John's Blog

My will to post anything here becomes less and less frequent. It seems that when I discovered Twitter it ramped up my AADD to new levels. Apparently I can't put together a coherent thought that exceeded 140 characters. Although anyone who follows my tweets will realize that many days I can't put together a coherent thought at any length. But despite my preference for the spontaneity and interactive nature of Twitter and my lack of will to devote any energy to posting, I somehow lack the ability to admit that this is over and just pull the plug.

It's probably wishful thinking that I'll experience a refreshed and renewed interest in traditional blogging. Or even to think that I'll somehow re-invent what I do here and give it some fresh meaning. But I'll just continue to delude myself that one of those things just might happen. Maybe I'll find a cure for a major disease or bring about world peace while I'm at it as well.

There are those who suggest I should focus on Facebook instead. For reasons I just can't articulate or understand, I just can't get into the whole FB experience. I was beginning to warm up to it a bit, and then they went and tweaked it and it just seems like a hot mess to me these days. Incorporating all the worst features of both blogging and Twitter in one place; how convenient. And unappealing. But since the whole world is there these days, I continue and hope that someday I'll give it the same love others seem to have for it.

So far, I've stubbornly refused to do a single status update. I guess the day you see one there under my name, you'll know I've had a Facebook epiphany. Or just caved in to conventional wisdom. Till then, some helpful hints on Facebook Manners And You.

Tags: pop-culture, internet culture, life experiences, Twitter, Facebook, SM, pointless rambling

"I can resist anything except temptation."
Oscar Wilde

Tags: quotes

An interesting piece explaining The panhandler's secret:

When there were old-school parking meters in New York, quarters were precious.

One day, I'm walking down the street and a guy comes up to me and says, "Do you have a dollar for four quarters?" He held out his hand with four quarters in it.

Curious, I engaged with him. I took out a dollar bill and took the four quarters.

Then he turned to me and said, "Can you spare a quarter?"

What a fascinating interaction.

First, he engaged me. A fair trade, one that perhaps even benefited me, not him.

Now, we have a relationship. Now, he knows I have a quarter (in my hand, even). So his next request is much more difficult to turn down. If he had just walked up to me and said, "can you spare a quarter," he would have been invisible.

Too often, we close the sale before we even open it.

Interact first, sell second.

Tags: sales, relationships, engagement, panhandling