Obstacle: “The Creepiness Factor” “After a quick scan of his Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pintarest, and Instagram, here’s what I know: “Likes” — Chicago Blackhawks, kickboxing, the movie “Die Hard,” and beer. He meditates, he loves Indian food, and he’s crazy about his dog, Otis.” –Haley Dunphy, reporting the results of her online reconnaissance on prospective home...Read More
“Is [What?] the Next [What??]” If you found yourself asking the latter of those two questions . . . you’re definitely not the target audience of Web start-up (and high tech rage du jour) “Pinterest.” So, who is? (Pinterest’s target market, that is). As best I can tell, it consists of “under 30-something’s” equipped with the...Read More
Why People (OK, Me) Don’t Respect Today’s Politicians If you want instant analysis of Paul Ryan’s selection as Mitt Romney’s running mate . . . believe me, you’ve got lots of (other) blogs to turn to. I’ll limit myself to this parting shot: Unless Mitt Romney is elected and subsequently serves two full terms, the...Read More
Boycotts, Social Media & Goldman Sachs [Editor’s Note: if TV networks play re-runs during traditionally slow times of the year . . . bloggers can recycle old posts. The following, which originally appeared November 13, 2009 (!), is one of my favorites. “Your Money’s No Good” is also the title of the second book I...Read More
“Different (Key)strokes for Different Folks” Once upon a time, two ham radio operators who wanted to communicate with one another had to first agree on a frequency. More recently, someone who wanted to use their 300 or 1200(!) baud modem to get on the Internet had to do a “handshake” with the connecting service. How...Read More
“Free at 1 p.m?” This anecdote is courtesy of Stefan Swanepoel, keynote speaker at Edina Realty’s 2011 annual meeting held last week: A Baby Boomer who wants to have lunch with an acquaintance will call or email two weeks in advance, then exchange multiple emails/phone calls over the ensuing two weeks to fine-tune the time and location. The Millennial (“Gen Y’er”)?...Read More
