Remember when you would receive $50 for listening to a vacation timeshare pitch?  Later it became a vacation club pitch?  Remember when the $50 soared to $100?  Well now the approach is changing.  First of all, I received the pitch through the mail.  This I loved since at least a stamp was involved and the USPS would earn a few cents toward their financial woes (another story!).  OK, so here is the pitch:  I am being offered a Google Tablet with the Android Software AND $100 restaurant gift card if I meet certain qualifications AND attend a 1.5 hour program being held locally.  Of course I have only 72 hours to respond….starting when?  I can’t tell.  Anyway, as mentioned above, the giveaway is for sitting through a vacation club pitch and meeting certain qualifications; in other words, so I could actually pay for the offer.  Lastly, on the return address, Google’s name is placed on the corner–as if the offer is from Google.  Get this—even says “verification of delivery information required..”  Do you think Google would be proud of its brand being used this way?   Would I like a free Google Tablet?  Sure.  Will I go for the pitch?  What do you...

I love to watch for the new entries in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.  It usually reminds me of my cultural awareness (or lack of awareness).  Of the nine new words added, only one was unfamiliar—parkour which “is the sport of traversing environmental obstacles by running, climbing or leaping rapidly and efficiently.” (My kids were doing that decades ago but I thought it was just playing outside.)  Now I know! The other words were: boomerang child, bromance, crowdsourcing, fist bump, helicopter parent  robocall and tweet.  See the full article...

At a Printing Industry staff meeting in Pennsylvania on Tuesday August 23, the earthquake shook the building for a few long seconds.  As most people recounted, the tremor was fast and not much happened even while buildings in DC and other places were evacuated for safety and security reasons.  We later learned that the quake made Virginian history as the epicenter while it was felt in a dozen states and several provinces in Canada. Damage was recorded; but in light of huge devastation in other earthquake sites, I will not discuss the damages associated with the earthquake.  But a different kind of history was made in the Internet realm.  Only eight minutes passed before the 2011 Virginia earthquake was written up in Wikipedia. That is amazing!   Here is the Washington Post article talking about this and the people involved. http://prnt.in/ZSa   According to the WP article, over 80K people viewed it at publication.  Newspapers can never really compete with these numbers!  Alvaro Duran is one of 88K regular volunteer contributors to Wikipedia and he was the first to write a quick sentence and a link to the US Geological Survey.  Later he and others added to the page and the Wikipedia link is over 7 pages long.  Here is the Wikipedia link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Virginia_earthquake  While I am regularly amazed at the recent disclosures of social media’s role in flash mobs, rioting, anti-government rallies, this nearly instant update to Wikipedia gives us a continuing picture of the transformation of the Internet and communication.  I bet for Alvaro Duran, a master’s degree student, his role in this story will be one of his milestones in his career. Cheers for his role in making written history! Wikipedia shares the spotlight in this history of the VA earthquake.  ...

This is a serious decision … sort of.  My usual check on the Social Media Field Guide RRS feed or my Inbox (not sure which … it may have been both) led me to discover free content from Hubspot and David Meerman Scott who is now the marketer in residence for Hubspot. First, I find Hubspot a terrific example of content development & distribution marketing and I have enjoyed all the Meerman Scott ebooks/books. So to discover the two are working together, I knew I was on to something good to review; and, better yet, learn more on marketing. Then I received a Tweet about the Old Spice Guy vs Fabio ad campaign. Now, I was in a quandary … which should I check out first? (Full disclosure: I find Mustafa definitely cool but feel guilty checking out his videos on the job!) The Old Spice Guy ad campaign example has been used in Julie Shaffer’s and my book, Social Media Field Guide, so I am compelled to do an update on anything happening with Mustafa (p. 20 in SMFG). Did I mention that this relieved my guilt? I recall Fabio from years past, but I was not a particular fan of his. But the ad campaign pitting the two of them against one another … very, very clever.  Given that I decided to work on this project at home, my decision was to review both items for my blog entry!  Ultimate Marketing Guide by Hubspot and David Meerman Scott First things first—download this free guide which is actually an interactive PowerPoint or webinar. The guide is an excellent quick read of some major points and questions that I see/hear regularly from members. There are 15 “episodes” with easy “how to” titles and quick answers that get to the point. Since there are 34 total pages in the guide with half the pages in “titles,” you can read this fast and take a few notes. Meerman Scott encourages you to Tweet this “webinar,” and share it. I had “takeaways” on every page. Yes, it was not all new, but it is good to be reinforced with some information. Check it out. My favorite episodes were:  #7 related to “How to Learn from Companies Outside Your Industry (reinforced what I believe) and #14 “What is the Future of Social Media Marketing”… definitely liked the analogy between formerly using “e-business” and now “e” has disappeared and it is all about business. Moreover, “social media marketing” will morph into “marketing” with no distinction but social media tools will be another channel in the total marketing plan. Don’t delay, there is a “how to” episode for everyone!   Ok, now to Old Spice Guy...

Check out the latest books reviewed by Mary Garnett.  The books selected were Problogger: The Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income and The Thank You Economy. Problogger:  If you have started a blog, you already know the challenges associated with creating content, gaining traffic to the blog and earning money for your efforts.  The magic three are difficult if not impossible.  To earn a six-figure income for blogging adds an amazing feat to the list.  Yet the authors Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett are doing that and more.  If you have any level of interest in blogging, or even just writing solid, attention-getting content, this book is for you.  Click here for Problogger. http://prnt.in/Z5U   Thank You Economy.  If you are a fan or have heard of the author, Gary Vaynerchuck, you will enjoy this book as well as learn from his suggestions and examples.  Every printer or small business owner can profit from the guidelines of this book. Gary is an example that was highlighted in Social Media Field Guide: A Resource for Graphic Communicators  Gary is well known for his achievements in catapulting his local family-owned wine store into a national darling and in his demonstrating a sterling example of the impact of social media on a small business.  Click here for The Thank You Economy....

Ok, I realize I am behind the times on this Internet craze.  How about you?  A WSJ article caught my attention today with the headline: “How Planking Became the Internet’s Latest Bored Game.”  If you, like me,  have been guilty of monitoring such topics as the debt limit crises, healthcare efforts, 2012 candidates, and other items of national concern.  Or perhaps you have been concerned about your printing business sales, regulations, taxes etc.  Or, as in my position, creating a new program, budgets, helping members, and the like, it is time for a break.  From reality to the ridiculous….planking.  In case you missed this fad, planking is lying face down and maintaining your body in a ridged position, arms at your side.  Choose a weird but safe place, strike a “pose” of planking, take a picture, and post it on the Internet.  Obviously, if on a chair or in a tree or on a step or on an unusual object, you would need to safely balance yourself.  Pictures galore are on the Internet. http://prnt.in/Zwt  (Be careful with the images since I stumbled upon nude plankers (pictures not real people of course :),  and a snare for an adult website.)  One unfortunate planker  has actually died attempting this crazy game resulting in falling off a seventh floor balcony.  http://prnt.in/Zwv   How sad, really.  I will admit the photos of plankers or should I say “planksters” are cute, amazing, and even silly.  I confess, I tried it on a kitchen chair, and yes, it works.  My advice?…stick with the yoga plank pose.  Your friends may not think you are so cool but your abs will love it!  Here is the entire WSJ planking  article:  http://prnt.in/Zik  And http://prnt.in/ZiZ   Plank yoga pose.  Just in case you...