Welcome to the second edition of The Three Things!
We had a fairly decent first edition last week so we’re moving on to week two.
I’m using the same image as last week because I think it’s hilarious and because Shrek (am I allowed to publicly call you that?), Howie, and I don’t yet have a photo together.
If you are a Spin Sucks subscriber, this particular post arrives on Sunday morning, when you have a little extra time to surf the web and read articles you’d love to get to during the week, but never do.
If you’re not a subscriber, what is wrong with you? You can subscribe by email or RSS feed.
And now on to your Sunday programming.
60 Mountain Lion Tips by David Sparks and Brett Terpstra
Michael on Macs. I apologize in advance, but this week’s “thing” is going to cost you. That said, if you’re a fellow Mac user, it’s money well spent. David Sparks, author of Mac At Work and iPad at Work, and Brett Terpstra, the creator of Marked, just released 60 Mountain Lion Tips. The book is useful for novices and weathered Mac geek alike and it does a wonderful job of showing off the potential of the new iBooks author platform (you can also get it in PDF if you’re not an iTunes or iPad user).
The first few tips saved me enough time this week alone to rationalize the $6.99. The book runs the gamut from easy to attempt keyboard shortcuts, to tool suggestions, and even offers some serious terminal geekery towards the end. If you want get more out of your Mac and are curious as to the future of books, you’ll want to give this a shot.
From Facebook to Advertisers: Forget About Clicks
Howie on Facebook. Chris Baccus, who used to be the head of digital and social media at AT&T, and I have had a long running discussion on the marketing effectiveness and stock value at Facebook.
If anyone remembers Beacon this is kind of a private B2B version. With Beacon you bought something and it would be shared with all your friends. Now somehow there will be a connection between you seeing a Facebook ad, you then buying that brand, and Facebook telling the advertiser they helped sell product for you.
Being a huge privacy advocate I am curious how they make this connection, but also how they can take credit for a national brand’s sale of a product or service that also has advertising, direct, email, PR, and more.
Tips for Getting the Best Table in Town
Gini on Restaurants. This is a great story about how to get a table without a reservation in some of New York’s most popular restaurants for as little as $20.
From Gourmet (an oldie, but goodie), one man’s journey to tip his way into the best restaurants in New York City. He discusses what works, what doesn’t work, and how to manage the same for yourself. He details the days and times he tried different tactics, who was offended and who took the cash, and how to present it as a tip for outstanding service instead of a bribe.
If you’re a foodie and love to go to the newest restaurants, but hate the long line or endless reservation game (like me), it’s worth a shot!
If you either of you try it in New York, I’ll try it here and we’ll compare notes. Oh who am I kidding? I’m an introvert. I would never ask to see the host privately so I could slip him $20 for a table in a crowded restaurant. I’ll have to enlist Mr. D to do the dirty work for me.