Starting a Small Business Without Losing My Mind

"Confidence" and a T-Shirt

2012-01-19T23:16:00.000-06:00

My son-in-law is back from a well-deserved break from getting Spiral Light Candle Corporation's new factory up and running, and assembling a staff who see to it that candles get sold - and delivered.

While he was away, he bought a T-shirt that says, "confidence is what you have before you fully understand the situation."

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Now, some unabashed self-promotion: Spiral Light Candle's website, spirallightcandle.com. Also Spiral Light Candle Corp. Storefront, our presence on Amazon.com.

Related (?) posts:

"Spiral Light Candle Factory Construction: More Photos"
(January 18, 2012)
"Factory Construction on Schedule; National Sales Manager Hired"
(January 4, 2012)
"Candles: Analysis, News, and Very Odd Questions"
(December 3, 2011)
" 'Office Vocabulary' Found on a Few Old Cards"
(November 30, 2007)
"Recreation, Relaxation, and Censored Lava Lamps"
(July 8, 2007)

Spiral Light Candle Factory Construction: More Photos

2012-01-18T07:55:00.029-06:00

We're another week closer to having Spiral Light Candle Corporation's new factory ready for its first production run. I haven't seen new photos from the construction site, so here's a trio from the end of December:

Most of the south section will be the factory floor. That insulation is in place now, along with the wallboard. December 31, 2011

Prefabridated building materials only go so far: construction still requires a lot of on-site cutting and carpentry. December 31, 2011

I like this photo of the factory's south section. December 31, 2011

Related posts:

"Spiral Light Candle Factory Construction: Photos"
(January 11, 2012)
"Spiral Light Candle Factory: Insulation Installation Starts Today"
(January 5, 2012)
"Factory Construction on Schedule; National Sales Manager Hired"
(January 4, 2012)
"Loan Approved: Next, Spiral Light Candle's New Factory"
(December 20, 2011)

Spiral Light Candle Factory Construction: Photos

2012-01-11T11:19:00.000-06:00

Last month, Spiral Light Candle's factory was a potato warehouse in Hillsboro, North Dakota. Today, it's a construction site. Next month, I think we'll have equipment in place and running.

I'll be posting photos of the project, starting with this set:

Spiral Light Candle factory, south section, new framing up: some of the new insulation, too. December 31, 2011

A corner in the south section, showing the old metal-and-board walls to the left, new construction on the right. January 3, 2012

Spiral Light Candle factory, south section, same view as December 31: walls and part of the HVAC system in place. January 6, 2012

Somewhat-related posts:

"Spiral Light Candle Factory: Insulation Installation Starts Today"
(January 5, 2012)
"Factory Construction on Schedule; National Sales Manager Hired"
(January 4, 2012)
"Loan Approved: Next, Spiral Light Candle's New Factory"
(December 20, 2011)
"Spiral Light Candle in Hillsboro, North Dakota"
(November 9, 2011)
"Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show: Second Morning on the Floor"
(August 4, 2011)

Spiral Light Candle Factory: Insulation Installation Starts Today

2012-01-05T07:57:00.014-06:00

Today, spray foam insulation goes on Spiral Light Candle's factory. The process starts, anyway. It's a fair-size building, so I'd be a bit surprised if the job's finished in a day.

Now, some links:

Spiral Light Candle Corporation
(spirallightcandle.com

Amazon.com storefront

"Factory Construction on Schedule; National Sales Manager Hired"
(January 4, 2012)
"Loan Approved: Next, Spiral Light Candle's New Factory"
(December 20, 2011)

Factory Construction on Schedule; National Sales Manager Hired

2012-01-04T16:34:00.002-06:00

Spiral Light Candle's new factory is coming along nicely. Interior framing's done, and dry wall is in place. We expect to start manufacturing candles there by the first week of February.

Meanwhile, we've hired a national sales manager, Connie Schmidt, who lives in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, area. I'm very glad to see someone with her experience with the company.

This afternoon I learned that I'd be working with Connie Schmidt, when she needs some technical work done, like developing spreadsheets. I'm not the easiest person to work with, but Aaron McWilliams told her what to expect: I think we'll get the job done just fine.

My desktop display was a little livelier than usual this afternoon, as Mr. McWilliams tweaked our file-sharing system. It's more streamlined now, a necessity for something that's being used by several people. This means I'll have to re-learn where to find folders and files: but that shouldn't take long.

Besides, I enjoy this sort of rapid change.

Related posts:

"Loan Approved: Next, Spiral Light Candle's New Factory"
(December 20, 2011)
"Candles: Analysis, News, and Very Odd Questions"
(December 3, 2011)
"Spiral Light Candle in Hillsboro, North Dakota"
(November 9, 2011)
"First Full-Time Employee, and a Busy Monday"
(September 12, 2011)
"Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show: Second Morning on the Floor"
(August 4, 2011)

Loan Approved: Next, Spiral Light Candle's New Factory

2011-12-20T18:30:00.000-06:00

Spiral Light Candle got very good news this afternoon. A loan we wanted was approved.

That means that we can get new candle manufacturing equipment and supplies: and buy a building to put the stuff in. Just as important, Spiral Light Candle can start hiring folks to operate the equipment and see to it that folks who order candles get what they asked for.

The new Spiral Light Candle factory will be in part of a soon-to-be-refitted potato warehouse in Hillsboro, North Dakota. My son-in-law gave the place a good once-over, and so did I. More importantly, a building inspector went over the property, and told us that:

It needs some work
- We knew that
The older part is a half-century old
- We knew that, too
The building is structurally sound
- That was the really important thing

We've even got rail access: although that's not something Spiral Light Candle will need for another year. At least.

I've done my whooping and hollering about the loan approval, my daughter and son-in-law are treating themselves to a well-deserved night out, and tomorrow it's back to work.

Related posts:

"Candles: Analysis, News, and Very Odd Questions"
(December 3, 2011)
"Candles, a Spreadsheet, and Taking a Break"
(December 2, 2011)
"Spiral Light Candle: New Website Coming; New Phones Here"
(November 28, 2011)
" Spiral Light Candles in Hillsboro, North Dakota"
(November 9, 2011)
"Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show: Second Morning on the Floor"
(August 4, 2011)

Candles: Analysis, News, and Very Odd Questions

2011-12-03T00:34:00.057-06:00

It's about half-past midnight, and it looks like I'll get to bed earlier than I have since the week started.

Analysis

I spent this evening working with my son-in-law, working out what it will take to get Spiral Light Candle through next year. Dropping data and formulas into about a thousand spreadsheet cells is detailed, nitpicking, fussy, work. But we've got a good planning tool to show for our efforts.

News

Seeing Spiral Light Candle's name in a newspaper wasn't all that unexpected. My guess is that doing a short article about new local or regional companies is routine for most papers: particularly when there's something colorful about the outfit.

A fairly steady stream of articles, often in newspapers or magazines that aren't all that close to North Dakota: that's not something I'd counted on. And, of course, it's good news for me.

The latest article is in a magazine back in North Dakota:

"RRV:Unique innovation keeps candles burning"
Prairie Business (published in Grand Forks, North Dakota) (December 1, 2011)

"Driving through Arkansas, Aaron and Sara McWilliams stopped at a winery and noticed wax taking shape around bottles. As the family continued their travels, Aaron McWilliams started to hypothesize about how to control the flow of wax to make the wax take any shape it would need to take...."

The Prairie Business article is a quick read: a little under 500 words long.

Back to how I spent this evening.

Very Odd Questions

My wife and I have been getting more involved in Spiral Light Candle, as the operation grew. I didn't expect to spend so much of a week on this analysis job: mostly because I had no notion of just how much I didn't know about candles and how they're made.

An example:

A few hours ago, my son-in-law and I were working on part of the spreadsheet that handled raw materials. The conversation had us saying things like:

"How many feet of wick in a pound?"

That sounded funnier, at the time. Maybe it's the hour. After midnight 'funny' has a higher threshold for me.

Asking how many feet of wick there are in a pound actually makes sense, by the way.

Obligatory Self-Promotion

Before wrapping this post up, I'd better mention Spiral Light Candle's website. (spirallightcandle.com). Also Spiral Light Candle Corp. Storefront, our presence on Amazon.com.

That's it, I'm done for the day. Or, rather, I'm done for Friday. I'll pick up Saturday's tasks in - about eight hours, probably.

Vaguely-related posts:

"Candles, a Spreadsheet, and Taking a Break"
(December 2, 2011)
"Spiral Light Candles in Hillsboro, North Dakota"
(November 9, 2011)
"Simple 'Secrets' for Affordable SEO"
(May 18, 2010)
- Simple? Yes
- 'Secret?' No
" 'Social Media Experts' and Other Hazards"
(February 21, 2010)
" Getting Attention"
(June 20, 2007)

In the news:

"RRV:Unique innovation keeps candles burning"
Prairie Business (December 1, 2011)

Candles, a Spreadsheet, and Taking a Break

2011-12-02T12:26:00.003-06:00

I'd love to be working on Spiral Light Candle's website (spirallightcandle.com) upgrade, but it's just as well that I'm not. My site design and programming skills are a bit rusty. And seriously out-of-date. Writing HTML aside, I haven't worked with the nuts-and-bolts end of website design for a few years.

Skills: Old, New, and Rusty

Which, at age 60, doesn't feel like much time. But when it comes to information technology, it's a little like an expert flint knapper thinking about working as a machinist. I've been asking my son, who earned his A+ certification recently, when there's a technical issue.

And: yes, those are the words of a proud dad.

Amazon.com's user interface is designed with non-technical folks in mind, though, so I've been able to lend a hand with the Spiral Light Candle Corp. Storefront there.

Thanks to a checkered job history, I've been a licensed radio operator/disk jockey, have experience delivering flowers, and spent about a decade as 'the computer guy' and database manager at a small publishing company. I also answer phones and make coffee.

Speaking of coffee, it's time for a coffee break.

Analysis: A Task That's Work

I learned how to set up spreadsheets, among other things, in that 'database' job: including getting spreadsheets to do things that aren't in the manual. And that's another topic.

The point is, I know how to set up something where you put in numbers and get organized, calculated, results.

That's what I've been doing this week, setting up a complicated, über-detailed budget and sales forecast spreadsheet for Spiral Light Candle. Actually, I don't think it's "über-detailed." But there's a lot of equipment, processes, and people, that go into making and marketing candles: and my son-in-law has mapped out what he thinks we'll need for the next several months.

My task is to take his notes, and make a working spreadsheet out of then. By last Wednesday.

I enjoy working with data: figuring out how to break it out into categories; finding relationships between sets of data; setting up the results so that someone else can easily use them.

When I have to do something on a deadline, though: that's more 'work' than 'fun.' Deadlines are wonderful motivators though.

Break Time, Productive Time

That Wednesday deadline went whizzing by, but that was the for the 'detailed rough' version. Today, I'm closing in on getting what he'll need when he talks to some folks next week.

This 'coffee break' is taking longer than most: but I think it's worth the 'extra' time. I was literally getting a headache, almost unheard of for me, figuring out how some of the data was supposed to connect.

Now that I've been away from that maddening matrix for several minutes, I think it's going to make more sense. You've heard the usual psychobabble about 'subconscious' and 'unconscious' before, so I'll skip that.

I still have time for the 'done and ready' version of this spreadsheet, and decided to use my brain for something unrelated. The light exercise of walking over to the microwave and heating coffee helps, too.

Anyway, break time's over. I don't see it as 'wasted' time, since I'm coming back to the task at hand with a (slightly) fresher mind and a (marginally) revived body.

Urgency, Priority, and Nitpicking

This spreadsheet is still high priority, and it's now urgent.

But the difference between "priority" and "urgency" is another topic. Several, actually.

Good grief! I was going to say why I think it's vital to get so nitpicking about details: and I'm out of time. That'll have to go in another post.

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:

"The New York Times, a Crazy Bonus, and Entrepreneurs"
(March 16, 2010)
"The Best Organizational System in the World Won't Work"
(September 8, 2009)
"Managing Yourself as a Small Business Owner: Trying, Anyway"
(November 10, 2007)
"Back to Work"
(June 18, 2007)
"Goofing Off When You're the Boss"
(June 14, 2007)

Spiral Light Candle: Website; New Phones Now Working

2011-11-29T16:50:00.006-06:00

Right now, Spiral Light Candle's website, spirallightcandle.com, is up and running. It's doing everything it's designed to do: which doesn't include taking online orders. The Spiral Light Candle retail storefront, Spiral Light Candle Corp. Storefront at Amazon.com has been around for a while now, and got updated recently.

Which brings me to a big of Web nostalgia.

Remembering the 'Good Old Days'

Back in the 'good old days,' you'd see "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" graphics on many websites. I liked the animated ones. There were silhouettes shoveling; and a frazzled programmers pounding a keyboard, with a hammer in one case.

They were funny, attention-getting, and a useless distraction.

I haven't seen that sort of thing much lately. Partly, I suspect, because website developers and users realized that a good website is always 'under construction' in some way. It's a rare business that hasn't changed something about products, services, prices - or seasonal sales.

There's something to be said for maintaining a consistent visual style on a corporate website. On the other hand, it's wise to distinguish between "consistent," "archaic," and "apparently abandoned."

Making Sure it's "Coming Soon"

Not all bad ideas for websites are as obviously misguided as, say, green-on-purple text or an investment service with an animated puppy on its 'about us' page.

Sometimes a caffeinated developer decides to re-name pages that customers have bookmarked/Favorited/whatever: because 'everybody's using [this week's hot database software].'

"Coming soon" announcements, like anything else, need to be managed, updated, and sometimes removed. But I think they're basically okay. I'll get back to that idea.

Flash, a Movie About Coffee, and Clueless Supervisors

Then there are the dilbertesque supervisors, who are a lot funnier in the comics, than in real life:

(Scott Adams' Dilbert, used w/o permission)

Technology, Telephones, and Me

My son is more tech-savvy than I am, but I get along with computers pretty well. I've even learned to cope with telephone menus.

Automated telephone menus have improved since companies started using them. A lot. I think it helped, when someone realized that the most loyal customer would eventually get fed up.

I've learned quite a bit about telephone menus in the last few days. Spiral Light Candle now has a working customer service section - complete with a mercifully-short menu. Spiral Light and the service we're using got the system up and running yesterday.

Spiral Light Candle's system isn't quite so simple on the 'company' side, but I've gotten familiar with the basics. Which is a good thing, since I'm answering phones for the company now.

Also doing the occasional spreadsheet, and whatever else I can lend a hand with.

"Currently Working on Our Website"

I mentioned Spiral Light Candle's new website yesterday. The developer has a nice, clean, and simple home page; easy-to-spot navigation; and graphics that unobtrusively match the product line.

I like it. More to the point: it's being done by a competent developer, and isn't any fancier than it needs to be.

The software that will support our online ordering is still getting tweaked, but I heard yesterday that it's progressing. In the right direction.

That's why I don't have a problem with this snippet from Spiral Light Candle's home page:

"...We are currently working on our website, so please check back again soon...."

We won't launch the new website tomorrow. At least I don't think so. But work on Spiral Light Candle's website is in good hands.

I'm looking forward to seeing the result.

Related posts:

"Spiral Light Candle: New Website Coming; New Phones Here"
(November 28, 2011)
"Spiral Light Candle's New Amazon.com Photos"
(November 24, 2011)
"Christians in Action Trade Show, No: Website, Yes"
(November 2, 2011)
"Simple 'Secrets' for Affordable SEO"
(May 18, 2010)
- Ultra-condensed version
  - Learn to write copy that's
    - Simple
    - Short
    - Focused on your topic
  - Don't get tricky
    - 'Clever' code can backfire
- Key headings -
"If Content is King, Voice is the Ambassador"
(September 14, 2007)

Spiral Light Candle: New Website Coming; New Phones Here

2011-11-28T16:40:00.001-06:00

I saw a mockup of Spiral Light Candle's improved website this afternoon. We'll be keeping what's up at spirallightcandle.com/ for now, since the technology that's 'behind the screen' isn't quite finished.

Meanwhile, there's the Spiral Light Candle Corp. Storefront at Amazon.com for online retail orders.

We've also got a new phone system, that's letting me take orders. We tried it out for the first time late this afternoon. It works, and I'm learning.

Slightly-related posts:

"Spiral Light Candle's New Amazon.com Photos"
(November 24, 2011)
"Spiral Light Candles in Hillsboro, North Dakota"
(November 9, 2011)
"Christians in Action Trade Show, No: Website, Yes"
(November 2, 2011)
"Psychology and Web Design: This Introduction isn't At All Bad"
(May 24, 2010)
"Simple 'Secrets' for Affordable SEO"
(May 18, 2010)
Basically, 'don't be stupid;' key headings:

Spiral Light Candle's New Amazon.com Photos

2011-11-24T16:16:00.002-06:00

Spiral Light Candle's storefront on Amazon.com has new/updated photos now: Spiral Light Candle Corp. Storefront.

I'd taken the original photos, some months ago: with a somewhat less-than-top-end camera. It was high time we get something better to show off the spiral-burning candles.

I've posted this half-size video before. If you're in a place where background sounds are a factor, take note - the video comes with music. No words, though:
"Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle"

(shown half-size: full version at YouTube)
anoasisproduction, YouTube (July 28, 2011)
video, 1:31

Now, the obligatory 'for more information' contact stuff:

Spiral Light Candle Corporation
(spirallightcandle.com)
P.O. Box 868, Hillsboro, ND 58045
(701) 425-0682
info@spirallightcandle.com
- Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle
  (also on YouTube)
- Brocuhre (pdf)

Somewhat-related posts:

""A Candle With a Twist" at Grand Forks Trade Show"
(November 18, 2011)
"Spiral Light Candles in Hillsboro, North Dakota"
(November 9, 2011)
"Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show: Second Morning on the Floor"
(August 4, 2011)

"A Candle With a Twist" at Grand Forks Trade Show

2011-11-18T13:23:00.000-06:00

I'd been looking forward to Spiral Light Candle going to a major trade show in Houston, Texas. That was around the beginning of this month. (November 2, 2011) Instead, we wound up developing a new website. We're still using the existing one, but this morning I got an update on the search and online purchasing software we'll be using. Basically, the new website will look good: and, at least as importantly, work.

Which our current one does, just fine. (Spiral Light Candle, spirallightcandle.com) We've got a video that shows what our "candle with a twist" does, a brochure in .pdf (Acrobat) format, and contact information. If you want to buy our candles online, though, our Spiral Light Candle Corp. Storefront
on amazon.com is probably your best option.

But, like I said, that's changing. Soon, I hope.

The photo near the top of this post shows a display stand in our booth at a Grand Forks trade show, on Tuesday of this week: November 15. That's about an hour's drive north from our home office and factory, which made getting there an economic possibility. Logistics were a whole lot easier, too.

Spiral Light Candle at Grand Forks trade show. November 15, 2011.

More than 3,000 folks were at the trade show, we got an "amazing" response to our product line, and I'm hoping we'll get that new website up and running soon: It'll give me something nifty and new to write about.

Spiral Light Candle in Hillsboro, North Dakota

2011-11-09T10:58:00.002-06:00

Yesterday afternoon, I learned that Sapphire's in Hillsboro, North Dakota, has been re-ordering those candles that burn in a circle. The Spiral Light Candle things. Folks are driving in from Fargo, and Grand Forks, to get our self-filling candles.

Then there's Shepherd's Path in Bangor Maine, another place selling our candles. And more than two dozen others, on a list that's seriously out-of-date now.

What impressed me wasn't so much that Spiral Light Candle Corporation keeps getting orders from new retail businesses: it's that they re-order. Quite often, in some cases. Folks keep coming into the stores and buying out their stock. Which is good news for everybody: with the possible exception of whoever has to re-arrange the displays and keep track of inventory. And that's another topic.

This video does a pretty good job of showing what these candles do:

"Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle"

anoasisproduction, YouTube (July 28, 2011)
video, 1:31

Spiral Light Candle is changing gears right now, since we need to make a whole lot more candles than we did a month ago. It's an interesting situation: My wife's been taking long strands of candle wick, cutting them to length, and shipping the ready-for-assembly wicks back to Hillsboro.

Making long strands of wick into shorter strands. October 28, 2011.

Right now, having wick preparation done partly as a sort of cottage industry makes sense. I'm not sure how long that's going to be the case. My son-in-law and I have been discussing locations for a factory: and that's yet another topic.

Somewhat-related posts:

"First Full-Time Employee, and a Busy Monday"
(September 12, 2011)
"Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show: Second Morning on the Floor"
(August 4, 2011)
"Hiring Relatives and the Chinese Business Model"
(June 5, 2007)

Christians in Action Trade Show, No: Website, Yes

2011-11-02T18:20:00.000-05:00

About an hour ago I learned that Spiral Light Candle won't be attending the Christian Trade Show and Business Expo's Houston trade show. It's the 15^th Annual Christians In Action Trade Show, and would have been a fine opportunity to show folks these candles. And a good networking experience.

But we've got finite resources, and the decision was made to focus on getting the Spiral Light Candle website ready for online commerce. Now, a blatant display of self-promotion:

Spiral Light Candle Corporation
- Spiral Light Candle
  Video: A Candle With a Twist

That's Spiral Light Candle Corporation. (spirallightcandle.com)

I also learned that I'll be handling routine maintenance and updating for spirallightcandle.com - which isn't as impressive as it sounds. All the code will have been taken care of by the time the project gets to me: leaving me with a nice, friendly, interface and a list of clerical duties.

I was looking forward to at least hearing about Houston, the Christians in Action Trade Show, and all: maybe even being asked to help out. But that's the way things go. I'm looking forward to seeing how the website looks - and how it works.

More-or-less-related posts:

"Candles, Another Trade Show, and an Upscale Shopping Center"
(October 29, 2011)
"First Full-Time Employee, and a Busy Monday"
(September 12, 2011)
"Families, Vacations, Catholic Marketing Network's 15th Annual Trade Show, Schedules, and a Candle"
(August 1, 2011)
"Family, Business, and Focus"
(November 30, 2007)
"Hiring Relatives and the Chinese Business Model"
(June 5, 2007)

Candles, Another Trade Show, and an Upscale Shopping Center

2011-10-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

Spiral Light Candle Corporation will be at The Westin Galleria Houston in November. Not the Houston Galleria - that's the whacking great shopping center across the street. I put links that might be useful, under "Hotel, shopping, and stuff," at the end of this post.

I won't be going along this time: which is probably just as well. I've just gotten over the last trade show, in Pennsylvania. It was a wonderful experience, by I'm not a 40-year-old kid any more. Posts about my experience in Pennsylvania are linked on "Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show."

Spiral Light Candle: in Houston November 18-19

View Larger Map

The "A" on that map points to the Westin Galleria hotel. There seems to be a skyway/overhead walkway from the hotel to The Galleria shopping center across the street.

I think Mall of America, a couple hours' drive southeast of here, does a better job with its website: and that's another topic.

Where was I? Candles. Trade show. Houston. Right.

Spiral Light Candle will have a booth at the Christians In Action Trade Show, Friday and Saturday, November 18 and 19. Here's part of what the CATS folks say about the event:

"...The Christians In Action Trade Show is a Business Expo that brings together hundreds of businesses, entrepreneurs and ministries to network and promote their goods and services. The event is a great networking experience, packed with a lot of....

"...Over 200 exhibitors and 3,000 participants from various states and countries are expected to participate in the show....

"...innovative ideas that will motivate the participants....

"...and a concert featuring well-known gospel artists on Saturday 19th, 2011...."
("Welcome to the Houston Trade Show," Christian Trade Show and Business Expo)

Add up the exhibitors and participants, and you've got about 3/4 as many folks attending, as live here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Looks like it's going to be a lively event.

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:

"First Full-Time Employee, and a Busy Monday"
(September 12, 2011)
"Families, Vacations, Catholic Marketing Network's 15th Annual Trade Show, Schedules, and a Candle"
(August 1, 2011)
"Working From Home: Kids and Computers, Utopia and Reality"
(February 1, 2008)
"Family, Business, and Focus"
(November 30, 2007)
"Hiring Relatives and the Chinese Business Model"
(June 5, 2007)

Hotel, shopping, and stuff:

Houston, TX - Hotels, Events, Things to Do - Official Vacation Info
Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
Hotel:
- The Westin Galleria Houston
  5060 West Alabama
  Houston, TX 77056
  United States: phone (713) 960-8100/Toll-Free (800) 937-8461
Shopping center:
- The Galleria (Houston)
  Wikipedia
- "Houston Galleria"
  Houston Outside
- "About Houston Galleria®"
  - Simon Property Group
Spiral Light Candle Corporation
- Spiral Light Candle
  Video: A Candle With a Twist
Christian Trade Show and Business Expo
- "Welcome to the Houston Trade Show"
  Christian Trade Show and Business Expo
Catholic Marketing Network

First Full-Time Employee, and a Busy Monday

2011-09-12T14:53:00.004-05:00

Spiral Light Candle Corporation (spirallightcandle.com), my son-in-law's latest venture, has a full-time employee, as of Friday. Last Friday, that is, not the one coming up.

So why am I spending part of today, getting Spiral Light Candle Corp's Amazon.com account ready? I've got about 20 years' experience in marketing, which makes me a pretty good choice for the task. I'll get back to that in a bit.

Now, some blatant, shameless self-promotion. Almost. Actually, it's part of what I'm preparing for Spiral Light Candle Corp's Amazon account:

About Us

Spiral Light candle all started with a simple question: "Why does a candle only burn straight down?" With this in mind and his interest in motion and video, inventor and entrepreneur Aaron McWilliams had made the world's first spiral burning, self-filling prayer candle.

Following his love of the Catholic faith, Aaron's first venture into the Catholic market came when he opened a Catholic book and gift store in central Louisiana with his late wife Kelly. After she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Aaron and Kelly decided to document this difficult journey in an effort to share their experience.

Later Aaron and his new wife, Sara, founded Oasis Productions and completed the documentary entitled: "The Art of Serenity, A Journey of Faith."

Today, Spiral Light Candle Corporation is the McWilliam's newest venture as they stay close to their faith, and strove to provide new and compelling product lines for the market they love.

How Does It Work?

Spiral Light self-filling candles are a new twist on an old staple. The self-filling candle is first lit, using the horizontal wick on the upper edge. The candle burns around the hollow center with the wooden wick allowing the wax to drain inward, filling the center.

The horizontal spiraling wick self extinguishes when the inside wax level reaches the top of the spiral, to prevent any spilling. This creates a solid pillar candle.

By writing your prayer intention on the wooden wick before inserting it in the candle's center, you start bringing your prayer and the candle together. As the spiraling wick burns, a pillar candle forms around your written intention: to remind you that God never forgets.

Back to Me

About four years ago, I posted about the 'Chinese business model:' hiring relatives as a way to get motivated, loyal employees. It's the way quite a few folks in the Far East operate. Here in the West, we've had bad experiences with bosses who hired their idiot brother-in-law: so we call it nepotism, and pay more for the skills of occasionally-excellent non-relatives.

I think it's a cultural thing. This family works pretty well together, which isn't the case for everybody.

I've spent part of today working for my brother-in-law - at zero cost to the Spiral Light Candle Corp. - because he's family, I'd probably think the product is a good one, no matter what. Or at least say so. Also because I'm a part-owner of the company. If we succeed, I'll get paid - indirectly.

But so many stores have ordered Spiral Light's candles - and then ordered more - that it's not just my opinion. These things have a wide appeal.

And, no matter what happens, I've gotten a good review in graphic design and marketing.

Now, it's time for a coffee break and my daily exercises.

Related posts:

"Catholic Bookstores, Choices, and Reasons"
A Catholic Citizen in America (August 3, 2011)
Particularly
- Why Run a Catholic Bookstore?
- Evangelizing, Not Annoying
- Sour-Faced Saints?
  - Not the best role models, I think
"Trade Show Preparation: Is Work Important?"
A Catholic Citizen in America (August 1, 2011)
- Depends on what you mean by "work"
  - And "important"
"Families, Vacations, Catholic Marketing Network's 15th Annual Trade Show, Schedules, and a Candle"
A Catholic Citizen in America (August 1, 2011)
"I'm Not a Forty-Year-Old Kid Any More: Time, Organization, Energy, and Priorities"
(July 20, 2008)
"Hiring Relatives and the Chinese Business Model"
(June 5, 2007)

Selling to Small Retailers

2011-08-04T16:03:00.003-05:00

I suppose someone could decide to sell a product only to small stores as a matter of 'conscience.' The idea being that 'big box stores' are icky.

There seems to be a more common-sense reason for wanting a lot of small-to-medium accounts, instead of a handful of huge accounts.

Let's say that XYZ Widgets sells 100 units a month to 1,000 stores. I haven't a clue what their widgets are, and it doesn't matter. Their chief competitor is PDQ Widgets, that sells the same number of widgets a month: 100,000.

The difference is that PDQ Widgets sells 50,000 units a month to one major retailer, 40,000 units monthly to another big chain, and 10,000 a month to about a dozen smaller accounts.

Then the 40,000 widget per month chain decided that they'd start stocking a different brand of widget. One of XYZ Widgets' accounts quit buying, too.

But PDQ lost 40% of their income - while XYZ lost 0.1% of theirs. 'Nuf said.

Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show: Second Morning on the Floor

2011-08-04T11:40:00.002-05:00

Earlier this morning, Spiral Light Candle Corporation's new website works. As my son-in-law said, 'it shouldn't - but it does!' I didn't have time to get the technical details, but my guess is that the URL got processed with unusual speed. For folks here in Philadelphia, anyway.

Here's where Spiral Light Candle Corp. is, online and elsewhere:

Spiral Light Candle Corporation
(spirallightcandle.com)
P.O. Box 868, Hillsboro, ND 58045
(701) 425-0682
info@spirallightcandle.com
- Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle
  (also on YouTube)
- brocuhre (pdf)

Aaron McWilliams invented Spiral Light's self filling candle earlier this year, and that's another topic.

Here's a half-size video of what's on their website:

"Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle"

(shown half-size: full version at YouTube)
anoasisproduction, YouTube (July 28, 2011)
video, 1:31

Snapshots from the CMN Trade Show

Inevitably, I took photos at the Catholic Marketing Network's 15th Anniversary Trade Show: and want to show them off. This set is mostly about the Spiral Light Candle Corp.'s booth.

Spiral Light Candle Corp. setting up, at the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show. August 1, 2011.

A whole lot of Spiral Light Candle Corp.'s small candles. August 2, 2011.

Start of the first open-floor day at the Catholic Marketing Network's trade show. August 3, 2011.

First open-floor day at the Spiral Light Corp./Oasis Productions booth, Catholic Marketing Network's trade show. August 3, 2011.

There's a lot more going on at the CMN trade show - but I'm on 'company time' right now, so the rest will come later. Maybe in another blog.

Related posts:

"Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show: First Morning on the Floor"
(August 3, 2011)
"Catholic Marketing Network's 15th Annual Trade Show and Me"
(August 1, 2011)
"On the Road to the Trade Show: Schedules, Attendees"
A Catholic Citizen in America (July 31, 2011)
"Trade Show Time: Catholic Marketing Network"
(July 27, 2011)
"How to Engage Others Online - Without Annoying Them"
(July 30, 2010)

More about the Catholic Marketing Network's trade show and me:

"Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show"

Background:

Catholic Marketing Network
15th Annual Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show
Near Philadelphia, PA (Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Friday, August 5, 2011)

Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show: First Morning on the Floor

2011-08-03T13:57:00.000-05:00

We got the Spiral Light Candle Corp./Oasis Productions booth set up yesterday. Actually, my son-in-law and #2 daughter started work on Monday: My contribution was mostly putting a few labels on candles.

When I wasn't on gofer duty at the booth, I visited a few other exhibitors. Here's what I remember, in alphabetical order:

America Digital Accessories Corp. (electronicrosary.com)
- A hand-held talking prayer assistant
  - In several languages
  - Three modes of operation
  - (small) pictures
- Started in Hong Kong (I think), now in
  - Nigeria
  - Malta
  - United States
  - Other places too, probably
Catholic Kids' Games^TM (catholickidsgames.com)
- The Priest Game
  - A family game
  - Educational
    - You don't need to let the kids know that
    - Teaches
      - Colors
      - Color words
      - Numbers
      - Shapes
      - What parts of a priest's clothing is called
  - Fun
    - Looks like
    - I haven't played it, myself
Royal Consumer Information Products, Inc. (royal.com)
- It's a cash register/office machines company
- With a talking King James Bible
  - At the Catholic Marketing Network trade show?
  - It's beautiful literature, anyway
- Their 'coming soon product:' a NAB digital Bible
  - That doesn't talk
    - Fairly easy-to-read display
  - With internal links
  - Searchable
  - Pending approval
  - With
    - Baltimore Catechism
    - Prayers
    - More stuff I don't remember
  - All in a little palm-size keyboard/display

So, Why am I here?

Like I said, I'm with the Spiral Light Candle Corp./Oasis Productions booth. We've got self-filling candles - a unique product. I've posted this time lapse video before: but repetition is supposed to be good for learning and explanations, so here it is again, still half-size to fit in this blog. The full-size video is on YouTube.

"Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle"

(shown half-size: full version at YouTube)
anoasisproduction, YouTube (July 28, 2011)
video, 1:31

Related posts:

"Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show, Labels, and Money"
A Catholic Citizen in America (August 2, 2011)
"Catholic Marketing Network's 15th Annual Trade Show and Me"
(August 1, 2011)
"Trade Show Time: Catholic Marketing Network"
(July 27, 2011)
"Trade Show Preparation: Is Work Important?"
A Catholic Citizen in America (August 1, 2011)
"On the Road to the Trade Show: Schedules, Attendees"
A Catholic Citizen in America (July 31, 2011)

More about the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show and me:

"Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show"
Starting a Small Business Without Losing My Mind

Background:

Catholic Marketing Network
15th Annual Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show
Near Philadelphia, PA (Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Friday, August 5, 2011)

Families, Vacations, Catholic Marketing Network's 15th Annual Trade Show, Schedules, and a Candle

2011-08-01T20:31:00.007-05:00

We started setting up the Spiral Light Candle Corp/Oasis Productions booth at the Catholic Marketing Network's trade show this evening. More accurately, my son-in-law and #2 daughter started setting it up. I stayed out of the way, for the most part.

Trade Show Children's Area

There's something new this year: a sort of 'kids' area:' a section for children with activities and (don't tell them?) educational things going on.

This makes sense, I think, since some folks plan their family vacations around the show, or at least work it into their vacation plans. With the children's section available, parents have the option of getting a few moments on their own, to check out the booths.

The public part of the trade show starts Wednesday, and goes through Friday, I'm told.

Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show Floor Schedule

Here's what I found on the trade show's website-

Trade Show Floor Open:

Wednesday, August 3
- 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 4
- 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Friday, August 5
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The trade show's website has a more detailed schedule.

Who's at the CMN trade show:

"Attendees"
15th Annual Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show (via www.cvent.com)

Just a few from the list of attendees:

America Digital Accessories Corp
Bless Our Faith Gifts, Inc.
CCC of America, Inc.
The Donut Man
Liguori Press/Publications
Mr. Jon's Gift Shop
Wee Believers

Spiral Light Corporation's Self-Filling Candle

I'm particularly interested in the Spiral Light Candle Corp./Oasis Productions booth. Naturally, since I'm a part-owner of the Spiral Light Candle Corp. - and working there as the gopher,

Here's a time lapse (and half-size) video of one of our self-filling candles. The full-size video is on YouTube.

"Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle"

(shown half-size: full version at YouTube)
anoasisproduction, YouTube (July 28, 2011)
video, 1:31

More about the Catholic Marketing Network's trade show and me:

"Catholic Marketing Network's 15th Annual Trade Show"

Catholic Marketing Network's 15th Annual Trade Show and Me

2011-08-01T08:18:00.008-05:00

Later today, I expect to arrive at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania: near Philadelphia. My arrival won't be a big deal, but I think the event is.

I'll be at the Spiral Light Candle Corp. boot at the 15th Annual Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show. I put links to the Catholic Marketing Network, and the trade show's site, under background, at the end of this post.

The Spiral Light self-filling candles are something new. Here's a time lapse (and half-size) video of one of our candles. The full-size video is on YouTube - you can follow the link.

"Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle"

(shown half-size: full version at YouTube)
anoasisproduction, YouTube (July 28, 2011)
video, 1:31

I'll be updating the link list below, as I post about my experiences at the trade show.

More-or-less-related posts:

"On the Road to the Trade Show: Schedules, Attendees"
A Catholic Citizen in America (July 31, 2011)
"On the Road to the Trade Show: Accident in Indiana"
A Catholic Citizen in America (July 31, 2011)
"Trade Show in Pennsylvania, Ecclesiastes, Software, and Schedules"
A Catholic Citizen in America (July 26, 2011)
"Lemming Tracks: The Lemming's Taking a Sabbatical, Sort Of"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (July 26, 2011)
"Wealth, Poverty, Stereotypes, and Snidely Whiplash"
A Catholic Citizen in America (March 8, 2011)

More about the Catholic Marketing Network's trade show and me:

"Catholic Marketing Network's 15th Annual Trade Show"

Background:

Catholic Marketing Network
15th Annual Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show
Near Philadelphia, PA: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Friday, August 5, 2011

Trade Show Time: Catholic Marketing Network

2011-07-27T15:21:00.005-05:00

After trying several approaches to running a successful small business, I think I've found what works for me: ride on my son-in-law's coattails. Sort of.

Seriously, now: Oasis Productions is my son-in-law's company. He's done - and is doing - a good job of running it. He did such a good job, that I'm now a part-owner of Spiral Light Candle Corporation. Which makes a line of unique candles he's developed:

"Spiral Self Filling Candle"

(shown half-size: full version at YouTube)
anoasisproduction, YouTube (March 15, 2011)
video, 0:42

"A candle that burns around a hollow center and fills itself...."

"Unique" gets over-used. In this case, though: I think it fits. These self-filling candles are made by Spiral Light Candle Corporation, and nobody else. It's a remarkable product - which is what you'd expect me to say. What I've enjoyed seeing is the way folks react to them. They're in stores in a few states so far - and I'll stop before I start sounding like an advertisement.

Where I'll be next week:

Catholic Marketing Network
15th Annual Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show
Near Philadelphia, PA: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Friday, August 5, 2011

Somewhat-related posts:

"Lemming Tracks: The Lemming's Taking a Sabbatical, Sort Of"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (July 26, 2011)
"Sense of Touch Affects Decision-Making? Maybe Not a Crazy Idea"
(June 25, 2010)
"Out on a Limb: Having Opinions That Aren't Approved"
(May 31, 2010)
"Simple 'Secrets' for Affordable SEO"
(May 18, 2010)
"Annoying Your Website's Visitors: Not as Good an Idea as it Seems"
(February 4, 2009)

More about the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show and me:

"Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show"
Starting a Small Business Without Losing My Mind

Well, That's Interesting: YouTube Woes and Vimeo

2010-12-03T22:13:00.006-06:00

Before anyone has a stroke: I don't have an opinion on YouTube's actions, regarding WatchReport. Like the fellow said, "I only know what I read in the papers." Or, in this case, online:

"YouTube's Community Police Blow Up Another Innocent Victim"
John Biggs, TechCrunch (December 3, 2010)

"Call me cynical, but after experiencing a YouTube shutdown firsthand, I've come to realize that it is near impossible to build a stable brand or presence on YouTube. The gatekeepers are far too antsy with the big red ban button and, after facing this problem once when CrunchGear's entire video archive was shut down I'm loathe to recommend the service to those trying to post anything other than the occasional video of baby ducklings being blown over.

"WatchReport, a watch website I used to frequent, started posting watch reviews on YouTube in 2005. Over the past five years they racked up two million views and 2000 subscribers on 50 reviews. Then all of the videos were gone.

"On November 23 the account was locked 'due to multiple or severe violations of our Community Guidelines,' which would presumably include 'no sex, nudity, hate speech, shock videos, illegal acts, threats, impersonation, or copyright violation.' These were watch videos and the former owner of WatchReport, Christian, definitely didn't impersonate anyone in the nude...."

"...The lesson? Depend on someone like Vimeo for hosting important stuff. Otherwise it could be taken away at a moment's notice...."

I can tell that Mr. Biggs is disappointed: and regards Vimeo as preferable to YouTube.

This account got me curious about YouTube's TOS: Which weren't all that hard to find. (www.youtube.com/t/terms) The Community Guidelines were linked in that page's sidebar. (www.youtube.com/t/community_guidelines) Maybe someone thought WatchReport was too spammy.

But, like I said: I really don't know the facts in this case.

On the other hand, I now know the name of another YouTube wannabe. Or maybe I should say "analog."

Related posts:

"Well, That's Interesting: Ustream Producer"
(February 1, 2010)
"Experiment in Progress: YouTube Video to Advertise Blog"
(February 14, 2009)
"That's My Son-In-Law Who's Doing That!"
(April 2, 2010)

Pretty Good Advice and Observations About Online Advertising

2010-08-20T16:17:00.002-05:00

Noted:

"Recommendations for Optimizing AdSense Earnings"
Dragon Blogger (March 16, possibly 2010)

"Ben over at WildTips.com not only left me a comment about my article on how I am experimenting with AdSense but followed up with his own blog post on recommendations that I should follow to improve and optimize my AdSense on my website. The tips for maximizing AdSense Earnings were very thorough and detailed and Ben states that he makes more than $300 per month AdSense from his blogs and has less traffic to his blogs than I do and is able to achieve these results.

"I visited and extensively reviewed WildTips.com and can see how it is heavily Optimized for AdSense, it takes full advantage of 1 Skyscraper ad blog, and 2 350×200 ad blocks inside every post. In addition there are 3 AdSense Link Units and a Google Search Bar inside the site. I appreciate the feedback and recommendations given and will look to implement some of them in the near future while I am still testing out others...."

The rest of the post is more of the same: common-sense advice and a few useful anecdotes. Also links to relevant posts elsewhere, and an online tool.

Why Your Boss Doesn't Understand the Information Age

2010-08-09T12:19:00.012-05:00

I was born during the Truman administration, was a teen in the sixties, and earned my first college degree in the seventies. If I'd followed a conventional 'success' career track, I'd probably be in an upper-level management or an executive position by now.

Even from an old-school career-track mindset, considering what happened to the Big Three automakers: that's probably just as well. (December 12, 2008)

Important Executives and a Changing World

Here's a story of two people. It's fiction: the people aren't real; but the situation they were in is, I think, not all that uncommon.

Mr. Jones Wasn't Stupid

First, M. J. Jones. He was born around 1910, was a marginally adequate student in elementary school and dropped out in his mid-teens, to help with the family business. After the Great Depression, Mr. Jones applied for - and got - a sales position with a major corporation. He was very good at it, and his supervisor decided to see how Mr. Jones would do, coordinating a few other salesmen.

Mr. Jones, it turned out, was a brilliant manager. He kept his team motivated, increased sales - and got promoted.

Mr. Jones got a reputation for being a very loyal boss. He supported members of his team, occasionally taking key people with him during promotions. He brought the secretary he'd worked with in his first management post along with him, all the way to the corner office with "Vice President for Sales and Marketing" on the door.

In his autobiography, co-authored with his secretary and published after his retirement, a little secret came out.

Mr. Jones could barely read.

He recognized words like "rest room," "exit," and "stop," and could with great effort work his way through something written at about a 5th grade reading level: but that was it.

He wasn't stupid. At all. He had remembered details of every report that crossed his desk and kept track of a staff the size of a small town. But he'd never learned to read.

From the start, he insisted that reports be read aloud to him: saying that if you couldn't say something in five minutes or less, you didn't have anything worth reading. He also claimed, with some reason, that a sales staff who couldn't speak clearly and coherently should have other jobs.

He'd confided in his secretary on the first day of that first managerial job. She'd worked for management types with bad handwriting: and appreciated a boss who didn't give her illegible memos.

Not Everybody Can Read

Unrealistic? Hardly.

When I was growing up, folks in America were beginning to realize that some of us simply aren't wired for reading. Dyslexia is one of the better-known situations of that sort.

And some folks, like Mr. Jones, lived in a time and under circumstances which didn't encourage expending the sort of time and effort it takes to develop reading skills.

These days, in America at least, it's less likely that someone will go through school without a reading deficit going undetected.

On the other hand, you may know someone like this fellow:

N. O. Jones isn't Lazy

N. O. Jones, M. J. Jones' nephew, can read pretty well, although he doesn't have much time for 'unproductive' reading. Before he graduated from high school, N. O. decided that he wanted to work in a corner office and have a company car, like his uncle.

N. O. studied hard, worked his way through college, and graduated with an MBA. After that, his career track was fairly similar to his uncle's. Today, N. O. Jones reads reports in a corner office overlooking Lake Michigan.

There's a computer on his desk, but N. O. only uses it when he absolutely has to.

While he was in high school, assignments that absolutely had to be typed were done by N.O.'s younger brother, from N.O's handwritten copy.

In college, N. O.'s girlfriend typed his reports.

On the job, N. O.'s hunt-and-peck typing method kept him going until his position warranted access to a clerical pool - and later a secretary.

Unlike his uncle, N. O. Jones' lack of keyboard competence was fairly well-known. And, if anything, increased his status: as someone who was too important to have 'merely clerical' skills.

N. O. Jones had heard about computers while growing up: but didn't pay much attention to science fiction stuff like that. His nerdy younger brother - but that's another story.

Back in the 90s, N. O. read something about a "World Wide Web" in a report from one of his area's regional offices. He made a note to tell his younger brother about it, and went back to the serious business of managing his department.

Around the turn of the millennium, N. O. had his secretary circulate a memo that all reports and memos must be printed on paper and filed in accordance with department policy. He'd heard that his staff had been communicating with each other with something called "electronic mail."

He prided himself on being broad-minded about office chatter: but company business had to be done in a business-like fashion. No nerdy toys for his department!

Eight years ago, after several key staff members quit over the issue, N. O. Jones carefully studied various proposals, and finally allowed his department to use "electronic mail."

N. O. Jones isn't Stupid

The younger Jones, like his uncle, isn't stupid.

He's specialized.

N. O. Jones decided, in his teens, that he wanted to pursue the conventional management-executive career track with a major American corporation. And he succeeded.

That sort of career takes many qualities, including a sort of discipline which often doesn't leave room for learning "useless" skills.

Like being able to type.

Typewriters, Technology, Skills, and Me

After a less-than-adequate experience with a high school typing class, I enrolled in a summer program at a business college and learned touch-typing. After I passed, my speed was around 50 to 60 words per minute: which was adequate for the clerical jobs I've had from time to time.

Time passed. I learned a good-enough way to deliver plants across town, how to be a radio disk jockey, and what was called "desktop publishing" at that time. I was working for a small publishing company when the Web emerged: and was one of two people on the staff who was even marginally comfortable when working with a computer.

I wound up being "the computer guy," among other things.

I'm not a 'techy.' My son knows more about what's now and wow in information technology than I do. But I do try to keep up with the times.

Back in my youth, someone who didn't think a business needed a telephone might have been right. Some outfits with a strictly local, walk-in clientele still don't need the added expense of a telephone. But they're few and far between.

Today, I think some of the clueless online behavior we see - particularly for the larger, well-established companies - may be credited to important executives: who have been too busy and too important as the decades passed to notice that the world has changed.

How to Engage Others Online - Without Annoying Them

2010-07-30T13:34:00.004-05:00

"highly recommended."
Tweeted by danielsnyder1, on Twitter (July 29, 2010)

I was one of five people mentioned in that Tweet. (Thanks, BTW!)

A bit.ly link in that Tweet leads to "Twitter: Follow Friday recommendations for July 30," Information Carnivore (July 30, 2010).

What struck me about the list - apart from my being on in - was the criteria that Daniel Snyder used to select his 10 Twitterers for this week. It's not number of followers, or the kind of bot we used to spam other folks. It was "tweeting regular and valuable content."

Here's part of his post's introduction, and the reasons he gave for including each person:

"...These ten people come with my stamp of approval (That's right endorsed by Daniel Snyder), so you can be certain they are tweeting regular and valuable content. Here we go, in no particular order...."
"...tweets valuable content, he is quick to engage, and regularly invites users to participate in a random word poetry game. He's also a fantastic blogger who is genuine and open, and quick to share advice, tips and his experiences. If you are learning to blog, Dragon Blogger will be candid and helpful, pay attention to his blog and his tweets...."

"...is a great engager, and faithful retweeter, he's also been good to me by giving feedback on my posts along with the retweets, which always sparks conversation...."

"...is a blogger, who tweets some really interesting stuff, she also engages in conversation which as you can tell always earns points with me...."

"...is new to blogging and someone who is super friendly on twitter. I recommend we follow him, and encourage him on his way...."

"...has an amazing knack for digging up the latest scoops and interesting stories and sharing them with all of us. Interested in info sec? She is a must follow. Jovi is also super friendly, and a friendly retweeter...."

"...Has breaking info sec scoops and valuable tweets on a regular basis. Absolutely a great follow, and will keep you in the loop...."

"...is a blogger, and friendly twitter guy. He is an advocate for my posts, and promotes me (so hopefully you too…)..."

"...is an excellent blogger who is very social on the web, she is quick to engage on twitter, and interact on other social networks
as well. Tweets valuable and interesting content...."

"...is a wealth of information and good tweets, she is educated and tweets valuable info sec. content, she also has a blog called Tek Blog for which she writes...."

"...is a friendly twitter guy, who retweets and comments on valuable content. He is also very intelligent and has a great blog worth reading...."
(Daniel Snyder/Information Carnivore)

Who is Worth Following?

What I took away from that list, in terms of what makes a person well worth following on Twitter (or anywhere else) was this:

Create "valuable and interesting" content
Be friendly
Help people
- Respond with constructive criticism when they ask for it
- Promote them
  - When that promotion is "valuable and interesting" content for your readers
Engage with others on social networks

"Engage" Online - Soon to be an Overused Buzzword

Considering some of what I've seen online, maybe I'd better explain what I mean by "engage."

What Engaging is Not

Fist, what it's not. From my point of view, "engaging" others on a social network isn't:

Sending them direct messages with links to your advertisers
Telling them that you're buying dental floss
Doing anything that you wouldn't do to a friend you met at a bus stop, coffee shop, or wherever

What Engaging is

"Engaging" others on a social network is pretty simple:

Assume that the folks you "engage" are people
Treat them the way you'd like a friend or acquaintance to treat you
Be interested in something besides yourself

Funny, how when you boil down acres or erudite prose on how to deal with people online, it often boils down to "play nice."

A tip of the hat to danielsnyder1, for including me on that list.

Advertising, Income, and Time

2010-06-26T12:19:00.004-05:00

Noted:

"Internet Marketing | Google Reduces Adsense Revenue Share"
Internet Marketing, by Brett Prince (June 25, 2010)
- An brief analysis of recent AdSense policy
"Internet Marketing Tips | Attracting Potential Advertisers"
Internet Marketing, by Brett Prince (April 8, 2010)
- Three-step process for increasing your website's visibility

The first article shows what looks like a not-ideal trend in what content providers get from Google's AdSense. After showing what seems to be happening, Brett Prince writes this:

"...This isn't the greatest news, but it's meant to inform people of what's going on with the AdSense program rather than scare people off...."
(Brett Prince (June 25, 2010))

He suggests that folks with focused blogs or websites could consider making deals directly with advertisers. What he doesn't discuss, as far as I saw, was the additional effort - and time - it would take to manage advertising accounts.

Interesting, though.

A tip of the hat to BrettPrince, on Twitter, for the heads-up on his articles.

Sense of Touch Affects Decision-Making? Maybe Not a Crazy Idea

2010-06-25T12:22:00.006-05:00

When I read this article's headline and first paragraph, I was ready to dismiss the whole thing as silly science: the sort of thing that folks with letters after their name do sometimes, to increase their own status or push some political preference. Or maybe because they don't know any better.

Anyway: here's that headline, a link, a citation, and a few excerpts from that article

"Sense of Touch Shapes Snap Judgments"
Wired Science (June 25, 2010)

"Sitting in a hard chair can literally turn someone into a hardass. Holding a heavy clipboard leads to weighty decisions. Rubbing rough surfaces makes us prickly. So found researchers studying the interaction between physical touch and social cognition.

"The experiments included would-be car buyers who, when seated in a cushy chair, were less likely to drive a stiff bargain. The findings don't just suggest tricks for salesman, but may illuminate how our brains develop.

" 'The way people understand the world is through physical experiences. The first sense they develop is touch,' said study co-author Josh Ackerman, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology psychologist. As they grow up, those physical experiences shape how people conceptualize abstract, social experience, he said. 'Later on, you can do what we did - trigger different physical experiences, and produce changes in people's thoughts.'..."

"...Other research shows that the brain doesn't always have different structures for different functions, but often uses the same systems in a variety of ways. And given the importance of touch, it's easy for developing brains to use tactile associations - heaviness requires effort, roughness leads to friction, hard objects are inflexible - in understanding social situations.

" 'Those connections that people have, between physical experience and mental understanding, don't ever disappear,' said Ackerman...."

"...For those fearing exploitation by marketers, Ackerman noted that tactile suggestion's effects diminish when people pay attention. 'It's when you're distracted, thinking in a shallow fashion, that you get hit by these cues,' he said...."

The sort of research described in the article is in a relatively new field called embodied cognition.

The parts I left out describe - briefly - how the experiments were done. It seems to me that if the researchers were careful about procedures and crunching statistics - they're probably on to something here.

I was particularly impressed that they had a working hypothesis to explain the apparent link between our sense of touch, and how we're inclined to interpret social data.

Apart from the practical business angles - like 'no hard chairs for the clients' - there's some really interesting science going on here.

Twitter's Fail Whale: Here's a Cake

2010-06-23T11:04:00.003-05:00

Another morning, and I see that Twitter is moving along with business-as-usual, pouring resources into interesting new features; and alienating their users by failing to maintain their boring old infrastructure.

I don't have a window into the Twitter offices, but my guess is that it'll be fun while it lasts.

Let's face it, fixing an existing system, or doing due diligence for acquiring new servers or other infrastructure isn't all that much fun. In fact, it can be downright dull.

Which may explain Twitter's decision to keep the Fail Whale appearing so often.

Twitter's Fail Whale: Good News, Bad News

The Fail Whale's regular appearances isn't all bad news, though. Someone memorialized Twitter's inadequate service: by baking a cake.

(from GadgetSin.com, via Webuser, used w/o permission)

I don't see, in the two sources I read, that anyone's thought of marketing Fail Whale Cake - but if Twitter keeps ignoring its system and its users, I think there's a business opportunity here.

Think about it: Fail Whale parties, Fail Whale novelties.

It's got possibilities: as long as Twitter keeps shooting itself in the foot.

Related posts:

"Twitter is Over Capacity: Decisions?"
(June 22, 2010)
"Twitter is Over Capacity: Again; Still"
(June 15, 2010)
"Lemming Tracks: Where was the Lemming?"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (June 7, 2010)
- About the 17-hour Blogger blockage
"Twitter, a Frantic Duck, the Carson Mansion, Macbeth, and Branding"
(May 26, 2010)
"Well, That's Interesting: Web Strategy Matrix: Google Buzz vs Facebook vs MySpace vs Twitter"
(February 11, 2010)

"Twitter Fail Whale cake tempts hungry Tweeters"
Webuser (June 23, 2010)
- "With the England v Slovenia game prompting a huge flood of tweets, the Twitter Fail Whale seems to have taken up permanent residence this afternoon...."
"Fail Whale Cake for Twitter Fans"
GadgetSin.com (June 22, 2010)
- "...The Twitter Fail Whale cake is created by Mariana Pugliese, a cake designer from Buenos Aires. From the images, we can see the famous whale designed by Yiying Lu a Chinese illustrator...."

Twitter is Over Capacity: Decisions?

2010-06-22T11:06:00.006-05:00

"Twitter is over capacity." No big surprise there. I've been seeing the 'fail whale' quite a lot in recent weeks.

I've posted about this before.

I also try to give people and companies the benefit of the doubt. And Twitter has been growing a lot lately.

Just the same: I wish that someone in Twitter would decide to put more effort and resources into making their service work - and less into creating and introducing new, spiffy, nifty-keen features.

I use Twitter to communicate with other people. Groovy gadgets are tubular - or whatever - but useless, unless the basic service WORKS!

I'm not abandoning Twitter yet: but at this rate, I may have to. I simply don't have the time to wait around until the 'fail whale' goes away for a while.

That's not the sort of decision a service company wants to force its customers into.

Sort-0f-related posts:

"Twitter is Over Capacity: Again; Still"
(June 15, 2010)
"Lemming Tracks: Where was the Lemming?"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (June 7, 2010)
- About the 17-hour Blogger blockage
"Twitter, a Frantic Duck, the Carson Mansion, Macbeth, and Branding"
(May 26, 2010)
"Well, That's Interesting: Web Strategy Matrix: Google Buzz vs Facebook vs MySpace vs Twitter"
(February 11, 2010)

"Gold Rush in the Gulf:" a Guest Post

2010-06-22T00:03:00.003-05:00

Get the oil back and boost the economy of affected regions at the same time. Advertise an all hands on deck approach to the American people, enlist their help, and create a "gold rush in the gulf". BP has an opportunity to turn its stocks around, retain customer loyalty, and be a driving force in economic recovery in a time of devastation.

It's my humble understanding that it doesn't take a lot of talent to pick up oil. And there seems to be economical solutions for doing so. The problem with many of the solutions is that it takes an army of people to make a difference. Recruit an army, and pay them commission on each barrel of oil they collect.

With a bounty plan it would inspire entrepreneurs to set up EPA licensed distribution centers for collection materials. Those who want to collect must go through a training process for the specific area they will clean. Hotels would be booked solid, the tourist industry would be temporarily replaced with oil workers, and entire industries would pop up over night, thus restoring the real-estate market to a more manageable level.

No plan is a perfect plan but a plan that empowers people to help and gives them hope creates a win situation for everyone. It might be a sticky situation but let's not make it a hopeless one.

Aaron McWilliams
Executive Producer Oasis Productions

Related post:

"Gulf Oil Cleanup Idea: A Bounty on Oil"
(June 12, 2010)

"Oil in the Gulf of Mexico: Posts"
Apathetic Lemming of the North

Well, That's Interesting: Disclosure Policies for Bloggers

2010-06-19T12:51:00.004-05:00

I'm a blogger: obviously. I've never been paid to write a review of some product or service, but that could happen. In fact, I've been looking into how to set a paid-review situation up.

On the other hand, I couldn't be paid to write favorably - or unfavorably - about something.

That's where "disclosure" comes in.

As far as I know, "disclosure" like that isn't required in America yet: but there's a chance that it will. Either way, I think it's a good idea.

You have the Right to Remain Scuzzy

Outside of parts of the entertainment industry and some political subcultures, there doesn't seem to be much room for sleazy people. Not at the 'success' end of the pool, anyway. Anyway, I don't want to be the sort of disreputable person who'd take a few bucks to say good things about a shoddy product.

Part of that disinclination is what I suppose you could call my self-esteem. Part of it's simple self-interest. I plan to be around a few years from now, with folks reading what I write - and that's not going to happen if I earn a bad reputation.

So, even if it's legal (for now), I'm looking at developing a disclosure policy.

'I Read About it Online'

I found what appears to be a pretty good guide to developing a disclosure policy after reading a Tweet on Twitter, which led me to a blog post, which - - - the links in that chain are at the bottom of this post.

Here's a pretty good rationale for doing "disclosure:"

"...By disclosing the purpose of a blog, bloggers are letting readers know more about the information they'll be reviewing. Bloggers retain the freedom to write original content, as well as select which advertisers they will represent in exchange for gifts or money. Any ethical concerns will remain where they've always been - on the individual level. Because it is a blogger's freedom to select which topics will bring them payment, he/she remains responsible for his/her own reputation...."
(DisclosurePolicy.org

Works for me.

DisclosurePolicy.org has a simple, one-size-didn't-fit-me, easy-to-use set of forms for generating a disclosure policy. Here's what I got, after filling it out:

This is not my disclosure policy!

It's a sample. Not a real policy.
This policy is valid from 19 June 2010

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact Brian H. Gill at P.O Box 93, Sauk Centre, Minnesota 56378.

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified. We are employed by or consult with: Oasis Productions. We blog about people to whom we are related. The most interesting such people are: Aaron McWilliams, Executive Producer at Oasis Productions. We have a financial interest in the following that are relevant to our blogging: quite a few businesses operating in the United States and around the world.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

DisclosurePolicy.org has this good advice:

"We suggest that you place a text link marked 'Disclosure Policy' for your readers on the side or bottom bar of your blog in an area that can be easily located by your readers. This link should link to your disclosure policy on a separate page of your blog/site in a fashion similar to a privacy policy link."

Looks like pretty good advice. That boilerplate copy from their form has to be tweaked a bit, but it's a good starting point.

They've got a nifty couple of badges, too. Here's the smaller one:

DisclosurePolicy.org
- "Generate Policy"
"Blogging 101: How to Prepare Your Blog To Start Making Money Online"
factoids (undated)
"Preparing Your Blog to Make Money Online"
Dragon1 Blogger (undated, probably on or before June 5, 2010)

A tip of the hat to "dragonblogger, on Twitter, for the heads-up on his post, which led to the rest.

New Code for the Easy Griller

2010-06-15T20:01:00.003-05:00

I've been (slowly) adding a new sort of ad to my Easy Griller website. No big deal: just using some of the white space at the top of one page, and making use of a couple of new features from AdSense.

That top-center ad will have company on other pages, as I go through the website, cleaning up and improving the pages.

Now that I look at the results, I may have goofed. Oh, well: it was a cosmetic error. No problem with function.

Twitter is Over Capacity: Again; Still

2010-06-15T01:03:00.008-05:00

Updated (June 15, 2010)
A new PCWorld link, and a CNNMoney.com link added near end of this post. under "More:"

That's unfair: I've used Twitter quite often, and on average, it's functional more often than it's not.

However, the latest SNAFU with Twitter is big enough, and is lasting long enough, to make the mainstream news:

"Twitter users muted by maintenance woes"
The Sydney Morning Herald smh.com.au (June 15, 2010)

"Australian microbloggers were uncharacteristically mute on Twitter this afternoon owing to a fault that has taken down the site for almost two hours.

"The site has been displaying only its famous Fail Whale since 1.30 pm AEST after being restored very briefly at about 3 pm. In a status update Twitter said the fault had occurred as a result of maintenance work.

" 'We are experiencing site-wide availability issues due to scheduled maintenance. We're currently working to address the issues, it said.

"The latest outage follows a string of 'networking errors' reported by US news sources last week and includes no timeframe on when the site may be error-free again.

"It does however coincide with the launch of a new features today called Twitter Places that lets users highlight tweets around a given location...."
[emphasis mine]

I highlighted that last paragraph, because I think there's a lesson to be learned here.

If you're running a service business, and have grown to the point where you can't get the basic services to work correctly: THAT IS NOT A GOOD TIME TO ADD SOME FANCY NEW SERVICE.

The fancy new service may be something you like a whole lot, and something that your clients have said they wanted. But they probably want your basic service to work, too.

It Could be Worse

Take a hypothetical diaper cleaning service. It's been growing for several years, and now covers most of a country. The company has a keen new gimmick: lemon-scented 'thank you' notes, personalized with the client's name, with every delivery of fresh diapers.

Just one problem: Dirty diapers haven't been picked up regularly for the last year.

Think about it. What's more important: picking up the dirty diapers and processing them; or introducing lemon-scented, personalized notes to a system that's not working?

Sorry about the rant: I've had a frustrating night.

Vaguely-related posts:

"Lemming Tracks: Where was the Lemming?"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (June 7, 2010)
- About the 17-hour Blogger blockage
"Twitter, a Frantic Duck, the Carson Mansion, Macbeth, and Branding"
(May 26, 2010)
"Well, That's Interesting: Web Strategy Matrix: Google Buzz vs Facebook vs MySpace vs Twitter"
(February 11, 2010)

"Twitter's Service Disruptions and Outages Persist"
PCWorld (June 15, 2010)
"Twitter can't kill the Fail Whale"
CNNMoney.com (June 15, 2010)
"Twitter's Service Disruptions and Outages Persist"
PCWorld (June 14, 2010)
"Tweety's Not Feeling So Good These Days -- Network Concerns Plague Twitter"
World Cup Technology, tmcnet.com (June 14, 2010)

Gulf Oil Cleanup Idea: A Bounty on Oil

2010-06-12T23:17:00.007-05:00

Here's an idea, for how to clean up that oil slick on the Gulf of Mexico. On British Petroleum's dime.

It's not mine, by the way. The idea, I mean.

Put a Bounty on Collected Oil

A whole lot of people live on and near the Gulf coast. Quite a few of them are looking for a way to make some extra money. BP has money.

Why not let BP pay people for petroleum glop that they've collected on the Gulf, and on the Gulf shores, where the stuff has run aground?

BP gets some of their oil back - plus some sand and seaweed; Locals get bounty money, which they spend - stimulating local economies; and we all get a somewhat-cleaner Gulf of Mexico.

Like I said, the idea's not mine: Thank Aaron McWilliams, the executive producer of Oasis Productions. Who 'just happens' to be my son-in-law.

Transparency, like they say these days.

"Oil in the Gulf of Mexico: Posts"

Out on a Limb: Having Opinions That Aren't Approved

2010-05-31T21:56:00.004-05:00

I'm coming back with an excerpt from Saturday's post:

Don't be afraid of opinion.

As P.R. says: "...It's my belief ... that one of the big reasons consumers don't trust companies is that companies often strive so hard to be 'PC' that they lose a sense of culture and personality...."

Think before posting something - but when you do post, say something.
(from "Patricio Robles, via Econsultancy (May 27, 2010); micro-reviewed in this blog (May 29, 2010))

Patricio Robles may not have had someone like me in mind when he wrote that. My daughters have told me that it's hard not to tell what I think and feel about something. In person, and in my writing. They're probably right.

My guess is that P. R. was thinking of the common (in America) idea that someone in business should never discuss politics or religion - or pretty much anything else that a potential customer might have an opinion about.

It's not the worst idea, in a way. There's no sense alienating someone who is convinced that the Cubs will win the World Series this year, by opining that the New York Yankees will come out on top.

But What if They'll Find Out You're a Yankees Fan, Anyway?

I'm not a Yankees fan - or a Cubs booster - so I don't need to worry about anybody discovering that I'm a closet fan of some particular team. I am, however, a practicing Catholic. Yep: One of those people.

It's not the sort of thing I can keep a secret, since one of my blogs is A Catholic Citizen in America. Sure: I could have kept quiet about my beliefs. But the bottom line is that even without that blog it would have been a struggle - and probably an unsuccessful one.

Like my daughters observed: I don't hide things well.

So, I've decided to let what I believe come up in posts - where they're relevant to the topic. Like home schooling. Yep: I'm one of those, too. (May 20, 2010, in another blog)

Don't worry, though: I've no intention of being heavy-handed about it. Except maybe in that one blog.

It'll be an interesting experiment. And, I hope, a successful one. My guess, based on a few experiences, is that there are a whole lot of folks out there who really don't mind a blogger who's got religious beliefs.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Related post:

"Sincerity: Once You Learn to Fake That, You're Set" (May 29, 2010)

Sincerity: Once You Learn to Fake That, You're Set

2010-05-29T16:53:00.004-05:00

That's not the message of a post I read a few minutes ago:

"Five ways to maintain authenticity with social media"
Patricio Robles, via Econsultancy (May 27, 2010)

"Over the past several years, businesses have flocked to social media. Many have done so because they want to, and many more have done so because they think they have to.

"The increasing use of social media amongst businesses reflects the fact that social media is important, even if its value can be somewhat difficult to define and quantify. But social media is just a platform, and realizing value from its use requires the right type of use.

"Businesses have been flogged over the head with the advice about being 'authentic' when using social media. But what does that really mean? Here are five tips for being authentic and maintaining authenticity with business social media use...."

To avoid just copying the whole post (a dubiously-ethical act), but not take up too much of my own time, I'm repeating Patricio Robles's headings - with a heavy paraphrase of the text.

Make it personal.

Faceless corporate groupthink won't cut it online. Personality does. Have a real person who can make his or her own decisions run your social media.

Keep it real.

No, really. Learn what social media sorry is - and don't do it. But admit it when you goofed.

Sooner or later someone won't like what you do. That's their problem. Being principled and decisive isn't a bad idea.

Don't be afraid of opinion.

As P.R. says: "...It's my belief ... that one of the big reasons consumers don't trust companies is that companies often strive so hard to be 'PC' that they lose a sense of culture and personality...."

Think before posting something - but when you do post, say something.

Focus on interactions, not followers and fans.

Just because you can count them, that doesn't mean they're important. You want to interact with people who are going to do something.

Keep the distribution of traditional marketing messages to a minimum.

"NOW, WITH MORE INGREDIENT X!" doesn't work. Don't do it.

Old-style press releases aren't recommended, either.

News Flash! Some People You Meet Online are - People

I do some of those 'traditional marketing messages' on Twitter - giving the name of a post and its URL. At 140 characters, that's all I've got room for, when I want the folks following me to know about a new post.

But that's not all I put on Twitter. I also respond, from time to time, when someone makes a remark about what they're doing, or what their current situation is. It's the sort of communication, very condensed, that I'd engage in, if I were in the same room with them.

Which I think is a good way to think about online communities. They're communities, made up of people. I'll grant that you'll run into the occasional AI, spouting quips at intervals. But if you make a point of engaging people in conversation - I think you'll find that there's a breathing human being at the other end of the connection.

And, unless you're in the habit of shouting 'Sale! Three Days Only!' at folks you know - don't do it online.

A tip of the hat to , on Twitter, for the heads-up on this post.

Easy Griller: "Grilling for the Rest of Us" Website Upgrade

2010-05-28T21:56:00.006-05:00

I launched the Easy Griller website about five years ago. Quite a few websites discuss what I'd call the high end of outdoor grilling: involving lots of equipment; elaborate recipes; and words I had to look up, like "marinade."

That approach to grilling is fine: for someone who is willing to invest time, effort and money in pursuing the culinary arts as they pertain to the outdoor grill.

Me? I like to put burgers on the grill and then eat them.

I figure that there are quite a few folks like me: and now we've got a website and a blog dedicated (mostly) to simple, effective outdoor grilling techniques.

I'll admit that I've strayed a bit from the "simple" thing. But that's still the main focus of Easy Griller.

Today, I finished a long-overdue upgrade for the Easy Griller website. The navigation should be 'friendlier' now - and I've changed some of the content.

Now that the site architecture is improved (I hope), I intend to start working on the content: More pictures; streamlining the text, that sort of thing.

Twitter, a Frantic Duck, the Carson Mansion, Macbeth, and Branding

2010-05-26T11:06:00.005-05:00

I've read that Twitter is a good place to establish a 'brand:' helping people associate your name, or the name of your company, with a product, service - or at least a topic.

Today, I've posted about a frantic mother duck, the Carson Mansion, and Macbeth: in one blog, Apathetic Lemming of the North. My other blogs aren't as - eclectic? - as the Lemming, but they don't cluster very well either.

The blogs and website I'm focusing on right now have to do with outdoor grilling (Easy Griller); being a Catholic in America (A Catholic Citizen in America); and - as noted - everything, in the Lemming.

Since I Tweet (post one of those 140-word remarks) about posts on these blogs, anybody following me on Twitter will see quite a hodgepodge of topics. I'm not sure that's what 'branding' is all about.

One solution would be to have a separate Twitter account for each blog or website - but keeping track of those would be a trifle awkward. And a bit more time-consuming than handling one account. Time isn't something I've got in huge quantities right now.

I'm going to keep Tweeting on Twitter - but I'm also going to keep thinking about what I'm doing there - why - and how I could improve.

Psychology and Web Design: This Introduction isn't At All Bad

2010-05-24T21:02:00.003-05:00

Micro-review in another blog:

"Psychology of Web Design: Not At All Bad as an Introduction"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (May 24, 2010)

"...Bottom line? This isn't a 'must-read' post. There aren't many of that sort, in my opinion. But this is a 'worth reading' post: There are more of this sort, but they're rare enough to be worth highlighting. The resource list at the bottom goes a long way to making this post worth the time it'll take to go through it.
A tip of the hat to LogotypeTV, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this article."

Here's the post I micro-reviewed:

"The Psychology of Web Design"
Webdesigner Depot (undated)

Simple 'Secrets' for Affordable SEO

2010-05-18T14:55:00.009-05:00

The post isn't a must-read. You and your business may succeed if you never follow the link to "5 Content Marketing Goals for Your Website & Blog - and One Big Challenge, Patsi Krakoff, Writing on the Web.

By devoting a few minutes to signing up for the next get-rich scheme, instead of reading Patsi Krakoff's post, you may even make your in-home business into a multi-trillion-dollar global megacorp. But I doubt it. Very much.

I read the thing and - confound it - now I'll have to think about something besides creating content for my blogs and websites. I really need a marketing team. And a technical department. And an executive secretary. And a seaside office complex. No, I don't "need" all that.

What I really need is a break - which I'll take, as soon as I finish this post.

Getting to the Point: 5 Content Marketing Goals

Here's what got this post started:

"5 Content Marketing Goals for Your Website & Blog - and One Big Challenge"
Patsi Krakoff, Writing on the Web (May 9, 2010)

The five content marketing goals are the sort of thing that are 'obvious' after you've read them, maybe not so much before. Here's what P. K. says you should want your blog and/or website to do:

Impress visitors and showcase your business expertise
Engage, educate, entertain & persuade visitors to short-list you
Capture interest and convert visitors into leads
Generate new business from current clients
Attract visitors from search engines

Sounds good. And, more importantly, practical. In my view, unless you're just out for the thrill of having something online: you'll need to have a goal in mind, to justify the time and expense you're sinking in the thing.

Point 2 - and particularly 3 - tell me that Patsi Krakoff has a fairly traditional business in mind: one that started with a brick-and-mortar presence and has a presence on the Web as a sort of add-on. No problems with that, but it's not what I'm doing. I'll get back to that.

SEO: Search Engines and Being Smart

Then there's #5, about SEO. I'm not entirely on the same page with the author, but she made pretty good points. And, for someone who apparently thinks that what I'll call 'artificial SEO' is a good idea, she's remarkably candid:

"...There are those who say 'forget SEO, just write a lot of content for the people who's problems you can solve.' The search engines will catalog your keywords and you'll rank high based on 'organic search.'

"This can be true to a certain extent. I am living proof of that. This blog has been blessed with quality traffic and ranking and search results based on a long history of publishing plenty of content using a few keywords...."
(Writing on the Web)

Or, in my case, writing plenty of content using a whole lot of keywords. Not all in the same blog, of course.

A bit after that excerpt, there's this:

"...Search Engines Are Stupid, You're Smart

"I don't want to be a nag, but I'm going to repeat myself from here until Wednesday: search engines are stupid, so if you're a smart professional, you can learn how to attract search traffic to your blog and web pages. Forget throwing money at the problem. This is something you can and should be doing yourself...."(Writing on the Web)

And then, promotional copy for an upcoming online/phone seminar. It might be worthwhile: but do your "due diligence" before signing up.

Search Engines, Artificial Intelligence, C3PO and Street Smarts

Okay, let's start with that heading: "Search Engines Are Stupid, You're Smart." It's true, as far as it goes. Search engines are AI developed by some of the better programmers on the planet, but their intelligence is artificial. We're still quite a long way from a convincing equivalent of HAL 9000, Skynet, and C3PO. So, yes: search engines are "stupid." At least in the 'street smart' sense of the word.

And, by comparison, just about anybody is, in the 'street smart' sense, smarter than a search engine. Honestly, it doesn't take much.

On the other hand, I think it's debatable whether your typical entrepreneurial wannabe is smarter than the search engines' programmers.

Being Clever isn't Being Smart

Part of my position, or attitude, comes from my memories of the 'good old days' of SEO, when experts (just ask them: They knew everything) told folks that the smart thing to do was load your keywords tag with every naughty word you knew; cloak parts of your website; and - a favorite - put lots of those naughty words right on the page, in a font that's the same color as the page background.

I still run into that advice, from time to time. It strikes me as being 'clever,' rather than smart. It takes a certain amount of technical know-how to figure out how to scam the early search engines. Whether it's smart to be that clever - I don't think so.

I know: today there are people who have spent a great deal of time establishing the image of someone who knows the 'secrets' of SEO. They've probably got some useful skills, since they keep getting contracts from big companies. That implies that there are measurable advantages to using 'professional SEO.' On the other hand, big companies can do stupid things. Remember the Big 3 Automakers meltdown?

I'm No "Expert:" But I've Learned a Little

I'm no "expert." I'm just some guy in central Minnesota who spent two decades in a small publishing company's marketing department: one as an advertising copywriter/graphic designer the other as the list manager. And, when the company (finally) got a website, I was the website's designer.

It's not all that impressive, since the company downsized - drastically - a few years ago; and I got an opportunity to explore other career goals. Best thing that's happened to me in a long time, in terms of 'career,' by the way.

So, I'm no expert - but I do have 20 years' experience in marketing (it was a small company, and I had opportunities to share and present ideas) - and have been spending part of my time, since then, learning how to promote myself on a shoestring budget.

And I think I am smarter than a search engine.

Which is why I won't try to be 'clever' with SEO. I've got reason to believe that search engine programmers are interested in connecting their users with pages that the users may be interested in - not in funneling traffic to some hotshot expert's page.

SEO: It's Brains, Not Bucks

So, SEO is useless?

Not at all. But I think that, at least for sole proprietorships like what I have, smart SEO is what I can do on my own, following a few principles. I didn't come up with these: they're a sort of distillation of what I've learned by testing - and by reading articles by people who seem to know what they're doing.

This probably won't seem very 'smart,' and almost certainly isn't 'clever,' but I think it works:

Write tight
- Tell the reader what you're writing about
  - In the title
  - In the first paragraph
- Eschew obfuscation
  - Use simple words
    - Unless your subject demands complex, technical terms
  - Keep sentences short
    - And simple
- Stay on topic
  - This is a hard one for me
    - I tend to wander when writing
    - On the up side, I've gotten separate posts written that way
    - I'm being tested for ADD this fall
      - See what I mean?
- Use keywords as you write
  - If you're writing about cars, say 'cars' when appropriate
  - Don't struggle with synonyms
    - Unless you think your readers would be bothered by the 'car - car - car' repetition
  - Use keywords in your headings
Code smart
- Keep your code simple
  - It's easier to debug
  - Short code loads faster
    - Your visitors like that
    - Scuttlebutt is that search engines are biased for fast-loading pages
- Use the "Keywords" tag
  - Scuttlebutt is that search engines aren't using it anymore
    - There was too much abuse by 'clever' SEO 'experts'
    - Scuttlebutt can be wrong
      - And adding the keywords tag takes - what? five minutes tops?
- Put your verbal content in text format
  - Scanning in that brochure and using the graphic
    - May look nice
    - Could be faster than creating a text/graphics page
    - Can't be 'read' by search engines
      - Remember: search engines really are stupid
      - They only read text

I don't subscribe to the 'build it and they will come' philosophy of website SEO. On the other hand, I don't see the wisdom of spending thousands of dollars - which I can't afford - on 'SEO professionals,' when I've very good reason to believe that a combination of remember-your-readers writing techniques and no-nonsense website design can have a similar outcome. Without the expense.

Getting intelligently 'chatty' on social networking sites like Twitter helps, too.

But that's another topic.

A tip of the hat to Steveology, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this post.

'I am the Office Girl' - or - Heads up! It's Not the Forties Any More!

2010-04-12T20:01:00.003-05:00

This post has a point to make, but I'll save that for the end.

First, I'll indulge in some reminiscences. These really do have something to do with this post's topic.

I am the Office Girl

Back in the late seventies, I worked for a company called Pellegrini Refrigeration. I was the only employee permanently stationed in their San Francisco plant. My job title was something like "general clerical:" I was responsible for taking messages, keeping things filed, copying blueprints as needed, tracking petty cash: that sort of thing.

I'd been told that there was a particular customer who had been calling rather regularly. The issue seemed to be that he'd received services, and didn't want to pay. Well, I could see his point: but Mr. Pellegrini had bills to pay, too.

Anyway, I'd been told what to say to him, so I wasn't at a loss when he called.

He didn't like the courteously-worded 'I can't do anything, talk to the main office' message I had. But, since there were multiple incoming lines and I'd been told to be polite, he and I had a mildly extended conversation.

Near the end of our dialog, he said, "look here, I've been talking to the office girl. Let me talk to the office girl." I replied, quite accurately, "I am the office girl."

It took him a second or two to respond. Then he said, "oh." Followed by another longish pause.

He addressed me as "sir" after that. And he never called again.

I think it might have something to do with my sounding quite a bit like James Earl Jones. The actor who played Thulsa Doom and was the voice of Darth Vader?

Why Talk To Me? She's the One Who Called

My wife's family are competent, and she's no exception. Let's put it this way. I'm the one with a computer, she's the one with power tools.

Sure, I can disassemble a lock - but I'm getting off-topic.

A few years ago, she noticed an issue with our home's electrical system and called an electrician. I have a notion she could have handled it herself, but the Sauk Centre city government is calmer when electrical work is done by someone with a license. I can see their point. I'm getting off-topic again.

So, the electrician comes. He and my wife are in the kitchen. I'm there too, just to see what was happening. (I've learned a lot by listening to technicians talk with other people.)

The electrician has a question. He asks me. Not my wife. She's closer to him, and started the discussion. But no, the electrician asks me a question.

I explain that I haven't a clue and ask my wife the same question. She replies. To the electrician. He doesn't respond. Until I tell him exactly what my wife told him.

After a while, we settled into a routine. The electrician said something, I'd tell my wife, she'd say something, I'd tell the electrician.

Hey, don't knock it: We got the job done.

And I think it's hilarious. My wife, not so much: but she sees the funny side of it.

Then there's the time, back in the day, when one of my sisters-in-law took shop class - that'll wait for another post. Maybe in another blog.

Got a Business, in America?

Guys? If you're a man and run a business, I'll tell you something you should already know. American women aren't any less competent than we are. Many of them stopped putting up quietly with male dimwits who hadn't caught on a long time ago.

I'm not on the same page as the bra-burners, but let's face it guys: America isn't an all-boys club.

Personally, I like it that way.

But even if you'd like the 'little women' to act like it was still pre-WWII America: that's not the way it is.

I played along with the electrician's cultural blinders because he had the skills and certification we needed. And because I don't mind adapting to cultural norms, when I can.

But not everybody's like that.

Never mind the chance of a discrimination or abuse lawsuit: does anybody in business want to lose the customers?

Well, That's Interesting: Blog2PrintTM

2010-04-12T17:55:00.001-05:00

"Got a Blog? Make a Book!"
Blog2Print^TM

"Next time someone asks "How can I print my blog?" send them to Blog2Print. With a couple of clicks, you choose a cover, the posts you'd like to include, and you're on your way to creating your own Blog Book!..."

At last count, I've got 11 blogs. A few of which might be worth converting to print format. This is something I'm going to think about.

The blogs I think might, maybe, be print-worthy are:

Apathetic Lemming of the North
- 3,823 posts
- Problem is, much of the value to readers is the blog's links
Loonfoot Falls Chronicle-Gazette
- 112 posts
- Which doesn't have nearly enough content
  - Yet
A Catholic Citizen in America
- 395 posts
- This also is a bit light on content
  - So far

In each case, the number of posts is the count as of 23:55 UTC, April 12, 2010.

Narcissus-X (106 posts) is a possibility, too: but that angsty and arguably-insane artiste's posts are very short, there aren't that many of them, and I'm not sure people would be interested enough to actually pay for a book of them.

I may have left out the blog which, in print format, would make me a bigger best-selling author than Stephen King. But I doubt it.

Related post:

"Well, That's Interesting: Google's Blogger Teams With Amazon"
(March 24, 2010)

That's My Son-In-Law Who's Doing That!

2010-04-02T21:05:00.004-05:00

Three years ago this June, I posted "Hiring Relatives and the Chinese Business Model." It was a sort of good news/bad news look at the potentials and perils of working with relatives.

In America, nepotism has a bad reputation - it's something that many companies specifically forbid. For good reason, I think: too many nitwit brothers-in-law and incompetent cousins can ruin morale and wreck a company.

On the other hand, having relatives work in the family business works pretty well among people with a Chinese cultural background - and in my family.

My oldest daughter and I have cooperated on a few projects - successfully, I think - and now I'm doing a little work for my son-in-law. He's the Executive Producer of Oasis Productions: and is managing production of "Art of Serenity: A Journey of Faith." (anoasisproduction, YouTube (February 23, 2010), video 4:13.)

We touched base earlier today: work on the documentary is on schedule. It's coming out by the end of August, 2010. Barring something like a Haiti-level disaster here in central North America.

He also set me up with an email service that'll allow us to exchange decent-size files. As a sort of test of the system, he sent me photos of the new office and workroom of Oasis Productions. These are scaled-down copies:

Video editing - the computer's doing the work at this point. April, 2010.

I'll want to ask - but I suspect the lighting is a little contrived in this photo. The lighting isn't quite that dramatic.

Production / editing area, Oasis Productions. April, 2010.

That's my daughter, at the editing station. There'd been discussion of my doing at least some of that work: but she's got transferable skills - and she's on-site, so it's her job now.

Like I said, family businesses can work well or fail spectacularly. It depends on the family. I think we'll do okay.

Well, That's Interesting: Google's Blogger Teams With Amazon

2010-03-24T18:23:00.004-05:00

"Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates"
Blogger Buzz (December 16, 2009)

"Earlier this year we simplified the process for monetizing your blog by adding a 'Monetize' tab in the Blogger app. We started with AdSense, which allows you to add contextual advertising to your pages; more recently we added AdSense for Feeds to help you generate revenue from the distribution of your blog via RSS and Atom. Today we launched a third option: direct integration with Amazon Associates to search Amazon's product catalog and add links to products that earn you commissions when your readers buy products you recommend.

"With this feature, you can search Amazon directly from the Blogger editor and add pictures and links to Amazon products right into your posts. Your readers will earn you commissions whenever they buy the products you recommend, and if you don't already have an Amazon Associates account, you can sign up for one for free without leaving Blogger.

If you've ever written a blog post about a book, recommended a gadget, or reviewed a toy..."

And so on. It's clearly a promotional announcement: but I'm thinking seriously about using this feature. (And the Blogger-Amazon connection is nothing new: check the date below the release's title.)

I've been signed up with the Amazon affiliate program for some time, but haven't used it very much. First, I don't review - or discuss - all that much that Amazon carries. Nobody's giving me free samples, and I don't have the budget for a lot of unnecessary products. I know: I could order something, look at it, and return the thing for my money back. But I don't operate that way. Besides, even if my ethics would stretch over that sort of cleverness: Sooner or later I'd be caught. I don't know that misusing a guarantee like that is illegal, but I've had a policy of dealing fairly with vendors for decades: and don't intend to change that now.

If this new Blogger service is easy enough to use; and takes maybe three or four minutes, tops, for each review/link: it may be worth the trouble.

The New York Times, a Crazy Bonus, and Entrepreneurs

2010-03-16T15:16:00.005-05:00

I get calls from time to time, from people at employment agencies. They want to know if I'll be filling any positions.

I'm a writer and artist, writer mostly, and run a sole proprietor business where I'm the CEO, general manager, marketing department clerical staff and maintenance department - and do anything else that needs to get done.

Even so, I'm not paying myself all that much. But it's no use complaining to the boss about it: I've tried.

The Brian H. Gill Company isn't one of the most successful small businesses in America: but I've got something in common with those that are.

I don't waste (too much) money.

I can't.

I think it's partly a matter of scale, partly a different approach to running a business.

Take The New York Times: Please!

Take The New York Times, for example. It's an old-school newspaper; and a dispenser of what it says is "All the News That's Fit to Print". That slogan's been around since 1896, and started out as a marketing campaign to distinguish the NYT from what I suppose we'd call tabloids today. (Britannica)

The New York Times won't, I think, disappear: it's got a role to play as the hometown newspaper for Manhattan's upper crust. But it's got financial issues.

"Times Says It Will Cut 100 Newsroom Jobs"
Richard Pérez-Peña, Media Decoder blog, Media & Advertising, The New York Times (October 19, 2009)

"The New York Times plans to eliminate 100 newsroom jobs - about 8 percent of the total - by year's end, offering buyouts to union and non-union employees, and resorting to layoffs if it cannot get enough people to leave voluntarily, the paper announced on Monday.

"The program mirrors one carried out in the spring of 2008, when the paper erased 100 positions in its newsroom, though other jobs were created, so the net reduction was smaller. That round of cuts included some layoffs of journalists - about 15 to 20, though The Times would not disclose the actual figure - which was the first time in memory that had happened.

"The paper has made much deeper reductions in other, non-newsroom departments, where layoffs have occurred several times. But the advertising drop that has pummeled the industry has forced cuts in the news operation as well. The newsroom already has lowered its budgets for freelancers and trimmed other expenses, and employees took a 5 percent pay cut for most of this year...."

I've got my own ideas about why traditional, old-school, established newspapers and network news departments have facing hard times recently. But that's another topic, for another blog. ("The New York Times, Insularity, and Assumptions," Another War-on-Terror Blog (October 21, 2008))

The bottom line is that The New York Times apparently doesn't have enough cash coming in to pay all of its employees. That sort of thing happens. I was laid off for the last time several years ago, from a job I'd had for two decades, so I've got some idea what the Times staff is going through.

Some of them.

"New York Times CEO was paid $4.9 million in 2009"
Breitbart (March 16, 2010)

"An analysis by The Associated Press shows that New York Times Co. CEO Janet Robinson got roughly $4.9 million in compensation in 2009.

"Robinson's base salary fell 4 percent to $962,500. But she got a bonus of about $2.3 million, four times the size of her 2008 bonus.

"Robinson also received stock options that were worth $1.6 million when they were granted. About $560,000 of that was meant to replace options that had been given in 2008 and were later voided because they exceeded a limit set by company bylaws. ..."

I think that managers and executives earn the big bucks: by riding herd on projects and people; and by making the right decisions. (Lemming Tracks: Jobs, Skills, Status and Stress," Apathetic Lemming of the North (March 13, 2010))

Like I said, I think it's reasonable to pay folks at the top of the pyramid more than those who are responsible solely or primarily for their own work. To a point.

I don't know what folks who aren't CEOs in The New York Times get paid, buy my guess is that the $2,300,000 that Robinson got 2009 might have paid the salary of at least one other employee. I could be wrong, though: $2,300,000 sounds like a lot of money to me, but not everybody's like me.

Good thing, too: But that's yet another topic.

Even if Robinson really is worth that much to The New York Times, I am not at all sure that taking over two million bucks as a bonus - $4,900,000 total - sends the right messages to the rest of the employees.

Being Rich is Okay

I have no problem with other folks having more income than I do. I'm where I am as a result of choices, and on the whole I'm satisfied.

Once I told my boss that the way I saw it, my job was to make him ridiculously wealthy. That may sound like apple-polishing, but it was a simple statement of fact. I wanted the person who signed my paycheck to have plenty of cash - because that's where my pay came from.

Entrepreneurs aren't Better: They've Got to Act Sensibly

The person who runs the paper in the town I live in can't act like the CEO of The New York Times. His paper has a little over a dozen employees. Each of them has a cluster of functions, and as far as I can tell the paper needs each of them. (That's not entirely guesswork - I've talked with the owner/operator and folks working there, and seen what they do.)

I suppose he could, in a few bad years, take a whacking great bonus for himself and fire some of the folks who work for him. It would be stupid, but he could do it.

In the short run, he'd have more money for himself. In the long run, I don't think the paper would survive. Even if the remaining employees didn't cut their losses and find work somewhere else.

Sauk Centre might wind up without a newspaper - or someone else might step in to fill the gap. I know of at least one person who could do it.

So it isn't that entrepreneurs are necessarily smarter and more sensible than high-end corporate CEOs. They've got to act responsibly. When they don't, their enterprise collapses.

Unlike major American automakers: who, when they pilot their companies into the ground, get taxpayer support.

Which I've written about before.

Vaguely-related posts:

"AIG, Outrage, Corporations, Unions, and Common Sense"
(March 16, 2009)
"Lemming Tracks: Jobs, Skills, Status and Stress"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (March 13, 2010)
"Govenment Bailouts of American Automakers, Financial Firms: Feels Good, But - - - "
(March 9, 2009)
"Obama Wants Caps on Fat Cat Payouts"
(February 4, 2009)
"Bank Bailouts, Bloated Bonuses, and Common Sense"
(December 21, 2008)
"So Big Three Collapse: Is That a Problem?"
(December 12, 2008)

Jobs, Skills, People and Micromanagement

2010-03-13T16:15:00.004-06:00

There's a post in another blog, that's also on-topic for Starting a Small Business Without Losing My Mind. Instead of copying the whole thing, here's a link:

"Lemming Tracks: Jobs, Skills, Status and Stress"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (March 13, 2010)
Particularly
- My Boss Makes More Than I do! It's Unfair!!

A terse summary: People aren't identical, micromanagement is a bad idea unless an employee needs that much structure, managers making more than clerks is okay - to a point.

"Social Media Experts" and Other Hazards

2010-02-21T14:33:00.003-06:00

Excerpt, from (in my opinion) a pretty good post:

"Oddly enough, most of the 'social media experts' that write books on the subject (read: get paid to speak, not to actually have ever managed social media for a client) tend to spend most of their tweets sharing quotes and news stories. The celebrities are split into two groups: ones that say really mundane things that we adore like reading People Magazine and the ones that attempt to use it as a platform for social change (yet don't follow anyone back.) Most of the companies on Twitter are talking at you in a way that is basically an advertising bastardization of this social tool. The 'professionals' seem to think that passing along news articles all day long is the sole use of Twitter – and sadly most of them are about 3 hour behind everyone else. The MLM crowds spam you constantly and create one or two fake 'real tweets' between spam to fool people. (Who? I'm not sure.)..."
(Amanda Vega Consulting) [emphasis mine]

My guess is that "MLN" stands for Multi-Level Marketing: Not Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. I suppose it could be Mailing List Manager or Mid-Level Manager, but that doesn't seem too likely. The lesson there is, I think: beware acronyms. You know what you mean, but others may not.

There's more - quite a lot more - in the original post.

The advice - to view (alleged) experts skeptically - is, I think, valid. You'd think that publishing houses wouldn't waste ink, paper, and marketing resources on an inaccurate book: but the fact is that many are more interested in turning a profit, than being helpful. My opinion. And, some editor - or, worse, manager - may think that the wannabe expert is the hottest thing since Aaron Montgomery Ward decided to mail a catalog to prospects. (Why 'or worse'? Managers can do more damage to their companies than editors. My opinion.)

I think the author was on the right track, characterizing online communities as being "...like an electronic high school...." The point that so many marketing 'experts' seem to miss is that people in online communities are - people. Some of us seem to have had our last contact with Homo sapiens sapiens in the mid-to-late teens, with high school as the major social experience.

Think about it. Think about it. You're trying to convince people that they'd be interested in a product or service of yours. And, that you're in high school. Standing in the hall, or in the lunch room.

How effective would it be - in the long run - if you kept shouting things like "I made eight thousand dollars in the last eight minutes!!!!" or "Cleaner!! Meaner!! Cuts Grease!!!" - - - You get the idea.

Or, if you're an "expert," you don't.

Spelling it out: online communities are communities. They're made up of people, not targets for marketing. If you throw advertising slogans at them, likely enough they'll tune you out - promptly, and maybe permanently.

That kind of 'marketing strategy' you don't need.

Sort-of-related posts about marketing:

"Well, That's Interesting: Web Strategy Matrix: Google Buzz vs Facebook vs MySpace vs Twitter"
(February 11, 2010)
"What Not to do On Twitter (Or Any Social Media)"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (February 3, 2010)
"Well, That's Interesting: Tweetmeme and Twittley Button"
(February 2, 2010)
"A Thought for the Day: Marketing Isn't Yucky"
(September 19, 2009)
"FTC and Bogus Blog Endorsements: Sounds Sensible"
(April 3, 2009)
"Annoying Your Website's Visitors: Not as Good an Idea as it Seems"
(February 4, 2009)
"Marketing Your Blog: Linkbaiting Advice"
(January 1, 2009)
"How Not to Close a Business"
(April 30, 2008)
""Banned in Boston" - Not the Worst Fate"
(April 2, 2008)
"Online Publicity and Marketing"
(August 17, 2007)

"You’re Using Twitter Wrong (and Other Egotistical Stuff Social Media Experts Claim)"
Amanda Vega, Amanda Vega Consulting (February 18, 2010)

A tip of the hat to Twitter_Tips, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this post.

Comment Moderation Goes Into Effect Now

2010-02-15T15:48:00.003-06:00

I didn't want to opt for comment moderation, but I reached my limit for Chinese-language pornographic spam a few minutes ago.

I'm switching this blog to 'comment moderation' mode. You'll have to wait until I get to your comment and determine whether or not it's spam. It could take a while.

Posting a comment in a language other than English simply isn't a good idea. I'm familiar with a fair number of languages: and I do check comments. If you've got something obscene to peddle to Chinese- or Japanese- speaking folks - don't bother.

For everyone who has something to say about these posts: sorry about that.

Well, That's Interesting: Web Strategy Matrix: Google Buzz vs Facebook vs MySpace vs Twitter

2010-02-11T20:08:00.004-06:00

"Web Strategy Matrix: Google Buzz vs Facebook vs MySpace vs Twitter (Feb 2010)"
Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang (February 11, 2010)

"Lack Of Signal In A Sea of Noise

"There’s an incredible amount of media and blogger noise about social networks, yet there are few viewpoints that are looking at the networks objectively minus the 'killer app' hype. My career mission? To cut the hype and help companies make sense of what to do. For those fraught with information overload, this definitive matrix will help...."

The matrix, a few paragraphs down, is a table with Google Buzz, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter across the top; and one row each for "One-Liner," "Vitals," "Strengths," "Weaknesses," "Opportunity," "Threats," "Marketing Platform," "Future State," "What They Don't Want You To Know," and "What They Should Do."

Some of the cells obviously call for an opinion, or speculation: but it's a handy way to look at what this blogger thinks. And, in my opinion, is based on reasonable assumptions.

I think Mr. Owyang succeeded in 'cutting through the noise.' I certainly appreciated an op-ed piece on this sort of a topic in which the author's thoughts and opinions were clearly - and efficiently - presented.

A tip of the hat to Twitter_Tips, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this post.

Well, That's Interesting: Tweetmeme and Twittley Button

2010-02-02T19:31:00.002-06:00

I was asked why I don't use Tweetmeme or twittley button. In each case, because I hadn't thought of it. I've glanced over both services' pages, and they both look good. Naturally.

I'll have to look into both, before making any sort of decision. If they involve letting yet another service provider know what some of my passwords are: there'll have to be an awfully big "up" side to using them.

It's not that I'm suspicious, but accidents happen, and I don't want to spend time recovering control of accounts.

Well, That's Interesting: Ustream Producer

2010-02-01T19:04:00.002-06:00

My son introduced me to Ustream Producer today. From the marketing video, it looks like the best thing since sliced bread.

Ustream is the service I use to get my webcam's streaming video online.

What Ustream has to say about Producer:

"The Ustream Producer is a desktop application allowing broadcasters to stream in high quality, just like they would from Ustream's website."

The free version:

Supports one camera
Allows importing movies and audio
Enables up to three transitions
Supports picture in picture/co-hosting
Provides screen capture feature
SD bitrate support
H264 Flash 9 video
Upgrade Producer to Producer Pro for a simple, one-time fee
(Ustream Producer promo page)

Like I said, it looks good. But it also will take system resources: which I don't have in overabundance. Still, I'll be thinking about how I could use the software.

Well, That's Interesting: Freeplaymusic.com

2010-01-26T18:34:00.003-06:00

My son-in-law pointed be toward a quite promising resource: freeplaymusic.com. I'm doing due diligence now, starting with their Terms of Service.

But, as it stands: this looks like the best thing since sliced bread.

Provided I wanted the material for personal use, broadcast within America only, and some other applications, I'd be fine. As it is, the TOS specifically excludes "web broadcasts, advertising commercials or promos" - which are the uses I had in mind.

Back to the drawing board - but it was certainly worth a look.

I may be back, for personal use.

A Pretty Good Article on Twitter Misuse - and SEO My Way

2010-01-19T10:09:00.006-06:00

I'm borrowing the format from my Apathetic Lemming of the North blog for this post: excerpts from an article, then my take on it.

"Why Your 4,243,564 Twitter Followers Don't Mean Jack
aimClear Blog (January 15, 2010)

"When Twitter launched four years ago, it (perchance inadvertently) gave businesses the most precious gift imaginable: an intimate glimpse into consumers' daily lives. It gave them the power to monitor brand reputation in a clean, accessible interface. Corporate brands like @Zappos, @Starbucks, @Dell, @JetBlue, and @TheHomeDepot, as well as personal 'brands' like @StephenFry and @AlyssaMilano have been wildly successful with social media because they're structured, devoted, attentive, engaging and personable.

"Tragically, there are also bandwagon-jumping companies and celebrity glory-whores who go at Twitter like a portly dude at a buffet. They use it as self-centered bullhorn and nothing more...."

Two examples, without the accompanying screen grabs:

"...6) You dove into Twitter because it seemed cool. And then you just, like… stopped. Then you started using an API for your PRs. And we all hated you a little bit more. | @tgifridayscorp

"Companies who thrust themselves into Twitter without a clear set of goals are setting themselves up for humiliation. Just because Twitter is free doesn't mean the marketing campaign should be half-assed. This pitiful stream of tweets will haunt TGI Friday SERPs for all eternity. (Hat-tip @PureDriven for this example.)

7) You don't encourage, you expect. (And you @mention yourself. Seriously?) | @coldstonecream

"Coldstone makes some wicked tasty ice cream. But what kind of success can they hope to achieve with social media when they talk at people rather than with them? The last @mention they exchanged with another real live human being was in April of 2009. (Hat-tip to @MerryMorud for this laughable gem.)..."

There's more, like: the fellow who has upwards of three quarters of a million followers, follows two people, and hasn't tweeted in almost three months; the ball team that tweets status updates, and nothing but status updates.

This Sort of Thing Gave SEO a Tacky Reputation

Not the article: the "lobotomytastic" (coined by the article's author, as far as I know) examples of self-destructive public relations listed.

I enjoyed reading the article - apart from the occasional vulgarities - and think that it's a pretty good resource for anybody who's trying to get the right sort of attention on Twitter.

Or any other sort of social media, for that matter.

A bottom line, I think, is to remember that social media is social. Anybody trying to use something like Twitter would be well advised - again, I think - to remember that people who Twitter aren't a demographic; they're not the masses; they are people.

Only a few of the folks I communicate with on Twitter and elsewhere use their faces (or, like me, parts of their faces) as avatars, so I don't know what they look like. But as I communicate with each of them, I get to know them. And they get to know me.

Which is the whole idea of the exercise.

About SEO having a tacky reputation? I may have overstated that. On the other hand, I use Search Engine Optimization techniques myself - and still tend to cringe when I see "SEO" in a title or summary.

For me, that's because so much were (and, astoundingly, still are) suicidally clever ideas floating around: like putting lots of naughty words in your HTML tags - and in text that's the same color as your page background.

Bad idea. In my opinion.

The SEO I use isn't my invention: it's a set of ideas culled from what people who had a reputation to lose wrote on the subject.

The basic idea is to remember that you're trying, eventually, to communicate with people. People who don't have infinite patience and aren't necessarily die-hard fans of yours.

Since this is my take on SEO, I'll call it "Brian H. Gill's SEO Tips" - even though it's cribbed from what 'real' experts had to say.

Decide what you want to say
- If you change your mind, half-way through
  - Go back and revise the first half
Pick a half-dozen or so words that connect with what you want to say
- If you're writing about browsers, that might be
  - Browser
  - Web
  - Explorer
  - Firefox
  - Safari
- You get the idea
Put as many of those words as will make sense to a reader in
- The title
- The first paragraph
Let the reader know what you're writing about
- In the title
- In the first paragraph
Stay on-topic
Don't write fluff
- Even if you have to write a set number of words
- Anecdotes and reminiscences are okay
  - If they relate to what you want to say

I've read that search engines are getting better at reading data that's not straight text - but in general I keep my pages and posts simple, anyway: with as much information in text as possible.

If that doesn't sound clever and innovative: it's not supposed to. It's supposed to make it possible for search engines to mine my posts and articles for keywords, index them, and ultimately for someone interested in SEO, aardvarks, cosmology, interior design, or whatever, to find my pages.

Employment Contracts - Read. Think. Then Sign. Maybe.

2009-10-29T18:21:00.004-05:00

This is one of those times I'm very glad to be self-employed with a little sole proprietorship - instead of being toward the end of a conventionally 'successful' career with the government or some corporate employer.

I ran into this blog post a few minutes ago:

"Your Company May Own Your Tweets, Pokes, and YouTube Videos"
Web Strategy (October 28, 2009)

The gist of the post is in its lead paragraph:

"Both employers and employees may be surprised to find that employee created blog posts, YouTube, LinkedIn profiles, Facebook profiles, and even tweets may be owned by companies. ... Why is this? Employees sign employment contracts that may indicate that all intellectual property created during employment may be owned by the company, let's dive into what you should know:...."
(Jeremiah Owyang, Web Strategy)

Kudos to the blogger, for knowing what he doesn't know:

"...I'm not a lawyer, so I've asked one to comment on this topic...."
(Jeremiah Owyang, Web Strategy)

Even so, I wouldn't take this post as the final word on the subject of employees, contracts, intellectual property, and the whims of corporate legal departments.

I do think it would be very prudent for anyone who has signed a contract to take a good, hard look at it - and see if they've signed away their rights to all intellectual property they produce while employed - on the clock, or not.

Me? I'm safe. The last contract I signed is almost thirty years old now, with an entity that no longer exists. Almost my entire 'professional' career in writing and marketing was as an hourly wage-earner - with no contract. No complaints there.

I know that American culture assumes that contracts are some sort of guarantee. Let's look at it this way:

If I'm doing my job and my employer is being reasonable: we're both satisfied, and don't need a contract
If one or the other of us isn't satisfied, a contract could get in the way of sorting out the problems
If the employer is ethically challenged, some twerp in one of the departments can't pay the legal muscle it would take to win in court

So, contracts are (arguably) somewhere on a continuum between unnecessary and harmful.

I know that there are good reasons for drawing up contracts - and I approve of the idea of defining exactly what a working relationship is. On the other hand, I'm willing to see the up side of a 'you pay me until I'm not getting the job done' relationships, too.

I'm starting a discussion thread on employee contracts and intellectual property, over on BlogCatalog. (Posting on Company Time? What's the Worst that could Happen?) I hope some good insights come up there.

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:

"Being Your Own Boss: Good News, Bad News"
(August 10, 2009)
"How to Close a Business"
(September 16, 2008)
"How Not to Close a Business"
(April 30, 2008)
"Working From Home: Kids and Computers, Utopia and Reality"
(February 1, 2008)

A tip of the hat to Twitter_Tips, on Twitter, for the heads-up on that post.

Who Knew "Coconut Crab" Would be so Hot?

2009-10-26T16:29:00.003-05:00

It's enough to drive a blogger to distraction.

About a month ago, I posted a micro-review about AbsoluteAstronomy.com's writeup on coconut crabs. ("The Coconut Crab: No, It's Not From a Science Fiction Movie" (September 25, 2009))

Then, I moved on to the next task of the day.

I enjoyed putting that post together more than most: the monster land arthropod looks like something out of a better-than-average science fiction movie, and it's quite real.

But I didn't expect that post to be particularly popular. I'm fascinated by arthropods with branchiostegal lungs that allow them to scuttle on land - and up trees: but I've long since learned that my interests and those of about 999 out of a thousand people don't have all that much in common, when you get beyond basics like grilled steaks and the opposite sex.

So, I was surprised when that coconut crab post kept showing up near the top in my daily logs.

Then today, so far, it's accounted for over 75% of my traffic. Total. All eleven blogs and three websites. (Shameless self-promotion: A Small World of Websites™)

The 'extra' hits are all, or nearly all, from Google. Why? I have no idea, although there seems to have been a serious spike in the last hour or so. My blog post is in the top 10 (9th place), so there must be something that's driving interest in coconut crabs today. This afternoon.

My guess is that there's some television program that mentioned the things.

Traffic Spikes, Research, and Common Sense

Whatever's driving this spike, I'm glad it's happening: and won't spend more time wondering about why it happened.

My business is a sole proprietorship, with me as owner, manager, writer, research department, janitor, and anything else that needs to get done. Knowing what drove this spike would be nice - but beyond filing what I've found away with the rest of what I've noticed about traffic, I don't have the resources to find an answer to that question.

Besides, the answer probably wouldn't help me. Aside from concentrating more on 'cool' subjects than I might otherwise, I plan to keep writing posts for that blog, Apathetic Lemming of the North, the way I have for the last couple of years. In that blog, I focus excursively on topics I'd be following anyway, like:

Martian speleology
Interior design
City planning
Visions of the future
Cute and funny animals
Artificial intelligence
The weirder end of high fashion
Cosmology
Architecture
Anything else that looks interesting

I've used this quote fairly often:

"There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person."
G. K. Chesterton, Heretics (1905), The Quotations Page

And, from Tennyson's Ulysses:

"...this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge, like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought....."

A Thought for the Day: Marketing Isn't Yucky

2009-09-19T16:29:00.002-05:00

"Marketing isn't sleazy, yucky, expensive, or phony - unless you make it that way...."
"Start Your Home Business in No Time," Page 116, Carol Anne Carroll (2004)

'New and Improved' Schedule Worked: Pretty Much

2009-09-19T15:52:00.000-05:00

Last week, I started working with a 'new and improved' schedule. ("The Best Organizational System in the World Won't Work" (September 8, 2009)) Ten days later, I haven't followed it perfectly, but that's okay: I got the important tasks done. Most of them, anyway. Easy Griller and Narcissus-X are surprisingly hard blogs to write for.

Still, I can do better. I've penciled in (literally) some time tomorrow, for moving items around on the schedule - mostly, a matter of putting all of each day's 'to do' items in one spot.

That, and a procedure of crossing out tasks as I do them, printing a new schedule sheet each week, dating and filing them as they're filled, should help me spend more time productively, and less on 'management' tasks.

Eleven Blogs, Thousands of Posts: Dropping the Ball is Too Easy

I've got nearly a dozen blogs now, and discovered that I can't trust my memory to update each of them in a timely fashion.

Besides, I think they'll do better if visitors learn that they can count on something new on certain days.

I still think I can make blogging a reasonably profitable occupation - but I'm also looking at other ways to make money. More about that another day.

Now, if I'm going to get that apple eaten by an hour before Mass, I'd better wrap this up.

Related post:

"The Best Organizational System in the World Won't Work"
(September 8, 2009)
"I'm Not a Forty-Year-Old Kid Any More: Time, Organization, Energy, and Priorities"
(July 20, 2008)
"Organizing, Schedules, Impulse, and Making Decisions Without Agonizing"
(August 4, 2007)
"Getting Organized: Not the Best Start"
(August 2, 2007)
"Tomorrow I Gotta Get Organized"
(August 2, 2007)
"Stay Focused: But on What?"
(July 30, 2007)
"Scheduling, Organization, and Less"
(July 21, 2007)
"Next Week I Gotta Get Organized"
(July 20, 2007)
"Computers and Kids: Return of the Sequel"
(June 27, 2007)
"The Principle of the Speckled Ax"
(June 19, 2007)
"Back to Work"
(June 18, 2007)

The Best Organizational System in the World Won't Work

2009-09-08T18:05:00.001-05:00

One of the advantages - and disadvantages - of being self-employed is that you get to set your own schedule. No more having a boss keeping track of what needs to be done and when.

I've got, so far, eleven blogs and a handful of projects that I 'really ought to work on.' The blogs are a high priority - not because they're fun to write, but because they're what's bringing in the most revenue.

I had a task schedule, defining what needed to be done and when, dividing the week into half-hour segments. When I was done, it visually represented a reasonable, practical allocation of time and effort.

I last modified it on April 27 of this year. A little over four months later, I've come to the conclusion that I haven't used it because I won't use it.

Reasonable? Yes. Practical? Yes. The way I work? No.

The Best Organizational System in the World Won't Work

My task matrix was far from the 'best' anything. But even if it had been the ultimate organizational tool, it would have done me no good - if I didn't use it.

The problem, I think, wasn't so much that I don't like schedules. It's that my mind doesn't work that way. Deadlines I can handle.

So, the new-and-improved schedule has time for things like Mass and Soo Bahk Do marked out - and deadlines for each day in bold.

We'll see how this works.

The Soo Bahk Do, by the way, is a more hopeful thing, than part of my regular routine. I started learning, some time ago, but stopped a bit before getting my hips swapped out. I'm getting a little less out of shape now, so it's a matter of deciding to get involved again.

Being Your Own Boss: Good News, Bad News

2009-08-10T11:26:00.004-05:00

I see that I haven't written anything for Easy Griller, since I discussed grilled octopus last week. No, I haven't grilled - or eaten - octopus, but that didn't stop me from writing about it.

One of the definite 'up' sides of being your own boss, running your own company, is being free to do what you want with your time.

That's also one of the 'down' sides.

Take today, for instance.

In a few minutes, I'm going up to the attic, and expect to read - or maybe take a nap - for a couple hours. Now, I've got a good reason for doing so: There's a long-dormant project or three that I've moved off the back burner. More of that in Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space. There are two science fiction authors whose work I like: one did a good job of sketching out plausible and very different societies; the other, not so much. I'm trying to figure out what the difference is.

So far, so good.

But, part of me seems to be thinking that it's pretty neat, going off and reading on company time. The other part of me realizes that I'm the boss and that I'm not entirely convinced that this is a good idea.

However, there's no time-sensitive task pending today, apart from three posts in yet another blog, and this literary foray might yield useful results.

I'm heading for the attic now.

The Webcam's Back: A Window on Small Town America Reopened

2009-07-04T20:22:00.002-05:00

My webcam is back online, posting two new pictures a second, at "Small Town America: Central Minnesota."

It had been doing quite well, from December 27, 2007, to April 26, 2009. That was when my computer got a rather serious malware infestation, and had to be de-wormed. After that, I could monitor the webcam from my computer, but the software I was using to post to the Internet was not working. At all.

After quite a few hours of frustration, spread over several days, I decided that, much as I liked traffic generated by the webcam, I was spending too much time trying to make it work.

Fast forward to this week, when my son-in-law-to-be was visiting for a few days. He told me about USTREAM, a service which provides pretty-good video feeds. He talked me through the setup - which was quite easy - and I had a 23 frames per second live streaming video for a few hours. Then I had to reboot my computer, and couldn't get the webcam and my computer to get along. As far as the computer was concerned, the webcam wasn't there.

No clue why.

Today, around noon, I did what I'd done before - physically disconnected the webcam and rebooted the computer. This time, it worked: and I've got a video feed again.

It's slower, now: by intention. Two frames per second lets people see the cars, cyclists, pedestrians and hummingbirds: and doesn't put quite so much strain on my system's resources.

It's not an ideal situation, but it'll do for now.

Easy Griller Blog Gets a New Lease on Life

2009-06-15T20:18:00.003-05:00

I started my Easy Griller blog on July 28, 2007.

It's description is wordy, but pretty thorough. "Notes of a backyard griller, without many gadgets and gear. A propane grill, fork, tongs, and spatula is all I need to grill hamburgers, hot dogs, and the occasional chicken."

In March, 2008, I stopped writing new posts. I'd found it was hard to write something interesting - even from my point of view - about grilling every Saturday and Sunday. Winters included. Each time I started another post, it seemed like I was writing something like: "Grilled burgers again. Same as yesterday. Same as I'll do next weekend. They taste good."

Watching linoleum curl might be less exciting, but it would be a close contest.

I'm trying something a little different now, based on how I handle my Apathetic Lemming of the North blog: writing micro-reviews about grilling articles and websites I find; with the occasional ramble, when I've got something vaguely interesting to say.

One thing that's got me excited about this re-start of Easy Griller is that I've gotten very good return on the time I spend on Apathetic Lemming of the North, both in terms of page hits and revenue. I'm hoping that I'll find that the same is true of Easy Griller.

Today's post, "Chicken Grilling Recipes That Really Work: But First - - - " is the first of what I hope will be many more.

May have Found Good Webcam Software

2009-05-20T20:04:00.014-05:00

My webcam's been on the fritz for some time now. Actually, the camera is working fine. But, since getting my oldest daughter (with assistance from my son) to de-worm my computer, the software I use to connect the webcam to the Web hasn't worked.

I'm sure that there is a way to restore what I've got to the way it worked before: but I'm also no longer sure it would be worth the time and effort it could take.

So, I started looking for alternatives.

And, may have found one: "How Webcams Work" (part 4 of 6 (HowStuffWorks)) identifies Webcam32 as a fairly simple, easy-to-use bit of software.

When I can have my 'tech support staff' around, I'll see whether it's my solution.

Update (May 22, 2009)

Just one problem: Webcam32 is obsolete. The company that produced appears to be alive and well, under a new name, and into robotics: Surveyor Corporation. They're apparently looking for someone to buy the rights to Webcam32: good news for some software developer, but not so much for me.

Back to looking for some good software.

Later, the same day:

My oldest daughter suggested I try Download.com, and talked me through a search. This looks promising.

Now, why didn't I think of that?!

Maybe TrueTech WebCam Personal Edition 2.25 or webcamXP Free 5.3.2.410 - We'll see.

Update (May 25, 2009)

On examination, it seems that TrueTech WebCam Personal Edition 2.25's main function is to generate traffic for a particularly nasty porn site. That one's out.

webcamXP Free 5.3.2.410 doesn't look too good, either: 11 wonderful votes, one awful review - could be made by a company with 11 employees.

Dorgem seemed promising - if I were satisfied with posting to an FTP root directory, not a specific folder. Which I'm not.

Later -

So far, I haven't been able to disqualify WebCam2000, a freeware program developed several years ago by Jeffrey Coleman Carlyle "Ruler of Earth," and apparently a rather competent programmer.

Still later -

WebCam2000 seems to be a neat little program. If I wanted to make my desktop computer a server people to visit, it would be dandy. That's far from what I am looking for, need, or want, however. Back to searching.

Even later -

Going back to the webcam's manufacturer: WebCam Vista (Creative Labs). This might prove useful. Or, not. It's late, and I need sleep.

Waiting for Inspiration? Start Working!

2009-05-10T00:12:00.003-05:00

Thought for the day:

"We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action."
Frank Tibolt, The Quotations Page

Galaxy Cadet: An Idea that Wouldn't Go Away

2009-04-25T23:43:00.002-05:00

I created a picture in the summer of 2007 that I dubbed "Galaxy Cadet." I was just having fun with some 3D software, posting pictures on an online art community's gallery (DAZ 3D's ArtZone), and getting feedback.

I described the last of that run this way: "...Galaxy Cadet! Whether battling brain-burrowing bugs on Betelgeuse II, exploring new worlds in the Rigel sector, or developing a defense against split ends, Galaxy Cadet is there, patrolling the galaxy with spirit, spunk, and super-spritzer."

Although I accept responsibility for what's happening, it's a fact that someone on ArtZone responded with two words: "Cool idea!"

That started me thinking. "Galaxy Cadet" had been intended as nothing more that a sort of tutorial to get me more familiar with Bryce software. That "cool idea!" response suggested that I was looking at something more.

I revised the poster to conform to movie poster dimensions in October, 2008:

And the idea that "Galaxy Cadet" might make a good basis for a story or two was still wandering around, somewhere in the the utility closets and storerooms of my mind.

Toward the end of March this year I got organized and started a notebook of ideas for Galaxy Cadet - who the character was, what the 27th century setting was like, and deciding what sort of stories I could write and 'draw.'

Today, I sat down and created a sort of character sheet for "Galaxy Cadet." As you can see, a few things have changed since 2007.

Besides this, I've got notes and sketches (digital and otherwise) for a six-page online comic. I haven't established a publication date yet: I've never done this before, and have only a general idea how hideously complicated and time-consuming this project will be.

Next week, I plan to do character sheets for the other major characters, and get a start on the sets I'll need.

Online Comics: You Gotta Love the Idea

One thing I like about publishing these things online is that I don't have the limitations that come with ink-and-paper publication. I can make the comic as long or short as the plot allows - and don't have to worry about printing costs.

Although I don't plan to charge visitors for the privilege of viewing my art (or whatever it is), I do plan to make a profit on this project: in the long run.

The "Galaxy Cadet" (that's a working title, and may change) comics will have advertising, just like this blog does. And, if there's enough interest, I plan to produce a sort of line-art hardcopy version. That I will have to charge for: paper and ink isn't cheap.

Stay Tuned for the Next Installment of Galaxy Cadet

Meanwhile, I'm determined to have fun putting this thing together and seeing what happens. For now, I'll post progress reports on this blog.

Stuff - Useful and Otherwise - for a Home Office

2009-04-15T22:17:00.003-05:00

"You're On Your Own: Outfitting the Home Office for Under a Grand"
Wired product reviews (March 23, 2009)

"Before taking the dive into self-employment, you're going to need some pony-up dough to outfit your home office. Fortunately, for a capital outlay of under a grand, you can get everything you need to turn that breakfast nook into a respectable workspace (and tax write-off). We burned down the industrial park and smoked out the best values to get you to the giddyap...."

The (very) brief reviews start out with the Aerobie AeroPress and end with the Ziszor Shredder.

That AeroPress is a sort of minimalist espresso machine. That, and #5, an Aerolatte - some sort of frother for milk?? - are items I wouldn't need. Or want. My ('instant') coffee comes out of a jar, and goes into microwaved water at about two times the label strength.

Some of the rest of the stuff - including a computer - might actually be useful.

If nothing else, reading the article is a sort of online window-shopping trip. Enjoy.

An Economist Says Saving is a Good Idea - Really!

2009-04-14T07:44:00.004-05:00

The first item in Wired magazine's March 23, 2009, Mr. Know-It-All column ("Mr. Know-It-All: Feeding a Bear Market, YouTubing High School Athletes, Laying Dad's Brain to Res") caught my eye this morning. So did the last one, about a fellow whose wife had his head frozen - but that's not quite so relevant to business.

The lead item started with: "I've got a secure job, but this bear market gives me the creeps. Is it my duty to buy a new Jet Ski to help the economy?..."

If you own a store that sells Jet Skis, the advice we're hearing to go out and spend, spend, spend sounds pretty good.

Warning! Middle-Aged Reminiscences Ahead!

I was born in the Truman administration, my parents survived the Great Depression, and learned a few things from the experience. They were far from mattress-stuffers who didn't trust banks, but they had a modified 'if you don't need it, don't buy it' approach that kept me from enjoying all fifties and sixties equivalents of Nintendo and X-Box. They weren't tightwads by any means - but they didn't waste money, food, or water. And their definition of "waste" included "keeping up with the Joneses."

An Economist Says Saving is a Good Idea?!

My notion of what economists are like was formed by reading about Keynesian economics: that famous brainchild of John Maynard Keynes, that Cambridge Math major who studied for a year under a couple of people who presumably knew something about economics.

The bottom line of Keynesian economics seems to be that letting private sector entrepreneurs run around loose was bad. Centralization is good: as long as it involves a government-run central bank and what's euphemistically called 'fiscal policy decisions' by the federal govenment to control business. The idea was that with Big Brother in control, the business cycle would settle into nice, flat line.

Keynesian economics was enormously popular - and the more I learned about it, the lower my estimation of economists sank.

My guess is that Sam Allgood, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is doomed to live out his career far from the hallowed halls of ivy and hemp in the northeast. His notions about economics make sense.

From Wired:

"...'Saving is essential for economic growth, says Sam Allgood, an economist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 'The money we save and invest is used by businesses to expand, update, or just get started.'..."

Allowing our money to be used by lending institutions to finance business growth? Without an all-wise federal agency to make sure they spend it the right way? That's close to blasphemy!

And, to me, sounds like solid good sense. But then, I'm one of those people who think that a surprising number of people - given an opportunity - will spend their money with a bit of sense.

I'm concerned, though that it's going to take a reality check like the Great Depression to produce a generation of parents who have a vague notion of which end is up. But that's another topic.

Massachusetts BerkShares: Not Such a Goofy Idea

2009-04-09T19:44:00.003-05:00

"Communities Print Own Currencies to Keep Money Local"
FOXNews (April 9, 2009)

"GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — It looks like Monopoly money, but the colorful currency created by collaborators in the western Massachusetts town of Great Barrington is legal tender.

"The creative cash is called 'BerkShares,' a play on words, referring to the mountainous region called the Berkshires, where businesses and citizens have come together to support each other in these tough economic times...."

An interesting idea. I think I can understand the feelings behind having a strictly local currency: but I'm not at all sure that this is a good idea.

Beyond Great Barrington, Massachusetts and BerkShares: Business Bucks

The idea behind BerkShares is something that businesses can (and do) use: an association of businesses can agree to treat ChamberBucks, or whatever, as real money. Accounting could be tricky, of course.

I've got a notion for using the idea of 'play money' in an online setting, too - oops. Too late. It's gone now.

Maybe it'll come back.

FTC and Bogus Blog Endorsements: Sounds Sensible

2009-04-03T23:11:00.002-05:00

"Report: FTC to Crack Down on Blog Endorsements"
FOXNews (April 3, 2009)

"The Federal Trade Commission may be going after bloggers and Facebook users.

"Not just any bloggers or social networkers, mind you. Rather, the Financial Times reports, the government consumer watchdog will be cracking down on people who post false statements endorsing certain products — and the makers of those products as well...."

I don't particularly like regulations: but this seems to make sense. Lying about a product isn't, I think, particularly helpful to society as a whole: or to readers who don't have my, ah, heightened sense of caution. Or enthusiasm for due diligence. Or, maybe, paranoia.

What's important, of course, is what's in the details: exactly what the FTC says it will do - and what it actually does.

More: "Advertisers brace for online viral marketing curbs"
Financial Times (April 2, 2009)

"Advertisers in the US are bracing themselves for regulatory changes that they fear will curtail their efforts to tap into the fast-growing online social media phenomenon.

"Revised guidelines on endorsements and testimonials by the Federal Trade Commission, now under review and expected to be adopted, would hold companies liable for untruthful statements made by bloggers and users of social networking sites who receive samples of their products.

"If a blogger received a free sample of skin lotion and then incorrectly claimed the product cured eczema, the FTC could sue the company for making false or unsubstantiated statements. The blogger could be sued for making false representations.

" 'This impacts every industry and almost every single brand in our economy, and that trickles down into social media,' said Anthony DiResta, an attorney representing several advertising associations...."

I still don't see a problem: but then, I'm one of those naive people who won't extol the excellence of Slurm: even if given a case, fresh from the manufacturer.

Recession! Unemployment! American Economy Failing! - Been There, Done That - Still Here

2009-03-30T12:50:00.007-05:00

I have it lucky.

I was born during the Truman administration, and lived in an upper Midwestern city with three colleges: Fargo-Moorhead. I still miss having access to the NDSU architecture, agricultural sciences, and main library collections; Concordia's library, and the library at what they're calling MSU-M these days. It was "Moorhead State" through several of the name changes.

Students went to those colleges, of course: enough to fill the small town I live in now, several times, if memory serves.

So, when I started looking for work, I was one of the horde of older teens and twenty-somethings doing the same thing.

An employer looking for someone to take out the trash could chose between someone who would be an architect in a few years, a grab-bag of liberal arts majors - - - you get the picture?

These weren't your stereotype pencil-neck geek intellectuals, either: so it wasn't a question of picking whoever might be able to lift fifty pounds without snapping.

And, there were an average, at some points, of about a hundred applicants for each job.

I'm Not Complaining: It was an Educational Experience

It didn't help that I graduated from high school in the spring of 1969. My timing, for the next several decades, was impeccable:

Recession: late 1960's
- December 1969 - November 1970
- 11 months
Oil Crisis: 1970's
- November 1973 - March 1975
- 16 months
Recession: 1980's
- January 1980 - November 1982
- 22 months
Recession: 1990's
- July 1990 - March 1991
- 8 months
Recession: early 2000's
- March 2001 - November 2001
- 8 Months
Recession: Late 2000's
- December 2007 - Today
- 13 months and counting

That's a lot of recessions, isn't it? Different people will say it's George Bush's fault - either one; Clinton's fault, Reagan's fault, or the fault of a Bourgeois Capitalist System's oppression of the proletariat.

Oddly, I think that last bunch has a point. It does seem that a boom-bust cycle is part of economies where people are allowed to make money, and keep some of what they make. It's rough: but I prefer it to the systems that look good on paper, but tend to fail when someone tries using them on a society of human beings.

Five Recessions and an Oil Crisis

And I was looking for work in all but two of them. Three, if you count the current one: but I'll get back to that.

I've quit one job, and been let go from one because I wasn't what the employer was looking for: and had the job - or the company - disappear so many times, I've lost count.

It's been a good experience. With each new job, I learned new skills, and that:

A job is a job - not my life
Jobs end - life (so far) doesn't
My next job probably won't be the same as my last
- This certainly is not a problem

The last job I had, working for someone else, lasted just over 20 years. It ended in the spring of 2006: and I've been working for myself every since. I'm a lousy employer, by the way: I don't pay me anywhere near as much as I'd like. But that's changing.

Whaddaya Mean, the Place is Closing?! I WORK Here!!

I ran across a news item from Michigan today. Wayland, Michigan, is having hard times. They're tied up in the American auto industry - apparently more so than some other places. And, a car dealership closed.

Some of the (now former) employees sprang into action: they got drunk and started fights. One of them explained the logic of his actions:

" 'Does it matter how hard you work, because there is somebody a little bit above you that has the right to control every decision and every effort you put forward, don't you have a right to be a little bit mad when somebody says hey we're all done,' ... 'It's terrible, horrible.' " (WWMT)

Change Hurts, Change Happens

I understand the emotions, I think. It feels bad, losing a job. There's a loss of security and stability. I've gone through it, quite often. Losing a job really, sincerely, doesn't feel good. Even when it wasn't a particularly nice job.

But, I think I'm lucky. During one of those recessions - I think it was around the time of the 1980's one - I had a job in a state-run employment agency. Part of what I did was interview people, find out what sort of work they could do, what they were willing to do, and then connect them with employers.

Caution! Middle-Aged Guy Reminiscing

It was one of the best jobs I had. I'd be doing something like that now, but I looked at numbers then: and there was no way I could make a living at it, working independently, without moving to a larger city. Which I did not want to do.

Back then, talking with someone new every few minutes, I got a pretty good look at what was happening. Everyone was hurting, economically. There were a lot of people for each job, and only one could have it.

And, some of the people I talked to had only had one job in their life.

Don't Like Change? It Happens, Anyway

Applying what I learned in an upper Midwest city to the coastal culture, I suspect that there are people today who are experiencing the same thing. All their lives, they've worked at one job, and been rewarded for sticking to that unwavering routine.

Now, things are changing.

In my younger days, a typical victim of change was the WWII GI. He'd done his tour of duty, gotten started with GI benefits, and for decades been paid for showing up at the factory and doing his task on the assembly line. Nothing wrong with any of that. It was a good life.

But, when things changed, things changed. America's steel industry went through changes, automation had hit middle management (that's a whole different story), and was moving in on assembly line jobs.

It seemed so unfair: You do what's expected of you, and the factory closes anyway.

Or, in the Wayland incidents, the car dealership closes. And about 30 people are out of work.

I've been there: so often that I've started to understand that change happens. That's hardly a new idea. About two dozen centuries ago, Heraclitus said: "Nothing endures but change." today, you're more likely to hear, "the more things change, the more they stay the same," but the idea is about the same. ("The more things change..." is attributed to Alphonse Karr. What he actually wrote was "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.")

So, Change Happens: What Can You Do?

When your employer goes out of business, there are quite a few options:

Go out, get drunk, and start a few fights
- Spending time in jail and getting a 'drunk and disorderly' charge is close to a best-case scenario here
Set fire to your former employer's place of business
- Really stupid idea: Arson is frowned upon in most states
- Social ostracism may be a result
- It's illegal, too
Give yourself time to feel sad, then:
- Take a deep breath
- Run around a bit
  - Or do something physical (and legal) to work off the emotional energy
- Start thinking.
  - You've got skills, and experience
  - There are other jobs
  - Kinds of jobs that use the same, or similar, skills

All things considered, I think that of these options, #3 makes the most sense.

Option #3 includes starting your own business. Particularly when you open a sole proprietorship (like I did), in effect - you're hiring yourself.

I've had some interesting worker-management meetings with myself. One problem with the sole-proprietorship arrangement is that you can't storm out if the meeting doesn't go your way.

Oh, No! More Reminiscence!

Back in 2006, when the small publishing company I'd devoted 20 years to went through a radical downsizing, I didn't feel all that good. I'd been an advertising copywriter and graphic designer for ten years there, and list manager for another 10. I'd gotten carpal tunnel in both wrists, with all the keyboard-and-mouse work (the insurance company came up with an anonymous Ivy League study that said that repetitive motions don't cause the problem - but that's another story).

*sob* I feel so abused! - NOT! I'd picked up quite a few skills in those two decades.

And, on my own time, had learned about the Internet and the World Wide Web. I had a large website of my own developed (Brendan's Island) by the time the boss decided to use the Web. I ended up building a website for my employer, too (Vocational Biographies). Neither one was the best of its kind: but I do think the navigation's decent in both. If you noticed that the two look a lot alike: There's a reason for that, and that's all I'll say.

Around that time, I went into business as a free-lance website designer. Quite a few other people were doing the same thing: and most of them were commercial artists. Their work generally looked anywhere from competent, through professional, to fabulous.

My 'website designer' business didn't too at all well. I learned that the population density in Central Minnesota wasn't high enough (still isn't) to support it. Being more of a Web architect than a Web artist didn't help: There just aren't that many outfits around here that need websites with a hundred or more pages.

No problem. I still had a day job then, and: I'd tried. I started developing ideas for websites that people would like to visit. I figured I had between ten and fifteen years to make them into something that would be a self-supporting retirement hobby.

Then, I lost my job. And, my schedule changed. "Ten to fifteen years from now" turned to "last week," and "self-supporting hobby" to "household-supporting business."

One more thing: by that time, I couldn't feel my hands. Which was an improvement. The stage before that was 'sincerely distracting pain in both hands.' Carpal tunnel syndrome will do that, apparently. And, one finger on each hand had started locking up at odd intervals.

I could still use a keyboard: thanks to learning 'touch typing' in the sixties, my fingers knew where each key was, whether I could feel them or not.

After getting laid off, I had surgery done on both hands (one at a time), and was convinced by my wife and doctor that now was the time to get my hips replaced. They were right. So, one at a time, I had my hip sockets swapped out.

For most of 2006, I was 'in the shop' for repairs.

That gave me time to think - or would have, if the happy juice we used to control the discomfort had let me. I did have time to chew over what I was doing, and why.

Today, I'm still getting A Small World of Websites launched - one piece at a time.

It's slow going: but I got another check today, for advertising: and am learning about publishing 'real' books - ink on paper - on demand. I've got concerns about quality control - and I have yet to produce something worth printing - but I think it'll work.

Change Happens - What You do With it is Up to You

I'm no paragon: I'm just a middle-aged guy in a small central Minnesota town with a checkered job history and a few ideas.

And, I'm certainly not 'earning $40,000 dollars a week in my spare time.' (A whole other topic.) I've looked into those envelope-stuffing things from time to time. A general word of advice, for those interested in pursuing such 'opportunities:' Don't.

But I've gotten pretty good at losing jobs - then picking up the pieces and moving on. It can be done.

In the news:

"Job loss leads to violent emotions in Wayland"
WWMT - NEWSCHANNEL 3

Background:

"History of US Economic Recessions"
Recession.org
National Bureau of Economic Research
Recessions"
Geoffrey H. Moore, Library of Economics and Liberty (March 27, 2009)

CAN, Business Model; CHI Blogging Strategy: Cool Acronyms

2009-03-29T22:13:00.004-05:00

"The CAN Blogging Business Model"
Damien Riley

"There is a lot of advice out there on how to blog. I’ve read just about all of it. I've been on the 'noob' end and also had the opportunity to mentor new bloggers. After over two years at this, I've developed my own criteria of blogg success and how to get there. First, let me describe the criteria I live by for blog success. I've categorized them into a three letter word acronym: C.A.N...."

the C.A.N. and C.H.I. blog strategy seem like common sense - but what would I know? This post is fairly short, has a low 'fog factor' (haven't hear that phrase for decades), and at the least should be a good review.

It's late Sunday night as I write this: I plan to get back "The CAN Blogging Business Model" next week. It's high time I review what it is that I think I'm doing.

Wal-Mart Gang Initiation: You Know What Those Non-Union Places are Like

2009-03-19T17:26:00.007-05:00

Everybody knows what those non-union shops are like: capitalistic oppressors crushing helpless workers under an iron heel and all that.

And, the last I heard, Wal-Mart is not unionized. Which may explain what happened today.

Women Beware! Stay Away From Wal-Mart!! Gang Initiation Shooting!!! BIG DANGER WAL-MART!!!!

The gist of text messages that are popping around Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Kansas and Maryland is that a gang is going to kill women at Wal-Mart. It's an initiation.

Scary, right?

But, as Gilda Radner's character said, "never mind!"

The messages are a hoax.

With variations, this chestnut has been around for years.

"The hoax warning first surfaced in 2005 in Memphis, TN. Since then, different variations have continued to periodically resurface." (KBTX)

In some circles, 'everybody knows' what Wal-Mart is like. Even without gang initiations involving the killing of women (and, in one variation, children), it's one of those big box stores that roam the land, spreading doom and despair. When a Wal-Mart comes into a small town, presto-chango, the lovely small town is destroyed.

Oddly, a Wal-Mart superstore opened in the small town that's my home back in April, 2007, and we haven't been destroyed yet. An Alco store closed, an Ace Hardware moved in, people have more jobs available to them, and there have been a few other changes: but no destruction.

Today's hoax may be somebody's idea of a practical joke. But assumptions about Wal-Mart's oppression of the working class might be involved, too.

Meanwhile, it looks like the Wal-Mart gang initiation shootings is a hoax. According to "authorities" and Snopes.com.

Of course, if you like, you can assume that the authorities, Snopes.com, KBTX, and I, are all involved in a conspiracy to suppress whatever is going on at Wal-Mart. Who knows? We might all be those shape-shifting space-alien lizard people who run the world.

I don't know about KBTX, Snopes.com, and the police, but I'm not a lizard person. Of course, if I was, that's what I'd say.

Update (March 20, 2009)

The bogus text messages seem to be working their way west. From Hawaii:

"Don’t go to walmart today, supposed gang initiation to shoot random people 'women' is the target.' " (Star Bulletin)

It's not always the same text. "Many of the texts read something similar to: 'do not go to any Wal-Mart tonight,' 'Gang initiation to shoot three people tonight,' 'Not sure which Wal-Mart,' 'ABC confirmed on TV,' and 'Please forward this on to friends and family.'..." "MSNBC)

An Amarillo, Texas, Station had some excellent advice: "[Corporal Jerry Neufeld with the Amarillo Police Department] says, 'we would ask, or strongly urge, confirm it with law enforcement before you assume it's true.'..." (emphasis mine)

The Amarillo station showed photos and a video about the text messages. The photo is a little hard to read, but the message seems to be: "I just got this... better safe than sorry
--
FW: Do not go to any walmart tonight. Gang initiation to shoot 3 women tonight. Not sure which walmart...." (KFDA)

In the news:

"Police say texts of Wal-Mart gang shooting are a hoax"
Star Bulletin (March 19, 2009)
"Wal-Mart Gang Text & Email Message Not Real"
KFDA (March 19, 2009)
"Disturbing Gang Initiation Text Message Circulating Throughout Coastal Bend"
MCNBC (March 19, 2009)
"Text message hoax spreads fear to would-be shopper"
WVLT-TV (March 19, 2009)
"Old Wal Mart Hoax Causing New Concerns"
KTBX (March 19, 2009)
"Wal-Mart awards $2 billion to U.S. hourly employees"
Retuers (March 19, 2009)
""
Bloombert (March 19. 20090)
"UPDATE: Wal-Mart Giving US Employees $2 Billion In Yearly Award Program"
CNN Money (March 19, 2009)
"Wal-Mart Giving US Hourly Employees $2 Billion As Thanks For Success"
CNN Money (March 19, 2009)
"Wal-Mart Text Threat Hoax, Authorities Say"
MSNBC (March 19, 2009)

Background:

Snopes.com

Never Mind the AIG Bonuses: We May Have "Redistributive Change" on an International Scale

2009-03-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

I wrote about the obscene practical joke played on American taxpayers by American International Group yesterday. Two more observations -

A Simple Apology and Resignation Would be Sufficient

An Iowa politico made a modest proposal, regarding how AIG executives might deal with the regrettable embarrassment they face.

"...Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa didn't appear to be joking, however, when he spoke with Cedar Rapids, Iowa, radio station WMT.

" 'I would suggest the first thing that would make me feel a little better toward them [AIG executives] is if they follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, "I am sorry," and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide,' he said.

" 'And in the case of the Japanese, they usually commit suicide.' " (CNN)

I cannot, as a practicing Catholic, suggest that anyone commit suicide. With that proviso, however, I think that Senator Grassley's suggestion has merit.

I think it would be decent of those AIG executives who ran their company into the ground, and rewarded themselves with taxpayer's money, to reimburse the federal government for money wasted on their bonuses. But, an apology and resignation would be sufficient. Providing that they do no more harm to America or the world.

AIG, The Washington Crowd, and, Maybe, Redistributive Change

I don't think that The Wall Street Journal could reasonably be called a scandal sheet. That's why I was a bit disturbed to read this:

"...The politicians also prefer to talk about AIG's latest bonus payments because they deflect attention from Washington's failure to supervise AIG. The Beltway crowd has been selling the story that AIG failed because it operated in a shadowy unregulated world and cleverly exploited gaps among Washington overseers. Said President Obama yesterday, 'This is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed.' That's true, but Washington doesn't want you to know that various arms of government approved, enabled and encouraged AIG's disastrous bet on the U.S. housing market....." (WSJ) (emphasis mine)

And, now that the federal government owns 80% of AIG, I'm very concerned about what money funneled through that company will be used for: and who it will go to.

I suggest, strongly, reading that Wall Street Journal article ("The Real AIG Outrage" (March 17, 2009)). Apparently, "...The U.S. government is now in the business of distributing foreign aid to offshore financiers, laundered through a once-great American company...."

Coming from another source, I might be more skeptical. Reading about what might be the start of "redistributive change" on an international scale - in The Wall Street Journal - I think there's some reason for concern: or at least a high level of interest.

American Money Going Overseas Can Make Sense - But This Looks Sneaky

I think that there are times when it's good policy to send tax dollars overseas: either directly or indirectly. Looking through my Another War-on-Terror Blog should give you an idea of my view of the world, and America's place in it. I'm no isolationist.

However, it looks like there may be something very sneaky going on with the feds and AIG. And, given Obama's views on redistributive change and related topics, I'm very concerned about the federal government quietly acquiring a massive interest in AIG, and the amount of money that's being channeled (the WSJ author wrote "laundered") through AIG.

I sincerely hope there's a nice, reasonable - and acceptable - explanation.

Related posts:

"AIG, Outrage, Corporations, Unions, and Common Sense"
(March 16, 2009)
"The Catholic Church Won't Even Let People Kill Themselves"
A Catholic Citizen in America (January 28, 2009)
"Marxism: It Looks So Good on Paper"
(October 28, 2008)
"Barack Obama: Lack of 'Redistributive Change' Was Tragedy of Civil Rights Movement"
(October 28, 2008)
"Spread the Wealth Around,''Change,' 'Redistributive Change' What's the Big Deal?"
(October 27, 2008)
"Am I a Partisan?"
(October 27, 2008)
"Joe the Plumber Asked the Wrong Question"
(October 25, 2008)
"FBI and Republicans in 'Unholy Alliance' to Stop ACORN and Obama: Of Course! It all Makes Sense Now"
(October 17, 2008)

News and views:

"Iowa senator wants public apology from AIG"
The Associated Press (March 16, 2009)
"Justice Thomas: Americans don't sacrifice as much"
The Associated Press (March 16, 2009)
"Obama tries to stop AIG bonuses: 'How do they justify this outrage?' "
CNN (March 16, 2009)
"The Real AIG Outrage"
The Wall Street Journal (March 17, 2009)

AIG, Outrage, Corporations, Unions, and Common Sense

2009-03-16T10:52:00.009-05:00

'Outrage over AIG bonuses' is sizzling on the Web this morning, and for good reason. The American government has given somewhere in the neighborhood of $10,000,000,000 (USD) to American International Group, AKA AIG, to help that corporation out of the mess its executives and managers made.

It looks like some of the executives got a cut of the take, to the tune of $165,000,000 (USD): much of that going to AIG execs. Not that shabby a reward, for running financial giants into the ground.

As owner and operator of a sole proprietorship in America, I've got roughly the same chance of getting a federal bailout, and pocketing around a penny on the dollar, as I do of surviving, unprotected, for an hour, inside a blast furnace.

I don't mind one bit. If I got 'help' like that, there would be so many strings attached, that I'd look like Pinocchio: pre-fairy.

America: A Nation of Law

An op-ed piece this morning opens with a pair of quotes:

" 'We are a country of law. There are contracts. The government cannot just abrogate contracts. Every legal step possible to limit those bonuses is being taken by Secretary Geithner and by the Federal Reserve system.'–Lawrence Summers, chief economic advisor[!] to President Barack Obama

" 'Perhaps you [the government] can explain to all of us why a UAW worker earning $29 an hour must give back wages and benefits to keep their company alive, while the architects of the biggest financial disaster in history get to keep their gold plated contracts.'–Peter Morici, economist, University of Maryland" (EMac's Stock Watch)

Glenn Greenwald's blog on Salon.com also discusses the AIG bailout, and the auto workers' union. Mostly AIG.

What President Obama's economic adviser said is true: America is a nation of law. I think that's true. It's also true that there's a lot of legal wrangling over exactly what the terms of a contract mean - but that's another issue.

Having laws, and being expected to follow them, is, I think, a good thing. Given the attitude I have toward a massively powerful federal government micro-managing private-sector matters, I don't mind having legal barriers between the feds and corporation execs.

UAW and AIG: Class Struggle Between Proletariat and Bourgeoisie? Reality Check, Please!

What the Maryland professor said got me curious, so I looked up American wages on the BLS website ("Wages by Area and Occupation," Bureau of Labor Statistics). I didn't find an exact match for "AW worker earning $29 an hour" - but I got a few that are close.

Turns out, as of May of 2007, this is what Americans were getting paid, on average, in these occupations:¹

"Production Occupations" overall
- $15.05 an hour
- $31,310 yearly
"Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers"
- $21.24 an hour
- $44,180 yearly
"First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Production and Operating Workers"
- $24.88 an hour
- $51,740 a year
"Numerical Tool and Process Control Programmers"
- $21.54 an hour
- $44,800 yearly
"Tool and Die Makers"
- $22.36 an hour
- $46,520 yearly

So, why the tone of righteous indignation I thought I noticed in the Maryland professor's comparison of UAW workers and "the architects of the biggest financial disaster in history"?

AIG executives probably don't, as a rule, have to get by on the $44,800 a year that your average Numerical Tool and Process Control Programmer makes.

Neither do college professors, for that matter. Americans with "Education, Training, and Library Occupations" get an average $22.41 hourly wage. That may help explain why professors, who are to some extent involved in education, are sometimes perceived as relatively poor. Looking a little deeper into the BLS site, I found that college professors don't have "hourly wage" listed. Their employment is seasonal, you see. They use their 'time off' to study, presumably. Besides, their pay isn't calculated that way.

I did a little figuring, from ten post-secondary teaching occupations listed by the BLS. College professors get by on a paltry $75,080 a year, on average.

Ten listed postsecondary teaching occupations average
- $75,080 a year
"Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary"
- $65,450 a year
"Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary"
- $85,260

I'm not complaining about what the professors make: what they do is a specialized job, requires a fair amount of training, and is demanding. If that's the market value for their set of skills, no problem.

I think that what your typical college professor makes may affect his or her perceptions of what a 'typical' or 'reasonable' wage is. It looks like professors make half again as much a year as your run-of-the-mill Numerical Tool and Process Control Programmers. More than that, actually. Or, coming at it the other way, the N.T.P.C. Programmers only make in the neighborhood of 2/3 what a prof does.

No wonder the Maryland professor regards $29 an hour as a comparative pittance.

Having grown up within a block of a college campus, and spending decades in or near America's academia, I've heard quite a bit about the class struggle between the proletariat and bourgeoisie. A century and more ago, that was an important aspect of Western civilization's evolution.

But today, the UAW isn't struggling against plutocratic oppressors of the Victorian Age.

This isn't the 19th century anymore.

We're in the 21st century and, if anything, the UAW is now part of the entrenched system that labor unions struggled against.

Big Three Automakers, AIG, Bailouts, and Pavlov

I'm not as hard-hearted and callous as this is going to sound. Letting the Big Three automakers fail might be a good idea. Ibid for AIG and all.

The Humanity! The Humanity!

Yes, I know that if GM, Chrysler, and Ford go the way of Owens Magnetic, quite a lot of UAW workers might be out of a job. But I don't think that Americans will stop driving - and buying - cars.

As I wrote last year, "I have trouble believing, though, that nobody of the several-hundred-million people who live in this country doesn't want to open an automotive design and assembly company, and have the brains and background to do it.

"It's been a long time since a new automotive company has had a chance to get started, with three 800-pound gorillas sitting on the American car market...." (December 12, 2009)

The start-ups might not be able to provide the pay and perks that UAW members have become accustomed to, and they might have to learn new skills. Some people may find it hard to change decades-old habits. But my guess is that union workers can learn.

Besides, the UAW and others in the established order will have to change their ways anyway. The Big Three are in the mess they're in because their leadership hasn't een dealing with reality.

If the existing Big Three change, union workers will have to adjust - along with everyone else. (I'm getting to the twits at the top: be patient.)

If the existing Big Three don't change their ways, and the rest of us keep bankrolling their incompetence, taxes for a steady stream of bailouts will eventually clean out Americans who do know how to be productive. Then, after what's left of the economy can't take the strain of whatever shenanigans the feds pull to prop up the Big Three, GMC, Ford, and Chrysler will collapse.

And union workers will have to adjust. Only by then, the adjustment will be a lot harder. There won't be as many solvent businesses around to hire them: you get the idea.

Pavlov's Incredible Drooling Dog and AIG Executives

You remember Pavlov's experiment, where he learned about classical conditioning.

The parallel between Pavlov's dog and AIG executives isn't exact: the executives walk on two feet, and haven't learned to drool at the sound of a tuning fork. As far as I know.

However, they have been rewarded for behavior that isn't doing AIG any good. And, particularly since Americans are now bankrolling the American International Group debacle, the rest of us aren't exactly benefiting, either.

I have nothing against a company giving bonuses for performance. In fact, that application of behavior modification makes a great deal of sense.

If, I repeat, if bonuses are clearly and unequivocally linked to desirable behavior.

Barney Frank: "Disgusted" by AIG Bonsues

I don't agree with Barney Frank very often, but I'm also "disgusted" by the way AIG seems to be rewarding incompetent executives: with money that came (in very small part) from me.

Today's Boston Globe had a few words on the subject, including: "...Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, suggested that if the federal government, which now owns an 80 percent stake in the company, can't rescind the bonuses, it could force some dismissals.

" 'These people may have a right to their bonuses. They don't have a right to their jobs forever,' Frank said on NBC's 'Today' show...." (Boston Globe)

There's something to be disturbed about in that Boston Globe piece. My guess is that you caught it, too.

That's right: The federal government now owns 80% of American International Group.

The state owning and controlling major businesses? We've gone through this before. It didn't end well then: I'm hoping we get out of the current mess in better shape than Russia and Germany did. ²

Related posts:

"Govenment Bailouts of American Automakers, Financial Firms: Feels Good, But - - -"
(March 9, 2009)
"Bank Bailout Scandal? Maybe - But Think Before You Decide"
(December 22, 2008)
"The Town's Hardware Industry: A Parable"
(December 22, 2008)
"Bank Bailouts, Bloated Bonuses, and Common Sense"
(December 21, 2008)
"So Big Three Collapse: Is That a Problem?"
(December 12, 2008)
"Doctors, Terrorists, and the Proletariat: What's a Person to Think?"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (July 3, 2007)

News and views:

"Frank disgusted by AIG bonuses"
The Boston Globe (March 16, 2009)
"Monday's blue mood: AIG outrage"
Front Row Washington Reuters Blog (March 16, 2009)
"Lawmakers Target AIG Over Executive Bonuses"
FOXNews (March 16, 2009)
"Bail Out AIG’s Workers, But Not GM’s?"
EMac's Stock Watch, FOXNews (March 16, 2009)
"The sanctity of AIG's contracts"
Glenn Greenwald Salon.com (March 16, 2009)

¹ The numbers are BLS mean, or average, hourly wages.

You probably know this already, but:

Median in this context means "the value below which 50% of the cases fall"
Mean means "an average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n"
(Princeton's WordNet)

² I am not responsible for, nor do I necessarily agree with, content at the other end of links. The "Russia" and "Germany" links are to documents which discuss what I think are undesirable aspects of state capitalism in Germany and Russia. I most certainly do not think that regulation is a panacea.

'Nuf said.

Govenment Bailouts of American Automakers, Financial Firms: Feels Good, But - - -

2009-03-09T16:09:00.007-05:00

On the economic scale, sole proprietorships like mine are pretty close to being at the opposite end from outfits like AIG and GM. And, I'm okay with that. Not all businesses can be huge, cripplingly inefficient bureaucracies, desperately seeking federal bailouts.

Watching a panel discussion this morning, I heard something that may be a key to understanding what's gone wrong with Wall Street and automobile industry leaders of the 1950s.

One of the panelists expressed concern that, should GM declare bankruptcy and re-organize, it wouldn't be the same company. He apparently believed that GM not being just the same as it was last year, and the year before that, would be a bad thing.

It was all those people who might be out of a job that concerned him, he said.

Compassion is Nice: So is Common Sense

I don't like to think about people losing their jobs, but I don't see too many alternatives. This is an over-simplification, but I think that, given what's happening, GM will:

Declare Bankruptcy and reorganize
- Some people will lose their jobs
Receive federal bailouts until increased taxes and cuts in programs we really need end the gravy train
- A lot of people will lose their jobs
Receive an inheritance from a rich uncle in Australia
- Which will save the day

I don't think we can count on option #3. At all.

Option #2 doesn't look too appealing. By the time the feds finish draining everyone else to keep the likes of GM going, I fear that quite a number of companies that aren't big and important enough to get Washington's attention, but are taxed just the same, will have gone out of business. That'll mean that the out-of-work auto workers will have lots of company: but that'll be small consolation.

Option #1 isn't all that appealing in the short run, but it may be the least-bad alternative.

The sad fact is that the Big Three automakers haven't been doing all that well. Keeping them just the way they are may be the nostalgic thing to do, but I don't think it's good sense.

Related posts:

"Bank Bailouts, Bloated Bonuses, and Common Sense"
(December 21, 2008)
"So Big Three Collapse: Is That a Problem?"
(December 12, 2008)

Experiment in Progress: YouTube Video to Advertise Blog

2009-02-14T11:35:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking of doing something like this: but one of my BlogCatalog neighbors did it first:

"Promoting Blog Through Youtube"
BlogCatalog discussion, (started December 27, 2008)

I hope jjmezzio doesn't base his go/nogo decision solely on what BlogCatalogers say, but asking for - and paying attention to - that sort of feedback seems like a good idea.

The basic notion, using a YouTube video to promote a blog, look very attractive.

Just one problem, for me: I'd have to make a viewable, appealing, video.

Business Advice Blog

2009-02-05T15:12:00.003-06:00

Okay: This looks promising.

Benjamin Warsinske
"Business Development For The Service Industry"

"Benjamin is on a mission to educate, inspire and motivate the service industry on business development, branding, and identity...."

Why is B.W. blogging?

"I started this blog as a place to showcase who I am, to write on topics that interest me, and mostly for fun. I am always looking to network with new people. Maybe you came across my blog on my LinkedIn profile. Great! Connect with me. Maybe there is a project we can work on together."
(Benjamin Warsinske)

As I said: looks promising.

I ran into this blog in a comment on BlogCatalog: another example of how online communities are good for a number of things besides hanging out.

Annoying Your Website's Visitors: Not as Good an Idea as it Seems

2009-02-04T16:06:00.005-06:00

Someone may still think that disabling the 'back' button on browsers is a great way of keeping visitors on your website. If you don't own your own business, your manager may think so, or have equally daft ideas: that you have to execute.

Which is one reason why I'm glad to be self-employed.

Trapping viewers isn't covered in either of the two posts I discussed in another blog. Annoying ads, pop-ups, not including external links, and forcing visitors to register are.

So is an issue that I need to stay aware of: "Long posts that are hard to scan." (#7 in the Killing Your Blog?... post.)

Do You Want Website Visitors to Return?

If you don't, go ahead:

Disable the 'back' button
Make visitors scroll through two or three screens of advertising clutter before finding the registration link
Make them register to see your content
Be sure that the registration takes them through at least two screens, and collects their:
- Home phone
- Email
- Date of birth
- Postal address
- Buying preferences

Finally, avoid subheadings, bulleted lists, or anything else that will make skimming easier. Remember: it's your website, and you can do what you want!

Or, you can design a website that someone might want to come back to.

The decision is up to you.

Microreviews from Apathetic Lemming of the North:

"Website Design: Just Because Everybody Else is Doing it - - -"
(February 4, 2009)
"Killing Your Blog? Could Be "
(February 4, 2009)

The microreviewed posts:

"5 Sickening Habits of Mainstream Websites"
TechCult (November 11, 2008)
"10 Mistakes That Could Be Killing Your Blog"
Write to Done (November 12, 2008)

Obama Wants Caps on Fat Cat Payouts

2009-02-04T10:14:00.010-06:00

What? No golden parachute?

Why be a big executive in a big company, if you can't run the company into the ground, and get a generous bonus for your work?

Billions in Losses, Turning a Corner, and Millions in Stock

Back in 2007, the CEO for one of America's 'Big Three' automakers got, as a bonus, a cool $4,100,000 in stock, plus 3,560,000 stock options (at an excise price of $6.14). The company had lost $2,700,000,000 that year. It's okay, though: the CEO said that his company was turning the corner, and would be profitable. Soon.

The stock market seems to be more tightly connected to the real world than many CEOs are, so that $4 million bonus may not be quite as big as it seems. Not now.

Golden Parachutes, Obscene Bonuses: Not a Small Business Issue?

Bizarre bonuses and gigantic golden parachutes don't seem to have much to do with small business owners. Particularly sole proprietors like me.

Let's say I was talking to myself:

"I lost $2,700,000,000 this year. Not to worry, though: I've turned a corner, and things will get better."

"You mean, I'll make a profit? When?"

"Soon."

"Well done! Here's $4,100,000. Don't spend it all in one place."

If I could lose money in the ten-figures range during one year, and get paid $4 million for it, I could retire after that year. But it's not possible: ethically or practically.

I don't envy the Ford CEO, though. He seems to have gotten his bonus in Ford company stock. I don't know what that's worth, now that the stock market is melting down, but it's probably not what it was in 2007.

Big company shenanigans do affect small business owners. The most obviously-affected businesses are eateries and stores near the factories, and where the workers live. When people get laid off, or fired, they're not likely to spend as much as when they got a paycheck.

It doesn't stop there, of course, business owners buy supplies and (sometimes) hire people. When business falls off, business owners don't buy as many supplies, and may have to drop employees.

That means that the former employees won't be spending as much, and neither will the suppliers.

You get the picture.

So, even if you didn't own Ford stock, what's happening to American automakers will affect you, if you're doing business in this country.

Whatever is a Small Business Owner to Do?

I've done a little poking around, and found soem advice that doesn't sound too crazy. It's pretty obvious, but:

Keep track of cash flow
- If more's going out than coming in, that's not good news
Don't need it? Drop it
- Luxuries are nice, but don't pay for equipment and services you don't actually need
- That goes for employees, too: and that's a lot harder
Cash, good: Credit, bad
- Loans and credit cards are cool - and expensive
Pay attention to your customers

You're expecting startling insights and useful details? What am I, a consultant?! I'm a middle-aged writer and artist, trying to make his own business work. When I know what I'm doing, I'll let you know.

Meanwhile, here's a thought: many people are looking for ways to do what they need, or like, to do - for less money than they did a few years ago. If you can help them do that, you've got yourself clients or customers.

In the news:

"FACTBOX: Details of new U.S. restrictions on CEO pay"
Reuters (February 4, 2009)
"Obama to Impose Salary Caps on Bailed Out Fat Cats"
FOXNews (February 4, 2009)

Wired Hacked! Reports of Steve Jobs' Death are Highly Exaggerated

2009-01-23T20:51:00.003-06:00

Wired Magazine's website reported Steve Jobs' death last night.

More accurately, a hacker who put the bogus article on Wired's site did.

Wired took down the fake article in under two hours, but rumors had already started.

(More at "Steve Jobs' illness sparks new round of death rumours" News.com.au (January 24, 2009).) (The date isn't a typo: I'm in North America, they're in Australia.)

Aside from being a case in point for maintaining good Internet security - and keeping an eye on your websites anyway - this shows the good sense behind "trust, but verify."

Related post:

"About Investing, Steve Jobs, Heart Attacks, Rumors, and Getting a Grip"
(October 3, 2008)

Thought for the Day

2009-01-16T15:01:00.002-06:00

Be like a Martian rock, roll into the wind.

Those robots that are exploring Mars found something odd. Rocks, lined up, that had been rolling into the prevailing winds. Martian Stonehenge? Somebody playing Mankala with Martian rules?

Nope. What researchers think happens is this: "Wind removes loose sand in front of the rocks, creating pits there and depositing that sand behind the rocks, creating mounds. The rocks then roll forward into the pits, moving into the wind. As long as the wind continues to blow, the process is repeated and the rocks move forward." ("Strange Rock Formations on Mars Explained" (Space.com (January 9, 2009))

American retail electronics sales have been going down. So badly that Circuit City is closing its American stores. But one store's electronics sales have been growing.

Trends are Trends: Not Commands

The right decisions can make a business act like those Martian rocks: rolling into the wind.

Circuit City Closing American Stores - Canada Okay

2009-01-16T13:46:00.004-06:00

This isn't good news for the 34,000 people who work (worked, rather) for Circuit City in America. And, it's at best a mixed bag for the rest of us.

In the long run, Circuit City liquidating 567 stores in America should mean more customers for other electronics retailers. In the short run, Circuit City's efforts to unload its remaining merchandise will probably drain customers away from them.

I suppose die-hard Circuit City customers south of the border could still shop at their favorite store: the hard way, going in person; or online. Circuit City says its 765 retail stores and dealer outlets in Canada aren't going anywhere.

Why Should I Care?

The number of soon-to-be-unemployed Circuit City employees is more than eight times the number of people who live in my town. That's a lot of paychecks that won't be coming in. On a personal level, I feel for the Circuit City folks, and the people who depend on them. This isn't going to be an easy time to find work.

It's also another indication that times are bad all over: even in Dubai. Construction on the Nakheel Harbour & Tower over there is on hold for a year.

Construction work in Dubai has even less to do with me and my enterprise than what's happening in American retail electronics, but the point is that very few people are feeling rich right now. Which means they'll be more sensible for their money.

And that's going to be a little tricky for me, since what I've focused on has been non-essential spending: like Minnesota for Web-Wise Travelers. Business travelers could use the links there, but Minnesota for Web-Wise Travelers is mostly geared for people looking for "Vacation Time Stuff."

Circuit City Liquidating: Bad News, But - - -

Unless something's changed in the last week, American national retail sales for electronics have been going down. With the exception of Wal-Mart.

And the Moral of This Story is - - -

Just because a national - or global - trend is going one way, doesn't mean that all businesses will go the same way. Wal-Mart is doing something different, so their electronics sales are growing.

The trick for me, and every other small business owner, will be to figure out which option for my little online empire isn't just different: but profitable.

(That seemed so profound when I thought of it: now that it's in print, not so much.)

Related post:

"Macy's Stores Closing, Retail Sales Plummeting, and Other Good News"
(January 8, 2009)

In the news:

"Circuit City to shut down"
CNNMoney.com (January 16, 2009)
"Circuit City to Liquidate Remaining Stores"
PC World (January 16, 2009)
"Circuit City Liquidation May Be Hard For Co,Mixed For Rivals"
CNNMoney.com (January 16, 2009)

Background:

Circuit City
company retail website

Macy's Stores Closing, Retail Sales Plummeting, and Other Good News

2009-01-08T14:19:00.007-06:00

This isn't the best time to be working for a south Florida Macy's, but there is a silver lining to what's going on. I think.

Retail Sales: Not Good News, Generally

A CNN Money article yesterday couldn't seem to get over how badly Wal-Mart was doing: Same-store sales in Wal-Marts were up a paltry 1.9%. Sam's Club's increase was only 0.1%. True enough, the growth in each case was disappointing: Growth last year was 2.6% and 1.3% respectively.

It could have been worse. Sears' same-store sales went down 7.3%, and Macy's sales wend down 4%. Which is probably why Macy's is closing eleven of its stores. (CNNMoney.com)

Bad Year for Zircon-Studded Designer Jeans

Wal-Mart's sales were a mix of good news and bad news, according to CNNMoney.com:

Good news
- Grocery
- Health and wellness
- Electronics products
Bad news
- Clothing

First, about the bad news: I'm no expert, but Wal-Mart may have goofed. Kathryn Finney, of thebudgetfashionista.com, said: " 'The Wal-Mart brand embodies traits that men and women admire - realism, practicality, efficiency,' " which I agree with. She also said that Wal-Mart was getting more fashionable: " 'The store upped its style game, remodeling its women's apparel section and getting rid of product lines by corny C-list celebrities.' " (Argus Leader)

Maybe Wal-Mart would have been better off with less trendy fashions, and more product lines from those "corny C-list celebrities."

Now, about the good news: Grocery, health and wellness, and electronic products did fairly well this year. Groceries doing well isn't so surprising: everybody eats, and the recent economic troubles should have even the most highfalutin patrons of the retail food industry reviewing their buying habits. Americans (some of us, anyway) don't seem to have lost our interest in being healthy, and we still like electronic doodads and gizmos.

What Does Macy's and Wal-Mart Have to Do With Me?

As a consumer, my family does quite a bit of shopping at Wal-Mart. But, aside from giving me something to write about now and then for a blog and a journal, huge department store chains and my enterprise don't cross paths all that often.

I think there's something to learn here, though.

Macy's Stores Closing and PC Magazine No Longer in Print: This Could be the End of Civilization as We Know It!

That's "PC Magazine No Longer in Print" - not "PC Magazine Gone." PC Magazine is, as far as I can tell, still going strong at pcmag.com. It's the print edition that's literally out of print. (Folio)

The point is, things are just the way they've been all my life: changing.

Black and white television gave way to color, and soon we'll be switching to all-digital television: or not.

Computers changed from room-filling behemoths with limited abilities to carry-along gizmos that can put you in touch with the world, help you do your taxes, and drive you to the ragged edge of insanity from time to time.

Change Happens: Deal With It

Or, better yet, embrace it.

Online shopping dropped by 2% this holiday season, compared to the last year's 22.4%. But e-commerce "showed the most resilience" of the retail sectors. (The Wall Street Journal)

There's something very interesting going on, assuming that The Wall Street Journal and CNNMoney.com are both dealing with a full deck. According to WSJ: "No retail sector was spared. Among the biggest losers were electronics and appliances, which fell a combined 26.7% versus a 2.7% gain last year...." According to CNNMoney.com, "Wal-Mart said sales of its grocery, health and wellness, and electronics products were strong in the month...."

Electronics are among the biggest retail losers.

Electronic products were part of what kept Wal-Mart's growth from slipping even more than it did.

My guess is that, overall, electronics retail sales tanked - except for the products at Wal-Mart.

I'm going out on a limb here, but I think it's reasonable to guess that people in general don't have as much money as they did last year - or are being more careful.

But, they still like electronics, and like to shop online.

I don't sell electronics, and don't plan to any time soon. But I have been looking into online retailing. Recent retail business news might be good news for me, since online retailing seems to be growing in the long term.

Now, to develop a viable product - and learn the nuts and bolts of online retail. I've found an interesting model to study: but that's for another post, to be written after I've actually learned something.

In the news:

Macy's to close 11 stores nationwide"
Business Courier (January 8, 2009)
"From Wal-Mart to the mall, a tough holiday"
CNNMoney.com (January 8, 2009)
"S. Fla. included in Macy's closings"
South Florida Business Journal (January 8, 2009)
"Macy’s lowers 4Q outlook on down sales"
Business Courier (January 8, 2009)
"Ziff Davis Media Shutters Electronic Gaming Monthly, Sells 1UP Network to Hearst"
Folio (January 7, 2009)
"Retail Sales Plummet"
The Wall Street Journal (December 26, 2008)

Blog post and discussion:

"Is Print Media Dying? EGM Folds"
BlogCatalog discussion thread (started January 8, 2009)
"EGM Is DOA "
GameCherry (January 6, 2009)
"Trendy Wal-Mart? From chic tops to fancy coats, you bet"
Argus Leader (December 26, 2008)

Update (January 16, 2009)

Circuit City is closing its American retail stores. My take on this: "Circuit City Closing American Stores - Canada Okay" (January 16, 2009).

Marketing Your Blog: Linkbaiting Advice

2009-01-01T16:54:00.002-06:00

I did a micro-review of a short (165 word) piece of SEO advice on Apathetic Lemming of the North: "Linkbait SEO Insider Secrets! " (January 1, 2008).

The piece itself is "Linkbait Your Blog" (Wired (December 22, 2008).

The author left out 'good content,' but it's a useful, short, read.

Independent Video Game Designers

2008-12-22T14:04:00.004-06:00

There's a lesson here:

"...Perhaps just as important, independent games shifted from quirky distraction to viable business model. With digital distribution taking off on all three consoles, small teams crafting small, innovative games captured more and more of our gaming dollars...." ("Top 10 Games of 2008" Wired (December 22, 2008)) [emphasis mine]

'Nuf said?

Bank Bailout Scandal? Maybe - But Think Before You Decide

2008-12-22T11:56:00.005-06:00

I found these headlines in a Google 'news' search. They're really op-ed, but that's another matter.

Bank bailout funds flow into executive compesation
$1.6 Billion of Bailout Went to Pay Top Execs

(That one headline really did read "Bank bailout funds flow into executive compesation" - maybe the author had good reason for that alternative spelling.)

Bank Bailout Scandal? Maybe, But We Don't Know That Yet

Those headlines make it look like over a billion dollars of American taxpayer money went into the pockets of top bank executives. So do the stories:

"Bank bailout funds flow into executive compesation"
BloggingStocks
(December 22, 2008)
- "You'll be happy to know that a hefty chunk of the $700 billion bailout designed to help banks in order to stabilize the economy has, at least indirectly, flowed into the coffers of top executives...."
"$1.6 Billion of Bailout Went to Pay Top Execs"
Dollars and Sense ("the magazine of economic justice")
(December 21, 2008)
- "According to a study by the Associated Press, $1.6 billion of the federal bailout funds went into the pockets of top bank executives. Even institutions that have cut the salaries and bonuses of top corporate officers have awarded massive compensation packages, despite having logged billions of dollars in losses...."

The December 22 piece is honest, or accurate, enough to say that the $1.6 billion dollar figure is from 2007 - and let the reader remember that the bailout was in late 2008. The December 21 op-ed is, simply, wrong.

Review and Reality Check

The "$1.6 Billion" figure is from an Associated Press article, published yesterday: "AP study finds $1.6B went to bailed-out bank execs." What the Associated Press found was that bank executives got $1,600,000,000 in pay and perks: in 2007. That's before the federal bailout.

Lies, Assumptions, and Due Diligence

I have no idea why the authors of those two op-ed pieces were so inaccurate. It's possible that they weren't aware that what they wrote wasn't true.

The Associated Press headline might give an impression that bailout funds were part of those $1.6 billion dollars of compensation. This may help show how easy it is for "$1.6B went to bailed-out bank execs" to become "$1.6 Billion of Bailout Went to Pay Top Execs."

AP study finds
$1.6B went to bailed-out bank execs
(Associated Press)
$1.6 Billion of Bailout Went to Pay Top Execs
(Dollars and Sense / D&S Blog)

Lies and Assumptions

Sometimes a person might write something that isn't true, but isn't intentionally lying. Assumptions are powerful things: if you 'know' that bank executives are going to steal the bailout money; and you read that they got $1.6 billion dollars; you're likely to assume that the money they got was from the bailout funds.

Someone who made associations like that might not consider the possibility that the billion-plus dollars were spent before the bailout was planned: and not read past the headline.

Due Diligence

The term has a precise, legal, definition: "A measure of prudence, activity or assiduity, as is properly to be expected from, and ordinarily exercised by, a reasonable and prudent person under the particular circumstances" (Mortgages, Ltd., Arizona). I think it can be used to describe the reasonable process of doing a little research before 'buying into' claims or ideas.

A Word of Advice: THINK!

I don't used all caps very often, but this warrants it. If you're running a business, you can't "trust your feelings," even if your name is Luke.

Facts are big, hard, heavy things with sharp edges. If you walk around with your mental eyes closed, you'll get hurt.

What do I Think About the Bank Executives?

It's too early to tell. The massive failure of so many financial institutions clearly indicates that something went wrong. You might call that a 'well, duh!' deduction.

I'm no financial expert, but I see at least two possible causes that make sense.

First, claims that investment banks made too many loans that were too risky could be true.

Second, although it's discussed as a possible outcome of the present crisis, I think that well-intentioned efforts at making it possible for just about everybody to own a house may have been part of the cause of the housing loan problems.

Housing Loans: Realty and Reality, a Personal Look

When I bought the house we live in now, I spent a long time negotiating ways to pay for it. I had worked the numbers, and knew both how much money we had, and how much we could pay over time. I was shown offers that looked very, very tempting - and would have allowed me to keep the house for months, maybe years.

But, each time, when I worked out what would happen as I complied with the proposed agreement, I lost the house.

I finally found an arrangement that allowed me to buy the house, and keep it. But it took time and a lot of thought. Not everyone has the background and willingness to go through that process.

Back to the Bank Executives

Loaning money to people who can't pay it back isn't a good idea: whether you do it of your own will, or are forced to do so by a well-intentioned set of federal regulations. It looks like quite a few major American financial institutions were doing just that.

And, it didn't help that the top executives were getting ridiculously large pieces of the financial pie.

I simply don't know if the debacle is the result of fraud, incompetence, greed, other factors, or some combination. There aren't enough published facts yet: not that I've seen.

Related posts:

"The Town's Hardware Industry: A Parable"
(December 22, 2008)
"Bank Bailouts, Bloated Bonuses, and Common Sense"
(December 21, 2008)
"So Big Three Collapse: Is That a Problem?"
(December 12, 2008)

News and views:

"AP study finds $1.6B went to bailed-out bank execs"
Associated Press (December 22, 2008)
"GM Prepares Ground for Post-Holiday Talks With UAW"
The Wall Street Journal (December 22, 2008)
"Bank bailout funds flow into executive compesation"
BloggingStocks (December 22, 2008)
"$1.6 Billion of Bailout Went to Pay Top Execs"
Dollars and Sense / D&S Blog ("the magazine of economic justice") (December 21, 2008)
"AP study finds $1.6B went to bailed-out bank execs"
Associated Press (December 21, 2008)

The Town's Hardware Industry: A Parable

2008-12-22T10:22:00.005-06:00

On the surface, this is the story of a small town's need for hardware. But, reading between the lines, you may discern a message about a major American industry, presented with the subtlety of a pile driver.

Saving the Town's Hardware Industry

The town had three hardware stores: Bud and Bubba's Hardware and Bait; Central Tool and Hardware; and Abe's Tools. They provided a wide selection of products. You could get an 8-track stereo for your convertible, aluminum siding kits, and all the parts needed to build your own bomb shelter.

People who worked for one of the Big Three hardware stores were the envy of their neighbors. Over the years, they'd negotiated their way into top-rate pay, health coverage, and retirement plans.

Bud, Bubba, Abe, and Waldo, the fellow who ran Central Tool, weren't doing too badly, either.

Now, if you wanted an exhaust fan for your bathroom, you'd be better off talking to Ralph. He had a small stock in his garage, and could have just about anything else shipped in.

You'd call Lacy if you needed an electrostatic filter, and Pat for something like a USB cable.

One day, the Big Three hardware store owners noticed that they were running out of money. And had been for a while. So, they went to city hall and told the town council that they needed money. Lots of it. It wasn't just for them, they explained, it was for the Town Hardware Industry.

Without the Town Hardware Industry, the town's economy would collapse, they said.

The oldest and wisest member of the council, who had seen 8-tracks come and go, told Bud, Bubba, Abe, and Waldo that they shouldn't get one cent of the town's money. And, that the town would be better off getting its hardware from Ralph, Lacy, Pat, and all the other townspeople who had been paying attention.

And so, the town council sent Bud, Bubba, Abe, and Waldo away, empty-handed. The Big Three owners retired to private resorts on the lake country, some of their employees went to work for Ralph, Lacy, or Pat, and some opened their own little hardware stores.

And the Moral of this Story is -

Do I really have to say it?

Related posts:

"Bank Bailout Scandal? Maybe - But Think Before You Decide"
(December 22, 2008)
"Bank Bailouts, Bloated Bonuses, and Common Sense"
(December 21, 2008)
"So Big Three Collapse: Is That a Problem?"
(December 12, 2008)

Bank Bailouts, Bloated Bonuses, and Common Sense

2008-12-21T09:50:00.005-06:00

The federal government's earmarked around $700,000,000,000 dollars, given by American citizens, to pull an assortment of financial institutions out of the hole they dug for themselves. The Big Three automakers are getting a wad of cash, too.

Happily, there do seem to be some conditions attached to Uncle Sam's generosity with other people's money. However, I think that America's leaders, in government and business, have missed vital points of economic theory:

A business is supposed to take in more money than it spends
- Spending more than you make leads to trouble
- Wasting money leads to trouble
Goods and services provided by one business can be provided by another

Enough of Economics 101.

$1,600,000,000 on Executive Perks?!

Never mind Big Three executives flying in individual corporate jets: Executives of banks that are getting bailed out got a tidy little $1,600,000,000 in salaries, bonuses, and other perks in 2007. Okay: salary isn't a "perk," but the numbers are still, well, impressive.

"Benefits included cash bonuses, stock options, personal use of company jets and chauffeurs, home security, country club memberships and professional money management, the AP review of federal securities documents found.

"The total amount given to nearly 600 executives would cover bailout costs for many of the 116 banks that have so far accepted tax dollars to boost their bottom lines." [emphasis mine] (Associated Press (December 21, 2008))

Feeling Good and Doing Good: Not the Same Thing

Although a tiny fraction of the bank bailout was done with my money, I've never personally made it possible for people to keep their jobs for a little while longer. My guess is that it feels good. And, there's probably a sort of warm glow that comes with 'saving the American automotive industry.'

Nice feelings are fine, but to do any practical good all that giving has to come with changes in the way banks and the Big Three do business. Big changes.

Executive Compensation and Bribery

It's not very often that I agree with Barney Frank: my take on how the world works comes through in blogs like Another War-on-Terror Blog and A Catholic Citizen in America.

This time, though, Mr. Frank made a good point about monumental perks that executives get. He said that the billion-bucks-plus bonuses bribed executives " 'to get them to do the jobs for which they are well paid in the first place.

" 'Most of us sign on to do jobs and we do them best we can,' said Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat. 'We're told that some of the most highly paid people in executive positions are different. They need extra money to be motivated!' " (Associated Press (December 21, 2008))

I have nothing against managers and higher-ups getting more than someone at the front desk or on the assembly line. But I have trouble believing that the average bank executive was worth $2,600,000 a year. Particularly when the bank was emulating the Titanic.

The Big Three Automakers and The American Automotive Industry: Not the Same Thing

This isn't 1953, when the president of General Motors said that he "thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa." Even then, a moderately garbled version of what Charles Wilson said was used as an example of corporate arrogance.

Today, I think it's time to take a look at GMC, Ford, and Chrysler: and the American automobile industry. And remember: the Big Three are three huge, and now desperate, companies. They've dominated the American automobile industry for a very long time. But, in my opinion, they are not the American automobile industry.

The American automobile industry is that part of the American economy which makes, distributes, maintains, and repairs cars.

I've compared the Big Three to three 800-pound gorillas. Right now, they're sitting on the American automobile industry like it was a pile of bananas. Not surprisingly, it's a little hard for smaller companies to compete.

A Detour, About an 'Un-American' Car

The Big Three aren't the only American companies involved in making cars. Nevada's Hybrid Technologies makes a power plant for the MINI-E, an electric car that does 0-60 in six seconds, with a top speed that exceeds the speed limit here in Minnesota.

The MINI-E isn't a purely American car. The running chassis is made in England. But the rest is assembled in Mooresville, North Carolina, and although I haven't confirmed it, my guess is that most of the people who work at that plant live in America, and buy their groceries in Mooresville.

My point is that a company doesn't have to be in the Big Three to make cars.

Time for Real Change

I don't doubt that if the assets of any or all of the Big Three automakers were sold off, there would be some very real stress. As I wrote before, it's not likely that Americans will stop buying cars, or needing to have them maintained.

And people who worked on an automobile assembly line for one company might be work for another company. They might even be able to learn new procedures.

As for the executives who drove the Big Three into the ground, it might be worth the money to pay them off, let them enjoy an ill-deserved retirement, and let entrepreneurs who know how to build and sell cars take over.

Related post:

"So Big Three Collapse: Is That a Problem?"
(December 12, 2008)

Background:

"What's Good for General Motors is Good for the Country"
Duke Research Advantage (November 17, 2008)

In the news:

"GM Prepares Ground for Post-Holiday Talks With UAW"
The Wall Street Journal (December 22, 2008)
"AP study finds $1.6B went to bailed-out bank execs"
Associated Press (December 21, 2008)

¹ Opinions about the American Congress, from Another War-on-Terror Blog:

"Pay Raise for Congress: Have They Read the Papers This Year?"
(December 21, 2008)
"Wall Street Bailout, Flying Fewmets, and Politics as Comic Relief"
(September 29, 2008)
"FISA: Senate Decides Al Qaeda Bigger Threat than FBI"
(July 9, 2008)
"Your Tax Dollars at Work: Wine Research and Parisian Fruit Flies"
(April 2, 2008)
"March 13, 2008 FISA, the Patriot Act, and the Protect America Act: Who's Protecting Whom from Whom?"
(March 13, 2008)
"Odd Allies: Opposition to Waterboarding and Web Censorship"
(March 9, 2008)
"Attention Congress: The FBI is Not the Enemy"
(February 25, 2008)
"PAA is Poo, and Kaput: Or, Who Should Congress be Protecting Americans From?"
(February 23, 2008)
"Mark Deli Siljander: Former Congressman, United Nations Delegate, and Possibly a Shill for Terrorists"
(January 16, 2008)

"Spear Phishing" - New and Improved Spam

2008-12-19T00:19:00.003-06:00

Maybe "improved" isn't the right way to describe "spear phishing," a new and personally focused sort of spam.

CNNMoney described this new wrinkle in annoying (and possibly dangerous) email: "Unlike traditional spam, most of which is blocked by e-mail filters, personalized spam, known as 'spear phishing'" messages, often sail through unmolested. They're sent in smaller chunks, and often come from accounts the criminals have set up at reputable Web-based e-mail services. Some of the messages are expertly crafted, linking to beautifully designed Web sites that are bogus or immediately install malicious programs...."

These messages could look legitimate, since they may include personal data that the spammers have mined: like where you went to school, your mother's maiden name, or where you do your banking.

Part of the idea is to trick business owners into, for example, giving data about their

Google (or other) advertising accounts
Bank accounts

There's even something called "whaling," where an email to an executive claims that the business is under investigation by the FBI. I suppose that a panicked exec might be less than cautious.

How to Avoid Being Spear Phished

It boils down to three words: Don't be stupid. "Imprudent" might be a nicer word than "stupid."

There is pretty good advice in several places: including Microsoft and SANS Technology Institute (Which refers back to Microsoft's resource).

Some major points I found are:

Don't send sensitive information in response to an email - no matter who seems to have sent it
- Call (don't email) the presumed sender, to make sure the request is legitimate
- 'Trust, but verify' applies here
Don't click links in an email that asks for personal or financial information
- Never
- SANS T.I. says to put the Web address in your browser window instead - Microsoft has some advice about how to avoid bogus URLs

It Couldn't Happen to Me - Five Dangerous Words

I've been spammed, and phished, and fielded quite a few bogus phone calls. The experience has given me an appreciation for how easy it is to get fooled. One of my kids has called me "paranoid," for the way I insist on verifying a message before believing it. Much less responding to it.

Well, maybe so. I prefer terms like "cautious."

In the news:

"Personalized spam rising sharply, study finds "
CNNMoney (December 17, 2008)
"Personalized spam rising sharply, study finds"
Associated Press (December 17, 2008)

Online Software Training: This Resource Looks Promising

2008-12-17T15:29:00.004-06:00

Depending on what your skills are, how valuable your time is, and a number of other factors, it makes sense to:

Pay someone with graphics or coding skills to get a job done
Do the job yourself
Have someone else pay you for the use of your skills and time

Except for Option 1, though: you need to have the skills a task demands. Thanks to a rather eclectic resume, and a sticky mind, I've picked up a pretty broad set of skills. But there's still a lot to learn, when it comes to digital media.

That's where lynda.com comes in. I was introduced to it today, and was told that it provides everything I need for learning how to work with graphics, HTML coding, and using software from 3ds Max and Access to Xcelcius and ZBrush 3: even Windows Movie Maker.

Their "About Us" page says: "lynda.com is an award-winning provider of educational materials, including Hands-On Training™ instructional books, the Online Training Library®, CD- and DVD-based video training, and events for creative designers, instructors, students, and hobbyists...."

It costs $25 a month to have access to the Online Training Library®, but from what I've seen, it could be worth the money for someone who needs to learn new skills, fast.

The online training is a set of videos, organized by topic: sort of like attending a series of how-2 seminars. For someone like me, a visual learner, this looks good.

Advertising, Product Placement, and Psychology

2008-12-17T14:25:00.003-06:00

If a scientist is right, the trick in marketing is to show the product often, but not too often: and not get the conscious mind involved.

I did a micro-review in another blog:

" 'So That's Why I Bought it' - Advertising and Your Subconscious Calculator"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (December 17, 2008)

Recession's On, Game Sales Up: Let the Bad Times Roll!

2008-12-14T10:16:00.005-06:00

There's a lesson to be learned here: "November video game sales near $3 billion" (Associated Press (December 12, 2008)). That's up about 10% from last year at this time.

Not bad for an economy in crisis.

The data comes from a market research outfit called NDP. Someone from the company said that it's

A broad range of games produced
Games are relatively cheap stay-at-home entertainment

Industries thriving - or at least staying afloat - in bad times is nothing new. A professor of history recalled that the Great Depression gave some businesses a boost:

"One-third of Americans were below the poverty line, yet some industries actually managed to make a profit at the beginning of the 1930s as the public looked for a way to escape. If Americans couldn't find work, at least they could go for a drive, have a cigarette, or go to a movie. Correspondingly, sales of oil, gas, cigarettes, and movie tickets all went up."
(H102Lecture 18, American History 102: Civil War to the Present (Stanley K. Schultz, Professor of History; William P. Tishler, Producer) (© 1999 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System ))

Escapism: It's Good for Business

I read someplace that movie ticket sales going up during economic bad times wasn't a given any more. I believe it, but that doesn't mean that the Depression Lesson isn't still valid.

Back in the 1930s, nobody had video games. Duke Nukem was decades in the future. Kirby was a brand of vacuum cleaners. If you were going to escape, you'd go for a drive, smoke a cigarette, or go to a movie. Maybe all three.

That was then, this is now.

People have more ways of getting away from real-life stress now: video games; and the medium you're using right now: the Internet. Actually, the thirties saw an equivalent to today's video game micro-boom: Monopoly became paradoxically popular while real-life tycoons were selling apples out of a box. (There seems to be more to the game's history than that. See "Monopoly History.")

But, Escapism Is Bad, Right?

One thing I learned in college, back in the seventies, was that Escapism was bad - unless you were following Timothy Leary's advice to "Turn on, tune in and drop out."

I think a friend of mine, who shared my interest in role-playing games, had a better approach: 'Building castles in the sky is fine: but when you try to collect rent, you've got problems.' The point is, a little 'escapism' is a sort of intellectual and emotional R & R. So, with some reservations, I'd say -

Escapism is Fine: As Long As Someone is Paying You For It

I'm not wasting time, being upset about the global economic crisis and the collapse of the American automotive industry (the Big Three, anyway).

I'm trying to figure out what I can do, to help people relax, escape, or learn, while they're not taking a Caribbean cruise or flying to Aspen. 'Let the bad times roll!'