One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes." - Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

Content is the new wave of social. Experts on content are emerging by the handful, entire conferences are now developed around content, books and white papers are burgeoning and there will likely be no end to the current content proliferation. For good reason, too: the web, the world's information hub, is a destination city, the origination point for purchases. Desktops, handhelds, tablets: it's where the zero moment of truth happens.

This Thursday, I'm presenting to an exceptional group of college marketing students our content marketing strategy and how to build a career around developing thought leadership and rich content. How to cultivate tribes, seeking like-hearted colleagues while improving your mind and enriching your life. How to swim against the tide by becoming as adept at creating as most people are, (listlessly so), at consuming. Primarily, what I hope to convey are three essential points:

1. All content is risk. Bad content. Good content. Personal content. Business content. It all represents risk of some kind. Those who have published something beyond a facebook update or a tweet know what I'm talking about. Taking your thoughts, your business, your life public is a harrowing act. The risk begets a surprising reward: "The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it." - John Ruskin
2. Quality should trump quantity (particularly since the noise has become deafening). A post (a video, a podcast) doesn't have to be a magnum opus but collectively, your output should at least represent a credible oeuvre within the niche that you have established for yourself and your business.
3. Ultimately, content is about selfish giving. Creating content that helps others, rewards you most of all. Call it karma, paradox, the law of reciprocity, whatever: it works. Most notably, it works if you understand your unique value proposition as an individual and as a representative of the brands you serve. Content serves to develop a loyal band of followers and the following begins when you publish from your distinct point of view. "You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment." - Annie Dillard

The future belongs to nerds and content creators (marketers).  Those who dare to build, create and publish consistent, compelling content will chart their own course and rule the world (or, at least, the web). Content is king and the future belongs to the creators.

For new readers to my blog, "Links That Matter" is a monthly post that includes notable articles and resources I've recently discovered. This month's LTM includes big changes with Google's algorithm plus a few other tools and resources I discovered while attending BlogWorld/New Media Expo:

• Google's official post on its newest algorithm change. Search Engine Land notes that the results will change about 35% of all searches. Wow. Here's How to Meet Google's Newest Quality Standards for Content (in light of these changes, Tara Hunt's The Decline of Original Content is worth reading)
• The new app Oink! is getting a lot of press, partly because it is from Kevin Rose of Digg fame and partly because it is pretty cool, beautiful UI too. Watch Kevin explain on TechCrunchTV.
• Google Drive is coming, article by MG/Siegler, heads up DropBox and Google Reader hoists a long overdue update to Reader
• I've read these posts multiple times now: Famous VC Fred Wilson's What a CEO Does and the follow-up (written by Matt Blumberg), What Does a CEO Do, Anyway? By the way, for a rich, fairly fast education on business, tune in to Fred's MBA Mondays podcast
• By now, you might have your fill of Steve Job's stories but Mona Simpson's eulogy for her brother is deeply touching
• Peter Shankman took to the stage at BlogWorld/New Media Expo and delivered a fascinating keynote. It was earthy advice (read: not just for nerds), humorous, insightful and punctuated by profanity throughout (fair warning), probably one of the best keynotes I've heard in years. You can watch it in its entirety here
• Great insight into the work ethic of Jim Cramer / CNBC Mad Money: James Altucher's 10 Things I Learned Working with Jim Cramer
• Christopher Penn hits upon why you should connect with practically everyone and anyone on LinkedIn (I agree). Speaking of LinkedIn, they've updated their CardMunch app and for a couple of rich reads: Why Your Business Should Maybe Stop Ignoring LinkedIn and 5 Tips for Using the New LinkedIn Company Pages (By the way: the LinkedIn user base grew by 60% in 2011)
• Heidi Cohen wrote a nice break-down: What Bloggers Can Learn From (Technorati's) 2011 State of the Blogosphere research
• Sick and tired of likes, thumbs and pluses? Me, too. You'll like this: Number of Fans and Followers is NOT a Business Metric, What You Do With Them Is plus a related article It's About Response, Not Engagement
• How to Optimize a PDF for Search
• From Business Insider - Famous Photographer Annie Leibovitz Recommends the iPhone Camera
• You don't have to be into podcasting to appreciate this (check out the revenue discussion!): Podcast Answer Man's interview with Leo Laporte
• Marketing Profs always delivers: 5 Things B2B Website Content Needs to Do to Engage with Visitors 
• More important than ever: The Recommendation Economy by Valeria Maltoni
• 4 Excellent Examples of Creative Google+ Business Pages from HubSpot
• Why Hiring a Marketing Department Has Changed - 5 Subjects a Business Owner Must Now Consider in Every Interview / Tamar Weinberg
• From Eloqua, C. C. Chapman, Joe Chernov and Ann Handley, The Grande Guide to B2B Marketing

Finally, there's something profound here for us marketers to take to heart: Why I can't hear you (Dave Winer).

Two terms have entered our vernacular around the office, the terms "thrashing" and "shipping". Thrashing is the process where we beat up a project or initiative we are launching. ('Gnashing' is more apropos). We got the idea from Seth Godin's 99% Conference speech, "Quieting the Lizard Brain" (if you don't want to watch the whole video, here's the gist of his concept). Thrashing is an important part of the creative process but, as Seth points out, it can also be a deterrent from simply "shipping" (launching the project).  

The process of thrashing has always intrigued me. I like to thrash ideas. Not as an excuse to keep from shipping but to make sure our ideas have legs. If our ideas can't stand the friendly fire from colleagues, they won't stand a chance in the marketplace. Thrashing is a learned skill and it's actually quite difficult.

For one, in order for thrashing to be successful you have to remove yourself (your workload, your time commitment, your responsibilities) from the equation. I was reminded of this recently when I was thrashing a project with some industry friends.  As we were thrashing it, I could barely contribute to the exchange, I was too consumed with how much time I would have to spend implementing (shipping!) all these wonderful ideas. I forgot a valuable lesson: step outside of yourself and your role while thrashing. You'll have plenty of time to speak up about the practicality of shipping.

Another reason why thrashing is difficult: it's risky.

• You risk hurting people's feelings: "That's not good enough, we need to thrash it some more"
• Sometimes you risk criticizing the boss: "Boss, sorry, that's a terrible idea, here's why" 
• Sometimes you risk looking foolish: "OK, this is a c-r-a-z-y idea but ... "

Steve Jobs was a relentless thrasher. Enough ink has been spilled discussing Steve's polarizing and dictatorial leadership style, his thrashing process was similarly brutal. From the new biography by Walter Isaacson: 

One day Jobs barged into the cubical of one of Atkinson's engineers and uttered his usual "This is sh*t." As Atkinson recalled, "The guy said, 'No it's not, it's actually the best way,' and he explained to Steve the engineering tradeoffs he'd made." Jobs backed down. Atkinson taught his team to put Job's words through a translator. "We learned to interpret, 'This is sh*t' to actually be a question that means, 'Tell me why this is the best way to do it.'" 

Somewhere between Godin's warning and Steve Job's "don't compromise" attitude lies the thrashing process. It is vital. If you want to ship something worth shipping, as difficult as it is - it must be thrashed.

Take the rocks and gravel, baby, build a solid road. - Bob Dylan