Cameron Olthuis

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a coffee IV and the funny thing is that I’m not even drinking coffee this morning. I’m just starting to get over this nasty bug I’ve had for the last week and I feel like that last thing I need right now is coffee. I’m not sure why I keep getting sick, usually I only get sick once a season/year but this is at least the fifth time now. Actually, I have a pretty good idea why it keeps coming back - I’m sure it has something to do with the dirty-ass ocean water that I’m surfing in everyday.

Do what you love - Copyblogger has a very inspiring post on how precious life is and because of that we should be doing the things we love, not wasting time on things that don’t make us happy or just wear us out. Those of you that read this blog regularly know that I’m a big believer in this philosophy. I suggest reading the post and taking a long, hard look at what you’re doing with your life - if it doesn’t run parallel with your dreams then maybe it’s time for a change.

Using Twitter to write for you - Chris Winfield, a friend and fellow co-author of Search Engine Land’s ‘Let’s Get Social’ column, literally wrote a post using nothing but Twitter. Interesting read for sure; he asks questions like what is Twitter, how can marketers use it, and has Twitter ever influenced any of your buying decisions. Great primer for those that have yet to hop on the Twitter train.

Dead Paper - While the rest of us - and I’m guilty too - are chanting death to old media, Copyblogger is giving us lessons from it. Great post called Five Lessons You Can Learn From Newspapers. I recommend this to any blogger, writer, etc. Very helpful as I’ve recently found myself in the position of Editor in Chief - and who would’ve guessed based on the grades I got in English class? I’m reading this twice and then sending it to all my writers.

Slow morning, which is good because it’s Friday and it’s a beautiful day! I’ve been feeling really positive lately and happy with my progress. It’s important to be positive; I notice a big difference in both the amount I accomplish and the quality of work. Plus it’s just a lot more pleasant to the people around you when you’re positive. Hope you all have a good day and weekend!

Digg - Who needs Digg anymore? With the right kind of content, leveraging Reddit/Del.icio.us/SU can bring better results than the average Digg. We’ve done a few recent linkbait pieces for a client that have generated well over 2000 links, all without a single Digg. It all depends on the content… after a few mediocre Digg attempts, we took a serious look at the content strategy, changed it up, and haven’t looked back. Social news strategies have been changing dramatically lately with all the changes Digg has undergone. Time to adapt or fall by the wayside.

Sock Puppets - My friend Michael ‘Graywolf’ Gray has a great post about being more entertaining than a sock puppet. The post is really about is engaging and entertaining users through social media. I don’t really want to get involved in the drama this post is centralized around and once you read Graywolf’s post you’ll be up to date anyways. The point is that you really need to understand this (social media) medium if you want to play in it. Read the post and you’ll see the two great examples, one understands this medium and one doesn’t. Nice to see an SEO lay the smackdown on social media experts…. social media outside of linkbait.

Just a few items of note…

Starbucks - They’re finally stepping it up with their coffee. I’ve never been a huge fan of Starbucks coffee but I’ll definitely give them another try with this new brew. Never really cared for the taste and I always found it inconsistent, I guess that’s because they change their flavor every week and location. That would explain it. On the other-hand, I fully recommend illy, I won’t buy anything else for the house.

Shark Attacks - As a surfer, shark attacks are always on your mind. The reality of it though, is that you’re about as likely to be attacked by a shark as you are winning the lottery. News like this bodyboarder who was attacked and killed the other day always makes that thought just a little more eminent. Whenever someone comes to learn to surf, they’re always asking me about sharks and you can tell it’s on their mind and it makes them a little nervous. I suppose it’s good to always be aware of the dangers but there are far more things more likely to kill you then a shark. With that said, my thoughts go out to the boy’s family.

Party Bait - One of the funnest guys to party with at any SEO conference is hands down Chris Hooley. He seriously makes everyone step their game up and I’m hoping he shows up to SMX Social. It’s been ahwile since he’s blogged but today I cruised around and found a post he just put up. The post is based around relevance and how Google portrays you. What caught my attention though, is how he talks about how he hardly blogs anymore because his focused has changed. I can relate to this as I just recently went through a blogging drought myself. It’s seriously a whole other ballgame when you’re blogging because your livelihood depends on it. It becomes a job and starts to lose it’s fun. Chris, I know I just went off on a completely different tangent but here’s to hoping you become that crazy party guy again for a couple days and join us in Long Beach.

Update - So I didn’t get the chance to make my announcement yesterday but it’s coming today, for sure. It just might not come right away. I’m spending the day with my little girls and since it’s such a nice day I want to take full advantage. Not that we have a shortage of nice days down here or anything, but it’s been on a tad on the windy/overcast side all week.

Stabbed - Last night I was stabbed in the arm by a dart. It went in far and it hurt, pretty bad. I bled all over the place. The person who stabbed me is probably reading this post so I just want to say that I do not forgive you and you need to watch your back. I’m coming after you in your sleep Sucker (replace that ‘S’ with an ‘F’ if you want to know what I’m really thinking). Just because I beat your ass in ping-pong is no reason to throw darts at me.

Time Sucks - If you call my cell phone and you can’t leave a message because my mailbox is full, please don’t take it personal. I’m not trying to be a dick. I think I’m just taking the 4-Hour Work Week a little to literal and I’m trying to cut back on my time sucks. I already hate talking on the phone to begin with so naturally its one of my first time sucks to go. If you need to get a hold of me and I don’t answer your call then you can either call back, send me a text, or send me an email. I’ve been thinking of saying that on my voicemail but that might be a little too much. Again, this is nothing personal, just me trying to be more efficient with time. Does this make me a dick? A couple people told me it does.

Twitter - Speaking of time sucks…. Yesterday I got coaxed into signing up for Twitter, which I’ve been purposely avoiding because it’s a huge time suck. So far I’m rolling with it but who knows how long I’ll last on it. If you want, you can follow me on twitter.

time out - coffee refill…

Tennis - I’d never really played tennis in my life until a couple weeks ago. I’m starting to like it a lot though. I have a court here in my neighborhood and I went and bought some rackets and I’ve started playing. Nothing serious yet but I’m enjoying it and it’s a great workout.