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February 20, 2008 The Trouble With Acting on Instinct (A Story)In This Issue:Feature Article: "The Trouble With Acting on Instinct (A Story)" Q & A : "What's All The Fuss About Online Video?" “The Trouble With Acting on Instinct (A Story)”Should we always act on instinct? Should we always go with our gut... rather than think before we act?There seems to be a view that our gut helps us make better decisions than considered, rational thinking. A view that we'd be better off if we just followed our instincts, rather than thoughtfully considered our best interests. I couldn't disagree more. Sigmund Freud said: "It is impossible to overlook the extent to which civilization is built upon a renunciation of instinct." Think about this a little. And then think about a key difference between humans and animals. Animals rely, almost exclusively, on instinct. But we humans have been blessed with more "tools" to make decisions. One of these is instinct... but another is the ability to think rationally about a situation before deciding on the best course of action. Of course "thinking before acting" is not "in" anymore is it? "Ready, fire, aim" and "acting on instinct" are what's "in" these days. But is our first instinctive - and often emotional - response to a situation the best way of dealing with it? Consider this story... A friend of mine applied for a job. The HR manager of the company he applied to erroneously sent an email to all 20 or so candidates to tell thank them for their application. Fine... except that all the candidates' email addresses were in the CC field for all to see. No doubt - this was a gross breach of confidentiality and privacy. My friend's instinctive response was to send the HR manager an angry email rebuking her for her incompetence. To tell her how unprofessional she was and how outraged he was. He was understandably angry that his privacy had been compromised and wanted to let her know it. But before he emailed her, I asked him a simple question: "What is the ideal outcome you want out of all this?" He thought for a moment and then said, "I want the job." "Okay," I replied, "then how will sending the HR manager an angry email help you achieve that outcome?" (Meanwhile, some of the other applicants had hit "reply to all" and let the HR manager all about her gross indiscretion.) The penny dropped. "I still want to email her," he told me. "Go for it," I said, "but instead of telling her off, why not commisserate with her, as she's probably feeling terrible." My friend did this and then received a reply from the HR manager. Sure enough, she was deeply sorry for her mistake. And then I made another suggestion to my friend. "Why don't you send her an email to boost her spirits? That may help you stand out from all the other applicants in a positive way." And so he did... and he got a warm reply in response. We're still waiting on the next step in the application process, but the point is that sometimes the worst thing you can do - the thing that will ultimately harm you the most - is to act on instinct or emotion. I'm not saying that we should ignore our instincts, or that our instincts are useless. Far from it - our instincts are VITAL in many circumstances, especially when there is NO TIME to think. But these are our most primal decision making tool, and not necessarily the tool that will help us make the best decisions in complex situations. We have been given the ability to think rationally, as well as use our instincts, so why not use both? * FREE REPORT * “FREE REPORT: The Rise Of The Author”If you haven't read this yet, please do so. It's *that* important: ==> FREE REPORT: The Rise Of The Author The title is easily misunderstood - the importance of this document reaches far beyond authorship (although your concepts about this may be permanently altered)... ==> FREE REPORT: The Rise Of The Author “What's All The Fuss About Online Video?”If you're intrigued by the enormous growth in the use of video online - or are just wondering what all the fuss is about - you'll love this Question and Answer (Q & A) with Internet marketing expert, Kevin Riley...Q1: Why should Internet marketers and other Internet based businesses be concerned with video commercials? They should be concerned with video for a number of reasons. Video has been gaining in popularity as more and more Internet users are getting more bandwidth. People love video. Now, it's become a fantastic way to get your message in front of a large, targeted audience. As more and more bloggers and specialty sites start embedding your videos from places like You Tube, Revver, and Vimeo, you get exposure to the very people you want to reach -- those in your niche. People online are much more likely to watch a short, compelling video than read a long sales letter. So, video can be the pre-sell that builds interest in the offer you have on your website. You must remember that most people are visual and would rather watch than read. Video is a great way to demonstrate your product, or the results or benefits that your product produces. After all, a picture is truly worth a thousand words, and a video can tell even more. Q2: Isn't it too expensive to shoot a video commercial? Isn't that for big companies that advertise on TV? Not at all. I shoot my videos for next to nothing. I invested $300 in the software I use, and I spend about $10-30 per video on such materials as stock photos and royalty-free music. All the production I do in my home office on a regular computer. Q3: What about production quality? Don't you need a huge budget to ensure high production values? What you have to remember is that you're not shooting commercials for big-screen TV. Online videos are smaller than a postcard, and it isn't difficult to attain the quality that is suitable for the medium. Anybody can do this on their home computer. Q4: Is it better to hire someone to shoot a video commercial for you, or do it yourself? It really depends upon the case. Most videos I do don't use live action. I assemble screenshots, stock images, and screen capture video using Camtasia software. The transitions and other effects I can easily apply with this software allow me to create a very effective commercial -- by myself. I also have shot some live action with a tripod-mounted camcorder. Again, due to the final screen size, there is no need for the large professional cameras and a camera crew. Obviously, you need to plan out the video shot ahead of time to get the best results. Q5: What kind of businesses should get involved in shooting a video commercial? Anyone selling products online, running auctions at eBay, promoting affiliate products, recruiting for MLM, advertising an offline business can use video to advantage. I really can't imagine any business that couldn't benefit from video commercials. I've seen plumbing contractors, guitar teachers, blender manufacturers, job recruiters, all kinds of businesses making good use of online video. Q6: How can someone get started in creating their own video commercial? To keep it simple, get a copy of Camtasia (You can get a free 30- day trial to start), download a free audio recorder, get a decent microphone, and you're set to start shooting your first video. Before you do anything, plan out your video. Use storyboards just like the studios do, to save yourself a lot of time and frustration. Remember that you are shooting a commercial -- not entertainment -- and make use of the AIDA (attention, interest, desire and action) formula to build up your video. Q7: What do you offer that can help an absolute beginner create their own video commercials? I've recently released "Recipe For Shooting And Distributing
Sales-Pulling Video Commercials" which not only takes you through
every step of planning and shooting an effective video
commercial, but also gets your video distributed to the right
video sites and promoted by the Web 2.0 sites. As with all my
Recipes, I walk you through every little detail with step-by-step To check out Kevin's "Recipe For Shooting And Distributing Sales-Pulling Video Commercials" click here: ==> Recipe For Shooting And Distributing Sales-Pulling Video Commercials * HIGHLY RECOMMENDED * “Celebrate National Self-Esteem Month!”February is National Self-Esteem Month and to help manifest Dr. Joe Rubino's vision of raising the self-esteem level of 20 million people, here's an irresistible offer for you that includes over $10,000 in free gifts. Dr. Joe Rubino (one of the world's foremost experts on the topic of Self-Esteem and best-selling author of "The Self-Esteem Book: The Ultimate Guide to Boost the Most Underrated Ingredient for Success and Happiness in Life") is celebrating the official launch of his new and highly acclaimed Self-Esteem System. Consequently, he's put together an awesome list of free bonuses to reward those who purchase this life-changing book. He's also offering you a no cost insightful audio called "7 Steps to Soaring Self-Esteem" and a complimentary 1 year membership in The Success Achievers' Club ($129 value) just for checking it out. To read about these free bonuses valued at more than $10,000 visit http://www.cprsuccess.com/esteembonuses You'll discover how you can help raise the consciousness of the planet by elevating your own self-esteem or the self-esteem level of those you love. Then pick up your Audio and Club Membership for free here: |
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