Curious about the Two Sides of Content: That Which Is Contained, and That Which Is Felt

Definition of Content: Contained within limits; satisfied; contented; at rest. That which is contained; the thing or things held by a receptacle or included within specified limits; as, the contents of a cask or bale or of a room; the contents of a book. To satisfy the desires of; to make easy in any situation; to appease or quiet; to gratify; to please.

“Content is often the reason users come to your site.” - Jesse James Garrett, American businessman

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” - Martin Luther King, Jr., American leader

“Content has been king – and even queen – since I started working on the Internet in the early 90s.” So, I found what Doug Schumacher, President and Creative Director of Basement Inc., wrote the following about content in an IMEDIA article today:

“Recognize that content is the new marketing.
The content a company produces is probably the most accurate form of marketing communications a company can deliver. If the company really understands its industry, then it should be able to produce good content. If not, it will show. Another plus to content development is that when your content is remarkable, you've already answered many of the questions around what your marketing messages should be.”

This is what led me to choose content – even though it has two sides – for this week’s blog. As usual, the different approaches covered by the quotations shone many lights on the subject.

Here is the first group:

• "The next wave of the Web is going to be user-generated content.” - John Doerr, American businessman
• “The refusal to rest content, the willingness to risk excess on behalf of one's obsessions, is what distinguishes artists from entertainers, and what makes some artists adventurers on behalf of us all.” - John Updike, American novelist
• “The role of the musician is to go from concept to full execution. Put another way, it's to go from understanding the content of something to really learning how to communicate it and make sure it's well-received and lives in somebody else.” - Yo-Yo Ma, American musician
• “A company like DreamWorks, all we do is make product. That's all we do. We don't own distribution. We are purely in the creation of content.” - Jeffrey Katzenberg, American producer
• “A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., American judge
• “After closely examining my conscience, I venture to state that in my historical novels I intended the content to be just as modern and up-to-date as in the contemporary ones.” – Lion Feuchtwanger, German novelist
• “There is just so much stuff in the world that, to me, is devoid of any real substance, value, and content that I just try to make sure that I am working on things that matter.” - Dean Kamen, American inventor

And some with a very different spin:

• “What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now they are content with burning my books.” - Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychologist
• “What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form.” - David Ogilvy, English businessman
• “Most novices picture themselves as masters - and are content with the picture. This is why there are so few masters.” - Jean Toomer, American author
• “People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.” - Andrew Carnegie, American businessman
• “People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out.” - Warren G. Bennis, American psychologist
• “The teller of a mirthful tale has latitude allowed him. We are content with less than absolute truth” - Charles Lamb, English critic
• “I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.” - Anna Quindlen, American journalist

And a couple more:

“I think my capacity to change has given me tremendous happiness, because who I am today I am completely content to be.” - Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress

“It's hard to be ambitious if you're content, isn't it?” - Tucker Carlson, American journalist

So, what do you think? How important is content? And, how content are you?

Curious about Moving: Pros and Cons and Lessons Learned

Definition of Moving: The act of changing place or posture; esp., the act of changing one's dwelling place or place of business.

“Human beings are the only animal that thinks they change who they are simply by moving to a different place. Birds migrate, but it's not quite the same thing.” - Doug Coupland, Canadian author

“We're all moving, moving, moving. Isn't it nice?” - Charles Olson, American poet

I did choose my topic (theme) a couple of weeks ago, but as you probably know, I have been in the throes of moving, packing, unpacking, and organizing for the whole month of February and before. When I looked up the moving quotations, I did find many good directions, which I will introduce in this week’s e-newsletter – coming to your mailbox in a couple of days.

So far, I am thrilled with my new location. But, even so, I have been heard to proclaim, “I will never move again.” Yes, not being a bird, I do feel that I have changed with this move. I am closer to the two gyms where I teach fitness and am now part of a Senior Community. The people I have met so far are delightful and welcoming.

I have found my favorite grocery store in duplicate, twice the size, and with the same reasonable prices I am used to. The library is within walking distance and my favorite big box store is bigger and boxier. Both my banks are on my route to and from the gyms along with several variety packed shopping centers.

But that’s not all! I have a balcony (a bit cold right now for lounging) that overlooks the Lake (Erie), so this Spring, Summer, and Fall will find me celebrating the water and the breathtaking sunsets. As I have said before, “I love Cleveland, Ohio,” and it just got even better!!

Since I am planning to use my “moving” theme and quotations in this week’s Portfolio Potpourri, I will start sharing some of them here:

• “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” - Walt Disney, American cartoonist
• “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” - Henry Ford, American businessman
• “If what you are doing is not moving you towards your goals, then it's moving you away from your goals.” - Brian Tracy, American author
• “The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.” - Elbert Hubbard, American writer
• “Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.” - Denis Waitley, American writer
• “The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men.” - George Eliot, British author
• “Belief like any other moving body follows the path of least resistance.” - Samuel Butler, British poet
  

And, just a few more:

• “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction.” - Michelle Obama, American First Lady
• “I'm trying to get in the habit of, you know, picking up a book and learning how to write my feelings down, not my feelings but my thoughts, about things, and hopefully I'll moving toward the writing and directing thing soon.” - Corey Haim, Canadian actor
• “You are always a student, never a master. You have to keep moving forward.” - Conrad Hall, American artist
• “Risk means everything from being honest about your faith, to moving, to quitting a job that's paying you a fortune but it's not what's in your heart. Risking things is one of the biggest fears we have.” - John Tesh, American musician
• “Dr. King is so inspiring, so impressive, so moving as a human being.” - Michael Bolton, American musician
• “To me, if life boils down to one thing, it's movement. To live is to keep moving.” – Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian

And, I don’t agree with Sean Connery, Scottish actor, who said, “I haven't found anywhere in the world where I want to be all the time. The best of my life is the moving. I look forward to going.”

How about you? Have you moved lately? There are many ways to move – some eye opening and rewarding – others loaded with work and change. However, I am glad I have moved and am looking forward to an exciting future.