Listen to the episode HERE.

Kathie What Introduced Mandi to Fanfiction Apparently drops by the Hurdle Hut to discuss the hurdles inherent in internet dating. Jakob and Mandi had success on Plenty of Fish (dot com), Kathie, not so much. Yet.

Our Panel of Theatrical Experts, l-r: Kristin Skye Hoffmann, Jon Stancato, and Gus Schulenburg

We’re back at Stuck Between Studios this week with our Panel of Theatrical Experts, a special edition presentation featuring me over-using the word “absolutely” so as to seem insightful in the presence of my very intelligent guests.

Thanks to Kristin, Jon, and Gus for speaking so candidly and thoughtfully about their work, and I do hope you will join me in getting out to see everything they’ve got coming up.  You can check out Wide Eyed Productions right here, Stolen Chair Theatre Company right here (and their Community Supported Theatre project in particular right here), and Flux Theatre Ensemble right here.  These are ambitious peoples, my friends, and I was humbled to have them in the studio.

Hope your New Year is getting off to a marvelous beginning–thanks for spending this part of it with The Road 2 Shambala.  We’ll be returning to our regularly scheduled programming this Thursday with Exit 12, which begins production right…NOW!

This week, we discuss some prediction that we have for Lord of the Rings Online in 2010, as well as some fan submitted predictions.

1) There will be a new class introduced in the next expansion

2) NO new class in the next expansion

3) We will see another re-vamp to the combat system that allow for many, many, many NPCs to be on screen at the same time – Chris

4) Mount revamps – new types/animals, customizability, flying eagles(?) – Bill

5) The crafting system will be given a revamp that will include tutorial quests – Chris

6) Content updates will be new skirmishes – story updates/content will be included in “small” expansions like SoM – Bill

7) Next expansion is Rohan, with Helms Deep. – Chris

http://www.casualstrolltomordor.com/2009/11/glimpse-into-the-future/

2 more expansions/content updates (summer, xmas) – Bill

9) Way out there wild prediction of the year – additional skirmishes will be purchasable as DLC/micro-transactions. – Bill

10) From Isanni: Cleanup of Shire starting area – less fed ex

11) From Sallenia:  Horse quest (level 35) re-done and made shorter

Listener Submited

Dreadhed:

In regards to the thought of paying more for an expansion than the multimonth program I am on now, would likely cause me to leave. I give turbine $120 a year. I hardly consider that ‘free’. They know that if they want to keep players interested and willing to keep paying they have to keep adding content to keep the game interesting. If they trapped me at Loth and asked me to give more than I already am giving them just to access the new content, I quite possible would cancel and walk. I consider the new content part of what I am paying them for now.

As far as what I hope for in 2010. I would love to see another Moria sized expansion late fall that opens up Rohan and moves the lvl cap to 70.

Prior to that I could see some additional land around Mirkwood opening potentially Isengard. But I would like some brighter landscapes, loth was a nice change from the darkness of Moria, and I hope to see something similar as Mirkwood is pretty dark, so I am hoping for Rohan. Which will bring a sweet 400hp fast war horse as a rep item…

Korrath:

I believe most people are expecting Rohan as the 2010 expansion. Mounted combat? I think not..Too much of a combat system overhaul. Age of Conan epic failed at their attempt.

I think a big question is what zones they will add throughout the year. With SoM being a relatively small expansion, I would expect several zones added. Especially with the announcement of Volume 3 being on the horizon. Fanghorn? Definitely follows the path of the ring and game expansions.

First Age Weapons?

Revamps of Fornost and Annuminas?

Always listening, gratz on the year!

I take it back…maybe not several zones..but 1-2

Green Armadillo

I think that there will definitely be another paid mini-expansion this year, and players will be expected to actually pay this time. IMO, the point of giving this one away for “free”, beyond luring people into multi-month subscriptions, was to establish a precedent that content additions of this size are worth an additional fee.

Also, expect some way to pay (real cash) for additional shared storage boxes. They put way too much effort into that UI to have it limited to a single 20-slot box.

iTunes 5 Star Reviews

jaseuk – 2nd person from the UK to write a 5 star review on iTunes. Thank you!

Tosaf (of Silverlode) – Thank you!

The Podcast

You can also download the podcast directly here: Podcast 019

Top Ten Marketing Tips for a Small Business Owner

March 21, 2008 by
Michelle Devon

Small Business Promotion is Key for Exposure

Having been a small business owner for more than 13 years now, I know that marketing a small business can be one of the most time-consuming aspects of running a business. However, without marketing it’s tough to get clients or customers. Since clients and customers are what make your business profitable, it stands to reason that marketing is essential for the success and growth of a small business.
Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about marketing and promoting a small business, both from trial and error and reading everything I could find on the subject. This article will summarize the top 10 small business marketing tips I have learned.

Small Business Marketing Tip No. 1 – Network, Network, Network
There is just no way around it, networking is key to marketing a small business. Who you know, who they know and who knows you and your business can make all the difference. The best advertising any business can get is word-of-mouth.

Small Business Marketing Tip No. 2 – Become an Expert
Read, study, learn and know your business and its industry better than your competition, and share that knowledge so others know. Share your expertise in your field via marketing articles, a professional Web site with information, pod or webcasts or telephone seminars so your clients or customers can see you know your stuff.

Small Business Marketing Tip No. 3 – Know your Consumer
Be your own customer, put yourself in their shoes and look at your small business like a potential client or customer would view it, and not like someone in the industry. Perhaps you’re too close to your own small business to see it the way a consumer would, so ask friends, family or business associates to give you critical and honest feedback from the perspective of a client, and then use that feedback to best benefit the consumer.

Small Business Marketing Tip No. 4 – Make Time to Market
Marketing is easily one of the least favored aspects of owning a small business, and all too often, small business owners do not spend the time necessary to market their business. Marketing should be done every week, consistently, if you want new clients or customers. Set aside time every week, at least a couple of times per week, to market and promote yourself and your small business and stick to that schedule.

Small Business Marketing Tip No. 5 – Follow Up with Consumers
Once you have a customer or client, it’s easier to keep them and have repeat business from satisfied consumers than it is to attract new business. After all, you should have their contact information already and you’ve already performed quality work for them, so follow up on that. Take the time to e-mail or call former customers or clients and thank them for their business and ask if you can do anything to help them with future or current needs.

Small Business Marketing Tip No. 6 – Have a Web Presence
The Internet is a great place for additional exposure and marketing avenues, and most everyone seems to be on the Internet nowadays. People research things on the Internet before they buy or use services, and if you aren’t on the Web, you’re missing a marketing opportunity for your small business. Web hosting and design can range anywhere from very inexpensive to expensive, depending on what you purchase, but reasonable rates can be found to put up a Web presence for your small business with contact information and products or services.

Small Business Marketing Tip No. 7 – Have a Plan
Marketing can be hit or miss if you’re out trying lots of different things but not sticking with any of them consistently. Set a plan, decide what you’re going to try and then put the plan into action. After a time, look at what is working for you and what isn’t, and adjust your plan as necessary, removing those things that haven’t proven useful, and putting more work or time into those things that are.

Small Business Marketing Tip No. 8 – Start a Newsletter or Blog
Keeping your business in front of the consumer will make them remember you when they need your services or products in the future. Once you’ve made contact with a potential client or customer, offer them something free, such as signing up for an informative newsletter or blog. This can tie in with tip No. 2 of making yourself an expert in your field. This also gives you the consumer’s contact information so you can target marketing directly to the client.

Small Business Marketing Tip No. 9 – Don’t Spam or Scam
Marketing isn’t easy, as any small business owner knows, and it’s easy to fall into the scam and spam shortcuts that are offered by other ‘marketers.’ While many of these schemes do work short term to drive traffic or customers to you or your Web site, eventually, these techniques will give your business a bad name, make you look bad and will do nothing to foster a relationship with a consumer. Don’t take the quick-fix route.

Small Business Marketing Tip No. 10 – Network, Network, Network
I know! I’ve already mentioned this one, so now you’ll feel you’re cheated out of 10 tips, but I cannot stress the benefit of networking enough. Join associations or groups that are specific to your field, join your local chamber of commerce, associate with people in your field. One of the biggest paying assignments I ever received for my small business came from a competitor who was too busy to accept the assignment so he referred the client to me instead. Never underestimate the value of networking.
Proper marketing takes a little time and effort, but it is absolutely essential for the growth and stability of your business. Don’t be afraid to put yourself and your business out there and be known. Paying attention to marketing and trends for your small business can make the difference between success or going back to that ‘day job.’

Below is the link to the article:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/669319/top_ten_marketing_tips_for_a_small_pg2.html?cat=3

These show notes are for Episode of The Warcraft Syndicate Copyright 2009.

Intro

Segment 1 – This week in WoW

Gill – Got my Authenticator!  Less than 100 old-world quest for Loremaster Eastern Kingdoms/Kalimdor!  Tactical error in Loch Modan…aka Looking for Others…oops.

Stacalm – Only 3 more heroic achievements to get my Red Proto-Drake! Wrapped presents for all my WoW friends…Merry Christmas WoW friends.

Banking on Core Hound Pups – http://www.wow.com/2009/12/19/using-the-corehound-pup-to-secure-guildbanks/

40-page Magazine Preview at Wow.com – http://www.wow.com/2009/12/26/wow-magazine-preview-now-online/

Segment 2 – Blizzard Blues

Stam stacking or avoidance?
http://www.wowblues.com/us/stam-stacking-or-avoidance-22050166545.html

Ghostcrawler weighs in on another damage meter flaw
http://www.wowblues.com/us/the-problem-with-wowmeterhighest-dps-lists-22048446347.html

No Strength-based Ashen Verdict ring
http://www.wowblues.com/us/ashen-verdicit-rep-21726119617.html

Segment 3 – Change Bank

Guild leaders need a way to see who has an authenticator attached to their account.  This way, they know who they can trust with greater access to their gbank.  We debate whether this should be done with a mod or if it would better off in Blizzard’s hands.

Segment 4 – Loot Table

Gill went and saw Avatar and explains how he couldn’t resist comparing the Avatar setting to Azeroth!  The Loot Table itself IS Avatar.  GO SEE IT!

Segment 5 – E-Mail / Q&A

Email us at thewarcraftsyndicate@gmail.com.

Segment 6- Wrap-up

* Contest update.
* Thanks to TexasMusicForge, HerbertBoland and lukaso @ The Freesound Project @ www.freesound.org for making available sounds for the show.
* How to participate in the show – Right now, you can e-mail us at thewarcraftsyndicate@gmail.com. Leave us e-mail questions, audio questions, comments, suggestions, etc.
* On the intertubes, you can find us at thewarcraftsyndicate.wordpress.com. Here we’ll be posting show notes, news, thoughts and ideas and other things related to the podcast and WoW in general! You can get links to the RSS feed, and the iTunes feed as well.
* 5-star review shoutouts:
* And just like Blizzard, the next podcast will be released within 7-10 days, or when it’s done (registered Trademark)

Downloads

RSS Feed

Direct Download

iTunes Podcast Feed

The hand-drawn rear cover art for OGS's "Arts and Crafts"

The Road 2 Shambala: Joyce Kilmer Service Area was recorded and edited on December 23rd at my mom’s house in Alexandria, VA, on my clunky old laptop with a dinosaur version of Garageband which won’t let you record more than 30 minutes of audio at a time. Stuck Between Studios, I miss you so!

Thanks to the members of all the music groups featured on the show–Trio Agua Fria, OGS, Devil’s Workshop Big Band, Amiel, and DJ Flav. Some of you I know well, others I’ve never met and likely never will, but it was a true joy to stumble across your sounds in my puttering about the family house. Our experiences with music used to be so wonderfully specific before the Internet was the main means of distribution–I loved remembering the exact moment I was handed all of your CD’s, and by whom.

Happy holidays and thank you for listening–we’ll be broadcasting from Stuck Between Studios again next week!

Listen to the episode HERE.

Christmas is a time of love and peace and joy and goodwill and massive movie hurdles. Why are Christmas movies so freakin’ terrible? Why are they so freakin’ wonderful? How is it they can be both at the same time? It’s a Christmas miracle.

Speaking of wonderful and terrible, the below Christmas special is something… uh, special. Forward to the 0m45s mark for the good bits. “Is snow!”

What would make it better though? Badgers!

For those who might be interested: a 192kbs stereo version of the easter egg song (Wookie Toucher) can be downloaded HERE.

Parker Griffith is a Republican?

Yep.

Amazing that everyone seems to forget all the attacks on the guy a little over a year ago.

Here is a refresher…

All is forgiven?

Hubbard and Griffith often crossed swords while Griffith was in the Legislature, but now Hubbard says all is forgiven.

“It’s almost like coming to your church and asking forgiveness for past sins,” Hubbard said. “You don’t turn them away. We’ll forgive him for his sins.”

Seriously? These guys might want to check with their base and get a vibe of the anger towards Griffith.

This is pathetic.

Now I am not stupid and I know that outside AL-05 this is a good thing because it takes a vote away from Nancy Pelosi, but in North Alabama this is a slap in the face of conservatives by the GOP.

This will be NY-23 all over again, Griffith has just eliminated the NRCC, it’s stupid attacks and it’s money from this equation because now this is a safe GOP seat.

So how many sins does a party switcher get absolved? All of them?

Sadly, yes.

Parker Griffith: Murderer? That is fine.

Parker Griffith: Friend of Islamic Terrorists? That is fine.

How about Parker Griffith: Child Molester?

Griffith switched because he knew he was going to lose and now with his money advantage he feels he has a shot… he’s right.

I did some analysis on WAAY-TV last night…

• 6:30AM – Mooncat from Left in Alabama to talk about the Democrats anger over Parker Griffith
• 7:00AM – Madison County Commissioner Mo Brooks to talk about his new opponent in the GOP primary AL-05.
• 8:00AM – Candidate for Congress Les Phillp to talk about Parker Griffith’s party switch.

You like GOP sex scandals?

Here are a few (unrelated) hints for you…

Adultery

Best Friends

Wife Swap

Congressional Aide

Hey media!

He’s a Republican now, go get ‘em.

Can Democrats come together?

In the House, advocates and opponents of abortion rights and conservative Democrats have made clear that they object, for different reasons, to the Senate’s compromise language on abortion. Interest groups on both sides of the spectrum — Planned Parenthood on the abortion rights side, Catholic bishops for the anti-abortion rights camp — also oppose the abortion provision in the Senate bill, leaving Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a challenge in rounding up the votes she needs in the House.

… or will they use on of these 10 reasons to kill it…

Barack Obama just might achieve the bipartisan unity on health care he always wanted — Democrats and Republicans are coming together to say “kill this bill.”

“If they don’t have something in it that’s important to them, it doesn’t speak well of them”…

Gator Aid: Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) inserted a grandfather clause that would allow Floridians to preserve their pricey Medicare Advantage program.

Handout Montana: Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) secured Medicare coverage for anybody exposed to asbestos — as long as they worked in a mine in Libby, Mont.

Iowa Pork and Omaha Prime Cuts: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) won more Medicare money for low-volume hospitals of the sort commonly found in Iowa, while Nebraska’s Nelson won a “carve out” provision that would reduce fees for Mutual of Omaha and other Nebraska insurers.

Meanwhile, Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, both North Dakota Democrats, would enjoy a provision bringing higher Medicare payments to hospitals and doctors in “frontier counties” of states such as — let’s see here — North Dakota!

Hawaii, with two Democratic senators, would get richer payments to hospitals that treat many uninsured people. Michigan, home of two other Democrats, would earn higher Medicare payments and some reduced fees for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) held out for larger Medicaid payments for his state (neighboring Massachusetts would get some, too).

Constitutional concerns?

As news of the agreements proliferated, Republican senators went to the floor to protest. “This will not stand the test of the Constitution, I hope, because the deals that have been made to get votes from specific states’ senators cannot be considered equal protection under the law,” argued Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Tex.).

Her Texas colleague, Sen. John Cornyn, took issue with White House strategist David Axelrod’s claim that such deals are “the way it will always be.” Said the Texan: “Maybe in Chicago, but not in my state, and not in the heartland.”

Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) even disavowed Nelson’s Cornhusker Kickback. “Nebraskans are frustrated and angry that our beloved state has been thrust into the same pot with all of the other special deals that get cut here,” he reported.

Calm down it’s a chick teacher.

A Sheffield Junior High School teacher was placed on paid administrative leave Monday after she was charged with rape and sodomy of a ninth-grader.

Amanda Watkins, 38, 122 Roxie Drive, Florence, is charged with second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy, police detective Capt. Lanny Coan said.

[...]

A police officer caught Watkins and the 15-year-old student Saturday night in a vehicle parked behind Covenant Christian School, Coan said.

“They were trying to get their clothes on when the officer pulled up,” he said.

The real question is… is she hot?

Eh.

There are an estimated 20 states that have already passed legislation requiring insurers to cover adult children. And it’s these very government health care mandates that are driving the cost of insurance up:

“Whenever you insure somebody whom you didn’t insure before there’s some additional risk,” said Mueller, executive vice president of the Wisconsin unit of Willis Group Holdings Ltd., one of the world’s largest insurance brokers. A state requirement that insurers cover autism and mental health has added 3% to the premium rates of employer-sponsored plans that renew on Jan. 1, when those mandates also take effect, Mueller said. Extending coverage is good, he said, but doesn’t come free. “The problem with all these good ideas is there’s funding necessary,” Mueller said.

About 20 states require insurers to offer parents coverage of adult children through what are sometimes called “slacker plans,” according to the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, an advocacy group whose membership includes insurers, health-care providers, actuaries and insurance brokers. About 10 states have enacted such laws in the past few years, said J.P. Wieske, the organization’s director of state affairs.

…”Employers do not have the appetite right now or the means to take on additional risk, no matter how noble. . . . People are stretched to the max,” Mueller said.

Guests:

• 7:00 AM: Rep. Mac McCutcheon on road improvements and the state’s budget.

The cost?

Huge Medicaid costs, except for Nebraska…

Ben Nelson’s “Cornhusker Kickback,” as the GOP is calling it, got all the attention Saturday, but other senators lined up for deals as Majority Leader Harry Reid corralled the last few votes for a health reform package.

Nelson’s might be the most blatant – a deal carved out for a single state, a permanent exemption from the state share of Medicaid expansion for Nebraska, meaning federal taxpayers have to kick in an additional $45 million in the first decade.

and Louisiana…

A month ago, Sen. Landrieu got $300 million in Medicaid funding for her home state of Louisiana in exchange for her vote for what’s left of the president’s health plan.

Will it pass? Yes.

But maybe not?

1. Public Revulsion
2. The Stupak Dozen
3. Who Pays
4. Feeling Blue
5. The Left

McCain: Nothing GOP can do to stop it…

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) concedes that Republican senators won’t be able to stop Democratic health care reform legislation from passing the Senate before Christmas.

“We will fight until the last vote,” McCain told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace. “We owe that to our constituents, because we must do everything – we must look back and say we did everything to prevent this terrible mistake from taking place.”

Race, economy election issues

Coming up tomorrow… water also wet.

Sometimes you make this job to easy Huntsville Times…

One of the biggest questions looming in Alabama’s 2010 elections is whether one of the reddest states in America could elect an African-American as governor.

It could. Will it? Probably not. Is it because he is black? No.

Let me help you out with a line from your own story…

In the 2008 presidential campaign, Republican John McCain handily won Alabama with 88 percent of the vote

Also this line is hilarious…

Another unknown is what role the economy will play and which party it will affect.

Has Bob Lowry not been paying attention for the last year?

Right or wrong the Democrats are expected to pay the price for the economy in 2010.

“Limbaugh’s radio home is bankrupt”

Here are the facts…

• Citadel Communications filed for bankruptcy
• Citadel does not own Rush’s show anymore than WVNN does.
• Rush Limbaugh does not broadcast from WABC.
• The news/talk radio format is thriving, while music radio dies.

I assume this was a Huntsville Times headline, because a google search of  “Limbaugh’s radio home is bankrupt” turns up nothing.

Click here to listen to the show.

On tonight’s show:

- Avatar (2009)

- Lone Wolf & Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (1973)

- Star Wars Adidas Wearishables

- Interesting Death of the Week with B.K. : Roy Disney – Nephew of Walt, Disney muckraker; Paul Naschy – the Spanish Lon Chaney (book about him pictured above); Robert Heft – designer of the current American flag

- Videodrome Approves: Christmas Movie Extravaganza

- Tonight’s score: The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas

This Episode: Local Updates, Australia, Bullying, and Lightning Round.

iTunes: American Reason

Podcast: American Reason

- Local Updates Articles:

Council passes curfew ordinance

Iowa leaders delay vote on medical marijuana

Judge: Bars should be allowed to serve alcohol

- Australia Articles:

Aussie, Chinese officials urge pandas to reproduce

“Bizarre” Octopuses Carry Coconuts as Instant Shelters

Australian government to introduce Internet filter

- Bullying Article:

For students, a right to be mean online?

- Lightning Round Articles

Person of the Year 2009: Ben Bernanke

Bandaged Berlusconi leaves hospital after attack

Leaders Reach Climate Accord, but Skepticism Remains

Listen to the episode HERE.

Nerd Hurdles is one year old today! To celebrate we opened the mailbag, and a bottle or two, and answered questions by listeners new and old. Things run a bit long and, by the end, devolve into chaos. It’s The Banana’s fault, really. If there’s a more appropriate way to celebrate one year of nerdery, tangents and love … well, we couldn’t think of what it was so you get this instead.

Things we talked about:

• Derek Prinsloo sent us this photo of some Star Wars nerdwear.
• Stephen Rivers sent us these two links to some Star Trek slash.
• We didn’t talk about it, but Craig Denniston sent us this picture letting everyone know how Twilight should have ended (as if we didn’t know).
• And this is Jakob’s musical guilty pleasure. Although this newer, Russian language video of theirs needs to be watched to the end. Holy crap. Awesome.

But in order to answer GAB’s questions, we had to go on a road trip…

Niagara Falls was the destination. Jakob had never been. He was amazed the town had managed to kidnap and plastinated so many top hollywood stars. Many of them in their 1980’s prime! It’s amazing their secret has been kept. Clearly, the public would just rather believe the robots these celebs have been replaced with are the real thing. Sheeple need their delusions.

Mandi got to meet one of her “heroes” too.

The plastination process isn’t kind to everyone…

Imagine being stuck in your awkward pre-teen years forever.

Who was responsible for all this plastinating of innocent celebs? We found the answer across the street…

But it wasn’t the diabolical Burger King who was the culprit. It was our own…

And his evil plastinating console!

So thanks Greg for sending us on this adventure. Niagrara Falls is truly a pimple on the ass of Ontario culture. And that’s what is so amazingly awesome about it. Clearly the perfect location for Syndicon North America.

Griffith saves the day…

The $686 billion spending bill, passed by the House of Representatives Wednesday on a vote of 395-34, allocates $128 billion for the wars, and gives a 3.4 percent pay increase to troops. It also increases money to some missile defense programs, including the U.S. Navy sea-based Aegis destroyer, which is managed and partly developed in Huntsville.

The bill provides $80 million for boost-phase interception work, which is designed to blast an enemy rocket as it leaves the launch pad, despite no request for that money from the White House. It also increases joint work between the MDA and Israel on several programs, with $202 million allocated for those programs.

Local lawmakers will try again in the coming legislative session to curb the power of the Huntsville Housing Authority.

[...]

Under the proposal, at least some authority property purchases would have to be approved first by either the City Council or County Commission, depending on where the property is located.

And homeowners in the area would be notified before the authority buys any property.

Needless to say the unaccountable head of the HHA does not like this idea…

But the authority’s director, who has been under fire for moving public housing into south Huntsville, says the proposed law would create “major difficulties,” and not just for Huntsville’s authority.

The law would bind all of the state’s nearly 100 housing authorities in red tape not required in any other state, Michael Lundy said Thursday in a preview of the likely argument against the legislation.

[...]

“I don’t know of any other state that has these policies,” he said.

If the legislation passes, the Housing Authority would:

• Lose its power of eminent domain to seize property, although eminent domain was not used in either of the controversial deals.

• Be required to submit a five-year plan each year and have that plan approved by either the council or commission after a public hearing. The authority’s reach extends 10 miles outside Huntsville’s city limits, Ball said, explaining the commission’s involvement.

• Receive council or commission OK for any “deviation” from a plan that has already been approved.

• Notify each property owner within 500 yards of any property proposed for purchase at least 30 days before any governing body’s vote.

• Tells the mayor of any property it is thinking about buying.

• Contacts all elected officials in the areas affected by property purchases.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has promised the United States will help raise $100 billion annually by 2020 to assist poor countries in coping with climate change as long as America’s demands for a global warming pledge are met.

Clinton’s announcement, made during a packed news conference, represents a major breakthrough in the U.N.-led talks, which had all but ground to a halt last night. But Clinton emphasized that the money is only on the table so long as fast-growing nations like China and India accept binding commitments that are open to international inspection and verification. If other countries don’t bend, she warned, the poorest countries will suffer.

Earlier Hugo Chavez asked for money from capitalists nations after attacking capitalism, needless to say he was applauded.

“A ghost is stalking the streets of Copenhagen…it’s capitalism, capitalism is that ghost,” he said, speaking at the UN climate control conference in Copenhagen. “The destructive model of capitalism is the eradication of life.”

Chavez slammed what he called “the imperial dictatorship” of the West and said poorer nations would refuse to adhere to the diktats of the rich.

“There’s a group of countries who think they are better than us in the South, in the Third World,” he said before taking a dig at US counterpart Barack Obama for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize immediately after announcing the dispatch of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

“He received the Nobel Peace virtually the day he sent 30,000 soldiers to kill innocent people in Afghanistan,” Chavez said.

State Rep. Robert Bentley, R-Tuscaloosa, another GOP candidate for governor, told a Huntsville radio audience last week he has “no doubt” Riley got campaign money from Mississippi Indian casino interests in 2002, although he stated Riley may not have direct knowledge of it.

I do love that the editorial pages have ignored massive ethical lapses for years but the minute someone levels them at the GOP, no matter how specious, they are all about it.

See: Mike Hubbard’s deal with Auburn athletics

Allen Brooks has a new baby, and so does Stuck Between Studios

The Road 2 Shambala: Exit 11-Circle the Wagons was recorded and edited at Stuck Between Studios from December 15-17th, 2009, and features the debut of our new Blue Baby Bottle condenser mic–our first-ever condenser mic, and boy are we still figuring out how to use it.  You may notice a certain jarring, somewhat maddening ripple in the sound of the show this week whenever plosives are uttered–this proud papa has a lot to learn about his new Baby.

Midnight Rudy’s reflections from the open road are underscored by the music of Marc Orleans, who I first heard playing slide guitar in the Union Street subway station right here in Brooklyn (not Union Square, as I mistakenly state in the show).  It was beautiful, and though I successfully got up the nerve to ask him for his contact info, it took me a few weeks to call him.  When I did, however, he very graciously let me use his music, and if you’d like to hear more of it, you should check out the MySpace page linked above, as well as keeping an eye on Thrill Jockey Records, who will be releasing a tribute to Jack Rose that features Marc in the near future.

You’ll also hear Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club rocking between segments on the show–I first heard them a year or so ago blowing the roof off of Union Hall right hear in Brooklyn (not far from the aforementioned subway station, actually), and they will be doing so again on January 29th of the new year for just $8–see you there?

Ben Camp returns from the wilds of Philadelphia this week with an explanation of what has kept him apparently too busy for us over the past few weeks–I think his story checks out.

To the extra terrestrials who contacted us–you are officially On Notice, as is Corporate America, courtesy of Aaron, Alan, and Gerrit in this week’s edition of Vital Topics, a continuation from last week.

Boswell is trying out a little something new this week–let us know what you think about that and anything else at 909-SHA-ZAPS or shambalaradio@gmail.com, and thank you so much, as always, for tuning in.

ALSO, WATCH OUT NOW: The show will sound a little different for the next two weeks–I’ll be out of town for the holidays, but have been working hard behind the scenes to prepare some special-edition content so our feed does not get cold.  We’ll air some more long-form, less tightly-edited (ha) interviews you haven’t heard, and perhaps dip into the Stuck Between Studios archives for some rarefied oldies the gummint don’t want you to know about.  We’ll be back with regular old episodes the first week in January.

Until then–hope your holiday season is 100% Grinch-free, and thanks for the gift of your listenership these last few months–so much more to come in 2010!  But also in 2009–as a matter of fact, the production of our next episode beings right…NOW!

7:00AM – Bob Ibach – Nikco Sport’s is selling Alabama BCS footballs to support the Make-A-Wish foundation. Click here to see them. (I got the Florida one last year an it makes a great gift.

ALABAMA

Alabama lawyer wants a case held over until after the BCS Championship game…

Comes now Jon B. Terry, as one of the attorneys for the Defendants and would move to

continue the current trial setting of January 4, 2010 and as grounds therefore would aver as

follows:

[...]

4. Most of the attorneys representing all of the named Defendants have tickets and reservations to be in Pasadena on the 6th day of January, 2010, which date would conflict with the trial date as travel times and schedules for the game overlap the trial as currently set.

5. In fact, the Honorable Jim Lloyd has children that live in the area and is scheduled to be with them in California to celebrate the game and the Tide s success.

6. Attempts to resolve this conflict directly with the Plaintiffs has been unfruitful as the reply has been that they are for the other great team in this State who did not make the playoffs. Unfortunately, that response remains short-sighted as they may one day find themselves in the same position that the Defendant attorneys are in and, unfortunately, the BSC Title Game is no longer scheduled on January 1st, but has been moved to January 7th.

[...]

considering the magnitude of this event and its impact on this State, and the fact such an event only comes infrequently during a person’s lifetime and is an achievement of such a magnitude that all involved in this litigation should want everyone to fully participate in this achievement.

9. ROLL TIDE!! ( although my secretary is for the other great team of this State, she feels that I need to attend this championship game!); and may the Longhorns be defeated.

Not everyone is amused…

It was granted.

This is after UA and Tuscaloosa wanted to cancel class for the game…

TEXAS

A loser wants a whore for the BCS Championship Game…

This ticket is for a classy hottie that will accompany me to the game.

I have a Suite for the 6th and 7th at the Langham, Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena. http://pasadena.langhamhotels.com/en/

All expenses are paid for: flight, food, alcohol, hotel, and ticket.

The suite is a california king size bed so you must be fine with sharing a bed with me while you are staying in Pasadena.

I’m looking for anyone that is a true orange blood, and knows how to party and have a good time.

Must send pictures and must be a girl. No Guys.

I had reserved this for my girlfriend and I but she recently broke up and with me and I would like to take another girl.

Please only email me if you’re serious and bikini shots are preferred (or something sexier).

Sigfried,

sigergmann@gmail.com

Who is more idiotic? I think it’s about equal.

Grisham LegalFund

c/o Redstone Federal Credit Union

220 Wynn Drive Huntsville, AL 35893

THIS IS NOT OVER

The Huntsville City Council and the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education both meet Thursday night (Dec 17).  Each of these bodies has the power and duty to help make this right.  The City needs to ensure that Police do not chill Freedom of Speech.  Plus I expect the HPD to apologize to Master Sergeant Grisham for their actions during the PTA meeting and for their unacceptable response to his complaint.  The Board of Education needs to apologize to Master Sergeant Grisham for trying to destroy his career.  The Board also needs to investigate the Schools’ actions and take corrective actions.

Board member Jennie Robinson should use tomorrow’s meeting to either fulfill her promise to call for Superintendent Moore’s resignation or explain how being lied by the Administration is now acceptable.

I would bet they completely ignore this matter.

The city planning commission is recommending that future prisons and halfway houses be restricted to industrial zones that are at least 500 feet from the nearest home, school, church, day care center, bar or liquor store.

But council members Richard Showers, Bill Kling and Will Culver have problems with the idea, which primarily affects land north and west of downtown.

That includes property near the Toyota engine plant and along Stringfield Road in Showers’ district; around the airport, County Line Road and Greenbrier Road in Culver’s district; and around the landfill in Kling’s district.

But luckily there isn’t one coming.

Mayor Tommy Battle said if the city has no zoning rules in place when the moratorium expires next Wednesday, a private company could build a re-entry facility virtually anywhere or even buy an apartment complex to house former inmates.

“If there are going to be re-entry corrections facilities,” Battle said Wednesday, “our intent is that they’re in places where there are buffers away from residential areas.”

“We don’t have knowledge of someone sitting in the wings waiting to come in, but we do know this area has been looked at.”

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Alabama Fans Hope To Shut Down State For One Week In January

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Brad Byrne

12/16/09

Just checked Alacourt: Motion to continue granted. Trial moved to April 5, 2010.

Reply

Bobby Big Wheel promoted this comment Brad Byrne was starred Brad Byrne was unstarred

Brad Byrne

12/16/09

Just checked Alacourt: Motion granted, trial moved to April 5, 2010. Wow.

Reply

Phintastic promoted this comment Artie Fufkin approved this comment Brad Byrne was starred Brad Byrne was unstarred

YarbookPhoto

12/16/09

The energy company and tort lawyers involved in this will be quite upset when they see their good names associated with the BCS.

Reply

ArkansasFred promoted this comment YarbookPhoto was starred YarbookPhoto was unstarred

ArkansasFred

12/16/09

@YarbookPhoto: +1

Reply

ArkansasFred was starred ArkansasFred was unstarred

TheOneHandedAbortionist

12/16/09

Really, a continuance? Just go ahead and consult the ten commandments like you always do for legal proceedings in the south and get this over with.

Reply

ScientificMapp promoted this comment TheOneHandedAbortionist was starred TheOneHandedAbortionist was unstarred

ScientificMapp

12/16/09

@TheOneHandedAbortionist: “Thou shalt not hone in on thy school’s racket.”

Reply

ScientificMapp was starred ScientificMapp was unstarred

ClintonPortishead

12/16/09

I haven’t seen a legal dispute over the Crimson Tide since Robert Kardashian briefly accused Marcia Clark of manufacturing the bloody glove herself.

Reply

ClintonPortishead was starred ClintonPortishead was unstarred

Phintastic

12/16/09

9. ROLL TIDE!! ( although my secretary is for the other great team of this State, she feels that I need to attend this championship game!); and may the Longhorns be defeated.

Plus, she’d be going with me, and I really want to bang her in California.

Reply

Phintastic was starred Phintastic was unstarred

MattinglysSideburns

12/16/09

The “ROLL TIDE” defence is not to be confused with “FOAL, DIED”, Catherine the Great’s entry in the World Book of Overly Concise Obituaries.

Reply

MattinglysSideburns was starred MattinglysSideburns was unstarred

AzureTexan

12/16/09

In an interesting coincidence, William Jennings Bryan once took a leave of absence from the Scopes Monkey Trial on account of he enjoyed the cockfights down at Rooster Hall.

Reply

AzureTexan was starred AzureTexan was unstarred

ClintonPortishead

12/16/09

The plaintiffs—obvious Auburn fans!—

I suspect “Attempts to resolve… with the Plaintiffs has been unfruitful as the reply has been that they are for the other great team in this State who did not make the playoffs” was a little too subtle?

Reply

ClintonPortishead was starred ClintonPortishead was unstarred

theslacker

12/16/09

unfortunately, the BSC Title Game is no longer scheduled on January 1st

leave it to Alabama lawyers to misspell ‘BCS’

Reply

twoeightnine promoted this comment Edited by theslacker at 12/16/09 2:27 PM theslacker was starred theslacker was unstarred

MarkKelsosMigraine

12/16/09

I also have a blog called “Above The Law.” It is mostly pictures of Steven Seagal in various states of undress.

My parents don’t return my phone calls.

Reply

MarkKelsosMigraine was starred MarkKelsosMigraine was unstarred

Mr.Boh

12/16/09

When asked to respond to the “Roll Tide” defense, lead prosecutor Mike Price stated “IT’S ROLLIN’ BABY! IT’S ROLLIN’!”

Reply

Artie Fufkin promoted this comment Mr.Boh was starred Mr.Boh was unstarred

Come a little Miroslav Klose You’re My Kind of Man

12/16/09

What else can you expect from an attorney licenced by the American Honky-Tonk Bar Association?

Reply

AzureTexan promoted this comment Come a little Miroslav Klose You’re My Kind of Man was starred Come a little Miroslav Klose You’re My Kind of Man was unstarred

I Like Cheap Beer

12/16/09

In a compromise move, the judge will allow the defendants to receive only 3/5 of the continuation requested.

Reply

AzureTexan promoted this comment I Like Cheap Beer was starred I Like Cheap Beer was unstarred

Bobby Big Wheel

12/16/09

This is the greatest injustice to ever occur in an Alabama courtroom.

Reply

Bobby Big Wheel was starred Bobby Big Wheel was unstarred

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INTEGRATED MARKETING TRENDS FOR 2010:

ORLANDO BUSINESS REPORT 12/19/09

Top ten digital trends for 2010

What are likely to be top trends in digital marketing for 2010?

Drew Neisser from Renegade Marketing has set out his ideas in an Olympic-themed form, which you can read below. Do you agree?

1. Social Media: A Marathon, Not a Sprint

Neisser says that a lot of brands – hoping to become fast friends with their targets – rushed into Facebook and Twitter in the last 24 months without investing sufficient time or resources. In 2010, savvy marketers will increase their commitment to social media by first listening and then offering up a steady stream of engaging content that their fans actually want.

This will be particularly true for B2B brands, only 38% of whom included social media in their 2008 marketing plans (vs. 71% for B2C brands). With one comScore study indicating that branded
social media activities can have a multiplier effect on search results, there is a quantifiable rationale for brands to up the social media ante in 2010.

2. Mash-Ups: Taking Inspiration from Biathlons

Neisser predicts that more innovative mash-ups will become standard in 2010. He recalls 2009’s campaign by E.P. Carrillo, a new cigar manufacturer, which created a  Twitter and Google Maps mash-up for its “coming soon” site that tracked cigar tweets (http://www.epcarrillo.com/) from around the world. Neisser expects to see more campaigns that glide seamlessly between personal and business, online and offline, mobile and desktop, just like consumers do all the time. Farsighted marketers will bring together formerly disparate elements into a cohesive and self-perpetuating social media experience.

3. App Happy: On Your Mark, Get Set, Go Crazy

Given the success a handful of marketers enjoyed with their “apps” in 2009, Neisser expects a blaze of new entries in 2010.  iPhone apps that provide demonstrable utility like Kraft’s iFood Assistant recipe finder, Benjamin Moore’s color matcher and Zipcar’s GPS-based car finder will continue to gain traction. Expect more apps that integrate with other social media like the Gap StyleMixer that allows you to mix and match clothes and share them with friends on Facebook.  And don’t forget the non-iPhone universe. The steakhouse Maloney and Porcelli cooked up a humorous and somewhat deviant web-based app at Expense A Steak that extrudes faux expense reports.

4. Measure Up: Track Every Second

With more dollars earmarked for social media, marketers will undoubtedly use new tools to monitor the conversations that are happening with or without them.  Neisser claims that Radian6 and Scout Labs emerged in 2009 as two of the leading social media monitoring tools.  And while Neisser says these tools are great, each requires a sizeable commitment by the marketer in time of staff.  Just ask JetBlue who manages to enhance customer loyalty daily by responding to any and every customer Tweet within minutes, following 117,000 on Twitter, and in the process generating over 1.3 million followers.

5. POV Power: Don’t Just Talk the Talk

Neisser says that while lots of brands raced into social media in 2009, few established true connections with their targets.  The reality is that consumers engage with brands that they like on a visceral level and that provide a distinct perspective on the world.  Aflac’s Duck quacks up a gaggle of quirky content, including charitable requests that appeal to over 161,000 fans on Facebook and 3,000+ followers on
Twitter.  Meanwhile, Geico’s Gecko has been left in the social media dust due to its surprisingly dry and unresponsive online voice.  Ironically, a brand by definition is a point-of-view that once clearly defined
should guide all communications, social or otherwise.

6. Expose Yourself: Win the Crowd With Honesty

Neisser argues that the emergence of several “tell all” consumer-created sites signals the arrival of a new era of honesty and transparency – especially for brands targeting those under 35.  Sites like fmylife.com,
textsfromlastnight.com and MyParentsJoinedFacebook.com reflect a generation willing to bare and share all without the least trepidation. Even the emergence of “Untag Mondays” speaks to the socially acceptable norm of posting embarrassing content that one might not want a parent or employer to see. Marketers that share this sense of honesty, that admit mistakes and address shortcomings in real-time will
find a youthful army of comrades willing to do their bidding. As Comcast discovered, this kind of honesty can even transform a PR nightmare into an industry-leading customer service.

7. Hold the Presses: Major Comebacks are Possible

Though a 50% decline in ad pages certifies 2009 as the worst year in its history, don’t write off print as a viable media channel just yet. Neisser claims that more than 80% of US consumers still subscribe to at least one magazine and 83% believe newspapers are still relevant. Experimenting with video in print publications = like Entertainment Weekly is but one of the ways certain magazine segments
will hold onto their targets and satisfy their advertisers. And while P&G shut down its 72-year-old TV soap opera Guiding Light in 2009, they are cranking up the presses with the custom published glossy, Rouge, which expects to reach a whopping 11 million North American households in 2010.

8. Go to the Video: Separate from the Pack

The emergence of viral video rankings in 2009 reflected the mainstreaming of this approach to audience engagement, claims Neisser. While everyone and their branded brother aspired to cut through with a
viral hit, surprisingly few found an audience.  In 2010, marketers will undoubtedly crank out more of the same while a savvy few will worry less about mass reach and focus more on grass roots appeal, providing content that their core target really wants.  B2B marketers in particular will find that using informative videos that transform the complicated into the comprehensible, like Commoncraft’s Plain English videos, will generate quality leads from grateful prospects.

9. Mobile Media: Catching Up at Last

Despite all the hype by this author and others, less than a third of marketers had a budget for mobile in 2009. In 2010, smart phone penetration should rise to at least 25% (from 17% in Q2 ‘09) making it a
lot easier to deliver a rich mobile experience worthy of consumer attention. Neisser says that the blending of mobile and social apps like Facebook, Loop’d and Twitter has also created a new openness towards this medium. Given the desirable demographics (18-34, good income) of smartphone owners, at minimum, marketers should give strong consideration to creating a mobile friendly website, thus allowing prospects to engage whenever and wherever they happen to be.

10. Be Positive: Attitude is Everything

Neisser says that while honesty is a worthy friend to marketers, don’t forget that almost no one wants to date a Debbie Downer. A recent poll by Adweek/Harris found “relative little enthusiasm and lots of indifference for ads that refer to the downturn.” Even if the economy is slow to recover in 2010, find the silver lining for your customers and prospects with both words and actions. Like the athletes whose positive outlooks and superior skills propel them to victory, so, too, can marketers find success with an upbeat message and an unimpeachable value proposition.

10 CRUCIAL CONSUMER TRENDS FOR 2010

Forget the recession: the societal changes that will dominate 2010 were set in motion way before we temporarily stared into the abyss. More »

Urban culture is the culture. Extreme urbanization, in 2010, 2011, 2012 and far beyond will lead to more sophisticated and demanding consumers around the world. More »

Whatever it is you’re selling or launching in 2010, it will be reviewed ‘en masse’, live, 24/7. More »

Closely tied to what constitutes status (which is becoming more fragmented), luxury will be whatever consumers want it to be over the next 12 months. More »

Online lifestyles are fueling and encouraging ‘real world’ meet-ups like there’s no tomorrow, shattering all cliches and predictions about a desk-bound, virtual, isolated future. More »

To really reach some meaningful sustainability goals in 2010, corporations and governments will have to forcefully make it ‘easy’ for consumers to be more green, by restricting the alternatives. More »

Tracking and alerting are the new search, and 2010 will see countless new INFOLUST services that will help consumers expand their web of control. More »

Next year, generosity as a trend will adapt to the zeitgeist, leading to more pragmatic and collaborative donation services for consumers. More »

With hundreds of millions of consumers now nurturing some sort of online profile, 2010 will be a good year to introduce some services to help them make the most of it (financially), from intention-based models to digital afterlife services. More »

2010 will be even more opinionated, risqué, outspoken, if not ‘raw’ than 2009; you can thank the anything-goes online world for that. Will your brand be as daring? More »

NEW EMERGING INTERNET MARKETING TRENDS

The Internet is a dynamic beast; it can literally eat you alive and spit you out unless you go along with the emerging online marketing trends of today. The World Wide Web is not alive per se. It is but a virtual avenue for people to come together and create a cyber world. And as they say, anything goes when it comes to the Web and most anything here goes out of fashion… quickly. The same is true when it comes to internet marketing trends. What may have been hip and happening a few years, months or even weeks ago may be passé today.

E-books are almost dead as an online marketing tool. The same goes with software-based ads, online market research and email marketing (can you say SPAM faster?). There are other unethical online marketing tools, of course but most of the search engines are smartening up. In fact, some of them can be so relentless that innocent business websites are affected as well.

Nonetheless, most people who engage in internet marketing can be equally relentless when it comes to promoting their websites, products or services. And for those of you who wish to find out just how exactly you can crest the wave of success, here are some of the emerging marketing trends for the World Wide Web.

Facelessness is Becoming a Good Thing

A few years back, people have said that in order to tap into the resources of your potential market, you need to know exactly what their details are: age, status, income bracket, etc. These days, everything is a blank canvas. There are no more demographics over the internet when it comes to online marketing. Almost anything can be sold to anyone at any given time. This means that most of the texts and images used in advertising should appeal to just about anyone who uses the web. This may sound easy, but in truth this is quite difficult.

Imagine how anyone can create something that will attract the attention of people who come from many different countries, from many religious backgrounds, and from many stratums of society. One cannot hope to be politically correct all the time because the advertiser has to deal with a whole range sensibility. And yet, it can be done. There are after all, two basic similarities among internet users.

The Need to Find Easy Texts to Read

Of all the texts, blogs and propaganda spreading rampantly over the internet, most online users prefer texts that are easy on the mind which can be comprehended quickly. This does not mean that treatises and technical documents are shunned by most users. It just means that in order for internet marketing to become successful, a more conversational and light-hearted ad construction is needed. Most business sites or adverts with superlative adjectives are now considered overkill and very often dismissed faster than you can spell the SPAM.

Instant Access Means Instant Success.

Yes, it’s true. All internet users want instant online access to anything. Wouldn’t you? There was a point in internet marketing when, after you click on an ad you found particularly interesting, you are redirected into a series of adverts that have absolutely nothing to do with the ones you are looking for. There are a few people (saints, in our books) who would push through with the clicking; hoping that something worthwhile will eventually turn up but nothing ever does.

This can be great … as a practical joke, but certainly not as an internet marketing tool. Most internet users now do not want to fill out the newsletter subscription; do not want to fill out the customer demographic page (for research purposes, they say); do not want to fill out the friend referral page; do not want to fill out the feed back page … It is far easier to click on the close button and find an advert that leads directly to the business website where the information is right there – yes, right there where the potential client wants it to be. Information that is often considered as pertinent includes online contact information of the company, rates/costs, special promos and discounts, guarantees, etc.

On the whole, these emerging internet marketing trends seem to be leaning towards straightforwardness and simplicity. The faster the internet user can get a hold of whatever it is wanted, the more successful the ad will be. Traditional internet marketing still rules – but only just.

GROW YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH INTERNET MARKETING

Have you ever wondered how some businesses continue to generate leads out of the blue?

Perhaps they’ve found out how to do local Internet marketing. I spoke with good friends Bruce and Ellen Fagan of Deltona who seem to have captured the attention of most of the local businesses in their industry, and I questioned Bruce about how he took Ellen’s business, www.SteamCleanMyCarpets.com, from “Ground Zero to Hero” in one month.

Bruce studied Internet marketing techniques and doing searches in multiple ways on Google, Yahoo, Bing and others. He was able to increase her ratings and local presence to be a top listing — and customers are noticing.

Here’s his strategy:

• Learn to use keywords or words people tend to use in searching the Internet for your business on your Web site. There are several free keyword tools on the Internet from which to choose.

• Make sure you are listed with the major search engines.

• Consider writing and updating a blog regularly. These are rich in content and often include keywords that search engines love.

• Consider adding your company name and profile to the various free listing services.

• Ask your clients to provide testimonials that you can use on your site and include on your Internet listings.

• Google has a free tool based on keyword searches called Google Trends. It can be useful when planning future products or forecasting sales.

If you add a valuable service, you have to let the world know. John D. Rockefeller said it best: “Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing.”

Top 10 Integrated Marketing Trends for 2010

1. Less will get done: until we learn to do more with less.

While the cutbacks may be behind us, those left standing have more work to do, and less time and money to get it done. Small ideas and individual channel tactics often consume more time than their worth. The only way to do more with less is to align remaining resources toward a single and powerful integrated marketing solution.

2. Marketers will mistakenly whack a medium of the marketing mix.

With reduced marketing budgets, something has to give. Unfortunately, marketers are making wholesale cuts to specific channels (i.e., print media). Can we afford to drop a medium from the mix? Does the Internet behave like print? Is the consumer experience the same for both media? Are the message formats the same? The answer is clear. Reduced resources should not come at the expense of an integrated, multichannel mix.

3. Marketers will rush to employ social networking strategies.

Marketers will mistakenly rush to hire social media “experts” to create social media experiences for brands. They’re missing the larger opportunity. Social networking is not a marketing tactic, nor is it a surrogate for the brand’s social experience. A brand’s social experience cannot be placed; rather, it is earned. Only consumers can decide what is truly “social.”

4. We’ll have more data and even less “understanding.”

We’ll have more data from credible sources: set-top boxes, foundations, academics, marketers and the media themselves. And the data will concur: the media world is highly fluid, interactive and quick to change structure and form. We are left with a real data problem: we can’t rely on past correlations to drive future decisions. I’d say we’re entering a “Wild West” era of integrated channel planning.

5. Lines between media will continue to blur.

In 2010, more prime-time television content will appear in more places than ever before. Fans will have multiple access points: live view, delayed views from a DVR, video on demand, Hulu, the network’s own Web sites, and shared distribution deals (i.e., DirecTV and NBC for Friday Night Lights). It is no longer clear where one screen medium ends and another begins. Maybe we’re starting to realize — it’s all a screen!

6. Push vs. Pull will become less relevant.

While marketers continue to debate the merits of push vs. pull marketing strategies, the issue may resolve itself. Clear lines between push and pull media no longer exist. The best content (both programming and commercial content) will increasingly become “push” and “pull” at the same time. We must refocus our efforts on creating experiences that offer both opportunities: to reach as many people as possible, but in ways that will invite their participation and their desire to share the experience with others.

7. Great content will travel at the “speed of share” while “average” experiences will evaporate.

Great content in any media channel can travel as fast as consumers are willing to share it with others. Consumers are the most powerful accelerant. They move content along with a simple behavior: the click. Their clicks travel at the high speed of broadband or 3G. The “Speed of Share” renders the speed of traditional content distribution obsolete. It’s like comparing real-time to slow motion! However, content will only travel at such speed if it’s worth sharing in the first place. There will be less tolerance for mediocre content, and consumers will have more means of disposing with, and/or avoiding it.

8. The Adult 18-49 demo will become even less relevant as a target cohort.

The media world for an 18-year-old is vastly different from that of a 49-year-old. Every year, the divide between Internet-raised and television-raised consumers becomes more profound. According to “Media Generations” (Martin Block PhD, Don Schultz PhD, and BIGresearch), today’s 18-49 demographic cohort contains four different media generations. We cannot continue to cloud our view of this complex truth by looking through the lens of a demographic that does not hold together.

9. Symbiosis will create interesting — and at times strange — partnerships.

The media landscape will be affected more by the laws of symbiosis than the laws of natural selection. Consider the relationship between YouTube and television: these seemingly competing channels quickly evolved into a symbiotic relationship. Just ask Tina Fey or Susan Boyle, and they will speak of the power of one medium to reinforce and amplify the other. We will continue to see emerging relationships among what appear on the surface as competing media channels.

10. The year 2010 will become the year of the “good idea.”

In the recent past, our conversations were dominated by media channels. In our hyper-focus on the dynamics of the media world, we may have taken our eye off the ball. Remember, media channels, by definition, serve only as pipeline for content. Without a good idea, content will evaporate. It’s that simple! Despite fewer resources, more diversity, and less certainty, I am advocating for good ideas to fuel integrated marketing outcomes in 2010.

(Source: Marketing Daily, 11/27/09)

After Woods, Is It Time to Rethink Celebrity Endorsements?

By Stefan Deeran

December 14th, 2009 @ 9:55 am

Categories: BNET, International Business, Leadership, Management, Marketing…, Social Media, Strategy, Web 2.0, Workplace

Tags: Tiger Woods, Camera Phones, Advertising & Promotion, Cellular Phones, Consumer Electronics…, Personal Technology, Marketing, Stefan Deeran, iPhone, Google

Guests today:

• 7:00AM – Bob Ibach – Nikco Sport’s is selling Alabama BCS footballs to support the Make-A-Wish foundation. Click here to see them. (I got the Florida one last year an it makes a great gift.
• 7:15AM – Les Phillip to discuss his run for Congress, his night at the WVNN Get Together and his response to Sen. Reid ridiculous comment son race.
• 8:00AM – Last week we spent some time with a reformed Palestinian terrorist Walid Shoebat. We will bring him back for an entire hour today.

Budgeting mess in Montgomery!

A big reason for the drop is that the state will already have spent most of its federal stimulus money available for non-education operating expenses, she said.

Just like last year. But this year it’s “scary”.

Ok, you done being scared?

Time for state legislators to trim the fat and create a budget that shows the economic times we are in.

Shelby backs NASA funding, but Sessions says reckless

A $1.1 trillion federal spending bill put Alabama’s Republican senators at odds this week, with U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby voting for the act in defense of NASA funding and U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions casting a nay vote because of bloated spending.

Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, said the spending bill “maintains the foundation” of the manned spaceflight program, Constellation, “and keeps NASA on a clear and steady path to success for decades to come. It restores funds the House proposed cutting and sends a direct message that the Congress believes Constellation is, and should remain, the future of America’s human space flight program.”

Sessions, R-Mobile, said the bill puts America on a path of reckless spending added on top of what was included in the $800 billion stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this year.

“I don’t think any of us should support it,” Sessions said. “It is this type of spending that has caused the American people to become outraged and go out into the streets” to rally and protest.

Not really, but Sessions is one of 3 Republican who went along with a huge spending bill.

He loves pork.

Gov. Riley has handed them an ethical goldmine when it comes to “no bid” contracts.

They of course screwed it up…

A powerful state senator who proposed legislation banning no-bid contracts only covered the executive branch when he introduced his bill. Democratic state Sen. Lowell Barron of Fyffe said he didn’t catch the error in the bill and it will be changed to apply to all state programs, including the Legislature

But let me be clear… Riley said no “no bids” and then he did them. Democrats say “we gotta stop these no bids” and then exempt themselves from the process.

Whoops!

ALABAMA!

Home sales in Madison County in November set an all-time record for the month as home buyers took advantage of a federal tax credit.

This is bad news for me and anyone else looking at buying a house.