to Jamba Juice. You can request that additional brands be added, so if you're looking for a little insight on a client brand — or your own, you might be in luck. Noah might want to adjust the size of the tags (I'm guessing he had no idea how popular this would be) because "smoothie" and "beard" are going to grow bigger than the browser.

Dave Alston from Radian6 guest posts on the Online Marketing Blog with a list of the Top 10 Reasons for Monitoring Brands in Social Media. As a fan of Radian6 who is trying to bring the tool to more of our clients, I appreciate Alston's comment, "Choosing not to listen doesn't make those conversations go away."

Southwest has expanded upon its successful blog, Nuts about Southwest. The site now incorporates their Flickr group, video blog, aggregated news, polls (lame) and the brand's social network profiles, including Twitter.

del.icio.us tags: research

2008-05-12T14:24:00.001-05:00

As should be expected, women are using social networks differently — and more — than men. They have more "friends" on the sites, but they are less focused than men on "acquiring" friends and more on building relationships. The research comes from MarketingCharts.

Simmons has created social media consumer profiles, although a few of them sound a little pathetic, e.g. the "socially isolated" and "approval seekers." (via Ad Age)

my tweetwheel

2008-05-11T22:02:00.003-05:00

I made my TweetWheel tonight.

del.icio.us tags: global poverty

2008-05-11T19:02:00.002-05:00

"Access doesn't last long if you have nothing to say,"
Jamie Drummond on the role of 'celebrity' in the success of the global poverty movement.

There are a great deal of rock stars working to alleviate global poverty. The most prominent is, of course, Bono. But while Bono can fill stadiums, one of the greatest of the global poverty rock stars is Jamie Drummond, who was profiled today in the UK's Guardian Observer.

Drummond is the Executive Director of DATA (aka One.org in the United States) and is the man behind the scenes who can claim responsibility for mobilizing G8 leaders to make historic commitments to provide aid to Africa at the Gleneagles summit in 2005 (getting them to live up to those commitments is the current task on his plate).

The article is definitely worth a read if you're interested in hearing how the debt relief movement "started" more than a decade ago, about Drummond's role in the Bush Administration's historic commitment to fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic or how Drummond has embraced mobile technology and the Internet from the very beginning as a integral tool for mobilizing for global policy change.

del.icio.us tags: twitter

2008-05-04T11:45:00.004-05:00

WhoShouldIFollow.com will help you find the "right" people to follow on Twitter, presumably based on those you are already following. Like Robert Scoble says, your Twitter on experience is defined by the people you follow, so choose wisely.

Josh Bernoff at Groundswell recommends using tools like Tweetscan and Summize to track the conversation about your brand on Twitter. Smart companies are using these tools to step in when their customers have complaints or as a great way to gain insight on how customers feel about the brand or their ideas for how to improve a product or service.

is the force with barack?

2008-05-02T12:18:00.000-05:00

poking your friends

2008-05-02T09:59:00.001-05:00

and another thing!

2008-05-02T08:29:00.002-05:00

Following up on yesterday's post . . .

This has been said before (maybe even by me) but the thing companies should be focusing on -- if they want to generate word of mouth -- is being good at what they do. If your product or service is great, I assure you that someone will be talking about it. The great hotel I stay in when I am in Seattle? The restaurant where I get shrimp and grits when I am in Chapel Hill? My favorite scotch? The boots I bought this year and seem to wear every day?

I talk about them.

Like I said yesterday, companies stop telling agencies to "start a conversation." The conversation is already underway. Listen to that conversation. See what you need to do to be better at what you do and make the commitment to do it.

Then we can talk.

And they'll talk too.

listen and be useful

2008-05-01T20:26:00.007-05:00

I went on a rant this morning on a friend's blog. It had little to do with what she wrote, beyond it prompting me to think about my growing distaste for social media marketing tactics. In fact, I told her,

"Most of what agencies are doing in the space is a load of horsesh*t. Disclosure doesn't impress me anymore."

She works in an agency. The same agency I once worked in. I work in a new agency. This isn't about either of those agencies.

So, when is it not "horsesh*t"?

When you use social media as an, admittedly, unscientific "focus group": Screw the nonsense about "starting a conversation." Unless you're launching a new brand or product, there already is a conversation. Listen to what your customers are saying because they're telling you how you can be better or why they think you're great.

When it's an extension of your customer service department: While you're out there listening to what your customers have to say, offer to remedy the errors of your ways. Train your front line to know when and how — in a noninvasive way — to be responsive. Word of mouth about customer service is strong. Help to make yours positive.

When you use it as an opportunity to share your values: Are you innovative? Socially responsible? Global? Committed to your community? Transparent? Prove it. Tell us about it. And don't fake it because we know what fake looks like.

When you provide utility to a pre-existing community: If you've been listening, you'll know what to provide. The folks at Etsy.com listened and they gave the crafting community a store front to reach people, like Dooce, who will buy their beautiful wares. Elisa, Lisa and Jory listened and they created BlogHer to give women bloggers a community, conferences and the opportunity to be compensated for their writing. "Utility" takes on many forms. Figure out what it means to your customers and think -- think hard -- about how you can give it to them.

Everything else is horsesh*t.

As I told my friend, "This last one (utility) is the most interesting to me. What can you do to make things better for the people with whom you're trying to build a relationship?"

When you go to a new friend's house for a dinner party, you bring a bottle of wine, you don't bring a hammer and rebuild their house.

You provide that bottle of wine because you want to help the host to entertain their guests. Help them achieve their goal and they'll say thank you and maybe even kiss you on the cheek.

But don't expect them to ask you to move in with them. Just be a good guest and maybe they'll invite you to the next dinner party.

del.icio.us tags: environment

2008-04-28T11:29:00.002-05:00

Burst Media has released research about the impact of "green marketing."

At least 2/3 of consumers at least occasionally recall green marketing messages.
Despite the recall, nearly 23 percent never believe what they are being told -- or sold.
Nearly 80 percent of consumers use the Internet to find additional information about a company's green initiatives, but most are disappointed with the information they find.
Being green is the way to go (when consumers are asked in a survey, hopefully it's true). Only about 13 percent say they are not green at all.

del.icio.us tags: moms

2008-04-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

According to research from BSM Media, pregnant women and new mothers rely on word of mouth more than other women and more than consumers, in general. 64 percent of mothers ask other mothers before they make a purchase and 63 percent think other mothers are the most credible source for purchasing decisions (via eMarketer).

del.icio.us tags: politics

2008-04-23T10:45:00.000-05:00

Rob Garner from iCrossing posts on Media Post's Search Insider about their recent findings about how voters are using search. According to the research:

Voters are relying on search to understand how the candidates' feel about certain issues.
The top issues on their mind — as reflected in the most prominent searches — are health care and the economy.
There are gender differences, however. Women are more likely to be searching for health care, education and the environment. Men, meanwhile, are searching for information about the economy, the war in Iraq, jobs and the "war on terror."
Perhaps because he started out the campaign with the least amount of name recognition among the three remaining candidates, Obama has the "highest overall search interest."

del.icio.us tags: mobile

2008-04-22T22:35:00.000-05:00

Calder Strategies has an amazingly extensive post about the do's and don't's of mobile advocacy. (Hats off to them.) Some of the best:

Area of growth = The mobile fundraising market is bound to rapidly expand in the next 12 months.
Be realistic = "The total numbers are still small but effect is beginning to show."
It's a generational thing = Young people are more receptive to mobile marketing campaigns.
Pay attention, Senators = Text messages increase the likelihood that voters will make it to the polls.
Be scrupulous = This is your brand. Don't be annoying.
Don't push it = Mobile is about interaction. It's not the same thing as direct mail/push emails.
Integrate = Mobile is not something to tack on as just another tactic. It needs to make sense and it needs to touch each aspect of the campaign.

cold sore and all

2008-04-22T18:21:00.004-05:00

Anyone who comes by here regularly will be aware of my inordinate love for Jason Bateman. And, in my best, "No really, I'm old school," protest, let me remind you that I loved the man (boy) since circa Silver Spoons, so back your I'm so hip Arrested Development should have been picked up by another network a** up.

Anyway, I love him more than I did five minutes ago because I just saw this clip of Jason as I have never seen him before from Smokin' Aces. He's looking pretty nasty -- cold sore and all -- but he's brilliant in the scene and absolutely hysterical (watch Ben Affleck at about 1:30 turn away to try to stifle his laughter).

The clip comes via Intense Guys, "great movie moments, one clip at a time," and one of new favorite blogs.

del.icio.us tags: global health

2008-04-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

World Malaria Day is April 25. NothingButNets.net, a project of the UN Foundation, is trying to raise money — $10 from each of us — to buy nets to protect folks in the developing world from infection. (They've almost hit the 2 million mark.)

They're doing a great job to engage supporters. While most campaigns stop at asking for money — leaving many folks to feel like they can't really have an impact on an issue that might seem overwhelming — NothingButNets provides numerous opportunities to spread the word both online and off.

They're providing toolkits to help churches, schools, teams, families and friends organize campaigns in their communities to raise money for the cause.
They have a decent presence on YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and apparently more friends on MySpace than are actually living on the planet Earth (hmmmm).
They recognize top contributors for their efforts.
You can download banners (like the one above).
You can buy NothingButNets apparel.
And you can play a game to deliver as many bed nets as possible.

The only feature that doesn't seem to be working is "Share Your Story." While the organizers are asking visitors to the site to tell a tale about their personal experience with malaria, their efforts to raise money for the cause or their commitment to the issue, it's not clear that anyone has sent a story and -- if they did -- where the heck are they? They've made everything else easy and rewarding, what happened here?

del.icio.us tags: research

2008-04-16T17:21:00.000-05:00

Piers Fawkes suggests using TweetClouds as a tool for monitoring the topics on the minds of the audience you are trying to reach as a marketer. (Right now my Tweet Cloud is dominated by "@catchuplady" — which might lead you to think I actually like her. I need to work on that.)

del.icio.us tags: environment

2008-04-15T19:49:00.001-05:00

I don't imagine it would shock any of you to hear that the "buzz" about sustainability grew about 50 percent last year — moving from a discussion of global warming to a conversation about actions individuals can take to alleviate their negative impact.

Nielsen Online's research also indicates that the increased attention to "green" issues has led to greater cynicism about the credibility of many companies' efforts to portray themselves as acting in a responsible way toward the planet. 25 percent of consumers point out a company's "contradictory actions," 21 percent think that the actions being taken are "incongruous with the company or industry" (oil companies, perhaps?), 19 percent think companies are making "false/misleading comments," 18 percent think the government should be able to regulate claims that companies make about their "green" behavior and 17 percent of consumers are just plain suspicious.

today's reason to think Twitter is great

2008-04-15T15:21:00.003-05:00

I am "following" anti-death penalty advocate Sister Helen Prejean (@helenprejean) — and she's "following" me.

Robert Scoble (@scobleizer) posted on Sunday — on his blog — about the fact that social networks suck unless you have the right friends. Not because of status, but because those friends are producing the "smartest, richest, coolest, funniest" content. I am sincerely mesmerized by the smart things people say and share and observe.

(Of course, I'm not a total junkie. Occasionally, when given 140 words, people say stupid things.)

By the way, Scoble's in Israel — I think he's still there — rooming with Craig Newmark (@craignewmark), founder of Craig's list. How do I know? I feel like I know everything the man is doing because he Twitters every minute of the day — from airports, overheated vans, hotel rooms and more — producing smart, rich, cool and funny content along the way.

i know why john hughes left hollywood

2008-04-12T22:08:00.006-05:00

In the 80's — as a teenager — I began and maintained a correspondence with the film director, John Hughes, after I sent him a fan letter in response to seeing The Breakfast Club. It was, quite honestly, one of the most significant experiences of my childhood and — in many ways — my life because of the support John gave me as a writer and as a person. He instilled in me the confidence to see life in terms of opportunities and not obstacles.

More than a decade later, when I was working at a nonprofit organization in Durham NC, I sent him a note to catch him up on what I was doing with my life. Late one night, while I was on the phone interviewing a job candidate who I knew, within minutes of starting the call, did not have a chance in hell of getting the job. The phone rang in the next room, I heard a scream and my boss, Tony, came running into my office to tell me that John Hughes was on the phone.

I hung up on the job candidate and took the call.

But, I'm not going to tell you what we talked about.

You know why? Because recently there has been a flurry of articles and blog posts about John Hughes and his disappearance from Hollywood. He's being compared to Howard Hughes or J.D. Salinger and everyone wants to know what caused him to walk away from it all.

John told me that night why he left and if he's not talking, neither am I.

(Is this what they mean by a "tease"?)

twitter vs. blog

2008-04-11T16:52:00.002-05:00

In addition to others, I think Kristen might be thinking of me.

I'll post this weekend. It's a combination of Twittering, piles of work and lack of original thought that have kept me away.

del.icio.us tags: search

2008-04-07T19:28:00.000-05:00

iProspect released a new survey on the behaviors of search engine users.

Big findings?

Vertical search isn't catching on — with the most commonly used being image search, news search and video search.
68 percent of users don't go past the first page of results -- top 10 -- and 92 percent don't go past page three -- top 30 -- an increase in both stats since the last survey.
Search engine users correlate prevalent search engine results with being an "industry leader."

del.icio.us tag: environment

2008-04-05T21:39:00.004-05:00

Patagonia has launched The Footprint Chronicles, which allows customers "to track the impact of a specific Patagonia product from design to delivery." Currently, the site only provides information on 5 items from the brand's vast inventory of products, but the willingness of the company to be transparent -- to talk not only about "the good," but "the bad" is impressive. The site also links to Patagonia's blog, The Cleanest Line, where they are responding to comments about the new site and asking for additional feedback. Great stuff. Gore Tex hats off to Patagonia.

Fast Company has an article about the site, containing a quote from Andrea Asch, manager of natural resouces use at Ben & Jerry's saying that Patagonia has set a new bar among firms with "progressive sustainability agendas."