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Thanks, Ary
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One of, if not the, coolest person I met in Michigan was this girl Ary. I was quite down over one weekend, and she tried really hard (and sort of succeeded) to cheer me up. The things she did weren’t extravagant, they were really simple, but they were above and beyond the call of duty. And that’s why it meant so much.
Simple things just like coming to sit with me and ask me “what’s up?” when I sat alone by myself. And she did things like that all the time. It was more than she needed to do, even as a friend. And it’s something I will always remember.
They were simple actions, but they were unexpected, they exceeded expectations, and as such, they will always be remembered and appreciated.
So thanks, Ary. For consistently doing more than you need to, for going above and beyond, and for cheering me up.
[?]Enthusiasm is Contagious
One of the classes I’m taking in the Summer Discovery Program I’m in now is a “Rock & Roll Boot Camp” class. It’s basically a class where we form bands and learn to play together, etc. As part of the class, we put up a performance yesterday.
My band was the last band to perform, and the last song we did was a cover of “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi. You can check out the video on Facebook here (and while you’re there, feel free to connect with me).
That was our best song by far, and it was a good way to end the whole show. But there are a couple of things I want to say about it.
Technically, it wasn’t as perfect as we would have wanted it to be - it was arguably better during the rehearsal. We made mistakes during the actual performance. But the band was tight enough, we listened to each other and just went with the flow after our mistakes. So even during our “mistakes”, we were still playing as one band, as one sound.
Also, in my opinion, one thing that really carried the song through was the energy of it all. And this is what I really want to stress.
We were really into it. Personally, at least, I was really into the song. I think the others were too, as can be seen from the video. And it showed. We really enjoyed it, we were really into the song, and as such, that energy came through and played a big role in carrying the song.
And why were we so into it? Because (at least partly because) it was our own arrangement. We did the song in our own way, and in doing so, it became ours. We owned it, and we were passionate about it. We did our own thing, something that we believed in - not just following what others have done before.
I know this is a bit of a messy post, and I apologize, but I hope that the points I’m trying to make are clear. If you take what you’re doing and make it your own - instead of just following others - you’re more likely to be passionate about it. You’re more likely to be immersed in it. You’re much more likely to have more energy and enthusiasm about what you’re doing.
And no matter what you are doing, that enthusiasm is very contagious.
[?]What You Want Isn’t Important
Jul 21, 2008 Marketing, life Comments
I just got back from spending the weekend in Chicago, as part of the summer program. On the bus, there was this really annoying girl. She basically kept trying to insist on what she wanted - what movie to watch on the bus, getting people to stop making noise that she didn’t like,. People got annoyed, to the point of people specifically requesting for what she didn’t want.
What’s my point in saying this? I’m not just trying to rant or defame her. But the point is this. At the risk of sounding harsh, people don’t care about what you want.
No matter who you are, that’s a fact. Most people aren’t going to care about what you want, as an individual, personal brand. It’s worse if you’re a company. People will care what you want only if you’ve built a reputation with them, such that they trust you and like you enough to care. But even then, the extent is limited, and you can’t push it too far.
It’s a relatively obvious lesson, I guess. But one that we often forget. In whatever we’re doing, whatever message we’re trying to spread, it’s not about what we want.
If you want people to listen, you can’t just be talking about what you want. You’ve got to give them what they want.
[?]Background Music
Jul 16, 2008 Marketing, music Comments
I’m at the Summer Discovery Program in Michigan at the moment (which is why I haven’t really been blogging much lately, and my apologies for that). It’s been a really interesting experience for me so far, and I’m sure that upon deeper reflection, I’ll have much more to write about.
But anyway, back to this post. There’s a piano in the lounge here, at the dorm. And there a few people who play.
When the piano is being played, it’s very easy for the people around to just ignore it, and go on with their own activities and conversations. In fact, more often than not, that’s exactly what happens. People don’t notice the music from the piano.
When do people take notice? When it’s a song they know and like. It’s not how good the pianist is. No matter how good the song is, or how well the pianist is playing, people won’t take notice (not for long anyway), unless they can relate to it.
It’s a pretty obvious lesson. People will only bother about what they know and like - something that is personal to them and they can relate to. Everything else just fades into the background, as background music.
And the thing about background music is that, even if it’s good, most people just ignore it.
How do you prevent yourself and your message from fading into the background?
[?]Why I like Identi.ca
Jul 10, 2008 Technology, blogging Comments
There’s a lot of Twitter ‘clones’ and competitors coming to the fore lately. A few weeks ago, it was Plurk (which as you might know, I’m not really a fan of). Now, the biggest buzz is Identi.ca. And this time, I am a huge fan of it. It’s been around for a week or so, but I just haven’t had the time to write about it until now.
Why do I like Identi.ca? It’s not about the featueres, though that’s rapidly improving. I like the ideas and principles behind it. It’s a push for openness. We all know that free markets are better than closed ones. That holds true for the online world as well.
And that’s why I’m really in support of Identi.ca. I think the push for openness is really important, and the possibilities of openness - imagine a world where Twitter, Plurk, Pownce and Jaiku can work with each other - is something I look forward to.
So, you can find me on Identi.ca. As always, my username is derrickkwa. Feel free to connect with me over there.
[?]What Happens After They’ve Come?
Jul 6, 2008 Marketing, blogging Comments
Stowe Boyd has a really good post on what new social applications have to do.
So, my New Social App, open the door, invite me in, and tell me up front what you can do for me. But don’t forget to serve drinks and give me a friendly tour. If all you want is registered guests at your party, I’ll be there like every other edgling that gets an invite. But if you want more than zombies standing in the corner dribbling ice cream, make sure I know why your ice cream’s the best, show me the ropes, and make sure I’ve got a personal reason to stay and love you.
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It’s a very important point that we often miss. And again, it’s a lesson that stretches beyond just social applications.
It’s not just about getting new people in - new customers for your product, new readers for your blog, etc. What you do after they’ve entered the door is just as - if not more - important.
[?]Do You Believe in Your Own Product?
Jul 2, 2008 Marketing, music Comments
I remember when I bought my hard guitar case. It was a relatively new/unique design, that’s less common. Even now, I rarely see people use it. But it’s lighter than normal hard cases, with just as much protection.
When I first bought the case, the store owner demonstrated the case to me. How? He used one of his own store guitars, put it in the case and tossed it on the floor. Literally. Practically like how the airline people tend to toss luggages. And the guitar was perfectly fine.
That one demonstration went really far in my decision to buy that case. The fact that the store owner was willing to risk one of his own guitars to demonstrate the case (which was cheaper than the guitar, definitely) showed how much he believed in it. And it made me believe too.
Would you be willing to take that kind of risk for your product? How much do you believe in your product? How much would you risk for it? (For those thinking about your personal brands, substitute “product” with “beliefs”.)
Because if you don’t believe in it enough to take the risk, and believe in your product, your customers are much less likely to either.
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