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How Not to Get Shot (Mind Control Secret Revealed)
I’m listening to a writer for Law and Order, who used to be a crime reporter. He was saying that if you ask any homicide detective, they’ll all tell you that often the killer says “Well he told me to...
View ArticleThe High Cost of Free
The most foolish things I’ve done in my life have been for neither love nor money, but simply for free ice cream. One spring, when I was about ten years old, in return for an ice cream cone, I swam out...
View ArticleThe Problem with Rewards in Return for Testimonials
I love Smartwool. I’m actually wearing a Smartwool shirt and Smartwool socks right now. If Smartwool wanted me to write a testimonial, all they would have to do is ask, to say “Hey, we want some killer...
View ArticleReciprocation (Weapons of Influence, part 1 of 3)
The cover of Robert Cialdini’s book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is adorned with a quote that says "For marketers, this book is among the most important books written in the last ten years."...
View ArticleCommitment and Consistency (Weapons of Influence, part 2 of 3)
This is the second part of the series on Weapons of Influence, based on Robert Cialdini’s book Influence, Part 1 discussed the principle of reciprocation. Commitment and Consistency We like to be...
View ArticleSocial Proof (Weapons of Influence, part 3 of 3)
This is the third part of the series on Weapons of Influence, based on Robert Cialdini’s book Influence, Part 1 discussed the principle of reciprocation; Part 2 covered the principle of commitment and...
View ArticleTwitter for Writers
My friend Greg Crouch is writing a book which I think has bestseller potential. He’s an engaging writer and he has a great story about the pilots that flew the Himalaya in World War II. But like me,...
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Six Essential Skills Scholars Can Learn from Copywriters
I just spent the morning going through applications for my 2010 French paleography course. As I was reading the applications, it struck me how ignoring basic copywriting practice hampers so many...
View ArticleAre you my friend? Social norms versus market norms
Social norms and market norms are separate and you must not mix them. Social norms prevail in social situations. For example, if two friends go out skiing and one friend gives the others some pointers...
View ArticleYou Can Always Yell Later
When I was about ten years old, my mom and I ran into a problem at the ski area where were skiing. This problem was 100% the fault of the ski area and was the result of what might be called...
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Unsubscribe Fail: How to Piss of Your Customers in One Simple Move
Okay, I’ll admit, bad unsubscribe options are a bit of a hangup for me. If I deign to let you put me on your newsletter list, I’m going to expect a reasonable unsubscribe process. Preferably one-click....
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The Wright Brothers’ Kites: Why the Bacon Number Calculator is the Key to the...
John T. Daniels photo of first sustained and controlled powered flight, 17 December 1903 (public domain). Google just recently announced a knew knowledge engine that allows users to uncover an...
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Obesity, Rap and the Google Correlate Tool
Okay, this is too weird. I recently started playing with the Google Correlate tool and it’s cool and all, but I hadn’t put in my own data yet. Then I started thinking about what correlations I might...
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Does Google Care about Custom Excerpts in WordPress?
I’ve always been a fan of “custom excerpts” in WordPress rather than either showing the entire post or letting WordPress make a teaser based on the beginning of the post. Recently a colleague called...
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You Know You Have a Problem When… (MySpace edition)
… your most viewed helpdesk question is “How do I delete my account.” I realized that I actually have a MySpace account, though I have probably only ever looked at it five times total and not for many...
View ArticleRBT SEO Threadwatch #1
In order to be able the share things I find around the web related to SEO with friends, family and colleagues… I might actually do a second, maybe even a third RBT SEO Threadwatch. Google is rolling...
View ArticleRBT Threadwatch #2 (Sept-Oct, 2014)
Apple Maps now letting businesses verify From my friend Marc Harris on the Facebook WIMP group (Web and Interactive Media Professionals)… You can now verify a local business directly on Apple Maps...
View ArticleRBT Threadwatch 3 (Nov – Dec)
Most of this is old, but I got sidetracked and never posted. Still some good reads here. Google Fear: how much do people fear google? More than they fear the NSA! (on CNet) Links: 21 Link Building...
View ArticleThe Most Important Email Address on Your Website
What happens when I send a note of praise to your company? Does it get handled efficiently and effectively? Does it build my loyalty or destroy it? I usually refrain from nasty notes. In most cases, I...
View ArticleThe Contrast Principle and how much you’ll pay for anything
We as humans tend to key on contrast and judge value by the relationship of one thing to another. If we can find a comparable, we always do. The way Starbucks got us to buy $4 cups of coffee (er, you,...
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