As every futbol fan already knows, Spain took the Euro trophy yesterday, ending a long dry spell of international victories for la Furia Roja.

In other news, Sergio Ramos was one class act during the celebration.

I’ve written about Chris Guillebeau before, and he recently emailed me about his new ebook/manifesto with a textbook example of how marketing types/people with something to promote should approach bloggers (but of course he gets it, he has a blog of his own).

It is called A Brief Guide to World Domination: How to Live a Remarkable Life in a Conventional World *and other Modest Goals.

First of all, with a title like that, how could you not be interested?  More seriously, it is a great and inspiring read, especially if you’ve been in a rut lately.  I agree with much of his philosophy and ideas as well - I’d write more about them, but really, you owe it to yourself to go read it.  Moreover, it is beautifully designed and laid out (and only 29 pages) - perfect for a break from work or a nice literary nightcap.  So go check it out!

I’ll admit that when I first heard about Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop*, I thought it was kind of…well, useless would probably be the most accurate word.  However, lately I’ve found it to be amazingly useful for several blogging/marketing projects - it is a great and quick way to get an overview of all the best and most relevant blogs for each topic.

*Alltop is an aggregator that collects posts from “all the top” sites on the web for a variety of topics, and they keep adding new ones.

“Part of the secret of success in life to eat what you want and let the food fight it out inside.”

                                                                                                - Mark Twain

I’m working on a recently assigned piece about bizarre things I’ve eaten.  Now, I’ve never considered myself an incredibly adventurous foodie type, however, now that I write it out, I’ve eaten some strange, strange things.  For instance, sea cucumber, huge prawns/gambas with the heads and feelers still on, and various other creatures of the deep; a variety of small birds including pigeon (Americans usually think this one is weird), goat (I found it tasty but again, most Americans find this one weird), and assorted offal like tripe, sweetbreads, and even an eyeball (in order to win a bet).  I also thoroughly enjoy morcilla and most blood sausage, which is one more thing that my fellow Americans find odd at best.

Despite the fact that I’ve definitely eaten some sketchy street food in places where doing so is probably…ill-advised, I’ve never had any ill effects.  Of course, many of the things Westerner types think of as bizarre (e.g. goat) are perfectly normal or considered treats in other parts of the world, but really, I’m starting to understand why I got this assignment.

So, what are the oddest things you’ve eaten?

It seems that when you’ve got more work (and more options for gigs) than you can possibly take on, new and former clients seem to come out out of the woodwork.  Don’t get me wrong - being busy and have tons of options for what to work on is fantastic - but something about the summer heat and such is making turning on the computer when I’m not working the very last thing I want to do. 

Of course, this the best time of the year to be living in Chicago, with all the summer events and festivals and gorgeous patios and terraces (and my building’s awesome rooftop deck with views of the city and Lake Michigan from twenty stories up).  And I have a new place (twice the size of my old one!) to decorate - I promise to post pictures when I get all my furniture set up and everything arranged the way I want it.  Last but not least, I’m working on something new and exciting that has to do with travel and cultural immersion and other good things that I can’t quite talk about yet, but it is going to be awesome.

Check out the winners of Copyblogger’s Twitter Writing Contest - their short (really short - Twitter messages have to be 140 characters or less) stories proved that sometimes creativity flourishes with tight constraints.

There is an awesome article about travel by Kelly Westhoff in today’s Huffington Post - here’s a choice quote:

“When I land in a foreign city, suddenly, every ounce of my being is alert. Talking is a challenge. Flushing the toilet is an adventure. Buying a package of gum can become a 30-minute ordeal in which I must pay total attention. Foreign travel is a full-body workout, and I love the rush. It makes me feel bold. It makes me feel smart. It makes me feel like I’m finally pooling all my schooling and talents and skills into a concentrated, combined effort, that I am being–to steal a line from the army–the very best I can be, and I can’t help but think it pleases the divine to see me living in the moment and not zoning on the couch.”

You should go read the rest now.  Kelly also writes for Global Roam Ink, a site that promotes an interest in travel as an educational experience - it is aimed at teachers (there are lesson plans and such), but I think it appeals to anyone who loves to travel and read about others’ adventures.

The Knight News Challenge, which I wrote about way back in September 2007, recently announced the winners ($5.5. million was awarded to sixteen projects around the world). 

Check out the winners here.

Congratulations to them all!

Sometimes you come across lessons or tips in the least likely places.  For instance, check out this scene (here is the video clip) from the 2007 film American Gangster:

Frank Lucas: What is that you got on?
Huey Lucas: What? This?
Frank Lucas: Yeah, that.
Huey Lucas: This is a very, very, very nice suit.
Frank Lucas: That’s a very, very, very nice suit, huh?
Huey Lucas: Yeah.
Frank Lucas: That’s a clown suit. That’s a costume, with a big sign on it that says “Arrest me”. You understand? You’re too loud, you’re making too much noise. Listen to me, the loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.

So how is this related to marketing? 

For those who haven’t seen the movie, Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington) is the mastermind of a massive heroin-dealing operation - he is smart and a self-made man, albeit one that deals mostly in illegal activities (kids, don’t do drugs).  Anyways, during most of the film his style is subdued and quietly confident, nothing flashy or blingy.  He had a certain elegant power and he did not need to be the center of attention.  And his downfall begins when he forgets his own advice and wears a showstopping chinchilla coat and sits ringside at a fight, and therefore catches the eye of law enforcement, and it all goes downhill from there. 

Of course, part of the reason that Frank Lucas didn’t want to draw attention to himself is because he was doing things that were illegal; also, his product was the sort that sells itself.  But when he says that ”the loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room”, well, he has a point.  The product that has the most gimmicks or the person that is always trying to “network” and to brand him/herself and generally makes it all about them - the loudest ones in the room - are usually the least useful (the gimmicky product) or come across as pushy or desperate (not exactly attractive qualities). 

Obviously this doesn’t mean that all marketing or promotion is bad, or that you should rarely speak, but rather that there is a lot of power in simply having a superior product, a better price, or an impressive skill set (Frank Lucas’s product, “Blue Magic”, was both stronger and cheaper than the heroin currently on the market).  Granted, heroin is dangerous and addictive and such, but the concept can be applied in a positive fashion. 

There is a lot of noise out there about advertising, branding, marketing, search engine optimization (as well as a lot of sites that are basically well-optimized ad-stuffed crap) and other forms of promotion - some of it is valuable and a lot of it is bullshit.  The good advice tends to focus on adding value and telling people how you can improve their lives in some way; the bad advice tends to focus on simply getting attention.  Well, the loudest or flashiest person in the room gets attention too - but if it is not positive, then what is the point?

Stop what you are doing and go read this poem by Robert Bruce (and check out the rest of his site - KnifeGunPen - while you are at it, his work is fantastic). 

If you are an artist or writer with a blog or website (or thinking about creating one), check out his guest post on Problogger: 27 Thoughts On Blogging For The Artist.  My favorite one is “If you’re thinking about SEO while writing your digital novel, you’re already screwed. Quit now.”

Hat tip to Chris Guillebeau for introducing to his work with this interview.