Innovation + Opinion = Innopinion

We share discussions, ideas, and opinions taking place at the intersection of technology and tradition.

Here are some opinions for you to respond to or reflect on:

Content Design for the Digital Reader

terry pittman, content marketing executive

I was sitting on the bus on the way to work a few mornings ago when a thought suddenly struck me: “Where’s all the trash?” Washington, D.C., where I live, is a city known for its appetite for reading. On any given morning, the downtown line is a gray hue of policy wonks, academics, financiers [...]

Why We Read: An Ode to Content

why we read, picture of a stack of books

My parents were my first audiobook. I’d wildly run up to them with my children’s book of choice, incoherently babbling to get their attention. Apparently, that’s what I thought they sounded like.

What the Presidents of the USA Would Have Blogged About on the 4th of July

presidents content marketing

Declaring independence (and keeping it) is a difficult endeavor. It takes wisdom, fearlessness, consistency, persistence, and dedication. In a much humbler realm – content marketing – the same virtues apply to success. In honor of the 4th of July, here are what some of the commanders in chief have said about content marketing. Sort of.

This Blog Post is Brought to You by Paper…Mostly

crumbled paper

This blog post was written mostly on a blank piece of paper. Yes, actual paper, with ruled lines and everything. I can’t remember the last time I sat down and scribbled away until I figured out what on earth I was writing about.

3 Steps to Delivering Customer Service Happiness

honest construction sign

I recently purchased some sandals from Zappos that didn’t work out. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but they needed to go back. I hate returns, particularly when it comes to an online purchase. “I have to print a label?” “Go to the UPS store?” “Carve out time for this when the whole point of ordering online [...]

How to Starve Ideas to Death

tragedy of the commons

We’ve all had these meetings: Big ideas are being discussed. The future of the company is being diagrammed on a whiteboard. The word “should” is being used a lot. The greatest thing since sliced bread is being articulated with passion. Everyone is smiling. People are enthusiastic and everyone pats each other (and themselves) on the [...]

4 Ways to Kill Distractions and Get Things Done

how do you have time for that

I have been wanting to write this post for a while. But I haven’t had time. I figured I’d do it eventually. But project deliverables got in the way. So did happy hours. And so did sleep. Don’t get me wrong: I kept writing it on my to-do lists. I definitely wrote it down more [...]

The Importance of Branding

the importance of branding, shown here, a brand iron

Branding has come a long way from its cattle-marking origins. What used to be a way for ranchers to label what belonged to them (in case it wandered away) now means so much more. Brands are the reason caffeine fanatics pay more for coffee. Brands are the reason hungry road-trippers get excited when they see [...]

Award to the Wise: Readers Are the Real Judge

award to the wise, readers are the real judge

At the custom publisher where I spend my waking hours, the halls are adorned with praise for well-written articles and smartly designed feature spreads—a triumphant redesign of a moribund business school magazine, a celebrity cover for a prominent medical title with a circulation that seemingly knows no way but up. The list goes on.

The Next Big Thud

next big thud, betamax tape

When it comes to gadgets and tech, I used to be a late adopter. I didn’t own a cellphone until 2000. Even four or five years ago, I would choose a cheap model and tell myself I really didn’t need a phone that took pictures, played music or even included a texting plan, for that [...]

Gurus, Ninjas, Experts, and Labels

gurus, experts, ninjas, labels

Labels are a great way to identify things. They save us a lot of time when we’re trying to identify who made a shirt, what is contained in a bottle, or what street we should turn on next. But when it comes to people, it gets a lot more complicated.

A Simple Argument for Social Business

social business

People buy from people they like. People like people they trust.

The Country That Tweets Together …

vintage radio

I watched the Twin Towers collapse on 9/11 my senior year in high school. However, I did so several hours after the event.  I went through my first two periods of the day not knowing that the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor had occurred shortly after I got off the bus that [...]

Nudity, Pregnancy, and the Power of Magazines

mariah carey nude magazine cover

In the celebrity world, there are three life events that absolutely warrant a magazine cover and spread: Babies (both pregnancy and newborn shots), coming out of the closet and losing a significant amount of weight. Though some digital devotees have dismissed the print medium in today’s laptop/mobile/iPad age, the truth is that this tradition still [...]

Want Inspiration? Stop Reading Blogs

stop reading blogs

Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you’re here, but you should strongly consider clicking that little red x in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Because if you truly want inspiration, you’ve come to the wrong place, sort of. Still here? Then I’ll explain:

The Physical Fitness of Content

physical content versus virtual

Hey, sexy. Wanna get physical? No, no, I don’t want to make out with you (though that new haircut really is stunning). I’m just wondering if you’d rather have the game / program / book / magazine / newspaper / CD / DVD you’re about to buy in some sort of physical form, or if [...]

Me Data, You Jane

data rules everything binary code

James Gleick has a big, beautiful brain. It’s like a triple-decker cruise ship of mind-blowing philosophies that finds ports of call in areas such as the rise of technology and its tanned, bikini-clad sister, communication. In his new book “The Information,” Gleick saves the most colossal party for the island known as data. In fact, [...]

The Tao of Quality (Or, What I learned from Auto-Tune)

tao of quality

If you’ve heard any pop music at all over the past several years, you’ve probably heard Auto-Tune, seasoning and sometimes overwhelming the performances of the gifted and mediocre alike. It forces sounds to conform to a particular musical key, eliminating the hundreds of deviant microtones that distinguish the human vocal instrument—which may be why digitally [...]

I Stream, You Stream

content stream

Gary Shteyngart’s recent best-selling novel, “Super Sad True Love Story,” is set in an absurdly distopian but sadly plausible future where the information age has reached maximum insanity. Everyone obsesses over their “äppäräti,” geniusphone devices that constantly send and receive massive torrents of information. These smartphones-on-steroids allow for real-time broadcast of anything that crosses their [...]

More Please: Why I Welcome the Technology Overload with Open Arms

technology overload

I had my MacBook open on my older brother’s couch one lazy afternoon, busy browsing the Internet for nothing remotely important. My iPhone happily chirped that I had a message. I found my phone wedged under some couch cushions, and fired back a response within moments. I picked up my Kindle, downloaded a book, and [...]

Printervention: An Ode to Magazines

printervention, an ode to print magazines

Call in the A&E folks, it’s time for an intervention. You see, I have a little problem with magazines. My coffee table is stacked with them, my dining room table has a few scattered on it, ditto on my nightstands, and for certain, you can find a few in my purse right now. But the [...]

Sign of the Times: Content Professionals Weigh in on the NYT Paywall

content professionals react to nyt paywall

The iron curtain of content is coming. Sort of. Ok, so maybe it’s more like a chain-link fence. Regardless of its structural integrity, one thing is certain: the New York Times will finally erect its long-awaited paywall. Here’s how it works:

Rebecca Black and the Art of Being Bad

rebecca black bad is the new good

It’s official: Bad is the new good. For the moment, anyway. While music tastes and styles have always been subjective, there’s no disputing that the buzz that built overnight around “Friday,” fledgling teen “singer” Rebecca Black’s ode to the weekend, is a sign that you don’t necessarily need to be good at what you do [...]

The Charge of the iBrigade

power thirsty devices need outlets

I need juice. Constantly. Well, not me. Rather, my devices. All of those magical toys that keep me informed, keep me Tweeting, keep me listening to podcasts and watching YouTube and catapulting Angry Birds. They’re thirsty, demanding little electronic vampires. They need constant attention.

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