Author: Aaron Brazell

  • Announcing WordCamp Mid-Atlantic

    Mark your calendars for May 16, 2009. This is the date for the first WordCamp Mid-Atlantic, a regional WordCamp organized for WordPress users in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia. We have locked down the venue as University of Baltimore Thumel Business Center, which has also been the facility for a variety of other events –…

  • Transit Authority Rejects Openness, Thumbs Nose at Web

    Everyday, I travel the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority – usually on the DC area trains, but occasionally on local buses and commuter rails as well. Increasingly, I am frustrated by the ability of the transit system to handle schedules, broken escalators, delays and weather conditions and a myriad of other challenges that should be…

  • The Dickensian 2008: A Look Back

    This year might be the strangest year ever. It roared in with news of Robert Scoble having his Facebook account suspended for utilizing scripts to sync data between Plaxo and Facebook in violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service. Of course, the year ends with Facebook opening up fbConnect in a way to share that same…

  • Getting Physical

    “I love software,” my friend used to say, “But it’s soooo dehumanizing!” Perched 18 feet in the air atop a scissors lift the other day — I resisted the urge to shout, “I’m the king of the world!” — it occurred to me that variety in work not only makes work more enjoyable, it’s essential…

  • Moving on From Lijit

    As the economy continues to spiral downward, and more companies are trying to extend their runways for as long as possible, we are hearing about an increasing number of layoffs. When you’re a contractor, you always sort of have it in the back of your mind that your number could be called at any time.…

  • Welcome to a Top 100 Marketing Blog Which is Not a Marketing Blog

    Welcome to the many marketing and communications professionals who are visiting this site today. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Invesp.com listed me as the #40 most influential marketing blogger of 2008. To be clear, while I appreciate the designation, this blog is not about marketing. That said, the internet is a space…

  • Embargoes, Corporate Blogs and Getting a Story Out

    Over the past few days, the way the news is done (as told by blogs) has been challenged once again. Mike Arrington, in a moment I can only assume was brought on in frustration by another mismanaged embargoed story, declared unilaterally that TechCrunch would agree to any embargo and proceed to break it thereafter. Marshall…

  • Sponsored Post: Granting a Wish with Sears

    KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS CONTEST ENDS AT 11:59 PM ON DECEMBER 23, 2009. ALL PARTICIPATION AFTER THE FACT WILL NOT BE COUNTED. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! This post is a sponsored post on behalf of Sears via Izea. The opinions are mine. The economy is tough right now, and in my personal life, things are as…

  • Jeremiah Owyang Inserts Foot In Mouth (Again) Over IZEA Sponsored Posts

    Rarely do I go after individual people on this blog. There have been a few occasions, but I prefer to talk about issues and not people. However, when the errors of a person are so egregiously over the top, I have a need to say something. This was the case over the weekend with Forrester…

  • Bail Out Entrepreneurs, Not Big Auto

    So, the Auto Bailout bombed in the Senate. Good. (Never thought I’d be writing about it in Venture Files . . . but then, I never imagined it might affect entrepreneurs — including me — directly.) It’s an intriguing tale of desperation, fear tactics, and irony. Desperation because the auto industry leaders are out of…