March 2013
1 post
January 2013
10 posts
1 tag
October 2012
3 posts
June 2012
3 posts
1 tag
May 2012
3 posts
Anonymous asked: 1) part of the YouTube phenomena seems to be a desire for authenticity. How do higher production values affect that? 2) These YouTubers seem to be selling well packaged banality. Am I crazy to ask what the appeal is? Is it as simple as that?
5 tags
My Favourite Vloggers (and a reflection on how...
Well, I said I’d share a few of my favourite vloggers. I’m leaving off the ones that focus on bro humour because 1) Wired covered them off nicely and, 2) I don’t really like bro humour, even if it is the hottest commodity on YouTube.
The Shaytards You can read my post about them here, but the long and short of it is that they are a nice, normal family that uploads a new video of their daily...
Anonymous asked: This is not a question, but a comment. I am also fascinated with Mormons and Mormonism. I don't know why, but I always have been. I actually never thought that I would ever find another person who was as interested as I am. I dream about going into the Temple, although I would never be able to, as I am Jewish.
2 tags
Celebrity 2.0 and YouTube’s New Studio System
I don’t know if Celebrity 2.0 has been thrown around at a bunch of new media conferences. It’s sounds a little douchey, so it’s possible. But I was thinking about the concept earlier today when I discovered (like millions of other people) a YouTuber who hit it big with a song he covered, performed it on Ellen, landed a gig producing for Timbaland and then quit to sign with a YouTube production...
April 2012
5 posts
1 tag
February 2012
4 posts
4 tags
I done been Gawked
Getting quoted in a publication I’ve loved for so long, by a writer I respect so much, about two topics I’m so interested in has been a thrill. I’m working on a more in-depth post about why I find Mormons so fascinating, but you can read a teensy bit about it here. Also, you can find the Pinterest board referenced in the article here. And while I’m tooting my own horn,...
“For years I have been trying to figure out what makes a good ad person better...”
– The Ad Contrarian: What Makes An Ad Person Exceptional?
This is a pretty solid post, inspired by food poisoning, about how being a good noticer (as opposed to a good listener). And if reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking has taught me anything, it’s...
Richard Lawson is a genius.
This is probably the best thing I’ve read all week. Richard Lawson (who moved from Gawker over to The Atlantic Wire recently) just killed it with his Dickensian take on Romney. If this were a full length novel, I would buy it.
January 2012
1 post
100 Tips About Life, People, and Happiness →
This list of 100 things that will make your life better by Julien Smith is awesome. Some personal faves:
Spend more time around people that both challenge and respect you.
Remain skeptical forever.
Read more. Especially things you disagree with.
Get used to feeling stupid. It’s a sign of growth.
Starve if you have to, for as long as you need to.
Survive on a little just to prove you...
November 2011
11 posts
“The postwar plenitude of the 1950s was marked by a new form of middle-class...”
– The authenticity hoax is dead
Andrew Potter’s The Authenticity Hoax is staggering in its insight into how and why different cultural movements drive consumption. It was probably the best nonfiction book I read last year.
Potter is a realtalk machine. There is nothing more authentic than...
The Restaurant of Broken Dreams →
This twitter stream of the Boston Globe’s Andy Boyle chronicling the breakdown of a marriage at Burger King is the best thing I’ve read in WEEKS.
Also, Storify looks like an awesome platform (seriously) for summarizing social media conversations. The layout is gorgeous and I’m sure it will save bloggers a lot of time screengrabbing.
1 tag
“In the nineteen-eighties, Jobs reacted the same way when Microsoft came out with...”
– Steve Jobs’s Real Genius : The New Yorker
The further I get into the Steve Jobs bio, the more I love Bill Gates.
“Nowhere is clients’ frustration more apparent than their opinions that agencies...”
– New Study: Clients Lower Expectations Of Agencies - Forbes
Interesting…
“The increasing ability for marketers to put specific ads in front of specific...”
– Ad Companies Face a Widening Talent Gap - NYTimes.com
I know how to do this, but the quant involved is irrelevant without the qual up front. You have to be able to do both - that’s where the real challenge is.
I FEEL SO IN DEMAND.
“What heterosexual Boomers and Millenials have in common, it seems, is a...”
– Why Gen X Guys Are Too Insecure For Your Sex Toys
This is pretty interesting, in terms of possibly being an indicator of differing attitudes toward sex across generations.
In case you can’t tell, I’m fascinated by every generation gap that has existed ever.
“Yes, the oftentimes oppositional nature of the cultural and the political became...”
– At Least Occupy Our TV, Please - National - The Atlantic Wire
Richard Lawson has left Gawker for The Atlantic Wire and he is KILLING IT.
October 2011
17 posts
“I have a love/hate relationship with Disneyland but what’s so interesting to me...”
– Cele|bitchy » Blog Archive » Ryan Gosling explains his Disneyland obsession, does ballet: “I think like a girl”
Ryan Gosling on Disneyland. Oh gawd I know.
3 tags
“One of the keys with this generation is you’re not going to be able to force...”
– To Reach Millennials, Be Facebook-Savvy, Device-Agnostic - eMarketer
A pretty solid interview Mr. Youth Founder & CEO Matt Britton. He just completed a study of 5,000 incoming college freshmen and has some interesting things to share.
“Singer-actress Christina Milian (It’s About Time) has been named as the new...”
– Christina Millian Joins NBC’s ‘The Voice’ As Social Media Correspondent – Deadline.com
It has begun. The Wild West days of intern as social media correspondent are coming to an end. Of course, not every franchise/brand can afford a celebrity to tweet for them, but at the very least we’ll be...
“If it persists much longer, this era of high joblessness will likely change the...”
– How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America - Magazine - The Atlantic
The Atlantic has been killing it lately.
3 tags
“according to Page Six, “we’re told Lyons has fallen in love with...”
– Jenna Lyons’ Divorce Turns Messy: Report
whoa. my money’s on sally hershberger.
“When Mr. Clow, along with Steve Hayden and Brent Thomas, presented the idea for...”
– Book: Jobs Was a Student of Advertising | Agency News - Advertising Age
I haven’t gotten to this part in the book yet, but it looks awesome. Also, check out Jon Steele’s Truth, Lies and Advertising. He pitched the Apple business and his tale of the process is riveting.
