MarkFarmer.net Blog

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The Death of Flash: Lessons in Community & Democracy

The Death of Flash What an obsolescent programming interface can teach you about democracy and community. I started programming in earnest in 2001, using (among other things) a now largely defunct technology called “Flash.”...

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Pooh-Pooh Culture

It’s insidious. It undermines trust, saps initiative and likely already infects your workplace: welcome to pooh-pooh culture. Wikipedia defines “pooh-poohing” as “a fallacy in informal logic that consists of dismissing an argument as being...

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You’re a sucker for a good webinar

The invite appears in your inbox. “Join us for a free webinar on <insert tantalizing business trend / skill / software / here>.” You open. You read. You ponder (maybe). You click. Days later your...

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The Curse of the Gourmet Mustard

Mustard and the Marginal Economy I have the good fortune of living next to the top food market in the world: Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market. Every Saturday I troll the market for free samples. It’s...

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Justin Trudeau vs. The Culture of Change

Corporate Culture doesn’t shift; it rolls over with a thud During his election campaign, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to bring openness and transparency to Canadian government. Only now are his lieutenants coming to terms with what...

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An Open Letter to Every Young Salesperson

Sales: it’s about what you can do for me. I get a lot of sales calls. A lot. I don’t know how the rumour started that I’m made of cash, but apparently that happened. Sometimes I...

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Building your career with social media

Building your career with social media. Social media is one of the most powerful tools for building your career through the power of your own brand. But where to begin? Here are some tips...

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ACT up for better communication

It stands for Authenticity, Consistency and Transparency. It’s the cornerstone of real, effective online communication.Too many organizations fall into traps on the way to ACTing up: “We need to sound official.” Trust me: you don’t...

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The top 10 things to know about Twitter

This week is a guest post by Karim Kanji, friend, all-around social media nerd and co-faculty member at George Brown College. Here’s Twitter in 10 points: Twitter is an open and accessible public network....

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90% of your content is crap

Puppy mills still exist. They’re horrible places where female dogs are kept in inhumane, cramped quarters for the sole purpose of churning out a constant stream of puppies to be shipped to pet stores....