Little bits
Aaron decided that the best way to tell his story was to turn his web site into exactly one (non-scrolling) page. I think that boundaries sharpen the mind. And if you have a one page web site, why not try turning it into ten pages to see what happens.
Draw anything for $2? I think it’s a brilliant way to turn the pricing model of art on its head, to gain a following and to practice your drawing. On a similar tangent, Elizabeth points us to an art site that sells limited editions and slightly less limited editions at standard prices. What’s the ‘correct’ price for a piece of art? Is it only art if it costs a lot of money?
Ted Matthews has an interesting thought. Branding is too important to be left to the marketing team. If branding is everything a company does, and the marketing folks persist in acting like advertising people, then put the CEO or her surrogate directly and totally in charge of what a brand means.
It turns out that a lot of searches online are for things that are pretty simple. Like how to boil an egg or how to count cards. Just because you already know something doesn’t mean everyone does. Think even simpler than you would expect and you’re on to something. (For a very long time, one of the top 100 searches into the search box at Yahoo was: "Yahoo").
Here’s a beta test you might be interested in: Faceblurb. (I know there are still some bugs). The guy who wrote the "Purple Cow" poem that has inspired so many of us also invented the word "blurb" to describe that ego-satisfying quote on the back of a book from another author, telling the world how great the book is. The idea of Faceblurb is that you can use Facebook to blurb your favorite books or sites or whatever, and then spread those positive vibes to your friends, who will return the favor.
Alvo Stockman is one of a number of magicians who is building a following, one person at a time, online, and making it pay by selling them a series of manuals or devices. The secret for many magicians, it turns out, is video. Showing is far more effective than telling. In Alvo’s case, it’s about finding a tiny niche and creating enough innovation that the word spreads among the community.