Social sharing and its exponential impact on voting

In case we needed another reminder of the power of social networks, think about this as you go to the polls tomorrow: Updating your Facebook status to say that you voted makes it way more likely that your friends will vote, and that your friends’ friends will vote and that your friends’ friends’ friends will vote. This according to an … Continue Reading →

5 lessons from a brief layoff

At the end of September my dozen-year run with my former employer came to an end because of budget cuts and restructuring. As the sole bread winner for a family I five, I was a little freaked out, but also kind of excited. After all, I was going to have a little time to catch my breath and look for … Continue Reading →

Putting humans first in the connected health revolution

This Thursday and Friday I’m going to the Center for Connected Health Symposium here in Boston. It’s being put on by the Partners Center for Connected Health and will cover many of the hot topics in the field at the moment. For those not familiar with the term, connected health includes telehealth, which in the words of the conference organizers, … Continue Reading →

Content is the heart of your brand—don’t outsource it

I just read an interesting article over on Mashable by Joe Lazauskas, the co-founder/CCO of Faster Times Media. In it, he outlines the 5 ways your branded content is failing. He nails all five (I particularly like “you focus on self-promotion”), but neglects one that, to me, is essential: don’t outsource your content development. Or, at least don’t outsource the … Continue Reading →

Four ways LinkedIn can improve its new blog platform

Last week LinkedIn launched its new blogging platform with the goal (I assume) of keeping readers on their site rather than always sending people to great content on other websites. When I first heard about the new platform, I was really excited. After all, LinkedIn has become the go-to source for all things career-related, and since getting laid off last … Continue Reading →

Even phishermen need an editor

I got this email in my inbox this morning. With the official-looking logo at the top, I thought it came from a reputable organization, and I was prepared to click on the link they provided and give them my vital financial information without thinking twice. Then I read a little more closely and became suspicious. Let’s take these one at … Continue Reading →

Adele, James Bond and content marketing 101

I’ve read a lot of interesting articles recently about the challenges that hospitals and marketers more generally are having with their content marketing and social media efforts. The main challenge for many organizations seems to be that they still cling to the traditional idea of marketing: We have a product we want you to buy (health care service, sneakers, widgets), … Continue Reading →

Into the great wide open

So it turns out that Johnny Depp and I have something in common after all. No, it’s not a talent for creating movie characters who like to over-accessorize (here and here). It’s that we’re both using Tom Petty’s “Into the Great Wide Open” as a soundtrack as we start down the road on life’s next great adventure. While Johnny Depp … Continue Reading →

On prioritization and why productivity can’t go to 11

We’re all familiar with the scene (and if you’re not, check it out here) in Spinal Tap where Rob Reiner’s earnest documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi is asking Christopher Guest’s so-clueless-he’s-almost-Zen guitarist Nigel Tufnel about his amps. Nigel explains that his amps are special: Nigel: The numbers all go to 11. Look, right across the board, 11, 11, 11 and… Marty: … Continue Reading →