Scott Monty

Getting to Know You

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://h1.ripway.com/socialmediamarketing/taste_test_PB.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://h1.ripway.com/socialmediamarketing/taste_test_PB.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" /></a>The days of the blind taste test are over. When you're considering an online purchase, it's a huge leap of faith to simply buy anything without knowing much about the people, the company or its customers. In this case, I'm thinking specifically about books. After all, that's what the entire Amazon model is built on - knowing what you're getting, what's similar, and what people are saying about it. There has already been a remarkable and enthusiastic response to <a href="http://www.ageofconversation.com/">The Age of Conversation</a>, but I can understand the hesitancy in hitting that "buy" button without more information. Even though we live in a fast-paced hyperactive society that rewards quick action, it's still going to take more than saying "trust me" to drive sales - on this book or on any product or service marketed online. With that, I'd like to give you some samples of what to expect from the 103 authors of this tome (listed alphabetically by authors' last names): <a href="http://brandimpact.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/taste-aoc-a-d/">A taste from A-D</a> <a href="http://brandimpact.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/taste-aoc-e-j/">A taste from E-J</a> <a href="http://brandimpact.wordpress.com/2007/07/23/taste-aoc-k-r/">A taste from K-R</a> <a href="http://brandimpact.wordpress.com/2007/07/23/taste-aoc-s-z/">A taste from S-Z</a> Have you read it yet? Do you have a favorite? Thanks to <a href="http://brandimpact.wordpress.com/">Steve Woodruff</a> for the links and synopses.

Getting to Know You

The days of the blind taste test are over. When you're considering an online purchase, it's a huge leap of faith to simply buy anyth...

Back to School

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://h1.ripway.com/socialmediamarketing/back_to_school.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://h1.ripway.com/socialmediamarketing/back_to_school.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" /></a>I know it's a little early to think about "back to school," but August is just around the corner and that's when the kids stock up on all of their needs for heading back to the daily grind. I don't know about you, but I have memories of office supply stores where I hunted for pens, pencils and other math-related hardware related to school. But mention "hardware" to today's generation of 10 to 12 year-olds and you're talking an entirely different language. According to <a href="http://blogs.mediapost.com/research_brief/?p=1488">a recent survey</a> by <a href="http://www.shoplocal.com/">Shoplocal.com</a>, a full 70% of pre-teens want to head back to school with a new computer. And as one would expect from this cohort, the priorities of boys are vastly different than those of their female counterparts. Evidently, the girls are interested in fashion and style and boys want entertainment. Sounds like they're already prepared for the real world. Personally, I've got all the gadgets I need right now - computer, iPod nano, smartphone. I don't think I'm in the market for anything else. How about you? Have you got any must-have supplies on your "back to school" list?

Back to School

I know it's a little early to think about "back to school," but August is just around the corner and that's when the kids ...

Crazy Eights

There must be something in the air. It seems to be meme season again already. <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2007/06/popularity-is-all-relative.html">The last one</a> I forced upon my unsuspecting digital friends turned out to be moderately useful, in terms of getting to know our own content a little better. The latest craze is instructive as well, but in the shadow of the great Age of Conversation, this meme is designed to build or deepen relationships we have with each other as we reveal 8 Random Things About Me. I was tagged by <a href="http://ryanbarrett.typepad.com/cheapthrills/2007/07/8-random-things.html">Ryan Barrett</a>. I'm struggling to come up with really good ones, because I feel like I've shared some already in various contexts online. Well, on the off chance that people haven't been paying attention, I'll repeat myself. <ol><li>In graduate school, I won a student book collecting contest sponsored by the Friends of the Libraries at Boston University. I subsequently joined the group and attended many cocktail receptions, lectures and dinners where I had the opportunity to speak with celebrities at length, including Angela Lansbury, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001954/">Claire Bloom</a>, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Roddy McDowall, Saul Bellow, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Russell">Anna Russell</a>, Michael Chiklis, Dan Rather... At the event with Prince Edward, Lauren Bacall approached me and my wife, saying she wanted to hang with "the younger people."</li><li>I was trained classically on the accordion. Yes, I can play polkas, but I choose not to. I competed at the state and national level and took home many prizes over the years. I stopped lessons after high school - there's only so much ridicule a guy can take. </li><li>My range of vocal impressions is fairly exhaustive; I'd be doing voice-overs on the side if anyone took me up on it (see the right column under "About Me"). </li><li>I am a clothes horse - I own over 300 neckties and 50 bow ties. In order to make it through the "rotation," at my last job, each week I celebrated "Bow Tie Monday."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://h1.ripway.com/wsmonty/SocialMediaMarketing/Scott-Curtis.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://h1.ripway.com/wsmonty/SocialMediaMarketing/Scott-Curtis.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" /></a></li><li>You know <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0035664/">Booger</a> from Revenge of the Nerds? His real name is Curtis Armstrong and he and I are friends. If he were here he'd want me to point out that he was also in Ray, Akeelah and the Bee, Moonlighting, Better Off Dead and Risky Business, he's a P.G. Wodehouse and Washington Irving scholar, and he never gets tired of being called "Booger." </li><li>Growing up in rural Connecticut, before I was of legal age to work in typical high school jobs (supermarket, fast food joints, etc.), I spent two summers working on tobacco farms that produced cigar tobacco. The first summer was broad-leaf (the wrapper) and the second summer was shade (the filler). My parents thought it built "character." I think it made me realize I never wanted to do manual labor. </li><li>I was a Resident Assistant on duty the night <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FWarren_Towers&ei=ieaeRr-cFYa4eee_la8F&usg=AFQjCNE7lIenAjWHm30BXpQ-f_nzQh0weA&sig2=UmUBOWHjahVtU6oEEfanZQ">Warren Towers</a> had to be evacuated due to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toluene#Toxicology_and_metabolism">toxic fumes</a> venting up from the sealcoating of the parking garage beneath. Over 1,500 students were displaced over October 11-13, 1991, as genius contractors thought the building would be at low capacity for Columbus Day weekend, and decided to use the toluene-based chemicals. </li><li>I am an investitured member of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Street_Irregulars">Baker Street Irregulars</a>, a literary society whose members have included <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Stout">Rex Stout</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Morley">Christopher Morley</a> and Isaac Asimov, and I serve as business manager of the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/">Baker Street Journal</a>.</li></ol>I showed you mine...now you show me yours. Eight people I'd like to know more about: <a href="http://youngie.prblogs.org/">Paull Young </a><a href="http://lasandrabrill.blogspot.com/">LaSandra Brill </a><a href="http://www.converstations.com/">Mike Sansone </a><a href="http://www.toddand.com/">Todd Andrlik</a> <a href="http://lgbusinesssolutions.typepad.com/solutions_to_grow_your_bu/">Lewis Green </a><a href="http://www.directortom.com/">Tom Clifford</a> <a href="http://www.influxinsights.com/">Ed Cotton </a><a href="http://transmissionmarketing.ca/">Mark Goren </a> Consider yourself tagged!

Crazy Eights

There must be something in the air. It seems to be meme season again already. The last one I forced upon my unsuspecting digital friends tu...

Content So Focused People Will Line Up for It

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/Rp5vF97b4DI/AAAAAAAAAZE/KFoTotSaQ8w/s1600-h/takeanumber1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088626777289121842" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/Rp5vF97b4DI/AAAAAAAAAZE/KFoTotSaQ8w/s200/takeanumber1.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>Let me tell you a little story about podcasting, if I may. I've been a big follower of podcasts for a couple of years now. I've got my favorites, which span a number of genres, but I've been consistently impressed with the quality of the productions (for the most part) and the great content. When my daily commute was an hour each way, I consumed podcasts regularly and they ruined me for traditional radio. As I recounted in one of my all-time favorite posts, <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2007/04/there-are-riches-in-niches.html">There Are Riches in Niches</a>, I was mulling over two podcasting ideas with <a href="http://www.bryper.com/">Bryan Person</a>, host of <a href="http://www.newcommroad.com/">New Comm Road</a>. He gave me some valuable advice, which was to be unique, serve a small audience, and do it well. So, with that in mind, I took the plunge and started producing <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/">a podcast</a> last month. To be frank, I had very low expectations for it. It is a podcast strictly focused on a sub-segment of the literary world - specifically, of Sherlock Holmes devotees. It's definitely an educated group, but not technologically advanced, so I figured that if I got 35 listeners, I'd be lucky. After all, this is uber-niche. Imagine my surprise when I checked my stats and saw that my audience is nearly 5 times what I expected! So What's the Secret? There are a number of factors that went into getting such a large audience, and as I'm only on my third show, I'm sure I'll be learning a great deal more as the show continues to grow. In a post tomorrow, I'll share with you some of the specific actions and steps that I took to achieve what I have. In the meantime, I was pleased to find a nice blurb on the <a href="http://splashcastmedia.com/more-exciting-media-than-ever-before">SplashCast blog</a> today, courtesy of Marshall Kirkpatrick: <blockquote><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a> is a really neat example of niche audio content with supporting blog posts. Scott Monty and Burt Wolder have also done a great job of leveraging a whole bunch of different services to create the beginnings of their online community. You can even get the show’s intro audio as a ringtone! I am impressed.</blockquote>Thank, you Marshall. We're pretty impressed ourselves.

Content So Focused People Will Line Up for It

Let me tell you a little story about podcasting, if I may. I've been a big follower of podcasts for a couple of years now. I've got ...

Ad Placement: Unfortunate, Lucky, or Savvy?

For those of you who appreciate humor in marketing, here's something that's bound to cheer you up, no matter how your day is going: <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.oddee.com/item_87332.aspx">15 Unfortunately Placed Ads</a> </div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://h1.ripway.com/wsmonty/SocialMediaMarketing/Unfortunate_12.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://h1.ripway.com/wsmonty/SocialMediaMarketing/Unfortunate_12.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" /></a>When marketing humor is unintentional, it's even funnier. But humor is one of the most difficult types of writing and speaking styles to pull off. It takes a sense of humor, an understanding of what your audience finds humorous, the ability to set up the concept and a good sense of timing - or in the case of print ads and banners, proper placement. And that's not easy. When it fails, it's a huge flop. But when it's successful, you've captured the entertainment value that seems to be at the core of so many great campaigns. I've previously <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2006/09/mind-blowing-new-advertising-model.html">extolled entertainment value</a> as <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2006/11/research-entertainment-wildly.html">a key component in viral campaigns</a>, and we've seen a few notables that have been comment-worthy, including Shave Everywhere, Subservient Chicken and Tea Partay. What have you seen that's got entertainment value and causes you to "send to a friend"? Coda: the output from the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg1ckCkm8YI">iPhone/Will It Blend</a> experiment is <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-iPhone-and-Blendtec-Total-Blender_W0QQitemZ170129995323QQihZ007QQcategoryZ64355QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem">for sale on eBay</a>. Bidding closes on July 20 at 16:06:59 PDT. Current bid: $1,126.00. I guess their video series does sell blenders.

Ad Placement: Unfortunate, Lucky, or Savvy?

For those of you who appreciate humor in marketing, here's something that's bound to cheer you up, no matter how your day is going: ...

This One's a Lulu

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/RpuQCd7b4CI/AAAAAAAAAY8/VI0nwaLtIqE/s1600-h/AOC_lulu.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087818576113164322" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/RpuQCd7b4CI/AAAAAAAAAY8/VI0nwaLtIqE/s200/AOC_lulu.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>Today is the big day! <a href="http://www.ageofconversation.com/">The Age of Conversation</a> has officially launched and you <a href="http://stores.lulu.com/ageofconversation">order your copy online</a>. You can select from hardcover, paperback or eBook - or any combination of the three. <a href="http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/">Drew McLellan</a> and <a href="http://www.servantofchaos.com/">Gavin Heaton</a> are to be commended. This is a project they initiated and shepherded through, toiling long hours beyond their day jobs.. I've perused the book, which I just purchased (authors did not receive free copies) and here's why I think you should consider buying at least one copy for yourself, a friend or a colleague: Content Great content is what it's all about these days. It's not about 15 minutes of fame any longer; it's about the amount of quality content you can deliver. Well, this book delivers on quality and quantity. Over 100 authors and a singular topic: conversational marketing. In one location, you've got some heavy-hitters of the blogging world. Some people I 've been following for a long time are included: <a href="http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion">David Armano</a>, <a href="http://www.theviralgarden.com/">Mack Collier</a>, <a href="http://www.transmissionmarketing.ca/">Mark Goren</a>, <a href="http://www.mpdailyfix.com/">Ann Handley</a>, <a href="http://www.experiencecurve.com/">Karl Long</a>, and my fellow crayonista <a href="http://gregverdino.typepad.com/">Greg Verdino</a>, to name a few. And there are a rash of new names who have some really great things to say about conversational marketing. If you're still in doubt (you shouldn't be), you can take a look at the authors' qualifications for yourself. <a href="http://arunrajagopal.com/?s=annan&searchbutton=go%21">Arun Rajagopal</a> has assembled a brief but comprehensive set of bios. The Cause From the very beginning of the project, Drew and Gavin were determined to make this a non-profit effort that would support a particular cause. All proceeds from the book will be given to <a href="http://www.varietychildrenscharity.org/index.php">Variety, the Children's Charity</a>. Variety was founded after a little girl was left at a theater in Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve of 1928, with the following note pinned to her: <blockquote>"Please take care of my baby. Her name is Catherine. I can no longer take care of her. I have eight others. My husband is out of work. She was born on Thanksgiving Day. I have always heard of the goodness of show business people and pray to God that you will look out for her.” (signed) ‘A Heartbroken Mother’</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>Eleven people in the theater industry banded together to underwrite the child's support and education and the goodwill spawned an outpouring from the entire city. With more toys and clothing than Chatherine needed, other ophans benefitted from her situation. From this, the Variety organization was formed, so that now their mission statement reads: Variety the Children's Charity is dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world. Here's the breakdown of pricing / charitable contribution: e-book: $9.99 ($7.99 going to charity) paperback book: $16.95 ($8.10 to charity) hardback book: $29.99 ($8.55 to charity) Between great content and a great cause, what more do you need? <a href="http://stores.lulu.com/ageofconversation">Get your copy</a> now!

This One's a Lulu

Today is the big day! The Age of Conversation has officially launched and you order your copy online . You can select from hardcover, paper...

This Could Be the Start of Something Big

<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/RphL2t7b4BI/AAAAAAAAAY0/AqyxuN1TskI/s1600-h/AOCTalkBubble.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086899182528880658" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/RphL2t7b4BI/AAAAAAAAAY0/AqyxuN1TskI/s200/AOCTalkBubble.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>We're closing in on the launch of <a href="http://www.ageofconversation.com/">The Age of Conversation</a>. This amazing project, the brainchild of <a href="http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/">Drew McLellan</a> and <a href="http://www.servantofchaos.com/">Gavin Heaton </a>(or Drewvin, as I like to call them), is a result of over 100 marketing authors banding together for a <a href="http://www.usvariety.org/">great cause</a>. 
 
The book will be available on Monday, July 16 in three formats: 
Hardback $29.99 
Paperback $16.95 
E-book $9.99 
 
And in addition to the power of 100 bloggers, the book has begun to receive mention in some of the trade publications: <a href="http://adage.com/bookstore/post?article_id=119259">Advertising Age</a> and <a href="http://www.socialcomputingmagazine.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=483">Social Computing Magazine</a> have both done pieces on the project. Add to that an Age of Conversation Contributors + Friends group on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a>, and we're off and running! 
 
<object data="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=239860&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&video_info=1" height="345" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="460"> <param name="quality" value="best"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showAll"> <param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=239860&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&video_info=1"></object> 
 
<a href="http://vimeo.com/239860">The Age of Conversation - Teaser</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/mindblob">mindblob</a> and <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>

This Could Be the Start of Something Big

We're closing in on the launch of The Age of Conversation . This amazing project, the brainchild of Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton (or ...

iPhone, Meet Total Blender

Of the videos I've seen this week, our friends over at <a href="http://www.blendtec.com/">BlendTec</a> are the winners, hands down. 
 
This week, the CEO (as usual) takes his position next to the blender and whips out his brand new iPhone. He quickly tosses it in the blender, selects "Smoothie," and... 
 
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I've been following the <a href="http://www.willitblend.com/">Will It Blend?</a> videos for quite some time and they're always entertaining. But beyond the awareness/entertainment factor, every marketer wants to know: how does this translate into sales? According to BlendTec, they've seen a huge spike in sales. 
 
<a href="http://blogs.forrester.com/charleneli/2007/07/willitblendcom-.html">Charlene Li sums up the success factors</a> rather well in a post on her blog, citing authenticity, humor, originality and a connection to the value of the product. I don't know about you, but if I were to go blender shopping before seeing these videos, I'd normally have no clue as to what I'd buy. I'd probably pick some mid-range model and hope for the best. 
 
But now if you say "blender," I automatically picture one of these videos in my mind and picture how the product performs. While I might not be in the market for a $400 blender, it's top of mind when I'm considering a purchase. And that's what any good marketer wants. 
 
The relative low cost of using a social network like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Blendtec">YouTube</a> for a marketing campaign is certainly attractive in these days of tight marketing budgets. But as Charlene pointed out, there are a number of reasons this one works. But there is one that I think she missed: aligning your brand with another well-known (and in this case well-loved) brand. 
 
In just two days, the iPhone edition of "Will It Blend?" has garnered over 650,000 views. The front-runner for all 55 videos submitted over the last year is...drum roll, please...an iPod! Nearly 4 million views of the world's foremost mp3 player versus the world's most powerful blender. But what makes the destruction of Jobsian technology so much more interesting than say, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxa_64EOmFI">hockey pucks</a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4vqliiZKK4">oysters</a>? 
 
People who know and use Apple products are typically enamored with the beauty of the design and how well the software and hardware are integrated. The popularity of these particular videos is, I think, due to something as basic as morbid curiosity - the same emotion that causes NASCAR fans to secretly wish for a crash and a car fire. Plus, the sheer hype of the iPhone over the last few weeks undoubtedly drove this. Perhaps a little phone envy plays into it as well? 
 
Bottom line: sometimes, instead of the typical features & benefits approach that 90% of marketers use, a little creativity and thought can go a long way. When you connect to your audience's emotions and give them a way to share their enthusiasm through social networks, your brand will benefit.

iPhone, Meet Total Blender

Of the videos I've seen this week, our friends over at BlendTec are the winners, hands down. This week, the CEO (as usual) takes his ...

Yet Another Practical Use for Twitter

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://h1.ripway.com/wsmonty/SocialMediaMarketing/rtm-twitterlogo.png"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://h1.ripway.com/wsmonty/SocialMediaMarketing/rtm-twitterlogo.png" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" /></a>If you're not at least aware of <a href="http://twitter.com/scottmonty">Twitter</a> by now, you should be. It seems like most of the social media sphere has jumped on board. With plug-ins for Facebook and badges for Blogger, MySpace and Typepad, Twitter is making itself ubiquitous. For those who are aware but not active practitioners of the art of the tweet, there seems to be <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2007/03/wall-street-journal-is-all-twitter.html">a high level of skepticism</a> regarding this social application. But as the application becomes more widespread, there are increasingly more ways to use it. Case in point: Twitter is now integrated with the task management system <a href="http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/2007/07/twitter-your-tasks.html">Remember the Milk</a>. You can now add <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://twitter.com/rtm">rtm</a> as a friend and soon be sending yourself to-do items or managing your task list, no matter where you are. Not that the world necessarily needs another electronic to-do list organizer. The reason this attracts my attention is because the RTM folks have integrated a number of Google APIs into their site, so you can get RTM in your Google Calendar, Google Maps and as an iGoogle gadget. With the user-friendly services like <a href="http://www.grandcentral.com">Grand Central</a> and <a href="http://www.feedburner.com">FeedBurner</a> under their belt, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Google grabs RTM next. It seems that my list of useful social media tools keeps growing. How about you? Do you have some useful tools or applications that you can't live without? Drop a note in a comment and let me know.

Yet Another Practical Use for Twitter

If you're not at least aware of Twitter by now, you should be. It seems like most of the social media sphere has jumped on board. With ...

Everybody's Talking About It

<a href="http://h1.ripway.com/wsmonty/SocialMediaMarketing/badge.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://h1.ripway.com/wsmonty/SocialMediaMarketing/badge.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a>"It" being <a href="http://www.ageofconversation.com/">The Age of Conversation</a>. Back <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2007/04/what-do-you-have-to-say.html">in April</a>, I made one of the smartest decisions of my blogging career - I accepted <a href="http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/">Drew McLellan's</a> & <a href="http://servantofchaos.typepad.com/">Gavin Heaton's</a> kind invitation to be one of the authors of a book about conversational marketing. And that project, with over 100 influential marketing authors behind it, is now a reality. 
 
On Monday, July 16, you'll be able to purchase your very own copy of the entire volume. While I'm only familiar with one of the chapters, I can assure you that you won't be disappointed with what my colleagues have to say. I plan to buy at least one copy. 
 
After a lot of debating and deliberation, the organizers decided to price the book as follows: 
 
Hardbacks $29.99 Paperbacks $16.95 E-book $9.99 
All of the proceeds from the publication will go toward <a href="http://www.varietychildrenscharity.org/index.php">Variety, the Children's Charity</a> and you'll have the opportunity to give more to the charity if you so desire. Keep your eye on this space for developments. 
And just in case you wanted a refresher as to who the contributors are, here you go: 
<a href="http://servantofchaos.typepad.com/">Gavin Heaton</a> <a href="http://drewsmarketingminute.com/">Drew McLellan</a> <a href="http://www.ck-blog.com/cks_blog/">CK</a> <a href="http://www.conversationagent.com/">Valeria Maltoni</a> <a href="http://www.conformistsunite.com/">Emily Reed</a> <a href="http://katiechatfield.wordpress.com/">Katie Chatfield</a> <a href="http://gregverdino.typepad.com/greg_verdinos_blog">Greg Verdino</a> <a href="http://moblogsmoproblems.blogspot.com/">Mack Collier</a> <a href="http://lgbusinesssolutions.typepad.com/solutions_to_grow_your_bu/">Lewis Green</a> <a href="http://sacrum-applicant.blogspot.com/">Sacrum</a> <a href="http://www.mpdailyfix.com/">Ann Handley</a> <a href="http://www.converstations.com/">Mike Sansone</a> <a href="http://heehawmarketing.typepad.com/hee_haw_marketing/">Paul McEnany</a> <a href="http://blog.creativethink.com/weblog/">Roger von Oech</a> <a href="http://theengagingbrand.typepad.com/the_engaging_brand_/">Anna Farmery</a> <a href="http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/">David Armano</a> <a href="http://onereaderatatime.blogspot.com/">Bob Glaza</a> <a href="http://transmissionmarketing.ca/">Mark Goren</a> <a href="http://technomarketer.typepad.com/">Matt Dickman</a> <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/">Scott Monty</a> <a href="http://www.chaosscenario.com/main/">Richard Huntington Cam Beck</a> <a href="http://www.reichcomm.typepad.com/">David Reich</a> <a href="http://mindblob.typepad.com/mindblob/">Mindblob (Luc)</a> <a href="http://www.craphammer.ca/">Sean Howard</a> <a href="http://masiguy.blogspot.com/">Tim Jackson</a> <a href="http://www.lonelymarketer.com/">Patrick Schaber</a> <a href="http://www.copywritingmaven.com/the_copywriting_maven/">Roberta Rosenberg</a> <a href="http://uewhook.blogspot.com/">Uwe Hook</a> <a href="http://successfromthenest.com/">Tony D. Clark</a> <a href="http://toddand.com/">Todd Andrlik</a> <a href="http://www.divamarketingblog.com/">Toby Bloomberg</a> <a href="http://www.stickyfigure.com/">Steve Woodruff</a> <a href="http://www.sbannister.com/">Steve Bannister</a> <a href="http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/">Steve Roesler</a> <a href="http://branddna.blogspot.com/">Stanley Johnson</a> <a href="http://www.brainsonfire.com/">Spike Jones</a> <a href="http://giddlebits.wordpress.com/">Nathan Snell</a> <a href="http://simonpayn.typepad.com/">Simon Payn</a> <a href="http://rrasmussen.tumblr.com/">Ryan Rasmussen</a> <a href="http://marketingroi.wordpress.com/">Ron Shevlin</a> <a href="http://www.modernmagellans.com/">Roger Anderson</a> <a href="http://middlezonemusings.com/">Bob Hruzek</a> <a href="http://gumpdesign.blogspot.com/">Rishi Desai</a> <a href="http://makeitgreat.typepad.com/makeitgreat/">Phil Gerbyshak</a> <a href="http://www.advercation.com/">Peter Corbett</a> <a href="http://www.thebuddygroup.com/">Pete Deutschman</a> <a href="http://www.nick-rice.com/">Nick Rice</a> <a href="http://virtualmarketingandmedia.blogspot.com/">Nick Wright</a> <a href="http://marketingmonster.wordpress.com/">Michael Morton</a> <a href="http://herd.typepad.com/">Mark Earls</a> <a href="http://www.smoblog.com/">Mark Blair</a> <a href="http://vellandi.wordpress.com/">Mario Vellandi</a> <a href="http://modadimagno.blogspot.com/">Lori Magno</a> <a href="http://writenowisgood.typepad.com/write_now_is_good">Kristin Gorski</a> <a href="http://www.bizgrowthnews.com/">Krishna De</a> <a href="http://crossthebreeze.com/">Kris Hoet</a> <a href="http://www.annansi.com/blog">Kofl Annan</a> <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/kimberlydawnwells">Kimberly Dawn Wells</a> <a href="http://blog.experiencecurve.com/">Karl Long</a> <a href="http://www.thedozenblog.com/">Julie Fleischer</a> <a href="http://www.telltenfriends.com/blog">Jordan Behan</a> <a href="http://www.mil-media.com/">John La Grou</a> <a href="http://www.happyburroblog.com/">Joe Raasch</a> <a href="http://www.jimkukral.com/">Jim Kukral</a> <a href="http://indexed.blogspot.com/">Jessica Hagy</a> <a href="http://www.marketingideablog.com/">Janet Green</a> <a href="http://www.jameyshiels.com/">Jamey Shiel</a>s <a href="http://www.customerthink.com/gurublog/graham_hill">Dr. Graham Hill</a> <a href="http://brandopia.wordpress.com/">Gia Facchini</a> <a href="http://brandopia.wordpress.com/">Geert Desager</a> <a href="http://gauravonomics.com/">Gaurav Mishra</a> <a href="http://www.garyschoeniger.com/">Gary Schoeniger</a> <a href="http://www.garethkay.com/">Gareth Kay</a> <a href="http://farisyakob.typepad.com/">Faris Yakob</a> <a href="http://libraryrevolution.com/">Emily Clasper</a> <a href="http://www.influxinsights.com/">Ed Cotton</a> <a href="http://shakegently.com/">Dustin Jacobsen</a> <a href="http://www.directortom.com/">Tom Clifford</a> <a href="http://blog.brandexperiencelab.org/">David Polinchock</a> <a href="http://www.mokummarketing.com/blog/">David Koopmans</a> <a href="http://www.journamarketing.com/">David Brazeal</a> <a href="http://www.marketersstudio.com/">David Berkowitz</a> <a href="http://thoughtsphilosophies.com/">Carolyn Manning</a> <a href="http://mediahunter.typepad.com/">Craig Wilson</a> <a href="http://www.marketinghipster.com/">Cord Silverstein</a> <a href="http://www.everydotconnects.com/">Connie Reece</a> <a href="http://canuckflack.com/">Colin McKay</a> Chris Newlan <a href="http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot">Chris Corrigan</a> <a href="http://cedricgiorgi.blogspirit.com/">Cedric Giorgi</a> Brian Reich <a href="http://customersrock.wordpress.com/">Becky Carroll</a> <a href="http://arunrajagopal.com/">Arun Rajagopal</a> <a href="http://www.andynulman.com/">Andy Nulman</a> <a href="http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog">Amy Jussel</a> AJ James <a href="http://kimklaverblogs.blogspot.com./">Kim Klaver</a> <a href="http://www.purplewren.com/">Sandy Renshaw</a> <a href="http://www.wf360.typepad.com/">Susan Bird</a><a href="http://www.troyworman.com/wordpress/">Ryan Barrett Troy Worman</a><a href="http://vineberg.blogspot.com/">S. Neil Vineberg</a>

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Scott Monty - Strategic Communications & Leadership Advisor