My headline for Twitter's first press ad

You can't read everything but you can read the people that do.

Or should that be 'people who do'?

Any grammar freaks in the house?

7 rules of brainstorming

Like Wal, I've been in many brainstorming sessions.

And like Wal, I've never really been in any that ever seemed particularly effective.

I've read up on the subject before and I seem to remember a few tips on how long you should do it and how many people to involve - and yes, I do think it's important you set a few parameters - or rules.

Here are 7 rules of brainstorming from IDEO, the design and innovation consultants, courtesy of Wal at Hyper Island.

Fucking awesome social Media guru

Via Rik Brown at BBH, via Ad Contrarian, via Ad Broad, this movie was made by a freelance journalist in Dublin, named Markham Nolan. Props!

Just as interesting is that it's made with a tool called Xtranormal whose strapline is 'if you can type, you can make movies' - couldn't have put it better myself.

Make the goal fun

I've posted before aboutthis book and the story about a painted fly in a urinal that encouraged men to aim for it and therefore not splash man wee all over the floor.

Well here's another great idea, via @BBHLabs on Twitter.

Problem: Everyone's using the escalator instead of taking a short, healthy climb.
Solution: Make climbing the stairs fun.



How's your Swedish? Read more here.

Google Wave in under 8 minutes

All about its features (you'll have to wait till I can try it if you want me to write about its benefits).

100,000 people were invited to preview it from yesterday. I signed up but ain't heard nothing yet. Looks like fun as a communications tool. Have a look for yourself.

The way forward

R/GA's Bob Greenburg and Barry Wacksman show and tell.

140 followers for Media140 London

Thanks to my pigeon-catching skills, I bagged a free ticket to Media140's one day London conference on October 26th.

To thank them for the opportunity to explore the impacts of real-time social media on agencies, marketers and brands, I'm trying to get 140 followers, follow 140 people and have tweeted 140 times by the time October 26th rolls around.

Do you see what I'm trying to do?

Well I'm already following 140 people, so I won't be able to follow you back.

And I've already tweeted 119 times, so I've only got 21 tweets left before October 26th.

But I've only got 70 followers, so I need 70 more. I think it's possible. The trouble is no-one's really going to find me through my tweets at any great rate because I haven't got many left before I reach 140.

That's why I'm asking for your help here. Go on, be a love.

Follow @hayesthompson on Twitter and tell your friends!

Cheers!

PS. I hearly forgot to mention what's in it for you. When normal update service resumes, you'll be tweeted to a heady mix of:

Crucial advertising and digital news
Hilarious copywriting anecdotes
Unmissable updates on how my 10-month old daughter, Maggie, is progressing
Random stories about my cat, who shits too much. In the house
Thrilling conversations with some of the indutry's most charismatic and insightful figureheads
Links to 'shit' that other people will be sending you links to 'minutes, sometimes hours' later (and some that no-one else you know would have sent you)
My own brand of cynical, yet up-beat comment on advertising, the interwebs and life in general
Completely useless writing tips (if you don't have to write - if you do, they're indspensible)
Your own guide to what's fresh and what's wack, Jack