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James Tuckerman

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James Tuckerman is one of Australia's most accomplished digital publishers. He's an entrepreneur, angel investor, consultant, coach and public speaker. He is best known for launching Anthill Magazine, in 2003, from the spare bedroom of his parents' home. He was then 26 years of age. In 2004 and 2005, he was named Best Small Publisher in Australia by the ABA (now Publishers Australia). In early 2009, he reinvented the Anthill business model, abandoning its print origins in favour of a 100% digital product. Within six-months, AnthillOnline.com was listed by Nielsen Online Ratings among the Top 50 Business & Finance websites in Australia (http://anthillonline.wpengine.com/about-us/). Since then, he has launched numerous digital ventures and helped other companies, large and small, make the transition online or helped them significantly improve their online commercial outcomes. To contact James, go to LinkedIn.

What do balloons, purple cows and Dyson fans have in common?

When Godin uses the word 'remarkable', he's applying the word's most literal definition; things that are worth making 'remarks' about. In many ways, the following clip is a product demonstration. Yet, here am I, sharing it with tens of thousands of people, for free. Now that's remarkable! (Quite literally.)

If you dig Pac-Man, you’ll gobble up this stop-motion masterpiece

In case you're wondering what would inspire French-Swiss artist Guillaume Reymond to fill a cinema with men (and I think I saw a woman) in brandless t-shirts to create this large-scale recreation of iconic video game Pac-Man, unfortunately, I don't know either. But I don't care! If this clip doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you'll never embrace the only true universal language; Geek.

There are smarter ways to beat banner blindness than showing cleavage

This article is the fourth in The Anthill Guide to Online Marketing for Small Business (and Startups) series. Last time, we identified common terminology associated with online marketing and revealed how some websites artificially inflate Page Impressions. Today, we continue this theme and look more deeply into the science of online advertising, so that you may talk like an expert, and get ROI!

Will this ad go viral? Does a bear dance in the woods?

Move over Old Spice. There's a new viral campaign in cyberland that's stealing your chatter. This addictive 'choose your own adventure' inspired advertising campaign for European stationary brand Tipp-Ex takes the viral power of bears on YouTube (think John West) and adds a layer of interactivity (think Burger King's Subservient Chicken).

No good deed goes unpunished [Anthill’s response to the whinging 30 to 50 year-old...

Since extending the reach of Anthill's 30under30 awards to include 5over50, it feels like we’ve received nothing but criticism. Sure, enthusiastic ‘upstarts’ and ‘restarts’ have entered in droves. But the majority of direct feedback we've received can largely be paraphrased in three words: "What about me?!" So, after a short period of festering, here are my own (and very sincere) 24 responses to these 30 to 50 year-old critics.

Now, this guy knows how to apply for a job!

The following clip takes the job application process to another level. The work of a Monash student and aspiring Junior Project Manager, it was submitted to Pollenizer and posted for all to see on YouTube. It was soon after spotted by MitchelLake and posted on the recruitment outfit's homepage. What's the moral of the story?

WANTED: Entrepreneurs for Channel 9 game show

Channel nine contacted Anthill's Pitch Club partner in crime, Peter Christo, this week about a television program scheduled for November called The National IQ Test, hosted by Eddie McGuire. One of the teams will be 'entrepreneurs'. Want to hang with Eddie and give entrepreneurs a good name?

Why create a program to support over 50s entrepreneurs? Isn’t that ageist?

Many baby-boomers might be nearing retirement but most are far from retired. Many members of this very driven (and notoriously outspoken) generation are embracing the freedom of an empty nest, turning their backs on once stable corporate careers and employing wisdom earned to serve their own ends.

Is Australian auto-manufacturing still an industry worthy of government assistance?

"I don't know the figures for how many people are directly employed in automotive manfacturing, I'd guess about 10,000, and we don't know exactly...

Ruslan Kogan hits back at Gerry Harvey with satirical advertisement

Funny? Hypocritical? Pure viral marketing gold? That's for you to decide. What's more interesting about this public spat is the underlying question it raises. What drives consumers -- expensive television advertisements to establish trust and, therefore, create the ability to sell products at a premium price or the opportunity to purchase online at discount rate?

A big graphic on the Business Behind Facebook

In the online world, it seems there is not much demand for large graphics of this nature, despite their effectiveness at explaining an often complex message or set of principles. (We know this because we measure traffic with the obsessive zeal of a quantity surveyor on speed.) However, when we received a polite invitation from OnlineSchools.org to post a big graphic on the rise of Facebook, we couldn't resist.

If you’ve ever worked in tech support, this will crack you up

The first in a series of four videos, The Website is Down has been driving technical support staff to tears (for both reasons) since it first appeared on Blip.TV over two years ago. It's not for everyone but if you've ever tried to provide guidance to the digitally illiterate or found yourself butting heads with technical support this is sure to make you chuckle. Salty Language Warning: Moderate

I couldn’t give a damn whether Abbott is a misogynistic, churchy freak. But if...

Five minutes of overheard conversation in any Australian watering hole or bus-shelter this week will tell you that Tony Abbott is a misogynistic mad monk and that Julia Gillard is a political assassin controlled by faceless apparatchik of the union movement. But are these the factors that will steer Australia in a direction that will create an economically secure and culturally harmonious nation for decades to come?

When was the last time an Australian leader spoke to you like this?

Among the belly-flopping corgis, astonishing Indian Pole Gymnastics and Justin Bieber clips that rise to the top of YouTube's most watched clips on any given day, it's rare to find something of substance. That's why it's forever reassuring to witness the rise of an opinion that is not built on a sound-bite or caters to the common view.

Gruen Transfer ad wins Greens’ endorsement

This week, the satirical commentary program rose even higher in our approval ratings when it unintentionally became a serious, political production house for the Greens when this 'fake' TV spot was aired on Wednesday night. Regular Gruen panelist Leo Burnett CEO Todd Sampson said on the program to its creators from Sydney agency Republic of Everyone, "It's the best ad The Greens have ever done. I'm sure you'll get a phone call". And they did.

Citizen journalism and analysis hijacks the election

While this election is unlikely to become Australia's first 'social media' election, it could be the first where citizen journalism trumps the traditional channels. In fact, these types of contributions are fast becoming the only interesting thing about the current election.

Should Fairfax give away 100,000 iPads and axe their print editions? [ANALYST RECOMMENDATION]

According to an article in The Australian: Fairfax Media should axe its Melbourne and Sydney daily print editions and focus on e-readers and online to boost earnings. Macquarie analyst Alex Pollak suggests Fairfax could get the ball rolling by spending about $50m to give away 100,000 e-readers to seed the migration of readers away from print.

How to broadcast your ignorance, then get ripped off

Do you ever feel like online marketing options were deliberately designed to confuse? In this post, we reveal some of the strategies that media organisations don’t want you to know - the tactics they use to inflate their figures (yes, it’s real and happens every day).

Bring back the love: What is wrong with this ad? [VIDEO]

It's such a clever, funny and well written advertisement. But it always leaves me feeling strangely conflicted. It's extremely effective in its capacity to communicate a disruptive message. And its creators could almost be described as visionary, producing these insights well before the rise of the social web. But is it an effective tool for selling Search and Banner advertising?

The only interesting thing you’ll read about the election this week

It's been an election dull enough to bore even the most Machiavellian of political pundits. With nothing much ado on the frontlines, the only option left for those in the commentary box is to... well... comment on the commentators. Fortunately, in the era of digital media, analysis has never been more interesting.
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