Mass media is merging.

Personal media is splintering.

Why?

Filed by Julien at 1:11 pm under random
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It’s amazing what we can get used to.

We seem to think that adopting some new technique, strategy, or tactic will help us. Sometimes, we think getting on the next bandwagon will help. Sometimes it does.

We all have a tendency to go after the New and the Big. It isn’t even our fault. When we see that everyone is heading towards something, and we want it too, sometimes without even considering if it’s right or not.

Getting the New and the Big may not even be that bad. The worst, I think, may be the Now.

Getting the New can be great. Start fresh with a new approach, something that hasn’t been done before; that can be awesome. But New doesn’t go with Big– it goes better with the Small.

The Big is what you do when you put all your energy into something.

The Now is what happens when you decide that your New and your Big aren’t good enough. The Now splinters your attention in 10 different directions. You get nothing done. All your Old gets dumped for your Now, no matter its importance, because of the immediate, short-term importance of the Now.

Like they say in web design– you can have two of the following things: good, fast, and cheap. But not three.

Likewise, choose carefully between New, Big, and Now. It will change what you do, and once you’re off, you may not find the time to look back.

Filed by Julien at 9:14 am under random
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I love these things. Got them in New York, original 50’s style frames. If you’re looking for glasses, check out Moscot.

Filed by Julien at 4:00 am under random
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“Je fume, je bois, je baise - triangle équilatéral.”
“I smoke, I drink, I fuck - equilateral triangle.”

- Serge Gainsbourg

While I am only currently a half smoker, I did previously smoke a lot for a few years, and I’ve always been fascinated by the allure of cigarettes. I’m sure I’m not alone. Today, I read design observer’s view on the modern assault on cigarettes, which leaves me thinking about what is to come in a day where the smoker is increasingly becoming a pariah.

Montreal used to be a city of smokers; one that, like any other modern city, received similar smoking bans to those of Toronto et al., where it would no longer be permitted indoors at all. This caused an epic struggle among our smoking population the likes of which has never been seen before in the city. Never mind what happened to the cigar lounges, whose living depends on that mystique.

But what is happening to the romance of cigarettes? People love seeing a classic movie star photo of a smoking rebel or artist (James Dean, say), looking distantly into the horizon with a certain attractive apathy. What will make the movie stars look this good now? How will the poets seem as tortured as they once were? I wish I was being sarcastic, but seriously, there’s a struggle here - how can I make myself look as good as i did when i was smoking, how can i give myself that certain allure, right? I don’t want to die, but dammit, I would almost die to look that good, to be that tortured poet, that movie star, in my mind’s eye.

That look is dying. That blasé attitude, a romantic blend of fatalism and rebelliousness, and I don’t think there is a single item as powerful as the cigarette that will ever resurrect it.

Is there?

(PS: This is a reprint from 2005. Thought it was interesting and worth re-publishing. Minimal editing.)

Filed by Julien at 4:53 pm under random
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(via Kottke)

Filed by Julien at 12:32 am under random
2 Comments

I don’t think people actually want to be “social media experts.”

I think Twitter users see the success of people who are working independently online, they see that they’re doing social media work (because that’s what’s hot and working right now), and they go, “I can do this, too.” And some of them can.

I also don’t believe that social media is a passion.

I believe that social media is something that people with great communication skills are naturally good at. As a result of it, they rise to the top of the heap. Some of that is skill, but some of it is luck, too.

What people sometimes miss is that, those people who were there at the beginning, those are the ones that are successful. You assume they’re still here because they’re “passionate about social media,” but in reality, it’s also that they made it work.

Some don’t remember the ones that have dropped off the map along the way. But I do. They were working just as hard, and they loved it just as much.

I think that what people really want is the recognition of their peers and a bit more freedom.

Let’s remember that there are other ways to get there, too.

Filed by Julien at 2:27 pm under random
4 Comments

It’s amazing looking at statistics on various URL shortening services.

We bloggers have always realized that there was a rough 80/20 (90/10?) ratio between those who comment and those who read, but services like tr.im really put it into perspective.

Example: The other night I was tweeting about random old 4chan memes (Rich Raven, Courage Wolf) and I got over 100 clickthroughs, even though no one said anything.

This brings me to the point of this post.

We all have moments when we feel appreciated, when someone tells us they like something we did or something else about us. I’m thinking there’s a ratio there too. So when someone comes up and says “I like your tweets” or any other compliment, there are likely a few more that think the same, but that don’t say anything.

It’s people’s natural tendency to say nothing (likely why most married people don’t feel appreciated enough), but this doesn’t mean they’re feeling nothing. I’m thinking they are, and they’re thinking about you. ;)

Filed by Julien at 1:57 pm under random
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The word waffle is pretty interesting.

First of all, it’s negative. It says, “this guy is changing his mind,” and probably over and over again. And sometimes waffling can be bad, but not always.

If you don’t change your mind, by definition, you’re accepting the decision made by a younger, stupider version of yourself.

Some religious people are like this. They decided a while ago that [X] was true and now they’re not going to change their mind, no matter what. Same thing with politics, sometimes, or any complex issue for that matter.

As time goes on, we learn more. Rules change, and we change. We should be ok with changing our minds.

I’ve always tended to hang out with older people, and I’m glad about that. I’m spending time with people that have more life experience than me. That doesn’t mean they’re always smart, but hey, it does give it a higher likelihood. :)

Filed by Julien at 1:13 pm under random
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We sure travel a lot in social media. Conferences, business meetings, long distance relationships… along the way, we meet a lot of great people that do really exciting stuff all over the world.

But we can’t ignore our local talent, either. Last night, I was hanging out with two good friends, also great people, and I realized something: There are great people everywhere.

And I think a lot of us, on the local side, are really missing out.

A lot of my day ends up being spent chatting with smart people all over the US and Canada, but they’re far away, and there are tons of locals doing great stuff, too. You probably know some of them.

I know body modification professionals, Zen monks and experimental musicians. You might know other kinds of people I wouldn’t dream of meeting.

So here’s the challenge I’m putting to my friends: Introduce me to the coolest people you know, and I’ll do the same for you. They don’t have to be related to the internet (in fact, maybe they shouldn’t be) and should be the kind of people we wouldn’t normally meet.

Here’s another challenge for those that know me less well, or that are far away: Do this yourself. See what happens. I dare you.

Filed by Julien at 8:57 am under random
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I finally have a task management system that works.

A while ago, Chris talked a bit about the systems I taught him to use that, we hope, help him manage the email and tasks he’s dealing with. On my end, i’ve used them for over a year, so I figured I’d put together a list of what I use that, when put together, become a compact note and task management system that really works for me.

The first is what I write with: the Perfect Pencil by Faber-Castell.

Everyone should have one of these. If you like Moleskines, try getting a good pencil to go with it. I use light, foldable notebooks but I won’t do a post about those since it’s so common.

Pens stain and need refills, so I use pencils instead. I tried mechanical ones, but despite staying sharp, they can tear up my pocket + stab my leg. So I looked around for a replacement, and the Perfect Pencil came up.

I loved the plastic one, but gave it to Tara Hunt at a conference, so I bought the metal one after that, which is pictured above.

What’s so great about it? First, the point of the pencil doesn’t stab you because it’s held inside the pencil extender. The same extender holds the pencil onto your pocket, so you don’t lose it.

When the pencil gets short, the extender ensures that using it won’t contort your hand. Perfect right?

Best of all, though, is an integrated sharpener. I hope the PencilTalk.org guy will forgive my use of his picture here, but I just can’t take one that’s as good.

Yep, inside there is a great sharpener, so it’s this perfectly integrated, compact little device that holds anything you might need.

The reason I think I need something like this is that digital just doesn’t do the job right now. Voice-recording is socially awkward, and you can’t write fast enough on an iPhone. I also won’t deny that there’s an emotional appeal from using old-fashioned analogue stuff (as people so often say about books).

Anyway, there’s always a lot of interest when I talk about this thing at conferences, so now it’s on paper. I love this thing. Not much point to this post other than that. :)

Next time, I’ll talk about my favourite task management tool, Gootodo.com.

Filed by Julien at 12:00 pm under random
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