Blake Snow

writer-for-hire, content guy, bestselling author

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Tagged listicles

A geek’s guide to avoiding buyer’s remorse

img3.jpgI consider myself a thrifty individual. I don’t shop at garage sales or anything, and have been known to purchase select high-end products, but I love getting a deal. And I hate feeling buyer’s remorse after spending money on something I don’t need or know I won’t use.

So here are five preventative measures I follow to avoid buyer’s remorse:

1. Use Amazon.com’s “save for later” feature. The number one rule for avoiding buyers remorse is don’t buy on impulse. Amazon’s “save for later” feature ensures that you don’t buy on impulse, yet it provides a quick and easy way to purchase things later with just a couple of clicks. I currently have 14 items in my “save for later” box. I will eventually buy maybe 1-2 (I just recently deleted about 20 itmes after deciding I really didn’t need them). Is there a better way to plan ahead? I think not.

Continue reading…

How to keep a pregnant wife happy

Lindsey and I are anxiously awaiting the pending arrival of our second child next month, a girl that will don the ever-popular name of Madison (Maddie for short). Despite my being a newbie dad, I’ve learned a few tricks in keeping a pregnant wife happy.

Here are five suggestions for doing just that.

  1. This first one should be obvious, but just in case: Never tell a pregnant women she’s fat. She knows this. Also, her feet (and maybe even her legs) will inevitably swell with water due to the added weight of a baby. Don’t be a retard; avoid this one at all costs. Continue reading…

10 things about the future of newspapers you need to understand

Ryan from Invisible Inkling has such a good take on the waning popularity of newspapers and how new media has changed the game for the better. Without stealing his thunder, here are his major points:

  1. It’s not Google’s fault
  2. It’s not Craigslist’s fault
  3. Write local
  4. Get new training
  5. Stop charging for news (only advertising)
  6. Reporters need to be multimedia enabled, not just writers
  7. Use bloggers as network sources and voices, don’t fear them
  8. Let your readers consum your content in a variety of ways
  9. Embrace new media
  10. Revamp your online vision

Be sure to click on through to read his excellent commentary.

Five reasons Spider Man 3 is the best in the series (and the best comic book movie ever)

Spiderman 3 is the best comic book movie ever* followed closely by Batman Begins. Interestingly, however, this movie is getting slammed in reviews with most people saying it tries to do too much. I, on the other hand, loved this movie. And while it is a tad long, I thought Columbia Pictures did a great job pulling all the stories and subplots together in a clever Seinfeld fashion. And yes, the movie is hilarious.

Regardless of what you may have heard, here are five reasons why Spiderman 3 is the best movie in the series not to mention the best comic book film to date: Continue reading…

The 50 Most Important People on the Web

PC World has compiled a list of whom they believe to be the 50 most important individuals on the internet. The Google boys take the top spot with all that power they yield, Steve Jobs takes the number 2 spot with all that influence he yields (however warranted), and BitTorrent founder Bram Cohen rounds out the top three. A slew of A-list bloggers also made the list. Check it.

The top 10 most litigous companies (by trademark lawsuits)

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who sues most of all? These 10 companies based on trademark lawsuits from 2001-2006 taken from the sidebar of this article:

  1. Microsoft
  2. Cendent
  3. Altria/Philip Morris
  4. Best Western
  5. Dunkin’ Donuts
  6. Lorillard Tobacco
  7. Levi Strauss
  8. Baskin-Robbins
  9. Chanel
  10. Nike

So what can be gleamed from this info? Either these companies are overprotective or have several others infringing on their IP.

[via Kottke]

5 guidelines in building a successful blog

Over the last two years, blogging (and social sites in general) have been big sellers for Griffio. The short answer is because they work in boosting exposure, influence, and opportunities. But sadly, the blog drop-out rate is ridiculous. I’ve heard as little as 1% of all newly created blogs continue publishing after only a short while. To counter that futile fate, here are (5) guidelines for building a successful blog should you decide to start one: Continue reading…

Top 10 Web Design Mistakes in 2006

Use It lists the top 10 web design mistakes for 2006 with a lot of good ones to boot! Notable pet peeves include poor search on sites (I’m guilty when I don’t use Google on a site), PDF files (ditch ’em everyone!), poor usability by not changing the color of visited links (guilty here), and force opening new browser windows (annoying).

If I can change, and you can change, we can all change… Hit the source link for the goods.

UPDATE: Added forgotten link. Whoops!

Top 10 business myths (includes raising capital)

Rondam Ramblings has compiled their top 10 business myths:

  1. A brilliant idea will make you rich
  2. If you build it they will come
  3. Someone will steal your idea if you don’t protect it
  4. What you think matters
  5. Financial models are bogus
  6. What you know matters more than who you know
  7. A Ph.D. means something
  8. I need $5 million to start my business
  9. The idea is the most important part of my business plan
  10. Having no competition is a good thing

Follow the source link for the full skinny.

Top Prospecting Methods

For all you salesman out there (which is just about anyone who tries to influence others), here are three of the most consistent prospecting methods:

  1. Asking for referrals. Remember to always ask clients, colleagues, even prospects if they know anyone who could benefit from your services.
  2. Executive Networking. Let your work speak for itself. Get your client CEO’s to call or email others in their industry on your behalf. Executive-to-executive sales will always outperform seller-to-executive sales.
  3. Cold Calling. Yup. That’s right. Contrary to popular belief, the reason this method keeps re-occurring in sales is that it works. No other method can increase your prospecting efforts like cold calling can. (I have personally closed many profitable clients this way.)

There are lots of other ways to build your pipelines, but hopefully this will prioritize them and remind you of what works.

[Source: Power Prospecting by Patrick Hansen]