Best of 2007
As I start my “Year in Review” process, there are some things that I wanted to take note of things I’ve found this year that I’m thankful for. I give you: The Ronis!
Best Blog - Curt Schilling’s 38 Pitches is the coolest thing in baseball. Real-time in-depth commentary from a guy in the game. Check out this post on the Mitchell Report over 3,500 words of insider stuff! Uhh - Sports Illustrated? Hello? McFly? Bueller? Anyone? My only complaint is that load times are sometimes a problem with over 750 comments on some posts (does number 643 really feel they are being heard?).
Best Podcast - None. Podcasting is languishing in the “Trough of Disillusionment“, all of the established casts are doing what they do, and doing it well. I’d say Marketing Over Coffee but that would be really lame to nominate my own stuff. The only other good news I have is that hopefully with the Harry Potter series closed maybe some of those casts will go away. Don’t believe the (lack of) hype, there’s still nothing cooler than getting niche stuff like TWiT, Manager Tools or Tips from the Top Floor, or Rumor Girls Uncut delivered to your iPod on a regular basis.
Best Movie - 10 Items or Less, actually not a 2007 movie, but that’s when it showed up in the Netflix cue and it’s the best thing I saw this year. With sequels being all the rage this summer, it was a sorry year for movies. Honorable mention for IMAX again this year.
Best TV Show - Heroes was interesting and entertaining, and I love the message about the human spirit. The fact that I cannot get it commercial free on iTunes really bothers me. I’m willing to pay cash, and if I didn’t have strong opinions about content producers getting paid it would be far easier for me to steal it off BitTorrent than get it anywhere else. Again - Helloooo? McFly? Anyone?
Best Book - Much like the Oscar’s I’m swayed by things that I’ve read late in the year. I’ve been very impressed with Michael Port’s Book Yourself Solid
Best Music - 2007 belonged to Matthew Ebel. In an industry that either sticks to an established (and rapidly dying) model, or just complains, he’s trying new stuff. For him it’s just a matter of time, not if, but when.
Best Email Provider - I’m using ConstantContact so they win.
Best SEO Firm - See above, for MoreVisibility
Best Web App, CRM Solution, and a bunch of other stuff - Salesforce.com continues to blow me away. The most powerful piece of business IT out there just keeps getting stronger.
Best Country - China, thank you for saving my portfolio as the dollar continues to fall.
Best Owner of the Planet Earth - Google. Few people realize the extent to which they know all.
Best Comic - Sinestro Corps by DC beats out World War Hulk with its lame ending.
Best Video Game - Bioshock for the Xbox 360. Although this is a good year for game systems with the Wii doing an unprecedented shortage for a second year, I didn’t hear much chatter about great games besides this one. I’ll also give a shoutout to Gamespot, I’ve been a subscriber for years.
Please feel free to nominate others or tell me why my choices stink. Or better yet, make your own awards and give them a cool name. I would really like to see awards from Chicago Mike, Bryan Person, Ron, Christopher S. Penn, Jenny and Sarah.
Posted: December 24th, 2007 under The Marketeer.
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Comments: 7
Comments
Comment from Mike Maddaloni - The Hot Iron
Time: December 24, 2007, 4:27 pm
I’m on it… best to you and the real start of The M Show, Carin, while you’re out in the 413!
mp/m
Comment from Steve
Time: December 24, 2007, 9:14 pm
BioShock’s good, John, but better than Rock Band? I have a hard time believing that…
Comment from Mark Horstman
Time: December 24, 2007, 9:45 pm
John-
China as best country? Because of your portfolio? Wow.
You couldn’t write some of your stuff there.
Praise where you’re planted.
Mark
Comment from john
Time: December 24, 2007, 11:08 pm
Steve - Two very different types of games though, I would put BioShock up against any book or movie. Rock Band is as simple as Simon from the 70’s, but like DDR is a ton of fun at parties.
Your opinion is duly noted and placed in a position of honor as it should be since your guidance has led me to be the CHAMPION of my work fantasy football league. This corrects a glaring omission of Extra Points as another podcast that delivers.
Mark, have no doubt, I believe that there is nowhere better in the world to live (regardless of the laziness epidemic, but perhaps that’s just me becoming a crusty old man).
I also think that the best way to address the social and political issues in other countries is to spread a free market economy. No government is efficient enough to hold back information forever, China will come around. I only worry that I have a Pollyanna outlook that empire building is not on the Far East agenda (and I know next to nothing about China beyond what I read in the Economist).
Comment from Peter O’Connell
Time: December 26, 2007, 9:31 am
John:
First off Merry Christmas to you and your lovely, way-too-good-for-you wife (I am in the same predicament).
Thanks for the twit on bioshock….please let me know if you find me in there as I don’t play the game…but I do cash the check!
I agree on Constant Contact with one asterisk, this year when I did my e-card for Christmas, the designs were exactly the same as last year. Tech wise, I’m still a bit slow on how to create my own design and upload it and I’d not wanted to pay someone to do it because then there’s no savings over doing real cards. So while I remain a user, they did disappoint.
It was great to see you briefly in Boston and I hope ‘08 will be oh great for you. And while that slogan just popped into my head as I was writing it, I am very sure it will also be the last time I use it.
You may now flog me with a wet noodle.
Best always,
- Peter
Comment from Franklin McMahon
Time: December 28, 2007, 12:55 pm
Best Movie - I laughed, I cried, I LOVED Juno and Enchanted…two awesome flicks I can’t wait to see again. I also loved and saw Waitress twice. Excellent. Yes I have a sweet tooth.
Best Book - 4 Hour Work Week, audio edition. After so many books on social media, the audience is the message or whatever (these books and ideas are most likely gonna be all but forgotten in 2-3 years because they hinge on soon-to-change trends), 4 Hour Work Week is refreshingly blunt and focuses on great techniques rather then singlng the praises of the social space. I am not saying to stop yelling w00t and stop spending your day monitoring strangers on-line and get this book. Or maybe I am.
Best TV Show - (semi-spoiler) When Lost got “lost” and convoluted last season, the writers got back on track and ended with an awesome season finale. Heroes needs to get back to basics after a mishmash of a half season. Aside from the underpowered plot, now every hero can regenerate and come back to life, sucking all the danger out of the plot. On Lost you always feel like a main character could die (and they have) giving a real gravity of tension. If someone dies or is in trouble on Heroes, well, don’t worry, they’ll get a needle shot, or just reverse time and be back next week. A very main character died in the final few episodes this season..I was like OMG! It did not take a week..just a commercial break….the character was back..good as new. I think I am done with this show. Anyway..best show? The Office. So far the only main character to die is Angela’s cat. And Sprinkles is not coming back.
Comment from john
Time: December 29, 2007, 11:23 pm
All I can say is…. w00t!
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