I want to hear your heart and not your brain.

If you listen to me, I may listen to you.

At best, I’ll remember one thing you say.

Your message is only one of thousands I’ve already heard today.

When you admit you’ve messed up, it reminds me that you’re real.

I’m not convinced it’s truth.

I’m moved by stories.

When you make me laugh, I engage.

I hear it, but sometimes I need to see it or feel it or experience it.

I’m watching to see if you keep your promise.

I think it’s funny that you still think you control your message.

Polished scares me.

In order to speak to me, you can’t speak to everyone.

I’m not impressed by big words.

If it’s not about me, I’m not listening.

Your message has more impact when you shorten it.

It’s OK if you don’t have an answer for everything.

What are your questions?

Your message has impact if someone disagrees.

You’d be wise to participate in our online conversation.

I know it seems awkward, but it helps me when you repeat the important stuff.

Your message is not for you.

I don’t have to listen to you.

© Tony Morgan

Mozilla launches viral campaign to tout Firefox

Fight boredom. Download Firefox.

That's the gist of a viral marketing campaign Mozilla kicked off Monday to push its open-source Web browser to new users.

"Rise up. Help others download a more interesting life," the campaign's site exhorts.

"Mozilla, dead set on retaining users, will launch a new online campaign called the 'Fight Against Boredom,'" said the anonymous author of a tongue-in-cheek blog dubbed "The Truth About Mozilla". The blog's writer goes only by the alias "Lizard," the Mozilla mascot.

"While the Lizard has no doubt that this campaign will be successful simply due to the number of Internet stars Mozilla tapped to make it possible, I do believe that this is a waste of Mozilla's money and effort. Promoting Firefox is arguably a good thing, but doing it in such a lame way doesn't truly convert users."

The campaign boasts a Web site, an anthem, a link to Firefox's download and an enormous list of statistics that purport to compare Firefox users with people who run its rival, Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Among the off-beat -- and unverifiable -- stats that take shots at Microsoft's IE are those that claim Firefox users are:

-- 123% more likely to be a student;
-- 35% less likely to be expecting a grandchild in the next year;
-- 15% more likely to have watched cartoons on TV within the last seven days;
-- 21% less likely to fish.

The anthem, dubbed "Rise Up," contains lyrics that most likely won't be welcome in Redmond, Wash., home of Microsoft, including:

"But some people make choices in life, that turn out pretty lame Sitting at home drinking white zin, playing a solitary card game"

as well as:

"Quit your day job with the man.
Rise up! Rise up!"

According to Lizard, the campaign was created by AKQA, an ad agency that has also done work, ironically, for Microsoft.

The campaign is a departure from Mozilla's usual marketing efforts, which has relied on the Spread Firefox site and the host of fans who drum up support for the browser.

According to data for December compiled by Net Applications Inc., Firefox accounted for a record 16.8% of all browsers that visited the 40,000 sites the California company monitors for its clients. Microsoft's Internet Explorer's share, meanwhile, slipped during from November's 77.4% to 76% last month.

© Gregg Keizer