From Seth’s Blog comes a very interesing piece about being responsible for the products that you market (if you are involved in marketing).

The morality of marketing is this: you need to be able to stand up and acknowledge that you’re doing what you’re doing. “By marketing this product in this beautiful packaging, I’m causing a landfill to get filled a lot faster, but that’s okay with me.” Marketers can’t say, “Hey, the market spoke. It’s not my decision.”

The bottom line:

The same way the marketer at Malboro needs to acknowledge that by being a good marketer, she’s putting her kids through college at the same time she’s killing thousands of people. It’s a choice–her choice.

We’re responsible for what we sell and how we sell it. We’re responsible for the effects (and the side effects) of our actions.

It is our decision. Whatever the decision is, you need to own it. If you can’t look that decision in the mirror, market something else.

Feeling a little lonely? Disconnected from the world? Try being more charismatic. The central point of this nice article on Paul’s Tips is that making others feel special is what will make you charismatic.

Make people feel special
Deep down inside, we all believe we’re more special than those around us. That’s part of the appeal of stories like Harry Potter – the idea that we might have been born extraordinary has deep hold on our psyche. You can use this need to convince people to like you better. Show them you think they’re special. Compliment their talents, achievements and characteristics. Let them see that you’re proud to be associated with them.

BBC News reports that China has made arrests after striptease acts at a funeral.

Two hundred people were said to have attended the event, which was held on 16 August.

The Beijing News said the event was later revealed by a Chinese TV station. The leaders of five striptease troupes were held, it said, including two involved in the farmer’s funeral.

“Striptease used to be a common practice at funerals in Donghai’s rural areas to allure viewers,” Xinhua agency said.

“Local villagers believe that the more people who attend the funeral, the more the dead person is honoured.”

Kathy Sierra’s site, Creating Passionate Users has a nice piece about the longevity of assumptions and how to refresh, challenge and get rid of them when they limit ideas and imagination.

The really big problem is the assumptions which are so ingrained that we don’t even know they’re assumptions. They become an accepted Law of Physics, as good as gravity.

It does little good to list (and date) our assumptions, if the most crucial ones–the ones that could lead to the biggest innovations and breakthroughs–never make it to the list. It’s not enough to say, “So, what are our assumptions here?” We have to ask–and keep asking–“So, what are we accepting as fact and not questioning as an assumption?” In other words, “What are our hidden assumptions? What do we believe implicitly?”

Eric Sink writes the following.

In negotiation, the one thing that really strengthens your position is the ability to walk away from the deal.

Seth Godin to points an interesting article about avoid bland and boring smalltalk. Yes, many points are obvious but it’s nice to be reminded of the principles now and again.

Remember your goal is to meet some great people and find the interesting in them. Now that you have read this you are ready to go from small talk to Big Talk. Make it meaningful.

Creating Passionate Users has has an eye-catching article on the power of using unexpected context.

One way to delight users is with the guy-in-the-unexpected-context phenomenon. You know the story: you take the same train to work every day. One Saturday afternoon you’re in a cafe when you spot a familiar face at the next table. “Hey, it’s the guy from the train!” you think, with a smile. Then the guy from the train notices you, and his eyes light up. You start a lively conversation moving from weather to espresso to geopolitical forces. You exchange URLs.

The thing is, you took the train with this guy for the last 18 months and never gave him a moment’s thought…until you saw him at the cafe.

That’s the power of unexpected context.