Forget about KONY. Kony is Darth Vader…the question is…WHO is the Emperor? That’s who you need to stop.
Watch these “think” videos from MTV. WOW.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYI1PY-b-ro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2ZhQrWQj7k
This guy in Dublin, Ireland knows the secret of success. Do you?
lemonade, door closes, take action, do it now, make it happen, be the ball, just do it!
If you like that…you might like this article.
I posted a video about my weird experience having the mall cops called on me for taking video of my kids at the mall.
It should be noted I got a call first thing this morning from Westfield Fox Valley Shopping Town and they were very nice and understanding. It sounds like Westfield is going to look into the whole thing and work to improve.
That’s good…
Do they know it’s Christmas time…at all?
Do they? Do you? Do you feel like I do?
Who are THEY? Them…you know…the newscasters who are spoiling the magic of Christmas, the Scrooges who are yelling and honking their horns…the Westfield Mall Photog who called security on me…
It’s true. I am a menace, clearly. This time I deserved it though. I crossed the line. I had the nerve to bring my family to the Fox Valley Mall. We had a nice little dinner at Panera inside the mall. Then we strolled down to Santa’s “set”. Santa was on break for another fifteen minutes, but we were 2nd in line!
While we waited we started talking. Then the BIG MAN himself came down the escalator, with his handler. Santa immediately said hi to those in line and explained the reindeer would poke holes in the roof if he didn’t feed them at regular intervals. That jolly old elf was on top of his game!
My kids were stoked! My 4 year turned and asked, “Where’s his mother?” He meant Mrs. Claus, Santa’s better half and I encouraged him to ASK Santa.
After all, what are we there for if not to get to know this elusive elf, right? As I often do, and have been doing for 9 years, I fired up my video recorder (on my iPhone) and began recording the banter between my kids while on line to see S-A-N-T-A. This is GOLD and I like to get every minute.
From there, the corporate minions took hold. I was asked not to take pictures. I assured the kind folks I would do no such thing. The photograph taking would be left to the “professionals” with the flash and fisheye lense. I simple wanted to video tape the live raw excitement of my cherubs as they encountered the Magic Man, Mr. Claus in the flesh! That seemed to suffice…for a moment…until the pit boss of the Santa Set began to call out to me in front of everyone.
By now the children were on Santa’s lap and I WAS MISSING IT!!!! This is good stuff. These moments come once in a lifetime. Did he ask about Mrs. Claus yet? Did my daughter mention her deepest desires for a gift???? I DON’T KNOW because I was being yelled at by Sara like a school boy who was chewing gum in class!!!
My wife briefly attempted to talk me out of videotaping, but thought better of it. She wanted some video too!
I pressed forward. I focused…or tried to. In my coolest Sharon Stone impersonation I wanted to utter, “What are you gonna do, arrest me for smoking video-taping my own children while they tell Santa Claus what they want for Christmas?”
Then she did it. She utter the mother of all dirty phrases…..the “I am going to dash dash (call security)” phrase. I was in for it now.
We asked her to snap the picture. Our credit card was out the whole time. People were waiting. The tension was mounting.
After I shut the camera off (so she would snap the picture) THREE security guards came down and waited for me. She ruined my experience and my wife’s. The kids enjoyed Santa immensely. She ruined our video memories… and we paid $25 for a picture. The security folks did nothing.
I go to the mall about 2 times a year. Well, I used to. I bet you can guess why… Easter, and Christmas. That’s probably going to change though.
News flash to Shutterfly, Cherry Hill and Westfield:
You should want me to videotape my kids having magical moments at your place of business while using your service. Take a lesson from Disney. He makes MILLIONS from letting people photgraph and videotape their happiness early and often.
You’re not in the business of selling pictures. You’re in the business of selling happiness and connections. You never know who’s coming through your doors. Everyone should be treated like a king. You treated me like a crook, when in reality it is YOU who stole something from me and my family tonight…and for what?
Facebook matters. Twitter matters. Today these numbers are more real than ever. Even more important are your website’s google analytics, your email database’s total subscribers, and ultimately your “open rate”.
These are the ratings of tomorrow. Actually, they are the ratings of TODAY, but everyone would rather focus on the VOODOO numbers published and paid for.
Like any ratings or statistics, these aren’t the end all be all. These are simply versions of VARIOUS available measuring sticks. These stats are an indicator of your stickiness…or lack of stickiness. These numbers are an indicator of the level of involvement your audience (or customers) have with your business/brand.
Enter the Chicago Radio Digital “Ratings” for September 2011 (We’ll post these monthly). I am considering including Steve Dahl’s stats in the next period. If you think there is someone else like Steve or a web entity that’s Chicago centric I should include, please suggest it in the comments below.
Chicago Radio’s Facebook Ratings September 2011:
Chicago Radio’s Twitter Ratings September 2011:
It’s official. Groupon has filed with the SEC to “go public”.
In a time when mainstreet USA was struggling for business, Groupon rode in on their White Stallion and 
promised to bring business in the front door. They patted the small business owner on the head and said, “don’t worry…we’ll help YOU.”
Groupon offered to advertise your business for free. They said they’d even sell your stuff for you. They’d handle EVERYTHING for YOU. The best part is there’s NO RISK to you. If no one buys, it didn’t cost you anything!
If no one buys, you get FREE advertising from GROUPON!!!!!
But what if lots of people buy? What’s this “Groupon Effect” people are talking about?
Well simply put, when people buy your outragiously discounted and now commoditized wares through Groupon….Groupon will write YOU a check!!!
So to recap:
This sounds GREAT! What’s the catch?
In short, your business is underwriting Groupon’s growth. They’re now selling shares for BILLIONS and you are still struggling to pay your CAM. You are essentially paying THOUSANDS of dollars for an email blast that should cost you pennies. Imagine paying $15,000 for an email blast.
But Groupon rocks other than that.
Here’s more on Groupon from the Tribune.
The solution? Build your own following one loyal customer at a time. Read 1,000 True Fans. Partner with other local businesses and cross promote locally so you can grow together, steadily. Forget the GRAND opening mentality. It’s easier to keep a customer than it is to get a new one. Love the ones you’re with and empower them to spread the word.
If you ran a Groupon, ask the board for some stock. You helped build Groupon.
Screen capture from Van Halen's "Right Now" Video
There’s a guy who disected the US weather patterns on May 4th.
He says you can identify “HAARP Rings” generated by the government weather control system in Alaska known as HAARP
it stands for High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program. It has a .edu web address but this facility has been taken over by the US Government.
It does exist.
Here is the video (a little boring) that shows the unnatural weather patterns.
This is a company that does this for hire… http://weathermodification.com/
but it’s child’s play compared to what HAARP can do. Some credit HAARP with the tsunami destruction in sri lanka, japan, and the earthquake in haiti.
It’s easy to dismiss a lot of these things as conspiracy theories etc….but the danger in that is discouraging discourse among fellow concerned citizens.
There is zero question governments are modifying the weather. It’s been international news in China etc. The question is to what degree, who’s in control, and what are the consequences?
I think it should also be noted…Tom Skilling and others know what natural weather patterns look like.
SIDENOTE:
Theres a music video for a song from Van Halen from the 90s did called “Right Now”….and throughout the video they flash phrases on the screen like “Right now, someone is giving birth…Right now a flower is blooming.” The one that stood out to me as a teenager was “Right Now, our government is doing things we think only other countries do.”
Right Now – Van Halen
Obama’s birth certificate being released, and Osama Bin Ladin’s death. Americans smiling and chanting “USA” outside the Whitehouse over the death of a “human being” makes us look like morons to our children and the world. This is about as relevant to our lives as a royal wedding. Emotional for many, I understand…but let’s save the chanting “USA” outside the Whitehouse for a truly epic event. Our enemies don’t all wear black hats….many pretend to be our friends and smile at us, put their arm around us and call us their friend.
Our troops will remain in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Nothing changes. What changes is the serotonin levels in Americans who identify killing Osama Bin Laden with getting justice. Justice was not served.
My 3 year old gets frisked by the TSA when we fly to Disney World. Gas is approaching $5/gallon. The world is in a recession/depression. The Government is grabbing a foothold on virtually everything.
We’ve risked and lost hundreds of lives in pursuit of Bin Laden…. Sometimes when you “win” you really lose. There’s nothing to celebrate.
This comes from an American patriot who proudly flies Old Glory in his front yard. I’m not anti american, nor am I interested in politicizing this…as the media will shortly. But hitting the streets and chanting “USA” over the death of a former CIA operative who we’ve hunted for a decade, at the cost of millions of dollars and thousands of lives concerns me. We’ve got lots of work to do here on planet Earth.
My prediction: Terror levels rise….more reasons to clamp down on us than ever. NOT winning.
The Dubiels FLY their jolly-roger FREAK flag, come what may! ARRRRR!
<TEASE> As special bonus for reading this post…I am including a Pirate Joke my kids love, at the end of this entry. <TEASE>
A few clips back I wrote about eschewing your fears. I might have even trotted out the phrase “fly your freak flag”, as is my want.
Little did I know, hours earlier in deep in the bowels of Dupage county, Michael W. Noonan (aka Mike Noonan, or THE Mike Noonan) was sharing similar incites along the lines of this general theme at MikeNoonan.com. Mike was using little ole me as one example of essentially flying your freak flag.
Sometimes quieting your fears is not enough. Sometimes you need to take it one step further and LET YOUR FREAK FLY.
Beware, this could be hazardous to your reputation. You could upset THEM. THEY might take offense. You’ve been warned.
But chances are, you’re doing this already and you don’t realize it…or the benefits of doing it.
EXAMPLE: Have you ever put a political sign in your yard? You flew a freak flag. Did it work to your benefit? Was there any upside? Sometimes when you fly your freak flag there’s only downside. I personally think many bumper stickers are a great example of this. In fact, IN MY OPINION, nearly everything you display on your car falls into this category.
I’m advocating for the freak flag flying which has potential for UPSIDE. Here’s the good news though: It’s YOUR CALL. You’re the boss. You make your rules. You also have to live with the consequences of your actions. Choose wisely, but don’t FEAR the reaper. He’s not coming over your freak flag.
This week on Grey’s Anatomy “Korev” broke a bunch of rules. Afterward, he essentially surmised that breaking the rules leads to winning. I agree.
Now for the pirate joke my kids love:
The answer is at the bottom of this page CLICK HERE
Take it from the guy who INVENTED podcasting (not Matt Dubiel, it’s Adam Curry), PODCASTING IS DEAD.
Technology is fashion. Delivery methods come and go. Content is king. Your content is not defined by the mechanism by which you deliver it!
8 track, mp3, album, LP, itunes, newspapers and other dying forms of technology