Brad Marley's Blog

I don't know Zooey Deschanel in real life, but I kind of want to.

Two nights ago I chose convenience over browsability with my foray into the world of downloadable movies.

There are certain luxuries you are forced to give up when you have kids and one of them is driving to the nearest movie store and spending a leisurely 30 minutes picking out a movie.

Luckily, I knew I wanted to see (500) Days of Summer, so the choice was easy.

The movie is about a guy named Tom who falls in love with a woman named Summer who doesn't reciprocate his love, and all similarities to any romantic comedy you've ever seen stop right there.

Theirs is a relationship that she won't let him define, so he is forced to wade in a sea of uncertainty; all-the-time wondering if she will wake up one day and make a decision that will impact his life in one way or another. 

Why does he do it? Because he loves her, of course.

Remember that punched-in-the-gut feeling you got when that certain someone -- that someone you knew was the one because you treaded so carefully so as not to crack the fragile veneer that covered whatever it was the two of you were engaged in -- ripped out the emotional IV that you had subsisted on since you met them?

This movie captures the essence of that predicament.

If you do watch it, and I suggest you do, be warned: you will walk away less sure in your belief about love and fate and the idea of "The One," but I think that's the point.

The best stuff I read in 2009.

Like most of you, I'm sure, I did a lot of reading in 2009.

Whether it was a book, a newspaper article, or "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," 'the complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of deriving meaning and/or constructing meaning' was something I partook in daily. My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Hill, would be so proud.

So as I bid good riddance to the year that brought us four-hour waits for flu vaccinations, the advent of TMZ.com as a legitimate news source (because they were the only media outlet unscrupulous enough to run a report of Michael Jackson's death before it was confirmed) and teenybopper vampire romance trilogies, I want to take one more look at my favorite blog posts and articles from 2009.

• NHL: Brand Resurrected (MarketingDaily)

• How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live (Time.com)

• How Social Media is Radically Changing the Newsroom (Mashable)

• Could Twitter destroy real journalism? (ESPN.com)

• PR People: Stop Being Bad at Stuff and Read This (Bad Pitch Blog)

• An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All (WIRED)

• How To Be Interesting (Copyblogger)

• Apocalypse Then: a two-part series on the lessons of Y2K. Part 1. Part 2. (Slate.com)

• Anything Jeff Pearlman writes about on his blog.

There you have it. Those are mine.

What captured your fancy in 2009?

Now that it's almost 2010, it's time to get excited about technology.

Last night, after my daughter dozed of while I hummed her Pearl Jam's "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter In A Small Town," I read my favorite blogs on a device that is approximately the same dimensions as a deck of playing cards. (I'm required by law to tell you the device was a Christmas present from my wife.)

While I scrolled through the blogs with a swipe of my finger, I couldn't help but compare it to a Saturday Night Live skit from early 2001 that starred Will Ferrell and Sean Hayes as clothing store employees. In the sketch, Ferrell, who plays the store's owner, pulls out a cell phone that is no bigger than a cashew and places a phone call to fuel the company jet, or whatever. But what makes the clip so absurd is Ferrell's character is supposedly on the cutting-cutting edge of technology, and he has the device to prove it. (I would link to the clip, but NBC's Internet police have eliminated every potential link.)

But here we sit, on the cusp of the second decade of this millennium, and technology has rendered this old clip not funny, but almost prophetic.  Technology is only getting faster and smaller and more mobile.

Take my cell phone history, for instance.

In 2001, my phone did two things: it made and accepted phone calls.

Today, my mobile device is, literally, a computer. I can take pictures, record video, write a "tweet" -- if you're reading this in 2032, don't ask -- send e-mail...you name it, it will do it.

What do the next eight years hold? Five years?

Even though this post and a recent post of mine might suggest I am a tech neophyte, I am geeked about the possibilities technology might allow us in the near future.  And it's all because of a tiny device my wife gifted me (sorry, rules) that lets me watch Michael McDonald song parodies in the palm of my hand.

Thanks, technology!

Why 50 percent of restaurants fail in first year.

A new Mexican restaurant opened up near my house this past weekend.

The building used to be a really good Italian restaurant, then became a sports bar, and is now, like I said, a Mexican restaurant.

Last Sunday, our lack of grocery shopping finally caught up to us, so my wife sent me to the new restaurant to pick up some takeout.

After I placed my order, the man whom I assume to be the owner said he was going to throw in their new taco salad, on the house.

What better way to create raving fans than to give away your signature dish?

It was brilliant.

Too bad the food sucked.

Will my daughters marry robots?

It's scary to think that my kids will one day use ubiquitous technology that will be completely foreign to me.

I liken this theory to my Dad and e-mail: he just recently learned to use the "Reply" button to respond to my e-mail. Before, he forwarded all correspondence.  (Although, judging by the number of forwards I get from him in my inbox on a daily basis, he still views e-mail as a tool to send me the hilariousness of the Internet.)

So, it's inevitable that my daughter will come home from school in the near future and try to explain the newest Google to me, and I'll just scratch my head and walk away.

The sad part is we're closer to this day than we think, and I blame the Amazon Kindle.

It started when I read a post over at The Writer's Coin that called the Kindle its "Gadget of the Year."

I have heard of the Kindle, but I have never seen one in the wild. But now I wanted to hold one, feel one, see what all the fuss was about. Luckily, my colleague has one, so I asked her if I could give it a test run.

Surprisingly, I didn't hate it. (Sidenote: If I were to give my Dad, an avid reader, a Kindle for Christmas, I'm pretty sure he would drop dead of a heart attack.) It's no book, but it had a readable interface that is about as close to a book as it gets, without actually, you know, being a book.

However, in what is probably the first sign of the technology-induced ignorance I fear, I can't see myself purchasing one of these machines. I prefer the feel of a real book with real pages to turn as opposed to the square-shaped device that flips the page at the touch of a button.

Not only that, but a large collection of books looks much cooler on a bookshelf than a lone Kindle collecting dust that houses my entire book collection in digital format.

But I know I'm in the minority; perhaps I'm even part of that borderline generation that will never truly embrace the e-reader. The demand is unprecedented, but I'm indifferent and I think the creators know this.

They're content to pass me by and, instead, market to the future consumers who will, inevitably, shape the face of this technology.

Like, my daughters.

Once all books are technological-ized, I'm afraid to see what comes next. Hopefully, I'll be able to unplug myself if it's too much to bear.

If this was a lemon, I'd build a lemonade stand.

The thing about public relations is that you have to be really passionate about something, have a compelling story to tell, or have a damn good product to promote if you want to get the most out of your PR investment.

The majority of PR folk are solid wordsmiths who can get even the most uninterested reporter to raise an eyebrow when the e-mail pitch hits their inbox. But if you are selling crap, your money would be better spent developing the product, rather than promoting it.

Then there are times when we encounter something so bodacious, you want to tell everyone about it, free of charge.

Like, this:

Five blogs you should subscribe to right now.

I subscribe to 61 blogs.

But, as you can probably imagine, I have a hard time keeping up when I have to chase a two-year old around the house while holding a two-month old.

Until technology gives me the ability to upload new blog posts directly into my brain, I mostly skim the headlines and read the ones that grab my attention.

However, there are a handful of blogs I read when they are updated, no matter how busy I am.

And, I have to say, I get a little excited when I open my reader and see their blog titles highlighted, indicating a new post.

Rather than keep these gems to myself, I want to share them with you so you can subscribe and join in on the joy.

1. The Writer's Coin- The tagline reads, "Making Money Interesting." It's a personal finance blog that doesn't read like one, if that makes any sense.

2.  I Will Teach You To Be Rich - This personal finance guru teaches you how to optimize your money by automating your investments and savings. (I would also suggest reading his book, which is a step-by-step guide to financial freedom. No. It really is.)

3. Journalistics - A blog about journalism, public relations and social media. From a PR professional's point-of-view, it's the best of, uh, all worlds.

4. ChrisBrogan.com - I know he's on every single blog suggestion list, but there's a reason for that. His posts are insanely simple and smart.

5. The Abundance Blog - At first glance, this blog looks like just another self-help blog. But there is so much valuable information on becoming more creative and productive that you would be crazy to not stop by.

These are five blogs I vouch for as being worth your time.

What blogs do you like to read?

Son of Weekly Grab Bag of Links - December 11, 2009

Well this has gotten out of hand.

My weekly-turned-biweekly-turned-whenever-I-feel-like-it grab bag of links has returned, but with a decidedly irregular feel to it.

That's what happens when a one-month old dominates your life.

I hope these make up for the absence.

• Apocalypse Then: Part One(Slate.com) - Remember how uneventful Y2K turned was? Slate examines why we don't remember it that well. There are many who claim it was just that: a scare. But maybe the reason why the threat fizzled out is because many came together to fix the problem before it became, well, a problem.

• Apocalypse Then: Part Two (Slate.com) - The conclusion.

• Time Management: How a an MIT postdoc writes 3 books, a PhD defense, and 6+ peer-reviewed papers -- and finishes by 5:30 p.m. (I Will Teach You To Be Rich) - This is amazing. Really shows that you don't have to work 70-hour weeks to get things done.

• For Jim Collins, No Question Is Too Big(NYTimes.com) - Collins, the author of "Built to Last" and "Good to Great" , uses a stopwatch to ensure he's spending the right amount of predetermined time on his projects. That's time management, folks.

• Man Arrested for Not Twittering, After Mall Stampede (FWD Thinking) - Behold: the power of Twitter. (Probably my favorite link of the bunch.)

• If You Have an Extra Half Hour(ChrisBrogan.com) - These are such simple tips for maximizing your time, but I bet nobody takes the time to do them. I know I don't.

• The Problem with Citizen Journalism(Journalistics) - It's not journalist wannabes who are the problem, it's the glut of information that makes choosing what to believe more difficult.

• 10 Reasons Media Relations Will Get Easier in 2010(Journalistics) - The subject says it all.

• 15 Failed Predictions about the Future(Oddee.com) - "Where do you think we're going to find oil? In the ground?

There. That should last you through the weekend.

There are no mulligans for poor public relations.

At some point in the future, a public relations student will open their crisis communications textbook and turn to the chapter titled, "How Bad PR Ruined Tiger Woods' Career."

Within that chapter, they will learn that letting the other side tell your story first is not the best way to control the message.

They'll learn that the longer a person or company hides behind Web site statements and controlled messages, the more guilty they will become in the eyes of the public, even if they aren't guilty.

They'll learn that, if the accusations are serious enough, the best way to ward off mounting criticism is to address the allegations in person, no matter what.

And, lastly, they'll learn that no entity or person, no matter how powerful they think they are, is invincible.

Tiger Woods' ongoing mistake -- aside from the alleged infidelity -- is hiding behind his public statements. His desire for a private life is understandable, but he gave up all expectation of that ideal when he won his first golf tournament.

The longer he waits to add the all-important human element, the more tarnished his brand will become. If his publicist is worth his salt, they will force Woods to appear in person to apologize, even if it means bringing down the carefully built wall he has spent his career building. 

Otherwise, this will define his career, not the number of trophies on his mantle.

For somebody who had the skill and determination to become the greatest ever at his sport, that would be the greatest transgression of all.

Like it or not, PR professionals abound.

When I began writing this blog way back in February, the second thing I wrote was a post about how, outside of a few friends and my wife, nobody really knows what I do for a living.

Public relations? Oh, you mean advertising?

Nobody ever talks to me about my job at get-togethers and family functions because, well, they don't know how I spend my days at work.

But, like I said, that was way back in February.

I'm happy to report that nine months later, nothing has changed.

***

Earlier this week, I finally arrived: I was quoted by mistake in a story.

Hey, it happens.

After I read the article, I opened my instant messenger application and shot the link to my cousin, who was on-line. (Both of us were the best man at each other's wedding. We're tight. We know things about each other nobody else does.)

"Scroll halfway down and look who the spokesperson is," I typed.

"Cool!" he replied.

I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand.

"Actually, it's not cool. We are paid to get our client's quotes in print, not our own."

"Oh, well, maybe you could market your interview skills."

After a few minutes elapsed, I replied.

"Don't worry. You're not the only person who doesn't know what I do for a living."

***

When it comes right down to it, I would much rather sit on the couch at a family event and watch football than I would like to talk about how my advances were rejected by seven reporters last week.

But public relations is not some fly-by-night profession.  Like lawyers and doctors, we studied the craft in specialized college programs before venturing out into the world. Just because there is no such thing as a public relations store does not mean we are invisible. You would be amazed by the affect we have on your daily routine.

Do you read the newspaper? Chances are, a PR professional helped a journalist with one (or more) of the articles.

Do you watch the morning news? The consumer reporter hawking the latest mobile device likely worked with one of us to get that phone to show you, the viewer.

Did you listen to the radio on your way home from work? We probably pitched the interview with the best-selling author.

I'm not saying we are important as lawyers and doctors, but we're everywhere. You just don't see us.

So, at your next major family gathering, take a minute to talk to the resident PR person about their work. It might be the highlight of their week.

Or, they might give you a short answer and go watch football.

But at least you can say you tried.