Monthly Archive for June, 2009

Steal This Idea - Thunderheads Online Brainstorming

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 30, 2009
in ideas
. Comments

Every once in a while, I come up with an idea that I can’t really execute (at least by myself). In those cases, why let the idea just go away when I can put it out there and see if someone can run with it.

Synopsis: Thunderheads is an online brainstorming tool designed to facilitate easy collaboration for both local and remote teams.

thunderheads

Background: With all the work being done remotely, across town and across the world, I was looking for a way to capture the spirit of brainstorming, but over the web. Thunderheads would be as close as you can get to “getting people in a room” together and working on possibilities via the web.

Features: Thunderheads would be comprised of 4 main areas, shown in the (really rough) mock-up below.

1) Brainstorming Window - This is the blank canvas, participants would be able to draw and type in addition to dropping in photos, videos, or sound clips. By making this a collaborative environment, it enables people to show what they’re thinking in various different mediums. Plus it’s great for doodling.

2) Team Video Chat - Webcam equipped participants will be able to use full video capabilities, which is better for interaction, and is way more fun. Also, you can see my sessions is with Albert Einstein, muppet Bunsen Honeydew and Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. That’s a brain trust right there people.

3) Inspirations - This is where team members can link, upload, or post any materials that might be inspiring for the challenge at hand. Poem by Frost? Sure. Music videos from Youtube? Go for it. Whatever gets the fire going.

4) Keepers - This section is where you can place any of the more formed and finished ideas. Good for takeaways and getting ready to move on to the next steps. The fruits of your labor.

thmock1

That’s about as far as I got on this one. What do you think? Anyone want to actually make this?

Get Smarter Today

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 23, 2009
in Links
. Comments

If you want to learn social media: Mack Collier, Jason Falls, Beth Harte, Chris Brogan, Amber Naslund

If you want to go a little more high-level: Alan Wolk, David Armano, Greg Verdino, Geoff Livingston, Valeria Maltoni

If you want to learn about design/UX: Whitney Hess, A List Apart, I Love Typography, The Dieline

If you want a lesson in passion: Gary Vaynerchuck, Brains On Fire, Hugh MacLeod, Scott Monty

If you want something to think about for the rest of the day: Clay Shirky, Kevin Kelly, Noah Brier

If you want the lighter side: Bill Green, Steve Woodruff, Where’s My Jetpack?, Kaitlyn Wilkins

What I’m Reading - June Edition

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 18, 2009
in Books
. Comments

In no particular order

Pygmy - Chuck Palahinuk - Classic Palahinuk. Intense, ridiculous, and not for the faint of heart. Despite the “broken English” writing style, I really enjoyed this one. Pretty sharp satire of American consumerism and xenophobia.

A Whole New Mind - Daniel Pink (In Progress) I consider myself a “right-brainer”, so I was interested in seeing what Daniel Pink had to say about the subject. So far, I’m really into it. He’s got an easy writing style and keeps the information/ideas flowing. Recommended.

Thinkertoys - Michael Michalko (In Progress) Just started this one, but I love it already. If you’re looking for a creative kick-start or just a way to look at a problem differently, pick this up.

Ignore Everybody - Hugh MacLeod This book rocks. Read my full review here.

Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card I read this book once every few years. One of my all time favorites, hands down. Even if you’re not into science fiction, take the time to check this one out. Total classic.

In Defense of Flashturbation

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 10, 2009
in Web Sites and design
. Comments

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: “Don’t use Flash OMG! It’s sooooo tacky and overdone!”. OK, so honestly most of the time I’m not going to argue. I do think, however, that Flash has gotten a bad rap recently. We need to do more than just lay off the use of Flash, we need to embrace it.

Not too long ago, David Armano (who I’m pretty sure coined “Flashturbation”) pointed out that one of his favorite agency sites is the not-too-old overhaul from The Barbarian Group because of their simplified scheme. Even outfits like Big Spaceship (pictured below), which make their name with the high-end Flash stuff they do, have reverted to a more “blog like” design and navigation. Maybe with Big Spaceship it’s like when you work at an ice cream shop all summer, the last thing you want to eat is ice cream.

bigspaceship

Either way, I both understand and respect the route that both of those shops has chosen. They provide a high quality site and a good experience, and that’s what it’s really all about in the end. We’re really building experiences. And who says that a Flash experience has to be a bad one? Look at the (national award winning) website for ad agency Hook by my friends at Blue Ion. It manages to deliver a good user experience, along with a visually engaging and exciting interface.

And that’s why I think we need Flash. Because with Flash, you get the “wow” moments, and that’s what pushes us forward. Don’t get me wrong, I love the usability factor with blog-like designs, and good god is it easy to screw up Flash, but when it’s right, it can be great.

So heed my words internet citizens. Don’t hate the Flash. If we kill the stigma, maybe some of the good designers and developers will keep on rocking, and pushing the envelope.

Ignore Everybody - Book Review

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 9, 2009
in Reading and reviews
. Comments

ignoreeverybody
Do not read this book.

Unless you want a fire lit under your ass. And let’s be honest, not everyone wants that.

Ignore Everybody is not the kind of book that is going to spur deep, existential thinking, but it’s not really supposed to. As Hugh puts it with the title of Chapter 40, “None of this is rocket science”. Rather, think of this book as the “catapult” they use to launch fighter jets from an Aircraft Carrier. It might not take you where you’re going, but it’ll certainly get you on your way.

You could really divide Ignore Everybody into two types of chapters, based on a quote from Catherine the Great: Good Examples and Terrible Warnings. Hugh does a good job of mixing in both types, so you not only get inspiration to get going, but advice to avoid the pitfalls as well.

With Ignore Everybody, Hugh MacLeod has put together a short, poignant, and effective collection that I’m pretty sure will get the creative energy flowing in even the most accountant-y among us.

You can buy it from Amazon here.

Advertising As DJ

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 8, 2009
in Advertising
. Comments

Not only is this a cool commercial from Bacardi (plays very well off the “timeless” vibe), but it has a great song. In fact, the song is what stuck with me even after the ad was over. It was that “Wow, I’m going to go look that up right now” type feeling that I’m sure you’ve experienced before. The same thing happened to me with The Ting Tings song from this Apple ad.

I’m not sure that this is something the ad companies are intending, but it sure is a value-add for me. Does it make me love/want to buy Bacardi or Apple more because their agency has good musical taste? Probably not, but I dig the song and won’t change the channel if it comes on TV.

We used to look the DJs to let us know what the next, new, cool stuff would be. Now, by the time something hits the Top 40 stations it’s already either played out, sold out, or old news. It seems that ads are helping the general public “discover” new artists more and more. It’s an interesting dynamic, and I’m looking forward to see how it evolves in the in the future.

What do you think?

People Think Personal, Not Business

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 5, 2009
in Branding
. Comments

Does your business or organization have a personality? No? Not really? Well, you better get cracking.

Because it seems to me that, except in special situations, people don’t think of businesses in “business terms”. This seems to be an anomaly, because we think of other things such as clothing (flashy, sturdy, trendy), technology (revolutionary, useless, confusing), and food (spicy, sweet, expensive) in their own separate ways.

But when you think of a business, are the first things that come to your mind words like “good cash flow” or “high operating costs” or “entertainment leader for 12-18 year old girls”? Unless you’re a chief investor or are on the board of directors, probably not.

When you think of businesses or brands, you probably think of words like “honest” or “dependable” or “elitist”. And that’s because we’re constantly trying to make your brand into a person, so we can understand it and relate to it. For many people, relating to an abstract concept is tough. You don’t hear “I love Pythagorean’s Theorem” very often. We can’t do that. But when we give your business or brand some structure, and stuff it’s “traits” into a system we understand (a person) it makes that much more sense to us. Just look at Noah Brier’s Brand Tags.

The moral of the story here is that most people don’t know what your balance sheet looks like, or who is in your target market. So don’t approach them that way. You need to embrace, or at least acknowledge, the fact that people are trying to humanize your brand. If I were you, I’d help them.