Aaron Gerdes

Jackie Huba over at Church of the Customer blogged about a hand-written note she received sent by a sales associate at a retail store.

Hand-written notes leave a strong impression — as follow-ups, a thank you, a reminder, or just checking in. I’ve observed that people appreciate the old-fashioned, personal touch.

I know many professionals that spend a lot of time being “in-demand”. To an extent, that’s attractive. We all want to work with someone who has things going on. But that attribute turns quickly from a plus to a minus when service is in question.

Each time you tell someone how great you’re treating your customers, remember to send out some notes. Need a refresh on writing good thank yous? The Morning News has you covered.

Steven Levitt (coauthor of Freakonomics) commented on faking user-generated content (which I discussed here). Found via Emergence Marketing:

One conclusion which Steven Levitt at Freakonomics comes to when answering the question “what does or does not make Internet buzz translate into commercial success” is “One reasonable answer to that question may be that when the buzz is faked/manufactured, commercial success will not follow.”

Whether intentional or not, “manufactured buzz,” along with other viral “gaming-the-system” marketing strategies are just another threat to the future credibility of word of mouth marketing – another one being the lack of disclosure policy which some companies refuse to endorse.

Ze Frank reviews the news everyday on The Show. It’s excellent comedy with a very edgy and intelligent approach. Today’s episode delivers an interesting look at branding and what mental twist it takes to desire to be associated with a tragedy.

I’m blessed that we get to work with some excellent designers. I continue to do part of the design work for Rocket Dog Creative, and because of that I’d bet I can be difficult in the client role.

Seth Godin offers some tips for working with a great designer, which I find useful in trying to cure myself (see numbers 8 and 9).

I think these are equally applicable to working with a great technologist: their focus will be on getting you the best results, not making decisions that please everyone.

We can all learn to appreciate that more.

Thanks for your patience, guys!

Via Collision Detection: This website for a book on string theory contains a visual guide to imagining the 10 dimensions of string theory .

Maybe I’ll blog another attempt at fighting my way through Brian Greene’s The Elegant Universe? This could become a science blog. Or not.

Actually, my interest in this movie is what an excellent example it is of the simplicity and clarifying ability of visual communication. Numerous patient friends have tried to explain string theory to me in the past—but never have I understood it clearly enough to re-articulate.

Interested in science or not, try this one out as a case study in how to illustrate your thoughts well.

Note to marketers attending conferences: provide a memorable experience, be approachable and noticeable, but don’t be pushy. See the Social Customer Manifesto Blog, which I found via Church of the Customer.