This is the transcription for a voicemail that I received earlier today. From a client. You know it’s going to be good when the first line is “Hey baby.” And the last line is “Guy” (it was from a female).

This is the type of transcription that would work perfectly for another Rhett & Link Caption Fail video.

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"Give away some knowledge. People fear that if they give it away, people won't need to hire or buy from them. If everything you know about your industry can be explained in a few articles, you don't know much." ~ Scott Stratten, UnMarketing

I read Scott Stratten’s book UnMarketing this week and this particular quote jumped out at me in regards to sharing your expertise on a blog, social network, or even in person. Don’t just TELL people you have the answers to their problems but make them put complete trust in you and hire you to give them the answers, but GIVE them the answers. SHOW people you are an expert in your field. Like I always say, flex your expertise muscles. People will appreciate you and people won’t hesitate to hire you or buy from you in the future.

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I upgraded from a 13″ MacBook Pro to a 15″ MacBook Pro a few months ago. I also started using one of my old laptop cases as it fits the 15″ model perfectly. Don’t worry, I’ll go back to the LL Bean backpack when it’s warm enough to bike again. However, as this case is about 7 years old, it has an extra pocket on the side for a phone. Not a smartphone – just a regular flip phone. I’m an iPhone user so this is of no use to me. Actually, I take that back. I’ve put it to good use as the place where I store my morning snack.

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I’m really frustrated by armchair critics. I see a lot of people ready to trash other people’s efforts, but when I dive into what they’re doing, I don’t see any body of work on their websites. I don’t see them taking to stages. I don’t see them advancing the cause. If you’re going to earn the right to complain and moan, do it by being better than the person you’re trashing. ~ Chris Brogan

Exactly, Chris. Do great work. Don’t worry about bad-mouthing the competition.

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Let’s pretend you are a high school senior. You already know what you want to do for a career: you want to be a programmer for a company like Google or Facebook.

What’s going to get you there in the best, least debt-incurring manner? Four years of college? Or walking up to Google and telling them you’ll work for them for four years for FREE? After four years, you’ve already got a ton more experience than your peers who are just graduating and you won’t have the massive student debt (you might just need a paying part-time job on the side…which you’d need through college anyways). Your professional network is also going to be immensely larger.

Yes, you’ll start at the lowest rung possible but 1) You’re not costing Google anything and 2) you’re learning exactly what they want you to learn. You’ll be putting in some extra time doing self-study over the years, but almost everything you’re learning will be applied.

So which is the better deal? And which would give you a better chance of getting your foot in the door in the first place? Now that everyone goes to college, does it really get you ahead of the pack? I think education through experience is becoming more important than formal education.

Disclaimer: I have a four-year degree. Obviously this approach wouldn’t work with a profession such as a doctor, teacher, or lawyer. But I think it would have worked for me (Business/marketing degree).

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Taking vacation when you no longer have paid vacation days can be tough. However, this summer I’ve taken off more time than I have in my previous three summers as a freelancer. I also feel like I’ve gotten more work done than the previous three. Here are a few thoughts as to why I feel things have worked out this way.

How has your summer been? What did you do with any time you might have taken off?

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I’m spending the week in Colorado and devoting a few hours each morning to getting work done. So far so good, and here’s an update.

I might just stay here.

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I’m in my car right now typing this on my iPhone. My wife is driving, my kids are arguing over a cd, and we are somewhere near North Platte, NE on our way to Boulder, CO to visit my brother and his wife.

About two weeks ago my wife and I decided we should be somewhat spontaneous and pack up the family for a week of mountains, thin air, and for me: work. I have too many projects going to just leave them for a week, so my MacBook is with and I’ll be attempting to get a few hours of work in each morning. I may even check out some of the local coworking spaces.

I’m actually excited to see if my productivity increases knowing that I only have a few hours each day to work. If things go well maybe a lot more spontaneous vacations will happen from now on. I will try to blog some of my findings this week.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful summer!

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This is just my personal theory, but nobody has utilized the concept of the “upsell” quite like GoDaddy*. Could this possibly be how they found a buyer?

*Yes, this is an affiliate link.

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http://mac.appstorm.net/general/1984-and-the-future-of-mac-software

Here’s a link to a very thought-provoking article on Mac AppStorm. One of the things I like about iOS is that it’s locked down, and I like that to an extent on the Mac too. But where do they draw the line to both promote innovation as well as preserve a pleasant user experience?

Yes, you can build your own PC with your own components, custom software, etc., but you’ll also be running utility after utility in an attempt to keep it running. I’ve always liked how well-integrated Apple software is with Apple hardware.

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