The Authentic Eccentric

I happened to get into a conversation today with a friend about creating hardcover photo albums via online services. I’d just read Ulrich Boser’s review on Slate, so I forwarded her the link and opened a new tab up for their top pick, Shutterfly. She had recently seen a book produced from My Publisher, so [...]

[Read more →]

It’s a well known fact among marketers that personalization increases response rates for direct mail. Back when I was still working with Stramull, we specialized in designing projects that used variable data printing - one of the stickiest parts of any project was making sure our data was properly scrubbed.
Obviously, the person responsible for scrubbing [...]

[Read more →]

Local Richmonder Elliott Yamin is wowing America on Fox’s American Idol. Today, Richmond welcomed him home with a huge bash at the James Center downtown. Needless to say, no one is getting much work done today

You can see the full set of photos including a closeup on my Richmond Flickr set.
Via the Richmond [...]

[Read more →]

The single most consistent conversation I have with clients surrounds the concept of expected versus actual performance. Most often this comes up in discussions on employment - a client has a team member who isn’t living up to their expectations and they’d like to sever the employment relationship.
The first question I always ask is if [...]

[Read more →]

Seth Godin’s latest eBook, Flipping the Funnel is now available online as a free download. Seth has gone the extra mile with his latest work, providing personalized versions for traditional corporations, non-profits and politicians.
Seth elaborates on many similar points I raised in my recent post on Click to Call marketing and takes it a step [...]

[Read more →]

As tools like Ether begin to break down the barriers of selling knowledge online, developing your expertise becomes paramount. Kathy recently had a great post on how to be an expert that is well worth reading.
My first experience with Ether was great - I was able to configure my profile, install the code onto the [...]

[Read more →]

I promised a longer and more thoughtful review on how and why Ether has the potential to be a disruptive force.
I’m often challenged to find innovative solutions for clients who, by desire, accident or illness, find themselves in need of self-employment. One of the largest barriers for these fledgling entrepreneurs to cross is what [...]

[Read more →]

As I was pondering my response to the recent posts on the demise of the blogosphere, I ran across two new to me blogs and new services that have convinced me that the pundits are entirely wrong.
One of the largest challenges to bloggers who want to make a living from their blogs is monetization [...]

[Read more →]

Today’s NYT (subscription required) had a good article on pay-per-call marketing. Both Google and Yahoo are working on their own versions of this technology, although no concrete announcements have been made by either company as to when it will become widely available.
Click to call advertising has tremendous potential for business owners, particularly those who lack [...]

[Read more →]

Crocus

Originally uploaded by AuthenticEccentric.

Yes, I’m back, and just to commemorate the event, I’m sharing a photo of the first flower to grace my garden this year.
More substantive posts to follow, I just thought this was a good icebreaker and it gave me the perfect excuse to test out the Flickr blog API.
Happy Mardi Gras!

[Read more →]