Stop your whining and in the words of GaryVee "just crush it"

Everyone should watch this fantastic video from Gary Vaynerchuk. This is now my new favorite motivator when I want to feel sorry for myself for being too busy or having a setback at work or in my professional life. I recommend watching it, but if you don't, here's a few bullets:

1. What you do at work isn't a matter of life and death - unless of course you're a doctor, policeman, fireman, or in the military

2. Stop bitching and moaning when things don't always go your way

3. Suck it up and take care of business

That's pretty much it. It's really pretty simple when you think about it, but sometimes you need someone to smack you upside the head to wake you up. So the next time you're in the mood for some serious self pity, re-watch this post. In the mean time, stop crying, think, wipe your tear and crush it!

The Top 10 Super Bowl Ads of All Time

Super Bowl XLIII (that's 43 for you simpletons) is just around the corner and you know what that means. Yep, time to stuff yourself with unhealthy food, drink your body weight in beer, and watch some funny freakin' commercials. MSNBC has released a list of the top 10 Super Bowl ads of all time:

10. MasterLock - shoot the lock
9. Coke - parade balloons
8. Bud - sleigh ride
7. Etrade - money out the wazoo
6. McDonalds - Bird/Jordan shootoff
5. Bud - Frogs - Bud weiiiiiiiis errrrrrrr
4. Apple - 1984
3. Reebok - Terry Tate Office Linebacker
2. Bud - Respect - clydesdales in New York
1. Coke - Mean Joe Greene - classic

I can't argue with the ones they have on the list, but here are a few that I thought deserved an honorable mention if not outright inclusion on the top 10 list. Some of my favorites:

1. Bud - Whassup - c'mon, who wasn't saying this non-stop for the next six months
2. Tobasco - fly explodes - simple and amusing
3. Career Builders - working with monkeys...because if nothing else, monkeys are funny
4. Monster.com - When I grow up, I want to claw my way up to middle management.
5. Bud - Referee getting bitched out by his wife - we've all felt like that guy...well not me of course, but i'm sure all the rest of you guys have
6. GoDaddy - just because
7. Visa - YaoMing - 7'5" Chinese guys are amusing
8. H&R Block - Willie Nelson - My face is burnin'!
9. Doritos - Ali Landry - Because Ali Landry is HOT!
10. Bud - White guys doing whassup - freakin' funny

If you want to see a big list of Super Bowl ads, go here. If you want to cast your vote for the best of all time, or at least the best of the top 5 chosen by MSNBC, click here.

More info on the Presidential BlackBerry

I just saw this over at CrunchGear. It looks like that President Obama will use his mother of all BlackBerries for personal communication, but he may get a General Dynamics Sectera for the classified stuff. The $3300 device has an easy-to-use toggle button to swtich to classifed mode for email, Internet, and phone calls. As I've mentioned before, I'm a huge BlackBerry fan, but why he wouldn't just carry the one device is beyond me since all of his personal communications will also be a part of the public record at some point. Here's a video demonstration of the Sectera:

HyveUp: TV Gets Social Around The Virtual Watercooler

Great article written by the guys at HyveUp about Watercooler and TVLoop.com. Xavier definitely gets the business we're in and does a great job covering our general business model.

HyveUp: TV Gets Social Around The Virtual Watercooler

A key initiative that we're super excited about is the market research project that we're working on. We're going to be releasing some sample data and more info on that partnership next week, so stay tuned. That opportunity could be very big for us and a great supplement to our advertising model.

President Obama and I Are Like Brothers From Another Mother

The President and I have a ton in common. We have nothing in common with the far right and we love our Blackberries. I personally could not live without mine. It's the way I pass the time in lines, on public transportation, at airports, at breakfast, etc. etc. In short, I freakin' love my phone and will likely never own anything but a Blackberry. Sure I've been tempted by that slut the iPhone. I've thought about taking a bite of that forbidden touch screen fruit, but the keyboard and email functionality of the Blackberry always brings me back. So I was thrilled when Barack Obama got all sorts of pub during the campaign about his phone addiction. I followed with baited breath has he made the veiled promise that the Secret Service would have to pry it out of his cold dead hand. Well luckily that's no longer an issue as President Obama is scheduled to receive the mother of all Blackberries sometime in the next few days. It even has a catchy new nickname - the BarackBerry. He has to miss out on some of the good stuff like IM and GPS, but he'll get the functions he really loves like email and mobile web. So congrats on your big win Mr. President...oh, and that whole inauguration thing.

Hope Rules the Day

This is probably the 1 billionth blog post today concerning the historical inauguration of Barack Obama, but the numbers coming out of the major news sites are staggering:

- CNN is reporting 136 million page views and 21 million video streams
- Fox News is reporting 5 million streams
- MSNBC is reporting 107 million page views and 14 million streams

All are record setting figures for the sites involved. CNN was no doubt assisted by its partnership with Facebook which resulted in over 1 million Facebook members updating their status through the integration with Facebook Connect.

All said and done, this was probably the most widely watched news event via broadcast TV and online websites than any event in history. This was not just a US event as it has been widely reported that the Obama Inauguration captured the attention of people around the world. Unfortunately I didn't get to watch as much of it as I wanted due to work commitments, but the little that I did watch made me very envious of the people that made the trek to Washington, DC. Listening and watching President Obama (that feels good) speak makes you want to follow him in whatever capacity you may be needed. To say he's inspiring is an understatement. He has done more to rally this country than any person since Guiliani spoke at Ground Zero the day after 9/11.

While we cannot expect that the President will be able to make good on every campaign promise, I fully expect him to work tirelessly and selflessly to leave this country in a much better state than he has inherited it. In a word, I feel very hopeful and based on the numbers I've seen, I'm not alone.

Seriously!? Facebook Grader? Seriously!?

This just in from TechCrunch. HubSpot has outdone themselves this time with Facebook Grader. Look, I'm a big fan of Website Grader as I think it's a great way to get some SEO consulting on the cheap. And Twitter Grader is probably okay as the Twittersphere can be vast and overwhelming so it may be helpful to get some advice on how to improve your use of the tool. But Facebook Grader? Seriously!? Is there anyone that vain or pathetic that needs the validation that Hubspot provides via Facebook Grader? I'm sure there are and I'm sure plenty will use the tool, but I find it laughable and absurd that it even exists. Facebook is a great way to connect with friends past and present, as well as a work colleague or two. It's not really intended to be, say, Twitter where you follow all sorts of random people to build your own network of followers. Do I really want 1000 friends on Facebook that all see my random party and family pics. Do I really need a tool to tell me to go out and get a lot more Facebook friends that I probably don't want. No, not really. Are there attention whores out there who do? Probably, and that's why the tool exists. If you need find yourself needing something along the lines of Facebook Grader, take a ball peen hammer out of your toolbox and smack yourself in the forehead first. Repeat until the need dissipates.

Nevermind

Okay, nevermind regarding moving my blog to Wordpress. I run a couple of WP blogs for Watercooler and it's all very easy. But their hosted solution is really starting to hack me off. All I wanted to do was set up an RSS feed so readers could subscribe and it was taking entirely too long. So rather than continuing to burn my precious time on this, I'm sticking with Blogger. So congrats Google, while Blogpsot is a bit limited regarding functionality, it's easy as hell to use so I'm sticking around.

The Forty Acres Has Moved

I've moved the blog to a new home on Wordpress. I have no idea if anyone is even reading this, but if you are and want to continue reading my new stuff, come on over to http://thefortyacres.wordpress.com.

Pet Peeve Rant: Mobile Phone Users on Public Transportation

I can't take it anymore. If I have to listen to one more self-obsessed nimrod have a 30 minute conversation on their mobile phone about some unimportant work project while commuting on public transportation, I may snap. Newsflash people...you're not that important. There, I said it. I know you want to think you're that important and as a result want me to think you're that important, but I'm not buying it. You're a selfish piece of trash and the sooner you get a clue the better. As far as I can tell, there are 5 reasons that you should talk more than 30 seconds on your mobile phone while on the train or any other form of public transportation:

1. You're reporting a crime of some sort
2. You or someone else is dying and in need emergency services
3. You're talking a friend out of offing himself
4. You're estranged father suddenly called you to give you your inheritance
5. I'm strangling you because you're talking incessantly on you're fucking mobile phone (See reason 1)

That's it. Those are the only reasons that you're allowed to have a conversation longer than 30 seconds. Otherwise, I'm not responsible for my actions which may or may not include embedding said phone far enough in your colon that you'll forget all about those polyps. You've been warned Caltrain riders.

Facebook shuts down a perfect example social advertising

Facebook has been in the press non-stop for the last several months as lots of pundits submit their opinion about the company's financial health and revenue generation opportunities. There is still a lot of doubt about whether Facebook can be successful monetizing it's 50 million unique users and 18 billion page views in the US. So along comes Burger King with it's Whopper Sacrifice campaign clearly demonstrating that Facebook offers significant value to advertisers when used properly. What does Facebook do?

1. Embrace the campaign and offer additional promotion? No.
2. Exploit the hell out of it on the PR front? No.
3. Set up an immediate meeting with BK and Crispin to see how they can help? No.
4. Get their marketing and product team working on similar automated solutions? Maybe, but probably not.

No, Facebook's answer to one of the most engaging advertising campaigns ever run on their platform was to shut it down because it violates user privacy. Which users you ask? Well, it seems that Facebook has a problem with the application telling the friends that were sacrificed that they were indeed sacrificed. Evidently those friends won't be able to handle the fact that they were rejected in exchange for a cheap burger. I guess it doesn't matter that the person doing the sacrificing is well aware of what's going to happen and elects to take part in the campaign anyway. Facebook has decided that they need to protect us from...well...us.

When I first read about this campaign, my immediate reaction was "Yes, finally someone that really gets what it means to take advantage of the social graph on Facebook." The opportunity for the Facebook marketing and PR team was there for the taking and they blew it. Either that, or some privacy lackey at the company made a call to shut down the application without first considering the PR impact. Based on all of the accounts that I've read, I don't think that was the case. Back to the drawing board Facebook.

Biggest Tools on TV: Flo from Progressive

Well I was going to wait a week or so before continuing with this series, but I just saw yet another Progessive commercial starring Flo (aka the most annoying woman on the planet) and I just couldn't contain myself any longer. These painful commercials are obviously having an impact or Progressive wouldn't continue to subject us to Flo's annoying voice, character, and mannerisms, and some people appear to be fans...I would not be one of those people. The most recent Flo installment is a New Year reference with her absurdly blowing a party horn to absolutely no tune and then proclaiming, "I wrote that". Where do they ever come up with this delightful witty banter? Mean while I'm looking for the nearest icepick to shove as far into my head as possible. Please make Flo go away...please.

Biggest Tools on TV - The Shamwow Guy

I'm starting a new feature on my "blog that nobody reads" called Biggest Tools on TV. Our first lucky contestant is Vince Offer, better known as the Shamwow Guy...or the Slapchop Guy if you prefer. I'm seriously considering stopping my cable TV habit to rid myself of this tool. Not only does he have the most annoying voice, but he insists on wearing that absurd headset contraption while incessantly blabbering about the greatness of his glorified towels and miniature food processor. Speaking of which, you can fit like 1/8 a normal onion in that thing so I guess if you're making exactly one taco it should be just the thing you need. And while the Shamwow is actually something I would consider purchasing because it actually looks pretty useful, I just can't bring myself to do it because it's pitched by this toolshed. So here's to you Shamwow Guy, one of the Biggest Tools on TV.

Update 3/30/09 - Check out the latest shenanigans by Vince "The Shamwow Guy" Shlomi.

The Wild Wild West for Brands on Twitter

Incredibly, 93 of the top 100 consumer brands do not control their brand name on Twitter according to a recent article from Venture Beat. This astounds me. Not because I think Twitter is a huge brand builder today, but because I'm convinced that it will be an integral part of any brand and marketing strategy for the next several years.

I have to admit that I'm a recent Twitter convert. I set up an account like everyone else in 2007 when the micro-blogging service first became all the rage among the Silicon Valley elite, but I never really did much with it. But recently, I've seen the light and have found that it's an invaluable tool for information consumption and distribution. A large chunk of the blog traffic that I get for the FanSection and TVLoop blogs comes as a direct result of my tweeting those posts. Imagine what Pepsi, P&G, or Coca Cola could do with hundreds of thousands of followers. Lon Cohen wrote a fantastic post over at Mashable on this very subject a month or so ago. According to Lon, the key tips for brands on Twitter (in 140 characters or less) are as follows:

Brands have to be more than just faceless organizations online. They need to offer value added content about their brand/industry/sector.

I hope that we contribute to the Twitter conversation by bringing news and info not only about our cause but related topics as well.

Each brand can represent more than its product or service. It represents a whole industry and related content attached to that industry.

You don’t have to talk about your competitors but you should talk about what your customers come to you for.

Basically, brands need to have a personality and they need to add value to the conversation going on within the Twitter community. They should not be a corporate yes-men spouting propaganda or a spam machine cranking out offers and promotions.

My guess is that it's probably only a matter of time before some of the Twitter brand squatters either lose their rights or get paid to go away. That time should be sooner rather than later or they risk turning a key branding tactic over to a random individual with no vested interest in the value of that brand.

Ditch your friends for some fast food

Burger King is back at it. The company has been known for some of the edgier advertising in the last several years with The King, Subservient Chicken, and all sorts of entertaining and somewhat disturbing commercials...the King really freaks me out with that static smile. Anyway, now Burger King is jumping on the Facebook bandwagon with an innovative offer to give a free whopper to every user that dumps ten of their friends using their WhopperSacrifice application. Unlike the standard Facebook process, the dumpees will be notified via the application that you traded them for a free burger. That should make your vegan friends real happy. This could be just interesting enough to be one of the few branded Facebook apps that actually works. The landscape is littered with empty apps from big brands like Coke, Nike, and Tostitos, with only a few that have made any headway at all. Let's see if the Whopper has better luck. If the amount of attention this promotion is getting across the blogosphere is any indication, they could be on to something.

What's up with The Ladders and their new commercial?

I've never used The Ladders services mainly because I have no desire to pay for a job site when I've never had any trouble finding one on LinkedIn, Craiglist, or via my network. But I suppose I can see the benefit if you're in an area that makes the job search a little more difficult, or if it's especially important that you not be bothered with job listings that are "beneath" you. However, I don't get their commercial. I mean I get what they're trying to do, but the end result just sucks. It was mildly amusing when it started, but then this giant monster shows up and I'm just not sure I get the analaogy. Are we the monsters, are job listings the monsters, what's the story? And no, I didn't like it any more the 20th time I saw it than the first time. FOX must have had lots of extra spots to feel because there's no way The Ladders bought all of that time on their own. That in and of itself probably speaks volumes about the state of broadcast advertising at the moment. Ugh.

New Year's Resolutions

I've never been a huge fan or a huge believer in announcing new year's resolutions for a variety of reasons. First, do I really want to announce something publicly when I'm not entirely sure I'll follow through on it? Uh, no thanks. And second, I have enough pressure in my daily life without worrying about trying to keep a promise I made in a half-hungover state several months earlier. But this year I think I'm ready to get back on the bandwagon. I've seen all sorts of New Year's resolution posts across the blogosphere and twitter so I decided that I should get in on some of this action. At the very least, I'll document them somewhere so that I can check back in July to see all of the ones that I've long sense forgotten. So on that little note of optimism, here are my 2009 resolutions:

Build my personal brand
While I have a solid business and personal network, I've never put a lot of thought into my own personal brand. Instead, I've always dived into my company brand and made that my core focus for as long as I was with that particular company. I have seen the light though, and this is the year that I will focus on me and setting myself up for long term success.

Blog at least three times per week
While no one is currently reading my personal blog, I'm still going to make the attempt to write at least three times per week. I still need to pick a theme, but for now it's just going to be about taking the time to write. I'll decide on the direction as I go.

Pitch a book idea
I've been noodling around a book idea or two lately and I'm actually going to follow through with one of them. In fact, I'll probably use my aforementioned "3 times per week" resolution to post some book-related stuff. We'll see how it goes.

Be a better husband
I'm a moody guy and sometimes that can cause issues in my marriage. I'm going to attempt to suppress my asshole-ness this year. Miracles can happen.

Be a better friend
I'm horrible at keeping in touch with friends. I get busy and caught up in the moment and forget all about my buddies unless they email or call me. It's nothing personal and it's not on purpose, but I need to be better at reaching out to the people that mean the most to me.

Get quoted in a major publication or blog
I'm now writing every other day for two company blogs: TVLoop and FanSection. I want to write posts that are good enough to get referenced in a national publication or a well-read technology blog.

Ok, that's enough. I need to keep the list short to avoid setting up myself for failure. :-) Check back often to see where I stand.