Back when we were fresh out of college, my friend Tom told me his theory about picking up women: The better looking you are, the more time you have to make a good impression on a stranger.

If you’re average looking, Tom concluded, you have about two minutes. A little better than average, a little more time. A little worse than average, a little less time. In my case unfortunately, this worked out to negative time, which essentially meant that I had to make a good impression on a woman about 30 seconds before I arrived.

In any case, and while I’m not sure about the numerical accuracy of Tom’s conclusions, I do think that he had a valid point in general: First impressions matter, and the more intriguing something is at the beginning — for whatever reason — the more willing we are to give it a chance to prove itself. Read More »

One newsletter I wrote posed several questions regarding unsolicited e-mail, and concluded with a request for your views on what was appropriate and what was not when it comes to interacting with newsletter subscribers.

The response was amazing! Not only did I get a ton of replies, but the range of feelings and points of view was all over the map. Some examples from either end of the continuum: Read More »