Q101 The Alternative
Q101 (formerly on Chicago radio @ 101.1 FM) The Alternative - Chicago's New Rock Alternative - Everything Alternative - Chicago's Alternative - Gen X - Generation X
The first thing you notice when you talk to billionaire Dustin Moskovitz and his business partner Justin Rosenstein is how different they are.
Rosenstein is chatty and articulate. Moskovitz is more reserved and thoughtful.
But they share a passion in their startup, Asana. Moskovitz is, of course, famous for being the co-founder of Facebook. Rosenstein is known as the programming wiz who did Facebook’s “Like” button, among other projects.
Asana is a project management Web app that has become super popular, particularly among tech startups in Silicon Valley.
Like Moskovitz, the app is focused — it is a group to-do/project management tool. Like Rosenstein it is social. Teams communicate with it instead of e-mail. Story by Julie Bort Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/former-facebookers-startup-asana-will-be-bigger-2012-4#ixzz1tQtg8FmB
Have you ever been sitting on a “pile of cash”? How long did it take you to decide what to do with it? Psh. It doesn’t matter. You never had 97 Billion dollars in reserves, like technology conglomerate and design masters Apple. Yep, you heard it right. building for cheap, and selling for what a lot consider high has made Apple this unbelievable amount of cash reserve. You really need to think Scrooge McDuck’s money bin.
This is quite a bog deal in the technology, and sales/retail industry in general. Tomorrow morning, bright and early there’s a press conference at 8:00 AM central time that you can listen in on, where Apple CEO Tim Cook, and their CFO Peter Oppenheimer will discuss what they’re gonna do with this big fat bag of cash. Acquiring companies or technology? Passing it out among stockholders? Donating to worthy causes? It has all been speculated, but nothing will be sure until the phone conference. Are you interested in hearing from the mouth of the men themselves where the greenbacks are going? Here’s the info you need to listen in:
The live phone press conference starts at 8am central time/6am pacific.9am eastern. Call (877) 616-0063 toll-free or (719) 219-0041 local. Conference code is #592016. What? You’re too lazy for that? There will be a phone conference “replay” at 10am central time/12pm eastern time, and 8am pacific time at (877) 616-0063 toll-free and (719) 219-0041 local. Punch in 6274937 to listen in on the rebroadcast of the call. Stay tuned for the innovating, and probably surprising decisions!
Choosing only 10 stand-up comedians as the ‘smartest-of-all-time’ is like asking a parent to choose a favorite child – someone WILL get hurt. There’s obviously some very honorable mentions not here, but including everyone worthy of recognition would make this a top-500 list. Instead, I chose to choose a blend of ten classic & modern comics that drastically changed the medium, not by just making you laugh – but by really making you think.
(NOTE – most videos are NSFW.)
- Kyle
Not since Cheech & Chong has an ambassador of stoner-dom gained such a cult following. However, whereas C&C were heavy on actual drug material, Mitch Hedberg simply seemed lit up. Known for his one or two lined non-sequiters, he was easily dismissed by critics as a “pun-jockey surrealist” – but his massive cult following heard a depth to his jokes.
Hedberg had a way of noticing the little things of life – ironies, word-play, inconveniences – by conveying them in such a likable way you felt like his drinking buddy by the end of the show. Outshining his “duuuude” image, he formulated his stage presence into a remarkably unique delivery, one that almost appears forced when seen for the first time. In reality, he severely struggled with both crippling stage fright (you can regularly see his microphone-hand trembling) & drug addictions, leading to his early death by overdose in 2005 at the age of 37.
www.mitchhedberg.net
THAT’S FACTED UP: Hedberg made an appearance on “That 70′s Show” as Frank, chef of the restaurant the characters frequent.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “I’m sick of following my dreams, man. I’m just going to ask where they’re going and hook up with them later.”
Comedian (also actor / writer) Steven Wright made his unique breakout in 1985 - striking extreme contrast half-way through the decade of excess. What defined the 80′s is exactly what his act defied. Almost an existentialist, his thought-provoking material delivers itself SO casually, you’re laughing too hard to realize that what he just said was a complete mindfuck.
Wright is the Mitch Hedberg for connoisseurs. Underneath a thick level of deadpan, Wright’s routine bordered on the philosophical – usually in increments of one-lined jokes. A master of the double-entendre, his routines were so languid HE almost seemed bored – which allows the incredibly insightful statements he peppers throughout the act to absorb slowly. His type of humor wouldn’t work well with an energetic, charismatic-type figure – these are dull, ironic & listless jokes – that are brilliant.
Steven Wright @ IMDB
THAT’S FACTED UP: Wright lends his voice to Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 “Reservoir Dogs” as the voice of the DJ on ‘K-Billy Radio’.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: ”I was born by Cesarean section, but not so you’d notice. It’s just that when I leave a house, I go out through the window.”
Arguably the loudest & most vitriolic comic on Earth, Kinison made it known he was in the room. As a former Pentecostal Preacher, his transformation into comedy was distinctive – evangelical, literally-screamed punchlines became the cornerstone of his act. He moved to stand-up shortly after his first divorce (and subsequently leaving the Church), using his massive lifestyle change as fuel to the angry fire & brimstone of his set.
Having an open appetite for drugs, sex & alcohol brought an edge to his personality: here was once a man of the cloth, holy in behavior – now pissed off, hedonistic and loudly sacrilegious. This sort of duplicity helped make his image infamous – besides, it’s pretty hard to ignore the guy shouting in your face. Aside from the bad-boy infamy, Kinison brought angered reason to everyday-topics like marriage, life & religion in a way no one previously had. Kinison died due to a drunk driving accident in 1992 at the age of 38.
www.samkinison.org
THAT’S FACTED UP: Kinison played Al Bundy’s guardian angel in an episode of “Married… with Children”. Ironically, Kinison was also the network’s original choice for the role of Al Bundy (which he turned down).
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “I called a detox center – just to see how much it would cost: $13,000 for 3 weeks! My friends, if you can come up with thirteen grand, you don’t have a problem yet.”
If you’ve watched television between the mid-nineties and now, you’ve seen David Cross somewhere. Best known for his roles on “Mr. Show” & “Arrested Development”, Cross has transformed character acting into a crossover art – writing, directing, voicing or starring in over 35 shows and 40 movies as of 2012. Aside from Hollywood work, Cross’ biting stand-up routines have been an indie-favorite for almost 30 years.
His scathing reflections on religion, politics, sexuality and culture have solidified him not just as a left-leaning ‘hero’, but as a legitimate advocate of basic human & animal rights. Performing stage comedy since the age of 17, Cross’ notoriety includes a famous public dispute with fellow stand-up Larry the Cable Guy, multiple lawsuits and even a scandal involving him snorting cocaine at a White House Correspondence dinner near President Obama (just to say “he did it”). Despite his apparent political angle, Cross continues to be a cross-party, crowd-pleasing figurehead for an entire nation of American life.
David Cross – Sub Pop artist page
THAT’S FACTED UP: Cross lost the role of Dr. Gregory House on “House M.D.” to Hugh Laurie.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “I don’t think Osama bin Laden sent those planes to attack us because he hated our freedom. I think he did it because of our support for Israel, our ties with the Saudi family and our military bases in Saudi Arabia. You know why I think that? Because that’s what he fucking said!”
English actor / comedian Izzard has confused almost every critic with his short-listed bio: he’s a sexually-straight (but) cross-dressing, dyslexic, atheistic, trilingual, award-winning, accomplished theater / film / television actor; with one hand in British politics & the other in professional athletics. Boosh.
Best known in America for his roles in “Ocean’s Twelve”, “Ocean’s Thirteen” & ”The Riches”, Izzard has been called “the Lost Python” by John Cleese himself (even appearing on-stage with Monty Python in 1998). His multi-faceted biography mirrors his act - rambling / erratic observations colorfully paint his interesting portrayals of world history, religion and culture in a way that makes even anti-intellectuals listen. If the education system was more like this, graduation rates would skyrocket – his routines are study guides with a sense of savvy sarcasm.
www.eddieizzard.com
THAT’S FACTED UP: Izzard ran almost 30 miles a day, 6 days a week – for 2 months straight – to help raise money for charity in 2009.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “I grew up in Europe, where the history comes from. ”
Widely heralded as the “comic’s comic” – Louis C.K. brings unashamed, unfiltered honesty to the stage that America hasn’t seen in decades. Taking a no-gimmick approach, C.K. has perfected an “everyman” persona – publicly evaluating his life, love, children, work & society in a way that makes almost every demographic relate. Treating his audience like a personal therapist, his act routinely outs his shame, guilt, struggles & hardships, all without asking for sympathy.
C.K. uses a technique that seems blatantly obvious – truth. The difference between himself & current peers, however, is his quelling of ego. This is a self-realized man in his mid-40′s, dealing with the same problems John Doe down the street has. Despite the centralized personal theme to his material, his reflections of society are fundamentally how it really is. Starting his professional career as a writer for A-listers like Letterman, Conan, Ben Stiller & Chris Rock – he’s successfully transitioned into television & film (screenwriting and directing for others & even independently creating 2 auto-biographical primetime shows). Insightful yet modest – tragic yet empathetic – Louis C.K. is one of our greatest modern voices.
www.louisck.net
THAT’S FACTED UP: Despite popular belief that he is fully Irish, C.K. has partial Mexican ancestry – even living in Mexico City until he was 7 years old. English is actually his second language.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “There’s a reason it’s called Girls Gone Wild and not Women Gone Wild. When girls go wild, they show their tits. When women go wild, they kill men and drown their kids in a tub.”
Lenny Bruce (born Leonard Schneider) was the Elvis Presley of comedy. He came at a time, like Presley, when this type of public-spectacle just didn’t happen. These were the 50′s: clean-cut, wholesome, willingly-sterilzed times. Bruce was approximately the exact opposite. Earning himself an infamous obscenity conviction during his trial in 1964 blew the doors open for an entirely new brand of humor: black comedy in a bright, white world.
Bruce’s social satire & unflinching, free-associated honesty portrayed a darker American image than it’s public was used to. His routines were philosophic – light years ahead of their time. Appearing on national television only 6 times, Bruce encountered constant court battles and was blacklisted by almost every American club by the end of his life. Later in his career, drug addiction & close-to-public-breakdowns affected his fame and fortune, leading to a morphine overdose in 1966 at the age of 40. The legacy he left behind has continued to influence the genre, with most comics citing him as the “original visionary”.
www.lennybruceofficial.com
THAT’S FACTED UP: Apart from his comedic influence, Bruce’s likeness appears on the cover of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, has been mentioned in-song by R.E.M. and Simon & Garfunkel, and is the first case in New York state history to be granted a posthumous pardon in 2003.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “All my humor is based upon destruction and despair. If the whole world were tranquil, without disease and violence, I’d be standing on the breadline right in back of J. Edgar Hoover.”
Richard Pryor did for African-Americans in comedy what Rosa Parks did for political & civil rights. His racially-driven, controversial material helped usher in public (read: White) awareness of social & civil rights. Throughout the course of his (officially, but not in total) 19 live albums, Pryor touched not just the subject of race; but amusingly & profanely tackled culture, politics, sexuality & drug use in a way that completely captured an all-too-unheard-from demographic. You can say he found a way to expand and improve upon Bill Cosby’s live act – with many, many more F and N words.
Pryor’s fame as a stand-up was parallel to his success in cinema – he appeared in over 40 films between the years of 1967-1997. Starring in, supporting or writing classics like “Silver Streak”, “Blue Collar”, “The Toy”, “Superman III” (and an often on-screen pairing with Gene Wilder) helped attain mainstream attention, earning himself a diversely massive fan base. Both during & after his life, Pryor (and the Pryor estate) was awarded an Emmy, 5 Grammys, 2 American Academy of Humor Awards, a Writer’s Guild Award & several Life-Time Achievements. Suffering from lifelong heart problems & multiple sclerosis, Pryor passed away in 2005 at the age of 65.
www.richardpryor.com
THAT’S FACTED UP: Sheridan Road in Peoria, IL (Pryor’s hometown) was renamed to Richard Pryor Place in 2002.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “When I was in Africa, this voice came to me and said, ‘Richard, what do you see?’ I said, ‘I see all types of people.’ The voice said, ‘But do you see any niggers?’ I said, ‘No.’ It said, ‘Do you know why? ‘Cause there aren’t any.’”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FipkwtYLTk
Counter-culture’s most pertinent voice, Bill Hicks took the microphone like a sword and the stage like his horse. Hot-tempered, politically incorrect & irreverent to the bone – Hicks barked prophetic genius to unsuspecting audiences everywhere. Leaving nothing taboo; Hicks tore into religion, politics, consumerism, drug opponents and basically anything stigmatized – with fury. Contempt for culture and superficiality have never been criticized so lucidly by anyone since.
Starting his live career in the early 80′s, Hicks’ controversial social commentary was the subject of extreme censorship battles – but by 1990, his audience had significantly grown. Striking a friendship with alternative band Tool, he joined the 1992 Lollapalooza tour, opening their shows. His comedic impact can be seen on most modern comics, but more notably, musicians – with names like Radiohead, SPA, Super Furry Animals and Tool immortalizing him either in song or on album artwork. Hicks was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1993, tragically passing away at home in 1994 at the age of 32. His iconic and prolific performances are regarded as some of comedy’s finest moments.
www.billhicks.com
THAT’S FACTED UP: In 1993, comedian Denis Leary (then close friend of Bill) took a significant amount of Hicks’ previously recorded material – line for line – and recorded it as his own on his 1993 special “No Cure For Cancer”. The incident caused an abrupt ending to their friendship. When asked about the matter in an interview, Hicks said, “I have a scoop for you. I stole his act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and, to really throw people off, I did it before he did.”
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “It’s all about money, not freedom, okay? Nothing to do with fucking freedom. If you think you’re free, try going somewhere without fucking money, okay?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xObHeRrFhwI
The one and only George Carlin – master of human condition & singular comedy icon of the 21st Century. A Carlin show was not just a comedy set – it was a lecture. A lecture from a professor dead-set on teaching you everything parents & authority didn’t cover. Astronomically intelligent and devoid of any sugar-coating, Carlin’s act was a lightning-fast account of every aspect of life. His wildly controversial, yet instantly accessible finesse found a place in society that most comics can only covet: wholly independent thought on a mainstream level of success.
Carlin first reached the public eye in the 1960′s on both The Ed Sullivan Show & The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Shedding his clean-cut, inoffensive image on-stage by the 70′s, he began to develop his unique styling – dividing his material into 3 categories (as described by Carlin himself): ”the little world” (observational humor), “the big world” (social commentary), and the “peculiarities of the English language”. Carlin was able to articulate hyper-detailed evaluation like an over-clocked computer – frequently using fast-paced, alliterated lists to punctuate his point. In 1978, his “Seven Dirty Words” routine was responsible for one of the biggest cases in censorship & broadcast history – a 5-4 win allowed the government to regulate “indecent material on the public airwaves”. Appearing in 14 films and 20 television shows, Carlin continued his show business career off the stage as well – ironically including the ‘Mr. Conductor’ character on children’s show “Shining Time Station” (!). Carlin has been awarded 5 Grammy Awards (among several others) for his 14 HBO specials, 19 albums and 5 books. Infinitely unique & completely unprecedented, George Carlin enjoyed over 50 successful years in show business before passing away in 2008 at the age of 71.
www.georgecarlin.com
THAT’S FACTED UP: Carlin was the first-ever host of “Saturday Night Live”.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7pQrx1QvE
Standardized tests mean nothing. Well, to a parent and a child they could mean nothing. They shouldn’t be as stressful as they end up being. To a teacher, administrator, or school…those standardized tests mean everything and that is where the pressure is coming from. Why is that? Schools are graded by the scores the students receive and then budgets, hiring, textbooks, equipment, etc., are ALL based on standardized test scores. Here is the problem; the schools that do well on those tests get the money, the textbooks, and the better teachers. The underprivileged schools that have low test scores get nothing. Do you think it’s actually possible for those students and faculty to ever be able to pull themselves out of that vicious cycle?
I am of the opinion that if all of the students knew that the standardized tests didn’t mean anything and they could fill out (b) for every answer and not get penalized (which in theory they wouldn’t), they would. I did it my final year in high school. That is one of the highlights of my “sticking it” to the man during my rebel years. I sat today administering the test to several students and I saw the stress in the form of sweat on their brows. Why are we beating our kids up through standardized tests to prove that the adults are doing their jobs?
George Bush, the almighty and formerly powerful, enacted a policy that so far has been held up since 2001, called No Child Left Behind. In theory, it really is an awesome plan. Let’s make sure all of our kids do well and give federal funding to our schools based on test scores. One of the things we don’t talk about is, how in 2014, if something doesn’t change, ALL students even the ones with special needs and the students who don’t read or speak English, will be required to pass their standardized test at grade level. Is that logical to you, because it makes no sense to me, and I have gone to graduate school for two and half years to understand our educational system and I am still baffled.
These tests are given to students all around the country. They may have different names, yet they all serve the same purpose. They judge our teachers and administrators on the information retention rates of the youngest members of our society. Our children control our budgets and who ever really thinks about that? That’s a lot of weight to put on any kid. Good thing they don’t know that or they would stress out even more about the test than we could imagine. That or they wouldn’t give a rats ass and fill in all of the bubbles haphazardly because they aren’t getting graded just like I did.
I had a student tell me that her mom instructed her to do well on the test otherwise she would fail. That is wrong. The student will not have an academic impact, at all, directly. If many students don’t do well, the funding stops, and then teachers are sharing textbooks. So maybe if they fail, we all fail.
I see how parents can be misinformed. Maybe this is a big secret that I am not supposed to be sharing. I can’t really imagine that to be so, yet it seems like the more people I speak with, the less they really know. The biggest problem is that parents don’t know the questions to ask because they don’t know that they need to ask questions in the first place. Doesn’t that seem ironic?
Is it important for you as a parent to ensure that your school gets all of the funding it needs? Of course. What are you going to do when your school starts to fail in 2014 because students can’t obtain the lofty goals that are written into NCLB? I would be pissed if I were you. Changes need to be made, but they need to be made at the highest of high levels.
So now that I have said that, I want you to be able to reach out to your child’s teacher and become friends with them. They aren’t the enemy. In fact, we want what is best for your child. It just so happens that we tend to be seen as the enemy. We are always under so much pressure to perform. We have to get your kids to perform. We have to be happy when we are sad. Happy when we are frustrated. Happy when we are being screamed at by parents. That is a lot of stress on a daily basis. Then we have to worry about having our kids learn Math, Reading, and Writing over all other subjects. Science and Social Studies are lucky if they show up in the school schedule. Be happy if your child is receiving a well rounded education. Not only be happy, but be grateful. You see, we don’t get scored on our performance in those areas, so a lot of times, those are subjects that don’t get as much attention. Math, Reading, Writing, Math, Reading, Writing….are you sensing a pattern?
I recommend this book as my parting gift. Check it out. Diane Ravitch was one of the biggest promoters for NCLB and now speaks against it fervently. The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education.
If you want the inside scoop – email me, I will tell you as much as I know. I will give you the straight answers. And I am sure you have realized that not all of us are as friendly as I am, but that’s ok, it doesn’t ever hurt to ask questions. Unless you get that mean 80 year old teacher who reeks of whisky and cigarettes. You may want to skip talking to her.
I am a magnet for the Redbox douchebag. The one jackass that knows that you are behind him yet feels the need to peruse every selection at least twice and then must read each description of every movie. I want to scream, “It’s Scooby Doo, Douche, and it has four teenagers, a dog, some drug references, and a big green van. Move out of my way!”
It doesn’t matter which Redbox I go to, I feel like I have won the lottery if I can get to the screen before anybody else does. It warms the cockles of my heart and keeps me from throwing elbows. I stood at a Redbox for about 8 minutes before I gave up and went home today. I didn’t need to get a new movie for tonight, but it sounded good. Instead, I will be snuggling up to my Netflix. The irony of this story is the man and woman who were occupying the Redbox were ragging on how Netflix has nothing to watch. With that said, it reminded me of all of the movies I had in my queue and I went home.
I think the potential for Redbox is awesome, but I hardly ever have been able to walk up to one without an idiot somehow hovering in front or behind me. If they are in front of me, I know that I should pull up a lawn chair, a beer and a good book. If they are behind me, I know that the clock is ticking and soon enough I am going to hear them pacing behind me, heavily breathing, and mumbling under their breath.
The question is, “How do I get to have a pleasant Redbox experience?” I have two solutions. One is to go to Redbox at midnight and hope I don’t get mugged or have an idiot installed on the box. Maybe a person would have to walk up and answer a question that people with common sense could answer. Similar to Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking”, where Jay goes up to people, asks them questions that seem to be common sense questions and then the people just blow the answer so badly they end up on TV looking like complete morons.
Maybe I can start a timer behind the Squatter loud enough for them to hear that they just took up my precious time debating whether to rent “The Thing” and “Eurotrip”. At this point I have lost a handful of brain cells and everyone knows that “Eurotrip” is the way to go.
Maybe Redbox has thought of this already and that’s why they launched the pre-ordering of your Redbox movie(s). That’s a fantastic idea, yet I don’t think the morons will ever catch on to it, so I am still screwed waiting for them to get out of my way.
Maybe I am the jerk. Maybe I do have “Redbox Rage,” but walking up to a Redbox is like walking up to the rudeness meter. People stand too close, lean on people’s cars that are parked on a curb and say rude things under their breath. I have yet to become confrontational about this behavior, but I think I may just be one DVD away from losing it completely. Next time, I am just going to go in wearing full goalie hockey gear and push my way through. I will show them the difference between being rude and being dumb.
What is Pinterest.com? It’s a place where women can go and fantasize about being thin, build weddings they don’t have a man for, and pick out shoes that they can’t afford. Yet…there is something quite appealing about being able to lose yourself in the fantasy of what Pinterest has to offer. If you need that extra kick of motivation, just click on the Fitness section and there will be motivational sayings to offer you a boost, pictures of ripped chicks that maybe you will hang up on your wall and even light cooking recipes to help you get on track. Or you can do what many Pinterestites do and just look at Pinterest and imagine you are thin, have motivation, and can cook anything that crosses your mind.
I think one of the many appeals of Pinterest is that it’s a place where you can lose yourself for hours just thinking about the “what if’s” in life. What if I had enough money to buy that million dollar mansion and put that amazing water feature that I don’t need? Well good thing that Pinterest has a picture for that.
It’s Facebook without words. It’s the digital egotistical storybook you have always wanted to flaunt to your friends. It’s the over the top change from saying, “I just had dinner,” on Facebook to I am going to make this four layer cake with snickers frosting in the shape of Cookie Monster and it’s going to be amazing. It’s the perfect website for all of the slackers in life who need something else to eat up their time at work and stave off the boredom of living alone.
I was a Pinterest junkie for about two weeks. Then I realized I had a life that included school, work, friends, family, and my TV. So my new plan of action is to go in with a plan of attack. Similar to what you should do on Black Friday for if you don’t, you end up standing in line for four hours with a cupcake, a broom, two packages of socks, and a DVD player that you don’t need. I now will look for specific recipes or maybe I will try to find an idea for photos to hang on my wall. I won’t go looking at wedding dresses that I don’t need right now, pictures of piercings and tattoos that will never be cool or water features for a mansion I may never own.
On the flip side, the good thing about Pinterest is that it hasn’t been sold to all of the advertisers of the world so you don’t have to worry about the barrage of ads that come along with social media. No pop ups. No click through ads that seem to know exactly what you did and what you have said. I shouldn’t rag on Pinterest too much because they do have really good pictures on there that may inspire you in multiple facets of your life. It did for me. I found these awesome lockets that I would never have found without Pinterest. Did I need them? No. Did they appeal to me? Yes. So maybe there is subconscious advertising on there and I am one of the suckers that are born every minute. And for those suckers, there are apps for the Android market and iphone so you can always get your Pinterest on.
Everything is good in moderation. With the vast expanse of social media like Facebook and Pinterest, you can end up losing your life and waking up like Rip Van Winkle. Don’t know who he is? Pinterest will have a picture of him and someone is updating their status right now on Facebook asking a friend who Rip Van Winkle is.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur using the web to drive engagement and sales (like Q101), a foot soldier at a company hoping to advance, or someone looking to increase their personal and professional visibility and viability by employing digital strategies, knowing how to use keywords is essential. Like we tell our clients, “Wanna be found forever? We can do that.” Check this article out by Natalie Sission from Social Media Today:
The keyword is the driving force behind building an online business that gives you leads and referrals and generates sales. Tracking keywords that people search for and making sure that you are the most relevant (or at least most prominent) result forms the basic concept behind SEO. So why do so many people get it wrong?
Well, there are a lot of mistakes to make, and a lot of ways to make them. It’s not as simple as picking a keyword, stuffing a site full of it, then building thousands of links back to said site using, you guessed it, that same keyword. And if you’re doing that, you’re doing your keyword research wrong. That seems like a silly mistake that a green web developer would make, right?
But we’re not talking about those green web developers today. We’re talking about all those little mistakes that can, and probably will, creep up in your keyword research at some point. Those seemingly trifling mistakes will kill your web development efforts, before you even figure out what went wrong.
But first, it’s important to understand how bloggers use keywords, and why they’re so important for both your audience and the robots sent by Google to rank your page. In their simplest form, keywords appear in blogs as tags.
Most bloggers like to organize posts based on relevant keywords – ideally so readers can relate information in one blog posts to others. In fact, tags are a perfect way to think of page relevancy in organic traffic results.
If you determine that a particular blog post should be relevant to one or more keywords, the following is generally necessary to make this relevancy clear, both to your readers and from a semantics point of view:
So your keyword research almost always begins with an idea on which keywords your blog will target. Once you accomplish that, your research can either confirm that your ideas are good ones, or help you identify areas that you might be better off targeting. But there are many ways you can perform this keyword research incorrectly, and spoil your efforts.
Well, if you believe the heading of this section, you’ve made your first deadly mistake – forgetting to switch the “Match Type” in the Google Adwords Keyword Tool from “Broad” to “Exact.”
After making the switch, we find that the keyword “spongebob games” actually gets about 673,000 searches every month. That’s still some decent search volume, but you have no idea how often the broad results show about 600 searches (a reasonable volume for the beloved long-tail), but the exact shows a big fat zero.
There’s a big difference between broad and exact keywords, especially when talking about conversions. You have to put yourself in the mindset of your customers – they want specifics. If you’re in an industry that can cross into other niches, picking short keyword phrases can cause a lot of confusion. Let’s consider an example using some anchor text:
props
Now, if you were to click that link, what would you expect to find? Some customers might think of a bright, shiny new prop for their boat’s motor, while others might expect to find some rugby information. Little do they know, you sell movie costumes and props. If you were to use this specific anchor text instead, you’d eliminate confusion and attract targeted traffic.
But this goes even further. Remember, the more specific keywords you have, the less competition you face. There could be millions of different sites targeting the anchor text “props,” but you represent a smaller niche targeting “movie costumes and props.” You are literally competing with entire industries if your keyword research is too broad. So, now that you understand this mistake’s raw power to reduce your website to ruins, what can you do to avoid it?
READ MORE HERE
Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/nataliesisson/443976/keyword-research-how-you-re-doing-it-wrong
On a recent Monday morning, Kathryn Ferris, a 32-year-old financial analyst, had a weekly 6:15 appointment with her formal mentor at a lower Manhattan office for a 40-minute debrief of the previous work week. She spent the next 11 hours in front of three computer screens, checking in twice with the nanny about her three-year-old twins. At 6pm, when her male colleagues hit the gym before evenings out with clients, Faris caught the subway to the New York Public Library where her women’s group meets for networking and advice twice a month.
Then it was back downtown to Cipriani to meet clients and colleagues. “There aren’t many women in my group, and it seems to be general consensus that it’s best to have at least one of us there when we’re entertaining.” As a result, she says she’s out at least three nights a week. By 10 pm she was on the train to the New Jersey suburb where she lives, not catching a nap on the hour long ride, but working on a pitch she wanted to brainstorm with a mentor the next day. That’s right, another one.
Ferris, who says she’s been working at this pace since returning from maternity leave in 2009 finds it nearly impossible to compare her lifestyle with her male colleagues. “The guys come to work and go home. No one talks about career advancement strategy or mentoring with them, and yet they get the majority of the promotions.” For Ferris and her female peers, however, the pressure is on. “I just don’t feel like I can afford to pass up any opportunity, even if it means being ‘on’ way more than I want to.”
“We’re putting a lot on younger women,” said Sallie Krawcheck, former president of global wealth & investing for Merrill Lynch at a recent ForbesWoman panel discussion. “[Telling them that] In order to be successful you need to ask for more money in this way, you need to raise your hand in that way, you need to do things that you weren’t brought up to do or are not comfortable doing. By the way, you need to join this woman’s network and go into that mentoring program… And what’s happened is [that] we’re not necessarily bringing women forward as much as we’re just making them busier.”
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2012/01/10/amazing-failure-womens-career-advice-asking-too-much/
We call it “analysis paralysis.” We’re not alone. We hear that phrase all the time. When there’s so much to do, or something so large to undertake, it feels so overwhelming, that, naturally, you….do nothing. You tackle all of the little projects around you that take 5-10 minutes and keep putting off the HUGE one. Ridiculous, right? Buying the world famous Q101 brand, we thought, was the hard part. Turns out that was only the beginning of a 24-7 organizational odyssey that has lasted 6 months and shows no signs of letting up for the next 5 years. So, no one understands the dilemma of “kicking the big can down the road” better than we do. However…
Another of Q101′s fave phrases is: “How do you eat an elephant?”
Answer: One bite at a time.
Corny, maybe. True? Totally.
So how, then, to start taking bites?
Harvard Business Review’s Peter Bregman shares his insights (and solution) designed to help all of us get our big project started now:
I want to write a screenplay.
I wanted to write one last year, but other work took more time than I expected, and I kept pushing “write screenplay” off my to-do list.
I know I’m not alone in struggling to make incremental progress on long-term projects or goals. How do you get started when you have “all the time in the world”?
Maybe you have a project with no deadline, like my screenplay. Or maybe you have a deadline that’s months away — like preparing a speech, developing a business plan, or designing a training program. Perhaps you have a habit of procrastinating on projects with generous schedules until “next month” is “next week” and suddenly your long-term project has morphed into a panicky, short-term stress-inducing nightmare?
Doing something big and important is rarely as simple as just getting it done. Often we don’t know how to start and, even when we do, we rarely already have all the knowledge and capability we need to see it through. Also, we almost always have more urgent things to do and so we push off long-term goals.
I know the basic advice: break the work into smaller, more manageable chunks, focus on the next small step that will move you forward, set intermediate deadlines.
It’s good advice. But, in my experience, it’s not enough.
Because, ultimately, the reason we procrastinate on a big, long-term project isn’t just because we have too much time or don’t know where to start. And it’s certainly not because we think it’s not important. In fact, it’s the opposite.
We procrastinate on that big project precisely because it’s important. So important, in fact, that we’re too scared to work on it.
I’ve never written a screenplay. I don’t know how to format it. I don’t know how to structure the story. I don’t even know the story I want to tell.
I’m afraid. Afraid that I’ll fail. That I’ll spend a lot of time on it — while other more immediate things don’t get done — and it will be terrible, anyway.
I’m also afraid of the opposite: That I’ll just dream about it but never actually work on it. Which, paradoxically, discourages me from starting it. If I’m never going to get it done, why start?
My screenplay isn’t just mundane work; it’s work I care deeply about. Almost all big projects fit into that category — even the report your boss asked for that you might think you don’t care about. That’s because a big project is a mirror. It reflects your thoughts and effort and even character. It has your signature on it. Failure in a long-term project isn’t just a work issue; it’s an identity issue. Is it any wonder that we procrastinate?
So what’s the antidote?
Don’t ignore your fear. Acknowledge it. As soon as you know you’re going to give that speech or design that training program, take a quiet moment and experience the fear that comes with the importance of the project. Maybe you’re afraid of getting up in front of all those people to give your speech. Maybe you’re afraid of failing in your new business. Maybe you’re afraid that your training design will expose how much you don’t know. Maybe you’re afraid of letting other people down.
Resist the temptation to minimize your anxiety. That’s a false macho response and it lacks courage. It’s also counterproductive; it gives power to the fear, almost guaranteeing that it will haunt you and prevent your progress.
Here’s why acknowledging your fear works: You’re scared because you expect a lot from yourself and you’re afraid you’ll underperform. When you acknowledge that fear, you’re acknowledging that you might not have all that it takes to meet your expectations; you might not have all the tools, information, skills, etc. Admitting that, in turn, reduces your expectation of getting it perfect right off the bat.
And lowering your expectation of getting it right is the key to getting it started.
Acknowledging your fear also serves another, crucial purpose: it informs you. By recognizing that you don’t have all the tools, information, skills, and support to see the project through, you’re identifying your next, manageable step in getting started: rounding up the tools, information, skills, and support.
Even if it’s not your choice (e.g., your boss committed you to do it) — commit yourself to it fully. Recognize that it will be a reflection of you and admit that you care about it. Even if you don’t care about the project, you do care about your work and, in this moment, your work is the project. Make it one of your top five priorities. When you make the project one of your top five priorities, you’re also — and just as importantly — choosing what’s not a priority. If you have too many important things on which to focus, you’ll never get to the big long term one. So slash your list until you’re left with only five.
READ MORE ABOUT PETER’S SOLUTION
Source: http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2012/02/how-to-start-the-big-project-y.html?referral=00563
One of the most challenging things to do as a sales manager is to determine if the person sitting across from you in an interview will be an ‘A’ player. Will he or she be the next superstar? Can this person ‘make it rain’? Can I rely on them to exceed their quota?
Sales Managers consistently ask me what tips or tricks they can use in an interview to ensure hiring an ‘A’ player. Since SBI has started measuring ‘Ramp to Productivity Failure Rate’ (aka: how many of your people hit their quota vs. how many fail and leave the company), it has slowly been increasing. Our median rate 9 years ago was 42%. It is now 52%. This means 52% of all new hires FAIL. This means over half of all new sales hires don’t make their quota in year one. Ouch.
The only true way to hire ‘A’ players is to have a robust Talent Management Program. This includes 5 major components: Talent Definition, Acquisition, Evaluation, Selection and Development. A good TM program will attract, select, retain and develop ‘A’ players.
Talent Management
But what happens when you don’t have a TM program? What happens when you are actually in the interview asking questions and listening to the candidate’s answers? What do you look for at the ‘moment of truth’?
4 Sure Signs that indicate an ‘A’ player:
#1 – Sense of Urgency. ‘A’ players have a high sense of urgency. They need to get it done NOW. Whatever it is; the longer it takes to accomplish the more frustrated they become. They are ‘A’ players because they challenge the customer. The build trust with the decision maker, not just a ‘good’ relationship. Challenging customers results in increased sales. The challenge comes from the need to expedite the sale. Thus, urgency is the opposite of compliance. You don’t want your sales people to be compliant.
TIP: Look for answers around impatience and 4th quarter comebacks. (Aka: Eli Manning and the New York Giants)
#2 – Enthusiasm. ‘A’ players are passionate about their work. They get up and stay excited all day. They love to sell and go through brick walls to do it. They have a real passion around selling and enjoy the hunt. (We call these wolves)
TIP: Notice answers around work ethic matched with excitement. Passion is a key differentiator between ‘A’ and ‘C’ players. If they mention how great they form relationships, kick them to the curb.
READ TIPS #3 and #4
Source: http://www.salesbenchmarkindex.com/bid/77807/4-Signs-a-Sales-Manager-Can-Recognize-an-A-player-in-an-Interview
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