What Does It All Mean?

Just for fun, today I visited Digg the Candidates - a spot on the popular social networking site that ranks the current Presidential candidates.

It would seem that although online supporters are very passionate about their candidates, they simply don't reflect the "real world" - and by that I mean the general results (to date) in the Primaries. While Web2.0 helps those who are passionate about a candidate, spread the word, it doesn't necessarily mean that anyone is listening.

I think what the chart above tells us is how younger voters are leaning. Watch the exit polls from the coming primaries and see if you don't spot the same trend - especially in the Democratic race.

I think it's no surprise that the leaders from each party (on this list) seem to have the easiest time raising money online, which is then (ironically) spent on traditional media (TV, radio) to get their campaign messages out to the rest of the population.

But watch this trend over time. If Obama doesn't win the Democratic nomination this year, he's already garned huge support online (at sites like this as well as his own candidate site). This is a huge asset that he can reuse in another four years - an asset that some of the other candidates simply don't have.

If I was a member of congress, I'd be spending time building an online community, whether my re-election was imminent or not. In future, I bet it'll be the fastest and most efficient way to raise money and to keep a potential campaign team constantly "engaged".

It's all about "reach". And garnering each constituent's permission to conduct a conversation.

Top Ten Things to Do Waiting for Next Packers Season.

Top Ten Things to Do Waiting for Next Packers Season

1. Play Jeopardy theme song in your head after asking yourself, will Favre return?
2. Put HGH in Al Harris' cereal to help him keep up with tall receivers (like Plaxico Burris) next year.
3. Recite the Mike McCarthy mantra. "We didn't take advantage of the opportunity we were presented. We'll learn from this and continue to develop".
4. Practice "off season" tailgating skills at Brewers games.
5. Thank God you're not an avid Milwaukee NBA basketball fan.
6. Launder your Ryan Grant jersey.
7. Begin calling sports radio shows with your Packer's NFL draft selections.
8. After losing a bet, stick your tongue to Vince Lombardi statue on coldest day in Green Bay.
9. Practice for next post season at Lambeau by watching the SuperBowl outside, shirtless.
10. Refurbish worn out cheesehead.

The Hero Wall

Many years ago, I had an idea. I wanted to dedicate a wall in our office to "Heros" - pictures of people who provided each employee with inspiration in their daily lives. The photos might have been of family, friends, community leaders, military, sports, business or political leaders.

The idea was, that eveyone in the office could identify three people who inspire them the most, and put their images on the Hero wall.

I was going to create an "inspiration gallery". It was to be a conversation starter - to provide each employee the opportunity to explain to their co-workers why the photos were especially meaningful to them - a personal daily reminder to "be all we can be".

I wondered whether personal inspiration could be contageous.

And it would have been a way to encourage my staff to look for inspiration all around them.

In the end, I never tried the experiment. Frankly, it might have made some of the staff uncomfortable and I didn't want to run afoul of HR, in case the staff wanted to post religious photos or controversial figures. It might have been a distraction more than an inspiration and in the end I decided that didn't want to take the risk.

Had I had the courage to proceed, Bill Strickland might have been one of my photos. Until yesterday, I had never heard of Bill Strickland. Thanks to Guy Kawasaki's blog, I was introduced to him via his inspiring talk at TED.

After watching the 30 minute video I dare you to be uninspired.

LinkedOUT

Late last week I noticed that I had inadvertently created two accounts at the popular business networking site LinkedIn.

One was a very old account I had created at a former employer just to try out the service and had forgotten about. I had long abandoned that account (it only had 3 contacts).

About a year ago I created a new account, where I cultivated loads of contacts and even got four or five recommendations from colleagues. Over the past year I've recognized the benefits of building up an electronic network and LinkedIn was my preferred provider.

And so to clean up the two accounts, I sent an email to LinkedIn customer service (the ONLY way they can be contacted) and requested that my old account be deleted. LinkedIn doesn't allow you to manage (delete or merge) your accounts. They have to do it for you.

You can guess what they did.

That's right. Instead of deleting the old account, they deleted the new one. All my contact information lost. All my recommendations gone.

They never sent any verification email - is this the right account? They just deleted it.

I had a bad feeling about the request from the beginning. I had sent the email request from my active account (because my old account was created using a (now) obsolete email address). I specifically mentioned that I wanted the account with all the contacts KEPT and the one with the three contacts deleted.

And so now I get to see whether LinkedIN can recover my data.

Until then, I'm LinkedOUT.

Engineering Made Easy?

Engineering even I can understand.

Today's the Day

My son, Jeff has the afternoon booked off work.

He requested the time off several weeks ago - the moment he learned Steve Jobs' Macworld Keynote address would be available later today at the Apple website.

What is it about the Apple brand that would cause my 16 year old to interrupt his life to take notice?

Perhaps it's the aura of rebellion that the "Think Different" brand evokes. Perhaps it's the fact that he already owns a Mac Mini and several iPods. Perhaps it's his experience with OS X, purchased the first day it was available at the Mac store. (In fact, Dad still has the T-shirt given out to the first 500 customers who waited outside in line, that chilly evening.)

I remember that same feeling once before.

It was at Lotusphere many years ago, during the launch of Domino 5.0.

Over 12,000 avid fans attended the event in Orlando, late in January. I led a contingent of about a half dozen of my developers, managers and engineers. Our company had, years earlier, made the decision to use Lotus Notes enterprise wide. And we were happy with the decision.

Some very bright team members made Lotus NOTES so much more than email. We built knowledge management applications, project management applications and employee review applications with the platform. Our corporate intranet was built on the Domino platform.

We hung on every word of each conference session. The keynotes were like rock shows. You could feel the energy in the crowd. People believed in the product and the applications it made possible. Lotus was innovating at light speed. They had features and capability that Exchange just didn't have.

Not only did Lotus have customers, they had fans.

Perhaps it was a sense of community, rising up against the Microsoft machine. Perhaps it was a sense of adventure. Whatever it was, it was exciting.

And I plan on recapturing some of that feeling this afternoon - when Jeff and I listen to the Macworld Keynote together.

Biting the Hand That Feeds You

Today, Gizmodo bragged about disrupting the CES show in Las Vegas, by using a handheld IR device to shut off display screens throughout the trade show.

The boast was made by way of a video they shot while disrupting the presentations of the very vendors who they rely upon for new product updates or advertising revenue.

Was this an example of blogging suicide or a funny prank?

You decide.

The Dawn of Helpdesk

Since the beginning of time, man has struggled with change. This is hilariously exemplified in this video.

I recently rediscovered the video on my PC and forgot where I originally discovered it. If anyone can cite the original source, I'd be pleased to include the information here.

The example is priceless.

[Update]: I did find this video on YouTube here.

Dave's Despair

Despair is one of my favorite websites. If you've never been there, the site features business related cynical (tongue in cheek) artwork, calendars, mugs etc.

The site is the antithesis of the upbeat, motivational Successories products.

On a recent visit to Despair, I discovered their DIY section, which enables you to upload photos and create your own posters.

Here's what I came up with. What do you think?











This site is fun and VERY theraputic!

Smile!

Getting a little paranoid about being observed? We're watched at the ATM, at the mall, at the gas station. in office elevators, in traffic.... pretty much everywhere.

It's not going to improve anytime soon. Look no further than this site which searches the internet for video cameras and then posts the images on their site.

Each video feed is identified to some degree. And locations are searchable.

Just for fun I searched on Wisconsin video cameras and found I could observe several University of Wisconsin cameras in Madison as well as many DMV Emissions Testing facility cameras.

When Google starts offering a video feed search engine (they aren't planning this - as far as I know) then whatever semblance of privacy you thought you had, will be completely lost.

Smile!

They Played Football Last Night

Friday mornings have now become a gentle reminder that the NFL played the previous night. In case you missed it (and statistically, you probably did), the Steelers beat the Rams.

In the greedfest that has become the NFL, the Thursday night games played since Thanksgiving are all presented on the NFL Network - a satellite only feed for subscribers.

Which means that 70% of the country couldn't watch even if they wanted to.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of either team, but had it been presented on any of the major networks, I would have watched last night.

And I bet hundreds of thousands of you would have done the same. Ironically, the writers strike have drained primetime of any watchable shows, with original programming exhausted several weeks ago.

So during a time where there is scarce viewing competition during prime time, when any NFL game would be welcomed, the games are played in relative obscurity.

For me, the only reminder that the NFL "lives" outside of the Sunday and Monday night schedule, are the sports headlines each Friday morning.

While I'm sure the owners are congratulating themselves over the additional revenue provided by the NFL Network, I think that they're earning a lump of coal in their Christmas stockings from many fans.

Enjoy the revenue while you can. You're developing a cadre of fans who are developing a "slow burn" over the decision.

And worse yet, like me, some are starting to ask "Who cares?".

Postulating on Airline Travel Tradeoffs

Is the government onto something?

I just recently heard that in an effort to reduce nationwide air traffic congestion, the government is going to reduce the number of flights out of JFK.

Hmm. I wonder whether they'll actually improve more than they bargained for? What if they also reduced the flights out of Boston, Ohare, L.A., Minneapolis, Atlanta and Detroit as well?

Let's see how this might work. Here's the potential upside.

1. Fewer delays, both departure and connections.
2. Fewer empty seats per plane.
3. Fewer lost bags? (Fewer flights with which to mishandle luggage).
4. Less airplane maintenance costs per traveller.
5. Lower fuel costs/passenger.
6. Safer ground operations (fewer runway incursions because of fewer flights).
7. Safer air operations (reduced burden on air traffic controllers).
8. More predictable passenger loads leading to more predictable inventories for service items (lunches, dinners for sale).
9. Better crew scheduling opportunities.

On the downside.

1. Less departure/airline choice
2. Probably higher fares (less capacity, fewer choices).
3. Cancelled flights might be tougher to rebook (fewer options).

If the "upsides" came true, as a passenger, would you be willing to accept the "downsides"?

37Signals (unintended) Advice to the Candidates

The guys at 37Signals blogged today about self-promotion. Seth Godin adds his two cents here.

While the original sentiments were designed to describe ways to promote your product, service or company, it strikes me that during Political "silly season" with caucuses only weeks away, that all the candidates would be well served by reading their posts.

Adherence to their advice might explain why some (non-traditional?) candidates have such a loyal following and are able to raise unbelievable amounts of cash.

An inside perspective of Goodwill

Many of us are familiar with the Goodwill store located on Watertower Rd in Menominee Falls.

Most of us only know the store from the outside - specifically the donations doors, where we drop off clothing, electronics, furniture, knick knacks and whatever other treasures are taking up space in our basements or garages. For many of us, we see Goodwill as the means to a charitable donations tax receipt. For the more saintly among us, donating is simply the right thing to do.

Recently I was introduced to Goodwill from a brand new perspective - the front door.

I have to credit my son, who currently works there, for opening up my eyes to what they have for sale. Our family is pretty well off and I admit that I've always held a bias against shopping there. I'm not sure whether I was "too proud" or "too snobby" or perhaps both.

All this time I was depriving myself of some fun. I've found that the Goodwill shopping experience is a little like an organized rummage sale without all the price haggling.

What Goodwill doesn't really advertise, is that they also offer new (overstocked) items from many of the Big Box stores. They pull off the garment tags, so you can't tell the store of origin, but nevertheless there are tremendous values for astute shoppers.

Other examples include stuff you need everyday. Just in time for Christmas they were selling AA battery packs for less than half the price of Wal-Mart! Who doesn't need batteries? Other recent purchases included a cell phone car charger and additional memory for a digital camera.

Last October we purchased some clothing for Halloween costumes there.

And remember that all proceeds go for a worthy cause. They also have an online auction store. Check it out for yourself.

Next time you're at Goodwill, try something different. Try the front door.

3 Marketing (Advertising) Pet Peeves

Three examples to prove Seth Godin's assertion that All Marketers Are Liars. (Within the book he actually he calls them "storytellers".)

Gripe #1: Bottled water
Yesterday I stepped off the treadmill and reached for a flavored water. As I quenched my thirst and cooled down from the exercise, I noticed the message on the front of the label. The product was "Naturally Flavored".

Spurred by a sense of well being I continued to read on.... The backside of the label contained all the "ingredients" in the water and the declaration: Contains 0% juice.

Huh?

How can something "naturally flavored" contain 0% juice? I didn't come across the word concentrate - just a bunch of chemicals...

I wonder whether the bottled water company has Marketing write the front part of the label and an attorney write the reverse.

Gripe#2: Car ads
Any and all TV ads for cars that contain the caption "Professional driver. Closed course."
Stop trying to sell me a driving experience that I can't possibly (legally) have!

Gripe #3a: Pharma ads
All ads for medicines that contain the phrase: "Ask your doctor if [insert drug name here] is right for you!"

As comedian Bill Maher points out.. "If you're asking your doctor for drugs, doesn't that just make him your dealer?" At what point in our history did we decide to start taking medical advice from Pharma companies over the advice of our personal physicians? If my doctor isn't willing to listen to your sales pitch, why should I?

Gripe #3b: Pharma ads
Ads for medicines where the potential risks and side effects are longer than the symptoms they're trying to alleviate.

I admit it. I am now officially a curmudgeon.

Skip this Ad

I've been noticing a plethora of landing page ads on some of my favorite websites.

You know, those full screen, unwanted, irritating, 20 second ads that interfere with your browsing experience. I can't imagine that these ads ever actually work - unless their sole purpose is to drive you to a "premium membership" (read: ad free, at additional cost) experience.

What's really happening, of course, is that Marketers are teaching me to immediately look for those 3 words that usually appear in the upper right corner of the "web litter"...."Skip this Ad".

And while the hosting sites must benefit financially (at least in the short term), I can't imagine that this tactic engenders long term site readership loyalty.

If your website includes the words "Skip this ad", it's time to think about what you're really accomplishing - continuing the work of B.F. Skinner..

As a typical reader, I can now recognize a site ad and hit the "Skip this Ad" link in under 1 second.

And I'm betting you can too.

Call Me Old Fashioned.....

Today, in my email was a friendly reminder from Plaxo, to select and queue my e-Christmas Cards for just in time delivery.

I understand the appeal of a service like this - first, it's FREE. Second, it's fast.

Its drawback of course is that it's lacking in sincerity. I have spent most of my life in technology and I can't think of any friends or colleagues who use e-cards.

I think people appreciate the effort made to send season's greetings "by hand". You have to purchase the cards (or make them yourself), hand write season's sentiments, address the envelopes, purchase and apply the stamps and mail them in time for Christmas.

And I for one, appreciate the fact that old friends and colleagues make the effort. It places value behind the words. The effort underscores the sentiment.

You simply can't accomplish sincerity with a mail merge.

Merry Christmas!

Closing the Vista Landfill.

This post on Gizmodo features a funny Microsoft error message that proves that landfills (real or virtual) have limitations.

My Tom Sawyer Moment

Late last winter, (in April for those of you NOT from the Midwest), I purchased a snow blower - virtually guaranteeing the end of snowfall for the season.

I was right. You're welcome.

Yesterday a big storm blew across the state and dumped about 4-5 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain on us.

It was the best gift ever.

I fired up the snowblower and away I went. And I immediately understood why, in my old neighborhood, whenever someone got a new snowblower, they were so eager to "help me out" by snowblowing my driveway.

It's a LOT of fun.

Yesterday I found myself staring out the window, anxiously waiting for a couple of inches of accumulation before I could jump outside and get started. Mother Nature didn't fail me and soon I was blowing streams of snow into my neighbor's driveway, our lawn, into the cleared areas of our driveway and into my face....

Note to me: Check wind direction before starting.

I don't quite have the hang of it yet.

However, as a public service, I would like to share this fantastic experience with all my friends and neighbors. Next time snow is in the forecast, come on by and I'll let you have the time of your life, clearing out my driveway.

I'll even provide the gas.

Sane Advice for the Green Bay Packers

As today's King Kaufman column at Salon.com suggests, perhaps its time to break Brett Favre's consecutive starting streak to allow him time to adequately heal from his encounters with the Dallas Cowboys defense, last night.

It won't happen of course. But it does make some sense.

I'm as rabid a GBP fan as the next Wisconsonite, but perhaps the TEAM would better positioned 5 weeks from now, if Brett were allowed to heal and Aaron Rogers allowed to gain some playing experience.

In this smoke and mirrors season, where some way, somehow, the Packers have rolled up an impressive 10-2 record, the youngest team in the NFL has been playing above expectations - buoyed by a defense that is proving itself one of the best in the league and supported by a young receiving corps and a new running back that from time to time, show signs of brilliance.

I thought that last night was a pretty impressive show by Aaron Rogers. Perhaps we should give Brett a well deserved couple of weeks off and start thinking about getting everyone healthy for the playoffs.