If you're arriving here from Woman's World magazine - Welcome! You likely saw the little blurb about the Knomo Slim (see below). Unfortunately, WW spelled the name of my laptop bag review site, funchico.com, incorrectly. But with one quick click, you can visit funchico.com. Thanks so much for reading!
Oh, if you're in the US and haven't seen it, check out Woman's World - the issue this is in has the cover date of Aug 23 and apparently hit the stands Aug 12.
I recently conducted some field research on the best laptop bags for journalists (thanks to a request from Benét Wilson, Managing Editor for Business Aviation). I published the full piece over on funchico, but I thought I would highlight the four journalist sub-species I discovered in my field research:
Journalist Maximus, or the “I carry everything with me at all times” journalist. These folks were likely Boy (or Girl) Scouts and want to always be prepared – so they bring all their reporting tools with them. And the best bags for these folks: backpacks.
The second type of journalist I identified is at the opposite end of the scale as the Journalist Maximus – it’s the Journalist Simplicus. The JS doesn’t want to carry a lot of gear (or if they do, it’s small gear – netbook, point and shoot camera, iphone) and needs to move quickly. Plus the JS likes to have easy quick access to their tools – no taking off a backpack and digging around. The bag is preferred to be worn across the front of the body. This sub-species includes the rare variant the Journalist Retroicus.
The third type of journalist I encountered in my field study is perhaps the most complex of journalists – Journalist Impatiens Paranoicus. This sub-species is generally a traveler – roaming to far-flung, exotic locales to ply their trade. Consequently, their tolerance for waiting in line, particularly at airport security checks is low. Plus, they’re inherently suspicious. This is what makes them good journalists, but it also makes them edgy in the lineup as well – worrying about their laptop and other gear. The solution – checkpoint friendly laptop bags that speed up time through the line and keep a laptop protected the whole time.
Finally, there is the most unpredictable and flighty of all journalists sub-species – the Journalist Fashionista. She (fieldnote: typically, though not exclusively, this species is female) wants it all. Capacity for all her gear, comfort in the carrying and style in the look. She wants to fit in on the pages of Vogue yet write for Newsweek. Fortunately, there are a few designers that can meet the JF’s needs.
The field guide includes about a dozen different laptop bags - if you're looking for a new one, you might find it useful.
I'm writing a piece on bags that work best for journalists and the gear they need to carry: laptop, cameras, ipods, tripods, notebook, etc.
I, of course, have my own idea about these things, but would love to get feedback from real journos (or citizen journos!).
So, wondering if you could do me a favour: can you leave in the comments below
If I use your feedback, I will definitely give you credit. This will be seen at a national conference and will also be published here (and probably cross published to funchico.com).
Thanks!
Photo Credit: Eddy Pula
A while back I wrote about the Generous Web and that one of the fundamental qualities of Web 2.0 was that it enabled our impulse to be generous, whether that generosity was one of software (like the Flickr example in the post) or personal generosity - where people could give time/money/expertise to causes that were near and dear to them.
There are two examples of the Generous Web in action that I wanted to bring to your attention.
The first is Canadian company DreamBank.org, founded by Dawn Bowles, a woman with her own dream:
DreamBank.org is an alternative gift giving platform that helps people achieve their dreams and at the same time helps the planet and important social causes. Instead of giving gifts that, although appreciated may not really be wanted, with DreamBank you contribute to someone's dream. As well as helping fulfill a dream, your contribution helps spare the planet some of the nasty side effects of manufacturing and packaging unused gifts. Plus your gift automatically generates funds that are given to important social causes.
I love this for a couple of reasons. First, a general reduction on the emphasis of *stuff*. Rose and I have been trying, over the last few years, to focus personal and family gift-giving on experiences rather than stuff. And when someone wants a book or music, if we can go the digital route, we do - or we purchase used. We did something similar for our wedding registry - we registered only for our honeymoon (no china or flatware!) and our friends and family were able contribute to specific experiences on the trip.
Second, DreamBank.org takes the interest from monies held while waiting for a dream to be fulfilled and distributes them to a charity of the dreamers choice. I'm delighted to see that ordinary people are benefiting from financial techniques like this.
So, sign up to be a dreamer over at DreamBank - or see what people are dreaming for.
The second example of the Generous Web is Bags for Zaza. I first read about Bags for Zaza through the blog Profy.com where the founder, Jennie, was interviewed about grassroots fundraising. Jennie is creating cool bags from fabric she already has in her stash as well as from friends and is selling them on her blog (via an auction model) with all of the monies going to her brother and sister-in-law for costs associated with adopting a little girl from Columbia.
In reading the interview I was impressed with Jennie's take on current fundraising models as well as her personal desire to give people something for their donation - but something made from materials she already had.
Do you think that you have gotten a different reaction from the online community by offering something tangible in return for a donation rather than simply asking for money?
I really have a problem with how fund raising is conducted in our culture. Running a race isn't going to cure cancer. I know it draws awareness, which in turn causes people to donate, but why can't we just donate without all the overhead? I did not want to ask people for money. I just can't imagine myself doing that in this situation; it's such a personal cause. I can't imagine people just handing me money so that someone they don't even know can adopt a child. This is ultimately about me donating my labour. The fact that I already possessed a truck full of fabric has enabled me to donate 100% of the purchase price towards Zaza's adoption — so satisfying. I am finally making some headway into reducing this ridiculous stash of fabric and really doing something I feel good about, something that has a tangible impact on the lives of people I love.
Bags for Zaza is modeled after the Darfur Project, another online bag auction started by Joyce to raise funds for the unimaginable situation in Darfur. Joyce has this to say about her project:
It has been an unbelievably fulfilling ride to combine several passions in this project. Listening to the small, still, easily ignored voice of God. Combining a passion (compulsion) for thrifting with a passion to create with needle and thread. Using reclaimed fabrics rich with imagined history and sending them back out into the world to begin anew.
Now skirts, jeans, curtains, quilts, tea towels, kitchen aprons, flour sacks, couches, belts, neckties, bedspreads, and table cloths are being casually slung over shoulders from across the prairies, over the mountains, and over oceans. The joy and connectedness spreads right around the world.
From off my shoulder and through my heart, welcome to the Darfur project.
The bags created by Jennie and Joyce are beautiful and unique works of art. Jennie names her bags after different books which is delightful. I encourage you to check out both sites. Both Jennie and Joyce are here in Canada.
I'm so in awe of all three of these women; they are definitely my heros. Take a moment of your time to check out their sites today.
I have a couple of clients who have ecommerce sites, and we have regular conversations about how to engage in social media with their communities - whether to listen, to participate or to create. The right answer, of course, depends on the retailer, their product line and, most importantly, their community and what makes sense to them.
One of the biggest questions that often comes up is how to incent participation. Even if you have a community of brand advocates, it may not occur to them to create content specifically around your product. How to encourage them to do so? One great way - gift certificates!
I received this email from Slappa.com this morning. Slappa designs and sells cases for DJ's, gamers and other gear heads. (Disclosure: I've received a laptop bag from Slappa for review). Below is a screen cap of part of this month's newsletter:
Slappa has set up a program of progressive participation in social media for their community and is rewarding them with gift certificates as well as exposure. It's a simple yet effective tactic to encourage both participation as well as repeat purchases.
What do you think? Effective tactic - or just buying participation? What is your favourite ecommerce retailier doing to participate in (and encourage your participation in) social media?
With all this cool digital marketing we're doing, you want to have a funky laptop bag to tote your laptop around in, right? Well, one of my favourite bag designers, Pinder Bags, is giving away one of their Giddy Up Laptop Totes. I reviewed the Giddy Up a few months ago over on my Funky, Chic and Cool Laptop Bag lens at Squidoo.
To enter the contest, all you do is guess the number of rose petals the Giddy Up in the picture holds. You can get more deets including how to enter over on my lens.
Deadline to enter: April 15, 2008. And yes, it's open to Canadians :)