Jon Samsel

I was asked to be the guest speaker at Lynn Isenberg’s class, ‘Transmedia Entertainment and Technology,’ at Loyola Marymount College in Los Angeles on January 27, 2011. This is the outline of my talk on the role of writing in digital entertainment.

Intro

We live in an exciting age where the story and the teller are merging in a garden of forking paths. The audience is no longer a passive but an active participant in the content. New methods of communication and expression are being forged. And more and more it is the writer—the electric scribe of the Digital Age—who is leading the charge.

“I think there have been a lot of writers who over the past two generations have been trying to figure out how to break the confines of a book,” claims writer/designer/director Douglas Gayeton. “A book starts on page one and goes to the end. I think if those people were starting now, they would be doing interactive. Because, interactivity is all based upon the principle of nonlinear thought. And that is the way we think. I could talk to you and never finish a sentence—or finish an idea—because our minds are like that. And I think that’s why people have gravitated toward interactivity. Not because it’s a fad, but because it really captures the dimensionality of thought. That thought is not a linear process, it’s a multi-plane, multidimensional process. And a story that allows you to assimilate and capture the essence of how our thinking processes work is a tremendously fascinating and exciting thing.”

Jen Stein, team member on the USC Mobile and Environmental Media Lab, provides us a glimpse into the future of narratives, “Imagine you’re on your way to pick up your child from a rained out baseball game…and [because of sensors in your vehicle] your car now knows you’ve now picked up your kid. Since your plans got canceled, the car sees an opportunity to invite you and your family on a play mission. The real world becomes a giant gameboard…[yes, a real game] engaging with other people and cars while on the road.”

Samsel’s Story

If it’s true that your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die, here is what my personal life might look like. Created using Pummelvision using photos from my Facebook account.

Heardable’s First Screencast Story

I wrote a script for my company’s first screencast and submitted it to Voices.com to get voice over talent to audition for the role of narrator. I received about 50 submissions. Three voices out of the lot had the hip, yet intelligent sounding voice I was looking for. But only one actor injected a personal style and some bold ad libs that made me question the readiness of my script. Based on this one actor’s reading, I decided to rewrite my entire script with his voice in mind. I hired Mike O-Brian to record the narration, then I recorded the screenshots and assembled the video using Camtasia Studio 7. This is the end result.

Music + Animation = Short Film Story Without Dialogue

A touching retrospective of an old man’s life, based around the evocative imagery created by his piano playing. Story and animation by Aidan Gibbons. Music by Yann Tiersen.

Words + Spoken Voice = A Poetic Story

According to PoetryFoundation.org, “E. E. Cummings was among the most innovative of twentieth-century poets, experimenting with poetic form and language to create a distinct personal style. A Cummings poem is spare and precise, employing a few key words eccentrically placed on the page. Some of these words were invented by Cummings, often by combining two common words into a new synthesis. He also revised grammatical and linguistic rules to suit his own purposes, using such words as ‘if,’ ‘am,’ and ‘because’ as nouns, for example, or assigning his own private meanings to words. Love is the propelling force behind a great body of his poetry.”

75 Years of Writing: Ray Bradbury’s Story

Ray Bradbury is one of those rare individuals whose writing has changed the way people think. His more than five hundred published works — short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, television scripts, and verse — exemplifying imagination at its most creative.

Behavioral Experiments As Stories

Thefuntheory.com, an initiative of Volkswagon, wanted to see if they could get more people to take the stairs over the escalator by making it fun to do. Piano Staircase was one of several finalists out of hundreds of written concepts submitted.

Stop Animation Story

Writer/performers Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal set out to create something that had never been done before on YouTube: a stop-motion animation video with live actors…with the animation taking place on two T-shirts that interact with one another. T-Shirt War was the result. The team partnered with top-ranked YouTube veterans Billy Reid (aka verytasteful) and Joe Penna (aka mysteryguitarman) to produce their masterpiece.

Stop Animation as a 30-Second Commercial Story

Rhett & Link, a pair of novice writer/filmmakers, were discovered on YouTube by McDonalds and Coca-Cola who asked them to create a TV commercial for them based on T-Shirt War. So why did two of today’s biggest companies hitch their multi-billion dollar brands to a social video phenomenon? Consider it a calcuated risk designed to associate traditional commodities with the uber-hip and cool generation of tomorrow.

Websites As Stories

Some claim this is the most creative ‘website’ ever. Advertising agency, Boone Oakley, made clever use of YouTube annotations by creating an interactive video experience. It was actually their agency website embedded into YouTube across 50+ videos, the very first of its kind. With over 1 million views, this is possibly the most viewed agency site of all time. To cap it off, they won a Gold Lion at Cannes in 2010.

An Overview of Web 2.0: A Story Well Told

Professor Michael Wesch | Web 2.0… The Machine Is Us/ing Us. Video created four years ago that summed up the power and potential of Web 2.0 in a five minute presentation.

Customer Service FAIL Story

One of the first popular examples of how social media can bring a major brand like Comcast to its knees by highlighting their poor customer service to an online audience in the millions. Backstory: A Comcast technician came to replace a faulty modem. After spending an hour on hold with Comcast’s central office, he fell asleep on this person’s couch. It was all captured on film and uploaded to YouTube. If the video wasn’t shame enough, hundreds of writers and editors picked up the story and published commentaries about various ways that consumers were fighting back against companies that wrong them.

Social Journalist Weaves A Web of Intrigue

Supposedly a skier in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park found a roll of film in the snow, had the film developed, posted what he found on YouTube, then asked for the public’s help to recognize the people in the photos. Many say this is a hoax — but it’s a great story nonetheless. Over one million views on YouTube as of 1/26/11.

Classic TV News Crime Story

Antoine Dodson interviewed by NBC affiliate WAFF-48 News after the attempted rape of his sister Kelly Dodson - Huntsville, Alabama. TV channel broadcast reach: In the thousands.

Unconventional News Story Music Video

‘The Bed Intruder Song’ by the Gregory Brothers uses software called Auto-Tune to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances — and can even tune a mundane evening news video clip. The music video has been played over 85 million times on YouTube and reached #89 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list. As of September 2010, they had sold more than 100,000 copies of The Bed Intruder Song on iTunes, allowing Dodson to make enough money from the song to move his family out of the projects.

Brand Integration Into A Comedic Drama

Ikea Heights is a melodrama shot entirely in the Burbank California Ikea Store without the store knowing. Entertainment Weekly’s Whitney Pastorek said of the series, “[IKEA Heights] is so brilliant and awesome that its glories can really only be diminished by additional words.”

Corporate Song and Dance: A Musical, Sort Of

A dramatic coming of age tale about a big deal at a unique investment company by KassemG. Over 1.3 million views on YouTube so far.

Video Game Stories

A brief history of interactive writing in the gaming industry. Nice recap of the major issues spoken in a really fast, high pitched voice.

Hybrid Branded Fiction Alternate Reality Game

33 Keys was an alternate reality game that challenged players to immerse themselves in a real-life, sci-fi adventure for the chance to win a brand new 2010 Mazda3.

Ambient Storytelling for Vehicle-Driver Interaction

A USC project that attempts to deepen the relationship between driver and car by using aggregate sensor data, context and location sensing protocols, and social media feeds to develop a narrative “lifelog” for the vehicle and its driver. Test cinematic augmentations for the driving experience, including generative soundscapes, single- and multiplayer games, and driver-specific guided tours. Develop the character or identity of the vehicle by employing usage metrics and driver feedback to modulate the rate, style, and mode of vehicle-to-driver communications.

I was recently in Dallas working with one of the biggest brands in the world on a two-day training seminar titled, “The Write Way - Expand Your Online Brand Reach By Writing Smarter.”

The event was designed to help marketers become better online writers by engaging them in interactive exercises designed to teach the the ‘art’ and ‘mechanics’ behind:

1. Storytelling
2. Writing for the web
3. Writing for SEO

The seminar was a big success — and fun to lead as well. Over 40 ’students’ participated and the head of the marketing department who organized the event had lots of positive things to say about the entire experience. I call that a satisfied customer!

Here are a few quotes from students:

“Jon is the go-to guy when you’re trying to understand the different pieces of the online writing puzzle. I recently attended one of Jon’s writing seminars in Dallas. Great presentation about storytelling, writing for the web and SEO — with tools that marketers can use immediately. Highly recommended.”
-Dallas seminar attendee

“The class was well balanced with real life scenarios, and tactical hands on training. From individual to group work, the attendees were able to participate at their own comfort level. Culminating at the end of the day into a presentation that applied all that had been shown throughout the day. If you are doing publishing on a website, this class is well worth the time and money spent…a great investment for any corporation.”

-Dallas seminar attendee

INQUIRE ABOUT A TRAINING SEMINAR FOR YOUR STAFF
To receive a free phone consultation and proposal on how to help your business write smarter, call 1-888-520-0034.

The Write Way: Writing Smarter to Expand Your Brand Reach

1-Day or 2-Day Power Writing Seminar

Instructor: Jon Samsel

Who this course is intended for: Companies looking to train their marketing/communication staff on the importance of writing and the skills required to help a brand become successful online. Website writing best practices, search engine optimization (SEO), and storytelling are emphasized. Ideal for novice to intermediate level-staff looking to quickly boost their proficiency. No prior programming skills needed.

Inquiries: 310-402-2890 or email: jsamsel@gmail.com

IMPORTANCE OF WRITING

Famed management consultant, Peter Drucker, said, “As soon as you take one step up the career ladder your effectiveness depends on your ability to communicate your thoughts in writing.” In other words, if you want to be noticed within or outside your organization, you have to be able to express yourself-clearly and concisely.

The same can be said when you are an employee representing a company online, whether that’s on a corporate website, press release, training module, marketing campaign, social media site or email. Your writing is a critical extension of your company’s brand — so it’s important that business leaders invest in assisting their employees become the best ambassadors of communication possible.

• Your writing creates an image
• Text is the universal language of the web
• Being readable and findable is critical
• Great writing attracts customers

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS COURSE

The purpose of the training course is to help you become a better web writer, whether you are writing for humans or for search engines. You will increase your knowledge of today’s effective writing techniques, better understand the emotional mechanics of storytelling, and learn how to apply winning search engine marketing best practices.

• How to make your website more relevant
• What must be done to get good search engine rankings
• Best ways to submit, subscribe & syndicate to be found
• Why stories matter and how best to exploit them
• Customers who interact are more likely to transact
• The difference between branding and direct response content
• How extending text & tags to multiple media to amplify your reach
• How usability testing can be used to validate your choices
• How to monitor and track your success over time

COURSE REVIEW

Web Writing

• Writing for humans
• Text elements of a high-impact website
• Designing content structure
• Tailoring your writing to different audiences and needs
• Editing & testing text for clarity, concision & response
• Writing to sell: persuasion & direct response
• Social media writing & representing the brand voice
• Syndication: The power of web distribution
• Measuring success with text tools

SEO

• Writing for engines & bots
• SEO basics
• Business planning & goal setting
• Keyword selection, relevancy, and density
• Competitive assessment
• Code: titles, meta tags, URLs & site maps
• Copy writing
• Offsite SEO & social search
• Measuring success with SEO tools

Storytelling

• Writing for emotional engagement
• Integrated marketing: The holy grail of marketers
• The new PR: Participation not propaganda
• Advertelling: Successful brands are about people
• Word of mouth matters when the experience is the brand
• Ratings, testimonials and user generated content
• Educational training, kiosks and demos
• Narrative stories & branded entertainment

FORMAT

One-day or tow-day tutorial encompassing lectures, live demos and exercises. Real-world examples are used to highlight points throughout the day. Copies of the presentation slides and exercises with be provided to all attendees.

INSTRUCTOR BIO

Jon Samsel is a published author, speaker, instructor, consultant and thought leader in the areas of branding, online marketing and writing. He has worked as an online marketing executive at Fortune 100 companies such as Bank of America, Ford and Countrywide where he was responsible for a broad range of marketing activities such as paid and organic search marketing, display advertising, DRTV, social media engagement, mobile marketing, and multivariate testing, including the task of coordinating teams of designers, programmers, copywriters and others involved.

His book, ‘Dead Ahead: The Web Dilemma and the New Rules of Business,’ co-authored with Laurie Windham and published back in 1999, predicted many of the changes the Internet has had on businesses and organizational processes. Jon’s book, ‘Writing for Interactive Media,’ first published in 1995, has been utilized as a textbook in over 40 colleges and universities throughout the US and Canada. He wrote and produced, ‘The Killer Content Workbook,’ for Apple, Inc., one of the first interactive PDF’s ever created to incorporate text, audio, video, embedded forms and interactive user response.

Jon is an adjunct writing instructor at UCLA and UC Irvine where he has taught courses in multimedia, fiction and non-fiction writing. Jon has co-authored four published books, edited 12 books/directories, and is a published poet and Hollywood screenwriter. Jon is an online marketing/writing consultant and a regular seminar speaker for Richmond Events.

COMPLIMENTARY VALUE ADDS

Free 1-Year Premium Subscription to Heardable.com

Heardable is the world’s first and only online brand optimization platform. All workshop attendees will receive a 1-year premium subscription to Heardable.com (a $2,999 value) redeemable via a special promotional code provided at the end of the class.

Free copy of writing for interactive media

All workshop attendees will receive a free copy of Jon Samsel and Darryl Wimberley’s book, ‘Writing for Interactive Media.’

PRICING

Custom class configurations and pricing available upon request.

TESTIMONIALS

Comments about Jon Samsel’s training seminar, The Write Way: Writing Smarter to Expand Your Brand Reach:

‘The class was well balanced with real life scenarios, and tactical hands on training. From individual to group work the attendees were able to participate at their own comfort level. Culminating at the end of the day into a presentation that applied all that had been shown throughout the day. If you are doing publishing on a website, this class is well worth the time and money spent…a great investment for any corporation.’   – Robbie Holland, Senior Manager of Content Management & Localization at Hilton Worldwide

‘Jon has an amazing understanding of consumer insights and behavior as they relate to online usability– skills that bring immediate value to strategic consulting projects. Understanding, and leveraging the technology through best practices and innovation are critical success factors, and Jon is clearly one of the best in his field. –Christophe Bertrand, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Hitachi Data Systems

‘Jon’s vision and in-depth knowledge of both the business and creative aspects of new media production is truly remarkable. This is a man truly “gets it” and empowers those around him to do their best work. Bottom line – Jon is a rare commodity, a visionary in the area of online direct response marketing and a creative powerhouse.’  –David Greene, Owner of Creative-Spark

JON SAMSEL
Digital Brand Strategist, Author & Web Consultant
310-402-2890
jsamsel@gmail.com
jon.samsel @ skype
jonsamsel.com - blog
linkedin.com/in/jonsamsel @ linkedIn
twitter.com/jonsamsel @ twitter

It’s that time of year again when we American’s reflect on our past and make optimistic (if not unrealistic)  goals for our future. 2009 was full of new-found interests, change, as well as ups and downs. The frequency of my Twitter posts surpassed my blog posts. I used LinkedIn in bold new ways to enhance my professional network–which led to many unexpected and engaging experiences such as speaking engagements, reconnecting with many old friends, interesting business propositions, a Twitterview with a European blogger, inquiries from executive recruiters, participation with charity organizations, and connecting like-minded people together.

In reviewing my year-end Google Analytics reports for JonSamsel.com, I was surprised to see which of my blog posts rose to the top of my ‘page view top 10 list.’ I share with you my top ten posts for 2009 in order of popularity.

1. 5 Ways to Take Advantage of a LinkedIn BETA Tool: Company Profiles - I had no idea when I published this post that it would be my most popular post (by far) for 2009. I think it was simply the right post at the right time, helping people figure out how to use LinkedIn in a new way. Nearly everyone I know uses LinkedIn and I love the service. So I guess when you write about a subject you are passionate about, it comes out in the final piece and people pick up on that vibe.
2. 7 Ways to Leverage LinkedIn to Expand Your Social Network -Similar in scope and tone as my number one post for 2009, this post zeroed in on the social networking capabilities of LinkedIn.
3. The Best Social Media Monitoring Tools Used by Today’s Top Creative Agencies & Brands - I had fun writing this post because it was my chance to share some of the tool I use on a daily basis with all of my readers. They responded by reading this post in droves. The other aspect about this post that I love is how it profiles several new start-up firms. It’s always nice to be able to talk about small companies before they hit it big.
4. The Twitter Effect: How 140 Character Micro-Blogging Can BeneTweet Your Company - I write this post just as I was getting up to speed on how companies could benefit from using Twitter. Obviously, many of my readers found value in the the article as well. Note to readers: I have seen the word ‘BeneTweet’ used several times since my original post, a combination of the words Benefit and Tweet. Nice to know it’s still possible to coin a term now and then. Note to self: Not 100% sure I was the first person to use the term BeneTweet, but at the time, I did think I was being somewhat unique.
5. 15 Ways to Promote Your Book -When I first started my blog back in Oct 2008, I focused more on writing and design topics than I do today, since so much of my early career was spent working as a writer and editor. I am always happy when I can assist other writers publish and promote their work. This article was my way of providing some helpful utility to scribes everywhere.
6. Retweet: Harnessing the Word of Mouth Marketing Power of Twitter - Another post about a Twitter topic, when I was fast discovering the in’s and out’s of the platform. So much has changed since then — it feels like this article is very dated even though it’s only 10 month’s old!
7. 10 Step Process for Designing a Landing Page that Delivers Results - This is another post I enjoyed sharing with my readers. Landing page optimization is such a special skill set that very few marketers have mastered, yet it’s a critical component for any online marketing campaign looking to achieve ROI success.
8. Hope Springs Eternal: An Interview with Amy Neumann - In 2009 I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Neumann, a member of the Capital Campaign Committee for Hope Gardens, a charitable ministry of Union Rescue Mission. It was an uplifting piece, a bit out of the ordinary for my blog, but I was determined to help Union Rescue Mission in some way. I can recall telling Amy about the possible benefits of using Twitter — and recently I saw Amy had amassed a following of over 11,000! Go, Amy, go!
9. Social is the New Search - One of my favorite blog posts of 2009 made it into the illustrious top 10 list. I wrote the post after seeing first hand the impact that social media conversations were having on the SEO efforts of major brands. Unfortunately, most brands still don’t seem to have headed the message. But there is always 2010 for a time of awakening!
10. 30 Ad Agencies Ranked By Heardable Score - I really enjoyed creating this post as well. I had been turned on to a new start-up called Heardable a few weeks prior and I really wanted to put their brand scoring tool to the test. What amazed me was how poorly the top creative firms were doing in the area of online marketing. They were preaching to others but failed to practice what they advocated. The stats in the article were shocking — and I received several alarming emails from concerned agency staff who tried to refute the article. I stick by my every word.

I was reading a sarcastic (and slightly sad) blog post today about a gal who lost the entire contents of her blog after a catastrophic server failure happened while she was ‘upgrading’ her blog to a more ‘robust’ and costly ISP solution.

While reading, I had to cringe because I really feel her pain. Something similar happened to me once when I lost 90% of my blog content when some lowly server administrator inadvertently deleted the content on a remote hosted server because he thought that shiny piece of hardware wasn’t being used.

Needless to say, upon hearing the news, I was devastated!

Thankfully, I had set up an RSS feed to my own blog via Google Reader, so I had an electronic copy of all my entire site content (plus all my images) for every blog post I had published over the prior 18 months. Yes sir, there is a God.

With a little technical assistance, I was able to export all my blog posts and import them back into Wordpress as soon as my new server (on a different ISP) was up and running. All I had to do was go in and reassign dates for each post, plus add back deleted hyperlinks. A pain, no doubt, but something I was more than happy to do considering the circumstances.

Who knew Google Reader and RSS feeds were every blogger’s secret backup weapon? I didn’t. So now I pass this nugget of knowledge on to you, my young padawons (Jedi backup apprentices). If you need an inexpensive backup and archiving service for your blog, set up an RSS feed and save it into a reader and you may just thank your lucky stars one day.

Quick announcement…

Be sure to catch Jon at The Digital Symposium at the Harvard Club in New York City, NY, October 7th, 2009, an event that will play host to 100 of the most senior level marketing executives in the country. Jon will lead a round table titled, “Mastering Your Online Marketing Strategy by Being More Sociable, Findable, Portable, Usable, Actionable, Shareable and Measurable.”

To learn more about the event: http://www.digital.marketingforum.com

Recently I was on LinkedIn and came across the following SEO question:

“Looking for one of the best SEO companies in the world. Can anyone recommend one that has amazing track record / recommendations?”

I read through the Q&A thread. Over 20 people responded by providing SEO tips, as well as the names of SEO firms to follow up with. Some were big name SEO companies, some were creative agencies, and some were unknown to me.

I decided to do a little detective work. You see, from my experience, not all search optimization firms practice what they preach. So I thought of a quick way to gauge which SEO consulting firms were legit and which ones are full of bologna–run a Websitegrader report on each firm’s URL and then compare the results.

Why use Websitegrader? There are lots of free tools online that measure this and that. I like Websitegrader.com because it looks under the hood of a company’s URL to uncover what developers are doing well and where they could use improvement–mostly from an SEO point-of-view. They also provide a score so you can compare one website against another.

Websitegrader is not foolproof, mind you, but the results are very insightful. And as long as Websitegrader applies the same algorithm to the each website they grade, a user should be able to benchmark the good from the bad, from the ugly.

I looked at 30 SEO firms mentioned in the LinkedIn Q&A thread. The results were somewhat surprising. Here is how these companies ranked by Websitegrader on a scale of 0-100, 100 being best:

99.9 - www.bigmouthmedia.com
99.7 - www.6smarketing.com
99.7 - www.primevisibility.com
99.6 - www.bruceclay.com
99.6 - www.webadvantage.net
99.5 - www.vizioninteractive.com
99.4 - www.submitawebsite.com
99.3 - www.seo.com
98.9 - www.oneupweb.com
98.2 - www.webmetro.com
97.9 - www.netconcepts.com
97.6 - www.iCrossing.com
97.3 - www.thinkseer.com
96.5 - www.purevisibility.com
96.3 - www.seojunkies.com
95.9 - www.increasevisibility.com
95.5 - www.reprisemedia.com
95.5 - www.rustybrick.com
95.0 - www.seop.com
94.0 - www.nowspeed.com
93.0 - www.ilikesem.com
92.0 - www.usawebsolutions.com
91.0 - www.tmpdm.com
90.0 - www.iprospect.com
85.0 - www.360i.com
85.0 - www.razorfish.com
71.0 - www.ip-seo.com
67.0 - the-ccg-group.com
43.0 - www.asenyo.com
27.0 - www.wsiim.com

Who would have thought BigMouthMedia would outperform so many larger competitors? Of course, these results don’t mean that any of the above-rated SEO firms are not good at doing search optimization for their clients. I am pretty sure many of them are just busy doing client work…so busy that they have neglected their own website optimization efforts. However, for prospective companies considering doing business with any of these firms, wouldn’t a prudent client take a close look at an SEO company’s track record–both client results AND the quality of the SEO firm’s website as well? I think so.

If you are thinking about hiring an SEO firm to assist your company optimize its website for search engine rankings, you might want to run a Websitegrader report on the SEO agency first. Not only will the resulting grades be useful in evaluating two SEO firms against each another, but you can use the scores as a conversation starter when talking to the sales manager from an SEO firm trying to sell you their services. It really trips them up when you ask them why they scored so poorly next to competitor X!

Did I just say that?

Good luck.

1. Apple’s design process revealed!
2. Hilarious video about ‘Death By Committee’ group decision making processes. Love the logo designs!
3. Naming tools to help get your creative juices flowing.
4. The Components of a Writing Business Plan.
5. Website up-time tool.
6. What every web designer needs: A handy Lorem Ipsum generator!
7. An online font tester!
8. 100 things on the Internet that might be of interest to you.
9. Type in a word to find rhymes, synonyms, definitions, and more.
10. Life of Pi - Interactive promo. The mood that this creates is almost like a movie. Awesome.
11. The website is down: Sales guy vs. web dude. Funny!
12. ZeFrank’s song about social networking
13. Good site for hiring freelancers to work on social media gigs or web dev projects.
14. Quantcast - Free, competitive website analytics.
15. See every mouse movement and every click on your website. Record & more.
16. Fun brain teasers and exercises.
17. Need to quickly translate text into another foreign language?
18. Nice gift idea - give a personalized book to your child or relative.
19. SEO tool. How many desired .edu or .gov links does your site have?
20. Over 1,500 stories about coffee’s impact on real lives. Very cleaver marketing.
21. Social search engine. Pretty cool.
22. Where’s WaldObama? 1,474 mega-pixel picture of the Inauguration. Wow.
23. Mint or Rudder - which is best online tool to manage your money?
24. Runners. Track your distance, pace, progress & calories with this cool NIKE tool.
25. Looking for the perfect Web 2.0 domain name? Try Dot-o-mator.
26. Download free Web 2.0 logo designs!
27. UGC traffic to triple by 2012, according to Cisco.
28. UGC / user reviews are critical. See latest Nielsen findings.
29. “The Crying Game” of viral marketing. So well done. Click till you see the surprise ending!
30. U.S. real estate prices from 1980-present plotted to a roller coaster ride!
31. I just love Howcast - learn about almost anything!
32. Creepy girl. Watch as her eyes follow your cursor.
33. Amazing interactive simulation by Motorola.
34. Heatmap simulation for any image you upload. Sweet.
35. Design for Emotion and Flow.
36. Website User Journeys, Needs, and Trust: A Volkswagen Case Study.
37. Very helpful usability blog site by Craig Tomlin.
38. Net Promoter Score: Pro’s? Con’s? Full of bologna?
39. Get Elastic’s landing page optimization webinar recap.
40. Consumer purchase preferences by zip code.
41. Free version of the Word of Mouth Manual Volume II.
42. Social media marketing case study: Will It Blend.
43. Free 34 page ebook - The New Rules of Viral Marketing.
44. Social Web Analytics eBook 2008.
45. Introduction to Good Usability - Free PDF Ebook.
46. How to think virally w/ Jeff Benjamin, the creator of  Subservient Chicken.
47. Customer Feedback Usability Insights.
48. 5 new skills for the future of marketing.
49. Bring Holistic Awareness to Your Design.
50. Long live the Cluetrain Manifesto! 95 theses ahead of their time.

Source: http://twitter.com/jonsamsel

James Carr just self-published his own book, Will My Daddy Ever Work Again? It’s based on his experience as a child enduring a difficult period of unemployment in his family’s life. The book delves into the family’s trials and tribulations as seen through the innocent eyes of a child.

The story is written gender neutral so that boys and girls alike can identify with the 1st-person storyteller because of their own family’s difficult situation. It is a new and unusual way of telling a children’s story. And, according to the author, “That is why the child outline looks as it does on the cover and on every first chapter page–empty.”

The fact that James, the budding author, is currently unemployed is especially ironic, but also hopeful, as it shows he’s not the type of person to sit and wait for life’s opportunities to come at him–he’s out there taking destiny by the horns and opening up new possibilities for himself. It’s a story of hope through creative expression. It also demonstrates the power of the Internet as the publishing and marketing platform of the future.

Q:  Jim, tell me about your decision to self-publish.

A: Because of the current economic downturn, I believed my children’s story had value. The story is one that can help families experiencing long-term unemployment and financial issues. With the economy and housing markets becoming worse, the job market shrinking, and parents possibly not knowing how to discuss their family’s economic difficulties with their younger children, I believed my book could help with that very personal family conversation. I did not want to wait any longer to be ‘discovered’ by book agents or publishers so I published the book myself.

Q:  Did you utilize any online services to help you publish your book?

A: Yes. I used Lightning Source, a publish-on-demand (POD) self-publishing company based in Tennessee.  And I am selling my book on Amazon.com and through other online bookstores.

Q:  How did you settle on the retail price for your book?

A: I researched different types of children’s books available at Borders and Barnes & Noble booksellers to decide on the best retail book price.

Q:  Are you doing anything to promote your book?

A: Well, I am being interviewed by you–does that count?  Ha! Although I have been approached by several book marketing companies to represent my book, I am using my experience in corporate communications and as a newspaper reporter to create a personalized marketing strategy.

Q:  What lessons did you learn about the business of book publishing?

A: Paying attention to details is everything. Every word, every phrase, every punctuation mark, every piece of art, every laid out page, and every step in the process is critical. Self-publishing your first book can be an anxious experience because you want everything done correctly, with no mistakes, and you are learning the process to boot. I would advise new authors not to rush. Take your time. Ask questions of the people you are working with to accomplish your publishing goal. If you feel overwhelmed–take a break. You can come back to your work a little later. The only deadline is the one you set, and that could work against you if you rush yourself and your project into production.

Q:  Did you learn anything about yourself by writing this book?

A: I learned many things. But the most important thing I learned was: never quit, never give up on your dreams. Everything written is evergreen. Persistence and personal fortitude are what count.

Q:  Any advice you’d like to share with budding writers out there in the world?

A: Because of computer technology and the Internet, the legacy publishing industry is going through tremendous changes. If you pursue the traditional publishing channel, you need to secure an agent and a publishing deal, plus you will still need to market your manuscript. I would recommend not waiting for other people to discover your work. You may wait a very long time. If you believe in your work, invest the time and money to make it available to the public. It may be a gamble, but the outcome may be worthwhile (and personally satisfying).

Five Benefits of Self-Publishing

1. Authors have greater control (and responsibility) over their work
2. Results can be immediate (instead of waiting for a publisher to pick up your title)
3. High return on satisfaction
4. Your book can be used as a calling card to secure additional work
5. Success is limited only by an author’s tenacity and hard work