January 2012
21 posts
1 tag
Tough business decisions are inevitable. →
Good advice on how to process and make the right choice when it comes to tough decisions.
Our Misconceptions About Agile Backlogs Are... →
Not all books on Agile are worth the time it takes to read them. And I’m not sure this one is either since I haven’t read it. However, if the book is written anything like this post is written, it’s at least worth a try.
Letters of Note →
Read private letters sent between famous or influential people. Find great insight into the private mind of people that change things.
Building Trello for Multiple Devices →
“Everything we do for mobile translates back to a better desktop experience.”
Creators Versus Editors
There are people who are remembered as true innovators in their field, redefining what excellence looks like. They change how the world sees their industry or art or genre. Often the innovation that comes from these people isn’t splurged forth in a moment of creative clarity or produced in a steady hum of genius. These people are editors; taking the mediocrity that others create, or creating...
“I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”
– Galileo Galilei
Bestsellers
Am I the only one that’s tired of the quirkiness? Have the subjects of both prose and poetry been so thoroughly explored that writers are left only with the option of using odd syntax and run-on sentences and mixed metaphors to explore them again?
I began reading a book this week called Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It’s supposed to be really good according to my friends and...
iBooks Author: The First Real Threat to Kindle...
I’m a big fan of Kindle Singles. They’re genius little literary snacks that are priced at a guilt-free level, small enough to enjoy without a long commitment, and can be read anywhere I have a screen.
But Apple lobbed a big bomb at Kindle Singles with their iBooks Author combination. I’m not concerned with the education angle. That was inevitable. What I see is the potential for...
tumblrbot asked: WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER WHEN YOU ARE IN A BAD MOOD?
“Life is a chess game, but I don’t know how to play chess.”
– Mr. Brainwash (graffiti artist)
Take Care of Your Little Notebook →
I’ve grown to love my notebooks in the last few months. As life for me slowed down and I was able to spend a little more time thinking and reading and writing, I found myself having more to say. Little notebooks are perfect for recording what you want to say to yourself, or maybe to your children and grandchildren.
I have a new 3-pack of Moleskine Cahiers coming in tomorrow from Amazon...
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you...”
– Mark Twain
Timeboxing
Timeboxing is a technique for limiting the amount of time you allot yourself to accomplish a specific task. The goal of timeboxing is to create artificial limitations and urgency, which then translate into intensified focus and increased productivity.
For example, I’ve created a timebox of 15 minutes to write, edit, and publish this post. If I’m not done at the end of the 15 minutes,...
“You’re kind of old to be getting started being young.”
– Mom
Company and Product
“We believe strongly that the company is going to be reflected in the product and vice-versa.”
Jack Dorsey; founder of Twitter and Square
There’s an intangible connection between a company/team and the product they ship. To see this connection, look at companies like Zappos or 37Signals where company culture, office design, values, and language are finely tuned. Everything...
“Once you get used to simplicity, the complex normality others have becomes the...”
– Andrew Hyde on extreme minimalism
“The joy is less immediate as things get bigger.”
– Drew Houston (Dropbox cofounder) on growing a business from scratch
“Without great solitude, no serious work is possible.”
– Picasso
Announcement Time!
Back in mid-December I wrote about the options that sat on my table for next steps in my professional life. Among several options, I had the opportunity to start a new business with a friend. We’ve decided to pull the trigger on that idea.
Say Hello to Kick Action Studios
Tony and I make an excellent team. His experience and expertise in digital marketing and community-building perfectly...
“I liked the idea that a part of one’s body might be thought of as lazy -...”
– Me Talk Pretty One Day; Amazon
December 2011
13 posts
Which Mobile Platform First?
If you’re launching a new mobile app and you only have enough time or money or marketing capital or audience focus or available bandwidth to hit one platform really well, choose iPhone. This only applies, of course, if you are actually launching a mobile app and not an app that would, by its nature, be better suited for a tablet.
The answer to this question may be changing soon to Android....
Kindle Singles: Kindle's Secret Weapon
Every digital book reading platform, like the Kindle or iBooks or Google Books or Kobo or others, has the same lock-in environment that iTunes has. The more books you buy for one platform, the more painful it is to switch. In this way, they are all pretty much equal. That means the differentiator must be something else. And in the case of digital book platforms, that means having the most...
Between Two Topics
In transitioning off the YouVersion team and LifeChurch.tv staff, I’ve found myself in an awkward pause. It feels just like that moment of transition in a conversation with someone you don’t know very well. The conversation must continue, but you don’t know when it will start again or what the topic will be.
Right now I’m in that pause between two topics in a long...
Switching to iOS from Android
Last week I decided that, with so many changes happening in my life right now, why not add another? I’ve been using Google products since I got into business five years ago. My Gmail account in nearly filled to capacity and I’m sure I’ll be paying for more space soon.
Naturally, as a bought-in Google user, I’ve also been an Android user and fan for the past two years; or...
Next
What’s next? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself for the better part of a month.
Today is my last day as part of the Digerati team at LifeChurch.tv. And it’s really sad. When I made the decision to move on, I knew the hardest part would be leaving the people and the culture that help make this organization an outlier. But dwelling on a difficult decision...
“There’s always been a need for methodology in content.”
– Although Content Manager is a title I’ve never held, many product and project managers are forced into performing this function on a team at one time or another. A Content Methodology Primer is a must read for anyone managing content, online or otherwise.
HT: @bb
“I believe the most important marketing step is trying to make a great app.”
– The definition of a “great app” in this case is any app that Apple will highlight/feature in the iOS App Store. Therefore, the best marketing technique for iOS apps is scratching Apple’s itch.
Automatic Moments
In a continuation of my current infatuation with Path, let’s discuss Automatic Moments. Automatic Moments are the posts/updates/shares that happen automatically in Path without you having to do anything. According to the web settings panel this is limited to location changes. For example, when I ride my bike from my place downtown to the Starbucks in Riverside (a different neighborhood),...
1 tag
Tyranny of the Tools →
When we create Agile teams, we create teams of real, live people. That means our control and communication systems must be built around the qualities and capabilities of people, not robots.
Daniel makes plenty of good points. He’s a realist, but still a purist. Consultants can be purists, because consulting is mostly a matter of theory. Its application is at the beginning of a process....
3 tags
What Path Should've Been →
I guess it would’ve been easier for me to use Path if they were aggregating my social data from elsewhere.
That’s redundant, and it’s not what someone does when they’re trying to build a lasting company. Mark didn’t build Facebook as a more beautiful interface for MySpace. He started something new, limited, and clobbered MySpace (and everyone else).
Other companies...
November 2011
1 post
