Nov
25
The Cranky Communicator: “Five Simple Paragraphs”
Posted by Jack Lilienthal at 3:41 pm | Filed In Smart, Strategic | 1 Comment
I am often amused by marketeers’ obsession with planning models. The business sections of bookstores are stuffed with serious-minded tomes describing and dissecting the marketing plan. Yet in the end, most of us return to SWOT which, of course, is not a planning device at all but an assessment tool.
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Nov
20
Monitor internal search via Web analytics to ensure site visitors find what they want
Posted by Dan K. Snelson at 11:25 am | Filed In Smart, Technical | Add a Comment
Recently I had the opportunity to swap out some optical drives from some older Macs. (A Power Mac G4 [AGP Graphics] and a Power Mac G4 [QuickSilver 2002] for you old-time Mac-loyalists.)
My first stop (obviously) was Apple’s support site. For those of us who had key Apple support article IDs memorized, Apple’s recent change to a new numbering system has slowed things down a bit. (Seriously, who’ll ever forget Article IDs 106692, 106693, 106694, 303880 or 86117?)
Instead of using Apple’s internal search, I found what I was looking for faster using Google.
Nov
18
Why I Love Flextime
Posted by Erin Paulson at 3:03 pm | Filed In Smart | Add a Comment
I am lucky enough to have two wonderful parents. During my childhood, my mother was the quintessential stay-at-home mom, truly involved in our lives and setting an example of what a mother should be. At the same time, she showed us how important it was to give back by being very involved in PTA and community organizations. From a young age, I have known without a doubt that I wanted to be a mother, and wanted to be as involved as my Mom has been - and still is.
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Nov
14
The Cranky Communicator on the art of writing clearly, or at least somewhat intelligibly
Posted by Jack Lilienthal at 5:46 pm | Filed In Smart | Add a Comment
“The slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.” George Orwell
Over nearly 40 years of professional writing, I’ve been asked by businessmen, educators and college students to explain the secrets of writing well. It’s always tempting to reply with the old Carnegie Hall advice, but the fact is most people get plenty of writing practice… they write badly and with the same mistakes, over and over.
Nov
11
Keep Customers Ordering From Your Menu
Posted by John Buscemi at 5:38 pm | Filed In Smart | Add a Comment
It all started when Dad took over the family restaurant from my grandfather. My siblings and I would spend every weekend at the restaurant helping Dad with whatever needed to be done. I’m sure at times we were more of a hindrance, but Dad made sure we participated in all parts of the business. Nothing was too good for the owner’s kids – we swept floors, bussed tables, washed dishes. But most memorable was the chance to help prepare the food. We learned to make pasta, spaghetti sauce, filled thousands of ravioli and rolled millions of meatballs.
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Nov
10
Are Social Technology Trends in B2C Relevant in B2B?
Posted by Chris Eifert at 1:06 pm | Filed In Smart | Add a Comment
As usual, much of the research on emerging marketing comes from B2C. And thus, the B2B market must wait its turn or extrapolate possible meanings from B2C data (yuck). While I staunchly avoid making the “if it’s happening in B2C it’s probably something that should work in B2B” leap, an article in the November 1, 2008, Marketing News, caught my eye.
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Nov
7
Make a Lasting Impression… Like the Grim Reaper
Posted by Rhonda Ryerson at 2:13 pm | Filed In Smart, Strategic | Add a Comment
Being a chocoholic and still a big kid on the inside, I look forward to trick-or-treat night each year (you know, leftover chocolate and all). So last week, I went door-to-door in my neighborhood with a friend and her 7-year-old son (no, I didn’t steal his chocolate).
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Nov
6
Using the DOM and JavaScript to create user friendly websites
Posted by Jesse Gifford at 12:41 pm | Filed In Smart, Strategic, Technical | Add a Comment
While recently testing a website I was reflecting on how powerful the combination of the DOM and JavaScript can be for making websites user friendly. When I was introduced to these technologies, my interest was really sparked. These technologies give you the ability to dynamically manipulate content just about any way you would like and they are also, in my opinion, extremley fun to implement.
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Nov
1
Social Media Distortion
Posted by Jon Berry at 5:07 pm | Filed In Smart, Strategic, Technical | Add a Comment
“Social media” refers to the broad range of Internet tools that have cropped up in recent years to allow us to share and exchange information. YouTube, Facebook and MySpace are examples of websites that have become ubiquitous in many of our everyday lives. From promoting rock stars to organizing the kids’ soccer team practice, these portals are readily used to inform, market, entertain, and, yes, potentially distort.
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