I am starting to really like Tom Peters. I have been reading his book Re-Imagine! on and off for the last month-and-a-half. I think I like Tom because he is a bit of a tyrant, he is willing to challenge the “system,” whatever system it might be, and he writes like he is speaking to you…scratch that…like he is yelling at you.

A lot of what Tom talks about in Re-Imagine, which was written in 2003, really resonates today. Actually, I have been living in that strange Twilight Zone where a lot of the things I am reading/hearing about seem to come back to a common themes – and most of those themes are discussed in Re-Imagine.

One of those themes is the assimilation of Generation Y into the workplace and how Gen Y is looking for careers that are more than pure capitalism (read: $). BusinessWeek recently wrote about the challenge that companies face when trying to recruit talent from Gen Y and how the generation is more focused on quality of life and making a difference.

And making a difference is (or at least should be) important to every generation. I was talking with a co-worker (who is not a Gen Y) the other day and she said how our company is really cool because you can actually make a noticeable impact if you actually try to. This was an opportunity that she really didn’t have in any of her previous careers, and by being able to make an impact, you better believe she does her best to make one.

We all should be so lucky to work in an organization full of people who know they can make an impact and that challenge themselves to make a difference in the workplace. I believe I work in a place where the possibility to make an impact is there – but when you walk around the office you can really tell the difference between the people who believe they can do great things and those who don’t. It is sad, really.

To break those individuals out of that corporate funk and get them engaged is a monumental challenge for every manager. (Unless you are a manager that wants drone workers with broken spirits – then you should get the hell off this blog.) This is where Tom Peter’s and his WOW Project concept come in. Here is a section out of the book that describes a WOW project. Read it a couple of times and think about what it would be like to work in a company where everything you do is a WOW project.

WOW Projects are …

• Projects that Matter.


• Projects that Make a Difference.


• Projects that you can Brag About … forever


• Projects that Transform the Enterprise


• Projects that Take Your Breath Away. (Appropriate technical measure)


• Projects that make you/me/us/”them” Smile


• Projects that Highlight the Value that You Add … and Why … You Are Here on Earth (Yes. That Big.)


• WOW Projects are … not hype.


• WOW Projects are … a necessity. (New Necessity.)

Pretty crazy, huh? You think you would ever not want to go to work if everything you worked on was a WOW Project? I don’t think so.

But now you are saying, “that is all great, but not every project can be a WOW Project – I mean we all have to do stuff that sucks.”

Maybe that is so, but let me tell you, there are a lot of companies out there that are full of people who are ready, willing and able to do all that crappy work. They don’t believe that they can do great things. And those are the companies you can outsource the crap work too.

So why don’t you shoot for the WOW project lifestyle in your company? What is keeping you from doing amazing things everyday?

Oh yeah – and if you give the old “I am powerless” excuse, chapter 16 of Re-Imagine, No Limits: WOW Projects for the “Powerless,” is what you need to read. It is like a manual for making subversive WOW projects happen without the powerful people catching on…great stuff.

So when you are working this week, think about how WOW could change your workplace. Think about how you can make the projects you are working on a WOW project. Just think about the WOW for me, alright?

Posted by James at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Be skurred – Line Rider is your new best friend…

Posted by James at 04:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I am in the process of putting together a longer and hopefully insightful blog post, but in the mean time I will give you something funny and entertaining.

My uncle Todd works for the Fuel Network, which is a 24/7 adventure sports network. Sadly, I don’t get the station at my house, but it seems to be a favorite station to have on in bars, as that is where I always seem to see it. Fuel is owned by Fox, but you couldn’t really tell with the amount of creative freedom they seem to have.

Here are two good examples of that creative freedom - Danger Swimming and Crawbling. These are (as far as I know) Fuel’s first ventures into viral YouTube videos – and I gotta say they did a fantastic job. Check them out and be a good YouTube viewer and rate them (it means a lot to us video makers).

Posted by James at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I just got back from my first real speaking gig. I spoke at in Santa Barbara about blogging to a crowd that I would guess was a little over a hundred. I had an awesome time, met some fantastic people and got some really good feedback.

I think the coolest part was getting people excited and passionate about the opportunities they have in their businesses. And I was amazed by the number of companies that are “thinking about blogging” and I hope I got some of them motivated enough to take the plunge and start a blog of their own.

On an unrelated note, if you checked this blog yesterday you probably noticed that I was out of bandwidth. Thanks to the Bregar for hooking me up with more bandwidth – I swear I will stop freeloading and move this site to a new server soon.

In other news, Banksy is making more headlines, and instead of linking you directly to the news I am going to send you to my Banksy page on Squidoo, where I have updated the links section. Please go and visit the page, check out the RSS feeds, etc. I just broke the top 1,000 lenses on Squidoo and I want to see if I can keep the momentum going.

Oh yeah, and when you are there take a second and rate the page (the stars up at the top) – I think that is a part of the Squidoo ranking algorithm. Yeah, it’s a little cheap, but hey, a guy has gotta experiment right?

Posted by James at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you may have figured out with my love for artists like Shepard Fairey and Banksy, I am a big fan of remarkable graffiti art (no, crappy tagging is not included in that category). And so much to my delight, I saw an article in Wired magazine on the Graffiti Research Labs.

It seems that the Graffiti Research Labs are looking into new forms of graffiti that leverage today’s technology to go beyond the spray paint world. And my personal favorite form is in LED throwies. What is an LED throwie? Well check out the videos below to find out (and make sure you watch them all).

The First LED Throwie
LED Throwies
LED Throwies II (you gotta love the soundtrack on this one)
Night Writers

Really interesting stuff – I gotta go to Radio Shack…

Posted by James at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Ok, I have to start out with a disclaimer, because a number of my co-workers and bosses read, or at least check in, with this blog. So to you folks, I not am posting this because I want a title like VP of Search or anything like that – at this point I have really stopped caring what my title is – so don’t take this as a hint. :) End disclaimer.

The reason I am posting this article from the Search Engine Watch is because it talks about how search marketing professionals are getting their feet in the door and gaining some clout in more traditional organizations – although for many, it is an uphill battle.

One of my very favorite quotes:

The VP title, however, came much later in a firm that still distrusts the web. Smith commented that "90% of the job is still convincing the company that my job is worth having. To do this, you need to educate."

So read this article – Your New Title: The VP of Search - and learn something.

Posted by James at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seth Godin’s new book is titled Small is the New Big and it is basically a collection of his blog posts over the last few years. I read the original post when he first published it, and I read it when I read his book. And now I think that it is your time to read it my friends. :)

One of my favorite parts, which is reflected in Tom Peter’s book Re-imagine:

Small means that you will outsource the boring, low-impact stuff like manufacturing and shipping and billing and packing to others, while you keep the power because you invent the remarkable and tell stories to people who want to hear them.

Like Seth says - "it is time to act small and think big." I think that will be the key to our business’s success, and I have a feeling it is the key to your business’s success as well.

Posted by James at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

To live up to the link love given by the Link Building Wiki, I guess I should make a post about link building. So here it goes, a link to the 10 Link Commandments, posted by the O.G. link builder Eric Ward.

And just for fun, here is the preview for the movie I am dying to see this fall…ladies and gents, enjoy Borat.

Thanks to Mz. Pocket for pointing me to the site with the video.

Posted by James at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I took some time yesterday to build my first Squidoo lens – and I gotta say it was a pretty cool experience. Building the lens was very easy, the UI is straightforward, and the end result is darn good.

Here is the Banksy lens I created. I really dug the ability to add a the YouTube video and Flickr photo modules.

The more I check out other Squidoo lenses, the more opportunity I see in the idea.

Very cool stuff.

Posted by James at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I have something to admit – I have always wanted to be a breakdancer.

After years in the rave scene I never learned how to spin on my head, or do the worm, or do that sweet ass leg kicky thing like breakdancers can. And that makes me sad. I wanted to pop and lock. I wanted to DANCE!

Ummmmmmm…..yeah.

So I found this site thanks to my favorite daily vlog, The 9, called Breakdance Crew – which might make all of my dreams come true. The site is a virtual how-to manual for breakdancing (check the move list).

If you are like me and all you want is a cool nickname like “Sub-Zero” or “Notorious J” and mad fat skillz on the dance floor – join the crew.

Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go try to track down a cardboard refrigerator box and my yellow short-shorts.

Posted by James at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My girlfriend/roommate/best fried/love of my life Kristi sent me an email with a link to the this video – When I Grow Up I Want to Work in Advertising. She works at an advertising agency and from the impressive list of “@ad-agency-name-here” email addresses this was forwarded to I think there might be some truth in it.

Actually – I know there is truth in it…

[Update: Kristi is also my best friend...not just my best fried...whatever that means.]

Posted by James at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Robert Scoble writes an interesting post on the Web 2.0 bubble that is forming in Silicon Valley. Please give it a read.

I would agree that there is a bubble (the excitement is always going to wear out), and I like how Scoble describes it as a frothy bubble…maybe just because I like the word “froth.”

I also like this Gapingvoid cartoon that Scoble inspired with his post.

One thing I would add is that the logic behind the Web 2.0 concept is still something to learn from (bubble or not). Companies like the one I work for are inspired and benefiting from the spirit of Web 2.0 – even if the inspiration leads to businesses that are not 100% Web 2.0. No, we are not going to give our service away for free (our company still likes money), but we are going to start giving people more of what they want in ways that they want it.

While the financial side of Web 2.0 might dry up when the bubble pops, I think the legacy of Web 2.0 will live on after the fervor goes away. I have a hard time believing that the lessons of Web 2.0 are going to disappear just because VC interest does. And sure, companies will disappear, but for the companies that can do it right there is still plenty of opportunity out there.

Posted by James at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adrants pointed out a new Sony PSP Dustball commercial...watch it here…I love that guy…

Posted by James at 07:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Looks like the Croc Hunter died in a freak marine accident – stabbed in the chest by a stingray, or something like that. Digg is blowing up with the story – CNN reporting at the top of the screen that it is true.

Sad.

Posted by James at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to Mz. Pocket for the point to Banksy’s latest target – Paris “I’m a Singer Now” Hilton.

The BBC has the scoop here.

Fantastic!

Posted by James at 03:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)