Out with the Old, In with the New

by Michael Bourne on December 30, 2009

Neanderthal-Cro-MagnonNeanderthals and Cro-Magnon Man lived together, but the Neanderthal didn’t make it. SUVs and hybrids drove the roads together, but SUVs didn’t make it. Pay tolls and Speed Pass collected money together, but the pay tolls didn’t make it. Supermarket checkout staff and self-pay kiosks bagged groceries, but the checkout staff didn’t make it. Land lines and cell phones made calls, but the land lines didn’t make it. Print newspapers and the internet reported the news, but the newspapers didn’t make it. Printed maps and GPS told you where to go, but printed maps didn’t make it. Film cameras and digital cameras shot images, but the film cameras didn’t make it. Books and the Kindle and iPad told stories, but the books didn’t make it. Google and other internet search engines found content, but the other internet search engines didn’t make it. MySpace and Facebook connected you to friends, but MySpace didn’t make it.

The past lives alongside the future as progress marches on. What will be the next Neanderthal in 2010?

Out with the Old, In with the New

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Mirror Marketing

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Shakespeare wrote that the purpose of art is to “hold the mirror up to nature.” In the bard’s plays we see on stage a reflection of ourselves, and that’s how he created timeless art. I’ve been struggling to find the right metaphor to explain the art of social media marketing to clients, colleagues, even my [...]

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GUY: So I’m thinking about using Twitter. Can you tell me what it is?
GIRL: Welcome to the twitterverse. It’s so nice to tweet you. I can tell you about Twitter.
GUY: OK. How do I get started with Twitter?
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GUY: What do you mean Tweet? I’m [...]

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Wisdom by the Side of the Road #3

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Social Media Gurus: Now, Bigger Than Jesus!

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If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say, Shut Up!

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Wisdom By the Side of the Road #2

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This is the second image in a continuing series I call Wisdom By the Side of the Road. On the way to work there’s an auto service shop with pithy words of wisdom. I’m pretty sure they invented the tweet. Either them, or John Quincy Adams.
Wisdom By the Side of the Road #2

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The Hammer, Crusher, Donut and CNN at Harvard Gravity Summit: Part Two

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My blog is about “where personal and professional branding meet” because whenever I talk with someone about social media, inevitably the conversation turns to the topic of where the line between a personal brand ends and a professional brand begins. Clearly, some people are more inclined to participate actively in social media than others, and [...]

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