About a week ago I finally adjusted the Bilstein PSS9 suspension on my 2002 E39 M5. As I wrote back in April, the car came with this very expensive and desirable modification when I purchased it. It also came with a Rogue short shift kit, Dinan exhaust and some nice cosmetic mods like sensible grade […]
I’ve been a member of the online car site M3Forum for many years. It’s a very active community of enthusiasts, and great place to get and share information about my car (a 1999 M3) with others who own the same model. Forums like this were my introduction to online communities. Well before the rise of […]
Today’s video talks about how French wines can often vary greatly year to year. The wine used as an example is Domaine Grand Veneur Clos Sixte Lirac, and the differences between the 2006, 2007 and 2009 vintages. Lirac is a region in the southern Rhone area of France, very close to the more famous Chateauneuf […]
My post last week about PR professionals bearing significant responsibility for unappreciative clients has gotten good readership. It has also fostered some discussion threads in PR focused LinkedIn groups, with some of the feedback being it’s easier said than done to temper unrealistic client demands. Of course that’s true, and sometimes clients have every right […]
I’ve been publishing this blog for three and a half years. I launched it with three topics to work with rather than just one, since I thought that would make it easier to come up with interesting content. That has turned out to be mostly true, but it still can be tough to consistently publish […]
I get a lot of value from discussions on LinkedIn. Right now there is a very active thread in the PR Professionals group about “what do you say to a client who doesn’t see the ROI from PR.” This discussion has hit a nerve, and it has received 78 comments. Here’s the link, but unlike […]
Ev Ehrlich over at High Tech Forum wrote an excellent piece yesterday about some recent comments by Google’s Eric Schmidt. According to Schmidt there are four megafirms right now executing well on what he calls “platform strategies” – Google (search), Apple (gadgets/ecosystem), Amazon (online retailing) and Facebook (social connectivity). It’s a good piece, and even […]
Last weekend Gabriele and I took a drive to the outskirts of Fairfax for dinner at Villa Mozart. We’d been in a bit of a “favorite restaurant” rut, and someone I met through work recommended the restaurant highly. The restaurant is small and quaint, and there is an atmosphere of fine dining from the moment […]
My E36 M3 turned 12 in April, and is going as strong as ever. It was a busy month on the car front for me, with me purchasing a beautiful 2002 M5 and putting my 2001 530 on the market. Neither of those things lessen my appreciation of the M3, however. In the past I’ve […]
Here’s my second installment of Parente on Parker, with me reviewing some of Robert Parker’s picks of the world’s best wine values $25 or less. Today I’m discussing two Pinot Noirs that we definitely do not see agree on. I then suggest two others that are really good and should have been included in his […]
One of the tenets of running a professional services company is to follow good executives. All engagements end eventually, and sometimes it’s because the decision maker who brought Strategic in moves on. When you’ve demonstrated success working with a client, obviously they will look to put the “band” back together when they land at their […]
Recently I’ve seen an increase in discussion around companies and organizations producing their own content. I’m not talking about marketing collateral, but true editorial content that educates and entertains. Some call this sponsored content, curated content, or content marketing. In the end it’s the same thing — producing your own “news” and sharing directly with […]