Notes

A Twentieth of a Second

Oct 13, 2026 · 1 min read · ♥ 1

Researchers in Ottawa found that people decide whether they like the look of a web page in about a twentieth of a second, and that given ten times as long they come to almost the same verdict. That first look is a promise about your…

Last Winter's Hours

Oct 12, 2026 · 1 min read

For most of your customers the Google listing comes first now. If the hours on it are still last winter's hours, that's the first thing you ever said to them. A listing isn't a sign you hang once and forget. It's a conversation, and it…

The Last Thing They Tapped

Oct 11, 2026 · 1 min read · ♥ 2

Your customer isn't comparing you to the shop down the street. They're comparing you to the last thing they tapped on their phone this morning. They don't expect you to be slick. They expect you to be current, clear, and easy to reach, because that's…

The Signature, Not the Letter

Oct 10, 2026 · 1 min read · ♥ 2

The talk I gave at the Collinsville Chamber's Coffee Talk in September runs about eleven minutes, which is a long time to ask of anyone on a phone. So I've cut it into ten short pieces, one line of the talk each, with its own…

Coffee with the Paper

Sep 30, 2026 · 1 min read · ♥ 3

I was at Verona Coffee Co this morning, a day after the Collinsville Chamber’s Coffee Talk, for a roundtable on the future of local news. Stephanie Malench, who publishes the Collinsville Daily News, had invited a group of business, civic, and community leaders. The paper…