Working out the Links: 19 of the Week’s Best Links

What you are about to read is an assortment of links that the VaynerMedia office found this week – some are tech, some are sports, some are funny, some are random, but all of the links are interesting… or so we think!

AJ Vaynerchuk: “Mad Libs” Style Form Increases Conversion 25-40%. Love seeing innovation in boring areas of work!

Keith Holjencin: Thinking For a Living. Thought-provoking design content. Here are some thoughts behind the redesign from Frank Chimero.

David Zhang: Quick Guide to Every Herb and Spice in your Cupboard. A quick reference guide to all the most common (and some uncommon) herbs and spices. I’ve got it bookmarked for when I eventually get around to buying herbs and spices for my cupboard.

Sam Taggart: The Science of Building Trust With Social Media. Loved this article. Was really just reinforcement for things we’re probably all aware of, but a great read for anyone doing business or growing a brand online.

Sameer Tanakia: Drop the Pun! Catchphrase Academy Even though the video is funny… what you should really take note of is the sponsor and the edgy marketing used by them.

Matt Sitomer: You’re Using Social Media. But Just Who Is Overseeing It All?. Discusses various models for social media adoption within an organization, with pros and cons.

Phil Toronto: Underground Eco Homes. I’ve been getting into architecture more and more and this is an awesome eco-friendly home built for a British soccer star.

Zak Jacoby: John Mayer Duets With 11-Year-Old Fan. A really cool story about an 11 year old fan of John Mayer who was given the chance to play in front of 25,000 people.

Marcus Krzastek: How Amazon Innovates: Lessons in Strategy for Microsoft and Others. Interesting look at why Amazon has been able to maintain a more innovative culture than Microsoft over the past decade.

Colette Corrica: Code Organ. Ever wonder what your code would sound like to music? Take a listen!

Joe Whitmarsh: Cablevision Developing Cool PC-to-TV Service. An interesting and encouraging response to consumers cutting the cord and getting rid of their tv service a forward thinking cable provider trying to be a part of the new media experience in blending all this content together on your tv in your living room.

Saeed Jabbar: How to make yourself happier in just a few seconds. The dynamics of how events shape our positive perceptions.

Caleb Brown: Tickling. I’ve been thinking about the physiology and purpose of tickling an abnormal amount recently. This was quite helpful/interesting.

Mike Boyd: Intelligent Droplet. Not only is watching this droplet complete the maze awesome, but this technology can help cancer patients!

Neil Sarkar: Facebook secures patent for news feed. I’ve never been an alarmist, and I don’t think FB is going to do anything proactive with this now. But, if in the future they were able to force all other social networks to take down news feeds, they would become even more of a monopoly and developing for their platform could potentially suck for a very long time.

Adam Kopec: Social Networking Now More Popular on Mobile Than Desktop. Digital agencies should keep this in mind when building on social platforms – especially when building content that may not render on a mobile.

Stephanie Bagley: 5 Fantastic Facebook Fan Page Ideas to Learn From. Highlights brands using Facebook fan pages to give customers a valuable experience rather than simply a landing page. Some good advice for why all companies should have a website and a Facebook presence.

Jacquie Meehan: McMaster Carr. A great site for tools – really organized, you can find just about anything!

John Oates: Twitter Phished? It’s an Easy Mistake to Make. Because we’ve gotten an “Is this you?” message.