Brad Marley's Blog - Latest Comments

Re: What To Do When Someone Looks At Your LinkedIn Profile

Tony Perkins — Thu, 26 Dec 2019 21:42:28 -0000

So I get an email from LinkedIn that says 32(!) people are looking at my profile. I highly doubt it. What's more likely is LinkedIn chose that number, or 42, or 52, or 102 just to get me interested and click on my page. No, 32 people are NOT looking at my profile. Check the analytics, more like 2.

Re: Five Ways to be Valuable to a Reporter Right Now

Brad Marley — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 13:05:41 -0000

Katy, I can't tell you how many times I've seen or heard reporters complain about getting a pitch that has nothing to do with their beat. The more relevant we can make the story for the reporter, the more valuable we become, and the more secure we can make the profession. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

Re: Five Ways to be Valuable to a Reporter Right Now

Katy Bandemer Teer — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 11:27:06 -0000

Spot on - I adopted the philosophy long ago to share stories and not pitches. This shows that you have a good understanding of the reporter, you've built a relationship with them, and you're sharing things show how important something is to you because it's important to them.

Re: On Kindness

Matthew Seidl — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 17:26:35 -0000

One would hope, but look at the rise of racial rhetoric and violence in the U.K. post-Brexit: http://www.independent.co.u...

Re: On Kindness

Diana Marley — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 17:01:05 -0000

This is what I ended up posting a few days ago....

So, I am officially resigning from all political discussions. People who can vote are considered adults, are well able to bear the consequences of their choices. At this late date people are only digging their heels in and have no interest in having an open mind, I care too much for my friends to allow myself to be drawn any more into this circus. I pray we all survive this and its aftermath.

Re: On Kindness

Brad Marley — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 16:50:11 -0000

Maybe I'm just hopeful? When an election isn't staring us in the face, I think a lot of people will find other things to worry about.

Re: On Kindness

Matthew Seidl — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 16:31:21 -0000

Depending on who wins, this time I'm not at all convinced that we pick up again where we left off. But glad you've had a positive experience and positive vibes to your family.

Re: You Are The Best You

Brad Marley — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 17:08:30 -0000

http://steamcommunity.com/i...

Re: You Are The Best You

Diana Marley — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 19:51:16 -0000

☺☺

Re: Communications Breakdown with Ksenia Anske, Author

Diana Marley — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 16:41:19 -0000

Good interview Brad!

Re: Maybe Work Is Enough

Jeff Bajorek — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 13:31:59 -0000

There ya go again, Brad, and you got me all fired up...

http://parabolasales.com/?p...

Re: How I Learned To Stop Hating And Love The Facebook

Brad Marley — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 10:35:31 -0000

It's where the people are, for better or worse. And the changes are just going to continue because Facebook wants to make money.

(Plus, it's kinda fun to watch how some people act on a site where their real name and picture is attached to their account, isn't it?)

Re: How I Learned To Stop Hating And Love The Facebook

Jeff Bajorek — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 21:42:05 -0000

NOPE! Not okay! (Yes, I logged into this with my Facebook account, but anyway...)

I get the ongoing conversation part. Brad, I've been a part of some of those ongoing conversations, and they're fun. But Facebook stopped being user friendly in an effort to increase shareholder value, and I think that's where they lost the magic, and likewise lost my interest. Listen, I'm not about to occupy anything, and I don't have a beef against the markets. What I do have a problem with is companies acting in the best interests of their investors rather than their customers/users. That just doesn't make sense to me.

So sure, okay, use it. I do occasionally, but only BECAUSE it's the largest social network, and mostly unavoidable. It's a useful idiot in my opinion, and that's sad because it could be (and it seemed like it used to be) so much more than that.

Re: That’s What He Read – It’s Like We Never Left Edition

Brad Marley — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 09:03:44 -0000

Emily, I accept your apology. :) That was a fascinating article. I, like you, work better when I can start later in the day. My ideal shift would be 10 - 6. I could then avoid both commute rush hours.

Re: That’s What He Read – It’s Like We Never Left Edition

Emily O — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 17:34:29 -0000

I'm very behind on your blog (apologies!) and I'm just reading this entry. I loved The Atlantic piece on internal clocks... well, I found it very satisfying and want to wave it in quite a few people's faces. ;) It's something I've struggled with most of my adult life. In a prime example of Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, this is the 3rd or 4th piece on the topic of abnormal circadian rhythms I've read recently. I came across an article a few weeks ago that presented research which suggests a large number of ADD sufferers (upwards of 80%) report similar sleep issues, and in a DSPS study, around 50% of participants had ADD. It filled in a lot of gaps for me as an ADD sufferer because I very much fit into the scenarios both articles describe...trouble falling or staying asleep if I try to go to bed at a "decent" hour, but then finally eventually falling into a "sleep of the dead" leading to a huge struggle to wake up and be productive for a traditional work day schedule. The ADD article nailed my ideal internal sleep clock on the head: 4:00 a.m. - noon. Not exactly what corporate America wants! It was also suggested (as a cause to this issue) that ADD-sufferers' internal clock signal is weak, which may also account for their difficulty judging the passing of time. Very interesting stuff! Now if only more American companies would start allowing for the idea that not everyone fits one mold for the "ideal schedule."

Re: The Lost Art of Pitching a Story

Lindsay Bell — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 05:58:52 -0000

It's kind of sad how few people really get the power of a great pitch. :) Great piece, Brad. Related: We are old. LOL

Re: That’s What He Read – First Edition of 2015

Brad Marley — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 15:21:39 -0000

You're welcome, Ian. Thanks for writing.

On a related note, did Albom write a fictional piece during the '94 baseball strike where the players gathered on a mysterious island to play baseball? Or am I imagining he did that? I can't find anything on the Web about it, so I'm leaning toward crazy.

Re: That’s What He Read – First Edition of 2015

casselberry — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 11:52:11 -0000

I appreciate your praise of my Mitch Albom post. Thanks for reading (and linking)! I come from a similar place in that Albom was my favorite writer whom I deeply admired growing up. That makes his current career so disappointing and infuriating.

Re: We Owe It To Our Kids To Give Them Experiences

Brad Marley — Wed, 07 May 2014 14:59:00 -0000

Kate - Thanks for the reply. I am totally okay with flying now. I think I flew enough that it just became a thing, you know? As I said in the post, if we do it early and often enough with our kids, it won't seem like a big deal (hopefully.)

After driving 16 hours one way to Myrtle Beach last May, we agreed that we would never drive anywhere again when we can get a good deal on flights. It's just not worth the hassle.

Re: We Owe It To Our Kids To Give Them Experiences

Kate Storey — Wed, 07 May 2014 14:23:04 -0000

I totally agree. As someone who was lucky enough to spend her entire childhood flying (we often traveled all summer with our dad, an airline pilot, across the whole country), I can say that those travel experiences absolutely made me a more confident and well-rounded person. (Although I will say, now that I don't travel nearly as often, I do occasionally get a little nervous now before a flight...I think it has more to do with being an adult now and more fully realizing the *very minor* risks of flying, as well as just being rusty overall about the process.) Just try not to let your girls see you sweat - if you're calm, they'll be calm. I always looked to my dad to see whether or not I needed to be nervous when flying...heck, I still call him before I fly, just to get his opinion on the weather patterns and what we might expect up in the air! ;)

Re: The Creaks in the Floor

Brad Marley — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 10:46:55 -0000

Rob -

Thanks for reading, and taking time to leave a comment.

Homes do become comfortable, but life is all about getting outside of your comfort zone. Even if it's difficult.

Re: The Creaks in the Floor

Rob Biesenbach — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 09:30:49 -0000

That's a nice story, Brad. There's some comfort in learning the "language" of a house, and how it talks to us!

Re: We Should Stop Celebrating Our Stress Levels

Brad Marley — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 16:42:02 -0000

It absolutely starts at the top, Matt. The culprits come from a long line of office descendents who believe the best work is done under deadline, so they wait and wait and wait until the last moment to either do the work themselves, or assign somebody else to do it, falsely believing that false urgency is the only way. That's what leads to stress.

I feel particularly bad for you because you are at their mercy. I would be willing to bet your well-being are not in their best interests.

But until change starts somewhere near the top, we will continue to live in a world that stresses us out because a stupid press release was approved at the last minute.

Thanks for the comment.

Re: We Should Stop Celebrating Our Stress Levels

Matthew Seidl — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 12:04:42 -0000

I agree we're certainly not saving lives, and do what I can to relieve tension (days off, leave early, plan ahead, Adventure Lunch Club, Snappy Comebacks to Stupid Questions, etc.) -- but unfortunately the stress level is usually set higher up the food chain. Then again, that probably varies depending on where one works.

I didn't put in 24 hours last weekend out of choice, but rather because I left Friday afternoon with practically zero approved elements in hand for a press kit due to go up that Monday at 12:01. Even then, I only felt true throat-tightening stress for about 15 minutes or so... I know the sun will still rise then next morning if something goes wrong, even if management thinks otherwise.

Working on the Web site is especially stressful since you're expected to make up for every stupid, pointless, thoughtless delay along the way in order to hit a deadline. I'm on call to post releases over the holiday, everyone knew they were coming and had plenty of time to get them done, but I still had to track shit down the afternoon before. Not sure what would have happened if I hadn't bothered -- on the one hand it's tempting to find out, but on the other I'd rather not receive a frantic call at midnight wondering what happened to filler release #237B.

Re: Get Your Hands Off Of That Elf

Brad Marley — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 13:56:20 -0000

That's a good read, right there. Thanks for sharing.