On February 4, Microsoft named Satya Nadella the new CEO, replacing Steve Ballmer. I decided to jump, and gather a group of folks to discuss what the transition means, using Google Hangouts On Air. What’s the saying about reading the instructions first?
Author: Joe Wilcox
Break the Rules
This news story needs a good editor: ‘Evil genius’ condemned for his tactics on Jeopardy! says he doesn’t care about the ‘haters’—he’s more interested in the $10,000 prize money. But the point matters more. This […]
Hotel Hath No Fury…
While there’s something whiny about Western journalists’ tweets, excellent is their use of Twitter to engage readers, build audience, and report something interesting ahead of the Olympic Winter Games start: Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting […]
Anatomy of a Bad Crowdfunding Pitch
Five days ago, I launched a crowdfunding campaign, at Indiegogo, for my forthcoming book Be a Better Blogger. Learning by doing is sometimes a painful exercise, and my progress, or lack of it, is a textbook case of what not to do.
My campaign is off to a much slower start than anticipated, generating just two donations for $60 in contributions. Thank you, both. You’re my heroes. I had hoped the book’s topic would generate interest among bloggers, journalists, and PR professionals at the least. I sent out mass emails to them and contacted family and friends, but too few of the latter.
Be a Better Blogger
I start off February by launching my first crowdfunding campaign, which seeks to raise money for my forthcoming book Be a Better Blogger. The sorry state of news reporting troubles me, particularly sourcing (or lack of it) and rumormongering—as eloquently expressed four years ago in post “The Difference Between Blogging and Journalism“. Triple B seeks to be a remedy, by identifying the problems and offering tips on writing well and reporting responsibly.
While the title refers to blogging, that is more a naming convention. The book is meant for anyone who wants to write well and responsibly online, applying past principles of good editing, writing, and storytelling to future-now.
Windows XP is All the Air You Need
How strange a story: Windows XP showing much stronger growth than Windows 8.x — Yes XP! Years ago someone inside Microsoft told me that O2, Oxygen, was one of the contenders for XP’s name. Given how […]
What's This Thing with Llamas?
Saturday Night Live Season 39 Episode 13 includes a llama in the opening monologue. Once again, like four years ago with post “Tweet If You See a Tooting Llama“, I wonder about the apparent fascination New Yorkers have with the creatures. So I did a new web search. July 3, 2013, New York Times story “The Llama is In” explains much.
Reporter Jennifer Kingson says the beasts have an “irresistible quality” and that 115,000 are registered globally. According to the International Llama Registry, there are 634 owners in New York—and that’s not many. California, Oregon, and Texas have the most, with 2,496, 2,084, and 2,036, respectively.
Better (RED) Than Dead
Super Bowl XLVIII is a real snoozer, with Seattle’s huge lead, and the adverts aren’t much more interesting. Among the few catching my attention: U2 song “Invisible” free on iTunes, with Bank of America donating a buck to (Product) RED. The promotion/donation ends 11:59 p.m. EST February 3.
On Sept. 29, 2006, I posted a quick analysis about (RED), which was then freshly started, to my JupiterResearch blog. The site is long gone, but I have the posts archived. What follows is the original text, complete with the original links, including to MySpace. Facebook was just a wisp seven-and-a-half-years ago. What that brief introduction…
@N is for Nagging Security Questions
Ars Technica’s security primer on the @N highjacking is a must-read. Excellent reporting, Lee Hutchinson.
But there are two things that bug me about the whole affair, and one really nags, and I haven’t seen it mentioned in the dozen different stories I took time to read.
Jeepers Creepers
Product placement doesn’t get much better than this. Character Ryan Hardy uses Microsoft Surface on The Following.
My Macintosh Moment
Macintosh is 30 years old. If this were “Logan’s Run“, January 24 would be Last Day. Or the 1960s, time to ditch the computer because, you know, don’t trust anyone (or anything) over 30. Declaration: I am a Mac user, which surely surprises the long line of people accusing me of being anti-Apple. My Mac sojourn started on a Winter’s day in December 1998. I’ve abandoned Apple a few times since, even briefly boycotting, but always come back.
My first Macintosh sighting was August 1984. I spent the summer in Chapel Hill, N.C. and often hung out on the University of North Carolina campus. The college book store displayed the Apple, which I found remarkable. I wasn’t a computer geek, nor am I one now, but nevertheless found the device charming. A decade later, I started using a Windows PC and for a while was a Macintosh bigot. I particularly enjoyed ribbing the graphic designers with whom my wife worked when their Macs crashed, wiping out hours of Photoshop or QuarkXpress work. “Get a PC!” was my common retort.
Yahoo Mail Fail
My oldest online identity, claimed in 1996, is with Yahoo . I use it for Flickr but gave up on Yahoo Mail years ago. Email address spoofing is a long-standing problem, which I assumed the […]