More than six years ago, I created a wordle of my 10 most popular blog posts. Back then, word clouds were relatively new and I thought it was an interesting way to explore what I had been writing about. Some words were expected – performance, scorecard, objectives, strategy, metrics. Others were a bit more surprising –…
It’s that time when most articles are either about the best of the year that is ending or predictions/resolutions for the year that is about to start. Given I’m not a big fan of New Year’s predictions or resolutions, I thought I would create a “Best of 2014”. As I was doing some research, I…
I am concerned that phenomena similar to that of Kim Kardashian may also exist in the scientific community. I think it is possible that there are individuals who are famous for being famous. Writing in Genome Biology, Professor Neil Hall of the University of Liverpool suggests that too many researchers get invited to present at…
It has become an annual traditional here at MBWA to do a short assessment of how my blog has done in the past year. Unfortunately, most of the available statistics are classic ego metrics but I can usually dig out a few interesting conclusions. In last year’s assessment, I even managed to channel Jay-Z. This…
I launched a new look-and-feel for my blog and I stopped writing. Ironic, isn’t it? The lack of new posts is one part writer’s block and one part overloaded schedule. For inspiration, I reread my own advice in Writing Better and was reminded of the fourth rule: learn from the masters. What do the greatest…
You may have noticed things look a bit different around here. I am extraordinarily pleased to welcome you to JonathanBecher.com – the new home of my blog, “Manage by Walking Around.” I hope you enjoy the improved look and expanded functionality. Change presents opportunity but also comes with challenges. Some of you may have accidentally…
6 1/2 years into my hosted WordPress blog, the only complaint I’ve ever had is the statistics are a bit weak. As someone who ran a Web site analysis company more than a decade ago, it’s always been surprising to me that all of the reports are based on page views. However, the statistics have significantly improved…
Possibly because my mantra is ‘words matter’ or that I’ve been writing continuously for many years, I get asked for tips on better writing. For years, I quoted George Orwell’s advice on how to be simple and clear, including my personal favorite: If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out….
WordPress.com provides a wide variety of statistics that help you understand the health of your blog. Like most metrics, the WP statistics are one part useful and one part entertainment. To reinforce both of these attributes, earlier this month WP sent an email with their take on my blog. I’ve borrowed from their email but…
How did I do with my tongue-in-cheek 2010 New Year’s resolutions? Here’s a report card: 10. Less BlackBerry reading; more blackberry eating Fail. I read more BlackBerry emails than I ate blackberries. 9. Avoid 2010 meaning that I traveled to 20 cities on 10 airlines Partial credit. 16 cities on 6 airlines. 8. Leverage twitter…