Post the links to people who helped you write your book

Seth Godin (again) because he just keeps getting better. Today, he posts the links to the people who helped his write his new book, Linchpin.

Posting these links is a great idea in a number of ways.
- He recognizes the people who helped him.
- He helps readers of Linchpin (like me) track down sources of "further reading".
- It helps promote the book by spreading the meme.

I will do the same for my future books.

I feel like a biblical prophet in an MGM epic, only I'd be saying things to the crowd like "Go! Go forth, and do like Seth!" All I need is a robe and a staff. (Already got the beard.)

Linchpin -- a book review

Linchpin: Are you indispensable?

We are in the middle of a revolution. Jobs have gone offshore and they are not coming back. 401K’s have been cut by half. Unemployment is the highest it’s been in decades. Fear is everywhere. The middle class is under tremendous pressure.

Godin sees the pain clearly, but he also sees a once in a lifetime opportunity in the situation to create value and become indispensable by taking the intellectual initiative.

You begin by making a decision to overcome the fear and anxiety associated with leading and connecting. Then you train yourself to become what Godin calls a “linchpin,” someone who adds unique value.

Godin has identified 7 abilities of a linchpin:
1. Providing unique interface between members of an organization
2. Delivering unique creativity
3. Managing a situation of great complexity
4. Leading customers
5. Inspiring staff
6. Deep domain knowledge
7. Possessing a unique talent

Godin shows what each of these abilities looks like in the real world, and tells how people have trained themselves to develop them.

Linchpin is Godin’s most ambitious book and his best. Two small sections are worth the entire price of the book: On page 101 Godin explains “Resistance” and on page 146 he tells how he gets projects done.

Get this book. You deserve it!

Microphone comparison

Here's a little 1 minute movie I made to (hopefully) show the difference in sound quality in three types of microphones:
- the in-camera microphone of a Sony HC7 HDV camera
- a consumer-grade lavaliere microphone from Radio Shack
- a professional lavaliere microphone from B and H Photo

The future of the library

Seth Godin's brilliant post about the future for the library...

What should libraries do to become relevant in the digital age?

They can't survive as community-funded repositories for books that individuals don't want to own (or for reference books we can't afford to own.) More librarians are telling me (unhappily) that the number one thing they deliver to their patrons is free DVD rentals. That's not a long-term strategy, nor is it particularly an uplifting use of our tax dollars.

Here's my proposal: train people to take intellectual initiative.

Once again, the net turns things upside down. The information is free now. No need to pool tax money to buy reference books. What we need to spend the money on are leaders, sherpas and teachers who will push everyone from kids to seniors to get very aggressive in finding and using information and in connecting with and leading others.