What I Learned From the Angelina Jolie Film “Salt”

by Phyllis Zimbler Miller on July 30, 2010

The new film SALT starring Angelina Jolie as a CIA agent is a sleek entertainment that is a total fantasy. When the film ends, you are no more wiser of the human condition or of anything else worth knowing than when the film began.

This lack of worthwhile information reminded me that people sharing information on the Internet basically fall into two camps: those who share worthwhile information and those who only present their own end game.

Here’s the truth:

You can truly do both. You can both share worthwhile information and talk about your end game. And here’s an example from the world of television:

The Winter/Spring 2010 issue of “The Intelligencer” (Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies) has a review of a TV drama that I’m a huge fan of — the USA Network show BURN NOTICE. The review states:

The show’s writers illustrate the value of good information, intelligence, in any operation, showing the detailed files Michael complies on his targets and the types of data he collects …

If you watch the show, you learn a great deal at the same time that the show offers sleek entertainment. (Yes, both SALT and BURN NOTICE have numerous explosions.)

The difference between this extra element of worthwhile information in BURN NOTICE that is missing in SALT is what makes the difference between the emails I read and the emails I don’t read from Internet marketers. I read the ones with worthwhile information along with the promotion of new products or services.

We should all try to add value even when we are entertaining (or selling). So in case this blog post doesn’t offer enough worthwhile information for you, I’m adding an important reminder:

Are you daily backing up your computer files? And are you using strong passwords rather than weak passwords such as your birthday or your pet’s name?

Your own computer files and online accounts are as important to your work as top secret files are to government spies. Make sure you keep your information safe.

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the co-founder of the social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing. A long time ago she had a security clearance when she worked as a civilian for the U.S. Army in Munich, where she was always careful to correctly lock the safes for which she was responsible.

Tagged as: Angelina Jolie, Burn Notice, computer files, Internet marketers, Salt