Posts from — May 2010

For a few years now, I’ve been answering people’s questions with video.  It takes a little long to do, but it leaves them with a tool they can refer to over and over again.  In a way, it has made our lives easier.

Here is one I created on setting up the basics of a WordPress blog.

It is also a way for me to experiment with the video player tools that are available.

I’ve been looking at HTML5 as a way to get video to all those people who have iPads, iPods, and Touches. Up to this point all my audio and video web based players have been Flash based. Until now, that has been OK. The HTML5 standard isn’t widely adopted yet, so I will continue to default to a Flash player with a downloadable file that can be viewed “locally” on the reader’s personal device.

Here is a link to THE BEST discussion of all the gory details about video on the web.  My compliments to Mark Pilgrim.

Seth Godin‘s Book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? (affiliate link)
is a fantastic book. I finished it already and can’t recommend it highly enough.

Here are just some of the notes I made to myself:

• The world I got an education and training for doesn’t exist anymore.
• The rules of the game has changed
• I can’t look at the world through my “old” glasses
• I’m on the right track: blogging, podcasting, videocasting, social mediaizing (learning new skills and tools)
• Mediocre is easy
• Add charm to frustration to get “Linchpin”
• “By the book” stifles creativity and relationships
• Low attachment to outcome plus passion equals “Linchpin”

Here is a video from a Skype call with Seth at the Atlanta Blogger‘s Meetup in May.

Video Interview With Seth Godin from Atlanta bloggers on Vimeo.

I’ve got a mashup of ideas in my head, but that’s not new.  Here are the pieces bumping together right now:

• I just finished the Seth Godin’s book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
• This month is the 28 th anniversary of my graduation from the USAF Academy
• I saw this video from TED where Rory Sutherland mentions placebo education (If you much skip ahead, go to 2:40 minutes into the video).

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Click through to see a great compilation of photos for the Delta Heritage Museum Ship 41 – DC-3 which was restored at the original Hanger 1 at Delta Air Lines headquarters.

This is a video recorded by one of the attendees at the Podcamp. I had a great time meeting the whole Salt Lake City crowd.

This week, I visited with my manager before leaving on a trip.  He passed me Monday Morning Leadership: 8 Mentoring Sessions You Can’t Afford to Miss, by David Cottrell. He said this is what his boss recommended.  Here are the notes I took while reading it:

• Focus on the objectives not on distractions
• Always ask “What will you change to make this week better?”
• What’s the main thing?  That goes for you and for your organization.
• People quit people, not companies.
• Recognize “Super Star” behavior.
• Fix the problem.  Don’t continue to live with it.
• Protect your integrity.
• Develop an action plan before a crisis.
• Your time is your responsibility.  Make better decisions about how to spend your time.
• Use the right tool the right way.
• Set aside “planning time.”
• Touch paper once (this applies to email too).
• Eliminate time wasters.
• Clump activities together.
• Give feedback that is: Sincere, Specific, Timely and aligned with values of receiver.
• Set goals

I also had an original idea that grew from reading the book…  It is good to be a life long learner, but as you learn and grow, it benefits everyone if you share and produce content, as well.  Just being a consumer of content is not enough.  Synthesizing and sharing benefits everyone.