DISQUS

John Lynn · 11 months ago

Looks like you had a good time in Las Vegas.

ceseco · 11 months ago

Loved Books when I was in High School, and through out my Military career Could never get enough of Stephen King even the The Dark Tower series. Clive Barker (Hell Raiser) and the like . But have lost that as I have gotten older (married with children). This was a great write up made me think of things that I like to have around and things in the past that have been comfort's for me as well.
Thanks
@ceseco

P.S. Yep want to eventualy get the WII for the girls may be when tax returns come in.. lol (it may happen)

MSchechter · 11 months ago

Chris,

You should check out the forums on QVC. It reminds me of the heart of the site you wanted to create. I know they exist within the an ecommerce site, but they have really empowered their audience to talk about the brands that they love. We work with them on @honorapearls and it allows us to to hear directly from customers and fans. They have grown into such a passionate community.

Thanks for the peak behind the curtain! Hope you enjoyed Buy-ology, Lindstrom spoke at a Jewelers seminar I attended last year, he definitely leaves an impression.

Matt | Small Biz Bee · 11 months ago

Glad to see I'm not the only guy who likes a good "man bag". I'm checking out the WaterField as we speak.

Matt

Shannon Ehlers · 11 months ago

I share your love of the CC ads. I saw the best one in some outdoors magazine. It had the "Damn right your dad..." header, then down below, is said "...and, NO, your mother wasn't his first." I laughed so hard I nearly spit my soda out. I'm not a fan of whiskey, but if I were to pick one to try to tolerate, it would be CC just for this one ad.

Mark · 11 months ago

Chris, I am with you on the love of books. I am always reading a book. I go to the library so often that they should give me a frequent visitor's card that allows me to keep a book after checking it out so many times. Hey, now there is an idea! :) I also love going to bookstores to find a few good books, settle in a cozy chair and browse through them.

Timothy Post · 11 months ago

Chris:

I wish we had spoken way back when I was writing the web widgets blog called Flying Seeds.

I've spend much of the weekend watching the videos from this past November's Web 2.0 Summit and this blog post of yours combined with what Mark Zuckerberg said about the rate of personal sharing and Paul Maritz (VMware) said about personal information banks got me thinking about this topic again.

Vanity Fair runs a section called My Things and while lists all sorts of products (i.e. brands) that a well-known uses and loves. We implicitly define ourselves by both where we focus our attention (music, blogs, books, movies, TV, etc.) and the products and services (brands) we choose to use. Are you a Virgin Atlantic kind of guy or more "British Air?" Do you drive a Prius or Corvette. and on and on........

Facebook is perfectly positioned to become or online information bank. This information bank would have two aspects to itself. One private (i.e. organiztional). The other public (i.e. our social identity).

Our vendors (companies and services we interact with) would pay Facebook for access its users. Vendors would create Facebook approved web widgets which would serve to replace our online user accounts which live on the vendor's own servers. Like the RSS model, this new vendor relation management tool within Facebook would allow us, the user, the opt-in and communicate with those vendors with whom we choose.

Vendors would have a very valuable double opt-in direct channel to its current and potential customers. They could custom tailor promotions and messages to each of use based upon our profiles.

The public side, and what you essentially did in your blog post, is would would share with our own Facebook community those vendor relationships which we want to share. The types and categories would differ on an individual basis. Our friends could do searches of their Facebook friends by keyword or category to determine which brands (products and services) were most popular. This form of "peer endorsements" is probably the single most powerful marketing tool out there today.

You know your friends already, unlike the 2 dimensional portrait you have of celebrity endorsers, and you therefore, can make much better purchase decisions by looking at what they have chosen to use and buy. Say you are in the market for a high-def TV but know nothing about what to look for in a product. You could, in Facebook were to create this service, simply go to Chris Brogan or Jason Calacanis' "social DNA" page and check-out what they own. Do this voyeuring a bit more and you quickly have a pretty good idea which TVs are the best.

Check out the video on Web 2.0 about MySpace Music and Warner Music. Basically, MySpace music is doing this type of social sharing with the implementation of their music playlists. MySpace members check out what their friends are listening to by looking at their playlists. This encourages discovery.

Why stop with the single category of music? Facebook is the one to capitalize on this opportunity. Within a year nobody will ever ask Zuckerberg what's their business model again.

Jean Ghalo · 11 months ago

nice list chris..... i agree with you everything can be lived without except the MacBook.... just one year since i moved to be a mac user but today i cannot live without it heheheh....

cheers!
Jean

VP · 11 months ago

Very interesting and well written. I recently bought a post card from MoMA that has a painting of assorted branded items from the 60's I think it would be, arranged on a dining table. Things that are still commonly available and that make people happy when around.

Steve Garfield · 11 months ago

What?

"I saw Guy Kawasaki speak to the Boston Computer Society at MIT in 1983, and was passionate about Macs ever since then. (He hates when I tell that story)."

What does this mean?

Did you see a Mac BEFORE 1984?

Dave Delaney · 11 months ago

Great post Chris, really great!
I had no idea you are a Rye & Ginger man. You're such an honorary Canadian. Will we be seeing you at PodCamp Toronto? There's plenty of CC to be had in Toronto, Canadian Club, not C.C. Chapman, however it would be awesome to see him there too.

As far as reading, I'd love to know how you do it man. Is it that you have so much unplugged time in planes to read? Between your family, work and the occasional movie, when do you make time to read?

I read your post a while ago about not sleeping much, seriously though, how many hours are you sleeping?

I'm asking you this, because I'm trying to schedule my time to start reading more as well, but I'm finding it very difficult. I'd love your insight.

Cheers,
Dave

chrisbrogan · 11 months ago

@Steve - I saw the presentation. I can't recall whether he had a Mac at the demo, but I saw the presentation before the device. And it was sweet.

@Dave - I'm not proud of how little I sleep, but I get about 5-6 hours a night at best. I can't really help it. My head just keeps moving and I often have to stay awake and do something. Some days, I figure my way there faster than others, and around conferences, I usually crash at the last or next-to-last day.

But rising early helps people do more stuff. Just seems like fewer folks get up early than stay up late so the time is actually better spent.

Meryl K. Evans · 11 months ago

Books -- yeah!

Movies -- cutting back thanks to Netflix and FiOS cable. I was cleaning out our movie drawers to get rid of the bulky VHSes and discovered too many unopened DVDs. So no more buying movies unless it's one the kids will watch repeatedly (i.e. The Incredibles). We catch so many movies on FiOS, too... so pointless to buy them unless they're special (gave hubby Ken Burns' Civil War DVD set for his birthday -- bye bye bulky Civil War VHS set).

Tedie -- Is it me or does that Tedie look like he's striking a sexy model pose? Seems wrong!

Tim Windsor · 11 months ago

RE: Saturn. The pricing gimmick works the other way with me. I'm convinced (probably wrongly, but there it is) that there's really a secret way to get the price knocked down and that every time some sucker actually pays full price the salesguys high-five each other in the break room.

Also, they don't sell Honda Elements. If Saturn sold Honda Elements, I'd go there.

:-)

Julien · 11 months ago

Dude! I remember those "Damn right your father drank it" ads. I wanna try it now, remind me when we go out next time.

Stacy Lukas · 11 months ago

I feel your pain about not being able to live without your MacBook. As of last night, I am living that experience until my new keyboard comes within 3-6 business days. I don't like to admit that I get attached to inanimate objects, but today I feel so empty and so useless without it. Much of the stuff I need to do and take care of is trapped inside my dismembered MacBook Pro and so now I've got to creatively do as much as I can with the stuff I've got saved online. At least after this is over, I'll have one heck of a blog post on how I survived ... if I do survive, that is.

Colin Clark · 11 months ago

I love my Alvarez acoustic guitar as well, though I can't seem to go a whole day without playing mine. They're great guitars. There ought to be a super simple affiliate marketing program that allows you to talk about the things you genuinely love and get paid if someone clicks through your site. Perhaps some sort of URL shortener that you can quickly and easily implement so you get paid. That would be a great use of social media.

Derek · 11 months ago

As I read through your list, I could not help but sit here nodding my head regarding a few of these items. When I participated in Movember this past year, I got my hands on some Canadian Club and have been enjoying that myself and have the "Career Renegade" book you mentioned on my reading list now (although I don't get through two books per week like you do).

With the bags, let me suggest you take a look at the Checkpoint Flyer from Tom Bihn. This bag is great if you travel as it meets TSA guidelines so that you don't need to remove your laptop, simply unfold the bag and you're good. I was fortunate enough to review one of these bags and it has become my daily use bag.

As for the iPhone, I cannot bring myself to go back to AT&T service so that is not an option. The Blackberry and the new G1 I picked up are serving me quite well.

chrisbrogan · 11 months ago

@Derek - I'm thinking about a bag like that. Mine lets me pull a velcro strap and slide the laptop out lickity easy, but definitely am considering alternatives. Because hey, new bag!

Eric · 11 months ago

"@Dave - I’m not proud of how little I sleep, but I get about 5-6 hours a night at best. I can’t really help"

Luck is on your side. UCLA just did a study showing it's unhealthy to sleep longer than 7 hours a night. People in that group die significantly sooner than those sleeping 6 to 7 hours a night.

Nice post by the way. Mostly when reading blogs, it's the people I am interested in. How they live, what makes them tick.

Cheers,
Eric.

Tre · 11 months ago

confess: did you go to Saturn's first homecoming in Nashville? mid 90s?
i loved the company from the get go and my SL2 from the start til it was stolen. 2x from two opposite coasts...even with my club (yes, it was locked) and a key security device. once in miami (12/95....from Santa's enchanted forest). Came out after riding all the rides (treated my 4 younger cousins) and there's no car. Cop said "was it a saturn? then it was stolen. been 10 tonight gone." um copperdoodle, what were YOU doing?
2nd time out in the bay area...right from the parking lot.
both times all contents (christmas gifts in miami, books/clothes from bay area) were stolen. all in trunk. go figure. but both times it was found. after the steal in bay area i said bye bye. went back to toyota...had a 4runner for 10. now i'm wanting the insight. yum to hybrids.
pnutbutter looks delish. books -- u gonna start a library? or couldya? think about it. scary movies and me don't mix. i'm all over macbook and iphone tho. wii haven't tried yet (shut up i know i know ).....:) thanks for the reality check on the things that make us appreciate the tapestry of our unique tastes. here's to more o dat....(but fess up if you went to the homecoming. was like a gr8tful dead concert ..even winona performed). :) permission to eat a scoop of the teddy.
have fun.

the communicatrix · 11 months ago

I love this post! I love this post and Chris Brogan, you know that I loathe most forms of advertising.

I'm not sure, but I think I love it because you are passionate about this stuff and you want other people to see it, and also because I really like seeing the stuff that really moves the people I love and respect. Sometimes, a bunch of items tells a story as much as a bunch of words; it at least fills in some blanks.

I think you should have a favorite things page and have frickety-frackin' Amazon links or what have you. I'd much rather buy stuff people *use* than stuff some person is paying them money to put up on a site.

Also? I think you just clarified my own feelings around commerce on my own site. So I think I owe you a CC & ginger, my man.

Dave Delaney · 11 months ago

Thanks Chris. I have been meaning to start waking up before the wee ones, I guess this confirms it. :-)

Cheers,
Dave

Rob O. · 11 months ago

As a fellow peanut butter fan, I just know that you'll enjoy The Peanut Butter Blog. LuckyGirl doesn't post very often, but it's still on my favorites list. And of course, don't miss my Nutty Uses for Peanut Butter post!

Great to see some Element love, Tim! I've had mine for nearly 6 years now and still love it! Re: Saturn's no-haggle pricing, I don't understand why auto dealers can handle car prices unlike any other consumer item - you don't have to wheel & deal when it comes time to buy a new TV or clothes dryer. Why are cars any different?

Tina Mammoser · 11 months ago

Great post! Funny, I had a Twitter conversation with a fellow artist this week who couldn't quite understand why someone would promote his work just because she loved it. :) Wondered what they got out of it, or why they hadn't used an affiliate link. I said that actually some people just review stuff because they actually like the stuff. Doesn't have to have a catch, right? Unusual in this day and age perhaps, but a nice sight.

My list would have to include my zillion books, comic books, BSG dvds, Macbook, and an awful lot of artwork by other artists!

Strategic Blend · 11 months ago

Chris, all I can say... is you're our kind of guy

-Strategic Blend.

Chelle Parmele · 11 months ago

I am totally, unabashedly in love with bags. I have shopping bags, computer bags, cloth bags... even a few handbags. I love the possibilities that come with a new bag. All the things I can arrange in it. Yay bags!

Gammydodger · 11 months ago

A while back I too listed the things that I love. Not just because I wanted to share them, but because I knew (having been in the business) that there was a not insignificant population of database marketers trying to amass enough information about me to try and predict what I might want or what they might be able to tempt the dollars out of my wallet with.

I thought that if I posted my likes up there, they wouldn't have to guess anymore - here's my letter to the data hungry marketers: Too Much Information

Jules Pieri · 11 months ago

Chris...I got chills (good ones) when I read the bit at the end of this post about your 2006 business idea to let people surface the brands they love, and to make a business selling them. Chills because we are doing something in that vein at DailyGrommet.com Not so much about brands, but rather focussing on new and innovative, useful, and beautiful products, largely from small companies. I think if you were conceiving your business today you would probably find a lot of interest in the Long Tail and product-specific innovation rather than brands. That makes for better stories, and stories are the best online currency. (Full disclosure...I am founder, and our team loved your post. It's really so energizing in a startup to have people like you "get" what we are trying to do--on your own, not even knowing us. And more disclosure: your friend @Mathurrell provided us with valuable early soft launch assistance.)

Nick Savides · 11 months ago

It is a little sad that we've gotten so cynical about products that people discuss and support, since there is something to be said about celebrating a brand for its excellence and its awe-inducing effects.

Ideally people would only endorse or accept endorsements from products that they value and respect, but that's not always true these days. Still I respect someone more and am more inclined to click on his banner ads and links when I know how he uses the stuff he promotes.

Karen Highland · 11 months ago

My husband and I both LOVE "The Usual Suspects". Its one of those movies you can watch over and over and see things you missed the last time. There are so few 'brilliant' movies.