Categories: Articles

Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #187

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, Solve For Interesting, the author of Complete Web Monitoring, Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks and Lean Analytics), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist’s Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another:

The Economics behind the Everpix Shutdown Decision – Ivan’s Research. "Everpix was a photo-sharing site that recently shut its doors. The founders were candid about why they closed shop, going so far as to share all kinds of research that is a goldmine for startups. But this post takes it one step further: a stealthy competitor figured out that the photo sharing business wasn’t viable, and used this modeling to sell early, under NDA. This kind of hard-nosed economic analysis is rare in the startup world, which is often characterized by hubris and an ignorance of the realities of business." (Alistair for Hugh, HT to @eoinbrazil).
Some Facts On The Flu – Solve For Interesting. "Canada’s gripped by la grippe, and things are bad South of the Border too. So I asked a friend — who happens to be an infectious disease specialist with a knack for explaining things clearly — some questions. I’m not really breaking my rule about posting links to my own stuff, since this is an interview with him, but caveat emptor. Know what the first North American Avian Flu death and AIDS have in common? Read on." (Alistair for Mitch, HT to a smart physician; let’s call him Dr. F.).
Minimiam: Playful Mini Dramas By Photographers Pierre Javelle And Akiko Ida – Demilked. "Photos of tiny people making their way in the world." (Hugh for Alistair).
The Book Is Not Dead – Daily Infographic. "Will ebooks destroy the paper book? Not anytime soon, says this pundit-defying infographic. All sorts of interesting things to chew over, the key stat: ebook sales appear to be leveling off at about 25% of the market." (Hugh for Mitch).
Why Twitter’s Co-Founder Is Asking Brands To Use The Receipt As A Publishing Medium – PSFK. "I spoke this past week at the National Retail Federation‘s big show in New York City. There was George W. Bush followed by a lifetime achievement award to Costco co-founder, Jim Sinegal, then me. Weird. I agree. This is such a massive show, that I didn’t even realize that Jack Dorsey was also presenting. I’m a huge fan of Dorsey. From Twitter to Square, he is making some inspiring entrepreneurial moves. What I love most about people like Dorsey is when they make statements like the one presented in this article. The receipt is a publishing medium that most retailers are wasting. Wow. I’m not sure how I feel about this. Granted, when I first saw Twitter – after it first launched – I’d be lying if I said I understood what, exactly, it would be good for." (Mitch for Alistair).
How To Write For A Living – James Altucher. "Have I told you this week how much I am enjoying the writing of James Altucher? This piece isn’t posted on his blog yet (I got it because I subscribe to his free e-newsletter… and I would recommend that you subscribe as well). I get asked this question a lot. Which is funny, considering that I don’t actually write for a living (but that’s another story and I do understand why people ask me this question). Many other authors have done their best to explain this, but I think Altucher really nails it on this one. You can feel his emotion bleeding through the words. You won’t be surprised by his answer: a lot of hard work and dedication." (Mitch for Hugh).

Now it’s your turn: in the comment section below pick one thing that you saw this week that inspired you and share it.

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.