My Baby Toe is On Facebook: The Economics of Oversharing

You are now entering the Facebook profile of my Baby Toe.

My Baby Toe is currently recovering from a case of fungus. He resides in Riverview Florida, where he enjoys a scenic view. His past life includes a brief stint at Kforce. Hobbies include: swimming, eating, and torturing those two pesky housecats. Mood: friendly. Age: Approx 3. Species: Beta Fish.

After Digg's Kevin Rose's cold rang up over 1200 followers on Twitter in one day, and people began subscribing to the twitter stream of this lady's cats, I figured all my "Facebook Friends", including family members, the people I work with, went to grammar school with, and don't even really know would want to know about the musings of our pet beta fish, right?

You thought I was talking about my ACTUAL baby toe? Gotcha.

Are these examples of creative uses of new media at their best or oversharing meets boredom at its worst? I'll let you be the judge.

Need a Break from Election Craziness? Check Out These Shrimp On a TreadMill...

More Crazy Video Mondays... and no, it's not the Sarah Palin prank-call clip. Did you know that shrimp, when placed on a treadmill, run up to 66 feet per minute for up to 3 hours without needing a rest? Well now you do. Thanks internets!

Boom-Chick-A-Boom-Boom! He's A Cat.... Flushing A Toilet!

Video O' the day... to bring a smile to your face. Dig that funky music! Now, if only I could train my cats (and husband- J/K!) ;) to do this... Thanks internets!

Want Earbuds With That?

Marketers are forever combining products, free gifts and packages in an attempt to make their brand more attractive to consumers and to (insert buzzword here) "add value".

This example of a value-added promotion, now available at Target stores nationwide, is one example of a marketer that, in my opinion, clearly missed the target. Pun intended. Free earbuds with facewash purchase? These two items have about as much in common as the political leanings of my family vs. my in-laws. ;) Also, how exactly is a person supposed to use said free earbuds while washing one's face? That would be one nifty trick!!! As the Consumerist pointed out, this may be where all the old free JetBlue earphones are going. Smart thinking guys! It's always good to recycle.

I can see that the users of Neutrogena's oil-free face wash may indeed be the same target audience as the iPod generation, but pairing el-cheapo earbuds combined with facewash? Because surely the free ones that come with your face wash are SO much better than the ones that come with your iPod...

Here's an option B for you marketers out there: How about free iTunes downloads or a gift card instead of the earbuds? I bet the packaging for that is easier on the eyes as well!

Come on marketers, you can do better. Promotion Grade: FAIL. Except for the fact that it did make me giggle through my lunch.

I Can Haz Writers Block? Inexpensive Cures

There is nothing quite like the combination of a seemingly never-ending cold, a horribly depressing news cycle and a spending two months coding an e-commerce website (when you typically spend that time working on marketing projects) to sap all the creativity out of a girl faster than my cat sneaks out the front door.

When the world is getting me down, I remember how fortunate I am to have things so many others are struggling with in these days: work in my field, a house with fixed-rate mortgage, a healthy family, and luckily considering my appendicitis attack earlier this year, health insurance. Historically, times of great economic stress, such as the Great Depression provided the world with an outpouring of arguably some of the best art, film, and literature we had seen. The same thing is happening today. People may be cutting their spending on eating out, but they still are going to movies in record breaking numbers. Essentially, in crisis, people look for beauty and escape to get them through the reality of their everyday.

What cheap-ish thrills get my creative engine going again when I am feeling zapped?
1. For me, the answer is first and foremost always books. If your shelves are falling over like mine, I highly recommend a swap site like Bookins, which lets you send books to other people for free and get new books for $4 in postage. Don't forget, libraries are free, and Borders does not charge a "browsing fee."

2. Music: Thank heaven for Music Swapping Sites, iTunes and community radio (88.5 Radio-Active Tampa!) and cheap local shows. While I love music with a passion, I am lucky in that my husband "J" does the heavy lifting, providing me with a constant stream of new music and dragging me to shows even on the days I don't feel like going out. Concerts don't always have to cost $60. Check your local papers and community radio stations for free shows and low-cost options. It's always a better story to say "I saw them at a bar with 50 people before they were famous" anyway. J has LOTS of those stories.

3. Humor: No shocker here, besides beautiful films, I am drawn to the absurd and humorous in television and film when down. Cheap(ish) thrills- NetFlix, basic cable and our trusty DVR filled with the Daily Show and Colbert Report from the previous evening, since I am a nerd and go to sleep by 10pm. That being said, I will close with this clip from last week's SNL, which had me in tears of laughter, despite a fever. Warning: it is advisable to use the potty before viewing.

Each to It's Own Purpose, Everything in It's Right Place

Lately they seem to be crawling out of the woodwork. "They" being old friends from my past. People I haven't spoken to or thought of in over ten years at the minimum. I moved across the country after graduating college, and I am definitely not the best person at keeping in touch via phone. Ask my best friends, including the ones in town. :)

With each connection, a new memory is ignited. Riding bikes down the street as a child, being chased by my friend's little brother. Sleepovers and riding my bike to the pool. Dance routines and being scared to death of Nightmare on Elm Street. Fast forward... driving around with my friends looking for stuff to do, U2 blaring. Biology lab, Homecoming, English class, walking to school, parties, crushes and spring break in Cancun. Fast forward again... autumn leaves, red brick, libraries, rushing, and disco dancing at 11am before a football game in full costume, more than a little tailgating tipsy. More dances and parties, and some dancing on tables...I think.

Why this sudden reconnection with the past? Social networks, of course. LinkedIn is great for the professional world, networking with current and former colleagues, highlighting your talents, link building, and in my husbands case, finding good job candidates. I use FriendFeed much the way I used to Twitter (although I just can't seem to quit you)- to stay on top of the the latest and greatest from those early adopters and techies I don't quite know, yet love. More linkbait there. I still use social bookmarking sites occasionally.. to bookmark. (Del.icio.us I'm looking at you). My husband uses MySpace in his avid, continual hunt for the latest band that doesn't exist yet. However, I am busier these days, and less promiscuous in my tendency to jump on the latest network bandwagon. Case in point: I lasted on Plurk exactly one day.

Networks are only as strong as their user base. Most people I know in real life are not the FriendFeed type. This may be because I live in Tampa, not the Silicon Valley. When I talk about Twittering, they think I am talking dirty. I use these tools each for their specific purposes. But Facebook... to me you are a tool for professional networking, as well as a window into my life both past and present, ages 6 and up.

Marketing Analysis...a Day in the Life

"Is the sun yellow?"

"How yellow is the sun?"

"What metics do we have for measuring the level of yellow?"

"How frequently are they measured?"

"On line 47, of spreadsheet 672, it says the sun is yellow. When you subtract the CM and K values, you are left with the value of absolute Y. Y is measured weekly, monthly and by the nanosecond."

"Well, what are your plans for keeping the sun yellow?"

Weekend in Nerdland

iPhone 3G launch last Friday! I don't need Miss Cleo's crystal ball or even a glance at Google Trends today to know that the iPhone was a top search item Friday. Fanboy mania...lines, download issues, and dominant stories on all the standard issue tech blogs for days.

I don't have an iPhone, and neither does my husband, although I think they are tan-fastic. We are Verizon customers (don't get me started), and we are not ready to change networks. Also, we live in cowville (ie Mid-Market USA), which means that 3G does not apply to us yet. Which also may explain why he has such a hard time recruiting for all those UMTS positions at AT&T and can only find qualified Europeans to work on 3G.

Still, the iPhone craze affected us, as my husband spent the better part of Saturday morning downloading all the new software for his iPod Touch. Upon completing, he literally made me sit down to tour all the new programs (Twitteriffic, yay!), including virtual beer. He was, understandably, highly distracted at dinner that night. There was a new, improved toy at the table!!! Much awesomeness!!!

I avoided the interwebs Sunday but continued to sift through more blog posts Monday, dissecting what Apple did wrong. Why another product launch with the same issues? Will their fan base continue to put up with this clear lack of attention to detail?

J and I are not even the Apple fan base in the truest sense. Yet I spent the better part of a weekend in Nerdland, reading blogs, watching iPhone shows, and of course sitting down to watch "virtual beer." The launch could have gone smoother, but when it comes to total product devotion, I think Apple is on to something. Why else do they call it the Jesus Phone?

Clinique and Macys... UR Doin' It Wrong

At the end of a long day at work last week, I stopped near a mall to pick up some dinner. I had time to kill before it was ready. He needed his facial soap. I bravely told him I would kill two birds with one stone and stop by the Clinque counter on my way to pick up dinner.

I HATE malls. Anyone who knows me knows I am a rabid online shopper, and will purchase things most people buy in stores online. Lipstick, clothes, shoes, perfume? I'll buy it online...anything to avoid mall crowds and the dreaded sales assistant. In my opinion, shopping, particularly for luxury items, should be a pleasant, uplifting experience. Why then is it the business model of most cosmetics counters to make you feel bad about yourself so you purchase more? Unfortunately, this encounter was to be no different.

I approach the counter, swing past the Sales Assistant's saying "No thanks, I don't need help," grab the soap from the open display and head to the counter to pay. Times are tough, and the sales assistants start pushing. I am told if I purchase something else, I will get some free goodies. "Thanks, but, I don't really need anything, else" I asserted.

"Well, have you seen this product?" It removes all blotchiness, redness, acne spots and freckles and would be perfect for you. You just apply under sunscreen and moisturizer," said the sales assistant. "You really need sunscreen." The aforementioned sales assistant has the permanently-surprised expression of the recently Botoxed and is wearing two shades of lipstick, contrasting lip liner, and three shades of eye shadow.

Did the crazy-eye lady just indirectly tell me I have blotchy, red, freakishly pale skin? OK, I do live under florescent lights. But all I wanted to buy was some soap. It's not exactly as though I was having a high self-esteem moment before this happened. However, as I politely said no thank you and left the store with my purchase, I became irritated at the experience, to say the very least.

Clinique (and large retail outlets everywhere) take note: you are doing your customers a disservice by trying to push products in this insulting fashion. Consumers today are more educated, savvy and service-oriented then ever before. Even if it sells one more product that day, I doubt this way of doing business is helping you in the long-run. I do know that should I need a "lightening skin product" in the future, after this experience I won't be purchasing it from Clinique.

Retail outlets- How are you training your sales assistants? Do you try and make every shopping experience a pleasant one for the customer? Product recommendations can be done MUCH more tactfully and less desperately than by insulting the customer. Something along the lines of "Have you heard about our newest product?" might have been a nicer intro.

One thing I do know is this: the next time I pick up my husbands soap, I am going to Nordstrom. Their sales assistants never tell me my skin is bad and always give me free goodies, no matter what. Perhaps the other department stores could learn a thing or two from this business model.

SkyMall...The Ultimate Adventure

Ah SkyMall, the beacon of American Consumer Capitalism at it's finest! Where else can you find the world's largest crossword puzzle and a GPS tracking system for your dog in the same place? On a recent business trip, giggling to myself while I pored over this little gem, I pondered if their copywriters were:

A: Drunk
B: Having WAY too much fun
C: Previous mental patients
D: All of the Above

If you were the poor soul sitting behind me and "J", our director of sales, your probably heard something like this:

"Oh my goodness, I have always needed an upside down tomato garden!"

"We really should get this two-foot garden yeti for the office lawn...

"Look, a little vest for your dog with "cooling action" so he doesn't get too hot! so perfect for the beach..."

"Remember the gazing ball from your parents front lawn... um no, what the hell is a gazing ball?" "Is this a southern thing J?" "Yes."

"Hey, this one is really quite good. A dog crate that looks like a really nice coffee table!"

"I so need these... clip-on shoes to aerate your lawn while you walk." J: "I'll raise you one. They should make those for the dog!"... Queue hysterical laughter and strange looks from boss seated across the aisle.

On your next flight, pick up a copy and discover all the items you never knew you needed, and probably don't. Like Slankets. Although I do want one of those.

Hilarious & Controversial New PSA "Sex and the Kitty"

Using the popularity of the new Sex and the City movie as a launch pad for a new public service campaign entitled "Sex and the Kitty", PETA created the following PSA to promote the spaying and neutering of house cats.

Unfortunately, the cats shown in the video below get so, well "frisky" that most networks, including MTV, (hello: pot, kettle, black!) have pulled the spot. One brave network in Seattle, KSTW-TV, is apparently still airing the clip at this date.


"The women of 'Sex and the City' have nothing on our kitties," said PETA VP Daphna Nachminovitch in a statement. "When you consider the millions of unwanted cats and dogs born each year, it's clear that the purrfect solution is spaying and neutering companion animals."

Well, this certainly gets that message across. Although as a cat owner and lover, I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit. :)

This Takes "Personal Branding" a Bit Too Far...

Yet another wonderful and mildly terrifying product launch to be filed into the category of "only in America." Not only the land of the free and brave, but most importantly (judging by my mailbox), the land of stuff!

Featured in this week's Williams Sonoma emailer as the ideal Fathers Day gift (for the Dad that has everything) I find this Monogrammed Steak Brand a little creepy. Who really wants to cut into a big juicy piece of chicken or steak emblazoned with someones name or initials? Um, not for me, thanks! I'll have the salad.

Dad, if this happens to be your dream Father's Day gift, I hate to be a spoiler, but you will have to look elsewhere. I think this takes the whole concept of "Building Your Personal Brand" to hilarious new level.

However, if you are so inclined to purchase one, they are also available at RedEnvelope.

The Internets Are Watching

Last week on Twitter, a prolific user tweeted their social security number in a completely nonchalant way. "My Social Security number: 555-55-5555." You get the drift. I would go back and find the post and poster to give this person props if Twitter had better search archive functionality, but I can't. Twitter, are you listening?

Whether or not it was their real social security number, I do not know. However, I almost fell out of my chair from the sheer genius of it. Twitterville is (currently) a trusting and open community, with people posting often intimate details of their daily lives. Was this person testing the waters to see what the implications of tweeting their social would be? Were they making a commentary about how our personal information really is available for anyone to find? Were they being snarky? Perhaps a combination of all of these things.

Lately there has been talk by some major bloggers (Tamar Weinberg and Danny Sullivan in particular) about the transparency of social networks such as Twitter and FriendFeed and the implications for daily life. Some of the blog posts were concerned with the implications for the safety of their children, and rightfully so. Someone can easily "know" Mommy or Daddy very well online and be a complete stranger. FriendFeed is very useful, yet it also allows everyone to see exactly what you are doing on the net. Let's call it "FriendSpy" if you will.

I think the trust and community we place in our social networks allows us to sleep at night. They are cyber-neighborhoods. However, by putting our lives on display for public consumption, we are essentially enabling stalking on a global scale, are we not? As a non-celebrity, I don't let this worry me. Stalkers are more likely to find you in person. :) If I had children, I am sure I would be more concerned. Plus, if someone wants to see what I am bookmarking, I am OK with that because I try not to go overboard with it.

Telecommunication providers keep all phone and internet records on everyone for a minimum of two years. In many states, public documents that include your social security number and home address are readily available online in public databases. Once indexed by search engines, every blog post, website, picture, Facebook entry, etc., can be dug up after it's deleted by anyone who really knows how to find these items. I am not trying to fear monger. This is the reality of the internet and public communication today. We need to get used to it, and next generation needs to understand the possible repercussions of posting all their crazy antics. If a thief wants your social security number, they will get it, whether you tweet it or not. It is much better to open your eyes, realize that everything you do today is on display, and act with full intention.

Frankly, I am mostly glad that the antics of my college days came before digital cameras and Facebook. Someone would have to search hard for silly photos of me, in actual albums. Political campaigns are going to get a lot more interesting when Gen Y starts running for office and everyone's dirt is public domain.

Only in America... Tanning Beds for Your Pet

Live in a cold, cloudy climate? Is Fluffy or Spot suffering Seasonal Affective Disorder along with the rest of the household? Either this new product is a sign of the pending Zombie Apocalypse or Genuis Marketing, or both. It is getting tons of attention on the interwebs... Gizmodo, Buzzfeed, and Trendhunter all have the scoop. Behold the SunSpa Tanning Bed, meant to simulate a relaxing nap in the sunshine for your cat (or dog, okay I'm partial). Officially launching at the Pet Industry Spring Trade Show May 16-18 in Baltimore, it is available for pre-order at the show... Run, don't walk folks!

A is for Accountability

In life and in work, I am a big believer in under-promising and over-delivering. When I worked in account management, I was the fixer. Give me the surliest, most difficult or frustrated unhappy clients and within six months, they were usually very pleased and back on track. Why?

Very simply stated, I was accountable for my actions, and for the work of our company. I put a human face on our work, reached out, built relationships and created a rapport with my clients and did my job to the best of my abilities. If something went wrong, I was then able to tell them we would fix it quickly, and we did. If I promised something by 5:00 on Wednesday, they got it by 4:55. They began to trust us, and often times the account would grow.

I don't profess that I was always able to win over every unhappy client. However, it never fails to shock me how rare personal accountability is in the business world, in customer service and in life. When things go wrong, everyone is always quick to point the finger and blame someone else, which accomplishes nothing.

As an individual, you can't always solve every problem on your own. Yet it can be disarmingly refreshing to hear a simple "Your right, I'm sorry, let me take care of this for you," and then to actually see the person follow through.

It's Just My Pussy Doodles...

OK- it's been weeks, maybe months since I originally saw this clip from Tim and Eric Awesome Show. However, it is so utterly hilarious and simple in it's ridiculousness, it simply never gets old. Enjoy!

Click here to view the video:
Pussy Doodles

Inspiration: Why Am I Doing This?

There are what often feels like a million great blogs about marketing, SEO, social media, the interwebs and the various topics I am writing about. What can I possibly add to the conversation?

While I have many years of marketing communications experience behind me, I am learning Social Media and SEO as I go. Honestly, I think that's is still the case for a lot of people, at this moment in time, 4/25/08. I'm not particularly thrilled with the work our outsourced SEO firm is doing. It's fair, not excellent. A lot of link building, but little else. The links aren't on industry-related sites. The article content- don't get me started. I think I can probably do better, time permitting. I am passionate person, which extends into my work.

My Dad is on Facebook is my opportunity to learn the best way I know-- by doing. To stretch my writing skills above and beyond corporate jargon and press releases. To write about topics other than work. To share amusing things with my family and friends, and maybe even some strangers. To finally get the code correct for the stumble upon and del.icio.us icons at the bottom of my posts in Blogger, which is annoying me. To grow, stretch my legs, stumble and pick myself back up.

Twitter is Still a Tween

The world is suddenly abuzz about Twitter. Twitter is just about everywhere. In actuality, the microblogging service has been around since 2006. However, Twitter has suddenly reached its tipping point and experienced a recent surge in popularity.

Twitter is a simple application with a 140 character limit that asks "What Are You Doing?" Enabled for Web or Mobile devices it is so simple and versatile it's brilliant. Full reveal- I actually had an account sitting vacant for months before I figured out exactly what to do with it. :) Find and follow some people-yes! They follow you back, you start a dialog. Now it's getting interesting.

To compare Twitter to a human in development stages though, I would say that twitter is in it's tween years. It has successfully grown from infant to strong child but is still hiccuping it's way towards the teen years to adulthood.

Why is Twitter a Tween? Besides the fact that the alliteration sounds cool? For starters, Twitter has amazing potential as a communications and networking tool. However, most marketers and communicators are still figuring out how to leverage twitter as a tool for major businesses.

Twitter has been highly adopted by tech/social media/marketing//communications/writer/ artist types. However, other industries are only beginning to scratching the surface. Recruiters, health care professionals, musicians, gardeners, etc- come out where ever you are and join the happy bandwagon.

There have also been some recent Twitter hiccups reminiscent of tween-type growing pains. Last Friday-Monday Twitter experienced a mass outage, broadcasting what seemed to me to be about 25% of the actual twitter posts from those I follow. Worse? Twitter itself did very little to communicate to users on it's blog or homepage about the outage, what they were doing to resolve it, or when it was expected to be back up.

Then news broke today that some very personal private direct messages were exposed for at least one twitter user (probably lots)- third party twitter application GroupTweet was the likely culprit. Yikes!

Twitter may not be responsible for the failure of a third party application, but these third party applications are still so new that users cannot separate the good from the bad, the fail proof from the buggy.

I love my twitter, but I think it's a tween. I can't wait to see what it grows into!

I Am the Lorax, I Speak for the Trees!

The Lorax Returns! In honor of Earth Day, today's post is dedicated to one of my Dr. Seuss favorites. He was, after all one of the original environmentalists, publishing The Lorax over 35 years ago..

Back in my days working at "The Lab", my Lorax T-shirt, a gift from my now husband, was an office favorite. I have no idea where the shirt was purchased, but it is chock-full of Seuss graphics, in the ubiquitous thin cotton t-shirt fabric, replete with the phrase: I Am The LORAX...I Speak For The Trees.

Random House, the publisher of Seuss's environmental masterpiece (in my opinion) has teamed up with Conservation International on the Lorax Project, designed to help raise awareness of environmental issues and inspire earth friendly support.

Also, children and grownups alike will also enjoy the Lorax Movie. I know I did!

Cat Plays a Theremin

For the first installment of "Crazy - Awesome Web Video Monday" I bring you this clip... there isn't much to say but...LOLZ. Cats and Music- two of my favorite things!

Don't Get Mad, Get Math

Irritated with your cell phone/ISP/Cable provider? Love to hate their customer service? Use your frustration constructively and get creative like this person did. Fight back with... math! I can only imagine what their billing department did upon receiving this payment.



Thanks for the pic Mom!

Sock Puppets in the Echo Chamber

Early in my career, I had a rather wacky boss that was fond of saying "the last original idea is the wheel." Another famous expression- there is no bad press. It may seem that there is, but on the web, controversy generates more links and viewers.

Having worked in Marketing Communications for over ten years, I have recently taken interest in Social Media Marketing in all its forms. Entering the game somewhat late gives me I a slightly different perspective on all this. As I observe the industry blogs and tweets frequently generate a running commentary on each other and the industry itself in order to produce more content and experts, with the hope that the cream will rise to the top. Industry term: the echo chamber.

A primary study of the echo chamber at work: the Shel Israel/ Robert Scoble/ Loren Feldman sock puppet video mockery debacle, made worse by publicity from TechCruch. GreyWolf summarized the situation on his blog well and Tyme White did a great critique of the situation on her blog to which Scoble responded. Shel also commented on the situation on his own blog. This is all very interesting for a Social Media Newbie or anyone remotely connected to PR, communications or the web to read.

Sure, Loren's sock puppet parody videos of Shel are amusing and funny- but the sock puppet idea is not exactly new. The bigger question is this-- if Shel (and Scoble) didn't exist, would the sock puppets? Would Loren's new media star shine as brightly without Scoble and Shel (or someone of their ilk) illuminating it?

If the major new media innovators don't produce content, good and bad, for us to comment and critique would we still hear the echo in the forest? We are all still learning to some extent, and that my friends, is the point. The interesting part will be to see what Shel does next. Can he turn a little sock puppet mockery his favor? I hope so. I'm sure Loren will find someone else in the chamber to turn his puppets on by then.

Me? I'm in the echo chamber myself.

One More Reason Apple Is Doing it Better

First confession: I hate the mall, and avoid it like the plague. I purchase almost everything online. But a once or twice a year an expedition to the mall is a necessity. Kind of like the dentist.

On my latest trip to the mall with my husband, we stopped in the Apple Store to purchase a cover for his new iPod Touch. As a marketer, I must say Apple does so many things right I won't bother to list them. I drool--really, it starts with their products. Minimalist eye candy adorns the store and even if you don't adore technology you want to play with everything. It's so EASY and cool.

What floored me the most wasn't the store layout, tots playing learning games or the MacBook Air. It truly the simplest thing. When we checkout out, the sales assistant asked if we wanted our receipt printed or emailed to us. Slightly stunned, we said email, of course.

How many receipts do you get every week? Can you even count? From the grocery store, lunches, ATMs, gas, miscellaneous items small and large. How much paper does that add up to? How much money do Apple stores save by not printing everyones receipts, many of which wind up in the trash. How does this impact their carbon footprint?

If all the major retail outlets in the country adopted this simple technology, what would the cost savings be? How much paper would be saved? OK, so my tree-hugging roots are exposed here for a minute. I don't mind. However, I actually would much rather have receipts from all my purchases in email. I might actually keep and track them that way.

Plus, from a marketers perspective, Apple gained an additional bonus - our email address.

Absolut Kafuffle: Advertisers, Bloggers and Aftershocks

I came across an article in AdAge today that got me thinking. To make a long story short, this country-specific Absolut Ad from Mexico was found amusing by the original blogger, Laura Martinez, who posted to her site on March 31. See her original blog post here.

The result? Hundreds of furious blog comments, stories in the LA Times and Austin American Statesman and finally, a public apology from the makers of Absolut on April 4. Timeline? 5 Days.

This ad depicts Mexico's original borders. For Americans, does it provoke strong feelings for people on various sides of the immigration debate? Of course.

This ad ran in print publications in Mexico only. But in today's global communication landscape, words, images and photos spread virally across the internets at lightning speed. Organizations (and individuals alike) simply cannot operate under the impression that something shown in country X won't be seen by country Y.

Absolut likely angered many people and lost customers during this process. However, they also got tons of free press because of a chain reaction started by a blogger. Will customers stay angry enough to stop buying Absolut? Time will tell, but my guess is no.

What exactly does great advertising do? It grabs your attention and provokes an emotional response. Mission Accomplished.

And Laura? You have a new fan.

My Dad Is On Facebook

I work in eMarketing, but for various and sundry reasons have resisted joining the behemoth social networking site Facebook until about two weeks ago. Sure, it was the privacy issues, ha. Imagine my surprise when I finally set up my account when I found that my Dad already had a Facebook page. OK, so he didn't have photos or a long profile posted, but he still beat me to the punch.

Some background here, first. My father is in his fifties and a branch manager for a hydraulic engineering firm. He does work for NASA and the military and loves computers, yet is very slow to embrace technology in his personal life in many respects. He carried a beeper (yes a beeper!) until LAST YEAR (2007), when his company finally forced him to carry a cell phone. I don't think he has ever actually used an ATM machine, as my mom takes care of all the finances. He didn't get call waiting until it was forced by the phone company when they moved to Florida in 1998. Here I am in my thirties, work in eMarketing for an IT company and Dad still beat me onto Facebook, which I find both hilarious and awesome.

Now that I'm finally using Facebook, I like it. Yes as the rest of the world already seems to know, it can be strangely addicting. So why have I avoided the social networks for personal use so long, even though I work in the industry? Maybe I am more like my Dad than I realized.