• May 25

    Is Theft Worth Focusing On?

    Theft has risen dramatically since the invention of the internet. It has always been present before then, but with the online channels it’s much easier to get a hold of someones design, art, music or writing and recreate it as your own. Plagiarism and ‘Remixing’ have also been heavy hitters in the online world, often causing debates over ‘fair use’ and similar copyright issues.

    So with the constant shuffle back and forth, and the millions that piracy/plagiarism is apparently taking away from the artist, how can you make the most of it if it were to happen to you?

    A while back when I was designing t-shirts a friend of mine alerted me to a shop overseas that had copied one of my designs and reprinted it with slight modifications. Because of the way I view the world, my first thought was “Great! My design was good enough that someone stole it!”. Of course, this thought pattern wasn’t born overnight – it was something I focused on for years after realising that stealing was here to stay – especially in the design industry.

    If someone steals, plagiarises, remixes your work or uses your name to get known (the ‘coat-tails’ scenario) how can you make the most of it? After all, it surely couldn’t be good for you – could it?

    Skrillex (signed to Deadmau5′s label) posted this on Facebook recently. While he makes very valid and honest points about the illegal and unethical activity – is it really necessary to bring attention to it? After reading this, and the majority of negative, annoyed and ‘You’re a sellout’ comments underneath, did he just disrespect his fans for spreading his name (even by illegal means)?

    Here is an example of the mental work through that most people go through when something of theirs meets the same fate:

    1. Artist is alerted to illegal merch sales

    2. Artist contacts sellers via email explaining they should stop the illegal activity

    3. Artist gets heavy hitters involved (lawyers, accountants etc) to see if they have a leg to stand on

    4. Calculations are made about the loss by this illegal activity

    5. Public scrutiny is pushed forth towards the companies/individuals working illegally

    6. Artist strengthens copyright of brand, shares less and hides more

    7. Illegal operations close down, prompting more to open

    8. Rinse and repeat

    Now this list is just an example, but I don’t suspect it to be far from the truth. While I believe 1 and 2 are important, unless the illegal activities are severely impacting sales (e.g. Napster vs Record Companies) then I don’t believe it is worth going further – no matter how big the fight. The bigger the fight, the more attention, and we all know how the record companies have fared since their win with the demise of Napster. Would you invest in a traditional record company now?

    Here is an example of how I handle situations like this now:

    1. Artist is alerted to illegal merch sales

    2. Artist contacts sellers via email explaining they should stop the illegal activity

    3. Artist realises that name recognition from illegal activities is helping build the brand awareness

    4. Artist realises that Brand awareness pays more in the long run vs focusing attention on stopping companies steal

    5. Artist focuses attention back into art to move forward and build off the new attention

    6. Artist writes a blog post saying he doesn’t like people stealing, but accepts that it is going to happen

    7. Artist moves on and gets back to creation

    Now I know a lot of people may see this and think “But you’re just letting them get away with it!”. In a way, yes I am. If you constantly focus on something negative your direction will pull you that way. It’s the same thinking as trying to smile while being really angry (try it!). It’s really hard to be creative and spontaneous if you are directing your attention on watching your back and being paranoid about everything you put out.

    The quickest way to kill creativity is not to be.

    Just to clarify, I don’t condone illegal activities, but they’re here to stay. Artists the world over need to keep focused on going forward and creating the works that got them noticed in the first place instead of fighting ongoing battles that often hurt them more than the initial theft.

    Have you ever had anyone steal your work?

  • May 21

    Why Are You Climbing The Social Media Ladder?

    The intangible Social Media Ladder is a tall one, filled with people of all ages, geolocations and races. But a simple Tweet from a new Twitter friend got me thinking about the reasons behind climbing the ladder. Why are you doing it?

    Climbing the ladder in itself is a marketing game in which you are aiming to be seen in the crowd of millions. It’s about getting noticed so you can get what you want out of the conversation. But if you don’t actually know what you want, is the game needed?

    If you’re climbing the ladder to gain more fans and followers but don’t have any content, products or substance to back yourself up you may be wasting your own time as much as everyone elses. Instead of climbing, maybe you should focus on building quality content, or creating a new product that people will want to talk about. Or even better, give away advice from your own experiences.

    Personally, I love sharing advice from my experiences. In the past I had a very direct and in-your-face approach which I soon learnt how to control. Through reading someone else’s advice I found out that it was ok to fail as long as you got back up and tried again. It was through this advice that I was able to start writing again (in a more controlled and cohesive manner) which completely changed the game.

    Sharing advice is an extremely strong content advantage because no two pieces of advice are the same. Your past or current experiences can often help many more people than you realise – providing a solid reason for new fans to follow you and share your advice with others. If you find yourself talking for the sake of talking, try starting a blog, podcast or live video show where you share your thoughts, opinions and experiences in short snippets of advice. If you know what you are talking about, people will eventually find you (which will save you time and energy in hunting for followers to join your ‘army’).

    Start Small, Focus on Content and Ignore the Ladder.

  • May 20

    Pros and Cons Of Digital Business Cards

    For as long as I have been networking, I have used traditional business cards. Sexy, custom designed rectangles that fit inside any wallet. But as my venture into the digital world began to flourish, so too did the thirst for streamlining and digitising every part of my world.

    Unfortunately, business cards have been left out of the loop for years. Many have tried to create sharable online versions and failed, but now companies like Cardcloud are working* on changing that.

    How it works: When you meet someone at an event, pop out your mobile and open the iPhone App (or the website for Android etc). Then simply enter their email address and click send. They will now receive an HTML email (in the shape of a business card) and downloadable VCF with all your links and contact information. *I should point out that Cardcloud’s app is Beta and you cannot create/modify a card via the app just yet – for now, you have to use the website.

    Example of a card received via email (all links and icons are click-able)

    Now this isn’t just a plug for Cardcloud (however I do think what they are working on is superb), it’s about the concept of the digital business card. While I do think digital business cards have a place (definitely in the future), they are merely strong additions to the business card world - not killers of the physical version.

    As with all digital versions of a physical product, there are pros and cons. Here’s a simple run through of them to which you can draw your own conclusions.

    PROS

    • Often, you will be the only one in the room using them (Unique & Memorable)
    • Get someones email address and send them your card straight away (avoiding the need to collect business cards)
    • Change your details in a second for free (instead of ordering new business cards each time)
    • They’re FREE
    • Click-able links
    • Accessible by checking email from anywhere (vs one physical card left at home)
    • Forward-able
    • Recipients don’t need to have the app installed
    • Cardcloud saves geo-location for where you met the person
    • Cardcloud saves a list of who you sent your cards to
    • Save a tree

    CONS

    • You have to open an app and get an email address (Slower speed than handing over a piece of paper)
    • If you can’t access the net, you can’t access your cards
    • Design-wise it’s not as sexy as a custom card (future feature to be implemented)
    • You are stuck with their layout
    • They contain images (which are automatically blocked in most clients – looks a bit messy)
    • The big Get Cardcloud button underneath is very distracting*
    • You have to make your card online instead of in-app (future feature)
    • If you spell an email address wrong, they won’t get your card
    • Some people may freak out
    • Constant education for people who don’t know about it**

    *Distracting as it may be, sending a business card and introducing them to a new tech product at the same time is a win for making a memorable impression. **That education is often worth it once they receive the card and start using the service themselves.

    Overall, Cardcloud has a long way to go to supporting the majority and wiping out most of the cons. But early on, I am already finding great benefits of using such a service. The day after I sent a few from a networking event, I had many emails thanking me for the meet up, a few new followers via my Twitter and Facebook profiles and some even visited my website and read my latest posts – which is a much quicker response than I have ever had via traditional business cards.

    I recommend you try them out for yourself and you like the service please let me know! You can also let them know via @getcardcloud.

  • May 19

  • May 19

    Are You Paying Attention? @AirTran

    To many, Twitter is a fantastic tool to communicate with other like-minded people, share great information and advertise the latest offers. Some even go one step further and connect with fans and friends alike. But what happens when a company creates a profile and then neglects to update it for a year and a half? I write a post about it.

    Link to full image

    In the above image you will see the AirTran Airways neglected Twitter account.

    Adding insult to injury is the fact that AirTran have 7,545 Followers, their Klout score is quite high (which means they get mentioned a lot) and they actually state in their first and only Tweet from October 2009: “…we’ll be tweeting with you soon”. Personally, I’m not going to hold my breath.

    With a quick bit of research I worked out that AirTran run a few different types of planes – one of them a Boeing 717, which is capable of seating up to 117 passengers on a full flight.

    That’s the equivalent of approximately 64 fully booked Boeing 717′s just sitting on the tarmac.

    Look at the missed customer service and marketing opportunities that have flown by in just the last 5 hours (not forget the last year and a half).

    Now I don’t know the financial or working details behind a low-cost airline, but I know there are departments who look after the airlines advertising and customer service. By simply realising the untapped connections on their own page they could potentially save hundreds (if not thousands) per year on direct marketing and customer support. A quick @reply or discount card to some of the customers above could have brought in some great publicity, or at the very least turned negative experiences into future positives.

    So how did they miss this? And why do they continue to neglect a potential gold mine of repeat customers?

    @AirTran, are you paying attention?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_717

    –

    UPDATE: A day after I emailed them via their website I got a reply:

    “Thank you for contacting AirTran Airways. I have forwarded this information to our Social Media Specialist”.

    I’m glad they forwarded it on to their Social Media Specialist, but I would love to know what they currently get paid to do!

  • May 18

    Simple Answers For Confused Entrepreneurs

    1. I have an amazing idea, how do I get started?

    Just start building.

    2. Is my idea awesome?

    Yes. Otherwise don’t think about it.

    3. How do I meet people?

    Leave the house.

    4. How do I get people to use my service?

    Make something then move to answer 6.

    5. How do I get more people to use my service?

    Make something awesome then move to answer 6.

    6. How do I let people know about my service?

    Tell someone.

    7. But how can I find people to use my service?

    See answer 3.

    8. But how do I get the masses to use my service?

    Answer 5,6 and 3.

    9. How do I keep people using my service?

    Keep it awesome.

    10. What if no-one is using my service?

    Answer 3, 6 and if you can’t keep going move to answer 11.

    11. Should I Quit?

    No. But you can always pivot.

    12. How do I find people to join my company?

    Answer 5, 3 and Search.

    Do you have another to add?

  • May 18

    Are You The Blue Sheep?

    The Blue Sheep mingle with the rest, but also lead.

    The Blue Sheep is easy to spot amongst the herd.

    The Blue Sheep know when to step forward and back when sharing opinions.

    We live in a society that is ever-changing and rapidly developing every day. With that amount of speed, it’s easy to get caught up in the trends and marketing hype that inspires us to share information, causing us to modify our thoughts and opinions to cover the biggest field. So how do you know if you’re being true? Focus on being the Blue Sheep.

    The Blue Sheep Run And Graze

    You will notice the Blue Sheep by how strong they run with their opinions. These opinions can shake up the flock, and cause tension amongst the ranks, but can often be the ‘right thing’ for the herd moving forward. With truthful opinions (e.g. Justin Bieber is actually incredible with what he has been able to accomplish – truth) the Blue Sheep can easily alienate themselves from the paddock – and that’s a good thing.

    An opinion should inspire a discussion and move the team further.

    Blue Sheep also know when it’s time to pull their heads in and graze with the other White Sheep in the paddock. They realise that it’s important to have a balance between having a strong opinion and letting others speak. If the normally unspoken White Sheep step forward and start sharing their opinions – let them.

    Discussions are multi-voiced. Shut up and listen.

    The Blue Sheep Lead and Never Deceive

    Sometimes the White Sheep will believe (or convince) themselves to be the Blue Sheep, offering leadership at a time of need. These confused Sheep are hard to spot at first, but over time when the grass stops growing, their blue dye fades. Pay attention to the Blue Sheep with ‘physical’ experience in the field vs ‘graduates’, as the field is where you will end up playing in. This goes for choosing advisors, investors, staff and even friends.

    Shouting louder doesn’t make you a better choice.

    True Blue Sheep will usually be very open and honest about the grass that lay ahead. Optimism is in abundance, but don’t mistake that for hyperbole. When the Blue Sheep is leading correctly, the White Sheep will follow with admiration and respect, knowing they can speak up at any time. If you are the Blue Sheep, lead your team well by focusing on strong, honest communication.

    Learn from anyone, no matter which patch of grass they graze on.

    In essence anyone can be the Blue Sheep, but not all will. Blue Sheep training comes from within and can be modified and reinvented every second of every day. It can take a lifetime to be seen as the Blue Sheep by others, but starting early will set you up stronger for the later years. Are you the Blue Sheep?

  • May 11

    The Role Of A Speaker

    I have recently attended a few business meetings and events where like-minded entrepreneurs speak about their businesses, achievements and give tips. These events happen frequently, so it’s now even easier to be around inspiring people. The trouble is however, that many of the Speakers often forget one of the most important roles of being on the panel.

    Offline Connection.

    Entrepreneurs from all over have travelled to the event to make offline connections with other inspired people. In essence, it’s about being in and around the industry, being inspired and connecting with others in a way that bonds stronger than online (otherwise they would’ve stayed at home and watched a TED talk). The role of a Speaker is to facilitate this exchange, encourage and help it to develop – especially when the audience is listening intently to the speakers every word.

    Instead of this, what I see happening a lot of the time is the ego and ‘self-worth’ driving the connections. Sure, it’s important to talk about your skills and knowledge, but never forget to take it further. This is especially evident at the end of a talk, where the Speakers huddle into the ‘cool group’ instead of mingling with the crowd that came to see them.

    What Should Speakers Be Doing?

    Get in and amongst the crowd that came to see you. Speak to everyone who is interested in a discussion – not just the movers and shakers that will grow your own business. Realise that the strongest time to build a network is the honest back and forth discussions that happen before and after the talk.  There may be a few weird moments where fans just want to stand in your presence because you inspired them and left them speechless. But it’s at that moment you should be working out what makes them tick, what they’re interested in and what they got from the talk. It’s only then that you will know how well you did, what you can do better and how well you connected to your audience.

    Focus not only on the people who inspire you, but also the people whom you inspire.

  • May 10

    Keep It Real Aaaaaight!

    With so many Social Tools to share updates it’s very easy to get lost. It’s even easier to get sucked into following the trends that gain you more followers, get you quick attention and more. But where do you draw the line?

    As the great Ali G says: “Keep It Real, Aaaaaight.”

    This simple humourous saying is such a good mental keepsake that I say it to myself at least once a week. The moment I start to drift into the “I know how to get more clicks” territory I lose focus on being real. It’s enticing to build and write content that will be seen by thousands of eyeballs, but you need to have the ‘stance’ to back it up. Not to mention the amount of work you will have to do to keep those people coming back once they have been burnt by your rubbish article.

    The reason this is so important these days is the upcoming standard in how we communicate. Very soon, human curated news will be the norm across all news channels. We will be relying on individuals more than ever to feed us content that impacts us, rather than 80% of the trash that fills the papers. We are also moving into an age where video is becoming common place amongst companies the world over, and internal social presenters will be sought out to carry the message of the brand in play.

    If you can already see through the fake ‘link-bait’ articles that contain so much spam, ad links and useless knowledge, imagine what it will be like when we are all online showing our faces and speaking our own words!

    If you are tempted to head down the Black-Hat road to increase your blog hits, Twitter friends or unique visits, remember this: Honesty is King.

    It takes years to build a proper social network, and only seconds to ruin it.

  • May 09

    Avoid The Quick Rome

    Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither were the skilled workers taught the art of crafting a wall, or breaking apart rocks and hauling them to their destination. But Rome also wasn’t built by mass-marketing the message. It was built one connection at a time, designer to architect, architect to worker, worker to supplier.

    In this ‘mass-marketing’ society it is easy to forget how simple it is to build true connections in favor of a Quick Rome.

    A true connection happens with one person, in one discussion, over one platform. It’s these mini connections that will drive the core of your social network and create a solid social presence from day one. What’s the point of having 1 million connections if you only interact and ‘influence’ 1%. Avoid mass-marketing and connect with people who understand your message and can inspire you to go further.

  • May 07

    You Can’t Game Real Engagement

    Games can be gamed. But your real engagements and connections cannot.

    I wrote a post recently discussing Social Influence titled “How To Become Influential” which talks more about how networks will represent What You Do and Who You Are, not how much you can game the system. Games are fun, but should only be used to build the experience, not the content.

    For a bit of fun, I recently joined Empire Avenue (Ticker: LAWS). It’s a place to buy and sell people (in a virtual stock market currency) and essentially own a piece of their social net-worth. While people may laugh at the idea, it’s a brilliant concept and the idea that we should value each connection is very important. More importantly, it’s a great way to find new people to engage with.

    The system can be gamed (one of the easiest ways is to buy someone famous as soon as they sign up) but as the game fades (or becomes the background focus) what will happen to the spam artists or people exchanging purchases?

    With any network you should remember to keep engaging, connecting and being real – so if the game fades around you, your connections will continue to grow.

     

  • May 05

    How To Become Influential

    In the past year I have been able to connect with some pretty influential people. It was as simple as leaving a thankyou on their page and getting a response, or receiving a follow from someone I had Retweeted earlier.

    Years before I felt I didn’t have the ‘chops’ to talk to these people as I was at a small level of influence in their network. Thanks to the constant power of the internet, this is no longer the case.

    Note: Social Influence scores are indicated by Klout.

    It’s About Engagement

    Engagement. We hear the word often, but only a few actually keep it in focus for long periods of time. Yet, it’s the constant engagement with our friends, fans, followers and people we are following that is actually the most important path when building our social network. Talking only about yourself will lose you friends, fans and followers because you are not engaging with anyone.

    WHAT TO DO: Share other people’s articles, reply to everyone and be personal.

    WHAT TO STOP: Buying fans, sharing your posts exclusively and ignoring people.

    Gary Vaynerchuk says it perfectly in his book The Thank You Economy (a must read!) with the line “No Interaction Left Behind“. Even with his busy schedule of speaking engagements, web videos and more he still takes time to connect with everyone he can. Which is why it is even easier for someone who is relatively unknown to connect with another with higher social influence. It’s no wonder Gary’s score on Klout is very high:

    Show The Real You

    Another factor of social influence is to be influential in some way by showing the real you. It sounds self-explanatory, but only a few actually do this well. Being influential is as simple as sharing an article of interest, showing something exclusive to your fans or sharing your opinions about a hot topic. The people who can get this right will have the biggest impact, even if they only have a small amount of fans.

    WHAT TO DO: Share interesting articles, show exclusive content and be opinionated.

    WHAT TO STOP: Faking your persona, hiding from the world and sitting on the fence.

    Jason Calacanis is extremely influential to me. He constantly connects with people by sharing videos through This Week In Startups, in which he works with a small (but growing) team to interview and connect with early to established Startups and also covers topics from founding to failure. He is very opinionated and real, and although I don’t agree with everything he says, he stands strong with his views and that allows him to be bold when moving forward.

    Be Humble And Confident

    Being humble and confident at the same time can often be a challenge. But challenges are worth every second if you can better yourself. By listening to those around you and understanding where they are coming from with their views, it makes it much easier to work out where to go to next with your personal brand, business and attitude. Honesty is the key.

    WHAT TO DO: Be confident with your choices, listen to feedback, thank people for helping you.

    WHAT TO STOP: Thinking you’re better than anyone, ignoring people who are ‘smaller’ than you, being afraid to say sorry.

    Deadmau5 (Joel Zimmerman) is very confident in his approach when dealing with other artists, fans and followers. He is constantly connecting with his fans with live video feeds from his house, studio and on the road through his Ustream channel and Facebook page. Even though he has a massive worldwide following through his incredible music career, he still shows he is only human when chatting to his fans live. He answers live questions from his fans and shows behind the scenes work directly from his computer. Occasionally, he will be opinionated when mentioning another artist stealing samples or not releasing a good record – which he will apologise for later after it causes a massive media frenzy of problems and mixed emotions.

    How else can you be influential?

  • May 01

    Look At Myspace, Now Back To Facebook

    Hello techies, look at your Myspace. Now back to Facebook, now back at your Myspace, now back to Facebook. Sadly, it isn’t Facebook. But if it stopped using bloated code and switched to cleaner designs it could be like Facebook. Look down, back up. Where are you? You’re on sale. With the remnants of a lost opportunity. What’s in your hand? Back at me. I have it. It’s a new cheque with some ideas to rise you to the top again. Look again. The cheque is now cashflow! Anything is possible when you’re the underdog. I’m on Friendster.

  • Nov 15

    Don’t Forget To Do

    The world is big. Our ideas are bigger.

    Often, we get caught up in our own heads for so long that we forget to actually ‘do’.

    While we should allow ourselves the time to dream and openly discuss our views and ideology with people willing to listen, we should also take note of our own productivity to actively build the structures of thoughts we create in our minds. It may be an idea for how to be a better husband, how to make more money outside of your current occupation or how to connect with your family.

    Whatever you envision for your life choose to move it beyond a thought. That one idea may be the difference between being a dreamer or being a visionary that takes action.

  • Nov 10

    10 Tips For Remixing

    Remixes are a big part of the music industry, and in many cases can often revive an old song, showcase an artist that otherwise would not be found by the masses and also get the attention of the big players in the scene.

    Throughout my time working with other artists and labels I have found a few tips that may help you with your next remix:

    1. Work With The Label

    Most remixes will come from a label (either pro or just starting up) which means you will have to work with them to come to a middle ground between your sound and theirs. If your not sure, ask them questions about the genre, style and overall direction with the remix. Afterall, it’s usually their money they are putting on the line when they release the track so they want to get it right.

    2. Be Bold

    As Wikipedia states: A remix is an alternative version of a song, made from an original version. With that in mind, make your remix stand out by taking it in another direction either with melody, effects or a completely different genre (label permitting). Challenge yourself to really step out of your comfort zone and be bold with your choices.

    3. Skills That Kill

    Often the label will only know how good you are by your last couple of tracks, so allowing yourself to get creative with the remix and work in some new skills that you have learnt since is ideal. Many times, a remix will push you into areas/sounds and genres you haven’t worked with before and that is a great time to use your new skills.

    4. Research The Label

    As well as working with the label,  you should take some time to research the labels sound, past releases and main genres. This will help you craft your remix to suit the label – which may avoid them saying no to version 1 of your remix.

    5. Get Back On The Horse

    There has been times in the past where I have submitted a remix and it wasn’t approved. This wasn’t because the actual song was bad, but more because I didn’t take time to research the label beforehand. Getting back on the horse and completely re-creating the remix is a challenge, but well worth it.

    6. Go Off Topic

    If you find yourself staring at a blank canvas for hours on end it might be time to go off topic and make a completely new track (not connected to the remix). Once you have a fresh start you may be able to work the remix back into the new track and re-create it from there. If not, you still have a brand new track on the go for next time!

    7. Less Is More

    I know what it’s like to open a remix kit (or stems pack) and have 40 small loops at your disposal. The trick is to only use the ones that really talk to you – avoid cramming every single riff and vocal into the mix just to ‘use’ them. Some of the best remixes only use a tiny sample of the original song.

    8. Don’t Lose Yourself

    Remind yourself that a remix is meant to showcase your skills just as much as the original. Don’t lose yourself in the production if you have to modify your core sound/style to suit the label. It’s better to decline a remix opportunity than to accept one that makes you produce something you don’t like.

    9. Past Techniques

    Creating a remix around an already established track is sometimes a big challenge, one that’s better left on its own. While playing with new sounds or effects may benefit you; also remember what techniques have worked for you before. Cracking open that new piece of software or hardware as you embark on a remix may not be the best idea.

    10. Smash It Out

    Being asked to remix a track is a great thing – it means someone is paying attention to your music. They asked you because they love your style or sound and want you to make this remix something you would smash out at your next gig. If you’re not happy with the remix, keep re-working it until it blows your mind.