Neil Bearse - Thoughts on social media & analytics - Latest Comments

Re: The weight of endless possibilities

webdesigningcompany — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:56:25 -0000

Really it is nice sayings with beautiful wings about some useful words about some interesting topic here.

Re: Eliminating friction

webdesigningcompany — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:48:47 -0000

Very interesting and appreciable blog with a great information that is very helpful and useful here.

Re: Architects, Carpenters and Hammer Swingers

Swingers — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:23:59 -0000

Very valid point woodenbell.

Re: The weight of endless possibilities

Joomla Development — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:37:50 -0000

I am really inspired together with your writing abilities as smartly as with the structure for your weblog. Keep up the excellent quality writing, it's uncommon to see a nice blog like this one nowadays.

Re: Thoughts on packaging in a digital world

Robert James — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:37:25 -0000

Hi,
Thanks for such a nice and informative post and the best part about this post is the video that you have put up. It is just awesome and I will surely get this application soon for my I phone.
___________
shipping boxes

Re: When it all goes wrong

hire a web programmer — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:26:25 -0000

I found your blog via Google while searching for first aid for a heart attack and your post looks very interesting for me.
hire a website developer | website developers for hire

Re: The weight of endless possibilities

hire a web programmer — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:17:21 -0000

Well, this is my first visit to your blog.. But I admire time and effort you put into it, especially into interesting articles you share here..
hire a website developer | website developers for hire

Re: The weight of endless possibilities

djsteen — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:21:00 -0000

I am a butterfly. And my wings are darn heavy.
I love to flutter in the wind though!

Re: The weight of endless possibilities

whitneyhoffman — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:57:57 -0000

wow. Amazing and eloquent. And I know it well.

Re: When it all goes wrong

Sidneyeve Matrix — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:22:57 -0000

Neil, Thanks for this.

Perfect timing for me, as I also had a techFAIL this week for a live event that was carefully scheduled, totally disintegrated, and after 15 minutes of struggle, had to be rescheduled.

Like you, I wondered, could I have planned better? In hindsight, yes for sure. I thought I'd tested enough, but it was a new tech toy for me, and I guess I didn't even know HOW to thoroughly test.

Which makes me wonder: were you also using an unfamiliar tool/platform?

I am a compulsive planner/piloter. I test test test my media and tech gear. It takes an enormous time investment to do that. But I think my process is not far from what you're describing above: build and rehearse. Make the time to design a strategy and test it, refine it, retest it.

I think this post of yours sheds light on the fact that doing a very dynamic, professional, innovative, rich-media and tech-enabled and/or online presentation is a truly time-consuming process that requires serious planning and an amazing commitment to detail.

I've seen you present and it has always "all gone right" so I get it that the one time it "all goes wrong" really stings. It does for me too. And like you, I reflect, connect (sometimes with you, thank you) and restart. Thanks for articulating that process so clearly here.

BTW your presentations are truly excellent and it's obvious to all who leave your talks inspired and impressed that you deeply care about getting it right.
SEM

Re: It’s all been said before

dragosilinca — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:22:02 -0000

Very good points. I don't quite understand why people want new information all the time when they're not applying the old stuff.

It's the same everywhere, from changing your habits to measuring social media. Everyone keeps asking for better and faster ways to do things, without even trying out the stuff they already know.

"It's been said and done before" they'll say. Sure, but doesn't that mean it actually works then? Instead of learning some new way, why not go and apply something, build something.

Re: It’s all been said before

dragosilinca — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:19:34 -0000

Very

Re: Remember your rookie season

Jpliniussen — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 09:51:45 -0000

This is so true, NB! I once was sent a little book from a sales person I'd met at a car dealership when I was 20. This book is still with me and contains all the music and lyrics I've written for the past three decades. The book was entitled "a man and his dreams". A little thing that your article reminded me of. Great stuff, N, keep it up.

Re: When are you invincible?

Garryw — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:17:25 -0000

Great question. For some, their moments of invincibility come less frequently than once every 24 hours...and it becomes easy to forget that they exist at all.

Re: The siren song of viral marketing

C.C. Chapman — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:38:18 -0000

AMEN!! Looks like we were thinking on the same length. I wrote about the Going Viral Myth today at http://www.cc-chapman.com/2010...

One thing you forgot. Everyone who ends up with a mouth full of sand should also end up with their teeth getting kicked in by a camel. Common sense really needs to come back in the business world!

Re: A runner’s guide to balance and perspective

Ted Lee — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 04:55:20 -0000

One of my favourite things to do in the early hours of the morning, after spending countless hours crunching away on a project is to go barefoot running at 4AM at Tindall Field here in Kingston. When I go for these 'runs' I'll completely shut down my laptop - forcing me to mentally reset. This means killing the dozens of tabs I'll have open at any given time and the large number of documents I'll be pooling from. I often find myself having way too many things open at the same time (based on the assumption that more information = easier output) but just killing everything and starting from scratch helps enormously as your mind is then forced to cling on to only the most important tidbits of information. It's almost become a ritual for me when working late into the morning that I'll power down and head for the track. No iPod. No teammates. No shoes. Just me and the track.

It's a funny things - when you remove yourself from the screen, away from your project, that's when I find my best ideas.

I think it comes down to perspective. When you're crunching away on a project you look at things from ground level and you can quickly find yourself chasing your tail. Running has a remarkable way of getting you to think of things from a 30,000 feet perspective. I'll often find after returning from these runs that things will just become so much clearer. It would be interesting to know what role adrenaline and endorphins play in our minds ability to create clarity.

Re: What’s in a name?

DJ Waldow — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:29:45 -0000

Neal - Thanks so much for your kind words!

DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
http://www.blueskyfactory.com
@djwaldow

Re: You must live your legacy

Tyler Galpin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 02:10:07 -0000

It was interesting to see how Nike, one of the best managed brands in the world, handled controversies with two of their biggest stars in the same YEAR. Tiger first, and now Lebron.

Both stars have had campaign videos released where they try to seek redemption for what they've done, and attempt to make the viewer decide what they think these sports celebrities should have done.

For Michael Jordan, sure it was relatively easy to put anything controversial aside with enough funds and a great idea.

For Tiger and Lebron, the going gets tough. The public really only lets them off the hook after they have been skewered for what feels like weeks on end. This is largely due to the ease with which we can all share information now. You're either connected to the internet or the TV (or both). There is almost no escaping hearing about these events and subsequently developing an opinion about them.

Money can't buy happiness and it seems now it can't buy loyalty.

Re: What’s in a name?

Neil Bearse — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 15:13:21 -0000

Great thought re: retweets. What instantly pops to mind is how Robert Scoble (@scobleizer) diffuses even the most harsh criticisms by retweeting people who take the time to mention him. Even if it doesn't completely satisfy the haters, in my mind, his acknowledgement of their concerns always has a positive effect on his brand.

Re: What’s in a name?

robin2go — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 10:22:16 -0000

This is a fabulous post, and connects the dots perfectly. Collecting autographs as kid is something I can completely relate to; substitute a @Zeldman response or a @wilw retweet and it seems I'm still there today. I've always championed authenticity in social media (actually, in real life in general) but this really gets to *why* we value it. Someone takes the time to care to focus on an interaction for a moment, and we become that focus, the recipient of that attention in the moment.

Thanks for connecting the dots for me.

Re: A runner’s guide to balance and perspective

rachelreuben — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 17:34:42 -0000

I go to the bath tub with some wonderfully zen music and wine. No devices, no paper or pens. Shut the door and shut out the world. It's important to find those moments in this hyper-connected world.

Re: Stop killing your own ideas

Sararthewriter — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 12:15:18 -0000

Thanks for this Neil - an inspirational read that came to me at precisely the right time!

Re: Eliminating friction

Ted Lee — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:10:38 -0000

Some great points Neil.
It's interesting that in certain scenarios (at least in marketing) friction does have a foreseeable benefit. I remember Terry O'Reilly gave a TED talk last year. In it he argued that friction could be used to 'steer' customers. He gave the example of charities that send out donor cards. On each card might be three denominations in three boxes (ex. $5, $50, $500). The charity full well knows that most people won't donate $500. They also know that donating just $5 makes people feel guilty. These two prices act as 'friction' to steer the amount you donate. As with everything in marketing, it all depends on situation and context.

Here's Terry's talk in full: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Worth the watch.

Re: Stop killing your own ideas

Neil Bearse — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:57:02 -0000

Thanks Sidneyeve! Totally a lizard brain connection here. What intrigues me is that (for me, at least) there are places where the lizard brain fears to tread; moments of clarity and direction that make anything seem possible. How to capture and replicate these conditions to make the process of creation smoother.

I have a really interesting interview that I'll post soon (part of a new project), with some neat insight into this same thing. Stay tuned :)

Re: Treating your customers like family

DJ Waldow — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:57:03 -0000

Neil - Thanks so much for highlighting this on your blog. As you know, we work hard to bring each and every new client into the "Blue Sky Factory Family." I'm thrilled that you felt the love...

DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow