NewspaperGrl’s Best of 2010
credit: http://futuresounds.com
I know this is a hodgepodge of a list – but then that’s me. I like variety. I get bored easily. This year I’ve ventured into the PR side of SEO and it’s been interesting to test what I’ve learned. I guess I was successful in focusing on that part of my work more because I learned to embrace rather than bristle when someone refers to me as a PR pro.
In 2010 I was a bit obsessed with mom bloggers as a marketing channel. I loved every blogger event I planned or attended (oh, except one but I’m not going to mention it). I also loved the year of Groupon, where social coupon sites exploded. I signed up for deal sites in both Salt Lake and Las Vegas – the cities I frequent most. This means trying new things like rafting and walking tours (yes, I’m into high adventure).
Best conference
Evo ended up being one of my favorite conferences of the year. It’s one of the few I attend that is not male-dominated plus it was only an hour drive. It even edged out Affiliate Summit, which has been a long-standing favorite. EVO had the swag and the speakers (and some drama when Oprah producers were confronted by social media moms about being too old school). We ate well, we laughed and we learned. It was interrupted by a pretty hurtful personal attack (but thankfully it ended right).
Best 60 Minutes Episodes
I usually set the kitchen timer on Sunday’s so I don’t forget to watch it every week (but I still do sometimes). It’s a tough day when it’s a rerun. It proves that older people can be hip too and they have that misfit flirty reporter just to try to balance out the average age and to compensate for Andy Rooney.
Ex-NBA Ref Tim Donaghy’s Personal Foul – This took some guts but it also set the world straight when someone who cheated owned up to it. It should be shown in ethics classes. I usually don’t like sports stories but this one had an impact. I was so moved how well he showed us what repentence looked like and in stark contrast to people like Rod Blagojevich or Bernie Madolf.
FBI Wiseguy Fooled The Mob – Ever wonder what it’s like to be in the mafia? This guy Jack Garcia is so entertaining. He tells the best stories and he made it out of the mafia alive. He reformed and became a family man. That’s the part of the story I like most.
Show I hated: the one on Medicare fraud. We could reduce the deficit if we could get a handle on this. I felt like this show and a few others were primers for would-be crooks and that didn’t sit well with me.
The show about Mark Zuckerberg was also a standout, partly because I didn’t expect it to run on 60 mins. but it makes sense because its demographic is trending older.
Best Social Media Small Business Success Story
Orabrush – this may be because I know Austin Craig and it’s a great success story in my own back yard. Short story: 76 year old Robert Wagstaff made a brush to get salmonella off chicken. Wants to cure bad breath, so invents a brush to clean the tongue. Fails, tries again and builds a million dollar company in a year using YouTube ads. Lands a mention in the New York Times that turns into a storm of publicity and sales. Walmart doesn’t charge them for advertising on an endcap and uses their YouTube video in the display.
Note how they named their Facebook channel “cure bad breath” which people search on, not Orabrush. That both solves a problem and is good for YouTube (so far not as well on Google) SEO.
Most Effective Marketer
Tim Ferriss did well with the 4-Hour Work Week and just came out with the 4-Hour Body which I feel is part fiction part fantasy. It became a bestseller within days. I think this book does well because it has a gripping story behind the book. The man turned himself into a human drug trial. He’s so off-the-wall that you can’t help but be intrigued although there are times I feel some TMI (too much information).
He was on another one of my favorite tv shows this year – Nightline. I think the reporter was hoping he’d try out the “Improving Sex” chapter on her. We got to see Tim actually take an ice bath at home in his swimming suit. His bathroom is pretty ordinary – I think all his money went into expensive tests. A review of his book coming soon.
Books
Crush It by Gary V – I also feel like Gary Vee is on uppers. He’s a high strung wine sipper and his book makes it seem like it’s easy to be him. I doubt it. How many kids do you know would work so hard in a family business even though he was too young to drink the product (wine)?? He’s the opposite of the 4-Hour Workweek, he’s the 100 hour workweek, but to him it’s mostly pleasure. He also values family, which I can appreciate. If you feel down this year, watch one of his videos, it will re-energize you.
The best news is that he partnered with Virgin Airlines to develop an in-flight wine menu. I’m surprised none of the Vegas hotels haven’t partnered with him to create a custom wine list in his name.
There are many more books, blog posts and magazine articles that inspired me. I just can’t recall them all – they fill pages of my blog and especially my tweets.
Thank Yous/Influencers
I wrote my own book in 2010. Though I’m aware of its flaws it was a major accomplishment. It has helped small businesses, which was my goal. If you bought or shared a copy, thank you.
I also owe a big thanks to Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends. She wrote the forward for my book and I have been a contributor to her site. I admire her because she’s not the typical picture of who you see as an online marketer. Plus she is classy, gracious and a savvy business owner.
I also really appreciate Joan Stewart. I did a webinar with her and it was nerve wracking for me (I was new to doing webinars). I thought it was a lot of work for me but she worked much harder, putting in hours and hours to get the most value for her audience.
Peter Shankman is also on my list. I met him at the last Affiliate Summit West and I must admit I was taken back. I thought he’d be very different than he was. I had the wrong impression. I was already a HARO fan but after meeting him I became a fan of Peter’s too.
Another local favorite is finding out that there are championship skydivers in my backyard and trying to get them to land for the Peter Shankman Jump! event in a few weeks. Insurance costs proved too high so I have another trick planned. Must be present to see.
New Year’s resolutions: I wanted to stick to one but I have two. Blog weekly and review David Meerman Scott’s books about social networks and the web have changed PR. I start them along with a dozen other books but I’m too ADD to finish. I feel guilty for reviewing a book I didn’t complete so I put it off. But what I have read has been a big influence on my career. I love being on his press list and vow to make up for not blogging about his books (yet).
Your turn. Blog about the highlights of your year professionally, personally or however you want. Then leave a comment with a link to your post. Or just tell us in the comments.
4 Responses to “NewspaperGrl’s Best of 2010”
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January 1st, 2011 at 3:11 pm
I love 60 minutes also. Those were some of the best episodes. I was totally shocked at the Zuckerberg interview. I didn’t think he would do it. If only Mike Wallace was doing an old school interview.
January 2nd, 2011 at 3:55 pm
Great list! Thank you for sharing. Here’s to a happy new year
January 2nd, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Eran, I have you mixed up with another blogger named Eran. I think you’re both in Utah. Do you know each other?
Bruson, happy new year to you too.
Blog On,
Janet
January 6th, 2011 at 8:38 am
[...] The Best Tim Ferriss Interview I could write a whole blog post about this interview (and I probably will) from the Rise to the Top blog. Tim is quite a marketer (check out what I wrote about him in this post). [...]