This is me with my friends Steven and Allan this weekend at LessConf 3010 (the conference from the future). They’re the brilliant co-founders of LessEverything (and creators of LessAccounting). The conference was a blast.

I don’t remember exactly when I first connected with Steven and Allan, but I’m guessing somebody sent me a link to WeAllHateQuickbooks.com. I loved the site, so I started following Steven and Allan on twitter.

But now, let me tell you the rest of the story.

A few months later I was accepted into Seth Godin’s alternative MBA program. I needed some financial help to cover the costs of going. So I sent an email out to a few of my twitter followers who are also business owners. Within just a couple of minutes of sending the email I heard back from Steven and Allan saying that they’d like to sponsor me for the six months of Seth’s program and thanking me for the opportunity to take part. They then proceeded to make a significant financial contribution to help cover my costs.

Here’s the thing. My only contact with these guys up until this point was through twitter. I wasn’t even a client yet.

These guys are amazing…and so are their products. Thanks guys!

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I love Hugh, he’s irreverent, brilliant and inspiring, all at the same time.  

I’ve got his art in my office and his book, Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity, will change the way you create.  When I’ve been around him in person he’s been gracious and unassuming.  

He’s an idea rock star and an amazing artist.

Follow Hugh on twitter: @gapingvoid

Visit his site: Gaping Void

[And thanks to @drewhawkins for providing the inspiration for this post series]

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In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably say that while I am writing this post on an iPad (yes, there's an app for that), I don't own any Apple stock. 

A lot of people I really respect have asked lately what the big deal about the iPad is, "It's just a big iPhone" they say. In fact, I think they have it backwards. The iPhone is actually a pocket sized iPad (I've taken to calling mine an iPad Nano). 

The real question is do you want to interact with the world leaning forward at a desk or leaning back into your couch? 

Ironically, the one place the laptop was never really used was on your lap. Let's be honest, it was at best a nomadic desktop. The iPad is used in your lap, in your hand, in bed and yes (thanks to this little guy) in the bath, try doing that with your laptop. 

If you're an iPhone user (which if your reading this blog you probably are) and a business traveller, how often do you really have to pull out your laptop? I pull it out for a couple of reasons, writing (not reading) long emails, giving presentations (although lately thanks to Mighty Meeting I've been using my phone for that) and browsing the internet. 

Well, the ipad provides a great email experience, a superior web browsing experience and has keynote built right in. Plus, my laptop can do so many things that my MacBook Air can't (like get through security without emptying my bag). 

There's been a lot of talk about the iPad's lack of multitasking, but I think that's misleading (I'm not sure if at this point I should point out that I'm listening to the new XX album on my iPad while I write this post). Most situations don't really call for multi-tasking. What they call for is instant on, instant suspend apps, which is exactly what the iPad has (I actually copied and pasted this paragraph from Pages, but more about Pages later). In many ways this is much better than true multitasking because it uses less system resources which makes for a much more pleasant user experience. 

I won't go into a lengthy review, if you're looking for that there's a great list here.
I'm going to leave you with a few highlights and encourage you to get your hands on one as soon as you can. 

What I love about my iPad: 

1. It just makes sense (browse the web on it for five minutes and you'll never go back). 
2. It's genuinely mobile in a way the laptop never was. 
3. With the ingenuity of developers there's no limit to what it'll do. 
4. The games are amazing. The big screen makes all the difference. My favorites, Sandstorm HD and Asphalt 5 HD. 
5. My kids get it right away. Even our three year old knows how to use it (thanks to hours on the iphone in the last year). 
6. Pages (only $9.99 in the app store) may be the best document creation tool ever. 
7. Magazines are amazing on the iPad. Finally a way for me to avoid destroying them in the bath.

What could be better: 

1. At 1.5 lbs its a little heavy (did I really just say that?). 
2. A built in camera (front and back) would be really nice. 
3. In really bright light there's some screen glare and you see all the fingerprints 
4. I keep trying to use my laptop screen as a touchscreen now. It just feels like it should be, I hold my iPad responsible for that. 
5. I've not figured out the keyboard shortcuts with an external keyboard yet (help please) and why can't I use whatever the opposite of delete is by clicking Apple+Delete. 

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So what is PR?

I think the dictionary would tell us something like PR is efforts or promotions creating good will towards a product or company.  

I'd tweak that a little and say that effective PR spreads the story of a brand or product.

Up until recently, this was done primarily through traditional media.  Here's how it worked:

1. People in the media were looking for content for their TV shows, newspapers and magazines.  
2. PR professionals had stories about their companies they wanted to spread.
3. So, PR professionals spent their time developing trusted relationships with people inside traditional media and becoming a good source for content (think press releases).  

This was a win/win situation.  The media outlet got content that they needed and the brand got publicity.

But this isn't working the way it used to (just ask any PR professional). I think the main reason it stopped working is that consumers have moved their trust from traditional media to social media (their friends).  

This means that if you're in PR and you want have a job in a few years you'd better understand that the new PR is about engaging directly with consumers rather than through the intermediary of traditional media.

Your customers are speaking to you.  Are you listening?

Some memories are created by accident.

We spent this Christmas in a motel in Lawton, Oklahoma.  Not because that was the plan, but because an ice storm trapped us while we were out on a quick Christmas Eve trip.  No gifts, no stockings, not even a tooth brush.  Our kids will remember it forever because it was so different.

Memories can also be created by design. 

When they take your picture as you board the cruise ship they're telling you this will be an experience you'll want to remember for a lifetime.  And you do. 

During our six months with Seth Godin he placed a giant Moleskine on the table by the door to his office.  Each day as we left we wrote something in it.  A quote, a funny story.  Our guests would add something and sign it as well. Will it be fun to read back through a decade from now?  You bet.  But it was more important in the moment.  By writing in the book every day, we were reminding ourselves we were having an experience worth remembering.  And it was. Thanks Seth.

What are you doing to create memories?

Here's to a memory filled 2010.

Whether you’re creating a real estate brochure, building a web site or decorating a restaurant effective design is crucial.

I‚Äôm not talking about the kind of design that wins awards from other designers…but the kind that actually works.

Effective design should do one thing…remind people of the right things.

When you‚Äôre scanning your email you recognize spam before you read it.  Why?  Because it reminds you of spam.

When the Obama campaign decided it wanted to be historic, they didn‚Äôt run around saying, ‚ÄúThis campaign is historic.‚Äù  They started borrowing elements from historic documents and using them in their design.  And subconsciously millions of Americans started thinking, ‚ÄúThis campaign is historic‚Äù.

And it‚Äôs not just about look and feel.  In our Colorado mountain town we had a new restaurant open that couldn‚Äôt figure out who they were.  They always had classical music playing, used linen table cloths but they served ketchup in the little packets.  It just didn‚Äôt fit.  They had no idea what they were trying to remind people of and they lasted less than three months.

It doesn‚Äôt cost any more to have effective design than ineffective design. The important part is to figure out what it is you‚Äôre trying to remind people of and go do that.