Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Defending the Status Quo

From our archives. Happy Holidays! Seth Godin lists these 17 excuses for defending the status quo. I can't help rounding it out to twenty with these three additions: “I could never sell this to the folks upstairs.” “My successor can worry about it.” “We've got plenty of good ideas, just no time to pursue them.” […]

Learn More December 29, 2006

Why Smart Companies (And Nonprofits) Do Dumb Things

From our archives. Happy Holidays! Great common sense advice on helping your organization avoid doing dumb things. The only way Guy Kawasaki might improve upon this post is if he could produce and distribute it in a wallet-sized card version! One reason I might add is the phenomenon some management consultants refer to as driving […]

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Liberals Suffering From Outrage Fatigue

Are you feeling it yourself during this holiday hiatus? A dangerous pandemic that could seriously affect progressive fundraising in 2007. Stay indoors, preferably at home! From The Onion: “For a while, I wanted more fuel for the fire, to really get my blood boiling,” said Madison, WI resident Dorothy Levine, a reproductive-rights activist and former […]

Learn More December 28, 2006

What Is The Fear Quotient In Your Message?

From our archives. Happy Holidays! Thanks to David Roberts for an excellent series in Gristmill — including interesting references and reader comments — discussing the use of fear as a tool of motivation in American politics. Roberts is prompted in the first instance by the specific question of whether environmentalists should use scare tactics to […]

Learn More December 27, 2006

Top Ten Cliches That Work In Copy

From our archives. Happy Holidays! From Guest Agitator Jerry Huntsinger … If youve heard it over and over and over again, yes its a cliché.But is a cliché bad for your letter? Nope, because a cliché turns a light on inside your readers mind. Avoiding clichés leaves the reader in darkness. 1. Heres how you […]

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101 Ways To Brew Up A Great Idea

From our archives. Happy Holidays! Earlier, we forwarded Guy Kawasaki's advice for avoiding dumb organizational decisions. On a more positive note, Scott Baradell offers some rather creative suggestions for coming up with great ideas. We'd like to add to the list, but we're stumped!

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