The web allows unprecedented sharing of information. It also spreads unprecedented misinformation.

As a result more people are either misinformed or more skeptical than ever before. Yesterday I received an email that perked up my inner skeptic. It had the telltale signs of misinformation.

1. It had been forwarded numerous times before reaching me.
2. It contained a cute inspirational story. Though ugly fearful stories are also often false (and spread like wildfire).
3. It began with the words, “A True Story”.
4. And the biggie. The font wasn’t black. For some reason people spreading email lies seem to love colorful fonts.

But it was true. The end of the email contained a snopes link.

[An aside if you don't know what snopes.com is: This is a website you should have bookmarked. It allows you to search for stories you receive via email. They have researched the stories and can tell you which ones are true or false. If you've never been there then go and search for Sarah Palin or Barack Obama or Michael Jackson. You should verify any email you get with snopes before forwarding it on to others.]

I thought this was fantastic. Every forwarded info email should contain a snopes link (at least the true ones should).

But what struck me was the location of the link. This email began with the words “A True Story” which convinced me it was all a hoax and ended with the snopes link which brought me back from pure skepticism. It could have lost me at any time without my ever discovering that there was truth there.

As I’ve often said, we all sell. So when you are selling your ideas or products or services, what is your equivalent of snopes? What gives your ideas or products validity? Once you figure that out, lead with it. Don’t hide it at the bottom like an irrelevant disclaimer that people may miss.

This 3 minute video is brilliant.

Jane and Sarah are frustrated with Doug. Jane sends Doug an email telling him about the mistakes he has made and the ways he has behaved inappropriately.

Sarah calls Doug to share her own frustrations with him. During the conversation Doug takes responsibility for some of the mistakes and also reveals how some of his actions were misinterpreted. Sarah discovers that she also played a role in the difficulties and that much of her frustration was due to mutual miscommunication and misunderstanding.

Who feels better after these exchanges, Jane or Sarah?
Who does Doug feel better about?
Who will Doug consider to be a more valued partner?
Which method will uncover more truths?
Which relationship will be stronger after the fact?
Even if Jane and Doug eventually speak and clear things up, who will Doug have greater respect for?

There is a simple rule but one I see violated with surprising frequency.

If you feel any negative emotion – anger, frustration, disappointment – while writing an email or you think that upon reading your email the recipient will feel any negative emotion, don’t send it.

Pick up the phone. If you don’t reach the person, try again later. Leave messages. Call back. But don’t send the email.

I hope this isn’t getting complicated. Two days ago I wrote that we should all be using more video in our lives – both personally and professionally. Yesterday I showed a video where inhibition went out the window and I said, “Yes. We should all be more like that.” Now here’s one more video fresh out today from a source (Apple) that usually really gets how to communicate honest enthusiasm, but this time (I think) missed the mark. In fact, this video gives us the best of both worlds.

The first guy in the video is fine (at first). Love the accent. The second guy is great. He sounds like a normal person. I trust him. He sounds like he’s giving his honest assessment of the product. Then we go back to the first guy and he gives us this:

There’s no up. There’s no down. There’s no right or wrong way of holding it. I don’t have to change myself to fit the product. It fits me.

Now I know this is a promotional video, but have you ever been frustrated that your computer or smart phone or Kindle had an up? Have you then cried out in frustration that you must change yourself to fit this aggravating up only orientation?

The rotating screen is cool. So talk about it like it’s cool. Instead Apple is trying too hard to express the wonderfulness of their new product. It gets worse. Guy number 3 tells us:

If you see something, you just reach out and tap it. It’s completely natural. You don’t even think about it. You just . . . DO.

I hope you can actually see the video, because this guy truly seems like he would fit in an 80′s SNL spoof commercial telling us about the wonders of a bank that just makes change. His enthusiasm seems either fake or unhealthy, like he’s the guy you slowly edge yourself away from at the cocktail party.

Thankfully, guy number 4 brings us back to a way of speaking that feels honest. The word to describe him – natural.

We all sell – whether product or ideas, whether to customers, colleagues, kids, or spouses. And we all buy. As for me, I’d rather buy my iPad from guy 2 or 4.

SIDE NOTE: The one place Apple could have been unnatural in a good way they also failed. Four speakers in the video. Four white guys. Surprising.

Erin and Jeff are getting married. As most couples do, they wanted to make sure that people saved their wedding date on their calendars. So they sent out a save the date . . . video. And not just any video – an awesome, movie trailer, mashup video with clips from tons of your favorite movies along with sub-titles that I assume are meant for the Wong side of the family. Here’s the video.

[Sorry, Erin and Jeff pulled the video. You can try this one instead. Not amazing the way Erin and Jeff were, but it makes the point.]

So other than being pretty cool, what does this matter for the likes of you and me? More and more this is a video world. And the technology is breaking down any excuse you may have for not using video. My guess is most people reading this blog own a digital video camera. If not you can buy a flip video cam for under $200 or a webcam for under $50. So video is cheap, but where should you use it?
* Resumes
* Business Proposals
* Thank You Notes
* Holiday Cards
* Electronic Introductions
* Pitching a New Idea to the Boss
You name it. Video makes a presentation stand out. You don’t need Erin and Jeff’s editing talent. With almost no experience I put this video together for the launch of Be the Hero. The editing process probably took about 90 minutes.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jikgDCaQyS8&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
I welcome you to write a comment on this post. Even better, post a video. Which one will we all take more notice of?

I didn’t get to watch the lawyers make their cases. That doesn’t happen during jury selection. But I did get to watch numerous potential jurors make a case for being let out of jury duty. I was not impressed. They were alternately huffy and squeamish. Had they been on the witness stand the jury deliberation would have unanimously determined that they were lying under oath. Plus, even with the obvious falsehoods, they utterly failed to make their case.

The lawyers asked straight out, “Can you set aside your past experiences and be objective in this case?”

If you want out of jury duty and you are asked this question, sit straight up. Look the lawyer directly in the eyes and say clearly and in a strong voice, “No.” You might even add a flourish. “No. My experiences have left me with feelings far too strong for me to remain objective.” There. You’re done with it.

Instead, these potential jurors scowled and made great displays of how annoyed they were to answer these questions, and said things like, “I don’t know.” “I’ll do my best, but . . .” “I can’t absolutely promise you.” Of course, then the lawyers had to ask each one of them a dozen more questions. It wasted all of our time and these individuals who so clearly wanted to get out of jury duty had utterly failed to make their case to do so.

BROADER LESSON: If there is something you really want, make your case clearly. Don’t waffle. Don’t be huffy about it. State your desire or belief as directly as you can.

In my case, I told the lawyers I had a speech to give that would require me to be out of state. I thought my speech was pretty important and a great case for not serving. Little did I know at the time how much better that same case could be made.