Monthly Archives: February 2010

Master of the Web 2 World

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Gary Vaynerchuk is The Master of the Web 2 World. His voice rings out above all the other web2ers. He is a wine seller in the USA who uses social networking technologies to market himself, his business, and his world views.

I first heard of him mentioned by someone I was following on Twitter. I followed the link to a YouTube video of Gary’s presentation at the Web 2.0 Conference in New York in 2008. His presentation made an impression on me. He stood out as being brash, aggressive and passionate. His approach was far from being politically correct or polished. His impassioned plea to everyone to “stop doing what you hate immediately!” resonated outward like a tsunami.

So I started following him on Twitter and added his blog to my already overflowing and unmanageable list of blogs in my Google Reader account.

I noticed he had written a book, “Crush It”, but that hardly raised an eyebrow since nearly everyone who writes a blog is also promoting their book – advice from yet another self proclaimed guru on marketing using Web 2.0 tools. Yawn!

Then – again on Twitter – I see he has a music video, so I follow the link to YouTube. It’s a cute, catchy rap tune called “Crush It” that promotes him and his book. I am amused and think that here is someone who really uses Web 2.0 technology to the max. What he lacks in charisma, looks, charm, and polish, he makes up for in effort, determination, creative endeavour, and online knowledge.  

So the very next day I notice, on Twitter again, that he is about to do a live broadcast via Facebook. So I log on and tune in to his talk about marketing, wine selling, web 2.0, his book, his t-shirt, etc. Everyone logged in to Facebook can comment or ask questions, or comment on the comments. He answered the questions as they came up. The number of viewers grew steadily from about 30 to 430 in the first 30 minutes that I watched.

So the message wasn’t new, inspirational, or earth-shattering, but the use of Web 2.0 technology was clever AND his voice stands out above everyone else who is pedalling the same message. But having said that, it was the live and immediate comments from the viewers, that prompted me to think “I really have to read this book!” And so I have ordered the book for purchase at the library. This is the point of his marketing efforts and it has been achieved.

Stay tuned for my review when I do read it in the very near future.

BureacraSpeak

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Do you speak BureacraSpeak? Sad to say I am learning this unique language. It is tight, legalistic, compartmentalised, and full of jargon. I have had my fill of strategic plans, policies, procedures, guidelines, standards and proposals. It is a barren and arid landscape with no soul. I am amazed that anything gets accomplished at all in this environment.

Oh to return to literature that is creative, expansive, poetic, and inspirational. The reality bending ideas of Richard Bach. The colourful, detailed illustrations of beauty and lifestyle by Frances Mayes. Tales and photos from France and Italy. Stories about music, art, language and culture. Intelligent and thought provoking writing that fills your soul with possibilities. Words that celebrate the reality and beauty of life. And words that teach us how be happy.

Who would have thought that in order to maintain a library of words that fill these common and shared  literary needs, it must be done using the structure of words that are dry, meaningless and overwhelming in  their weight, seriousness and number?

Gang Gangs

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I awoke and thought I was in heaven. I felt at peace. My head was clear after a nights sleep free from The Hum.

A perfect symphony of bird calls rang out from the bush. There were no screeching divas with the absence of magpies, wattle birds, crows, seagulls and corellas. The subtle call of the Gang Gang Cockatoos could be heard. It has a quieter squawk than its cockatoo cousins. It is more of a croak. We had seen three Gang Gangs the day before. They are distinguished by their grey feathers and red crests.

I had slept well in the tent despite frequent interruptions from snarling possums fossicking about for food and the occasional wallaby bounding by.

The Glenelg River in south west Victoria is beautiful. Surrounded by Australian bushland, it is protected by its National Park status, amid the ugly pine plantations that go on for kilometers and spoil this environment. The river is large enough for power boats, but favoured by canoeists and kayakers. There are no rapids but a swift current moves the slightly salty water to the estuary downstream at Nelson. Bream are often caught by the fishermen who frequent this place.

We swam, dived and jumped off jetties, fished, sat, cruised in the boat, cooked at the campfire, and looked for satellites and meteors in the star filled sky. The next day we left the clear hot day behind and descended into the cool dark underground interior of the Princess Margaret Rose Cave to be amazed by the stalactites and stalagmites.