The Crazy Ones Lead the Way

by Karrin

I came across this YouTube video, posted by cherumaz and originally from Apple, and it got me to thinking about what it means to be different. We like to believe we are a curious species ready to learn and explore new territory.  The truth is, it’s not popular to question the current ways in which we live.  New ideas are not always welcome.  Those who go into unfamiliar territory are not always joined by others.  The unknown is dark and different; there is no way of knowing what will be there.  

If the few “crazy ones” go out on a limb, and either fall off or get some fruit, many others learn what’s possible.  Our human potential depends on those who are willing, to ask different questions, and go where the masses refuse to.  It is lonely to be one of the few, but the payoff in being “ahead of the times” is worth any feelings of isolation. To be ahead of the times is to be misunderstood by the many.  The many discharge emotions while the few make plans and execute them. 

The more people complain about new ideas the more it helps new ideas to spread.  In exploring new ways of doing things, experimentation is necessary.  The bold ones in this life are willing to experiment, mess up, and start over. They are willing to be laughed at and called Crazy for legitimate reasons.  The Crazy Ones teach the most.  They are the ones people are curious about, even if people don’t fully understand what they are up to. There isn’t much that can be said to the Crazy Ones that can stop them from pursuing what they know to be true.  Pay attention to the Crazy Ones; give it time, they may not be as crazy as you think they are.

Hollaback!

by Rosemari 

Hollaback is a cool digital platform that combines online and mobile technology in hopes to end street harassment.



Yet another example of how mobile technology can provide a virtual voice for those who couldn't "holla back" IRL (in real life). 


I can't imagine how many inappropriate remarks I would have collected if I had been keeping track of every time I was harassed on the street since I was, say, 15 years old. I'm so glad that today's 15 year old (and everyone else) can track it and take action.  

Online Advertising: The David and Goliath of our time?

by Rosemari


“If we had to do it over again,” reflects Josh Koster in his article Long-Tail Nanotargetting about Al Franken’s online advertising budget in 2008, “we would have spent more on Google and Facebook and much less on local newspaper placements.”

The power of online advertising is the honed by the ability to pinpoint your target audience. Online advertising not only allows you to get the most bang for your buck, it also gives you a greater opportunity to engage with individuals who have the most potential to buy your product, vote for your candidate, support your cause, listen to your band’s music, attend your event, and organize your rally.

You may not have the biggest budget or the widest audience, but it the right online tools and savvy, you can make a serious impact. The power of microtargeting online can be the catalyst for a David-and-Goliath style smack down. And that’s super exciting. 

Peter Greenberger’s article The Digital Playbook: Can online ads move polls numbers, draws similar conclusions based on a case study from RESOVE: The National Infertility Association. Grennberger’s article compared the impressive ROI RESOLVE’s online approach had to their public service announcement (PSA) for the same campaign that lamentably left their target audience with no measurable impact. 

Koster’s anecdote about removing Lou Dobbs from CNN’s roster was particularly inspiring and a testament to the importance of online strategy for impacts in mainstream media and our society at large. It made me feel like the playing field had finally been leveled.  The best ideas (and not the biggest budget) win! Or do they?

Before I get out my pom-poms, Koster reminds me, “like all digital success stories, [Al Fraken’s] case study is not about reinventing the wheel, but about modernizing a strategy that has always worked.” And while David may be the first jump on the online advertising bandwagon, history tells us that Goliath is not far behind.