As some of you know, it’s my birthday today, so I’m taking some downtime and spending the weekend getting pampered (hopefully!).
But I just wanted to share this with you first, as it was a little surprise and it made me smile. Nice job, Google!
Have a great and safe weekend, guys, and see you online soon (and thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes on Facebook and Twitter). You’re awesome!
Over at Bonsai Interactive Marketing, we’re putting the finishing touches to a blogging project that we’re excited to launch – For Bloggers, By Bloggers.
While it’s still under wraps at the minute, I can tell you that our hopes for it is to become a solid resource for bloggers everywhere, of all descriptions and expertise.
To do that, we’re currently looking for three more bloggers, with one from each blogging platform: Blogger, Squarespace and Typepad.
If you’ve been blogging for more than two years and you have more than 12 months experience on these platforms, then we’d love to hear from you. At the minute, the “gig” isn’t a paid one as such.
However, you will be sharing in 60% of all ad revenue the project ever brings in. Since we’re limiting core team bloggers (or Authors) to just six, that means you’ll have a 10% stake in the complete project for the lifetime of your involvement.
Additionally, you’ll be free to use any of your own affiliate links throughout your involvement (you just need to make sure they’re disclosed).
Sound like something you’d be interested in? Then fill out your details below, and tell me a little bit about yourself in the contact box, as well as share some links to your blog posts that best reflect you.
Or, if you know someone that’d be a good fit, make sure to send them this way to check it out for themselves.
Look forward to hearing from you – cheers!
[gravityform id=2 name=ForBloggers Contact Form]
Here in Canada, it’s Thanksgiving weekend.
Coming from the U.K. originally, I was always aware of the Thanksgiving holiday, but we don’t celebrate it. I didn’t even know Canada had its own Thanksgiving – I always thought it was just a U.S. holiday.
Having experienced it for the last four years now, I have to say it’s one of my favorite times of the year.
It’s a time that we can let all the crap in the world disappear, if just for a weekend, and look back at everything we have to be thankful for. We don’t do that often enough, in my opinion. So it’s great to be able to take dedicated time and really appreciate how lucky we are (even if we think we aren’t).
So I’d just like to share some of the things I’m thankful for this year, if that’s okay with you.
I’m thankful for having my health after a bit of a scare earlier this year. Good always comes from bad, though, and it made me realize that we only have one shot at what we do; we can’t afford to waste it.
I’m thankful for having the opportunity to do a job I love with a business partner I trust implicitly. It’s not often you get both of these together; the fact I’m lucky enough to enjoy both means it doesn’t feel like going into work. For that, I’m gratefully lucky.
I’m thankful for knowing that, as much as the world can be a bad place, it’s also full of people who believe in change. That individually, we can be strong; together, we’re a force to be reckoned with.
I’m thankful for having the most amazing blog community. Yes, I know every blogger says it, and they probably do – but I sincerely think you are one of the best period, and you prove that day in and day out. For that, I thank you.
I’m thankful for knowing you on all of your online and offline places. People say you can’t make true friends on the Internet – I say bullcrap. Knowing you, and interacting with you on a daily basis, just keeps proving me right.
I’m thankful for living in a country that offers so much. Much of what’s made me who I might be today has happened in the last four years; living in a country like Canada has been a huge part of that, despite some trials and tribulations along the way.
Most of all, I’m thankful for having three amazing women in my life.
I’m thankful for my wife’s grandmother, Ann, who’s been my unofficial mother since I arrived in Canada.
I’m thankful for my wife’s mum, Traci, who’s helped in ways she can never know when the chips have been down.
And I’m thankful for my wife Jacki, who’s been the rock behind everything I do and given me more than I could ever ask for. I’ve not always been the husband I should be; I’ve not always been “there” when I needed to be. But through it all, Jacki has been, and for that I can never be thankful enough.
To my Canadian friends, have a safe and very Happy Thanksgiving with you and yours.
To my other friends, here’s to this weekend being one of your best. I’m signing off for a couple of days; I’ll see you after my turkey fix.
Slainte!
image: sebastien.b
I have a problem with automated urinals.
Not in how I use them; I know how to pee in public (and I’m sorry if this post veers off into uncharted territory here – I’ll try keep it clean). No, I’m more frustrated with the way automated urinals use themselves.
For anyone not sure what an automated urinal is (my lady readers might not be aware of their delicacies, for instance), here’s the quick overview.
Simple, right? So you’d think. But there seems to be a new breed of automated urinals on the loose, and they’re the ones that are out to frustrate. Here’s why.
The difference between a manual flush and an automated one is clear. With a manual flush, you know when you’re finished and ready to flush. Perfect – pee, put away, push button. Job done.
With the automated approach though, it can often begin the flush cycle before you’re done. Which is always fun to get some nice splashback from a still-in-use urinal (sorry, I did say I’d try and keep it clean!).
So, no matter if you’re ready for it or not, automation is kicking in and probably ruining your day. Not good.
While this isn’t really a problem just for automated urinals, it does come into play a little bit more when it is automated.
Basically, most urinals (at least the ones I’ve used) are all a standard size. Unless it’s open plan – then it just looks like a line-up not too dissimilar from pigs eating at a trough.
With the closed ones, though, they’re pretty much standardized as far as dimensions go. So, you can be tall, small, wide, thin, hunchbacked or any other numerous descriptions that separates us from each other. And this can be a pain at an automated urinal.
Say you get an extra-wide guy next to you – you have to try and accommodate by moving over a bit (trust me, you don’t want to share pee space!). Of course, the issue is, because you’ve moved over, you’re now in the line of fire of the urinal next to you. And if the automated system kicks in too early again… You get the point. Again, not good.
It happens. You might go to the toilet, and you could be on the phone as you go in (either calling or texting/instant messaging). Generally, if I’m on a call, I’ll say I’ll call back before going in, so no problem there. But I have been texting occasionally before I need to use the urinal.
Of course, the problem here is that the automated urinal only sees what’s in front of it, and gauges that (by the amount of time I’ve been stood in front of it), I must be done. On with the flush cycle which, once more, can come with the lovely splashback syndrome if the urinal isn’t at optimal emptiness for a flush cycle.
Again, as before, not good.
Okay. So we’ve gone through three examples of why I hate automated urinals. And you’re maybe thinking, “What the hell is Danny telling us this for? This is meant to be a marketing blog with social media insights, no?”.
And you’re right.
So, switch out automated urinals for your business. Or your marketing. Or your sales pitch. Or your advertising. Or your branding. Or any other metric that makes or breaks a business. Look at the sub-headers, and ask yourself the following questions:
I started this blog talking about automated urinals (and they do actually bug the heck out of me). But like I say, swap that out to a business view, and it still rings true. If you’re automating things when manual would be better, you’re probably being less useful than you think.
So – are you prepared or are you just flushing your success away?
image: salendron
As I?m writing this, there?s a ton of rain pouring down outside. There?s a really biting wind and the light is starting to fade, even though it?s only mid-afternoon ? not a day for going anywhere. Winter is definitely on its way, even though fall has just arrived. So what better time to make social media plans to get you through the dark months ahead?
As a way of meeting new friends that can offer help both personally and professionally, Twitter is one of social media?s greatest tools. What started out as a fun conversation can suddenly offer inspiration to change the world around you. So here?s a suggestion.
Between now and the end of the year, make 100 new friends on Twitter. But don?t just add friends for the sake of numbers ? use the search option to meet people that would normally be outside your radar. And when you?ve befriended them, talk to them. Make conversation and listen at the same time. I guarantee you?ll enjoy it.
As much as I love to write, I also love to read. Books, magazines, blogs ? you name it, if it?s got some form of text I?m there. But I used to be guilty of staying in the same niche. Reading only blogs that were in my industry or hobby list. So I began to watch who was being recommended on Twitter. I looked at the blog links in my comments section ? and I?m glad I did.
I?ve found some truly great writers that I would never have known had I remained in my bubble. I heartily encourage you to break out from your bubble and expand your reading circle. I?ve learned some great things ? I?m sure you will too.
I still have too many social media accounts. I’m getting better at being focused, but I know I don?t need some of my current micro-blogging sites or social network memberships. So I?m cleaning my social media cupboard out. Narrowing the list to two at most in each field. Instead of being spread thin across many, I hope to be more effective across the few.
These are just three things I?m doing to keep myself busy and entertained in the months ahead. What will you be doing?
image: sgs_1019
