Confession to Clients, Colleagues, Friends & Strangers – For the last 8 Years I Have Smoked Between 10 and 30 Cigarettes per Day

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 30th, 2009 | Comments

I’m telling you this, because last Saturday night I consumed the last tobacco product that I will ever bring into my body for the rest of my life, I know that this is much easier said than done.

I began smoking at the tender age of 18.  A lot of my friends were doing it.  I noticed a lot of people smoking infrequently at parties, just once in a while, or only with friends.  I learned that these people were called ’social smokers’ and I decided to become one of them.

Before I knew it, I was trapped.  I was buying a pack of cigarettes every day.  I was smoking in the morning, before bed, in the car, with friends, in restaurants, and virtually everywhere else.

I told myself that once I graduated from college I would ‘grow-up’ and leave the habit behind me.  However, I started working in the high-pressure sales business and convinced myself that I would ‘lose my competitive edge’ if I was constantly having nicotine fits.

My next milestone was marriage.  I was absolutely determined to be a non-smoker before I committed to another person for the rest of my life.  Unfortunately, I found that preparing for a wedding was a bit stressful and that cigarettes were a wonderful way to ease the tension.

I suppose I could just keep on rationalizing forever.  I could tell myself that I should quit before I have my first child or perhaps before I retire.

Fortunately, I’ve decided that this is the end.  I’m tired of poisoning my body, wasting money, being smelly (smelly breath, smelly clothes, really smelly car… I can’t take a client for a ride in my car because it reeks of smoke), and standing out in the cold to get my fix in the winter.

Why am I announcing this to the world?

I’m letting you all in on this, because I want everyone to know that I’ve quit for good.  I figure that once everyone knows I’ll look (and feel) pretty foolish standing outside in the cold puffing on a death stick.

One thing I’ve learned is to use your assets.  This blog goes out to virtually everyone I know and everyone who knows me.  There is no way I can hide.  Once I hit ‘publish’ this is out there forever.  I can never go back, and that’s the way I want it.

I’ve been smoke free for 46 hours now.  There have definitely been a few tough moments, but I am holding myself accountable to making this change and I’m not letting anything stop me.

If you want to learn a ton about using typefaces in design, watch the Helvetica documentary.

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 27th, 2009 | Comments

On Wednesday night I was perusing through the Netflix “watch instantly” section and I came across a documentary about the typeface Helvetica.   Needless to say, I learned a ton about Helvetica but also a lot about typefaces in general.  Here’s a trailer for the film.

If you’re already a Netflix user, you can watch it right on your computer. Apparently there is also a free version somewhere online, but I was unable to find it, so that might not be true.

I recommend this film for all print and web designers. I got a lot out of it, and I never realized how much Helvetica is used in our daily lives.

Happy Thanksgiving from Tribeswell

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 26th, 2009 | Comments

I’m sitting here surrounded by family feeling very full and happy (we just finished eating).  I can’t help feeling extremely thankful for all the wonderful blessings that have come my way in the last year.

Last Thanksgiving I wrote this post when I had just started blogging, twittering, and marketing.  It’s fun to look back to my old posts to see the written record of everything I’ve been thinking about for the past year or s0.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to let everyone who reads my stuff regularly know that I’m very thankful for your attention, your comments, and your frequent visits to my site.

Why don’t you have a Wordpress website?

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 23rd, 2009 | Comments

When it comes time to update the look and functionality of your website, it’s worth considering Wordpress (for at least part of your website).

Do you have the ability to easily update the pages on your website?

You should.  Wordpress is one of many free content management systems available that allow you to make instant updates to the content on your website.

Frequent updates tell search engines and visitors that you’re serious about your web presence.  Visitors will respond to new content better than old content.  Search engines reward websites with lots of fresh content by delivering more visitors.

Where’s your blog?

Wordpress has blogging built in.  Blogging regularly is a great way to win search engine traffic and it makes it easy to sync your site with social media sites like facebook and twitter.

Wordpress also automatically organizes your site into RSS feeds.  You can utilize feeds by category or by author.  This has numerous applications for organizing your site and sharing it with potential customers over a wide range of platforms.

Do you have unique functionality needs?

Wordpress has literally thousands of extensions and plugins that allow you to build web forms on the fly, image galleries, and search optimize your website.  You can also administer forums, integrate across multiple social media platforms, and  apply advanced commenting systems like disqus and intensedebate.

Wordpress is easy and fast.

Wordpress allows me to offer websites that are beautiful, affordable, and that don’t take forever to get built.  If you or someone you know is suffering from a website that isn’t delivering results, please send them a link to this post.

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What happens to your Facebook profile when you die?

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 22nd, 2009 | Comments

There is a new feature on Facebook that suggests friends that you haven’t spoken to in a while.  Well, sure enough I logged on to Facebook the other day and it suggested that I reconnect with a friend who passed away earlier this year.

I did a Google search to see what Facebook’s policy was on this issue, and I found that there is an official Facebook form that your loved ones can fill out for you after you’ve passed on.

Facebook then removes your profile from public search results, but still allows your friends and loved ones to post on your wall as a memorial.

This doesn’t change the fact that it’s a little disturbing when Facebook recommends you reconnect with a friend who’s passed away.

I think Facebook needs to remove this feature.  How bout you?

Will you switch to Google Chrome OS?

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 19th, 2009 | Comments

Mashable just posted this video (along with screenshots) of the Google Chrome OS which is set to be released next year.

Why I will be Switching

I feel it is my duty as an active Internet power-user to at least give Chrome OS a test run.  I can always switch back to Windows XP (or more likely upgrade to Windows 7).  Here are my concerns though…

• I’m not 100% sure I’m ready to have a machine that relies so heavily on the Internet.  Sure I have very few programs installed on my netbook, but having local image and text editing software is something I don’t know if I can relinquish.
• Will I be able to save files locally?  There are certain files that I’d like to be able to access weather or not Internet connectivity is present.

Why I’m really really excited

I’m confident that this shift will bring in a whole new era of web-based applications that will really push the Internet into a whole new era.  Think about it, my netbook has limited processor speed and system resources, but what if I want to perform a task that requires lots of speed and resources… like Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe has already announced plans to release a free ad-supported version of photoshop sometime next year.  That would mean that I could run photoshop on my Chrome OS powered laptop.  I wouldn’t need huge amounts of processing power, because all the complex functions would be handled by supercomputers in the cloud.

Want to run Photoshop, Illustrator, Protools, and Final Cut Pro all at the same time?  No problem!  They’re all operating on supercomputers in the cloud.  All I’m doing is manipulating the controls on my local machine.

It will certainly be a beautiful world…

Note:  I have to give my Dad mad props.  He’s been predicting this shift since the mid 90’s.  I gotta hand it to him, he’s got foresight.

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Facebook Lite Update – Yeah, it Rocks

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 17th, 2009 | Comments

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I would be using the new stripped down version of Facebook at lite.facebook.com.

Facebook has fixed some of the ‘bugs’ that plagued the new interface initially and I hereby give Facebook Lite a clean bill of health, and it really is pretty awesome.

I thought about giving an in-depth review of the ‘lack’ of features on Facebook Lite, but I think that would kind of defeat its beautiful simplicity.  If you haven’t checked it out yet give it a whirl.

Do you have what it takes be a Niche Celebrity?

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 17th, 2009 | Comments

When I look at all the people I follow on a weekly basis, it is really overwhelming how powerful the internet has become as a broadcasting medium.  People who just 10 years ago would have had an uphill battle to gain popularity are now thriving in the mass of online niches.

What is a Niche Celebrity?

A niche celebrity is an individual who gains celebrity status within a narrow field of interest.  This individual typically has a communication medium such as a blog, video blog, or podcast.  This individual is on the cutting edge, she attracts a relatively large following, and she leads a tribe of like minded individuals.

The largest hurdle to becoming a Niche Celebrity

There’s not much room at the top and only a few individuals will ever ascend to the upper echelon of the niche celebrity pantheon.  Let’s look at an example.

Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk runs the website winelibrary.com which is a daily video blog about wine.  He leads a tribe of thousands of wine-lovers and wine experts.  Because of his mass following he has had the opportunity to do appearances on network TV and written critically acclaimed books.

Note:  I said he got TV appearances and book deals BECAUSE of his following.  The key to understanding niche celebrity is that the following comes first and the major media appearances come second.

There can only be one person at the top of the online wine pyramid, and Gary is IT.  Everyone else is playing second fiddle, unless…

Creating Niches inside of Niches

Wine appreciation is a pretty big niche, but I happen to particularly love Chianti (a red wine produced in the Chianti region of Italy).  There’s a chance, if I produced enough quality Chianti content that I could become a Chianti Niche Celebrity.

I’m not saying I could be as well-known or famous as Gary Vaynerchuk, but I might be able to make a splash in the Chianti community.

Another strategy is to go local.  I could do a blog about wine in Bloomington, Indiana.  I could go to all the the local wine retailers and report on current wine trends in this particular market, which new wines are available, and anything else my viewers might find useful.

The Moral of the Story

The rewards for true online celebrity are great.  The potential for money, fame, and recognition is almost endless.  The key is to go after an existing market that lacks clear leadership and to be very specific and targeted.

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I’m #43 in the Top 50 Indiana Blogs Contest

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 16th, 2009 | Comments

I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who voted for Tribeswell for the Top 50 Indiana Blogs competition. It was a lot of fun to see all the great bloggers in Indiana come together to vote.

Contest was plagued with a few issues including some people who tried to rig the results by voting multiple times and some crazy threats sent to the organizers.  Oh and let’s not forget Robby Slaughter’s awesome analysis of the contest. All things considered, it was terribly entertaining and I was glad to to be included.

Thanks everyone!

Blogging, Facebook, Twitter… It all takes too much time.

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 16th, 2009 | Comments

If your competitors are saying this, then you’re safe, but if they’re not…

Here’s a paradigm check… Salespeople don’t like making cold calls.  It takes a special kind of person to beat his/her head against the phone for hours to secure successful results.  However, the salesperson who leverages this strategy successfully will very likely be the future CEO of the company (or some company).

I wonder if there was this much debate when the telephone was invented.  Did they say “I’m too busy running my business to be talking into a receiver all day” ?

The medium is not all that important.  Your drive is what is important.  If you’re not investing time, money, or effort into growth then you’re dying.  Someone who cares more than you do is probably eying your market share and creating actionable strategies to steal it.

Social technologies are powerful.  There is debate about strategy, tactics, and execution, but there is one thing that is indisputable… Social media is a great way to get your marketing message in front of a large, targeted audience.