We accept being lied to in order to fulfill a perceived need; entertainment, hunger, acceptance. We see lies so often in advertising and marketing that is is nearly impossible to see the truths. What if a restaurant actually showcased a real plate of food … would you buy it? What if advertisers didn’t hire actors and used real clients telling real stories about the products they use. There are so many lies being thrown at us, that even if a company did do this (there have been examples), we wouldn’t know it, or we would assume that we are being lied to.

Honesty in branding and marketing needs to make an appearance. Just a thought.

When it comes to your own online brand – there is no room for fakiness. Stock photos should be discarded as quickly as possible and any non-truths about yourself should disappear. If you have a photo on your website of someone who does not work for your company – remove it immediately. Your fakiness is showing, and it’s sending a clear message to potential clients that your brand does not value honesty. Insist that your image be real and that the content and photos on your website be real and you will see tremendous dividends to your personal brand.

But what if there were no noise? How would you buy products if you did not a have any reference points from Marketingland? More often than not, I think you would rely on the word of mouth referrals from your friends and colleagues in Reputationville.

The Internet is helping to make a shift to a place where product reputation is equally important as it’s ability to be promoted in front of our eyeballs. As the social web continues to grow – reputation management will grow to form a large part of any smart marketers budget. I just hope the noise dies down a bit. Just a thought.

We will only ever live in the now, not the future, not the past – now. Just a thought.

As the Internet evolves, it is important to ensure your online presence is evolving with it. A website was once the ONLY means you had to promote your brand (name, product, company etc) online but now there are several other means to so – and to be very effective; Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Flikr, etc etc etc

Everyone’s web presence can be different, and unique, and tailored to their specific needs. Not every company needs a website anymore – but for the most, IT SHOULD be the central aspect of your online brand. Other tools should be used as referral sources or means of communicating. Just a thought.

We have had to select a perspective on size – in order to understand and measure ourselves. It would be pointless to have measure distance in light years, just like it is pointless to measure our atomic weight. The scale simply does not allow us to comprehend the matter.

But if you think about it, at any given time that you want to change your perspective on the world; your size, your speed, or your importance – you can always think about the fact that the earth is, relatively speaking, the size of an atom on your body. The size doesn’t change – but the perspective does. We get to choose this perspective reality at any time we like, however, we rarely do so.

The next time something seems to big for you – or too small – remember that it’s just your perspective. Just a thought.

Flash-forward to 2010 and it has become commonplace for people to think in the third person. No longer do we wait until someone asks us what we’re doing – we prefer to broadcast it to the world in the form of a Facebook status or a Tweet. We, as a society, accept that it’s ok to refer to yourself (and to think) in the third person now. “What am I doing?” has replaced “What are you doing?”

It’s not that we’ve become more selfish, rather, I think the medium has reversed the interaction – forcing us to look at the world from our perspective first. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

If you catch yourself thinking in the third person for your next status update, remember to think of Jimmy – after all, he started this. Just a thought.

Fact of the matter is – traffic jams can be seen as a reflection of our society as whole. We’re all in it together, we like to blame others for the problems, and there really isn’t much we can do to change it – unless everyone tried. Technically speaking, if everyone drove slower, and allowed for proper spacing between cars – traffic jams could be avoided – and we would all get home faster. Or so goes the theory of painted hash marks. In reality though – those hash marks forget one very basic principle; Those hash marks don’t help ME because OTHERS are not doing it! Granted, there are some good drivers who sacrifice some speed for the greater good of a traffic jam – or who use their brakes properly to avoid a slow down behind them – but in reality, we all look for that little advantage that can help US out.

This same attitude can be seen across the human spectrum; We don’t always vote because nobody cares, even though if everyone voted it would truly be a reflection of our say. We don’t buy organic food because it’s more expensive, even though it would cost less in the long run if everyone bought organic. etc etc etc

Only once everyone understands that their actions can help all of us will we ever see traffic jams (and other problems) go away.  Although – I suspect when 50% of the people are doing it  - the other 50% will take advantage of the open space to weave through cars and .. yup .. cause traffic jams. Just a thought.

Company: 37Signals
I’ve been watching this company grow for the past 5 years. If I was starting a company today it would be the exact business model I would try to replicate. Lean, efficient, leaders, and master product developers. They literally wrote the book on how businesses can operate better. Really – it’s called ReWork – and is worth its weight in gold.  I share many philosophies with this company – they just execute at a much higher level. If you’re a web developer – reading their SVN blog is without a doubt, a must. Learn from them – how to run a business.

Author: Ayn Rand
I’m a big fan of Ayn Rand’s writings, and actually am somewhat of a clone of the character Howard Roark in The Fountainhead.  Her books are actually all (mostly) related to egoism (the good kind) and capitalism. I share almost all of her views but do not consider myself to be an Objectivist - the name of her philosophy. Regardless of your view of the world – I strongly recommend reading some of her work, if for the only reason to see a fresh look at the world.  Learn from her – be yourself.

Thought Leader: Seth Godin
I could technically put him as an Author (17 books would qualify you for such a title) –  but I see him as much more than a writer.  His work is not only in book format – look him up on Youtube and see some of his great speeches about the world we live in. Mr. Godin is truly an innovative thinker and someone worth reading or watching. When all is said and done – I hope to be producing material of his quality. Learn from him – question everything.

Athlete: tie John Stockton & Steve Prefontaine
As a kid I used to try and emulate these two athletes. I recognized at an early age that each had a great contribution to sport and that aspects of their personality could really help me develop into a model citizen. Here’s why;

• John Stockton –  a small, unimpressive athlete who ended up as the NBA’s all-time leader in assists AND steals. However, it’s his off court personality that really stands out. Mr. Stockton was one very few athletes who choose not to have an agent, never did endorsements and took less money to help his team sign better players – as long as his son’s hockey team could use the facilities (Seriously). His work ethic and commitment to his team are unmatched in pro sports today.  He was unassuming, but always made the right decisions when they mattered and mastered the simplest play in basketball – the pick and role. Learn from him – master something simple.
• Steve Prefontaine – ironically, very much the opposite personality of John Stockton – “Pre”, as he was nicknamed, shared a work ethic that remains unmatched in the running world today.  He went All-out every time he raced, even if it meant loosing at the end. He refused to conform to other people’s view of  HOW you should run. He died way to early but left his mark on the world –  watch “Without Limits” and you’ll see.  Learn from him – always go all-out.

Blogger: The Sports Guy – Bil Simmons
If you like sports – you’ll love Bill Simmons. I happen to like sports a lot – but that’s not why I like Bill Simmons. He’s funny as hell  - and a very talented writer. His columns are quite literally hilarious, a feat that is not as easy as it sounds. I find that really funny people are actually quite intelligent, and being a funny author is even harder. Learn from him – Don’t take life too seriously.

Honourable mentions:

• The Oatmeal – The funniest cartoon on the internet
• Studs-up – The other funniest cartoon on the internet
• TechCrunch.com – If you read only one tech-blog, read this one