Logic+Emotion

Visualizing Chris Anderson's "Free" Model

Chris Anderson, author of the Long Tail, put out a call for help to visualize his "3 Kinds of Free" model.  The above visual is what I've come up with. If you know Chris, can you give him a heads up? Of course, if the Long Tail is valid, he should be able to find this himself. :-)

From his post:

1. Here's the first, which dates back more than a century. It's the razors-and-blades model, as well as loss leaders of all sorts, from "free gift inside" to "free toaster for opening an account":

2. The second is the media business model, ranging from free-to-air broadcast radio and television to all ad-supported content online today:

3. The third is the new one, enabled by digital markets where the marginal cost of production and distribution is close to zero. This is the one that allows the "freemium" business model, where 90% of the users get the basic product for free and 10% chose to pay for a premium version. In economics this is called "versioning"...

A Brand New World

Here's the thing you already know about this space. If you're not consistently evolving, growing, learning and experimenting, than you might as well go work in another industry. In the spirit if everything I just said—I've launched a new pet project called "Brand U.0". It's not a blog (well, this link will take you to one). But it's an idea.

The idea is this:

Personal brands matter—we're creating them each time we create a profile online, reinforcing them each time we have an interaction and if we get fired or move on in our careers—it's the one thing we are allowed to take with us. That can never be taken away.

And consider this. Successful personal brands are REALLY HARD to build and maintain. And that's why there are so few examples of people who have cultivated huge followings and actually live up to the brand they have built.

Chris Brogan is one of these people, and he's my first interview .  Join me in this experiment—you never know where it will end up.

Blog(s) of the Day: IDEO

The thing I Iove about the Web is that it levels the playing field. Novices and professionals each have equal shots at being heard. So when a company like IDEO launches official blogs (later in the game compared to many), it really doesn't matter because the Web thrives on quality of content and interactions. Everyone has a chance.

IDEO brings us two blogs worth checking out.  The first is IDEO Labs, which is described as follows:

"IDEO Labs is a place where we can show bits of what we're working on, talk about prototyping, and share our excitement over the tools that help us create."

While IDEO Labs is not posting in large volumes, it does offer some behind-the-scenes glimpses into their process and how they work. Check out this video of an IDEO team as they play around with their own multi-touch experiments.

Next is Design Thinking by IDEO's Tim Brown, an outspoken evangelist of the design thinking movement.  Design Thinking has more of a personal touch (I'm sure this is by design) compared to IDEO Labs as it offers direct perspectives from Brown on topics such as optimism and critique,  and  asking questions about the differences between product + experience.  Tim is in th process of writing a book and has positioned his blog as follows:

"This is a blog about design thinking. I am in the process of writing a book on the subject and this is the place I would like to share ideas and have a discussion. If you want to get an overview on how I see design thinking then check out the article I wrote for Harvard Business Review here.

As you will see as you read the posts, I have lots of questions. If you can help me with any answers or perspectives I would be very grateful. If you let me know who you are I will also do my best to acknowledge anything that makes it into the book."

Both blogs support comments, and both are worth checking out. IDEO are master marketers and intelligent self-promoters. In addition to learning about design methods and thinking, you might learn something about how to market your own organization from them.

10 Reasons To Stop Calling Yourself A "Blogger"

Several years ago, I gave this presentation at a blogging conference. I wanted to help people become better at blogging and I made a point which may or may not have been fully understood at the time. I suggested that we stop calling ourselves "bloggers". My broader message was that unless the act of blogging itself was indeed your core passion—you should identify yourself more closely with what your true passion is—whether that be writing, sports, design, marketing or perhaps being a parent. Here's some more food for thought on the subject matter. A bit tongue-in-cheek, but maybe it can get us all thinking. Here's 10 reasons to stop calling yourself a "blogger":

1. People are only nice to bloggers because now, they have to be.
2. Blogger sounds like "booger". Ew.
3. Bloggers are so 2006. "Microbloggers" are the new bloggers.
4, Most successful bloggers have written a book. That makes you an author.
5. If you haven't written a book, you're just a blogger.
6. No one really wants you to blog about what they did at last night's party.
7. Blondes have more fun. Bloggers have more fights.
8. Bloggers are now respectable, like journalists and lawyers. Except no one trusts journalists and lawyers.
9. The word blogger rhymes with "jogger"—subliminally recalling images of head bands, knee highs and short shorts.
10. Bloggers only talk about blogging. You're more interesting than that.

Live From Web 2.0

I'm attending and speakiing at the Web 2.0 Expo in New York. I'll write about it later, but for now here's a quick podcast I did with the folks from Blogtalk Radio. 

Stories That Stick

What's a story? There are so many definitions that I won't even try to define it here. But I do know one thing—good communicators are good storytellers, and good storytelling is memorable. I'm still fairly new to public speaking and so I try to weave in short stories to my presentations mainly because I can't present something effectively unless I can relate a personal story to it.  A story that means something to me.  It's why I brought Randy Paush into my micro-interactions presentation. It's why, when I'll talk about "personal brands"—I'll probably pepper it with stories I've heard before or maybe something I've experienced myself.

Being an effective storyteller isn't easy—but it's much easier to tell a story that matters to you. Stories that stick can influence decisions, inspire people to take action and persuade people to see things in a different light. Next week I'll have two opportunities to tell a story. Hopefully, they stick.

Sketching Is A State of Mind

That's my Moleskine notebook. I take it everywhere I go and use it to sketch out ideas as they pop into my head. I'm constantly sketching on paper, napkins—you name it. Sketching with simple tools like a pen and paper is the fastest way for me to explore different ideas, concepts and designs.

The above statement is mostly a lie.

Well OK, it's partially true. That's my Moleskine and I occasionally use it to sketch out ideas and jot things down—however you would be surprised out how FEW drawings I have in it.  It's actually quite pathetic for someone who "thinks visually". Since sketching is the new black right now, I'd like to offer up a personal perspective that comes at this topic a bit differently.

Sketching and drawing are not the same thing.

Allow me to elaborate on this personal opinion. For me personally, drawing on paper actually has some downsides. I find that when I draw, I'm tempted to render things. Rendering (making things look nice) gets in the way of my thinking process and as much as I try to ignore how things look, I find that the physical drawing part limits me. Sometimes I actually enjoy the drawing part so much, that my brain slips into "doodle" mode which is very relaxing but a essentially puts me into a semi-trance, as opposed problem solving mode. Again, this is a personal opinion but I have found that the act of "sketching" actually has nothing to do with drawing whether it be paper, or white board. Now to be clear, I am not saying that a pen and paper aren't useful tools—they are. But here's a few things to consider.  They work for me and might work for you, especially if you are uncomfortable with "drawing" but want to sketch more. 

1. Sketch in your head
Since you most likely have eyes, it means you are capable of thinking visually. When you have a visual idea, make up a name for what that idea is and write it down. Then take a mental snapshot of the what's in your head. I do this all the time, especially because in reality I don't carry a sketchbook with me at all times and often times, just naming something is enough for me to recall the idea when I'm ready to make it visual.

2. Use the tool that you are most comfortable with
If you like the feel of pen and paper then this article might not be for you. For me, I am very comfortable sketching digitally. My tool of choice is adobe illustrator because the vector art lets me move things around as quickly as I can. In fact, I actually embrace the limitations of tools such as Powerpoint because it helps me focus on the idea—not the rendering of it. It's difficult to get things to look perfect in Powerpoint, so it forces me to keep things simple. Plus, both tools let me copy and paste any image I can find on the internet—again this bypasses the temptation to render. Bottom line is that sketching does not have to be separate from digital.  Actually, I consider most of my images to be digital sketches and didn't draw on paper for most of these.

3. Think in color
Paper and pencil sketching doesn't allow you to express your thoughts in color—and for me personally, I think in color and shapes! Again, there are lots of digital tools that allow you to quickly color items, select shapes and edit rapidly. Print out versions of digital sketches that you think are getting at something, use color to create visual hierarchy in your ideas. For me personally, color helps me think.

While I think the act of sketching is essential—I think there needs to be a distinction between the tools and the act of sketching itself, as well as drawing. Sketching isn't better when it's analog, or when it's digital—it's better when we are in the right frame of mind. For me, this includes resisting the urge to make things look too pretty and working with tools I feel comfortable with. For me, the tools are a combination of digital, mental and visual. No Moleskine or white board required.

So just get out there and sketch. But don't feel like you have to draw. Work in a medium that lets you move forward rapidly and doesn't get in the way of your ideas.  That could very well be a sharpie and napkin—but it doesn't have to be.  Sketching is really a state of mind.  Oh, try a good beer when you sketch, that helps me too. ;-)

Brand "U.0" + The Chicago New Media Summit

Brand "U.0"

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: personal branding)

Next Monday I'll be kicking off the Chicago New Media Summit with a talk called "Brand U.0". As far as I can tell, the Chicago New Media Summit is styled somewhat like TED, with a high volume of presentations lasting around 20 minutes.  The back story for the presentation comes from an article I originally wrote for Ad Age in which I said:

"The hallmark of any great brand is authenticity -- just ask Harley-Davidson, Coke or Apple, especially when all of these brands lost their way and learned from it. Same thing applies to Brand You. In every tweak or a template, upload and keystroke, you have an opportunity to be authentic or disingenuous. Know what makes you special and unique, and tap into those qualities as you build your personal brand online. Most people can spot a fake when they see one, so remember that being genuine is more important that presenting yourself in an artificially glossy manner. It used to be important for bloggers to "find their voice" -- now it's relevant to all of us.  

These are a few things to consider, and you don't have to be Robert Scoble or Seth Godin to benefit from them."

I think personal branding is a behavior we'll see for quite some time. Just take a look at how much time is being spent by kids on their own profiles—and of course, you don't have to be a kid to have your very own "brand" online. If you are attending the event, be sure to say "hello".

Boxes + Arrows

Russ Unger recently had a chat with me over at Boxes and Arrows. Russ asked me a bunch of questions, but I though this one specifically was relevant as it pertains to my upcoming talk at IDEA 2008.

RU:  What should the audience take away from your talk?

DA: I can’t answer this question really. People will take away what they want and that’s a good thing. I can tell you what I hope they will. I hope they will be excited about the future which I believe presents huge opportunities for people who understand how to create great experiences one interaction at a time. This could be through interface, through content or even through personal interactions such as responding to comments, etc. I can’t help but see a strong link developing between social networking and experience design. We are living in an age where we can design prototypes and get real time feedback. People can tell us what they want and we’ll have to be confident in ourselves to read between the lines. But at the end of the day, I believe that it’s more important than ever to deliver a great experience vs. building a myth around one.

You can read the full interview at Boxes And Arrows

Chrome Wars