Mike Maney

Author: Mike

  • 15 Years: MM to JV

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    Late this afternoon will mark the fifteenth anniversary of the day my life changed forever. On September 23, 1995, I married a beautiful girl named Jennifer Anne Vreeland. Over the past 15 years, she’s not only become a beautiful woman, but also a wonderful wife, a trusted friend, and a loving and caring mother.

    To honor the life we’ve shared over the past decade and a half, I thought I’d share a few of the memories we’ve made together. So enjoy while I take a stroll down memory avenue and recall the time…

    1. We said “I do.”
    2. We bought our first house.
    3. We met new friends.
    4. We traveled to fun places.
    5. We had a daughter.
    6. We watched her grow up.
    7. We had another daughter.
    8. We watched her grow up.
    9. We endured heartbreak and loss of loved ones.
    10. We enjoyed the company of family.
    11. We moved into a new home.
    12. We met new friends.
    13. We still had fun.
    14. We lived.
    15. We loved.

    I love the life we’ve lived over the past 15 years and look forward to the memories we’ll add over the next 15.

  • Awesome Time-Lapse Video of San Francisco

  • How I Work

    My home office

  • SXSW 2011: Vote early, vote often, vote for us

    Austin Live Musical Capital of the World

    March is unquestionably the greatest month of the year. It’s the month of my birthday (March 4…big presents, please) and also the month when the annual South by Southwest Interactive/Film/Music Festival rolls into Austin.

    SXSW 2011 stands to be one of the best festivals yet…primarily because panel ideas submitted by three of my colleagues and I made it through the latest round of voting. Okay, to be honest, the festival would be great anyway, but why settle for great when awesome is so much better?

    All it takes is a few clicks to cast your vote for four panels that are sure to entertain and educate (one of which may involve screaming and flying vegetables). Voting ends at midnight tonight. Please cast your vote now!

  • “PR Eats Its Own: The Worst of 2011” (this one’s mine…it will either be a lot of fun or get me fired…probably both)


  • “Ring! Ring! Can U Hear Us (Developers) Now?” (this one’s Laura Merling’s…one of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with…will be a great panel that shakes/wakes up the telco industry)


  • “Designing Tomorrow’s Telco” (this one’s my friend Ross Turk’s…he killed on-stage at the Gluecon conference in Denver earlier this year)


  • “Can Developers Help Carriers Get Into The Game?” (this one’s Scott Monson’s…check out YouTube’s “fake scott monson”…the guy’s a bonafide video star)

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  • Real Work

    Embedding this video of Mike Rowe talking about “work” at the TED Conference. Maybe…no, not maybe, definitely some of the best storytelling ever captured on camera. Take the 20 minutes to watch it. You won’t be disappointed.

  • On NOT Being Named a Most Influential Blogger

    Late last week, MindTouch announced its list of “The Most Influential Technical Communicator Bloggers.” Julie Norris was one of the influential bloggers on the list (and wrote a really nice post on it called “On Being Named a Most Influential Blogger“).

    Sadly, I was not on that list. Perhaps I didn’t make the cut because ManeyDigital doesn’t focus on “technical communication.” Perhaps my omission was because, frankly, I’m not that influential. Or, as I really suspect, I was left off the list because Mark Fidelman and Aaron Fulkerson are threatened by my insane good looks, sharp wit and even sharper wardrobe.

    Yeah, I’m sure it’s that last reason.

    * If you aren’t following Mark Fidelman yet, do so now.

  • Time Machine

    In every teenager’s life there’s an iconic band. A band that sticks with them through the years. For me, that band is Rush.

    I never got the chance to see them in concert while I was growing up. But that changed this past Wednesday when I saw them perform songs old and new at the Susquehanna Arts Center in Camden, NJ. And they didn’t disappoint — performing the 30-year-old Moving Pictures start to finish in their second set.

    Rush Setlist Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ, USA 2010, Time Machine Tour

  • Apple vs Microsoft: The battle for customers

    I posted this to a comment thread earlier this morning, but thought it was worth sharing (for both of you who actually follow what I post here at ManeyDigital):

    Apple build products for our kids; Microsoft/Dell build products for their parents and grandparents. Easy math to see why Apple is doing so well: they sell to a growing customer base instead of a declining customer base.

    My comment was in response to a question posed by a colleague wondering how it is that Apple sold a million iPads in 28 days.

  • Modern Day Noah Says “Flood You!”

    My good friend, Bill Peterson, has found a new calling and needs your help:

    Modern Day Noah

  • An Open Apology to Redmonk’s Michael Cote

    Earlier this morning I did something so shameful, so hurtful to another member of the human race that a blessing by the Pope of Popes wouldn’t be able to absolve the sin.

    In a Twitter exchange with Redmonk’s James Governor, I mistakenly attached a degrading label to one of his top analysts, Michael Cote. I fully and personally apologize for the words I used and the intent behind those words. My choice of language was intended for another of Redmonk’s top analysts, Steve O’Grady.

    So, please, Michael, accept my apology. I meant no ill will toward you when I called you — I shudder to repeat these words — a Red Sox fan.