Do yourself a favor. Print this out and post it above your keyboard. My favorite is checklist item number eight:

Aside: the definition of permission marketing: Anticipated, personal and relevant messages delivered to people who actually want to get them. Nowhere does it say anything about you and your needs as a sender. Probably none of my business, but I’m just letting you know how I feel. (And how your prospects feel).

The NY Times Reader is now available for the Mac in beta form. If you can get past the fact that it’s built with Silverlight, and allow the installation of yet another crappy proprietary Microsoft technology, you will be rewarded with an enjoyable and readable electronic newspaper experience. Once installed, the underlying technology is transparent and you will forget all about it.

Reading text on the web of any significant length can be difficult, but I have been enduring the awkward experience of reading my favorite newspapers on the web for these reasons:

• The online incarnation of most newspapers is free and immediately available. Daily home delivery of the Times is $12.80 a week. 
• I enjoy the interactive features. It’s a huge time saver when you can see a list of the most read stories. I also frequently use the “email to a friend” links.
• It’s a more environmentally responsible way to get my news. (I’m going to assume that the energy and resources spent producing the printed version of the paper far exceeds whatever energy it takes to operate my computer)

I could go into some detail about the flaws of the web versions of most papers, but it really just boils down to readability. It’s just easier to read the printed version. The Times Reader is a nice compromise between the printed and online versions. It has many of the interactive features I’m used to from the site: email to a friend, printer friendly versions and the ability to save the article. There is also a more logical implementation of text-size adjustment in a slider tool. But what really stands out to me (and not just because I’m a designer) is the columned layout and typography inspired by the printed version. The narrower columns of Cheltenham are much easier to read than the single-column CSS-styled text found in the web versions. And, adding to the whole newspaper-y experience, it just looks more like the Times. Also quite useful is that the program automatically syncs and keeps seven days of content for offline viewing. The interface is simple and usable. Navigating to different sections is easy with a grid of large buttons at the top. 

It isn’t without its flaws, though I’ll go easy since it’s still in beta. The most glaring issue is that you can’t highlight and copy text, something present in the PC version. I have no clue why that would be so difficult to implement. The Reader includes accompanying photos with stories, but there is no video. Perhaps because the current implementation on the Times web site is with Flash. 

The only thing that may keep me from using the Reader in the future? Once out of beta, access to it will be restricted to those with either a paid subscription to the Times or a Reader-only subscription for $15 a month / $170 a year. That’s a little steep for something I can get for free, even if free means tolerating those web readability issues. But if you’re a hard-core news junky or former New Yorker, it might be worth the expense.

I recently bought Madonna’s latest and greatest on itunes. Now, I’ve heard people talk about the sound quality of digital music and thought that maybe some people (i.e my husband who is a complete audiophile) were just being picky. Well, I must say that it really sounded like crap. If people like me can tell the difference in the digital file versus the CD, then I think there is a serious problem in the industry. Meanwhile, itunes has my money and I have a bunch of songs I can’t listen to.

On page 21 of the 3/10/08 issue of Ad Age is a beige box where it is written that marketers are thinking of cutting back on direct mail in favor of increased email in the face of recession. While I, as a guy who helps create lot of email, should be seeing this as a good thing, I also see this as a potential bad thing. First, we all get too much email as it is. The email we do get should be relevant and help improve our quality of life in some way. Emails promising me a 0% APR on transferred balances isn’t either of those things. Second, approaching email as an electronic version of direct mail may be cheaper than the current tree-based method, but I don’t believe it will be better. Marketers who use it in lieu of direct mail because it’s cheaper are missing the unique attributes of the medium and, in fact, are making it less effective, not more.

We’ve had a rough couple months. Forever (I think literally), I’d wake up and the paper would be at the breakfast table. Finally, we decided the content of the paper (The Star Tribune) wasn’t worth the experience of reading it at the table.

This decision was not taken lightly. Our kids had already begun the tradition. Our oldest checked the comics and weather every morning. Currently, the paper is an amalgamation of other organizations work. As the staff continued to get trimmed at the Strib, it started feeling more like a Google homepage rather than a hometown source. So, after much discussion (no debate really), we canceled the paper.

This morning, as I sit here reading my MacBook, I found this article from the Rake (which went online only this week). You can read about the Rake ceasing its print operation in an article from The Star Tribune. The irony.

Long story short, the Rake article gives a nice picture of what they call “the online news scrum” in the Twin Cities.

Three weeks ago, I decided to become a Vikings fan. Yes, that’s right – I decided. What I really wanted was the lifestyle – that three hours a week where I could sit in front of the TV with no interruptions, have a snack (and a beverage) and focus on something that is so important that everyone I know supports my decision. I’ve found that “Sorry, the game is on…. ” is actually OK to say! So, my first task (according to my brother) was to pick a team. As a true Minnesotan I thought the most logical choice was the Vikings. My second task a fan was to find a Vikings blog. I needed to find my community. You know… my fellow fans. Well, after stumbling upon a few guys that had a lot to say, (much of which was R rated) I needed to find something cleaner since I had a 10 year old peeking over my shoulder. I found this one: The Viking Age

I thought for sure this would be my place. I check it before games, look for up to date game commentary during the games, and even give my two cents now and then. It’s Thursday and I’m wondering what are they saying about Sunday’s game against the 49ers? NOTHING. The last post is Dec. 3rd. Come on guys. Don’t you care?! I might just have to start my own Vikings blog…

This is brilliant:

As part of a partnership to be announced Wednesday, [Google] will dispense driving directions at thousands of gasoline pumps across the country beginning early next month.

Nicely combines a man’s natural aversion to asking for directions with his inclination to use neat-o new gadgets (and all dipped in the testosterone-soaked moment of a man caring for his vehicle). It can’t lose.

From CNN

Fire Marshalls may be on hand to contain the crowds expected for the MIMA 07 Annual Summit. As a Gold Sponsor, we see this event as one of key venues to bring in thought leaders from all over the country. If you are attending, stop by and check us out during Happy Hour as we are strategically placed next to the bar and DJ. If you didn’t get a swanky swag bag, stop by to say hello and pick up a 45 (yes, they actually have songs on them) and get a chance to win iTunes by playing our SMS contest. We teamed up with our fantastic partner, OnCall Solutions, to bring this interactive strategy to life.

We all know how Apple’s focus on the customer-experience design has resulted in a passionate user base, surging profits and a stellar stock performance. But how does this apply to other companies?

“…A three-year study of more than 40 Fortune 500 companies by the research firm Peer Insight found that companies focused on customer-experience design outperformed the S&P 500 by a 10-to-1 margin from 2000 to 2005.” FastCompany

Today, the New York Times got smaller. Like, a lot smaller. It’s only an inch and a half, but as you can see above, when compared to the previous size, it’s quite noticeable. They say it will save them $10 million dollars a year and conforms to the way other papers are made. They didn’t change the layout; it’s still six columns, but they’re narrower by a quarter inch each. The masthead is smaller, as are the story headlines, but the typeface for the text appears to be the same size as before. Personally, I hate it. From a design perspective, I think the type is too big for the narrower columns and the big beautiful masthead seems just a bit too small. All in all, it’s a more awkward experience.

The bigger problem, though, if from a branding perspective. See, the Times is the greatest paper in the world. As the paper of record, it’s our first draft of history. It holds that position above all other American papers, and it’s well deserved. The fact that the paper was physically bigger than most other broadsheets helped reinforce it’s position at the top of the journalistic food chain, even if it was subtle. “We’re bigger because we’re more important. Deal with it.” Honestly, in some way, it helped justify its higher cost to readers like me. Now, with its diminution, it feels and looks like just another paper. In fact, they used that standardization argument in their justification of the move.

I know some will say that in this era of the embattled newspaper, this was bound to happen, even to the Times. They’ll say it makes good business sense. Ten million dollars is a lot to save. Sure, but what will it cost to save that money? The Times, like any other company marketing a product, needs to remember that a lot of consumers don’t base all their purchase decisions on the quality of the product inside the packaging alone. Premium brands differentiate themselves through experience. My experience enjoying the Times just decreased. It feels cheaper. It feels smaller. It feels standardized.

Honestly, I’d have paid a little more to keep the bigger sheets.