Skrulls…why did it have to be Skrulls…

Everytime I think I’m about done buying and reading comics, Marvel has to go and get delusions of grandeur and pull me back in. This time they’re doing it with “Secret Invasion,” which has planted the notion that the Skrulls have replaced a number of familiar characters, a notion that’s taken to new heights with this teaser cover. Ugh. Well, the kids can always go to community college.

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LOTD: 12/25/07

• Anyone else giving the new beta of Firefox a whirl? I’d heard of it from a Twitter pal, an have got to say it’s super light and is cruising along for me. (TB)
• Lifehacker’s got the goods on setting up the new computer your kids got you for Christmas. (TB)
• An interesting (though scary?) look at how many more people in our society are viewing the value of intellectual property. (TB)
• Over at John Arnold’s blog, an interesting question about whether or not Facebook is “killing blogs.” I’d say no, but interesting nonetheless. (TB)
• Marshall Kirkpatrick writes up 2007 as “The Year in RSS,” and I can’t say I disagree. While “the masses” may have RSS powering a lot of their efforts online, most people have no idea how to use it, and until people start using IE7 (especially at work) and Firefox, they’re clicking on icons and then sending notes to Webmasters saying “this link is broken.” Howabout maybe we make something (a link) work like ALL the other links on the entire Internet, and have it do what it’s supposed to first, then we’ll have a REAL year OF RSS. (TB)
• Valleywag points to the “updating” of the NORAD Santa Tracking that has been floating around for awhile. (TB)

New Champlin album coming soon

Bill Champlin says his upcoming solo album is about finished and should be coming out around March or April of 2008. Time to put away a few bucks specifically to pick this up.

Firefly, the way it was meant to be seen

Zatz Not Funny! Prescription for TV Networks To Weather the Writers Strike

The idea of resurrecting some of these great shows that were killed before their prime to fill in the strike-created gap is kind of brilliant. And it would help DVD sales to boot.

Google V. Microsoft: Let’s get ready to rummmblllle!

Google Gets Ready to Rumble With Microsoft – New York Times

This passage struck me as I was reading this piece:

“The growing confrontation between Google and Microsoft promises to be an epic business battle.”

Not if Microsoft shows up two days late, which seems to be the trend to date.

Chris’ Social Media Bookshelf

Inspired by Joe Thornley’s list of social media-themed books he keeps around I thought I’d do the same. Like Joe I find incredible value in books and the freedom books give their authors to go in-depth and provide context on subjects. As I said in my review of Now is Gone, I may not always agree with the arguments made in these books, but I don’t always agree with stuff people post on their sites either. And I just love reading books. So there’s that.

So here’s what’s in the bookshelf above my desk right now.

• The Age of Conversation (various): Where else are you going to get 100 bloggers to chime in in one place? Each piece on the current state and future of new marketing is a good read. Lots of familiar names and some new ones but a consistently good interesting book.
• Blogging for Business (Holtz/Demopoulos): While other books focus more on strategy and *why* you should start a blog for your business, BfB walks the reader through the process of actually doing it and throws in plenty of rational and strategy to remind the reader they’ve made the right decision.
• The Long Tail (Anderson): One of four books I’ve read that have just completely blown my mind in terms of changing how I think about all aspects of marketing, distribution and a list of related topics in a wired (heh) world.
• Grapevine (Balter/Butman): Dave Balter is the founder of word-of-mouth marketing firm BzzAgent and the book, while interesting in spots, often reads like too much of a sales pamphlet for his own company than a general best-practices piece.
• What Sticks (Briggs/Stuart): Not really about “new” marketing so much as about making sure you’re making well-informed decisions with your marketing strategies. What I most got out of this one was the idea that there needs to be set goals for success before starting a campaign, with everyone working toward that goal, no matter what it is.
• The Tipping Point (Gladwell): The second of the two books on this list that really changed my thinking quite a bit. I know it’s become cliched to cite this one, but there’s a reason why it’s on everyone’s list of books to read.
• BuzzMarketing (Hughes): Like Grapevine, the author spends a bit too much time talking about himself and how brilliant he himself is but there are some good stories in there. Not so much a thought-provoker as it is a series of self case studies.
• Life After the 30-Second Spot (Jaffe): The third game-changing book on my list. Not only is there some indispensable advice in here, but if you read it with Jaffe’s voice in your head the book is 25% more engaging and 40% funnier.
• Beyond Buzz (Kelly): A collection of very convincing case studies on word-of-mouth generating efforts as well as how to leverage that buzz. To my mind a very good resource to have on hand if a C-suite exec asks for precedent before executing that idea you just had.
• Now is Gone (Livingston): Meant as a wake-up call for executives procrastinating on creating a social media strategy, Now is Gone doesn’t so much show them how to do that but kicks them in the butt and points them in the right direction to figure out what will work for them lest they be left in the dust of their competitors.
• Citizen Marketers (McConnell/Huba): Ben and Jackie make a strong case for why companies need to embrace – or at least not squash – the enthusiasm of the everyday people that love their brand or their products. That’s especially important with online tools that allow people to congregate in communities and share their stories at the press of a button. >li>
• Naked Conversations (Scoble/Israel): Open up and just be authentic is the gist of the book, though it goes a little deeper than that. Certainly dated in its reference points now but still a great place to start and get your feet wet before diving into weightier tomes.
• Word of Mouth Marketing (Sernovitz): I stand by my original statement that this is the book to throw down on your C-level exec’s desk if he ever asks you why you would ever want anyone to talk about your company without marketing’s approval.
• Can We Do That? (Shankman): This one isn’t so much about changing your strategy as shaking up your thinking. Shankman spends a lot of time encouraging people to break free of the office and live lives that inspire more creativity, something that then has a positive impact on clients or your company.

Yes, the information and stats in some of these books is a bit dated, and was so approximately five minutes after it went to press. That’s inevitable. But taking the time to read them is not just about reading their content. It’s a way to get a deeper perspective on the issues we’re seeing fly before us every day as well as the authors themselves. It’s also valuable, I think, to slow down and pull out a book every now and again and not get caught up in the current of the social media world. Reading a book is a deliberate act, one that opens your mind a bit.

Marc Orchant has passed away, having never regained consciousness after suffering a massive heart attack a week ago.

I never got to know Marc either personally or professionally but obviously knew him by the reputation he had built up among online folks. But I do know that the tremendous influence he had on others means a part of him remains with us here even after his passing.

The prayers of all those whose lives he touched are with his family and friends.

Abrams throws geeks something they can love

Randy Pausch got a role in upcoming Star Trek movie by tins ::: Rick Klau’s weblog

My buddy Rick passes on word about a very cool bit of casting for the new Star Trek movie that is sure to have intellectual nerds singing J.J. Abrams’ praises.

Fool me twice and you risk impeachment

The Swamp: Twice now, Bush has confronted faulty intelligence

Bush has zero credibility in this area right now. He and all his noecon enablers were out yesterday saying that the facts presented in this report didn’t change their beliefs – a ludicrous notion that would lead most people to be institutionalized – and that there must be an anti-Bush agenda in the intelligence community.

And we wonder why the U.S. reputation in the world is shit.

LOTD: 12/5/07

• There’s a $20,000 fund that’s been established to pay artists who contribute illustrations to Wikipedia, so everyone grab an Etch-a-Sketch and let’s get to making some of that there Interweb money. (CT)
• Dude, you’re getting a three-year, $4.5 billion dedicated advertising agency. (CT)
• If you’re looking to establish a brand online, adopting a silly name that makes no sense and seems like something vaguely dirty just may be your best bet. Like “Thilk.” Who was drunk when they thought that one up. (CT) (Oh.)
• Let’s make note of how most of the folks announced as officers in the Association for Downloadable Media are content creators and not technology people. Just worthy pointing out. (CT)
• SixApart has sold LiveJournal to a Russian media company. (CT)
• The Common Craft crew is back with more simple instruction in the ways of Web 2.0, this time with a video on Blogging in Plain English. (CT)
• The LA Times is hoping all the buzz about Mixx being a haven for those disenchanted with Digg is true, taking a pretty sizable stake in the social news site. (CT)