10 years at Google

I started my Google job 3654 days ago.  10 years at the same company is rare these days, however, just as rare are companies as renowned or historic as the one I work for.  

Here are 10 random thoughts about the last 10 years working at Google:

1) After 10 years - I'm still impressed with the food perks this company gives.  I still love telling people what I was deciding between that day (the duck or the skirt steak as an example).

2) I believe I was the first "Brett" at Google.  There are now apparently 46 others.

3) Almost all of the people I work with are incredibly impressive and smart.  I've worked at companies where you feel like not everyone is on your "same wavelength."  Not here.  That's an amazing thing and only a company like Google can continuously pull it off.

4) I sell digital advertising but I really don't consider myself a "saleguys sales guy."  I feel very fortunate that I truly believe in what I talk to advertisers about every day:  I can help improve their business.  Google's ad solutions is one of the most "relevant" targeting around today - and it should only get better in the future.  When I ask customers for more money (which is what all sales people do) - I don't feel bad about it because I genuinely think it's the best choice they can make AND in my 10 years here I have yet to feel like an advertiser is giving us the right share of their advertising budget.  I really enjoy this aspect of working at Google.

5) I'm a rare employee at Google.  10 years here and 10 years working with retail advertisers.  Most people who've been here for a while cover many different aspects of the business.  I've had 3 different jobs and gotten promoted several - but all of them covered retailer advertisers for the most part.

6)  (Common question) After 10 years here -- I still have no pull in hiring processes.  Sorry - I can't talk to someone to help you get a job.  I'm happy to talk to you about the company culture and beliefs, though.  

7) (Common question) On a similar topic - Sorry - but I can't tell you how to get to #1 on the Google search results of the keyword of your choice.  I can tell you how the ad system works, though.

8) (Common question) The founders have no idea who I am.  I've met them each a couple of times but I'm not in any of the same meetings they are.  I'm OK with this.

9)  I'm a pre-IPO employee but that doesn't mean that I made millions.  People assume that I've been at Google for 10 years and so I must be "loaded."  Not true.  I'm not complaining about the financial benefits of being here 10 years - but the perception is vastly exaggerated.

10) There is still a great sense of pride telling people that I work at Google.  I'm very proud of this company and the mission it's trying to accomplish and the way it's attempting to do so.  The fact that my soon-to-be 97 year old Grandma talks to me about what she read in the paper about Google (and she has no clue what the internet is) is amazing.  I love that.  

In 2003, it was very different than it is today.  Some things good and some things not as good - but again - I feel very fortunate for having worked at this place for the last 10 years.  Who knows what the next 10 will bring - but if it's anything like that last 10 - I'll be really happy.

Thanks Google.

Cold Calling should die

I'm a manager within a sales organization.  I think of myself as a sales guy.  I very much believe in talking on the phone with customers and prospects.  I still think cold calling should be left in 1987.

I work at Google so I guess people assume I'm rich.  I probably have one person a week who calls my office asking if I want them to manage my "portfolio" or invest in their firm...  I also have head hunters calling me about "can't miss opportunities" regularly.  I can't imagine, in 2013 who this cold call tactic works on.  Conversion percentages have to be less than banner ad click-thru rates.

Why do I think cold calling should die?  
Here are my top 5 reasons:
1) Phone calls are personal.  They take time and demand concentration.  These are limited aspects of everyone's day.  Respect that!
2) Cold calls are "tricks."  No one in the world actually is hoping that someone is going to cold call them (maybe except this guy).  I can't see a sales call starting off worse than someone being annoyed or disrespected.
3) There are better ways to communicate today.  Email and social networks in particular.  If I really am a good prospect - then you should be able to give me the opportunity to engage on my terms.   I talk to my clients on the phone regularly, but I can't tell you the last time that I called one blind and actually had them pick-up with a productive conversation.  I email them, send a calendar invite, etc.  They come into the conversation with the right expectations and frame of mind.  It benefits everyone.  This is just the new reality.
4) There's no way to stand-out (in a positive way).  At this point - every trick in the book is a negative cliche'.  "What would you say to 30% returns? - Huh? huh?"  (CLICK).
5) It makes people resent picking up the phone.  As sales people - we don't want that.  Because I get these random cold calls - the odds of me picking up the phone for a number I don't recognize rise.  This is bad.  On time, I had a CMO leave me voicemail when I sitting at my desk.  This drove me crazy because it took another week to get them on the phone.  I blamed cold callers. 

If you're a good sales person than you've done some research before picking up the phone.  I'm hoping that cold callers have done some research on ME before calling me blindly, seen this post, and decide an alternative form of first contact... Thanks for listening.

Why I Don't Like Live Concerts

Last night I went to go see the second live concert with my wife in our 10 year relationship (thanks Blake!).  She loves concerts; Me - not so much.  Even by typing that I feel like I should be embarrassed somewhat by that statement.  "Who doesn't love live music?"  (ME!)

Here are my reasons why:
1) I grew up loving Hip-Hop.  
Live Hip-Hop isn't even close to as enjoyable on your ears as produced Hip-Hop.Freestyle battles aside - there is far less quality of music in the execution of the lyrics, rhythm, etc.  I've seen every rapper you'd want to see live (Biggie, Wu-Tang, Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas, Vanilla Ice) ;) and none of them conjure any kind of over-the-top memory.
2) I've never really fantasized about being on a concert stage
Watching people at the concert last night, you see the passion when they know every word or stare enviously at the stage day-dreaming about them being in that position.
3) Logistics and cost
Getting concert tickets are never easy or always expensive.  Do you ever really get the seats you want?  Traveling to a concert is never stress-free.  If you're driving you're not drinking and if you're taking mass transit - you're a cattle who has better had taken their patience pills.  I'd personally rather save this type of over-priced, logistical nightmare for sporting events.
4) Restrictive Fun Zone
If I wanted to hang out with people who liked the same music and knew the same songs as me - I'd much rather go to a club and hang out with these people in that setting/venue than some enormous stadium that may or may not have people sitting/standing who each get a 10 inch seat to sit on.  If you've seen me dance - I need more than 20 square inches of room to let break it down.
5) The Always Scripted "Encore"
Seriously - don't say "Thanks so much for coming out - Drive Safe" and then play 30 more minutes afterwards.  The first 20 times someone did that -- fine -- it was decent shock value in 1974.  In 2013, it's just lame and for me it's a sure-fire way to leave me annoyed at the end.

I'm sure there are bands or groups that defy my rationale.  I have a lot of friends who probably can't understand why I feel this way.  I, personally, just don't happen to be into those groups or music genre (again - outside of freestyle hip-hop -- Shout out to FreeStyle Love Supreme who I've seen over 10 times live and enjoyed every time).

This all said -- I can tell you from going to concerts when the performer is crazy-talented.  I have now seen Bruno Mars twice in concert - and he definitely is crazy-talented with a great voice.

18 Months of Silence Ended

In 2003, I wrote the headline below the title of my blog to read: "I've got many thoughts and on occasion want to share them with the world."  Well - that's always been true until a significant loss happened in my life and I didn't really want to share my thoughts and opinions in this forum.

I saw Seth Godin and Mitch Joel speak at Google last week - and they both recommended that everyone blog at least once a day.  With them saying that, I remembered how much I enjoyed writing this blog and part of me missed it.  Twitter is great - but the space is somewhat restrictive.  So while I still have a scar from the loss, I feel like I'm ready to get back into blogging.  I'm not an "every day" blogger - but I'd like to try and do it once a week.  Topics will continue to range from random observations to family updates to internet advertising verbal musings.

As a quick family update - We are in a better place than we were 18 months ago.  Since that time, Amy and I have become parents to a beautiful son (Ben) and Alexa's thrived in becoming a big sister and she's developing into a great, "big girl".  We just moved apartments after 4 years.  It's been less than a week, but I'm feeling great about our new home and the memories we'll create there.  I love my family and it continues to be (as it always will) the most important priority in my life.

I'm still at Google working to help retailers embrace digital marketing as a way to improve their business.  I manage an awesome team that consistently makes me proud to be a manager.

I've really enjoyed my favorite sports team, the Miami Heat winning back-2-back championships.  It's crazy to think that they've won 2 championships since I stopped blogging.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't have doubts during the journey in the past 2 seasons - so maybe it's a good thing I didn't blog about it.   Maybe I won't next year either.  Yes - I'm still a little superstitious about sports.


That's all I've got for now.  I'm looking forward to a lot of things this summer and I'm happy to hopefully re-establish this blog to convey some of these upcoming experiences and opinions.

12/22/11 - The Worst Day of My Life

It's been two weeks since the worst day of my life and so I think I'm ready to write about it. We'll see how this goes...

On Thursday, December 22 2011, I woke up expecting a pretty low-key day at work.  Instead I got one of the biggest nightmares any expecting parent could imagine.

My wife was 38 weeks into her pregnancy.  For those not in the know - that's in the "can go any minute" zone.  Due dates are 40 weeks for reference.  On Wednesday (12/21) - Amy got a perfect report from the doctor:  Heart-rate was perfect; fluid was perfect.  They talked about possible induction dates.  That night (Wed) - Amy mentioned that she hadn't felt the baby move that much during the night-time and was a little concerned.  We thought the baby was just sleeping.  On Thursday morning she still hadn't felt the baby move that much so we went to the doctor's office for peace of mind.  The doctor wasn't in but the nurse mentioned she was working at the hospital so we went there.  They brought Amy into a "triage room" and then brought me in a minute later... It's the scene we will remember forever - where doctors were searching for the heartbeat but couldn't find anything...  We didn't understand.  We were sure there was a mistake.  We were wrecked and absolutely lost.

Our doctor came to us in tears with the "when am I going to wake up from this nightmare" look... She, too, had that look on her face a little...

For those that are reading this saying "that's gotta be the worse of it" - it was the worst from the shock perspective for sure ... but the worst day of my life wasn't close to over...

After we were told that the baby Amy was carrying for 38 weeks was no longer alive - we were told that Amy would have to deliver it - just as if it were alive... This process took about 13 hours.  13 hours of Amy in a hospital bed hooked up to machines feeling beyond lost and sad.  13 hours to ask ourselves every question you can think of... Amy described it like being a POW just waiting to be tortured.  Her torture was obvious and the only thing that got us through was knowing that every step brought us closer to the nightmare being over.

Amy delivered the baby in an amazing and remarkably strong fashion.  Looking at her go forward (and fight through that) is something I will never forget.  In such a painful day at a horrible moment - my love for my wife actually grew seeing how brave and strong she was.   We asked the sex; It was a girl (something we kept a surprise).  The pain got more intense/more real after we knew that.  Cause of "fetal demise" was determined a "cord accident" with the cord wrapped around our unborn daughters neck and legs extremely tightly.  While rare - it's apparently a known cause for stillbirths throughout time and nothing technologically can prevent that.

We decided not to hold or look at her (or get any other visual details) as we didn't want any more visual scars for the rest of our lives.  We cried.  A lot.

Our Doctor was such a big part of us getting through the torture.  We are convinced that while she has seen these cord accidents before, that it's never happened to any of her direct patients.  She was supposed to go away with her family - but rescheduled it to make sure she was there for us that night.  While leaving - she said "Guys - I will remember this day until I'm 80 years old."  That was something that will stick with Amy and I for a while.  What I'm also hoping will stick with us for a while are the facts that:
1) There is no one/thing to blame.  Just bad luck
2) If we were to go back in time and do anything differently - there really is nothing we would do.  Again - just bad luck.

So - that's the summary of our worst day ever.  It still hasn't been two weeks - so I can't say we expect the pain to have eased much - and it hasn't.  Our friends and family have been incredibly supportive - but it's a hard thing. There's nothing anyone can say, do, buy, etc. that will make us truly feel better.  The only thing is time and experience I suppose.

We are so thankful for our absolutely amazing daughter, Alexa.  Telling her was undoubtedly one of the hardest things I will do in my life.  Amy and I are thankful for the love, support, and bond we have for one another.  We are determined in the long-run to not let this horrible occurrence define our lives.  This said - it's going to take some time to allow for that.  We appreciate the support throughout our lives - but there's going to be a point when we will expect our family and friends to treat us the exact same they did before this happened.  We are going to try and move forward as best as possible.  Alexa mandates that we don't stay and sulk all day, every day - and we are determined to not let this effect her needs.

So - that's the worst day of my life.  There will always be a scar in my heart - but I will not let the size of that scar overwhelm my family's life.  I truly hope that this experience brings perspective to Amy and I that actually can enrich our appreciation for the great things in life and dissipate the nuisance of daily frustration as much as possible. 

If you have any questions about this experience - feel free to reach out over time.

2010-2011 NBA Season

The Dallas Mavericks are this years NBA Champs - and while I'm not happy about it - I respect it.  They did everything a championship team should do and they were just the better team in June.

It's been a long few weeks - with a number of thoughts running through my head - so thought I'd just document them here:

• The Miami Heat are the villains of the NBA.  I get it.  I think the critisism is extreme - but again - I get it.  The truth is that this entire season had zero upside for this team.  They made it to the NBA finals - and everyone (especially the media) is saying "See - we were right - you failed".  C'MON people! This team did such amazing things (um - including financially for the NBA and every other team) - so be glad that the Mavs won -- but slow your roll on the lack of greatness/accomplishment of this team.  At the start of the play-offs - The Heat were not the hands-down favorite to win it all -- yet come The Finals -- suddenly they always had been..
• As an NBA fan - you cannot hate on Dirk. Period.  Love to see him get a ring.  Love that Cuban got a ring.  Outside of "hating" Jason Terry right now -- I got respect for the Mavs team and organization - so respect due.
• This said - Lebron James sucks(?)  Again - C'mon people.  He didn't perform at Superstar status at the end and when it really counted.  He's still an unbelievable NBA player and oh yea - only 26 years old.  I actually think losing in this years' finals was better for his long-term career accomplishments.  In 2004 - he was playing with house money.  This year - I think he really tasted it - but it was taken by a team that wanted it more and executed much better.  He will learn from it and again - I think the loss will sting and this will drive him.  
• So - why did the Dallas win?  Well - for starters they just exectuted better.  Another part for me is that I saw the Heat just wore down.  That's not an excuse that makes me feel better - again - Dallas won - period, however - this team was literally in play-off mode for pretty much the entire season.  Every game they played was the other teams biggest game of the season... They had to justify their play to the questioning media after every single game.  This is a team that was known for it's defense forcing contested shots - and in this finals series (even in the games they won) - Dallas had a plethora of open shots.  I don't think a great defense all year forgets how to play -- I think mentally and physically drained teams are a crucial reason why defenses looked mediocre.
• Jim Carey did all the right things.  SUPER-impressed at his post-season run.  I think coaches are generally limited in their true impact in the NBA - but Dallas coaching staff did every single thing that they could to add their value.  Match-up changes - Defensive sets - time-out control.  I don't hate on Coach Spo - but I think he was out-coached in this series and hopefully he learns from it.
• Such a big deal was made of the fact that the Heat are D-Wade's team.  So what?  They are! Seems as if everyone (especially the media) are so obsessed with Lebron's legacy with total disregard for D-Wades.  I suppose one positive to this finals series is that D.Wade was put back on the map (as I have always known he should be).  This said - the Lebron legacy thing is so frustrating for me.  It's like asking how the movie is going to end within the first 30 minutes.  I get that it eats up air-time, but at some point it's just useless. Tom Cruise is crazy or Vin Diesel is is a horrible actor .... Do Americans really care when it comes to being entertained (or spending money).  Absolutely not - and it's the same with Lebron and the NBA.  Who sold more Nike Shoes - MJ or LBJ?  Maybe that's a more appropriate question in 2011.  Guy is a beast and perhaps people's expectation level of "greater than MJ" are the real issue rather than LBJ himself.  So what - he's not a top 5 player of all time .... That's HIS inner demon - not ESPNs.
• To that note - assuming there is a season - who do you think are the 2011-2012 favorites to win the ring?  Would anyone hate it if their team was favored every year?  At some point it's annoying - but generally - I was able to watch over 100 games of Lebron James and Dwyane Wade do amazing things and I look forward to that continuing.  I don't think anything gets blown up on this team minus some supporting cast help and I'm OK with this.

That's all that I got right now.

I'm definitely bummed - but it's not like a feel slighted as a fan.  My team just lost to a better team this series - and all I can hope for is that the pain they are feeling right now will drive them to win more in the future.  These guys have PLENTY of basketball left in them - and so I'm approaching "the big 3" from marathon perspective and not sprint. 

Let's Go Heat! 

Appoinment TV (Sorry Honey!)

Everyone knows I'm a die-hard Heat fan.

When Lebron made "his decision," I was torn about it.  While I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the Heat being the favorite/villain -- I was looking forward to the opportunity to watching the team play.  For my birthday, my father-in-law bought me the NBA package.  When this happened, I expected to catch many of the games - but I was never one of those guys that revolved my schedule around NBA regular season games. For NFL football - ok - there are only 16 games that happen at the same time each week - but there are 82 games in the NBA - no way that's reasonable....  

This said - over the last 21 games, "my Heat" have only lost only once - and I think I've caught 18 of those games. Last night, I was riveted by a true overtime show in Portland ... I don't remember the last time I'd stay up way past my bedtime to catch a west coast regular season game (and let me tell you - it was worth it!) .... Now I don't know when the next time is that I won't do stay up.....

Having Lebron and Wade on the same team is just an insane thing to watch as a fan of that team.  They haven't totally shown just yet that they've got what it takes to win when it counts, but they've shown that they are worth the price of entertainment and then-some.  Rooting for this team is definitely more fun than I thought it would be and I recommend the Heat as appointment TV for any fan of NBA basketball - it's unquestionably the best show in town any night they play..... 

Fantasy Football 2010

Quick update / documentation on my 2010 Fantasy Football season ....  As many of you know - I take a great deal of pride in fantasy football - in particular - the league I have been commissioner for the past 13 years (The BigTime).

2010 was a remarkable all around year for my fantasy football efforts.  I was in three leagues:

• The BigTime (I share the franchise with Colediggy)
• Funk Air (Wah-Nee league) (I share the franchise with BBBC)
• "Goodie League" (Goodie is the commissioner - I only joined last year because they needed another team and Colediggy/Salis owned one of the other franchises.

Anyway - In all three leagues - I made it to The Finals in every one!  I am really proud of this and recognize that I sound like a complete geek - but I'm not ashamed to say it.  

The end result:  We won the Funk Air and lost the other two in the finals - but again - still very proud of the overall effort.  I don't know if this will ever happen again which is one of the reasons I'm sharing on my blog... and ... here's a picture of Alexa and Daddy cheering on "The Commission" with T-shirts made by Tuna Glantz:

Our Bed Bug Experience

In case you don't watch the news - Bed Bugs are a huge problem in the US right now (and particularly in NYC).  We currently went through a few weeks of hell on the issue (a lot of which was self-imposed hell) and thought I'd share it with others to learn from ...

While I'm not allowed to write about why I called a company to come and check our apartment out for bed bugs, trust that it was a good reason.  Also trust that the reason I called the specific exterminator was of sound thinking...

This said - here's what went down ... I called an exterminator to come to our apartment with a dog to come sniff for bed bugs.  Before (and after) they came - we had looked and there were absolutely no signs of them - but again - I had good reason to call.  The dog "alerted" at our bed.  Not anywhere else in the apartment but in our living room.  When I asked the guy who came with the dog a question or two - his response was literally "Dude - I don't know - I'm just a dog trainer.  Call the company for a quote and plan of attack."  Suffice it to say that both Amy and I were freaking out ... When I called the company - they said they gave me a ~$2,000 quote to treat our apartment and basically sent over a one page document of how to prep for treatment.  Because we have a little baby - we obviously wanted the issue treated as soon as possible - and we somehow got them to find an opening for the end of that same week (4 days later). Before hearing about what needed to get done - I honestly thought it may take a day or two to prep and definitely never could have imagined the amount of work that needed to be done ... So ... that's what Amy and I did.  We spent the next 72 hours putting all of our clothes in the dryer - folding them - putting them in bags closing them and putting them in our living room or bedroom.  All of our daughters stuff.  All of the stuff in our closets.  EVERYTHING CLEANED AND PUT IN BAGS.

Amy then called a friend who went through this bed bug hell a few weeks earlier and told her what happened.  Being more educated on the topic she said that the story sounded a little off and recommended that Amy call the exterminator she used for a "second opinion."  They were scheduled to come a day before we had planned for treatment from the other company.  When the other company came - the same thing happened - where the dog "alerted" at our bed but no where else.  The difference was that the people with the dog looked to verify - and couldn't find anything.  They said that we DEFINITELY went overboard with prepping our apt. and had we called them instead of the original sketchy exterminator - we would have saved ourselves hours of stress and work.  It's fair to say that neither Amy nor I slept very well for those 2 weeks...

Because we had already prepped our apartment and the dog had alerted - it just made sense to do the treatment.  We decided to not treat the whole apartment (avoiding chemicals with a baby in the house seems like smart parenting to me) but rather our bedroom only.  This obviously was at a much lower cost - but more importantly - gave us much better piece of mind with what was going on.   We got the treatment - and then gradually put all of our stuff back to where it belonged.  It sounds minimal but trust that it's a huge time-suck.

Fast forward to earlier this week - and we are 100% bed bug free.  They came out 2 weeks ago and pretty much said the same thing - but we needed earlier this week to be 100% sure.  I can speak for myself by saying how relieved I was.  The scary part is that apparently over 10% of NYC is infected with the epidemic - and so you have to be very careful everywhere: In cabs, public transportation, putting your bags down on the floor (at work for example) especially overnight, etc.

Based upon my experience above - here are my Top 5 Bed Bug related tips:

1) Before you assume you have bed bugs - look for the signs:
a) Blood spots on your sheets
b) Black marks (like a felt pen marking) on your mattress, etc
c) Bites - which usually come in a linear line in 3's - but can be single ones as well.
- If you don't show any signs - there probably isn't a huge rush to have someone come out.  Dogs coming to your apartment can range from $100 - $350 - so it's definitely not cheap - but for me, personally, it was worth the piece of mind for the dogs to come.


2) Get a reference from exterminators and don't be scared to get a second opinion.
This business is like .com boom of 1999.  Everyone (especially these companies) are trying to make money and they know that many people in NYC will pay whatever they need to in order to get rid of the problem.  They have more business than they know what to do with - but - that doesn't mean that companies can treat people like crap.  Make sure you feel comfortable with the company you are using to treat the problem and if you are someone who needs to be hand-held - make sure you find a company who can accommodate that.

3) If you rent - talk to your landlord about treating for bed bugs before making the treatment plans yourself.



4) Try not to let your mind think of the worst.  (I should have listened to my own advice - but didn't)
Bed bugs are ENORMOUSLY mental.  I can't tell you how many nights/days I wake up still feeling like something is crawling on me -- and -- nothing is or has! The truth is that while bed bugs are a huge pain in the ass - outside of the pain of the bites - they are not harmful.  They don't carry disease.  So - yes - the worst case scenarios are that you are inconvenienced - and while that is still mentally daunting - you have to try and put it all in perspective.   This said - I recognize how horrific this issue is - and definitely stressed out majorly while it was going on.  While I still freak out once in a while - I'm really trying to beat it mentally.  I don't want this experience to change the way I live or think in my own home.

5) Learn how to limit your risk
Bed bugs are a problem and while there is nothing you can do to guarantee you'll never get them - there are some things you can do.  For example, if you're staying at a hotel - leave your bag by the door as soon as you enter - and check out the mattress.  If there are black dots on it - BOUNCE.  When you travel, use a bag that can be put in the dryer.  When you get home (outside your door), put all your clothes from the bag in a plastic bag then immediately put the bag in the dryer (Heat of 120 degrees+ for 20 minutes+ kills them).  Then put the clothes from the bag in the dryer after.  Buy mattress and box spring covers - they're expensive - but they limit places that the bed bugs can hide.

Again - just some thoughts for those that were interested.  A horrible experience for sure - but definitely could have been worse and I'm so glad it's behind us.

My Disdain for a Specific Type of Reality TV

I'm not a frosty old man (yet). While I may not know what the current "hot spots" around town are - I'm not completely out of the loop (yet). I may not be familiar with all of the artists who compromise the top 10 songs on iTunes - but I know and download most of them (today). Bottom-line - this isn't a post about why I'm old or why "kids these days" are _____ (insert your frosty comment here).

This said - I CANNOT stand the current popular format of some reality TV. By "cannot stand," I truly mean that I get ill merely listening to the voices of these characters. It's the type of RealityTV that the Hills brought us... So ..Anything "Kardashian", anything "Housewives of," "Bethany Getting Married," etc. Really - anything that's premise is: Here is a train wreck of a person or people - let's follow their lives, have some forced drama around ridiculous things, and make these people think they are the class of America.

While I can bucket Jersey Shore into the description above - it also falls into the "let's put random people in the same living environment and see who hooks up, doesn't get along, etc. I don't watch the show (and don't know why literally 10X times more people watch that show than Mad Men), but the show doesn't make me physically sick if it's on in the same room as me... I can at least understand why people watch this kind of show...

Given that my wife works in the television biz, she likes being in the know of hit TV shows. She's DVR'd them in our bedroom - which means that before going to sleep she thinks it's a good time to watch them. I disagree. Those shows make my blood boil - so that's like saying - let's drink a case of red bull and then try to go to sleep ... My wife and I definitely do not have to agree on every TV show that will be on when we're together -- compromise is obviously needed. I try not to watch too many sports or poker shows with her in the room, (I definitely don't have anything UFC on, etc) and to me - this is really the only thing where I have a very low tolerance.

If given the choice of listening to 2 hours of Oprah or 15 minutes of hearing Chloe Kardashian pontificate on the BS that are forced plot lines for a reality show - I'm choosing Orprah every time!

While I really want to .... I can't judge people who watch the show because different people like different things ... I just don't want to watch or hear these kinds of shows, personally. Is that so wrong?

The New-Look Miami Heat

If you're a friend of mine at all, you will know that I'm a rarity:  An original Miami Heat fan.  I can name the entire roster of the inaugural 1988-89 Miami Heat. It's been my favorite sports franchise of my lifetime - and 2006 was an extra special year for me (and not only because it was the year I asked my wife to marry me)....

It's unfortunate that everyone (myself included) has met their "Lebron" quota for a while -- but I wanted to take a second to document my thoughts of the new look Heat...

For starters, it's such a weird feeling for me.  The Heat have NEVER been the true favorites in the NBA.  They've been contenders and one-time champions ... but they've always casted a heavy shadow of doubt for it's fans...  Regardless if the new trio works or not (and I'll get to my thoughts on that soon) - they will be the "NY Yankees of the NBA" for the next few years.  The team that everyone outside of Heat fans will vigorously root against and frankly I'm not used to that with them or for almost any team (Michigan is like that in Football I suppose - but they've won one National Championship in the last 20 years ... so ... it's a little different and tempered for sure).

When D.Wade and Bosh announced earlier in the week - I was PUMPED.  I never imagined that they'd be joined by the reigning MVP and so my brain is honestly still processing what just happened....

At first glance, how can I not be happy?  Seriously!  In watching every game of my favorite franchise, I will get to watch arguably the best and most exciting 2 players in the league - plus Chris Bosh who is arguably the best power forward in the league... I've read almost every writers opinion on why it won't work -- or what a jack-ass Lebron made of himself, but here are my top take-aways:

• Anyone who says that "there won't be enough balls to go around" is making super-star generalization and doesn't know Lebron or Wade's game at all.  Neither of them actually NEED to be 30 PPG guys.  They are just a true superstar and realized that in order for their teams to win games - that's what they had to do.  Season stat averages do not mean anything to either of these guys!  They are arguably in the top 5 in the league in Basketball IQ - and I honestly think the number 1 reason why they decided to join forces was because they both enjoy "the right way" to play the game rather than the new-school 1:1 game -- and that's why they decided to join forces.
• Lebron wasn't happy in his old job.  He loved it for a while, and then something last season just wasn't right and he wanted a change.  I think I know 2 people who've worked at the same company for more than 10 years.  Why is it any different for these guys? 
• The way he announced was douchey and very un-Lebron.  I think he was just naive rather than anything else.  People are jumping on him aggressively for it - and that's fine - but the guy is 25... Let's settle down a little bit people...
• I'm so excited to watch these 3 guys play together - I can't even explain it - but for those that know me - this will resonate:  I am more excited for The 2010-2011 Miami Heat than I have for 2010-2011 Fantasy Football.  (Note:  This doesn't mean that I'm any less excited for Fantasy Football - it is merely a barometer of my excitement).
• Three players can't win a championship on their own - but analysts are all enjoying the reasons why the Heat won't be that good a little too much.  The Heat will find serviceable players.  Pat Riley historically can find plenty of no-name role players (U. Haslem, B. Bowen, I. Austin, M. James, A. Carter, etc).... And this doesn't even include Mario Chalmers and Joel Anthony who WILL flourish with the 3 superstars!!

So - that's how I feel today.  I'm sure I'll write more when the season approaches....  THE HEAT IS ON BABY....!!!  Let's GO!

My Cable Salesperson of the Year!

A quick note to let my wife know that while she may not have won the actual award ... I am so proud of her for being recognized as one of the absolute best at what she does!

In case you didn't know, Amy was in the final two of "Cablefax's Sales person of the Year - National Cable Sales."

Excerpt from today's Cablefax Daily:

Amy Goffin, AMC 
We hear nothing but good things about Goffin, who is a rising star at AMC.  Get to know her now before she takes over the world.

Amy doesn't know how to half-ass anything - and this is especially true when it comes to her job and career, which is why it's great to see her recognized.  I couldn't be prouder!!!

iPad, the Wife's Perspective

(Authored by Amy Goffin)

Advertising Works! There is no other way to begin this post. I sell TV advertising and my husband and I continue to have fun debates over TV ad effectiveness versus online advertising ROI. This is a case study of why advertising and product integration works.

A few weeks ago Brett and I stumbled into the Apple store in our neighborhood. Not because we were looking to buy anything, but mostly because it was raining, we needed to kill some time and it was a cool new store that I have not been in. As we were walking out Brett said, " i think i want to put myself on the wait list of the iPad." Since I am not an early adopter (Brett had to sell me on the iPod when we first started dating and a big part of the sell was him agreeing to manage my music which he still does today) my response was - "Why don't you let some people get it first and see how it works." Second response was "Can't you leave something out there that I could buy you as a gift?" (knowing he is a tough person to buy for! - it was out of love, I promise). That was the end of that. We left the store and didn't speak about it again.

Last Wednesday we watched our new favorite show, Modern Family. The episode centered around the husband wanting the iPad the day it came out the the wife, wanting to be a good wife, trying to get it for him. We laughed, and that was the end of the discussion...until Friday evening.

Brett mentioned the iPad was coming our the next morning (I had no clue) and that many friends had asked him that day if he was getting it. As I went to sleep that night I mentioned that we should go in the morning, but we made no specific plan. I was up  before Brett and I called the Apple store in our neighborhood to see if they were opening early, nope - normal hours. I went back to sleep and when i saw the clock said 8:45am I jumped out of bed and went to the living room and suggested we go to the Apple store and get it. The Modern Family episode really helped me to understand the mind of an "Early Adopter" and realizing my husband is one of these people, that getting the iPad on the day it was available would be exciting to him - and that got me excited. Brett wasn't as excited as I was at first -  anticipating a crowd, long line and it being overall annoying. It was a beautiful morning so I suggested it would be a nice walk and if it was crazy we would leave. As Brett described in his post, while there was a line, it was an interesting experience. And that was what it became for me: an experience. As I said, I am not an early adopter, so being one of the first to experience the iPad was not a goal for me but, I am a shopper...and once we decided to go for it I wanted to be part of the iPad experience. There were camera crews filming people and as we left the store there were 4 store employees who cheered for you - how exciting! It felt like we were part of technology history. And that is the same way I felt the first time I used it...

As I started exploring I wanted to see if I could do the same 3 things I do online, email, photos and shop - they all work...I already won my first ebay auction using the iPad! Testing the book feature really was incredible. It is light and I would be so happy to have this with me on a plane or on vacation instead of a few books making my bag heavy. I think my only issue is that a new form of technology is another thing to that gets in the way of normal communication. It could be very easy for an entire family to sit on the couch, TV on, iPads in hand - and never have a conversation with one another. That part I do not like.

As an advertising gal, I can't wait to see how iAd does in the marketplace. Just another evolution in the business and the chatter is that the application for advertising will be a good one. But for now, I am impressed and can admit that product placement (paid for or not) and advertising worked on me!!

iPad Review

I've now owned my iPad for almost a full week.  As many of you know - I'd like to think of myself as a "standard consumer" early adopter.  The "regular consumer" descriptor speaks to the point that although I may work for a tech company -- I'm not really a "techie" ... I don't speak in tech jargon nor do I get excited about things like processing speed, etc.  I just like cool gadgets that make my everyday life activities more convenient.

Anyway ... Onto the specific task at hand ... So I bought an iPad....

At 9 AM Saturday morning, Amy, Alexa and I went to the Apple Store 6 blocks from our apartment and waited on a line for 15 minutes or so.  It wasn't bad at all, in fact, it was actually really interesting.  While waiting on the line, we were accompanied by friendly Mac employees who offered us water, as well as being greeted by people from Starbucks giving away coffee and food (as well as other folks giving away fruit drinks, etc).  When we got into the store - it felt like there were as many employees as customers jammed into the place.  When we got set-up with our 1:1 sales person, I was on the fence as to which memory size I should buy - and when I told the sales rep what I was planning on using it for (web browsing on my couch), he told me that the less expensive model was more than fine (I wasn't hard sold on the more expensive versions - which was nice).  Amy's coolest take-away from the experience was the check-out process.  I gave my credit card to the sales person helping me, he swiped my card on a hand-held device and a receipt was emailed to me.  Easy breezy.  (Click here to read Amy's perspective)

Anyway - onto the actual product review.  I'd be lying if I said my first impression was a good one.  After charging the iPad, when I turned it on I was greeted with a prompt that instructed me to connect to iTunes.  I did this and then my iMac told me that I needed to update my verison of iTunes (which I did).  I was then prompted that my Operating System (Mac OS 10.4x wasn't compatible with the iPad).  This wouldn't have been the worst news in the world if I solely wasn't able to sync my iPad with my iTunes... but ... I couldn't do ANYTHING with it.  I couldn't play with my new toy!! I was so annoyed.   So the next day, I went to the Mac store and they connected my iPad with a computer there and I was all set (until I turned it off when it happened again).  UGH!   Luckily my work computer is compatible...  So in terms of "easy compliance with my existing hardware" - I gotta give the iPad an F.  Apple took the arrogant assumption that the only people they wanted to have a seamless first experience with was those people who had everything latest and greatest from them... It seems as if I want to avoid this I need to update my OS (which I'm in the process of doing - but need to back everything up, etc),

That's the bad news....

The good news is that once I got the product to actually work -- it was EXACTLY what I was hoping it was:  A bigger, sleeker iTouch/iPhone that is perfect for couch web browsing at home (with my access to my wireless connection).  That's all an iPad is: an iTouch with a screen that is about 6 times the size, which enables a far more enjoyable web browsing experience.  The product is extremely light and does not over-heat like a laptop or netbook.  In my first go-round, the battery life has been extremely impressive.  I've used it for a few hours every night this week and have yet to have to charge it up since my first initial charge...

The book reading feature looks amazing.  Perfect for reading in bed because you don't have to turn on the lights if your significant other is trying to sleep.
I'm sure the applications will only get better - and like they did for the iPhone -- the applications will be the real value of the device in the long-term - especially given the sizable real estate expansion of the device. In particular, I couldn't get over how cool the ABC viewing app was.  It made it so easy to watch shows - and the video quality was fantastic!   

I'm sure a solution will be figured out over time - but one downside was Flash being excluded.   It is definitely a drawback as I've been unable to view Youtube vidoes on the device yet because of this.

I'm still getting used to some of the strange lay-outs (like how email inbox appears, etc), but no major lay-out complaints.....

So, all in all, if you are in the market for a laptop to be used at home primarily for web browsing -- I highly recommend the iPad.  If you are somewhat experience with the iTouch/iPhone experience you will have no problem getting accustomed to the iPad.  It's definitely an affordable price and I definitely see myself getting my money's worth in no time.

That's it for now.   I'll try and update this post as I encounter good and bad things with the product....

Gus Johnson

Dear High-Powered Producers of Major Sporting Events,
I know there are a lot of experienced play-by-play commentators out there - but if you ask any male between the ages of 18-45, they will beg you to hire Gus Johnson to do the "big game" or any game he's available for that matter ... 

The guy just makes the fan viewing experience better and for some reason - a large portion of the games he works just seem to be exciting.  I put the over/under of Gus Johnson calls included in "One Shining Moment" this year at 5.  I'll take the over - and Gus only does a small portion of the games.

I had a few friends who watched that amazing Kansas State - Xavier game at a bar, and while we all agreed the game itself was unreal -- it was clear that those of us who had the "Gus Johnson audio track" enjoyed the game a little bit more than those without it.  (I could have done without Len Elmore, personally, but Gus

The guy is just exciting and appears to be a genuine fan.  Period.  I am not sure I can pinpoint the Gus Johnson "it" factor any better than that. 

So - again - if anyone reading this knows anyone involved in the hiring or play-by-play announces of major sports.... PLEASE convince them that Gus Johnson should be the top choice for any big game.  Fans will appreciate it - I promise.  Thank you.

Top TV Comedy Shows This Season

I've gotten a lot of random traffic (from Google) on my post of my top 20 TV Shows from the past 5 years.  Some people even left comments that because I like shows like How I Met Your Mother - I must be an idiot ...(which I've erased).. To each their own ....

As it's a common conversations with friends -  For those that haven't watched much TV this season -  I thought I'd list my top 5 TV "Must Try" Comedies from this season.  Quality comedies are rare these days - so I have a top 5 rather than a top 10 or top 20.

Again - this is my personal opinion.  I don't watch "The Office" or other type of uncomfortable-humor type-shows.  I definitely have an affinity towards NYC-30 somethings plot-lines (go figure).   No other factors are taken into account.


Top Five Comedies (2009/2010 season)
1. Modern Family - Seriously - if you don't watch this show and have time to watch TV - get on it right away!  There is not a single character (of the 12+) that are bad.  If there is anything you take away from this post - it's start watching Modern Family!
2. 30 Rock - Yes, it gets tons of awards for it's writing and acting - and it should.  It gets at least 2 belly laughs from me each episode.
3. How I Met Your Mother - Definitely it's worst of it's 5 (I think) seasons - but I'm so invested - and have such a deep understanding of the characters - that I still giggle at most of the jokes.
4. Rules of Engagement - Seriously - Puddy (Patrick Warburton) is one of the funnies characters on TV.  David Spade is even somewhat bearable.
5.  Entourage - Not sure this counts as "this season" - but I guess I don't watch enough comedies.  While some think this show has fallen off - I'm definitely sad the 22 minutes are over after every episode.

Local Retail Product Availability On Your Cell Phone

It's been a while since I promoted a Google product or service on my personal blog - so here goes .... Ans while this is something that may not be launched as a perfectly useful tool -- it is very exciting to foresee the future benefits.  (Plus - given that I've focused on retailers since I've been at Google - and have been talking to them about this for such a long time - it's increasingly cool to me, personally)

Anyway - today - Google launched the ability to see local product availability at a number of beta retail partners (like Sears, Best Buy, and Pottery Barn/Williams-Sonoma/West Elm) on smart phones.

So - as this blog post says, if you go to shopping.google.com on your i-Phone/Android device/etc you should be able to see if that 42-inch plasma or the canon elf in the color you want is a available at your local Best Buy.

I have a bunch of sporting goods clients and so I think a useful example is with sneakers.  I know I'm a size 12 Nike, but I also know that shoes/sneakers are sometimes just something that you need to see in person or try on .... So .... How useful would it be to know that the basketball sneaker in the color I want (because I researched online) is actually in stock in my size at the store 7 blocks away (rather than going there and rolling the dice).   Come se dice en Espanol .... "Time Saver!"

Again - it's very much a "beta Google product" - but assuming retailers are brave enough to invest in "what's next" and share their local inventory data with Google .... This could be a very very useful consumer advance in retail shopping....

6 Blog Posts Per Year?

It's been 2 months since I've posted anything on this blog.  I warned people when my daughter was born that I'd post less frequently, although I gotta say - I didn't think I'd average 6 measly posts per year ... Sorry!

There are a number of reasons why I haven't posted anything.  For starters - I love spending as much time as I can with Alexa and her smiling face.  When she's not awake - I'm trying to relax, spend time with my wife, catch up on TV, etc.  Sitting down to write blog posts hasn't made it's way to the priority list of how to spend my time.

Secondly, I've had my new role at Google for about 6 months now.  While I wouldn't consider myself overly important - I really have zero personal time at work.  In my past roles, a slow Friday afternoon here and there wasn't uncommon - but now - I can't think of the last time I was anything but nonstop in the office.

These two reasons are true - but - I think the heart of the problem is that I honestly think I am less creative than I was prior to my daughter being born.  Not that I would trade my daughter for creativity (or anything else for that matter), but before she was born - I'd randomly think of blog topics all of the time (ex. commuting to work or randomly during the day when I saw something happen).  Now, it's like my brain can't fit these types of thoughts into the rotation.

The first few months when sleep was rare - I blamed my creative fog on that.  Alexa sleeps through the night now - so what's my excuse?  I don't get into as deep of a sleep as I used to because I'm a little conditioned to be waiting to hear my daughter cry - but I'm still sleeping 7+ hours in a night - no less than I did pre-Alexa.

I've asked other fathers I know if they feel the same - and most just kind of laugh it off (as if they don't want to say "I don't know what you're talking about dude - but I feel bad saying that you're nuts because you are a new father - and that's cool." 

Anyway - if anyone has any insight into this creative fog please let me know. 

I very much enjoy sharing my opinions on this blog (not like anyone reads it anymore) and would like to continue it for a long time - but recognize that a mediocre posting 6 times a year just isn't going to cut it.

Goatee

In case you haven't seen me in 12 years, I rock a goatee 98% of the time... 

About once a year, I normally get a bit sick of it and decide to shave it off.  For most people this isn't a big deal (and it's not for me), however, I look like a COMPLETELY different person when I shave it off.  So much so that I've honestly had people who've known me for over 5 years look at me like I was a crazy person for talking to them at a party because they didn't recognize me without it...

The truth is, as I told Amy, I am not yet ready to fully commit to being a goatee guy for the rest of my life...While many signs point to this happening - I'm not ready to declare it.

About a week ago I shaved the goatee off.  Partially because I was sick of it, partially because I wanted to see if Alexa would recognize me, partially because everyone says she looks like me so thought I'd enable a much better viewpoint for that observation ...

Anyway ... It's a week later and my goatee is fully back.  Why? 

Well - first of all - every single person that sees me without it says "whoah."  Not the kind of "whoah" that the ultra conservative woman who suddenly dressed a little slutty would get... It's moreso like the 40 year old who suddenly came to work with a mohawk... 
Secondly, I've been asked by at least 10 people "why I did it?"  That kind of question, again, should be asked when there is something more permanent done.  If my sister suddenly got a "mom haircut" - I'd ask her "why she did it" - which to be honest would be my way of telling her that she should grow it back....  My goatee grows back in a week - so if you want to know why I did it - the simple answer is because I can. 
Thirdly, I under-estimated how my goatee provides a bit extra warmth when it's cold out - and it's been freakin freezing this past week.  Note to self -- do my once a year test-run when it's not 9 degrees outside.  (Yes - it's challenging in the summer too because it could provide a strange look if I'm rocking a tan...)

Bottom-line is that I think people are just so used to me with a goatee, that they think I look crazy without it.  I never would have imagined that I'd marry a jewish girl who actually prefers me to have the goatee rather than shave it - but I did...   For now - Amy's vote is fairly influential in the decision - but we'll see what Alexa has to say in a few years ...

Next time - I'll take pictures and post them to the blog...  Until next year, then... 

Tiny Prints - NYT Article

In case you want to know more about what some of my conversations are with clients at work - this NYT article has some insight into it the day-to-day.

I was happy to read that TinyPrints (which is a company Amy and I financially support since the arrival of Alexa) understands the positive impact Adwords has on their business.  ;)