In many ways, marketing isn’t unlike storytelling.

#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.

#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.

#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

#8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.

#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.

#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.

#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.

#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.

#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.

#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.

#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?

#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?

#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

Now, I am a fairly “techie” guy. I have been using PC since the early 90′s during its DOS and Windows 3.1 age. My guess is that I can probably find my way around a Windows 8 machine fairly quickly.

But the problem is: I am NOT most people.

Most people probably land in between me and Chris’ dad when it comes to PC usage, and I think that’s some pretty BAD news for Microsoft.

To be honest, after being disappointed by Vista, I never actually gave Windows 7 a chance. Since XP can do everything that I ever wanted my PC to do, and I was pretty comfortable using it, I never had to switch or upgrade to Windows 7. From what I have heard, though, from both my friends and online reviewerss, Windows 7 is a damn good operating system.

It doesn’t matter to me anymore.

I have switched to OS X earlier this year and I am not planning on going back anytime soon.

I have to admit that it took me a while (a week or so) to get used to the new operating system, and my dad, after a few months, still haven’t really gotten used to it yet. But after figuring out how most things work on a Mac, a light bulb went off in my head, “This is what a good user interface is supposed to be! It simply makes sense.” I guess it was more like what a “good design” is supposed to be: simple and intuitive. Everything is put there for a reason.

In my opinion, two of the most outstanding features of a Mac has are: 1) Multitouch gestures with the touchpad, and 2) the ease of mind knowing that I am far more secured from viruses than I would be on a PC machine. And unfortunately (for Microsoft), they can’t be replaced either easily.

No, I am not saying OS X or Mac is perfect. No operating system is. But it’s definitely better, for what I need for everyday computing.

And if Microsoft isn’t careful, the time for the iPad to outsell EVERY PC manufacturer combined might come sooner than we think. FYI, Apple already sold more iPad than any PC makers last quarter. That was last quarter! Before the launch of the new iPad!

P.S. If you are interested, here is a video of Chris’ dad using OS X Lion for the very first time.

I don’t know about you, but as a marketer, isn’t it exciting to know that we CAN get hundreds of millions people to give you their attention, support and money? And on top of that, to willingly spread your message?

The message, of course, needs to be compelling enough.

P.S. Lesson #2 to take away from this: when you in fact have the attention of millions of people, any issue, big or small, which might be worth criticizing WILL be exposed and criticized. Be ready.

Success Mag interview, 2012 from Seth Godin on Vimeo.

Warning: The video contains strong language.

Whatever you are trying to do: sell a product, solidify/reinvent your brand image or build a following; it doesn’t really matter.

The challenge is: when you have nobody to look up to, do you and the people you have surrounded yourself with have the guts to actually create something that might be controversial?

It’s true that no matter how hard you work, the chance of you making it to the NBA is next to none. But that’s not to say that if you work hard enough, you will more than likely be much better than just about anyone in a pickup game on the playground. Isn’t that enough?

…and the same could be said about your work, business, school, whatever.

Here are some of my thoughts on it:

- Should Yelp be worried? I think so. They’d better act fast to either come up with a better solution or team up with Apple. Imagine when I tell Siri: “Langer’s has the best pastrami sandwich in the world! You’ve gotta to try their #19.” And a friend of mine asks: “Pastrami sandwiches in LA?”

- Traveling. Airlines, hotels, car rentals. They should all be salivating at this platform. How cool would it be if someone asks her phone to “plan my trip to Paris” and Siri puts your name first on the list?

- Deals. “What’s the best deal on Sony Nex-5N in my area/online?” “Who has happy hours now?” A side note: If you are a product manager, you ought to really think hard now about naming your product.

- Social. “I am free this Friday night. Who wants to hang out?” “Who among my friends are free this Friday night?”

Once again, the possibilities are pretty endless, and I can’t wait to see what people can come up with.

The way I see it, you really only have two options:

1) Insist on building a product that people need (and love) before they know that they needed it. See the future, take a stance, and risk failure. It’s such an impossible thing to do, that when someone actually repeated does it, it leaves little doubt why Apple is where it is today.

2) Build a platform in which everyone could excel. Ignore the fact that most people won’t put in the effort, assume nothing and leave all the possibilities open.

This is a rare footage of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates sharing a stage. Well worth the standing ovation.

R.I.P. Mr. Jobs.

I think something bad is bound to happen, regardless of what you do. No one is going to have a perfect game, life, career, family or whatever.

In the end, what defines us, and differentiates us from the rest of the field is how we choose to deal with those bad situations.

I think a better approach is to treat each interaction as part of a lasting relationship.

Knowing what you put in every time will likely have an effect on the relationship is probably going to change the way you deal with them.

I am not suggesting that there is zero negative comments online; that’s obviously not true. What I am arguing is that people tend to create and/or share things on Social Networks that can somehow help them to build their “online social status” in a positive way.

Take Yelp.com for example, the characteristic of Yelp is biased heavily toward a remarkably great dining experience. Sure, there are complaints about crappy restaurants, but the majority of the reviews are either good to great (4 to 5 stars). This is especially true for popular restaurants.

I make the assumption based on this simple idea: a 3 star restaurant is not really worth mentioning, and you would appear kind of stupid (to your peers) if you keep eating at places which you rate 1 or 2 stars.

So here is the question you should ask yourself: if you want your customers to talk about you on their Social Networks, what can they say about you that would make them look good in front of their peers?

The key to Web 2.0, business or personal, is to be unlike everyone else.

I was watching an episode of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart the other day, and thinking to myself: “I don’t mind waiting for the 30-second commercial clips in between each segment.” Not that I enjoy watching the commercials (I ignore them altogether), but because I understand he (and his show) is trying to make money. And because he is the only Jon Stewart in the world, It was worth the wait.

You don’t win when you are better than everyone else. Not anymore. Not online. You win when there is no one else doing what you do.

It’s okay to not add a page onto your website;

It’s even okay to not sell to a customer;

…as long as you stick to your goals and do what you believe is best, for the people who actually matter.

The problem is, that method (especially online) is losing its effectiveness in an world that is now filled with noise and distraction — interrupting people with more noise when they are getting so good at filtering out noise simply isn’t smart.

This is when you should remember that advertising is only a (small) part of marketing. Now is probably as good a time as ever to ask yourself: if we take away advertising from our marketing, what are we left with?

…and is that enough?

Here is the thing: when businesses are doing well, they generally don’t want change. They hesitate to add or try something new — afraid that the new addition will somehow disrupt rather than help.

While that’s totally understandable, you should also keep in mind that the best time to invest in Social Media is while you are still on your way up. The most effective and efficient time for building a Social Media fan base is when there is still enough buzz about your business — when people can’t wait to hear from you.

Many businesses treat Social Media (or any other new marketing tools for that matter) as a desperate attempt to revitalize their businesses when all else have failed.

Guess what? Social Media isn’t some magic that will miraculously turn your business around. It is merely a new way of communication. When people don’t want to hear from you, they don’t want to hear from you, regardless of what method you are using to contact them.

So, don’t be like those businesses who were forced to switch from fax to email at the last minute. Instead, be one of the first in your industry to reach out to where your customers are today (hint: Facebook). Accept the fact the this new form of media is here to stay, and try to master it before everyone else.