Purple Cows Gone Bad
Just because it’s different, doesn’t mean it’s good. Something can be remarkably bad and not succeed in any way. Just a head’s up. Goldin Pickle Juice – The BevNET.com Review
I drink a lot of tea
Herbal tea, in fact. Tons of different kinds. It occured to me that on the side of almost every package of tea, it gives you the recipe. The recipe for how to make a cup of tea.
Is there anyone who doesn’t know how to make tea? Among the group of non-knowers, do they think to look for a recipe on the box? If it’s not there, do they look it up in a cookbook?
On the other hand, I was dishing out some Marshmallow Fluff yesterday (this is a GREAT product) and I saw the recipe for a Fluffernutter on the back. What did that invention net them? Do you think you could invent a new use for your product?
In case you need help with tea, here you go: Lipton Tea
Wiki, blogs, weak ties and what you need to know right now
Clueless marketers are feeling a little of the “blog buzz” (maybe because some folks think that’s how Howard Dean got 10,000 people to a rally last night). They want to know how to use the medium to sell more stuff.
I don’t think that’s the right approach.
Joi Ito pointed me to Epeus’ epigone – Kevin Marks weblog. I commend you to read it, then, if you don’t understand everything he’s going on about, take a few minutes to look up the missing pieces on Google.
It’s a pretty subtle thing that’s going on here, but it is very much going on.
At least they’re not Procrastinators
I’m fascinated by Meetup, but I just want to say that this link is for a meeting that’s telegraphing a punchline: International Anarchy Meetup Day.
Borscht belt jokes aside (do the anti-social people have a meetup as well?) Scott’s insight about the power of viral marketing is astonishing. Meetup is growing faster every day, fueled by the tell-a-friend motive that is 100% based on selfish needs. In other words, people tell other people because it’s good for THEM, not for meetup.
Is there a business out there that can’t learn from their success? Don’t think so. (Is there a naysayers meetup?…)
PS rereading this, it occurs to me that my anarchist readers will be annoyed with me for not realizing that anarchy is a valid political movement, and that anarchists are quite entitled to organize meetings. Gotcha.
Word on the street
You can read all about the results of my, What Should Google Do? challenge by clicking on the link, it’ll take you to the PDF. Hey, it’s free, and you can share it.
Thanks to everyone who contributed. You can read more about it at the new Fast Company Now blog.
Purple Cows keep showing up
Two just arrived.
The first is from Steve Ruskin, “I’m the one on the right.”
The second is a piece of art from artist Leland Johnson. You can find the book
here.
Viral Subtitles
Brian Peddle sent me this neat riff on the old “find a caption” viral cartoons. Fanta Shokata.
It’s not everyday
That I find a site I like, much less a designer’s site. Hence, it’s with great excitement that I commend you to: MANOVERBOARD. Web & Print Design and Consulting..
It’s got permission elements, viral elements, good taste, smart design and more. Nice.
Breathtaking
I had heard about “Google Answers”, but I confess that I thought it was a dead end gimmick.
It’s not. It’s amazing.
Check out this example: Google Answers: manufacturers of superballs (high bounce rubber balls)
The thoroughness and reliability of the answers I looked at belied the astonishing (under $200) price that was being charged.
One last factoid: They didn’t drink Kool Aid at Jonestown. It was FlavorAid. I feel sorry for the guys at General Foods who had to live with the brand besmirchment!
Thanks to Dave Winer for the obtuse reference that started me down the road.
Beware This New Spam
The latest spam making the rounds might come from PayPal or even your bank.
It requires you to click on a link and go to a web page to read a security message or new terms and conditions.
But to get to the page, you need to type in some identifying data. Of course, that’s the scam. It’s not really the bank. It’s an identity thief, just waiting to steal from you.
Careful.