I read Seth Godin’s stuff whenever I can. He writes and thinks well and is bold and timely. He has massive influence, can see ahead, and understands more than he writes about. He writes and sells books in a new way about the same stuff he gives away for free on his blog, but just in short snippets.
From Seth Godin: Which brings us to Guy Kawasaki and his new project. I disliked this project from the very first moment I saw the beta. It’s unlikely that it will fail. It will almost certainly generate a lot of traffic and a huge ROI for Guy. For the rest of us, it demonstrates just how easy it is to start a web company today, and just how important it is to create one that makes the world better, not just noisier.
Godin’s blog is great because he comments on current events and ties them to bigger issues in an appropriate way and is always respectful of both “sides” of any negative comment. He doesn’t leave much room for argument, unlike my other favorite blog, Scott Adam’s Dilbert blog.
Scott’s is much more about inappropriate injections on purpose, for comic and social value. He’s a shock blogger and funny about it. I’ve never seen such active commenting as Scott’s blog gets, he drives people to reply with socially relevant and hilarious suggestions.
All blogs are appropriate injections because it’s the reader’s choice to participate. You expect Internet advertising to be an appropriate injection because it’s your choice to look and click on the ad if you want to. Permission marketing, right? Internet advertising is starting to get invasive on the freedom of browsing and reading a website. Kinda like TV advertising became (I was freaking out during the lengthening commercial breaks during the Lost season-ender.)
Lately I have been hella-annoyed (yes) by boisterous mortgage ads on CNN.com or other similar sites and home pages. They seek to capture my attention in the most annoying way possible: With videos and animations that have no purpose but trick me into clicking on the ad and tricks never have a true benefit. Even if you get something later, you were tricked into it, so that negates the benefit.
There’s no benefit or message from watching a flash animation that portrays a silouette dancing uncontrollably and throwing its hands around in the air in a repetitive motion. Then came the video ads that portray random human beings acting really stupid, and then repeat again, again until you click. And now, a couple with enlarged heads and dumb looks, upon rollover they make some move to trick a click.
These ads are starting to bother me so much so that I am avoiding the websites that host them. It also makes me realize the lengths at which seedy advertising companies are willing to go to get a click. The ads are not about benefit, service or quality. These ads are a trick for a click, and people will quickly learn this soon after they succumb to the hell that catches my eye when I visit cnn.com.
Tricks for clicks are inappropriate injections for short-term benefit of only one half of the equation.
If you think about making appropriate injections, even in conversations with friends and clients, it either works or it does not. The rules of the game:
- Only inject if you offer something that will add meaning to the conversation.
- If you’re going to interrupt me, or someone else (who feels important because they are talking) it had better be injected smoothly, with humor or intelligence or hopefully both.
- Don’t make a habit of it, and don’t try to do it more than three times in any one conversation. One of those three will fail to have effect and drag the value of the other two with it.
- After one failed injection, your chance of success is zero for the rest of the day. Shut up, listen and wait your turn. Better yet, send your thought later via email once you’ve listened and judged it’s value completely.
- Remember the most appropriate injections to partake of are the optional ones. Pick your battles and say more with less.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Rod // Jun 4, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Vince – Rod here from Draplin’s party. It was nice to meet you. We will be firing the smoker up soon for some brisket and pork shoulder. If you and the wife are intersted in joining up for some BBQ let me know. Probably about 2-3 weeks out right now.
2 wifey // Jun 5, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Rod!!!!! I asked you to stay at the party and then “lost you”
Let’s BBQ!!!!
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