Welcome to the 4th edition of The Long Tales – the best in business innovation content.

At what price marketing?

The Facebook data harvesting story continues to grow. It doesn’t seem like Silicon Valley and consumers are going to give Facebook a pass on this one. It also feels like there is a general sentiment of “enough is enough.” As a marketing professional, I know what comes next: Government intervention and regulation. Classic. We do this to ourselves, don’t we? It’s not just marketers… but all brands. We innovate, create and disrupt, and then we get high on our own fumes. Instead of settling on a line in the sand that we (as brands) won’t cross, we cross every line possible until someone steps in and says, “enough is enough.” There’s a lesson here. Not about how consumers need to understand their data and what they’re giving away in exchange for free products and services, but how brands have (and will always have) an ability to self-police. Will they? When will they learn?

Here are some of this week’s best in business innovation:

• The #1 reason Facebook won’t ever change – Om Malik. I know. I know. You are fatigued by all this Facebook and data news. You’ve read it all, haven’t you? Well… just this one more and I promise to stop. Veteran tech writer and entrepreneur, Om Malik, puts some deep thought into what, exactly, is going on here. If you believe what I wrote above, that brands get high on their own fumes, you need to know what their drug of choice is. Are you surprised that Facebook continues to get caught up in these messes? After reading deep into Om’s thinking, maybe the answer is simpler (and purer) than any of us thought? Read on…
• How I Built This with Guy Raz – NPR. I’m getting tired of listening to Howard Stern on satellite radio. Don’t get me wrong. I still consider him one of the best conversationalists of all time. I love his banter, and I really do think he hits his stride when going deep with celebrities. It’s everything else. I’m not sure if he’s coming to the end of his contract or what, but it feels like the vast majority of his morning airtime is spent building his team into their own celebrity. And, while it can be fun, I’m simply not connecting to those characters as much as I connect to Howard. So, I have been surfing the channels. I’m a huge fan of Sirius XM‘s new channel, Volume (which is talk radio solely focused on music), but I’m falling even harder for NPR in the morning. I first came across Guy Raz as the host of TED’s radio content. This – his other show – How I Built This, is amazing. Guy sits down with entrepreneurs and gets their story. There’s an innocence to his questioning, and I love how he jumps on top of something nuanced that the guest says that is… mesmerizing. It’s not often that I find myself parked in car and listening to the end of a radio segment. These “driveway moments” happen a lot with How I Built This. Listen to them all. Listen on… 
• What are screens doing our eyes – and our ability to see? – Wired. The things we wonder about, but don’t pay enough attention to. How often have you asked yourself, “is staring at these screens all day good for my eyes?” And then, within seconds, you’re back at it. Even if you should take a break from all of these screens, can you? Isn’t looking at screens – basically – what all/most of us do all day (for work and entertainment)? Let’s not even think about kids and how this affects their development. What is the science? Is it true? Are we slowly going blind? Can we even avoid all of these screens? Well… Read on…
• Why Reading Books Should be Your Priority, According to Science – Inc. “How do you come up with so many ideas?” Over the years, this has been – without a doubt – the number one question that I get asked in interviews and casual conversations. The answer is simple: I read. I don’t just read online or articles or magazine. I read books. Lots and lots of books. I own many more books than I could ever read. I love books (in fact, I just bought three at the used bookstore). You should too. There is science behind it. Plus, it *might* just save those precious eyes of yours (if you read the article above). Want more? Want more success? Want more wealth? Want to be more intelligent? Read books. It works. It cures what ails you. Promise. Read on…

Now, go get busy making innovation happen today.

What is The Long Tales?

If you believe that spending time reading and listening to great longform business content is one of the most powerful ways for you to think about how your brand can better connect with consumers, this may be for you. As a known Infovore, I am astounded by the vast amount of content out there on the topic of business innovation. With that, I’m even more astounded at just how average the vast majority of this content is. On a regular basis, The Long Tales is my pet project as I curate and comment on what has been happening in the world of business innovation… and why you need to care.