Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder and Senior Partner of Box of Crayons, a company that “works with organizations around the world to help them do less Good Work and more Great Work.”  In addition to his Box of Crayons work, Michael blogs regularly and he has created an excellent series of podcast interviews with interesting and creative achievers called the Great Work Interview series (here is an example).  He has recently published Do More Great Work, a book to help people achieve their own great work.  We at Broadcasting Brain are great fans of Michael’s work, so it’s a pleasure to do a Thoughts From interview with him.

Let’s start with a two-part question about your own series of interviews. What prompted you to start a podcast series of interviews with people about their own great work? Second, how do you select the various individuals that you’ll be interviewing?
I’m not quite sure what prompted me to start this series. It’s been about two years now. I think it was simply because I was curious and wanted to chat to people. And I have a pretty simple criteria: I’m looking for people who make me think and/or make me laugh and that have something interesting to say. I’m also conscious that a number of these good people are also influencers within their worlds – and that’s an added bonus for me.

Does any interview material wind up on the “cutting room floor” i.e. are there any unused bits that don’t appear in the podcast?
Actually, no. In part that’s because I’m lazy and don’t want to spend a lot of time editing and polishing the interviews. In part it’s because I like the organic flow of the conversation. Probably equal parts of both…

Which fictional character would you most enjoy interviewing to ask them about their great work? Why?
Gosh – that’s hard to narrow down to one. It would most likely be a person from the world of literature, because I’ve got a BA and an M.Phil in literature. Maybe someone like Sherlock Holmes. Or David Malouf’s Ovid (from the book, An Imaginary Life.)

Which deceased individual would you most enjoy interviewing to ask them about their great work? Why?
Mmm… another tough question. Probably one of the big scientists like Marie Curie or Crick. I do admire their pursuit of the unknown – it requires both imagination and discipline, not to mention resilience.

What part of your work gives you the most joy? Why?
There’s not one single part. I really enjoy creating and shaping new material, love performing in front of a group, love seeing something finished like a short movie or a book appear. I heard the term ‘portfolio career’ a number of years ago, and really liked it – building up a ‘portfolio’ of different tasks that all fulfil you in different ways

What part of your work gives you the least joy? Why?
I’m much less excited about travel than I used to be, particularly crossing from Canada to the United States. It’s misery crossing the border.

What was the biggest surprise for you when you wrote your first book (i.e. something that you didn’t expect at all)?
In truth, the joy of holding something beautiful in my hands that I’d largely shaped. I wasn’t expecting to feel so happy about it all.

What simple tip would you recommend that could help anyone to do better work today?
Figure out what you want to say No to. Once you’re clear on that, the Yes’s – the really important Yes’s – will be more obvious.

Pretend the Internet is destroyed over night. What do you do when you wake up the next morning?
Go “woo hoo!” – no more email to check. Then, take a big big breath, and start re-imagining ways to reconnect with people.

Any final thoughts for our readers?
Time’s a ticking. I’ve figured out my “death date”: Sept 15 2043. When’s yours? And what do you want to do, who do you want to be between then and now?

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This edition of Thoughts From features one of my favorite broadcasters. Nora Young is the host of CBC Radio’s Spark, a weekly radio program, blog and podcast about technology and society. Nora started with CBC as the founding host and a producer of Definitely Not the Opera, where she was a frequent commenter on technology and popular culture. She creates miniseries and documentaries for shows such as Ideas , and is the technology columnist for CBC Radio afternoon shows.  Here’s Nora!

1.   Three years in, what is it about Spark, your CBC radio program/podcast/blog, that you are most proud of?

I think it’s that we’ve managed to carve out a space for an open-ended conversation about the cultural nature of technology. To me, it’s only when we come across new technologies that we’re aware of the cultural impact they’re having. Soon, the effects, like the technology itself, becomes invisible to us.

2.  What is the geekiest, most cutting edge of technology that you own and use regularly?

My perfect, compact, Muji notebook and pen. I say that only partly facetiously.

3.  What is the most unusual use of technology that you’ve encountered over the years?

Sorry; nothing is leaping to mind on this one.  [ED:  to help Nora out with this question, we sent her a loaner TARDIS to play around with for a week.  Unfortunately, we have no idea WHEN it will arrive...]

4.  Should laws against cell phone and wireless device use apply to pedestrians and cyclists as well?

As a non-driver, who travels mostly on foot or by bike, I would say yes for cyclists, no for pedestrians. That said, I was struck by a recent Spark interview with a researcher into multi-tasking. His point was that the problem in cell phone use and driving is with switching tasks mentally, not with the physical manipulation of the phone. This is a problem that is not at all addressed by laws that permit ‘hands free’ devices.

5.  Are you a “first draft” writer or do you have to tinker, edit, and cajole your written work into its final form?

Oh, tinker, tinker, tinker. There’s that story, probably apocryphal, about an artist who was caught in a gallery touching up one of his own paintings hanging on the wall. If I could go back into old podcasts and change them, I probably would.

6.  As a Toastmaster, one thing I’ve been taught is to eliminate “crutch words” from my public speaking:the aahs, the ums, and so on.  One thing I’ve noticed with a number of radio personalities (including you on a few occasions) is that there are occasionally some prominent “crutch words”, as well as pauses, used in some of the interviews and some of the other on-air segments.  I’ve often wondered if those are done on purpose as part of a vocal style.  Can you confirm if this is the case and why on air personalities would use these “crutch words” in recorded audio segments?

As far as I know, people don’t do it on purpose. I cringe when I hear myself say ‘you know’ so much. On the other hand, I do it in interviews when I’m thinking, and trying to formulate my thoughts, so hopefully it’s a sign that the interviewer is doing more than just reading off a list of questions.

7.  Looking at your international competition for a moment, are there any particular PRI, NPR, BBC, etc. radio shows or podcasts that you particularly enjoy?If so, can you elaborate on what makes those programs special to you?

My favourite podcast is actually not made by a conventional broadcaster. It’s Philosophy Bites, which is an independent podcast about philosophy, (made by people with experience at the BBC). It’s about philosophy, obviously, but delivered in bite-sized formats, and designed for non-specialists. It’s a perfect podcast in that you’d likely never consider *broad*casting such a niche interest, but it appeals to an international niche audience. Beyond that, the usual suspects: Planet Money and Radio Lab. What they all share is an unabashed enthusiasm for the subject, and a belief that intelligent, even arcane, topics can be entertaining and stimulating if they’re properly produced.

8.  In Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen seems quite concerned about the long term negative effects of amateur media , like blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.Does the amateur podcaster present a significant threat to the professional broadcaster?Or are there any benefits to the proliferation of free, amateur media (like, say, getting these great interview questions by E-mail)?

I think that after years of feeling threatened by “amateur media,” smart broadcasters understand that there can be a more productive dialogue amongst amateurs, semi-professionals and professionals. I say that partly as an amateur podcaster myself (I have a goofy, trendwatching podcast called thesniffer, with Cathi Bond), but also as a broadcaster observing the benefits of a more inclusive, open conversation.

9.  Pretend that the Internet has been destroyed overnight.What do you do when you wake up the next day?

Relearn how to be a journalist without it, for starters. Consider the benefits of staying unplugged.

10.  Any final thoughts for our readers?

I guess I would just encourage all of us, me included, to question technology, to move beyond the pro/anti, Luddite/technophile dichotomy. It’s the only way we’re going to get the technology we deserve.

Super secret bonus question:is there ever going to be a Spark blooper reel or deleted segments podcast?

Ha! You’d have to ask Dan (Misener, my colleague who mixes the show). I don’t know if he’s been saving any of the bloopers. It would be a long reel, I can tell you that much!

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Today’s Thoughts From interview is a real treat for me as I was honored to have one of my favorite bloggers and authors participate in this ongoing interview series.  Seth Godin almost needs no introduction, but here it is anyway.

Seth Godin is:

• a celebrated author (Linchpin is his latest book);
• blogger (Seth’s blog is the most popular marketing blog in the world);
• entrepreneur (founding companies such as Yoyodyne and Squidoo);
• a sought-after speaker.

Seth graciously took some time out of his schedule to respond to my E-Mail interview request.  Without any further ado, here are ten thoughts from Seth Godin.

You are often referred to as a marketer.  I’ve come to think of you as a motivational author in the following sense:  you are continually (and increasingly) trying to motivate people to do good work.  You’re not trying to make them feel better and you’re not trying to give them the “x step method to acheiving A, B and C.”  You’re trying to jolt them awake and get them to do good work.  Does that seem like a fair assessment to you or is there any other overreaching arc to your work?

I think I need to combine both. The only reason there’s an opportunity to do the sort of good work you’re describing is that the economy has changed, marketing is different, good ideas spread and there’s a demand for people who make change. So, marketing still informs my work.

Which of your own books is your least favorite and why?

A long time ago I wrote a book called “email addresses of the rich and famous.” It was a goof, it was fun and at some level, it was just plain wrong.

You’ve talked about your love of food (particularly good restaurant experiences). Are you a fast eater or a slow eater?

Compared to some of the people I grew up with, slow.

Compared to many of my friends, Speedy Gonzales.

Are card games and board games underrated in this age of video and computer animation?  I know that you worked in the computer game industry a number of years ago, so I think you’d have an interesting perspective on this.

Other than sharing the word ‘game’, they’re not in the same category. The nature of competing against a human being you can see in a game that’s abstract (like Scrabble) is quite different from defeating bits and registers in an immersive 3D digital environment. Done right, both can succeed, but for me, the human element is essential for it to really mean something.

If you’ve ever played Words with Friends on the iPhone, I think you can smell the hybrid that’s around the corner.

As I understand it, your new book Linchpin talks about how to become an indispensable employee, team member, business partner (?), etc. and why it’s important to be that kind of person.  You’ve said that it was the hardest book you’ve ever written (or that it was the hardest book for you to write).  Why is that?

I think the difficulty comes from writing a book that’s personal (personal about the reader as much as me) at the same time I was challenging myself to push my comfort zone and to connect with the ideas at a more elemental level. All of that is frightening, because if you’re wrong, people don’t ignore you, they get angry with you.

When you talk to people about all of the different work that you’ve done, is there any one thing that they refer to most often?  Is it a physical book (e.g.  The Purple Cow, The Dip, Tribes, or now Linchpin)?  Is it an eBook (i.e. Unleashing the Ideavirus)?  Is it Squidoo?  Is it your blog?   Or is it something else, like a video or presentation?

Zig Ziglar used to say that his tapes changed far more people than his presentations. Generally, I’m hearing that it’s the insistent dripping of the blog combined with books that some people feel are eerily well timed that is moving the needle for them. There is no grand plan, though, just my best attempt to share whatever I can.

How important is physical fitness to you in doing good work?

I’ve been fit and I’ve been unfit, and it seems to me that the endorphins and other chemicals that flow through my brain when I’m fit tend to push me to do better work. Getting the noise in your head to quiet down a bit when you’re fit and well rested seems easier to me.

How important is it to be funny or humorous in professional life?  Can it be an advantage or is it ever a significant disadvantage?

Funny on purpose or funny laugh-at-you? Funny because you’re cracking a joke or funny because people enjoy being around you and you’re quick and good with words?

I think it’s pretty clear that humor as a stalling or a defense or an ego mechanism isn’t helpful. I don’t invite Will Ferrell to brainstorming meetings, because while he might be great on screen for 90 minutes, I’m not sure he’ll be helpful in pushing in other directions. Maybe I’m wrong…

Pretend that the Internet has been destroyed overnight. What do you do when you wake up the next day?

Check my email!

Discover that it’s not working.

Get a real job.

Any final thoughts for our readers?

Go. Make something happen. Ship. Do work that matters. Ship again. Make a difference. Ship.

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The Thoughts From series of interviews are simple: I ask someone ten questions and they respond. It works very well and I hope that you’ll learn some new things from the people featured in these interviews.

Mitch Joel is the President of Twist Image, a digital marketing agency.  He also writes the Six Pixels of Separation blog and creates and produces the Six Pixels of Separation podcast (which currently alternates with the MediaHacks podcast) , which will be celebrating its 200th episode this year.  He has also written and published the Six Pixels of Separation book, which hit the virtual and physical book stands in 2009.

In honor of the fact that Mitch is one of the hardest working guys in social media and digital marketing, I figured that ten questions would be far too easy for a guy with Mitch’s mojo.  Therefore, for the first time ever in our history of E-Mail interviews, Mitch got a special 11th bonus question.

As the saying goes, if you want to get something done, give it to a busy person!

In your dealing with your peers from the US or other countries, do you ever get labeled as “that Canadian digital marketing guy” (emphasis on Canadian, of course)?

Eh? LOL. I’m not sure that happens all that much. I’m pretty international and I pride myself on being a Digital Nomad. I don’t think the context of my content is geographically-centric at all. Most people would have to dig a little bit to even know that I’m from Canada. It’s not that I’m not proud to be Canadian; I just don’t find it relevant to the conversations and communities that I’m nurturing in the Digital Marketing space.

Further to the above, do you find that being based in Canada means that you have work harder to compensate for the geographic distance from the US market? Is it any different than, say, a professional who might be based in the middle of Montana, west Texas, or Alaska? Or have the Web and social media levelled the playing field?

I don’t think the Web has totally levelled the playing field, but I do think that has played a small role in making your physical location less important. I’m based in Montreal, which puts me in New York City, Boston and Toronto in about 60 minutes, Chicago in 90 minutes and over on the West Coast (or Europe) in about 6-7 hours. For me, airplanes have changed the dynamic just as much as the Web. I often laugh at how I’m the first guy to show up at meeting in NYC while others complain that they were stuck in traffic (and I came from a different country!). That being said, as we manage our two offices (or, as we call it, “one office with multiple locations”), it’s always interesting to see how people connect and communicate through video conferencing (like Skype) even when they are in the same physical location.

Can you describe for us your first experience with a tape recorder? Did you use one a lot as a kid, making your own audio programs and such?

My first memory goes back to owning one of the first Sony Walkman’s. I remember taking the family dog for a walk and listening to Michael Jackson’s Thriller on it and KISS’s Dynasty (don’t judge me!).  ED:  which one should we judge him on, anyway?  

That being said, no, I never really made my own audio programs or had any desire to be a Radio DJ. I was always more inspired by the music journalists in magazines than on radio. The people on radio always sounded fake and insincere to me (they still do).

What inspires you more, words or music?

Had you asked me this over a decade ago, I might have said music and that would have been a mistake. It is words. 100%. I’ve finally begun coming to grips with the fact that my art is, indeed, putting words around business and marketing thought. It makes me comfortable and it’s warm… what more could you want?

Are games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero helping or hurting music?

Without question, it’s helping. In fact, it’s probably one of he few ways left to get people to pay for music.  :)

It’s also great because you see eight year old kids getting introduced to bands like The Beatles and Iron Maiden, which is pretty cool. I’m sure there’s also some research being done into how playing these games (which, let’s face it, is the same thing as when we played Simon growing up) is getting kids interested in picking up real instruments. In the end, it’s going to be interesting see how these video game franchises (Guitar Hero, Rock Band, etc…) keep themselves relevant and interesting. Just adding new songs doesn’t seem to be the only thing, but innovating with new titles and gameplay is going to have to happen.

What do you think of Andrew Keen’s central argument in Cult of the Amateur? Personally, I found it to be a one-sided argument that seemed to be more concerned about making a particular point than rationally exploring an issue. Nonetheless, is the proliferation of amateur media, of varying quality and veracity, a major concern for the media or society in general?

The hope here is that one doesn’t force the other one to have less valuable content. The thought here is that “all ships rise.” If traditional media has to up their game to stay relevant, the consumer wins. If those who create consumer generated content see traditional media upping their game, hopefully it will push them to be that much more professional (or better, because “professional” might be the wrong word here). So far, it looks like this is the case. We are seeing better and better content rise to the top and it’s forcing both the individual content creators and the big media channels to compete against each other for mindshare. Consumers always win when the competition is fierce.

If you could be a super-hero for a day, which one would you pick? Villains are valid choices, as well.

I always had a soft-spot for Batman, and I don’t really know why. The truth is, I don’t like violence as a means to get a result and, as much as I love reading comics, I don’t think I’d ever want that kind of lifestyle. Is there a super-hero who gets a chance to think about solutions in peace, and spend their public time with some of the smartest minds in the world? That’s who I would choose. Maybe, a kind and gentle Lex Luthor?

Speaking of which… do you think that the comic book industry is missing opportunities to use their characters and concept in different media and different settings? I think there’s intellectual property that could be used for than just entertainment, but I think differently about that kind of thing than other people do.

Brand extensions are always smart, important and critical. I think they’ve been making the right moves in terms of movies, toys, games, etc… I’m not sure I see that many bigger options that they’re not entertaining. Most of the comic book publishers seem to really understand the entertainment business. You would think that less and less kids are reading comic books simply because they are on paper. I don’t know/have the research behind this, but I’d be hard-pressed to think that these publishers aren’t looking at what a comic book will look like in the next decade.

Do you have any difficulties in relating to Generation Y (I’m pretty sure that you are Gen X like I am), a generation that has known the Web and mobile technology since infancy whereas some of us didn’t really see it unfold until our late teens/early 20s?

Not really. I think, if anything, Gen X probably understands what Gen Y is going through. We had computers (that changed everything) and they have the Internet (which is changing everything). I think we (Gen X and older) need to better understand what their world of privacy looks like and how we’re going to do things going forward. I always laugh when people from our generation say things like, “don’t these kids realize that it’s going to be hard for them to find a job if they’re constantly posting pictures of themselves drunk on Facebook?” When the real question is: “who do we think we’re going to hire is everyone has pictures of themselves drunk on Facebook?”

Pretend that the Internet is destroyed overnight with no hope of recovery. What do you do when you wake up the next day and hear the news?

Where would I have heard the news then?

Any parting thoughts for our readers?

Our world is a different world. I wrote the book, Six Pixels of Separation (my shill moment), because now that we’ll all connected, the rules of business and marketing have changed (in a good way). I’d love for Marketing to be seen in a positive light and not lumped into the same category as “used car salesperson.” Marketing can (and is and should be) great… those are my parting thoughts!

The Thoughts From series of interviews are simple: I ask someone ten questions and they respond. It works very well and I hope that you’ll learn some new things from the people featured in these interviews.

Hugh MacLeod runs the incomparable GapingVoid.com website.  Hugh’s succinct and pithy cartoons are all over the Internet.  He’s written a book called Ignore Everybody; blogs in copious quantities; talks about evil plans; creates cube grenades; and is CEO of Stormhoek USA.  He is a creative instigator, striking fear into slow, rigid, arrogant bureaucracies everywhere.  Here are Hugh’s thoughts about ten questions that he graciously agreed to answer for our readers.

Do you follow the work of any political cartoonists or other comic strips like, say, Doonesbury (Garry Trudeau) or Dilbert (Scott Adams)?  If so, have they had any impact on your work?

Doonesbury hasn’t been interesting in over 20 years, though his early stuff- circa 1970-75- was REALLY good. I love Dilbert. But no, I never really connected with the political cartoonists. I always dug the stuff that was about the universal human condition. People like Steadman or Steinberg.

What is one thing that virtually everyone does wrong with blogging and other creative work?

They confuse blogging and Twittering and Facebooking with their actual business. I’m guilty of that, constantly.

On the comedy side, are there any comedians of any stripe that you enjoy and who may have influenced your work, either in writing or in drawing/cartooning?

I’ve never been much into stand-up. I always liked ensemble stuff, like Monty Python or Saturday Night Live. Traditional sitcoms have always left me a bit flat, with the exception of Andy Griffith.

A couple of years ago you abandoned Twitter temporarily.  What made you change your mind about it and come back?  Do you see yourself using that service for the long term?

I acted rashly. I was freaking out that the damn thing was sucking too much of my time. But then I was soon missing the people on Twitter I was talking to- many of whom I was doing business with. I’m better balanced about it, now.

Is there any significant difference between the content in Ignore Everybody and your earlier essay “How To Be Creative”?  If so, could you elaborate?

“Ignore Everybody” has forty chapters. “How To Be Creative” has twenty six. The former has more cartoons, and is more edited/polished. It also is printed on paper, which alters the experience, somewhat.

What do you think of the ending of The Prisoner (the original ITV series, not the recent remake)?  Was Patrick McGoohan taking too many drugs, was he running out of time, or was there a clear point to what he was doing?

I never saw The Prisoner. I watched the first half of Episode One when I was about sixteen, but soon lost interest when my girlfriend showed up.

What’s one advantage that Britain has over the USA (and vice versa?)

A nice glass of real ale by a real burning fire in an old country pub. After that it’s all downhill for you Limeys. I can’t speak for the entire USA, but the thing I really like about living in Texas, is how much MORE the small entrepreneur is respected, appreciated, and looked after, compared to Europe (and a lot of the USA). It’s pretty much off the scale compared to what the Brits are used to.

Why do you think Americans have a fascination with British culture?  The accent(s)?  The attitude?  The tea?  Ingrained racial memories of the Beatles and the British Invasion?

They don’t, for the most part. That’s a British myth. Sure, there may be a few Anglophiles out there- especially on the North East Coast, but they’re no more numerous than, say, Battlestar Galactica fans.

Pretend that the Internet is completely destroyed overnight.  What do you do when you wake up the next day?

Same as I was doing before the internet. Drinking beer, hanging out with my friends, and drawing cartoons. I’d probably have to go out and find a real job somewhere, which would suck, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

Any final thoughts for our readers?

This is it. Fight like hell.

The Thoughts From series of interviews are simple: I ask someone ten questions and they respond. It works very well and I hope that you’ll learn some new things from the people featured in these interviews.

Julien Smith is an author, consultant, and speaker who has been involved in online communities for over 15 years– from early BBSes and flashmobs to the social web as we know it today.  He writes at inoveryourhead.net.  He is also the co-author of the book Trust Agents with Chris Brogan.

Can you give us an example of one of the biggest surprises that you encountered when co-writing Trust Agents with Chris Brogan?

I discovered that the process of writing things down really helped me develop my own thoughts about something. I was really verbal at first– that’s why I thought podcasting was “for me” where as blogging was not. But it works for writing too.

So I read a book every week as you mention below. At the time it was usually related to the subjects of Trust Agents, so I spit out my own thoughts everyday on the subject after reading, and then turned that into the half I wrote.
Basically I created a process whereby I’m always having new thoughts on a subject through a consistent exposure to new ideas. I’m pretty sure that’s important to anyone on the web today that’s trying to build a presence.

You’ve mentioned previously that you have a goal of reading a book a week. If you could fit in more than one book a week, would you? In other words, is there enough interesting stuff out there in print (or in eBook versions of printed books) to warrant reading more than one book per week?

I do fit in more than a book a week, really. I read sections of other books to keep me interested. So in the past week I started Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, finished Pam Slim’s Escape From Cubicle Nation, and started The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton.

Marshall McLuhan said that the advent of the printing press made any human that wanted to the equivalent of any genius in history (that has written a book), so the value is obvious. And there’s of course tons of stuff to read and learn from all the time, so I doubt I’ll ever run out. I’ll read a few bad books along the way, of course, but I’m ok with that.

Given the dominance of Amazon.com and its country divisions (aka Amazon.ca), what can the online versions of Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Indigo/Chapters offer as a distinguishing, yet significant advantage in their online presence to make us choose them over Amazon.xxx?

Jesus, what a question. Amazon offers everything but immediacy, and even then you can get that in America if you are willing to go Prime. So basically retailers trim the fat from those whose nostalgia or impatience makes them hold onto the old way of doing things, which I’m not in favour of really.

There is something to be said for the experience I guess. But the experience is not worth paying 30% more for a book, even with immediacy added in, so I would say they’re screwed.

How would you describe the perfect blog post? What are its characteristics?

Connection to the audience… a strong editorial viewpoint that is different from what the blogosphere is regurgitating right now… a call to action at the end… good timing… a way to excite readers at the beginning… and an easy sound-bite way to understand it so that people can spread it via social tools. Sorry, I’m just thinking this out as I write it.

Some people say that you can’t make a piece of content go viral: the best you can do is spread combustible materials around, light lots of matches, and just hope that the whole thing will catch fire. Do you agree with this position? Why or why not?

I agree you cannot MAKE it go viral, but anyone that says that just isn’t very good at designing content, sorry. Don’t believe me? Look at TheOatmeal.com — I know it’s designed to go viral and I still can’t help myself from upvoting it on Reddit.

Is it feasible (not possible, feasible) to have a strong online presence without a strong offline presence?

Of course it’s feasible. Not all brands are personal brands– and when something has a strong enough online presence, through either a ton of frictionless spreading or lots of advertising or something, it doesn’t need an offline presence at all.

The reason offline is important is because it can provide leverage to get you past competition– being there in person is a Dip (a la Godin) that can get you past your competitors. That’s important for mindshare in a personal brand, but not so much for the other kinds– websites, companies, etc.

In your opinion, how important is it to be bilingual (French and English) as a Canadian citizen?

Not very important actually, but it is enriching. It also offsets senility to know more than 1 language so, you know.

Guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals – which one would you play and why?

I’d have to say I’m a vocals guy. That’s so sad because they’re always the attention whores and the ones who end up on drugs, but what the hell.

Pretend that the Internet is completely destroyed overnight. What do you do when you wake up the next day?

I open a barbershop. People will always need to have places to gather where they feel comfortable, talk plainly, and get taken care of.

Any final thoughts for our readers?

Go big or go home.