What Are The Odds?
October 17th, 2008
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Barack Obama and John McCain are both left-handed introverts. The odds of this happening are about a thousand to one.
On the other hand, if this weren’t true, I’d just find something else they have in common. The odds are pretty much 100% that there would be some notable coincidence.
Hindsight will always find something interesting, but coincidences are only remarkable if you call them in advance. No fair picking your lottery number after they tell you the winner.
Statistics can be used to prove anything. Forfty percent of all people know that.
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Jamie Harrop has just released One Killer Interview With 10 Killer Bloggers – Analysis & Free ebook. It’s a compilation of interviews with ten bloggers: me, Jamie, Chris Garrett, Jeremy Schoemaker, Liz Strauss, Darren Rowse, Ben Barden, Al Carlton, Cath Lawson, and Erica Douglass. You can read any of the interviews from his post (click a name to expand the interview), or download them all as an 18 page ebook.
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Less than 24 hours to go until Michael Martine’s blog traffic seminar. It’s gonna be good!
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Ari Herzog told me about the Palin as President site. Very funny!
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I separated the funny quotes from my quote list into their own section. I had been meaning to create separate sections at some point, but Bruce Achterberg provided an incentive with his funny quote contest.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Hi Hunter: I had noticed that McCain is left handed but I hadn’t noticed that Obama was as well. I liked this quote from your funny quotes: “A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.” Robert Frost
Here’s one for you to add: “”Instead of getting married again, I’m going to find a woman I don’t like and just give her a house.” –Rod Stewart
October 18th, 2008 at 3:29 am
That’s a really interesting observation, Hunter. You’ve got a keen eye.
Thanks for the link back too. Much appreciated!
Jamie
Jamie Harrop´s last blog post..One Killer Interview With 10 Killer Bloggers – Analysis & Free ebook
October 18th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Hi Hunter – I get what you’re saying about statistics. Still – it’s brilliant that you picked up on the fact that they’re both left handed introverts.
When is this election thing over anyway and who do you think is going to win. And why? If you can get that right, as well as the other facts, you could probably bring out a whole book on it. Although I still think that I should be able to run for President.
Cath Lawson´s last blog post..YOU Have Never Been More Powerful
October 18th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
@ Marelisa, McCain always seems to be writing something during the debates, doesn’t he? Maybe he’s showing off his left-handedness. Oh, and that quote is definitely going on the list!
@ Jamie, I read an article a while back saying they were both left-handed. People disagree about whether Obama is an introvert, but I think he definitely is. You deserved that link–that’s quite an interview series you’ve got there!
@ Cath, the election is November 4th, and it seems that Obama is going to win. That is, unless Palin does really well tonight on Saturday Night Live, because you know, that’s what we go by. You can be President, you just have to get them to change the Constitution.
October 18th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
How often do we look for things people have in common – especially when there is some kind of competition going on. I like that you offer this and read it as something to be more aware of doing myself.
Also, thanks for the “10 Killer Interviews.” I’ve got to check it out.
B. Wilde´s last blog post..Brief Encounters with Miss Addie
October 19th, 2008 at 10:56 am
I’m right handed and started off an introvert. That’s the only thing I have in common with them.
But I have a friend who’s also both an introvert and a left handled, and he too is a very good visionary and have a strong willing heart. That which can be seen on both candidates right?
Daniel Richard´s last blog post..11 Traits You Need To Getting Things Done With a BIGGER SMILE!
October 19th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Hi Hunter that is easy to remember – it’s my son’s birthday. Now – if I manage to change the constitution – you can write a book about how you showed me to do it, then we both get hugely famous.
I was hoping you’d write a weekend post. Sometimes they get less visitors – but some weeks they get even more, because fewer folk are posting. And you can prewrite them.
By the way – I’m really looking forward to your interview with Steve Pavlina. If you get time – would you mind asking him if he uses social networking much to generate traffic. I haven’t noticed him mention it much – unless I’ve been reading the wrong posts. But really – any traffic generation tips you can get from him would be brilliant. Thanks.
Cath Lawson´s last blog post..YOU Have Never Been More Powerful
October 19th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
B. Wilde, absolutely, a competition always makes us eager to find similarities and differences in people. Enjoy the 10 killer interviews!
@ Daniel, you’re also a guy! Maybe your friend can run for president.
@ Cath, I guess that would be a very easy date to remember then. You really want me to write a book, don’t you? I wonder how you find someone willing to give a huge book advance to an unknown. It’s probably one of those things where you have to work your way up.
This post was kind of a weekend post, because I posted it 3:00 Friday afternoon U.S. Eastern Time, so it kind of depends on everyone’s blog reading schedule. It’s true that there’s less competition, but I wonder how you predict which weekend posts will get more visitors and which will get less.
I don’t want to send Steve another email because I know he gets billions and each one is another distraction, plus the interview is focused on his book. But I know that his traffic is extremely diversified.
His biggest traffic source is Google, but that only makes up 1%. His traffic really comes from all the bloggers who link to him. He says he recommends blog carnivals for small bloggers, but for him it wouldn’t make any difference at this point.
In an audio interview, someone asked him how to get to the top of Google. He said don’t think about how to do it, but think about what you can do to deserve to be on the top of Google.
You’ll be interested in these posts by Steve:
How to Build a High-Traffic Web Site (or Blog)
How to Make Money From Your Blog
From the first one: “I’ve also done very well with social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us, digg.com, and reddit.com because they’re based on personal recommendations. I’ve probably had about a dozen articles hit the del.icio.us popular list within the past year, definitely more than my fair share.” (1/24/06)
October 20th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Hunter,
I always find so much to read on your site that I have to come back several times. Thank you for sharing so much information and for your great dialog with Cath –
I believe Kindle at Amazon.com has grant money for writing a Kindle book or pay by chapter…
I am amazed by all the grants out in the universe….I used the books about going to college for free by the young kid who wrote grants and even got a car….Ben Kaplan; and I and several of my students were quite successful. Just an idea.
Did you hear that Joe Klein from Time magazine got banned from McCain/Palin buses and planes? Maureen Dowd was the last one kicked off the bus…
Thanks for your good reading material!
Patricia´s last blog post..Look Boss! De Wall! De Wall!
October 21st, 2008 at 12:04 am
@ Patricia, wow, I didn’t know there were so many grants out there. I’ll have to take a look at that. No, I didn’t know about Joe Klein. I have a friend of a friend who was banned from Jamie Foxx’s plane though, for being “bad luck.”
October 21st, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Yep, there are tons of grants that go unclaimed every year – grant cycles and doing the work are the biggest stumbling blocks. I made it my goal to help 20 women get to college while I was stuck at home….Kaplan’s search for grant information was the best and how to write the letters and make changes.
The part I could not get young women to do was the 30 minutes a day of effort and then thank you notes.
Looks like I will have to write another grant proposal to get my youngest through college, I haven’t figured out how to make money with my blog yet.
If you can couch your book as a graduate school project there is even more money available out the universe – no lie…you have to outlay money for the tuition, but usually by the end of the granting process you have enough income to cover that, living expenses and even day care fees if needed.
Lots of possibilities …as Goethe said: ” Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”
Patricia´s last blog post..Look Boss! De Wall! De Wall!