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I didn’t realize there was a full-on social media campaign for the book when it came out in hardcover, but I’m happy to share the widget with you now that it’s out in paperback.

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Dear Scott,

I’ll be on the corner of Reade and West Broadway wearing my bespoke coat and shirt, 501s heavily cuffed and a scarf, always with the scarf.

What is it with the scarf?

Oh never mind. Just be there.

Yours,

David

Link

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The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

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Kids are a wonderfully blank canvas. While some people see this as an opportunity to impart serious knowledge, I prefer teaching my daughter how to stand on a chair during music class, hold a crayon up in the air, and yell out, “Play Free Bird!”

Yay MetroDad and a belated Happy Father’s Day ya’ll.

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I’ve writen before about the “Obama won because his team used social media” meme and why it’s wrong. This morning Meghan McCain (of the Arizona McCains) chimes in from the GOP side of the arguement.

You can read the article here.

The money quote is from a Republican strategist who points out that

we have to understand what drives success. In some ways we continue to put the cart before the horse. Technology does not drive success. Message (especially a well crafted one) drives success.

Bingo.

Admittedly the GOP and their amen corner in the conservative blogosphere have been pretty lame in their use of the Internet. But even if they were slick as oil they’d still be nowhere without a compelling message.

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This one has been around the Webs and tweeted and retweeted, so I’ll just reprint here and you can figure it out yourself:

For the next 3 days you can pick any 5 books (in PDF format) and pay for only 1. That’s almost $150 worth of books for just $29.95!

But that’s not all…

The best part is that ALL proceeds from this sale will be donated to victims of the recent Australian bushfires so you’ll be supporting a deserving cause — we aren’t making a single dime out of this!

Order your 5 books right now for just $29.95 and do your bit to help us support the victims of these devastating fires:

From PHP to Project Management and everything in between, you’re sure to find something to suit your specific needs,  and at 5 for the price of 1 this is our greatest offer yet.

Go here to spend some money on a good cause.

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@keyinfluencer? Oh really?

There’s a lot you can get away with on Twitter, Facebook, etc. etc. Political opinions, rehashes of crazy parties, doubts of the existence of God are pretty much all fair game these days. Insulting your client’s hometown and the people who live there is pretty much a no-brainer.

More at PRNewser and Gawker.

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A client wants placement in ‘the blogs.’ The account team pulls up a list in Bacons or Technorati or whatever. Hundreds of bloggers – relevent or otherwise – get identical emails. At best, there are no responses. At worst, some of the bloggers post snarky comments, naming the agency and the poor AE who had the luck to have her name attached to the pitch.

And the agency and client conclude that pitching bloggers, and using social media in general, isn’t worth the time and effort.

Oddly enough, pitching bloggers is really no different from pitching journalists. Just replace “bloggers” with “reporters” in the scenario above. Doesn’t that sound like how most agencies do business? Wouldn’t you get more results by actually taking the time to learn what reporters, or bloggers, wanted – or if they are even interested in the first place?

There are two excellent blog posts today on the subject – one from Ragan’s quoting some excellent advice from fellow Catalyst Shel Holtz and the other from Jim Lodico on Social Marketing 2.0.

Go and read them both.

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But the real work comes from following a couple of blogs and seeing who they link to and follow. And then gradually you will know who the authorities in any given field are, and conversly who the gasbags are.

It takes time, I know, but nothing worth doing is worth doing sloppy.

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