Leo Laporte Builds Empire With ‘This Week in Tech’ - NYTimes.com

Great article at the New York Times on what someone did with a blog, then a podcast, and now video.

Determination, enthusiasm, and a love for what he was doing. I believe him when he says he was not always sure where it was going to end up but he kept pushing the edge of the envelope and I think that is what we need to do.

Keep looking. It is out there and I guess that is what I am doing.

Leo Laporte Builds Empire With ‘This Week in Tech’ - NYTimes.com

Five Innovative New Year's Resolutions | Fast Company

I just posted this to my Curious Voyager blog however I thought this would be good for everyone. If you are writing or thinking about it some of the thoughts in this Fast Company blog could be of interest to you.

Read more, listen more and see more. Let yourself be stirred by all things. Go places you have not been and believe me there are some right in your own city.

Step outside your comfort zone and see how others do it.

Five Innovative New Year's Resolutions | Fast Company: "To be more innovative, then, you need more diverse sources of information and inspiration. Resolve to read magazines you've never considered, watch movies you think you'd hate, and attend lectures of topics apparently unrelated to what you do."

In Torrington, Conn., a Brave Foray Into New Media Territory - NYTimes.com

Is this the new face of journalism? With the decrease in newspaper subscription and an increase in Internet activity newspapers need to find another way to reach the people and stay a viable entity.

As Jeff Jarvis (Buzz Machine) would say. they need a new business model.

This is a story in the NY Times about one way.

I love the very last line in the story; "I don't know what this means, but I guess we'll all find out." Bob Dylan was right in the 60's and he would be right again today; "These Times They Are A Changing".

Read the story however this is another example of how to find information. I read a newsletter produced daily called Reveries. It is a marketing newsletter and always has two good stories in it. This one, Newspaper Cafe, led me to the New York Times article. Check out Reveries, if you are in marketing or interested in it I am sure you will enjoy. Another good source of information.

In Torrington, Conn., a Brave Foray Into New Media Territory - NYTimes.com

Coworking: How Much Does It Cost?: Business Collaboration News «

This is an interesting business. I wonder if we could put one of these in this area and have it do really well? Not sure why not. Starbucks is to noisy to work long in as well as McDonald's and other places. I know they are free but sometimes free does not get it. Just a thought.

Coworking: How Much Does It Cost?: Business Collaboration News «

Keeping Your Ear To The Ground–So To Hear

I have been using various apps to “listen” to the social media tools that I pay a little attention to. I said that right. Days will go by and I will not have tuned into Twitter or Facebook.

In the past I have used the computer and my phone to occasionally see what is going on however it doesn’t quite do the job. I want to be able to tune in from time to time without a great deal of hassle.

I have been using TweetDeck and have found it quite useful however it is one more thing to start up and I am looking for something that is just there.

Enter TweetDeck for the Chrome browser. I have downloaded and installed it and so far it looks very good. I have added my Buzz account as well as Twitter and Facebook. From a review that I read (more links below) TweetDeck is planning on adding Gmail and other options to this browser.

Since I have just downloaded this I will give it a few days to see how well it does.

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Related articles

• ChromeDeck: TweetDeck Finally Comes to the Web as a Chrome App (daaaveeeee.wordpress.com)
• TweetDeck's New Chrome App: Awesome & Set to Get Better in Days (readwriteweb.com)
• ChromeDeck: TweetDeck Finally Comes To The Web As A Chrome App (techcrunch.com)
• Video: TweetDeck CEO Talks ChromeDeck (thechromesource.com)

Common Craft - Our Product is Explanation

Here is a web site that started for fun making video's and now has found a way to monetize their business. You should view some of the videos, most are under 3 minutes and are used to 'explain' things.

Husband and wife started this business and it is really getting the attention of a number of people. Here is a link to a Net@Night show that Leo Laporte and Amber MacArthur produce weekly. In this show they interview one of the founders.

Check out the link below and then check out Net@Night

Common Craft - Our Product is Explanation

Marketing: A Brand's Best Bet in Social Media Is Randomness - Advertising Age - Digital

I found this article to be quite interesting. Too many times business blogs are all about "me" (the company, it's product(s), "getting the message out") perhaps that doesn't work. Too stuffy, no fun.

Perhaps creating a comic or cute comment that fits the day just might add some levity to your blog and show that you are a "real" person.

Check it out at AdAge...

Marketing: A Brand's Best Bet in Social Media Is Randomness - Advertising Age - Digital