Newsletter 72. Integrity is a pain in the ass, but the only long-term way to live with yourself. Plus, AI grannybots to annoy spammers, a ghostwriting compensation study, three people to follow, three books to read, and my self-serving holiday gift recommendations. The price of integrity A few years ago, I was given the opportunity…
You have a conscience. You know what the right thing to do is. But the right thing is going to cost you. Do you still do the right thing? Today I’m going to tell you how doing the right thing paid off for me in unexpected ways. Because it turns out that people notice integrity,…
I lost about $18,000 this week, and gave myself a whole lot of extra work for which I’ll get paid nothing. And I regret none of it. Promises I do quality writing and editing work. I meet deadlines and never break promises. I suppose I do this to maintain my reputation. But as I think…
I knew I had to write about the George Floyd/Derek Chauvin verdict today, but I was afraid. It was the right verdict. That was obvious from the video. Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd. It should never have happened. But I was afraid of the trolls who will inevitably flood my comments with hate. And I…
As I watch people endorsing their friends’ books that they haven’t read, I keep getting reminded of a question that is nagging at the back of my mind. Which is more important, integrity or friendship? If you are an analytical thinker or hope to be a thought leader, this is not an idle question. An…
Don’t back down from the truth. Even if you disagree with people, your integrity will win them over in the long run. So, it’s 1996 and my bosses at Forrester have insisted that I write a report about non-PC Internet devices. I’m so dubious about the idea that the original title of the report is “The…
In the year 2000, when I was the top technology analyst in the television industry, I began to see the outlines of the transformation of television. TiVo had delivered a big shock to the television schedule. Video on-demand was another tremor. I could see the whole edifice shaking. I wrote a piece called “The End Of TV (As We…