How Not to Take Bad Advice

Notice that so many blog posts are actually subversive advertisements?

The one that finally sent me on this missive was a "why you should not do PR yourself" listing, but so many are simply "the five reasons something free or you can DIY is bad because I want you to hire me" list.

So here are my three ways on avoiding bad advice online. Forewarned: these are fairly broad generalizations

1. If the subject or title is "How to do something" and it doesn't really involve anything where anything is made or done, be wary. This isn't to say you can not find decent advice in such listings, but often they are only geared to get you primed for the end of the blog post listing of their services. They want you saying," oh yeah, I am not smart enough to do things for myself. Who can do it for me?"

2. The blog post ends with MULTIPLE listings of where you can find the author. Mind you, there is another wrong with a little self-promotion, but there can always be too much of a good thing.

3. There is nothing like a second opinion. Richard Branson of Virgin had this great piece talking about it. Even if you find yourself pining to hire someone because of their blog post (who would?), take a second and ask around for someone else to take a look at your need.

I dare say you should go back and consider this advice about starting up a new venture. The same rules apply. Talk to someone, but as Branson points out- listening is even more important.

Slow Death or Rebirth for Myspace?

Are we really watching the slow inevitable death of Myspace? With the integration with Facebook complete and the push towards what appears to be a mobile only function , isn't it time to call this one? One report says that Myspace is making $200 million less this year. They are functionally giving up on Myspace Music , which was always their bread and butter. Without the music tie in, why would people BOTHER with Myspace? I'm talking about it because my wife's band has used every medium known to mankind to promote themselves online and Myspace has been nothing but dead weight from the very beginning. Only bands and their most ardent fans go there. The rest are on Facebook. There is talk of selling Myspace, but who in their right mind would consider it? This will have some interesting implications for bands down the road. Many use Myspace as their de facto website, just pushing their domain name onto the customizable site. Now apparently, Reverbnation , a North Carolin

Check out my appearance on the The Toddcast Podcast

Click and watch the podcast recording of my appearance on the Toddcast Podcast Such a fun time!

New Life

It's weird, sad and slightly freeing. I've been headed towards a completely different life for a lot longer than I even knew. It took me a while to catch up to realize it was happening. Thankfully, I was cognizant enough to see it finally and mostly ready for it. It's amazing when you have the rug completely pulled out from underneath you. The adjustments are jarring. I made mistakes, but like most I learned from them, adapted, and tried my best to do better. The reason you see that truck next to a storage place? That's the sum of my life right now. Never take for granted that you will work hard for something or someone, and it will end up meaning very little. You are guaranteed nothing, owed nothing, promised nothing. Anything and everything can be taken away in a heartbeat. I wrote this to my kids a while back: I tried to be the best father I could be based on what I knew when I knew it and how I could. One of the lessons for your life needs to be: you need to b

Todd Lyden

Search This Blog