Comments on: Everybody Wants Convenient Explanations, Screw That, Just Do it!

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:25:32 +0000

@ LA Gal - If I wrote/shot the post after I had left that comment, then you could be paranoid. Good luck with taking the plunge, I think you’ll be glad you did it, even if you decide later Twitter wasn’t all that great after all.

By the way, your comment name needs to have a real name in it. That’s my comment policy, which is stated above the comment field.

By: LA Blogger Gal

LA Blogger Gal — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:22:41 +0000

If I was narcissistic enough, I just might think that you wrote this post about me (or if I was dating Carly Simon and just a little vain!) But I know better than that

I took your advice and I’m just twittering up a little storm. Baby steps, you know. And thanks for stopping by my blog the other day and weighing in on the Twitter experience.

By: Brett Legree

Brett Legree — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:12:08 +0000

@ Michael, that is actually the title of one of Branson’s books as well. I started saying it at work one day, and it is amazing how much we got done just by saying “to hell with it”…

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:58:23 +0000

@ Joel - Thanks for sharing that great example! Everyone understands things in their own way. Understanding the needs of your audience is the key to being able to explain things like RSS to them.

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:56:46 +0000

@ Steve - Yeah… um… I meant to do all that on purpose! Yup. Sure did. Seriously, thanks for the insights. It’s great to know when you’re onto something, even if only in layman’s terms. Nice to get confirmation from a real marketing expert.

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:53:32 +0000

@ Brett - If I had known about that Branson quote, I probably would’ve used it!

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:52:40 +0000

@ Mary - Dealing with your readers’ techno-phobias is a different matter, but one I should address at some point. I’m really using RSS as an analogy to highlight our behaviors in new/uncomfortable situations where it’s too easy to not grow.

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:50:50 +0000

@ Jeff - Glad you found a reader you liked! I was a Bloglines man for years until Google Reader finally came into its own.

By: Joel Williams

Joel Williams — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:37:57 +0000

Absolutely agree. Most bloggers I work with do not know what RSS is, why it’s used or what benefit it can give them. Once I’ve explained it they usually explain it back to me in much simpler way, one that is more personally relevant to them. It’s the same with a blog - a store owner was explaining it to their mother and instead of saying it was a publishing platform they said “the website is like my store, and the blog is like my daily special offers and news board”. This isn’t true for everyone of course, but it was for her and personally relevant so made it understandable.

By: Steve Yastrow

Steve Yastrow — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:49:53 +0000

Michael - your points, which are excellent, go beyond blogging, Twitter and RSS.

First, you’re echoing psychologists who tell us that our beliefs and knowledge are reinforced when we do things. That’s why we always try to go beyond employee training, and focus on having employees engage in simple “brand habits,” which, then, prepare them to understand the next level of concepts better, after which we introduce slightly higher level brand habits, which helps them undersatnd even better … etc.

Also, you are pointing out why most advertising doesn’t work. Could you imagine trying to sell Twitter on a highway billboard? Great concepts are understood through brand harmony, where multiple interactions blend to tell a great story. You’re advising that we combine real interactions with simple explanations in order to understand the story better.