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Jul
1
Crest’s “Tiffany” Pro-Health Commercial: Like Nails on a Chalkboard…or on my TV
Filed Under Misc | 2 Comments
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If you know me well you know little things drive me crazy. Most notably, repetitive sounds. For instance, I can’t stand ticking clocks. Although, that is probably because I grew up in a house full of them since I my dad is a collector. And by collector I don’t mean just a collector of clocks, I mean of anything and everything of little to no value that he can get his hands on.
Also, if you follow me on Twitter you’ve seen me bitching about my new neighbor’s wind chimes which I am glaring at out of the corner of my eye right now as they dance in the breeze. The lightest breeze and they are noisy as shit. But, I digress.
I am now adding the sound of “squeaky clean teeth” to my list of noises I hate thanks to a Crest Pro-Health Night Toothpaste featuring “Tiffany”. At the end of the commercial she rubs her finger against her teeth to prove to you how squeaky clean they are when she gets up in the morning. Now I rarely watch commercials thanks to my best friend Tivo but whenever I forget to fast foward through them, this damn commercial is on and I never realize it until it’s too late. I lunge for the remote and just as I grab it she squeaks her finger across her teeth like fingernails on a chalkboard. I am fairly sure they could replace waterboarding with Tiffany’s squeaky teeth torture and see a drastic rise in terrorist confessions. So, if you know anyone at Crest that can get this commercial off the air I would be forever indebted. In the meantime, if you are into torturing yourself, here it is:
Jun
25
The Only SEO Title I Have a Chance at Winning
Filed Under Contests | 4 Comments
Chris Hooley has proven how crazy he is again and has put me in one of his SEO Superlative Poll categories: Best Dressed SEO. I would have to argue that I should also be in the Most Likely To Close the Bar category as well but I digress. Until he adds a Most Drunk Tweets category, I’m going to have to settle for 4th place out of 5 contenders for Best Dressed. So hop over there and vote for me so I don’t come in last place. Although being the last of the best dressed in our group of TJ Maxx shopping nerds wouldn’t be that bad now would it?
Jun
24
Closing One Door and Opening Another
Filed Under Career | 3 Comments
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I recently left my position at Einstein Industries, Inc. after nearly 6 years with the company. I had a very successful run there and owe the bulk of my knowledge to the great people I worked with each day. I decided to leave for a completely different type of position and am now enjoying the task of growing an already successful business to new levels. My new venture is with a customized flash memory drive company called Bespoke|USB at which I am responsible for, well, almost everything right now. So, if you need memory sticks to promote your business, hand out an conferences or give to clients hit me up and I’ll get you a great deal!
Jun
12
DK, who you may know as the PubCon Poker Tournament guy, is at it again! DK is amazing at listening to what people want and turning it into a reality. He has been listening to everyone saying that they are tired of conferences where you sit in a room with hundreds of people and have speakers recite what you could learn by just reading their blogs (for free). He’s also heard all of the feedback about the lack of networking opportunities unless you are already “in”. So he has created Think Tank, a unique networking and learning opportunity…no big sessions with speakers that talk *at* you instead of *with you*, well organized networking events that are guaranteed to entertain and educate, a great location and much much more. Read more about Think Tank 2008 at Purposeinc.com and we’ll see you in San Diego in September!
Mar
31
The mission of Trash the Earth Day (coming this April 5th) is to grow and diversify the environmental destruction movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting an unhealthy, unsustainable planet so our children will have the same fun and benefits of trying to save the planet that our generation has enjoyed. Supporters of Trash the Earth Day pursue their mission through education, politics, events, and consumer activism.
The League of American Non-environmentalists Defending Freedom to Litter (LANDFL) released the following statement regarding Trash the Earth Day:
“The recycling movement has created nearly one million new jobs in America alone. If we don’t continue contributing to the decline of our environment, the need for recycling will decline leading to a drastic reduction in recycling related jobs in America. The balance between improving the environment and keeping our economy strong is delicate. We cannot ignore the need for Americans to continue to litter and produce excess waste, guaranteeing the need for recycling in the future.”
Please watch the following video starring a Great American Hero for more information on Trash the Earth Day to see how you can do your part to trash the Earth.
Mar
26
Trend: Companies Begging Clients for Diggs?
Filed Under Social Media | 1 Comment
I recently received an email from a company that we use for some tracking and analytics services (company name withheld, sorry). The email appeared to be your typical email blast with updates about the company, new services, etc. Then came this paragraph (again, identifying details withheld on purpose):
“We’ve posted a couple new blog articles you might enjoy. Today’s article is about a Google bombs. This one is pretty fun and should be educational as well if you don’t know what a Google Bomb is. Also, if you are on Digg (or want to sign up) this article already has over 20 Diggs in the first hour, so additional votes are appreciated.”
Really? I am paying them for services and they are asking me for Diggs? I find it pretty ridiculous for them to blatantly beg for clients to Digg their articles. I would have no problem with them simply sending the links in the email since I may be interested in what they say. As Rebecca Kelly said in her Stop Spamming Me for Votes post, if I choose to Digg the article it should be on the merit of the article, not because they got “20 Diggs in the first hour” and want more.
Has anyone else experienced this? Does it bother you? Are you a vendor that asks your clients for article votes? Is it effective?
Mar
23
Pratt the Gonzo SEO tagged me in his meme titled 8 Random Things About me so here goes my attempt.
1. Despite living in San Diego for 6 years, I haven’t been in the ocean since I was a child. I’ve probably only been to the beach 10 times since moving to California 8 years ago. I love the sun and looking at the coast but the beach is such a hassle to me and I hate hassles. The beach is crowded, there are children everywhere, you get sand in places that you can’t get it out of without a visit to the doctor and most recently they enacted an alcohol ban on San Diego beaches. If I didn’t go to the beach drunk before I’m sure not going to go sober.
2. I compulsively swallow gum. It is impossible for me to chew a piece of gum for more than 10 minutes no matter how hard I try. It happens without me even realizing it. One minute I have gum, the next it’s gone. In fact thinking about not swallowing the gum will cause me to swallow it almost immediately.
3. I learned to ride a motorcycle before I could ride a bicycle. My parents owned a Yamaha sales and repair shop when I was young. In 1984 I got a 50cc Yamaha Zinger and quickly learned to ride. I didn’t learn to ride a bicycle until I was about 8 years old and I only learned because the cute neighbor boy wanted to teach me so I would ride with him.
Growing up in South Dakota I attended the Sturgis bike rally every year and always loved the great people I met who would ride for days just to camp and hang out with other bikers. I haven’t ridden in a long time but I still consider buying another bike every time I am stuck in traffic and watch a motorcyclist split the lanes and cruise on by.
4. Just like Pratt I too am a people pleaser. I would say my people pleasing is to a fault in many cases. I have spent too much time trying to please everyone around me, never stopping to realize that I wasn’t pleasing myself. I have ruined relationships by becoming the person I think they want me to be, only to become someone I’m not. When in reality, if people are worth your time they want you to be who you are, not who you think they think you are (or should be). People pleasing to an excess can damage personal and professional growth. It’s something I’ve realized and worked hard to modify over the last few years and I’m a better person for it. I still go out of my way to take care of everyone around me and make sure they are happy, but not at the expense of being who I want to be.
5. I am addicted to Chapstick. I probably put it on every 30 minutes and I’ve been doing it for at least 15 years. You will never catch me without at least one tube of Chapstick on me at any given time and I never wear lipstick because it interferes with the Chapsticking. I have tubes tucked in desk drawers, purse pockets and a few sitting on various flat surfaces throughout the house. Even if I am in a dress with no purse to carry it in, it will be tucked in my bra for quick access. I even keep one on my nightstand and wake up at least once in the night to put it on. In fact just writing this caused me to put some on.
6. I can’t pick favorites. I don’t have a favorite anything…color, food, song, movie…nothing. I have to do top 5 lists for anything most people would have a favorite for. If you were to poll my ex-boyfriends they would probably say it has something to do with a fear of committing to anything haha.
7. I am deathly afraid of roller coasters. The closest thing I have ever been on is a kiddie roller and one at Sea World here in San Diego which doesn’t really qualify as a roller coaster at all. I have no desire to fly through the air with no control over my speed on a contraption controlled by a carnie (small hands…). I have enough excitement in my life that I don’t need more adrenaline or artificial fear. If I need a dose of excitement my drug of choice is driving too fast through the deserted roads of nearby deserts. At least then I’m in control of the speed.
8. I graduated college before I could (legally) drink. I finished high school at 17 and completed my bachelor’s degree in 3 years. I tested out of 13 credits, took 16-19 credits every regular semester and 9-12 credits every summer. When people learn this, they generally say I must not have enjoyed my college years like most kids. But I did just as much partying as my friends on 5 & 6 year plans and saved myself a lot of money by getting out early. The timing ended up perfect as well as after graduation I landed in Southern California during the tail end of the dot com boom when they were still handing out jobs to anyone that walked in the door. So, I was able to start at a higher position and salary than most college graduates, jump starting my career.
So there’s my random things. Now I pass the buck to Michelle Oshen and my favorite gansta Snoop Bloggy Blog.
Mar
8
After my last post on Midwest people and social networks I contacted 7 of my friends from “back home” (1 girl, 5 guys and one couple that I could as 1 person for those interested in demographics) and nearly begged them to get on Facebook. I received one reply to the email from one of the guys:
“I didn’t think anyone wanted to see my hairy white dingleberry ass w/ a fruit bowl background online… Guess I was wrong. Somebody needs a “shocker.” Anyone remember my white dingleberry inquiry?? I now think it’s boxer lint gathering upon the dingleberry resulting in the infamous white dingleberry… Either that or old shit turns white like Matt hypothesized…”
Yes, that’s a fairly good representation of my friends from South Dakota and I love them for it. But, even when I responded and said we would love to see his hairy white ass online my friend still couldn’t manage to sign up. And no one else has even managed a response to the email.
One guy, who has always been a little ahead of that crowd when it comes to utilizing the internet (because he “went away” to college I presume) did find me on Facebook so I am now only +1 in the quest to recruit late 20’s/early 30’s Midwest folks into social networking. But I won’t give up that easy.
Feb
24
Twitter Trivia Game
Filed Under Twitter | Leave a Comment
As you know I am a fan of Twitter, but I have yet to find a Twitter group participation thing - Frozen Peas, Twitter Dating (no seriously it exists), etc. - that I was in to. Until now that is…Dan Perry is launching Twitter Trivia. Dan will tweet trivia questions and tally points for the 3 first correct responses. At the end of March he will announce the winners and maybe even have some prizes. If Twitter Trivia takes off, Dan will potentially offer more features like a leader board, “I know more useless crap than you” badges and more. I love trivia and competing for pointless titles so follow FunTrivia to play and help ensure Twitter Trivia will be a success.
If you want to see my pathetic attempts at answers, follow me too.
For those of you who haven’t warmed up to Twitter yet, this might be a great time for you to try it out and connect with people who share a common interest in knowing what the Knights Who Say Ni demanded King Arthur bring them*. And above all, have some fun!
*The answer is a shrubbery of course
Feb
16
In a recent article called If You Can’t Let Go, Twitter, author Michelle Slatalla recounts her failed attempts to get her family to use Twitter to communicate more efficiently. Slatalla tried to recruit her husband and three daughters - 18, 16 and 10 years old. Of the four recruits, her husband was the only person that managed to slightly grasp the concept. Her 18 year old was quoted saying “It’s too complicated” and her 16 year old said the site was “confusing”. Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, responded saying “We do have a lot of work to do to make it simpler and clearer to use”.
Confusing? Too complicated? Make it simpler and clearer to use? What could be simpler than typing 160 characters (or less) and hitting update? Twitter doesn’t suffer from feature bloat or an over complicated UI. I understand people not “getting” Twitter if they’ve never used it. I even understand people not liking it once they try it. But not even being able to figure out how to use it is just asinine.
I imagine that Slatalla’s children are not as dense as this article makes them seem. Instead, I assume her children were not interested in Twitter because their mother wanted them to use it. If my mom had suggested we text each other when I was 16 I may have reacted like her children did to Twitter. In a month they will probably be twittering away to their friends and acting like they discovered Twitter all on their own. That should provide Slatalla with some material for another article.