A great sales negotiating tool is to identify objections early and address them up front - take them off the table. How to get qaulity Monty Python content online has not been the easiest thing to do - not in a legal manner. All that has changed.
Rather than sue those that put their content on YouTube (at various quality levels), they have created a YouTube Monty Python channel. And they are putting their content out there and as you will see in the video, asking for their audience ot go and buy their content. Taking the objectionable behaviour off the table, Monty Python gets it. They get Social Media. They get consumer Behavior. And I hope they get monetary rewards.
This has been around for a while but is no less entertaining now and it is still doing the rounds. The concept is quite laughable actually, but we still do it.
November 4, 2008 was an amazing night for America. An African American man wins the general election running as an American who happens to be African American. Many thought that people’s vote may have been swayed by race. In the end it wasn’t even close and America showed that it has come a long way. And many Americans are pretty proud of that, whatever the outcome of the Obama Presidency. With all the problems we face in America, last night was an elixir for many.
I have been privileged to have witnessed similar history before and the emotions this time were seemingly different, but yet the same.Except this time – it was happening around me.Last time, I watched from across an ocean as Nelson Mandela walked out of jail a free man.After spending a lifetime incarcerated because of his strong will and quest for justice, peace, freedom and equal rights regardless of race color or creed.And shortly thereafter I watched as people lined up for hours (some waited overnight) around city blocks and in rural areas as all South Africans voted, many for the very first time. And Mandela was elected President of nation divided for so long, yet hopeful for a new future and at the same time fearful of the unknown. The first black President of a country that never imagined or thought that they would get there anytime soon.
Mandela sworn in as President
“We have fought for a democratic constitution since the 1880s. Ours has been a quest for a constitution freely adopted by the people of South Africa, reflecting their wishes and their aspirations. The struggle for democracy has never been a matter pursued by one race, class, religious community or gender among South Africans. In honouring those who fought to see this day arrive, we honour the best sons and daughters of all our people. We can count amongst them Africans, Coloureds, Whites, Indians, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Jews – all of them united by a common vision of a better life for the people of this country.”Nelson Mandela at Cape Town’s City Hall on the day he was elected President of South Africa.
With all the turmoil in the financial markets and the talking heads discussing the causes, implications and responsible parties for the financial meltdown in the US financial sector, I have been thinking about the impact on the US Super Power status.
Part of the reason why the rest of the world looks to the US is because its financial strength enables the US to have the freedom to do what it wants, likes and feels it should do pretty much where and when it likes and how it likes. And the rest of the world knows that the US has the financial power to engage in humanitarian, military, financial or a host of other ways if it so chooses. The question at hand is how the implosion will affect the willingness, appetite and ability to act in this traditional way now that finance and politics at home are in flux and not on the footing to support the role at the same level. And abroad, is the sentiment “how the mighty have fallen?” or one that says that pain is relative and the US is suffering like the rest of us in a different way and $700 billion while an unfathomable amount is relative to the US economy and a bump that the US can navigate?
Mitch takes a different path and chooses to use his base to educate through highlighting issues, not companies and the fact patterns, responses and implications of the responses as opportunities for learning. By not creating sensationalist headlines that leverage brand names, Mitch highlights issues which becomes a positive force for change in an engaged way. Screaming at companies “Hey look at me and my crowd” while demanding things is not an easy way to win friends and influence results at a company. Most companies see the result as setting a precedent for others to follow and feel they are “damned if they do and damned if they don’t.”
We spent the last few weekends looking at summer sleep away camps for next year. First PA, then Adirondacks and finally Maine. Besides the fun of road trips with the whole family, it was actually fun to see the different camps, the facilities, philosophies and to see how they were “shown”. Of course the tours that were kid friendly got high marks from the kids - but what’s not to like? Interestingly every kid we met told us that their camp is the best camp in the world and that there is nothing out there like it. Cynically: How many camps have they been to at aged 9 or 10? And each genuinely is having the greatest summer imaginable.
While getting the YouTube Video for July 25th: A Sad “BIG” WoM Day , I stumbled upon Diane Sawyer’s interview with Randy Pausch. As much as the speech is inspiring, the interview video is brilliantly done. It incorporates parts of the speech and weaves an emotional and inspiring story together. YouTube has the video in 5 parts (Included below). I strongly urge you to watch them all. Sit through all 5 parts and see if you are not somewhat changed at the end.
Today, the star of one of internet video’s biggest viral stars died. More than 4 million people have seen Dr Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. And many more will be introduced to one of the most motivating speeches I have ever heard. If you have not watched this video, set aside an hour and a quarter and watch it. You will not be sorry. Besides all of the great life lessons in this speech, it shows how great content goes viral.
The headline in the New York Times on Urban Baby’s site redo says “Don’t mess with mom’s chat”. It seems that most of the changes they made left the hardcore devotees furious so they organized a boycott of the site (seems the boycott was not wildly successful). The main complaint and mistake seems to be that the changes appear to have been done with no input from the audience.
Question: What review was done? With whom? How? On the Urban Baby site it says that they posted messages “on the site front door and in newsletters”. Just goes to show how many of the devoted read these. So if a tree falls in the woods… will anyone hear it? In a community environment, not only do they hear it, they find a way to broadcast it - especially if they were not a part of the process.
