Monday, August 15, 2011

Misunderstandings between friends hurt

I'm a little down right now and can't seem to spring out of it. Friday night a friend and I had a misunderstanding caused by the way we wrote some email. We seem to have made it worse by both trying to prove how right we each were. And now we've been trying to not think about it by staying busy with work, perhaps too busy. I know I hurt him and he hurt me as well. Sometimes it might be nice to just be able to jump in some kind of time machine and return to an earlier time. It's possible to use Restore to take a computer back to a better time. Why not people?

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Exciting news!

A very short but exciting blog tonight. My youngest daughter just had her second daughter late last night. The baby was born at home into her father's arms, all 8 lbs 9 oz of her. This little one joins her 5-year-old sister. Everyone is doing just fine!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Just say, "How are you today?"

 I had an interesting experience this morning while shopping at Sprouts, our local produce and healthy-food store. The checker, a young man, greeted me and asked, "How are you today?" I told him I was fine and then asked how he was doing. He stopped what he was doing for just a few quick seconds, smiled broadly, and replied that he was doing great. He thanked me for asking and said that he'd gotten so used to people not saying anything that my question was a welcome surprise. We talked a little more while he rang up my few purchases, and he thanked me for our conversation.

I thought about my own son who worked as a grocery-cart pusher, a checker, and a produce clerk for quite a few years, and wondered how many people are actually aware of how hard supermarket employees work. I wondered how many people realize how difficult it can be to stand in one spot for an entire shift and handle all kinds of food and other supplies and be pleasant all the time. I wondered how many people think to return the polite questions with real care and concern for the checkers at those grocery check stands. 

I wonder. Do you?


Monday, August 8, 2011

The Real Reasons We Explore Space


At coffee this morning, someone asked why we were spending so much money on a mission to Jupiter that will take five years to get there and another five to return. She wondered why we couldn't spend all that money here on earth for our needs and requirements here. As you might imagine, that question launched a very spirited conversation with excellent points made on all sides of the topic. Most of my answers revolved around the joy of discovery rather than economic possibilities. Although I agree that the economic possibilities are extremely important, I deeply feel that we humans are capable and desirous of knowing and experiencing so much more than that. So, this excellent article in  the July 01, 2007 Air & Space Magazine by Michael Griffin satisfied my need for more reasons for space exploration.

I loved the author's comparison of space exploration today with building cathedrals hundreds of years ago, of the wonder, awe, and curiosity about things unknown. Because building massive cathedrals took such a long time, most of those builders did not live to see their projects completed. In the same way, most of us now living will not be around to see the results of our space exploration. However, it gives me a wonderful feeling just knowing we might be accomplishing important work for the long haul of life here on earth for future generations.

"It is my contention that the products of our space program are today’s cathedrals. The space program satisfies the desire to compete, but in a safe and productive manner, rather than in a harmful one. It speaks abundantly to our sense of human curiosity, of wonder and awe at the unknown. Who can watch people assembling the greatest engineering project in the history of mankind—the International Space Station—and not wonder at the ability of people to conceive and to execute the project? And it also addresses our need for leaving something for future generations." (Michael Griffin)




Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Wisconsin professor wins 2011 bad writing contest

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

First of all, can someone tell me if this rule applies to posting it in a blog?  I would much rather cut and paste the entire article instead of just copying the URL. However, that’s what I’ll do for now since I don’t want to make the powers-that-be somewhere mad. 


The winners have been announced for the 2011 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, named after British author Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, whose 1830 novel "Paul Clifford" begins with the oft-quoted opening line "It was a dark and stormy night."

Here’s Sue Fondrie’s Grand Prize winner: 

“Cheryl's mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbine, chopping her sparrow-like thoughts into bloody pieces that fell onto a growing pile of forgotten memories."

Next is John Doble’s winner in the historical fiction category:

"Napoleon's ship tossed and turned as the emperor, listening while his generals squabbled as they always did, splashed the tepid waters in his bathtub."

Finally, this is my favorite, Mike Pedersen’s Purple Prose winner:

"As his small boat scudded before a brisk breeze under a sapphire sky dappled with cerulean clouds with indigo bases, through cobalt seas that deepened to navy nearer the boat and faded to azure at the horizon, Ian was at a loss as to why he felt blue."

I think I’d feel blue, too. 

Just in case the copyright police find this blog, I’d better include the actual URL so you can read the entire article:  http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2011-07-26-worst-writing-contest_n.htm

Hmm. Somehow I don’t think I should use these as examples to help improve my own writing. But, in case you'd like some laughs, here is more than anyone would probably like about the contest and its winners over the years:  http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Healthcare? What healthcare?

A wonderful August 2nd to all of you as well as lots of ice and freezing temperatures to those of you in the scorching parts of the country. I wish I could ship tons of the stuff to you. It's been hot and muggy here in San Diego but nothing like Oklahoma or New York. Please try to stay cool. It's got to end sometime.

Today I got a kind of wake-up call about how high medical costs have risen lately. I haven't had any kind of medical insurance since getting divorced in 2006 and am anxiously looking forward to Medicare (ala Secure Horizons) in December. I've been very healthy, only going to clinic doctors as needed and buying meds in Mexico. So, I just hadn't noticed the costs, other than the out-of-reach cost of medical insurance. However, my left eye has been bothering me a lot for a week so I finally made an appointment this afternoon. Turns out I have a virus in my eye (had never heard of that) caused by the same virus that makes cold sores. The treatment is one drop of stuff nine times a day for a week and an ointment to make it feel better. All well and good---until the bill.

The doctor visit was $160, and my debit card groaned but spit it out into the machine. However, the tiny bottle of drops (generic) was $143! Ouch!!! That had to go on a credit card since I haven't even paid this month's bills yet. I sure do hope those drops do the trick. I was kind of expecting to pay $4 or so at Wal-Mart, too. And what world am I living in, I wonder?

I'm knocking on all the wood I can find right now, hoping that nothing else will happen until I can rely on the government a little in December. This experience gave me a down-to-earth idea of why so many people are struggling with healthcare issues and why I'm so adamant that the U.S. is so far behind other countries in assisting their people. It isn't funny.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Let There Be Light, But Just Not So Much

Since I've been sleeping outside on the patio for at least a week, I've pretty much gotten used to it being, if not completely dark, at least almost there. However, tonight screams daylight. Woke up about 12:00 to a beautiful moon so full and bright I thought it was noon instead of midnight. (slight exaggeration there, but not a lot). To top it off, my mom was still awake in the living room, reading, and that light spread outside to the patio. Then there are the ubiquitous streetlights. When I sleep in the bedroom, one shines directly into the window. Several months ago I quietly and sneakily unscrewed the bulb and no one noticed for a month. Perhaps it's time to do it again. Now I'm wide awake and have been catching up on friends' blogs, especially those from Sebastian, who I met several years ago in Kanab, Utah. He has been living in a small Casita trailer which he tows to various out-back and off-road places, and writes about the experience living "off the grid" with his cats. Although I don't think I'd like to spend most of my time so far away from civilization, this time in San Diego, with all the traffic, noise, light pollution, people, and speed of life has convinced me of the need to just get away from it all for a while, if only for a short time. The RV patiently awaits. Now if the price of gas would just go down a little more.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Transportation Decision


I've now been living in East San Diego County for six months and it's been okay so far. But, I can't keep from comparing the area to the way it was when I grew up here so many years ago. Like most other big cities, it's become too big with far too many people and few areas of actual quiet. Right now my jobs require a lot of driving from one area of the county to another. With the price of gas rising each day, now anywhere from $4.09 to $4.35 per gallon, I needed to make a decision. I could accept only those jobs within a small radius of my home, I could quit them completely, or I could find other transportation options.

I used to enjoy driving. However, I don't like to drive here any longer. Using freeways, I am able to get just about anywhere, using surface roads to complete a trip. But, that convenience is marred by too darned many other vehicles going at too fast a speed. It's marred by too many speed bumps, by too many dead ends, by too many roads that go nowhere, by too many "Right Turn Only" signs, by the need to make too many U-turns, by the need to shift gears in my pickup constantly on surface streets, by too-long waits at huge intersections, and especially by my impatience with all of these things.


Yesterday I discovered that I am old enough for a Senior Transit Pass, paying $18 a month instead of the normal $72 for unlimited rides on buses and trolleys. Considering that it now takes at least $50 to fill my gas tank, it's a no-brainer. Yes, trips will take much longer. Yes, I'll need to plan trips ahead of time. And yes, I'll need to do a little more walking from stop to stop. But I also see it as an adventure, as a way to thumb my nose at oil companies, and as a way to do my small share to make this planet a little greener.



The adventure begins today with a very short walk down the hill to the bus stop, a bus ride to the El Cajon Transit Center,

  and a short walk from there to Parkway Plaza Shopping Center for a mystery shop.

Then it's a walk back to the transit center and a trolley and bus ride into San Diego for another shop.


Finally, after a bus ride back to the trolley stop, it's another trolley ride back to El Cajon

and a bus up to the mountain city of Alpine. That bus stops directly at my destination so that will be handy. From there, I can ride the bus back to where I began, walk up the hill, and I'm home. We'll see how it goes.



While living in Portland, Oregon, I used to ride the MAX light rail everywhere, and buses where the MAX didn't go. So, there's really no reason not to get into that habit again. It might be interesting to keep track of how much gas I DON'T use this coming month.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Food Instead of Football

Conversion of college football field to an organic farm.
This story about a small Texas college converting their football field to an organic farm is probably one of the best things I've read in quite a while. I especially enjoyed reading about students' experiences eating carrots right out of the ground for the very first time, without even any ranch dressing to cover up the taste. There is hope.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Beach Thoughts


I drove the twenty miles down Hwy 52 to La Jolla Shores this morning to take a long walk on the beach and snap some pictures for friends in Oklahoma and Ohio. Thought they might like to warm up a little. It was a beautiful, sunny day though not extremely warm. However, there were lots of walkers, surfers, joggers, and cyclists taking advantage of the sunny weather.

While walking down to the Scripps pier, my mind leaped from one topic to the next. So, this will most likely be somewhat disjointed, with no apparent organization. Not exactly stream of consciousness, but close.



On the way to the beach, I stopped for an oil change in the pickup since it had been over 5,000 miles since the last one. They tried to fix the "check engine" light, which has been on now for about two years. No place I've taken the vehicle has been able to figure out what is wrong. They reset it but the light comes back on as soon as I start the engine. So, I'll take it into a mechanic next week to see if they can figure it out. I need to have the light stay off in order to pass the smog test here, needed to register the vehicle in California.


While listening to KPBS while driving, I heard an interview with the author of The Gangster We Are All Looking For. When asked her thoughts about living in San Diego, she said she thinks it's necessary to leave for a while, then return, to really appreciate living here. Although I was born and lived here for 28 years, I loved my 35 years in Oregon and would go back in a minute. I also enjoyed my short time in Kansas and Oklahoma, except for the weather extremes. In the middle of a hot, muggy summer in Oklahoma, I attempted growing my hair longer and  found out it still had some natural curl. Not a pleasant sight.

No, I don't like the high prices of everything here, the number of people, standing in long lines for just about everything, or freeway traffic. But, the weather trumps all of it. That, and the beach. My body must be composed of 99% saltwater or something.

After walking in the tide line down to the pier and back, I sat on top of a picnic table in the grassy area and just people-watched for a while. I pulled out a new package of Fig Newtons, marveling at the easy-open pull tab on the top. That made it just too easy to pig out a bit. At least those cookies are fairly healthy. There's no way I'd dare to buy peanut butter filled Oreos with the same top: they'd be gone in less than ten minutes. And, my teeth would be black.

BTW, how do you eat Oreos? I've always carefully separated them, eating the filling first, then the cookies. My friend Lou eats the whole thing at once.



Back to the picnic table. I loved seeing the wonderfully-colored and decorated surfboards. One of them was blue and green plaid. Another was bright yellow with flowers. One guy had bought a bright, shiny red board, and someone else carried one that was light blue with a dark blue, diagonal stripe. All of them now come with an ankle strap to keep the board from getting away too far.

I watched a group of college guys play touch football in the sand. And, I read for a while, A Year by the Sea, by Joan Anderson. This quote made me think for a little bit: "Sometimes I think women are like the fog. We have a knowledge of what is underneath, but our real selves are obscured by what others think of us."


Food for thought.

Yellow Snow

This is dedicated to all my friends in frozen areas this morning, especially those of you who have animals to take care of. Dr. Demento used to play this Frank Zappa song all the time. It's fitting somehow. Enjoy - and STAY WARM!


Monday, January 31, 2011

Mystery Shopping

Because a number of people have asked me questions about Mystery Shopping such how to do it, how to get assignments, and so forth, I decided to put together a short post of some of the information I've found most helpful.

I've done mystery shopping for several years, and during that time it's been fun to observe and report about both excellent as well as terrible customer service. I've acted as a prospective member of fitness centers, inquired about cell phone plans, computer monitors, and party supplies, performed gas station audits, checked for serial numbers on the back of ice cream freezers, watched hundreds of movie previews (trailers), tried on clothing, shopped for new furniture, and eaten lots of fast food. The possibilities are as endless as the commercial establishments that use mystery shoppers to hopefully improve their customer service and sales.

If you're interested in making a little extra money as an independent contractor, I'd suggest doing some reading and research first to learn exactly what is required and to discover if you have what it takes to be successful. I've found the following two websites invaluable and immensely helpful.

Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) is a good place to begin. Please check out their website and bookmark it as a favorite as I'm sure you'll return to it again and again. It offers a wealth of information as well as constantly updated shopping assignments from a wide variety of mystery shopping companies.

Volition provides extensive A-Z lists of the many, many shopping companies you can sign up to represent.

Probably the most time-consuming part of becoming a mystery shopper is signing up for various companies. I've usually found those companies on volition.com. All companies require information such as name, address, phone number, email address, height, weight, gender, and so forth. You might be asked to provide a sample or two of your writing. Each company is different because each company represents a variety of companies. Some of them notify you of possible assignments by email; for some you will need to check their site for available jobs. So, be sure to bookmark all of the companies you sign on with. Also be sure to note the user name and password you use.

Here are just a few of the companies for which I have completed many assignments.

Business Evaluation Service

Second to None

Market Force

Blogs represent another excellent way to gain information from shoppers' experiences and hints. Here are only a few I found from a Google search.

8 Truths from a Mystery Shopper You Must Read Before you Get Started

Mystery Shopping Coach’s Update

Blogs About Mystery Shoppers

I realize this is just a very tiny bit of information about the field of mystery shopping. While doing your own research, you'll find your own favorites. However, I hope these ideas will at least get you started.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Compassion in Action, Working with the Homeless

 Since pretty much giving up the nomadic RV life several months ago and returning to San Diego to live, I've become more and more involved in homeless advocacy and assistance projects. At a training meeting with other volunteers for the Point-In-Time Count nationwide count of the homeless this week, I began wondering why I'm so passionate about these activities and decided to try to find a beginning point, something that got me started. However, my memory is a little fuzzy about many years ago, most likely when Reagan was president, so I won't use that as a starting point. But, that time is indeed a beginning.

While going to seminary in Seattle from 1999 to 2003, I began noticing more and more people on street corners and freeway on and off ramps, holding signs offering to work for food or requesting money. In a field work class, one of my classmates, a rather quiet, unassuming young man, spent much time walking around downtown Seattle, stopping to talk with homeless individuals. I was impressed that he could do that. It tugged at me in ways almost nothing else had for a long time. However, at the time I was not prepared to do it myself.

After graduation, I returned to San Diego to do a year-long CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) residency with the Center for Urban Ministry, hoping to be assigned an internship with one of the homeless shelters downtown. At that time, San Diego County had just experienced several of the worst wildfires in history. Seventeen people had died, and many, many were left with no place to live. The head of the CPE program asked if I would be interested in being a chaplain-intern with those fire survivors, so I did. It was one of the most challenging and rewarding things I had ever done. My office was my small Nissan Sentra and my cell phone. I visited people wherever they were; in tiny motor homes, in tents, in half-burned buildings, in motels, in the homes or relatives or friends. I tried to give them hope. Possibly I succeeded. Little did I realize at the time that I would soon be in a similar situation.

Because of a well-paid job that just didn't work out, I found myself without enough money to pay rent on the rather-overpriced apartments in the county. It wasn't as serious as it could have been as I could have possibly lived with a relative or even returned to Portland. However, I was newly divorced and really needed to "stand on my own two feet." So, I bought a very small motor home, 23-feet, traded the Sentra for a Ford pickup I could tow behind the RV, sold or gave away almost everything I owned, joined workamper.com, and found a job in Kanab, Utah, working as a breakfast buffet server for Parry Lodge. It was my first workamping job, one that provided not only an RV site, but also full hookups of water, electricity, and sewer, as well as pay for all hours worked. But, I was technically homeless, though not in an ordinary sense.

 Living in that very small space of one room with no separate bedroom, helped me understand a little better how the people I had tried to help in San Diego after the fires might have felt. Some of them had the same size motorhomes for their families of two or more people. I had a hard enough time taking what one person called "hokey-pokey showers," you know, "put your right foot in, put your right foot out..." I couldn't imagine two, three, or more family members doing it.

I was a full-time workamper for four years, working at various places during spring, summer, and fall. However, winters were difficult as there were very few jobs. Most workamping jobs were seasonal. So, I struggled to find places to live during the winter without having to pay an outrageous amount for space rent. Sometimes I parked in casino and Walmart parking lots for several nights. I volunteered one or more days a week at the Desert View Tower overlooking the desert in return for a spot to park that included electricity, water, and a fantastic view. Although not living on the street or in a shelter, I was technically homeless.

However, it was time to find a more permanent place so I returned to San Diego to live with my mother. It is working out well for both of us.


Two months ago I saw a request for volunteers for "Homeless Connect," a one-day event downtown that provided resources for the homeless population of the county; clothing, medical and dental attention, food, pet care, legal advice, spiritual assistance, haircuts, and many more. I worked as an escort, helping a 60-something woman find her way around the large room to get the services she needed. We talked a lot and got well-acquainted. Yes, I most likely knew in my mind that homeless individuals were people just like you and me, but it never really sank in until then.

I talked with representatives of some of the many advocacy and aid groups in the county and learned about the Point-In-Time Count (PITC) this coming weekend. It is a national program that counts the homeless population each year at the same time in all areas. The tallies are entered into a large database and used to help get more funding for homeless work. So I will be among more than 550 other volunteers getting out there very early Friday morning, counting homeless individuals.

What comes next? I have no idea. However, I am making lots of connections with groups in the area such as the Interfaith Shelter Network, and will be doing a little volunteer work with them through my Unitarian Universalist church in the next few months.

Yes, I am passionate about this work and hopefully compassionate towards the many homeless people in this county. There are too many. And, the economic and unemployment situation now just makes everything worse. We all need one another, regardless of political or religious beliefs, and I really hope I'm doing my part to at least help with some basic needs. It's the least I can do.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Notes from Social Media for CEOs Bootcamp

Social Media Bootcamp for CEOs
John Larson
Westin – San Diego
Jan. 19, 2011


500 million people on Facebook alone. 62% of people using social media are between 25 and 54 years old. 71% are employed, median age is 33, 47% married.

Point of using social media for business is to build relationships with large groups of people. A two-way conversation with your target audience. Leverage technology. Customers listening to each other and tuning out marketing messages. There is always a conversation going on about your industry. At least use social media to protect your brand.

“Turn strangers to friends. Friends to customers. Customers to evangelists.”

Old School
New School
Telegram
Twitter
Yearbook
Facebook
Rolodex
LinkedIn
Television
YouTube
Newspaper
Blogs
Encyclopedia
Google
Yellow Pages
Google

In using social media, don’t:
  • Tell friends about bad food
  • Beg people to buy from you
  • Carry on a monologue. Instead, build relationships
  • It is not just setting up environments and not doing anything with them

Large, Fortune 500 companies: 65% use Twitter, 54% use Facebook. On average, they post 27 Tweets and 4 FB posts per week. They post 10 videos and 7 blogs per month.

How to use social media to the best advantage

Develop your strategy first.

Define:
Goals, objectives, target audience, conversion activities (what you want people to do), budget, and resources.

Measure:
Performance goals
Branding goals
Cost per lead
Cost per acquisition

Refine:
Make changes for improvement
Create new objectives
Manage by exception i.e. Why?

If You Regularly
Your Profile
Blog, podcast, tweet, video
Creator
Write reviews, post replies
Critic
Update your profile
Joiner
Watch videos, read blogs
Spectator
None of the above
Inactive

You need to be a creator and a critic. Figure out and engage with people already having a conversation about your industry.

How to make informed decisions and “Lead with value.”:

  • Use archived knowledge such as spec sheets, technical data. Write blog articles using that knowledge.
  • Use real-time knowledge to influence buyers’ decisions
  • Use humor (check out Old Spice videos on YouTube)
  • Use products

Don’t be a narcissist.
There is a time commitment – resources and manpower needed
Ask questions and for opinions. Stay relevant
 Focus on your niche.
Educate – train customers to buy. Use key words and phrases on your website.

Tactics in a nutshell – short overview

  • Listening:  to identify who you want to build relationships with
  • Build community – grow social media environment i.e. friends and followers
  • Broadcast – post stuff. Drive people to your content
  • Content – if people want to share
  • Convert

Tactics – long version

Listening:

  • Key phrase research, include misspellings.
  • Google Alerts. Set up on Google so they will alert you when people use your key phrases, etc.
  • Twitter – search bar, hash tags (# in front of key word or phrase)
  • SocialMention.com – it will search through media environments, real time.
  • Industry sites and blogs. For example, websites listed in industry mags.

Build Community:

  • Use “Follow” buttons on website
  • Email-blast customers and prospects, under guise of customer service.
  • Tweet, blog, post. People will follow you.
  • Leverage search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM)

Broadcasting:

  • Begin engaging with target audience
  • Link social sites together to push content across multiple channels. Can use: One tfor Twitter – I can’t read my own writing but available on Twitter home page. Also Ping.fm and Hootsuite. Only need to type a message once. One click of a button will post to many sites.

“For every nine non-commercial broadcasts, you earn the right to one promotional one.”

Content:

  • Define tone/voice. Do you want to be humorous, serious, just facts, personal, etc.? Have the company voice.
  • Leverage content across media types using videos, blogs, etc.
  • Make your content more than valuable: Make it remarkable (people will remark about it).

  • Content ideas:

  • Success stories/case studies
  • Product comparisons
  • Top 10 lists
  • Write something controversial i.e. maybe write an opposite opinion in a blog.

Convert – to get leads, etc.:

  • Enable people to request a catalog.
  • Offer free consulting – do a service for someone, help solve a problem
  • Promotional products – to get contact information
  • Offer an online webinar/workshop

To maximize conversions:

  • Enable people to know what’s in it for them.
  • How to take the next step. Be very clear and specific about this. If you’re not mailing anything, don’t ask for a mailing address. People don’t like this.
  • Send follow-up thank you by email
  • Invite people to follow you on other sites.

Monitoring:

  • Use Dashboard software
    • Aggregate view
    • Real time
  • Analytical data
    • Use Google Analysis (free)

Social Media Cornerstones

Twitter:

  • Be human. Let your personality shine through. (Check zappos.com CEO Tony)
  • Tweet 3-7 times per week at a minimum. For example, Dell Computers tweets coupons.
  • Always personally reply to new followers
  • Build a professional-looking profile

Facebook – 500 million people:

  • Set up a company page
  • Post 3 or more times a week – each business day
  • Add “Like” feature to page
  • Add video from YouTube

LinkedIn:

  • More business oriented than Facebook or Twitter. Google loves LinkedIn
  • Update personal status 3 – 5 times per week
  • Create company profile with key words in mind
  • Connect your blog to your personal profile and company profile
  • Start a group tailored to your target audience with lots of links

Blog:

  • This should be the central command post for all your content.
  • Blogs never go away – they last forever and can be found.
  • You can aggregate other things like Twitter, FB, etc. Optimize with key phrases and words.
  • Should have a professional appearance
  • Post a blog at least 4  times per month and/or once a week.
  • Post the blog headline on FB, Twitter, LinkedIn to let people know it’s there
  • Post a related video on YouTube
    • Link to sign-up for email newsletter
    • Link to embedded video
    • Social environment links (buttons) should be at the top in plain sight for easy use

YouTube (This is the main thing right now):

  • Post one new video a month.
  • Not the place for amateur hour. Should be professional, TV-quality video
  • Keep it short and optimize. People have short attention spans. Approximately 1-3 minutes
  • Post videos on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
  • Videos are 53 more times likely to get on the first page of search engines
  • YouTube is the second most favorite with search engines. 2.6 billion visitors per day.

Read “Business Week”, July 15, 2010 article about social media.

Social Media Professionals:

Position
Annual Average Salary
Social Media Strategist
$120,000
Community Manager
    70,000
Copywriter/blogger
    40,000
Video production
    50,000