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Verena Mei, Eco-friendly Racer January 20, 2009

Posted by lborodkin in : Uncategorized , 2comments

Verena Mei of StarGirl racing. Photo by Anthony J via flickr.

Here’s my article on Verena Mei for LAist.

Verena is the first race car driver in the world running on alternative fuel competing head-to-head with gas-powered cars.  Verena converted her Formula Drift car to run on clean-burning E85 fuel and won the Redline time attack series.

Next up, I will be interviewing Marc Davis, a developmental driver for Joe Gibbs racing who is part of NASCAR’s diversity program.

3 Pithy Thoughts from 2008 January 5, 2009

Posted by lborodkin in : Uncategorized , 8comments

Here are props to the authors of three pithy sound bites that shaped my use of social media in 2008.

1.  “Don’t drink the haterade.”

Gary Vaynerchuk BWE 08

—Gary Vaynerchuk, Keynote at Blog World Expo ’08.

Gary Vaynerchuk (aka “Gary Vee”) of Wine Library TV gave a captivating and inspiring keynote address at Blog World Expo in Las Vegas in September 2008. If you can find a recording of it, please watch and link to it. Other advice from Gary is that if you’re going to podcast, update every day, or try to do so at least three times a week. That’s what you need to do to keep people’s attention. Another point he made is to give away as much as you can and still make a profit.

What Gary was referring to with the “Haterade” comment is his advice not to waste energy envying, hating, or criticizing those who are successful. Don’t turn away from others with a huge following merely because they are successful. Join them. Try to learn what works for them. Don’t drink the Haterade. Just don’t.

2.  The secret to Twitter is who you follow, not who follows you.

Twitter/No Twitter Stickers at SummerMash

—Robert Scoble, from The Secret to Twitter, Scobleizer, March 23, 2008.

(photo of Twitter/No Twitter stickers from SummerMash LA)

This neat little article wraps up what is so cool about Twitter. Follow because you want to hear about things you don’t know. Never mind the numbers.

3. “The Asteroid is coming.”

Cory Ondrejka at Digital Music Forum West

—Cory Ondrejka, Keynote at Digital Music Forum West.

This little sound bite was taken from Corey Ondrejka’s keynote speech at Digital Media Wire‘s Digital Music Forum West last October. This conference was extraordinary in that it actually got leaders from clashing industries — the recording industry and the consumer electronics industry — on stage, face to face, frankly debating their mutually incompatible business models with no punches pulled. (Incidentally, it was the only time I ever heard someone answer the question of where the money from RIAA settlements goes. The answer, according to the panelist from one of the major record labels, is that it is split 50/50 with the artists after costs are taken off the top.)

Corey Ondrejka asked people in the audience to raise their hands if they know anyone who has an assistant printing out their emails, i.e., the dinosaurs. He was making a point about business models. “The asteroid is coming.”

Who shifted your paradigms in 2008?