I always loved snow prints. Whenever it had snowed overnight, I wanted to be the first person to create snow prints. A snapshot of a moment in time when I was first. The only one.

Very soon, those snow prints would be crowded out by others, vanish because of rain or snow. But, for that short moment in time, there was proof that I was alive. That I had done something.

I was here.

Whenever I walk around a cemetery and see gravestones of people who died 1880 or 1770, I wonder: Does anybody even remember they were here at one point? We do remember the works of a few thousand people but we don’t even know why they really were. We have no clue what made Shakespeare happy. Or how Michelangelo defined a good time. And,  we have absolutely no clue about the millions of forgotten names.

A good time to think about snow prints.

Even though they disappear, my  snow print changed something. My feet transferred some of the snow to other parts of the land, changing the way the snow washes away in spring. Mixing with all the other snow prints people created. Ending up in a sewer, ultimately in the ocean. To start the whole cycle all over again.

My foot print became part of someone’s life without both of us knowing it.

That’s why we’re here.

To touch people’s lives. Often without even knowing it.

Through our smile, our writing, our work, our kid, our friends, our co-workers, our handshakes, our hugs.

Everything you do.

You have a chance to make a difference every day.

All you need to do is create snow prints.

Are you ready?

A fascinating project by IDEO Labs.

Traditionally, when we tell stories, we rely on words to produce images in our mind. What happens when each word is represented by a visual but without any larger context. And, how about a collaborative story that changes over time?

traditional storytelling, we rely on words to conjure images in our minds. But what happens when we’re provided with visuals that represent each of the story’s words, but not its larger context? And what if the story itself is collaborative and nonlinear—and the images that represent it keep changing?

“The exquisite corpse model is rooted in the surrealist movement, and we are inspired by how many experiments currently in public domain play with its framework (or lack thereof). Our take on the model—in which we essentially asked a group of collaborators to submit sentences/fragments—was to create a dynamic visualization for the “exquisite” story our writers had crafted. These collective fragments formed a base on which we layered sensory artifacts, from voice-over to tagged visuals, and we were curious as to how far we could take the experience.”

Explore the site here.

Amy Winehouse died last week.

She was an amazing talent. I’ve seen her once in concert and was just blown away by her stage presence and that voice. Oh, that voice.

Sadly, most people will remember her for the drug escapades. For the tortured soul she was. In the age of YouTube, we tend to focus on the negative stuff. On the worst performance.

That happens to many performers. More people know about Kurt Cobain’s demise than his brilliant gift as an artist. Richard Burton, a gifted actor, had a part in Exorcist II. (I hope you didn’t see it.) Buster Keaton performed in Beach Blanket Bingo (!!!!!!!!!) in 1965.

What’s true of actors is true of companies. People don’t just look at your best work, the project you put your heart and soul in. They make a judgement about you based on everything you do and everything you’ve done. (Google never forgets!)

That applies to:

• Brands with great commercials but horrendous brand experience.
• Agencies that showcase their best work from small clients while conveniently forgetting about the work they do for clients who pay the bills.
• Brands with a sophisticated social presence and a phone tree taking you 15 minutes to get to the right person.

In the end, you will be judged by the worst piece of work you ever created. It’s out there for everybody to see. It’s not about what you did 10 years ago, it’s about what you’re doing right now.

Just like any actor in a C-movie, you will be judged by your worst work.

Plan for it.

What brand built the first island on Second Life? What brand marketed itself first on Twitter? Quora? MySpace? Napster?

Who cares?

It’s good to be the first on the moon. It’s great to introduce the first touch-screen tablet. It’s an advantage to feature the first hybrid car.

Nobody cares if you’re the first to market yourself on a new platform.

Let me rephrase that: Nobody of your prospective customers cares if you’re the first to market yourself on a new platform.

Your agency might care. It’s good PR and communicates they’re an innovative marketer.

Your communication department might care. They get featured in trade magazines and invited to speak at conferences.

And your customer? They are busy living their lives.

It can cost you a pretty dime to be the first mover.

Remember the iAd? The first movers had to pay $1 million just to get in. Within a few months, the price dropped to $300,000.

Think about it.

The user base was very small in the beginning and Apple charged a million.

Now, millions are using the tablet and the price dropped dramatically.

It’s the premium you pay when you are the first mover.

The next Gold Rush: Google+

Google+ launched a few weeks ago. Apparently, it has a lot of traction. Social Media experts are falling all over themselves to squeeze money out of that new platform by marketing webinars how to make money from Google+. Brands and agencies are anxious to get in on the deal. Ford is already in.

Good for Ford.

Did they sell any more cars because of their Google+ presence? Did they change anybody’s mind about the brand because they “hung out” with 14 people?

Of course not.

Look, I like what Ford and Scott Monty is doing. They utilize Social Marketing in very innovative ways. They got a lot of PR and applause from the echo chamber for their Google+ initiative.

You’re not Ford.

You have a lot of time. Take that time and explore what others are doing. Only geeks and nerds are on Google+ right now. No reason to rush into it. Understand the landscape, participate as an individual to understand how people are using it. Make a business case and dive into the platform with a Direct Marketing approach: Start small, test, layer and, once you found something that works, expand.

Don’t think of yourself as a teenager that missed a party: The world is not coming to an end. You’re an adult now. There will be many more parties.