Chris Bailey

"For the love of all that's holy, people. If this is just over a damn page design then this is the pinnacle of stupidity. Yes, Curebit should have been more careful, but really? It's not like they stole actual code from Highrise and tried to pass off a similar product. The 37Signals page itself is derivative and uninspiring. DHH and Fried need to cut out the prima donna crap and understand that it's not like God himself spoke to them personally via the burning bush. I've really had it with the ego supremacy that passes for normal in Silicon startup land." - Chris Bailey

"Ha, yes. Very good friends with Josh. One of the smartest marketers I've had the pleasure to know." - Chris Bailey

"No worries :) As to what you write, what I think is happening is that several different transformations are happening simultaneously. Business processes around IT and internal systems are changing. Sales, marketing, and how businesses relate to their customers (and vice versa) are changing. How we even work (AKA telecommuting, finding purpose in our work, management practices) is changing dramatically from what are prior norms. So much is up in the air right now. And that can lead to nervous anxiety, creative excitement...or a little bit of both at the same time. Adapting business to the realities of social media is but one part of a climactic struggle taking place right now within every single organization." - Chris Bailey

"Jeremy, I *did* write that, but it wasn't in the context of companies using social media willynilly and without a connection to the brand (it had more to do with our learning institutions). However, that's not really important here. I will say that I agree with you on this point: that organizations need to guide their folks in how to interact via social media without being overly prescriptive." - Chris Bailey

"I love LinkWithin. I get several additional clicks everyday from folks who see interesting related posts." - Chris Bailey

"Even mature tech companies can fall prey to the notion that it's about the features or technical functionality. And succumb to the notion that business problems can be solved by engineering a way out. Smart tech startups and mature companies are the ones that understand while it might be the whiz-bang features that spark market interest, its the organizational capacity to understand the customer's wants and needs that will determine future success. Maybe there's still need for humanities majors after all, eh?" - Chris Bailey

"I 100% agree with you, Josh. We not only have an education problem born of tired old ways of viewing our profession, we also have an inside problem with two-bit hacks out there calling themselves "internet marketers" and "social media marketers". They're no more a marketer than I am a juggling lion tamer. And what we have to deal with is the resulting cynicism that comes from those who see marketing as a collection of spin doctors and weavers of convenient lies. This definitely calls for a deeper dialogue from us practitioners. We'll never come up with a true definition that everyone likes but at least we might be able to separate what marketing is compared to advertising, PR, etc." - Chris Bailey

"You're right...it's brilliant marketing. It emphasizes a strength of VUDU which is their access to streaming movies the day they arrive on DVD.  Like Jonathan, I'm wondering if this is a strong enough differentiator to compete against Netflix now...and whether it might hold in the future. It's one thing to attract attention...quite another thing to capitalize on it. My quick analysis is that there are some major gaps they'd need to shore up before really putting competitive pressure on Netflix. What they effectively hide is that these "same day as DVD" movies come with a $5-$6 per rental price tag. They also only offer HD on set-tops (iOS and PCs only play SD). Finally, while they show they have a gazillion movies, click through to some of the older ones and you'll find they're only available to buy rather than rent. Yes, Netflix is now vulnerable...so it'll be interesting to see whether someone (VUDU or otherwise) can steal customers and positive market sentiment." - Chris Bailey

"First, be easy on yourself. Everything you're feeling is okay and natural. It's good that you recognize that it's fear that's holding you back from completing your posts, images, and videos. You're ahead of the game. Actually, far ahead of the game because you just did something that took incredible courage: you let the world in and told us about what terrifies you most. Now hold on to this thought: the Cathy I know is an asskicker and one of the strongest people I've come to adore. You're going to come to the decision that in order to take that next step toward awesomeness, you're going to need to put that courage to use. Every day, I'm scared out of my wits that people are going to call me a fraud or tell me my way of seeing the world is stupid. That no one is going to take me seriously or that no one is going to really want me. And every day, I have to call bullshit on all that. Because here's what I know. I am whole, I am wanted, I am needed, I am strong, and I am loved...and you..." - Chris Bailey

"Yes, I love Sheila...one of the smartest people I know. Also great when she's just a few minutes away. It's insanely easy to get passive and check the scoreboard just like we're watching a baseball game from the stands. The action is "out there" and we're merely spectators in this scenario. Can't say I haven't fallen into this trap. The downside is that when this has happened, I've let the short-term outbound marketing techniques overwhelm the inbound techniques that I know work so much more effectively. Thanks for the reminder that the scoreboard is there to guide - not dictate - our actions." - Chris Bailey

"Yes, I love Sheila...one of the smartest people I know. Also great when she's just a few minutes away. It's insanely easy to get passive and check the scoreboard just like we're watching a baseball game from the stands. The action is "out there" and we're merely spectators in this scenario. Can't say I haven't fallen into this trap. The downside is that when this has happened, I've let the short-term outbound marketing techniques overwhelm the inbound techniques that I know work so much more effectively. Thanks for the reminder that the scoreboard is there to guide - not dictate - our actions." - Chris Bailey

"I can speak to the marketing side...the end does not always justify the means. Hitting your "top of the funnel" number does not necessarily mean more sales. The score doesn't mean anything if it means hitting numbers that aren't real. We can only lie to ourselves for so long before we know that our game is lacking substance." - Chris Bailey