Archive for May, 2009

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

Snapshots from Three Weeks of Single Fatherhood

by Jeff Rosenberg

The wife of Blogenberg is out of the country for three weeks. Blogenberg has assigned a reporter (a Blogen-porter, or is it a Re-Blogenberger?) to cover the Long Three Weeks:

BLOGENBERG CAR (May 28): Blogenberg’s 15-year-old daughter, discussing with Blogenberg her plans for Friday night, utters these immortal words: “Don’t worry Dad, I’ll sleep somewhere.” Somehow, Blogenberg finds little comfort in his daughter’s assurances.

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

News Links for 5.28.09

by Jeff Rosenberg

A $250 million valuation and still searching for a business model. An interesting report on Twitter in the Wall Street Journal.

And, also at WSJ.com, an interesting video. It’s an excerpt from the interview with Twitter’s founders at the D-7 conference.

How much is that Facebook friend worth? This week’s Business Week cover story reports on research exploring how social networks work as living organisms, and how they could be harnessed to enhance productivity, strengthen marketing, etc.

Unlimited text plans are starting to take a toll on teens.

And finally, Gloucester, England’s Annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling told in pictures (of course, it’s the only medium that can really capture the essence of the tradition).

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

Another sensitive Blogen-funny

by Jeff Rosenberg

My mother was complaining to me about her first chemotherapy session. I was empathic, noting that, of course, chemo sucks. “That’s why nobody signs up for cancer camp,” I said.

That is a funny line — and very sensitive, don’t you think?

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

ESPN: A Godless Network

by Jeff Rosenberg

Clearly, God has been outlawed at ESPN.

This weekend, I was watching SportsCenter. The talking head was talking about the game winning shot by Lebron James that, judging by the media reaction, was the greatest shot ever shot on a basketball court in the history of the world. The talking head was reporting what one professional basketball player had tweeted right after the shot. (Man, is that journalism or what?).

The tweet started out, “OMG…”

The talking head read it as, “Oh my goodness…”

Everybody knows that OMG is short for Oh My God. But at ESPN, clearly the editorial policy reads like this: “For goodness sakes never say God. At ESPN, God is goodness, yes, but nothing more.”

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

Dog brain

by Jeff Rosenberg

Today was 85 degrees. The sun was bright. It was humid. At mid-day I went outside to re-string my son’s lacrosse goal. It took over an hour. It was hot. The whole time I was working, my dog laid in the shade watching me. When I was done, I realized I could have pulled the goal into the shade and worked there. My dog is smarter than me.

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Dad tones

by Jeff Rosenberg

My 15-year-old son has asked me to develop different voices for when I call his name so that he can immediately know if he’s being summoned because he’s in trouble, I need his help with something, or I just want to talk to him. He explained that, currently, my voice sounds the same so anytime I call his name, his “heart jumps.”

In other words, my son wants to program me like I’m a cell phone with different ring tones for different callers.

Dad 3G, I guess.

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

News Links for 05.21.09

by Derek Karchner

This week’s recommended reading from your friends at Blogenberg…

  • Blogspotting points out the unique advice Google’s CEO had for the 2009 Carnegie Mellon grads: turn off your computer. (What?!?!)
  • Fast Company ranks the 100 Most Creative People in Business.
  • The New York Times’ new photo blog, Lens, is very cool.
  • Seth Godin’s talk on “the tribes we lead.” (the content’s great, but also take note of the number of words on his slides)
  • Guy Kawasaki did a great interview with the author of In Pursuit of Elegance. (”Something is elegant if it is two things at once: unusually simple and surprisingly powerful.”)
  • Sam Anderson ponders the benefits of distraction and overstimulation in New York Magazine.
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

I’m a schmuck

by Jeff Rosenberg

The husband of a business acquaintance — and friend — is being buried today. I’m dressed in my black suit, ready to go to the memorial service, but I’m not going. I have to attend to business. I have an extremely important deadline today.

I was hoping to get into the office by five this morning but I couldn’t because I had to drive one of my kids to school. So, instead, I’m going to work right through the funeral.

Of course, I’ll send a card. And I’ll make a sizable donation to the foundation set up in her husband’s name. That’s great. I’ve become the complete businessman, letting money be the only currency I have to offer.

Schmuck-enberg. Or is it Blogen-schmuck?

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Amanda died the day before yesterday. Amanda was 15. She used to play on the soccer team that my daughter joined this year. I didn’t know Amanda. My daughter didn’t know Amanda. The world is now short one 15-year-old girl. Somewhere, everyday, the world sucks.

Friday, May 15th, 2009

News Links for 05.15.09

by Derek Karchner

This week’s recommended reading from your friends at Blogenberg…

  • The New York Times envisions version 2.0 of the newspaper.
  • A good list of social media guidlines.
  • Fast Company previews the “Design for a Living World” exhibition.
  • Steve Rubel heralds the end of the “destination web era.”
  • Business Week highlights how executives are using social media effectively.
  • Business Week also covered an interesting debate over how Facebook treats groups that deny the holocaust.
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Non-crazy clients

by Jeff Rosenberg

Over the years I’ve had some crazy clients. The head of one organization was a screaming lunatic, finally escorted out of her office by security. She was replaced by a married man who allegedly propositioned half his female staff. But it’s been years since I’ve had a bad client. I think it’s all about karma.

I have become convinced that the more I have focused my business on doing things the right way, on being ethical in our business dealings, and in trying to be a good corporate citizen, the more good people become our clients.

I’m not sucking up to clients when I say this. It’s not like they will read this — I mean, who would waste their time reading my blog anyway?! Oh, I mean…. Well, anyhow, my point is that we work with some of the best people in government, some of the best executives in the nonprofit world, and really entrepreneurial people in all sectors.

It’s karma. What goes around comes around.