Social Media

So, this is the day and age of social media in marketing. Social media is deemed as a user friendly, not threatening marketing tool to reach "the everyday person". I would agree with this statement. However, I think most companies misuse this marketing vehicle. People playing or chatting via Facebook or MySpace don't want to be inundated with ads or marketing ploys. They want real life applications, not a sales pitch. Trying to find the balance between marketing and relationship is a tricky one. Spending money on an ad in one of these social media vehicles is a waste of time. Instead, develop a widget or an application that engages the user and makes them want to find more information about your company.

Let's see...for AA, I should be able to play a trivia game that allows me to earn fake "miles" to plan my dream vacation. I could invite my friends to come along. We could do environmentally friendly challenges to earn money, which we would inturn spend at the AAdvantage eShopping mall and earn miles. How much fun (an non-threatening) would that be?? It would encourage a relationship atmosphere, and also educate the user about ways to earn and redeem miles.

Just a thought....

Texas Our Texas

I am 'awful' proud to call myself a Texan (even though I wasn't born here). I figure that since I can sing the state song, protect the state flower like it were my own child, and relate to all of the following...that makes me true blue! Who out there can understand?? :)



Things I learned living in Texas.

1. A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.

2. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in Texas.

3. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in Texas, plus a couple no one's seen before.

4. If it grows, it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha.

5. 'Onced' and 'Twiced' are words.

6. 'Jaw-P?' means 'Did y'all go to the bathroom?'

7. 'Fixinto' is one word.

8. There is no such thing as 'lunch'. There is only dinner and then there is supper.

9. Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar.

10. Backwards and forwards means 'I know everything about you.'

11. The word 'jeet' is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?'

12. You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH EM.

13. 'No. Jew?' is a common response to the question 'Did you bring any beer?'

14. You measure distance in minutes.

15. You switch from heat to A/C in the same day.

16. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.

17. You carry jumper cables in your car --- for your OWN car.

18. You only own five spices: salt, pepper, TexJoy, Tabasco and Ketchup.

19. The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local high school sports and motor sports, and gossip.

20. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.

21. You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit 'a bit warm'.

22. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas.

23. Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite past time know as 'goin' Wal-Martin' or 'off to Wally World'.

24. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chili weather.

25. Fried catfish is the other white meat.

Consistent Stranger

For those of you who may or may not know, I ride the train into work each day. I live 50 miles away from work, so this is clearly the cheapest alternative for me. Everyday, I generally see the same people with a few new ones thrown in the mix. I figure there are about 10 new faces for every cent that gas prices increase!

Today, I was sitting with a group of folks who have been riding for quite some time. We were commenting on how you have the "regulars" and the "tourists". Occasionally, there will be some kind of function that facilitates these "tourists" on the train. The trains are absolutely packed these days. This morning, it was standing room only. Our group was discussing how we're going to have to start implementing preferred seating for the regulars...because these "tourists" are strangers. We've never seen them before. We've been riding the train forever and always sit in the same place. :) Then, the guy seated with our little group, said...I guess we are all really strangers, but at least we are consistent strangers! I thought that was a great description for us. We see the same people everyday, but we are still strangers. I don't know the names of the people I sat with this morning, even though we chatted practically the whole ride. We may be strangers, but at least we are consistent. How many consistent strangers do you have in your life?

Summertime

Summer is here! Of course, for someone in the corporate world, this doesn't mean a whole lot. It certainly doesn't mean vacation. Quite the opposite...in my world it means peak travel season, more people on less flights. This of course equates to fewer standby opportunities, thus probably no vacation for my family. My niece and nephew though are off with Grammy and Poppy to enjoy a summer of road trips and fun. My brother and I used to travel with our grandparents every summer. Those are some of my most wonderful memories. I have to admit that I am just a tad jealous that the mantle has now been passed to the next generation. I certainly enjoy having responsibility and seeing the fruits of my labor...but oh to be 8 years old again. That just might be just what the doctor ordered. I propose we have an 8 year old day once a year. Work could be cancelled for the day and we could instead go swimming, eat hot dogs, set things on fire....oh wait, I think they call that the Fourth of July. Thank goodness...that is right around the corner!

Allergies

What are these strange things that doctors refer to as allergies? I think they develop whenever something you come in contact with doesn't agree with your body. Then I resolve that I am the most disagreeable person in the world. I am "allergic" to everything. Mind you, this has not always been the way. When I was a child I never had ANY allergies. So I guess, the older I get, the surlier I get. And the surlier I become, the more allergies I develop. Please, someone...anyone explain this phenomenon to me!

Christmas Time is Here Again

Every year around this time, I am reminded of the true meaning of the season. Love, sacrifice, God's grace, giving. I know you must be impressed that I even remember the truth about Christmas. After all the commercialism that the holiday now evokes, how is it possible for anyone to even have the first clue about Christ's love and birth?? I am as guilty as everyone else...I develop and implement plenty of "holiday" messaging focused on retail extravaganzas. It's sad when Christmas is reduced to snowflakes and clearance sales. Isn't there someway to incorporate the ultimate gift of love into our marketing messages? Are we so concerned that our companies will be labeled as religious, non-PC, right wing, or God forbid...compassionate?!?! Why can't we take one month out of the year to give back, instead of throwing useless merchandise down people's throats...or worse yet, using emotionalism to convince the general public to buy something that don't need, or take a flight they can't afford.

Christmas is a time to reflect on all that we have been blessed with through the year, show those we love how much we truly care, and reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves...the way Christ reached out to our sinful world 2000 years ago.

Merry Christmas

Travels

I thought I would take some time to share some of my Honeymoon trip with all of you. It was a great trip. We cruised for 7 days with stops in St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Dominica, Antigua, Barbados, and St. Lucia. It was an incredible trip. This is a shot of St. John (off St. Thomas). This was Russell's first snorkeling experience.


This is a photo of the beautiful waterfalls that we saw during our tour of Dominica. I thought I might pass out and die hiking there (remember the Bachelorette foot incident - see archives if need be). But the reward was worth it...just gorgeous!







This next picure was taken in St. Lucia. This stop was astounding to me. I was ablsolutely horrified and humbles by the juxtaposition of the poor parts of this island against the beauty of its natural state. How amazing that such a beautiful place can also be so ugly. Full of kind people who live in poverty...sell anything and everything they can to the tourists, wash their clothes in the same river that they bathe in. It's all so surreal.