Fools rush in?

I’ve only been working in higher ed for a few months, but in that time I’ve heard the term MOOC hundreds of times (I’d never heard it before). For the uninitiated, MOOC is an awful-sounding acronym that stands for Massive Online Open Course, and it’s got everyone in higher ed in a tizzy, for one reason or another. Put simply, … Continue Reading →

My Yahoo! confession

There’s something I need to tell you: I still have a Yahoo! email address. I know, I know, it’s terrible. But wait, it gets worse: I still use it. Not often, mind you, and I feel bad when I do. But still. I’ve been using it for more than a decade and just can’t bring myself to shut it down. … Continue Reading →

The Super Bowl blackout and the rise of real-time content marketing

Did you see what happened during the third quarter of the Super Bowl last night? No, not the electrifying 108-yard kick-off return for a touchdown by Jacoby Jones. I mean the world debut of real-time content marketing. Shortly after Jones’s romp to the end zone, half of the lights in the New Orleans Superdome went out, leaving players, coaches and … Continue Reading →

Searching for a unicorn

I was asking a friend the other day for his advice on an open position I’m trying to fill. I outlined the skill set I was looking for. Visual storyteller who’s great with a video camera and SLR and can create or lead creation of infographics Totally savvy in social and content marketing so they know what do do with … Continue Reading →

Storytelling, sports and the power of mythmaking

From Pheidippides running all the way to Athens from Marathon only to drop dead after delivering news of a Greek victory, to Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano’s emotional battle with leukemia this season, sports have always been the source of powerful stories that inspire others. Yet as we saw on two separate occasions last week, our collective need to believe … Continue Reading →

Content marketing Super Friends unite!

Two nights ago I went to a great event here in Boston, Content Marketing: Tell Bigger Stories Without Selling. Beyond the fact that it’s a topic I love, the three panelists were absolutely incredible. It featured Chris Brogan, Anne Handley and Francois Gossieaux. As my friend Steve Wardell said, having those three in the same room at the same time … Continue Reading →

On Sullivan and Snow

  There were two pieces of interesting news in the last couple weeks that show how exciting it is to be a content producer today—and just how much the struggle continues to determine how content producers will get paid for their efforts. The first was the announcement by blogging giant Andrew Sullivan that he is leaving the Daily Beast to … Continue Reading →

Getting Sisyphean on the new-job learning curve

Last week I wrote about a few ways to help keep the new-job honeymoon going. One of the things I suggested was “don’t go to every meeting you’re invited to” because the early days of a new job offer the chance to see some big-picture opportunities and challenges before the inevitable and necessary digging in on specific tactics. One thing … Continue Reading →

4 tips for keeping the new-job honeymoon going

Ah, the honeymoon phase. It’s that special time in any new job when all is happiness and light. Everything you suggest is met with nods of approval, you haven’t yet gotten lost in a bramble of office politics and the way forward looks clear and unblocked. I’m three weeks into my new job, so am still very much in the … Continue Reading →

Always Be Publishing

You’ve probably heard the sales-related acronym ABC. It stands for Always Be Closing and was made famous by the pre-bloated, pre-funny Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross. Well I’ve created a new acronym, this one for content marketing: ABP. No, that doesn’t stand for Au Bon Pain. It stands for Always Be Publishing. Never has it been more important for … Continue Reading →