This time of year typically connotes images of presents, poinsettias and pines, but it also marks the time-honored tradition of countdown lists. In the B2B world, lists are great communication tools that help to simplify a complex process or reinforce important ideas. Plus, lists are a part of everyday life (i.e. grocery, wish and to-do lists), so they resonate well with most audiences.

Whether you’re a jet setter or a social media surfer there is a 2009 list for just about everyone. Here are a few of my faves:

1. The Top 10 of Everything of 2009
2. Top 50 Social Media Stories of 2009
3. Top 9 Artists of 2009
4. BtoB’s Best for 2009
5. The 20 Worst Foods of 2009
6. 50 Best Web sites 2009
7. The World’s Best Places to Live 2009
8. The World’s Worst Tourists 2009
9. Best Careers of 2009

Do you have a favorite list of 2009? What’s on your marketing wish list for 2010?

(Photo credit: Wired)

Is it just me or has the activity on Twitter slowed down? Perhaps people have run out of compelling things to say in 140 characters or less.

I mostly follow folks in the marketing and PR industry and I’ve gained a lot of insight from quite a few of them. Then, there are those that initially held some interest for me, but now their tweets consist of where and with whom they’re off to lunch today or something about their cats.

It’s like people are compelled to Tweet at least five times a day, and it’s to the point that they’ll just say anything.

Frankly, I don’t have time for 140-character musings about date night. And, I find so much more value in other social media.

So, I’ve decided to cleanse my Twitter account and streamline it to follow only the Tweeps that really deliver valuable content to my day. I know, I know many of you may say Twitter should be a mix of personal and professional, but for me I’m going all pro from here on out. And, if that makes me a Twitter snob, then so be it.

Let the cleansing begin! What about you? Are you seeing the value of Twitter diminish over time?

I was recently talking to a client about Web site development and he said a supplier of his insisted that users shouldn’t have to scroll to the information they want on a Web site. His contention was that Web sites that required users to scroll are somehow inferior.

I understand the desire to have relevant information ‘above the fold’—as is the goal when designing printed publications. However, this is unrealistic and unnecessary for Web sites in my opinion. Here’s why:

• Screen resolutions and monitors come in all shapes and sizes. One user may be sporting an 800×600 CRT while another might be rocking a 32-inch LCD with 1280×1024 pixel res. The Web site won’t look the same on both monitors. Don’t get me started on IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome and various mobile browsers.
• People are used to scrolling. The reason there is a scrollbar on the aforementioned browsers is that people are used to scrolling.
• The Web is for information exchange. I know everyone wants to have the coolest graphics and tight, terse copy on their site. But, you need to deliver a tremendous amount of (well-organized) information on your site for maximum stickiness, especially for SEO.

It’s important to note that some of the biggest brands have Web sites that require scrolling. So, in my opinion, it’s not about building a site that doesn’t make you scroll. It’s about developing a site that makes people want to scroll

What are your thoughts? Oh, and thanks for scrolling  to the bottom of this post. Hope it wasn’t too much trouble.

Nothing makes my blood boil like seeing an article in a mainstream, national daily newspaper riddled with errors and typos.

I recently ran across an article about the new BCS rankings, in which Stanford jumped into the top 25. Although my precious Sun Devils have no chance of cracking the top 25, or even a D-level bowl berth, I am certainly a supporter of the Pac-10 conference (plus, my alter-ego is a fan of Oregon Ducks), so I was keenly interested in this particular article.

What caught me off guard were the two typos and a grievous error that plagued this particular article. I mean, this is a national online source of news!

As you can see, ‘stay’ and ‘the’ are misspelled in this article. In addition, the article states ‘Ohio outlasted a game Iowa squad in overtime….” Huh? Should it be ‘a great Iowa squad’ or ‘a tame Iowa squad?’

This made my mind wander about the reasons behind this and the implications to B2B publishers and marketers—and for our society at large. Is this due to print and online publications cutting staff so much that they only have hack writers and no proofreaders? Do people not value spelling and grammar anymore? Are people so quick to get things online that they forego the traditional QC process? Am I being too harsh?

BTW, those aren’t rhetorical questions. Please answer them for me!