Good Advertising

I was reading some technical magazine. There was an advertisement in there for a free eBook. The company invited readers to come on an adventure to learn some new stuff.

I went to their web site to give it a try. They were smart. They broke up the chapter of the book. You had to visit different pages on the web site to get to the link of each page. The book itself was a decent overview of Agile software development technologies.

The company did not require me to enter any personal information. They got me to check out their site. The book was well written and left a good impression in my mind. When I need to do something Agile, guess who I am probably going to turn to first?

Making Money by Self Publishing

I read the story about a technical author that tried to self publish a small book. None of the traditional publishers wanted to do his small pocket guide. So he went to do the publishing himself. The bottom line was that he made about $3k a month in the end. Not too shabby.

Read about his adventures first hand. His marketing angle was to give away free PDF versions of his book. That turned out to be a good ploy. He is also trying to get into cheap Kindle eBook sales. Check out his 99 cent books.

Coming to a Theater Near You

I saw that there is a new program going on in a big city near me. This summer they are doing an incubator for 10 individuals or groups. You apply for the job via YouTube video. If you get accepted, you move to the city for the summer.

The stint is a 3 month stay in the city. You also get some cash to fund you. This idea is nothing new. It is novel only because there are no big incubator projects like this around my location. I don't live in Silicon Valley.

I don't think I will be applying for this opportunity. I would like to though.

Failed Sales Pitch

Some time ago I entered a contest to win an adjustable bed. Entering sweepstakes is a hobby of mine. I was waiting for an important call today. When the phone rang, I picked it up. Turns out it was a sales call. And what a fail it was.

I answered the phone, "Hello?" No reply. I repeated myself. On the third time I heard someone announce my name. I thought it might be an automated calling system. Then some woman starting reading a sales pitch. It was obvious that she was reading from a script.

Come on. Even if you are reading, try to make it sounds a little natural at least. I was asked some questions that I answered. The sales lady did a good job moving the offer forward by saying a representative would be out to talk with me. I declined. The phone call was a fail from the very beginning. You had better start strong or do not call at all. In other words, come correct or stay the hell home. Rant off.