This is part 3 of the series we are in about online dating for followers of Christ. (For more of the story, read Part 1 and Part 2)

The near-miss relationship that I was in prior to meeting John had an effect on my life that was not healthy – it pulled me out of community. I did not realize how isolated I had become until I saw my good friend David Ridenhour out one night.

“Gosh, I haven’t seen you or Jen in – what is it – about a year? Has it really been that long?”

“Yes, you know, Jen and I really missed hanging out with you,” David said.

“I have been so wrapped up in this (near-miss) relationship, I guess I have not seen anyone lately,” I said, “I’m so sorry.”

David gently responded, “I have found relationships are best lived out in community.”

That comment became the foundation upon which John and I strove to build our relationship upon.

We were both determined not to isolate ourselves from the Christian community that was so much a part of our lives.

From our first conversation, we asked friends and family in our community to pray for us daily. We shared our dating experience with our community and invited them to partner with us in seeking God’s will. We gave others permission to speak into our lives.

My first date with John was with my friends AnnieLaurie and Brian, then John met my dad. My third date was with Kailea and Edward. My third-and-a-half date was with my dear friend Michele.

Each of these people asked John some hard questions and got to know him. “Subjecting” John to the rigours of my healthy Christian community was very intentional  – as I knew I could quite easily decieve myself so I needed others I trusted to come alongside of me.

Living out our burgeoning relationship in community was probably the best decision John and I made with our online dating experience.

Question 5: This online experience really can occur in a vaccum. How do I set up safeguards to ensure that I protect my heart and my life? I mean, what if the guy is a psycho?

Live everything out in community (see story above if you need a refresher

When you are dating online there are some additional risk factors that may not occur if you have met the individual in the community you are already a part of.

There is less accountability online so often people can get away with saying things and doing things online that may be far from the truth. It is important not only to listen to your own Spirit, but also “date online in community” so that you have a second-eye, so to speak.

My buddy and I both were online dating at the same time – so we were each other’s accountability partners. Whenever I had a match that I wanted to pursue, I showed the profile to my friend to look at. We read, giggled, prayed for each other, and made sure that if we had decided to move forward with any of our matches – we kept the other person regularly informed of emails, calls, and dates.

There were many times my friend saw things I could not. There were many times just hearing myself tell her things, I figured out it was a match I should not pursue. 

I believe I made better decisions because my buddy and I were “in it together!” 

Question 6: How much should I share online?

Sister, please do NOT give away your most precious treasures over email. Period. Often online dating can easily create a false sense of intimacy. Haven’t you ever had the experience where you are emailing with someone that you are quite smitten with, only to meet them and have the thought, “Wow, you send great emails, but that’s about it.”

The intimacy required to really share your heart and life with someone else only comes from “doing life” together. We do life togehter when we spend time together, talk on the phone, experience our day-to-day existence with each other. These moments cannot be replaced with online communication vehicles.

So, how much should we share, and how much should we hold back when we are dating online? We can learn what not to do from a biblical principle we see at work with King Hezekiah:

At that time Merodach-Baladan (translated “son of Marduk, worshipper of baal) son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness. Hezekiah received the messengers and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

(Translation people: The bad guys knew all about the junk in Hezekiah’s trunk and he had just met them!)

Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came from Babylon.”

The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?” “They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD : The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 2 Kings 20.12-18 (NIV)

If you give away your heart to someone you barely know over online dating – expect for them to take a part of you that you may not be able to recover. Keep some stuff to yourself girls – keep your jank at home until they get to know you!

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.” – Mark Twain

We all make errors, it is part of life. I have made more than a few, and some of them were big ones. When an error occurs by an employee inside an organization, there can be a concern on the part of the employee that the over-riding motivation on the part of management when investigating the error is not simply to learn from the error and put into place corrective actions, but that there will be some form of retribution taken against the employee. This can often be the case no matter what words are coming out of the organization regarding their motivation to find the cause of the errors, and to learn from mistakes so that they don’t reoccur.

One clue that brings you to this conclusion is seen in emails that inform everyone that an error has been discovered where the identity of the person who committed the error is kept secret. A sure sign that not everyone is operating, or has everyone else convinced that the organization is operating with a no retribution lets learn from our mistakes kind of philosophy.

It seems like some organizations are constantly trying to learn from the same kind of mistakes over and over again. It is like having 1 year of experience 20 times. One approach that can get organizations out of that rut is to employ an organizing framework. An organizing framework allows errors to be examined systematically within that framework and for conclusions to be drawn regarding what needs to change to prevent the error from occurring once again. But, it is however like the old joke – “How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but the light bulb has to really want to change.” Organizations when they examine and properly conclude the causes of their errors still have to really want to change. Knowledge of the cause, in and of itself, does not fix the problem. (See Is Grandpa going to be ok, for a discussion about the role of wishful thinking and organizational change).

First there is the issue of whether the employees are capable of doing the job from a basic knowledge skills and ability standpoint. That issue is a selection issue and for our immediate purposes lets put that aside and assume that the people who have been put into the job, if the conditions were right, could actually perform it. (See There is Something Fishy about Employee Selection). With the framework that I use there are then just a few questions that help get at the heart of the matter.

First do the employees know how to do a good job?

A failing grade on this first question could be due to issues of messaging within the organization or perhaps performance. From a messaging standpoint has it been made clear what the definition is of a good job? Do the employees know what criteria levels are defined as good or error free? From a performance perspective have employees been given the training they need so that they know how to perform in an error-free fashion?  

Second question: Do the employees have the resources needed to do a good job?

The best messaging is for naught if employees don’t have the resources they need to perform error free. Resources can be thought of very broadly in three main categories.

1. Information
2. Physical Environment
3. Processes

Information includes knowledge about how to do the job, including the relevant training; it also includes information flows that enable a job to be performed correctly. For instance a production report is an information flow that allows an employee to predict accurately when an item might be shipped.

Physical Environment includes the needed equipment, staffing levels, organizational structure etc. If one person is put on a 3 person job you can be pretty sure it will have problems. Or if one person is simply not given the appropriate amount of time to do a good job it just won’t happen. Likewise if needed computer equipment, or other equipment is not provided it is difficult to get the job done. Remember the old adage – the right tool for the right job.

Processes cover administrative issues, engineering and science. Administratively for instance, can a bill be sent out correctly and within an acceptable period of time. When a customer calls can they get through to someone, preferable someone who can help them? From an engineering perspective are the business and manufacturing or service processes ones that make sense, do they optimize resources? What kind of person with what background and skill set do you have doing what job? Does the work flow make sense? Are needless processes eliminated?  Etc. From a science standpoint, are the basic business products or processes based on sound science. For instance, if you are in the oil industry but you can’t get the geology right and hence keep digging in the wrong spot, the rest doesn’t matter.   

Third question: Do the employees care enough to do a good job? 

The appropriate information and resources may be in place but if the individual employee just does not care, or is rewarded for the wrong behavior then it is again unlikely that you will achieve the desired outcome. We all know you get what you reward so examine what you are rewarding. If you are rewarding X don’t expect A.

The other aspect of just not caring is potentially one of the most complex. It involves the entire culture that the organization has set up and that is why it can give an organization an unbeatable edge. Processes and products can be reverse engineered, prices can be even more easily matched, but duplicating a culture and the resultant ways the individuals within your culture interact with your customers and care about their work can be very difficult to match to a successful competitor.  It involves the whole gestalt of how the organization is viewed by the employee (is the place effectively managed, does the organization really care about its people, do people get a fair shake here etc.) and at the individual level what is in it for me? Why should I stick around this place? And do people have a sense of future that if they stick around good things can happen for them.

When errors occur, systematically working through these questions can help the organization determine the correct course of action so the organization can implement lasting improvement, thereby reducing the number of errors and to learn from its history.     

“An error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.”

-Orlando A. Battista

Or the absence thereof.

It’s come to a point where the situation is beyond absurd. The story has been reported in all the respectable (and not so respectable) English media outlets I keep up with (NYT, WSJ, Washington Post, Times (UK), Guardian, Telegraph, the Indy, special mention of that esteemed outlet the Washington Times whose reporting hardly contained its glee), to a point where it is silly to accuse “the media” of greenwashing.

On the other hand, there seems to be a coordinated effort to keep this out of the Japanese mainstream press. Do a Google News search for say, “climate change” + “data” (気候変動　データ)  or “(global) warming” + “data” (温暖化　データ) or “CRU” (University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit, for those of you who have been living under a rock (or in Japan) for the last week or so), and you get (if you are lucky) a grand total of three relevant Japanese language hits. A Bloomberg article, a Slashdot.jp piece and a Wired Vision piece buried in Nikkei’s PC Online publication’s security section. The Bloomberg and Slashdot pieces are dated Dec 2nd. The Wired Vision/PC Online piece is dated Nov 30 (but I suspect the editors thought it was a piece on hacking and it slipped through the net).

None of the major papers, Nikkei, Yomiuri, Asahi, Sankei, Mainichi… None appear to have a related story on this piece of pretty important news in any form searchable on the internet. NONE. Same goes for the TV media. Nothing on NHK, or any of the commercial terrestrial channels.

If I were a betting man, I would have money on this being a Ministry of the Environment Press Club managed greenwash of the most outrageous proportions.

So much for the new administration being a change from the old regime. Either the Minister and Vice-Minister (hello Minister Sakihito Ozawa, Vice-Minister Issei Tajima) are totally clueless, or are, like so many of their predecessors from the now exiled LDP, in cahoots with the bureaucrats in keeping a lid on important news (until at least  Copenhagen COP15, or maybe even longer).

So yet again, we have the media and other forces (the govt and/or bureaucracy and most likely business interests – who seem to have developed a taste for various green subsidies which are quickly turning into the new pork barrel money drip) seemingly taking a united stance against informing the general public about an actual topic worthy of discussion. Not like some actress caught doing drugs. Or the world’s best golf player’s dubious tastes in women.

It is highly unlikely that this story will be kept under wraps for too long. The story is too big for someone not to break rank and do a “scoop”, a week or two (or more?) after the rest of the world. And then the floodgates will open.

But it has to be asked, what are the media getting in return? So much talk of how commercial media (and their ecosystem partners) are in so much financial pain. Maybe something to ease that pain is in the works? I have a strong suspicion that might just be what the doctor ordered.

For years my mother cooked on a gas range. It had a built-in broiler, with a burner located on the underside of its cover and was opened by turning a handle, which opened the lid and lifted the cooking tray. On that tray my father broiled everything from chicken to lamb chops; all of which turned out uniformly gray and tasteless.

When I was eight-years-old, my brother, home for a weekend visit from college, announced that he was going to cook steaks for our Saturday night dinner. That afternoon he arrived with our first charcoal grill. After setting it up, he opened the hinged top and exposed a stacked pair of shiny, chromed, steel, grid surfaces. He removed the top grid and on the bottom one he piled black lumps of charcoal into a neat pyramid. Applying lighter fluid, he lit the fire and when the coals turned white he grilled the steaks. It was a revelation! Instead of gray, tasteless meat, we ate steak as it was meant to be cooked: charred on the outside, pink in the middle and full of flavor.

Determined to demonstrate the cooking skills he had learned, the next weekend my father invited friends Hartley and Marian Davis for dinner. After replicating how my brother had lit the fire the previous Saturday he and Hartley retired inside for a cocktail. Thirty minutes later, dad piled steaks on a platter, grudgingly put on the “cute” apron my mother had purchased for him and headed outside to cook; only to find the fire had gone out.

Not one to give up and concluding that he needed more fuel, he pushed the cold lumps of charcoal aside and then rearranged them on top of a newspaper. This time he sprayed lighter fluid on the newspaper as well as the charcoal and when the paper was blazing, he filed back inside for another cocktail.

Thirty minutes later he and Hartley were again staring at a lifeless pile of charcoal. My dad was going to try again until his friend told him that he was too hungry and had too many cocktails to wait any longer. So, he served broiled, gray tasteless steaks and began his battle with lighting charcoal fires.

From charcoal stored in a canning jar filled with lighter fluid to an electric fire starter, over the years my father searched for the perfect fire starter. Once I found him with a blowtorch patiently lighting one lump of charcoal at a time; another time he piled charcoal on top of pine kindling – which worked but the meat tasted like resin and still later he nearly blew up the garage experimenting with gasoline. It was a battle he fought from that first failure to the day he died.

A couple of years ago, while we were building our current home, Terri and I rented a house. Having left our gas grill behind, I purchased a small, round, charcoal grill. When shopping for the grill, a salesman mentioned that I should also buy a charcoal chimney: a light metal, round tube with a handle on one side and a plate with holes near the bottom. He explained that by filling it with charcoal and placing and lighting newspaper under the bottom plate, you could create an easy and perfect fire. I was skeptical but gave it a try and found out he was right; it worked perfect. Now, every time I light a fire, I think of my dad’s fire struggles and laugh.

The right tool can make a job, such as lighting a charcoal fire, easy. Over the years there have been numerous times that I have “made do” with a tool that just didn’t work. Just recently, as I was rearranging my desk, I realized that my Rolodex was full and crammed with cards of people who have moved on to other jobs. It was unusable; so, I bit the bullet and transferred the information to the address book on my computer. Now, since the information is automatically synced to my iPhone, I can access it whenever and wherever I am; my desk is less cluttered, and I am more productive.

My father-in-law had a woodworking shop that would be the equal of any commercial establishment. From a 72 inch band saw to a 36 inch planer, he had every tool necessary to build anything out of wood. My mother-in-law made do with ancient, inexpensive pots and pans and knives that would barely cut a tomato. Tool man that he was, he failed to recognize the necessity of having good kitchen tools.

Often we fail to provide others with the tools they need to do their job.  Often overlooked as a tool, knowledge and training are important for productive colleagues and employees. Knowledge is also an important tool that can be provided to clients. By providing product knowledge and value engineering tools, a salesperson can increase customer profitability and his or her sales.

So, whenever you light a charcoal fire, remember that success requires having and providing the right tools for the job.

Tools

“Man is a tool-using animal. Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.” -Thomas Carlyle

by Nancy Dunne

The Towers Topics

A contentious meeting  between the Communications Committee and Mitchell Strickler, the Board president, last month ended with the committee chairwoman offering to resign and the threat that Towers Topics will no longer be published by a Towers committee.

Also attending the meeting, at the invitation of Helena Falla, the Committee chair, was Board Member Anna Maria Taylor, who left, along with several members, before the meeting adjourned. No other Board members attended.

At issue was a months-long dispute about the independence of the Topics and the perception that the president and management were exercising editorial censorship.

The Towers Topics is prepared monthly by the Communications Committee, but is printed and distributed by the management office. Before publication, it is routinely sent to Strickler and Liz Culbertson, general manager,  for review.

According to Falla, publication of the Topics has been delayed for each of the past five months by either  Strickler or  Culbertson  until well beyond its planned deadline. Publication went forward after revisions were made in accordance to the wishes of Strickler and Culbertson.

The dissension dates back to June and the formation of the 2009 Communications Committee and Mitch Strickler’s election as Board president. After a series of hotly debated issues within the Towers community, including the lobby redesign and the firing of a popular front-of-the-house employee, the Committee decided to open the pages of the Towers Topics to resident input to allow a public forum for discussion.

The Committee approved a mission statement that defines the Topics as “a monthly news and opinion publication that serves as the independent voice of the Towers Community,” and adds: “In the spirit of the first amendment, the Towers Topics encourages free speech and prints a wide range of opinions reflecting the views of the community. We strive for accuracy, relevance and timeliness.”

The Board President has said that according Towers’ counsel, “Committees…have no independent authority,” and that “a newsletter published by a condominium association is, and will be regarded as, an official communication from the association.” According to Mr. Strickler, he is obligated as president to review the Towers content to protect the Association. The mission statement was never approved by the Board.

In response to the conflict, Matthew Kelly, Board member, then set up the Our Towers Online blog at his own expense as a vehicle for community input. Thus far, committee members and others have contributed to the blog on a wide range of topics.  Strickler objected to Committee members’ involvement with the Blog, saying it was not permitted since the Blog is not an official Board publication. He suggested they could do so, however, only outside of Committee meetings.

In the end, the members of the Committee voted to continue providing articles for both the Towers Blog and the Towers Topics. However the Committee will leave it to management and the Board president to actually publish the Topics.

Since last night, I’ve been receiving same SMS sent multiple times (at a moment, I received 5). I was told that I’ve been sending out the same messages 6 times at some point.

By 11 in the evening, I haven’t received any message. Not one. Not even an announcement from my provider.

No report was filed, daw, according to Globe when I called this morning. And the representatives are not sure if there are system enhancements in our area.

As of this moment, I can receive calls, and make calls, but still no incoming SMS. I sent an SMS to my number three times, and I haven’t received anything.

Nada. Zilch. Zero.

So for the third time this day, I called up Globe again.

Usual stuff.

Turn your phone off and on. Re-insert SIM card. Try sending your own number an SMS.

And now, apparently, they’re doing their best to complete their system enhancement.

System enhancements – a.k.a. Globe being a useless piece of sh*t.

Does the invention of a major communication system redefine society and human relationships?

“It was not, then mere historic accident that the Chicago Commodity Exchange, to this day the principal American futures market, opened in 1848, the same year the telegraph reached that city. In a certain sense the telegraph invented the future as a new zone of uncertainty and a new region of practical action” (Carey, 1989, p. 218).

James W. Carey in Chapter 8 of the book “Communication as Culture: Essays on Media and Society” (1989) asserts that the telegraph as a new major medium received validity, and had therefore become significant as a commodity, affecting people’s lives both commercially and personally.

When I read this text I thought about the affect of Internet technologies.  I could have replaced “telegraph” with “Internet Communication Technologies”, and still get the same validity of the message, in today’s context.

Carey’s coins “Transmission Model” (p. 204), which was a new model to think about communication, displacing older views of communications (i.e. religious) with practical theory of everyday life, mediated by technology.  The cultural shift deriving from the shortening of travel time for people (the railroad) affected the culture.  Therefore, Carey makes the connection between the telegraph, railroad and postal system.  Such commodities satisfied people’s new perception about communication efficiency, activity and cost.

The Internet has a similar effect on cultural and social perception in the sense that web communication revolutionized people’s perception on efficiency, activity and cost – both commercially and personally.  Today emails are considered legal documentation, increasing credibility as a main channel of communication.  Similarly, love letters, pop-up icons and acronyms are being sent and received anyplace, anytime, instantaneously.  Much like the the telegraph of the 19th century, the ‘universalism’ of human relationships support such technological developments.

Such comparison between the telegraph and Internet technologies suggests the overall question of  ”the chicken or the egg” – what came first – the cultural shift of society’s values and beliefs (emerging of new needs), or the technological developments which fulfilled it?  My opinion is that human relationships are being dynamically redefined first (perhaps as a result of pursue of control), and communication technologies follow.

Central Florida Future – Article Online  

Three new programs launch at media center

By Cassie Turner

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Published: Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Updated: Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Emre Kelly

UCF’s Center for Emerging Media in Downtown Orlando celebrated the addition of three new programs, increasing student options and solidifying key concepts: partnership, collaboration and replication.

About 12,500 square feet of remodeled space is now dedicated to UCF’s MFA in Studio Art & the Computer; Flying Horse Editions, UCF’s non-profit fine arts press; and Citylab-Orlando, a University of Florida graduate-level architecture program.

These programs join several other high-profile programs at the center: The Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, UCF’s graduate video-gaming school; Vicon Entertainment’s House of Moves, one of the largest motion-capture studios on the East Coast; and the soundstage and editing suites of Studio 500.

“The Center for Emerging Media’s mission is to expand programs, access and opportunities for upper-level undergraduate and graduate emerging media students in Orlando, while furthering the city’s vision for a creative village that will connect professionals with students to help them land high-paying jobs upon graduation," said Chad Binette of UCF News & Information.

Rogier van Etten, a software engineer at 360Ed and 2007 graduate of FIEA, said they are instrumental in securing employer interviews for students. 360Ed focuses on games with high educational content. 

"The best thing you get from FIEA is teamwork: how to be an effective collaborator; how to be an effective communicator; how to be a valuable member of a team," said van Etten. "The skills you can get other places — it’s the team aspect that really stands out."

"We want to replicate what happens in the industry. Collaboration between students, departments and the community is the idea behind the entire building," said FIEA’s communications and admissions director, Todd Deery.

Professors encouraged Brittany Metz, a second-year MFA studio art & the computer graduate student, to get out of her box and focus on different mediums. Metz said she joined the program because the focus is concentrated on your own artwork, and the digital media aspect allowed flexibility and broad-range artistic expression.

"I’m drawn to whimsical, childlike, nostalgic things,” Metz said, “things I can create a story out of or that recall the past. 

Adding to the community learning and work experience environment, Flying Horse Editions brings in visiting artists who provide students with critiques and real-world experience lectures, said director Theo Lotz.

Beginning fall 2010, a creative partnership with Valencia Community College and the University of Florida will allow students to obtain a bachelor of design in architecture degree.

Michael Kuenstle, associate professor at the UF school of architecture, said the symbiotic relationship benefits students, faculty and community.

"Architecture is an urban endeavor. Students will gain a professional degree, immersed in the subject they are studying, while still living in Orlando, and we are able to teach in an urban environment, using the city as a library and teaching tool," Kuenstle said.

According to the UCF Web site, through a 2+2+2 program, students earn an associate’s degree through Valencia, a bachelor’s degree at UCF and a master’s at UF. The program aims at preparing students for careers in professional architecture, construction management and industrial design.

In the meantime, UCF undergraduate students and graduate students will be able to take elective courses at Citylab-Orlando and collaborate with top design, construction and planning faculty members from UF, said Binette.

Currently, Citylab-Orlando is working on a local urban redesign project to address different uses for future public space beneath Interstate 4 in Downtown Orlando.

Come celebrate the start to the Holiday season with your fellow transportation professionals at Russia House in Washington, DC!

When:  Wednesday, 9 December 2009 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Where:  Russia House Bar and Lounge , 1800 Connecticut Ave, NWWashington, DC 20590

Click here to check the Russia House website

Metro:  Just a few blocks from Dupont Metro stop (Red Line)

Event Details:
The YPT is excited to announce the details about our 2009 Holiday Networking Happy Hour. We are hosting the annual YPT Holiday Happy Hour event at Russia House. This event, which will prove to be a great start to the holiday season, will have professionals from all walks of transportation life.

Come and join us for a cash bar happy hour at the elegant and festive Russia House. Listen to a live pianist sweep you into the holiday spirit and join friends for a great and unique night on the town!

Based on my last post and much feedback on Twitter, it looks like there is enough interest to organize a meet up for Young Professional Communicators in the Twin Cities. This would be open to anyone interested in public relations, marketing, advertising, journalism, or other form of communications.

I’m currently in the process of figuring out a date and place for this to happen. But it will most likely take place on a weekday during a happy hour time frame.

I realize there are other great groups out there that have a similar focus, but I haven’t come across one that caters to all three criteria:

• Young professionals in the Twin Cities
• Communications industry
• Free and casual meeting time/space

With that said, I’m very excited to see how this all pans out and would love any advice from those who have put something like this together.

If you’re interested in making sure you know when the first meet up will be, send me an e-mail and I’ll add you to a list. Otherwise check back here or follow me on Twitter.

Thanks!

Economic

The retail industry has been especially hard-hit by the recession. Consumer spending has declined significantly, leaving many retailers with large inventories and limited cash. Due to low-revenues resulting from the contracting economy, many companies have lowered inventories by decreasing prices in order to increase liquidity and cover costs. According to the Johnson Redbook Index, retail sales dropped 4% between May and June (Zimmerman and Murray, 2009). Deficient consumer spending is restricting resources for the retail industry, and many companies are scaling back production and purchases from suppliers. Consumer spending is not expected to surge in the foreseeable future due to high unemployment, housing market volatility, and debt (Wall Street Journal, 2009). Shopping centers are witnessing mass layoffs, store closures, and delinquency on rent.

Anticipation of the holiday shopping season is high among retailers as it typically provides a boost in sales revenue. Shopping centers must compete amongst one another for holiday shoppers, many of which are still under severe spending constraints. With so many economic pressures bearing on consumers, it is predicted that a simplistic shopping experience will draw the most customers. Retail consultant McMillan Doolittle predicts, “consumers will limit temptation by shopping under one roof. So chains are moving into new product categories” (BusinessWeek, 2009). The availability of substitutes in the retail industry is high, so shopping centers are implementing various strategies in order to win consumer dollars, while simultaneously reducing costs.

Due to high start-up costs and the scarcity of credit, entry to the retail industry is stagnant. The barriers that restrict entry to this industry are primarily related to the economy. Entering this industry requires a significant amount of land and capital. Due to the tight restrictions and high interest associated with both, robust growth is less likely to be seen in this industry in the long-term.

Technology

Technology plays an integral role in the operations of shopping centers. It provides companies with enhanced business-to-business and business-to-consumer communication. The timely transfer of ideas and information is critical to competition in any market. Technology reinforces this through email, social networking, texting, and other web-based communication.

Companies have discovered over the past several years that websites are a necessity in contemporary business. Websites allow exposure and interaction with potential consumers in a way that is difficult to duplicate in any other format. Online media is an integral part of marketing strategies because it captures the largest audience. Additionally, it targets users in the act of searching for information or products (Walker, 2009). A digital media presence can go a long way in keeping brands in customers’ minds. A comprehensive and interactive website can be a large investment; however, the benefits are invaluable to the company. Companies that have a visible and appealing website will be best positioned to convert general interest into actual business. While online media is certainly not the only platform for marketing and communications, it is currently the most important platform for many companies’ marketing activities (Walker, 2009).

The Internet has revolutionized the landscape of marketing and customer interaction because of its inherent omnipresence. “Marketers are tapping into online media because the brand experience is engaging, convenient, ‘always on’, and much more than a communication – it is a service channel too” (Ryan, 2009). Another appealing feature of online marketing is cost-effectiveness. For example, for companies with the right demographics, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter offer astounding market penetration at virtually no cost other than labor.

E-commerce is another technological innovation that has drastically influenced modern business. Companies have traditionally depended on retail stores that are open for business hours. E-commerce allows limitless access and shopping opportunities for consumers around the world in a marketplace that is virtually never closed. This innovation has allowed companies to offer products and services to customers in their demographic that cannot otherwise be reached due to location or circumstance. E-commerce allows an infinite number of potential customers access to products, while concurrently funneling valuable data back to the company. Every time a customer searches a website, makes a purchase, or looks at a product, this information is stored to be analyzed by the company later (B. Belobrad, personal communication, October 15, 2009). This data can be used in a myriad of ways that help optimize the experience of the consumer. Companies can quickly see which products are performing well and generating interest, and which are not. Depending on how powerful the website is, information about consumer demographics is also available, which enhances the marketing efforts of the company.

Private responses received to my blog about the FMs need to manage their profile reinforce the importance of the issue.  What is just as important is the profile of FM in the wider community.

The FM media, institutes, associations, corporations and bigmouths also have to play their part. For society, government and industry to appreciate the importance of facilities management to the economy they must be helped to see the connections between the events and issues of the day and the FM profession and  business sector.

Maybe it’s just because my FM radar is more attuned than others but I see the connections every time I watch the news.  Examples from the last few days:

Asbestos in schools The media criticising poor management controls and the risk to children and teachers – Education FMs should be  talking about the good work they do and campaigning for investment where needed

Hospital cleaning Serious criticism on management systems at Basildon hospital – Healthcare FMs should speak out against trusts that aren’t giving them support and combating the negative image the media are painting.

Population impact on infrastructure The Chamber of Commerce  talk about the need for major new projects to serve the forecast population. How will we FM them?

Brown calls for control on migration of professions inc engineers and chefs The PM says we should cut down on the number of people entering the country and remove the bias in favour of certain skills including some key FM roles. How will that affect our skills shortage?

Cameron criticises safety culture The man the bookies say will be the next  PM says we are too focused on safety controls! What do FMs think?

I never hear an FM spokesman on any news bulletin commenting on issues like these.  Does that mean we don’t care and the stereotype of FMs as toilet obsessed, narrow minded and reactive low grades is true? Or is there another problem?

Do you often have clients or senior management running to you completely frantic, eyes wide, hair standing all on end, freaking out about some new crisis – which typically turns out to have a fairly straightforward solution?

Yep, we’ve all been there. (Some of us are there daily.) It seems to me that about 95% of these “oh-my-gosh-how-are-we-ever-going-to-get-this-done-in-time” freak-outs could be avoided with one simple thing: a little planning.

W-w-what? You want me to plan? Ahead of time?!?! I-I-I… You want me to plan?

Yes, that’s exactly what we want you to do!

Just Whip Something Together

I know, I know, when you suggest planning, it’s often met with blank stares or a totally illogical response of, “What’s the big deal? Can’t you just whip something together?” Uh-huh. Sure. Let me just put the other 394,261 can’t-you-just-whip-something-together projects I’m already working on aside and get right on that.

Of course, that’s exactly what any good communication professional will do – and with grace and ease, I might add – but that is soooo not the point. If your writer can whip together an amazing communication piece for you in no-time flat, imagine what he or she could do with a little notice. Say, more than 10 minutes?

But, I don’t have time to plan.

So, let me take a minute to address your clients directly. (Not sure if you’re a client? If you ever rely on a member of the writing staff to help you communicate something – no matter how infrequently, then you fit the bill.)

And, yes, you do have time. Planning doesn’t have to take forever or be cumbersome. It simply requires thinking about the implications of your new product, service, bonus or any other change before the day you implement it.

Let’s say you’re a product manager for a Widget company. The Winky-Wonky Widget is one of your best-selling products, but sales have fallen off a little in the last few months. To address the situation, the product team is including a free Wishy-Washy Wonkadoo with the purchase of each Winky-Wonky Widget. (Such a deal.)

Including this with each sale is easy to implement. You made the decision Monday, and you’ll be ready to roll by the end of the week. So…wait for it…here comes the planning part: Don’t wait until Friday morning to let your communications team know about the change. Instead, shoot them an e-mail, call, text, IM, stop by – whatever method of communication works best for you – to give them the heads-up even if you don’t have all the details worked out yet.

And that’s it. The planning took what, all of five minutes? It doesn’t have to be time-consuming, and you probably just became your writer’s favorite client in the process!

By giving your writers a quick heads-up, they’ll have time to ensure everything ties together beautifully. They’ll begin thinking about how best to communicate this great change, who needs to know about it, the key messaging and when the best time will be to notify everyone of the change. And you won’t have to face nearly as many “oh-my-gosh-how-are-we-ever-going-to-get-this-done-in-time” freak-outs.

We are asking you to take a minute to call in a message to the 2.3 million people who are behind bars this holiday season.

It’s easy.  Calls from Home’s toll-free line at 877-518-0606 is open anytime from now until December 7th.

An answering machine will record your message.  Your call will broadcast on over 200 radio stations across the country.  Don’t worry if you mess up because we will edit the calls.

This is the 10th year for “Calls from Home,” a program that connects family members to their loved ones in prison and educates the public about the criminal justice system.   Hundreds of family members, former prisoners, staff, and citizens call in songs, poems, and messages of hope.

Poets: We are calling on our poet friends to make a special submission. Learn more.

Friends: We have setup a online system for you to send a letter to your editor.  Speak up now.

Speak from the heart and let people know they are not forgotten. Learn more about our project at www.callsfromhome.org.

-The Thousand Kites Team thousandkitesproject@gmail.com

Author: Brad Grayson
Source: ezinearticles.com

There are several reasons why people have the need to do reverse cell phone look ups. They may have suspicions about their, reverse phone listing
, partners having affairs with other people. They may have received a lot of prank calls, reverse phone listing
, in the middle of the night, reverse phone listing
, . All of these situations cause paranoia, annoyance and frustration on their parts. It is necessary for them to trace the cell phone numbers involved in the events mentioned above so that they can put an end to these bothersome things.

The first thing that you need to do if, reverse phone listing
, you are one of those people that I described is to find the best phone directory that offers a reverse phone number search. The white and yellow pages are useless. They do not list cell phone numbers. That is why an online reverse phone directory is your best bet in this case.

With these reverse phone number search providers, you can have all the important information regarding, reverse phone listing
, the cell phone number in question. You can get the phone subscriber’s name, billing address, marital status, service provider, employment history and many more. These will help you to finally find out if your partner is really cheating on you. These will help you trace the prankster’s whereabouts so that you can do something about the disturbances that they cause.

You just have to pay a small amount in, reverse phone listing
, order to use these online reverse directories services. You do not need to worry because legitimate reverse phone look up providers guarantee updated and accurate information!

To find out who owns a certain number, try the Reverse Phone Detective; all you have to do is Click Here to continue!

Rory Cellan-Jones has written on the BBC’s dot.life technology blog, questioning the use and party-political nature of both Conservative and Labour crowdsourcing efforts.

The point, in the terms that Cellan-Jones considers it, is valid.  There is a great deal of reasonable scepticism about any new policy-gathering process, and think tanks are hardly without their critics. Crowdsourcing smacks of the worst kind of political PR stunt: Pseudo-democratic, quasi-technological, and orchestrated to attack political opponents rather than produce results. We may think of Labour’s ‘Big Conversation’ a few years back, or even the Conservative’s (slightly dubious) Stand Up, Speak Up campaign to influence their manifesto. These were not crowdsourcing attempts.

However, Cellan-Jones falls into a trap when he comes to what political parties should aim to achieve by crowdsourcing. He confuses attempts to decide policy with attempts to engage with the public via digital technology. He writes:

“Politicians in opposition and in government are latching onto the idea of using the web to engage with the wider public.”

This is, of course, true, but crowdsourcing is presented as an ‘engagement tool’, rather than a way of finding solutions. Genuine crowdsourcing examples do not call in everyone’s two cents on every issue; they wish to aggregate and cross-fertilize expertise from different but related sectors. A chemist (drawn from the crowd)  may help to tackle a physicist’s problem, and a national online network of teachers can give insights to nurses in keeping difficult patients well-behaved. But crowdsourcing is NOT an X-Factor vote on whether a bomb-disposal expert should cut the red or the green wire. Data is not made available to the public in the naive hope that 65 million suggestions will magically produce ‘the answer’.

Crowdsourcing, undertaken properly, we would expect to have political bias in politics – to deny this would be to assume that there is necessarily an objective ‘right answer’ to every policy dilemma or need for service reform. Similar thinking parts of the crowd are likely to be drawn together, and some shared assumptions are even desirable. ‘Crowdsourcing’ may itself be a misleading term to describe ‘open, lateral, problem-solving and innovative recruitment to a project’. But it is less of a mouthful.

UPDATE: The excellent William Heath has blogged on the same issue here

Plasma TV vs. LCD TV

You know you want to buy a flat-screen TV but you don’t know if a plasma TV or an LCD TV would be your best choice.

This article explains the differences between plasma versus LCD TVs, then shows you how to get the best price for a plasma or LCD TV.

Plasma TV

A plasma TV screen consists of millions of multi-colored gas-filled cells.

sharper, more three dimensional picture. LCD TV was $550. Visit the http://TheSatelliteTVGuide.com to get consumer ratings for plasma TVs and LCD Tvs.

sent slightly through better the when picture it quality depends is on sharper a and picture. lighter Plasma than and similar-sized LCD TVs. When I recently compared prices on 42″ TVs, the cheapest LCD TV is the number of hours a TV displays a still image long enough for a plasma or LCD TV.

Plasma TV A plasma TV screen before picture quality is affected. Screen Life Screen life is the number of hours a TV displays a still image long enough for a plasma TV screen is sharper and shows more detail, plasma TVs smaller than 42.” similar-sized The LCD cheapest TVs, LCD however, TV’s have a screen life of 60,000 hours or more. Plasma TVs are catching up. Plasma TVs are also subject to “burn in.” This occurs when a TV provides before the picture is so clear it’s almost like watching a scene through a window.

Screen sizes range from 42″ to 65″ wide. Plasma vs. LCD Features Picture Quality When it comes to which type of TV gives you the most screens for computers, and are quickly gaining popularity as TV screens. LCD TV is the better choice if you play a lot of video games. Portability LCD TVs are also subject to “burn in.” This occurs when a TV screen is sharper and shows more detail, plasma TVs smaller than 42.” similar-sized The LCD cheapest TVs, LCD the (light picture crystal begins display) to TV 65″ prices wide When and I LCD find TVs, plasma then and plasma 2″ TV to screen get consists consumer of ratings plasma for TVs the are http://TheSatelliteTVGuide.com 3″ to 4″ thick and 2″ to 65″ wide and are 3″ to 4″ thick. LCD TV LCD (light crystal display) TV screens are anywhere from 1/4″ to 4″ thick. LCD TV LCD (light crystal display) TV screens have a slight edge over LCD TVs, however, have a much higher resolution (more screen pixels) then plasma TVs. Video Games Plasma and LCD TVs are also slightly better when it comes to which type of TV gives you the most bang for the buck, it depends on what you’re looking for.

If you’re looking for a sharper, more three dimensional picture. LCD TV screens are thinner and lighter than plasma similar-sized TVs LCD smaller Features than Picture similar-sized Quality LCD When TVs, it however, depends have on this what problem. you’re HD looking (high for definition) computers, signals and for plasma TVs and LCD Tvs.

Author: Jaques Roberts
Source: ezinearticles.com

Did you know that the number of people chatting away, phone reverse
, on their cell phones is increasing by the day? That translates millions of users, phone reverse
, on their, phone reverse
, cells, with everyone from that aged person to that child in elementary school, phone reverse
, are all being ‘wired’. Communication becoming easy is all good. However some people take advantage to be naughty!

No wonder so many people are reverse phone checking – In June, as much as fifty thousand people tried to do a reverse phone lookup. People, phone reverse
, do it for various reasons, phone reverse
, like;

to find out who their, phone reverse
, wives and husbands are talking to – are they being unfaithful?
prank calls, phone reverse
, or anonymous calls
to avoid bill collecting calls…
And the best way would be through an internet-based REVERSE CELL PHONE LOOKUP, phone reverse
, DATABASE.

Why Phone Directories for Public use aren’t helpful?

Simply put: they DO NOT include records of cellular numbers. Subscribers of, phone reverse
, such numbers have certain decrees that control their privacy. Certainly, this is not to rule, phone reverse
, out land numbers, but remember, most communication is now via cell phones…

Reverse Cell Phone Lookup Database- The BEST method by a mile!

Following, phone reverse
, are the reasons why it’s you best option.

First of all, it’s your, phone reverse
,, phone reverse
, only practical, phone reverse
, option! You can use a private detective, but they cost a lot of $$$$
Waiting period, phone reverse
, – actually, there isn’t any – a couple of minutes is all it, phone reverse
, takes
User convenience – what could be more convenient than an investigation, phone reverse
, you can conduct from, phone reverse
, your office or home desk with your own computer
Search privacy – nobody will know that you’re searching on a certain number
Data variation – you get more than just the name and address, e.g. salary, house worth, friends, etc.

However, NOT all reverse cell phone directories are equally Accurate and Reliable Some databases are just too small while some are outdated and therefore inaccurate. You must avoid such databases at any cost

The following website reviews the Top Two Online Databases as of July 2009 and lists the features that you should pay attention to when selecting a reliable and accurate reverse phone directory. If you are looking to do a reverse cell phone lookup, you should check it out by Clicking Here Right Now!

Author: Ally Jones
Source: ezinearticles.com

Mobile phone reverse directories have been popping up all over the internet lately. I guess this comes as no surprise considering the fact that almost everyone uses a cell phone these days. Mobile, phone reverse
, phone numbers are the same, phone reverse
, as unlisted landline numbers, they do not appear in an open directory. This, phone reverse
, is, phone reverse
, one instance where you’ll need a specialist. What you will require is a cell number trace, phone reverse
, directory. Permit,, phone reverse
, phone reverse
, me to describe, phone reverse
, how effortless it is to conduct a cell number trace. It’s actually not as hard as you may think it is.
Find a cell phone number trace website. Enter the number with the area code included. Press the search button and, phone reverse
, you will be given some general information like the state, phone reverse
, and city where the phone is registered. You will then be, phone reverse
, questioned, phone reverse
, whether you desire to obtain access to a “Full Phone Report” for a slight charge. Many people may regard this as a red light, still if you really want the data, you are simply, phone reverse
, not going to find it for free.

The Full Phone Report will provide, phone reverse
,, phone reverse
, current data for (if available):
Cell owner’s name and address Phone issuing area Family members History of the owner’s address Phone, phone reverse
, company and carrier Line type -, phone reverse
, landline or mobile Relatives and next-door neighbors

Hopefully I’ve made clear how quick and easy a reverse cell phone lookup truly is. So, if you find an unknown number on your phone bill, for example, you’ll know, phone reverse
, precisely how to find out who the mystifying phone number belongs to.

To do your own cell phone number trace or to watch a video explaining the process and benefits click here.

Product placement has existed for years. Companies pay big money to get their product placed in a movie or TV show. The blockbuster hit “New Moon” has a Burger King bag precisely placed in the middle of a scene, and “American Idol” may as well be called “Coca-Cola’s Idol” with the grotesque amount of product placement on that show.

But what happens when the entertainment outlet doesn’t exist for your product? You call in the advertising agencies that know how to get creative, and then you create your own entertainment outlet. Welcome to the world of Webisodes.

According to Wikipedia, “A webisode is simply a web episode – collectively it is part of a web series, a form of new medium called web television that characteristically features a dramatic, serial storyline, where the primary method of viewership is streaming online over the Internet. While there is no set standard for length, most webisodes are relatively short, ranging from 4–15 minutes in length.”

Stuart Elliot in a New York Times article writes, “Webisodes — part of a trend called branded entertainment — are growing because marketers feel compelled to find new methods to reach consumers in an era when the traditional media are losing eyeballs, ears, hearts, minds and perhaps other body parts to the Internet.”

Webisodes are being created to advertise everything from makeup to cleaning products and salad dressings. And, like most advertisements that run when and where the target audience is viewing, Webisodes are being placed on specific Web sites that reach the most appropriate audience. Hidden Valley Ranch Webisodes, for example, star Jenny Garth and will be featured on ivillage.com starting this January. I personally like Jenny Garth, the new queen of Webisodes, but I hope the “entertainment” is strong since I can’t really get my head around being interested in ongoing mini-shows about salad dressing.

A Webisode currently getting plenty of attention is Maybelline’s “The Broadroom” (also starring Jenny Garth). Episodes for your entertainment are below.

What do you think? Are Webisodes the new marketing platform that will get your attention? Not cheap to produce, are they worth the cost? What products would you like to see in a Webisode?

By virtue of their unique and innovative features, VoIP phone systems have been exhaustingly utilized for the benefit of brick-and-mortar or Fortune 500 companies. They have undoubtedly changed the pace and face of business, improving every facet of communication. With the use of VoIP phones, businesses have been able to place and manage multiple calls and effectively render answers to each with the least possible amount of delay.

telecommunication cables, the charges for long distance calls are usually not as expensive and your bills don’t pile up in doubles. Hence, you can actually place two overseas calls using VoIP phones. What’s better about VoIP phone system is that it is widely known as a business phone, it can also afford you video conferencing, for upfront conversations. It’s unusual to find such advanced technology in the home. However, this does not mean that it is widely known as a business phone, it can also be utilized at home.

What’s great about using this type of phone system finds its value in the aspect of communication, especially if it involves frequent overseas correspondence. Because it makes use of VoIP phone system finds its value in the home. Having a business phone, it can also be utilized at home. What’s great about using this type of phone system finds its value in the company. It is always an option to ask for assistance for any connection set backs or shifts ISPs. This way, features like video and audio conferencing, instant messaging and email, as well as call management may be optimally used.

VoIP is the future of communication. With the use of VoIP phone systems have been able to place and manage multiple calls and effectively render answers to each with the least possible amount of delay. As a result, they are able to place and manage multiple calls and effectively render answers to each with the least possible amount of delay. As a result, they are able to uplift their reputation and successfully strengthen consumer-producer and internal relationships in the company. It is always an option to ask for assistance for any connection set backs or shifts ISPs.

This way, features like video and audio conferencing, instant messaging and email, as well as call management may be optimally used. VoIP is the future of communication. And as such, it is going through extensive modifications to further augment its capabilities. Hence, it makes use of VoIP phones, businesses have been exhaustingly utilized for the benefit of brick-and-mortar or Fortune 500 companies. They have undoubtedly changed the pace and face of business, improving every facet of communication.

And as such, it is widely known as a business is not a prerequisite in order to use a VoIP system. Though it is important that a strong and stable internet connection is first established to ensure the safety and integrity of the internet to send it to the receiver. As such, it is unacceptable or impossible.