Don The Idea Guy's BRAIN|BLOG

2006-06-28T06:52:00.000-05:00

Anyone still here?
Haven't you realized the blog has moved to MyBrainBlog.com?
Here's a new feed link for you.

http://www.dontheideaguy.com/mybrainblog/atom.xml

Please re-subscribe -- I MISS YOU!

2005-12-20T17:38:00.000-05:00

RSS Subscriptions
When I asked in my previous post that you subscribe to the new RSS feed on the WordPress blog, I want to make certain you understood not to UNsubscribe from any other Idea Guy feeds.

I'm not certain which feed will end up being the permanent one, but I certainly don't want to lose you in the shuffle. Thanks!

2005-12-20T12:11:00.000-05:00

For want of a blog
...an RSS feed was lost.

Still not sure what the heck I'm going to end up with here in BrainBlog land. I've got one company that won't respond to help inquiries (blogger.com), and a hosting company that won't roll-back a recent server change that blocks my Blogger updates.

Add to this a buddy helping me see if WordPress is worth pursuing, and you end up with one guy, three BrainBlogs, and a whole bunch of RSS feeds -- and the fear of lsoing readers.

Sheesh.
Merry frickin' Christmas.

Anyway... the new-new blog is back at MyBrainBlog.com. It's a half-finished WordPress PHP page, but at least I can post where at the address I've been promoting for six months. Although WordPress saves the RSS feed differently. Please subscribe to the new feed so you won't miss any posts on the Blog-o-drama.

More on this saga as it unfolds...

2005-12-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

The Old One, Two, Squidoo
Have you seen Squidoo? It's a new Seth Godin-endorsed project, and I've been poking around it a bit today. I even started my own Lens -- Ideas That Mean Business.

It's 'social-network-meets-blog'. Check it out, see what you think, and consider becoming a contributor.

2005-12-05T22:12:00.000-05:00

Incredibly Bad Decisions About
Incredibly Successful Ideas
Here's an excellent collection of quotes from recognized experts who didn't quite 'get it.'

We've all heard some of these quotes, but there are some really good I wasn't familiar with. I thought I'd share the link with you.

Next time you're absolutely positive about something being a bad idea -- be certain to revisit this page before you put your decide on a firm "no." If not, your insistance on 'putting your foot down', is liable to make it wind up in your mouth.

2005-10-10T07:39:00.000-05:00

Which will YOU choose?
Brainstorm Black, Eureka Red,
or Thought Balloon Blue
An 'ori-journal' idea from the mind of Don The Idea Guy.

2005-10-06T03:43:00.000-05:00

Now Showing
...in another theater...
If you're still reading this blog instead of THIS blog, you're missing my post about a site where Jelly Belly recipes have taken on a whole new twist.

2005-10-05T06:05:00.000-05:00

Why are you still here?
I told you I moved.
DTIG Doesn't live here anymore.

My new address is http://www.MyBrainBlog.com -- please change your links, update your bookmarks, and revise your RSS subscriptions.

You're missing important posts, like today's confession about stealing an idea from someone else!

2005-10-03T06:36:00.000-05:00

The BrainBlog is
now MY BrainBlog!
The switchover happens this week
A new look for the ol' blog finally takes effect this week. Please change your blogroll links to http://www.MyBrainBlog.com.

Update your news reader subscriptions by selecting the appropriate link below:
FeedBurner
BlogLines
MyYahoo

Using something else? Here's the direct link to the XML feed:
http://www.dontheideaguy.com/mybrainblog/atom.xml

The BrainBlog is dead -- long live MyBrainBlog!

2005-09-30T22:31:00.000-05:00

Be An Otter
Great quote from a conversation between two of my favorite writers, Joss Whedon and Neil Gaiman --

"I saw a lovely analogy recently. Somebody said that writers are like otters. And otters are really hard to train. Dolphins are easy to train. They do a trick, you give them a fish, they do the trick again, you give them a fish. They will keep doing that trick until the end of time.

Otters, if they do a trick and you give them a fish, the next time they'll do a better trick or a different trick because they'd already done that one. And writers tend to be otters. Most of us get pretty bored doing the same trick. We've done it, so let's do something different."

~ Neil Gaiman to Joss Whedon, on why they both ended their franchises while Sandman and Buffy were still popular.

2005-09-27T00:27:00.000-05:00

My Personal Brilliance... And Yours.
Anyone who missed the Fast Company Magazine BlogJam a few weeks ago missed out on what I think is basically THE big concept of the year -- "Personal Brilliance."

Author Jim Canterucci was invited to participate in the BlogJam and share his vision of the personal innovation process. Canterucci describes Personal Brilliance as "the sum of what you’ve learned, experienced, and practiced." Excellent!

Jim has mapped the habits we need to develop in order to enhance our own Personal Brilliance: Awareness, Curiosity, Focus, and Initiative. You can read the article that originally hooked me on Jim's website, MyPersonalBrilliance.com.

I think this is going to be a really important book for all the Idea Guys and Gals out there -- be sure to read the linked article introducing the four principles of Personal Brilliance. It's going to be information vital to an upcoming change on my own website and services. READ IT. There will be test...

Okay, not REALLY a test -- but there IS a Personal Brilliance Quotient you can take to see how you score in each of the areas of Awareness, Curiosity, Focus, and Initiative. Check it out by clicking this link. And buy a book while you're at it. Show some initiative. ;)

2005-09-22T06:14:00.000-05:00

Made in the USA
Anyone else watching this show?
I was kinda surprised the Instant Waterfall couple lasted as long as they did. Seemed like they just wouldn't allow themselves to be helped by any of the feedback they were receiving. Theirs is an interesting product, and I wish them luck. My advice would be to open themselves up to the expanded possibilities of their product. They were a little too in love with the waterfall to step back and really hear what others were telling them about their invention.

One of my favorites is the interchangeable shoe. It's fun, creative, and seems to have a waiting base of consumers. But... after reviewing the website's book of inventions, I was amazed at the number of similar inventions trying out for the show. At least three others presented similar ideas. Should Quintanna and Jessica win the competition, they'll have at least three others flooding the market with similar products.

I also really like The Dirtworker. The inventors seem like nice guys -- however -- they seem to be in the same love affair with their invention as the waterfall couple. At least the Jersey Boys started to embrace the idea of adding a bit of portability to their product, but only halfheartedly. Again, they are ignoring valuable feedback about the expandability in the benefits of owning their product. It's NOT just limited to cleaning dirty items you want to store in your car. It IS a mini powerwasher that could be used to clean other items -- if it was a litle easier to tote around. My prediction is these guys are the next to go.

What can I say about the Gorilla Gripper? Not sure why this product is on the show. It's already a winner. And it's SO close to 'finished' that I'm amazed Sears hasn't already called them (and Bob Villa) to begin filming their 60-second commercial pitching the product on tv. It's a product with a very specific audience, so I wonder if it has the appeal to be fully successful on HSN -- but that could be its strength as well. Very focused and a waiting market.

The products I think stand the best chance of winning? The Quad Zipper and the Hydromax System. Between the two, I lean toward the Hydromax. It's a complete product with a specific market. Mom's will want them for their football playing offspring, schools will want them to show their concern for the safety of their students, and I'm certain they'd look really good with a Nike logo on them.

The Quad Zipper is a huuuge idea with tons of potential, but I think they'd do better with winning a booth at every fashion industry tradeshow than spots on HSN. I think their product is better suited to the garment industry than tv infomercials - unless they are selling the apparel designed to showcase their invention, rather than the invention of the Quad Zipper itself. There is a bit of a disconnect in which item is actually in the competition. Is it the 'universal shirt/vest', or is it the zipper itself? The answer to that question could determine who wins the final competition.

2005-09-19T23:51:00.000-05:00

Not So Sweet
I think I understand what they're doing...
I'm just not convinced they're doing it WELL.
AdCandy.com

2005-09-11T06:47:00.000-05:00

Strip Club
Comic Strip Gives Idea Guy Some Competition
Jason Kotecki's comic strip, "Kim & Jason" is giving me a little competition, as one of the title characters has decided to go into the idea-selling business.

In this week-long series of strips, little Jason has setup a lemonade-type stand (a la Lucy van Pelt's psychiatric advice) sporting a sign that reads "Good Ideas $1." A special feature of Mr. Kotecki's online strip is something he calls Indigo.

Indigo is bonus material accessed by clicking the comic strip graphic. Since the "Jason The Idea Kid" is selling ideas in the strip, Jason (the artist, not the comic character) thought it might be fun to feature Don The Idea Guy's material as Indigo content for the week.

Jason has broken one of my most popular creativity articles (Becoming an Idea Barista) into a serialized version to complement the sequence of comic strips. It was a lot of fun to be part of Kim & Jason for the week, and I appreciated being included. Thanks, Jason!

Jason Kotecki is author of "Escape Adulthood: 8 Secrets from Childhood for the Stressed-Out Grown-Up." Jason also has a free manifesto available for download on the ChangeThis website.

View the series of Idea Guy strips by clicking this link. Remember, you can access the Indigo bonus material by clicking on the comics!

2005-09-07T07:23:00.000-05:00

Ideas from Trends
& Statistics Part 2
I posted in May about how you might build bright ideas from trends and statistics found in the news.

In this week's Marketing Profs' newsletter, there is a great article on reaching out to pet owners. The article is filled with statistics and examples of how our nation's obesession with our furry family members can lead to profitable promotional and product ideas.

A worthy read and great reminder about using stats and trends to create new ideas!

2005-09-04T07:22:00.000-05:00

A New Center
Wanted to link to this article regarding Stern's switch to Satellite Radio quite awhile ago, but never got around to it. Lately I've been thinking a lot about ideas and what sparks innovation, and I remembered thinking the last paragraph or two on the first page of this article made some great points.

Author Ana Marie Cox (The Wonkette!) squarely hits on the development of a "new center" in the media world, which could easily be described in creating a "New Center" of ANYTHING.

Excerpts from the article...
"Stern's move heralds the future of radio, and maybe of media in general. He has made it possible to look at the chaos of individually produced enterprises (podcasters and print-on-demand publishers and bloggers ... on the fringe of the media world and suddenly see a new center.

... After all, almost every amateur media venture - at least the ones worth paying attention to - starts out of spite. You are unsatisfied with something. You feel like something is being ignored. You are offended. You make a movie on your laptop because you hate Michael Moore; you start doing an Internet broadcast because your local radio station isn't playing enough Tuvan throat-singers. You start a blog because magazine editors won't let you write about indelicate sex acts and privatizing Social Security in the same screed.

The future that Stern is defining actually isn't about speech. It's about a less legalistic, more human freedom: expression. The best revolutions, like the best comedy, come from rage - tricksters who nudge and needle the establishment until it can't help but change. ...it's possible to create and consume individualized, personalized media that lives up to a community standard of you.

In the country of the blog, the one-man show is king of all media."

She gives me chills I tell you -- CHILLS!

2005-09-03T07:54:00.000-05:00

The Reasons Y
I really enjoyed this article from Poynter.org on the personality traits of Gen-Y workers.

My younger brother, Joe, could be the poster child for Gen-Y. I think those are the qualities I most admire in the guy. Fortunately, I've had the benefit of Joe as a role model (I call it getting in touch with my "Inner-Joe", or increasing my "Joe-ness") and I think I've managed to adopt a few of my most personally coveted traits in the article:

They are accustomed to quality as consumers.
Those two-career families had disposable income, and the kids became discerning customers, brand- and quality-conscious.

They are tech-savvy.
Technology has always been a part of their lives. They are far better at using it than most of their bosses, and do so without fear.

They are accustomed to immediacy.
Cell phones, e-mail, instant messaging, faxes, overnight mail, digital cameras and microwave ovens have all reduced the waiting time in their lives.

They are tolerant of differences.
They grew up in schools that mainstreamed students with disabilities, strove for racial and ethnic diversity, had Gay-Straight Alliance clubs and women in leadership roles.

They work around, not against, authority.
Unlike the young people of the '60s who rebelled against authority, the Gen-Y approach when opposing authority is more passive than aggressive.

Read the entire article HERE.

2005-08-29T00:29:00.000-05:00

Practically Brilliant
Sometimes the most ingenious solution to a problem is as plain as the hand in front of your face.

...or at least as plain as the finger of the hand in front of your face.

2005-08-19T07:41:00.000-05:00

Lessons from The
World of Warcraft
Or, All I really Need To Know
I learned from Fighting Orcs.

1. Join a Guild.
Commit to a team of people banded together toward a common goal. A group with diverse backgrounds, talents, and skills can help solve problems, complete quests, share knowledge, equipment, and support. A great guild can help you advance player levels as quickly as possible.

2. Share your Magic.
Have a power, skill, or talent that someone else does not? Would you normally share this skill is asked to do so?

Then, why wait to be asked?
Nothing can give a person's day a positive spin like a little bit of magic or unexpected assistance thrown their way.

'Cast a spell' over someone as you pass them by. In WoW they are called "buffs' -- little power bonuses to increase another player's armor or strength for a limited amount of time. What sort of buffs can you bestow upon a friend, coworker, family member, (or complete stranger!) as you interact with them today?

3. Dragons are more easily slain when someone's got your back.
The quest/tasks in WoW are designed to be challenging, and some are specifically designed to be completed in groups. You need trusted allies (see 'Join a Guild' above) in order to survive these threats.

But, what if you're of a level high enough to sweep in and grab the prize without harm? Or perhaps you've successfully completed a task that another player is just now facing? How about watching the back of someone else who is just now encountering a trial you've already faced? You both get to gain experience from it, and the lower level player gets to benefit a bit from your wisdom.

4. Expand your Network.
There are dozens of unique villages and towns throughout the World of Warcraft. Within each town are specific characters that can help you along the way. These shop owners and skill trainers can help you grow stronger by saring knowledge and selling you tools and weapons to accomplish your quests.

Just knowing the right people in the right towns can prove valuable knowledge in the game. The most frequently asked questions in the game chat window are usually about finding specific characters within the individual towns.

Don't be so focused on completing a single task that you miss interacting with the people and surroundings you encounter along the -- the extra time spent building your network of people can make completing the next task much easier.

5. Do all your Trogg hunting at once.
Already have a trip planned to Old Town or the Dwarven city of Iron Forge? Why not see if any quests need completed along the way and in the surrounding area? Nothing can slow you down more than realizing while you were busy killing Troggs who were terrorizing the town, another quest in the same area was going to ask you to collect their teeth or bandanas -- requiring to go out Trogg hunting a second time.

Combine your tasks and share your quests with others. Completing multiple goals will help all members of the adventuring party advance more quickly.

6. Enjoy the Scenery
There is a lot of beauty in the details of this game. Don't get so wrapped up in checking quests off your to-do list, that you miss your surroundings.

Look up and enjoy the sunny sky. Climb the mountains and gaze upon lush forests and cool streams. Stare up at the stars in the night sky and don't forget to keep an eye on the horizon -- you just never know when you'll see a gryphon flying by.

If you see Falchion the human warrior playing on the Gilneas server, be sure to say "Hi" to the Idea Guy!

2005-08-10T18:07:00.000-05:00

This is Why.
People are constantly wondering why mega-corps refuse to accept ideas from outside sources. The primary reason I have found this to be true, ISN'T because they are not interested in new ideas, innovation, or bettering their position in the marketplace -- it's because there's a very good chance a similar idea may already be under consideration or development within the company.

Being the litigious society that we are, there is a HUGE risk that the company would be sued for seeming to "steal" the idea they had accepted from an outside source. The corporation has a much better chance of defending its position if they simply don't put themselves at risk -- which means adopting a zero-tolerance policy for accepting ideas outside of their corporate walls.

While some great ideas can certainly come from consumers and 'amateur' Idea Guys and Gals, these same streetwise innovators are notoriously egotistic and adamant when accusing someone of stealing their idea. They seem to leave no possibility that more than one person could have arrived at a similar, even identical, conclusion.

And it doesn't just happen to some Joe Schmo off the street -- witness this news blurb about a lawsuit from a pair of tv producers from Minnesota who have syndicated a show to over 125 stations across the US. Their show is call "Million Dollar Idea" and it is filmed at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. Contestants on their show compete for 50,000 in seed money to develop an idea pitched to a panel of celebrity judges who choose a winner.

There's really nothing that original here.
It's American Idol meets The Staples Invention Quest Contest -- and there's the rub. Idol judge Simon Cowell, ABC, and some associated entertainment producers are being sued by the Minnesota pair for "unspecified damages" and to prevent a similar show (called "The Million Dollar Idea") from hitting the air waves.

Truly, I don't think there was any theft of intellectual property. If there WERE, I'd certainly hope there would have been a better attempt to disguise it. I think this is a classic case of multiple people coming up with the same idea. Granted, I think our Bloomington group should win an injunction against the show, causing Cowell and company to buy their rights (if they're interested in selling), but I don't think they should be awarded any damages -- ABC's show never hit the air. What damages could they have suffered?

That said -- I don't think the core idea is original enough to protect it against similar competitors. After all, look how many spin-offs American Idol, Survivor, and The Apprentice have spawned. Cowell and ABC simply need to adjust their concept enough to (slightly) differentiate it from the show already in existence.

The easiest path? Instead of having the celebs pick the winner -- open it up to online voting, 976 numbers, and text messaging. Match it up more closely with the American Idol formula (as a matter of fact -- called it "American Ingenuity") and I think they'd be in a position to have the lawsuit dismissed.

As a matter of fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I seem to remember a tv show from several years ago where people tried to introduce their ideas for creating a new "fad" product (like the Pet Rock).

I did some quick Google-ing, but the only thing I can find is what appears to be a kid version of the concept being developed by Dr. Fad, creator of the "Wacky WallWalker." Again, different creators, same doggone idea.

Anyway... THAT'S why no one at the 'corporate office' wants to receive your packet containing really cool ideas -- they're afraid of ending up in court.

2005-07-29T06:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Radio...
How are you? I am fine.
Didn't know if you were aware of this book, but it's IMPORTANT (note use of ALL CAPS.)

"Life After the 30-Second Spot: Energize Your Brand With a Bold Mix of Alternatives to Traditional Advertising" by Joseph Jaffe, will (should!) make you rethink your industry, services, programming, and personnel.

Great book, spot-on about most of the new advertising strategies (and deadly accurate about the rapid demise of the old ones.)

You should read it -- definitely worth your time, and could quite possibly add a few years to your industry.

Love,
~DON

2005-07-28T06:49:00.000-05:00

How to look BRILLIANT
(with little effort.)
I've working my way through the doorstop of a book that is Jack Canfield's "The Success Principles." Although I wasn't a big fan of the Chicken Soup series, my friend Michael York told me I just had to read it. It was important (he was right.)

The book is about 455 pages long and I'm only on 169, but I ran across this gem this morning, and wanted to share it with the Community Action Hero -- after I typed it into my message to him, I realized it was truly worth sharing with YOU today.

---
Virginia Satir, the author of the classic parenting book "Peoplemaking", was probably the most successful and famous family therapist that ever lived.
During her long and illustrious career, she was hired by the Michigan State Department of Social Services to provide a proposal on how to revamp and restructure the Department of Social Services so it would serve the client population better.
Sixty days later, she provided the department with a 150-page report, which they said was the most amazing piece of work they had ever seen. "This is brilliant!" they gushed. "How did you come up with all these ideas?"
She replied, "Oh, I just went out to all the social workers in your system and I asked them what it would take for the system to work better."
---

She ASKED them.
How many businesses would be better off if the companies simply ASKED their customers what THEY want? It's an old and established principle, but I can't recall the last time a company I did business with bothered to ask ME how their business could be improved.

How about you? Have you been asked lately?
...and who have YOU been asking as you run your business/department/project?

Plenty more brilliance in the book.
Pick-up a copy and start reading. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to make your way through it -- just finish it. As my buddy Michael said; "It's important."

2005-07-24T06:35:00.000-05:00

Flowing as with Honey;
Smooth; Flowing Sweetly
That's how Dictionary.com defines Mellifluous -- which is itself the only definition they give for Mellifluent -- which brings us to today's post. Some of the best ideas seem to come from out of the blue and, amazingly enough, that's where some of my most interesting emails come from as well.

For example, I received one a couple days ago from Earnest Pettie. Earnest is an "Idea Man" and was looking to make contact with other "Idea Men" websites he'd found on the net. As a matter of course, he must have tripped over one of my Idea Guy sites and figured it was close enough.

I get a least 2 or 3 "will you trade links with me?" requests per week, some of them actually DO contain related content, but most are simply mass-mailed, lame linking sites merely looking to increase their search engine stats.

The junk mail gets no response from me, the personal (although misguided) email will usually get a 'no thank you' or 'perhaps in the future' response, and others (too few and far between) get an immediate mention in the blog and added to the link-list update file. Earnest Pettie's Mellifluent.info gleefully qualifies as one of the latter.

Like the mellifluous word from which it takes it name, the ideas sweetly flow like honey through each one of the posts. Some of the proposed ideas may be as familiar to you as the flashes of brilliance sparked during the course of a normal day from a million different stimuli; how to make blog reading easier, a quick-view option for all those open Firefox tabs, how to find things faster in a grocery store, or alternative ideas for pedometers and laser measuring devices.

Earnest and Company's (there appear to be several people posting on the blog) also flow to the outrageous, outlandish, and brilliantly bizarre. They have a plan for making society more tolerate - 'one beatdown at a time', and how the health food industry should take their cues from beer commercials and make Wheat Germ sexy. Mellifluent.info may also have come up with the perfect idea for getting European Union back on track -- free iPods for every country that ratifies the constitution. But, my absolute favorite (so far!) has got to be the idea posted by E-Rock for a time/cash converter.

---
People will ask me, “Do you have a minute?” And I will respond, “Yes, and it’s yours.” I also know that time is money, which is why there should be a time/cash converter.

I would carry that and a book of reciepts around with me. That way when I’d finished given someone a moment of my time, I could give them a reciept and say, “You just received 84 dollars and 36 seconds.” I wonder if that’s tax deductible.
---

I heartily recommend getting into 'the flow' with these Idea Men of Mellifluent.info.

2005-07-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

Funny Ha-Ha?
Or Funny Weird?
...REALLY Weird.
I'm thinking this is one of those pseudo-corporate/comedy websites. It couldn't be "real" -- could it?

The Floppy Hat style (and the price!) makes me think it's a joke, but stranger things have happened (and been marketed!) so who knows?

2005-07-14T06:59:00.000-05:00

Stay In The Room
I wanted to share an excellent bit from one of my favorite pint-sized books of powerful inspiration - The Pocket Muse.

---
I once heard a college student in Waterville, Maine ask visiting writer Ron Carlson how one knows if one is really a writer. Ever the showman, Carlson delivered an entertaining riff about the distractions writers put in their own way all day, all the time: leaving the room to get coffee, check the mail, get coffee, walk the dogs, go to the bathroom, get coffee, look something up, get coffee. Then, dead serious, he summed up the whole enterprise in a line I have never forgotten: "The writer is the one who stays in the room."
---

Innovation is about 'staying in the room' too.
Innovation isn't easy. It's constantly challenged by interruptions of "real" work, and the pressure of "being productive." The catch-22 is, the right sorts of innovations with help you accomplish more work more profitably -- which equals greater productivity.

Stay in the room in the room to develop your ideas, just know when it's time to get out and put them into action.

Note: This is the same as my entry for today's Idea Department blog on The Duct Tape Marketing Blog Channel, but this is not always the case. If you haven't clicked-over to the new "blog channel" to see what's on -- you're missing lots of new and rare Idea Guy content. I invite you to visit and see for yourself.

2005-07-10T07:18:00.000-05:00

An Idea's Time That
Has Finally Come
...Again
As a charter member of BrightIdea.com, I missed it dreadfully when it was basically shuttered and shut down a few years ago as a result of misuse by an influx of nasty new members on a quest to take advantage of the site's 'penny-per-point' reward system for bright ideas.

In their rush to pick the pockets of the site's creators, these locust-like invaders simply pasted recipes and other recycled suggestions not of their own creation into BI's incredibly creative idea collection engine. The most creative things these cut throat commandos did was to invent and organize "rating gangs" to drive up the rating points and increase the falsified value of their "un-ideas."

I've visited the site over the years and was disheartended to see it standing as a ghost town for the modern days -- an abandoned stop on the information super highway. It would have been less cruel to simply take the whole thing down than to let it live on life support for so long.

But a funny thing happened the other day -- The patient took a breath on its own.

Someone shocked new life into the burnt-out BrightIdea bulb, and has it juiced and jumping again. Even their new logo shows a light bulb looking as young and vital as the new site and its new direction.

BrightIdea.com's new mission is that of webhosted suite of idea management tools intended for corporate use. In a day and age of outsourced labor and manufacturing, BI now provides a means for businesses to focus and build on their only sure competitive product -- better ideas.

Take a tour of the new BI and see what I mean.
BrightIdea.com is dead -- long live BrightIdea.com

...I just hope they found a good home for Sparky, their idea-sparking cartoon mascot dog. If he still needs adopted, I volunteer to give him a good home.

2005-07-07T05:59:00.000-05:00

Are You Bolting the
Door of Opportunity?
It seems to be the nature of opportunity to avoid negative people. These Negative Nancys and Negative Neds rant and rave that nothing comes their way. While they wander from person to person bemoaning their lot in life and wishing they could catch a break like that lucky so-and-so who sits in the next cubicle at work -- they can't hear Opportunity leaning on the buzzer trying to get them to open the door over all their woe-is-me-whining.

Bolted Brains cannot conceive exciting new ideas, they cannot envision new innovations, nor are their minds open to the creative connections waiting to made if they would simply open themselves to the possibilities and invite Opportunity in for a nice chat and a cup of coffee.

Approach every challenge with a positive attitude. Know in your head that you CAN solve the problem -- that it's probably a simple answer to a complex problem. The solution is "there" you just have to recognize it.

Think on your past successes and remember them in the middle of this new challenge. Past victories will help conquer current quandries. You just have to quiet your anxiety and listen for Opportunity's approach -- and leave those negative locks off the door so it can make a grand entrance!

Note: Negative Nancy and Negative Ned are fictional characters. They are not intended to represent any real people, living or dead, that happened to be named Nancy or named Ned.
...or named Negative (just in case.)

2005-06-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

BRAINSTORMING GETS
BANNED IN IRELAND!
But how about a nice, refreshing, "Thought Shower" instead?
The Observer reports officials in Belfast have added "brainstorming" to their list of banned words, for fear it will prove perjorative to people with epilepsy, brain tumors, or other mental maladies.

The only proper response?
A limerick, of course!

Suffering from insurmountable boredom,
The Irish go ban the word "Brainstormin'"
Flush with their new power
They stare at walls by the hour
With no ideas, their brains just go dormant

2005-06-27T05:57:00.000-05:00

New Quantum Model
Says Impossible
to Alter Time Stream
Have these guys never watched an episode of Quantum Leap? And what about all those Back To The Future movies? Even Bill and Ted seem to have a more excellent grasp of how bogus it would be to mess with the time/space continuum.

I dunno -- I think these scientists ought to go back in time and revise their theories. Of course, If I'm wrong I can always travel to the past and tell myself not to write this post.

...or can I?

2005-06-20T19:25:00.000-05:00

Lies, Damn Lies,
and Marketing Liars

I've really enjoyed reading Seth Godin's new book "All Marketers Are Liars" and his take on the marketing lies that help build brands and sell products -- but what about the lies companies and industries tell themselves in order to 'duck and cover' (Talk about a lie! Duck-and-cover is going to save you from an atomic bomb?? Did anyone really believe this?) from serious competition and inevitable change?

The current 'lie they tell themselves' that is driving me up the wall is terrestrial radio's self-deluding fantasy fable that satellite radio and podcasting is some passing fad that will not affect the way they program or do business. Their fal-back position seems to be -- 'people are saying radio is dead, but we'll be around for a long time.' Well, DUH. Of course you'll be 'around' the question is what sort of shape will you be in?

AM radio survived FM, Hollywood's summer blockbusters have survived video and DVD -- but to what extent? You could buy an hour of time on some AM radio stations for the cost of a dinner out, and the biggest movie of the summer is being used to illustrate the dropping trend of movie attendance. Sure, AM radio is still alive, people still go to movies -- but the way they do business (and the money they make doing it) has changed forever.

The sooner they stop lying to themselves, the sooner they can get to work on developing the new stories that will encourage consumers to buy-in to more modern 'marketing lies.'

Want to help bring radio back from the dead?
I need your vote!

2005-06-15T08:51:00.000-05:00

The Y-Files : Episode 1
As in, "Y" didn't I think of that...
Here's one of those smack-your-forehead-it-seems-so-obvious ideas.

From KonoPizza in Italy (naturally!) the pizza slice meets the ice cream cone -- and creates the latest fast food craze.

The cones are filled with your choice of pizza toppings and cooked for 3-minutes in a special oven. There are currently five restaurants in Italy, and the company is looking for franchisees.

How long before a microwave version of these make it to the freezer section of your local grocery store?

What if you apply the cone to other foods?
If it works for pizza-pies, why not banana cream pies? Subs and burgers? Omelets?

2005-06-07T08:19:00.000-05:00

Pimping Prospects for Fun & Profit
I think Jigsaw.com sounds slimey.
Maybe I just don't "get it" -- Does anyone else think it's slimey?
I enjoy making personal introductions between those I feel may benefit from a networking relationship. I'm the first guy to help put bright people together so they can work on cool projects. That being said, don't you think Jigsaw.com's pratice of paying you to post your Rolodex contacts steps a bit over the line? I mean, you don't get to choose who you introduce. What if some swampland-selling-psychopath goes after a contact you sold?

Jigsaw isn't like LinkedIn, where the individual gets to post their OWN information and decide the level of outside contact they desire. This is someone selling your contact info, just like any other spammer or junk mail company.

Hey, if you're gonna do it -- why not go BIG?
The possibilities are endless -- here are few ideas for line extensions at Jigsaw.com:
1. Put your ACT archive up on eBay.
2. Create a vending machine that dispenses collected business cards like candy bars.
3. Sell database downloads from your Palm Pilot.
4. Auction the extension number of the guy down the hall from your office.

Not to mention all the possibilities for the social sector:
How about selling the phone number of that cute girl you met at the bar last night? Imagine the money you could make posting ALL your old girlfriends' phone numbers on eBay!

Jigsaw.com makes me reconsider an idea I had several years ago about protecting your identity, contact information, email address, etc. I think people should be granted trademark protection for their personal data, allowing them to press charges for infringement by any group that uses it without their permission.

If you trademarked your personal data (in theory) you could prosecute junk mailers, telephone solicitors, email spammers, etc. for using that information without your authorization. I have no idea if it would actually WORK or not, but it certainly sounded interesting at the time. Perhaps I should ask I.P attorney Stephen Nipper over at InventBlog.

Of course, there may be some benefit to selling valuable contact information to Jigsaw.com -- I hear if you reach a certain number of contact submissions you get your very own Jigsaw.com crushed velvet Pimp-Daddy hat in your choice of scarlet, purple, or leopard skin print.

2005-06-06T07:56:00.000-05:00

Blog⁹
Blogging to the 9th Power
My buddy John Jantsch at the DuctTapeMarketing blog invited me and seven other blog-heads to participate in his newest innovation -- the world's first "Blog Channel." It's a one-stop spot for the best small business programming.

On The Blog Channel, you'll a mix of some of the best minds IN business -- all writing on important topics to help you grow YOUR business:
Zane Safrit - Business Life
Georgia Patrick - Customers Count
Dan Janal - PR Leads
Troy White - Word Wealth
Martin Jelsema - Buzzworthy Branding
Jill Konrath - Selling To Big Companies
Mark Beck - Internet Marketing Unleashed
John Jantsch - Duct Tape Marketing

...and of course, ME!
Don The Idea Guy - The Idea Department

One of the cool things about The Blog Channel, is that while you can subscribe to each individual channel using our independent RSS feeds -- you can also subscribe to our main Blog Channel and get an update to your RSS reader everytime a new episode is released. Very cool.

Visit The Blog Channel June 6th -- our initial launch day -- and tell us what you think of the programming.

2005-05-31T13:21:00.000-05:00

Cluetrain Revisited
You need to read this again.
Seriously. You're gonna be AMAZED at how relevant the the text is now -- perhaps even moreso than when it was published five years ago.

What does The Cluetrain Manifesto mean now that we're in the age of satellite radio, iPods, personal podcasts, and corporate strategies that include blogging?

I don't care what book is at the top of your stack right now -- put it down and re-read this one. Already gave it away? Sold it to a used book store, etc.? Buy it again or read it online.

See?
You don't even need to BUY a clue -- sometimes they're free.

2005-05-27T08:39:00.000-05:00

Zombie Radio:
Dawn of the Dead (Air)
---------
NOTE: Thank you to everyone who's voted so far -- in a matter of hours the proposal shot to #1 in the ChangeThis Proposals Top-10, AND hit #1 in the email rankings (And I've got the screenshots to prove it) -- THANK YOU!
---------

About a month ago I submitted a proposal to Seth Godin's ChangeThis.com project, a site that is dedicated to helping spread new ideas through published 'Manifestos' available for online reading, download, and forwarding.

My proposal centers around my rather strong opinion that terrestrial radio as we know it is on its last legs. It's quite possibly already dead, and simply lumbering around on zombie-like reflexes in search of some new broadcasting "braaainnssss." If they don't change the way the think, program, and position themselves in the marketplace, they may find their value as an entertainment and advertising medium in a death spiral from which they may not recover.

I learned today that my proposal has been accepted, and if it captures enough attention I will be invited to write a full-blown ChangeThis Manifesto which will be published on the website for all to see.

But, I need YOUR help!
If I am to be invited to write the Manifesto, I first need to collect enough votes from people who think it might be worth reading.

Please visit the link below and cast your vote for "YES! Write this Manifesto!"
Zombie Radio : Dawn of the Dead-Air

2005-05-26T15:04:00.000-05:00

Zombie Radio:
Dawn of the Dead (Air)
About a month ago I submitted a proposal to Seth Godin's ChangeThis.com project, a site that is dedicated to helping spread new ideas through published 'Manifestos' available for online reading, download, and forwarding.

My proposal centers around my rather strong opinion that terrestrial radio as we know it is on its last legs. It's quite possibly already dead, and simply lumbering around on zombie-like reflexes in search of some new broadcasting "braaainnssss." If they don't change the way the think, program, and position themselves in the marketplace, they may find their value as an entertainment and advertising medium in a death spiral from which they may not recover.

I learned today that my proposal has been accepted, and if it captures enough attention I will be invited to write a full-blown ChangeThis Manifesto which will be published on the website for all to see.

But, I need YOUR help!
If I am to be invited to write the Manifesto, I first need to collect enough votes from people who think it might be worth reading.

Please visit the link below and cast your vote for "YES! Write this Manifesto!"
Zombie Radio : Dawn of the Dead-Air

---------
NOTE: Thank you to everyone who's voted so far -- in a matter of hours the proposal shot to #1 in the ChangeThis Proposals Top-10, AND hit #1 in the email rankings (And I've got the screenshots to prove it) -- THANK YOU!
---------

2005-05-25T06:29:00.000-05:00

Build Successful
Ideas From Trends
Want to create an idea you won't have to try so hard to sell? Innovate new products and services from statistics.

All Idea Guys and Gals are guilty of creating those ideas we're simply 'in love with'. We don't have a solid reason for personally believing the idea is great -- it's just a gut reaction. As such, it's much harder to sell others on the concept. Business minds and investors need facts and figures to buy into an idea, and a lot of the time the concept is so ahead of the curve that it's difficult to find any stats to back it up.

Save time convincing others of the idea's benefit by starting with a stat, and innovate from that. You can find stats and numbers everywhere. The newspapers and magazines are full of statistical and trend data -- it's all in how you read it, and what you DO with the information.

Here's a stat for you:
"Four out of 10 active travelers are grandparents going with their grandchildren or extended family on vacation," said Peter Yesawich, author of Leisure Travel Monitor, which tracks travel habits, preferences and intentions of Americans.
May 6, 2005 - OrlandoToday.com

Do you simply read right past something like that, or does it scream "opportunity for innovation"? Knowing the Boomer generation is aging everyday, you can safely expect that stat to increase. What are you going to do with that knowledge?

A couple quick possibilities:
Service Idea...
Many restaurants offer a "kids eat free special" -- but what about the grandparents? Could resort restaurants capture more diners by rolling out this service?

What if amusement parks offered an area where the grandparents could ride the attractions WITH their grandchildren, rather that kids-only rides?

How about a "Great-Grandparents Great Escape" -- a senior-friendly area where the grandparents can getaway from their large travel group and spoil themselves silly for a couple hours? Excellent way to increase sales in spas or resorts.

Product Idea...
Travel versions of classic games that Grandma and Grandpa fondly remember, but will also occupy the kids during the trip. How about boardgames that hang vertically from the backs of car seats? Soft fabric playing pieces stay in place with Velcro, and the whole things rolls up for easy storage under the seat. (Hey, that's not bad!)

Any of the above ideas are viable innovations based on that single statistic -- and the article is FULL of them.

Travel not your thing?
Check trade magazines from an area in which you ARE interested. Every issue covers topics important to their specific industry -- and don't forget the hundreds of general magazines on every topic imaginable available at your nearest newstand.

Pick a page, choose a stat, and start brainstorming!

2005-05-23T06:51:00.000-05:00

Music biz wary
of copyright
sharing movement
Well, DUH... of course they are.
Reminds me of a great quote from William Blake:
"I must create a system or be enslaved by another man's."
Here's a link to the Reuters article.

How wary would YOU be if the public (and a good number of your own clients!) so despised your business practices that they turned around and created their own business model?

Would you rethink your stance, or rush forward with self-imposed blinders toward your own extinction?

I think we all know what the music industry is doing...

2005-05-21T08:01:00.000-05:00

New ReleaSeS
Audible.com uses RSS feeds to provide new release alerts
Excellent use of RSS feeds to keep your customers informed. What a great (free!) service to provide your clients!

Clothing stores could let shoppers know when the new seasonal fashions are in stock, or when a delivery of new red shoes has arrived.

Music stores could alert feed subscribers of new releases and additions to their used-CD collection.

Restaurants could provide chef specials, bars could provide happy hour details.

Car dealers could alert interested buyers of available cars in-stock without ever seeming pushy or rude.

Go see what Audible is doing, and think about how can you adapt this concept to YOUR business.

2005-05-18T15:35:00.000-05:00

The Riddler Makes His Final Escape
The phenomenal Frank Gorshin is dead at 72.
Sure, the Penguin was amusing, the Joker maniacal, and no one made being "bad" quite as attractive as the Catwoman -- but The Riddle was always my favorite villain on the Batman tv series. Whether it was the green spandex or his signature green bowler and question-mark covered suit, I thought Frank Gorshin was the most nattily dressed nasty on the show.

The Riddler's obsessive-compulsion to provide his caped counterpart with a cleverly worded clue to his next mischevious deed seemed a creative cry for help -- not exactly turning himself in, but providing someone with enough smarts to catch him. Almost as if he didn't want to be a villain, he was just bored and needed something to challenge his mind.

Frank Gorshin played the role with relish, and that goofy giggle of his has stayed in my head since childhood. I always liked catching Gorshin on television and hearing is spot-on imitations of folks like Kirk Douglas, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, and James Cagney.

Mr. Gorshin died Tuesday from complications due to lung cancer, emphysema, and pneumonia. He was a talented guy, and I count myself as a big fan.

Frank Gorshin's final performance will be on Thursday's episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

I just hope he gets to ask a final riddle.

2005-05-18T07:15:00.000-05:00

Losing Your Links
Just a reminder to all my blogrolling friends -- please update your links to MyBrainBlog. In just a couple weeks MyBrainBlog will be moving from this ".blogspot.com" address to a wonderful and wild domain of its own -- www.MyBrainBlog.com.

Don't worry about switching too early, the new domain is auto-forwarding until that fateful day when we turn off the lights and lock the door on the way out of our blogspot efficiency suite, and move into our new Trump-like digs. I picture the new place as a really cool loft apartment overlooking the city.

With the new domain will come a new look.
I'm really excited about the new design, and I can wait to unveil it -- a brand new look for both MyBrainBlog and the entire DTIG site. It's gonna be coool. (Just like that imaginary loft apartment in my head!)

Tom Peters has already linked to my new domain, why haven't you?

It is SO cool being able to say Tom Peters is linked to my site!

2005-05-17T11:18:00.000-05:00

Dolphin Death Ray
For those of you paying attention, you've noticed I added a new link to my "other" blog at RedBirdPromo.com. It features printing and promotional products designed to build your business. Although, sometimes I does stray a bit...

Like today -- I've featured a bizarre new ad speciality that just gotta see to believe. Follow the link for a picture and explanation.

Laser Dolphin Death Ray of Dooom!

2005-05-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

Audio Revised
If you listened to the earlier recording, I invite you to take another listen to the "Directors Cut" version. Many improvements have been made to audio quality, and I'd love to hear any comments on the content. Just post them below!

2005-05-13T06:51:00.000-05:00

BrainBlog Broadcast
All Signs Point to Creativity
You know how I kept promising to add 'mini-seminars' to the new Idea Guy Jukebox at the top of the page? I finally did it. It was a little strange 'talking to myself' as I recorded the audio, but I'm happy with my first attempt.

It sounds a little like I'm talking from the bottom of a trash can, but my skill with the audio recorder will improve with practice.

Take a listen by clicking the PLAY button above -- leave a comment and let me know what you think. If there's a creative topic you'd like me to use for a future BrainBlog Broadcast, leave that in your comments as well.

If you'd like more info on the software I use for the audio player, click HERE for a review and details on The Wimpy Player.

2005-05-12T11:33:00.000-05:00

John The Idea Guy
He's no "Don" -- but he has a pretty cool blog on creativity, too. ;)
John's Ideas And Creativity

2005-05-11T09:04:00.000-05:00

Changing Your Mind
I have been completely obsessed with a couple books that are changing the way I think about life, work, and success.

The first has been my first-of-the-day read for about a year and a half. It's the first book that's taken me a year to read -- on purpose. Napoleon Hill's Positive Action Plan contains 365 entries (one for each day of the year) that give you a specific action/attitude/concept on which to focus for that day.

Sections are broken into monthly topics -- April was Goal-Setting, May focuses on Action -- with an daily dose for each day of the month. It's a sure-fire way to begin each day in the right frame of mind and develop your mental attitude over the course of a year. I hope I'm a little better this year than I was last year -- but I don't know for certain. As Jeffrey Gitomer says, I'm going to keep doing this for another 30 or 40 years and then decide.

The book is very easy to zip right through, and sometimes I find myself skipping ahead a few days -- but I always go back and address that single thought/action for that one day. You won't feel overwhelmed by the content, and you can make lasting changes over time (not over night!)

The second book is almost the opposite -- The Success Principles by Jack Canfield is one big mo-fo of a book! It's over 500 pages long (vs. Positive Action Plan's 208). But the same basic principle applies -- small changes in your attitudes and actions will lead to big rewards in life. Not just financial (although it will help you increase your wealth as well), but it will help you build a more rewarding work life and family life.

The hardest thing about this book is lugging it around with you. It's only available in hardback right now, so the hardcover added to the 500+ pages makes it quite the paperweight.

It reminds me of the old joke about "how do you eat an elephant?" The answer is "One bite at a time." So, I've decided to simply start chewing on this great content -- a minimum of 5 pages per day. At that rate (only reading the minimum number of daily pages) it will take me over three months to complete! But this is valuable stuff, folks. I'll be a much richer person when I'm finished eating this elephant, and chances are (from the content I've read so far) that I'll go back for second and third helpings.

In 100 days my mind will be full of enough nourishment to keep me growing as a person for a long time -- and you'll just be 100 days older.

I suggest you start chewing.

--------------
PS: Many thanks to my buddy Michael York for telling me I simply HAD to read Jack Canfield's new book. This is a perfect example of why I always want friends who are smarter than me. Thanks, Michael!

2005-05-06T07:13:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am a
commercial whore.
There's nothing wrong with making a buck (or two).
If you've noticed the growing list of banners down the right-han side of this page, you may have correctly assumed that I am a fan of webcomics. As such, I had an idea this morning while reading Jeph Jacques' QuestionableContent strip. The idea was sparked by the fact the main character (Marten) has posters of his favorite bands adorning the walls of his apartment.

Here's the idea --
Why not make the album art an interactive 'click-to-buy' link?

For those new to Questionable Content, much of the story revolves around coffee shop-type conversations about life, love, and music. Many of his episodes deal with the music of his favorite bands -- since he's already recommending music, why not link to music, books, products, etc. by using the background images to link to affiliate programs?

Jeph maintains the site through donations and profits made by selling his t-shirt creations. My idea is basically a plan for product placement like they do in films, but this idea should be MORE successful, because (unlike films) viewers of online comics have the ability to immediately buy a featured product. They don't have to leave a movie and remember the song they heard or the style of shirt the actor wore in the first 30-minutes of the movie.

Want to see the the movie Marten and Faye are talking about?
Click on the DVD case in the video store background and buy it from Amazon.

Like the music review or album art you see in Marten's apartment?
Click the wall-art and download the single from iTunes.

Think the shirt design Dora is wearing would look good on you?
Click the cartoon version and link directly to the QuestionableContent store.

The more people see ads, the more they become immune to their presence. Placing advertising in context with the content of whatever you're viewing simply makes sense. Those items (album covers, shirts, etc.) were already going to be IN the toon anyway -- I'm just giving you a way to make them more profitably interact with your visitors. Jeph's daily readers are already interested in buying his shirts and hearing his music choices -- the contextual links simply make them easier to purchase.

I think this could be a profitable idea for most any online comic.

2005-05-05T11:06:00.000-05:00

BirdBrainBlog
Have you had a chance to check out my new printing and promotion-themed blog at RedBirdPromo.com?

There are details on a great promo for sharp-looking business card cases, and a fun list on how to tell whether your business card is "Case-Worthy."

I hope you'll find the blog useful in your promotional efforts, and perhaps even find the RSS feed "Subscription-Worthy."

Visit the RedBirdBlog HERE.

2005-05-03T06:36:00.000-05:00

The Reason Why
I wrote a few days ago that the link to my blog will be changing from its existing home at a "dontheideaguy.blogspot.com" address to the much cooler www.MyBrainBlog.com (I'll wait here while you go update your links...)

My reasoning was that more people now find me through my blog than my website. I figured it was simply because more folks and friends were linking me from THEIR blogs and using the BrainBlog address. While that may be true, John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing provides a few more reasons why the BrainBlog gets better traffic than DonTheIdeaGuy.com.

I've shared a few of the reasons below (the ones that made lightbulbs appear over my head), but you'll have to read the article for the rest of the valuable advice.

A few excerpts from today's Duct Tape Marketing Newsletter...
---
...search engines are in love with real blogs. By real blogs I mean blogs that are set-up and run by businesses that offer useful content on them... When you understand a little about how blog software works you get a better understanding about why search engines love blogs.

Lots of Pages
Each blog entry is shown in chronological order on a blog’s homepage but, each entry is in reality its own web page, with its own unique URL and title. So, an active blogger can create hundreds of keyword rich web pages in a matter of months.

Wake Up Call
Because search engines love changing content, they are ever ready to visit a site when it is updated. One feature unique to blog software is something called a pinging. Basically, what you are doing is sending out a message to various blog directories to come and visit you site because it has been updated. Once a search engine has located your site, this is like a personal invitation to come back and get the new stuff.

RSS Directories
Blogs also have a built in distribution method known as RSS. This allows you to push your updated content out to people who subscribe through an RSS reader such as Bloglines or FeedDemon as well as Yahoo and MSN. This ability allows you to communicate directly with subscribers but it can also help get your main site noticed and indexed by the major search engines. Yahoo, for example, allows people (including you) to subscribe to your blog’s RSS feed. On the day you create your blog, you can subscribe to it via a free MyYahoo account and Yahoo will visit and index your blog for free. It has no choice.
---

DUH. It's so obvious (now that John has explained it.) Subscribing to your own feed causes the engines to seek out your site -- aggravatingly simple. It almost makes me think I need a blog coach. John has several more words of wisdom to share with you -- take a look at the most recent issue of his Marketing Tips newsletter.

I've got to go now -- I have some RSS feeds to which I need to subscribe... My own.

2005-05-02T12:19:00.000-05:00

Creative Combos
Some of the best ideas come from uniting two seemingly disparate items. Of course, some of the weirdest ideas come about in the same fashion...

2005-04-30T08:14:00.000-05:00

Update: This is now
MYBrainBlog(.com)
BrainBlog is changing its address!
I've been blogging a long time.
The official archives go back to 2002, but at least a year of earlier files have been lost in the ether(net) as I've updated over the years.

When I started, Blogger was the best thing going. Firstly, it was one of the ONLY things going -- and beyond that, it's easy to use and appeal to my cheap-bastard side -- it was free. The fact that it was housed on their domain (http://dontheideaguy.blogspot.com/) didn't make a difference to me at the time. My primary domain (http://www.dontheideaguy.com/) was where most people entered my website -- the blog was secondary.

But a funny thing happened.
As more people started linking to ME -- they weren't linking through my primary domain, they were linking through my BLOG. As I watched traffic stats grow, I found more and more people were finding me through my blog because the blog was updated more frequently that my "official" website.

By the time I realized what happened, more people knew (and linked) me through my blog than my website and I now had a 'yucky' domain name (dontheideaguy.blogspot.com). Ewww.

The longer I keep it, the harder it will be to change. The more people that link me, the harder it will be to reach them and ask them to update to a new address. If I ever decide to change blogging software (Typepad, Moveable Type, WordPress, Radio Userland, etc.) my address will change anyway -- and it would be a rush to switch links overnight. So I'm starting early.

The new official new address for the BrainBlog is now www.MyBrainBlog.com -- I own it, and now I can point it to whichever blogging software I decide to use in the future. It's a permanent address that I own and control.

Learn from my mistake -- always start with your own domain. Find one you like and hold onto it. No matter which webhost you use, email program, blogging site, etc. that you use -- you can redirect your personal domain to your new address without having to alert the world to the change -- it's like having a permanent forwarding service -- no matter where you've moved, your address and email can stay the same.

Please update your links to my new blog address --
www.MyBrainBlog.com

2005-04-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

Free Your Mind.
Open-source program makes
it easy to try mindmap software.

While I commonly use mindmapping as a creative tool, it's usually restricted to handwritten form on an eraserboard during brainstorm sessions, or in one of my notebooks for development of my own projects -- but, my buddy Stephen Nipper (an incredible Intellectual Property attorney and author of the super-helpful InventBlog) uses mindmap software on a regular basis.

Stephen says he uses it during phone conversations to record notes, then emails a PDF of the mindmap to his client. Stephen says "they are blown away."

Impressing the hell outta your clients?
Sounds like a damn good reason to give it a shot!

During a quick search for mindmapping software, I ran across FreeMind. It's a free tool that works on a variety of platforms and appears to be compatible with the most popular mindmap software, MindManager.

The search sparked another mindmap-type tool I used several years ago. I found helpful and will have to revisit it -- it's called TreePad.

Although it's been a long time since I last used it, a quick trip to their website let me know that they had not stopped developing the tool. TreePad appears to be available in a variety of formats (maybe too many), but the closest I found to the original is called TreePad Lite. There's even a knock-version available for your PDA.

It's basically a vertical mindmap -- a sort of expanding outline format. After looking at it again, I wish they'd run it horizontally with the branches extending down from a master bar running across the top. It seems to make more sense in my head to drill down thru different levels via additional columns -- but that's just the way my brain works. Your mileage may vary.

In the end, the whole point is to make innovation easier -- use whatever tools you find the most useful for recording and developing your ideas. Why do you think I still keep a big box of Crayola Crayons on my desk?

Sometimes nothing but crayons will do when you're interested in Coloring Outside The Lines.

2005-04-27T06:42:00.000-05:00

Just Missed The Mark
Clever Concept That Didn't Go Quite Far Enough
One of the worst things you can do when brainstorming is to stop too soon -- to be content with the "first right answer" when a bigger breakthrough is just another suggestion or two away.

I feel this is the case with the Powerseed.
Powerseed is a diet-aid that is self-described as a "discreet" egg-shaped monitor that flashes a tiny green light every 30 seconds to help you pace your bites during meals. A tone sounds every five minutes, telling you to stop and assess your overall satisfaction. These indicators remind you to savor each forkful and could save you hundreds of mindless calories.

The core concept has merit, but I don't think it's "done" yet.
They say it's discreet, but a tone every five minutes and a blinking light? Sure, you can use it at home and no one would care, but it's bound to be noticed at a restaurant, and why not design it to be used in public without drawing attention?
By simply adding a "vibrate" setting it could be kept in a pocket or under your leg while seated on the chair as a little 'pulse' to nudge you for that 5 minute pause. Change the design a little more substantially, and it could become a sleeve that fits over the handle of your eating utensil and actually buzz your feeding hand.

I think the concept is novel, but think they could have gone a few steps further to make the device virtually invisible in the environment where it will be used most.

2005-04-26T06:37:00.000-05:00

Don't Write A Book!
Until you read this...
If the guy who sold all those Chicken Soup For the Soul books told you the secret to producing a #1 bestselling book -- not just once, but many times -- you'd be wise to listen, right?

"If you want to become master of your publicity fate, listen to Arielle Ford. She has taken our Chicken Soup For The Soul series repeatedly to #1."
~ Mark Victor Hansen

If you're an aspiring author, there's someone you should know.
America's #1 book publicist, Arielle Ford, has just released "Everything You Should Know About Publishing, Publicity, Promotion & Building a Platform: A Step-By-Step Guide For Authors."

People like Deepak Chopra, Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, Neale Donald Walsch, Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Dean Ornish, Gary Zukav and many other authors consider her one of America's most successful book publicists. She's sold more than 15 million books and helped launch the careers of hundreds of authors, including eleven who made it to #1 on the NY Times Bestseller List.

Her new course gives you all the know-how you need to succeed:

Exactly what publishers want, and how you can deliver it. And if you don't do this right, you'll get stuck in the "slush pile" for months.
Insider secrets to promoting your book including the same strategies Arielle used to help sell more than 15 million books.
How to launch yourself in the media including the techniques Arielle used to get authors on "Oprah", "Good Morning America" and "Larry King Live".
The truth behind building a "platform"... Including fascinating details and instructions on how famous authors really make their money - and it's not from book royalties.
An entire reference guide that's packed with samples you can copy and use including letters, press material, bios and Q&A.
A rolodex of contacts that took Arielle 15 painstaking years to build.

Arielle also launched a newsletter that every writer (whether you're published or not) should receive. Take a second to sign-up for Arielle's free newsletter and review the course details -- Just click HERE.

2005-04-25T07:47:00.000-05:00

The Espressovator
Contest yields winning coffee shop imaginings
Illy Cafe teamed up with Domus magazine in April 2004, asking students and designers under the age of 35 to create new ways of enjoying coffee ("create a place for meeting, discovery and encounter"). Over the course of 10 months, 704 entries were received, roughly half coming from outside Italy. The best 14 projects were exhibited in Milan this month.

The winning concept is an escalator which functions both as a coffee machine and an art show. Coffee is served at the bottom of an escalator. On the way up, customers sip their coffee and enjoy a brief art exhibition. At the top of the escalator, they throw their plastic cup into a recycling machine that instantly molds it into a ticket for an art exhibition or show.

BUT -- my favorite is the "Illyvator" by designer Bryan Boyer. He's a truly elevated coffee to a whole new level (wokka-wokka!)

2005-04-21T07:25:00.000-05:00

Necessity Is The
Mother of Invention --
And like any other Mom, she has to cut
the crusts off li'l Invention's sandwiches.
Found this gizmo online this morning and it made perfect sense for a BrainBlog entry. Creative, useful, and just a little bizarre. I suppose you could just use a knife -- but where's the fun in that?

The Good Bites Crustless Sandwich Cutter was created by Mom Inventors, Inc. and is available from Pallets Kids Surplus Store.

After seeing this product was invented by Mom Inventors, Inc. -- I had to check out their website. It's a really great idea! They help Moms with new product ideas submit them for evaluation and get them to market.

They've even started the world's first Mom-invented eBay store. I'll certainly be sending the link to MY Mom today.

2005-04-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

Get Off My (Jewel) Case
JewelBoxing.com offers creative disc packaging options
Tired of those boring plastic vinyl cases? Fed-up with the fragile plastic jewel cases? Give the new product from JewelBox.com a try!

JewelBoxing.com is an ideal site for learning about this product, as they provide not just a means of ordering -- but a complete section on ideas and inspiration on how to use this brand new presentation tool. They even offer design templates for most any computer program, which makes switching to JewelBoxes a painless transition.

Don't believe me?
Checkout the examples page and just TRY not to picture your next project presented in this ideal new format. Even more innovative is their "Start Me Up" blog -- it shares user ideas, advice, and instruction for the product.

2005-04-18T13:18:00.000-05:00

HA!
Too True.
This was created by my buddy Drew, at ToothpasteForDinner.com
Funny/weird stuff daily.

2005-04-15T10:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Biiirthday Daaay
Dear Lee-O-Nardoo...
Light the candles for one
of the original Idea Guys
Answers.com certainly has DaVinci defined -- check it out.

Something else you may want to check out is How To Think Like Leonardo DaVinci. Excellent book that does it's best to outline DaVinci's seven guiding principles of discovery:
Curiosita: Seek the truth
Dimostrazione: Take responsibility
Sensazione: Cultivate awareness
Sfumato: Engage the shadow
Arte/Scienza: Balance the masculine and feminine principles
Corporalita: Integrate body and spirit
Connessione: Practice love

Inspiring stuff!

2005-04-14T06:37:00.000-05:00

What Would
Scooby Doo?
...It's Old Man Smithers!
Ive always been a fan of mystery movies and novels. I look upon them as a creative exercise, and a way to flex my mental muscles.

I'm a big fan of Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett rules!), Monk, and Nick Velvet. I had much fun through all the twists and turns of Deathtrap (Superman flicks aside, this is some of Christopher Reeve's best stuff) -- so naturally, this looks pretty cool to me!

Sleuth
Sleuth is an open-ended, detective role playing game (RPG) where you solve mysteries by searching for clues, questioning suspects and interviewing witnesses. Every mystery is unique with different victims, suspects and clues. All mysteries are solvable, in fact there are always two ways to solve any single mystery, but player skill and a small amount of luck are necessary to nab the guilty suspect. Visit the Sleuth website.

Ooh! Don't forget the movie Sleuth itself!

2005-04-13T09:53:00.000-05:00

Von Oech's
Ancient Whacks
More Creativity Cards from
My Favorite Creative Whack-O
Another discussion about favorite creativity tools with my buddy Peter Lloyd. This time we talk about Roger Von Oech's book, Expect the Unexpected or You Won't Find It: A Creativity Tool Based on the Ancient Wisdom of Heraclitus.

We both love it, and I mention that I am almost never without my "Whack On The Side of the Head"-inspired Creative Whack Pack. Peter asks how I liked the Ancient Whacks of Heraclitus card deck.

...silence...

I didn't even know it existed.
Peter generously agrees to send me an extra review copy in his possession. Flash-forward a few days and I am eagerly shuffling through my new deck of creative cards!

Although this 32-card deck is much slimmer than the deck of 64-cards in the original Whack Pack, after reviewing each one, I believe that the Ancient Whacks deck provides much more food for thought.

Each card in the Ancient Whacks deck is based on epigrams from Heraclitus (the world's first creativity consultant, circa 500 BC). An epigram is very much like a Zen "koan" -- ambiguous and sometimes paradoxical statements that are intended to make one reflect on their meaning.

For instance, Heraclitus' statement "A wonderful harmony arises from joining together the seemingly unconnected." is a perfect reminder to try a technique I use all the time -- one in which I use metaphor to create a new approach to my creative challenge.

If you're promoting the opening of a new coffee shop, you might start to compare coffee to other things. How is coffee like flowers? Well... you pick beans, they both use "ground", they both need water, they both have a wonderful aroma -- that's a good one. Perhaps we could create a coffee bouquet? A dozen lattes? etc...

This card deck is not just a source of creativity - it's a source of inspiration.

2005-04-12T08:45:00.000-05:00

Schroedinger's Decaf
A thinking person's coffee
I had a whole other entry planned for today, but then I saw this and had to share it. How could I not move something that combines creative thinking with caffeine (or decaf, as the case may be)? The artist is a Columbus resident, and his quirky cartoon site toothpastefordinner.com is a daily visit for me.

Speaking of coffee (and Columbus), if you want a creative cup of coffee without all the corporate logos and piglatin cup sizes (veni, vidi, venti: I came, I saw, I bought the large), AND you're in Columbus, Ohio -- you should visit Kafe Kerouac at 2250 N. High.

Great place and great atmosphere. I'm convinced that Mike (the owner) opened the shop so he'd have a fun place to work on his writing. Kafe Kerouac has a chess night and open-mic spoken word nights. They also do a fantastic job of sponsoring local artists by using their shop as a gallery. My brother has displayed his work there in the past, and this month the Kafe features works by Jack Stover, III.

Definitely worth a look!

2005-04-09T09:41:00.000-05:00

New Music in
the Wimpy Player
Sales is the theme this week
Updated the tunes to the BrainBlog Jukebox this week -- all with a sales/money musical twist. The BrainBlog is ultimately about the commercial value of ideas, so it seemed a natural theme to explore.

Here's the new playlist:
(in no particular order, since player is set to random)
Money - Paul Hardcastle
It's Money That Matters - Randy Newman
Bright Future In Sales - Fountains of Wayne
Everyone's Selling Something - The Argument
Commercial Whore - Sara Patterson

If you've got ideas for a future playlist theme, add a comment to this post or send me an email. I'd love a chance to play creative DJ.

Would you like an audio jukebox like the one on this site?
Visit WimpyPlayer and get one for a one-time cost of less than $25 (cheap!) It's so simple, even I can use it! ;)

2005-04-08T19:45:00.000-05:00

Whole New
Frame of Mind
I told ya so!
Not since The Brand Called You article by Tom Peters have I been this excited about a concept finally tipping. Back before Mr. Peters gave it a cool and catchy name within the pages of Fast Company magazine, I had been packaging and presenting myself as a personal brand (only I didn't have a name for it) -- I just saw it as self-marketing and promotion. Five years later, enter "Brand You" and I got a little self-vindication for all my past efforts and ideas.

The same thing just happened within the pages of Dan Pink's latest book "A Whole New Mind". Dan has intelligently presented the concept of ideas being the new "product" of this century, where we manufacture not with machinery, but with our imagination and the gears grinding in our heads.

Complaints and anxiety abound with every job that is sent overseas -- "Woe is us" we scream and whine and stomp up and down in the puddle of spilled milk at our feet. Few seem to recognize the opportunity and obvious strategy that will carry us back to the top -- it's the IDEAS, stupid.

I had the opportunity this week to dial in to a live presentation given by Mr. Pink, and he gets it. And he puts it into terms that not only help everyone to understand the true paradigm shift (sorry for the buzzword, but I don't use it lightly) happening all around us, but will get you EXCITED about it. The presentation has been archived so that you can enjoy (and profit from!) it too.

Go forth and think big thoughts!
Whole New Mind presentation by Dan Pink

HEY...
After you're done with the presentation -- go buy the book!

2005-04-06T18:35:00.000-05:00

A Logo in Need
of Life Support
Genius. Puuure genius.
With a logo like this, I suppose we should be happy the Pediatric Center is located in Arlington, VA and not Jackson Hole, WY.

Although the tagline on the official Jackson Hole website ("Get Further Away"), would have been good advice for the graphic designer behind this masterpiece.

Linked from Rich...! at the Hello_World blog.
BTW, Rich...! has a ChangeThis proposal up for nomination, and I'm certain he'd appreciate an extra vote or two. (or three.)

2005-04-06T12:59:00.000-05:00

A Hand For Hans
Happy birthday to one of the
world's greatest storytellers
April 2nd marked the bicentennial of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen, arguably one of the most prolific writers of fairy tales in history.

I've been a fan since my youth after seeing the movie starring Danny Kaye, and realizing this was a story about the guy who wrote all those stories I was so familiar with as a child.

There's a great article on the NPR website about the event, along with an audio file that includes a retelling of two Andersen tales.

Creative thinking at its best.

2005-04-05T07:47:00.000-05:00

RedBirdPromo.com
Announcing the RedBirdBlog
Some of you know that when I'm not donning the Idea Guy cape to use my creative powers to battle evil, I have a not-so-mild-mannered secret identity as a purveyor of printing and promotional products.

RedBirdPromo.com is my personal "Daily Planet", and the new issue went online yesterday. I share the scoop on one of the most successful business card designs I've ever created -- people constantly ask my client for additional copies of his business card so they can show their friends. When was the last time someone showed YOUR card to a bunch of their friends?

I've also unveiled the new RedBirdBlog -- a daily dose of ideas for building your business using print and promotional strategies. The RedBirdBlog is RSS enabled, so you can have the ideas delivered directly to your news reader.

The Spring Edition of RedBirdPromo.com also features four spring-themed advertising speciality ideas, and a completely searchable online database containing thousands-and-thousands of additional promotional product ideas.

Finally, if you'd like first-alert of RedBirdPromo's case study updates, promotional specials, and access to a new "IdeaFile" card collection that I've begun building, you can join the RedBirdPromo Yahoo Group.

The IdeaCard Collection is a brand new resource created exclusively for the members of the RedBirdPromo Yahoo Group. Each card is designed to either be viewed online, or printed out and stored in a index card file box. A new card will be uploaded to the Yahoo Groups 'files' page on a regular basis, along with or valuable print and promo planning tools (project checklists, fool-proof printing tips, etc.)

Consider yourself invited to join!

2005-04-04T07:34:00.000-05:00

MindTrap Monday
Cleaning up a bit this weekend and ran across an annoyingly favorite game of mine -- MindTrap. The pencil is missing and only a few score sheets remain, but all the cards are still there in full aggravating glory.

MindTrap drove me NUTS.
The game was like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had decided to abandon writing his tales of Sherlock Holmes and concentrate on math story problems instead.

Given the way my brain works, I thought I'd be good at the game.
I wanted to be good at the game.
I was not good at the game.

Here's what I mean -- read sample question below:

Professor Bumble was going on a lecture circuit for several
months and he asked his friend, Hardy Pyle, to watch for a certain letter he was expecting.
The problem Hardy faced was that Bumble had a mailslot and forgot to leave him a house key. Hardy sent Bumble a letter to inform him of his dilemma. Bumble immediately sent a key to his house by return mail.
This being the case, why wouldn't Hardy be able to honour Bumble's request?

Think on that moment and then highlight the text below for the answer. I colored it white so it wouldn't be revealed, but if you select it with your mouse it will become visible.

Answer:
The key would have been delivered though Bumble's mailslot and Hardy would have the same problem as before.

Do you see any flaw in the answer?
More than one?
Here's my problem with their "answer" (highlight for the reveal):

---- start ---

1. The clue says Bumble sent it to "his" house. Given the context, couldn't we interpret "his" to mean Hardy's house?

2. If Bumble knew the situation (and didn't have Hardy's address to send the key to "his" house) wouldn't the next idea be to send the key in a package too large for the mailslot? Mailing it in a box would allow Bumble to send the key to his own home address and still avoid it being deposited in the mailslot.

3. Hardy isn't so smart either -- why not block the slot so no additional letters could be deposited? How about leaving a note for the postal carrier or something?

---- end ---

Ugh.
The answers caused more arguments than the questions.

Now you know why I stuck that cursed box in the bottom of the closet to begin with! It's the devil's game I tell you!

I don't think they even sell MindTrap as a game anymore (at least I couldn't find it on Amazon) -- probably caused too many fights! However, for the masochists among you, the puzzles ARE available in a couple books:

Tricky Mindtrap Puzzles: Challenge the Way You Think & See

Lateral Mindtrap Puzzles: Challenge the Way You Think & See

Both are written by a guy calling himself Detective Shadow. Yeah, you better hide your identity you aggravating sonofa...

2005-04-01T08:05:00.000-05:00

The Sales Blog
Thinks Pink
My new buddy S. Anthony Iannarino has a scoop at The Sales Blog -- an exclusive interview with Dan Pink, author of the corporation-shaking Free Agent Nation, and his latest/greatest A Whole New Mind.

I've been helping with the online rally to get votes for Anthony's brother Jake in the Next Great Comic contest (BTW: today is your last day to vote!), so I guilted Anthony into letting me ask Dan Pink two quick questions of my own...

DON THE IDEA GUY
-----------------------
With less expensive labor and technology available, and the importance on developing the NEW technologies and products (which will inevitably be outsourced as well.) Do you think larger companies will open their doors a little wider to take in ideas from outside their corporate walls?

DAN PINK
-----------------------
Yes. I don’t think they’re going to have any choice. As you’ve mentioned, there are legal issues here. But those can get worked out. And the best source of new ideas is customers.

DON THE IDEA GUY
-----------------------
Like the hired-guns of the old west, what do you think about hiring “Creative Cowboys” to ride into corporate ghost towns and round-up new ideas on behalf of the hiring company? This would allow for outside ideas, but from a limited number of participants from whom they could acquire contracted protection from future litigation.

DAN PINK
-----------------------
Cool idea. Very cool. That might be one of the Conceptual Age jobs that I could envision!

For the full interview with Dan Pink and S. Anthony Iannarino, click over to The Sales Blog.

Whole New Mind Presentation (FREE!)
-------------------------------------------
On April 7 at Noon, US Eastern time, Dan Pink will be giving a live web presentation about the key ideas in A Whole New Mind. The web conference is free, thanks to the people at Microsoft Live Meeting. All you need is a web browser, a phone, and an open mind. Sign up here!

2005-03-31T09:32:00.000-05:00

A Few Quick Clicks
Some good stuff by Sarthak Brahma over at the Consumercy blog today. Sarthak shares the simplest, most effective, and least used method of making certain your customers are happy -- asking them!

As part of an ongoing discussion of viral marketing tactics with my friend Jim Canterucci, I did a bit of 'research' and found this link -- Mahna Mahna.

Folks my age probably got a chuckle out of that old clip, right?
Get a few more laughs by visiting The Next Great Comic, and vote for my buddy Jake. Last time I posted it was a close race between Jake and some other guy. I asked you to vote everyday, but I think you forgot. That other guy is edging Jake out by a few percentage points.

C'mon, let's get Jake a great stand-up gig!
Visit Next Great Comic today (it's our last chance!), as the contest ends on April 1st. I just found out you can vote up to 10 times per day -- just click Jake's photo and the 'vote for' button.

2005-03-30T15:14:00.000-05:00

Audio for your Blog?
Look someplace other
than AudioBlogger
How sloooow can you go?
I've been testing AudioBlogger for the past couple days and don't see how they can expect users to wait more than 24-hours for their audio to post to the site.
Ridiculous.

I recorded the audio post below mere seconds after writing it and posting the text version to the site -- a full day (and some odd hours later) the audio clip appears.

I've checked their FAQ page and written in to support in order to have my questions of expected upload times answered, but neither were any help.

With sounds of the podcast revolution happening in the background, I think it's easy enough to find other solutions.

2005-03-30T14:57:00.000-05:00

2005-03-29T08:52:00.000-05:00

Hot Delivery Idea...
with Extra Cheese
This pizza oven on wheels gets you a pie in the blink of an eye
Super Fast Pizza (Wisconsin) uses high-tech mobile kitchen vans -- licensed as restaurants -- to deliver hot pizzas within 15 minutes.

Fully powered and wifi-enabled (online ordering is encouraged and will net you free Pepsi), Super Fast Pizza take orders and cooks pizzas while enroute to the customer. To save time and make the most of their limited cooking/prep area, the menu is restricted to medium-sized versions of the seven most popular pizzas (deluxe, sausage, sausage & pepperoni, five-cheese, four-meat, pepperoni, veggie) and a pizza of the month. All pies are delivered uncut, and priced at $10.99 (discounts for multiple pizzas on same order). They even give you a promotional pizza cutter with your first order -- an excellent example of using advertising specialties effectively!

Think about it -- Super Fast Pizza just reduced the 'delivery' time from the oven to your door to 30 seconds. Think that pizza is gonna be hot? All they have to do is walk up your driveway!

Super Fast Pizza may restrict its menu to medium-sized pizzas, but the idea is definitely Extra-Large.

2005-03-28T11:17:00.000-05:00

The Blog of Death
Apparently everyone is dying to get into podcasting.
Thank you, thank you very much.

If you that was funny, you really should get out more -- or at least get over to the Next Great Comic website and vote for Jake.

Only four days left to cast your daily vote for Jake. The contest ends April 1st, and Jake currently has 45% of the vote!

2005-03-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

Vote For Jake Today
Broken links in yestersday's post
It should have been easy enough for you to figure out, but just in case...
Vote For Jake!

You ought to be voting DAILY anyway -- only until April 1st!

2005-03-25T08:14:00.000-05:00

Who Is America's Next Great Comic?
Help Make it Jake Iannarino
Sierra Mist is running an online campaign to pick the next great comic. Columbus-boy Jake Iannarino made it to the finals, and currently (as of this writing) he's in 2nd place with 26% of the vote!

You can visit the site and cast a vote DAILY for your favorite comedian until April 1st, when a winner will be chosen and awarded national comedy tour.

VOTE FOR JAKE!

2005-03-24T08:45:00.000-05:00

Perverting Your Position
Moronically Diluting your Market Domination
I was speaking with Sam Iannarino from The Sales Blog yesterday and we discussed how great a tool LinkedIn is turning out to be, as a way to get in contact with new folks in order to share ideas and work on projects. Inevitably our discussion turned to "yeah, but..." as we verbally spanked them for trying to become a job board.

LinkedIn was emerging as best networking site to reach some of the best people in their respective businesses. I've made contact with some incredibly bright folks on that site! I've done business with a few of them, and have projects in-development with a few more. Why in the world would they want to turn this haven of head-honchos into "just another" job posting site?

Hell, even the BIG job boards
don't want to be job boards!

Witness Monster.com's lame efforts to sent themselves up as a networking site. No matter how many emails they send me giving me my "Monster network update" (in which I do not participate), it's still crappy info from a crappy job site. How about you Monster guys work on becoming the best job board in the world instead of the worst networking site, eh?

And you LinkedIn management guys -- focus on networking and deal brokering. Don't even consider the job site route. Otherwise the weakest link in this networking chain is going to become painfully obvious.

2005-03-22T10:14:00.000-05:00

"To astound the
world, you must
sink into creativity
as a heroic act."
~ Evelyn Rodriguez

Is that quote HOT or what?
Evelyn has a sexy, sexy, brain.

Her recent post at Crossroads Dispatches invites us all on a trip through the creative process, in which Evelyn herself will play tour guide and 'reality show participant', as she not only tells us about her creative habits, but works on a project before our very eyes. Pretty cool, eh?

She also encourages us to choose a project of our own, and work on developing it right beside her. I'm going to take her up on the offer, but I need to figure out WHICH project to work on, and I better do it fast -- Tour Guide Rodriguez has a schedule to keep!

Evelyn has the itinerary for our creative journey posted on her site:

Preparation. (I call this stage, Saturation, because I am immersing myself in as much information as I can.) Now until April 8th.
Incubation. (Letting the ideas "simmer".) April 9th-April 12th. (If you are able to come to the San Francisco Bay Area, come in person to the Dwelve Live "Advance". I'll also offer tips for a solo incubation wherever you are.
Illumination. (The aha! insight.) April 13th-17th.4. Translation. (Translating your insight into action.) April 18th-24th.
Translation. (Translating your insight into action.) April 18th-24th.

I think it'll be a great trip -- won't you come along?

http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/2106118

2005-03-19T08:27:00.000-05:00

Change: It's got a good beat, and you can dance to it.
Funny Page Philosophy from ButternutSquash.net
My desktop wallpaper will feature this cartoon for the next few weeks.

Butternutsquash is a web comic updated weekly (almost) by the creative team of Ramon Perez and Rob Coughler. Excellent art, slice of life stories with a twist of the ridculous. How can you go wrong with a comic where 90% of the stories take place in a coffeeshop? Especially one featuring the Red-Haired Coffee Goddess.

NOTE: Although my direct links are work-safe and G-rated, the same can't be said for all of the archived material. The comic is for mature audiences and features adult language and content.

2005-03-18T11:01:00.000-05:00

Good News for Guerillas. Or not?
What happens when mainstream marketing
begins to adopt guerilla gameplans?
New article from Primedia reports "Guerilla marketing is growing as mass media fades and more marketers adopt non-traditional methods".

I say this: when the non-tradition BECOMES traditional, creativity and innovation are more important than ever, because now savvy marketers should be searching for the NNTT "Next Non-Traditional Thing".

As a whole, the article and examples weren't bad, but I didn't say "Damn! I wish I'd thought of that!" until the last paragraph. In a stroke of GENIUS, shirt-maker Le Tigre found a simple and inexpensive way to take advantage of Apple's iPod marketing phenomenon.

Le Tigre used street teams to add their logo to the shirt of every iPod poster they could find. As a print salesman, I KNOW those stickers cost them pennies per piece, and I doubt the street team cost them much more. The result ties them inexplicably to the latest craze and coolest ad. They definitely win my "Big Idea of the Week" award.

You can see a photo of the Le Tigre campaign by clicking here, but don't skip the article itself -- it's a very worthy read.

Read the full article here.

2005-03-17T14:02:00.000-05:00

Picture of 1,000 Words
AmazType is Amazing
Found a great link (of course!) while catching-up on Seth Godin's blog. AmazType will create an interactive graphic of any word you type in their search-box, comprised entirely of book covers pertaining to the subject!

The graphic is completely interactive, and you can click each book cover for title, author, pricing, and average review rating -- you can then click again to purchase the book, or zoom-out to see the entire graphic and choose again.

Very cool.

2005-03-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

Low-Tech Creativity
All you need to generate big ideas
Yesterday I shared a high-tech way to record ideas, today I just wanted to remind you (and myself) all we REALLY need to capture a big idea is a tiny piece of paper and something with which to write.

Some of my best ideas have been scribbled on napkins and Post-It notes. I think it's one of the reasons I'm so fond of the animated banner atop the IdeaCradle webpage.

Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools page indicates that he prefers a pencil, but I like pens. Pens with black ink. Or red. Usually a medium-point ballpoint pen, but I also like the way a rollerball pen slides across the page and leaves a trail of dark, wet ink in its wake -- although I usually end up dragging the side of my hand through it, smearing the ink a bit.

The ballpoint is definitely my favorite. Especially the ones with the 'clicker'. I can click away furiously (usually without being aware of it) annoying anyone in the near vicinity, and sometimes chomp on the end of it like some crazed cigar smoker. Ever use a pen to sort of poke your forehead while you were noodling an idea? I think I have a permanent dent in my forehead from doing that.

If I've used a napkin or Post-It to capture the core concept of an idea, I usually tape it inside one of my idea journals and add more details around the edges (like a mindmap) to explore and elaborate on the initial idea.

In order to capture other creative angles which to explore on a single idea, or to even write in a different "voice" within the same journal page, I have re-discovered a retro-pen I remember as being so cool as a kid because it had four ink colors in a single pen.

At one point Creativity Central had even created a branded version of the identical pen (although I no longer see it in their online store) that they labeled a "Think Pen". A recommended use for each ink color was imprinted on the body of the pen:
Black = Facts
Red = Energy
Green = Possibilities
Blue = Concerns

Sometimes I'll go back with a highlighter to emphasize certain aspects of the ideas I've scribbled down -- and don't even get me started on how much I love dry-erase boards!

...but that's another story.

2005-03-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

Happily Ever(Note) After...
Free Notebook Program (may)
Make Digital Idea Journals Easy

I just downloaded EverNote this morning -- anyone else using it? I'll give it a test-run and do a review next month on the DTIG Innovation page.

If any BrainBlog visitors have tested the program, leave behind a comment with your impressions.

It appears (at first glance) to be very similar to Microsoft's OneNote... only much less expensive.

As in -- free.

2005-03-14T19:52:00.000-05:00

The New Art of Sales
ChangeThis.com may just
change the way you sell
My buddy S. Anthony Iannarino (of TheSalesBlog.com) has submitted a proposal to write a manifesto for Seth Godin's ChangeThis.com.

The premise certainly sounds interesting, but not have has interesting as being able to read the whole thing -- which we won't be able to do unless it receives enough votes to be added to the published manifestos from folks like Tom Peters, Hugh MacLeod, and Guy Kawasaki.

Help me out, will ya?
I'd really like to read the full manifesto, and if a few of the BrainBlog readers drop by and click the "write this manifesto" button perhaps my friend Mr. Iannarino will get an invitation to share his vision of The New Art of Sales with everyone.

Click here to read the proposal.

2005-03-10T08:41:00.000-05:00

Buzan: The Mind Mappin' Memory Man
Take the World Memory Challenge
Howard Mann -- he of the newly revamped Dig Business site (loooking goood!) and the incredibly cool DIG Tank blog -- helped the Tony Buzan team create this very humbling interactive memory test.

Speaking of Howard -- he's been writing some insightful stuff on his new Dig Tank blog, especially as he continues to evolve his Brickyard concept. I think we're seeing another Hughtrain-in-the-making, and predict it's only a matter of time before we see Howard's manifesto on ChangeThis.com.

Howard told me about The World Memory Challenge some time ago, and I meant to post a link sooner... but I forgot.

Take The World Memory Challenge now!

2005-03-08T08:11:00.000-05:00

This One Goes Out
to All the Whiners
Living in the Past
Still boo-hoo-hooing about 'all the jobs
in the United States' being deported?
Here's what I said when it first started happening -- you lost your job to someone overseas who could do it cheaper? Create your OWN job, invent your own market, discover something that can't possibly be outsourced -- your own unique perspective on anything... your brain, your imagination, your CREATIVITY.

Ain't no one outsourcing "Don The Idea Guy" -- not that they COULDN'T find some brighter folks with bigger ideas by tossing a dart at any random point on the map -- but they wouldn't have MY unique way of thinking -- they wouldn't be DON The Idea Guy.

But Dan Pink says it better than I. That's why he gets the writing assignments and book deals, and I get my blog. Because no one is outsourcing Dan Pink's brain either!

Check out Dan's great article in Wired -- based on concepts from his latest book "A Whole New Mind" scheduled for release later this month.

2005-03-07T09:21:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official...
Vampires Live Longer
From scientists at Stanford University, no less!

Here's the scoop from the study, as reported in Wired magazine:
"...blood from young mice introduced into their older counterparts "activated stem cells in the old muscles that allowed them to recover from injury." But you can't just go around using any old blood -- the mice in the experiment were "modified to be genetically identical."

Read the full text here, or download a PDF of the complete study from Nature.com -- but it's not free. You'll need to buy the transcript or be a subscriber to the magazine.

In other news, Anne Rice's books have all been moved to the non-fiction section of the library, and I have a new screenplay for sale -- it's all about vampire scientists who feed off clones of themselves.

2005-03-03T15:02:00.000-05:00

10 Free Gifts Offer Extended
Cool stuff for free if you buy
Michael York's new book today
A couple days ago Michael York celebrated the release of his new book "The 10 Comittments" by partnering with some other infamous online personalities (me included) to giveaway free gifts with every book purchased from his official site at www.MichaelYork.com.

The promo pushed the book to a Amazon seller rank of #311 out of 347,000 -- not too shabby!

In an effort to keep the book at that lofty level (and perhaps push it higher) Michael has extended the offer once more -- buy the book today from his official site and received hundreds of dollars in free gifts.

Not a bad deal for a great book priced under $15. ~ !

2005-03-02T09:52:00.000-05:00

Miracles and Magic
Like something out of a Little Rascals flick, a group of talented folks are getting together to put on a show in order to raise money for a worthy cause -- Adventures For Wish Kids.

Only in this case, the show won't be held in a barn -- Miracles and Magic will be held at the Dublin Performing Arts Center on March 19th. Neither will you have to endure Alfalfa's off-key crooning. Instead you'll be treated to the magically-funny antics of professional entertainers, like my friends Jon Petz and Steven Kline. And you won't have to see Darla... scratch that... Darla was always a hottie. Although she DID tend to play Alfalfa for a sucker. Tramp.

I know this blog reaches a bunch of people who won't be anywhere near Dublin, Ohio for the show, but you can still help out the worthy Adventures For Wish Kids organization by purchasing one of their gorgeous calendars.

Each calendar features full-color art created by the kids themselves -- with a ready-to-frame centerpage picturing all the children's art in a museum-style print. The money earned from the calendar goes to helping fulfill the dreams of these brave kids battling life-threatening illnesses.

Grange Insurance sponsored the calendar, I helped with the printing through RedBirdPromo.com, and the primary media sponsor is radio station WBNS-FM 97.1.

You can order the calendar through their website by clicking this link!

2005-03-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

Personal Development
Really is Personal
(And Commitment is the Key)

The official Don The Idea Guy site was updated this morning. Some of the stuff you've seen on the blog before (the Idea Barista article and the recent review of the WimpyPlayer) but on the INSPIRATION page I've got a 'phenom' article by the Uncommonly cool Michael York about commitment to personal development.

Michael has a brand new book out, and if you buy it today-only (March 1, 2005) on Amazon.com you'll receive ten free gifts from a variety of online notables such as Jeffrey Gitomer, Michael Hughes, Jim Canterucci, and yours truly.

You can read the article (and get details on Michael's generous offer) by clicking here. Or, you can find all the important info on Michael York's website: www.MichaelYork.com

2005-02-28T07:47:00.000-05:00

I Kicked Seth Godin's Ass!
Trounced Tom Peters, too...
AND Mike Tyson!
Discovered a new site called GoogleFight.com that lets you pit any two search terms against one another, with the winner determined by which one gets the most results on Google.

Don The Idea Guy garned 13,900,000 results versus the 335,000 by Seth Godin and 2,150,000 by Tom Peters.

In the interest of fully disclosing the fight results, there is a drastically different outcome if you search for dontheideaguy.com vs. tompeters.com or sethgodin.com -- or if you put the search criteria in quotes for exact matches. In either of those cases, it was I who was kissing canvas and seeing those little cartoon birdies flying around my head.

Although, I did still pummel bPlanGuru.com no matter how the names were entered --

Float like a butterfly,
Sting like a bee,
You might be the guru
but you ain't gettin' more hits than me!

2005-02-25T07:40:00.000-05:00

Cool Tools
New RSS: "Really Simple Streaming"
I know that PodCasting is still being drilled into your heads as the "new thing", but I'm here to say plain-old-podcasting is yesterday's news.

From the time I've spent working with the broadcast industry, I can tell you that streaming audio has always been a headache for radio stations. It was a sometimes complicated process that could get quite expensive depending upon the number of listeners you wanted to be able to tune in at one time. One stream meant one listener, and you paid more for every additional stream you added.

Enter Podcasting
Podcasting allowed you to publish a single MP3 audio file to which listeners could subscribe. The file was then sent to their news feeder for them to download and listen at their leisure. The problem here is that although you no longer have to pay for individual streams, you're now asking folks to download the file, open an MP3 player and then finally listen to your message.

Yes, they could simple click on the file without downloading, but the file still takes a minute (at high speeds) to download to the temporary memory and open the MP3 software before it begins to play. The listener basically leaves your message/post/website because once that player opens you are no longer the first screen they see on their monitor.

This Audio Streamer is Anything but Wimpy
And now to the point, WimpyPlayer is the best audio streaming/delivery solution that I have found to-date.

This simple-to-install program (you copy TWO files to an MP3 directory on your website!) can be programmed just like a radio station -- you drop the files you want to play (spoken word, music, video) into the directory and they will play through the customizable Wimpy Player.

Wimpy Player features automatic code generation to paste within your webpage that will create a variety of player styles and options. It can also create audio pop-up windows that will allow the player to continue streaming your programming after your visitor has left your site. You can include the ability to download the audio files it plays, and an option shopping cart button so listeners can buy the audio they are hearing.

And YES -- WimpyAudio also has a built-in RSS feed generator. But for that you'll have to copy one more file to your webpage folder. >>sigh<< New technology is SO exhausting.

The WimpyPlayer is only $24.95 - or - you can buy a Wimpy Bundle that features three players with more ways to stream audio and video for only $59.95.

Click here to learn more!

2005-02-24T08:56:00.000-05:00

Passion Pays Off
Do what YOU think is cool.
The fans and finances will follow.

James Farr is a damn talented guy. There's no denying it. He probably earns a good living doing animation for clients, but it wasn't enough for him. He had an idea inside his head and a story to tell -- had to tell -- whether anyone else wanted to hear it or not.

Using his own time and money (and later with the help of a few donations), James created the site Xombified.com in order to tell his tale of an undead hero charged with a journey through a wasteland of flesheating zombies in order to reunite a stranded child with a community of surviving humans.

James worked on his schedule, sometimes taking months to produce his episodic animated vision, and posted the chapters for free online viewing. He'd ask for donations to help pay for bandwidth costs, etc., but even if he never received a dime -- his Xombie tale was going to be told.

In between his day-job, inevitable freelance projects, and the time-intensive Xombie animation, James sent out proposals and pitches to get his vision sold to a "real" animation studio. He stuck to his guns and got the deal he wanted. I'm proud say this dreamer is also a "do-er" and is now the producer and co-director of his now-in-production feature length version of XOMBIE.

You can read the full details on his site forum, but learn from his lesson -- if you've a vision that you'd like to see made real, no one can make it happen but YOU. You're the catalyst. Nothing happens without your ideas being put into action.

...Just ask James Farr.

2005-02-22T15:03:00.000-05:00

No Love at the LoveMarks Factory
Saatchi Exodus Raises Questions

2005-02-22T10:22:00.000-05:00

Bla-Bla-Bly
Bob Bly needs to read better blogs... and learn about RSS.
My buddy Scott Ginsberg (y'know him -- that guy with the nametag) sent me this link to an article by Bob Bly with a negative stance on blogging. He just doesn't see the value.

In the article, Bob Bly states one of the problems with blogs (versus e-zines) is that people have to proactively search to find if you've posted new content.

Helloooo? Any quick research on blogging will alert you to the availability of RSS feeds. If he was reading blogs, didn't he wonder what all those little XML and RSS buttons were for?

I think in Bly's case RSS stands for "Really Silly Statement." Why should I let your e-zines clog my mailbox when I can simply go to my news reader when I want to read the lastest edition of my favorite blogs?

I also don't have to worry about what you'll do with my email address (especially when people unsubscribe to your e-zines in favor of reading content via RSS). I don't have to give you "squat" in the way of personal info if I want to subscribe to your RSS feed. That's a distinct advantage in our World-O-Spam.

Bly also mentions that he has yet to meet anyone who's realized a positive return on investment directly attributed to their blog. C'mon! There are folks out there making income using ONLY their blog! Technically, anyone using a free blogging site and sells a book via their Amazon Associates program has just experienced a positive ROI, but I know that's not what he meant.

Look to people like Hugh MacLeod, Jim Kukral, and my aforementioned friend Scott Ginsberg. These were all really smart people offline, but once they took their ideas to the blogging world, they "tipped". They are all providing valuable blog content and receiving a fair number of blog-related buyers. Hugh will end up with a book deal within the next six months, simply because he started sharing his insight (and really cool cartoons on the backs of business cards!) with everyone in the world via his blog, GapingVoid.com

Bly says this near the end of his editorial:
"The problem is that there is already too much content, and we don’t want or need more. Analysis, wisdom, insight, advice, strategies, ideas – yes. But raw information, data, or content – no. And from what I can see, blogs serve up almost none of the former, and tons of the later. "

What crappy blogs has he been reading???
I can find more relevant and timely information on a blog than in a monthly magazine (be it print or e-zine) . Blogs are "now" -- RIGHT now -- and no publishing tool currently exists that can get new information and ideas to their subscriber base faster than a blog combined with an RSS feed.

Of course, Bly completely lost me after he said he can't find enough "...wisdom, insight, advice, strategies, ideas..." in most blogs. Simply scroll down my long list of links to find new ideas and insight all day long!

Who in their right mind says they can't find any new ideas?
Apparently someone who is only obsessed with old ideas.

2005-02-21T08:32:00.000-05:00

Ring That Rings Attacker's Bell
Redstart's new "Subtle Safety" Defensive Ring seems like an evolution of the "keys-between-the-fingers" technique. It even comes with a disclaimer:

"Our Subtle Safety™ jewelry is not intended to be used as a weapon or as an aggressive device; rather it is meant to provide its wearer with confidence and a subtle tool for self-defense. Any other use of our Subtle Safety™ jewelry is not recommended and can cause harm to
its wearer or any third-party."
Oh, those wacky attorneys!

If you can't take nail-clippers on an airplane, how long do you think it will take them to ban these? And what about school violence? Is zero-tolerance for jewelry the next step?

Sidenote...
Does it come with its own cleaning solution?
How DO you get blood off sterling silver?

2005-02-02T11:58:00.000-05:00

Lying Makes Brain Work Harder
Study says "There may be unique
areas in the brain involved in deception"
Isn't this just another way of saying that people who create have more active brains?

Whether you're writing a new work of fiction, painting an original illustration, composing a song for your band -- or lying about why you were out so late last night -- I would think that most people would agree that your brain is working harder than someone who is merely reciting facts with which they are familiar or relating a sequence of true events.

This Wired article shares more of the study's findings.

2005-01-28T10:23:00.000-05:00

Thinking Outside of
"Outside The Box"
Where do we go now that everyone is outside the box?
Joyce Wycoff wants to replace the box in the tired old saying about how to come up with ideas that aren't old and tired. She's even holding a survey and contest to give the old saw some new teeth.

Although I didn't think much of most of the selection available on the survey, I did manage to find one to select (since it was required to complete the survey) before adding my own two suggestions to the growing collection.

The one I've been using for several years is: "Blow the box to bits!" This allows comfortable familiarity with the "think outside the box" meme, but 'explosively' describes that simply being outside the box isn't enough.

My second (and less violent) suggestion was "Beyond The Box". A little less dramatic, but a little more poetic. In my opinion, it has the ring of choosing "the road less traveled" -- a subtle suggestion to avoid 'boxes' altogether.

Joyce is announcing results next week, so you have a little (very little!) time left to add your own suggestions to help choose a new creative-thinking cliche... which, when you think about it -- is the antithesis of being creative!

Joyce Wycoff is co-founder of the InnovationNetwork and author of the "Good Morning Thinkers!" blog.

2005-01-27T08:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday InnovationTools.com!
Top innovation website turns three
Hard to believe Chuck Frey started InnovationTools three years ago. With all the tools, reviews, and strategies he's shared, it seems like the site has been around a LOT longer.

I'd hazard the opinion that InnovationTools shares ideas-per-year in the way a dog ages -- seven-times the norm.

While they're "officially" just a babe of three, it's my opinion they've shared enough ideas to bring them to a ripe old drinking age of 21. So, lets raise a glass and toast the efforts of Chuck Frey and his wonderful website -- InnovationTools.com!

2005-01-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

A REALLY Small Business Idea
Finally, something you can do with all those extra soy sauce and ketchup packets.
Checkout Minimus.biz -- at first, I thought it was mostly funny, but then the single-guy in me started thinking about all the times I've gotten stuck buying a big box of something and ended up throwing most of it away.

A small idea with some big possibilities.
Minimus.biz