Holiday Card Etiquette For Digital And Analog

E-Card Maybe it’s the recession, or maybe it’s a sign of the digital age. I’ve been receiving a disproportionate share of holiday e-cards versus traditional paper cards sent via snail mail. I like e-cards because they’re friendlier to the environment, though I still like receiving paper greetings as well.… Read the rest

How To Write Effective Email That Cuts Through The Clutter & Gets Results

Despite hype over every new social media channel, I’m more convinced than ever that email is the mother of all digital communications channels, especially when it comes to interpersonal exchange. It is reliable for mission-critical communications, while also acceptable for casual and marketing purposes.… Read the rest

The Most Valuable Productivity Tool Ever — And It’s Not An iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, MacBook, iPad Or Any Other Flimsy, Unreliable Electronic Device

My Paper Notebook During my recent vacation, while setting up my Evo smartphone’s WiFi hotspot so I could connect my MacBook to the Internet, I asked myself: “What is my most valuable workplace productivity tool?” It is not my smartphone or laptop.… Read the rest

Eight Things Online Marketing Has In Common With Satan

If you’re reading this, it’s probably  because the headline above convinced you to click on a link or open an email.

Now here’s the catch: First, this article has nothing to do with Satan. Second, I didn’t even write the headline myself.… Read the rest

Connecting With Ancestors Through Letters

I wrote an essay a few months back describing how the surge in digital communications has created a relative explosion in the impact of handwritten letters. My longtime friend Devin Marks left a comment that’s worthy of its own blog post, so here it is:

[A]bout a year ago, I returned to the family attic in Kentucky and pulled out some 1,700-odd letters from the 1880s, forward.

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