How best do we spend our time?

We all are challenged by the limited resource of time in our lives. For the last four days, I have been down with the flu sleeping as much as possible. This downtime has led to some re-evaluation of how I spend my time. This thought process actually started a few days earlier, when my wife and I were discussing an article I shared with her about the risks associated with some social media activities.

"Top Facebook Applications Vulnerable to XSS and SQLi: Highlights the risks of trusting third-party apps"
In reference to Farmville and Causes, the top two applications on Facebook, the article states: "Both applications contained cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that could have been exploited to perform a wide range of attacks, from exposing personal information from a user's profile to launching a social networking worm that propagates through clickjacking." Yikes! That is not the kind of exposure I want.

After reading the article, my wife said "Instead of wasting time fake farming, I could be learning to cook amazing things on Rouxbe for the holidays when the family comes to visit." Rouxbe is a beautiful and informative online cooking school to which I purchased a lifetime membership for my wife. Christine's comment brought a smile to my face.

So while I was home sick over the weekend I eliminated about seventy percent of my applications on Facebook, left about forty groups and/or pages, tightened up my privacy settings and cut out almost all Facebook notifications to my email. Then in my personal email account, I unsubscribed to about thirty emails; and cut my inbox down from about 400 to forty emails.

How will I spend all this time saved?
There are some things that I need to do more. Listening, walking, jogging, stretching, reading and writing are among them. So I have committed to do more of these things, in place of some of the mindless online activities I have eliminated.

Yesterday, I went out to the garage and pulled out a box of old books that I would like to read. Since I recently attended the Wizard Academy out in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin, I dusted off a copy of Greek Tragedies. Mythology and storytelling are very important in understanding our world; and can help immensely in making us more compelling communicators.

I must admit that understanding mythology is not one of my strengths, all the more reason to study up. However, I did find the following beautiful and wise.
"Justice so moves that those only learn who suffer; and the future you shall know when it has come; before then, forget it. It is grief too soon given. All will come clear in the next dawn's sunlight."
~Chorus of Argive Elders,
Agamemnon of the trilogy The Oresteia

What are some ways that you would like to change how you spend your time?

A day in the rain at Austin City Limits 2009

My son Ayrton and I went to Austin City Limits in the pouring rain last Saturday. We were both fully decked out in protective and waterproof gear and did our best to stay dry. Here are some photos from our experience.

Ghostland Observatory Performs "Rich Man" at Austin City Limits 2009

Geeky Rockstars Are Nice, But They Don't Sell Like Relevance

I just read an interesting blog post from Andrew Austin on the YourStoryAlive blog. Entitled "Corporations Aren't People - People Are People" - it praises the current Intel TV campaign for adding a human touch to the brand.


That's nice, but I don't believe "nice" sells in today's market
While I kind of like that commercial and agree it adds a human touch to Intel, I don't believe it increases my affinity for their brand or likelihood to purchase or recommend Intel (Net Promoter Score). Note that I purchased a laptop in the last 30 days and actually bought one with an AMD chip.

I have long been an advocate of the need for brands to build meaningful connections with consumers. However, I feel in this case that the ad may be a little self indulgent, particularly in consideration of the economy. It's more about Intel than the consumer. Right now, most consumers need value and trust.

Why Hyundai's Assurance Left the Competition in the Dust
To this point, this is why Joel Ewanick of Hyundai was recently awarded Brandweek's Grand Marketer of the Year '09. He made their marketing about the consumers, not Hyundai. Ewanick puts it this way:
“We kept saying, ‘Why aren’t you buying a car right now? You say you want to buy one, but you’re not doing it!’”... Finally, he hit pay dirt. “It turned out they were in a fearful state. And once you understand that fear, then you can come up with something like Assurance.”

Now that is marketing that is relevant to consumers right now. Most importantly, it worked! "Hyundai Motor America and its affiliate, Kia Motor America, accounted for 8 percent of the new-vehicle market in the United States in August, more than Chrysler’s 7.4 percent." Read more about Hyundai's recent success in this New York Times article "With Low Prices, Hyundai Builds Market Share."

The first TV spot in the series even starts with the statement "This is a car commercial, but it's not about cars... it's about the people who buy them." Note it didn't say "it's about the people who make them."


Hyundai's doing it right! That's my two cents... and those two cents mean more to me now than they did a year ago,

Business & Pleasure at Camelback in Scottsdale, AZ

Last week I had the pleasure of presenting at the National Association of Dental Plans 21st Annual Conference at Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Arizona. I presented for BOSSdev, Inc. on the topic of social media as it relates specifically to business and, in particular, the dental industry. The session had an excellent turnout and was very well received.

You can view our download the slides from my presentation here:

NADP Convention: Wrapping Your Head Around Social Media for the Dental Heathcare Industry

View more presentations from Korye Logan.

I would like to thank the director of this event, Jeff Hurt for the invitation to speak and for his gracious hospitality. I highly suggest following Jeff on Twitter and on his blog Midcourse Corrections. Additionally, I wish to thank Joe Flowers of the NADP for his support during the event. Follow Joe on Twitter and at I Need Dental Benefits.

Once the event concluded, I had the opportunity to stick around Camelback for the weekend and enjoy the resort with my wife and some friends from Arizona. It is a beautiful and even magical place "where time stands still." Here are some photos from my stay.



If you are interested in learning more about the presentation I made or you would like me to speak at an upcoming webinar or event, please contact me via this blog, on Twitter or at 512.608.1460. BOSSdev is an an Interactive and Social Media company dedicated to delivering highly engaging digital communications solutions.

Quails Bathing in the Cool Dirt in Scottsdale, AZ

My wife and I enjoyed watching this family of quail bathe in the cool dirt during our nightly sunset walk at Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Arizona. There were many animals on the grounds and they were not nearly as skittish as I am accustomed to seeing. Their collectively calm demeanor helped us to relax even more at the place where time stands still.

Hamilton Pool & Grotto near Austin, Texas

Hamilton pool and grotto is an amazing natural recreational spot located just minutes west of Austin, Texas up near Lake Travis. It's a great day trip destination. Be sure to plan your visit well, as they only allow a limited number of visitors at a time. This is wonderful as it keeps the spot from getting overcrowded, but it could mean you'll be waiting in your car for an hour to get in.

Here's a brief video I took of Hamilton pool and grotto: