Holiday Gifts

It's that time of year.... No - I'm not referring to the typical "holiday cheer" attributes (which I honestly have no clue about) ... I'm referring to the time of year when any service-related employee in your life expects something from you...

When did it become "the norm" to give a holiday cash gift to your cleaning lady, your hair cutter, the mailman, the doormen, your gardener - or whatever??

I know it comes off like I'm either insensitive or cheap --But -- Truth is, I don't exchange gifts with my friends - yet I end up spending hundreds of dollars on gifts for people who I probably don't even know what their last name is...?

When I lived alone, I had a cleaning lady, Patsy... Patsy and I had a distinct conversation once on how she didn't celebrate Christmas (I'm not sure what faith she was, though). Anyway - after I told her I was moving and didn't need her services anymore -- she told me that she was always so hurt that I never gave her extra money for the holidays... In hindsight - I definitely was wrong - but I think this is a good summary of my issue with tipping on the holiday season -- The expectation of receiving a gift - for almost no reason...

In the corporate sector - there is often the expectation of a "bonus" at the end of the year - but only if the company has a good year. Additionally - in that scenario - part of the rationale for holiday gifts is to retain employees. Do I really care if the person who delivers my mail quits the USPS? Not really ... And isn't it the USPS' job to keep their employees happy? I don't expect gifts from my clients....

Bottom-line .... I'm not a hater...I just don't like doing something because it's expected...and that it's often the measure of gratitude for the year - rather than the year-long "relationship." If it wasn't expected - I'd be happier to give our doorman a little something because I do genuinely appreciate them...

Happy Holidays to all.....

The Boston Sports Jinx

If you have lived on the East Coast over the last 10 years, you've undoubtedly heard the heartache and pain that was involved with being a Boston sports fan between the Bird era Celtics through the 2004 Boston Red Sox. And while the great Celtic teams are a source of pride for the city -- any deep rooted Boston sports fan would tell you that all those NBA championships combined didn't add up to the joy of the 2004 (and 2007) World Series Championship. This was because - the city believed its' baseball team was jinxed...

Well - within this 2007-2008 generic sports season - as the sports media has well-documented - there is certainly no jinx in Boston...It's sports interests couldn't be doing any better. The Red Sox won the World Series, the Patriots are going to go undefeated in the regular (and post) season, and the Kevin Garnett led Boston Celtics look like the best team in the NBA.

So what happened to the jinx? It looks like it's become a snow-bird and flown down to South Florida, where most of my sports interests call home...The Dolphins are going to be the first 0-16 team in NFL history. The Heat have won only 5 of their first 20 games and are in last place...The Marlins are the laughing stock of baseball - although I think undeserved (check out Dan le Batards take which I agree with).

Regardless, it's been hard out here for a South Florida sports fan...The problem is, Florida is a transient city. Very few people who live there are born and raised - which means most people move to Florida with an existing favorite team...I'm a die-hard Miami Heat fan because I've been a fan since the franchises very first game - and like a true fan - I could name almost every player who's played on the Heat since 1988. That's rare in South Florida... But not in Boston...

Many Boston sports fans gave up a little bit on the Celtics over the last few years - but in their heart of hearts - they were always Celtic fans - which undoubtedly makes the current situation even sweeter.... This will probably never happen in South Florida. I used to think the Dol-Fans were loyal - as the franchise has been around a very long time - but I suppose it's base is starting to give up on Wayne Huizinga...

Anyway - I'm hoping the jinx is merely a cold and not a virus. I can take it for one year - but not much longer...As a sports nut - it's REALLY painful. (Thank goodness for Fantasy Sports once again) ;)

Restaurant H-2-0

The following is something that I find irritating, and I've been meaning to write a post on this topic for years.

When I go to a restaurant, I understand that there are small up-sell opportunities that employees employ to try and maximize their profit. Finding ways to increase the bill amount at a restaurant equates to a larger tip for waiters. Daily specials, a separate wine list, and asking if you'd like coffee or desert after your meal are examples of this.

The one tactic that irks me to the core - is when a waiter asks: "Can I get you flat or sparkling water tonight?" (Notice - not even giving "tap water" as an option) The main premise here - is that they want to seamlessly peer pressure you into ordering the $10 bottle of water rather than enjoy the free tap water (which in New York is known as some of the best in the world)...

At this point - when asked this question - I instinctively answer "TAP is perfect" in an annoyed tone... (In attempt to relay that "Homey don't play that - so nip it in the bud"... My routine never works, though...up-sells continue throughout the meal).

If a restaurant mandates that waiters say this ... I prefer it to go something like this: "Is tap water OK for the table or would you prefer sparkling?" ... This way - the server doesn't insinuate that you are a cheap bastard because you don't want to spend $10 on a bottle of water that the servers will continue to fill up so you quickly finish the bottle(s) and order more...

I guess I find it so annoying because it's one of those cases when I KNOW a business is up-selling me and while they think they're being smooth -- they're making it worse... Customers are smarter than we used to be - I think acknowledging that goes a long way these days...

College Football Chaos

I don't know if I'll ever give up on it -- but I really don't think the aggregate "College Football brand " approval rating could be much worse than it is today. Anyone who argues that the BCS is a quality system is clearly misguided.

While I understand there are complications with the much-desired play-off system, I don't think anyone could argue that it's what College Football "customers" want... College Football is a business... it's a brand.... and while it's not going anywhere (like the NHL in my opinion) - I have to imagine that some fans are going to get sick of the broken system...If fans aren't as interested, than TV broadcast networks will value the rights less, which I'm hoping would open the eyes of the powers that be...

I thought Tom Wetzel (of Yahoo sports) did a very good job of articulating how the play-off system should be run - and I wanted to share. Check out the link if you're interested - it's a good read.

Holiday Shopping

Yesterday, Seth Godin referenced our email exchange about holiday/online shopping trends...While he can undoubtedly do a better job with insightful commentary and rationale, I think one important element was missing from his discussion (And he is someone I genuinely respect, so this is in no way a slight).

Online retail and brick-and-mortar retail are often pinned against each other. In Seth's discussion he gave some great commentary on why these two classification of retailers have different peak holiday shopping days. Traditional multi-channel retailers are certainly gaining "market-share" in the online world (over single channel retailers like Amazon, ebay, etc), and while perhaps the aggregate traditional customer doesn't "get" the shipping concepts and think there is a more powerful reason...

I can often be found preaching online marketing prowess to drive offline sales. That said - I think the reason why "Cyber Monday" is the biggest sales day for traditional multi-channel retailers is because offline shopping also drives ONLINE sales. People go shopping the day after Thanksgiving - period. And while no one would think of a retail store as a stand alone marketing tool -- in this case -- it is. I believe that people go into stores and truly "shop" (rather than solely purchase), knowing that they still have time to price compare online and then buy.

Online marketers care about the separate sales channels ... Customers don't.

Logging on the Dub-Dub-Dub

It's been over a decade that the internet has been commercially used by most people... I feel like it's about time that Americans at-large shed some vernacular that stems from the "early years" (much like we no longer say "groovey" or "totally tubular").

First of all - No one "LOGS ON" anymore... I can't stand when I'm watching a commercial and the call to action is "LOG-ON to ESPN.com" (as an example) ... When AOL dial-up was mainstream - I understand why this term was used ... People waited several minutes to get connected to the internet - and "logging on" was a way for marketers to inform 40+ year olds that when they said "Log-on to XYZ.com" that they were referring to the internet (aka information superhighway) ... But now - I'm happy to report that AOL dial-up represents less than 5% of US internet penetration - and we've moved on to a faster, always on internet environment. We can "visit" or "go to" URLs... we just shouldn't LOG-ON and marketers should take note of this....

Secondly - when promoting a URL - people really should exclude the "www-dot" portion from now on... It's similar to the concept: If everyone didn't let the water run while brushing their teeth, imagine all the water that we collectively can save ... Well, in this case, if people no longer put "WWW-Dot" in front of all their URL addresses -- think of all the time we'll collectively save! You'll notice this on talk shows and the like...When the host asks them where can the viewer find out more - the reaction is typically "WWW-Dot-some-long-URL.com" ... No need for the first part, buddy... I think it's much easier to tell people to "Google" a keyword that your URL shows up #1 for...(and no bias here - I swear) Seriously - what's more likely - users remember and type in a specific URL - or they Google a relevant concept?
Either way - the WWW is inferred as part of a URL and people who don't realize this appear either uninformed or patronizing to me.

Am I alone here??

Iconoclasts

Props to Andrew Fried - who produced the most recent episode of Iconoclasts - featuring Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and legendary TV writer/producer Norman Lear.

Because we're friends with Andrew - Amy and I have watched a handful of Season 1 episodes - and we both agreed that this episode was the best one we've seen yet...In fact, it passed the VERY difficult "Amy couch" test.... If it's after 10:30PM, and Amy is on the couch lying down with the TV on ... Let's just say that even her favorite shows sometime don't pass the test... She's OUT! Well - last night - it was after 11 - and she didn't fade at all ... That should tell you something!

The show was really well put together, but most importantly was quiet interesting. Two things I found most interesting were:

1. Howard Schultz wasn't the founder of Starbucks ... He wasn't even close ... He bought the chain after 10+ years as an employee. He did invent the "Coffee service" aspect of the chain, whereas before, they only sold pre-packaged pounds of coffee.
2. A citizen (Norman Lear) actually BOUGHT and OWNS The Declaration of Independence. Huh? Where have I been?? I honestly had no idea ... I figured it was in a historic museum of some kind ... and ... I'm assuming I'm not alone. Norman Lear needs a MySpace page....

For those that don't know, Iconoclasts is a show that brings two legendary "icons" in different fields together so they can pseudo interview each other. Typically, if you are a fan of one (or both) of the subjects - the show is really interesting. The challenge for me, personally, is that in the past the subjects tended to be people I wasn't overly familiar with or interested in... I suppose that says something about the lack of broad culture in my life -- but thats neither here nor there ... whatever that means)....

Here's a clip... Good work Andrew!

My Virgin America Experience

I flew out to San Francisco this week on Virgin America Airlines. I've never flown Virgin Atlantic, but their brand is well-known for high quality flying experience...

My initial reaction of Virgin America is: Good potential, but poor first experience...

The main perk of the airline seems to be the interactive console in front of every seat... The entertainment system (called "Red") is supposed to come equipped with:
- DirecTV
- Pay-per-View Movies
- Pay-per-View TV (Past episodes of popular TV - like The Office, Family Guy, etc)
- Games
- Email/Text messaging (including Seat to seat chat)
- Food ordering

Well - unfortunately - the only feature that worked on my flight was the food ordering capability. Additionally, as opposed to what the crew members said, the food was no great shakes...

The decor of the plane was funky-fresh - consisting of neon lighting and all black leather seats. The leg-room seemed typical, a little less possibly than Jetblue...

The airline currently only has service between LA, SFO, JFK, DC, and Las Vegas - which are pretty typical locations for me...

I will definitely give it another try - but I'd be looking forward to them improving the experience. I'd like for the airline to make it, but not willing to sing it's praises just yet...

Rooms 2 Go - Marketing Success Story

This is my personal blog. I write about things that are on my mind or that occur in my life outside of work. While I may blog about cool new Google features or tools that I believe could add value to my friends lives, I don't think I've truly ever blogged about my day-to-day job.

Well - I am very proud of something - so looks like that trend is going to end.

For the last few years, I've put a lot of time and energy into trying to convince multi-channel retailers that online marketing isn't only great for driving online sales, but that it can also drive substantial brick-and-mortar store sales as well.

After a number of quality client success stories - we finally got a multi-channel marketer to publicly share it's success. The retailer, Rooms 2 Go, and the account team that worked on the campaigns were absolutely fantastic throughout the whole process, and I hope the client finds even greater success in the future.

Here is a news article that Internet Retailer published yesterday (where yours truly is quoted). Just wanted to share as it was something I was very proud of....

New Friends Born

I've been a little lax on updating some of the personal accomplishments of friends/family on the blog, so wanted to take a quick second to introduce everyone to two new friends of ours.

Sydney Brown (formerly known as "Nugget") was born on October 19th. DooDoo and Jamie are obviously really happy to extend their collective massive family trees... While the betting line had the "Brown" male chromosome winning out against the "Satnick" female chromosome (sorry Matt)... Sydney is a beautiful baby girl who will most likely follow her moms footsteps to all-girl summer camp.... the Michigan - Duke decision still at-large.

While Sydney popped out a week ago, Joshua Namordi is a bit more life-experienced (I mean - the guy already has a blog!), coming through over 6 weeks ago. Rachel and Eyal (and Mojo) have really enjoyed spending time with "J-Nam" (especially when all specific odors and sounds can be attributed to the lil' guy...innocent or not).

I have represented the DAD'S in the pictures provided ... as I am guessing I will receive plenty of mom featured pictures in the months/years to come...

CONGRATS to the Browns and the Namordi's ... I met both of our new friends in person - and they are both stand-up peeps!

Google AdSense

I cannot count the number of conversations I've had with people over the years who want to understand how they can make money through Google's business model....

While there are several ways this can be done, the most scalable and easiest way is to write. In other words, create interesting content that can be monetized easily. Google will supply the ads if you supply the content. That's it! Assuming your writing generates a sizable audience, and is relevant to topics - people can earn a decent living.

Today, there was an article in the USAToday on how retiree's in particular have leveraged the AdSense movement. It shares stories of folks who earn sometimes $100K plus per year - just for writing about things they are passionate about...

Now, although I have ads on my blog, I honestly don't write my blog for revenue gain. I'm solely interested in how it works from a publishing standpoint (vs. an advertisers standpoint which I'm more familiar with). In the 6 months that I've had ads on my blog -- I've made less than $5. To be fair, though, I don't write enough, my audience is the same 20 people (although about 100 unique people visited my blog this month), and again - I don't view or treat it as a revenue generating exercise.

If you are interested in learning more, in addition to reading the USA Today article, you should also read up on Adsense. I think the key to making money with Adsense, though, is to be patient and to think like a true publisher... Focus on creating insightful, interesting, and entertaining content. If you develop an audience...the ads (and money) should follow....

The Return of The Douchebag

Amy and I jointly discovered this - and I've discussed it with a few of my loyal readers - but thought I'd bring it to the masses...

It's fairly common knowledge that fashion trends repeat themselves over time. While language and grammar aren't necessarily a fashion trend, I believe certain sayings follow a similar formula and make their way back into the mainstream. Let's hope that "Totally tubular", "mint" (that's for you Wolfe), and "groovy" don't make their way back, but I feel confident in proclaiming the term "Douchebag" back into everyday context.

For starters, I've heard the term spoken in several conversations among friends (of course not used to describe any of my loyal readers). Additionally, I've now seen some form of "Douchebag" referenced in 3 popular TV shows (including Saturday Night Live having a "Douchebag of the Year" sketch)...

What brought the word back?? While I'm not completely sure - I've gotta assume that MySpace and Facebook had something to do with it. I mean - who can look at the picture below and think of ANY word besides Douchebag...


In case anyone was wondering - when you Google "Douchebag" - the picture below is the first listing - seriously.

In conclusion - If anyone was looking for a trendy Halloween costume - look no further...

Update on Ugliest Couch in America...

It's for sale!! Check out the eBay listing (which was done by my step-brother)...

Ugliest Couch in America

Regis and Kelly have a yearly contest to determine the "Ugliest Couch in America." I would have no idea of this fact...however... it turns out that this years winner happens to be the childhood couch of my brother-in-law!

Fred's mom, Sylvia (accompanied with her couch of 32 years), is featured in the episode that aired this morning.

I'm going to let the video be the bulk of the content on this post, but I didn't want to leave out that I thought Sylvia came off as the coolest and most comfortable with her appearance on the show out of the 3 contestants.

In addition to getting put up in New York by the show, Sylvia received $5000 and a trophy for being rewarded as the contest winner. Congrats Barry and Sylvia!!!

MIchigan Football...2007

It seems as if the biggest story in the sports media world over the last few weeks has been the University of Michigan's abysmal start to the college football season. As I'm a proud Wolverine fan, most people who know me are thrilled to ask me how I'm feeling these days about Michigan Football...As I've gotten the question over 10 times recently -- I decided to blog my feelings...

While I am frustrated, annoyed, and baffled -- I actually have what I like to think is a unique mindset on the situation. You see -- being a loyal fan means that you are with the team through good times and bad. This is a clearly bad time. So... I take notice to the fact that I'm lucky... Lucky in the fact that I am a fan (and alumni) of one of the few college football programs that has the luxury of being a realistic competitor year in and year out. I can think of maybe 5 other college programs that can say that...To put it in perspective - if I went to Indiana - I wouldn't have a college football program to root for... This isn't meant to be a knock on IU -- it's just an example of why I feel it's great to be a Michigan Wolverine - even in times like this.

I do feel bad for Mike Hart, Chad Henne, and Jake Long -- who all came back to repeat as contenders... I'm hoping they are able to taste a championship at the next level...

It's been a very bad start to the year. Does that mean that the season is over? Of course not. We're not going to win the National Championship - but there are some big ten team(s) that could make our season salvageable - even if we go 3-9. Another benefit of being a Michigan fan -- lots of meaningful rivalries...

All in all ... again - As a fan, it's been a baffling 2 weeks. It's probably going to be a very frustrating 12 weeks...
This said ... I'm still proud to be a Michigan Wolverine alumni - and this will never fade. I won't defend the poor performance or get frustrated with those classless fans who like to rub my face in it. I don't think I gloat when Michigan is great either. I'm what I like to consider a class-act Michigan Wolverine fan. GO BLUE!!

Fabuloso

I just got back from Home Depot... As I was leaving the store, I took a double-take at a specific product display. It was for a all-purpose household cleaner, with a name I'd never heard of before. I'm familiar with the standard brands: Windex, Clorox, Pine Sol, Formula 409, Fantastik, etc.... but this was the first time I ever was introduced by the brand "FABULOSO" (manufactured by Colgate).

Now - If I'm the CEO of SC Johnson (the maker of "Fantastik") - I'm a little ticked at the product marketing folks for getting beat to the punch here. You know that a good portion of your target audience is Hispanic-American, and you probably spend a good deal of advertising dollars with Hispanic language ads (I should have probably checked with the Mrs. on this first to make sure my facts were correct)... Yet you believe that your brand is so powerful - that you will leave it's name the same? Who wants to bet that within the next year - Fantastik is selling a portion of it's product as "Fantastico"? (and if they're not - someone should be fired)

Anyway - props to Colgate for doing something that even Jim Gaffigan mentions in his famous Hot Pockets routine ... "...Caliente Pockets...."

Google Lunch

As I haven't had a pro-Google post in a while... I thought I'd quickly show-off a recent article in a food service magazine about the lunch served at Google.

For those that haven't experienced lunch with me at Google - read this to get a sense....
I actually had those peas as part of my lunch today - so the article I suppose is pretty timely.

Sportsline glitch and phone Number

I have been a loyal Sportsline.com power user for the last 10 years. By power user - I mean that I not only consume their products as a fantasy player -- but as a commissioner as well.

Anyway - I wanted to post an issue they've been having with their HELP CENTER (and "ask a question feature" in particular). Basically - every time you try and login - there is a "login loop" that is occurring - where the "Please login page" constantly appears - even after continuously logging in. This is not a browser or operating system issue -- it's an internal problem at Sportsline (now CBS Sports). To fix this call: 1-877-Commish from 8:00am to 8:00pm, EST, Monday thru Friday.

It took me 2 weeks to get this answer. Sportsline does a HORRIBLE job giving out a customer service resource - email or phone number. This is the one major issue I wish they corrected.

Anyhow - just wanted to drop some knowledge for those Sportline commissioners out there...
Fantasy season is only 2 weeks away...

Fake Poker mishap

Yesterday, something upsetting happened to me .... Before I tell you what it is, know that I was surprised at my initial feelings of severe disappointment. Surprised may be the wrong word -- Pathetic is probably better...

Yesterday I sat down on the subway, blackberry in hand ready to continue my quest of "Texas Hold em King 2" dominance. While I clicked my usual way to start the game - an instant feeling of sadness had come over me. For a reason I will never know -- my fake $43 Million had just vanished from the games memory. My only option was to start all over with the starting bank of a measly $5,000.

Please keep in mind, the $43 Million was a product of immeasurable hours on countless subway and bus trips over the last several months (if not year). I guess it's the equivalent of George's (from Seinfeld) Frogger high score staying in tact over the years - and the importance of that to George.

It's a day later - and although I'm over it ... I have yet to start up a new quest. I'm not announcing my retirement from the Texas Hold em' King 2 Tour ... but I think I just need a break...

To fill up the time -- I've been listening to FootballGuys Podcasts on my iPhone. Other than severely eating the battery and the inability to figure out if/how I can fast-forward on my new device -- I love it! I guess nothing can cure a video game disappointment more than the smell of Fantasy Football in the air....

Being Sick Sucks

I typically have the mentality that I'm "a machine." I believe that your state of mind is often dictated by how you think...(If you think you are beaten -- you are...) This said, I can think I'll never get sick forever, but it's bound to happen, and it did. This week I took my 2nd and 3rd sick days at Google in 4 years... After traveling a lot last week, I suppose my body shut down...

Not only was I sick, but Amy apparently got jealous - and became sick herself. 2 sick people under one roof is definitely not a party... Anyhow, our condition forced us to cancel our weekend trip to Florida - where I was scheduled to take part in the WPT Boot Camp (Amy's birthday present to me).

We were able to reschedule for sometime next year - but I didn't think that I would be able to get as much out of it if my head was continuously throbbing as poker pros were instructing me how to play properly.

We're still getting better .... just resting and taking it easy. So ... I guess all I have to say is: Being sick sucks!!