“Players like to know that they’ve discovered things that even the designers didn’t know were in the game.” – Will Wright, Born Jan. 20, 1960. People who grew up in the original Nintendo Entertainment System era have a unique insight into persuasive language. In particular, an advantage when it comes to the framing of information… Read More →
The Value of Having Haters Is…
“If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” – Benjamin Franklin, Born Jan. 17, 1706. What I love about this is that back in Ben’s time, printing was expensive, and a huge pain in the ass. A press was a… Read More →
This Blog Post is +2 Against Ridicule and Embarassment
“People don’t mind being mean; but they never want to be ridiculous.” – Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, aka Moliere, Born Jan. 15, 1622. To make people into allies, make them an accomplice. If you can get them to indulge in complaint and insult (even in private) against their enemies, you create a kinship. Paint those enemies as… Read More →
Leadership is About Follow-ability. Are You Followable?
“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” “Do something wonderful, people may imitate it.” – Albert Schweitzer, Born Jan. 14, 1875. This is a two-for. Two quotes from the same guy, but I think they are interrelated. If you want to influence people, you may have heard the… Read More →
Content Hack: Go Screw Something Up Really Bad. (Then Fix It.)
“Life is very interesting if you make mistakes.” – Georges Carpentier, Born Jan. 12, 1894. The secret to success is building an audience. The secret to building an audience is to be interesting. The secret to being interesting is having something valuable to talk about. This last one intimidates many, who mistakenly think that only… Read More →
Consistency is Uncommon, But It’s a Shortcut to Success
“When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” – George Washington Carver, Born Jan. 10, 1864. One of the simplest secrets of success at I know is to do just do the simple things well. Unfortunately, that is uncommon. Show up every… Read More →
Sometimes a Villain is What the People Need
“Movies are full of leading men, most of whom aren’t working. It’s much harder to find a good villain.” – Lee Van Cleef, Born Jan. 9, 1925. The secret of creating a powerful persona in your marketplace is to help your prospects find good villains to add a little adversarial psychological opposition to their lives…. Read More →
Inscrutability is Fascinating Even to People Who Don’t Know What It Means
“It is good to vary in order that you may frustrate the curious, especially those who envy you.” – Baltasar Gracian, Born Jan. 8, 1601 As Harvey Danger once put it, “if you’re bored, then you’re boring.” And you DO want to frustrate the plans of people who stumble across you, so they stop what… Read More →
The Wise Man of the Wasteland Reveals His One Weird Trick
“The man who interprets Nature is always held in great honor.” – Zora Neale Hurston, Born Jan. 7, 1891. If you want to be the guru/expert/wizard in your chosen fields of expertise, you must become an interpreter of nature, as it occurs in that field. You are the wise man. The oracle. A wizard of… Read More →
Inside: Indulge in Your Weird Obsessions Without Shame
“People often ask me about what constitutes a nerd-friendly show – like, does it have to have sci-fi elements? But I think it’s just a show that satisfies the secret craving we all have to be obsessed with something and not feel at all stupid about it.” – Dan Harmon, Born Jan. 3, 1973. It’s… Read More →
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