Work Industries heads to the lake

We’re taking some vacation time next week and heading to our family camp at Lake of the Woods, in northern Ontario, for a week.

From July 28 to August 6 we’ll be pretty out of touch with any means of communication. In an emergency, the usual means of contact will work, but we can’t promise they’ll be swift.

We’ll be back in the office on August 7, ready and raring to go. Until then, we encourage you to unplug as we will. Distance, after all, make the heart grow fonder.

July: Underwire Newsletter

Tech 101: Books to Read
Some people learn by doing, some learn by watching, some learn via tutorials, some via videos, some via books. For those of you who like a good book and like to learn, here are a couple of books that I recommend. Each gives a different perspective on online markets, web 2.0, and that thing we call the internet. See the book list.

Word for the Day: Brightcove
PC Magazine has an article on video sites that gives a good introduction to the benefits of the various sites. YouTube is the most common, but if you’re looking to upload videos online you should also know about Brightcove and Blip.tv. Find out more about videos.

Ask for Support
Is some piece of technology driving you mad? Are you a non-techie in need of support? Email me your questions for next month’s newsletter.

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See Also:
Underwire Newsletter for June
Work Industries Blog
Monique’s Personal Blog

Monique’s Upcoming Events:
July 17:
SFU Summer Workshops: Book Marketing Online

July 27:
SFU Summer Workshops: Magazine Marketing Online

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Word for the Day: Brightcove

If you’re interested in posting videos online, you should know that YouTube is not the only game in town, and not even the best (depending on what your needs are).

PC Magazine has an article on video sites that gives a good introduction to the benefits of the various sites.

Brightcove is where we host our Think Salmon video channel. We chose Brightcove because it had the most professional look. We wanted the videos to be crisp and not as pixellated as they appear on YouTube.

Compare the quality of my Brightcove videos to the quality of my YouTube videos. (Yes, the quality will be slightly different because we used different cameras. This isn’t a perfect science experiment.)

Blip.tv is my other favourite video site. It is much better than YouTube and I haven’t decided yet whether it’s better than Brightcove.

Let me know what you think. Which do you like better?

What site are you using to watch videos? What site are you using to upload videos? 

Tech 101: Books to Read

Some people learn by doing, some learn by watching, some learn via tutorials, some via videos, some via books. For those of you who like a good book and like to learn, here are a couple of books that I recommend. Each gives a different perspective on online markets, web 2.0, and that thing we call the internet.

The Cluetrain Manifesto by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger: “ ... and your- call-is-important-to-us busy signal. Same old tone, same old lies. No wonder networked markets have no respect ... “ The Cluetrain Manifesto began as a website in 1999 (www.cluetrain.com. It’s 95 theses that articulate the state of the online market. This book is especially important for businesses trying to understand how to do business online.

Life After the 30-Second Spot by Joseph Jaffe: “Approaches that are transforming Marketing and Advertising.” Joseph Jaffe has a couple of websites but start with JaffeJuice.com. The book is about marketing and advertising that go beyond the traditional advertising models.

Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel. “We live in a time when most people don’t trust big companies ...” Former Microsoft employee Robert Scoble is credited with creating the shift in attitude about Microsoft away from evil empire to that of a transparent, talkative, personal company of people. This is the book for business bloggers. It’s about how blogs change the way businesses talk with customers.

The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture by John Battelle. Not just a book about Google, The Search is about the transformations that have taken place due to the power of search and how those transformations reflect our culture.

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson. ”Unlimited selection is revealing truths about what consumers want and how they want to get it ...” Wired editor Anderson analyzes the countless market opportunities that exist for those able to market to niches. He argues that the niches (the tail) are more profitable than the blockbusters (the head).

These are just a handful of the books I recommend. For a longer list, and to have a look at the covers (I still judge by cover), have a look at my selection on Amazon Listmania.

And for those of you who don’t read or just need a laugh, check out this YouTube video of Middle Age Tech Support for Books.

It’s made its way around the internet several times so if you’ve watch it already, watch an interview with the creator of the skit.

Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Holidays Launches New Site

Work Industries is pleased to announce the launch of the new website for Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Holidays.

Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Holidays is a Canadian company based in Whistler, BC. They offer luxury motorcycle tours through Western Canada and down to California. These are all-inclusive trips with knowledgeable guides, a safety/chase vehicle, incredible routes, and the best hotels and dining options known to man.

Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Holidays offers trips ranging from 5 blissful days to 13 incredible days that will change your life. Guests call it the “trip of a lifetime.” And based on the trip photos I wonder why I’ve never learned to ride a motorcycle.

We live in an incredible place for mountain views, deserts, lakes, canyons and twisty roads--all of which are perfect for the nimble Triumph motorcycles ridden by Rocky Mountain guests.

If you’re a motorcycle enthusiast with vacation time this summer, check out the 20% discounts on last minute bookings.

This website would not have been possible without the design and programming expertise of our friends over at Hop Studios.

Visit the new site, http://www.rockymtnmoto.com.